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Zero Rss

Majority Believes They Will Achieve The American Dream

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Majority Believes They Will Achieve The American Dream

250 years after American independence, a majority of people in the United States continue to believe in their personal American Dream.

As Statista's Kathraina Buchholz reports, 69 percent of those interviewed by Gallup in the beginning of the year say that they will achieve it in their lifetime.

This is in contrast, though, to 54 percent saying that not everybody can achieve the American Dream in this day and age.

You will find more infographics at Statista

While in a question about other people, Americans' answers are driven by a more sober view, positivity still prevails in regard to one's own success story.

58 percent of Americans also say that they think the American dream is unfinished, a further indication for the disillusionment many feel with the idea in the current environment.

The number is similar among Republicans and Democrats. Republicans, however, are more likely to say that the American Dream has succeeded and less likely to say that it has failed.

When asked what the American Dream means for them in an open-ended question, a third of respondents mention freedoms and individual rights, while 28 percent say financial stability or homeownership.

Only 18 percent mention upward mobility explicitly.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 22:45
Tyler Durden

Waste Of The Day: Stolen Education Grants

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Waste Of The Day: Stolen Education Grants

Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,

Topline: A North Dakota woman was convicted last month of five counts of theft for stealing $131,000 in state grants meant for after-school programs.

Key facts: Faith Dixon, 47, was one of the top recipients of $2 million that the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction awarded in October 2021 for its Out of School Time program to support children impacted by school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Her nonprofit, Faith4Hope, instead sent the funds to her then-husband's food stand, her brother's music and production company and her sister-in-law's dance studio, according to court documents reviewed by InForum.

Dixon's lawyers claimed she disbursed the money in "good faith" to help children, despite the conflicts of interest. But assistant attorney general Jeremy Ensrud showed some of the funds were spent on Dixon's own "day-to-day living expenses."

Dixon's ex-husband pleaded guilty to theft last year. He admitted the grants to his food stand were not spent on providing culinary classes to children, as he promised the state.

Dixon's other family members truly did spend their grants on helping children, Ensrud told InForum.

Last October, Dixon took a plea deal that would have sent her to prison for only 4 to 11 months, but she backed out because she had received "bad legal advice." Now, she will serve 4 to 10 years.

In her original grant application, Dixon said her nonprofit "reimagines what after-school looks like. We provide participants in middle school, junior high school, and high school with free, comprehensive after-school programs, transformative experiences, and mentoring that support students in developing skills and habits needed to help them succeed in school."

State investigators argued that was untrue. The Department of Public Instruction visited Faith4Hope's office eight times during its operating hours, but found that the office was closed and "no children were present," according to court documents.

Summary: It's unlikely that every instance of fraud from the Covid-19 pandemic will be uncovered, but the fact that wrongdoing is still being found years later speaks to the massive mismanagement of public funds that occurred.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 22:10
Tyler Durden

BMW Puts Next-Gen Humanoid Robots To Work On Factory Floors In South Carolina

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
BMW Puts Next-Gen Humanoid Robots To Work On Factory Floors In South Carolina

Before humanoid robots enter the modern battlefield alongside ground bots and low-cost suicide drones, these bipedal robots are first being unleashed on factory floors and inside warehouses, where the physical world of AI is beginning to take shape. 

The latest development in humanoids entering factory floors comes from BMW's Spartanburg factory, where the Figure 03 robots were deployed earlier this week. 

"Following the successful deployment of Figure 02 on the assembly line in 2025, our latest generation robot - Figure 03 - arrived in Hall 52, one of the assembly and logistics halls at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg," robot startup Figure wrote in a press release.

JPMorgan analyst Jose Asumendi attended the "Home of X" event at the Spartanburg plant on Tuesday, which showcased the German automaker's commitment to the US, where it's becoming the test bed for "physical AI." 

"At the same time, we have seen that the Plant Spartanburg is advancing the next stage of innovation through physical AI. By utilizing humanoid robots from Figure AI, Plant Spartanburg has become a pioneer of BMW's Physical AI Initiative," Asumendi wrote in a note to clients.

The analyst continued, "These humanoid robots are actively engaged in tasks such as transporting materials, handling components, and organizing parts within the facility. Their involvement supports associates by taking on physically demanding and repetitive work, allowing employees to concentrate on the precision, craftsmanship, and quality that are hallmarks of every BMW vehicle. This collaboration between humans and robots is setting a new standard for manufacturing efficiency and innovation at Plant Spartanburg." 

What the analyst saw on the manufacturing line:

Humanoids on the factory floors of BMW's Spartanburg plant are part of the car company's $1.7 billion investment in South Carolina, laying the groundwork for U.S. production of fully electric BMW vehicles. The company plans to begin assembling the fully electric iX5 in Spartanburg before the end of 2026 and at least six fully electric models in the U.S. by 2030.

Last month, Deutsche Bank's Head of APAC Automation & Industrials Research, Iris Zheng, shared with clients that the humanoid robot market is beginning to show signs of life, driven by faster ramp-ups from Chinese manufacturers and Tesla's push toward mass production.

This prompted Zheng's team to raise its 2026 to 2029 forecast for the global humanoid robot market; now expecting global shipments of humanoid robots to approach 50,000 units in 2026, up from the previous forecast of 17,500 in 2025 (more than doubling), before rising to about 700,500 units by 2030 and 70 million by 2050.

