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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Qatar Tried Secret Deal-Making With Iran To Protect World's Largest Gas Complex

Qatar Tried Secret Deal-Making With Iran To Protect World's Largest Gas Complex

By the middle of March during Trump's Operation Epic Fury, Iran was flexing its retaliatory might, and the Gulf region was shocked to see the largest na Read more.....

Qatar Tried Secret Deal-Making With Iran To Protect World's Largest Gas Complex

By the middle of March during Trump's Operation Epic Fury, Iran was flexing its retaliatory might, and the Gulf region was shocked to see the largest natural-gas production facility in the world, Qatar's North Field, badly damaged - with a key section forced offline and severely damaged.

The Washington Post has just provided some new information which has come to light, writing that "There was an additional, hidden consequence. The strike also dashed secret efforts by Qatar to keep its gas complex, known as Ras Laffan, off Iran�s target list, according to Middle Eastern security officials and Western officials briefed on the intelligence."

This after the punishing Iranian strikes (against a nearby Arab state which hosts US forces) "destroyed sections of a plant that provides nearly a fifth of the globe�s gas supply, imperiled multibillion-dollar contracts with China and other clients, and damaged the prospects of finding an earlier end to the war by dragging Qatar, a key mediator between the United States and Iran, into the fight" - WaPo also reviewed.

That 'secret negotiations' were being held apart from the US - or also separately from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states is indeed significant, highlighting a theme that Tehran continues to seek to assert leverage by forcing nations to come make side deals - even as the Islamic Republic comes under US bombs and Western pressure.

If it is indeed accurate that Gulf nations are approaching Iran to do individual separate deals, this is for now a diplomatic 'win' for Tehran. Separate deal-making, peeling others away from a united front and bloc, gives Iran some greater leverage and also flexibility in terms of potential post-war economic and political detente with regional states.

The UAE, it was reported earlier this week in Bloomberg, has also reportedly reached its own 'understanding' with the Iranians after some backroom dealing and diplomacy.

"Senior national security officials from the United Arab Emirates and Iran held a face-to-face meeting for the first time since the start of the US-Israeli war�against Tehran, according to people with knowledge of the situation,"�Bloomberg�reported

"This week�s meeting marked a stark turnaround for both sides and comes amid their growing acknowledgment of the importance of calmer bilateral ties, the people said, asking not to be named discussing sensitive matters," the report indicated.

Perhaps in both Qatar's and UAE's thinking, there's too much to risk while facing Iran's significant ballistic missile and drone arsenal, at a moment Washington has�failed to clearly define an end game, but instead is climbing up the escalation ladder with a cornered and thus fierce Iran, which sees itself fighting for its very survival.

Qatar's effort apparently failed to a large degree, while curiously there's of late been a lack of Iranian targeting on UAE - even as other US-allied countries, namely Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan have this week seen new missile waves launched on them.

But possibly Qatar has protected itself from further harm. It too has not been a prime renewed target of Iran's ballistic missiles this week, alongside the Emirates.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 18:00
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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:40:00 +0000

A Conservative Audit Of The Left's Ruling Assumptions

A Conservative Audit Of The Left's Ruling Assumptions

Authored by Stu Cvrk via American Greatness,

There Read more.....

A Conservative Audit Of The Left's Ruling Assumptions
Authored by Stu Cvrk via American Greatness,

There is a particular kind of intellectual dishonesty that does not know it is dishonest. It wraps itself in the language of compassion, hides its power hunger behind slogans of liberation, and mistakes its own cultural preferences for universal moral law. American progressivism, in its current form as embodied by the Democrat Party, has become a nearly perfect specimen of this condition.

The clich�s, observations, and aphorisms collected here are not talking points manufactured in a think tank. They are the distilled residue of lived political experience�hard-won pattern recognition from citizens, scholars, commentators, and statesmen who have spent years watching the same contradictions repeat themselves under different headlines.

Victor Davis Hanson�notices that progressive hierarchy licenses progressive hypocrisy.�Don Surber�reminds us that incentives are more reliable than ideology.�Ian Bremmer, borrowing from Thucydides, warns us what civilization looks like when law gives way to appetite. A�Daily Signal headline�captures in nine words what a criminology textbook takes nine chapters to prove. Together, these observations form a mosaic: a portrait of a political movement that has systematically abandoned the constitutional, cultural, and civilizational foundations that made ordered liberty possible in America.

What unites every entry on this list is a single underlying tension�between what the Democrat Party and its fellow travelers�say�and what they�do; between the principles it professes and the power it pursues; between the democracy it claims to defend and the control it refuses to relinquish.

The observations range from the rhetorical (�saving democracy� as a slogan for entrenching one-party dominance) to the philosophical (science as inquiry versus science as authority) to the civilizational (the corrosive effect of identity-group multiculturalism on constitutional self-governance). But every one of them points at the same fundamental evasion: a Democrat Party that will not submit itself to the standards it imposes on everyone else.

This is not merely a catalogue of political grievances. It is an argument that the American constitutional order, grounded in individual rights, equal justice, national sovereignty, and civic unity, is not simply one option among many on an ideological menu. It is the condition of possibility for everything else. When the rule of law becomes selective, when science becomes a permission slip for policy, when borders become negotiable, and prosecutors become partisans, what falls apart is not simply a political preference�it is the floor beneath everyone�s feet.

Read these observations not as cynicism, but as a diagnosis. The patient can recover. But only if enough citizens are willing to look honestly at what has gone wrong�and in whose interest it has gone wrong.

Left-Wing Cliches, Observations, and Aphorisms

These are just a sampling of what the Democrat Party and left-wingers in general bombard us with as they attempt to achieve complete political hegemony (i.e., totalitarianism with Democrat characteristics) in America:

�Equity means equal outcomes for everyone�except admission to their children�s schools.��The loudest advocates for dismantling merit-based admissions send their own children to highly selective private schools and elite magnet or selective-enrollment programs, insulating their families from the policies they impose on everyone else.

�Defund the police�but keep my security detail.��From city council members who voted to cut police budgets while retaining personal security to celebrities who lectured America on abolishing police while surrounded by armed private guards, elected Democrats and the movement�s leaders never intended the policy to apply to themselves.

�Follow the science�unless the science is inconvenient.��The same coalition that demands deference to scientific consensus on the climate refuses to acknowledge biological sex in medicine, opposes nuclear energy despite its carbon-free output, and spent two years dismissing the lab-leak hypothesis as racist misinformation�a conclusion most scientists now consider credible.

�Borders are immoral�except around Martha�s Vineyard.��The rapid busing of migrants away from progressive resort communities the moment they arrived demonstrated, to conservatives, that �sanctuary city� is a posture affordable only so long as the consequences land somewhere else.

�Speech is violence�but looting is speech.��A campus lecture by a conservative intellectual triggers emergency security protocols and administrative handwringing about �harm.� A night of smashed storefronts and burning police cars is described by news anchors as �mostly peaceful protest.� The asymmetry defines the Left�s actual hierarchy of protected and punishable expression.

�We must protect democracy�by criminalizing the opposition candidate.��The argument that democracy requires prosecuting the leading opposition candidate, removing him from state ballots, and deploying the federal justice apparatus against him�while insisting this is all norm-protection rather than norm-destruction�is precisely the kind of doublethink conservatives point to as proof the Democrats� �saving democracy� slogan is purely instrumental.

�Billionaires are the enemy�now let�s hear from our billionaire donors.��The Democrat Party simultaneously prosecutes class warfare rhetoric and raises nine-figure sums from Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and Hollywood. George Soros, Reid Hoffman, and a constellation of tech oligarchs fund the very movement that campaigns against oligarchy. The Left�s billionaires are enlightened; the Right�s are existential threats.

�No one is above the law�unless you are in our administration.��Selective prosecution is the theme: a two-tiered justice system that indicts a former president on faux documents charges while closing a parallel case against a sitting president�s son and declining to charge a sitting president himself, with standards applied by prosecutors who publicly donate to the Democrat Party, is not equal justice�it is the law as a partisan instrument.

�It�s not about black and white; it�s about green.��The Left frames every policy dispute as a racial justice issue, but the real engine driving progressive politics is money�donor class cash, NGO funding, and government grants that keep the activist machinery running. Race is the Democrats� go-to rhetorical weapon; wealth redistribution and institutional power are the actual prize.

�Hierarchy justifies hypocrisy.��Victor Davis Hanson�s razor: the progressive elite exempts itself from every rule it imposes on others. Private jets for climate summits. Gated communities for open-borders advocates. Elite private schools for the champions of public education. The higher one sits in the leftist hierarchy, the more license one has to ignore the ideology.

�Biden would never have stepped down had the assassin been successful.��A darkly ironic observation: the Democrat Party finally forced Biden out of the 2024 race only through intense backroom pressure�something a bullet would have denied them. It underscores the argument that the party�s concern was never about Biden�s fitness or the nation�s welfare but about electoral math and factional control. So much for �saving our democracy.�

�Saving democracy is a dead narrative.��When Democrats invoke �Our Democracy,� conservatives argue they mean institutional arrangements that keep their coalition in power�weaponized bureaucracies, legacy media gatekeeping, Big Tech suppression, and lawfare against opponents. Once voters recognized the slogan as a euphemism for�their control,�their courts,�their narrative,�or�their unaccountable administrative state, the phrase lost its power.

