Gardner Goldsmith by Gardner Goldsmith

February 25, 2026 The Liberty Conspiracy Audio Pod, for 2-24-26!

We had a great time tonight on the program, and got to welcome new Conspirators for freedom! If you missed it, here it the Rumble replay, and you can check out the show live, m-f 6 PM on Rumble, on X, or later, on Spotify or via Substack with the audio pod! Thanks to all the viewers and to the great journalists we got to feature. Take care, everyone! Aud-pod is here! And here are some of the key items you’ll find on it!

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TRUMP - STATE OF THE SLAVE PLANTATION TONIGHT AT 9PM

Speculation about Trump’s speech is a time-waster, other than considering the fact that most of what he will discuss will pertain to things the US Government should not be doing according to their vaunted Constitution. The State of the Union address originates from Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which requires the president to “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” George Washington delivered the first in-person annual message to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1790, in New York City. Thomas Jefferson shifted to a written report in 1801, viewing oral delivery as too monarchical; this practice lasted over a century until Woodrow Wilson revived spoken addresses in 1913. The term “State of the Union” gained usage under Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s and became official in 1947.

Perhaps Pam Bondi will claim that the US has saved even more lives by killing people without trial and breaching due process, breaching the Constitution, and forcing you to pay for the slaughter?

WARIRAN

Antiwar and several newspapers are reporting that Pentagon officials are warning President Trump that a war with Iran would be disastrous. Numerous reports note that the person issuing that warning is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, General Dan Caine. In his inimitable non-style, Trump calls this fake news. He says General Caine thinks that a war with Iran would be “easily won.” He also says that no one but him will make that decision. As Natali Morris, or Redacted, this morning observed: “‘It’s not supposed to work that way. Congress is supposed to declare war, according to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress, not the president, the power “to declare War.” Yet President Trump is signaling that he alone will decide whether the United States goes to war with Iran.’ The President reportedly is “frustrated that a war with Iran would not be a quick one-and-done victory for the U.S. and Israel.”
This echoes 2003, when Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that stabilizing post-invasion Iraq likely would require “something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers.” That estimate directly contradicted much lower troop projections coming from the Pentagon’s civilian leadership. Then–Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz publicly dismissed Shinseki’s assessment as “wildly off the mark.” Shinseki was also informed he would be retiring earlier than some expected, which many observers interpreted as retaliation for his testimony.
But General Shinseki was correct. A Natali notes: ‘U.S. troop levels rose above 160,000 during the 2007 surge. His warnings were not heeded, and a deadly and expensive war was dragged on. Is General Caine this decade’s General Shinseki?’

Even within Israel, some are acknowledging how dangerous this move by Trump could be

And don’t you dare speak the truth about Israel if you are in the US military.

-Daniel McAdams and Ron Paul note the insult to reality of any claim Trump might make to being a “peacemaker” Here they are, from today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report LINK
-More insanity from the CIA

-Judge Napolitano and Matt Hoh remind us of the fakery re Iran that we have heard from Trump and Co

- A key post from David Stockman, re Israeli influence in DC

-Jared Kushner’s father has been cited by France, where he is the Ambassador for the US, for his callous approach to the French justice system. Headline: “France moves to bar US Ambassador Charles Kushner from direct government access” LINK

ISRAEL - GENOCIDE - OCCUPATION STATE

The GAZA Reality: Israeli maniacs are ready to “settle” on other people’s land Here is Antiwar on it. Headline: “Smotrich: ‘In the End,’ Israel Will Occupy Gaza and Establish Jewish Settlements - News From Antiwar.com” LINK

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UKRAINE - FOUR YEARS ON (REALLY, MORE YEARS ON)

-Zelensky wants all the lost land back. Seriously. LINK
This fire still rages. Ukraine is run by madmen.

-Indeed PM Fico ordered the halt of emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Slovakia’s grid operator (SEPS) suspended support for stabilizing Ukraine’s energy grid. Fico described this as the “first reciprocal measure” and stated that any future Ukrainian requests for such aid would be denied until oil flows resume. He warned of potential further steps, including reconsidering Slovakia’s position on Ukraine’s EU accession or other EU-level support.

Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár raised the issue at an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, demanding transparency from Kyiv on the damage extent, restoration timeline, and permission for Slovak experts to inspect the site (which has not been granted). Bratislava has pushed the European Commission to investigate Ukrainian claims (e.g., send inspectors to verify if the pipeline is operational and if damage justifies the halt).

-And this report is circling. I have not been able to confirm it, but Russian officials are livid and speaking up. Headline: IN BRIEF: Russia’s stance on UK, French plans to hand over nuclear weapons to Kiev - Russian Politics & Diplomacy” - TASS LINK

IMMIGRATION POLICE STATE

This is a valuable piece of research on the US handing out massive amounts of cash to state and local interests to build its ICE-POLICE-STATE infrastructure. LINK
-And another horror story, of innocent victims.

-And even former politicians are not safe. Headline: “DOJ seeks to revoke US citizenship of former North Miami mayor” LINK
-AND…

-Border “Czar” Homan had few answers when pressed on agents lying and kids being kidnapped. LINK
TARIFF TERRORISM

The Stock Markets (like anthropomorphic beasts) are fed by the Fed and friends, but even there, the Trump tariff threats and instability continue to cause fear and hesitation. Headline: “Dow has its worst day in a month as Trump looks to impose replacement tariffs” LINK
As Trump likely prepares to push his new form of tariffs — across the board for all imports at 15% — here is a reminder of the fact that anyone telling others that consumers don’t pay the tariffs is lying. Headline: “The White House Still Can’t Grasp That Americans Pay US Tariffs | Cato at Liberty Blog” LINK

cato.org/commentary/gre…) ","username":"scottlincicome","name":"Scott Lincicome","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1186591326147616768/Q-yJBoFh_normal.jpg","date":"2026-02-24T19:05:26.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/HB8bnX2XgAAETNI.png","link_url":"https://t.co/3HoxxWuhy0"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":1,"retweet_count":3,"like_count":10,"impression_count":382,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

And…

execfunctions.org/p/the-tariff-r… \ntl;dr: absent a Hail Mary from Congress or the courts, the Trump admin's sore-loser refund fight sets it up to steal ~$30 billion in taxes it illegally collected from US small businesses last yr ","username":"scottlincicome","name":"Scott Lincicome","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1186591326147616768/Q-yJBoFh_normal.jpg","date":"2026-02-24T14:39:28.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/HB7ijawWUAAKjFl.jpg","link_url":"https://t.co/319CldJQ5j"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":12,"retweet_count":34,"like_count":128,"impression_count":12921,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

And, despite Trump saying it would be 15%, it is starting at 10%

@scottlincicome Speaking of messes: Trump's global tariff takes effect at 10%, despite announcement of 15% nbcnews.com/politics/trump… via @NBCNews","username":"TsarKastik","name":"Peter Roman","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1989405814549852160/zeJdyyti_normal.jpg","date":"2026-02-24T19:06:08.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":0,"retweet_count":0,"like_count":0,"impression_count":10,"expanded_url":{"url":"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-global-tariff-start-10-percent-despite-announcement-15-percent-rcna260369","title":"Trump's global tariff to take effect at 10%, despite announcement of 15%","description":"The back-and-forth underscores the uncertainty of Trump's tariffs, which is once again causing confusion with markets, trading partners and businesses large and small.","domain":"nbcnews.com","image":"https://pbs.substack.com/news_img/2026149221015932928/E8QAhlMC?format=jpg&name=orig"},"video_url":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

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US ECONOMY

Another one bites the dust. Headline: “Ford to close $5.8B plant, cutting 1,600 jobs amid tariff fallout” LINK

AND, mixed with the tariff terrorism, we get the added insult of this MISS GOP Senator telling people that if they can’t afford meats, get other sources of protein. She smiled while saying it. LINK
For context, let’s look at what the Trumpers claim will happen for the “tax brackets” this year. Single Filers (e.g., Individual Wage Earners)

