Geopolitics
After the midterm losses, Trump ordered a strike on Iranian air defenses on Qeshm Island. He said they built an anti-aircraft device and it was knocked out in about 15 minutes, adding that we are not fighting and that they want a deal. The action followed reports of tankers hitting mines in the Hormuz Strait and was the first US targeting of Iran since Democrats won the elections. Reuters reported Iran’s Tasnim news agency stating that two missiles struck Qeshm Island.
Additionally, US Central Command established Task Force Iron Gate to block Iran’s land routes and the Caspian Sea for weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue, reinforcing the naval blockade.
Iran is distributing iodine tablets near nuclear sites amid fears of a strike on Pickaxe Mountain. A video tells citizens to get inside, warning radioactive dust could travel hundreds of miles. Mohsen Rezaei said Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz or negotiate until seven conditions, including sanctions relief and reparations, are met.
Meanwhile, former CIA officer John Kiriakou said the agency issued three national intelligence estimates before the Iran war, each concluding Tehran had no nuclear weapons program. Tulsi Gabbard told Congress in March 2025 that Iran was not building a weapon, and Trump reportedly said he did not care. Kiriakou said Iran is the size of Western Europe with 92 million people. A leaked red-cell paper reportedly concluded Israel rather than Iran could fall apart.
In other news, Saudi Arabia reportedly faces financial strain and military setbacks under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who concentrated power, detained royals at the Ritz-Carlton, and liberalized social rules, which reports say offended the family, Wahhabi clergy and tribes. Vision 2030 projects such as The Line have been halted as oil revenue lagged behind a young population. After he violated a Yemen truce, Ansar Allah struck oil facilities and Riyadh airport, killing 13. Trump refused to rejoin that war.
In Israel, President Isaac Herzog gave Gadi Eisenkot the first mandate to form a government. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats to Eisenkot’s 48. Arab-led parties took 19 and endorsed Eisenkot, bringing his backing to 67 of 120. Herzog announced shortly after Netanyahu called for unity. Eisenkot refused, saying those who divided society mention unity only when their time is ending. He has 28 days and will not serve under Netanyahu. Netanyahu released a video warning that a government dependent on Arab parties would mean Israel would not survive and would fail to confront Iran, as reported by Haaretz.
Lastly, in a recent essay, Brandon Smith writes that a discreet Global Governance Forum convened in China at the end of October with limited press coverage. Klaus Schwab attended with Gerhard Schröder, Thomas Friedman, and UN officials. Topics included AI, space governance and UN reform. The Xiongan Vision document urged multilateralism, a stronger UN and the 2030 Agenda. Smith argues it seeks a Europe-China coalition after Trump tariffs.
Artificial Intelligence
Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have built AutoDNA, a lab where AI agents design and run DNA experiments from a typed prompt while humans only restock reagents and service hardware. Robotic arms operate more than 20 instrument types. Tests matched expert yields in enzymatic DNA synthesis, ran protocols 3.2 times faster, completed a DNA data-storage cycle with exact recovery, and identified a KRAS G13D cancer mutation. Stanford professor James Zou noted that humans still choose the experiments, set up the physical lab, restock supplies, and clear waste, with more complex work remaining beyond the system.
Meanwhile, Nucleus Genomics, backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, says its Vitruvian models can rank IVF embryos by intelligence with a 14-point IQ gap in a batch of ten. Founder Kian Sadeghi said they were trained on more than a million people. The system scores existing embryos rather than editing DNA and also compares height, eye color, and disease risk. An advertising watchdog recommended it stop implying it can identify the smartest embryo. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s ethics opinion called polygenic embryo screening a nascent and unproven technology not recommended for clinical use.
Health
Younger Americans face rising rates of 14 cancer types under 50, a 2025 National Cancer Institute study found. Colorectal cancer in ages 20 to 49 has climbed about 3 percent a year while older-adult rates have fallen, and three of four under-50 cases are already advanced. Researchers are examining ultra-processed foods, obesity, pesticides, plastics, and childhood chemical exposures. A study of 30,000 young women linked heavy ultra-processed food intake to a 45 percent higher risk of colon polyps. Critics point out that the researchers are ignoring that “other thing” that could be driving cancer rates.
