Reviewing Options,
Empires extract tribute from the states they rule in order to sustain the military and administrative structures of empire and also to further profit imperial elites.
The current Petrobuck-Empire controls the oceanic trade routes with the US Navy and downsized "allied" forces such as the UK, the recently demoted seat of global naval empire. The primary extraction mechanism of empire is the ongoing dilution of the global reserve currency with freshly minted $US, which are accepted everywhere at face value, for things like oil and high-intensity neodymium magnets.
This "exorbitant privilege" funds the imperial forces, and also makes the industrial exports of the seat of empire less competitive, since the $US is in artificially high demand for trade and savings/reserves. UK industry was hollowed out by this same "Triffin Dilemma" before and after the weakened British Empire was demoted to a commonwealth. The UK had peak-hard-coal during WW-1 and was unable to export it to Italy after that war. Italy started getting hard-coal from Germany and changed alliances by WW-2.
The US was the world's biggest producer and exporter of oil and refined products in WW-2, as the rest of the world transitioned into petro-economy during that war. The US and UK cooperated to control the oil trade after WW-2, including the use of wars and coups, such as the pivotal 1953 CIA/MI-6 "Operation Ajax" against Iranian-nationalist Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, who had recently nationalized the British oil monopoly in that country. That festering wound is the crux of the current Hormuz Strait Crisis for the control of global oil flows through that choke-point. The Petrobuck Empire is being seen as unable to maintain dominance of this critical oil-exporting, which calls the tributary arrangements of the Petrobuck-Empire acutely into open question.
Is a hegemonic empire necessary in the modern world? How would trade on the high seas be protected from piracy, if not by a hegemonic empire? What might be the arrangements for pipelines and railroads along China's "New Silk Road" and other initiatives by the great Eurasian land powers, Russia and China? The current BRICS movement asserts that no empire is necessary to manage world trade, and that the profits assigned to the imperial elites, military and financial system would serve the world and humanity better if more fairly and evenly distributed.
There is room for large Eurasian nations, Russia, China, India, Iran and Turkey, to immediately gain from the orderly dissolution of the Petrobuck Empire, but their own historical and logistical rivalries stand to break such an alliance apart once the initial goal is realized. The question of long term feasibility of global trade without a hegemon, unlike the Strait of Hormuz. This will have to be negotiated now, this year, near term, because the shortages of oil, natural gas, nitrogen fertilizer, and helium for microchip circuitry are becoming acute as buffer-supplies are exhausted.
The structural inducement for global elites to use the $US as global trade and reserve currency, the "carrot" to match the imperial-military "stick" of the Petrobuck Empire, is the payment of real interest after inflation on large holdings of $US within the imperial financial system, such as adequately high yields on US Treasury debt. These arrangements bind wealthy people and comprador-elites, as well as the global central banking system to the $US as reserve currency, as long as the system maintains the real-interest-after-inflation profit relationship for all parties.
The ability of the $US global financial system, centered upon the US Treasury and Federal Reserve Banks, to keep paying real returns on reserves is called into question as the global real economy of goods and services has tipped from 300 years of growth into terminal decline as limits upon oil and natural gas supplies and rising costs of extracting all mineral wealth impose physical economic limits which are not political or financial in nature. Diesel and jet-fuel are middle distillates from heavy crude oil, not light fracked oil or natural gas "condensates". Some trade off in refineries between diesel and jet fuel is possible, but only some. What hydrocarbon chains can be extracted from heavy crude in refining is not open to negotiation, and world supplies of diesel fuel have been stagnant since 2014, with fluctuations, particularly reductions during COVID lockdowns, Diesel usage has not risen to the seasonal peaks seen between 2014 and 2020 since global economy "recovered". Diesel fuel supplies are a hard limit on real economy. The largest polluter in the world, the US military uses a lot of diesel and jet fuel, as does every other military. As WW-3 spreads, the supplies of fuels to peaceful applications like agriculture and transportation will be curtailed hard. Russia and Ukraine are modeling this now.
Since gobal real aggregate real economic growth has hit hard limits, and economic growth is good for financial and power elites and their wealth, the BRICS paradigm of more evenly distributing profits has wide appeal. Opposed to a wealth-redistribution arrangement are all current financial and power elites who are structurally invested in the $US system, though their loyalty would be eliminated if that system were to crash, as it did in 2008, and stop paying them for support.
The open question in global trade and finance is whther a "New Bretton Woods" arrangement can be negotiated soon, or if it will have to wait until after a kinetic WW-3 has destroyed much of the real wealth in the world, going into the epoch of less fuel and less mineral wealth, which mean that whateverworld economy is rebuilt will be much smaller overall.
Trump the dealmaker has been trying to build as strong a negotiating hand as possible for the US and the Petrobuck-Empire, but what seems to be happening is that the actual limits of the US military are being laid bare for global analysis, as Iran prevails in the Persian Gulf theater, and US forces keep having to move farther away from Iranian missiles, which can reach well beyond the Mideast theater, already. US forces have retreated to Jordan and have taken losses of F-35s and personnel there. Israel is a little farther from Iran, but not enough to matter. The next jump is Cyprus, also within the range of Iranian hypersonic missiles, but maybe not yet Iranian drones. Cyprus is not the Mideast at all.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has started advocating for a revised Bretton Woods agreement, not a new agreement, with an eye to maintianing the $US as global reserve currency, but cutting costs to the US. This is an opening position for negotiation, one with a weakening military and economic hand, and approaching a financial calamity which will destroy the negotiating position of global financial and comprador elites. Time is of the essence. Russia, India, Turkey and Iran play chess. China plays Go, and Americans play poker.
