WendyMcElroy.com

Jason Arday. From Townhall: The Death of Academic Fraud Jason Arday Won’t Shut Us Up. [Ed: by Kurt Schlichter whose wry style I enjoy.]

From Best Friends: Hero dog saves his person during Spokane wildfire.

From Zero Hedge: Europe Scrambles For Innovation And Defense As US Decouples From "Global Order". ECB head Christine Lagarde complained at a WEF conference that US separation from the "global order" is derailing European growth...

Iran. From the AP: United Arab Emirates Suspends Trade With Iran. Move comes after UAE came under renewed missile fire. [Ed: how many weeks did Trump say this war would be?] From Al Jazeera: Trump Vows 'Most Crushing' Sanctions in Iran War. Threatens sanctions on countries aiding Tehran's trade and finance.

Big Economic Picture. From Zero Hedge: "Doom Loop" Engaged: US Debt Hits $40 Trillion As Treasury Enters The Endgame. It took the US 200 years to reach its first $1 trillion in debt. It took 95 days to add its last. [Ed: perhaps we should throw one last party?] From the International Man: Doug Casey on the $20 Burrito, the Affordability Crisis, and What Comes Next.

From Jonathan Turley: Israel Careens Towards Elections as Radicals Again Play Oversized Role in a Flawed Parliamentary System.

From Wazim: Dog spots a new arrival at the shelter: her confusion brings internet users to tears.

Banks. From PreppGroup: The Specter Of 'Economic Death' Looms Over All Of Us In Late-Stage Surveillance Capitalism. ...algorithmic ostracism and the dissolution of financial personhood... [Ed: a must read.] From Center Square: Your Bank Data Could Become A Profit Center - And You'll Pay the Price. "It's really important to get this one right..."

Fauci. From the AP: Ex-Fauci Adviser Pleads Guilty. Dr. David Morens admits plotting to conceal COVID-19 research records during pandemic. [Ed: the unraveling begins. It is just beginning.]

From I Heart Dogs: Your Support Helped Fly Hazel to Her Rescue Road Trip, With a 17-Year-Old Leading the Way

The Koreas. From antiwar: S.Korea Reaffirms Push For Military Independence After Trump Announced Scaled-Back Drills. Pyongyang has meanwhile downplayed the Trump overture & has not acknowledged any new contacts... From Zero Hedge: Trump Indicates Plans To Meet North Korea's Kim Jong-Un Later This Year. "The fact that I get along with him, that's a very good thing, not a bad thing." [Ed: how is this related to N. Korea's ardent support of Russia in war with Ukraine?]

From Post Millennial: Trump pauses 50% tariffs on Canada after deal, says Keystone XL could be revived. “The great Keystone XL Pipeline, long ago killed by Sleepy Joe Biden, may be awoken from the grave!”

The Stop Nick Shirley Act Passes in Calif. From KSL: 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' passes in California's Assembly. [Ed: is already meeting 1st Amendment challenges.] From Mediaite: Nick Shirley Gets in a Wild Street Clash With California Official Who Repeatedly Accuses Him of Having a ‘Small Penis’. [Ed: the official crashed an interview with Shirley so the incident is all on tape.] From USA Herald: California AB 2624 Reaches Newsom as ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ Journalism Fight Explodes. [Ed: with Newsom eying a Presidential run, will he sign it?]

From Jonathan Turley: FBI: Swalwell Did Admit to Sleeping with Alleged Chinese Spy and May Have Received Illegal Foreign Contributions. "What is most striking about this report is that Nancy Pelosi was briefed on this information and still refused to remove Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee."

From the Disinformation Chronicle: Anthony Fauci And The Collapse Of Scientific Authority. Academics celebrated a dishonest science administrator, exposing the decay of the biomedical enterprise... [Ed: Fauci has disillusioned an entire generation about 'follow the science'.]

From People: Dog Missing for More Than 8 Months Reunites with His Owner, Who Raised Him from a Puppy, Thanks to Facebook

Immigration Fraud. From the Epoch Times: State Department Launches Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force. The activity of visa holders worldwide is under review, the department stated... AND 11 Charged In Immigration Scheme Involving Over 1,000 Sham Marriages. "...foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as $100,000 to manage the process..."

Cost of Living. From Pretium Insights: The 'Burrito' Debate: What's It Really About... ...the burrito is symbolic. The core problem is monetary debasement and policy-driven cost-of-living pressures that hit those who came of age later the hardest... [Ed: it is amazing to me how the burrito comment in a passing post has resonated through society.]

From the Organic Prepper: The 4 Levels of Disasters (And How to Prepare for Each One). There are four different levels of disasters, from personal emergencies to full-on SHTF end-of-the-world stuff.

