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Abdul El-Sayed: If you want to achieve the American dream, you should move to Canada. pic.twitter.com/FUSJZ24kjA
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 1, 2026
Ed: I have no problem with El-Sayed moving to Canada. He can take Hasan Piker with him, in fact. The main obstacle to achieving the American dream is the boatloads of debt run up by American students, thanks entirely to the progressive policies designed to underwrite the decidedly anti-American higher-ed establishment. If we want to restore the American dream, we need to restore American values in our institutions, and especially in our education. Academia is already failing ...
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WSJ: The generations-old higher-education business model is under growing pressure. Even brand-name institutions like Syracuse University, a midsize private school, are starting to feel the heat. Here are five things to know about the challenges facing Syracuse and others. ...
In 2019, the U.S. Justice Department abolished the gentleman’s agreement between colleges to end negotiations with prospective students over financial-aid packages after May 1. Now schools regularly make last-minute offers through the summer to poach students who have accepted offers at other colleges.
This phenomenon has empowered families to demand steeper discounts and generate bidding wars between schools. It has also become increasingly difficult for schools to predict how many students will show up for the start of the school year.
In July, the Trump administration capped graduate-school borrowing at $100,000, and borrowing for professional degrees at $200,000. The caps aim to help curb the cost of attendance and slow the rise of student debt, which is now at a record $1.7 trillion. The changes could threaten enrollment at some graduate programs that have long been a source of revenue for universities.
Ed: We should end federal support for student loans altogether. This decades-long project artificially hiked demand, massively subsidized Academia's administrative class, promoted useless majors, and crippled students both financially and intellectually. If we want to revitalize the American dream, let's give our next generation an American start with trades skills and an instant market value in the workplace rather than a grievance mindset and perpetual dependence on the state.
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Why the hell not? Top editors often get involved in headline writing. One reason they call them editors. (You don't want to know the editorial struggles over a 5 word cover line at Newsweek during the GHWB years.) 9-11 certainly seems a salient angle to the CBS piece.
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) September 1, 2026
"CBS'… https://t.co/mUDrVVEnF9
"CBS' El-Sayed Scandal", on the other hand, is a BS hed. But they can put it on save-get and use it again.
Ed: I'm not sure what the 'news' is here. Editor edits? Film at 11? Perhaps Oliver Darcy thinks headlines are beneath Bari Weiss' scope as editor-in-chief at CBS News, but she certainly doesn't see it that way. David Ellison brought Weiss into CBS News to change the culture, and that includes how stories get framed on the network, especially in its headlines.
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Jorge Bonilla at Newsbusters: This means that America is subjected to Oliver Darcy hysterically howling in protest because the Bari Weiss-led CBS News had the temerity to point out that Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed deleted a series of social media posts evoking the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001. What was it, you ask, that sent Darcy to the fainting couch? ...
The report goes on to list several of the posts deleted by El-Sayed, which seems to have been a bridge too far for Darcy. Per Status:
The Bari Weiss-led outlet is being pummeled by a storm of outrage over a story about Abdul El-Sayed—and Status has learned that within the network, some staffers have raised the matter with standards.
Really? Resurfacing old posts is now a scandal? Because this is standard media practice. For example, here’s a CNN item rehashing some old Natalie Harp posts. Did Darcy rend his garments, don sackcloth and wallow in ash at that time? Probably not.
Ed: Almost certainly not. Darcy claimed that El-Sayed's old deleted posts were "likely innocuous ... to most people," but if that were true, why did El-Sayed delete them at all? And why would Darcy know how "most people" viewed El-Sayed's posts, either at the time or now? CBS reported the posts and let its readers and viewers decide that for themselves, which is what reporters are supposed to do. Andrew Kaczynski has been doing that at CNN for years with politicians of both parties. Has Darcy ever objected to that, or does he just have a problem with Weiss?
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Wait, the editor-in-chief is actually doing her job? https://t.co/nMEYImbMgf
— Ilya Shapiro (@ishapiro) September 1, 2026
Ed: I suspect that people believe her job is to maintain progressive narratives rather than tell the truth. That viewpoint may be prevalent within CBS News as well, if Darcy's report on internal dissent is to be believed, although that itself is a good question, too. Speaking of which ...
