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Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:05:00 +0000 "Threat Against American Interests": US Halts Michoacán Avocado Inspections, Putting Critical Supplies At Risk
"Threat Against American Interests": US Halts Michoacán Avocado Inspections, Putting Critical Supplies At Risk
The US suspended avocado inspections in Mexico's Michoacán state after the US Embassy cited a "threat against Ame
Read more.....
"Threat Against American Interests": US Halts Michoacán Avocado Inspections, Putting Critical Supplies At Risk
The US suspended avocado inspections in Mexico's Michoacán state after the US Embassy cited a "threat against American interests ." Because Michoacán is Mexico's largest avocado-producing region and a top supplier to the US market, any prolonged suspension risks disrupting imports and driving supermarket prices sharply higher.
Michoacán Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said on social media that the temporary halt to inspections was intended to safeguard workers following recent arrests linked to extortion, according to AP News .
Michoacán supplies about 75% to 80% of Mexico's avocados, while Mexico accounted for more than 80% of US avocado imports in 2025, valued at over $3 billion.
Supplies from Peru, California, and Mexico's Jalisco state could limit shortages and price increases if the suspension is brief, Rabobank analyst David Magana said.
Wholesale prices for first-quality Michoacán Hass avocados sold at Mexico City's Central de Abasto have nearly doubled in recent months, signaling tightening conditions in Mexico's domestic supply chain even before the latest inspection disruption.
"These alternative sources should help mitigate supply shortages and limit upward pressure on prices, particularly if the suspension is temporary," Magana noted.
AP said that the western state of Michoacán is home to four narcoterrorist cartels that make money through drug trafficking, extortion, and even the avocado industry.
The duration of the disruption will determine the extent of upward pressure on US wholesale avocado prices and how quickly those increases filter through to supermarket shelves.
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 12:05 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:45:00 +0000 Moderna's mRNA Flu Vaccine Approved By FDA
Moderna's mRNA Flu Vaccine Approved By FDA
Moderna's mRNA Flu Vaccine Approved By FDA
Authored by Rachel Roberts via The Epoch Times ,
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Moderna's flu shot for over-50s, marking the first time the agency has licensed a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine for seasonal influenza.
Moderna bivalent COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic, in Richmond, Va., on November 17, 2022. AP Photo/Steve Helber, File The shot, known as mFlusiva, was given a traditional approval for adults aged 50 to 64, and an accelerated approval for the over-65s , the pharmaceutical giant said on Wednesday.
Moderna has agreed to run an additional study and submit further data on the over-65s in a bid to demonstrate the vaccine's benefit for that age group.
The approval was based on data from a late-stage trial involving more than 40,000 adults aged 50 and older, which found the shot was 26.5 percent more effective than a licensed standard-dose flu vaccine.
Moderna had to submit separate late-stage data showing the shot generated stronger antibody responses than Sanofi's high-dose flu vaccine in the over-65s after problems with the methodology in its phase 3 trial.
The vaccine uses mRNA technology, intended to prompt the body to produce influenza antigens and trigger an immune response. Scientists say this approach could potentially allow faster updates of the shot to match the ever-shifting circulating strains.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the FDA, announced in August 2025 that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was winding down mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. He said that funding would be redirected away from developing mRNA vaccines toward "safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate."
Several FDA officials who had voiced opposition to mRNA vaccines have recently departed the agency.
Flu vaccines can range in effectiveness depending on the season, peaking at 60 percent and dropping to as low as 10 percent in the 2004-2005 season , according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC and the FDA both recommend annual vaccines for everyone in the United States, including babies once they are 6 months old.
'Important New Option'
"Flu remains a significant public health challenge, and mFLUSIVA provides an important new option for America's seniors," Moderna said in an Aug. 5 statement.
MFlusiva will compete with existing flu vaccines from Sanofi, GSK, CSL Seqirus, and AstraZeneca. Conventional flu shots are largely egg-based and contain viral proteins.
Officials in the spring try to predict which strain of flu will be circulating in the following virus season, primarily in the fall and winter, giving manufacturers about six months to produce shots with updated formulations.
This process can result in a mismatch between targeted and circulating strains , an issue that the FDA and Moderna said the mRNA shot could address.
Higher Rates of Adverse Events
The trial found the Moderna flu shot caused higher rates of adverse events in recipients than the already available vaccines , with side effects including fatigue, headaches, and muscle pain. Serious adverse events were reported in 2.2 percent of the recipients of the mRNA vaccines - with three events considered by the investigator to be vaccine-related - and in 1.9 percent of those who received the standard-dose comparator vaccine.
