News of the Week for August 16th, 2026
- 2026 Election
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
2026 Election
The Republican Party Is Losing Its Edge With Voters on the Economy
Cost-of-living worries are eroding GOP’s image as economic managers, giving Democrats an advantage
The DSA Has Slogans, but Isn’t Interested in Policies
If you want to harm the reputation of the Democratic Socialists of America, don’t ask a conservative or a centrist Democrat to criticize them. Just ask their party’s co-chair what the movement wants its member officials to do if they are elected to office. Also, a painful truth about Joe Biden that was affirmed in recent comments by Hunter Biden.
Progressive Democrats get another win in Minnesota US Senate primary
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday in the latest victory for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment.
Trump-Backed Mike Lindell Refuses To Concede Governor’s Race, Alleges Voting Anomalies
Mike Lindell, the CEO and founder of MyPillow, is refusing to concede Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary.
Rep. John Larson, a Longtime Lawmaker, Loses a Primary in Connecticut
In an upset, Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, won the Democratic nomination, capitalizing on calls for generational change.
‘Why Did You Cheat on Your Wife?’ Ken Paxton Hit With Brutal Town Hall Question
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) was confronted with a blunt question about his personal life during a Monday town hall when a caller asked him directly, “Why did you cheat on your wife?”
Center-Left Candidate Defeats Democratic Socialist in Wisconsin’s Governor Primary
The upset victory by David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, over Francesca Hong sets up a more traditional general election in November.
David Crowley wins Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor over progressive Francesca Hong
Moderate Democrat David Crowley won the Wisconsin primary for governor, defeating a democratic socialist who fell short while trying to deliver another win for progressives in a battleground state.
Trump-Backed Darline Graham Underwhelms, Faces Ralph Norman in Senate Runoff
Having received endorsements from President Donald Trump, Gov. Henry McMaster, and Sen. Tim Scott, Graham had been expected to come considerably closer to the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
Socialist Loses In Wisconsin
We wrote here about Francesca Hong, the anti-Thanksgiving socialist who at the time seemed to have sewn up the Democratic nomination for Governor of Wisconsin. Her main opponent, the early favorite Mandela Barnes, had dropped out of the race and she seemed to have a clear path to winning yesterday’s primary.
Disaster Averted
There have been lots of bizarre primary results around the country–mostly on the Democrat side, to be fair–but it looks like here in Minnesota, reason has prevailed.
After last night
I want to supplement John’s comments in the adjacent post on yesterday’s Minnesota primary results. In my comments I am relying on the results posted here by the New York Times.
In Your Dreams, Mike Lindell
With 100 percent of precincts reporting in the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary, state House Speaker Lisa Demuth has 179,545 votes, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has 134,184 votes. That is a gap of 45,361 votes. You are not going to find 45,361 votes unattended in a county courier truck, or any other such shenanigans.
Socialist fever breaks: Takeaways from Crowley’s win
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeated socialist Francesca Hong by about 3,000 votes, dealing a blow to the progressive left’s momentum Tuesday in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor, after his own polling indicated he was behind by nearly 20 points.
Francesca Hong’s Bad Night
This is why they hold the primaries; sometimes that double-digit polling lead proves to be illusory. Bad news for Francesca Hong, good news for Minnesota Republicans, and contemplating whether centrists and moderates can ever be fun.
Tony Evers, Electoral Gangster
A Democratic Midwestern governor moves quickly to save his party from socialism.
Green Party governor candidate Tony Dastra blames Democrats for backing challenge to ballot eligibility
Lancaster resident and Green Party candidate for Pennsylvania governor Tony Dastra is accusing Democrats of backing a challenge to his eligibility to appear on the ballot this fall.
A Demnocrat in name only
Rob Sand isn’t progressive or moderate. What is he trying to be?
CBS News poll on whether Democrats split over socialism, and how Americans see parties in today’s economy
Most Americans believe a free market system is a good thing. Americans are net-negative on socialism. Capitalism is better-liked. But those ideas aside, right now they say it’s harder now to do things like buy a house, raise a family, and to just feel financially secure than for the last generation. Younger people are especially apt to feel opportunities are fewer.