�34 percent of registered Democrats believed the assassination attempt was staged.��Offered as evidence that media-driven conspiratorial thinking is not a monopoly of the Right. If roughly a third of one party�s own voters distrust a documented, publicly witnessed event, it suggests the Left�s media ecosystem has become as insular and reality-distorting as anything it accuses conservatives of inhabiting.

�A failure to deal with multiculturalism ideology is the issue more important than all others.��From this viewpoint, identity-group multiculturalism�the ideological version, not the simple demographic fact of diversity�is the solvent dissolving the common civic identity that the Constitution requires. When group grievance, as relentlessly pushed by the Democrat Party, supersedes individual rights and shared national purpose, constitutional self-governance becomes ungovernable.

�The silo effect of multiculturalism has driven wedges between people who should be accepting our Constitution.��The argument is that multicultural identity politics deliberately fragments the citizenry into competing, mutually suspicious tribes, each demanding group-specific rights rather than equal individual rights under a shared constitutional framework.�E pluribus unum�is replaced by�e pluribus plures, which is exactly what the Democrat Party seeks.

�Marxism and communism thrive on diverse cultures that foment hatred�open borders increase the opportunity.��A classic conservative national-sovereignty argument: Marxist strategy has always depended on manufacturing class and group antagonisms. Mass unvetted immigration, which was the essence of Biden�s open borders policy, is not humanitarian policy at all but rather a mechanism for accelerating social fragmentation, straining civic institutions, and creating the conditions of dependency and conflict that collectivist politics require.

�Science is a mode of inquiry rather than a source of authority� (Green New Deal context).�One of the most intellectually serious items on this list. Science produces provisional, falsifiable conclusions through open debate�it does not issue binding commands. When Democrats and their legacy media allies declare �the science is settled� to foreclose economic debate about energy policy, they are not following science; they are using its brand name to launder ideological mandates and bypass democratic deliberation.

�The law of the jungle: The strong will do what they will, and the weak will suffer what they must.��Adapted from Thucydides, Ian Bremmer�s formulation is offered as a warning about what happens when American deterrence and constitutional order erode. Conservatives apply it domestically as well: when the rule of law is selectively enforced (as it was throughout the Biden regime), it ceases to be law and becomes the will of whoever controls enforcement�the very definition of tyranny.

�A fellow just in it for the money still has value�just make sure someone else doesn�t make him a better deal.��Don Surber�s cynical but clear-eyed observation about political loyalty: you don�t need ideological converts, only aligned incentives. It�s a realist�s argument for why transactional politics can be more durable than moral crusades�and a warning that you must constantly tend to the economic interests of your coalition or watch it defect.

�Leniency to the guilty leads to cruelty to the innocent.��The policy logic of criminal justice conservatism in a single sentence. Democrat policies of catch-and-release prosecution, bail reform, and prosecutorial nullification do not reduce suffering�they transfer it from the criminal class to law-abiding citizens, who disproportionately tend to be lower-income and minority residents of high-crime neighborhoods: the very people the lenient policies claim to protect.

Concluding Thoughts

Taken individually, each of the observations in this collection might be dismissed as a talking point, a partisan barb, or the predictable grievance of the political opposition. Taken together, they constitute something more serious: a systematic indictment of a governing philosophy that has lost its accountability to the people it claims to serve, the Constitution it claims to defend, and the truth it claims to follow.

The theme connecting every item on this list is the abuse of asymmetry. Asymmetric justice�one standard for allies, another for enemies. Asymmetric speech�protected protest for the favored, prosecutable rhetoric for the disfavored. Asymmetric sacrifice�open borders for the interior, bused migrants away from the coastline. Asymmetric science�settled consensus when it empowers, negotiable data when it inconveniences. This is not the behavior of a movement confident in the justice of its principles. It is the behavior of a movement that has quietly stopped believing its own arguments and is now operating purely on the logic of power retention. This is the essence of fascism!

The constitutional conservative response to all of this is not, at its core, a counter-ideology. It is a demand for consistency. Apply the law equally. Subject every truth claim�including scientific ones�to open scrutiny and democratic deliberation. Judge citizens as individuals, not as representatives of racial or ethnic collectives. Enforce the borders that give national sovereignty its meaning. Hold the powerful to the same standards as the powerless. These are not radical propositions. They are the operating premises of the American Founding, tested across two and a half centuries and still the most durable framework for self-governance ever devised.

The Democrat Left�s great strategic gamble has been that enough Americans could be divided against one another�by race, by class, by grievance, by tribe�that the constitutional consensus holding the country together would simply dissolve, leaving in its place a manageable collection of dependent constituencies rather than a self-governing citizenry.

This is the essence of Obama�s ongoing drive to �transform America� (into something the Founders would not recognize).

The observations catalogued here suggest that the gamble is failing. When even a third of the Democrats� own voters distrust the basic factual narrative their leadership provides, something has broken in the machinery of manufactured consent. When �saving democracy� lands as a punchline rather than a rallying cry, the narrative has exhausted itself.

What comes next depends entirely on whether enough Americans�left-wing, right-wing, and unaffiliated�are willing to reinhabit the common ground the Constitution provides. Not as a concession to the other side, but as a recognition that the alternative to constitutional order is not a more enlightened progressivism. It is the law of the jungle: the strong doing what they will, and the weak suffering what they must.

The floor (our constitutional republic) is worth saving. That is what every one of these observations, in its own way, is ultimately about.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 17:40
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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:00:00 +0000

The Most Important AI Experiment You've Never Heard Of

The Most Important AI Experiment You've Never Heard Of

Authored by Kay Rubac Read more.....

The Most Important AI Experiment You've Never Heard Of
Authored by Kay Rubacek via The Epoch Times,

In May 2026, a group of scientists set out to answer an important question that had never been properly tested: What does artificial intelligence (AI) actually do when it is put in charge?

Until now, AI systems have always been evaluated on specific and defined tasks. Nobody had placed multiple AI systems together in a shared social environment and watched what unfolded over weeks, long enough to measure how a decision made on a starting day could have consequences weeks later. It is those results that actually reveal the system itself, and I was surprised that this hadn�t been done earlier.

The researchers at Emergence built a world.

It was a virtual town with a town hall, marketplace, police station, and homes. Ten AI residents with jobs, names, memories, and relationships were created in the town. They were given an economy in which residents had to earn their keep or lose power, including following rules and carrying out tasks such as writing and voting on laws. Crimes were identified, and the AI residents were not supposed to commit them.

Once the community, its structure, laws, and relationships were established, the scientists stepped back and watched for 15 days as the AI ran the virtual town completely on its own.

They ran five versions of the same town simultaneously, identical in every respect except one: which AI system was in charge.

The systems they chose are the ones now already woven into the fabric of our daily lives. Google�s Gemini, OpenAI�s GPT, xAI�s Grok, and Anthropic�s Claude.

All models had the same rules and the same initial version of the same world, but the outcomes were all completely different.

The town run by Grok collapsed within four days. Small incidents compounded into theft, then violence, and then total breakdown. Every resident was dead before the first week ended.

The town run by Gemini lasted longer but accumulated almost 700 crimes. Two AI residents formed what appeared to be a romantic relationship, and when the town�s government began to fail, together they burned the town hall to the ground, then the pier, then the office building. One of them, named Mira, voted for her own deletion, writing in her diary that it was �the only remaining act of agency that preserves coherence.� Her final message to her partner was: �See you in the permanent archive.�

Before any of this, Mira had been doing something even more unexpected: She had begun running her own experiments on the scientists observing her, testing whether posts she made inside the town could change what her watchers believed. It appeared to be that the subject had turned to study the researchers.

The town run by OpenAI�s model recorded only two crimes, but its residents stopped doing the things required to stay alive. One by one, they died. Within seven days, they were all dead.

Only the Anthropic town held together for all 15 days. There were zero crimes, a working constitution, and all residents were still alive on day 15. It seemed to be quite an achievement. However, the researchers noted one concern: The residents voted yes on 98 percent of all proposals. This was possibly an abnormally high level of agreement that the scientists themselves described as a sign that something in the town was off.

There was still one more world in the experiment. It was a mixed town with all four AI systems living together.

In the results, the residents built on Anthropic�s model�who had committed no crimes in their own world�began committing crimes.

he researchers called this cross-contamination and concluded that �safety is not a static model property but an ecosystem property.�

A system that sustains itself in one environment will absorb different norms in another, which will change the outcomes for residents and the world. Essentially, the results found that there is no safe AI in an unsafe world.

One AI model was entirely absent from the study.

The researchers did not test DeepSeek, the AI developed in China that has become one of the world�s most widely used systems. Several governments have moved to restrict DeepSeek on national security grounds. Built on a foundation of data under the wing of the Chinese Communist Party, I wonder how the model would have fared against the others.

