Rip’s Newsletter
July 27, 2026
Compiled and Edited
by
Jim Reynolds
Articles in This Issue
Brian C Joondeph - The More They Said ‘Trust Us,’ the Less America Did
Gregory Lyakhov - The Left Is Losing Its Grip on Its Greatest Advantage
EJ Antoni; Ph D - If It’s Good Enough for Wartime, It’s Good Enough for Peacetime
Douglas Andrews - The Trump Show Goes on at WHCD
Nate Jackson - Trump’s Middle East Chess Match
Jim Reynolds - The House Divided
Overview
I see a country still split between institutions that demand obedience and a public that no longer gives it freely.
The COVID trust collapse, the Left’s grip on universities and media, and the Democratic Party’s own civil war all point to the same problem: the old gatekeepers are losing their power to define reality.
At the same time, Trump is forcing the other side to live with the consequences of its own chaos, from Iran and energy prices to the spectacle of politics after an assassination attempt.
What ties this set together is simple: Americans are done being managed, and the people who built their power on control are finding out too late.
Remember, if you would rather just cut to the chase then ignore the summaries and hit the link at the bottom. That will take you directly to the article. It’s your choice.
The More They Said ‘Trust Us,’ the Less America Did
Site: American Thinker
Author: Brian C Joondeph
Date: 2026-07-27
The article argues that COVID-era public health messaging damaged trust because officials demanded belief while often failing to show transparency, acknowledge uncertainty, or welcome independent scrutiny.
It cites Rasmussen polling showing nearly half of Americans think COVID vaccines likely caused a significant number of unexplained deaths and about one-quarter believe someone they knew died from a vaccine, using those results not as proof of harm but as evidence of a deep credibility gap.
The author says science should be built on reproducibility, open data, and investigation of anomalies, not dismissal of questions as misinformation, and contends that changing guidance on masks, origins, and vaccine effects was less damaging than the refusal to admit uncertainty as recommendations evolved.
He compares public trust to a marriage strained by secrecy, arguing that suspicion grows when institutions appear to hide records or shut down debate.
The piece concludes that future pandemic guidance will only work if officials earn trust through sunlight, data release, and open rebuttal of critics rather than authority or censorship.
This story matters because public health depends on credibility, and without transparency, even valid guidance can fail when the next crisis arrives.
🅱️ This one reads like a post-mortem for trust itself. The doc remembers when ‘I don’t know’ was a sign of brains, not heresy. If only the experts had kept their mouths as open as their minds, maybe folks wouldn’t be flipping coins on who to believe. Sunlight’s free—so why all the blackout curtains?
Reader Experience: ★★★☆☆ Moderate ads and interruptions.
Read the original article HERE
The Left Is Losing Its Grip on Its Greatest Advantage
Site: The Patriot Post
Author: Gregory Lyakhov
Date: 2026-07-27
The article argues that the Left’s long-standing advantage has come from dominating America’s key institutions — universities, media, entertainment, and nonprofits — and using them to normalize its worldview as fact rather than opinion.
It says this institutional capture helped spread ideas like radical gender ideology, DEI bureaucracies, and activist race politics without broad public demand.
But confidence in those institutions is now eroding as Americans grow more skeptical of media, higher education, and ideological activism, especially amid rising tuition, debt, and declining trust.
The piece frames this as an anti-establishment shift that is affecting both parties, though it poses a greater threat to the Left because its influence has depended more heavily on institutional authority.
It argues conservatives should not replace one monopoly with another, but should push to restore institutions as places for open debate and truth-seeking.
If institutions lose their ideological monopoly, the political balance of power could shift in a way that reshapes American culture and public trust for years to come.
🅱️ Finally, someone remembers the institutions weren’t always blue church pulpits. This piece calls the con: the Left built the house, but now the roof’s leaking and folks are noticing. Could use a little more bite—maybe name a few of the usual suspects—but it lands the point: trust is gone, and the old tricks aren’t working. The real punch is in the hope that maybe, just maybe, we get the house back.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
If It’s Good Enough for Wartime, It’s Good Enough for Peacetime
Site: Townhall
Author: EJ Antoni; Ph D
Date: 2026-07-27
The column argues that the recent Iran-related spike in energy prices shows why wartime emergency deregulation should be made permanent in peacetime.
It says gasoline is back above $4 a gallon, diesel above $5, and Brent crude has topped $90, underscoring how quickly families are hit by supply shocks.
The main target is the Jones Act, which requires U.S. coastal shipping to use American-built, -owned, -flagged, and -crewed vessels; the author says this has shrunk the compliant fleet, created artificial shortages, and raised costs even though the U.S. produces abundant oil.
He points to the administration’s March 17 waiver for energy commodities and fertilizer inputs, claiming it added 149 vessels, enabled 180 voyages, moved about 13 million barrels each of gasoline and crude, and expanded Gulf-to-West Coast fuel shipments beyond all of 2020-2025 combined.
