LPA Solidarity Stream, episode 21
Source: LP Alliance
“David Beito, Phil Saunders, and their proposal for thinking outside the one-or-two-state paradigm.” (08/25/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Iranian, Omani regimes outline plan for temporary Hormuz shipping lane
Source: CNN
“Iran and Oman outlined a proposal Tuesday to jointly establish a temporary shipping channel through the Strait of Hormuz, according to regional officials, after weeks of fraught discussions between the two countries. … Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi visited Iran and held consultations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the state-run Oman News Agency (ONA) reported earlier. After the meeting, the Omani foreign minister said he was ‘hopeful’ both nations would ‘soon announce a temporary corridor’ for the strait. … Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a telephone call and discussed the proposed temporary shipping channel …. Qatar has previously voiced support for the efforts between Oman and Iran to reach an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz, despite US President Donald Trump’s threat to attack Oman if it interferes with US operations in the strategic waterway.” (08/26/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/26/world/live-news/iran-war-trump
JD Vance’s Interest in Huey Long Should Be a Red Flag for Conservatives
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“As a governor and senator, Huey Long is best remembered for his radical proposals to redistribute wealth by force and for criticizing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ as not expansive or progressive enough. So when Vice President J.D. Vance says out loud that he finds Long ‘great’ and ‘interesting,’ that’s worth keeping in mind. While speaking in Ohio last week, Vance invoked Long’s famous ‘Every Man A King’ slogan and hailed Long as a ‘great Southern populist’ who was ‘an interesting guy; kind of a crazy guy.’ … The moment is illustrative both because of Vance’s choice to invoke Long by name—this was a deliberate choice made in a prewritten speech, not some off-the-cuff remark—and for how the vice president seems to have misunderstood the speech he was referencing.” (08/25/26)
US Secret Service suspends top spokesman and two others as misconduct mystery grows
Source: Independent [UK]
“Three non-law-enforcement U.S. Secret Service officials have been placed on administrative leave following the launch of an internal inquiry by the agency’s professional standards office. The three personnel were working in non-operational roles when the inquiry into potential misconduct began, according to reports from the agency’s public information office. The specific grounds for the action remain unclear as the Office of Professional Responsibility carries out its formal review. Among those suspended is Anthony Guglielmi, the agency’s chief of communications. The move follows disclosures last month that a member of Vice President JD Vance’s security team came under scrutiny over allegations tied to a suspected news leak, the U.S. Secret Service said Thursday.” (08/26/26)
More Military Murders on the High Seas
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The U.S. military has just announced that it has carried out two more murders on the high seas near South America. This now brings the military’s high-seas murders to more than 200 people. Mind you, in its announcement, the military did not use the term ‘murder.’ The announcement stated that the military is simply enforcing the U.S. drug war. But make no mistake about it: What the military is doing is engaging in state-sponsored murder, which is ordinarily a felony offense. … Under America’s criminal-justice system, the police are not permitted to kill people they suspect of violating federal drug laws. They are required to instead take them into custody, indict them, and prosecute them. The U.S military does none of these things. It just murders the people it suspects, based on top-secret information, of violating federal drug laws.” (08/25/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/08/25/more-military-murders-on-the-high-seas/
Military enslavement fears grip Russians as Kremlin’s forced recruitment spikes
Source: euronews [EU]
“Russian security forces are detaining civilians off the streets and pressuring them to sign military contracts, as reports emerge that the Kremlin is preparing for a new wave of mobilisation for its ongoing all-out war in Ukraine. In mid-August, the Russian human rights project Idite lesom received 14 appeals from people who said security forces had detained them and forced or pressured them into signing military contracts, either at police stations or directly at military enlistment offices. … Russian officials have denied any plans for mobilisation. ‘We do not need mass mobilisation at the moment; it is neither planned nor expected,’ Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said on Friday. He added, ‘As far as I know.’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday described reports about mobilisation preparations as attempts to ‘stir up the situation ideologically’ inside Russia.” (08/25/26)
Say It With Me Again: Trump’s Tariffs are Taxes on Americans
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Trade wars are odd in that the dueling governments’ weapon of choice is confiscatory taxation imposed on their own citizens. ‘I’m mad at you — I’m going to break my son’s arm.’ ‘Oh yeah? Well fine, I’ll break my wife’s leg — how ya like them apples?’ ‘You’ve done it now — I’m dousing my whole family in gasoline and lighting a match!’ When I point out how idiotic all that is, a few doofs come back at me with: ‘Buy American — problem solved.’ But no, buying American doesn’t solve your problem as a consumer. You’re going to pay more, whether you pay it directly to Uncle Sam or not.” (08/25/26)
SC: Graham wins GOP primary runoff to replace brother in US Senate
Source: ABC News
“Sen. Darline Graham — a political newcomer appointed to the seat held by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham — will win a special GOP primary runoff to replace her brother on the South Carolina ballot, the Associated Press projected Tuesday. Graham, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, defeated Rep. Ralph Norman, a staunch conservative and member of the hard line Freedom Caucus, who had also advanced to the runoff, following South Carolina’s special Senate primary earlier this month. Graham will face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews in November.” (08/25/26)
Are public schools unconstitutional? A Nebraska court will decide.
Source: Washington Post
by Corey DeAngelis
“In 2021, Columbia University law professor Philip Hamburger argued that the U.S. public school system violates the First Amendment. ‘Education,’ he wrote, ‘consists mostly in speech, and parents have a right under the First Amendment to exercise authority over what their children hear.’ Forcing families to accept government messaging — or pay a steep price to escape it — amounts to unconstitutional pressure. A lawsuit filed in Nebraska on Aug. 13 brings that argument into court — and could open a path toward universal school choice. Justin Jacobsen and Timothy and Joanna Menter, parents in the Lincoln Public Schools district, are suing state and local officials in Lancaster County District Court. Represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, they are challenging Nebraska’s combination of compulsory education and public-school-only funding.” (08/25/26)
CA: Judge upholds Avenal recall of mayor, three councilmembers
Source: Fresno Bee
“The legal battle among the City of Avenal, Kings County and recall organizers over the city council recall election on April 28, came to an end Monday after Kings County Superior Court upheld the election results, finding irregularities did not affect the outcome or violate legal procedures. The court ruled defendants — recalled Mayor Alvaro Preciado and Councilmembers Leticia Gamez, Pablo Hernandez and David Reynosa — unlawfully held office as members of the Avenal City Council. The court declared those four seats vacant as of May 28. … The recalled officials had refused to step down despite the election’s certification on May 28, leading to a legal battle. The city claimed the recall process was illegal.” (08/25/26)
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/article316996464.html