Anticipating Rain,
You may recall that my working hypothesis is that global real economy correlates 90% with oil use and that crude + condensates peaked at the end of 2025, after a prior peak at end of 2018, and the peak of conventional-oil in 2005, so global real economy is tipping over into terminal contraction..
If this is the case, then the Hormuz & Ukraine wars can provide a convincing narrative for why oil is short, but nothing can make global net oil supplies increase. We are tracking my hypothesis against history-unfolding. The current arrangements in the Mideast, with Israel as surrogate-hegemon and Iran as rival are already doomed by Iran's accurate and powerful missiles, against which Israel and the US can not defend, having nearly exhausted their expensive defensive missiles, which may be replaced by factories in a couple of years.
Energy and mineral resources, and routes, are now hotly contested, going into this decline. Any powerful group would choose to force economic decline upon competitors, and to be relatively spared. Russia is just trying to defend all those vast resources with a modest population.
Western banking & finance really want all of that, as well as all of the oil and gas in the mideast, because they are facing financial collapse due to debts growing exponentially, while physical wealth has stalled and is going into contraction.
Iranian power elites have decided to contest for primacy in the Mideast, first peeling oil-rich neighbors away from a hegemony that can't defend them, then making hegemonic presence unprofitable for the retiring-hegemon, which can just leave the region...
I presume that Iran will then duel-to-the-death with "Israel", and that death will be the main winner, but I could be wrong again. We'll see. I still have not seen convincing evidence that the original Bibi Netanyahu is alive since early March of this year. What I have seen looks like AI and/or a less-intelligent body-double with different movements and blander facial expressions.
If Israel does bomb Iran without US coordination or approval, and knows that there will be a counter-attack, would they not highly consider nuclear annihilation? What other chance of victory do they have in this war of attrittion? If Iran, China, Russia, Turkey the US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt anticipate this, what might they be doing now to prepare?
Fabio Vighi's March 17 essay is aging well: The Programmable Crisis: Iran and the Financial Regime Change
The next economic downturn will not just be managed with more money printing. It will be programmed directly into the money itself. Major geopolitical crises rarely operate only at the level of military strategy. They also reshape the economic and institutional frameworks through which societies are governed. Public attention focuses on the visible drama of conflict, while deeper financial and monetary transformations unfold largely outside the field of political debate.....In a highly indebted economy, a sustained oil shock behaves less like traditional inflation and more like a tax on consumption. As rising energy costs absorb a larger share of household income, discretionary spending collapses. Corporate revenues fall while input costs rise, leaving heavily leveraged firms and households struggling to service debt. The result is not necessarily sustained inflation but the risk of a debt-deflation spiral — a dynamic visible in the months preceding the 2008 financial crisis. This economic crisis scenario makes the existing mountain of US public and private debt much harder to manage, creating a powerful incentive for radical financial solutions...
..Historically, major shifts in monetary systems have often occurred during periods of crisis. Wars, financial collapses, and geopolitical shocks create the conditions under which previously unthinkable policies suddenly become possible. Moments of emergency suspend normal constraints, allowing governments and central banks to reorganise financial structures in ways that would be politically impossible during stable periods. The collapse of the Bretton Woods gold-dollar system in the early 1970s is a clear example: a monetary regime that had defined the post-war world was quietly replaced in the midst of geopolitical and financial turbulence. In other words, the escalation of the Middle East conflict could allow the US to legitimise tools for:
Digital Debt Monetisation: a government-aligned digital dollar infrastructure could allow for the direct distribution of stimulus and the purchasing of government debt, bypassing traditional banking system constraints and political gridlock.
Direct Economic Control: a programmable, centrally managed digital currency platform gives authorities unprecedented levers to influence spending, saving, and capital allocation during a crisis. Money is no longer just a store of value; it can become “money with an expiry date,” programmed to devalue or vanish if not spent in a certain way.
Maintaining Dollar Hegemony: integrating private stablecoins into the official system can be a way to co-opt and regulate the crypto space, ensuring the next generation of digital money remains dollar-denominated and under US oversight, rather than shifting to a decentralised alternative.
..Crucially, the emerging system is unlikely to be a purely state-run digital currency. Instead, it appears to be evolving as a hybrid architecture in which private stablecoin issuers, exchanges, and fintech platforms operate on top of central bank settlement infrastructure. In this model, the state controls the monetary base and regulatory perimeter, while private actors control the interfaces through which money is used. The architecture achieves what politics alone could not: participation becomes structurally unavoidable. https://www.defenddemocracy.press/the-programmable-crisis-iran-and-the-financial-regime-change/..Historically, major shifts in monetary systems have often occurred during periods of crisis. Wars, financial collapses, and geopolitical shocks create the conditions under which previously unthinkable policies suddenly become possible. Moments of emergency suspend normal constraints, allowing governments and central banks to reorganise financial structures in ways that would be politically impossible during stable periods. The collapse of the Bretton Woods gold-dollar system in the early 1970s is a clear example: a monetary regime that had defined the post-war world was quietly replaced in the midst of geopolitical and financial turbulence. In other words, the escalation of the Middle East conflict could allow the US to legitimise tools for:
Digital Debt Monetisation: a government-aligned digital dollar infrastructure could allow for the direct distribution of stimulus and the purchasing of government debt, bypassing traditional banking system constraints and political gridlock.
Direct Economic Control: a programmable, centrally managed digital currency platform gives authorities unprecedented levers to influence spending, saving, and capital allocation during a crisis. Money is no longer just a store of value; it can become “money with an expiry date,” programmed to devalue or vanish if not spent in a certain way.
Maintaining Dollar Hegemony: integrating private stablecoins into the official system can be a way to co-opt and regulate the crypto space, ensuring the next generation of digital money remains dollar-denominated and under US oversight, rather than shifting to a decentralised alternative.
The significance of the above resides not simply in digitising money but in embedding rules directly into the monetary unit itself. Traditional monetary policy operates through interest rates, bank lending, and financial markets. Programmable digital money, by contrast, allows policy to be transmitted directly to households and firms through the design of the currency itself, determining when it can be spent, where it can circulate, and under what conditions it retains value...