President Donald Trump appears to be subordinate in the military command structure to powerful zionist financial and intelligence elites. This control seems pervasive. I do not know what the coercive factors are. Is there a breaking point where Trump would rebel against self-destructive and nationally-destructive Israeli orders? How many Israeli crimes against the US might be openly revealed? What if Trump knew that Israel was about to fall, anyway, but could still carry out the threat(s)? I wonder about this a lot, but I get nowhere with it.
Trump needs to gracefully admit defeat to Iran, but it is against his narcissistic nature, and it appears to be against his orders from zionist elites. Trump has already critically depleted US offensive missiles, and especially defensive missiles, which would make the US lose a war against a peer adversary like Russia or China rapidly. Missile stocks would be gone in a week or two. This is a very weak hand for Trump the poker player, but he can still make it weaker.
July 31, Moon of Alabama, War On Iran: – U.S. (Again) Blocks Strait Traffic
The first Qatari LNG shipment in three weeks has successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz along an Iranian-designated route with Tehran’s authorization, Fars news agency reported.
Three weeks ago, following a US violation of a memorandum of understanding, Tehran mandated that all maritime traffic through the Strait require Iranian approval. Fars said that the Qatari tanker presented clear identification data and adhered to the Iranian-designated route, allowing it to sail smoothly through the waterway.
—The U.S. though, despite being an ‘ally’ of Qatar and Pakistan, did not like the precedent …
..The U.S. has blocked a Qatari LNG tanker from continuing to Pakistan simply because it used the Iran-designated safe corridor, and not the US-backed one. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/07/war-on-iran-u-s-again-blocks-strait-traffic.html
The first Qatari LNG shipment in three weeks has successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz along an Iranian-designated route with Tehran’s authorization, Fars news agency reported.
Three weeks ago, following a US violation of a memorandum of understanding, Tehran mandated that all maritime traffic through the Strait require Iranian approval. Fars said that the Qatari tanker presented clear identification data and adhered to the Iranian-designated route, allowing it to sail smoothly through the waterway.
—The U.S. though, despite being an ‘ally’ of Qatar and Pakistan, did not like the precedent …
..The U.S. has blocked a Qatari LNG tanker from continuing to Pakistan simply because it used the Iran-designated safe corridor, and not the US-backed one. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/07/war-on-iran-u-s-again-blocks-strait-traffic.html
The Honest Sorcerer points out that ag-machinery, trucks and trains run on diesel fuel, and need lots of motor oil. We know about the shortages of nitrogen fertilizer from oil and gas. Without those things 90% of us would soon die, casualties of resource-wars. No Oil, No Food - How the many converging crises lowered the prospect of keeping all 8.3 billion of us alive https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/no-oil-no-food
Bitcoin maximalist Max Keiser argued against this plan, predicting that gold-backed stablecoins would outcompete dollar-pegged tokens due to the desire for low-volatility, inflation-resistant money. https://www.tradingview.com/news/cointelegraph:884cb0e3a094b:0-bretton-woods-institutions-must-reorient-us-treasury-secretary-says/
This year’s Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank provide an important opportunity to engage on current global economic challenges as well as our work with partners and the international financial institutions to support a pro-growth agenda, macroeconomic and financial stability, and poverty reduction...
..In recent years, the IMF has suffered from mission creep. Its work has too often extended into areas such as international development, climate change, gender, and social issues, which are disconnected from the institution’s core mandate. To restore its relevance and impact, the Fund must drop these extraneous items and focus on the critical economic work at hand...
..In recent years, the IMF has suffered from mission creep. Its work has too often extended into areas such as international development, climate change, gender, and social issues, which are disconnected from the institution’s core mandate. To restore its relevance and impact, the Fund must drop these extraneous items and focus on the critical economic work at hand...
..The IMF’s lending function must also remain disciplined and focused. Strong programs are built on meaningful policy conditionality that address the root causes of balance of payments problems ...The United States also expects the IMF to advance reforms and structural benchmarks that strengthen borrower accountability in program implementation. In a more constrained external financing environment, the IMF should promote domestic revenue mobilization, better governance, and policies that support durable, private sector-led growth...
..The Bank must do more to advance developing country access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy to support economic growth and poverty reduction... Financing that delivers energy abundance will provide a strong boost to growth, which will also support debt sustainability.
We also expect more from the Bank on critical minerals, which are central to economic growth, technological leadership, and countries’ economic security. Building on the recent adoption of a critical minerals strategy, we expect to see all parts of the Bank move quickly to support the policies, projects, and associated infrastructure needed to unlock more deals that will help diversify critical minerals supply chains and increase domestic value capture across the supply chain...
..Focusing on the Bank’s core mission also means abandoning its distortionary 45% climate finance target, which impedes market efficiency, distorts incentives, and undermines efforts to reduce poverty and spur economic growth. We welcome the coming expiration of the Climate Change Action Plan, and upon its long-overdue expiration, expect the Bank to immediately shift its myopic focus on climate and financing volumes to one that emphasizes high-quality, durable projects rather than shaping and selecting projects to chase arbitrary financing targets that do little to lift people out of poverty...
..More than eight decades after their creation at Bretton Woods, we must ensure that the international financial institutions remain true to their mandates and fit for purpose.