Vaccines containing mRNA are cleared in the United States for COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus.
The FDA in 2025 narrowed the approval for Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, known as Spikevax, and for Pfizer-BioNTech's rival shot, known as Comirnaty, both of which use mRNA technology.
A French peer-reviewed study published in 2022 concluded that mRNA COVID-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna were found to increase the risk of both myocarditis and pericarditis , particularly in adolescent and young adult males after the second dose.
Moderna withdrew its application for a COVID-flu combination shot last year after the FDA sought additional evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of its flu component. European regulators in April approved the combination shot.
Lost Revenue
Moderna had been counting on the combined shot and the flu vaccine to replace some of the lost COVID vaccine revenue and to prove the long-term commercial potential of mRNA technology.
Jefferies analysts had forecast $750 million generated from U.S. sales of Moderna's flu shot and its combination COVID-flu vaccine by 2030.
FDA reviewers said on June 16 that uncertainties remained about the efficacy of mFLUSIVA , then known as mRNA-1010 before its approval, due to an issue with trial methodology.
The phase 3 trial compared the immunogenicity and clinical results in a group that received Moderna's vaccine with the results from a group that received an authorized, standard flu vaccine.
The U.S. government, though, recommends a higher-dose flu vaccine than a standard shot for adults aged 65 and older.
In a 92-page document, FDA reviewers said, "This limitation affects interpretation of the net clinical benefit in the 65 and older population and is a key issue for Advisory Committee deliberation."
Other lingering questions included vaccine safety, given that adverse reactions were more common among mRNA-1010 recipients, the report said.
Moderna Connections
Multiple FDA committee members who voted in favor of the approval have connections to Moderna , including El Sahly and Dr. Flor Munoz, who was a Moderna adviser from 2022 to 2024 and played a role in recommending that pregnant women should receive COVID-19 vaccines.
Moderna's withdrawal of its combined Flu and COVID-19 shot came amid heightened FDA scrutiny of vaccines under the agency's previous leadership.
Former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and former vaccine chief Vinay Prasad departed the agency earlier this year.
Makary had faced criticism from companies, lobbyists, and others for agency officials declining to approve certain drugs, including a cancer drug made by Replimune. Makary had defended the decisions in television interviews as following the evidence.
Signage outside of the Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Md., on Aug. 29, 2020. Andrew Kelly/Reuters Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 11:45 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:25:00 +0000 Camp David Clash: Trump Hammered Hegseth For Misleading Him On Arms Supply, WaPo Reports
Camp David Clash: Trump Hammered Hegseth For Misleading Him On Arms Supply, WaPo Reports
Camp David Clash: Trump Hammered Hegseth For Misleading Him On Arms Supply, WaPo Reports
Following reports that US forces have "used up virtually all" of their precision, long-range missiles in futile attempts to first trigger an Iranian regime change and then to compel Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, now comes reporting that an angry President Trump confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in recent days, accusing the Pentagon of misleading him on critical munitions shortages that leave Trump increasingly powerless in the five-month-old fiasco of a war.
According to sources cited by the Washington Post Trump expressed consternation that he'd been assured that the weapon shortage "had been fixed" when that is apparently far from true.
The Post's administration sources portrayed Hegseth as one of the biggest and most persuasive proponents of launching a regime-change war on Iran (Photo: The Hill)According to "multiple officials" who -- reading between the lines -- clearly seem to have had it with Fox News talking-head-suddenly-turned-Defense-secretary, Hegseth defended his own actions and tried redirecting the blame to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg , a billionaire GOP donor whom Trump plucked out of his role as co-CEO of Cerberus Capital Management to give him the number-two job at the Pentagon. Hegseth was said to have thrown Feinberg under the bus for both the shortages and failing to keep Trump fully informed .
The officials characterized Trump as increasingly exasperated by Hegseth, whom they describe as one of the most enthusiastic supporters of launching a war on Iran , saying he persuaded Trump that victory would come quickly and easily. The war that the administration once projected to last three or four weeks is now in its sixth month. Iran has used both its sophisticated missile technology and its inexpensive but huge arsenal of drones to wreak havoc on US and allied forces around the Gulf. Hammered by a shock and awe campaign peppered with the multiple incidents involving mass casualties among innocents -- including scores of elementary schoolgirls -- the Iranian people have rallied around the Islamic regime, for all its faults. At least 18 US service members lay dead, several hundred have been wounded, and some estimates of the war's cost to date exceed $100 billion.