Related:

  • Automakers Race Into Humanoid Robots As Timeline For Blue-Collar Job Disruption Emerges

Bernstein analyst Eunice Lee recently noted that car companies are beginning to develop humanoids themselves:

Complete overview of the auto industry by company developing humanoids:

What's important to understand right now is that this is the early stage of physical AI, and some automakers are deploying these robots on factory floors, while others, such as Tesla, are developing them. The new model for car companies to create new revenue streams will be the production of robots because they share a similar parts ecosystem with EVs.  

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 21:35
Tyler Durden

Trump Pardons 6 Prosecuted For 'Fixing Their Car' Under Biden-Era Emissions Rules

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Trump Pardons 6 Prosecuted For 'Fixing Their Car' Under Biden-Era Emissions Rules

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,

President Donald Trump on Friday announced pardons for six individuals he said were persecuted by the Biden administration for repairing their own vehicles, saying that the cases were emblematic of regulatory overreach.

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition's 2026 Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington on June 26, 2026. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

"It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for 'fixing their car,'" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!"

The pardoned individuals were targeted under the Clean Air Act for allegedly disabling or tampering with vehicle emissions control systems, generally on commercial diesel trucks or personal vehicles.

Individuals who had installed "defeat devices" were pursued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice under the Biden administration. Trump's action means the immediate release of those in prison or facing incarceration.

The identities of the six people were not named in Trump's post.

On June 29, the president signed a presidential memorandum titled "Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix," directing federal agencies to expand access to aftermarket parts and support independent repairs to lower costs for Americans.

"We have a big ruling that we're just issuing now," Trump said. "I think it's very important to lower the price of your car."

"In all fairness, this is something that's very exciting to me," Trump said. "It means a lot to people that own vehicles, cars in particular, but cars and anything else. It's going to save them a lot of money, and they're going to be able to do it themselves."

"We are not going to be going after people who are fixing their own vehicle, like past administrations have," Trump stated, referencing Biden-era enforcement.

Trump's "right to fix" memorandum specifically seeks to counter manufacturer restrictions and regulatory hurdles that undermine consumer access to parts and repair information.

Specialty Equipment Market Association CEO Mike Spagnola said in a statement sent to The Epoch Times on June 29 that Trump's memorandum is "more bold action in support of vehicle owners and automotive aftermarket industry businesses from across the nation, and an example of federal leadership on behalf of our nation's vibrant car culture."

Spagnola highlighted aspects of the order that protect aftermarket manufacturers and expedite approval processes.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 21:00
Tyler Durden

Is Tesla About To Use Facial Recognition Before Activating Full Self-Driving

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Is Tesla About To Use Facial Recognition Before Activating Full Self-Driving

Tesla is reportedly preparing a series of updates, including one that would use a vehicle's cabin camera to verify a driver's identity before activating Full Self-Driving.

It sounds a bit dystopian, but this is likely the direction that connected smart-car brands are headed. As vehicles become more autonomous, automakers will increasingly need to verify who is behind the wheel before unlocking FSD functions.

The X account Tesla App Updates penned a new report outlining a series of changes possibly headed to the mobile app, including deeper FSD integration, more owner-facing controls, and expanded software monetization infrastructure.

Version 4.58.5 has been de-compiled and here's what we've found (https://t.co/eysAIiglnp):

• Coastal Blue paint now properly supported in 3D vehicle rendering
• In-app searchable video tutorials with pinning/bookmarking
• Deeper FSD tracking + new “streak days” gamification…

— Tesla App Updates (iOS) (@Tesla_App_iOS) July 1, 2026

What stood out to us is the possibility of a new FSD identity-verification layer tied to the cabin camera. If the system cannot verify that the driver matches an authorized profile, FSD could be blocked.

Here's the full report:

Native Support for "Coastal Blue" Paint

Tesla has added support for a new paint color called Coastal Blue, currently exclusive to the base Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive built at Giga Berlin for the European market.

The strings COASTALBLUE, getCoastalblue, setCoastalblue, clearCoastalblue, and hasCoastalblue show that the app is being updated to properly render this color in its 3D vehicle models. The app can now dynamically load the correct material and shading when a vehicle with this paint code is detected, ensuring accurate representation on the home screen, climate menu, and widgets.

In-App Searchable Video Tutorials

Tesla is building a native, searchable video tutorial library directly into the mobile app. Users will have access to a dedicated tutorial hub (VideoTutorialContent and VideoSearchPanel) with a search bar (VideoSearchBar) that returns relevant results (VideoSearchResultItem). This allows owners to quickly find how-to videos for features like FSD, wiper blade replacement, or PIN to Drive without leaving the app.

Users can also pin important tutorials (setPinnedVideo, pinnedVideo) for quick access. These pinned videos are expected to sync across devices via mergePinnedVideos. The interface uses a clean card-based design (VideoListCard) with pagination (VIDEO_SEARCH_PAGE_SIZE) for better performance.

Deep FSD Telemetry, Streaks & Identity Verification

Tesla is expanding the amount of Full Self-Driving data and controls visible in the app.

Granular Mileage Tracking: New metrics such as FsdMonthlyMileage, fsdTotalMilesThisMonth, and FsdLast7DaysUsage allow the app to track autonomous versus manually driven miles with much greater detail.

