US Politics
Trump proposed a $1.5 trillion 2027 military budget, described as the largest in decades, with the War on Iran reportedly costing over $11 billion weekly. He also proposed cutting non-defense spending 10% by shifting social programs to states. At a White House event, Trump stated, “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care,” referencing Medicaid and Medicare. The Pentagon reportedly sought $200 billion more for munitions. National debt exceeds $39 trillion, with debt-to-GDP over 120%. Defense firms, including RTX, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and L3Harris, produce interceptors such as THAAD at $12.7 million each and Patriot PAC-3 at $3.7 million. Supporters hailed the proposal as historic for national security, while critics deemed it fiscally reckless amid rising debt.
Geopolitics
U.S. aircraft reportedly sustained losses over Iran, including one F-15E downed with one pilot rescued and one missing, two HH-60W helicopters hit, two A-10s damaged with one crashing into the Persian Gulf, one F-16 making an emergency landing, and KC-135 tankers declaring emergencies. Iran claimed to have downed a second U.S. jet near Qeshm Island, although U.S. Central Command has denied this.
President Donald Trump threatened strikes on Iranian power plants after forces struck a highway bridge between Tehran and Karaj. In a Truth Social post, he stated that destruction of remaining infrastructure must proceed quickly. Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned of retaliation against Israeli energy and IT infrastructure, U.S.-shareholder regional companies, and the Stargate UAE AI hub. Iran stated it would pursue long-term closure of the Strait of Hormuz to U.S. and Israeli ships.
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old UK flight attendant was arrested in Dubai after taking a photo of the heavily damaged airport from a drone strike and sharing it in a private WhatsApp group with colleagues while warning them not to visit. She had been afraid to fly due to reported explosions, but her airline assured her the situation was not too dangerous. Believing Dubai was downplaying the destruction, she now faces two to five years in prison on cybercrime charges and has been held in jail for more than 20 days.
Lastly, in a recent blog post, the Democracy Defender opines on the real reason behind the War on Iran. The author contends that the conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, is not truly about Iran’s nuclear program or national security, but serves as a trillion-dollar “insurance policy” to secure the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) trade route. By neutralizing Iranian forces—which the post calls the “lock on the door” preventing a coordinated land grab across Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon, and parts of Syria—the war enables military depopulation and clearing of territory for development, real estate tenders, and economic zones benefiting connected private equity interests, including those tied to figures like Jared Kushner. It frames the operation as premeditated site preparation for a reconfigured Middle East aligned with Greater Israel ambitions and lucrative trade savings, at immense human and financial cost.
European Politics
Germany’s Wehrpflichtgesetz now requires men aged 17-45 to obtain Bundeswehr career center permission for stays abroad exceeding three months, effective from January 1, 2026, under the Wehrdienst-Modernisierungsgesetz, even outside tension or defense cases. The Defense Ministry cited needs for accurate military personnel registration and assessment in emergencies, stating that approvals are generally granted, but applications are mandatory. Further rules on exceptions are under review. The reform aims to support troop growth to 255,000-270,000 by 2035, with questionnaires for the 2008 birth cohort and phased mustering. Critics have described the measure as an infringement on personal freedoms.
Energy
Countries continue to take protective measures in the wake of the War on Iran.
Australia’s Minister for Resources, Madeleine King, issued notice of potential use of Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism powers for an east coast shortfall in Q3 2026, amid Middle East disruptions. Consultations with producers are set before a mid-May decision. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission forecasted tight wholesale supply requiring storage draws.
Russia extended its gasoline export ban to producers until July 31, exempting bilateral agreements such as with Mongolia, to stabilize domestic markets amid high demand and elevated oil prices from Middle East tensions. Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly disrupted 40% of Russia’s Baltic Sea oil export capacity last week through port outages and loading suspensions.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission directed private refiners to maintain 2025 gasoline and diesel output levels despite losses and negative margins, threatening quota cuts for reductions as Middle East crude shortages end cheap sanctioned imports.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi suspended operations at the Habshan gas-processing hub after a fire from debris of an intercepted Iranian munition. The facility supplies 60% of UAE domestic gas and feeds crude pipelines to Fujairah. Some reports attributed the Habshan fire to a direct Iranian missile hit despite UAE interception claims.