Sources tell Reuters the Pentagon has blown through "virtually all" of its long-range ATACMS missiles The White House and Pentagon denied the account given by the Washington Post's sources. “This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Post . Speaking more broadly, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said "claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, [and] the Secretary’s position on Iran" are "fictional." As for Hegseth's job security, Parnell said he "isn't going anywhere."
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the US munitions crisis is even worse than previously understood. In particular, the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) are said to be running critically low. "Washington has used virtually all of these weapons ," two sources told Reuters, after several media reports and think tank studies had already sounded the alarm over dwindling missiles amid both the Iran war and in the years-long process of supplying Ukraine. Low Patriot defense missile supplies have also been a persisting issue in the headlines.
Over the weekend, Trump's backtracking on his threat to launch “the biggest attack since World War II" was widely attributed to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urging Trump to refrain, fearing a large attack would accomplish little more than triggering massive and devastating retaliation against the kingdom and other Gulf states. Trump's calculus also likely reflected Pentagon warnings about its shrinking capacity to attack. On Saturday, the Post reported that the commander of US European Command told superiors, in writing, that his forces were stretched thin , and that he might be put in a position where he'd have to choose between defending his "homeland" or the State of Israel .
His candor was praiseworthy, but it may have put a dent in his prospects for advancement.
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 11:25 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:45:00 +0000 Anti-Trump GOP Governors Plot To Undermine President's Immigration Crackdown With Work-Visa Scheme
Anti-Trump GOP Governors Plot To Undermine President's Immigration Crackdown With Work-Visa Scheme
Two Republican governors with a long history of clashing with Donald Trump are Read more.....
Anti-Trump GOP Governors Plot To Undermine President's Immigration Crackdown With Work-Visa Scheme
Two Republican governors with a long history of clashing with Donald Trump are working with Democrats on a plan to hand migrant workers state-issued work permits instead of deportation notices , a direct challenge to the president's immigration crackdown that the four laid out on camera. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt joined Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Matt Meyer of Delaware for a joint interview with Bloomberg , describing a shared position that has far more in common with the Democratic Party and the labor lobby than with the Trump administration's approach to the border.
Left to right: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Utah Governor Spencer Cox The vehicle for that position is the National Governors Association's Task Force on Immigration Policy, which Stitt built after noticing a pattern among his colleagues. "The reason I set this task force up is because I realized by talking to my colleagues that they're having the same issues," Stitt told Bloomberg reporter Christina Ruffini. "Let's actually have the governors issue workforce permits."
That last line is the whole ballgame. The task force wants Congress to hand governors the discretion to issue migrant work permits at the state level , a proposal that treats illegal immigration less as a legal violation and more as a labor supply problem for agriculture, construction and hospitality. It resembles former President George W. Bush's immigration reform approach, which sent the message to illegal immigrants, "If you're doing a job an American won't do, you're welcome here, for a period of time, to do that job."
Cox framed the alliance as a breakthrough four decades in the making. "For 40 years, we've been trying to do immigration reform and nobody's ever been able to get it done," he said. "But what's different this time is that we have a secure border." He credited that border security to the current administration while working, in the same breath, to carve states out from under its enforcement arm. "We all care - Republicans and Democrats - about a secure border," Cox said, a sentiment that gets considerably murkier once the conversation turns to what happens to people already inside it.
Cox described a February meeting among the governors as almost startling in its unity. "We were together in February and having a conversation about immigration, and we were all shocked at the level of bipartisanship, cooperation, and agreement," he said. "We were really stunned that everybody had kind of the same opinions on what needed to be done." Bipartisan agreement among governors on loosening enforcement is not the reassurance Cox seems to think it is.
Ruffini asked the group for a show of hands on whether ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have been effective. Neither Cox nor Stitt raised one. Cox pointed to enforcement actions in Minnesota as a specific concern, citing "the violence and the deaths that we've seen" and calling the incidents "deeply problematic." Stitt was even more blunt about his overall assessment. "We're not using common sense right now," he said.