FSD Streak Days (Gamification): The app is now tracking consecutive days of FSD usage (fsdStreakDays). This introduces a gamification element designed to encourage habitual use of the system, similar to the charging badge mechanics seen in previous updates.

Automated FSD Transfer Validation: During trade-ins, the app can now automatically validate whether a vehicle has a transferable FSD license using the tasks/trade-in/fsd-validate and shouldValidateFSDTransfer endpoints. This should streamline the FSD transfer process.

FSD Identity Verification: Strings such as fsdIdentityCheckFailedTitle and showFsdIdentityCheckFailedDialog suggest that the cabin camera may now perform driver identity verification before allowing FSD to activate. If the system cannot confirm the driver matches the authorized profile, it can block FSD and show a failure message in the app.

"App Share" – Deep Linking into the Tesla UI

Tesla is introducing an App Share feature that allows external applications to deep link into the Tesla app.

Using matchesAppShareLinkPath, the app can now handle special links that trigger specific actions (most likely sending a destination to the car’s navigation). Third-party apps like Google Maps, Yelp, or AllTrails could potentially share locations directly with the Tesla app.

The feature includes a compatibility check (getSelectedVehicleSupportsAppShare) to ensure the vehicle’s hardware and software support receiving these shared links.

Autopilot Base Tiers & Dynamic Override System

This is one of the more significant architectural updates in the app. Tesla is refactoring how it manages Autopilot and FSD ownership.

AutopilotBase – Permanent Tier: The vehicle now has a permanent AutopilotBase tied to the VIN (AUTOPILOTBASE_BASIC, AUTOPILOTBASE_ENHANCED, AUTOPILOTBASE_HIGHWAY, AUTOPILOTBASE_SELF_DRIVING). This represents what the car fundamentally owns.

AutopilotOverrideState – Temporary Upgrades: Tesla has introduced an “Override” system that sits on top of the base tier. This allows temporary activations such as trials or subscriptions (AUTOPILOTOVERRIDESTATE_TRIAL, AUTOPILOTOVERRIDESTATE_SUBSCRIPTION, AUTOPILOTOVERRIDESTATE_TIMEBOUND_TRIAL, etc.).

Live Expiration Tracking: The app can now read autopilotOverrideExpireTime directly from the vehicle, enabling accurate countdowns for when a trial or subscription will end.

Service & Loaner Management: The AUTOPILOTOVERRIDESTATE_VEHICLE_MANAGED state allows Tesla to temporarily enable enhanced Autopilot or FSD on service loaners or demo vehicles without permanently altering the car’s base configuration.

Ownership Quality Assurance Flow

A new authenticated endpoint and supporting UI components have been added for what appears to be an Ownership Quality Assurance process.

Endpoint: bff/v2/mobile-app/ownership/quality-assurance (GET, requires authentication)

What This Feature Likely Does: This system introduces a dedicated Quality Assurance modal (QualityAssuranceModal / quality-assurance-modal) that displays ownership-related verification items to the user.

Key components include:

  • QualityAssuranceItemRow — suggests the modal presents a list of items or checks that need to be reviewed or confirmed.
  • quality_assurance_close_button — standard close functionality for the modal.
  • useQualityAssurance — a hook or function likely used to fetch and manage the quality assurance data.

Likely Use Cases

Given the endpoint path and UI elements, this flow is probably used in scenarios where Tesla needs to verify or document ownership status before certain actions. Possible contexts include:

  • Service drop-off or vehicle handoff — Confirming the person dropping off or picking up the vehicle is authorized.
  • Lease returns or trade-ins — A structured checklist to ensure all ownership-related items are in order.
  • High-security actions — Additional verification before enabling features, transferring software (like FSD), or making significant account/vehicle cha

If biometric facial-recognition systems are used to unlock Apple iPhones, then they are almost certainly coming to Tesla and other connected vehicles.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 20:25
Tyler Durden

Houthis Say Forces 'Repelled' Saudi Warplanes From Threatening Iranian Civilian Airliner

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Houthis Say Forces 'Repelled' Saudi Warplanes From Threatening Iranian Civilian Airliner

Via The Cradle

Yemen's Houthis announced Friday that they had "repelled" an attempt by Saudi warplanes to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa airport.

Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said that Saudi warplanes violating Yemeni airspace were targeted with several air-defense missiles, forcing them to withdraw.

via Reuters

Saree stressed that the Iranian civilian aircraft was carrying more than 200 Yemeni citizens who had been stranded in Iran, including many who were sick or wounded.

“We warn the criminal Saudi enemy against repeating any attempt to violate our airspace or any aggression targeting our country. Such actions will be met with a comprehensive response targeting its airports and vital interests on land and sea,” Saree said in a video statement.

The YAF spokesman further stressed that "our hand is on the trigger" to implement any directives issued by Ansarallah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi "within the framework of breaking the Saudi-American siege on our people and expelling the occupiers."

Saree also praised Iran's role in "breaking the siege" on Yemen by operating flights to transport patients and stranded people and to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Yemen.

After landing in Sanaa, the Iranian plane safely returned to Tehran carrying an official delegation of the Republic of Yemen to participate in the funeral of slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has imposed a blockade on Yemen's land, sea, and air ports, severely restricting vital commercial and humanitarian imports, including fuel and food.

The blockade triggered what the UN called one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally, leading millions towards famine and drastically damaging healthcare and water systems.

