CartoonDems

 

Bessent: Economic Squeeze Could Bring Down Iran Regime

The Trump administration has begun a worldwide campaign to sever Iran's remaining economic ties, and banks and other companies helping Tehran evade sanctions will be cut off from the U.S. financial system as Washington intensifies pressure on the Iranian government, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells Newsmax.

"We are telling the friends and foes that this is the end of the regime," Bessent said in an interview with Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight" from the G20 economic summit in Asheville, North Carolina.

"We are going to sever all of their economic ties with the outside world," he added.

Bessent said Treasury, the State Department, and other administration teams have spread out across the world to press allies and adversaries to stop financial and commercial dealings that sustain Tehran.

The campaign will target financial institutions as well as Iran's aviation, maritime, digital asset, and trading networks, he said, noting that additional action against another bank is expected and warning institutions that continue to facilitate Iranian transactions that their access to the dollar system is at risk.

 

"When these banks are sanctioned, they're out of business," Bessent said. "They are cut off from the dollar system. And we know who is helping the Iranians. They know who they are. And it is going to stop."

The comments follow Treasury Department action against Banque Misr's operations in the United Arab Emirates over alleged transactions involving Iranian shadow-banking networks.

The Treasury Department said last week that its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed revoking Banque Misr UAE's correspondent banking access to U.S. financial institutions.

The department said the bank processed about $1.8 billion in transactions between January 2024 and June 2026 for 103 companies that may be part of networks used by Iran to circumvent sanctions.

Treasury also sanctioned the manager of Iran's Bank Melli branch in Dubai and a Hong Kong-based company accused of helping Iran gain access to the international financial system.

The administration's economic campaign comes after months of U.S. military action against Iran and a blockade aimed at restricting traffic through Iranian ports.

Bessent said the military campaign has severely damaged Iran's conventional forces and weapons production capability, while economic pressure is intended to further weaken Tehran's ability to function.

 

"We have never seen an economic isolation like this in history," he said.

Bessent pointed to gasoline shortages, high inflation, and difficulties paying Iran's military as signs the government is under increasing strain.

Despite possessing some of the world's largest energy reserves, Iran imports gasoline, Bessent said, adding that the blockade has contributed to fuel lines inside the country.

Bessent also predicted the current Iranian government could fall sooner than many expect.

Asked whether he believes the regime would survive through the end of President Donald Trump's term, Bessent replied, "I believe it will be much sooner."

But Bessent stopped short of saying regime collapse is the explicit objective of the economic campaign.

"The goal here isn't necessarily to collapse the regime," he said, adding that the government could fall if Iranians rose up amid inflation, shortages, and economic disruption.

Instead, Bessent said the administration wants to create enough economic pressure to force Tehran back into negotiations on terms acceptable to Trump.

He said Trump believes previous diplomatic efforts failed because Iranian leaders were not prepared to make an agreement.

"We are going to make sure they want to make a deal," Bessent said.

Bessent nevertheless said Trump is determined that Iran will not emerge from the conflict with its government and capabilities unchanged.

"This is the final move for this regime after 47 years," he said.

 

'Slay, Kween': Trump and Pratt Roast Hochul's Mosque Headscarf Stunt

As my colleague Kyle Becker wrote Sunday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tried to gain favor with Muslim voters by donning a scarf at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York in Upper Manhattan. Whether it was technically a hijab remains subject to debate, but a headscarf is worn by many Muslim women to show their modesty. You can also see in the video that she took off her shoes.

My first question: isn’t that cultural appropriation, the scourge that the Left has taught us is the height of evil? This would seem to be a textbook example.

Becker points out that it’s part of a trend in Democrat circles:

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is the latest to submit to Muslim men, indulging their preference that women cover their heads when going out in society.

On Friday, Hochul readily jettisoned her feminist garb and adopted the Muslim one to impress an audience of New York City Zohran Mamdani's friends.

Former Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt had one of the most succinct reactions on social media:

 

It’s not the first time Hochul has put on something that at least resembles a hijab, but she’s taking plenty of heat over it this go around. Considering we’re less than two weeks out from the 25^th anniversary of 9/11, it might not have been the best time to pull the antics — in New York City, of all places.