Streamlining policy priorities will allow both the World Bank and IMF to focus limited public resources on effectively fulfilling their core mandates while nimbly responding to crises. The United States will continue to work with Management and staff, as well as other shareholders, to advance these priorities. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0442
Tass, US sees profits as key foreign policy goal, Russian diplomat says
According to Rodion Miroshnik, the United States is doing everything possible to preserve and strengthen its hegemony https://tass.com/politics/2167891 Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-01
Iran moved from threatening Hormuz to striking two US-Navy-escorted tankers in it, and Trump reportedly ordered a fresh weekend campaign on Iranian energy targets.
Ceuta escalated from a swim-in to riots, 41 dead and a cascade of Schengen suspensions; Kyiv took 25 missiles with a single Patriot fired back...
..Iran-Hormuz: escorted tankers hit, Kuwait drones, Trump orders weekend energy strikes - CENTCOM's fact-check insisting Hormuz "remains open" ran head-first into Iran's footage of burning tankers (CENTCOM); IRGC says no vessel passes without a Persian Gulf Strait Authority permit, and it blocked six tankers Friday (zerohedge). Kuwait reports Iranian drone strikes on Al Jaber Air Base and a Bubiyan Island facility described as a HIMARS/ATACMS launchpad, admitting damage from "shrapnel" (MenchOsint); (zerohedge).
US pulling back in Iraq: troops and Patriot batteries out of northern Iraq (zerohedge); Erbil withdrawal accelerating (DougAMacgregor); an An-124 seen relocating a depleted Patriot battery via Erbil to Cyprus (MenchOsint)...
.. CSIS puts US Patriot stocks down ~65% since February to under a thousand while Lockheed's up-to-$58.6B rebuild answers "in years, not days" (shanaka86).
The most-cited human cost: a US 2,000-lb bomb on a civilian neighborhood killed a husband, wife and 2-year-old son (MenchOsint)...
..Oil: SPR at 1983 lows on the 18th straight draw; refining premium a record $60 - SPR fell to 308M barrels, lowest since March 1983, an 18th consecutive weekly decline (-26% over the run); commercial crude at its lowest since 2018 (KobeissiLetter); (Hedgeye).
Exxon's CEO says available refining capacity has never been this low relative to demand (JavierBlas); Jeff Currie pegs the refined-products premium over crude at a 30-year-record $60/bbl (steve_hanke). https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-01
Exxon's CEO says available refining capacity has never been this low relative to demand (JavierBlas); Jeff Currie pegs the refined-products premium over crude at a 30-year-record $60/bbl (steve_hanke). https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-01
August 1, Simplicius, US Careens Into Senseless Iran Escalation Amidst Lack of Options https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/us-careens-into-senseless-iran-escalation
Although no US strikes were launched from Friday night into Saturday morning and the Gulf region remained quiet early Sunday, anticipation surrounding President Trump's next move is keeping energy traders and Gulf governments on edge. The big concern is that another round of strikes could trigger a wider regional conflict, particularly as the Iranian-backed Houthis have reactivated offensive operations in the southern Red Sea in recent weeks.
The Trump administration and Department of War may pursue de-escalation from here after Trump wrote on Truth Social late Saturday night: "We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to." https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-says-perimeters-deal-reached-iran-reopen-hormuz-after-call-saudi-crown-prince
The Trump administration and Department of War may pursue de-escalation from here after Trump wrote on Truth Social late Saturday night: "We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to." https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-says-perimeters-deal-reached-iran-reopen-hormuz-after-call-saudi-crown-prince
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-02
Underneath the theatre, the harder news is structural: US debt crossed $40T with the 30Y at 2007 highs, Washington and Tokyo ran their first joint yen intervention in ~30 years, and a EUCOM commander privately warned he can no longer guarantee Israel's missile defense. Continuation elsewhere: Russia grinding the Donbas with Kyiv's air defense empty, AI de-grossing, and the Coldcard wallet theft now past $88M.
Trump cancels Iran strikes, claims Hormuz deal (the weekend TACO)... The offer reportedly went via Qatar, with skepticism Iran accepts it (HormuzLetter); DarioCpx floats the sequence as Iran handing MBS an ARAMCO target list, MBS calling Trump, and Trump folding (JustDario)...Note: This reverses a same-day escalation: earlier reporting had US tankers airborne and a two-week strike window "open."
US orders Americans out across the entire Middle East - Embassies in UAE, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi, Bahrain and now Egypt issued near-simultaneous departure alerts, warning of flight cancellations and airspace closures...
..EUCOM: can't keep defending Israel; interceptor stocks dwindlingGen. Alexus Grynkewich privately warned the Pentagon he lacks the naval forces to keep defending Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles and may have to prioritize the US homeland without another destroyer (sentdefender, citing WaPo; BRICSinfo).
Framed alongside SM-3/SM-6 shortages (MenchOsint); Greenwald notes the entire national-security apparatus is "entering a panic state" over defensive and offensive weapon shortfalls (ggreenwald).
Bond market break: $40T debt, 30Y at 2007 highs, US-Japan yen intervention - US debt "officially just passed $40 trillion," with a third to refinance within a year and the 30Y at its highest since 2007 (TreasuryBonds1)
US borrowing rates hit their highest since June 2007 with credit-card serious delinquencies at 2010 highs (KobeissiLetter).
The US joined Japan defending the yen Friday, the first joint intervention in ~30 years (steve_hanke); the NY Fed sold EUR/bought JPY at Bessent's direction via the Exchange Stabilization Fund (Kathleen_Tyson_).
Gromen's read: the Iran/Hormuz shock "many said would break China is instead breaking Japan & the UST market first," putting Bessent in the Bank of England's 1992 position (LukeGromen). Japan has now spent roughly the market value of its entire official gold reserves defending the yen https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-02
The US joined Japan defending the yen Friday, the first joint intervention in ~30 years (steve_hanke); the NY Fed sold EUR/bought JPY at Bessent's direction via the Exchange Stabilization Fund (Kathleen_Tyson_).