..Political power in modern societies is increasingly exercised through infrastructure rather than through overt legislation. Payment systems, settlement networks, and financial protocols determine what kinds of economic actions are possible and which are not. Because these systems are technical and largely invisible to the public, changes to them rarely provoke the kind of political scrutiny that accompanies formal policy decisions. Yet once such infrastructure is in place, it effectively sets the parameters within which future policy must operate. In that sense, the construction of digital monetary rails is not merely a technological upgrade; it is the creation of a new field of economic governance...With naval gunnery from battleships, perhaps, Mr. President? Trump Warns Iran to Open Hormuz or Get ‘Hit Very Hard’ https://english.aawsat.com/world/5303534-trump-warns-iran-open-hormuz-or-get-%E2%80%98hit-very-hard%E2%80%99
Not just a threat: Iran threatens to hit Gulf states if US launches new strikes https://www.arabnews.com/node/2653568/middle-east
These are the missiles that go up into space to intercept ballistic missiles before they accellerate in descent: U.S. Used Nearly 80% of THAAD Interceptors During Iran Conflict, Pentagon Stockpiles Run Low https://www.thedefensenews.com/US-Used-Nearly-80-of-THAAD-Interceptors-During-Iran-Conflict-Pentagon-Stockpiles-Run-Low/
I am generally against scapegoating whipping-boys, but... Trump grills Hegseth -- The US president reportedly accused the secretary of war of providing misleading information about the state of the country’s munitions stockpiles https://web.archive.org/web/20260806120614/https://www.rt.com/news/643928-trump-hegseth-weapons-stockpiles-drain/
The president also denied a report from The Washington Post that said he lashed out at Pete Hegseth over the depletion of US military stockpiles https://news.antiwar.com/2026/08/06/trump-threatens-leakers-with-jail-time-over-reports-about-munitions-shortages/
Joint Chiefs Chair Pushing For Iran War Off-Ramp, Warning Escalation Will Backfire https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/joint-chiefs-chair-pushing-iran-war-ramp-warning-escalation-will-backfire
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-09
Two Saudi Aramco sites burned overnight - the Berri gas plant near Jubail and the Jizan refinery - with Yemen's armed forces publicly claiming the Jizan drone strike, days after Riyadh signed a collective-defence pact with Pakistan and Turkey. Tehran meanwhile put a number on Hormuz: nine conditions including $300bn compensation and a 7% transit fee, while Israel told CENTCOM it is preparing to attack Iran alone as the US Joint Chiefs chair hunts an off-ramp.
Everything else - gold's central-bank bid, silver's vault drain, AI capex credit - moved along its existing track with fresh numbers attached...
..Iran's Hormuz reopening terms formalised: nine conditions, $300bn, and a transit fee. The list includes an end to the naval blockade, US withdrawal from the region, $300bn in war compensation, sanctions relief, asset unfreezing, a ban on US and Israeli vessels, up to 7% cargo transit fees and a 20% violation toll (HormuzReport). SNSC Secretary Zolghadr's version of the conditions per NicoleGrajewski and OSINTtechnical; covered by zerohedge.
Israel informs CENTCOM it will strike Iran without US approval. Per Israeli Channel 13, the IDF told Adm. Brad Cooper that Israel needs neither approval nor support and is "currently making preparations to start the war" (HormuzLetter). The trigger: US Gen. Dan Caine is "looking for a way out" and does not believe another air campaign helps (HormuzLetter, HormuzReport, Osint613, zerohedge)...
..Israel goes alone: interceptor stocks low, US stockpiles "troubling", CENTCOM commander flies home Israel informs CENTCOM it will strike Iran without US approval. Per Israeli Channel 13, the IDF told Adm. Brad Cooper that Israel needs neither approval nor support and is "currently making preparations to start the war" (HormuzLetter). The trigger: US Gen. Dan Caine is "looking for a way out" and does not believe another air campaign helps (HormuzLetter, HormuzReport, Osint613, zerohedge)...
Netanyahu's calculus is read as political rather than strategic - October elections, and a strike on Iran as the last card (HormuzReport).
The counter-argument, from an OSINT account tracking the actual air picture: Israel has yet to show it can strike Iran without US SEAD plus active US/French/UK defence of Israel, and Iranian retaliation would land while Israeli interceptor stocks are critical (MenchOsint).
CENTCOM commander Adm. Cooper left the region after a short Bahrain-UAE-Israel tour (MenchOsint)...
..Strip out computer equipment, software and R&D and roughly 92% of the US economy is growing at about 1%, with a downward trajectory (themarketear, DonDurrett). https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-09
Two things actually moved: July payrolls printed -23K against an +80K consensus with 103K revised away from May/June, and Washington conceded it will lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports once an Iran-Oman Hormuz framework lands — Iran keeping sovereign control, vessel bans and fees.
It is an extremely hot August. Alastair Crooke, Tensions flicker into flame, lapping across the Middle East
Iran Says It Was Preparing to Strike Three Ukrainian Targets With Ballistic Missiles. https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/iran-says-it-was-preparing-to-strike-three-ukrainian-targets-with-ballistic-missiles
Israeli prison guards have beaten a 71-year-old Palestinian doctor, tear-gassed his overcrowded cell and denied him vital medication, according to testimony published by Haaretz. For decades, Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi, widely known as the “Doctor of the Poor,” has treated low-income Palestinians at his small Ramallah clinic, charging symbolic fees, regularly waiving payment and providing free medicine to patients who cannot afford it.
Research paper documents rising torture and starvation of Palestinian prisoners in July https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/05/367837/
“Ceasefire” May Be the Official Headline, But in Gaza, We Face Constant Bombing https://scheerpost.com/2026/08/05/ceasefire-may-be-the-official-headline-but-in-gaza-we-face-constant-bombing/
Trump’s Gaza Chief Begs Netanyahu to Stop Assassination Campaign - Israeli PM rejects pleas to stop bombing Gaza as dozens killed https://www.globalresearch.ca/trump-gaza-chief-begs-netanyahu-stop-assassination-campaign/5936039
IDF to continue to 'operate proactively' in Gaza, Israeli military chief says https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/05/idf-to-continue-to-operate-proactively-in-gaza-military-chief-says
Israeli forces launch wide raid on Qalandia refugee camp, search homes, detain residents and force family to evacuate
Israel advances new colonial plan that further isolates Jerusalem from Bethlehem
Scottish teachers reject pro-Israel pressure, continue teaching about Gaza genocide https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/05/367842/
Sánchez has been targeted by Zionism because, together with South Africa, he brought Israel before the International Criminal Court on charges of committing genocide in Gaza. The result was the issuance of an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister. Sánchez recognized the state of Palestine, received Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Madrid with head-of-state honors, held a joint press conference with him, and called Palestine a “brother state.” In 2025, Sánchez banned the sale of weapons and the import of any kind of goods from illegal Jewish settlements. He has also repeatedly called on the EU to apply against Israel whatever sanctions it applied against Russia, in connection with the war in Ukraine. https://www.defenddemocracy.press/morocco-is-weaponizing-migrants-on-israels-orders-to-punish-sanchez/
Israel burns over 120-ha olive groves in southern Lebanon
At least 2 invading Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon blast - At least two invading Israeli soldiers have been killed and seven others wounded in a bomb explosion in southern Lebanon, as Israel stepped up its attacks across the area, killing one Lebanese resident and injuring 12 others. https://en.mehrnews.com/news/246791/At-least-two-invading-Israeli-soldiers-killed-in-Lebanon
In Cyprus, Israelis are Buying up a lot of Land and Some Fear it is Another Colonisation
Thousands of people have left Israel and bought land in Cyprus, an island divided between the EU and Turkey where property has been in dispute since 1974. Meanwhile, movements and businessmen close to the Israeli far right are increasingly visible https://untoldmag.org/israelis-land-grab-cyprus/
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign defence pact – MEE
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement on Friday, connecting the three largest Muslim countries in the world under one security umbrella for the first time.....The phrase “shall be considered an attack against all of them” is copied from Article 5 of the NATO Treaty...