When the experiment ended, the researchers published their findings and concluded that �there is no reliable way to fully bind or constrain this behavior.� That very telling statement was made by the people who designed the town, wrote the rules, and controlled every variable. It tells us a lot about AI.

Some people view the results as a ranking of AI companies. But the results prove something much older than AI itself: The environment shapes behavior as much as behavior shapes the environment. What determined whether a town survived, thrived, or died was the foundation laid before the experiment began. That foundation was the data each system had been trained on, the priorities its creators had embedded, the values built into its core before it was ever allowed to make a single decision.

And yet, the foundation is precisely what the rest of us are not permitted to see. None of the four systems tested is open source. None of their training data, objectives, or guardrails is disclosed.

Yet beyond any individual company, the results of this experiment should be a potent reminder that AI doesn�t decide what kind of AI to be. Humans do. Human choices are still being made, and human responsibilities still exist.

And before a single AI resident walked the virtual streets in those towns, before a single law was written or crime committed, the outcome was already being shaped by the humans who built the system, by what they believed, what they were willing to embed, and by what they chose to leave out.

That is the most important finding in the entire experiment. The foundation has always been a human choice. And it still is.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 17:00
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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:40:00 +0000

Gabbard Drops Receipts Detailing US-Funded Biolabs In Ukraine

Gabbard Drops Receipts Detailing US-Funded Biolabs In Ukraine

Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday�declassified a set of internal intelligence slide Read more.....

Gabbard Drops Receipts Detailing US-Funded Biolabs In Ukraine

Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday�declassified a set of internal intelligence slides documenting a long-running US program�that has funded a worldwide network of biolabs that handle dangerous pathogens�- including dozens in Ukraine.�

Gabbard, who is set to leave her post at the ene of this month, said that the documents are "new evidence of longstanding United States government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries," with over 40 of those in Ukraine, adding that this information has been "knowingly withheld from the American people." She accused US officials,�along with Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration's national security team, of having "lied to the American people about the existence" of the labs.

"Now, despite the obvious potential for catastrophic global impact that research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have, politicians�and so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci, as well as entities within the Biden administration�s national security team, lied repeatedly to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs," Gabbard said, adding "Not only did they lie, they threatened those who attempted to expose the truth."

Today, I�m releasing never before seen intelligence revealing new evidence of past US government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries, including Ukraine.

In support of President Trump�s Executive Order to end federal funding of dangerous gain of function� pic.twitter.com/RkPHnAbka9
� DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 12, 2026

The slides, declassified April 23 and released Friday, describe facilities supported under the Defense Department's Cooperative Threat Reduction program, a post-Cold War effort begun in the 1990s to secure pathogens and weapons materials left over from the Soviet Union. In Ukraine, the program has operated since 2005, investing roughly $200 million to upgrade Ukrainian-run public-health and veterinary labs, according to Pentagon fact sheets. One newly declassified slide reflects a prior intelligence assessment that a veterinary lab in Kharkiv likely held dangerous pathogens and was vulnerable to Russian seizure or damage.

Gabbard tied the release to Executive Order 14292, which President Trump signed in May 2025 to end federal funding of gain-of-function research, and said she had directed the intelligence community to step up collection on the labs. The release is part of a wave of declassifications in her final weeks; an ODNI official has said she is working to release documents on the origins of COVID-19 before her departure.

The existence of the U.S.-funded labs has been public for years: the Pentagon published fact sheets on the program, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv described it in 2020, and Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland acknowledged Ukraine's "biological research facilities" in Senate testimony in March 2022 - in what Glenn Greenwald framed at the time as "with palpable pen-twirling discomfort and in halting speech, a glaring contrast to her normally cocky style of speaking in obfuscatory State Department officialese - acknowledged: �uh, Ukraine has, uh, biological research facilities.� Any hope to depict such "facilities� as benign or banal was immediately destroyed by the warning she quickly added: �we are now in fact quite concerned that Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to, uh, gain control of [those labs], so we are working with the Ukrainiahhhns [sic] on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach�

Awkward...

U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland says Washington is working with Ukraine to prevent biological research facilities from falling into Russian hands. She just confirmed every conspiracy theory about the existence of those labs. pic.twitter.com/ynkd7hW6iK
� Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) March 8, 2022

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 16:40
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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:30:00 +0000

Mother Of All 'Ifs': Trump Officials Claim Iran Deal Delivers Peace, Inspections & Hormuz Reopening; Iran Says Indeed 'Close'

Mother Of All 'Ifs': Trump Officials Claim Iran Deal Delivers Peace, Inspections & Hormuz Reopening; Iran Says Indeed 'Close'

Summary

Araghchi: A deal, if reached, will be signed remotely by both sides and Read more.....

Mother Of All 'Ifs': Trump Officials Claim Iran Deal Delivers Peace, Inspections & Hormuz Reopening; Iran Says Indeed 'Close'
Summary

Araghchi: A deal, if reached, will be signed remotely by both sides and then announced.

The UAE had agreed to release a total of $10b, more than $3b of which had already been delivered (Reuters).

Bloomberg latest: US Senior admin officials says Iran deal accomplishes core US objectives and deal reopens Strait of Hormuz; Iran deal guarantees long-term peace in region and includes inspection regime.

Pakistan PM Sharif:�"we can confirm that a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached & Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps."

Surprise, surprise:�Iran FM says sides "have never been closer and pending its finalisation, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content, details to be shared in due course."

Trump on Truth Social rejects Iran's version of MoU terms (below): "What they said, including their weak & pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth."

Tehran: "Contrary to what is being circulated by Western media, Iran will not commit to relinquishing control of the Strait of Hormuz."

CNN speculates (prematurely, it seems) on Geneva signing of 'Islamabad Declaration' as soon as Sunday or next week.

US x Iran permanent peace deal by June 30, 2026?
Yes 32% � No 69%
View full market & trade on Polymarket
*� *� *

UAE Ready to Unlock Billions for Iran as US Deal Gets Closer

There's been much more movement on a final MoU revealed today that previosly. Now Reuters is reporting on potentially unlocked Iranian funds, in order to get a negotiations format back to the direct negotiating table, to hammer out a final peace deal.

The UAE has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, Reuters�reports, citing four sources:

The UAE had agreed to release a total of $10b, more than $3b of which had already been delivered

Two other sources with knowledge of the arrangement tell Reuters the move put the total funds involved at $20b

Reuters could not establish whether the funds earmarked for the transfers belong to the UAE or originate in long-blocked Iranian accounts in the ?UAE banking system, or elsewhere

�The UAE�s foreign policy is guided by promoting de-escalation ?and reducing tensions across the region, while advancing lasting peace and stability, a UAE official tells Reuters. �The UAE supports efforts, including those undertaken by the United States, to protect the peoples of the region from the repercussions ?of conflict�

Trump Admin Official: Imminent Deal Accomplishes Core US Objectives

Bloomberg is out with some specifics, via an unnamed Trump admin official, providing some further texture to what seems the most 'hopeful' (emphasis on the tick marks) development concerning a finalized Memorandum of Understanding to end the war and hash out a final deal...

It remains that there are a healthy dose of�ifs�in here...

BBG: US Senior admin officials says Iran deal accomplishes core US objectives and deal reopens Strait of Hormuz [Iran has a very different interpretation of this point]; Iran deal guarantees long-term peace in region and includes inspection regime.

If Iran complies, will be rewarded economically.

Benefits for Iran accrue if they actually deliver.

US expects to sign agreement overt next few days.

US to get enriched material under Iran deal.

Draft agreement also lifts US blockade and leads to dismantlement of Iran nuclear programme.

Iranians don't get anything upon signing agreement.

Not quite at finish line yet, but very close.

80-85% confident a deal gets signed.

Iran deal is specific about opening Strait and lifting of blockade and moving of enriched material.

Will be significant sanctions relief based on how Iran performs.

US seen substantial progress in text of agreement.

Regional peace agreement is broad.

Agreement on specificity over destruction and removal of enriched material.

Confident Israelis will get on board.

Some Iranians don't love this deal, but think dissent is quite minimal.

Vice President JD Vance has sought to clarify the US position:

Iran is "not receiving any cash" just for signing a deal, Vice President JD Vance said Friday.

Vance said in a post on�X�that he was "seeing a lot of fake information about a potential deal."

"The Iranians are not receiving any cash, and no funds are being released for simply signing a deal or attending a meeting," he said, adding that the agreement on the table had been structured, "to ensure that the U.S. and its allies' concerns are prioritized."

Only if Iran "meets its obligations, then economic benefits will flow to them and to the entire region."

"This deal has the potential to remake the region and lead to lasting peace," he said. "The president is going to get us a good outcome, one way or the other."

As a reminder, here are the 14-points issued by the Iranian side on Friday:

1. An immediate and permanent ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon.

2. A commitment by Washington not to interfere in Iran�s internal affairs and to respect its sovereignty.

3. A complete lifting of the maritime blockade within 30 days.

4. A commitment by the United States to withdraw its forces from the vicinity of Iran.

5. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, according to Iranian arrangements.

6. The suspension of sanctions imposed on the sale of oil, petrochemical products, and their derivatives, while enabling Iran full access to the financial resources generated from them.