Gromen's read: the Iran/Hormuz shock "many said would break China is instead breaking Japan & the UST market first," putting Bessent in the Bank of England's 1992 position (LukeGromen). Japan has now spent roughly the market value of its entire official gold reserves defending the yen https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-02
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-03
Separately, the US-Japan joint yen intervention is now officially confirmed by Japan's MOF, with Bessent vowing repeats and Tokyo reaching for the Fed's FIMA repo line.
Continuation underneath: Russian troops now within 5km of Slovyansk-Kramatorsk, and a tech melt-up running straight into BofA's strongest sell signal this century. https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-03
Trump claims Iran wants talks; Tehran again denies any US negotiations.
Trump says Gulf allies halted planned US strikes in favor of diplomacy.
Iran says Hormuz talks with Oman are progressing, but US actions remain the obstacle.
Oil prices still falling on optimism over Hormuz negotiations & uptick in transit.
Tehran is betting it can outlast Trump by raising the costs of confrontation. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iran-denies-negotiations-us-after-trump-announces-talks-monday-afternoon
Trump says Gulf allies halted planned US strikes in favor of diplomacy.
Iran says Hormuz talks with Oman are progressing, but US actions remain the obstacle.
Oil prices still falling on optimism over Hormuz negotiations & uptick in transit.
Tehran is betting it can outlast Trump by raising the costs of confrontation. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iran-denies-negotiations-us-after-trump-announces-talks-monday-afternoon
'Defend Israel or the Homeland': Top US general issues stark warning to Pentagon brass
Washington has greatly reduced its interceptor missile stocks, jeopardizing its ability to fight China, while prioritizing the protection of Israel
Israel Blocks U.S. Transfer of American-Owned Iron Dome Batteries to Ukraine, Citing Fears of Technology Leaks to Iran https://www.thedefensenews.com/Israel-Blocks-US-Transfer-of-American-Owned-Iron-Dome-Batteries-to-Ukraine-Citing-Fears-of-Technology-Leaks-to-Iran/
Russia is reportedly providing Iran with satellite surveillance and signals intelligence that is helping Tehran locate U.S. military forces across the Middle East and improve its ability to counter American military operations, according to U.S. and European officials cited by NBC News.
The report, published on July 31, 2026, states that the intelligence sharing includes satellite imagery and signals intelligence collected from communications networks, radar systems, and military equipment. Officials familiar with the matter told NBC News that the information is helping Iran identify U.S. military positions and interfere with American-made aircraft and precision-guided munitions used in strikes against Iranian targets. https://www.thedefensenews.com/Report--Russia-Providing-Iran-With-Satellite-and-Signals-Intelligence-to-Counter-US-Operations/
US Withdraws Troops, Patriot Batteries From Northern Iraq Amid Iranian Attacks https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-withdraws-troops-patriot-batteries-northern-iraq-amid-iranian-attacks
According to the announcements: Hamas agrees to gradually surrender weapons in exchange for Israeli troop withdrawal, under a phased plan announced by Donald Trump. "As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors."
Full text of the roadmap to complete the implementation of the Trump plan in Gaza https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/01/367635/
As Gazans suffer, Israel says No to ceasefire package – Daily Update
Israel kills 19 in Gaza as attacks escalate despite latest Trump plan
Israeli ceasefire violations mount as strikes target critical Gaza infrastructure and residential buildings. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/2/israel-kills-five-in-gaza-despite-trumps-hamas-disarmament-plan
Gaza Rights Center warns of spiking cancer deaths in Gaza amid travel restrictions https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/01/367657/
Ben Gvir voices arrogant remarks against Palestinian women prisoners
Washington has greatly reduced its interceptor missile stocks, jeopardizing its ability to fight China, while prioritizing the protection of Israel
The highest-ranking US general in Europe informed the Pentagon this week that he does not have enough naval units to protect Israel against potential Iranian missile strikes, according to a report by the Washington Post on August 1.
General Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US European Command (EUCOM), notified senior Pentagon officials in writing that without another navy destroyer, he will be forced to choose between defending the US "homeland" and defending Israel...
..US naval destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean have long been part of Israel's defense strategy. They are equipped with radar systems and missile interceptors capable of countering Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
EUCOM is responsible for protecting Israel from the Mediterranean and deterring any Russian ground incursion into NATO member states. https://thecradle.co/articles/defend-israel-or-the-homeland-top-us-general-issues-stark-warning-to-pentagon-brass
General Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US European Command (EUCOM), notified senior Pentagon officials in writing that without another navy destroyer, he will be forced to choose between defending the US "homeland" and defending Israel...
..US naval destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean have long been part of Israel's defense strategy. They are equipped with radar systems and missile interceptors capable of countering Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
EUCOM is responsible for protecting Israel from the Mediterranean and deterring any Russian ground incursion into NATO member states. https://thecradle.co/articles/defend-israel-or-the-homeland-top-us-general-issues-stark-warning-to-pentagon-brass
Iran FM Accuses Israel Of False Flag After Mystery Drone Strike On Egyptian Port
Iran is suggesting that Wednesday's unprecedented drone attack on a US-owned gas-processing vessel moored at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta was a false flag.
Even within hours of the incident first being reported by Egyptian authorities, which merely described an industrial fire of unknown cause, the incident was shrouded in mystery and contradictory reports. Some reports pointed to the Iranians, while others alleged the Houthis may have attacked the Mediterranean port...There was widespread speculation that this was the Iranians seeking to demonstrate to the Americans that it can disrupt energy flows across the whole broader region, even into the Mediterranean Sea.
