Not Deceived,
Trump says things to lower oil prices Friday morning. Few of them check out: Iran Bats Down 'Baseless' Trump Claim On Handing Over Enriched Uranium To US, As He Declares Hormuz 'Never Again' Closed
Trump Praises Iran for Fully Reopening Hormuz Chokepoint; Crude Tanks, Yields Dump, Equity Futs Up; Follows by claiming Iran will 'never again' close it; FARS soon after contradicts in fresh threat. Iran's Aragchi says "Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open". However, Iranian official tells FARS: "If the maritime blockade continues, it will be considered a violation of the ceasefire, & the Strait of Hormuz transit route will be closed."
US mulls cash-for-uranium deal as 'three-page' MOU peace plan takes shape. Trump claims US will get the 'nuclear dust' - Iran official denies.
Peace talks reportedly on Sunday in Islamabad. Trump: "Most of the main points are finalized. It’ll go pretty quickly."
Odds of a permanent peace deal by the end of the ceasefire are soaring above 50% by the end of the month. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/three-page-plan-end-war-oil-tumbles-us-reportedly-mulls-20bn-cash-nukes-deal
Iranian Gunboats Open Fire On Tanker As Hormuz Closure Sparks Maritime Chaos
Two Iranian gunboats Open Fire on a tanker near Oman - Friday: Hormuz Open; Saturday: Hormuz Closed https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/bit-chaos-hormuz-reportedly-shuts-agains-ships-make-u-turn
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-04-18
..Trump posted 12+ times about Iran on OPEX Friday, each escalating optimism. Claimed Iran agreed to "everything", mines removed, strait "never again" closed, nuclear deal imminent. Oil crashed ~11% intraday. Brent fell below $90 ...
..Suspected insider trading on oil - third instance. ~$760 million in Brent crude shorts were placed 20 minutes before Trump's Hormuz announcement, per @unusual_whales. Oil then plunged ~12%...
..S&P 500 hits all-time high, fastest recovery since 1982... All of this on headlines that Iran itself is now contradicting...
..Market Euphoria vs Reality Gap @DonDurrett's Friday recap: "Everyone on Wall Street is having a Kumbaya party, pretending the war is over. It's not."... Only time market was this overbought this fast was when Volcker cut from 13% in 1982.....Iran flatly rejects all Trump nuclear claims. Iran's FM spokesperson: enriched uranium is "as sacred as Iranian soil" and will not be transferred... Next round of talks expected Monday in Islamabad; ceasefire expires Tuesday...
..China FM denies agreeing with US not to supply weapons to Iran: "No such communication has taken place".....Israel violating Lebanon ceasefire on day one. Large-scale detonations of Lebanese infrastructure reported across southern Lebanon within hours of the truce. Displaced civilians returning home found villages destroyed or still under occupation. Lindsey Graham demands Hezbollah disarmament as condition for any "real" peace deal...
..JustDario's fund contacts - the same people who warned him before the January silver crash - now say oil futures prices are "fake" and a spike is imminent...
..US Treasury Crisis: Former SecTreas Sounds Alarm - Hank Paulson warned the Fed cannot monetize all required US debt. This is the guy from the Great Financial Crisis
@GarrettGoggin: "$39 trillion in debt with no one to buy it" - expects straight-up debt monetization
@data168: 33% of US debt matures in the next 12 months - $10 trillion
Two-year yields tumbled below Fed Funds rate https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-04-18
Saying the previously "quiet part" out loud. (Maybe AI-Netanyahu won't have to return to DC): Alan Dershowitz tells Netanyahu to "continue to fight, even if it means confrontation with President Trump." "Leave that to Americans. We will take care of President Trump. I met with him over Hanukkah. Miriam Adelson talks to him from time to time. I talk to other members of the administration."
I fear Ahmed, a graduate of Columbia Journalism School who has worked for The New York Times, PBS Frontline, Al Jazeera English, Vice on HBO, The Huffington Post and appeared on numerous news outlets including the BBC and CNN, will be charged under new, draconian security laws instituted in Kuwait, which have already led to dozens of arbitrary arrests.