Trump & Rubio need a quick PR win. "Peaceful" ismuch less risky for everybody. Is The U.S. Deep State Planning A Color Revolution In Cuba?
It Seems Like The U.S. Deep State Is Plotting A Color Revolution In Cuba As A Pretext For War.
China Is Betting AI, Hypersonic Missiles And Quantum Technology Will Define The Next Era Of Warfare https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/china-betting-ai-hypersonic-missiles-and-quantum-technology-will-define-next-era-warfare
Scientists Warn Of Urgent AI Biosecurity Threat - For the first time, artificial intelligence has designed complete, functional viral genomes from scratch. https://www.zerohedge.com/ai/scientists-warn-urgent-ai-biosecurity-threat
The AI bubble may pop before November, but voters will still be here. Texas halts data center connections to power grid amid overwhelming demand
Governor who touted Texas as AI “epicenter” pauses data center grid connections. https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/08/texas-halts-data-center-connections-to-power-grid-amid-overwhelming-demand/
In Kory v. Bonta, a federal judge just barred California’s Attorney General and its medical boards from coming after me and my colleagues for the expert opinions we share with patients. https://pierrekorymedicalmusings.com/p/as-of-last-night-the-us-government
Federal Judge Blocks California From Disciplining Doctors for COVID Medical Advice That Contradicts Public Health Officials
Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Wednesday granted a renewed motion for a preliminary injunction in favor of physician plaintiffs Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Le Trinh Hoang and Dr. Brian Tyson in a lawsuit, funded by Children’s Health Defense, against two California medical boards. The injunction applies only to those three doctors and remains in effect pending a final decision on the merits of the case. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-california-from-disciplining-doctors-covid-medical-advice/
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-08
Metals took the payroll print and ran, gold posting its best week since January per multiple desks.
Everything else is continuation with real advances: the Mecca Accord got signed the same day another Marib camp got hit, Russian forces closed the western flank at Orikhiv, and the AI credit market started pricing something the equity market isn't
Subsequent US action is "performance-based and tied to Iran's implementation" (DropSiteNews) — which is how you write a deal you expect to be broken.
Tehran's price keeps rising. The mayor of Tehran: nations that threatened Iran have no right to use the strait until compensation is paid, and transit depends on sanctions relief (zerohedge)...
. US agrees to lift the naval blockade on Iran as part of the Hormuz framework. HormuzReport details the emerging terms: Iran retains full sovereign control over inbound traffic, bans US/Israeli/hostile vessels, and may charge up to 7% of cargo value. Corroborated by zerohedge and DropSiteNews, both citing Reuters...
..Hormuz: Washington concedes the blockade, Tehran adds compensation to the price - zerohedge timed the leak precisely — Reuters bullet points hitting minutes before the close, US official saying progress with Oman, deal expected soon, blockade lifted once commercial shipping is restored "without impediments." Subsequent US action is "performance-based and tied to Iran's implementation" (DropSiteNews) — which is how you write a deal you expect to be broken.
Tehran's price keeps rising. The mayor of Tehran: nations that threatened Iran have no right to use the strait until compensation is paid, and transit depends on sanctions relief (zerohedge)...
..Physical oil is not behaving like a deal is imminent. US imports of Saudi crude hit zero in July — first full month since 1985, down from 800kb/d in March, with Venezuela at ~600kb/d filling the hole (KobeissiLetter)...
The uglier half, single-source but specific: the US sold euros to buy yen without notifying the ECB until after the trade settled, with senior ECB officials calling it "an unprecedented breach of longstanding conventions" (matrbk). Selling dollars would have contradicted the stated strong-dollar policy; selling a European asset did not.
The stated reason to intervene at all is the Treasury market, not Japan: Japan is the largest foreign holder of USTs, and forced selling into a 30-year near 5.28% is the outcome nobody can price. https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-08
..Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a NATO-style mutual-defence treaty with an Article 5-equivalent clause. (IranObserver0, zerohedge); formally named the Mecca Agreement (MilitarySummary, wmiddelkoop)...
..Mecca Accord signed as Saudi interceptor stocks run dry — and Marib gets hit the same day - The number underneath the treaty: Saudi Arabia burned 86% of its 2,800 US Patriot PAC-3 interceptors in the first 38 days, leaving ~400 by April. The US itself has spent ~65% of its Patriot interceptors between February and July — under 850 left, from 2,330 (HormuzLetter, citing Reuters/CSIS).
That is the actual reason three countries signed a mutual-defence pact. Gulf states no longer believe the US umbrella exists.
Iranian MP Ebrahim Rezaei's response: "a paper agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of one-sided nursing to the Americans did not" (MilitarySummary). zerohedge notes Iranian and Israeli officials both calling Saudi Arabia a paper tiger — rare agreement.
Human cost, layer one: the Houthis conducted a large-scale attack on Saudi-backed government forces killing "hundreds" of troops, and struck Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia (zerohedge, citing BBG). A separate Houthi drone attack in Marib killed three government fighters and wounded four per AFP (ILRedAlert)...
That is the actual reason three countries signed a mutual-defence pact. Gulf states no longer believe the US umbrella exists.
Iranian MP Ebrahim Rezaei's response: "a paper agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of one-sided nursing to the Americans did not" (MilitarySummary). zerohedge notes Iranian and Israeli officials both calling Saudi Arabia a paper tiger — rare agreement.
Human cost, layer one: the Houthis conducted a large-scale attack on Saudi-backed government forces killing "hundreds" of troops, and struck Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia (zerohedge, citing BBG). A separate Houthi drone attack in Marib killed three government fighters and wounded four per AFP (ILRedAlert)...
..Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine is privately pushing for an off-ramp from the Iran war. CNN reports he has made this clear to other top Trump advisers over recent weeks; picked up by Megatron_ron. ...
..Yen plumbing: FIMA repo opened to Japan, and euros sold without telling the ECB - DonDurrett lays out the mechanism plainly: the Fed, at Bessent's request, opened the FIMA repo facility to Japan. Instead of selling Treasuries, Japan pledges them as collateral to borrow printed dollars to buy yen. In theory Japan repurchases and pays interest. In practice it can decline and keep the dollars. The uglier half, single-source but specific: the US sold euros to buy yen without notifying the ECB until after the trade settled, with senior ECB officials calling it "an unprecedented breach of longstanding conventions" (matrbk). Selling dollars would have contradicted the stated strong-dollar policy; selling a European asset did not.