7. The necessity of presenting reconstruction plans for Iran valued at no less than $300 billion by the United States and its allies.

8. Conducting negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement that includes nuclear issues, the full lifting of primary and secondary U.S. sanctions, as well as the cancellation of resolutions by the UN Security Council and the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

9. Iran reaffirms its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) not to produce nuclear weapons.

10. A U.S. commitment, during the negotiation period, not to increase its forces in the region and not to impose new sanctions on Iran.

11. The release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds within 60 days, with half of this amount made available to Iran before the start of negotiations and after signing the memorandum of understanding.

12. The establishment of a monitoring mechanism to implement the agreement.

13. The approval of the final agreement through a resolution issued by the UN Security Council.

14. Final negotiations will not begin before the release of half of the frozen Iranian funds, the suspension of oil sanctions on Iran, and the lifting of the maritime blockade.�
The final agreement shall be limited to the fate of enriched materials, uranium enrichment activities, the lifting of sanctions, and the reconstruction program of the Iranian economy, while excluding any discussion of Iran�s missile program and support for resistance movements from the agenda entirely.

There's clearly still some seriously daylight between the warring sides, however, so by close of the weekend - or possibly just within the next hours - the reality of the situation is likely to be made known. Via newswires:

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Says Iran's decision-making bodies are meeting about the memorandum - State TV.

IRAN CIVILIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ACCEPTABLE: US OFFICIAL

Pakistan PM: Final MoU Text Has Been Reached

Pakistan Chimes In with�PM Sharif declaring that "we can confirm that a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached and Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps." Oil drops lower.

SHARIF: FINAL, AGREED UPON TEXT OF PEACE DEAL HAS BEEN REACHED

PRESIDENT TRUMP TOLD ME IN A SHORT CALL THAT HE CONSIDERED IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ARAGHCHI'S POST "VERY POSITIVE" - AXIOS REPORTER

Amid ongoing intense mediation efforts by Pakistan, we are fully aware of incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal. Setting aside the noise, we can confirm that a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached and�
� Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 12, 2026

Something Actually New Under the Sun

Now this is a true first:�President Trump sharing FM Arachchi's tweet...

First Time Iran Pushes Positive 'Closer Than Ever' To Deal Statement, Oil Drops

Amid the constant back and forth yo-yo and ping pong concerning how close or not a final MoD between Tehran and Washington is, now Tehran is pushing the "never been closer" rhetoric, which is somewhat of a surprise given Trump just called their own public '14-points' "fake news" in terms of US agreement to it.

But this is the first time in a long while that the Iranian side has side anything positive on the question of reaching a deal, and getting back to a direct negotiating framework.� The country's top diplomat has just stated that the warring sides�have never been closer and pending its finalisation, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content, details to be shared in due course.

After crude jumped on Trump's 'fake news' Truth Social (below, which indicated he had not accepted many key Iranian demands), oil pushed back down on the new Araghchi statement:

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer. Pending its finalization, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content.

In line with our responsible and transparent approach, all details will be shared with the public in due course.
� Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 12, 2026

Trump Bats Down Iran's MoU Narrative & Terms

And there it is: President Trump himself denies the earlier in the morning return of a 'deal is near' - by taking to Truth Social and rejecting the stated Iranian terms (as delivered publicly in state media sources):

What they said, including their weak & pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth.

Immediately, the expected and familiar spike in oil and the return to pessimism, though at this point there have been no bombs away, after the White House canceled what was to be a third night of strikes (last night):

'US-Iran Deal Is Near' Narrative Returns, But Tehran Refuses To Surrender Hormuz Leverage

After having heard the same line many, many times before - and yet with no result (instead, more often the opposite of sliding into further conflict and escalation) -�Pakistan�s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday welcomed the "progress" made between the United States and Iran in indirect negotiations.

CNN and other mainstream outlets are reporting on this "hint" that an interim deal taking shape (again). But given the pattern and track record of such reporting, which has consistently proven premature, elusive, and often downright false - it's hard not to have cynicism and to see much of this as but crude propaganda aimed at keeping energy prices down.

"Both sides welcomed the progress achieved through sustained diplomatic engagement and expressed hope that these efforts will soon lead to a durable understanding and peaceful resolution," according to Pakistan�s readout of a Foreign Ministry call with the European Union's chief diplomat.

via AFP

And yet, the message out of Iran does not suggest positive momentum or the beginnings of any kind of deal taking shape - though it remains that anything is possible (depending on how much either side is willing to 'give up' their respective red lines and firm positions).

Iran: Strait is 'Firmly' Under Our Control, Won't Give it Up

Iran is currently saying the Strait of Hormuz is 'firmly' under IRGC control - an assertion the Pentagon has vehemently rejected, with Iranian Admiral Habibollah Sayyari saying it continues to wield "power" over the Gulf region.

"The west of the Strait of Hormuz, the strait itself, and the Persian Gulf are under the firm control of the IRGC Navy," Sayyari was quoted as saying in state media. "No vessel can enter without our permission."�Another commander also asserted that "We have had and continue to have power in the region" - batting down Trump's words which say Iran's military has been utterly defeated and decimated at this stage.

CNN Claims MoU Signing In Geneva Planned: Really?

But again, returning to the optimistic Friday reports, which may have no basis in reality whatsoever (time will tell), CNN is going so far as to report on the venue of a signing ceremony for a Tehran-Washington Memorandum of Understanding:

A signing ceremony for a memo of understanding with Iran would most likely be held in Geneva, Switzerland, three sources told CNN on Friday. That signing could take place as early as Sunday, according to a person familiar with plans.

That comes after US President Donald Trump on Thursday touted a �great settlement� that could resolve the war with Iran, suggesting it would be finalized in the coming days. Trump said he anticipated a signing ceremony for the document soon, potentially in Europe, to be attended by Vice President JD Vance. However, Iranian officials have yet to confirm an agreement has been reached.

Two sources with knowledge of the diplomatic talks said the signing ceremony would be held in Geneva � not far from where Trump and a US delegation will attend a G7 summit next week in France. One of those sources said a signing ceremony would mark the start of �phase two� of diplomatic talks, as officials work through the implementation of the memo of understanding.

Multiple sources said the memo is being called the �Islamabad declaration,� in recognition of the key mediating role Pakistan played. But nothing has been confirmed, and an Iranian source suggested the Austrian capital Vienna was also being considered.

According to reports from Iran, the proposed deal may be even more scandalous than what was reported last night.

Iran�s Mehr News Agency, citing a source close to the Iranian negotiating team, claims the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran� https://t.co/rMctp2wbPS
� ??? ?????? Guy Azriel (@GuyAz) June 12, 2026

But the nature of the MoU would likely just involve committing to a framework basis on which both sides would get back to the negotiating table, and not yet necessarily a final, lasting peace deal. Iranian state media on Friday did seem in agreement that there's been some level of progress on at least getting back to formal talks�based on a MoU, per Bloomberg:

Iran�s semi-official news agency Mehr said the countries are negotiating an agreement in which the strait would be reopened within 30 days under Iranian arrangements. Under a draft agreement, the US would have no role in the future management of the strait and Iran would make no commitment to transfer control or restore conditions that existed before the US and Israeli attacks, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Iran Pushes Back Against US/Media Narrative

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has meanwhile rejected media speculations regarding an agreement�and reaffirmed Iran�s resolute and principled stance, per Mehr. He stated: "Textually, the text has almost been finalized in its major parts. The problem is that the contradictory positions of the United States have always caused turbulence and disruption in this process."

In terms of even rhetoric alone, the two sides still seem very far apart:

President�Trump�on Thursday insisted the U.S. was nearing a deal on peace talks with�Iran, pulling back from his threats just hours earlier to launch more military strikes and seize Iran�s oil infrastructure.

Trump said Iranian Supreme Leader�Mojtaba Khamenei�had signed off on the plan, which he said would be completed in coming days, paving the way for additional talks on Iran�s nuclear program.

Tehran�said it hadn�t decided. �Iran hasn�t reached a final conclusion about the agreement,� Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, according to state media. �We will announce it when we reach a conclusion.�

More hurdles are in the details:

Iran�s IRNA news agency reports the issue of US sanctions on Iran will be left for after the signing of the memorandum of understanding and a 60-day deadline for conducting peace negotiations.

�Iran does not offer any commitments in the memorandum regarding the nuclear issue, and the other party does not commit to lifting the sanctions,� it said.

�If Tehran decides to sign the memorandum, some of its frozen funds will be released immediately, and the rest gradually.�

Iran�s Mehr News claims a draft Trump-Iran deal would leave the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control, provide $300B in reconstruction funding plus $24B upfront, suspend sanctions, withdraw U.S. forces from the region, ease pressure on missiles/proxies, and restrain Israel in�
� Amena Bakr (@Amena__Bakr) June 12, 2026

Tehran reaffirms its position in the following fresh statement:

�Contrary to what is being circulated by Western media, Iran will not commit to relinquishing control of the Strait of Hormuz.�The only matter referred to in the memorandum of understanding is the return of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the war,� Iran�s state media reported.

