Beltway Insider: Trump, Iran, Israel/Hind Rajab Murder, Putin’s Weakening War Chest, Primary Roundup, E. Jean Carroll

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 22 August 2026 14:49

Written by Janet Walker

President Trump has ramped up the rhetoric and vowed to initiate an "Economic D-Day" against the government of Iran, in an effort to force the Tehran to submit to his demands and end the war.

The President's job approval rating, according to The New York Times for the period ending August 23, 2026, of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President decreased by 1% to 37% and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president decreased by 1% to 59%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Trump Vows Tougher Economic Sanctions

President Trump announced this week, that he would unleased much tougher sanctions, akin with an "Economic D-Day," on Iran, increasing the sanctions against Iran to force the regime to end the war and reopen the Hormuz Strait.

Tehran responded stating they will not submit to the demands of the United States.

"A former intelligence chief who Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed as head of Iran’s volunteer paramilitary militia Basij earlier this month, Taeb said Trump’s rhetoric is "not based on initiative; rather, it stems from desperation," according to the country’s Fars News Agency," CNN.com reported.

Iran has continued to allow Iraqi controlled oil tankers to pass through the Hormuz Strait. All other vessels attempting to use the waterway are risking attack from the Iranian military forces, and its many regional partners, including the Yemen based and Iranian funded Houthis.

The Iranian government has lived under U.S. economic sanctions for more than 50 years. What the president is expecting is that all regional trading partners of the United States, including Saudi Arabia, also participate in the economic sanctions and further isolate Iran.

The Voice of Hind Rajab Review – Haunting, Palpable Emotion, Resonating

Israel Initiates Killing of Hind Rajab, Others

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this week, the Israeli government would open a rare inquiry into the murder of Hind Rajab, the five-year-old Palestinian killed by IDF forces while she was surrounded by the bodies of her relatives, awaiting rescue.

"The mission said it had also referred for criminal investigation the killing of some 15 people, including medical personnel and paramedics, in IDF attacks on emergency vehicles in Gaza, but that it had not found "reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation" in several other "exceptional incidents," including strikes that killed seven employees of the food relief group World Central Kitchen," The Washington Post reported.

The Israeli Defense Forces, whom the world holds to a higher standard than the barbaric actions of the Russians or others during times of war, acted in such a way to annihilate as many Palestinians as possible and took pleasure in the murder of Hind, and waited, outside the automobile for nearly nine hours, until an ambulance was nearly at the scene, before shelling both the car and the rescue workers.

The murder of Hind Rajab was appallingly brutal and resulted in independent investigations by newspapers of record throughout the world, and an Oscar nominated film.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamine Netanyahu, who retaliated against Hamas soldiers who breeched the Israeli border on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1200, had every right to defend his nation against all enemies. It was when the retaliation efforts morphed into the indiscriminate murder and maiming of Palestinians, through air raids, starvation, and disease brought on by inhumane conditions, and exposure and a determination to eradicate all Palestinians that the world opinion turned. To date more than 70,000 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian war.

While there has been a loosely holding Peace treaty, each day there are reports of Israeli shelling and the murder and injury of Palestinians.

The Road Between Us Review – Harrowing True Story of Rescue

Russians Fear Putin Will Raid Banks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has his Oligarchs worried. The long-running war with Ukraine, once thought to be a sure victory for the Motherland, has turned into a daily embarrassment for the Russian leader, to the degree that Russian billionaires are withdrawing their money for fear that Putin will seize the monies to fuel his war chest.

"Nearly $3.4 billion (286.4 billion rubles) was withdrawn in the first two weeks of August, on top of the $7.3 billion withdrawn in July and more than $4.5 billion in June, according to Russian Central Bank data. Total withdrawals this year could nearly double the amount taken out in the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Taras Skvortsov, a senior executive at Sberbank, Russia’s biggest retail financial institution," The Washington Post reported.

The Russian-Ukraine, which is quickly becoming another Afghanistan, is costing Putin nearly $1 billion per day. That is $1 billion U.S. dollars, and those around the leader for life are becoming worried, that his extreme, uncontrollable anger and determination will force him to seize the financial assets of all Russians to bankroll his Ukraine war effort.

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Putin President for Life

Daily, the drone attacks are edging closer to the streets of Moscow, as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is playing the long game, and systematically knocking out the main components that all generals pursue in times, of war. Knock out the enemies form of communications, power grids, and other electrical sources, fuel, transportation, and now, unleashing a fury of drones able to travel hundreds of miles and dropping them into the populated areas, is causing the people of Russian to lose faith in their leaders ability to manage the nation properly.

Unfortunately for Russians, Putin has changed the constitution instilling himself as a president for life, which lead the people to do the next best thing and withdraw their money so Putin in a bloodlust fury cannot appropriate the finances of every citizen to fund him war.