Economy
Blue Owl, Apollo Global, Ares Management, BlackRock, and KKR have also limited fund redemptions amid increased requests. Ed Dowd stated that the gating trend is spreading, marking the credit cycle’s rollover starting in private credit, which he said drove recent loan growth. Specifically, Blue Owl limited redemptions after investors requested 40.7% of the fund’s assets in the three months ended March 31, compared to 15.4% previously. Its larger Credit Income Corp. fund received requests for 21.9% of assets, up from 5.2%. The firm sold $1.4 billion in loans from its business development companies in February at 99.7 cents on the dollar. It capped outflows at 5% through tender offers. The funds reported sufficient liquidity, including billions in cash, borrowing capacity, and liquid assets. However, Blue Owl executives stated that redemption requests reflect heightened negative sentiment rather than portfolio issues, citing resilient credit fundamentals and ample liquidity.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury met with domestic and international insurance regulators to discuss risks from billions in retirement savings moved by life insurers into illiquid private credit. Firms, including Apollo and KKR, have acquired insurers for such access. Some commentators are calling this a signal that something has gone wrong that is worrying Washington.
Privacy & Surveillance
Reports indicate that LinkedIn uses code on its website to scan visitors’ browsers for over 6,000 installed software products and extensions, without mention in its privacy policy. LinkedIn reportedly matches these detections to users’ names, employers, and job titles, and aggregates company profiles using tools like Apollo, Lusha, and ZoomInfo. Data is sent to LinkedIn servers and third parties, including HUMAN Security and Google. The practice reportedly expanded after LinkedIn’s designation as a gatekeeper under the EU Digital Markets Act, despite available compliance APIs. Cited violations include GDPR Articles 9 and 6 on processing special category data without basis, the ePrivacy Directive on device access, German criminal codes on unauthorized data access, the UK Computer Misuse Act, and California CCPA. Some security experts have argued that extension detection represents standard browser fingerprinting for bot and fraud prevention.
Sources
Private Credit Bank Run: Blue Owl Gates OTIC After 41% Investor Exodus Demand
Private Credit Bank Run Begins: Blue Owl Gates After Shocking 41% Of OTIC Investors Ask For Their Money
LinkedIn’s Illegal Browser Scans: Spying on Secrets, Stealing Trade Data
Microsoft Corporation’s LinkedIn is running a massive, global, and illegal spying operation on every computer that visits their website.
Source | Submitted by Redneck Engineer
Trump Threatens Iran Power Plants as Tehran Vows Annihilation of US Assets
Trump threatens strikes on Iranian power plants, Tehran vows to ‘annihilate’ US-linked infrastructure
Source | Submitted by Rodster
Iran War Part 3: Bombs for Beachfront – The Trade Corridor Land Grab
The Iran war is not about nuclear weapons. It’s about a Trade Corridor.
Source | Submitted by Josef Bray-Ali
Australia Considers Emergency Powers to Secure Domestic Gas Amid 2026 Shortfall Risk
Australia’s government intends to consider using emergency powers to protect domestic natural gas supply in case of a shortfall on its east coast in the third quarter of 2026.
Russia Halts Gasoline Exports as Ukrainian Drones Cripple 40% of Baltic Oil Capacity
40% of Russia’s Baltic Oil Export Capacity Offline as Gasoline Ban Widens
Source | Submitted by jhughes1973
China Orders Private Refiners to Keep Fuel Output High, Even at a Loss, or Face Quota Cuts
Chinese authorities have ordered private refiners to maintain high levels of gasoline and diesel supply, even at a loss, or risk their crude import quotas slashed if they reduce run rates
Source | Submitted by jhughes1973
Germany Requires Men Aged 17-45 to Seek Military Permission for Stays Abroad Over 3 Months
Young men are no longer allowed to leave Germany for extended periods without permission (translated from German).
Source | Submitted by Redneck Engineer
UK Flight Attendant Arrested in Dubai Chaos Over Explosion Fears
She was afraid to fly to Dubai because of the explosions.
Source | Submitted by Chris Martenson
Treasury Sounds Alarm: Insurers Shift Billions in Retirement Funds to Risky Private Credit
Billions in retirement savings managed by life insurers have been quietly moved into illiquid private credit products.
Trump’s $1.5 Trillion War Budget: “We Can’t Take Care of Daycare”
“We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care.”
Private Credit Gates Slam Shut: Ed Dowd Warns Party’s Over
The credit market is starting to end the party.
Abu Dhabi Halts Key Gas Plant After Debris from Intercepted Iranian Strike
Abu Dhabi authorities are responding to an incident of falling debris at the Habshan gas facilities following a successful interception by air defense systems.
U.S. Air Forces Take Heavy Hits Over Iran: F-15 Downed, Multiple Aircraft Damaged
Rough 24 hours for U.S. forces over Iran
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Bloomberg, Nathan Hamiel and Jon Hill, U.S. Central Command, Iran Military News, War Monitor, Sentletse, @WeimarClub, @JungeLibertaere, AP News, Reuters, Sen. Lindsey Graham, debtdispatch.substack.
by westcoastjan 