US Politics
Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens has been called mentally ill and a traitor after saying she would split her ticket for Republican Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed, who refused to denounce an anti-Semitic commercial. Jonathan Turley writes that George Conway encouraged her to check into a mental facility, Bill Kristol alleged a breakdown, and Mehdi Hasan called her deranged. James Carville used a crude insult, and Hakeem Jeffries said the caucus would discuss next steps. Turley likened the attacks to Soviet psychiatry. Stevens pushed back on commentary from Carville and Conway, and some Democrats reportedly thanked her, according to remarks cited by Scott Jennings.
Democrats won full control of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada. Those states hold 61 electoral votes that could raise the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact from 222 to 283, past the 270 needed by 2028. Member states would award electors to the national popular-vote winner even if their own voters chose otherwise. Eighteen states and D.C. have already joined. Critics say it requires a constitutional amendment or congressional approval because the Constitution specifically prohibits interstate pacts. USA Today reported that lawmakers in some of the newly Democratic states have begun discussing legislation to join.
Preparedness
John Walter urges households to cut fixed costs before a downturn because obligations keep arriving when income falls. He lists ten items: a little-used second car, unused subscriptions, gym memberships, device upgrades, restaurant meals and delivery, brand-name groceries, large travel, high-interest debt, oversized housing, and lifestyle creep. US equities lost about 89 percent from 1929 to 1932, and the S&P 500 fell about 57 percent in 2008 as 8.7 million jobs vanished.
Sources
Soviet Echoes: Democrats Pathologize Stevens for Splitting the Ticket
It is a tactic made infamous by the Soviets, who invented conditions such as “sluggish schizophrenia” to lock up dissidents in mental hospitals.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
Ex-CIA Officer: Agency Issued Three ‘No Iranian Nukes’ Estimates Before the War
the CIA had published three separate national intelligence estimates and all three times concluded that the Iranians did not have a nuclear weapons program. It just simply didn’t exist.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
China’s AutoDNA Lab: AI Runs DNA Experiments, Humans Just Restock and Repair
An experiment is designed and executed from start to finish by a team of AI agents, following a simple prompt from a human operator
Saudi Arabia Sinks as Iran Weathers the Storm: MBS’s Reckless Rule Unravels the Kingdom
While the disastrous US-Israeli attempt to impose regime change on Iran has commanded the world’s attention, most people are oblivious to the rising probability that regime change is instead coming to a major US and Israeli partner: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Thiel-Backed Startup Claims 14-Point IQ Boost From Ranking IVF Embryos
A startup backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund says its latest model can sort IVF embryos by intelligence, with 14 IQ points between the top and bottom of a batch of ten.
Younger Americans Face a Surging Cancer Crisis as Hotspots Spread and Causes Remain Elusive
A growing cancer crisis is gripping younger generations across the United States as increasing numbers of Americans in their 20s, 30s and 40s are being diagnosed with diseases once overwhelmingly associated with older adults, according to an analysis conducted by the Daily Mail.
Source | Submitted by thc0655
The Quiet Reckoning: 10 Expenses to Cut Before Depression Hits
Being right about the future is less valuable than being early about your own exposure
Source | Submitted by Acorn Endeavors
Iran Hands Out Iodine Tablets as Trump Eyes Pickaxe Mountain Strike
Yes, we are distributing iodine.
Source | Submitted by Redneck Engineer
Herzog Hands Eisenkot First Mandate After Netanyahu’s Late Unity Plea
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government, a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose bloc finished 14 seats short of his rival’s backers.
Democrats’ Midterm Sweep Could Activate Popular-Vote Compact by 2028
On Tuesday, Democrats won full control of state government in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada, a shift that could let states effectively bypass the Electoral College before the 2028 presidential election without amending the Constitution.
Trump’s ‘Minor’ Iran Strikes After Midterm Rout: Not Fighting, Just Knocking Out Defenses
They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five
Globalists Surface from Hiding for Secretive China Summit
The purpose of globalism is to undermine western civilization while homogenizing national economies into one system.
US Unveils ‘Iron Gate’ Task Force to Choke Iran’s Land Supply Lines
The operation is to prevent Iran from using ground routes to transport weapons and other materials, US Central Command says.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Fox News, Scott Jennings, USA Today, Rowan Scarborough of The Washington Times, Iran’s Health Ministry, Reuters, Al Jazeera English, Haaretz, Agathe Y-H, Stanford professor James Zou, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and Bureau of Labor Statistics.
by rodster 