The ultimate price of war is always in lives lost and for Russia, the numbers of military deaths have reached 500,000k with casualties reaching into the millions. For Ukraine the civilian numbers are higher, as the war is being fought in their homeland, more than 16,000 civilians deaths have been reported with 125,000 military deaths confirmed.

Even as efforts to negotiate a cease-fire have been lukewarm for some time, a cease-fire to Putin represents the second military failure, after a ten year unwinnable war in Afghanistan. Full-scale war and invasions do not exhibit the Kremlin’s strength, as the international intelligence community would agree the Kremlin is better at one-on-one warfare.

Ukraine Uplifted by U.S., EU Partners

However, as Putin continues to battle against the Ukraine, the Ukraine, buoyed by their own strength, and continued efforts to hold the line against the advancing army, along with the support of the United States, and other nations has improved and increased its long range capabilities.

"Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery, as well as a warehouse belonging to major Russian online retailer, Ozon, on Saturday. Responding, Russian ⁠president Putin said Ukraine's strikes, which Kyiv says seek to choke off financing for Moscow's war effort, had opened a "Pandora's box" of Russian retaliation," The Independent reported.

While all international partners and European partners agree, a peace treaty is critical and the best possible outcome for both Russia and the Ukraine, Putin’s stubborn streak will be the death of many more on each side.

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Primary Round Up

Senator Darline Graham Falters

South Carolina Senator Darline Graham, who was appointed to the seat to complete the term of the late senator Lindsey Graham, faltered in her first major political debate in the run off race against five term congressman Ralph Norman.

Mc. Graham’s lack of political prowess, and quite possibly her teams failure to adequately prepare her for the debate, became glaringly evident when asked about the importance of protecting Taiwan against Chinese aggression, to which she replied, she was "not that informed on national security."

"The awkward moment, which prompted boos from the audience, underscored her biggest vulnerability in the race to succeed her brother, the late Lindsey Graham. Ms. Graham has the full support of President Trump, but she lacks the experience of her opponent, Representative Ralph Norman, who easily explained why Taiwan is an economic ally for the United States and worth protecting against China," The New York Times reported.

The special election to determine the candidate who will face Democratic challenger, Dr. Annie Andrews, is set for August 25, 2026.

Primaries Show Strong Dem Support

Despite efforts from most Republican states, including Texas and Florida, to redistrict their states in hopes of handing President Trump a solid majority in the House of Representatives, democrats performed well in the newly redistrict states.

Even as much of the news focus as been on the growing popularity of the Democratic Socialists, mainstream and well known democratic centrist, those middle of the aisle or moderate democrats have also been faring well, especially in states that attempted to force democrats out through redistricting efforts.

"About two-thirds of House candidates endorsed by two prominent national leftist groups — the Democratic Socialists of America or Justice Democrats — won their primaries this cycle, according to a CBS News analysis. Three were able to oust incumbents, while five won their primaries for an open seat. Two others advanced to the general election alongside the Democratic incumbent in a top-two primary. Of those 10, seven to nine are expected to make it to Congress next year, all representing deep blue districts," CBSnews.com reported.

What the primaries have shown political pundits, is that outside of the polarized far-right Republicans, the majority of the populations is looking and listening for electability for those candidates that actually have knowledge of the issues and have a critical understanding of the strength and weaknesses of American government.

Candidates, moderate Democrats, Democratic socialists and event moderate republicans are concerned about the current hardline leadership. For Republicans the verbal sparring and lack of decorum have reduced the White House leadership to a clown show, and while they appear to be professional, they are largely tolerated and disregarded internationally.

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Coronavirus Total

At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually.  The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from each new variants.

For the 7 days ending August 23, 2026, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 100 to 779,291,381. The total worldwide death toll did not increase over the past seven days has stayed consistent at 7,116,134 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated August 2, 2026, from the World Health Organization).

Ask E. Jean Review – Shocking, Surprising, Engrossing

Trump Loses Supreme Court Battle

The Supreme Court has refused to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal, for the second time, in his effort to have the civil penalty in his defamation trial with writer E. Jean Carroll, whom he said lied when she accused him of rape, overturned.

When the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, in July, the president paid Ms. Carroll the $5million award.

"The president has separately asked the Supreme Court to overturn a much larger award of $83.3 million that a jury ordered him to pay in 2024 for defaming Ms. Carroll in 2019, after she accused him of a decades-old rape. The justices are on summer recess and not expected to consider whether to take up that case until late September at the earliest," The New York Times reported.

The alleged attack occurred in the dressing room, at a New York department store, in the 1990s. When Carroll finally spoke about it, publicly, she was smeared and face career altering retaliation.

For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation’s top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.