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Kurt Schlichter at Townhall: For those of you who missed this non-story, which would be most of you, on Sunday, WaPo decided that the fact that the Department of War (DOW) hired three retired colonels to investigate and report on the status of the military’s war colleges is a major scandal of epic proportions. Move over, Watergate! Guys who served their country continue to do so! The article claims “they amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s viewpoints and attack those who scrutinize the Trump administration,” which is true to the extent that we agree with the Secretary of War; it’s funny how they whitewash leftist critics as “those who scrutinize the Trump administration.” We were lambasting lefty haters before this gig; we’ll be doing it after, only now validated by WaPo as key conservative voices. The article’s implication was that we were somehow being paid to tweet DOW talking points, which is false. But it had the predictable effect on the predictable dummies of X, who obediently morphed from screaming that I am a “Zionist Jew lover” and “Epstein protector” to a “fed.” It was all an IQ test, and a lot of people failed.
The article in question is titled “Pentagon Secretly Installs Military Influencers In Civilian Roles.” But even the title is a lie. No one was secretly installed in anything. We were asked to do a very specific job within our military and civilian wheelhouses, and we did it. We didn’t make it about us, which is apparently an alien concept in D.C. ...
So, three retired colonels decided to help their country one more time by using their extensive experience to help fix the military education system. We all had other things to do; we all could have made vastly more money in our civilian careers if that was our goal. We could no longer ruck up, but we could do something. And the Washington Post tried to turn our work into something shady.
It failed. We have had a tremendous outpouring of support, but we don’t need it. The Washington Post, like the rest of the regime media, is a pompous joke; if you want to know why it’s dying, this fiasco is Exhibit A. We wear its hate like one of our medals. Oh, and next time you hack scribblers want to play mean girls with me, remember that “Schlichter” has two H’s.
Ed: Full disclosure, because the WaPo thinks readers are too dumb to know this – Townhall is our sister site and Kurt is a good friend of mine. Be sure to read all of Kurt's blast at Lamothe. And there was a follow up of sorts this morning ...
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As I predicted, @washingtonpost has finally edited its despicable and inaccurate report on me @CynicalPublius & @RobManess to correct the embarrassing misspellings of my name by @DanLamothe.
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) September 1, 2026
Now, they should correct the false implication that we were paid to spread propaganda… pic.twitter.com/yow7Py0lJB
Ed: Need I remind people that Kurt is a litigating attorney? And that he knows quite a number of litigators? Maybe we need to remind Jeff Bezos. On second thought, maybe we should just hope that Kurt reminds Bezos.
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Matt Calkins: Colin Kaepernick, former 49ers quarterback, kneeling beside teammate Eric Reid in protest of police brutality against Black Americans — sparking equal parts inspiration and uproar. Some view him as a hero. Others, anti-American.
Me? I don’t see him as either. I see a man whose entire cause... was built on a false premise.
I’m bracing for impact as I write that, because I know what the blowback for such a sentence looks like. Kaepernick is a sacred cow in the eyes of activists and much of the media, and criticism of him does not go unnoticed.
But the reality is this: Unarmed Black people were not being killed by cops en masse while Kaepernick was kneeling. They were more likely to be struck by lightning than die at the hands of a police officer. And well-intentioned as Colin may have been in his protest, the anti-police movement he helped inspire likely made things worse for the most vulnerable members of the Black community. Because when cops can’t properly do their jobs — people die.
Ed: For those who may have missed it last week, Matt walked away from the Seattle Times when they repeatedly spiked columns addressing both sides of the transgender sports debate. It's a safe bet that they would have fired Matt for this column. It's semi-paywalled, but this is a good reminder to support Matt and get the word out on his Substack.
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Horrible women online doing this while I’m over here as a mother of two who loves motherhood so much that I wish I had more babies. https://t.co/F2WMTeJ9Va
— Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) September 1, 2026
Ed: Social media has made mental illness into a contagion. And why is TikTok still a thing in the US?
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Issues and Insights: Even naysayers of the war against Iran are starting to admit that the combination of military and economic attacks on the Iranian regime is paying off. A CNN analysis over the weekend, headlined “No, Iran is not winning: In Act IV of the war, it’s losing its leverage in Hormuz,” says Trump has managed to impose “an effective blockade on Iranian oil shipments, with global shipments recovering and energy prices remaining remarkably stable” while the country’s economy is in shambles, with inflation running at 70% as its GDP falls 5%.
Also this weekend, Newsweek ran an opinion piece arguing that “Iran is facing its Soviet moment and possibly its end.” Author Joseph Epstein goes on to say that the “Islamic Republic is exporting almost no oil, its currency has lost nearly a third of its value since March, and it is rationing water and electricity to its own capital.” Translation: It doesn’t have long to live.
So, again, we ask, how would those suffering Trump Derangement Syndrome explain away a victory in a war they are hoping and praying that Trump will lose?