Low Earner (e.g., $25,000; falls in 10-12% bracket under OBBBA, 10-15% if expired): Saves about $245 (1.0% of income). This comes mainly from the higher standard deduction ($16,100 vs. $8,350 + $5,300 exemption) and lower effective rate.
taxfoundation.org +1
Lower-Middle Earner (e.g., $50,000; 12-22% under OBBBA, 15-25% if expired): Saves about $1,023 (2.0% of income). Wider brackets keep more income at lower rates.
Middle Earner (e.g., $100,000; 22-24% under OBBBA, 25-28% if expired): Saves about $2,848 (2.8% of income). Avoids the jump from 22% to 25% on a portion of income.
Upper-Middle Earner (e.g., $200,000; 24-32% under OBBBA, 28-33% if expired): Saves about $6,271 (3.1% of income). Benefits from lower rates (24% vs. 28%) and wider brackets.
High Earner (e.g., $500,000; 32-35% under OBBBA, 33-35% if expired): Saves about $666 (0.1% of income). Modest due to similar rates at this level, offset by bracket differences.
Very High Earner (e.g., $1,000,000; 35-37% under OBBBA, 35-39.6% if expired): Saves about $12,857 (1.3% of income). Primarily from avoiding the 39.6% top rate.

Married Couples Filing Jointly (e.g., Dual-Income Households)

Low Earner Couple (e.g., $50,000 combined; 10-12% under OBBBA, 10-15% if expired): Saves about $490 (1.0% of income). Doubled standard deduction ($32,200 vs. $16,700 + $10,600 exemptions) provides key relief.
taxfoundation.org +1
Lower-Middle Earner Couple (e.g., $100,000; 12-22% under OBBBA, 15-25% if expired): Saves about $2,045 (2.0% of income). Wider low brackets shield more income.
Middle Earner Couple (e.g., $200,000; 22-24% under OBBBA, 25-28% if expired): Saves about $5,695 (2.8% of income). Avoids higher rates on mid-range income.
Upper-Middle Earner Couple (e.g., $400,000; 24-32% under OBBBA, 28-33% if expired): Saves about $17,133 (4.3% of income). Significant from rate reductions (24% vs. 28%) and bracket expansion.
High Earner Couple (e.g., $1,000,000; 32-35% under OBBBA, 33-39.6% if expired): Saves about $33,363 (3.3% of income). Gains from avoiding narrower high brackets and 39.6% rate.
Very High Earner Couple (e.g., $2,000,000; 35-37% under OBBBA, 39.6% if expired): Saves about $59,363 (3.0% of income). Large absolute benefit from the lower top rate (37% vs. 39.6%).

These figures are estimates for 2026 and don’t include state taxes, Social Security/Medicare, or other federal provisions (e.g., the OBBBA’s child tax credit increase to $2,200 vs. $1,000 if expired, which could add $1,200+ per child in savings for families). Overall, the law delivers the largest percentage savings to middle and upper-middle earners, while absolute dollar savings scale with income. LINK
NOTE: Each person in the US spent an estimated $1,200 last year on Trump’s tariff increases, alone, not to mention the loss of buying power of the Dollar. Yale’s Budget Lab estimates $1,700 short-run, settling at $1,300 for next year; $900 for bottom-income decile, $3,900 for top decile…

That’s it for now, all! Spread the word about what we offer! Many thanks for supporting freedom, and for sharing the links! And remember, you can back us here by becoming a paid subscriber if you would like, and feel free to watch Liberty Conspiracy LIVE on Gardner’s X @gardgoldsmith and on Rumble! Spread the word! Thanks, again! Please feel free to SHARE the links, and join us every M-F at 6 PM on Rumble, and my X @gardgoldsmith — and you also can donate to help the Liberty Conspiracy, itself! Just visit PayPal to help out! You also can mail GG at:

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