NY GOP candidate threatens to sue pollster after shock survey has him trailing Dem opponent for Rep. Stefanik’s seat
Republican businessman Anthony Constantino is threatening to sue the pollster behind a shock new survey that has him trailing his Democratic opponent by 10 points in his bid to succeed retiring GOPer Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Massachusetts Governor Signs Law Allowing Abortion Up to Birth
Shorter Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey: If you disagree with the law then you hate women.
The Pro-Life Movement’s Blue State Problem
This week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed legislation that legalizes abortion in the Bay State until birth. As a matter of public policy, there are effectively no restrictions on abortion whatsoever. An abortion can be performed at any time in pregnancy as long as the women consents. A number of pro-life and conservative pundits were rightly disgusted by the largely sympathetic media coverage of this bill and the throng of cheering women surrounding Governor Healey as she signed this barbaric piece of legislation into law.
Gun Rights
Design Defect Claim That Sig Sauer Fired Without Trigger Pull Not Necessarily Blocked by Second Amendment
From Judge Thomas Thrash (N.D. Ga.) Friday in Harvard v. Sig Sauer, Inc.; note that Harvard is just plaintiff’s last name
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
A new In-N-Out branch is running into an absurd roadblock
A new branch of the burger chain in California prompted a local moratorium on drive-throughs.
“Nature Rights” Hits the Big Time
The “nature rights” movement has really hit the big time. The National Geographic Society — one of the world’s largest and most influential science organizations — is going to pour money into the movement.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Trump signs order calling for fewer childhood vaccines and ‘more vaccine flexibility’
President Donald Trump signed an executive order “calling for more vaccine flexibility and research” and fewer childhood vaccinations, in addition to splitting the childhood measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three shots and delivering them at separate medical visits.
A Fifth Circuit Ruling on Gas Stoves, or Is It?
Charles Rotter The Fifth Circuit decided State of Mississippi v. Department of Energy yesterday. Seven states petitioned. Seven states won. The Department of Energy’s rule on home cooking appliances goes back to the agency. That is the easy part. The interesting part is who was defending the rule, and what that same department was doing across town while it did. First, let me take some air out of the balloon. This was not the gas stove ban You will see headlines today saying the court killed the…
War & Terror
Donald Trump is dismantling US guardrails, warn former security officials
Ex-CIA staffers step up efforts to publicise their deepening alarm about the state of American democracy
Closing the Window of Opportunity for a Russian Invasion of the Baltics
My journey through NATO’s eastern flank continues in Latvia, where military spending is set at 5 percent of gross domestic product by law, and the government is undergoing some unplanned changes because of a pair of drone incursions.
Taiwan ‘throttles’ mobile internet for first time during annual war games
Taiwan slowed the mobile internet in a large swathe ?of the central part of the island on Monday for the first time during annual war games, simulating communication disruption ?in the event of a Chinese attack or natural disaster.
Spy cameras on Navy drones used by Britain’s elite special forces ‘secretly sent data to China’
Royal Navy surveillance drones used by Britain’s elite special forces were fitted with cameras containing Chinese-made components that were secretly sending data to an address in China.
Syria makes deal to take control of Russian bases
Strategic blow for Moscow as Trump moves closer to Damascus regime
Let Ukraine Build Patriot missiles
Or, as the kids say, “Let Ukraine cook.”
President Trump: Our Munitions Stockpile Is ‘Fine’ and ‘Low’
Either the U.S. military has enough strategic munitions for ongoing conflicts with Iran and to deter other enemies like China, Russia, and North Korea, or it doesn’t. (If the Pentagon has enough of some munitions but not enough of others, that is still a consequential shortfall.) The worst-case scenario would be the president believing that we do have a sufficient supply of critical munitions like air defense interceptors, when we don’t.