We considered engaging a soothsayer for guidance, but then realized that the left had already shown its hand in its endless attempts to dismiss Ronald Reagan’s role in ending the Cold War. Drawing on that record, here are our predictions for how the chorus of Trump-haters will react should the war with Iran be won.
Ed: That's a pretty good analogy. Trump has to win this first, of course, and that means sticking with the economic siege until the IRGC breaks. And that may take a while.
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For halloween this year, I'm going to dress up as a liberal white woman. pic.twitter.com/Xo6moJyvTQ
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) September 1, 2026
Ed: That one is worthy of the Babylon Bee. Kathy Hochul and Peggy Flanagan aren't that far off from this, either.
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This is a not-sexy-sounding bill that's actually super-important to move before the end of the year. 1) Some Dems want this, because they don't want a redux of efforts like we've seen under Trump II to 100% defund by the back door (which, BTW, have not worked!), and they want Dem…
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) September 1, 2026
... they want Dem representation at CFPB under GOP administrations, as you have at entities like FTC 2) GOP wants this because without a traditional board and funding structure like other agencies, CFPB is totally unaccountable to democratically-elected Members of Congress, and can operate as a totally rogue agency, potentially someday under the control of President AOC. Basically, could be a win-win.
Ed: Could be, if we could get Congress to act. I'm not optimistic on this point, but if we're stuck with the CFPB, then we need to reform it so that it operates in such a manner that it is accountable to the president and operates with rational objectives. I'd rather just get rid of it, but that's not feasible in a narrowly split Congress.
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CBS News: The House on Tuesday passed a measure to extend government funding into December, averting a shutdown in the final stretch of the campaign ahead of the November midterm elections.
The Senate approved the short-term bipartisan funding bill in early August before its five-week recess, but the House was already on its lengthy summer break. The House, which returned Monday, passed the measure in a 370 to 48 vote after GOP leaders fast-tracked the bill, requiring two-thirds majority support for passage.
Funding is now set to expire on Dec. 11, more than a month after the midterm elections, when the balance of power in the House and Senate for the next two years will be decided.
Since April, the House Appropriations Committee has advanced all 12 annual appropriations bills that fund the federal government. Three have been approved by the full House. The process has stalled in the Senate, where none of the funding measures have made it out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Ed: As I lamented last month, we've come to a sorry state when Congress now passes pre-emptive CRs rather than push to get the budget done on time. The House Appropriations Committee did its job, but everyone else failed miserably.
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🚨The Misleading Shadows Cast By Data Center Activists
— Scott Rasmussen (@ScottWRasmussen) September 1, 2026
✅What do voters consider more important than data centers? Just about everything.
✅76% say the economy is a Very Important issue and 72% say the same about inflation.
✅What else tops data centers? Healthcare (68%),…
✅What else tops data centers? Healthcare (68%), national security (61%), crime (55%), education (50%), immigration (49%), gun laws (45%), climate change (41%), and abortion (38%).
✅In other words, at 33%, data centers are bringing up the rear in terms of importance to voters
✅In America's broken political system, small, organized group of activists can hijack an issue by creating shadows to convince a small group in the political bubble that something is real.
Ed: "OMG, 95% of all voters oppose puppy beating! Ask every politician about their position on puppy beating!!1!1!!1!" Well ... okay, maybe don't ask Anthony Fauci. Anyway, Scott makes a great point about understanding electoral context when assessing these issue polls.
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Axios: House Democrats are grumbling that Republicans are setting one last political trap for them before November by attaching language touting their marquee voter ID legislation to a resolution denouncing socialism.
Why it matters: This is a classic election-year tactic by the majority party in Congress, but centrist Democrats say it is also a missed opportunity for a genuinely bipartisan vote to denounce socialism.
"This isn't a serious bill," Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), a vocal moderate who has clashed fiercely with his party's democratic socialist wing, told Axios.
"If you actually want to take on socialism instead of playing political games, you don't slip in the SAVE [America] Act as a poison pill that you know no Democrat will vote for."
Ed: That's just an excuse. All this bill does is offer non-binding language urging the Senate to pass a bill the House already passed, along with the non-binding denunciation of socialism. Republicans are offering Dem incumbents an opportunity to distance themselves from the DSA, and of course that opportunity comes with strings attached. Boo-dee-hoo.
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and held 20,000 aflame lighters at rock concerts.
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) September 1, 2026
Ed: This is what the progressive scolds, AWFLs, and race hustlers on the Left stole from us. Let's take it back.
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Last night's lyric: "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Editor's Note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you're digging these Final Word posts and want to join the conversation in the comments—and support independent platforms—why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!
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