Nine justices will soon decide how much power regulators, states, and lower courts can claim. Today, I break down the Supreme Court's 2026 term, ActBlue's Fifth Amendment problem, Apple's China dependence, and Iran's search for an escape hatch.

Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, ending World War II. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender in Tokyo Bay after nearly six years of global war.

Question: How many amendments does the United States Constitution have?

Answer at the very end of today's briefing.

The Supreme Court's next term puts core constitutional fights back before nine justices. The Federalist's September 1 guide highlights cases involving gun rights, free speech, federal regulators, elections, and ballot access. Several disputes ask whether agencies can impose major national policies without direct authorization from Congress.

Others could determine how far blue states may go when writing around prior Second Amendment rulings. Election cases may also give states firmer standards before the 2026 midterms and the next presidential cycle. Lower courts have split on several culture and speech disputes, making Supreme Court review increasingly likely.

The real fight is over who writes America's rules. Congress passes broad statutes, then agencies stretch a few words into expensive mandates affecting energy, employment, firearms, and small businesses. Deep-blue appeals courts often bless those expansions until the Supreme Court intervenes.

A ruling limiting regulators would force elected lawmakers to vote on policies instead of outsourcing hard decisions to bureaucrats. Strong speech and gun rulings would also close loopholes states use to burden constitutional rights without banning them outright. Election rulings could reduce the last-minute lawsuits and conflicting orders that damage public trust.

The media will cover each case as a separate ideological battle. You should see the larger pattern: accountability disappears when power moves away from elected representatives.

What to watch next: which appeals the justices accept and whether emergency election orders arrive before November.

Yesterday: with just 10 votes in, the readers all said the president and Pentagon commanders should hold primary authority over military standards.

A child lost his most valuable Pokémon cards in a fraudulent trade with an adult at Pokémon XP in San Francisco. After Eric Bahn shared what happened, Pokémon fans rallied around his son and showed that character matters more than any collectible.

For more stories like this, follow @feelgoodnewsusa — real good news, no partisan spin.

Tim Cook spent 15 years turning Apple into a political operator as much as a technology company. His China balancing act kept Apple close to Xi Jinping's manufacturing base while Cook negotiated with President Trump over tariffs. Apple protected its margins, but its exposure to Chinese censorship, labor allegations, and supply disruptions kept growing. Cook avoided public confrontation. The bill for that strategy could come due during the next Washington-Beijing showdown.

Kimberly Peeler-Allen invoked the Fifth Amendment when House investigators questioned ActBlue's donation controls. The ActBlue investigation covers foreign money, straw donors, fraud screening, and possible control changes during the 2024 election. ActBlue processes huge volumes of small-dollar Democratic donations, making weak verification hard to fix after an election. Congress now needs transaction records, internal communications, and sworn answers from the people who designed the system.

Iranian officials are signaling that they want an exit while American and Iranian forces continue trading strikes. Tehran's reported offer to Trump appears designed to stop escalation without surrendering its long-term position. Iran has used this cycle for years: attack, absorb retaliation, seek relief, and rebuild. Trump can end the round without rewarding Tehran, but only if any deal carries enforceable concessions and real costs for another attack.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says China rejected G20 language opposing subsidized goods flooding world markets. Beijing's cheap export strategy keeps Chinese factories running while foreign manufacturers absorb the damage. Bessent is also leading President Trump's effort to squeeze Iran through secondary sanctions targeting Tehran's business partners. Both fights use access to American markets and dollars as pressure. Enforcement will decide whether companies take the threats seriously.

Illegal ATV and dirt bike groups keep swarming Washington streets, blocking traffic and threatening pedestrians. The Washington Examiner wants Trump to order federal arrests where DC leaders refuse to restore order. This is not harmless recreation. Public roads cannot become stunt arenas whenever a large group decides traffic laws no longer apply. Federal authority in the capital gives Trump options that presidents do not have in ordinary cities.

The Federalist argues Democrats will use a November victory to justify structural attacks on the Supreme Court. Proposed Court reform plans include new ethics controls, term changes, and possible expansion. Democrats call those measures accountability. Conservatives see an attempt to punish justices for rulings on abortion, guns, agencies, and elections. Changing the institution whenever one party dislikes its decisions would make judicial independence temporary.

Breitbart says the Washington Post gave extensive attention to a young Haitian migrant who died by suicide in Ohio while minimizing Americans killed by illegal migrants. Its criticism focuses on selective media empathy during Trump's deportation operations. Every death deserves honest treatment. The problem comes when editors humanize one group while treating American victims as politically inconvenient statistics. That imbalance pushes public policy toward exceptions without admitting the costs.

Congress may soon have to define biological sex directly in federal law. The proposed vote on sex would affect women's sports, military standards, school rules, privacy, and medical policies involving minors. Clear statutory language would limit agencies from rewriting definitions through guidance documents. It would also force every member of Congress to put a public position on the record instead of hiding behind bureaucratic wording.

Apple wants expedited discovery after accusing OpenAI of destroying evidence connected to three former Apple employees. Apple says a MacBook used by Chang Liu contained discussions about destroying forensic data needed for its trade secrets case. If a judge agrees, OpenAI could face sanctions, adverse inferences, or strict preservation orders. The AI hiring war is now a courtroom fight over devices, employee departures, and who carried proprietary information out the door.

Most Americans do not understand how the federal system actually works. They know the names of institutions, but not who controls the money, how agencies gain power, or where citizens can force accountability. The Government 101 Field Guide is a $19 digital field manual built to show you the machinery without the textbook filler.

The House investigation into ActBlue did not disappear. It advanced. Kimberly Peeler-Allen became the latest ActBlue figure to invoke the Fifth Amendment as investigators examined foreign-donation screening, straw donors, and fraud protections used during the 2024 cycle.

Most national outlets treat campaign finance enforcement as urgent until the questions reach the Democratic Party's main fundraising platform. Then the story fades. Peeler-Allen's refusal to answer makes document subpoenas, transaction data, and testimony from compliance staff even more important. Congress must now follow the money without depending on voluntary explanations.

Today's trivia: How many amendments does the Constitution have?
Answer: The United States Constitution has 27 amendments.

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Brett Lee
Editor, Project Liberty
projectlibertyus.com

Follow: @projectlibertyus | @real_brett_lee