Treasury uses dollar swaps to pull UAE from OPEC

Diplomacy (2)

• Peter St. Onge says the so-called Mar-a-Lago Accord seeks to monetize US security alliances. In response, allies have promised $4 trillion in investment and NATO members are increasing defense spending from 1.5% to 5% of GDP by 2035.
• Peter St. Onge notes Japan increased its defense spending from 0.9% to 1.7% of GDP and Korea from 2.5% to 3% due to Trump's pressure. He argues converting allied debt to zero-interest century bonds could save the US $200 billion annually.

Politics (2)

• Peter St. Onge outlines a new Department of Education rule tying federal student loan access to graduate earnings. The rule targets the $120 billion in annual federal loans, where one in four are currently in default.
• Peter St. Onge cites a Brookings estimate that 80% of for-profit universities would go bankrupt under the new earnings rule. He claims 58% of fine arts and 64% of performing arts graduates are underemployed.

Media (1)

• Adam Curry notes the media's unusual handling of suspect Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, who attempted to assassinate President Trump. The suspect reportedly left a 1,000-word manifesto and had ties to groups like the Wide Awakes and No Kings protests.

Politics (4)

• Curry claims the suspect Cole Allen was a member of the Wide Awakes, a historical abolitionist group now linked to the Sunrise Movement, an organization focused on climate action and opposing billionaire rule.
• Barack Obama stated no one knows the motive of Cole Allen, which Curry and John C. Dvorak criticize as hypocritical, given Allen's public manifesto detailed anti-Trump and anti-Christian motives, and his social media followed figures like AOC and Elizabeth Warren.
• The hosts criticize RFK Jr. for failing to deliver on campaign promises, like banning direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads and opening vaccine safety databases, noting he has accomplished little since taking office.
• A New York Times report reveals a purported Jeffrey Epstein suicide note, reading 'it's time to say goodbye,' is sealed in a federal vault, discovered by his convicted murderer cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione.

Health (1)

• Adam Curry posits a theory linking mass shootings and political violence to widespread SSRI use, citing psychiatrist Dr. Peter Bregan's claim that drugs like Prozac and Zoloft are associated with suicide and homicide ideation.

Corruption (3)

• The hosts discuss China's defiance of U.S. sanctions, with its Commerce Ministry refusing to enforce measures against Chinese refiners buying Iranian oil, using a shadow fleet and settling trades in Chinese Renminbi.
• Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak analyze President Trump's avoidance of the term 'war' for the Iran conflict, arguing it's a legal maneuver to bypass the 1973 War Powers Resolution requiring congressional approval after 60 days.
• Starlink satellite terminals, described as iPad-sized panels, are being smuggled into Iran to bypass government internet blackouts, with networks having sent over a dozen units.

AI & Tech (3)

• The hosts note major AI firms like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic have signed deals with the Pentagon worth up to $200 million each to provide AI models for classified work, despite company pledges against autonomous weapons.
• Anthropic is reportedly in talks for a funding round that could value the AI company at $900 billion, with annual revenue run rate nearing $35 billion, driven largely by its Claude model.
• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued new Oscar rules requiring human-only acting and screenwriting credits, a direct response to AI-generated performances like the posthumous Val Kilmer rendering.