President Donald Trump is no fan of the mayor who refuses to work with ICE to clean up former President Joe Biden's gigantic illegal immigration mess. You knew he'd notice the blowback against Hochul, and on Tuesday, he did, calling her the Worst Governor in the Country:

Your obvious pandering isn’t going to help you with the Arab vote, he told her, because they simply don’t like you:

Kathy Hochul, considered the Worst Governor in the Country, in a recent picture working hard to get the Arab Vote, even though they can’t stand her! Congestion Pricing in Manhattan is hurting her with everybody, but especially the people for whom she wears the hijab. The whole thing is CRAZY! President DONALD J. TRUMP

I only take one issue with the president's framing: in my ranking, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is far and away the worst governor in the nation. Illinois' JB Pritzker, Virginia's Abigail Spanberger, and Hochul all deserve high honors in that department, though.

Trump is referring to Manhattan’s congestion pricing, the money-grabbing scheme that went into effect on January 5, 2025, and which charges a $9 toll to drivers entering below 60^th Street. Hochul pushed the plan for years, while Trump has strongly opposed it.

The problem? The penalty hits working drivers — cab operators, Uber drivers, and deliverymen — the hardest. So much for affordability.

There isn’t a large group of drivers of Arabic descent in the Big Apple, but a huge number of them are Muslim, so much so that it’s often difficult to find a cab on Islamic holidays:

 

New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission said that its roughly 150,000 drivers come from 167 countries. Bangladesh accounts for the largest share of medallion drivers (24 percent), followed by Pakistan (10 percent). Both are majority-Muslim countries.

Those drivers will be even less happy when the toll goes up to $12 in 2028 and $15 in 2031.

Republican nominee for governor Bruce Blakeman, who will face off against Hochul in the November general election, noted it was a heckuva moment for Hochul to be cosplaying at Islamic centers:

Kathy Hochul will say whatever she needs to say and become whoever she needs to become when there are votes on the line.

Less than two weeks before the 25th anniversary of 9/11, this kind of political pandering is especially tone-deaf.

New Yorkers deserve a Governor with principles that don’t change depending on the audience.

Well said.

 

Big Four Wanted More Climate Reporting. Now State AGs Want the Receipts.

The four largest accounting firms in the world are facing a pointed question from 16 Republican state attorneys general: If you're supposed to be an independent auditor, why were you also helping push climate rules your clients could wind up paying you to navigate?

Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) received a 38-page letter demanding answers regarding their involvement in international climate disclosure and net-zero initiatives. The attorneys general say those commitments conflict with the firms' professional duties of independence, integrity, and objectivity, and may have violated state consumer-protection laws.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, who co-led the coalition with the attorneys general of Texas, Florida, and Alaska, didn't limit his concerns to the boardroom.

“The Big 4’s climate commitments force clients to make burdensome climate-related disclosures that drive up the costs of their services and place onerous requirements on farmers and small businesses. These costs will ultimately be passed onto consumers, who will be forced to bear the burden of increased prices for food, energy, and other everyday products.”

The Big Four championed several major climate initiatives, including the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance, and the International Sustainability Standards Board.

Under the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance, the firms committed to aligning relevant products and services with achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner. In 2023, they also joined companies and trade groups in signing a declaration supporting wider adoption of the International Sustainability Standards Board's climate reporting standards. About 45 jurisdictions have said they intend to use ISSB reporting. The United States isn't one of them.

Then there is the money.

The same firms pushing climate-related reporting also sell consulting and assurance services to companies dealing with those reporting requirements. The attorneys general want to know how much the Big Four made from climate-disclosure assurance, sustainability reporting, and ESG consulting over the past five fiscal years.

The letter asks the firms directly.

It also does not go unnoticed that the Big Four stand to financially benefit from pushing climate-related disclosures and reporting through the for-profit services you offer.

 

The coalition raises questions about whether climate commitments infected work that is supposed to be independent. The attorneys general point specifically to accounting standards that require auditors to remain impartial and not advocate for a particular result when examining a company's financial statements.

