Source: Foreign Policy
by Samuel Bendett & Maria Snegovaya
“Among the various challenges that Russia has faced since its ill-conceived full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one of the most acute has been a severe labor shortage. Russia’s deepening demographic crisis, combined with mass emigration and recruitment of hundreds of thousands of men into the army, has sharply exacerbated the problem. … By 2030, Russia will need to bring 10.9 million people into the workforce, according to Labor Minister Anton Kotyakov, with more than 90 percent replacing retiring workers and roughly 800,000 filling newly created positions. The rapid expansion of defense production has drawn workers away from civilian sectors, intensifying competition for an already scarce workforce. … The Kremlin’s response has rested on three pillars: mobilizing underutilized domestic labor, expanding prison labor, and increasing labor migration. Each proves to be either insufficient or self-defeating. When it comes to Russia’s labor shortage, the cure is worse than the disease.” (08/03/26)
https://archive.is/9GDZk
Source: SFGate
“Light winds and lower temperatures were in the forecast Monday to help firefighters battle wildfires in eastern Washington state that destroyed at least 600 structures and forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area. The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometers) by Monday morning and filled the sky with smoke and haze. They were 0% contained, Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, said. The weather forecast for Monday called cooler temperatures and light winds, but no rain. The wildfires were among dozens across the Western U.S. that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. At least 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) has burned across Washington. An incident commander told local television Monday that no deaths had been reported.” (08/03/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/washington-state-fires-destroy-hundreds-of-22371401.php
Source: The American Conservative
by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj
“What I’ve learned from speaking with Iranian officials and analysts.” (08/03/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/irans-leaders-now-doubt-a-peace-deal-is-possible/
Source: US News & World Report
“Iran executed two of its citizens on Monday on charges of espionage and cooperation with Israel, Iranian state media reported, amid an increase in executions for offences relating to national security. Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were accused of sending Israel the coordinates of military and security sites as well as images and information during a brief war last summer and during the latest conflict, judiciary news outlet Mizan reported.” (08/03/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-08-03/iran-executes-two-people-accused-of-working-for-israel
Source: Free Talk Live
No description available, but it’s a 2+ hour show hosted by Bonnie, Reilly O’Bill, and Richie Rich. (08/02/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-08-02
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“The entire premise of democracy is based on a fallacy that is as ignored as it is ubiquitous: that a majority is always right, and that a committee is somehow smarter and wiser than any individual. When tied to the idea that government has power over the lives of people that it should have, it creates a truly monstrous evil. So what does this mean to lovers of liberty? It is more than just the tyranny of the majority, and how that so typically results in riding roughshod over individuals and their lives and liberty. It is more than just the cost of such ‘democratic institutions’ or even the way money destroys the meaning of free elections in so many ways. Democracy survives only by propaganda that extolls it and therefore government. The result is that government is made into an absolute essential for any society.” (08/02/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/08/02/managed-democracy-versus-a-republic
Source: Washington Monthly
by Suzanne Gordon & Steve Early
“Encourage veterans, including those with PTSD and brain injuries, to join law enforcement after they leave the military. What could go wrong?” (08/03/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/03/the-vet-to-cop-pipeline/
Source: New York Post
“Get the fork outta here! New Jersey takeout customers must now request single-use plastic items — like utensils, straws and even condiment packets — under a new law that social media users are sounding off against. The ‘Skip the Stuff’ law puts an end to the longstanding practice of eateries automatically loading up to-go bags with extras that many New Jerseyans have come to take for granted. Interior of an American diner with a long counter lined with stools, display cases of baked goods, and a ‘Cappuccino Cafe Bar Espresso’ neon sign. The law — signed by then-Gov. Phil Murphy in January — took effect Aug. 1 as the Garden State looks to further reduce plastic waste and reduce the environmental footprint of food purveyors.” (08/03/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/us-news/nj-diners-fume-over-new-skip-the-stuff-law-affecting-take-out-orders/
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“President Trump recently halted his proposed strikes against Iran in favor of regional diplomatic talks; he has the right instincts, and while this is the right thing to do – favor diplomatic talks and engage in free trade – he is under pressure by war hawks all around him. He’s been engaged in this ‘on again — off again’ war talk since February, at the behest of Netanyahu and Israel. All of this is happening with little input from Congress, which has the power to give him the ‘go ahead’ to engage in a war with Iran. It seems that, over the last several decades, Congress has abdicated its power to declare war, giving it up to the Executive branch so they do not receive flak from their constituents blowing up in their face.” (08/02/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/executive-war-powers-and-iran-why
Source: CNBC
“Japan’s finance ministry said Monday it had conducted a coordinated yen-buying operation with the U.S. Treasury on Friday, marking a rare joint move by the two allies to stem sharp swings in the Japanese currency. … The ministry also announced plans to utilize the Federal Reserve’s foreign and international monetary authorities repo facility in the future. FIMA repo facility allows approved foreign central banks and monetary authorities to obtain short-term dollars by temporarily exchanging U.S. Treasury securities. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also confirmed the coordinated action in a statement, saying, ‘Friday’s coordinated foreign exchange actions countered disorderly yen movements.'” (08/02/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/03/yen-intervention-us-japan-trump-bessent-katayama.html