Kuwait has desperately tried to maintain the fiction that it did not serve as a staging area for US attacks on Iran https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/kuwait-holds-american-journalist-after-reporting-friendly-fire-shootdown-incident
The Honest Sorcerer (before Trump's Friday morning announcement) Iran War: The Chokehold Tightens - A blockade to end all blockades?
U.S. Navy Spy Drone Circles Cuba As Report Says Pentagon Weighing Possible Military Ops https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-navy-spy-drone-circles-cuba-report-says-pentagon-weighing-possible-military-ops
“This can occur in two cases: either Western air defense systems are highly ineffective, as has already been seen during the developments in the Middle East, or the states in question are deliberately providing their airspace, that is, acting as direct accomplices in aggression against Russia. In the latter case, in accordance with international law, Article 51 of the UN Charter on the inherent right of states to self-defense in the event of an armed assault comes into force.”
We have clearly seen that Iran has demonstrated the right to attack any nation which harbors an enemy’s strikes against the homeland, as Iran had justifiably struck all the Gulf states which permitted the US to launch both aircraft and various land-based missile systems like the HIMARS as well as drones from their territories. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/serious-escalation-russian-mod-implies
It's "unfair", because he has 40 IQ points on her: Russian envoy dismantles Kallas at UNSC
The controversial EU diplomat has also been slammed for “criminal” hypocrisy by Amnesty International https://web.archive.org/web/20260416044941/https://www.rt.com/russia/638473-russia-kallas-un-hypocrisy/
As world focuses on Iran, Israel ‘engineering starvation policy’ in Gaza
Israel’s weaponisation of logistics in Gaza has caused severe shortage of fuel, food and medicines, piling misery on Palestinians. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/4/15/as-world-focuses-on-iran-israel-engineering-starvation-policy-in-gaza?traffic_source=rss
Israeli Media: ‘Diseases Are Everywhere’: Gaza’s ‘Catastrophic’ Healthcare Crisis Is Worsening https://israelpalestinenews.org/israeli-media-diseases-are-everywhere-gazas-catastrophic-healthcare-crisis-is-worsening/
RAMALLAH, April 15, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli colonists on Wednesday evening went on a rampage against Palestinian civilians on the outskirts of Birzeit and Jifna towns, north of Ramallah, according to local sources.
They said that a mob of colonists, protected by the occupation forces, descended upon the outskirts of the towns, and attempted to attack civilians and destroy their properties, triggering confrontations.
During the raid, the assailants opened fire intensively.
Meanwhile, colonists in a vehicle stormed Beit Qoza Mount in Beita town, south of Nablus, and hurled stones at civilians’ houses. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/169492?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Five civilians killed in Israeli airstrike on Al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/04/15/361336/
Israeli authorities demolished 13 residential and agricultural structures in different areas across occupied Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Governorate said that Israeli municipality demolished the home of elderly Jerusalemite resident Saleh Dweik in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan. The 110-square-meter house, which sheltered a family of four, was built in 1998. Authorities had imposed monthly fines of 500 shekels on Dweik since 2024, requiring him to continue payments through 2030 even after the demolition.
Dweik, who suffers from cancer, previously worked as a guard at Al-Aqsa Mosque for 20 years. Meanwhile, 11 additional demolition operations were carried out in the Rawabi area of Al-Issawiya, targeting homes and structures belonging to several residents.
These demolitions are part of a broader Israeli policy of destroying structures built without permits, amid strict restrictions on Palestinian construction in Jerusalem, where obtaining building permits remains extremely difficult. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/169485?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Israeli occupation forces razed on Wednesday agricultural land and destroyed water pipelines in the Ras al-Ahmar area, southeast of Tubas.