One example involves greenhouse-gas reporting. The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures framework supported disclosure of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions regardless of whether that information was considered financially material, according to the letter. It also encouraged reporting of Scope 3 emissions.

The attorneys general say that creates another problem. Accounting firms normally determine whether information is material, meaning significant enough that it could affect an investor's decision. The coalition wants the Big Four to explain how supporting climate disclosures regardless of materiality squares with those professional obligations.

The firms weren't subtle about what they were trying to accomplish. Deloitte has said it is helping “lead the way toward a low-carbon future,” while KPMG described helping clients reduce their environmental footprint as its “most important contribution” to a net-zero society.

Now the attorneys general want the paperwork.

Their requests include documents related to the firms' climate commitments, information about how those commitments were disclosed to audit clients, five years of revenue from climate and ESG-related services, and copies of state and municipal contracts dating back to 2020. They also want the firms to explain what safeguards, if any, kept climate objectives from influencing audit work.

The stakes go beyond a strongly worded letter. The coalition says misleading representations about independence could violate state consumer-protection laws. State contractual provisions could also come into play, potentially exposing the firms to penalties or termination of government contracts.

For Deloitte, the questions arrive during an already costly week. The firm separately agreed to pay $21.5 million to resolve federal allegations that it violated anti-discrimination requirements tied to government contracts. According to the allegations, Deloitte tracked demographic goals, tied compensation for roughly 150 of its most senior partners to those goals, and circulated a spreadsheet identifying promotion candidates by race and sex while discussing how to “equitably maintain the current mix.” Deloitte denied wrongdoing, as settling companies typically do.

Sixteen states are now holding the receipts. The Big Four spent years selling independence while quietly cashing checks from the climate agenda they were pushing. Now they'll have to explain, in writing, to prosecutors exactly how those two sides of the business never crossed paths. Good luck with that.

 

Watch This CNN Guest Shut Down a Leftist Atlantic Writer's Laughable Take on Capitalism

                                                           Jemele Hill

It’s laughable. The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill tried to slide this anti-capitalist talking point onto CNN last night, and it was thrown into the furnace in seconds. Guest Kmele Foster 

 went line by line, explaining that capitalism is a social good and has generated more wealth for nations than any other economic system in human history. Also, slavery predated capitalism, so this ‘it’s soaked in white supremacy’ nonsense was not tolerated by Mr. Foster. It was quite the takedown. 

Kmele Foster: “It's one thing to not think capitalism isn't working ideally. It's another thing entirely to insist that it is oppressive, that it is bound up with white supremacy.

On CNN NewsNight, The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill argues that capitalism is oppressive and bound up in white supremacy.

Kmele Foster: “It's one thing to not think capitalism isn't working ideally. It's another thing entirely to insist that it is oppressive, that it is bound up with… pic.twitter.com/PLWRCuxt7v

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 2, 2026

Kmele Foster: “It's one thing to not think capitalism isn't working ideally. It's another thing entirely to insist that it is oppressive, that it is bound up with white supremacy.

Hill: “How is it not?”

Foster: “I've always preferred Adam Smith's description of capitalism as the natural system of liberty. The idea that people can own property, that they can exchange it freely with one another for profit, that they can find ways to put their resources to good use and profit in a way that is actually beneficial to everyone else, that there can be gains from trade that are mutually beneficial. These are foundational ideas that have created more wealth than any other system in human history. That is what capitalism is! That is not white supremacy.”

Hill: “Do you think capitalism has always worked that way?”

Foster: “I've actually just described the basic facts of the economics.”

Hill: “That ain't how it's always worked.”

Foster: “Slavery is an institution that is older than writing. It predates capitalism. The notion that white supremacy and all these other things are bound up with capitalism in an intrinsic and fundamental way is so absurd and laughable, it barely needs to be defended.”

Hill: “How was it absurd?”

Foster: “It barely needs to be defended.”

Hill: “What do you mean it barely needs to be defended?”

Foster: “You actually have to articulate what the connections is. How are these two things the same? I'm talking about private property, the right to exchange and sell with whomever you like. What does that have to do with white supremacy? … What is the white supremacy dynamic of private property?“

Recommended

The Left says a lot, but they don’t know what they’re talking about. 

