The Patriot Factor
'We the People' will NEVER be silenced!
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Just a Thought
Later on Tuesday, Trump said that there are "no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
"The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
The announcement came after reporters asked Trump in the Oval Office on Monday whether he intended to make such a declaration. "I think it's an excellent idea. We control it through the blockade, and I like the idea of declaring it our territory," he replied.
Trump also pointed to what he described as the effectiveness of the US military's naval blockade. "We're taking out millions of barrels of oil a week. If you look at the numbers we're getting, the strait is open, oil prices are going down, and they'll continue to go down, unless we decide to do something much more drastic than what we're doing now."
More than two dozen Russian ships, many of them under US and European sanctions, traveled across the Caspian Sea to deliver the arms to Iran’s port in Amirabad, NBC News reported, citing documents and a Western official.
While the development demonstrates Moscow and Tehran’s deepening alliance, it also proves that the US-Israeli strikes against Iran’s production plants have been largely successful, Jim Lamson, a former CIA analyst, told the outlet.
“Iran’s procurement of drone components and small arms ammunition from Russia strongly suggests that Israeli and US military strikes on Iran’s facilities that produce these items have degraded Iran’s domestic capability to produce them,” he said.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Just Two Thoughts
Axios reported Monday that the George Washington's deployment is expected to leave the United States without an aircraft carrier in the western Pacific at a time when China and other U.S. adversaries in the region are increasing their military activity.
Temporary gaps in carrier coverage are not unprecedented, but the move highlights the competing demands placed on the U.S. military by the war with Iran and America's longstanding security commitments in the Indo-Pacific.
Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Axios that China could use the opening to increase its presence around U.S. allies such as Taiwan and Japan, although he said a full...Read more here.
"With a battle for the soul of the Democratic party on the horizon, a new poll signals that socialists may have the upper hand over capitalists in 2028 primaries.
According to a new CBS News poll out Sunday, Democrats have a dramatically more favorable view of socialism than capitalism. The poll found that, among Democrats, 58 percent have a positive view of socialism, while just 18 percent have a negative view. Conversely, the poll found just 32 percent of Democrats have a positive opinion of capitalism, while 50 percent see it negatively. Read more, and see Xs here.



