Source: New York Post
by staff
“The Democratic Socialists of America are proving an old principle of politics: You can win a lot of votes by promising ‘free stuff’ — and not worrying if you could possibly deliver. Analyst Adam Michel of the free-market Cato Institute just tallied up the DSA’s agenda, and guess what: ‘The entire wealth of the richest Americans, plus every dollar of corporate profit and maximum top income tax rates’ fails to pay for the socialist program. The DSA vows to provide universal health care (cost to the government: $29.9 trillion to $75.4 trillion over the next decade), slavery reparations ($13.5 trillion to $28 trillion), jobs guarantees ($4.4 trillion to $60.4 trillion), housing for all ($3.4 trillion to $16.6 trillion) and several other big-ticket goodies. The mind-blowing total: $71.2 trillion to $211.6 trillion, spiking federal spending to 57% of GDP on the low end, and 92% on the high end.” (09/01/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/09/01/opinion/why-the-dsas-agenda-actually-promises-misery-for-all/
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“After a record 250 days at sea without a port stop, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has docked in Thailand, giving its nearly 5,000 crew members a much-needed break. The ship is docking close to the beach resort of Pattaya, known for its raucous nightlife and for sex tourism. For the US it also carries strong historical echoes. When the weary sailors walk into the city’s bars and restaurants, they will be treading in the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands of US troops who came here for R&R – rest and relaxation – during the Vietnam War. They transformed it from a sleepy fishing village to one of the world’s most famous and frenetic party towns. Today the neon-lit alleys running down to the beach are much quieter than usual. The bars in the city’s famous Walking Street still screen videos on their walls of pole-dancing women, trying to lure customers inside.” (09/02/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7k09z4lj9o
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Will the GOP Leave DC Already? What You Should Be Watching For in Iran (with Riley Blanton).” (09/01/26)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/will-the-gop-leave-dc-already-what
Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day
“Amid public discontent and warnings from Pentagon leaders that the Iran War undermines military readiness, President Donald Trump has settled on a new strategy: lower the temperature on military hostilities and focus instead on strangling Iran’s economy. Middle East experts told The American Conservative that this approach won’t fundamentally change Tehran’s own military strategy, at least not in ways congenial to American interests. Moreover, in practice it is leading to skirmishes centered around the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. aims to blockade Iranian ports while securing free transit for allied countries. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians face dire threats to their livelihoods, as revealed by first-hand testimonies shared with TAC.” (09/02/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/hurting-everyday-iranians-doesnt-help-american-interests/
Source: Liberal Currents
by Guillaume AW Attia
“The current crisis of democracy was not inevitable, but a result of hubris and shortsightedness among generations of statesmen.” (09/01/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/after-1989/
Source: US News & World Report
“For the first time in recent history, Danish conscripts have been deployed to Greenland, as Denmark moves to bolster its presence in the Arctic after U.S. demands to acquire the territory. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish island, citing national security concerns and accusing Copenhagen of neglecting Arctic defence. Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected the idea. The conscripts are part of the first cohort under Denmark’s new extended conscription programme, aimed at producing soldiers able to operate in one of the kingdom’s most strategically important and challenging regions. … The conscripts are taking part in Arctic Endurance, a Danish military exercise that trains soldiers for combat and survival in extreme cold-weather conditions.” (09/02/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-09-02/denmark-sends-conscripts-to-greenland-as-arctic-tensions-grow
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of War | Robert Wright & Paul Scharre.” (09/01/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69692
Source: The Atlantic
by David A Graham
“Labeling the anger at Flock as a reaction to ever-present surveillance in contemporary society seems accurate, but this doesn’t explain why it’s happening right now. Not only has Flock been around for some time, but ALPRs are even older. My colleague Conor Friedersdorf was sounding the alarm a decade ago. ‘Your diminished privacy is their product. And the police are their customers,’ he wrote in January 2016. Some anger focuses on governments that spend huge amounts (including money obtained through opioid settlements whose funds were earmarked for community aid) on technology during a moment of economic worry. More damaging to Flock’s reputation has been a series of cases of police officers allegedly abusing their access to the system to stalk people, typically current or former love interests.” (09/01/26)
https://archive.is/0dHud
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Orlando Pérez
“The Pentagon could find itself underwriting risky loans to put Caracas'[s] petroleum infrastructure back on track.” (09/01/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-oil-venezuela/
Source: SFGate
“If Kansas megachurch pastor and Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton manages to pull off an upset victory in his race for a U.S. Senate seat, he’d join a very small group. In the past 100 years, only incumbent Raphael Warnock of Georgia has accomplished what Hamilton aspires to do: serve in the Senate while continuing to lead his congregation. Warnock has continued to preach regularly as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since his election as Georgia’s first Black senator in 2021. Hamilton has made clear that if he wins, he would like to continue as senior pastor — preaching 12 to 18 times a year — at the Church of the Resurrection. With roughly 25,000 members in the Kansas City area, it’s the nation’s largest United Methodist church. Warnock, in a video on U.S. Senate Democrats’ Facebook page, discusses how he melds his political and pastoral careers. ‘They are both about working for people even as you walk alongside them,’ he said.” (09/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/raphael-warnock-has-done-it-adam-hamilton-wants-22413996.php
