Author: Thomas L. Knapp

The GOP’s Fading Economic Advantage

Source: Antiwar.com
by Greg Pence

“As the 2026 midterms approach, a nationwide poll released in early August delivered a warning that goes to the heart of the Republican Party’s political identity: for the first time in nearly a decade, voters said Democrats were better stewards of the economy than Republicans. For years, Republicans benefited from a broad perception that they were more trustworthy than Democrats on economic management, even when the record of Republican administrations was contested. … Now that advantage is beginning to crack – not because the U.S. economy is necessarily on the verge of collapse, but because many Americans are judging it less by macroeconomic indicators than by groceries, electricity bills, healthcare and insurance costs, housing, and what remains in their bank accounts at the end of the month. For Donald Trump and the Republican Party, that change in how voters measure economic performance could be costly.” (08/19/26)

https://original.antiwar.com/greg_pence/2026/08/18/the-gops-fading-economic-advantage/

Thomas L. Knapp

US Appeals Court Blocks ICE Gang Abductions Near Some Houses of Worship

Source: US News & World Report

“A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld an order limiting federal ⁠immigration ⁠enforcement at eight houses of worship affiliated with ⁠three faith groups, saying religious activities at the sites could be hindered by the operations. A three-judge panel of the 4th ​U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with eight houses of worship from the Quaker, Sikh, and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship traditions in finding that a policy President Donald Trump’s administration adopted likely ‌violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The case is one ‌of a number of similar legal challenges that religious groups have filed nationally. The Trump administration had argued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s policy did not prevent the plaintiffs ⁠from conducting worship or ⁠ministry services, and said the plaintiffs could not establish it would lead immigrants to choose to not ​attend their religious services.” (08/18/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2026-08-18/us-appeals-court-blocks-trump-immigration-enforcement-near-some-houses-of-worship

Thomas L. Knapp

Who Rigged Alaska’s Senate Race?

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Challenger Dan J. Sullivan’s run against the incumbent with the near-identical name, one Dan S. Sullivan, doesn’t quite pass the smell test. He sure appears to be gaming the election. Still, the rigging occurred when the state went to an open primary where anyone — regardless of party membership — can vote for anyone on the ballot. … Alaskans should go the opposite direction, allowing — no, requiring — political parties to privately select their candidates. And at their party’s expense, not the taxpayers’.” (08/18/26)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/08/18/who-rigged-alaskas-senate-race/

Thomas L. Knapp

Ebola cases in Congo exceed 5,000, regime data shows

Source: Reuters

“The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the ​Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds 5,000, ‌government data showed late on Tuesday, as health officials warn that response efforts are failing to ​contain the deadly disease. Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic ​turned into the biggest in the country’s ⁠history in terms of number of ​cases in late July and over the weekend ​the death toll hit 2,378, the public health institute said, surpassing the previous worst outbreak in 2018-2020. The institute ​has so far logged 5,021 cases, according ​to its latest situation report, making it the second-worst outbreak ‌globally, ⁠behind only the 2014 to 2016 epidemic in West Africa in both infections and deaths.” (08/19/26)

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/ebola-cases-congo-exceed-5000-government-data-shows-2026-08-19/

Thomas L. Knapp

Pattern Recognition

Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman

“Pattern recognition need not give an unambiguous result. The same black and white picture can be seen either as a vase or as two faces. A paranoid may have a picture of the world that fits all of the data available to him, with apparent inconsistencies explained by the plots of his enemies.” (08/18/26)

https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/pattern-recognition

Thomas L. Knapp