Geopolitics
Iranian official Rezaei told Al Jazeera that Qatar conveyed Tehran’s terms to Washington: unfreeze assets, end the war on all fronts including Lebanon, stop interference and aggression, and lift the naval blockade. He warned that if war resumes, U.S. ships remaining in the Indian Ocean will be attacked wherever they are, and that Iran is prepared for a decisive war. President Trump reportedly then left Camp David early as Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a Texas visit and flew home.
The next morning, Trump said he is in a “deciding mode” and that very big things are coming, describing Iran’s choices as a deal, economic ruin, or military destruction. “My question is: If and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave.” The State Department warned of escalation, flight cancellations, airspace closures, and direct attacks. Trump said he would probably be open to meeting Masoud Pezeshkian at the U.N.
Relatedly, Trump stood down from striking Yemen’s Houthis after ordering the Pentagon to prepare airstrikes when Mohammed bin Salman called twice Thursday. Target lists were approved, and bombs were loaded, but by Sunday there were no strikes. He said the Houthis have agreed not to fight the United States, which is providing Saudi Arabia intelligence and targeting support without direct strikes. Most of Trump’s inner circle opposed opening another front, according to reports.
In other news, Israeli forces dug a trench across the last road into Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar in the northern West Bank, isolating 47 families after other dirt roads were blocked for more than two months, according to reports. Livestock farmer Thaer Basharat said necessities and animal feed cannot easily enter, about 90 percent of grazing land is seized or off-limits, water is no longer easily accessible, and wells have been demolished or sit unused for fear of demolition, and he accused Israel of pressuring the village to leave. Israeli officials described the work as construction of a “Scarlet Thread” security barrier in the northern Jordan Valley, involving patrols, trenches and obstacles to block weapons smuggling from Jordan after a 2024 incident.
Speaking of Israel, Paul Craig Roberts argued that AIPAC, not Russia, has been the primary source of foreign-linked money in U.S. elections. He cited $32 million spent against Rep. Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation after a similar primary, and $67.2 million in network spending this cycle (up from $29.3 million), often in ads that omit Israel. Roberts listed donors including Paul Singer, Marc Rowan, and Haim Saban and warned that conflict with Iran could break the nuclear taboo.
Energy
Sen. Chuck Grassley urged a diesel export embargo, citing $6.57 a gallon in Iowa and harm to farm income as the national average neared $6.50. John Thune had earlier said he is open to exploring a ban. Analyst Theresa Chen said a ban would hurt U.S. refining and is unlikely to deliver intended price relief if storage fills, margins weaken, and runs fall, while foreign buyers could worsen a global shortage. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said export limits are unlikely to lower consumer prices and could provoke retaliation.
Meanwhile, Piper Sandler’s Jan Stuart warned Venezuelan oil may need a decade or two to reach old highs, not quick barrels for a diesel crunch. Trump called the U.S. deal the biggest in history, amounting to control of 65 billion barrels. North American Blue Energy Partners would develop the fields with a 35 percent Department of War stake, and royalties and taxes could total about $200 billion over 25 years. ExxonMobil is reported to be negotiating a return to the Orinoco Belt, but Stuart asked whether military backing would survive the midterms.
Economy
Lance Roberts reacts to the recent Fed rate hike by arguing it will not fix the inflation it targets, because rate policy only cools credit-financed demand and cannot repair a supply-driven oil shock. He points out that August headline inflation ran 3.4 percent while energy alone ran 16.9 percent, so the problem is a supply line on fire rather than an overheating demand economy. Hiking into that shock, he writes, risks slower growth and higher unemployment without curing the cause, and leaves the Fed with little margin for error either way oil moves. Roberts concludes that the Fed can raise the price of money but cannot lower the price of a war, so portfolios should be sized for that difference.
Artificial Intelligence
Trump said he will form an AI Force modeled on Space Force, appoint an AI czar, and refuse new rules that slow the industry, using existing criminal and civil law against misconduct. He said attacks on data centers faded once towns saw higher pay and lower taxes, likened AI to the Industrial Revolution, said it could equal 25 percent of U.S. GDP, and vowed to keep America’s lead over China. He also posted a poll of possible new names for AI. The announcement came amid growing calls from some lawmakers and industry leaders for new guardrails on rapid AI development.
