News of the Week for August 2nd, 2026
- 2026 Election
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
2026 Election
Wisconsin, Do You Really Want to Be the First State with a Socialist Governor?
This morning is going to offer up a bit more red meat than usual, as two weeks from tomorrow, Wisconsin Democrats will go to the polls and select their nominee for governor. The GOP nominee is all but certain to be Representative Tom Tiffany. With incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers deciding not to seek a third term, this is the first open governor’s race in Wisconsin since 2010. Here’s your classic swing state — Wisconsin been decided by less than a percentage point in each of the last three presidential elections — serving up a big test of the seemingly rising Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Sure, the DSA can clean up in primaries in deep blue House districts, but that’s low-hanging fruit. Can a socialist candidate compete statewide?
Some Democrats tout their version of “America First”
A small but growing number of Democrats are embracing their own version of “America First” in response to Donald Trump’s ongoing war with Iran in partnership with Israel.
‘Anything could happen’: Five writers on the midterm races to watch
Which lesser-known contests should you keep an eye on?
Can Anyone Spare a Buck for Texas?
One of America’s most competitive Senate races features a surprising dynamic: The big Republican committees aren’t spending yet.
Oregon Measure to Ban Hunting, Fishing, Ranching Fails to Make Ballot
Oregonians will continue to be allowed to hunt, fish, ranch, and kill mice after a radical ballot initiative failed.
Warning Signs for Paxton as Independents, Some Non-MAGA Republicans Drift Toward Talarico
The data showed that 68% of independents and 98% of Democrats back Talarico, while just 89% of Republicans support Paxton.
Tennessee: A Republican candidate for governor in this state plans to ban mosques and non-Christian religions if elected
A Tennessee state representative running for governor said he would work to ban mosques and what he described as “pagan religions” — including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism — if elected, arguing the First Amendment does not prevent states from doing so.
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Mass. lawmakers are wrapping up formal sessions. But they see less ‘pressure’ to actually get major bills done.
Two years ago, Massachusetts legislators wrapped their final day of scheduled formal sessions with a 23-hour marathon of lawmaking and a pile of unfinished work on the doorstep of the governor’s desk.
Gun Rights
Federal judge upholds Connecticut handgun bans for 18- to 20-year-olds
A federal judge has largely upheld Connecticut laws that bar 18- to 20-year-olds from possessing, carrying or commercially purchasing a handgun.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
The Great “Hot Drought” Humbug: Why Lake Powell Is Really Drying Up
YouTube videos and media headlines love to blame the low water levels at Lake Powell on a single, dramatic narrative: a “hot drought” driven by climate change where rising temperatures are vaporizing the Colorado River.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Trump Turns Up the Heat on RFK Jr. to Cut Back Childhood Vaccines
President is focused on shots’ alleged tie to autism, even though White House advisers wanted to tone down attention to issue ahead of midterms
French Government Moves to Euthanize Man Against His Wishes
Just days after France legalized “assisted suicide,” the French government has now ruled that doctors can euthanize a conscious patient against his wishes by withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, even though he repeatedly says he wants to live.
War & Terror
US Navy deploys GARC uncrewed surface vessel in first live-fire training exercise
The U.S. Navy is rapidly advancing its unmanned surface fleet. Just a little over two weeks after U.S. Central Command utilized three Corsair unmanned surface vessels to strike a submarine and ship maintenance facility at the Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran, marking the “first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” the Navy confirmed its first live-fire training exercise of its Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft uncrewed surface vessel.
Pentagon launches review that could reshape US military presence in Europe
The Pentagon this week launched its planned review of the U.S. military mission in Europe, a move that could pave the way for a major overhaul as Washington shifts more of NATO’s defense burden to allies.
The West Bank, Bibi, Iran, and Vance
Last Friday I wrote about summer movies and how superhero movies make their money, and a bunch of you said you didn’t want to read about happier, lighter topics at the end of the week. Well, you asked for it. We close out the week with violence in the West Bank; the unlikelihood that October elections in Israel will change much in the fight against antisemitism; and Vice President JD Vance complaining about a sinister Israeli influence campaign . . . and for once, having some supporting evidence.
Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran
Michigan and Minnesota are among at least seven states coping with cyberattacks aimed at disrupting water systems nationwide.
U.S. Warns its Citizens to Leave Middle East Citing ‘Unforeseen Escalation’ With Iran
“Americans in the region should consider departing.”
China’s robot army has Trump running scared
US bans advanced robotic imports as new front opens in the battle for AI supremacy
National
University of California accelerates review of SAT/ACT admissions policy as faculty push for testing
The university system will now issue initial recommendations on standardized testing by February 2027, four months earlier than previously planned. More than 3,000 faculty members have signed letters arguing standardized tests improve academic preparedness and expand educational opportunity.
The First Socialist Governor . . .
. . . won’t be Francesca Hong, because it was Elmer Benson (governor of Minnesota, 1937–39), who was defending Joseph Stalin as late as the 1980s.
James Comey Moves to Dismiss the Trump DOJ’s ’86 47′ Indictment
On Monday, as expected, Comey’s lawyers filed a pretrial motion in the federal District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, asking Judge Louise Flanagan (a Bush-43 appointee) to dismiss the indictment on precisely those First Amendment grounds.
The Democratic Party Fights Back Against the Socialist Takeover
Joe Biden didn’t mince words when his White House set out to kneecap the radicals in his party who nearly cost him the presidential nomination in 2020 and, it was thought at the time, robbed them of what should have been a better election cycle.
Inside the controversial new ‘cult’ led by LA-based ‘apostle’ as droves of devoted followers shake uncontrollably in her presence
A Los Angeles-based pastor whose dramatic prayer services regularly go viral is once again at the center of controversy. After videos from a recent Texas book signing showed followers collapsing, shaking and convulsing as Kathryn Krick prayed over them, there have been renewed accusations from some Christian leaders that her ministry resembles a cult.
The Unmaking of Anthony Fauci
He built an empire. It did not last.
University of Houston may strip 100 courses from core curriculum under Texas law
The University of Houston is considering removing nearly 100 courses—including classes on women’s studies, LGBT studies, ethnic studies, and black liberation theology—from its core curriculum as part of a review required under Texas Senate Bill 37. If approved by the board of regents, the proposal would remove core designation from roughly 40 percent of the university’s general education offerings while leaving the courses available as electives or major requirements.
Gorsuch: US ‘never supposed to be … about one race or one religion’
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch said in a recent interview that the U.S. was not founded on “one race or one religion,” pushing back on arguments made by conservatives such as Vice President Vance.
‘I shoot straight’: Thune lets Trump tension roll off his back
John Thune and Donald Trump’s relationship is in a tight spot, but the Senate majority leader told Semafor on Tuesday that he expects to seek reelection as the chamber’s top Republican next January.
UNM policy mandates faculty to use preferred pronouns, gender identities
UNM regulations demand faculty cater to students who identify as transgender in an effort to promote an environment of ”inclusivity.’ Students can also ‘pick a room that aligns with their gender identity, without the need for documenta
The Horrors of Pre-Industrial Farming
The harsh realities of preindustrial farming are at odds with the popular notion of what farming was like in the past.
Chuck Grassley defends Senate filibuster as Trump pushes to end it
Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley says he still supports the Senate filibuster, even as President Donald Trump increasingly is pressuring Republicans to eliminate the procedure to pass a GOP election bill.
‘Naked Dressing’ Is Spreading and It’s Making Things Awkward
Barely-there outfits are moving from the runway to weddings and business conferences; ‘I have no idea where to look right now.’
The MAGA Media Machine Is Fracturing
Once united in support of President Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers, creating a problem for Republicans in the midterm elections.
A new plan for the dwindling Colorado River falls short of what’s needed, experts say
Arizona, California and Nevada will be required to curb their use of the water from the river by about 20 percent over the next two years, according to three officials.
When Academics Deny Reality
Their crusade against human diversity of talent has had terrible effects.
‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising Operation
Meredith O’Rourke, nicknamed ‘princess of darkness,’ carries out president’s desire to wring hundreds of millions from companies for his projects
Texas Trump voter furious after ICE arrests her nanny: ‘I didn’t vote for this’
Joyce Basele, 64, a caregiver based in Houston, was detained by ICE in June following a routine immigration appointment.
‘Renewal in the arts’: New conservative literary quarterly prioritizes creation over critique
The venerable conservative religious journal First Things has launched a new quarterly literary publication that aims to explore and promote beauty, literature, and art in the face of today’s highly politicized climate.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Prosecutor professional misconduct, detention without bond, and wanton statch interpretation.
Justice Department moves to drop case against ex-Olympian charged with damaging Reflecting Pool
The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying evidence prosecutors had recently received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame.
Texas Orders Discord to Run UK-Style Age Checks for State Users
The agreed injunction gives Discord 90 days to route Texas users into the same face scans and ID checks it already runs for children in Britain.
Bars, bowling alleys and movie theaters cost too much to run and visit. Americans have run out of places to hang out and we’re paying with our health
Before I was a reporter covering the death of American fun, I tried to run on saving it. In 2021, I ran for New York City Council in my home district of Astoria, Queens, on the slogan “Public Space for the Public Good”—a promise to wrestle back sidewalks, plazas, and streets from car storage and give them back to actual human beings. I wanted more open streets, more benches, more places where a neighbor could just sit down. I didn’t win, but I’ve never stopped noticing when a city takes away somewhere people used to gather, and lately, it feels like that’s happening everywhere at once.
Trump NIH funds ‘gender minority birthing people’ study
A University of Maryland doctoral student will study “gender minority birthing people” with funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Economy & Taxes
Union Agenda Is Over. Its Former Leader Is Still in the Game.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer was picked by a union boss to lead Trump’s labor policy, until it all went awry. Now she tells The Free Press what comes next.
The ‘Unsettled’ Vibe That’s Creeping Through the Markets
Stocks face major tests this week from tech earnings and the Federal Reserve rate decision
Yes, GDP Is Flawed, but in Which Direction?
Gross domestic product—basically, the value of the goods and services a country produces—profoundly shapes how modern economists and policy analysts see the world. Short-term GDP declines can indicate a recession. Longer-term trends tell us how much better off we are than our parents. International comparisons tell us which countries have the highest living standards.
China Hits U.S., Europe With New Rare Earths Export Controls
Meanwhile, the U.S. just experienced a 5-week funding surge to support the nation’s critical mineral supply chain.
Scotland’s tax disaster
Rates went up. Revenue fell.
U.S. Economic Growth Slowed to 1.5% in Second Quarter
Imports to help fuel AI boom weigh on GDP calculations, but consumer spending picks up
Not a Good Sign
The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond has climbed back to where it stood in 2007, north of 5 percent, and it pushed a little higher again this week after the Federal Reserve left its own rates alone. On its face, that sounds almost reassuring, a return to some pre-crisis normal. It is nothing of the sort. The same number today carries a very different, and far heavier, meaning than it did nineteen years ago.
Commerce Department quietly announces 7 new equity stakes in private companies
The Department of Commerce quietly announced this week it will designate more than $870 million in federal incentives for semiconductor manufacturing in exchange for a minority equity stake in seven companies.
The Dam Begins to Crack on Interest Rates
The Federal Reserve voted yesterday (wrongly, in my view) to keep interest rates where they are, despite persistent inflation above the Fed’s target. Once again, central bankers claim that reducing inflation is their end but do not supply any means to achieve that end.
The US is building 15 cargo ships, China is making 4,000 — as critics blame century-old law
There’s a sinking feeling in America. The US is currently building just 15 cargo ships, compared to more than 4,000 being built in China and nearly 750 in South Korea.
The Case for Capitalism
I make the case for free markets … young people elect socialists!