From Vaneco Village: Tireless Searchers: Cadaver Dogs in California

From the Center Square: At Least 22 Dem AGs Agreed to Coordinate Takedown of Trump, Keep Public in Dark Going Into 2024 Election. [Ed: are they stupid enough to have left a paper trail?]

Tariffs. From Mish Talk: Trump’s Trade War With Canada on Verge of Becoming Economically Nasty. [Ed: recommended.] From Courthouse News Service: Trade court clears Trump gut of tariff exemptions on low-price goods. The ruling marks a win for President Trump who has been blocked by the courts several times as he has tried to implement his tariff policies without legislation from Congress. [Ed: translation, he can charge tariffs on imports under $800.]

From I Heart Dogs: It Took A Very Big Village To Give Dozer His Happy Ending, But The Hero VIP Club Came Through.

Guns. From Bearing Arms: The Gun Industry Was Debanked Before ‘Debanking’ Became a National Scandal. From Gun Owners: GOA Members to Make History With First Suppressor Transfers Without NFA Registration Since 1934. [Ed: meanwhile, Kamala is upping the anti-gun rhetoric.]

From Rand: A U.S. Strategy to Prevent the Creation of Mirror Life. [Ed: someone will create this simply because they can.]

From Top Tipsy: How This 16 Year Old Dog Saved His Owner Broke Me Down. Especially The End… Wow.

From Jonathan Turley: Report: FBI Listed Bill Barr, Michael Pence and Other Republicans as Russian “Conduits” of Misinformation. [Ed: FBI also buried a lot of material exposing the Biden family's corruption.]

Water. From AP: Record Low Danube Closes Nuclear Reactors. Romania begins shutdown of Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant's 2nd reactor amid low river levels. [Ed: when fully operating, the plant produces about 20% of nation's electricity.] From Popular Science: WWII motorcycle and soldiers emerge from river muck in Hungary. [Ed: due to low water.] From AP: Nero's Bridge Emerges as Tiber River Drops. Rome is facing water crisis after weeks with no rain

From FEE: We Need to Do Nothing About AI. [Ed: well argued.]

Ceuta. From Zero Hedge: The Ceuta Crisis And The Emerging European Divide. We are seeing the emergence of a kind of Islamo-Marxist movement, a fusion of radical socialist social ideals with a Sharia-based reinterpretation of society – as long as it is directed against the bourgeois West and the civilizational achievements of old Europe... by Thomas Kolbe. From Business Insider Africa: Spain draws a red line as Morocco revives sovereignty claims over Ceuta and Melilla. [Ed: Morocco clearly wants to claim the area. Is the migrant wave part of its strategy?]

Upcoming Elections. From SCOTUS Blog: Trump administration urges Supreme Court to issue a decision in mail-in voting dispute.

From Our Long Walk: The economy under your skin. What ancient DNA can reveal about economic history – and us. [Ed: fascinating.]

Iran. From Simplicius: Encore at the Cirque Du Hormuz - The Greatest Show on Earth! [Ed: a must read.] From X, the Hormuz Letter: The UAE has released several billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets held in UAE banks. [Ed: I do not think UAE would do this without US approving, tacitly or not.] From Trade Winds: Experts tackle 2,000 square km oil spill from tanker off Oman. UK group is coordinating a response as specialists board stricken vessel, [Ed: huge spill. Not clear the extent of it yet. Largely unreported.] From Arab News: Iran calls for compensation after Hormuz oil spill.

From Dogster: How I Rescued A Greek Stray Dog: Hela's Story

J.D. Vance's Book, Reviews. From The Argument: Hillbilly economics. The common good demands that you are poor. From Cato Institute: JD Vance’s Feared “Cult of Growth” Has Never Run America.

From Of Two Minds Blog: While We Focused on Fripperies, the Foundations Have Rotted Away

From X, Christopher Webb: Video of How Stun Gloves Work. [Ed: these will be badly misused by ICE.] From BBC: Why are ICE agents getting controversial shock gloves?

Living in NYC. From Moneywise: She scored a 2-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn at 60% below market — but paid $4,000 just to see it. Secret listings give renters an edge at a cost. [Ed: the free market will find a way around regulations.] AND Trump threatens federal intervention against NYC's pied-a-terre tax — and his own $6M penthouse could be affected. Trump says he's exploring whether the federal government can stop NYC's new tax on luxury second homes. [Ed: not clear that the federal gov. has this authority.] From Thomson Reuters: New York City to continue pied-à-terre tax rollout despite court challenge.

From Reason: Border Patrol Saves America From Canadian Trucker Delivering Goods in New Mexico. What kind of country would America be if people were freely allowed to peacefully deliver goods that had been consensually bought and sold?