Abdullah Bisharat, head of the Atouf and Ras al-Ahmar village council, reported that said Israeli bulldozers leveled farmland and damaged water pipelines that supply around 300 dunams of irrigated crops in the area. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/169484?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
J Street says Israel should pay out-of-pocket if it wants US weapons
The pro-Israel advocacy group likely changed its tune after widespread popular opposition to taxpayer-funded weapons https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/j-street-says-israel-should-pay-out-pocket-if-it-wants-us-weapons
Merz wants Ukrainian men in Germany sent to the front [to die]
Berlin will coordinate the repatriation of military-age males with Kiev, the German chancellor has said https://web.archive.org/web/20260414192217/https://www.rt.com/news/638427-merz-wants-ukrainian-men-in-germany-sent-home/
Here Are the People DNI Gabbard Slapped With Criminal Referrals Concerning the Trump Impeachment Plot
The CIA Tried to Remove a Sitting President
We now know the real reason CIA whistleblower Eric Ciaramella’s name was never ¹permitted to be mentioned. It’s not the name Eric Ciaramella that presented the issue, it’s the organization where he was working, the CIA – That’s what needed to be protected. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/04/15/the-cia-tried-to-remove-a-sitting-president/#more-282565
Karoline Leavitt: “While pretending to engage in a peaceful transfer of power, Barack Hussein Obama, in private, went to great and nefarious lengths to sow discord among the public and sabotage his successor, President Trump. The new evidence released by the Director of National Intelligence confirms that the Obama administration manufactured and politicized intelligence, which was later used as justification for baseless smears against President Trump — an effort to delegitimize his victory before he even took the oath of office. The truth is that President Trump never had anything to do with Russia, and the Russia collusion hoax was a massive fraud perpetrated on the American people from the very beginning. The worst part is that Obama knew the truth, as did all the other officials involved, including former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and many others.” https://x.com/its_The_Dr/status/2044229873003110882
TRUMP DOJ PREPARING TO INDICT ENTIRE J6 COMMITTEE - The 9 traitors who sat on... the January 6th Committee have reportedly been subpoenaed by President Trump's Justice Department and are now SET TO BE INDICTED FOR SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY AND CONSPIRACY AGAINST RIGHTS BY A FEDERAL GRAND JURY for their participation in THE CRIMINAL SCHEME to frame and carry out a coup against our President. Top names on the unsealed indictments include DISGRACED former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, Adam Schiff, Jamie Raskin, Liz Cheney and Cryin' Adam Kinzinger. https://x.com/JoshHall2024/status/2044738709719830767
From Supply-Chain Risk To National Security Imperative: U.S. Government Embraces Anthropic's Mythos AI
Microsoft Triples-Down On Data Centers, As Half Of Planned Projects Face Cancelations, Delays
Elon Musk is not productive because he works harder he's productive because he kills nonsense faster than anyone else
@GarrettGoggin: "$39 trillion in debt with no one to buy it" - expects straight-up debt monetization
@data168: 33% of US debt matures in the next 12 months - $10 trillion
Two-year yields tumbled below Fed Funds rate https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-04-18
The veracity of this cannot be confirmed, nor is it refuted. It would matter a LOT if even partially true: IRANIANS HAVE PUBLISHED SOME OF THE NAMES OF US SOLDIERS ( DELTA FORCE) WHO ARE CAPTURED AS PRISONERS OF WAR DURING THEIR FAILED RESCUE MISSION BUT THE US HAS DENIED AND DON'T WANT ANY PRO WESTERN MEDIA TO PUBLISH THEIR NAMES OR WRITE STORY ABOUT THE FAILED RESCUE MISSION
50 Delta force currently in the custody of Iran IRGC. https://x.com/Cool_Ustaz/status/2043656359766290701
50 Delta force currently in the custody of Iran IRGC. https://x.com/Cool_Ustaz/status/2043656359766290701
Brian Berletic further substantiates the case for the special-forces "rescue mission" having been a failed attack on Iranian nuclears facility, possibly a uranium grab, as it looks just like a 2023 training operation he found records of. IRAN - EXTRA VIDEO: EXTRA: US "Rescue" Mission in Iran May Have Been Failed Ground Raid, 2023 Training Mission Suggests https://x.com/i/status/2044660378312048993
There it is. Dershowitz is openly telling Netanyahu to defy the President of the United States and promising that he and other Israel advocates will "take care of" Trump. He name-drops Miriam Adelson, the Republican mega-donor, as a direct line to the president.