Stitt's example centered on a green card holder from Vietnam who has lived in Oklahoma City for 25 years. "We had a person from Vietnam that's been in Oklahoma City for 25 years, legally in the United States, with a green card, working at Hobby Lobby," he said. The man had self-deported after a marijuana arrest then returned to the country legally. "They've been a great citizen chasing the American dream, but they've been picked up for deportation now," Stitt said. Gov. Moore added an economic gloss to the argument, saying a deportation agenda focused on criminals ought to travel alongside pro-growth policy rather than replace it.
Neither Republican governor has a great relationship with Trump, and both have clashed with him politically in recent years, which explains their break with him on immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration clearly isn't on board. Trump won a second term in 2024 in part by promising to close a border that sat wide open for four years under Biden. Immigration has generally been the strongest issue for him, outperforming his approval numbers on the economy and foreign policy.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin set the tone from inside the administration at the same NGA gathering, sitting beside Stitt and offering his own verdict on the odds of any of this actually happening. "Is immigration reform possible? No," Mullin told the assembled governors. "Do you really need immigration reform? Yes, you do, but can we work with the system we have? Yes."
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 10:45 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:35:00 +0000 Yemen War Reignites As Houthis Intensify Saudi Shipping Attacks, Ground Assault, With Hormuz Deal 'Close'
Yemen War Reignites As Houthis Intensify Saudi Shipping Attacks, Ground Assault, With Hormuz Deal 'Close'
Deal Details: US-Israeli vessels Banned from Hormuz (Fars)
Iranian state media (Fars) has issued details of the Iran
Read more.....
Yemen War Reignites As Houthis Intensify Saudi Shipping Attacks, Ground Assault, With Hormuz Deal 'Close'
Deal Details: US-Israeli vessels Banned from Hormuz (Fars)
Iranian state media (Fars) has issued details of the Iran-Omani draft plan for transit rules through the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The country's parliament is said to currently be reviewing it, while Tehran still insists that the US has been sidelined, saying that the Oman-Iran contacts are bilateral.
As cited in Bloomberg from state media, key proposals include:
• Ban vessels linked to the U.S., Israel, and other hostile states
The first note about banning US-linked vessels could alone serve to restart the war . The White House has appeared to genuinely be searching for an exit strategy, but this may be too hard a pill to swallow, if accurate.
Fars has spelled out that "The passage of vessels belonging to the US, the Israelis, and other hostile countries through the Strait of Hormuz will be prohibited. Below are is the fuller outline of the proposed plan as featured by Fars [machine translation]:
The passage of vessels belonging to the United States, Israelis and other hostile countries through the Strait of Hormuz will be prohibited.
Ships related to Israel, whether military or civilian, will not have the right to transit through this area.
Vessels or cargoes that play a role in actions against the Resistance Front will also be subject to the ban.
Countries and individuals that have caused damage to Iran will not receive permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf until compensation is paid.
Heavy fines, including up to 20% of the value of the goods, will be imposed on violators. The cargo is anticipated.
The government will be required, in cooperation with the armed forces, to assume responsibilities such as guiding navigation, monitoring vessel traffic, and protecting the security and environment of the Persian Gulf.
This plan is still in the expert review stage, and the parliament has asked experts to submit their suggestions for completing it.
Oil spikes on the headlines of a very clearly 'Iran-favorable' 'deal' - which Washington is unlikely to simply accept.
Does this portend a return to active conflict?
Yemeni 'Blockade for Blockade' Could Threaten Delicate Hormuz Negotiations
Yesterday witnessed at least the eighth Saudi oil tanker attacked by the Houthis since the maritime blockade began on July 22 , which is being followed by reports the Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran could be preparing for all-out war with Saudi Arabia.
The group struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Wednesday and coupled the action with a threat to intensify attacks in order to close "all access routes" to Saudi oil shipments. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree confirmed that ballistic missiles were launched at a Saudi tanker called Wafa near the Saudi port city of Yanbu.
A second oil tanker identified as Daisy was subsequently hit in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile and "forced to turn back" - the spokesman said in a social media post . The Houthis are dubbing it a "blockade for blockade" strategy .
via AFP Large New Saudi-Backed Operation?
But it seems the Saudis aren't ready to take this laying down, even if the ratcheting Red Sea region conflict threatens fragile Oman-sponsored talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as on Thursday its proxy the Yemeni Armed Forces - representing the official government whose seat is in Aden in the south - announced preparations for a large new military operation .