But Tehran has since vehemently denied it was behind the alleged drone strike, with on Thursday its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issuing a statement raising the prospect of an Israeli false flag.
"Egypt is an important friend and partner in the region, and its security is of utmost importance to us," Araghchi wrote on X. "We must all be vigilant against Israeli plots and false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace." https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iran-fm-accuses-israel-false-flag-after-mystery-drone-strike-egyptian-port
Even within hours of the incident first being reported by Egyptian authorities, which merely described an industrial fire of unknown cause, the incident was shrouded in mystery and contradictory reports. Some reports pointed to the Iranians, while others alleged the Houthis may have attacked the Mediterranean port...There was widespread speculation that this was the Iranians seeking to demonstrate to the Americans that it can disrupt energy flows across the whole broader region, even into the Mediterranean Sea.
But Tehran has since vehemently denied it was behind the alleged drone strike, with on Thursday its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issuing a statement raising the prospect of an Israeli false flag.
"Egypt is an important friend and partner in the region, and its security is of utmost importance to us," Araghchi wrote on X. "We must all be vigilant against Israeli plots and false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace." https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iran-fm-accuses-israel-false-flag-after-mystery-drone-strike-egyptian-port
Trump says Medicare and Medicaid may not survive as war spending takes priority
While the remark initially referenced childcare, Trump quickly expanded the idea to include broader social programs. “Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things… they can do it on a state basis,” he said. “You can't do it on a federal [level]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection—we have to guard the country.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/trump-says-medicare-and-medicaid-may-not-survive-as-war-spending-takes-priority/ar-AA1ZZsz4
The report, published on July 31, 2026, states that the intelligence sharing includes satellite imagery and signals intelligence collected from communications networks, radar systems, and military equipment. Officials familiar with the matter told NBC News that the information is helping Iran identify U.S. military positions and interfere with American-made aircraft and precision-guided munitions used in strikes against Iranian targets. https://www.thedefensenews.com/Report--Russia-Providing-Iran-With-Satellite-and-Signals-Intelligence-to-Counter-US-Operations/
Well if the President says so... President Trump Announces Deal for Hamas to Disarm While Israel Withdraws from Gaza
Verification & Oversight: A verification committee will monitor disarmament and troop withdrawal, with weapons stored under a new Palestinian administration.
International Mediation: Agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the US-led Board of Peace, aiming to enable Gaza reconstruction and humanitarian access. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/07/31/president-trump-announces-deal-for-hamas-to-disarm-while-israel-withdraws-from-gaza/
The Palestinian group Hamas has agreed to a written agreement for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire based on a “comprehensive package” of reciprocal and simultaneous commitments, conditional on Israel’s full implementation of the first phase, a Hamas spokesperson said, adding that the agreement should be treated as a single, integrated package. “If Israel does not implement (its obligations under the agreement), we will not implement ours either,” Hamad said.
*NOTE: According to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, signed by Hamas and Israel on October 9, 2025, the IDF was required to withdraw troops to specified lines and not return; all military operations were to be suspended; and Israel was to begin allowing entry of at least 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid per day.
Today, Israel has not only not withdrawn, it is holding more of Gaza than before – from 53% to approaching 70% (with possible plans for 100%); military operations have continued, with almost daily attacks and at least 1,200 Palestinians killed; and an average of about 85 truckloads of aid have entered Gaza per day.
The Israeli government has rejected a proposal reached by mediators in Cairo with Palestinian factions and is insisting on the complete disarmament of Hamas* as a key condition for any progress on US President Donald Trump’s plan, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. The report said Israel has made clear it will not withdraw from the so-called Yellow Line until Hamas is fully disarmed and the Gaza Strip is completely demilitarized. https://israelpalestinenews.org/as-gazans-suffer-israel-says-no-to-ceasefire-package-daily-update/
*NOTE: According to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, signed by Hamas and Israel on October 9, 2025, the IDF was required to withdraw troops to specified lines and not return; all military operations were to be suspended; and Israel was to begin allowing entry of at least 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid per day.
Today, Israel has not only not withdrawn, it is holding more of Gaza than before – from 53% to approaching 70% (with possible plans for 100%); military operations have continued, with almost daily attacks and at least 1,200 Palestinians killed; and an average of about 85 truckloads of aid have entered Gaza per day.
The Israeli government has rejected a proposal reached by mediators in Cairo with Palestinian factions and is insisting on the complete disarmament of Hamas* as a key condition for any progress on US President Donald Trump’s plan, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. The report said Israel has made clear it will not withdraw from the so-called Yellow Line until Hamas is fully disarmed and the Gaza Strip is completely demilitarized. https://israelpalestinenews.org/as-gazans-suffer-israel-says-no-to-ceasefire-package-daily-update/
Israeli ceasefire violations mount as strikes target critical Gaza infrastructure and residential buildings. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/2/israel-kills-five-in-gaza-despite-trumps-hamas-disarmament-plan
Israeli Strikes Kill Two in Gaza, Destroy Medicine Storage Warehouses https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5302361-israeli-strikes-kill-two-gaza-destroy-medicine-storage-warehouses
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir verbally attacked a Palestinian woman prisoner during a raid on Ofer Prison, near the Giv’at Ze’ev settlement northwest of Ramallah, after she demanded basic rights inside the prison.
A video showed Ben Gvir responding to the prisoner’s complaints about detention conditions by saying, “The food should not be good. This is not a hotel.”
