Source: USA Today
by Rex Huppke
“I’ve heard a lot lately about how socialism and communism are bad, at least when it’s a Democrat proposing ways to ease American consumers’ economic pain. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan for five municipal grocery stores where a ‘core basket of everyday groceries will be 30 percent cheaper’ was pilloried by Republicans. … OK. But now Trump is saying his new bought-from-wherever imported beef will be sold 25% below the market price. That sounds a lot like the government controlling food prices. The final piece of the hypocrisy turducken is that Trump’s mystery-meat plan wholly undercuts his incessant claims that tariffs don’t affect consumers. … in one fell swoop, President Cheeseburger angered the cattle ranchers who’ve long been loyal to him …. He demonstrated the inanity of the GOP’s fearmongering about communism and socialism. And he confirmed what everyone already knew about his reckless tariffs and the financial burden they’ve imposed on consumers.” (08/23/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/08/23/trump-ground-beef-tariff-waiver-cattle-ranchers/91386869007/
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday defended Tehran’s expired Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States as the best option for ending hostilities between the two nations, which Pezeshkian described as being ‘neither war nor peace.’ … ‘There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,’ Pezeshkian said in remarks published by state-run news agency IRNA. ‘The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.’ The MoU, signed by US President Donald Trump in June, laid out a 60-day timeline for ending the US-Israeli-led conflict as well as ensuring that Iran give up its nuclear ambitions. The deadline passed last week with no signs of compromise by either side, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz — which Iran closed in response to US-Israeli attacks, putting the global economy in a chokehold for the past six months — still unresolved.” (08/23/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/iran-president-defends-deal-with-us-as-best-option-for-peace/a-78477486
Source: Reason
by Steven Greenhut
“In the communist Chinese surveillance state, the authorities use facial recognition software, tracking systems and biometric databases that create holographic profiles of every person. Called ‘Bright Eyes,’ this system is straight out of science fiction. It’s the perfect police-state model for controlling the populace along the lines of that ‘1984’ quotation, given it’s impossible to act and speak freely if you’re being watched by people who have the authority to put you in prison. America isn’t there yet, but ALPR technology is leading the long march to this dystopia.” (08/21/26)
https://reason.com/2026/08/21/america-is-building-a-surveillance-state-like-chinas/
Source: US News & World Report
“French centre-left politician Raphael Glucksmann launched a bid for the presidency on Sunday, seeking to challenge firebrand hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon for dominance of France’s fractured left ahead of a campaign increasingly shaped by the far right. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen consistently tops first-round voting intentions, and potential challengers from the political centre and left face an uphill battle to defeat her in a runoff, according to opinion polls. … Glucksmann, a pro-European EU lawmaker who led the mainstream left alliance in the 2024 European Parliament election to 14% of the vote, trails Melenchon in opinion polls and a key question is whether he — or other potential centre-left candidates — could unite moderate left-wing forces.” (08/23/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-08-23/french-politician-glucksmann-launches-presidential-bid-amid-fractured-left
Source: The Daily Economy
by Iain Murray
“America won’t outcompete China by restricting imports on robots. It will win by becoming the best place in the world to build and deploy them.” (08/21/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/america-cant-revive-manufacturing-by-shunning-robots/
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley
“There is a novel (and highly dubious) lawsuit filed in Delaware by the nation of Azerbaijan against CNN for a story claiming that it was cooperating with Israel in attacks on Iran. Republic of Azerbaijan v. CNN, Inc. borders on the legally frivolous, but it is likely politically advantageous to show Iran that it contests the allegations. … The basis for the lawsuit is what the country calls ‘CNN’s reckless reporting’ on June 5, 2026 in a post titled ‘Exclusive: Israel sent troops to Azerbaijan during Iran war, sources say’. The article claiming that Azerbaijan allowed Israel to use its territory to launch attacks against Iran no doubt raised the ire of the Islamic Republic. Indeed, the Complaint lays out how Iran threatened any countries assisting Iran and suggested that the story was putting them at risk of an Iranian attack.” (08/22/26)
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/08/22/azerbaijan-sues-cnn-over-story-on-cooperation-with-israel-in-war-on-iran/
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“A Texas judge denied Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial on Saturday, dealing a blow to the 19-year-old’s bid to overturn his murder conviction. In June, a Collin county jury found Anthony guilty of fatally stabbing his classmate Austin Metcalf in 2025 at a track meet in Frisco, a suburb 28 miles (45km) north of Dallas. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Anthony’s defense attorneys have sought to have the case re-tried, accusing county prosecutors of violating an off-the-record agreement. In court filings this summer, his legal team said they struck a bargain with the state to narrow the focus of the trial to the day of the track meet, excluding allegations that would raise questions about the moral character of both teenagers. … Defense attorneys said the state broke the deal at the 11th hour, leading Anthony to forgo taking the stand, as was originally planned.” (08/22/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/22/karmelo-anthony-texas-trial
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s watch the LNC Meeting with PRESHOW review of Moellman Opinion.” (08/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbSpcvP1798
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The sign, from an Eat ‘n Park that we sometimes eat at on our Pennsic trip, expresses a common sentiment, that it is virtuous to buy from someone who lives close to you instead of from someone farther away, support the economy of your town instead of that of some other town, that it is ‘just the right thing to do.’ Why?” (08/21/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/local-patriotism
Source: The Next Move
by Garry Kasparov
“South Korea, like many other US allies, provides a friendly presence along strategic transit corridors. The American public’s sudden introduction to the Strait of Hormuz is a stark reminder that these are not just geographic trivia questions but strategic choke points that can make or break global trade—and deliver a real financial blow to ordinary people thousands of miles away. Donald Trump likes to cast allies as freeloaders and ungrateful charity cases (he is vindictive that the South Koreans will not get involved in his poorly conceived war in Iran). This is an awfully flat, transactional view of the world, and in almost every instance it is also inaccurate. US prosperity would be directly impacted if South Korea were absorbed by the Stalinist north.” (08/21/26)
https://www.thenextmove.org/p/why-korea-matters