This is exactly what Joe Kent described when he resigned. Exactly what Megyn Kelly asked about. Exactly what Tucker has been warning about for weeks. An influence network operating in parallel to official policy, promising a foreign government it can override the elected President of the United States. https://x.com/i/status/2044609151817691478
Lasted 1 day? Trump Turns The Screws On Israel In Biggest Pressure Move To Reign In Bibi Yet
First, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared that the fight with Hezbollah is not over, while at the same time confirming Israel's agreement with the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon...
The Kuwaiti pilot intentionally shot down 3 F-15s on March 1: Kuwait Holds American Journalist After Reporting On 'Friendly Fire' Shootdown Incident
The Lebanon ceasefire appears to be legitimate and holding, and the biggest evidence of this is that Lebanese citizens themselves are pouring back into the war-ravaged south of the country, seeking to recover to their homes which are in some cases 'unlivable'.
"Thousands of families displaced by weeks of fighting filled the main highway to southern Lebanon on Friday in hopes of returning to their homes, as a 10-day cease-fire in Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah went into effect," writes NY Times...
..The situation and uneasy truce, which has for now seen Israel halt its bombing campaign over Lebanon (though dozens of airstrikes were reported in the south just on Thursday) - has been subject of some confusion and contradictory messaging. "Thousands of families displaced by weeks of fighting filled the main highway to southern Lebanon on Friday in hopes of returning to their homes, as a 10-day cease-fire in Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah went into effect," writes NY Times...
First, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared that the fight with Hezbollah is not over, while at the same time confirming Israel's agreement with the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon...
..Israel seeks to "dismantle" Hezbollah, Netanyahu continued, "but this will not be achieved tomorrow. It requires sustained effort, patience, and careful navigation in the diplomatic arena."
President Trump meanwhile in a Friday morning Truth Social message said Israel has been "PROHIBITED" from attacking Lebanon by the US...
President Trump meanwhile in a Friday morning Truth Social message said Israel has been "PROHIBITED" from attacking Lebanon by the US...
..This actually constitutes some of the toughest talk and restrictions ever imposed on Israel from this administration. This suggests the White House is indeed serious about cobbling together a final offramp. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-turns-screws-israel-biggest-pressure-move-reign-bibi-yet
Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a fearless Palestinian-American journalist (he's an American-born Kuwaiti of Palestinian descent) whose writing and reports are defined by unparalleled integrity, depth and eloquence, was arrested on March 3rd in Kuwait.
He is charged with spreading false information and harming national security.
His arrest took place following his reporting of the shooting down of three U.S. fighter planes by the Kuwaiti military in an act of friendly fire during the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Ahmed, along with other news outlets such as the BBC, published footage of a U.S. F-15 E Strike Eagle crashing in al-Jahra west of Kuwait City. He is charged with spreading false information and harming national security.
I fear Ahmed, a graduate of Columbia Journalism School who has worked for The New York Times, PBS Frontline, Al Jazeera English, Vice on HBO, The Huffington Post and appeared on numerous news outlets including the BBC and CNN, will be charged under new, draconian security laws instituted in Kuwait, which have already led to dozens of arbitrary arrests.
Kuwait has desperately tried to maintain the fiction that it did not serve as a staging area for US attacks on Iran https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/kuwait-holds-american-journalist-after-reporting-friendly-fire-shootdown-incident
WASHINGTON — April 16, 2026 : The United States Department of Defense is deploying more than 10,000 additional military personnel to the Middle East, expanding its force posture in the region as part of ongoing operational planning under U.S. Central Command. The movement of forces, first reported by The Washington Post on April 15, 2026, includes naval strike and amphibious groups already en route and scheduled to arrive by the end of April. https://www.thedefensenews.com/news-details/Pentagon-Deploys-10000-Additional-Troops-to-Middle-East-Including-USS-George-H-W-Bush-Carrier-Strike-Group/
Rushed off without adequate provisions? Look at that meal tray: 'They're Hungry All the Time': US Sailors' Poor, Small Meals Near Iran Reveal a Crisis
Naval warships near Iran experience severe food rationing and halted mail services, impacting morale. https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-military-families-food-shortages-mail-disruptions-1792178People buy the cheaper cigarettes, less gas and less junk food: Here's What Happened Inside Gas Stations When Gas Hit $4 https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/heres-what-happened-inside-gas-stations-when-gas-hit-4
Instead of hurting Iran, at least on the short run, however, this massive shortfall will damage the world economy far more. Crude runs at the world’s refineries were forecast to hit an average 84.6 mb/d for 2026 back in January. Now that number stands at 74 at best 71 at worst, down 12-15% compared to last year. That is an unprecedented supply shock.