Army opens ranges in US, Morocco to speed interceptor testing, development
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told reporters he hopes to get companies who have internally funded their own munitions onto testing ranges within 30 days of a request.
Hormuz shipping traffic falls to one-week low amid hostilities
The tally of vessels tracked in the Strait of Hormuz fell to a ?one-week low of eight on Tuesday, ?shipping data showed, as owners avoided the key waterway amid continued hostilities in the Middle East.
Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing
In a rushed process exempted from normal rules, the Army hired General Dynamics, which brought on a Turkish subcontractor with little vetting, to make artillery shells. Despite being paid $533 million, General Dynamics did not produce a single usable shell at its new factory — and has not been held publicly accountable. Since the Army halted two production lines at the factory, the General Dynamics unit responsible for the debacle has received contract awards totaling $2.5 billion.
JD Vance asked Ukraine to halt strikes on tankers using Russian port
Washington alarmed by Kyiv’s drone attacks on vessels collecting Kazakh oil from Novorossiysk
Taiwan Weaponizes Coast Guard to Prepare for Battle With China
Antiship missiles and naval drills intensify Taipei’s effort to improve defense and deter Beijing
Poland Stopped a Russian Plot to Murder an American Citizen
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed today that Russia had hired an assassin to kill an American-Ukrainian citizen who was in Poland. Fortunately, authorities broke up the plot and arrested the hitman.
Testing the Kill Zone
One of the reasons that Ukraine has proved so successful this year in slowing Russia’s advance in the east of the country has been the creation of a “kill zone” encompassing the terrain that the invaders would have to cover. I
NATO fighter jet opens fire as warplanes scramble to intercept ‘Russian’ drone
Two NATO F-18 fighter jets were deployed after a drone was detected breaching Romanian national airspace about 14 miles north of Gala?i
US pulls last aircraft carrier in Asia as Trump focuses on Iran and the Western Hemisphere
President Donald Trump’s war against Iran is stretching the limits of U.S. aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships as China shows more signs of aggression.
National
UW-Madison faces lawsuit over 20 race-based scholarships
Young America’s Foundation, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, recently filed a lawsuit against the University of Wisconsin–Madison, challenging at least 20 taxpayer-funded scholarships and grants that contain race-based criteria.
Flock Planned to Turn 350,000 Uber and Lyft Cars Into Rolling Surveillance Cameras
Flock Safety systems have been making news recently, as incidents of vandalism targeting their cameras get reported across various U.S. states where they are deployed.
Dogs can tell when you’re happy, sad or frustrated, study shows
Researchers took brain scans mostly of border collies because they are highly skilled at following social cues and particularly willing to interact with humans.
Texas Locked a Foreign Company’s Domain Over Missing Digital ID Checks
Fourteen days after a Travis County judge signed, motherless.com dropped out of the .com zone file for every person on earth, most of whom have never heard of Travis County.
AI Is Dead. Organoids Are Alive
Mini human brains are being grown in labs all over the world. Soon, they could outthink neural networks.
No, Fauci’s Texts Are Not Proof of a Conspiracy to Hide Vaccine Risks to Pregnant Women
Critics of Anthony Fauci are holding up newly released text messages from 2021 as evidence that the nation’s leading public-health authority hid his private doubts about the safety and efficacy of Covid vaccination for pregnant women.
First Legal Challenges to Trump’s New Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
They were filed by plaintiffs in two cases challenging his earlier order, which was struck down by the Supreme Court.
Former SPLC Finance Officer Arrested on Fraud Charges over Payments to White Supremacist Informants
A former chief financial officer for the Southern Poverty Law Center who was tasked with overseeing the group’s controversial project tracking “hate groups” in the U.S. was arrested on Wednesday, as part of the Department of Justice’s larger investigation into the SPLC.
First-year classes this fall range from Wonder Woman to ‘queer’ art to the occult
Universities around the country plan to welcome new students this fall with first-year seminars on a variety of topics, from the science of swear words to the symbolism of vampires to feminism and Wonder Woman.
