Greetings, fellow Conspirators!
Immense thanks to Eric Peters, of Eric Peters Autos, for joining our Mind Meld tonight to discuss the immorality of the US attacks on Iran, the economic fallout, the lies of the Trump admin when it comes to many things, esp fuel and prices, and more. And thanks to all the fine journalists whose work we got to explore tonight.I hope plenty of folks get to follow them, and will join us, m-f 6 pm on my X and on Rumble, w breakout segments also on YT and the Audio Pod at Spotify and Substack! Be Seeing You! - Here is the link to tonight’s video at Rumble: Liberty Conspiracy LIVE 8-12-26 Leavitt Leaves, Strait Flushed, ICE Electric GLOVES? Peters!
And, here are some of the big stories we got to discuss on the program!
SOME BREAKING NEWS OF LITTLE REAL CONSEQUENCE, SAVE TO BE SURE ONE DOESN’T FORGET A CRIMINAL.
WAR
IRAN
The new rhetoric (it’s not a winning tactic) is to tell people that the US will “starve-out” Iran) - A “real squeeze” - on civilians. Nima and Anthony Aguilar skewer the Trumpers here
The Bessent Brigade is claiming that the US and Saudi suddenly and magically have created a series of pipelines that will deliver the oil that usually would be delivered from Saudi via ships. They are lying. Not only are they lying, they are lying to try to keep oil futures at a lower price. Amazingly transparent, to anyone with even the faintest concept of fluid dynamics through piping.
More, on the Trumpers trying to compose a symphony of economic lies.
If Saudi were pumping oil through these suddenly created pipelines, they would have no need to do this:
Antiwar notes more US aggression in the Strait of H, this against a cargo ship near Oman. “US Helicopter Bombs Cargo Ship in the Gulf of Oman - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
AND..
Even the WSJ defies Trump’s claim that the US controls the Strait of H
“WAR” Specifics
The US has returned refueling planes to Qatar.
(Here - You’re welcome… :) )
That story of the “assassination plot” did seem rather concocted… “Report: Turkey Suspects Israel Fabricated Trump Assassination Plot To Derail US-Iran Diplomacy - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
Aboard the Abraham Lincoln, the sailors are under great stress.
THE ICC
AND the actual criminals, in the US govt
THE SAUDI-TURK-PAK ALLIANCE
Nima and guest Elijah Magnier offer key thoughts on how this appears to not be a posture against Iran.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE
After Ukraine killed numerous Russian civilians a few days ago, the Russian forces responded last night. “Russia Strikes Pound Ukrainian Cities, Killing at Least 10 - News From Antiwar.com” LINK
Just a reminder:
AND, if people think the US stopped directly handing $ and weapons to Ukraine, I want to recall that, just this year, the US already has handed Ukraine $2.4 billion in January, and $775 million in February, PLUS, The House passed the Ukraine Support Act in June 2026 authorizing $8 billion in military finance loans and extending certain authorities, but it has not become law (pending Senate action and presidential approval amid administration opposition to further large-scale funding). Overall US-related spending since 2022 reached about $195 billion available as of March 2026 (much of it not pure bilateral transfers to Ukraine), with deliveries of prior funds still occurring. OH, and Congress authorized $400 million annually for FY2026 (and FY2027) in security assistance for Ukraine and appropriated $400 million for FY2026 European capacity building (including Ukraine). LINK AND, lest we forget, around 61% of total NATO military (defense) spending comes from the United States, based on the most recent available figures and 2026 estimates. And… this year the US has allocated $900 million appx for “NATO Funding”.
MILITARY INSANITY
Whoops “Trump’s $23 billion ship will be outdated before it even hits water | Responsible Statecraft” LINK
MORE FASCISM INFO
NVIDIA - In 2025, the administration allowed Nvidia (and AMD) to sell certain lower-powered AI chips (such as the H20, later expanded toward the H200) to China in exchange for a cut of the related revenue—initially reported at 15%, with some later references to 25%. This positioned the government as a financial participant in those specific sales - and now?
GREENLAND
US ECONOMY
Stephen Moore is a nice person, but he is not offering the full picture, here, because he never mentions the unemployed or long-term-out-of-workforce Americans. This is an important metric that one can see is omitted for a specific political goal.