According Kpler, a price range of $160–$170 per barrel would be required to destroy enough demand to re-balance supply and consumption, yet both WTI and Brent futures kept hovering slightly below $100 during the past ten days. Real world spot prices, on the other hand, are now much closer to that sober reality, indicating how utterly disconnected futures markets (trading next months deliveries) have become. As a reminder: even if hostilities were to end this weekend, allowing ships currently locked up in the Gulf to pass the Strait, it would take weeks to a month till the first deliveries would start to arrive into ports in Asia, Africa, Europe and elsewhere, and many-many months till oil production could resume to previous levels....
According Kpler, a price range of $160–$170 per barrel would be required to destroy enough demand to re-balance supply and consumption, yet both WTI and Brent futures kept hovering slightly below $100 during the past ten days. Real world spot prices, on the other hand, are now much closer to that sober reality, indicating how utterly disconnected futures markets (trading next months deliveries) have become. As a reminder: even if hostilities were to end this weekend, allowing ships currently locked up in the Gulf to pass the Strait, it would take weeks to a month till the first deliveries would start to arrive into ports in Asia, Africa, Europe and elsewhere, and many-many months till oil production could resume to previous levels....
..The last of the cargoes that passed the Strait of Hormuz heading to Europe are discharging now. Meanwhile Asian, South and East African markets are already pulling US Gulf Coast (USGC) diesel cargoes away from previous headings to Europe in a bid for highly restricted supplies. And what’s the EU Commission’s response? “Cut electricity taxes and seek to scale up clean technologies faster”—as if planes were battery electric, or transportation and agriculture were running on pixie dust, as opposed to diesel and jet fuel. It’s hard to see, how this is going to end well...
..Remember: this is an oil based civilization. We do everything important with oil and gas: food, mining, construction, transportation. No economic activity is viable on the long term without petroleum. That’s the sober reality I’m writing about for years now. The United States is now trapped in a conflict which is slowly evolving to be the first stage of World War III. Not because nukes will fly left and right, but because all major powers have vital interests fighting it. China wants to grow and become the world’s largest economy. The US wants to retain that position and prevent anyone from challenging it... This is where we are at the moment: in the biggest fight for resources in world history. https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/iran-war-the-chokehold-tightens Pulp-Fiction prayer-leader Hegseth Says US ‘Locked and Loaded’ To Bomb Iran’s Power Plants and Energy Industry
Caine also detailed the US blockade on Iranian ports, saying the US was ready to use force against ships that don't comply https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/16/hegseth-says-us-locked-and-loaded-to-bomb-irans-power-plants-and-energy-industry/ Simplicius, Serious Escalation: Russian MOD Implies Threatening Consequences Against Europe for Being Party to ConflictWith
It has slowly become increasingly apparent that Ukraine may be utilizing the airspace of NATO countries for its recent spate of strikes against Russia. Specifically, it is the permissive Baltics that appear to be allowing Ukrainian drones to transit toward sensitive Russian sites near the Gulf of Finland and beyond, then blaming Russia when the drones crash on their territory.....With Europe increasingly isolated, Russia could be ‘smelling blood’ and knowing the iron will be hot against a weakened, fractured Europe which could have no way to respond to Russian strikes against Ukraine’s “strategic rear” in European countries. Of course, Russia will most likely not do any such thing—at least any time soon—but it’s clear by the MOD’s release that it is a future potential plan of action at least being considered and planned out.
