Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Renaud Beauchard

“As the entire world is having a temper tantrum over the most recent Epstein case revelations about our discredited elites – obsessing over the power networks, the private jets, the bank accounts in the Virgin Islands, the French ministers, the European royalty, the foreign intelligence agencies, etc. – I’m having an entirely different epiphany. And, strangely, a flicker of hope. The rot on display is hard to take your eyes away from, but I find myself thinking more about what might rise in its place. I’m not talking about another faction of whip-crackers wearing better suits or pushing slicker slogans, but a quieter bunch, who appear to have the capacity to generate moral assent to a new political formula. That new elite prototype has started to take shape inside the MAHA movement. It might not yet be a fully formed counter-elite, but it certainly looks like a promising kind of one.” (02/13/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/is-the-maha-movement-building-a-genuine-counter-elite/

Source: Reason
by Autumn Billings

“A lawsuit argues that Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem coerced Apple and Meta to censor two popular ICE-monitoring tools, which violates Americans’ right to freedom of expression.” (02/13/26)

https://reason.com/2026/02/13/the-feds-used-threats-to-silence-their-ice-tracking-speech-now-theyre-fighting-back/

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jack Hunter

“When the George W. Bush administration invaded Iraq in March 2003, that war had 72% support among Americans, according to Gallup. If Donald Trump now wants to start a U.S. war with Iran, the president would not remotely enjoy that level of support. He doesn’t even have half of it. Scratch that, not even a quarter of Americans want him to bomb Iran today. A SSRS/University of Maryland poll asked participants earlier this month: ‘Do you favor or oppose the United States initiating an attack on Iran under the current circumstances?’ Only 21% favored, 49% opposed, and 30% answered ‘I don’t know.'” (02/13/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-bomb-iran-polls/

Source: CounterPunch
by John W Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead

“This country was built on the radical idea that government exists to serve the people — not to control them, monitor them, manage them, or rule over them. That idea is being systematically dismantled by a Deep State determined to entrench its power at our expense by keeping the nation divided, distracted, and perpetually at war with itself. This is what happens when those in power discover that a divided people are easier to manipulate than a united one — and that hate is not a byproduct of politics, but one of its most effective weapons. This nation is being destabilized by forces that masquerade as political movements, but dig down deep, and you’ll find that power and greed work the same no matter which party hat they wear. The ‘politics of hate’ is a bipartisan tool.” (02/13/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/13/the-politics-of-hate-weaponized-discord-is-the-deep-states-most-effective-tool/

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“VMI, like all other colleges and universities, should have the right to run its affairs any way it wants. If a college wants to adopt DEI, it should be free to do so. If it wants to reject DEI, that’s fine too. If it wants to have a black-studies program, great. If it doesn’t, that’s great too. If it wants to honor Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, John Archibald Campbell, and other people who fought for their country and for the right of secession, so be it. If it wants to instead honor Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan, and other war criminals, so be it as well. The problem, of course, is that VMI is on the state dole. He who pays the piper calls the tune.” (02/13/26)

https://www.fff.org/2026/02/13/separate-vmi-and-higher-education-from-the-state/

Source: Grist
by Tik Root

“Five years ago, climate activists stunned corporate America by winning three seats on Exxon Mobil’s board. Similar revolts have forced some of the nation’s biggest companies to address climate change. Now, the federal regulator overseeing shareholder rights is making it harder for small investors to convey their concerns. In November, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, announced that it would essentially stop weighing in on whether companies must put shareholder proposals to a vote. Then, in January, the agency said it would no longer allow investors with less than $5 million in shares to use its online system to send communiqués, known as exempt solicitations, to fellow shareholders.” (02/13/26)

https://grist.org/accountability/its-getting-harder-for-shareholders-to-push-companies-on-climate/