The Ins and Outs of the Air Force One Decoy Ruse
This week we learned fascinating — and some would say troubling — new details about President Trump’s departure from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8. At 8:42 a.m., Trump announced on Truth Social that the new Qatari-donated Air Force One plane would be sent to Mildenhall Air Force Base, in the United Kingdom, “to give them a chance to tour the Aircraft,” and “For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey to Mildenhall.” But this week we learned that Trump didn’t fly out on that older Air Force One plane. At Ankara Esenboga Airport, Trump boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras, but was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies preflight.
Chatbots are doing the work of Congress with little oversight
From writing speeches to sorting constituent mail, AI is spreading through Congress faster than the rules governing its use.
Georgetown social justice center requires race course for Federal Work-Study students
Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice requires students who use Federal Work-Study for their center positions to complete ‘Critical Conversations on Race.’ The Georgetown center says its required race dialogue program teaches students about implicit bias, privilege, DEI, and ‘white supremacy culture.’
En Banc Fifth Circuit Dismisses Alien Enemies Act Case as Moot
The ruling does not address whether Trump properly invoked the Act.
Oregon State requires two courses examining ‘systems of oppression’
Students who enrolled at Oregon State University in summer 2025 or later must complete two courses examining ‘systems of oppression’ as part of the school’s Core Education curriculum. Courses that count toward the requirement include ‘Antiracism and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Practice’ and ‘Disney: Gender, Race, Empire.’
Economy & Taxes
Bessent Enlists Banks in Trump Immigration Crackdown
“We do not ask bankers to assume the burdens of border enforcement. But we depend on banks to do what you do best: know your customers.”
The size of the American workforce has fallen by over 1 million people in the past year. Here’s what’s going on.
The labor-force participation rate has been skidding for months
Flesh-eating screwworms feast on humans in Mexico; human cases top 500
Six deaths reported among screwworm cases, one directly attributed to the flies.
When America’s budget will break, disastrously
The budget of the federal government is the largest of any organization in human history. It’s larger than the entire economy of every foreign country except China. And it mostly grows automatically, without regular input from elected officials.
Gen Zs don’t have a lot of money, but they’re traveling anyway
Gen Zs aren’t easing into the travel market — they are exploding into it. Despite their youth and comparatively low income, more than half of American Gen Z adults are frequent travelers, having taken three or more leisure trips in the past year, according to the data research company Morning Consult.
The Fiscal Lab Jobs Report for July 2026
Should We Be Concerned with Sluggish Employment Growth?
Protectionists Continue to Make Sloppy Arguments
Lori Wallach’s “The Right Way to Balance Trade” (August 5) is a blizzard of blunders, not the least being her presumption that persistent trade deficits and surpluses prove that the global trading system is rigged or otherwise failing. Never does she bother to explain why, in our world where people aren’t confined to investing only domestically, countries with relatively better investment climates shouldn’t innocently and routinely attract capital away from countries with relatively poor investment climates. Just as better-run private companies persistently attract capital away from poorly run companies – and, hence, put that capital to better use – so, too, do better-run countries persistently attract capital away from poorly run countries (and, hence, put that capital to better use).
Canadian trucker arrested in New Mexico for alleged cabotage violations
Authorities say the driver hauled a domestic load between Deming and Los Lunas, New Mexico
Examining the $20 Burrito Controversy: Is It Really About ‘Affordability,’ or Is It About Isolationism, Marxism, and Class War?
The “$20 burrito” controversy is not about “affordability”. Instead, it is a political vehicle for justifying isolationism, dressed up in the language of kitchen-table economics. Many who have seized on this discussion do not believe America should ever be engaged in any war, for any reason.
The ‘Common Good’ Right Wants To Raise Taxes On The Common Man
Leading populist think tankers and politicians have made it clear they want to raise taxes on American households.
US Moves Past Tariffs to Focus on Supply Chain Revamps in China Trade Policy
Washington has been steadily moving to revamp supply chains away from China.