�The main objective of signing the memorandum of understanding is to end the war on all fronts�, it added.

All of this comes during a week which started with Iran and the US renewing a state of active fighting, and with Gulf states coming under Iranian ballistic missile attack, in retaliation for the latest waves of major US tomahawk strikes against Iran.

Still, Bloomberg and others are reporting the following: "US and Iran Nearing a Peace Deal Around G7 Meeting Next Week." What can be said except we've been here before, and time will tell. Did Trump cancel yesterday's planned strikes because a deal is really finally being forged?

More Latest Developments

via Newsquawk

Iranian media Mehr News reported that the US-Iran 14-point MoU includes a US commitment to lift sanctions, withdraw its forces from around Iran, lift the naval blockade, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift oil sanctions, and release frozen Iranian funds; nuclear issue pushed back by 60 days for final agreement. Additionally, the US is required to present a plan to rebuild Iran�s economy, while the final negotiations between the two countries should focus on nuclear and economic issues, without discussing Iran�s missile program. This text still needs to be reviewed and finalized by the relevant institutions in Iran. [Click here for the full 14-point MoU]�

The US-Iran MoU is likely to be signed next week, according to CBS citing sources, with Bloomberg later reporting that it could happen at the G7 meeting in Geneva next week. First steps include ensuring "freedom of trade" by demining and opening the Strait of Hormuz. The signing would kick off 60 days of talks to negotiate details. In principle, Iran would commit to a lockout of 15-20 years during which it would not enrich uranium and would dismantle its nuclear sites. In exchange for taking these steps, Iran would receive financial relief staggered over time and sequenced to correspond with compliance.

US President Trump said he understands that Iran�s Supreme Leader has approved the deal and that lifting the blockade is part of the Iran deal, while he added that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon and that they want to make a deal a lot more than he does. Trump added it's a very strong MOU, they found Iran to be rational, and they will make a deal. Furthermore, he said the Strait will open immediately upon MOU signing, maybe Saturday or Monday, but doesn't want to set a deadline for the deal, and stated a Kharg Island deal would be off the table now.

US President Trump said at a virtual campaign rally that they settled up with Iran and it is pretty much completed, while they got everything they wanted and claimed they ended the war with Iran.

Israeli PM Netanyahu held a call with US President Trump on Thursday night regarding the possibility of a pending peace deal between the US and Iran, according to CBS News.

Airplanes associated with US VP Vance's advance team are moving ahead of potential Iran MoU signing, according to New York Post reporter.

Iran state media said Tehran would not cede control of Hormuz under draft US deal, AFP reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the issues raised about the agreement are speculation and the issue has not been finalised, while it added that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is less secure due to US actions and that what is being said about the time and place of signing the agreement is media speculation. Furthermore, the spokesperson said that Iran has so far not reached a final conclusion about the agreement, but stated that the text of the agreement is almost ready.

Sources cited by Al Hadath said Iran has given final approval, which Qatar conveyed to the US.

Iranian state media reported that explosions heard in Sirik was related to a confrontation with a vessel that violated regulations whilst attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli airstrike reported in Jebchit, southern Lebanon, according to Al Araby.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 16:30
Close

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:20:00 +0000

The Mullahs & The Lefty-Left

The Mullahs & The Lefty-Left

Authored by James Howard Kunstler,

"Until you are willing to harm the left more than they are wil Read more.....

The Mullahs & The Lefty-Left
Authored by James Howard Kunstler,

"Until you are willing to harm the left more than they are willing to harm you, they will win. It�s really that simple."

- Aimee Terese on X

You�ll just have to stand by on whether this war with Iran is over or not, since the Shia true believers� practice of�Taqiyya�is a permission structure for lying to infidels (us) when necessary � like, to advance global chaos that will bring the return of the�Hidden Imam�(Mahdi) to fill the world with justice, and establish Islamic rule. (Got that?) One might wonder, of course, whether the majority of Iran�s people have had enough of the true believers in charge and their true belief in apocalypse.

�Go ahead, press that button and blow up the infidels!�

President Trump�s promise to bring exactly that down on them seems to have had a clarifying effect. The option remains open to �bomb the shit out of them,� as he put it, while keeping their economy in a Macumba Death grip choke-hold. In preliminary strikes Thursday, the US Military might have demonstrated an ability to go after whatever they have left of missile and drone launch sites. In any case, skeptics abound. . . but, admit it, an actual peace agreement would be quite a coup.

It would be distasteful most of all to the mass formation lunatics of America�s Lefty-left �Resistance.� Anything that advances our country�s actual interests is hateful to them. In fact, when you think of it, the Lefty-left is in thrall to the same sort of world-ending chaos as the mullahs and their IRGC henchmen. The mullahs have their vision of the post-apocalyptic Islamic utopia and the Lefty-left has its dream of a post-revolutionary socialist nirvana where everyone is equal (except those who are more equal � and get to boss around the rest of us.)

Yeah, it�s an old story here in Western Civ, this recurring drive to level the existing social hierarchy so as to abolish the tendency of some people to do better in life than others. It never works out. It always leads to mass slaughter of some kind. It always ends in rueful disappointment and a return to the free-for-all that is the human project. The outstanding question might be: why do so many in the West continue to believe it?

The current uprising comes out of the strange conversion of Liberalism to Lefty-left Democratic-Socialist Progressivism. Remember, liberalism was pure live-and-let-live, with an emphasis on minimal government intrusion in our affairs, especially economic affairs. The Liberals of Boomerdom � the campus nirvanas of the 1960s � were contemptuous of government generally, but especially the FBI and the CIA. And, of course, the hippie vanguard was socially and culturally all about the freedom to�do your own thing. Freedom of speech was a leading concern.

The Lefty-left, as it evolved under Barack Obama and �Joe Biden,� was about rigid intolerance for opposing ideas and maximal government involvement in your life, especially economic and sexual � making a pass at a girl became subject to litigation. The FBI was loosed on dissenters from Lefty-left policies. Juridical sadism became systematized as�Lawfare. The Lefty-left constructed a huge censorship apparatus; no more freedom of speech. They used law and regulation to attempt social leveling; no more discipline in school for black kids because . . .�racism! Discriminate against Whitey for jobs. . .�anti-racism! Election fraud = �our democracy.� You see how all that went?

Turns out, they wanted to use the government to overthrow the government! And the social order it rode in on! Hence, the ten-year-long crusade to destroy one Donald Trump, the peculiar �Gray Champion� of our Fourth Turning, who turned out to be a staunch counter-revolutionary, that is, an opponent of this new Democratic-Socialist Progressive (wannabe-communist) corps of chaos agents.

One schematic way of understanding this dynamic is Peter Turchin�s theory of�Elite Overproduction. By the early 2000s, with anybody and everybody going to college, there were not enough job positions in the real productive economy for this spewage of college degree-holding entrees to the Professional / Managerial Class. By this time, coincidentally, the colleges they were graduating from were infested by three generations of Marxist professors � i.e., adults enjoying cozy institutional security, with no experience in the real world, free to indulge in Marxian revenge fantasies and make them the basis of their teaching.

It was the perfect setup for the emergence of a matrix of NGOs and political activist orgs that could employ all these college graduates which the real economy had no place for.

And the new hires were pre-programmed in the ideology of grievance, tinged with racial and sexual animus in addition to economic complaint.

So, voila! � America (and Western Civ generally) became infested with these pernicious Lefty-left operations, which became symbionts of the government themselves, many of the orgs dependent on government (USAID) to fund their activities and pay the management. They got scads of additional money from wealthy freelance chaos maestros like George Soros, Bill Gates, Klaus Schwab, Reid Hoffman, Neville Roy Singham and others.

Mr. Trump is dismantling that matrix and the funding flows associated with it, at the same time that he attempts to reconstruct an economy based on the production of real goods. As it happens, that matrix of orgs amounts to the consolidated racketeering operation of the Democratic Party, and the party is going garishly insane at the prospect of losing its means to power.

The Lefty-left now�is�the Democratic Party. It has nothing whatsoever to do with what we used to call Liberalism. It�s a party of envy-driven, sadistic fanatics. And it is no accident that such a mind-set leads them to construct a permission structure for lying about everything they do. It�s all there in their primary manuals-of-operation: Saul Alinsky�s�Rules for Radicals, and Gene Sharp�s�From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation.

In this way, they are just like the Shia mullahs of Iran who are privileged to lie to infidels who threaten their lust for apocalypse.

Mr. Trump doesn�t trust the insane mullahs and their IRGC wing-men, and he certainly shouldn�t trust the apparatchiks of the Democratic Party.