The Saudi siege on Yemen was partially lifted following April 2023 negotiations with the Ansarallah resistance movement, which leads the YAF and is closely allied with Iran.

Commentary @BashaReport | The possibility of war is very high. The Houthis are now signaling strength, claiming Iran ignored both Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized Yemeni authorities by flying around 200 passengers in and out of Sanaa. They also say the aircraft… https://t.co/kVTxkuSUoO

— Basha باشا (@BashaReport) July 4, 2026

The US and Israel also fought a war with Yemen following the start of what Ansarallah condemned as genocide of Palestinians in Gaza in 2023. 

In response to the genocide, the YAF imposed a blockade on Israeli-linked ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait along the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea, eventually prompting the US and European navies to flee the Red Sea.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 19:50
Tyler Durden

The Greatest Break-Up Letter Ever Written...

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
The Greatest Break-Up Letter Ever Written...

Via VigilantFox.com,

Have you ever heard the Declaration of Independence read out loud?

You should. It’s the greatest break-up letter ever written.

At just 33 years old, Thomas Jefferson, with cold moral clarity, told the British government to pound sand:

Have you ever heard the Declaration of Independence read out loud?

You should. It’s the greatest break-up letter ever written.

At just 33 years old, Thomas Jefferson, with cold moral clarity, told the British government to pound sand:

“Whenever any Form of Government becomes… pic.twitter.com/IzrS5eXb5k

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 4, 2026

“Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], it is the Right of the People to alter or to ABOLISH it.”

The power of that line isn’t just what it says. It’s how it’s said.

Jefferson wasn’t writing from a place of outrage. He was transmitting conviction—moral clarity delivered from a steady frame of mind.

It’s said Jefferson revised the Declaration of Independence with the help of Franklin and Adams dozens of times before it was finalized.

And that deliberate, cutting language, paired with emotional steadiness, is precisely why the words still land 250 years later.

Today, we’re blessed to be the inheritors of the great nation those steady hands wrote into existence.

Happy Birthday, America. 🇺🇸

Charlie Kirk never got to see America’s 250th birthday. So, in his honor, watch him shut down the typical liberal “stolen land” argument.

A college student confronts Kirk and says Americans are living on “stolen land” taken from the Mexicans.

Kirk asks who the Mexicans stole it from, then expertly turns his own words against him.

By the end, everyone is cheering for America. Watch how this one plays out.

Charlie Kirk never got to see America’s 250th birthday.

So, in his honor, watch him shut down the typical liberal “stolen land” argument.

A college student confronts Kirk and says Americans are living on “stolen land” taken from the Mexicans.

Kirk asks who the Mexicans stole… pic.twitter.com/1EXmsWUqdC

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 4, 2026

STUDENT: “I want to acknowledge the fact that we are right now on stolen land and that we are on indigenous land and that we are on original Mexican land right now.”

KIRK: “I love this stolen land argument.”

STUDENT: “…I really make it a point to notice that I’m on stolen land at all times, especially when we think about things like Manifest Destiny.”

KIRK: “Who did the Mexicans steal the land from?”

STUDENT: “Actually, the Mexicans were there originally in Texas…”

KIRK: “Wrong. They stole it from lots of Indian tribes… Texas was not indigenously Mexican… there was the Cherokee. There were many different Native American tribes there. So Mexico was participating in Manifest Destiny at the behest of the Spanish crown.”

[Student acknowledges Kirk is right]

KIRK: “At some point, you have to believe in self-determination. If you can win the land, it’s yours. That is what built the West.”

STUDENT: “I can agree with that.”

KIRK: “So instead of a land acknowledgement… you should have a gratitude acknowledgement. ‘Praise God, I live in America! I’m glad!’ A gratitude acknowledgement would be nice.”

[Crowd erupts]

Charlie would have loved to experience America’s 250th birthday more than anyone.

He defended America on campuses exactly like this one until the day he died. The least we can do is carry his message forward.

Rest in Peace, Legend.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 18:40
Tyler Durden

Six California Cities Ranked Among Top 10 Least Educated In US

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Six California Cities Ranked Among Top 10 Least Educated In US

Six California cities ranked among the top 10 least educated metropolitan areas in the United States, according to a report by WalletHub published on June 29.

Looking at the 150 most populated metro areas, the city of Visalia ranked as the second least educated, while Bakersfield was fourth, and Modesto, Fresno, Stockton, and Salinas followed.

All six are in central California.

The other four metros that rounded out the top ten were all in Texas - McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Brownsville-Harlingen, Beaumont-Port Arthur, and El Paso, at first, third, ninth, and tenth least educated, respectively.

“Higher education doesn’t guarantee better financial opportunities in the future, but it certainly correlates with it,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report.

“The most educated cities provide good learning opportunities from childhood all the way through the graduate level.”

As Dylan Morgan reports for The Epoch Times, to determine the ranking, WalletHub equally factored in the share of adults at least 25 years old who have a high school diploma or higher, who have at least some college experience, who have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and who have a graduate or professional degree.

Visalia ranked last among the 150 metros in percent of bachelor’s degree holders and percent of graduate or professional degree holders.

It ranked 107th highest in median annual household income, and there appeared to be a general correlation between income and education rates across the nation.

However, Visalia still had a lower poverty rate than the state average—11.3 percent compared to 11.8 percent, according to U.S. Census data—and Stockton ranked as having the 31st highest median household income while Salinas ranked as 26th highest, though those two cities were near the bottom in education.