Hillbilly economics
The common good demands that you are poor.
Protectionists Continue to Make Sloppy Arguments
Just as better-run private companies persistently attract capital away from poorly run companies – and, hence, put that capital to better use – so, too, do better-run countries persistently attract capital away from poorly run countries (and, hence, put that capital to better use).
JD Vance’s Feared “Cult of Growth” Has Never Run America
JD Vance’s new book, Communion, includes a chapter railing against economists. The central thesis of his chapter “A Dismal Science” is that the government has preoccupied itself with GDP maximization at the expense of well-being. Americans only seem so well off, Vance argues, because “we bombard [them] with all manner of creature comforts and add their consumption—price club mega-size junk—to our national GDP.”
Retail sales slump as consumer spending falters
In a significant development for the U.S. economy, retail sales have experienced an unexpected decline, according to the latest data release. Retail sales, which serve as a critical indicator of consumer spending and overall economic health, fell by 0.6%. This decline is notably below the forecasted growth of 0.1% and marks a deterioration from the previous month’s increase of 0.2%.
NATO jets shoot down drone over Latvia
The unmanned aerial vehicle entered Latvian airspace “as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare,” said the Latvian military.
US retail sales weakest in over a year, consumer sentiment plunges
US retail sales gave their weakest showing in more than a year and consumer sentiment plunged, data showed Friday, as households battered by fallout from President Donald Trump’s Iran war curbed spending and raised their expectations of inflation.
Trump’s ‘Golden Age’ Economy Pitch Fizzles With Midterm Voters
For most of his second term, President Donald Trump has been arguing that the “golden age” he promised for America’s economy is already here. There’s hardly been much evidence that voters agreed.
3.4 Percent Is Not a Good Inflation Rate
The prevailing narrative is that Kevin Warsh and the rest of the Federal Reserve’s governing committee caught a break on the most recent inflation report, which had average consumer prices rising by 3.4 percent from a year ago. That was enough for inflation to have “cooled” from June’s 3.5 percent rate.
First the penny, now the nickel: Congress moves closer to making big changes with the money in your pocket
Getting rid of the penny may cause issues for the future of the nickel, which is even more expensive to produce
The Vice President Thinks Low Prices Are Bad
Two weeks ago the online right spent an entire week fighting about a twenty dollar burrito. Some of the loudest voices in that fight were people who spend their days defending Vice President Vance, and their complaint was affordability. Things cost too much. Working people cannot get ahead. The burrito, they said, was indicative of the burden on the young. The Vice President himself got into it, going after Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen’s weight because Thiessen would not buy the argument. It is “quite obvious the man has never missed a burrito,” Vance posted on August 5.
International
Cave Discovery Suggests Neanderthals and Modern Humans May Have Shared Culture
Modern humans and Neanderthals may have shared more than land and genes. They may have also shared culture.
The Rise of the Unstoppable American Tourist
A supercharged U.S. economy has helped transform a nation of homebodies into zealous international travelers; ‘Travel isn’t optional’
Trump sneaked out of Turkey in catering cart over Iranian plot fears
Air Force One used as high-profile decoy at last month’s Nato summit amid reports of assassination threat
He Just Bought It From A Shop…
Two-tier enforcement strikes again as officers swarm white British shopper over sports equipment
Anthropic pledges to embed watermarks to help discern AI slop in sop to EU
EU rules cited as reason for effort to trace AI output ancestry
Brazil Law Makes VPN Use an Aggravating Factor in Crimes as the First Lady Pushes For a Discord Ban
Brazil’s virtual patrol rule also lets police pull connection data with no warrant.
Nigel Farage beats a trash can in Clacton by-election
Nigel Farage reclaimed his Clacton seat with 63% of the vote, but his main rival, Count Binface, took over a quarter, as Farage skipped the count citing security concerns.
