WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Western Hemisphere Initiative Director Melissa Ford Maldonado to American Mind: * * * Havana's Long Shadow Thirty-two Cubans died when American forces entered Caracas on January 3, 2026, to capture Nicolas Maduro. Cuba and Venezuela are more than a thousand miles apart. Why were Cubans dying in defense of Maduro? How did a small Caribbean island become so deeply invested in the survival of another country's dictatorsh more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The American Action Forum issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Trade Policy Director Jacob Jensen: * * * Oil in the Shadows: Dark Shipping Evades Sanctions Executive Summary * As the United States increasingly relies on economic sanctions as a strategic tool, sanctioned countries are expanding their use of "dark shipping" practices to evade Western enforcement, creating significant environmental, humanitarian, and geopolitical risks. * The "shadow fleet" of shipping vessels transported approximately 3 more PR

LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 20 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release: * * * BREAKING: Telecom Industry Gave Mike Rogers Nearly $100k While He Pushed to Deepen Government Data Sharing [Michigan Advance] New reporting from Michigan Advance documents how Mike Rogers took nearly $100,000 from the telecom industry while he pushed to deepen government data sharing. Rogers led efforts on CISPA, a controversial bill that would have allowed telecom companies and internet providers to "legally hand over swaths of private use more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 -- Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Following Reports of Conditions Aboard USS Lincoln, Warner, Kaine Press Trump Administration on Effect of Extended Deployment on Military Families * WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today pressed the Trump administration about the impacts of extended deployments on military families back home. Last month, Sens. Warner and Kaine visited USS Ford and met with sailors to discuss what effects the deployment had o more PR

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, issued the following news release on Aug. 18, 2026: * * * Following Reports of Conditions Aboard USS Lincoln, Warner, Kaine Press Trump Administration on Effect of Extended Deployment on Military Families U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today pressed the Trump administration about the impacts of extended deployments on military families back home. At a roundtable Sen. Warner hosted with military families in June, he heard from spouses and family members about the effect more PR

NEW YORK, Aug. 20 -- Hughes Hubbard and Reed, a law firm, issued the following statement on Aug. 19, 2026: * * * Sanctions in a Snap: Developments in Sanctions July 2026 A summary of recent developments from the OFAC. - Hughes Hubbard's "Sanctions in a Snap" is intended to provide a clear and concise summary of recent developments from the Office of Foreign Assets Control. We hope you find it helpful in assessing U.S. economic sanctions compliance risk against current U.S. government designation and enforcement priorities. Highlights from more PR