International
Italy’s Justice Fault Line: The Case That Put Self-Defence on Trial
On July 15th, Mario Roggero, a jeweller from Piedmont charged with fatally shooting two of the three robbers who had just raided his shop in 2021, received a final sentence of fourteen years and nine months in prison. This protracted legal battle has opened up a new political front in Italy and reignited a heated debate: to what extent does a citizen have the right to defend themselves when the state is no longer able to protect them?
Humans carry DNA from mysterious ancestors
Researchers find genetic traces from ‘ghost’ populations from thousands of years ago
Opinion
The American Creed, for All Americans
America’s ideals are the heritage of all Americans, whether we’re recent arrivals or of centuries-old lineage.
Justice Gorsuch disputes that America was founded as a Christian nation
“I just don’t see it that way.”
Political moderates may be perceived as disloyal by both sides
In the increasingly polarized political realm, moderates may be viewed as disloyal by both conservatives and liberals when the opposing side seems threatening, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Dismissing Europe as a museum is glib. Think of it as a theme park
All the continent’s a stage
Stakeholderism and the Post-America Movement
From August 22-23, 2025, in Dallas, Texas, New Discourses was proud to host a learning seminar event called Saving American Liberty, featuring talks from New Discourses founder James Lindsay and the founder of Sovereign Nations and New Discourses partner, Michael O’Fallon. The event opened with a talk by Lindsay outlining what is known as the “Stakeholder Economy.” You may associate this idea with the World Economic Forum’s “Stakeholder Capitalism” model, ESG scoring, or the UN’s Agenda 2030, and you’re right. In this penetrating lecture, Lindsay explains what the Stakeholder Economy model is, how it works, its historical roots with elements from the Soviet Communist model the Nazi German economy, and how it’s applied to our lives today, both in the CCP and throughout the West. Join him for this important lecture on the shape of the dark future being pressed upon us.
The Bullying
Just checking in. Vacation is fantastic. I’m a little itchy to get behind a microphone. I’ve checked in occasionally and just want to call your attention to something.
Trump’s Filibuster Fury
The president wants the SAVE Act passed, and he’s making Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s life miserable over the fact that there aren’t enough votes. As Rich says on today’s edition of The Editors, it’s Trump “who doesn’t understand why this thing doesn’t have the votes to pass and wants to eliminate the filibuster to try to pass it.” Charlie calls the whole thing “theater.”
What the Crackup of the Heritage Foundation Says About the Post-Trump Right
The bastion of American conservatism best known for Project 2025 has been consumed by an ideological — and generational — civil war.
Firing Fauci
Critics of my post on President Trump’s responsibility for the Covid-19 response in 2020 have gotten hung up on the idea that I’m saying that he should have fired Fauci back then. And many of the Twitter comments note that if Trump had fired Fauci, the political blowback would have been intense.
I train physics students. America is turning away scientific talent.
Visa rule change, Medicare costs and recycling reform, in readers’ eyes.
What Exactly Is the ‘Common Good’?
I’ve written on several occasions about the imprecision and dubious legitimacy of the “common good” as a theory of interpreting the Constitution. Despite recurrent invocations of the phrase in some corners of the right, it’s not really a whole lot more useful as a political theory.
The ‘Common Good’ Is Not
The common good is aspirational, not structural. It isn’t a top-down ensemble; it’s an amalgam. The common good cannot be imposed but is rather a blessed byproduct of individuals voluntarily engaging with one another within a structure that least diminishes natural law.
Okay, But What Do You Want to Actually Do
There’s a lot of debate here at the moment about the meaning (and desirability) of so called “common good conservatism.” At the risk of bringing down the tone — and, perhaps, of sounding rather simple — I’d like to suggest that we ought to be a lot less interested in the terminological question (i.e. what does the “common good” mean?), and a lot more interested in the practical aims of those who are advancing it as a political option (i.e. the matter of what those who use it actually want to do with the government).
Five Takeaways About the Common Good
It would be hard to fathom a more futile conversation than the one about the “common good” that is playing out in that intellectually vigorous venue known as X. While some are, no doubt, purposely talking past each other, there are some who are well intentioned but nevertheless miss the mark through a variety of category errors or straw men fallacies.