The stated reason to intervene at all is the Treasury market, not Japan: Japan is the largest foreign holder of USTs, and forced selling into a 30-year near 5.28% is the outcome nobody can price. https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-08
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-07
The Hormuz "deal" didn't just stall - it detonated: Iran struck two US-escorted tankers in the Oman corridor within hours of Trump claiming an agreement was "coming together," and Saudi crude exports to the US hit zero for the first time since 1985. Yemen delivered its deadliest day in three years while Riyadh braces for a coordinated Houthi-Iraqi-IRGC strike, and the US arsenal story got a face when WaPo put Trump and Hegseth in a shouting match over drained ATACMS.
Metals ran again (silver +5%), Russia took Ryzhevka and Zarnitsa, and the AI/memory bubble wobbled as the SpaceX lockup opened and KOSPI fell 4.6%.
Iran strikes two US-escorted tankers in Hormuz; Trump's "deal" narrative collapses. IRGC hit NISSOS KEA and NISSOS KEROS in the southern Omani corridor - both had switched off AIS - hours after Trump said a deal was "coming together" (HormuzLetter, HormuzReport, zerohedge, spectatorindex). Hormuz: the "deal" that reads like a rejection; tolls drafted at 5-7% - Iran's own terms look nothing like a US win: a draft parliamentary bill bans US, Israeli and "hostile" vessels outright, and withholds passage from countries that "damaged Iran" until compensation is paid, with fines up to 20% of cargo value (zerohedge/FARS, MenchOsint).
Saudi oil exports to the US fell to zero in July - first time in ~40 years. Riyadh was shipping 800k+ bpd earlier this year; Iran's Hormuz squeeze plus the Houthi blockade cut it off (HormuzLetter, Megatron_ron, Hedgeye).
Yemen's deadliest escalation in 3+ years; Saudi braces for coordinated attack. At least 58 killed in Houthi strikes on Saudi-backed forces per AFP; intel points to a simultaneous Houthi + Iraqi militia + IRGC assault on Saudi energy/airport/port targets (ILRedAlert, HormuzLetter, unusual_whales).
US munitions crisis goes public: Trump-Hegseth Camp David clash. WaPo says Trump erupted at Hegseth over drained stockpiles - ATACMS "basically none left" after 1,300+ fired in the opening weeks; rebuild could take "years" (HormuzLetter, MilitarySummary, zerohedge). Trump then threatened to jail people who say the stockpiles are depleted (Glenn_Diesen).
Metals run again; central-bank buying at record pace. Silver +5% on the day (wmiddelkoop); PBoC added gold for a 21st straight month (oriental_ghost); central banks bought a record 289t in Q2 per WGC (steve_hanke). https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-07
Saudi oil exports to the US fell to zero in July - first time in ~40 years. Riyadh was shipping 800k+ bpd earlier this year; Iran's Hormuz squeeze plus the Houthi blockade cut it off (HormuzLetter, Megatron_ron, Hedgeye).
Yemen's deadliest escalation in 3+ years; Saudi braces for coordinated attack. At least 58 killed in Houthi strikes on Saudi-backed forces per AFP; intel points to a simultaneous Houthi + Iraqi militia + IRGC assault on Saudi energy/airport/port targets (ILRedAlert, HormuzLetter, unusual_whales).
US munitions crisis goes public: Trump-Hegseth Camp David clash. WaPo says Trump erupted at Hegseth over drained stockpiles - ATACMS "basically none left" after 1,300+ fired in the opening weeks; rebuild could take "years" (HormuzLetter, MilitarySummary, zerohedge). Trump then threatened to jail people who say the stockpiles are depleted (Glenn_Diesen).
Metals run again; central-bank buying at record pace. Silver +5% on the day (wmiddelkoop); PBoC added gold for a 21st straight month (oriental_ghost); central banks bought a record 289t in Q2 per WGC (steve_hanke). https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-07
Don't just bomb-Iran, Bibi. God's Chosen Men INVADE! ‘I Am Determined’: Netanyahu Declares Readiness to Strike Iran Alone https://www.palestinechronicle.com/i-am-determined-netanyahu-declares-readiness-to-strike-iran-alone/
The silence surrounding the outcome to the Netanyahu meeting last week in the Oval Office speaks for itself. No American government official came to the airport to receive him, and no red carpet was laid out for him. The visit bombed. Israel is adrift - with its 'Greater Israel' strategy now bleeding, for lack both of troops and of coherence.
Former IDF Ombudsman Maj. Gen. Yitzak Brik predicts (Ma'ariv, 26 July), that the crisis engulfing the Israeli intercept inventory "is only the prelude to the catastrophe that is looming over us."
"In the coming wars with Iran, the threat will increase tenfold to the point of a complete loss of the ability to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles. These missiles are expected to hit us: in population centers, strategic targets, production and economic infrastructure, science and technology institutes, educational institutions, hospitals and vital industries, and completely crush us."
Trump - finally, it seems - understands that the war which he started in order to crush Iran has flipped - to destroying him. There is effectively no military solution available beyond stopping digging the hole that he is in still deeper. https://www.sott.net/article/507779-Tensions-flicker-into-flame-lapping-across-the-Middle-East
Former IDF Ombudsman Maj. Gen. Yitzak Brik predicts (Ma'ariv, 26 July), that the crisis engulfing the Israeli intercept inventory "is only the prelude to the catastrophe that is looming over us."
"In the coming wars with Iran, the threat will increase tenfold to the point of a complete loss of the ability to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles. These missiles are expected to hit us: in population centers, strategic targets, production and economic infrastructure, science and technology institutes, educational institutions, hospitals and vital industries, and completely crush us."
Trump - finally, it seems - understands that the war which he started in order to crush Iran has flipped - to destroying him. There is effectively no military solution available beyond stopping digging the hole that he is in still deeper. https://www.sott.net/article/507779-Tensions-flicker-into-flame-lapping-across-the-Middle-East
Israeli prison guards have beaten a 71-year-old Palestinian doctor, tear-gassed his overcrowded cell and denied him vital medication, according to testimony published by Haaretz. For decades, Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi, widely known as the “Doctor of the Poor,” has treated low-income Palestinians at his small Ramallah clinic, charging symbolic fees, regularly waiving payment and providing free medicine to patients who cannot afford it.
Israeli forces raided his home before dawn on June 21 and imprisoned him. Prosecutors indicted him not for violence, but for chairing the Union of Health Work Committees, a Palestinian healthcare nonprofit registered with the Palestinian Authority that Israel later outlawed.
Al-Rantisi told a lawyer from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel this week that guards force blindfolded prisoners to walk bent over, beat him and other detainees during repeated raids and fire tear gas into their cells.
Younger prisoners surround him during the beatings in an effort to shield him. Israel withheld all of his regular prescriptions for his first 10 days at Ofer Prison and continues to deny him one medication. https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2084682281965273365
They also prevented the performance of dawn prayers in all mosques in the camp.