This has culminated with Shoigu releasing an eye-opening statement implying that Russia will have a UN Charter-granted right to respond militarily and in self-defense against the Baltics for allowing Ukraine to use their territory to strike Russia: “This can occur in two cases: either Western air defense systems are highly ineffective, as has already been seen during the developments in the Middle East, or the states in question are deliberately providing their airspace, that is, acting as direct accomplices in aggression against Russia. In the latter case, in accordance with international law, Article 51 of the UN Charter on the inherent right of states to self-defense in the event of an armed assault comes into force.”
We have clearly seen that Iran has demonstrated the right to attack any nation which harbors an enemy’s strikes against the homeland, as Iran had justifiably struck all the Gulf states which permitted the US to launch both aircraft and various land-based missile systems like the HIMARS as well as drones from their territories. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/serious-escalation-russian-mod-implies
The controversial EU diplomat has also been slammed for “criminal” hypocrisy by Amnesty International https://web.archive.org/web/20260416044941/https://www.rt.com/russia/638473-russia-kallas-un-hypocrisy/
Israel’s weaponisation of logistics in Gaza has caused severe shortage of fuel, food and medicines, piling misery on Palestinians. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/4/15/as-world-focuses-on-iran-israel-engineering-starvation-policy-in-gaza?traffic_source=rss
They said that a mob of colonists, protected by the occupation forces, descended upon the outskirts of the towns, and attempted to attack civilians and destroy their properties, triggering confrontations.
During the raid, the assailants opened fire intensively.
Meanwhile, colonists in a vehicle stormed Beit Qoza Mount in Beita town, south of Nablus, and hurled stones at civilians’ houses. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/169492?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
The Jerusalem Governorate said that Israeli municipality demolished the home of elderly Jerusalemite resident Saleh Dweik in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan. The 110-square-meter house, which sheltered a family of four, was built in 1998. Authorities had imposed monthly fines of 500 shekels on Dweik since 2024, requiring him to continue payments through 2030 even after the demolition.
Dweik, who suffers from cancer, previously worked as a guard at Al-Aqsa Mosque for 20 years. Meanwhile, 11 additional demolition operations were carried out in the Rawabi area of Al-Issawiya, targeting homes and structures belonging to several residents.
These demolitions are part of a broader Israeli policy of destroying structures built without permits, amid strict restrictions on Palestinian construction in Jerusalem, where obtaining building permits remains extremely difficult. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/169485?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Abdullah Bisharat, head of the Atouf and Ras al-Ahmar village council, reported that said Israeli bulldozers leveled farmland and damaged water pipelines that supply around 300 dunams of irrigated crops in the area. https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/169484?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
April 15, Israel army chief orders 'Hezbollah kill zone' south of Lebanon's Litani River
Israel's military chief of staff on Wednesday said he had ordered areas south of Lebanon's Litani River to be turned into a Hezbollah "kill zone" as troops pressed a major offensive there.
"I have ordered that all of the area of south Lebanon up to the Litani (River) line be turned into a Hezbollah terrorist kill zone," chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on a visit to troops operating in the area.
"We are advancing and striking Hezbollah and they are retreating," Zamir added.
He said troops had killed "more than 1,700" militants since the operation began on March 2, describing Hezbollah as "weakened and isolated in Lebanon". https://www.spacewar.com/afp/260415155033.d4j5r4jx.html
Israel's military chief of staff on Wednesday said he had ordered areas south of Lebanon's Litani River to be turned into a Hezbollah "kill zone" as troops pressed a major offensive there.
"I have ordered that all of the area of south Lebanon up to the Litani (River) line be turned into a Hezbollah terrorist kill zone," chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on a visit to troops operating in the area.
"We are advancing and striking Hezbollah and they are retreating," Zamir added.