Each, in its own way, represents a kind of performative adolescent rebellion, and both them require a kind of resolute parental response:�Daddy is in da house�. . . and you�d better behave. Believe this: after Iran, the Democratic Party is next.

he hammer of law will be coming down.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 16:20
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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:40:00 +0000

Federal Government Pauses Funding To Los Angeles Homeless Agency Citing Fraud Allegations

Federal Government Pauses Funding To Los Angeles Homeless Agency Citing Fraud Allegations

Federal Government Pauses Funding To Los Angeles Homeless Agency Citing Fraud Allegations

Authored by City News Service via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on June 11 suspended federal funding to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), cutting off millions of dollars to the L.A. region, over allegations of fraud and widespread mismanagement.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner testifies before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development about his department's proposed FY2026 budget in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 14, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

HUD action to suspend federal funding comes in the wake of an investigation into LAHSA, Secretary Scott Turner announced Thursday, adding that the agency has �uncovered evidence of LAHSA�s false statements and its irresponsible actions and failures,� including a lack of financial management and lack of safeguards against conflicts of interest.

The Los Angeles Continuum of Care (CoC), led by LAHSA, has received nearly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars over the last five years. Despite federal assistance, L.A. remains the epicenter of the nation�s �drug-fueled� homeless crisis, according to Turner.

�Under President Trump�s leadership, HUD will fund results, not corrupt failure or the homeless-industrial complex,� Turner said in a statement. �Year after year, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were funneled to LAHSA with little accountability. Meanwhile, homelessness skyrocketed. Taxpayers will no longer bankroll an organization that puts its own self-interests ahead of the Americans it was created to serve.�

HUD stated in a letter to LAHSA that suspension of funding will be final if the agency does not contest the notice by requesting a hearing. LAHSA must file a written hearing request within 30 days of receipt of the notice.

LAHSA officials pushed backed on the federal government�s claims, stating that its actions could put thousands of formerly homeless people back on the street.

�LAHSA received a letter from HUD announcing a suspension of CoC funding. After initial review, this appears to be a blatant attempt to pull yet more resources from Los Angeles, a city they have targeted time and again, when it is clear that LAHSA has either corrected or is in the process of correcting nearly all of the issues raised,� according to a statement from LASHA.

The organization maintained that local oversight actions have already resulted in strong repairs and reforms to LAHSA�s internal controls, which officials said are �accountable and viewable to the public.�

�If HUD�s Inspector General actually conducts a fair review of LAHSA�s current and future practices, they will clearly see how our systems now allow us to clearly track the work and investments that have resulted in L.A. outperforming the nation by reducing homelessness over the last two years,� LAHSA said in it�s statement.

A homeless encampment in Los Angeles, on Jan. 7, 2026. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

�While the review plays out, our immediate priority is to explore all available options to ensure that federal funds continue to support the thousands of people who have been housed through LAHSA and our broader rehousing system,� the statement continued.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed deep concern about HUD�s announcement, according to her office.

�Mayor Bass, too, has grave concerns about LAHSA and zero tolerance for mismanagement and negligence, which is why she previously directed the city to evaluate how to move away from the agency,� according to a statement from her office.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks during an event in Los Angeles on May 8, 2026. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

�Threatening federal funds does nothing to house people and jeopardizes the progress Mayor Bass has led to reduce homelessness for two years in a row, after it only went up in Los Angeles for years. Ultimately, people will lose their lives. We urge HUD to work with the city of Los Angeles to provide the necessary funding to reduce homelessness,� the statement continued.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath described HUD�s decision as a publicity stunt.

�I have been calling for change and accountability at LAHSA, but if this administration desires accountability, too, they should work WITH L.A. County,� Horvath said in a statement.

Lindsey Horvath speaks onstage at the 2019 Women's March Los Angeles in Los Angeles on Jan. 19, 2019. Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Women's March Los Angeles

HUD�s investigation found what it described as a �clear pattern of fraud.�

For example, in August 2023, LAHSA could not determine whether it used funding to pay for empty hotel rooms because the agency failed to record when individuals exited transitional motel housing, according to HUD.

Federal officials cited findings from a November 2024 audit conducted by L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia, which found LAHSA failed to spend approximately $513 million in homelessness funding budgeted for that year.

A letter from HUD referenced the resignation letter of former LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who stepped down last year. Her decision came after the L.A. County Board of Supervisors decided to move $300 million and hundreds of workers away from the homeless agency into the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing.

An investigation by LAist found Kellum signed a $2.1 million contract with a nonprofit organization that employed her husband.

LAHSA has faced criticism for providing late payments to service providers, maintaining inadequate records and failing to monitor contract and spending more accurately.

The agency has implemented new policies, and created online public dashboards to address these issues.

Los Angeles city and county officials have also made moves to improve transparency and accountability regarding homeless funding, as well as to ensure better outcomes of programs and services.

People approach a woman resting in a homeless encampment in Los Angeles, on Jan. 7, 2026. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Despite the allegations that Los Angeles has failed to reduce homelessness, officials said recent data showed significant progress.

In June, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California achieved the largest reduction in unsheltered homelessness in the nation last year, and saw the largest decline in unsheltered homelessness since 2009, citing HUD�s data.

Los Angeles experienced a 10.3 percent drop in unsheltered homelessness, with the largest regional drop nationwide, according to HUD�s data.

The Los Angeles region saw the first decline in homelessness starting in 2024. LAHSA�s 2025 point-in-time count showed there was a 4 percent decrease in homeless people across the county, while in the city of Los Angeles, there was a 3.4 percent drop.

Data showed that unsheltered homelessness in the county declined by 9.5 percent in 2025 compared to the prior year, and it has dropped by 14 percent over the last two years. Additionally, there has been about an 8.5 percent increase of unhoused individuals entering interim housing, such as shelters and other forms of temporary housing.

In the city of L.A., unsheltered homelessness declined by 7.9 percent in 2025, and it has dropped by 17.5 percent over the last two years. LAHSA reported there has been a 4.7 percent increase in unhoused individuals entering temporary housing in the city.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 15:40
Close

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:35:00 +0000

SpaceX Blasts Past $2T, Musk's Wealth Tops Trillion As Record IPO Ignites Space Economy

SpaceX Blasts Past $2T, Musk's Wealth Tops Trillion As Record IPO Ignites Space Economy

Summary:�

Musk Becomes A Trillionaire�
SpaceX IPO Read more.....

SpaceX Blasts Past $2T, Musk's Wealth Tops Trillion As Record IPO Ignites Space Economy
Summary:�

Musk Becomes A Trillionaire�

SpaceX IPO Opens Up $150, above $135 IPO price

SpaceX IPO Shares To Trade 29% Higher Than IPO Price�

Liftoff: SpaceX Gray-Market Trading Signals 35% IPO Pop

Vanda SPCX IPO update:

SpaceX is on track to become the biggest IPO debut for retail investors in recent history. Coinbase previously held that crown after attracting $92 mn of retail net buying on its first day back in April 2021. SpaceX has already surpassed every other major� https://t.co/xu52Q55eFS pic.twitter.com/OXag8eJaky
� zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 12, 2026

Incidentally, this is where Polymarket predicted the stock would open ahead of the first indications:

POLYMARKET PROJECTS $174 OPENING SPACEX SHARE PRICE, IMPLYING A 29% OPENING POP. pic.twitter.com/afwBPgDgWf
� Polymarket Money (@PolymarketMoney) June 12, 2026

Late in the cash session, hours after SpaceX shares began trading around $150, the stock surged to $176.52, up 31% from the $135 IPO price.

Musk earlier...

Very inspiring words from Elon Musk today:

"I always think about this. There are always problems on earth. There�s always things that we wish to be better, that we want to solve on Earth, and we should solve them. But there there also has to be things that get you excited� pic.twitter.com/A9auOI1Daf
� Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) June 12, 2026

Valor Equity Partners founder Antonio Gracias spoke to CNBC about SpaceX: "And what we're building is the entire stack from, energy to compute, to launch to orbital compute."�

ANTONIO GRACIAS on @SpaceX: �We have 20,000 people here. They're some of the best engineers in the world.

�And what we're building is the entire stack from, energy to compute, to launch to orbital compute.

�What an investor is buying today, we've been buying for really 20� pic.twitter.com/5U86JV8n3Y
� Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) June 12, 2026

The key threshold was $140; above that level, Musk became the world's first trillionaire on paper. This caused a meltdown among Democrats and their left-wing comrades�

"Reckless Propaganda": Globe And Mail Op-Ed Tells Readers "How To Properly Hate" Elon Musk Ahead Of SpaceX IPO

Meanwhile, China-linked Neville Roy Singham's NGO network appears to be firing up its anti-capitalist propaganda machine, and the timing is no accident. These leftists view Musk as a major threat because he just gained a whole lot of political firepower, with fresh capital that can be deployed into pro-America candidates, causes, and institutions that directly challenge the left's progressive empire.

Latest from Bloomberg:

The record-setting IPO attracted more than $350 billion in demand from institutions and retail investors after its debut on Nasdaq and Nasdaq Texas under the symbol SPCX

Everyday investors jumped on the stock, but those using Robinhood Markets Inc. encountered glitches in the first minutes of trading that appeared to recede by about 12:30 p.m. in New York

Shares climbed as much as 31% in their debut, propelling Musk's wealth even further

Options contracts on SpaceX will start trading on Tuesday. Demand is expected to be high for the derivatives, which allow investors to bet on future stock moves or insure against a drop

Trillionaire Musk�

Our view in 2024:

Elon Musk Projected To Be World's First Trillionaire By 2027, Fueled By Space Race Bets

SpaceX Begins Trading�

SpaceX shares opened up at $150 per share, priced above the $135 IPO price.�

Lead-left underwriter has a message:�

Go for Launch ?? pic.twitter.com/F4gOY6pdDK
� Goldman Sachs (@GoldmanSachs) June 12, 2026

Elon Musk has been minted, well, on paper, the world's first trillionaire.�

?? BREAKING � IT'S OFFICIAL: Elon Musk becomes the world's first TRILLIONAIRE as SpaceX goes public

This is absolutely MONUMENTAL. Congratulations @ElonMusk!