The sources added that Israeli military vehicles ran over a young man near the camp, while Israeli soldiers severely assaulted journalist Mohammad Samreen as he was covering the events. https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/173236
The sources added that Israeli military vehicles ran over a young man near the camp, while Israeli soldiers severely assaulted journalist Mohammad Samreen as he was covering the events. https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/173236
Ir Amim said that the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem’s Planning and Building Committee approved the plan that envisages the construction of 2,300 units on approximately 20 hectares (around 200 dunums) in the Gilo colony, while expanding the colony southward toward Route 60, which links Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
It added that the plan involves the expropriation of at least 28 privately-owned dunums under the so-called Absentees' Property Law, which the occupation authorities utilize to seize Palestinian property. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/173268?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
It added that the plan involves the expropriation of at least 28 privately-owned dunums under the so-called Absentees' Property Law, which the occupation authorities utilize to seize Palestinian property. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/173268?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Are US and Israel Benefitting from 'Migration Blackmail' in Spain?
Analysts pointed their fingers at the Moroccan government, arguing it was once again deploying “migration blackmail,” as the practice has been dubbed, to punish its European neighbors and bend them to its will. But this time, Israel and the United States appear to be the principal beneficiaries. Indeed, they have seized on the politically embarrassing episode to weaken a Spanish government they view as one of their principal European antagonists. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/morocco-spain-migrants-israel/ Thanks Eleni. Morocco is weaponizing Migrants on Israel’s Orders to punish Sánchez
An artificial crisis, on Israel’s orders, is the migration crisis that has been unfolding since Thursday at Spain’s borders. The goal of the Israeli destabilization plan is to undermine and overthrow Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, because the Social Democratic politician supports Palestine and refuses to become a submissive instrument of Israel, as almost all European prime ministers have become."The flames made no distinction between the olive groves of Christians and those of Muslims," he said, adding that the devastation concerned "the whole of the South: its land, its people, its culture, its dignity and its history."
The municipality said it plans to submit documentation of the destruction to the United Nations, adding that Israeli forces targeted not only residential areas but also the environment, agricultural land, and cultural heritage in southern Lebanon. https://en.mehrnews.com/news/246778/Israel-burns-over-120-ha-olive-groves-in-southern-Lebanon
The municipality said it plans to submit documentation of the destruction to the United Nations, adding that Israeli forces targeted not only residential areas but also the environment, agricultural land, and cultural heritage in southern Lebanon. https://en.mehrnews.com/news/246778/Israel-burns-over-120-ha-olive-groves-in-southern-Lebanon
Thousands of people have left Israel and bought land in Cyprus, an island divided between the EU and Turkey where property has been in dispute since 1974. Meanwhile, movements and businessmen close to the Israeli far right are increasingly visible https://untoldmag.org/israelis-land-grab-cyprus/
Moon of Alabama, The Odd Defense Agreement Between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan And Turkey
A new NATO like agreement between three major Sunni states throws up various questions: Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign defence pact – MEE
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement on Friday, connecting the three largest Muslim countries in the world under one security umbrella for the first time...
We do not know what consequences.. of an attack on one member are spelled in the new Turkish-Saudi-Pakistani agreement. I suspect that any of them will be even more vague than those in the NATO treaty.
I find it hard to understand how this new agreement could possibly have more than symbolic value.
Pakistan is currently in a conflict with the Pashtun people in its own country as well as with their brethren in Afghanistan. It recently had a clash with India which could soon resume. India is working on diverting the Himalaya water resources Pakistan needs to survive as a state. If that does not stop Pakistan will be, in a few years from now, pressed to go to war for its own survival. India, as well as Pakistan, are nuclear armed.
Neither Turkey nor Saudi Arabia have any interest to fight against India or Afghanistan.
I find it hard to understand how this new agreement could possibly have more than symbolic value.
Pakistan is currently in a conflict with the Pashtun people in its own country as well as with their brethren in Afghanistan. It recently had a clash with India which could soon resume. India is working on diverting the Himalaya water resources Pakistan needs to survive as a state. If that does not stop Pakistan will be, in a few years from now, pressed to go to war for its own survival. India, as well as Pakistan, are nuclear armed.
Neither Turkey nor Saudi Arabia have any interest to fight against India or Afghanistan.
The Saudis are at war with Ansarallah in Yemen. The ‘Houthi’ have recently announced that they will blockade all Saudi seaports until the Saudis lift their long standing air and sea blockade on Yemen. Just yesterday they attacked military installations within Saudi Arabia as well as Saudi proxy forces in south-eastern Yemen.
Pakistan has already sent forces to Saudi Arabia. But these have been, so far, for purely (air-)defensive purposes. It is hard to imagine that Pakistan or Turkey would send their soldiers to join an unwinnable war in Yemen. (They will remember that in the 1960s Egypt received a bloody nose when it sent ground troops into Yemen.)
Saudi Arabia also hosts U.S. forces which have become targets of Iranian attacks. If the U.S. decides to attempt another bombing campaign on Iran the revenge strikes will hit Saudi assets. This could, in theory, trigger the new agreement. But Turkey as well as Pakistan have fairy good relations with Tehran. Any intervention from their side would be a risky and high cost endeavors. Their populations would perceive a war against Iran as taking part on the (very much hated) U.S. side.
It is therefore implausible that the new defense pact is meant for or will have any influence in the ongoing conflicts.
Pakistan’s interest in the agreement comes down to Saudi money which it needs to prop up its state.
Turkey wants to sell weapons. The clause on “development of defense cooperation” within the new agreement will likely mean new contracts for Turkish drone makers.
Saudi Arabia has become distrustful of its U.S. alliance. It is preparing for the U.S. to leave and is seeking other strong partners. In the longer run its potential enemy is likely not Iran but Israel or maybe even the United Arab Emirates, which have Israel’s backing. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/08/the-odd-defense-agreement-between-saudi-arabia-pakistan-and-turkey.html
Andrew Korybko, Five Takeaways From The Pakistani-Somali Defense MOU
2. Somalia Is Now A Protectorate Of The “Islamic NATO”
Pakistan is the last member of the “Islamic NATO” – the presently unofficial trans-regional military-security coordination platform between itself, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt – to sign a defense pact with Somalia. This accordingly makes Somalia a de facto member of the aforesaid group, which solidifies the expansion of its influence over Africa following the solidification of these four’s influence over Libya and Sudan, but Somalia and the other two are junior partners therein and even arguably protectorates.
3. Pakistan Is Following In Turkiye’s Footsteps
It was observed in early January that “Pakistan Is Playing Second Fiddle To Turkiye In Afro-Eurasian Security” due to the pattern of it clinching military-security deals with countries that Turkiye already has such agreements with. As a brief backgrounder, Turkiye is Pakistan’s senior partner to whom it’s historically looked for guidance despite their nuclear asymmetry, and Turkiye was the first country in recent history to turn Somalia into a de facto protectorate. Pakistan is simply following in its footsteps.