This as Al Arabiya reports a fresh outbreak of ground fighting, in a renewal and intensification of the civil war that goes back to at least 2015 (and has an international proxy war aspect to it). The Arab publication says that a Houthi attack killed 45 government forces in Hadramawt and Marib in Yemen , areas which also happen to be home to the vast majority of the country's oil and gas fields.
Separately Al Jazeera describes of the same event :
The Yemeni Emergency Forces of the internationally-recognised government, have said that there have been material and human losses following attacks on its camps.
Several causalities have been reported after a suspected Houthi rocket and drone attack targeted bases hosting the forces in Marib and Hadramaut.
So now it seems that even if a grand Hormuz deal to reopen energy transit can be pulled off with some level of sticking power, there will have to be a separate ceasefire to contain the Yemen and Bab al-Mandab Strait crisis .
To some degree, the Houthi closure of the Red Sea to Saudi shipping represents a good cop, bad cop approach to the United States and its Gulf allies. It is a way for Tehran to still maintain some serious tangential leverage over global energy, even as ships in Hormuz could finally get moving again .
Houthis Pivotal in Iran's 'Axis of Resistance'
As a reminder, the Houthis have been part of what Iran sees as the "axis of resistance" going back to when the Shia rebel group first seized power in September 2014 :
Saudi Arabia is now being squeezed from three directions in the widening U.S.-Iran war — Iraq to its northeast, Yemen to its southwest, and Iran to its east. (On July 18, Tehran struck Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh, its first
To understand why this matters beyond the price of oil, it helps to picture the crises as a set of nesting dolls.
The innermost doll is Yemen’s own civil war: a decade-old fight between the Houthis (officially known as Ansar Allah), who rule the populous north from Sana’a, and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, formally led by a body called the Presidential Leadership Council. The roots of this war trace to the 2011 Arab Spring revolution, which toppled Yemen’s long-serving president and left a power vacuum the Houthis moved to fill, seizing Sana’a in 2014. Saudi Arabia and a coalition of partners intervened in 2015 with the explicit aim of reversing that takeover and restoring the internationally recognized government, and the war has continued in one form or another ever since.
The middle doll is Saudi Arabia’s broader rivalry with Iran, a contest for regional leadership that has run since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Tehran’s new theocratic government began exporting a revolutionary, Shia-inflected challenge to the Gulf’s Sunni monarchies.
In the meantime, Al Jazeera is reporting Thursday that the Saudi-backed government shot down a drone operated by the Houthis over the city of Marib .
The country's official SABA news agency said the Houthi targeting of Marib "embodies their escalatory approach and their insistence on continuing their terrorist acts" and that "the air defenses engaged the drone as soon as it entered the city’s airspace and successfully shot it down."
Over in the Persian Gulf region, Iran officials have said a deal with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is "on the verge of being finalized" which entry and exit routes and protocols having been established. Iran continues to say that Washington has nothing to do with this, and warns against US military interference.
The White House seems to be quite serious about ensuring an offramp from the conflict this time , as the bombs have fallen silent for several days now...
Trump: I'd Rather Make a Deal than Kill People
But lots of unknowns and variables remain, as some international reports suggest a final deal could be signed as early as the close of Thursday, or at least by week's end. Al Jazeera notes : "For Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the US must abide by the memorandum of understanding (MoU) it signed with Iran in mid-June, although that would not be enough on its own, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in comments carried by Iran’s IRNA news agency."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has newly warned that "We're ready to ?retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction ?across ?the ?region ."
As for President Trump, he has freshly stated , "I'd rather make a deal because I don't want to kill people . But Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon ."
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 10:35 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:30:00 +0000 Musk Responds To French Green Leader's Demand That X Be Shut Down
Musk Responds To French Green Leader's Demand That X Be Shut Down
Update (1100ET): Upon seeing this exclamation from the dismally-polling Green leader. Elon Musk took to X (the platform she demands be shutdown for too much free-
Read more.....
Musk Responds To French Green Leader's Demand That X Be Shut Down
Update (1100ET): Upon seeing this exclamation from the dismally-polling Green leader. Elon Musk took to X (the platform she demands be shutdown for too much free-speechifying) to make some demands of his own...
As Remix News detailed earlier, French Green leader Marine Tondelier has reiterated her calls for social media platform X to be temporarily shut down, claiming its owner Elon Musk is using it to interfere in French politics and promote Marine Le Pen ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Tondelier, general secretary of the Ecologists and a declared presidential candidate, suggested that suspending X for one month would improve political debate in France.