‘HE NEEDS TO READ THE ROOM’: Tory MPs question Poilievre’s leadership
Conservative MPs express doubt over Poilievre’s ability to beat Carney in anonymous interviews with CT
Jason Arday found dead
Academic had resigned from the University of Cambridge last week
Opinion
Understanding the Founders Through Their Books
Leftists would have us believe that the Founders were a bunch of greedy white racists whose only concern in establishing the United States was to protect their ill-gotten wealth and status. That, for example, is the view propounded by the 1619 Project.
The Nazis and Christianity, A Scam Being Repeated Today
A recent line of propaganda floating around is that the Nazis are criticized and feared because they were a “Christian Nationalist” project that was monumentally successful. The point of this article is to explain the Nazi view of Christianity to dispel this myth while also pointing out that there’s a very deceptive, very nasty grain of truth that cannot be ignored (but it’s not what you might expect).
The ‘Common Good’ Right Wants To Raise Taxes On The Common Man
Leading populist think tankers and politicians have made it clear they want to raise taxes on American households.
Traditional and Critical Theory According to Max Horkheimer
The school of thought known as Critical Theory was born, as we understand it today, in an essay written in 1937 by Max Horkheimer, who was director of the infamous Frankfurt School. This definitive essay of Western Marxism makes it clear that what we think of as “theory” is only one side of the story, and it’s the side that keeps reproducing our present society. Horkheimer calls this “traditional theory,” and we call it “knowing what you’re talking about and applying it to make the world a better place.” He contrasts it against his own approach to Western Marxist thinking, which he calls “critical theory,” which questions the very foundations of the society we inhabit in favor of an alternative we can’t even articulate. In this important episode of the New Discourses Podcast, host James Lindsay brings you through some of the text of the first half of this historical essay so you can understand the Critical Theory from its birth, in the words of its own founder. Join him to hear the truth: Critical Theory has always been like this, from the very beginning.
Populism is Emotion Without Governing Principle
In 2024, JD Vance argued that cheap toasters were no substitute for a good, well-paying American job. “We believe that a million cheap knockoff toasters aren’t worth the price of a single American manufacturing job. We believe in rebuilding American factories and rebuilding the American dream,” he said. Last year, President Trump remarked that American children do not need thirty dolls, that two or three would do.
Both Parties Embrace What’s Popular and Abandon What’s Right
The argument that there’s no difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is often wildly overstated. But what is painfully clear is that over the past decade or two, both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have grown more statist in their economics; generally more dovish, noninterventionist, or isolationist in their foreign policy (the Iran war being the glaring exception); and more libertine in their social policies. It’s not that we don’t have a choice, it’s that the Overton window shifted dramatically to the left over the past 20 years — and yet, we’re more frustrated with our politics, government, and conditions in America than ever. I don’t think that’s a coincidence!
What’s wrong with being a liberal?
A liberal system elevates the individual over the collective, process over outcome, the rules over the rulers
How Far Can America’s Free Speech Protections Reach?
A former ambassador faces charges of defamation in South Korea.
Florida lets private schools use faith to discriminate but not protect public health
Florida AG James Uthmeier says faith-based schools can’t cite their religion to require vaccines. But Florida does allow them to cite their faith as a reason to refuse to accept students who are ga
If You’re Running for Office, You Can’t Be a Slimeball and Be Lazy
Sure, Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton has a slew of scandals, a messy divorce, was impeached as state attorney general, is a terrible fundraiser, and traditionally runs significantly behind the rest of the Republicans who are running statewide. But at least he’s lazy! Elsewhere, President Trump is sitting on a $400 million war chest for the midterms. Meanwhile, the president’s “gold card” immigration plan is wildly underperforming expectations, and the national debt is about to cross $40 trillion.
Character Still Matters
Putting up a serial adulterer whose own staff turned him in to the authorities for corruption was never a good idea.
Reagan cared about inflation; Trump doesn’t really
Fighting back against Vice President Vance’s anti-conservative canard.
Trump Is Starting to Look Precarious
Iran, the economy: An insurgency that becomes a government is eventually responsible for conditions.