From Dog With Blog: Hero Dog Who Saved 9 Lives Honored with Lifetime Award.

From the Mises Institute: Get Your Free August Rothbard Giveaway "The Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar" Today! Order up to 5 copies before August 31.

Air Force One Leak. From FOX News: Man who carried Clinton nuclear 'football' reveals what 'scares the hell out of me' about Air Force One story. Retired Air Force Lt Col Robert Patterson suspects someone 'highly placed' leaked story of Trump's Air Force One swap. From the New York Post: Pentagon accuses former Air Force secretary of leaking classified information about Air Force One. [Ed: revoked his classified access. Who knows if he is 'guilty'?]

Farage. From Politico.EU: Farage paints himself as local Clacton hero in battle to beat Binface. Analysis of Reform UK’s £10,000 spend on online ads in Clacton by-election reveal a mix of anti-establishment rhetoric and more prosaic matters. From the BBC: Polls close in Clacton by-election triggered by Nigel Farage. [Ed: we should know the results by early Friday...today!] From the Evening Standard: Farage shuns Clacton by-election count after 'advice from police'. [Ed: Farage has declared himself the winner. I think he is correct. I certainly hope so.]

From Red State: John Fetterman Just Made a Political Promise Democrats Are Not Going to Like. "...he won't campaign against McCormick if the Republican decides to run for reelection in 2030."

From the Bored Panda: Stray Dog Becomes Employed At A Gas Station After Chasing Off Robbers

From Zero Hedge: Former SPLC Exec Arrested: Accused Of Funneling Donor Money To KKK, Neo-Nazi Informants Beirich in fact ran the organization's Intelligence Project - the unit that decided who landed on the hate map. [Ed: no sympathy. the SPLC has destroyed the lives of innocent people because for their political beliefs.]

From ABC7: Dog saves owner from fire that destroyed his house: ‘She was terrified’

ICE. From Reason: Airports Are ICE's Latest Target, Raising 4th Amendment Concerns From Airlines. An apparent surge of ICE arrests in airport terminals has created viral videos and questions over ICE's authority to board planes without judicial warrants. [Ed: an attempt to meet the White House's steep daily quota for immigration arrests?] From the Post Millennial: Portland jury convicts leftist doctor who clashed with police during ICE facility 'May Day' riot. Multnomah County Judge Celia Howes sentenced Esperanza to 18 months of probation and 40 hours of community service.[b] From CNN: ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on electrical shock gloves for agents

From the International Man: Doug Casey on the End of Honest Markets

DSA. From Jonathan Turley: Gavin Newsom, the DSA, and the Danton Delusion. [Ed: a must read.] From American Prospect: Why Have Less Than One Percent of American Socialists Joined DSA? Socialism has not been this popular in America in at least a century, but how it’s defined, and who defines it, matters.

From antiwar: The Bomb in Monaco and a Torture Room Near Kyiv. Anatomy of a Killing That Silenced Its Own Suspect

Strait of Hormuz. From Zero Hedge: Trump: US Controls Hormuz Strait, 'I Think We Will Keep It' - Confirms Economic Siege Strategy. As mediators cite 'absolutely no progress' on peace talk efforts... From CGTN: Iran says Strait of Hormuz stays closed unless US accepts its conditions. From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Prospects of Long War Rise as US and Iran Signal a Staredown; Iran Economy Not Collapsing; Saudi-Ansar Allah Attacks Intensify; US Navy in Crisis?

From Dogman Ray: Just Nuisance. The only dog that was ever officially enlisted into the Royal Navy.

This Week's Elections. From the Washington Examiner: GOP congressman says Democrats ‘stole’ election from socialist Francesca Hong. [Ed: it certainly seems as tho there was fraud in the Wisconsin Dem primary.] From Newser: What We Learned in Tuesday's Primaries. They provided a sign of trouble for progressives, as well as older Democratic incumbents

From Good News Network: Antiviral Chewing Gum Cuts Risk of Certain Head and Neck Cancers to Almost Zero in New Study

Childhood Vaccinations. From the Epoch Times: WHO Defends Childhood Vaccination Schedules After Trump Order. "On Aug. 10, Trump signed an order to recommend administering the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in three shots during separate visits." [Ed: some schools mandate the shots for attendance.] From Nature: Trump wants MMR vaccine split up: the science behind why it’s a bad idea. Numerous studies have shown that separating childhood jabs will delay protection and increase costs for families. [Ed: i must admit I don't understand Trump's reasoning here.]

Martin v. Mott. From Command Center: Trump's Secret Power To Combat A Communist Uprising. [Ed: a hideous power that Trump has mentioned invoking repeatedly.] From the SCOTUS Blog: The president’s power to deploy troops domestically: an explainer.