The prisoner had spoken about the poor quality of food given to Palestinian women prisoners, the lack of clean water and their deprivation of access to fresh air, all of which are considered basic rights that must be provided to detainees.
Ben Gvir told the prisoner that “anyone who does bad things should think about what they did, and anyone who commits a crime should learn, especially if it is a crime against the people of Israel,” according to his remarks.
Although the prisoner denied committing any crime, Ben Gvir continued attacking her, saying, “This is not a hotel. In the past, it was a hotel. Now it is no longer so.” https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/01/367654/
A video showed Ben Gvir responding to the prisoner’s complaints about detention conditions by saying, “The food should not be good. This is not a hotel.”
The prisoner had spoken about the poor quality of food given to Palestinian women prisoners, the lack of clean water and their deprivation of access to fresh air, all of which are considered basic rights that must be provided to detainees.
Ben Gvir told the prisoner that “anyone who does bad things should think about what they did, and anyone who commits a crime should learn, especially if it is a crime against the people of Israel,” according to his remarks.
Although the prisoner denied committing any crime, Ben Gvir continued attacking her, saying, “This is not a hotel. In the past, it was a hotel. Now it is no longer so.” https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/01/367654/
UN rights chief warns of unprecedented rise in settler violence and West Bank annexation https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/01/367647/
Something will be done. Something is always done. The question worth asking — and the one that never gets asked in the middle of a crisis — is whether that something makes the next crisis more likely, or less. Morocco has done this before. In May 2021, around 8,000 people crossed into Ceuta over two days after Moroccan authorities appeared to loosen border controls. The 2026 surge is larger by an order of magnitude, but the mechanism is the same: Morocco controls the border and adjusts the flow when leverage is needed. Migration analysts noted that ‘these kinds of organised movements don’t happen without, at minimum, passive collaboration from Moroccan authorities’.
The EU’s response to the 2021 crisis was to expand border infrastructure, increase Frontex funding, and accelerate the development of digital border management systems. None of those measures reduced Morocco’s ability to open the tap again. If anything, they increased Morocco’s leverage — because each opening now produces a larger crisis, which produces a larger concession, which funds more infrastructure, which makes the next opening more consequential. The cycle feeds itself.
Trump says Medicare and Medicaid may not survive as war spending takes priority
Israeli settler tells BBC attacks on Palestinians are justified as revenge
An Israeli settler in the West Bank told the BBC he considers attacks on Palestinians justified as revenge. Settler violence against Palestinians is reported to be rising as settlements and outposts continue to expand across the territory. https://www.vespernews.com/en/news/a1be865f-12be-4340-ba3c-98d859301169
An Israeli settler in the West Bank told the BBC he considers attacks on Palestinians justified as revenge. Settler violence against Palestinians is reported to be rising as settlements and outposts continue to expand across the territory. https://www.vespernews.com/en/news/a1be865f-12be-4340-ba3c-98d859301169
After Israel killed her three sons, she found hope in a newborn. Then he was killed too
Fatima Nofal gave birth to Zaid after losing three sons in an Israeli air strike in 2023. Fifteen months later, another Israeli strike killed him in central Gaza https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/after-israel-killed-her-three-sons-she-found-hope-newborn-then-israel-killed-him-too
Fatima Nofal gave birth to Zaid after losing three sons in an Israeli air strike in 2023. Fifteen months later, another Israeli strike killed him in central Gaza https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/after-israel-killed-her-three-sons-she-found-hope-newborn-then-israel-killed-him-too
Kamikaze Drone Slams Into Crowded Russian Black Sea Beach, Killing 3
Audio from the footage appears to capture Russian air-defense forces firing on the incoming drone moments before it struck the crowded beach. It remains unclear whether civilians were deliberately targeted or whether the drone was damaged by automatic fire, causing it to deviate from its intended flight path. https://www.zerohedge.com/military/kamikaze-drone-slams-crowded-russian-black-sea-beach-killing-3
Is Morocco Weaponizing the Ceuta Immigrant Flow in Behest of the US?
Italy Suspends Schengen Travel Agreement With Spain After Horrifying Ceuta Invasion - Europe's Right-Wing Blasts Spanish Socialists For Border Failure
Riots erupted in Ceuta as Illegals Clashed with Security Forces
Mass Migration Invasion Of Military-Aged Males From Morocco Invades Spanish Enclave "Looks Like World War Z!" https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/spains-ceuta-invaded-thousands-illegals-and-military-aged-men-storm-border-morocco
The timing of this latest migrant crisis is the critical variable that connects the actions of Morocco with the strategic objectives of the United States, forming a nexus that suggests a possible coordinated pressure campaign against Spain, a campaign made all the more effective because Ceuta’s physical isolation from the European mainland makes it a logistical bottleneck where even a moderate increase in migrant flows can trigger an immediate and visible state of collapse, and the crisis erupted almost concurrently with explicit threats from the administration of President Trump, who has been vocal in his criticism of the Spanish government for its refusal to commit to a defense spending target of five percent of GDP for NATO, for its prohibition on using the military bases at Rota and Moron for any potential operations against Iran and for deepening economic ties with China, including awarding contracts to Chinese tech giant Huawei for sensitive infrastructure.
This pressure has been amplified by senior Republican figures in Washington, most notably Representative Mario DÃaz-Balart, a close ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who declared in an April 2026 interview with El Español that “Ceuta and Melilla are not in the geographic territory of Spain, they are in the territory of Morocco, and that kind of thing is established, negotiated, and discussed between friends and allies.”