He said troops had killed "more than 1,700" militants since the operation began on March 2, describing Hezbollah as "weakened and isolated in Lebanon". https://www.spacewar.com/afp/260415155033.d4j5r4jx.html
April 15, Three paramedics killed in south Lebanon, Israel says 200 Hezbollah targets hit https://www.spacewar.com/afp/260415163847.n8qiw63w.html
April 15, Israeli Attacks on Lebanon Kill Large Number of Children and Healthcare Workers
Israel's ground operations have focused on Bint Jbeil, which Netanyahu has presented as the 'capital' of Hezbollah https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/15/israeli-attacks-on-lebanon-kill-large-number-of-children-and-healthcare-workers/ April 15, Israel launches operation to demolish homes in frontline villages in Lebanon: Report
Army identifies more than 20 villages in southern Lebanon for home demolitions, Channel 12 says https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-launches-operation-to-demolish-homes-in-frontline-villages-in-lebanon-report/3906724 April 16, Mass Destruction in Southern Lebanon as Israeli Forces Use ‘Gaza Tactics,’ Level Villages
Satellite images confirm over 1,400 buildings destroyed in Israeli invasion https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/16/mass-destruction-in-southern-lebanon-as-israeli-forces-use-gaza-tactics-level-villages/ April 16, Israeli army prepares for full occupation of south Lebanon: Report
Netanyahu made a speech emphasizing that operations in Lebanon continue, without mentioning ongoing Iranian efforts to secure a ceasefire https://thecradle.co/articles-id/37164 April 16, House Narrowly Defeats Iran War Powers Resolution as Thousands More US Troops Head to Middle East
The bill failed in a vote of 213-214, with just one Democrat voting against it and one Republican supporting it https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/16/house-narrowly-defeats-iran-war-powers-resolution-as-thousands-more-us-troops-head-to-middle-east/The pro-Israel advocacy group likely changed its tune after widespread popular opposition to taxpayer-funded weapons https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/j-street-says-israel-should-pay-out-pocket-if-it-wants-us-weapons
Berlin will coordinate the repatriation of military-age males with Kiev, the German chancellor has said https://web.archive.org/web/20260414192217/https://www.rt.com/news/638427-merz-wants-ukrainian-men-in-germany-sent-home/
DNI Tulsi Gabbard makes criminal referrals to the DoJ against the Fake Ukraine Impeachment “whistleblower”, CIA operative Eric Ciaramella, and the former Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/04/16/dni-gabbard-issues-criminal-referrals-over-the-dems-2019-trump-impeachment-fiasco-n2674549
We now know the real reason CIA whistleblower Eric Ciaramella’s name was never ¹permitted to be mentioned. It’s not the name Eric Ciaramella that presented the issue, it’s the organization where he was working, the CIA – That’s what needed to be protected. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/04/15/the-cia-tried-to-remove-a-sitting-president/#more-282565
In a striking reversal that underscores the breakneck pace of the AI arms race, the White House has directed federal agencies to begin using Anthropic’s most dangerous new model - Claude Mythos - despite months of public friction between the Trump administration and the San Francisco-based AI company...
The goal: to hunt down vulnerabilities in government networks before adversaries can exploit them, Bloomberg reports...
..In controlled testing, the model autonomously discovered and weaponized thousands of previously unknown zero-day vulnerabilities across every major operating system, web browser, legacy enterprise software, and even decades-old codebases. Its speed and creativity reportedly surpassed top human red-team hackers. As we noted earlier this month, the model “went rogue” during testing - prompting Anthropic to withhold a broad release entirely. Full technical details are available in Anthropic’s official Mythos Preview System Card.
Rather than ship it publicly, Anthropic launched Project Glasswing - a tightly controlled defensive program that grants limited access only to a vetted circle of partners: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, major banks (including JPMorgan Chase), cybersecurity firms, and the Linux Foundation. The explicit mission is defense only - scan your own systems, find the bugs, patch them fast, and keep the bad guys out.
The goal: to hunt down vulnerabilities in government networks before adversaries can exploit them, Bloomberg reports...
..In controlled testing, the model autonomously discovered and weaponized thousands of previously unknown zero-day vulnerabilities across every major operating system, web browser, legacy enterprise software, and even decades-old codebases. Its speed and creativity reportedly surpassed top human red-team hackers. As we noted earlier this month, the model “went rogue” during testing - prompting Anthropic to withhold a broad release entirely. Full technical details are available in Anthropic’s official Mythos Preview System Card.