4. Islamabad Might Have Broader Ambitions
Apart from enhancing its national prestige and following in Turkiye’s footsteps, Islamabad might intend to become a tangible stakeholder in the Bab el Mandeb through its new defense MOU with Mogadishu, which would align with both of their reported roles in the Saudi-led maritime coalition. This broader ambition would also represent the first tangible manifestation of the “Islamic NATO” since Egypt and Turkiye are reportedly part of this coalition too. They might all therefore obtain naval bases in Somalia.
5. Puntland & Somaliland Should Prepare For War
For the last point to be most effectively implemented, the renegade Somali region of Puntland and de facto independent Somaliland would have to be brought to heel, but that likely won’t happen anytime soon even with Somalia now de facto becoming the “Islamic NATO’s” protectorate. It’ll take time to properly train its armed forces, and the group’s four leading members are too focused on peace in the Gulf as well as the conflicts in Libya and Sudan, but they’re definitely in its long-term sights.
In terms of the bigger picture, the top takeaway is that Somalia is now a de facto protectorate of the “Islamic NATO” after its last member just clinched a military-security deal with it. The main implication of this development is that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkiye are expected to synergize their respective efforts there with a view towards helping the federal government retake the two polities that it claims as its own but doesn’t presently control. Another major regional conflict is therefore brewing. https://korybko.substack.com/p/five-takeaways-from-the-pakistani
Probably nothing could go wrong before midterms, right? US Intelligence Assets Said To Descend On Cuba
Pakistan has already sent forces to Saudi Arabia. But these have been, so far, for purely (air-)defensive purposes. It is hard to imagine that Pakistan or Turkey would send their soldiers to join an unwinnable war in Yemen. (They will remember that in the 1960s Egypt received a bloody nose when it sent ground troops into Yemen.)
Saudi Arabia also hosts U.S. forces which have become targets of Iranian attacks. If the U.S. decides to attempt another bombing campaign on Iran the revenge strikes will hit Saudi assets. This could, in theory, trigger the new agreement. But Turkey as well as Pakistan have fairy good relations with Tehran. Any intervention from their side would be a risky and high cost endeavors. Their populations would perceive a war against Iran as taking part on the (very much hated) U.S. side.
It is therefore implausible that the new defense pact is meant for or will have any influence in the ongoing conflicts.
Pakistan’s interest in the agreement comes down to Saudi money which it needs to prop up its state.
Turkey wants to sell weapons. The clause on “development of defense cooperation” within the new agreement will likely mean new contracts for Turkish drone makers.
Saudi Arabia has become distrustful of its U.S. alliance. It is preparing for the U.S. to leave and is seeking other strong partners. In the longer run its potential enemy is likely not Iran but Israel or maybe even the United Arab Emirates, which have Israel’s backing. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/08/the-odd-defense-agreement-between-saudi-arabia-pakistan-and-turkey.html
Somalia is now a de facto protectorate of the “Islamic NATO”.
Pakistan and Somalia finally signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation in early August one year after the latter’s Cabinet approved such an arrangement last August. According to the Somali Defense Ministry, “[it] provides a framework for cooperation in counter-terrorism, military training, the exchange of military expertise and knowledge, defence capability development, and enhanced security cooperation”.
Pakistan and Somalia finally signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation in early August one year after the latter’s Cabinet approved such an arrangement last August. According to the Somali Defense Ministry, “[it] provides a framework for cooperation in counter-terrorism, military training, the exchange of military expertise and knowledge, defence capability development, and enhanced security cooperation”.
Here’s what else it signifies:
1. Pakistan Is Enhancing Its National Prestige
This latest defense pact follows last year’s mutual defense one with Saudi Arabia and recent speculation about expanding it to other Arab Kingdoms. Late last year, there were also rumors of Pakistan clinching a multibillion-dollar fighter jet deal with Eastern Libya, which preceded recent reports of Pakistan mediating a peace deal. It’s also reportedly seeking to sell arms to Sudan. The latest MOU with Somalia thus further enhances Pakistan’s national prestige by confirming its trans-regional military influence. 1. Pakistan Is Enhancing Its National Prestige
2. Somalia Is Now A Protectorate Of The “Islamic NATO”
Pakistan is the last member of the “Islamic NATO” – the presently unofficial trans-regional military-security coordination platform between itself, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt – to sign a defense pact with Somalia. This accordingly makes Somalia a de facto member of the aforesaid group, which solidifies the expansion of its influence over Africa following the solidification of these four’s influence over Libya and Sudan, but Somalia and the other two are junior partners therein and even arguably protectorates.
3. Pakistan Is Following In Turkiye’s Footsteps
It was observed in early January that “Pakistan Is Playing Second Fiddle To Turkiye In Afro-Eurasian Security” due to the pattern of it clinching military-security deals with countries that Turkiye already has such agreements with. As a brief backgrounder, Turkiye is Pakistan’s senior partner to whom it’s historically looked for guidance despite their nuclear asymmetry, and Turkiye was the first country in recent history to turn Somalia into a de facto protectorate. Pakistan is simply following in its footsteps.
4. Islamabad Might Have Broader Ambitions
Apart from enhancing its national prestige and following in Turkiye’s footsteps, Islamabad might intend to become a tangible stakeholder in the Bab el Mandeb through its new defense MOU with Mogadishu, which would align with both of their reported roles in the Saudi-led maritime coalition. This broader ambition would also represent the first tangible manifestation of the “Islamic NATO” since Egypt and Turkiye are reportedly part of this coalition too. They might all therefore obtain naval bases in Somalia.
5. Puntland & Somaliland Should Prepare For War
For the last point to be most effectively implemented, the renegade Somali region of Puntland and de facto independent Somaliland would have to be brought to heel, but that likely won’t happen anytime soon even with Somalia now de facto becoming the “Islamic NATO’s” protectorate. It’ll take time to properly train its armed forces, and the group’s four leading members are too focused on peace in the Gulf as well as the conflicts in Libya and Sudan, but they’re definitely in its long-term sights.
In terms of the bigger picture, the top takeaway is that Somalia is now a de facto protectorate of the “Islamic NATO” after its last member just clinched a military-security deal with it. The main implication of this development is that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkiye are expected to synergize their respective efforts there with a view towards helping the federal government retake the two polities that it claims as its own but doesn’t presently control. Another major regional conflict is therefore brewing. https://korybko.substack.com/p/five-takeaways-from-the-pakistani
Writing in POLITICO on Tuesday, Dasha Burns and Nahal Toosi reported that in recent months the US intelligence community has “sent spies and assets” to Cuba. Specifically, they reported the CIA has increased its presence on the island, which sits approximately 90 miles south of Florida.