Education and income rate correlations may not reflect California’s higher cost of living and regional economic structures, such as the Central Valley’s reliance on agriculture, an industry that has not historically required higher education the same way other California hubs have, such as Silicon Valley.

The San Jose metro, home to Silicon Valley, ranked as the fourth most educated in the United States.

WalletHub said that more than 55 percent of the San Jose metro’s population over the age of 25 have at least a bachelor’s degree, while nearly 28 percent have an advanced degree. .

It also ranked third for university quality. San Jose is near Stanford University and has Santa Clara University and San Jose State University in the center of the metro.

The nearby San Francisco metro area, which is home to the University of California—Berkeley, ranked as the eighth most educated.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 18:05
Tyler Durden

Canada Seizes 7 Tons Of Drugs, Fentanyl Chemicals, And Signal Jammers In China-Linked Narco Bust

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Canada Seizes 7 Tons Of Drugs, Fentanyl Chemicals, And Signal Jammers In China-Linked Narco Bust

Authored by The Bureau's Sam Cooper (emphasis our own), 

A Burnaby RCMP investigation that began with a routine traffic stop last summer has ended in one of the largest drug-chemical seizures in British Columbia’s history — 6,765 kilograms of finished narcotics and fentanyl-production chemicals pulled from three homes and two shipping containers in Richmond, alongside tactical shotguns, cash, contraband cigarettes — and a multi-antenna device consistent with the signal jammers used to defeat electronic surveillance.

The Bureau assesses that a seizure of this magnitude, staged in residential properties and sea can containers in Richmond — the city that court records and Canada’s largest money-laundering investigation have established as a central node of Chinese transnational organized crime — is consistent with the industrial-scale flow of precursor chemicals from China through the Vancouver gateway that senior American law enforcement and intelligence sources have described to this publication, moving in coordination with Mexican cartel logistics.

Chemicals in these volumes are not assembled from Canadian production sources. They arrive by shipping container. Burnaby RCMP has stated no such link, named no suspects, and identified no network; what follows on sourcing and supply lines is The Bureau’s analysis, built on years of documented seizures in this corridor and on the stated concerns of the American government itself.

The case began on July 30, 2025, when Burnaby officers stopped a vehicle and seized approximately four kilograms of precursor chemicals commonly used in fentanyl production. The Burnaby Gang Enforcement Team continued investigating the driver, work that police say produced three more suspects and several crime scenes. On April 1, 2026, the gang unit — supported by Burnaby RCMP’s Strike Force, Prolific Offender Suppression Teams, and Ottawa’s Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement unit — executed five search warrants simultaneously. Investigators recovered 6,765 kilograms of finished narcotics and precursor chemicals. Some of the finished product is suspected methamphetamine, fentanyl, and oxycodone.

All five sites were in Richmond.

The geography matters, and Washington has said so at the highest levels. Richmond was the home of Silver International, the underground bank at the center of the RCMP’s E-Pirate casino money laundering investigation.

In January 2019, David Eby — then British Columbia’s attorney general, now its premier — publicly cited a Financial Action Task Force report, containing information provided by the government of Canada, estimating that the single Richmond entity laundered over one billion Canadian dollars per year for global syndicates before the prosecution collapsed with no convictions.

The Bureau’s expert sources say that Silver International operated as an entity within the Sam Gor syndicate, the Chinese transnational narcotics network that American and allied agencies rank among the largest drug trafficking organizations in the world.

The collapse of that case, and what it revealed about the financial architecture available to Chinese networks in British Columbia, became a matter of direct diplomatic concern. In a prior interview with The Bureau, Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West disclosed that then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a 2023 meeting, described Canada as a worrisome weak link in the global fentanyl supply chain — and identified the convergence of Chinese state-linked actors, triads, and Mexican cartels operating from Canadian soil.

“He was incredibly candid and very serious about the threat fentanyl poses to North America,” West told The Bureau. “He confirmed the connection between the Chinese Communist Party, the triads, and the Mexican cartels, telling me these groups are working together — and it’s Canada where they’re finding a safe operating base.”

“This is no longer just a Canadian domestic issue,” West said. “Secretary Blinken made it clear that the Biden administration sees fentanyl as an existential threat. They’re building a global coalition and need Canada fully on board. If we don’t show real progress, the U.S. will protect itself by any means—tariffs or otherwise.”

Blinken’s dismay, West said, centered on E-Pirate itself. “He expressed genuine dismay that we haven’t secured meaningful convictions,” West said, paraphrasing the secretary. “When our most prominent laundering case ends with zero prison time, you can see why the Americans are alarmed.”

Against that backdrop, the Richmond seizure reads as one explosive scene in a feature length film.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 17:30
Tyler Durden

These Are The World's Top Destinations For Wealth Migration

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
These Are The World's Top Destinations For Wealth Migration

Countries are increasingly competing to attract wealthy individuals alongside businesses and skilled workers. For many governments, internationally mobile wealth represents a source of investment, entrepreneurship, and long-term economic growth.

This graphic, via Visual Cspitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, ranks the world’s most competitive destinations for wealth migration using data from The Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2026, which evaluates countries across 12 factors including tax policy, investor pathways, regulatory quality, and overall business environment.

The Most Competitive Countries for Wealth Migration

Below, countries are measured by their competitiveness for attracting internationally mobile wealth.

