Source: CNN
“The Justice Department admitted Friday that President Donald Trump’s $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was ‘hasty and botched,’ and it is dropping the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn that accused him of vandalizing the pool, according to a new court filing from DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. … Three other people have been swept up in the administration’s push to blame the pool’s problems on alleged vandals — each pleading not guilty to lesser, misdemeanor charges. Federal prosecutors dropped the charges against at least one of those people as well Friday, according to DC court records.” (07/31/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/31/politics/doj-admits-reflecting-pool-renovation-flawed-drops-case-david-hearn
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews author and writer Ted Galen Carpenter about the Iran war, Israel’s tensions with Turkey, the Saudi Nuclear deal, North Korea and more.” (07/31/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/7-24-26-ted-galen-carpenter-on-the-remarkable-stupidity-of-the-iran-war/
Source: The American Conservative
by Eldar Mamedov
“With Trump running out of options, Zelensky saw an opening. He could demonstrate that Ukraine—unlike Western Europe, which Trump has publicly excoriated for its ‘weakness’—was a useful partner in confronting America’s enemies in the Middle East. It was a neoconservative dream come true. But there is critical context to the Caspian and Iraqi gambits that Kiev may have overlooked. The United States has been pressing Iraqi authorities to take on the numerous Iranian-oriented Shiite militias. If Ukrainian intelligence was indeed operating in Iraq, it appears Kiev was attempting to help implement Washington’s plan. However, judging by the statements and actions of Iraqi authorities, not everyone in Baghdad supports these intentions. By exposing Ukrainian involvement, Iraq has effectively told both Washington and Kiev: This is our country, not your battlefield.” (07/31/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/zelenskys-caspian-gambit-failed-for-now/
Hey, everyone …
Yep, it’s another FIREHOSE FRIDAY at the freedom movement’s daily newspaper. We’ve got more than 100 news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links lined up for you today, but only here at our web edition.
The reason for the string of “web-only” Fridays was that Steve was traveling and I was covering the whole daily feed … so I felt entitled to save a little time on formatting, etc. once a week. If everything went well, Steve got home late last night and we’ll be back to “normal” as of Monday.
And, of course, a secondary reason for ANY “web-only” edition is to get in your face a little and remind you that we’re a reader-supported publication 😉
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous weekend!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: Yahoo! News
“Iran said U.S. strikes killed three of its soldiers Thursday as the latest round of attacks threatened to engulf more countries in the region. Jordan said it intercepted Iranian missiles for a second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike there killed one person. The Senate on Thursday again narrowly rejected an effort to limit President Trump’s Iran war powers. The resolution, brought by New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, lost 49-50. Three Republicans voted in favor of it. Drone strikes at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta sparked fires on two natural gas vessels Wednesday, in what appeared to be the first time Egypt has been targeted.” [editor’s note: There was no need for the Senate to vote again. The war was already illegal absent a congressional declaration of war, and Congress also passed a concurrent resolution under which Trump is required to end the conflict. IF Congress isn’t impeaching and removing him, Congress is just play-acting on the subject – TLK] (07/31/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/war-expands-joint-u-saudi-094845170.html
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Witch hunt tactics aside, US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) performed a valuable public service by releasing excerpts from Fauci’s diaries. I’ve been browsing those excerpts for a couple of days now; they run to several hundred pages so I haven’t had time to do a thorough beginning-to-end read. They unmask (pun entirely intended) Fauci as a not very likable bureaucrat, flattered by attention and susceptible to that flattery, constantly butthurt by any attack on or even public disagreement with his pronouncements, and laser-focused not on ‘public health’ as such nearly so much as on maintaining his position and reputation as America’s top ‘public health authority.'” (07/30/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20779
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Richard Hanania on Populism Eating America.” (07/30/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/richard-hanania-on-populism-eating-america
Source: Reuters
“A drone attack set ablaze an energy facility and warehouses in Russia’s Volgograd region on Friday, injuring five, the regional governor, Andrei Bocharov, said, but stopped short of giving details of the facilities. The region is home to a Lukoil-owned oil refinery. Five people are seeking medical help after the attacks, Bocharov added on Telegram. Top online retailer Wildberries said in a Telegram statement that one of its logistic hubs in the city of Volgograd caught fire following the attack, but there were no injuries. In the neighbouring southern region of Rostov, a woman was injured after a drone attack in the town of Gukovo, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on the messaging app.” (07/30/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/drone-attack-ignites-blaze-energy-plant-russias-volgograd-governor-says-2026-07-31/
Source: Fox News
“A federal judge in New Jersey blocked the Justice Department from gaining access to the state’s unredacted voter rolls on Wednesday. District Judge Zahid Quraishi, a Biden appointee, ruled that handing over the rolls could give rise to privacy concerns for voters. The ruling is the latest defeat for President Donald Trump’s administration after the DOJ sued Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia and New Jersey for access to their voter rolls earlier this year. The administration argued that Title III of the Civil Rights Act granted federal authorities access to the lists, but Quraishi disagreed.” (07/30/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-blocks-doj-access-nj-voter-rolls-amid-statewide-controversy
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead
“We have been ambushed. We should be talking about the dangerous, destabilizing things being done to this country. … Instead, we are trapped in a vicious loop of nonsense, mania, political demagoguery and manufactured spectacle while the country goes to hell in a handbasket. Every day—sometimes every hour—brings another outrage, another threat, another vulgar display of power, another self-glorifying meme, another political provocation and another distraction demanding our attention. Before we can fully comprehend one assault on the Republic, another takes its place. That is not merely the chaos surrounding this government. It is one of the ways this government maintains power.” (07/30/26)
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/a_head_for_an_eye_the_governments_war_on_the_american_people