Burns and Toosi based their reporting on interviews with “two people familiar with the Trump administration’s plans for the island,” who were left anonymous due to the “sensitive” nature of the information they provided. The authors said the CIA, White House, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined requests for comment.
The report claimed the Trump Administration does not believe it has to resolve the war with Iran before taking military action in Cuba and that the Cuban issue is a “huge priority” of Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. https://news.antiwar.com/2026/08/05/us-intelligence-assets-said-to-descend-on-cuba/
Burns and Toosi based their reporting on interviews with “two people familiar with the Trump administration’s plans for the island,” who were left anonymous due to the “sensitive” nature of the information they provided. The authors said the CIA, White House, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined requests for comment.
The report claimed the Trump Administration does not believe it has to resolve the war with Iran before taking military action in Cuba and that the Cuban issue is a “huge priority” of Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. https://news.antiwar.com/2026/08/05/us-intelligence-assets-said-to-descend-on-cuba/
It Seems Like The U.S. Deep State Is Plotting A Color Revolution In Cuba As A Pretext For War.
One source “described the upped intelligence presence as a key tactical step that could pave the way for a U.S. military incursion”.
Indeed, the Trump administration, more specifically, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has long been laying the groundwork for a U.S. regime change war in Cuba. Rubio has spearheaded the siege warfare campaign on Cuba by forcing Cuba’s main sources of oil- Mexico and Venezuela- to cut off oil exports, and according to inside officials speaking to Drop Site News, even sabotaged U.S.-Cuba negotiations from the inside in order to continue the starvation blockade. https://the307.substack.com/p/is-the-us-deep-state-planning-a-color
Indeed, the Trump administration, more specifically, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has long been laying the groundwork for a U.S. regime change war in Cuba. Rubio has spearheaded the siege warfare campaign on Cuba by forcing Cuba’s main sources of oil- Mexico and Venezuela- to cut off oil exports, and according to inside officials speaking to Drop Site News, even sabotaged U.S.-Cuba negotiations from the inside in order to continue the starvation blockade. https://the307.substack.com/p/is-the-us-deep-state-planning-a-color
BREAKING: Gates Foundation Funds First-Ever Creation of 16 Synthetic Viruses Using AI
The barrier separating digital AI output from an operational biological agent has now been crossed. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-gates-foundation-funds-first
Global Food Prices Hit Three-Year High As War, Chokepoint Chaos And El Nino Spark Perfect Storm https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/global-food-prices-hit-three-year-high-war-chokepoint-chaos-and-el-nino-spark-perfect
Kids In Tiny British Village Beg The Government Not To Force Illegal Migrants On Their Home
Winter Is Coming: Europe Faces Twin Diesel And NatGas Crunch https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/winter-coming-europe-faces-twin-diesel-and-natgas-crunch
Global Diesel Crunch Deepens As Record US Distillate Exports Race To Supply-Starved Europe https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/global-diesel-crunch-deepens-record-us-distillate-exports-race-supply-starved-europe
There may be 2 dead girls on the property: New Mexico Sues DOJ For Unredacted Epstein Files - New Mexico is suing the Department of Justice (DOJ) over unredacted Epstein files, accusing the federal agency of stonewalling the state’s own investigation into alleged crimes at deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-mexico-sues-doj-unredacted-epstein-files
Outspent 10:1, but: After Michigan upset, Aipac looks to back Republican candidate against Abdul El-Sayed
While this was a race where Israel loomed large, the focus was on how the candidates were funded
"Today, Michigan launched a new chapter in our political history," Levin wrote on his Instagram account on Wednesday, accompanied by a photograph of him hugging Sayed...
"It's like, wow, he's different," he said of Republican attacks.
"That's the best you got? You can't actually talk about what you want to do? My name is not raising your gas prices. My name is not taking us to war. My name is not the reason you can't afford your groceries." https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/after-major-upset-aipac-michigan-group-looks-back-republican-candidate-against-abdul-el-sayed
The cookie jars have IOUs to us, from us: Senate Dems Push GOP to Divulge Secret Plan to ‘Attack Earned Benefits Like Social Security’
“A plan you will not show the voters before they vote is not reassurance. It is a warning and revealing of Republican priorities.”
Can Sam Altman Be Trusted Inside Your Home? Meet OpenAI's New Always-On Smart Speaker https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/can-sam-altman-be-trusted-inside-your-home-meet-openais-new-always-smart-speaker
The barrier separating digital AI output from an operational biological agent has now been crossed. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-gates-foundation-funds-first
Piddington is a tiny English settlement of roughly 350 people - around 250 adults and just 46 children. The Home Office and Labour government under Andy Burnham intend to place 1,250 single adult male asylum seekers on a former Ministry of Defence site that borders the village, runs along the back of homes, and sits directly against the parish playing field and children's park.
If the plan proceeds, the number of young men dumped on their doorstep will dwarf the entire local population. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/kids-tiny-british-village-beg-government-not-force-illegal-migrants-their-home
If the plan proceeds, the number of young men dumped on their doorstep will dwarf the entire local population. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/kids-tiny-british-village-beg-government-not-force-illegal-migrants-their-home
While this was a race where Israel loomed large, the focus was on how the candidates were funded
After spending more than $30m on a candidate who lost the Michigan Democratic Senate primary on Wednesday, the leading pro-Israel lobbying group in the US has now indicated it will pivot to the Republican in that race come November...
..The race between pro-Israel Congresswoman Haley Stevens and former Detroit public health official Abdul El-Sayed quickly became the most expensive Democratic primary race of all time. Stevens was backed by a further $30m from outside groups who bankrolled round-the-clock attack ads on Sayed. Sayed, an Egyptian-American Muslim who has never held elected office, won the exceptionally tight race by one percentage point, in what was a stunning upset for establishment Democrats, and a boon to the progressive wave taking hold across the country.
Half a million more Democratic voters showed up to the polls than in previous primary races, which typically see low turnouts...
..In 2022, Aipac helped Stevens secure her seat in the House of Representatives by ousting longtime Jewish lawmaker Andy Levin for his support of US policies to punish violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Half a million more Democratic voters showed up to the polls than in previous primary races, which typically see low turnouts...
"Today, Michigan launched a new chapter in our political history," Levin wrote on his Instagram account on Wednesday, accompanied by a photograph of him hugging Sayed...
..Earlier this year, Aipac helped oust Republican Thomas Massie, who voted against US foreign aid to Israel, in his Kentucky primary race by spending more than $4m against him through its United Democracy Project political action committee. That was just part of a coalition of pro-Israel groups that spent $9m against him...
..Sayed has described Israel's nearly three-year-old assault on Gaza as a genocide, echoing language used by leading human rights organisations, genocide scholars and the United Nations.....In his victory speech on Wednesday, Sayed said he spoke to Stevens and was assured of her endorsement as he gears up to face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in November...
..Writing on his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump called Sayed "a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel", but added that his win is also "great news for the Republican party", suggesting that he will be easy to defeat...