Singapore leads globally, ahead of New Zealand and the Cayman Islands. Europe also performs strongly, with the Netherlands, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, and Greece all appearing in the top 15.

Singapore’s position reflects its combination of low taxes, political stability, and business-friendly policies. Together, these strengths have made it one of the safest countries for investors, and a magnet for wealth across Asia.

Small Countries Stand Out

One of the clearest patterns is the strength of smaller economies. Overall, 11 of the 16 most competitive countries have populations under 10 million.

Many of these countries have spent decades building investor-friendly ecosystems. Singapore offers a globally connected financial hub, Cyprus provides attractive residency pathways, and Switzerland combines political stability with an established private banking industry.

Rather than relying on domestic market size, many of these countries compete by offering predictable regulation, efficient tax systems, strong legal institutions, and straightforward pathways for investors to establish residency or relocate wealth.

The U.S. Falls Behind

Despite having the world’s largest economy, the U.S. faces several structural challenges in attracting wealth.

Citizenship-based taxation, fiscal complexity, longer investor processing times, and political polarization are among the factors weighing on its score. By contrast, many higher-ranked countries offer simpler tax regimes, making them more attractive to internationally mobile wealth.

Unlike most countries, the U.S. taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live, a feature that can increase tax burdens for internationally mobile individuals.

Why Countries Are Competing for Wealth

Countries are increasingly competing for more than businesses and skilled workers. They are also competing for private capital.

In 2025 alone, nearly 1 million people globally became millionaires, highlighting the growing pool of internationally mobile wealth.

High-net-worth individuals often relocate with businesses, investment capital, and philanthropic spending. As global wealth continues to grow, attracting even a relatively small number of affluent residents can have an outsized economic impact, particularly for smaller countries.

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s most powerful passports.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 16:55
Tyler Durden

Historians Set Record Straight On 5 Events That Shaped America

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Historians Set Record Straight On 5 Events That Shaped America

Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times,

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, it’s prime time for historians such as Jeff Bloodworth to set the record straight.

Bloodworth, a professor at Pennsylvania’s Gannon University, noted that it had become trendy among historians to “demythologize” the Founding Fathers.

“But it has gone too far,” he told The Epoch Times. “The achievements of the Founders and the founding are obscured by the lists of sins.”

Now, he thinks “the pendulum is swinging back” toward a more balanced, nuanced, and accurate view of the Founders—and about other aspects of American history.

Through his role with Heterodox Academy—a bipartisan group advocating for open inquiry on college campuses—Bloodworth said he sees “there’s a real pushback against this stuff.”

Any fair appraisal of the Founders requires “lauding their achievements but also recognizing their omissions and their flaws and their hypocrisies,” he said.

Bloodworth and two other historians who spoke to The Epoch Times shed light on myths, misrepresentations, and misunderstandings about the nation’s foundational period; The Epoch Times also reviewed dozens of historic references for this story.

Without historical knowledge, it’s easy to “get sucked into believing things have never been worse, that there’s never been a time like this—and that just isn’t true,” Bloodworth said.

Jeff Bloodworth, professor of history, holds up a copy of his book

Stanley Schwartz, a professor at Cedarville University in Ohio, echoed many of Bloodworth’s observations.

Stanley Schwartz, assistant professor of history at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. Courtesy of Cedarville University

When students question how early American history relates to them, he responds that issues the Founders faced remain relevant. Those include “how to govern well,” he said, along with “how to relate to foreign powers.”

Many students who expected to be bored in class end up realizing that history “speaks to a person, helps you find your roots, find your place in the world,” Schwartz said.

Anna Vincenzi, a professor at Hillsdale College in Michigan, said learning about America’s history fulfills “a deeply human need ... to know the truth about where we came from.” That knowledge helps people understand “the good things about the history that has brought us here, and also the origin of the problems.”

The Boston Tea Party and Why It Happened

On Dec. 16, 1773, hundreds of angry colonists—many disguised as Native Americans—dumped 92,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor.

The Boston Tea Party thus became one of the most iconic acts of defiance in U.S. history. Yet modern Americans often misconstrue the reasons for the protest and overestimate its aftereffects, historians say.

Yes, the British Parliament’s passage of the Tea Act of 1773 sparked the protest. But contrary to popular modern belief, the act resulted in lower tea prices.

So why did the act anger the colonists so much?

Part of the reason: It reinforced an existing import tax on tea.

Another factor: Drinking tea is so quintessentially British that “taxing tea is ... like making them feel like they’re not quite British,” Vincenzi said. “It was perceived as a statement on their status as British citizens.”

A work of art by Nathaniel Currier depicts the 1773 Boston Tea Party, entitled “The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor,” created in 1846. Colonists known as the “Sons of Liberty” dressed as Mohawk American Indians and smashed 342 chests of tea and emptied the contents—valued at nearly $2 million today—on Dec. 16, 1773. Public Domain

The larger issue, however, was that colonists had no representation in the British Parliament. Yet Parliament repeatedly imposed policies “without the consent of the people through their representatives, in a way that they say is violating the rights and liberties of a British citizen,” Vincenzi said.

Those actions conflicted with the British constitution’s traditional limits on the king’s power, dating to the 13th century, she said.

At the time of the tea party, American colonists were drinking about 1.2 million pounds of tea each year. Much of it came from England and was subject to taxes imposed by the Townshend Revenue Act, according to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.

