Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 8/4

[SVPete]

Capital One Claims It Debanked Trump Organization in 2021 over ‘Money Laundering’ Concerns, Not Political Bias

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/03/capital-one-asks-judge-dismiss-trump-organization-s-debanking-lawsuit/

Capital One has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of debanking President Donald Trump’s company after the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol in Washington, DC, claiming it closed Trump Organization accounts following an anti-money-laundering review.

The bank submitted a court filing on Friday and said the internal review was conducted due to patterns that “are among the types of activity flagged by federal banking guidance,” Bloomberg reported Saturday.

“The filing does not give details about the transactions at issue or accuse Trump or his company of wrongdoing,” the outlet said. “The decision to close the accounts was made as part of a process involving the lender’s anti-money-laundering professionals ‘with decades of law enforcement experience,’ the bank said.”

“President Donald Trump’s trust and affiliated business entities” originally filed a lawsuit against Capital One in early 2025, alleging it improperly shut down over 300 accounts due to political bias after the incident on Capitol Hill, CBS News reported Monday:

This could get very interesting - and expensive - in discovery. In civil lawsuits, claims like Capitol One have to be backed with evidence, so evidence relevant to this claim will have to be brought out in discovery. Since this was done in March 2021, discovery might yield some "interesting" emails and/or phone records. That Trump's organization has been in business without such claims for decades will also be a hurdle to this "defense".

[SVPete]

American Manufacturing Expands At Fastest Pace Since 2022

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2026/08/03/american-manufacturing-expands-at-fastest-pace-since-2022/

The U.S. manufacturing sector is expanding at the strongest pace in four years as output surges, firms add workers, and demand continues to grow, according to a key measure of factory health released Monday.

The Institute for Supply Management’s July barometer of U.S. manufacturing rose to 55.6, the highest since May 2022. This was the seventh consecutive month in which the sector’s reading came in above the threshold of 50 that separates growth from contraction. The reading was higher than economists had forecast.

The employment gauge indicated payroll growth for the first time since September 2023. New orders expanded for the seventh straight month. The measure of production rose to its best reading since late 2021.

Out of the 16 industrial categories measured by ISM, only chemical products was in contraction in July. That sector includes fuel production and the contraction is likely related to the sharp drop in gasoline prices.

Manufacturing has been gaining strength this year as the Trump administration’s tariffs have refocused businesses on domestic production and away from offshoring. The AI investment boom is also fueling demand. Changes to the tax code made last year, including the ability to expense capital investments made by businesses, are also giving a lift to the sector.