Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“Stasis is a state in which opposing forces balance so precisely that nothing moves. It is a useful word because it names something real, and something increasingly common in political and social argument. There are people, and indeed whole movements, who want the world to stop where it is now, as though the present moment were a plateau to be defended rather than a point passed through on the way to somewhere else. This yearning deserves examination, because it is often mistaken for Conservatism, and the mistake matters.” (07/31/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-yearning-for-stasis
Source: NBC News
“The U.S. has agreed to pause attacks on Iran, President Donald Trump said Saturday, amid what he said were the ‘perimeters of a deal’ that would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. … The president said the U.S. was ‘locked and loaded and ready to go’ but that he agreed to cancel attacks ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.’ … The statement came after the State Department on Saturday urged Americans across the Middle East to consider leaving the region or be prepared to depart on short notice. It also warned of flight disruptions and security risks as the conflict with Iran appeared to be escalating.” (08/02/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/state-department-urges-americans-consider-leaving-middle-east-region-rcna590396
Source: Washington Post
by Fareed Zakaria
“The administration has declared that countries ranging from Cambodia and China to Norway, Japan and Australia have failed to keep products made with forced labor out of their markets, and that this failure burdens American commerce. The charge is so obviously spurious and sweeping (Sweden is as bad as Cambodia?) that it gives away the game. It was almost certainly devised because the White House needed a legal pretext to subvert the spirit of the Supreme Court ruling against Trump. This is more than ordinary political spin. The president appears to be ordering the United States government to formally certify as fact something it knows is not true. Agencies must publish findings, construct legal arguments and affix the authority of the American state to a falsehood manufactured for the apparent purpose of evading the nation’s highest court.” (07/31/26)
https://archive.is/KMrLr
Source: Associated Press
“Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least five people across Russia, also hitting industrial sites and a further warehouse belonging to Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries, local officials said. Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace, is sometimes described as the country’s answer to Amazon. In under two weeks, Ukraine has struck over a dozen of the retailer’s depots, part of Kyiv’s aerial campaign aimed at undermining Moscow’s war effort, hurting its economy and making people feel the consequences of the Kremlin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. … Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 133 drones during the night, 24 of which hit targets, according to the Ukrainian air force. Later on Sunday, separate Russian attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv killed at least two people, according to local officials.” (08/02/26)
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-wildberries-warehouses-drones-d2c705445dad07fced4fb8c1e3d314c5
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“The federal government is spending $7 trillion, yet only collects $5 trillion. This $2 trillion annual deficit destroys the purchasing power of every dollar in your bank account. What is even clearer is that Washington politicians know no other way to get your vote than to buy it through reckless spending. This constant theft of your wealth is a major frustration of mine, and sadly, most Americans are too busy to take the time to understand the destructive effect on our nation’s future.” (08/02/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/how-federal-overspending-causes-your
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The family of a Haitian immigrant who froze to death in early March at a bus shelter in Pittsburgh after she was dropped off in the city by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is poised to file a lawsuit this month against the United States and ‘multiple other governmental and non-governmental entities’, the Guardian has learned. Daphy Michel, 31, had been in county jail for six months after a reported mental health crisis and street incident, and then was [abducted] by ICE before being released with a ankle monitor. She was left to make her way home to Charleroi, a small community on the outskirts of Pittsburgh about 20 miles (32km) away, but was found dead three days later. In June, Pennsylvania officials said she died from hypothermia and ruled her death a homicide.” (08/02/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/02/ice-death-pittsburgh-daphy-michel-haiti
Source: The Hill
by Jonathan Turley
“For years, former President Joe Biden has fought to prevent the release of tapes acquired by former special counsel Robert Hur in his investigation. After those efforts collapsed this month, it became clear why Biden and his aides were so determined to keep the public from seeing the evidence. In addition to showing Biden’s mental diminution even before he was elected president, the tapes show that Biden effectively confessed to the crimes Hur would later excuse on the grounds of his mental infirmity.” (08/01/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/6002930-biden-classified-materials-confession/
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“In the 104 years that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has stood on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the event it is most closely associated with is the 1963 ‘I Have a Dream’, speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. But today, far from a symbol of national unity, this body of water has created a wave of anger and discontent. On Friday, United States Attorney for the District of Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro did the right thing and dropped charges against David Hearn, a former Olympic athlete who had been facing 10 years in jail for allegedly defacing the monument. Hearn was accused of pulling up pieces of the new sealant installed this year during President Donald Trump’s renovation of the pool. He claims he was just curious about the preexisting damage he saw. It may have been as annoying as chipping away at dried paint, but it wasn’t a felony.” (08/01/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-reflecting-pool-controversy-mirror-broken-politics
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Hungary has announced it will shut down its only nuclear power plant after record-low levels on the Danube River reduced the water available for cooling its reactors. Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in central Hungary would be powered down on Sunday, the first full shutdown in its 44-year history. The plant supplies nearly half of Hungary’s electricity. Magyar said output had fallen to 965 megawatts on Friday and to 240 overnight, far below the normal 2,000. The Soviet-built, four-reactor plant south of Budapest siphons water from the Danube for cooling, but low river levels have impacted its pumps’ ability to draw in enough water.” (08/02/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/2/hungary-plans-to-shut-down-only-nuclear-power-plant-amid-drought
Source: Free Talk Live
“Sarah in NM calls about ‘public choice financing’ :: Dave Ridley calls about AI film festival :: venice.AI :: Dave gives a teaser for his fiction work :: socialism vs. capitalism :: U.S. troops killed in Jordan :: is history a lie? :: New CDC director says mRNA is safe and effective :: things according to Jeff Berwick :: David in NM says it’s the Jews, but you can’t talk about it :: 2026-08-01 Hosts: Stu, Angelo.” (08/01/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-08-01