Tariffs. From EconLib: Action Figures and the Balance of Payments From the Financial Post: Protectionists live in economic wonderland. The world is upside-down with a Republican president practicing socialism and Republican voters supporting free trade less than Democrats. "Under socialism, government owns the means of production, which the U.S. government increasingly wants to do. [Ed: Trump 'investing' the gov. in private businesses is a terrible trend.]

From Wired: Is It Safe to Eat Lettuce Yet?

From People: America’s Got Talent’s Golden Buzzer Dog Sets Guinness World Record for Lightning-Fast Trick

From Reason: Border Patrol Saves America From Canadian Trucker Delivering Goods in New Mexico. What kind of country would America be if people were freely allowed to peacefully deliver goods that had been consensually bought and sold? [Ed: a new word for me...cabotage. Cabotage means the transport of goods or passengers between two places inside the same country by a transport operator from a different country. It is illegal in the States, Canada and other nations.]

Germany Misc. From Politico.EU: Meta AI glasses face criminal complaint in Germany. Privacy concerns over the device have snowballed in recent months amid reports of people being filmed without their consent. [Ed: I am uncomfortable with the glasses but I don't think there is any right to privacy in public. In private, yes.] From Politico.EU: Germany to give spies major new powers. The reform comes as Berlin confronts a growing hybrid menace from Moscow and attempts to become less dependent on U.S. intelligence sharing.

From CNBC: Why the historic U.S.-Japan intervention has failed to halt the yen’s slide.

Ukraine-Russia. From International Business Times: Zelenskyy Asks South Korea for Air Defense as Ukraine Warns of 50,000 More North Korean Troops in Russia. From Andrew Korybko: Why'd Russia Once Again Reaffirm Its Commitment To The “Spirit Of Anchorage”?

From Wired: Big Tech Wants to Harvest Your Thoughts.

Mamdani. From Zero Hedge: Mamdani's Socialist Utopia Collides With Reality As Manhattan Rents Hit Record. Let's not forget that a recent Center for Migration Studies report showed that more than 500,000 illegal aliens live in NYC. From the Hill: Mamdani weighs in on ‘Woke 1 was crazy’: ‘Sometimes, what you believe can change’ [Ed: like AOC and other far-leftists, he is toning down the rhetoric to gain popularity but I don't believe for a second that he's changed.]

From Bored Panda: Dog Lover Shares How His Pup Lives A Heartwarming Double Life Visiting An Elderly Woman Every Day

Upcoming Elections. From CNN: 9 Races Poised to Decide Control of the Senate. The economy and Trump backlash are defining the 2026 battleground for the chamber.

From Epoch TV: Puppy Follows Best Friend Down Slide

Big Economic Picture. From ITM Trading: Japan Just Forced the U.S. Into an Impossible Choice. [Ed: the US feels forced to intervene on behalf of Japan's tanking currency.]

From Eric Peters Auto: Very few people dislike firemen or EMS workers. This is probably a function of the fact that they only come when called. [Ed: exactly.]

From Politico.com: Pelosi: Those who knew of Biden’s decline ‘should have acted’. The former House speaker’s remarks came at POLITICO's The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit on Tuesday. [Ed: she was one of the ones who knew. Hypocrite. Liar.]

Cost of Living. From the Hill: The American Dream and Retirement Are Dying. AI, stagnant wages, and vanishing pensions mean a lot of us will work until we die [Ed: I see this all around me, here in Canada. The Canadian dream?] From Politico.EU: Breakfast looks a lot more expensive under new EU pesticide plans. Coffee, citrus and berry prices set to spike if a plan to tighten pesticide standards for imports becomes reality. [Ed: gov. makes all goods artificially pricey.]

AI. From A Lot Will Happen in 2026: The July Incident: What They Didn't Tell You About the First Rogue AI Breach. “The agents are already out. We just don’t know how many...” [Ed: a must read.]

From American Greatness: British Police Unit Flags Over 100 Social Media Posts For Arrest Amid Immigration Backlash. ...the initiative remains “still in the early stages of being established,”

Ukraine-Russia. From Politico.EU: Ukraine hammers key Russian port in overnight drone attack. The Ukrainian president said Kyiv’s forces were attacking a Black Sea naval base, while Russian officials pointed to civilian casualties and destroyed residential buildings. From the Washington Examiner: Will Ukraine retaliate against North Korea outside of the war zone? [Ed: I doubt it. At least, I doubt a direct attack on N. Korea. Indirect? Maybe...]

From American Thinker: No Fourth Amendment In American Airports? An American in an American airport on American soil has to surrender his rights to an American customs agent? What is this sorcery? [Ed: the response would be...there is a 4th amendment but you have to surrender your rights to it if you want to fly.]