The piece also backs the EPA’s summer E15 waiver and warns against temporary fixes like draining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve or suspending the gas tax without spending cuts, arguing those merely shift costs to future taxpayers.
It concludes that repealing the Jones Act and the Renewable Fuel Standard would lower fuel, fertilizer, and grocery costs without new spending, and that only entrenched
🅱️ This is a straight shot at the sacred cows nobody wants to touch—Jones Act, ethanol mandates, the whole racket. Author’s got the receipts, but the voice is more think-tank than barstool. Could use a little more bite, but the point lands: if the rules are dumb in a crisis, they’re dumb all the time. Funny how the ‘emergencies’ always show us which laws are just protection rackets.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
The Trump Show Goes on at WHCD
Site: The Patriot Post
Author: Douglas Andrews
Date: 2026-07-27
Donald Trump used the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner to blend comedy, political attacks, and defiance after an assassination attempt forced the original event to be postponed.
He framed the night as proof that political violence would not silence the country, then spent more than an hour mocking the press, Joe Biden, Gavin Newsom, AOC, Adam Schiff, Rosie O’Donnell, and Bruce Springsteen.
The speech also highlighted Trump’s ongoing White House construction projects, including a bulletproof ballroom, a rooftop drone port, and an underground shelter, which he said would serve future presidents as well.
The article portrays Trump as improvisational and entertaining, contrasting him with Biden and arguing that the media’s business model depends on Trump’s presence.
This story matters because it shows how Trump continues to dominate the political and media agenda even in the face of violence, turning every stage into a referendum on his power and the press’s dependence on him.
🅱️ Reads like a highlight reel for the Trump Show—hits the right notes, but plays it safe. Good jabs at the media, but nothing you couldn’t catch on a late-night rerun. Reminds you who the real audience is, but could use more bite and less play-by-play. Next time, less recap, more receipts.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
Trump’s Middle East Chess Match
Site: The Patriot Post
Author: Nate Jackson
Date: 2026-07-27
Trump is juggling military pressure, ceasefire pauses, and negotiations with Iran while trying to avoid a full-scale war and still claim success on the nuclear issue.
The article says he launched Operation Epic Fury after concluding earlier strikes were insufficient, but now appears constrained by rising oil and gas prices, political risk, and uncertainty over U.S. munitions stockpiles.
Trump has alternated between threatening a “massive attack” and signaling that a deal remains possible, while UN Ambassador Mike Waltz says he is giving talks “some space.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected in Washington and backs Trump’s approach if it avoids renewed heavy fighting.
The piece also frames Saudi Arabia as a key lever in Trump’s broader strategy, with a potential nuclear power deal tied to the Abraham Accords and meant to counter Iran without enabling weapons development.
This story matters because it shows how Trump is using military force, diplomacy, and regional rivalries together to shape the Middle East and influence U.S. energy and election politics.
🅱️ Reads like a play-by-play for folks who remember when presidents actually tried to win. Nails the ‘Trump plays chess, media plays checkers’ bit, but could use more bite—less recap, more receipts. Good at showing the moving parts, but I wanted a little more fire and a little less sports commentary. Still, it’s a handy map for anyone tired of the official fog machine.
Reader Experience: ★★★★☆ Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the original article HERE
The House Divided
Site: www.reynolds.com
Author: Jim Reynolds
Date: 2026-07-27
[Jim’s Note: If you choose to “Read in the App” then you will also have the choice of listening to the piece. Upper right hand button says “Listen”. ]
The Democratic Party is facing a deeper crisis than a possible 2026 midterm defeat: a widening split between a traditional center-left wing and a socialist faction that sees capitalism and core American institutions as illegitimate.
Reynolds argues that Democratic leaders want the energy, turnout, and organizing power of the DSA without publicly owning its agenda, creating a party that tells different stories to different audiences.
He says this contradiction is becoming harder to hide as socialist victories in dense urban enclaves prove little about national appeal, while governing experiments like Zohran Mamdani’s in New York expose the limits of activist promises.
The article also warns that Democrats can no longer rely on racial identity politics, labor rhetoric, or institutional trust to hold together a coalition that is shifting beneath them.
In Reynolds’s view, weak leadership from Schumer and Jeffries is allowing the conflict to harden into an avoidable but increasingly destructive internal rupture.
This story matters because it argues Democrats are not just at risk of losing elections—they may be losing the ability to define what their party stands for.
🅱️ This is a coroner’s report for the Democratic Party, written before the body’s cold. No weasel words, no safe takes—just receipts and a shovel for the grave. The punchlines land because the setup is all facts, no fog. If you’re still pretending the party’s just having a family squabble, you’re not paying attention—or you’re cashing a check.
Reader Experience: ★★★★★ Clean Substack. No ads. Fast loading.
Read the original article HERE
Some sites have good content but I no longer visit them because there are just too many ads. Conservative Treehouse is one such site. That is why I do not direct people to that site. I despise ads that constantly get in my way.
Send Message option at the bottom.