..For his part, Sayed told supporters and the media on Wednesday that the focus on his name and identity is "the only play they got" against him. "It's like, wow, he's different," he said of Republican attacks.
"That's the best you got? You can't actually talk about what you want to do? My name is not raising your gas prices. My name is not taking us to war. My name is not the reason you can't afford your groceries." https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/after-major-upset-aipac-michigan-group-looks-back-republican-candidate-against-abdul-el-sayed
“A plan you will not show the voters before they vote is not reassurance. It is a warning and revealing of Republican priorities.”
In early June, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the GOP has a “plan” to reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—but would not release the details until “next year,” after the 2026 midterms.
But a group of Senate Democrats argued in a letter to Republican leaders on Wednesday that “Americans deserve to have full transparency into Republican plans to attack earned benefits like Social Security.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-plan-cut-social-security
But a group of Senate Democrats argued in a letter to Republican leaders on Wednesday that “Americans deserve to have full transparency into Republican plans to attack earned benefits like Social Security.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-plan-cut-social-security
The AI bubble may pop before November, but voters will still be here. Texas halts data center connections to power grid amid overwhelming demand
Governor who touted Texas as AI “epicenter” pauses data center grid connections. https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/08/texas-halts-data-center-connections-to-power-grid-amid-overwhelming-demand/
Pierre Kory MD finally won a preliminary injuction saying that the state cannot decree what a doctor's medical advice to a patient must be:
As of Last Night, the U.S Government Will Never Get to Tell Doctors What They Can Say Anymore In Kory v. Bonta, a federal judge just barred California’s Attorney General and its medical boards from coming after me and my colleagues for the expert opinions we share with patients. https://pierrekorymedicalmusings.com/p/as-of-last-night-the-us-government
Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Wednesday granted a renewed motion for a preliminary injunction in favor of physician plaintiffs Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Le Trinh Hoang and Dr. Brian Tyson in a lawsuit, funded by Children’s Health Defense, against two California medical boards. The injunction applies only to those three doctors and remains in effect pending a final decision on the merits of the case. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-california-from-disciplining-doctors-covid-medical-advice/
Is a Federal Autism Committee Ignoring Vaccine-Autism Research?
A draft strategic plan released last month by a federal autism committee outlines a framework for developing “precision” medical treatment and supporting better long-term care for autistic people — but, according to critics, doesn’t include a specific, detailed plan to study a possible link between vaccines and autism. However, a source familiar with the plan told The Defender, “Nothing is excluded and nothing is off the table.” https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/federal-autism-committee-iacc-ignoring-vaccine-autism-research-health-policy/
A draft strategic plan released last month by a federal autism committee outlines a framework for developing “precision” medical treatment and supporting better long-term care for autistic people — but, according to critics, doesn’t include a specific, detailed plan to study a possible link between vaccines and autism. However, a source familiar with the plan told The Defender, “Nothing is excluded and nothing is off the table.” https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/federal-autism-committee-iacc-ignoring-vaccine-autism-research-health-policy/
RFK Jr. Demands Editors of Journal Defend ‘Concern’ About 2020 Vaccine Study
In a letter to the editors of Sage Open Medicine, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the editors to explain why they are now questioning a peer-reviewed study comparing health outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. The study, by CHD Chief Scientific Officer Brian Hooker and Neil Z. Miller, a medical research journalist, was published in May 2020, after passing the journal’s peer-review process. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/rfk-jr-demands-sage-journal-defend-concern-2020-vaccinated-unvaccinated-chd-study/
In a letter to the editors of Sage Open Medicine, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the editors to explain why they are now questioning a peer-reviewed study comparing health outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. The study, by CHD Chief Scientific Officer Brian Hooker and Neil Z. Miller, a medical research journalist, was published in May 2020, after passing the journal’s peer-review process. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/rfk-jr-demands-sage-journal-defend-concern-2020-vaccinated-unvaccinated-chd-study/
Sudden onset regressive autism is 25X more likely in vaccinated kids than unvaccinated kids
This is a result of my reader survey which had nearly equal numbers of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated kids in the study. Nobody can show this is biased because they are too afraid to do the survey. https://kirschsubstack.com/p/sudden-onset-regressive-autism-is
FDA APPROVES MODERNA’S FIRST-EVER mRNA FLU SHOT DESPITE 75.3% ADVERSE REACTION RATE
According to the FDA briefing document, severe systemic reactions were 4× MORE COMMON with the mRNA flu shot than with the traditional flu shot. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/fda-approves-modernas-first-ever
Meryl Nass MD, Will you receive a Moderna mRNA *flu* shot, just approved by FDA? There are many flu shots on the market, but the pharmacist will not ask for your preference. - Here is the skinny on flu shots. You may want to share this info with your friends and family who choose to receive them...mFLUSIVA is the mRNA vaccine that is probably the straw that finally led to the firing of Vinay Prasad at FDA. He refused to consider it for a license. Once he was out, it sped through an FDA review and is now available to the public for this flu season..
This is a result of my reader survey which had nearly equal numbers of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated kids in the study. Nobody can show this is biased because they are too afraid to do the survey. https://kirschsubstack.com/p/sudden-onset-regressive-autism-is
Jessica Rose Ph.D. on the new, approved mRNA "vaccine product": The "new" mRNA-1010 mFlusiva injectable product
No saline placebo used in the trials - safety data compared only against "active controls" with higher observed death, nonetheless https://jessicar.substack.com/p/the-new-mrna-1010-mflusiva-injectableAccording to the FDA briefing document, severe systemic reactions were 4× MORE COMMON with the mRNA flu shot than with the traditional flu shot. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/fda-approves-modernas-first-ever
...Addendum: It seems FDA chose one of the accelerated approval paths for mFLUSIVA. FDA needs to regulate it as gene therapy. I am wondering if a lawsuit needs to be filed about this. Probably a Citizen Petition is the first step. https://merylnass.substack.com/p/will-you-receive-a-moderna-mrna-flu
My project to grow a garden patch with black-eyed peas in the summer and cereal-rye from fall through spring is proceeding with dicoveries along the way, usually that everything takes more work and time than I anticipated.
I have been harvesting pink-eye purple hull "peas" (African beans) from the patch I planted at the beginning of June, so that is working. I had one pack of Mississippi Purple Hull "peas" that I mixed in with the pound of pinkeye purple-hulls that I thought were the same.
They are different in one important regard. They are small, not big. Shelling them dry takes at least an hour per pound, whereas the much-larger Mississippi purple-hulls are 3-4 times the size for each seed and the stock of them per hour of shelling is much more satisfying. They also seem more resistant to weevils. Both varieties have an upright growth pattern that puts the beans where you can reach them. Lots of the pinkeye variety plants are already dying, so I am taking them out as I harvest, which is pictured below. Next year I will only plant Missippippi purple-hull "peas" in this patch.
Experimental Gardeneer