American colonists started smuggling lower-priced tea from the Dutch and other European markets.

In response, Parliament imposed the Tea Act, which helped a private British company, the East India Tea Company, undercut prices of the smuggled tea. If colonists bought that cheaper, British-subsidized tea, they still would be forced to pay the Townshend Act’s import duty.

Thus, many colonists feared that acquiescing would embolden the British government to impose even more taxes.

The Sons of Liberty—some of whom were tea smugglers—began organizing meetings to address “the tea crisis.”

Up to 6,000 people met on Nov. 29, 1773, after the first shipload of unwanted tea docked in Boston Harbor. Attendees reached a consensus: The tea would be sent back to England and no tax would be paid.

An engraving made by John Karst in 1865 depicts John Lamb, a Sons of Liberty leader, reading the British Parliament’s Tea Act of of 1773 at New York City Hall on Dec. 17, 1773. Colonists took issue with the Act as they had no representation in the British Parliament. John Karst/Public Domain

After exhausting all legal remedies to achieve those goals, leaders executed their last-ditch secret plan: trashing the tea.

Protesters donned wool blankets, grabbed tomahawks, and smeared coal dust on their faces—called “Indian dress” then. The disguises weren’t meant to be convincing; they mostly served to conceal identities so protesters could avoid punishment.

Tea partiers smashed 342 chests of tea and emptied the contents—valued at nearly $2 million today.

The protest had an impact—but not in the way many people might think.

“While the Tea Party itself didn’t mobilize Americans en masse, it was Parliament’s reaction to it that did,” according to a History.com article.

In 1774, the British enacted “punitive measures meant to teach the rebellious colonists who was boss,” the article said. The British closed Boston Harbor, replaced Boston’s elected officials with the king’s appointees, and forced private citizens to quarter British troops in their homes.

Those actions inspired colonists to hold the first Continental Congress meeting.

“Revolution was officially in the air,” the article said.

Colonial fife and drum corps play in front of the Old South Meeting House during the Boston Tea Party 250th Anniversary celebration, in Boston in 2023. The Boston Tea Party has became one of the most iconic acts of defiance in American history. Courtesy of Caroline Talbot/December 16.org

Patriot Paul Revere and ‘The British Are Coming!’

Revere was among “many messengers spreading the alarm” across the Massachusetts countryside on April 18 and 19, 1775, according to the National Park Service.

The Revere-as-lone-rider myth arose partly from the celebrated poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It omits any mention that other horsemen helped alert townspeople about British soldiers heading toward Concord.

There, the soldiers intended “to arrest patriots and seize colonial militia stockpiles,” the CIA said in an April 2026 article.

Notably, before his famous ride, Revere and others formed “the first Patriot intelligence group on record,” the CIA said in a report about the role intelligence played in the American Revolution.

Called “The Mechanics” or “The Liberty Boys,” the secret group of about 30 men grew out of the old Sons of Liberty organization that opposed British taxes on colonists, the CIA said.

A statue of Paul Revere near Old North Church in Boston on April 8, 2026. Historical records from that era suggest that Revere did not shout “The British are coming!” Instead he warned, “The regulars are coming!” The term, “regulars,” referred to the British professional soldiers. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Starting in late 1774, the group gathered information to oppose British authority. In 1775, operatives exposed “the cover story the British had devised to mask their march on Lexington and Concord,” the CIA said.

That information laid the foundation for Revere’s ride.

As he rode, Revere never shouted, “The British are coming!”

That phrase “would not have made sense at the time,” because many of Revere’s fellow colonists considered themselves to be British, according to the Paul Revere House website.

Historical records from that era suggest that Revere instead warned, “The regulars are coming!” The term “regulars” referred to the British professional soldiers.

According to the Paul Revere House, the enduring but inaccurate “British are coming” phrase appears to have originated during a dinner party in 1822—nearly a half-century after Revere galloped into history.

(Top) The Marrett and Nathan Munroe House in Lexington, Mass., on March 26, 2025. (Bottom) The Buckman Tavern on the Lexington Battle Green. The Battle of Lexington, which began the American Revolution, took place in this area. Learner Liu/The Epoch Times

‘The Shot Heard ’Round the World’ and Its Origin

Historians still disagree over who fired the first shot in the initial clash between British troops and Patriots.

They do agree that the first volleys were fired at Lexington, but the next ones fired at Concord reverberated more loudly in history.

Weeks before those pivotal confrontations, Revere’s secret group had forewarned Patriots about British Gen. Thomas Gage’s plans to send troops to Lexington and Concord.

Late on April 18, 1775, about 800 British regulars started their 20-mile march toward Concord, according to the American Battlefield Trust.

After covering about 12 miles, the soldiers reached Lexington as the sun rose the next morning and confronted about 70 armed colonists on the town green.

Although the rebels began dispersing under their commander’s order, “at some point a shot rang out,” the trust said.

“The nervous British soldiers fired a volley, killing seven and mortally wounding one of the retreating militiamen. The British column moved on towards Concord, leaving the dead, wounded, and dying in their wake.”

An oil painting by William Barnes Wollen created in 1910 depicts the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775. About 800 British soldiers reached Lexington as the sun rose on April 19, 1775, and confronted about 70 armed colonists on the town green. Public Domain

In Concord, because of warnings from Revere’s secret group, colonists had hidden or relocated most of their stockpile before the redcoats arrived, the park service notes.