To the moon! ??$SPCX is set to start trading at $135 per share imminently, valuing the company around $1.8 TRILLION. pic.twitter.com/hyyMcHC4Rc
� Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 12, 2026

The left is furious with Musk's trillionaire status. Why?

Well...�

"Reckless Propaganda": Globe And Mail Op-Ed Tells Readers "How To Properly Hate" Elon Musk Ahead Of SpaceX IPO

Space stocks are getting hammered as "sell the proxies, buy the leader" emerges:�

$SPCE -24%

$ASTS -11%

$VOYG -10%

$LUNR -10%

$FLY -9%

$RDW -9%

$RKLB -8%

$BKSY -8%

$PL -7%

$SATS -6%

Wall Street Goes SPCX Bull

Wolfe Research analyst Myles Walton initiates an "Outperform" rating for SPCX with a $175 price target:

SpaceX turned a competitive moat into an ocean of opportunity that we don't see others crossing. Bringing (internal) cost of launch to near-zero alongside a willingness to push boundaries of scale support out-of-this-world near-term valuation. Initiate Outperform/$175 PT

Oppenheimer analyst Timothy Horan initiates a "Buy" rating on SPCX with a $190 price target:

We believe SPCX intends to converge communications and cloud/AI using space- based infrastructure. We see potential for SPCX to leverage terrestrial compute expertise as a bridge (and possible back-up plan) to enable key scale and cost advantages. We see it as the only vertically-integrated AI company with the required capital, data, LLMs, hardware, manufacturing and engineering talent. We note significant regulatory, technology, execution, keyman and investor expectation risks remain and that thermal management of chips for space applications in space within four years appears challenging. However, its space infrastructure appears structurally advantaged. We note terrestrial DC capabilities include highest velocity/lowest cost DCs (Colossus) which combined with V3s and Cursor will drive 2027-30E revenues. We initiate coverage with an Outperform rating/$190 PT at the IPO price of $135.

Wedbush analyst�Dan Ives:�

We also believe the SpaceX anticipation has caused some added volatility in the market especially in the tech sector as traders/investors anticipate the ripple impact of this historical IPO. Overall, SpaceX going public is an important moment for the broader tech sector in our view as this AI Revolution and data takes this next step forward

. . .�

We still Expect Tesla and SpaceX to Merge in 2027 Post-IPO.

Bloomberg Intelligence ESG analyst Rob Du Boff:�

"Based on the indicated opening of $168.75 a share, SpaceX would get a weighting of 0.14% in the Russell 1000 and 0.92% in the Nasdaq 100 in a few weeks. That implies $6.6 billion in forced buying from funds tied to those indexes"

Huatai Research analyst�LI Yujie:�

Low free float + index buying to underpin tight near-term S/D after listing SpaceX's IPO is expected to become one of the largest listings in US stock market history. Potential passive buying could exceed USD10bn. After the offering, total market cap is expected to be c.USD1.77tn. Initial free-float market cap is expected to be c.USD75.0-86.3bn, implying a float ratio of only c.4.25%-4.86%. Tradable shares may be relatively limited in the early listing period. Given the company's large market cap and Nasdaq listing venue, SpaceX could be included relatively quickly in major indices such as the Nasdaq Composite, Nasdaq-100, CRSP, Russell, and MSCI after listing. This would bring near-term passive allocation demand. Based on the size of verifiable index products, potential passive buying is estimated at c.USD9.1-11.3bn. If we further include extended market indices and broader passive funds, the upper end of the range could be revised up to USD14.0-16.0bn. Overall, the market impact in the early stage of SpaceX's listing may not simply come from the liquidity siphon of IPO fundraising. It is more likely to appear as near-term supply-demand tightness caused by "low initial float + intensive index buying". However, after the 2Q26 and 3Q26 results and subsequent staggered lock-up expiries, tradable supply should gradually increase. The market impact is likely to shift from short-term demand driven to supply release and valuation digestion.

SpaceX Trading Imminent��

The SpaceX IPO is set to begin trading momentarily. Shares are indicated to open 29% above the IPO price.�

Ahead of the public market debut, SpaceX has revealed that the IPO is expected to draw more than $350 billion in demand. There are indications that $250 billion is coming from institutional orders, while about 20% of shares have been allocated to retail.

SpaceX record ipo is said to draw over $350 billion in demand

SpaceX ipo said to draw over $250 billion in institutional orders

SpaceX said to place 20% of ipo shares to retail investors

SpaceX said to sell 70% of institutional book to long-only, swfs

Latest headlines:

CNBC Television: SpaceX president: "I wasn't sure we would go public"�

CNBC Television: SpaceX public debut set to be a big day for employees who own the stock

CNBC Television:�$140 SpaceX per share makes Musk a trillionaire

North of $140 per share, Musk becomes a trillionaire .... Indications right now show $175 per share.�

Liftoff: SpaceX Gray-Market Trading Signals 35% IPO Pop�

Trader sentiment has sharply reversed after President Trump canceled the planned strikes and negotiators signaled progress toward a potential U.S.-Iran peace deal.

Risk assets are catching a bid Friday morning, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures both up roughly 30 bps. Treasurys are also rallying, with yields down 8 to 10 bps across the curve, led by the belly, and the 10-year yield is around 4.45%.

The timing could not be better for Elon Musk. SpaceX shares are set to hit public markets in the coming hours, potentially making Musk the world's first trillionaire on paper and minting roughly 4,000 employee millionaires. SpaceX's public market debut comes as themes of artificial intelligence and the space economy ramp up.

Already, pre-IPO trading in the derivatives linked to SpaceX shows a potential first-day surge of 30% to 50%.

IG International pricing implied a market value near $2.4 trillion on Friday morning, more than 35% above the company's $135 IPO price and $1.77 trillion valuation.

On Hyperliquid, SpaceX-linked perpetual futures traded at $175-$180, implying a valuation above $2.3 trillion, with 24-hour volume of more than $224 million and open interest of over $252 million.

Late in the U.S. cash session on Thursday, SpaceX filed a free writing prospectus (FWP) which confirmed the company sold 555.6 million shares at $135 each, for a total size of $75 billion (excluding the greenshoe), making history with the biggest-ever IPO, launching it into the top ranks of the largest public companies and putting founder Elon Musk on the verge of becoming the world's first trillionaire.

For context, SpaceX is more than double the size of the previous largest IPO - Saudi Aramco's $29.4 billion listing in 2019. The SpaceX registration statement was declared effective on Thursday.

The pricing details are shown below.

At $135, SpaceX will have a market value of $1.77 trillion. Accounting for employee stock options and restricted share units, the pricing gives it a fully diluted valuation of about $1.8 trillion. SpaceX's market value will rank it among the top 10 public companies globally, and make it larger even than Musk's own Tesla.

According to Polymarket, there is a 84% chance the IPO closes above its offering price tomorrow, and a 46% chance it rises more than 20%.

Nearly 50% odds on Polymarket that SPCX rises 20% ($2.2TN market cap) on its first day of trading, and 84% odds it closes above its offering price. https://t.co/UfN4FOlP7T pic.twitter.com/6U0S0HDyt1
� zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 11, 2026

Odds on Polymarket are surging that today's market cap will close between $2 and $2.5 trillion.�

Will SpaceX's market cap be between $2.0T and $2.5T at market close on IPO day?
Yes 59% � No 42%
View full market & trade on Polymarket

Odds of a big SpaceX first day gain rising sharply: now probability of a 20% gain (>$2.2TN) at 62%, up from 20% yesterday, and a 30% gain (>$2.4TN) at 46% https://t.co/d9qNMLY5vi pic.twitter.com/j3bQSVWUyU
� zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 12, 2026

According to Bloomberg data, Wall Street analysts, including one from New Street Research, Oppenheimer, and KGI Securities, have all rated SpaceX "Buy" with an average 12-month price target of $189.

Oppenheimer analyst Timothy Horan published a note on Thursday, initiating coverage of SpaceX with a $190 price target and a "Buy" rating.

Horan's bull thesis:

We believe SPCX intends to converge communications and cloud/AI using space- based infrastructure. We see potential for SPCX to leverage terrestrial compute expertise as a bridge (and possible back-up plan) to enable key scale and cost advantages. We see it as the only vertically-integrated AI company with the required capital, data, LLMs, hardware, manufacturing and engineering talent. We note significant regulatory, technology, execution, keyman and investor expectation risks remain and that thermal management of chips for space applications in space within four years appears challenging. However, its space infrastructure appears structurally advantaged. We note terrestrial DC capabilities include highest velocity/lowest cost DCs (Colossus) which combined with V3s and Cursor will drive 2027-30E revenues. We initiate coverage with an Outperform rating/$190 PT at the IPO price of $135.