“If X were to stop for a month, it would do a world of good for the French public debate,” Libération .
She claimed the platform could not be treated merely as a question of freedom of expression or freedom of enterprise because it was controlled from the United States by an owner seeking to influence European politics.
“This tool is owned by someone based in the United States, with a supremacist ideology, who clearly wants to push Europe into total submission to the United States,”
She also accused Musk of wanting Le Pen elected and argued that his intervention exposed what she described as the “hypocrisy” of the National Rally’s patriotism.
“The algorithm of this social network is rigged,”
“The ‘ratings’ meant to indicate the veracity of posts are now a source of further fake news.”
Tondelier also complained that environmental claims she posts on the platform are routinely challenged and said female politicians face persistent cyberbullying.
In January last year, she said, “This network must be banned in Europe. Whether I leave it or not, it will still have an impact on the real world. It will contribute to destabilizing the next elections,”
Her comments followed Musk’s public endorsement of Le Pen last month.
Responding to an American account discussing her polling strength and the possibility of mass deportations under a National Rally government, Musk wrote, “She is France’s last hope.”
Despite the outburst, Tondelier remains a marginal contender in the presidential race.
Recent IFOP polling places her support at about 4 percent, with other surveys putting her between 3 and 5 percent.
Le Pen, by contrast, is polling at approximately 35 percent and is strongly positioned to reach the second round of the election.
Read more here...
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 10:30 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:14:27 +0000 Hyperscaler Bond Spreads Blow Out After Google Shocks With Another $25 Billion Bond Offering
Hyperscaler Bond Spreads Blow Out After Google Shocks With Another $25 Billion Bond Offering
After tightening sharply following last week's (pre-Situational Awareness) rout which sent hyperscaler CDS to the widest on record<
Read more.....
Hyperscaler Bond Spreads Blow Out After Google Shocks With Another $25 Billion Bond Offering
After tightening sharply following last week's (pre-Situational Awareness) rout which sent hyperscaler CDS to the widest on record , AI bond spreads are blowing out again this morning - with SpaceX bonds - which have quickly emerged as the fulcrum bond security of the AI world - plunging this morning on news that for the third time in a year, Alphabet which has emerged as the credit (both on and off balance sheet nexus of the AI supercyle , is looking to raise another $25 billion from its latest US investment-grade bond offering, a deal that will again test investor appetite for AI-related debt following a July selloff when bond AI-linked bond spreads exploded to all time wides.
The offering, which will very likely be upsizied (just as the illl-fated SpaceX bond offering) will be Alphabet's third since November.
In February, the Google parent issued more than $30 billion in new debt , including multiple non-US tranches. The offering followed a similar bond issuance from November 2025, when Alphabet sold $25 billion in debt , quadrupling its long-term debt to $46 billion. Since then Google's debt has surpassed over $100 billion and is rising at an astronomic pace; one can only hope the rating agencies don't notice.
According to Bloomberg, Alphabet is offering notes in as many as 10 parts, with maturities ranging from two to 40 years. Initial price talk for the longest-tenored tranche is a premium of about 1.55 percentage points above Treasuries. No final decision has been made on the size, according to people familiar with the matter, however it is likely that - as always - there will be excess demand leading to significant oversubscription, with the bond then sliding after it starts trading.
Virtually every bank is an underwriter on the offering which will need all the help it can get: Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo are managing the sale, Bloomberg said.
Alphabet’s offering comes one month after Amazon issued an identical amount of debt, and just two weeks after the company again raised its 2026 spending outlook, which triggered fresh worries about whether massive artificial-intelligence investments will pay off. Investor appetite for bonds to help fund capex cooled in July as Alphabet increased its forecast to as much as $205 billion, more than double 2025’s outlays.
Meanwhile, as the market finally started paying attention to good, old on-balance sheet debt, the flood of off-balance sheet continued with BlackRock last week selling $12.5 billion of bonds tied to a Meta data center SPV in Texas. Initial demand was very poor, following soft interest for an offering by Amazon.com.
Immediately afterward, bond spreads across the Hyperscaler sector blew out to record wides in the secondary market, as we reported on multiuple occasions.
However, following the historic short squeeze in the past week (sparked by.... nobody really knows) sentiment improved again as August began, helped by gains in US Treasuries.
“We’ve had a few days now of positive reactions from investors across corporates and especially technology,” said Brett Kozlowski, portfolio manager at GW&K Investment Management. “But another large debt deal will still test the depth of that and be worth watching.”