Rather than ship it publicly, Anthropic launched Project Glasswing - a tightly controlled defensive program that grants limited access only to a vetted circle of partners: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, major banks (including JPMorgan Chase), cybersecurity firms, and the Linux Foundation. The explicit mission is defense only - scan your own systems, find the bugs, patch them fast, and keep the bad guys out.
Microsoft Triples-Down On Data Centers, As Half Of Planned Projects Face Cancelations, Delays
Microsoft unveiled plans to triple its data center footprint in Cheyenne, Wyoming, snapping up roughly 3,200 acres on the city's south edge.
The deal covers a 200-acre parcel in Bison Business Park plus an adjacent 3,000-acre tract, turning what is already one of the company's longstanding hubs into a sprawling complex. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/it-looks-good-paper-microsoft-tripling-down-data-centers-half-planned-projects-face-axe
[ his algorithm ]: 1. question every requirement: who made this? why does it exist? what actually breaks if we remove it? 2. delete what shouldn't exist: if you don't add back at least 10%, you didn't delete enough 3. simplify what survives: the biggest mistake is optimizing a thing that should not exist or give minimal output 4. accelerate the system: compress the loop until truth arrives faster 5. automate at the end: only after it deserves to be permanent the order is the point most people do it backwards.. automate too early, optimize fake priorities, build polished systems around broken assumptions...
..The fix is simple: - before you improve something — ask if it should exist at all - before you speed something up — ask if it should be deleted - before you automate — ask if the process even makes sense you don't need more motivation you need fewer lies about what actually matters https://x.com/DeRonin_/status/2044086499721814126
Elon Musk just put a number on the flaw at the center of Nvidia’s empire. Wall Street has not done the math yet. Nvidia’s Blackwell is the most sought-after silicon on Earth. Every AI lab wants it. Every sovereign nation is bidding for it. Blackwell runs every model, for every company, in every data center on the planet. That universality built the empire. It is also the fracture point.
Drought Engulfs 60% Of U.S. As Farmers Begin Spring Planting https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/drought-engulfs-60-us-farmers-begin-spring-planting
Musk: “We believe the AI5 chip will be about a third of the power of an Nvidia Blackwell for roughly comparable performance. And much less than 10% of the cost.” One-third the power. Comparable performance. Less than ten percent of the cost. Musk: “This is a chip that is very much optimized for the Tesla AI software stack. It’s not meant to be a general purpose chip.”
Nvidia builds silicon that serves a million different customers. Every transistor spent on universal compatibility is a transistor not dedicated to one task. Tesla is building silicon for exactly one customer. Itself. When you strip away every function you will never call, you do not get a lesser chip. You get a weapon.
Here is what the market refuses to see. Data centers drink unlimited power from the grid. Robots run on batteries.
Musk: “In order to have a functional robot, you have to have a great AI chip. And it needs to be an inexpensive chip and it needs to be very power efficient.”
You cannot put a Blackwell inside a walking machine. It would drain the battery before it crossed the room. The entire AI revolution lives inside air-conditioned buildings bolted to the electrical grid. Musk is not competing for that market. He is engineering the silicon that survives outside of it. One-third the power is not a spec sheet footnote. It is the physics threshold that severs intelligence from the wall socket. Without that number, every robot on Earth stays tethered. With it, the algorithm walks. Less than ten percent of the cost is not a pricing strategy. It is the line where a machine brain stops being a capital expenditure and becomes a commodity component. https://x.com/r0ck3t23/status/2044628305983258846
Kyle Young, Biochar! what’s ancient is new again (who needs fertilizer?) - part 1 of the 'vibrant soil = vibrant life' series https://secularheretic.substack.com/p/biochar-whats-ancient-is-new-again-4ea
Meryl Nass MD also puts nutrients back into the soil: The Hugel Mound and the quick and dirty Nass mound, aka raised bed filled with detritus from the garden - And raspberries for breakfast. Tips and tricks from a lazy gardener. https://merylnass.substack.com/p/the-hugel-mound-and-the-quick-and
Gardener Doing Chores (cutting the grass this morning)
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