Real wage statistics (such as BLS average weekly or hourly earnings) are calculated only for currently employed workers. People who are unemployed or have left the labor force entirely (not employed and not looking) are excluded from the averages by design. Factoring them in does not change the published “real wage” numbers for the employed, but it reveals important limitations and distortions in what those numbers actually measure.
Composition (selection) effects:
When lower-wage workers disproportionately exit employment, the remaining pool of workers has a higher average skill/education/pay level. This mechanically raises the measured average real wage even if no individual worker received a raise. The reverse happens when lower-wage workers re-enter: averages can fall or grow more slowly purely because of the changing mix. This was especially large during and after COVID:
In early 2020, massive job losses in lower-paid sectors (leisure, hospitality, retail) caused a sharp spike in reported average hourly earnings. Much of that “growth” was compositional rather than genuine wage increases for those who kept their jobs.
As employment recovered under Biden and lower-wage workers returned, the composition effect reversed, contributing to the appearance of weaker or negative real average wage changes in some series.
Approximate periods and averages
Biden final 18 months (roughly July 2023–December 2024 / into early 2025): Monthly unemployed levels generally ranged from the mid-to-high 5 millions early in the window up into the low-to-mid 7 millions later. The average was approximately 6.6 million. Annual averages were 6.08 million in 2023 and 6.76 million in 2024.
bls.gov
Trump first ~18 months (January 2025–July 2026): Levels were generally in the 6.9–7.8 million range for most months (with a gap for October 2025 due to the government shutdown). The average was approximately 7.3 million. The 2025 annual average was 7.31 million, and monthly figures through mid-2026 remained elevated relative to the prior period before easing somewhat by July 2026 (to about 6.9 million).
AND “Fact-check: Trump says of prices: ‘The food, the groceries, it’s all coming down’“ LINK
The collectivism is not just the purview of Ds. Let’s keep in mind that all political systems are collectivist, and all of them destroy the ability of individuals/consumers to express their preferences and knowledge acquisition scale.
IMMIGRATION POLICE STATE
“NYC Council worker detained for 5 months by ICE granted asylum” LINK
-”Data shows surge in ICE arrests at airports under second Trump administration” LINK
-AND “Video shows ICE agent pointing gun at US citizen in Virginia” LINK
-AND “ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on electrical shock gloves for agents” LINK
-AND “Federal court dismisses visa lawsuit filed by Massachusetts robotics professor” LINK
THE NY COLLECTIVISM POLICY PROBLEM
An example “Thanks to Kathy Hochul, you paid for the Bills’ botched new stadium” LINK (though this is a rampant problem in every state).
-AND “NYC mayor Mamdani takes aim at Amazon in bid to protect workers - but New Yorkers will pay the price” LINK
LITTLE LEVIATHAN - NOT SO LITTLE
“Homeowner faces having to bulldoze his £400,000 ‘dream’ home... because it is 50cm too wide | Daily Mail Online” LINK
MEANWHILE, IN AI DATA CENTER NEWS…
Does private property mean anything to local or state govt? “Judge halts expansion of massive data center in Lowell, Massachusetts neighborhood” LINK
FLOCK CAMS
“Man covers car in special wrap that breaks Flock cameras’ electronic brains” LINK
COP CROC
Eric Peters nails it “Hut! Hut! Hut! Leads to All Fired Up . . . - EPautos - Libertarian Car Talk” LINK
FINALLY
Though I’m not a gigantic fan of his work, I do like it a lot, and this popped up today, so, Happy Birthday to Mark Knopfler!
That’s it for now, all! Join us at 6 on Rumble and X “AT” gardgoldsmith and welcome Eric Peters to our Mind Meld!
That’s it for now, all! Please keep in mind that ANTIWAR is starting a soft fundraiser, a quiet way to get support! Check it out and feel free to give ‘em a hand!
Spread the word! Thanks, again! Please feel free to SHARE the links, and join us every M-F at 6 PM on Rumble, and my X @gardgoldsmith — and you also can donate to help the Liberty Conspiracy, itself! Just visit PayPal to help out! You also can mail GG at:
Gardner Goldsmith
PO Box 581
Amherst, NH, 03031 :)