Sure enough, after sliding by almost 20bps in the past week, hyperscaler spreads have already cut their gains in half after blowing out by almost 10bps since Tuesday, a move that is set to accelerate as even more debt comes to market.
Alphabet, which sold more than $50 billion of debt in the first half of 2026, and Amazon have led the AI-infrastructure borrowing spree. Alphabet last tapped the US high-grade debt market in February, before selling bonds in Swiss francs, British pounds, euros, Canadian dollars and Japanese yen. It also issued nearly $85 billion of shares two months ago.
The explosive growth in CapEx is why Alphabet posted its first quarter of negative cash flow since its 2004 initial public offering.
The hope is that at some point, all this massive investment will lead to a surge in EBITDA. The only problem is what happens if nearly-free Chinese open-weight models end up dominating the market while US hyperscalers duke it out in the biggest spending spree since the Nuclear arms race. And, as we reported overnight , that's precisely what is happening.
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 10:14 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:45:00 +0000 Senate Panel Holds Fauci In Contempt For Refusing To Answer Questions
Senate Panel Holds Fauci In Contempt For Refusing To Answer Questions
Anthony Fauci has been held in contempt of Congress by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, after he repeatedly refused to a
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Senate Panel Holds Fauci In Contempt For Refusing To Answer Questions
Anthony Fauci has been held in contempt of Congress by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, after he repeatedly refused to answer lawmakers' questions about funding risky research to genetically manipulate bat coronavirus in Wuhan China, and his role in the ensuing lockdown quagmire that cratered the economy after he was put in charge of leading the COVID-19 response.
Oh, and they obtained a copy of his cell phone.
In an 8-5 vote brought by Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the contempt vote seeks to refer the case directly to the DOJ for prosecution - bypassing a full vote from the Senate.
"Seeking the truth is not a witch hunt," Paul said be fore the vote, per the WSJ
The Committee's top Democrat, Sen. Gary Peters, called the investigation "one-sided from the beginning," claiming that "Information has been selectively released to support conclusions that the chairman reached years ago."
Which of course is complete bullshit . Fauci funded the research, botched the response after COVID-19 broke out, lied about it under oath, and then pleaded the 5th when receipts came out.
Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., questions Fauci on Wednesday.Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Or, as Paul wrote prior to the vote: "Dr. Fauci appeared under subpoena and invoked the Fifth Amendment to refuse answering questions . During the hearing, I ruled that the Fifth Amendment did not apply because of the pardon, and that Fauci had waived any remaining privilege by giving opening testimony. I ordered him to answer and warned him about contempt, yet he still refused. That is obstruction of a congressional investigation. The Committee will act accordingly."
Meanwhile, the WSJ reported last night that the panel obtained a copy of Fauci's cell phone.
A Senate panel investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci has obtained a copy of the doctor’s iPhone , potentially securing even more records related to the doctor’s actions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The copy of the phone was transferred by the Department of Health and Human Services to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.).
This revelation comes just days after copies of Fauci’s journals were publicly released following their transfer from HHS to Congress. Two Republican senators, Johnson and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have increased pressure on Fauci in recent days to answer questions related to pandemic health measures and the origins of Covid-19.
The subpoena, issued in July, directed Fauci to testify on the committee's investigation into "risky life sciences research and the origins of the COVID-19 virus," according to the Epoch Times .
The July 29 hearing itself was a prolonged exercise in refusal. Fauci opened by accusing Paul of an "unhinged obsession" with him and claiming the sole purpose of the session was to trap him into saying something that would land him "behind bars."
From that point forward he answered nothing of consequence. Senators pressed him on gain-of-function research funding, the lab-leak evidence he had privately acknowledged while publicly promoting a natural-origin narrative, lockdown policies, school closures, personal financial awards solicited with federal employees on taxpayer time, and contradictions between his public statements and private diary entries. He declined them all.
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 09:45 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:20:00 +0000 Federal Review Finds 90% Of Maine's Autism Support Services Lacks Justification
Federal Review Finds 90% Of Maine's Autism Support Services Lacks Justification
Federal Review Finds 90% Of Maine's Autism Support Services Lacks Justification
Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed Tuesday that federal investigators have found widespread irregularities in Maine’s support services for adults with autism.
Speaking Tuesday during a Department of Justice anti-fraud press conference in Philadelphia, Oz said investigators have found that 90 percent of autism services provided by the blue state lacked justification.
