Source: SFGate
“Oil giant Chevron confirmed that it will expand its operations in Venezuela, just days after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration Tuesday to ‘stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough,’ as he pushed back against a fresh wave of taunts from Washington. Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington becomes serious about negotiations. And a record percentage of Americans — about 9 in 10 — 89% — believe there’s widespread corruption in the U.S. government, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday. That’s up 10 percentage points from last year.” (09/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-latest-canadian-prime-minister-carney-tells-22414063.php
Source: Politico
“Trump’s data center defense.” (09/02/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL3382091301.mp3
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“It’s both common and accurate to point out that many people who go into government are control freaks motivated by the desire to exercise power over others, or else driven by self-interest to profit from control of the reins of government. But a new study points out that even when government officials are sincere and intend to make the world a better place, they often cause more harm than good.” (09/02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/09/02/study-even-well-intentioned-regulators-do-more-harm-than-good/
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith
“Academics may distrust concentrated private wealth, but their retirement system owes its origins to one of history’s great industrial fortunes.” (09/02/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/ironic-inheritance-how-andrew-carnegies-millions-still-underwrite-the-academy/
Source: WAVY 10 News
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spiked the names of at least six Army officers from a list for promotions to two-star generals, a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Hill Tuesday. The removals come just days after the Pentagon chief blocked promotions of four Army officers selected to ascend to one-star rank …. Earlier this year, the defense secretary similarly pulled four Army officers, two women and two [b]lack men, from a one-star general promotion list — to the displeasure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other top officials. Driscoll handed his resignation to the White House on Monday and is set to depart the Trump administration after a months-long turf war with Hegseth, a move that further signals the defense secretary’s aim to impose his will on the service branch.” (09/02/26)
https://www.wavy.com/news/national/hegseth-removes-6-army-officers-from-promotion-list/
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“The Battle for American Identity (with Ben Rhodes).” (09/02/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttqbf_gF2Tw
Source: Washington Post
by Taylor Budowich
“When many teachers in Richland Parish, Louisiana, opened this year’s annual bonus checks, they found them 400 percent larger than last year — reaching up to $50,000, nearly a full year’s pay in one of the poorest corners of one of America’s poorest states. The bulk of the money came from the tax revenue of a single source: the five-gigawatt data center that Meta is building in Richland Parish. … Most Americans haven’t heard that story. What they have heard instead is that data centers will guzzle their water and spike their power bills — and our politics now reflect that. … AI supporters are losing the argument not because the facts aren’t on their side, but because they keep reaching for the wrong facts — gigawatts, capital expenditure, the race with China — in making their case. Here are three rules for AI companies, and the policymakers who support them, to win the argument that follows.” (09/02/26)
https://archive.is/yibQQ
Source: Washington Post
“The myths fueling America’s AI data center backlash.” (09/02/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/the-myths-fueling-americas-ai-data-center-backlash/
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“The rising popularity of politicians on the American left who either explicitly identify as socialist or, at least, don’t shy away from or disavow the term appears to be causing genuine concern within the Washington establishment. That is, of course, entirely justified. Socialism is profoundly unjust and destructive. … However, the concern we’re seeing from the neoliberal and neoconservative establishment is frustrating. Because the political order that they have built and preserved over the last half century has made the growing popularity of this kind of ‘democratic socialism’ all but inevitable.” (09/02/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-neoliberals-fueled-rise-socialism
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“I have a question about the critical Michigan Senate race: Are centrist Democratic officials and pundits going to spend the next 60 days loudly making the Republican Party’s arguments for them? The last week has seen a meltdown over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee. The controversy involves the Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who is not an elected official, or a candidate for anything, or a member of El-Sayed’s campaign, but did appear with him during the primary at a few events. Piker made some comments on a Twitch stream (more on that in a moment) that provided a convenient pretext for Republicans to whip up a frenzy of anti-Muslim bigotry and smear El-Sayed by association. Most Democrats did not join in, but many did, including some in leadership positions.” (09/02/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/09/02/are-centrist-democrats-too-racist-to-compete-in-michigan/