Is There a Secret Mail-In Ballot System Operating in Defiance of Court Orders at the USPS?

Oh, here we go: more palace intrigue over the mail-in ballot battle between the Trump administration and the courts. President Trump signed an executive order requiring voter rolls to be verified before mail-in ballots were distributed. That’s the main one. Blue states objected; the courts went back and forth; the Supreme Court ruled that major portions of the order could take effect, but a district judge issued another injunction for two weeks. 

A hearing on a longer injunction is set for September 3, but we have a whistleblower at the United States Postal Service who says the agency is operating in defiance of court orders. It has a secret mail-in system that is apparently shoddy and could disrupt Election Day operations. This complaint was filed with Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) office  

A U.S. Postal Service official has alleged that the agency is moving forward with a “secretive, rushed” effort to implement President Trump’s order exerting federal control over mail voting, despite a court order blocking those plans.

The official filed a whistle-blower report, published on Tuesday morning by the office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, asserting that the “risky and haphazard” implementation of Mr. Trump’s order could lead to a “catastrophic failure” in the mail ballot system ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The report said that the agency had planned to complete the new digital system overseeing mail ballots by Sept. 1.

“Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all,” the official said in the report, which was prepared with the assistance of Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit group that represents people seeking to expose potential lawbreaking.

Speaking to reporters by phone on Monday, Mr. Blumenthal said of the report that “the main takeaway for me is that the Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans. One-third of all Americans cast their ballots by mail, and the U.S.P.S. puts all of their votes at risk.”

A Postal Service official declined to comment on the record.

That’s not what’s happening, Dick. It’s not surprising that someone like you would lie, as you did about your tours in Vietnam, which never happened. Unless you’re unable to get to the polls, mail-in ballots should be limited, and only American citizens should be allowed to use them. We all know that with Democrats coddling illegal aliens, specifically through driver’s licenses, some were marked as U.S. citizens in the files and registered to vote. New Jersey has that problem. North Carolina discovered it had issues here — voter rolls should be verified every time. 

 

DOJ files lawsuit against Kansas School District over parental rights and left-wing gender policies

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon arrives for a news conference at the Justice Department on September 29, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a landmark lawsuit against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, alleging the district facilitated students’ social gender transitions without notifying or receiving consent from their parents.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ Civil Rights Division condemned unannounced gender transitions in Kansas schools, citing Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) violations.

FERPA and PPRA are in place to “safeguard parental rights, including the rights to access and oversee information collected and maintained about their children in public schools,” per the DOJ.

In a DOJ statement on Tuesday, Dhillon fiercely defended the fundamental right of parents to oversee and direct their children’s upbringing, taking aim at public schools that push radical gender ideology on young minds and exclude families from life-altering decisions.

 

“Parental rights are paramount in the operation of America’s public schools, and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools does not know children better than their own parents,” Dhillon said. “The Department will not tolerate school districts playing fast and loose with federal law in the service of radical gender ideology.”

On Tuesday, Dhillon celebrated the lawsuit in an X post.

“[The DOJ] files first-of-its-kind suit against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools for secretly helping kids “transition” genders at school—behind parents’ backs,” Dhillon wrote on X. “No consent, no notice, just a hidden policy—violating FERPA & PPRA. [DOJ Civil Rights Division] is taking it to court!”

 

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon

 

echoed those sentiments, commending the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing federal law, safeguarding parental rights and stopping school districts from pushing ideological agendas on students.

“For decades, schools operated with little accountability as federal parental rights laws like FERPA and PPRA went unenforced, allowing some districts to cut parents out of deeply personal matters involving their own children,” explained McMahon. “That era is over. The Trump Administration is enforcing these laws at an unprecedented scale and making clear that schools cannot hide sensitive information from parents and expect to operate with impunity. We are grateful to the Department of Justice for taking this next step and for its continued partnership with the Department of Education to enforce federal law and protect the fundamental rights of parents.”

 

U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser for the District of Kansas

 

 noted the importance of a cohesive partnership between schools and parents, emphasizing that such a relationship cannot be reached if schools continue to withhold information from families.