The statement effectively shows Washington’s willingness to entertain Moroccan territorial claims as part of the broader diplomatic confrontation with Madrid. https://www.globalresearch.ca/morocco-weaponizing-ceuta-immigrant-flow/5935475
This pressure has been amplified by senior Republican figures in Washington, most notably Representative Mario DÃaz-Balart, a close ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who declared in an April 2026 interview with El Español that “Ceuta and Melilla are not in the geographic territory of Spain, they are in the territory of Morocco, and that kind of thing is established, negotiated, and discussed between friends and allies.”
The statement effectively shows Washington’s willingness to entertain Moroccan territorial claims as part of the broader diplomatic confrontation with Madrid. https://www.globalresearch.ca/morocco-weaponizing-ceuta-immigrant-flow/5935475
Riots erupted in Ceuta as Illegals Clashed with Security Forces
Mass Migration Invasion Of Military-Aged Males From Morocco Invades Spanish Enclave "Looks Like World War Z!" https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/spains-ceuta-invaded-thousands-illegals-and-military-aged-men-storm-border-morocco
Escape Key, Ceuta
On July 30, 2026, roughly 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta — a small Spanish enclave on the northern tip of Africa with a population of 83,000. Something will be done. Something is always done. The question worth asking — and the one that never gets asked in the middle of a crisis — is whether that something makes the next crisis more likely, or less.
The EU’s response to the 2021 crisis was to expand border infrastructure, increase Frontex funding, and accelerate the development of digital border management systems. None of those measures reduced Morocco’s ability to open the tap again. If anything, they increased Morocco’s leverage — because each opening now produces a larger crisis, which produces a larger concession, which funds more infrastructure, which makes the next opening more consequential. The cycle feeds itself.
The EU’s Entry/Exit System became fully operational on April 10, 2026⁴ — less than four months before the Ceuta crisis. It replaces passport stamping with biometric data collection across 29 European countries: facial images, fingerprints, and personal data registered in a centralised EU database every time a non-EU national crosses an external border. Over 45 million border crossings have already been recorded.
The system is presented as a way to detect overstayers and prevent identity fraud, and on those terms it works. But what it creates is a centralised biometric identity database covering every non-EU national who enters Europe. That database can be linked to the EU’s digital identity wallet framework, eIDAS 2.0⁵, which every member state is required to offer by late 2026. Or it could be connected to financial compliance systems through interoperability rules that already exist⁶.
The system is presented as a way to detect overstayers and prevent identity fraud, and on those terms it works. But what it creates is a centralised biometric identity database covering every non-EU national who enters Europe. That database can be linked to the EU’s digital identity wallet framework, eIDAS 2.0⁵, which every member state is required to offer by late 2026. Or it could be connected to financial compliance systems through interoperability rules that already exist⁶.
The border tool becomes an identity layer — but once built, that won’t necessarily stay at the border.
A crisis like Ceuta makes the argument for accelerating it. Sixty thousand people overwhelming physical border controls in 24 hours is a compelling case for automated biometric processing...
..The pattern across all three measures is identical. A crisis occurs. Emergency measures are introduced. The emergency measures become permanent infrastructure. The permanent infrastructure doesn’t reduce the likelihood of the next crisis — in some cases it increases it — but it never gets reversed. The Entry/Exit System, ETIAS, and the Migration Pact were all designed, legislated, and deployed before the Ceuta crisis occurred. The crisis didn’t create the legislative acts. It justifies them — retroactively, publicly, and permanently... a biometric identity database covering every non-EU national who crosses a border, a pre-screening system that evaluates travellers before they board a plane, and an emergency clause that suspends fundamental rights whenever a third country decides to open a border. The infrastructure was allegedly built to control migrants, but once the database, the pre-screening, and the emergency powers exist — they exist for everyone. https://escapekey.substack.com/p/ceuta
A crisis like Ceuta makes the argument for accelerating it. Sixty thousand people overwhelming physical border controls in 24 hours is a compelling case for automated biometric processing...