“Yesterday I was in Maine,” Oz said. “We’re investigating home support services, just like you’re seeing here, for adults, in that case, who have autism.”
“We have massive increases that have grown to the kinds of numbers you could not imagine being able to show on a clipboard, with 90 percent of services billed and paid for—in Maine in particular—where there is no justifiable backup for it,” Oz said. “Nine out of ten services, you can’t justify they should have happened. It’s the opposite of what you’d normally expect.”
The Trump administration has been urging states to increase oversight of Medicaid autism services, and examine whether a massive surge of spending on a new therapy called “applied behavior analysis” is medically appropriate, Axios reported.
During the press conference Tuesday, state and federal prosecutors announced charges of 19 defendants in connection with a $4 million scheme to defraud government-run Medicare and Medicaid system in Pennsylvania.
Federal officials detailed several new anti-fraud initiatives, including “expanded Medicaid Strike Forces, new investigative toolkits for states and enhanced data analytics designed to identify suspicious billing patterns before taxpayer money is paid,” Maine Wire
Oz did not identify the providers under review, specify the total amount of claims being examined or announce any criminal charges connected to Maine. He also did not allege that every unsupported claim constituted fraud. Instead, he said the findings demonstrate the need for significantly greater oversight of Medicaid-funded home support programs.
Nevertheless, his remarks represent a major escalation in the Trump administration’s examination of MaineCare spending.
Federal officials have spent months reviewing Maine’s administration of Medicaid-funded autism and developmental disability services. Earlier this year, federal auditors questioned tens of millions of dollars in payments involving rehabilitative and community support services while requesting additional records from the Mills administration concerning providers and billing practices.
Far-left Maine Democrat Senate candidate Troy Jackson’s health care platform is focused on passing a government run “Medicare for All” insurance system to replace the current system.
Oz said programs that were originally designed to help disabled Americans have increasingly become vehicles for fraud.
“We have no tolerance for anyone who invents hours, invents a disability, invents a workforce at the expense of people who depend on these programs,” Oz said. “And if you love these most vulnerable Americans, you should care as well.”
The CMS administrator told reporters that the COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst for the explosion of fraudulent Medicaid schemes currently plaguing the country.
“What happened in 2020 that has catalyzed this?” “COVID appears to have unleashed massive fraud because criminals knew the federal government would not follow up on the money that was being sent out.”
The Trump administration, he said, has adopted an “all-of-government” strategy deploying the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division and state attorneys general to identify and prosecute Medicaid fraud.
“They’re not just stealing money, they’re stealing our trust,” Oz said of the fraudsters. “And that’s a much more difficult thing to replace.”
At the close of the nearly two-hour long presser, Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald delivered a stern warning to those defrauding government health care programs.
“The era of getting rich off the backs of our programs for our sick, elderly and disabled is over,”
VIDEO
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 09:20 Close Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:50:00 +0000 Situational Awareness Returns With $400M Investment After Nearly Collapsing
Situational Awareness Returns With $400M Investment After Nearly Collapsing
Situational Awareness Returns With $400M Investment After Nearly Collapsing
Authored by Zoltan Vardai via CoinTelegraph.com,
Situational Awareness, the hedge fund founded by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, reportedly invested $400 million in a privately held company days after it nearly collapsed under margin calls.
The fund invested $100 million in the same unnamed company in July, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The latest investment was completed on Tuesday.
Cointelegraph has approached Situational Awareness for comment.
Assets at Situational Awareness fell about 78% in July, as an AI-stock sell-off triggered margin calls from Wall Street lenders.
The fund sought fresh capital and considered selling stakes in private companies, according to the Financial Times.
“We took the steps that were necessary to fight another day,” Aschenbrenner told investors in a letter on Friday.
“But our fund must always be structured such that we can take a loss and fight another day. I will make it my mission to ensure that we learn the necessary lessons from this experience.”
The fund subsequently sold most of its public equity portfolio to Ken Griffin’s Citadel , allowing it to repay lenders and retain its private holdings.
Situational Awareness had invested heavily in power and data centers supporting AI, including Bitcoin miners expanding into AI computing.
A May 18 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission covering holdings as of March 31 showed about $1.11 billion in positions across seven Bitcoin mining stocks, including IREN, Core Scientific, Riot Platforms and CleanSpark.
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/06/2026 - 08:50 Close
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