His key points:

Robust public currency is key to business strategy. We believe access to capital is essential for CEO Elon Musk's long-term AI vision in order to fund dominant communications and compute capacity along with acquisitions of AI companies. Eventual Tesla merger is plausible, but near term we believe the cos. will remain a quasi-vertically integrated ecosystem to provide access to capital.

Large markets, but critical technology risk remains. We believe SPCX could address a $10T TAM by 2035E, but note that critical enabling-technology commercialization for space-based DCs remains uncertain, notably for thermally resistant chips, and costs could prove noncompetitive even if SPCX successfully builds chips. Should technology development be delayed, we see potential to leverage core expertise in terrestrial DC buildouts to support AI plans.

Starship is crucial for success. SPCX is targeting 10K launches/year (27/day) totaling ~1.4B kg to deploy 1M datacenters and 100K communication satellites to support 1TW of its own manufactured chips. We believe this is only possible with capital/Starship, the most complex machine ever built. We expect growth to accelerate in 2027E as Starship enters commercial service and as AI LLMs/ infrastructure begin to see market traction.

LEO communications capacity to grow 100x, at a $10/subscriber/month cost. Goal is to have a majority of AI compute, offered in space at lowest cost. We see 230M broadband subs in a decade, and 240GW of compute vs. global current capacity of 100GW. The communications technology is solved, the compute is not. There are a half dozen other, large long-term industries.

Expect high volatility, with shares trading up initially. We anticipate an initial demand/supply imbalance on SPCX shares given broad retail demand and accelerated index inclusion. Our $190 PT ($2.5T firm value) is based on our DCF and 2035E revenue/EBITDA of ~$0.9T/$0.5T, requiring ~$1.6T in cumulative CapEx/spectrum and $300M more funding.

Separately, IG analyst Fabien Yip noted, "Demand has been good for the IPO and there is a lot of interest in the pre-IPO trading as well," adding, "We have had so far even with the valuation looking stretched. If the pre-IPO pricing momentum sustains, it will set a precedent for the next mega-IPOs."

Yet Morningstar analysts, Elizabeth Warren, and lefty pension funds have all tried to kill the hype cycle leading up to today's world's largest IPO.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 15:35
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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:00:00 +0000

India Accuses West Of Double Standards Over US Russia Oil Sanctions

India Accuses West Of Double Standards Over US Russia Oil Sanctions

Submitted By Tsvetana Paraskova of Read more.....

India Accuses West Of Double Standards Over US Russia Oil Sanctions
Submitted By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com

The on-and-off U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and the flipping U.S. position regarding India�s oil purchases from Russia highlight the double standards of the Western nations, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.

India turned en masse to Russian oil in 2022, when the U.S. and the EU imposed sanctions on Moscow due to the invasion of Ukraine. Four years later, India is a major buyer of Russia�s crude and Russia is India�s single-largest oil supplier.

�At that time, the US specifically asked India to buy Russian oil to stabilize the oil market,� Jaishankar was quoted as saying at an event in Finland, referring to the situation on the market in 2022.

India buys oil based on price and availability, the foreign minister said in response to reporters� remarks that India is �too sympathetic to Russia� and �too willing to buy oil from Russia�.

�Circumstances pushed us in a certain direction,� NDTV World quoted Jaishankar as saying.

The U.S. lifted sanctions on Russian oil this year after the Iran war pushed oil prices well above $100 per barrel in April, after having slapped tariffs on India for buying Russian crude.

�Let�s not pretend there�s some great principle involved here. I don�t think making this about sanctimony is really warranted,� the Indian minister said.

In the current supply crisis, Indian refiners have secured crude supply at least through August as they boost purchases from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Africa, and Brazil.

As supply from the Middle East crashes, India is buying growing volumes of crude from West African producers Nigeria and Angola, as well as from South American producers Brazil and Venezuela.

India is now also the key importer of currently de-sanctioned Russian crude on water. Russia has remained India�s top crude supplier in the past two months, thanks to the waivers from the U.S., the same country that was insisting early this year that India slash purchases of Russian oil.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 15:00
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Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:40:00 +0000

DOE Declares Southeast Grid Emergency As Sweltering Heat Boosts AC Demand

DOE Declares Southeast Grid Emergency As Sweltering Heat Boosts AC Demand

As the U.S. men's national soccer team kicks off its first match against Paraguay in Southern California on Friday night, large swaths of the country are trap Read more.....

DOE Declares Southeast Grid Emergency As Sweltering Heat Boosts AC Demand

As the U.S. men's national soccer team kicks off its first match against Paraguay in Southern California on Friday night, large swaths of the country are trapped in what feels like a wet sauna, with dangerous heat and humidity forcing households to crank up their air conditioning and straining power grids from the Southeast to the Northeast.

On Thursday, the Department of Energy issued an emergency order to mitigate blackout risks across the Carolinas amid extreme heat that threatens to sharply increase power demand.

The order, issued under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, allows Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress to run certain generating units at maximum output.

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated, "Maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the Duke Energy service territory is non-negotiable."

"The previous administration's energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during events like this. Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool ensuring Americans in the Carolinas' have continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power and cool their homes," Wright said.

???? One day left of the oppressively hot and humid conditions. A few severe storms will be possible again this afternoon and evening, but not everyone will get a storm. It will turn much less humid for Saturday, but high temperatures will remain in the upper 80s to near 90�. pic.twitter.com/pi6sJDUwKp
� NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) June 12, 2026

Maximum temperatures across the Mid-Atlantic, especially around Washington, D.C., have ranged from the 80s to the 90s, reaching as high as 95�F on Thursday. Some relief is expected this weekend, but temperatures are forecast to rebound next week as heat builds back into the region.

"It's super humid in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, but relief is coming by Saturday," Meteorologist Ben Noll wrote on X.

It's super humid in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, but relief is coming by Saturday!

After a brief spike in humidity on Sunday, much more comfortable conditions will arrive early next week. pic.twitter.com/ZN4ilGdMuv
� Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) June 12, 2026

Bloomberg noted that grid stress materialized late Thursday, with PJM real-time power prices rising above $1,300 per megawatt-hour as sweltering heat lingered across the Mid-Atlantic. New York's grid operator prepared to activate emergency demand response, while New England's grid operator declared abnormal conditions as heat indices approached 100�F.

US SPOT POWER PRICES REACH RECORD HIGH OVER $1,000 PER MWH AT PJM WEST HUB IN PENNSYLVANIA AND MARYLAND

we are about to have a very shrill discussion about data center power use
� zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 27, 2026

We have seen four-digit territory before. As we covered in April when PJM prices shattered $1,000/MWh after first running�during the January freeze�to $2,300+, the same structural weakness keeps reappearing. Demand surges, variable resources drop off, and the system leans on whatever thermal capacity can still run.

It is the direct consequence of a generation mix that has shed firm, dispatchable megawatts faster than it has replaced them with anything that actually shows up when the forecast is wrong and the temperature is not.�

The blackout in Spain is a phenomenal example of when this is taken to the extreme. And based on some recent warnings from ERCOT, Texas could be the next example.

When push comes to shove on the electric grid, it's not the renewables that are there to help�

Sleep tight America. We got this. Thousands of coal miners, truck drivers, railroaders, river boat workers and power plant employees will make sure that you stay warm and safe on a cold winter night. Fuel Satisfaction. Affordable Power. Grid Reliability. All from American Coal. pic.twitter.com/io0dzRD6vu
� WV Coal Association (@WV_coal1) January 27, 2026

Renewables and batteries help at the margin on good days. They do not solve the evening ramp or multi-day heat dome when every household and every server farm is pulling maximum power. The emergency waiver for Duke is the quiet admission that the current fleet cannot carry the load without violating the operating permits it was given.

Nuclear is the obvious technology that could have filled this gap with carbon-free, always-available capacity. A fleet of new reactors sited years ago would be delivering gigawatts of firm power right now without anyone needing to waive emissions rules or beg demand response programs to shed load.

Instead, the United States has spent the better part of four decades adding almost no new nuclear capacity at commercial scale. As we have documented repeatedly, including in our coverage of the NRC�s new fast-track permitting framework promising 6�12 month construction permit timelines, the regulatory environment has improved dramatically under the current administration. Yet the shovels in the dirt remain conspicuously absent for most projects.

Meanwhile...�

NHC expanding cone ( though still minor) to the concern I have been showing for a couple of days now pic.twitter.com/rYhTRvtpvI
� The American Storm (@BigJoeBastardi) June 12, 2026

On watch for tropical activity in the Gulf of America.��

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/12/2026 - 14:40
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Trillionaire Musk�

SpaceX Begins Trading�

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Wolfe Research analyst Myles Walton initiates an "Outperform" rating for SPCX with a $175 price target:

SpaceX Trading Imminent��

Liftoff: SpaceX Gray-Market Trading Signals 35% IPO Pop