Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst
“The Trump-connected Polymarket is likely helping gamblers with inside military information cash in on wars the president wages. According to Reuters, a report by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective found that 152 ‘exceptionally successful’ Polymarket wallets otherwise known as ‘Orcas’ may have traded on inside military information to place high-stakes bets on critical U.S. defense operations, including the June 2025 attacks on Iran. According to the non-profit research group, these wallets had a 97.2% success rate and won $8 million collectively. President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is an adviser for Polymarket. 1789 Capital, his venture capital firm, invested in the platform soon after it was founded. Moreover, Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric Trump, continue to profit from defense industry investments as the war with Iran continues.” (08/21/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-polymarket/
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith
“During the French Revolution, authorities in Paris turned to ‘a series of ventures in price-fixing and food control’ to ensure people did not go hungry. It didn’t work as planned.” (08/21/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/when-paris-went-hungry-under-government-food-controls/
Source: Engadget
“Uber has allegedly violated the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) again, but this time to the tune of a 824.9 million euro, or $966 million, fine. The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), or the Dutch Data Protection Authority, hit Uber with the massive fine, accusing the company of automatically deactivating driver accounts between 2018 and 2022 without human intervention. According to the Dutch regulatory agency, Uber has deprived its drivers of income through fully automated decisions, violating the GDPR in the process.” [editor’s note: Even if there was anything improper about that, note the word “fine.” It’s not restitution to the supposedly wronged drivers, it’s just bureaucrats demanding a huge bribe – TLK] (08/22/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2242192/uber-hit-with-1-billion-fine-for-automatically-deactivating-drivers-in-europe/
Source: Washington Post
“Host Megan McArdle talks with UCLA sociologist Gabriel Rossman about scandal, status and public shaming.” (08/21/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/a-sociologists-perspective-on-the-jason-arday-story/
Source: Fre Association
by Sheldon Richman
“When Hayek was writing, the air was filled with the poisonous creed that, with individual freedom obsolete, central planning of society was the future. The wise ones understood that collectivism was the order of the new day and that no one could be allowed to thwart the leader or ‘the people.’ Fewer and fewer people were aware of what was being lost: a civilization marked by a custom-shattering, liberating individualism that brought commerce, innovation, and progress without a single imposed plan.” (08/21/26)
https://sheldonrichman.substack.com/p/tgif-hayek-and-the-road-abandoned
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“If the Democrats’ brash Senate nominee in Michigan believes only the good polls and not the bad, he may wrongly conclude he need not adjust to woo swing voters.” (08/21/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/21/el-sayed-may-be-winning-but-he-should-run-like-hes-losing/
Source: SFGate
“A dispute between a producer and Netflix over a missing copy of a WWII spy drama starring Nicolas Cage has now reached the Los Angeles Police Department. A law firm representing producer Simon Afram filed a report with the Hollywood Community Police Station, accusing Netflix of losing a drive with a copy of his WWII film, ‘Fortitude’ last month and not providing information on the streamer’s investigation into the issue. ‘This report is being made on an emergency basis, as there is reason to believe that Netflix, Inc. and its employees are suppressing and/or spoliating evidence of the theft of an asset with a cost of $45 million to create and a likely sale value of over twice that amount,’ according to Afram’s complaint which was viewed by The Times. … Netflix said in a statement last month that it is conducting an investigation and is offering to monitor piracy sites for any authorized distribution or sale of the film.” (08/22/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/lapd-investigates-nicolas-cage-movie-went-missing-22398666.php
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“One presidency was just not enough for Donald Trump. But what will he be remembered as? It is possible that his tombstone will have a forty-something on it, but the ‘th’ may very well stand for ‘trillionth’ — for under his watch the public debt of the federal government rolled over on Wednesday, past $40 trillion. I remember when people held signs up emblazoned with ‘No Trillion Dollar Debt!’ How ‘forty years ago’ is that?” (08/21/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/08/21/the-forty-trillionth/
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner
“Until this week’s Florida primary, corporate and AIPAC Democrats could comfort themselves with the belief that the surge of democratic socialists was largely limited to a few big cities and college towns. But then DSA member Angie Nixon, a three-term state rep from Jacksonville, trounced the impeccably credentialed centrist Alex Vindman by 12 points. Vindman, with heavy AIPAC and corporate support, had outraised Nixon 19-to-1, having a war chest of more than $16 million compared to Nixon’s less than a million. Nixon’s victory was so improbable that she was not even on the radar of DSA, which did not bother to endorse her. … Expecting to cruise to victory in the primary, Vindman did not deign to campaign, saving his war chest for the general election.” (08/21/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/08/21/stunning-florida-senate-win-angie-nixon-dsa/
Source: Axios
“The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Trump’s sprawling ballroom project can proceed for now, despite a lower court’s ruling that halted the administration’s plans. The decision is a major win for the administration, which has argued that demolishing the White House’s East Wing and building the ballroom are necessary for security. In a brief order, Chief Justice John Roberts paused the halt the D.C. District Court put on construction while the court weighs his request. It did not address the legality of Trump’s project or give a timeline for when the court will weigh in.” (08/21/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/08/21/trump-ballroom-construction-supreme-court