Privacy & Surveillance
Hackers calling themselves stegan0gram said they removed a Flock Safety camera, copied its storage, recovered an encryption key, and unlocked thousands of vehicle detections from a system Flock has described as protected by on-device encryption. Files showed software that detects people as well as vehicles, plates, and bicycles, with more than a million images over several weeks, according to the hackers, who said they will publish the method. Alpharetta, Georgia, cameras were searchable by more than 2,000 agencies, and earlier reporting found ICE lookups and a Texas search for a woman who self-administered an abortion. Flock Safety described the unauthorized removal and tampering as illegal, whereas critics of Flock describe it as exposing methods of unconstitutional surveillance.
Kirk Assassination
Judicial Watch records show Utah Valley University faculty sent negative messages about Charlie Kirk to President Astrid S. Tuminez after his on-campus shooting, even as UVU publicly urged civility. Faculty called him a threat to students, opposed memorials, and warned they would resign if the school honored him. UVU launched a $1 million Our Better Selves for a Better America initiative after a pitch days after the killing.
Health
A Midwestern Doctor essay argues seaweed restores minerals and iodine that industrial food stripped from land crops, concentrating seawater elements at up to 100 times vegetable levels, with iodine from about 16 mcg per gram in nori to 2,350 in kombu. U.S. median urinary iodine fell from 320 mcg/L in the 1970s to 145 by the 1990s, and 1.9 billion people remain short, according to the essay. It cites wakame lowering blood pressure and brown seaweeds easing blood sugar, and warns that hijiki contains inorganic arsenic, while thyroid patients should prefer nori and sea lettuce.
Sources
AIPAC’s Billions Buy Congress as Israel Pushes America Toward Armageddon
Their silence is the road to Armageddon.
Source | Submitted by Rodster
Hackers Crack Flock’s “Encrypted” Cameras, Exposing Pedestrian Tracking Too
Hackers ripped down a Flock camera above a roadway, made a near-complete copy of the data stored inside it, and shared the files with journalists, revealing in new detail how exactly Flock Safety’s cameras track the movements of both vehicles and people.
Source | Submitted by Shplad
Venezuela Oil Revival? Piper Sandler Warns of a Decade-or-Two Climb, Not Instant Barrels
We’ll stay tuned but suspect that reaching the old record highs will take a decade or 2 and oodles of good fortune
Trump Forms AI Force, Seeks High-IQ Czar to Supercharge U.S. Tech Lead Without New Rules
We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry. Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows!
UVU Faculty’s Hostile Post-Assassination Emails on Charlie Kirk Exposed
These records reveal that, even as Utah Valley University publicly called for free expression and civil discourse, some faculty members were making hateful and vicious comments about him, objecting to his invitation to campus, and threatening to leave if his memory were honored.
Grassley Pushes Diesel Export Ban as $6.57 Fuel Crushes Farmers, Analysts Warn of Blowback
High diesel prices are killing farmers’ income.
The Fed Rate Hike Won’t Fix the Inflation It Targets
The Fed can raise the price of money. It cannot lower the price of a war.
Trump: When Do I Blow Iran Up?
My question is: If and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave.
Israel Cuts Last Road to West Bank Village, Isolating 47 Families
The last road into a small Palestinian village in the northern West Bank has now been cut off, leaving 47 families isolated from the outside world.
Iran Threatens US Ships Unless Trump Meets Terms as Both Leaders Cut Trips Short
Should the war break out again, U.S. ships, unless they withdraw from the Indian Ocean, will be subject to attack wherever they are located within that ocean.
Seaweed: Reclaiming the Minerals and Iodine Industrial Food Stripped Away
Fortunately, one food group bypasses the soil problem entirely and is readily available to us.
Trump’s Yemen TACO: Bombs Loaded After MBS Plea, Then No Strikes
MBS asked. Trump initially said yes. Warplanes were loaded. Then Trump pulled the plug. Typical “TACO” move.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: IDF, The Hormuz Report, WIRED, Flock Safety, Reuters, Maria I. Puerta Riera, CNN, The Washington Post, Grace Ashford, The Blast, Neel Kashkari, and Pure City.