“This lawsuit should not come as a surprise,” said Kriegshauser remarked. “Public education functions effectively only when schools and parents engage in a genuine partnership. When schools withhold information from parents, they undermine trust and disrupt the essential balance between families and public educators.”

 

Vietnam Vet at 450‑Strong Luncheon Hails President Trump as Gift From God

 

At a Roll Call veterans’ luncheon in Fort Worth, Breitbart published an on‑site interview with a Vietnam War veteran who offered plain, unfiltered praise for President Trump. The veteran, identified as Bill Henry, told the outlet that the president was “a gift from God” and that he “thanks him for hanging in.” That kind of blunt gratitude from a man who served his country deserves attention — whether the media likes it or not.

What happened at the Roll Call luncheon

Breitbart reported the interview came during a monthly Roll Call gathering at Birchman Baptist Church where roughly 450 veterans and their friends meet for food and fellowship. Henry told the reporter he admired President Trump’s resilience against what he called attacks from the left and international troublemakers. He praised the America 250 Fourth of July celebrations and said he “enjoyed the hell out of it,” adding that Democrats would have demonized the president no matter what he did.

 

Why a veteran’s voice matters

Veterans aren’t political props. They’re voters and patriots who lived through hard choices and hard times. When a Vietnam veteran publicly calls a sitting president “a gift from God,” that’s not a scripted campaign line — it’s a raw reaction from someone who knows sacrifice. Conservatives should pay attention when service members voice support. Democrats and much of the mainstream press act like veterans’ views are optional background noise. They aren’t.

America 250 and the politics of celebration

The veteran’s praise for the big America 250 fireworks and patriotic programming is part of a larger truth: people want national pride, plain and simple. The loud fireworks show doesn’t erase policy debates, but it signals that millions still want their country celebrated, not apologized for. If the left insists on turning simple celebration into a cultural fight, don’t be surprised when veterans and everyday Americans push back.

At the end of the day, Roll Call’s luncheon shows one thing clearly: the American people — especially those who served — are not one‑note. They can be critical and they can be grateful. President Trump’s ability to hold support among veterans while taking hits from the media and political opponents is exactly why his defenders call him resilient. You can laugh, scoff, or roll your eyes — but don’t pretend their voices don’t matter.

Gold Plummets as Fed Signals Rate Hike: What It Means for You

America’s latest market tremor came Tuesday as gold slipped again after an impressive late‑August rally that pushed bullion to a 15‑week high. Investors who bought into the shiny‑metal frenzy are now watching the Federal Reserve’s signals with growing unease as rate‑hike odds climb.

The selling intensified after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s hawkish remarks at Jackson Hole, which suddenly turned a month of speculation into a real prospect of an September policy move. Traders piled into bets on a rate increase — the CME FedWatch odds jumped sharply — and that shift nailed a lid on gold’s momentum almost overnight.

Markets reacted the way markets always do when Washington and the Fed start playing musical chairs with policy: Treasury yields spiked, the dollar strengthened, and technical stops were triggered below key moving averages. That cocktail of rising yields and a firmer dollar is poison for a non‑yielding asset like gold, and traders punished it accordingly.

 

Let’s be blunt: this is another reminder of what happens when decades of loose monetary policy and fiscal irresponsibility collide. Ordinary Americans paid the price with runaway prices earlier this year, and now the Fed’s sudden “we might tighten” pivot is punishing savers, investors, and anyone who had hoped for steadier markets. Opinion isn’t needed to see the blunt truth — reckless policy creates volatile markets.

For patriotic investors, the lesson is simple: don’t put blind faith in the elites who sold the narrative of “transitory” inflation while printing money and expanding the balance sheet. Gold remains a hedge and a signal — it rallied for reasons tied to policy mistakes and geopolitical uncertainty, and its retreat tells us the game has changed for now.

Hardworking Americans deserve policymakers who think long term, not headline‑chasing speeches and panic‑driven market moves. Demand fiscal restraint, accountability from the Fed, and economic policies that strengthen the dollar without sacrificing Main Street — otherwise the next shock will be worse, and it will be the American family that pays the bill.

 

CartoonDems