..The pattern across all three measures is identical. A crisis occurs. Emergency measures are introduced. The emergency measures become permanent infrastructure. The permanent infrastructure doesn’t reduce the likelihood of the next crisis — in some cases it increases it — but it never gets reversed. The Entry/Exit System, ETIAS, and the Migration Pact were all designed, legislated, and deployed before the Ceuta crisis occurred. The crisis didn’t create the legislative acts. It justifies them — retroactively, publicly, and permanently... a biometric identity database covering every non-EU national who crosses a border, a pre-screening system that evaluates travellers before they board a plane, and an emergency clause that suspends fundamental rights whenever a third country decides to open a border. The infrastructure was allegedly built to control migrants, but once the database, the pre-screening, and the emergency powers exist — they exist for everyone. https://escapekey.substack.com/p/ceuta
While the remark initially referenced childcare, Trump quickly expanded the idea to include broader social programs. “Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things… they can do it on a state basis,” he said. “You can't do it on a federal [level]. We have to take care of one thing: military protection—we have to guard the country.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/trump-says-medicare-and-medicaid-may-not-survive-as-war-spending-takes-priority/ar-AA1ZZsz4
State attorney general set 31 July deadline for documents relating to abuse of girls at Epstein-owned Zorro ranch https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/01/doj-new-mexico-epstein-documents
Celia Farber, Land Of The Free: CIA Preparing Criminal Case Against Broadcaster Tucker Carlson Over Pre-War Interviews With Iranians: "They Read My Texts." https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/land-of-the-free-cia-preparing-criminal
A Wichita machinist, Mason Grimmett, sued his own city this week, arguing that the roughly 200 Flock license-plate readers the police department has bolted around town amount to warrantless dragnet surveillance forbidden by the Kansas Constitution. The complaint, filed in Sedgwick County District Court by the Kansas Justice Institute, does not ask for money - rather, it asks a judge to declare the program unconstitutional and shut it down. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/wichita-man-sues-city-rip-out-its-200-camera-flock-dragnet
The death of a thousand dollars: China's AI Knife Fight: DeepSeek's New Model Runs 100x Cheaper Than Anthropic's Flagship https://www.zerohedge.com/ai/chinas-ai-knife-fight-deepseeks-new-model-runs-100x-cheaper-anthropics-flagship
A significant percentage of the glyphosate sprayed in the U.S. is used to grow crops to feed farm animals, not humans. While President Donald Trump has defended glyphosate as crucial to maintaining food security, that’s an overly broad characterization. In truth, glyphosate has largely made factory farm meat production cheaper, as fewer weeds lower the cost of producing animal feed. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/glyphosate-cheap-factory-farm-meat/
Glyphosate is the active substance in glyphosate-based herbicides, e.g. Roundup. Its widespread application on feed crops leaves residues in the feed. Glyphosate has antimicrobial and mineral chelating properties and we investigated whether there is an association between feed residues of glyphosate on the one side and broiler breeder egg laying percent and egg hatchability on the other side. Twenty-six feed samples from five conventional flocks producing hatching eggs were analysed for glyphosate. Data on laying percent and egg hatchability from periods following each feed sampling were then associated with feed residues of glyphosate. The average glyphosate residue level was 0.09 mg/kg, maximum was 0.19 and minimum was 0.004 mg/kg...
..The range of glyphosate concentrations in feed was narrow and should be kept in mind when interpreting both significant and non-significant associations with glyphosate residue concentrations. In nine of 24 analysed conventional eggs the concentration of glyphosate in yolk was above the detection limit however below the quantification limit indicating that traces of glyphosate are common in conventional eggs. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8481226/
..The range of glyphosate concentrations in feed was narrow and should be kept in mind when interpreting both significant and non-significant associations with glyphosate residue concentrations. In nine of 24 analysed conventional eggs the concentration of glyphosate in yolk was above the detection limit however below the quantification limit indicating that traces of glyphosate are common in conventional eggs. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8481226/
Jessica Rose, Ph.D. It doesn’t matter if it’s GOF or not - it's dangerous
An email from NIH's Senior Program Investigations Officer with some very revealing questions and 'answers' https://jessicar.substack.com/p/it-doesnt-matter-if-its-gof-or-notNewly released documents made public by Sen. Rand Paul reveal that Nobel laureate Drew Weissman privately alerted Dr. Anthony Fauci to some concerning findings about the genetic material, or lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), used in COVID-19 vaccines — that when injected into pregnant mice, mRNA-LNPs crossed the placenta and entered the fetus. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/behind-closed-doors-inventor-mrna-fauci-covid-vaccines-lipid-nanoparticles/
John Leake, Why Prosecuting Fauci is Off Limits
Discovery and prosecution of the former NIAID director would expose the entire rotten edifice of the US government. The liabilities would be astronomical. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/why-prosecuting-fauci-is-off-limitsAstraZeneca can’t be held liable for injuries sustained by a woman who participated in the drugmaker’s COVID-19 vaccine trial, a federal appeals court ruled last week. However, it will be up to a lower court to decide if the company waived its legal immunity by having trial participants sign a consent form promising the drugmaker would pay participants’ medical expenses if the vaccine caused injury or illness. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/astrazeneca-not-liable-medical-expenses-brianne-dressen-injured-covid-vaccine-trial/
President Donald Trump is pushing U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to do more to investigate a possible link between vaccines and autism, according to a Wall Street Journal report based on anonymous sources “familiar with the matter.” White House spokesman Kush Desai said the countless parents who have questions and concerns about “America’s skyrocketing autism rates have long been ignored if not mocked.” https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/disappointed-trump-pressed-rfk-jr-link-vaccines-autism-reduce-number-shots-required-kids/
(Long) A Midwestern Doctor, How To Determine The Risks and Benefits of Each Vaccine
Knowing how vaccines work is necessary for understanding which ones are likely to help, which ones are likely to harm, and the forgotten alternatives to immunization they medical industry buried. https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/how-to-determine-the-risks-and-benefits Paul Marik MD details how all modes of being healthy seem to be good for your brain, too: Rethinking Brain Health: A Systems Approach to Preventing Cognitive Decline - Preventing Cognitive Decline: A Multi-Axis, Systems-Based Approach https://paulmarik.substack.com/p/rethinking-brain-health-a-systems
Daily or near-daily marijuana use has surpassed daily alcohol consumption in the United States, reaching 20.9 million to 21.4 million daily users compared to roughly 17.2 million daily or frequent alcohol drinkers. https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/study-finds-daily-marijuana-use-surpasses-daily-alcohol-consumption-among-us
Illegal Smile, John Prine, 1971 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmjnQjRvPUQ
Climate Physicist, Anastassia Makarieva, co-originator of the Biotic Pump Model, details how the amount of heat going into the air of our planet does not add up to the amount of energy needed to drive all of the observed movements of air. It falls short. A Detective Story, Chapter 2: The Questions That Nobody Asked
Satellite-Era Mismatches in Atmospheric Power Assessments https://bioticregulation.substack.com/p/a-detective-story-chapter-2-the-questionsSmiling Anyway (pictured with Jenny at our Yoakum homestead)