As a result, “the mission to destroy military goods in Concord turned out to be a miserable failure for the British,” the park service said.

The British soldiers also encountered a much larger contingent in Concord.

Within 24 hours, “more than 70 of the King’s finest troops lay dead and many more wounded,” along with 49 militiamen, the park service said. “Following a horrific day of bloodshed, the war General Gage hoped to avoid arrived at his doorstep.”

Many years later, a poem immortalized Concord as the site where a ragtag bunch of farmers, merchants, and blacksmiths stunned the world by overcoming the sophisticated redcoats.

“Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson debuted July 4, 1837, during the dedication of a Battle of Concord monument. The poem’s second line reads, “Here once the embattled farmers stood/ And fired the shot heard ‘round the world.”

Decades later, the 1970s educational cartoon series “Schoolhouse Rock” inspired children across the United States to sing “Shot Heard ’Round the World,” a song that retraces early U.S. history. Today, it still sparks nostalgia among Americans who grew up at that time—and amusement among younger generations.

(Top and Bottom) The Lexington Battle Green, where the Battles of Lexington and Concord started, in Lexington, Mass., on March 26, 2025. In Concord, because of warnings from Revere’s secret group, colonists had hidden or relocated most of their stockpile before the redcoats arrived. Learner Liu/The Epoch Times

Why the Revolution Started and How It Evolved

Although the colonists’ war would later be called “the Revolution” and “the war for American independence from Britain,” it was neither revolutionary nor independence-focused at the outset, historians say.

Schwartz said his Cedarville students will sometimes say that the Revolution centered on “destroying things to make everyone equal.”

That’s not so. Harvard University historian Bernard Bailyn pointed out that “things were already a lot more equal in the colonies than they were in Great Britain,” Schwartz said.

“In America, it was a lot easier to have the right to vote, a lot easier to own land ... to participate in society,” Schwartz said.

Colonists saw the British Crown trying to take away those advances.

“So the American Revolution wasn’t about tearing down old structures to get to equality,” he said. “It was about preserving healthy traditions of equality in the community that already existed.”

Vincenzi said her research challenges popular impressions of the nation’s early history.

“I do think Americans think of the American Revolution as more revolutionary ... more of a break from the British political tradition than it actually was,” said the Italian-born professor.

A still taken from video of Bernard Bailyn, Harvard University professor and historian, as he delivers a lecture at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on June 7, 2012. Bailyn pointed out that “things were already a lot more equal in the colonies than they were in Great Britain.” Screenshot via Brown University/CC BY 3.0

“That’s not a bad thing. There is a richness of tradition to be rediscovered there. ... It speaks to the wisdom of the Founders; they knew that starting something on a blank slate is more dangerous than building on a very rich tradition of thought.”

And the “revolutionists” weren’t initially focused on breaking free from England, either.

When the first shots rang out at Lexington and Concord, militiamen still considered themselves “loyal subjects to England’s King George the III,” the park service said. “Independence was the furthest thing from their minds.”

Rather, they “assembled to defend their rights, as they perceived them under English law.”

Vincenzi said she often reminds her Hillsdale students that Revolutionary-era Americans “wanted to be British, and to look British.”

They bought porcelain tea sets that looked “as aristocratic and as British as possible,” Vincenzi said. They also admired and emulated British fashion, portrait styles, and architectural designs.

Calls for independence finally surfaced in 1776.

Until then, “Americans felt British,” Vincenzi said. Yet the British treated the colonists as second-class citizens.

“And that is what eventually ... pushes them to consider independence,” she said.

Had that not been the case, “Americans could still be carrying a British passport,” Vincenzi said, echoing a statement she heard from noted historian Jack Greene.

Lexington Minute Men gather for a battle reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord as part of Patriot's Day celebrations in Lexington, Mass., on April 18, 2026. The following day marks the 251st anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first major military actions between the British Army and the Colonial American militias during the American Revolutionary War. Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images

The Founding Documents and Whom to Credit for Them

Some people mistakenly believe that Thomas Jefferson penned the entire Declaration of Independence by himself in a single night before Congress ratified the document unanimously on July 4, 1776.

The truth: Jefferson worked with four other committee members. They chose him to write the first draft—a process that took three weeks, followed by 86 edits from committee members and the Continental Congress, the National Park Service said.

“He was especially sorry they removed the part blaming King George III for the slave trade, although he knew the time wasn’t right to deal with the issue,” a National Archives article said.

The Declaration listed grievances against the British government and outlined core principles of the fledgling nation.

Years after defeating the British, America’s leaders met to establish the Constitution, which remains the supreme law of the land today.

Jefferson, however, never signed the document.

“This is the most popular myth at the National Constitution Center, especially when visitors enter our Signers’ Hall, [comprising] statues of the Constitution’s different signers—and ask where the Jefferson statue is,” the center’s website said.

Life-sized statues of the signers of the Constitution in Signers' Hall at the National Constitution Center, in Philadelphia, on July 18, 2012. Thomas Jefferson did not sign the Constitution–he was in Paris as the U.S. envoy to France at the time. Ziko van Dijk/CC BY-SA 3.0

Jefferson, the U.S. envoy to France, was in Paris when the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787.

When people think about crafting the Constitution, “we emphasize the two bright young men, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton,” Schwartz said. Both deserve credit for major roles in shaping the document. But in doing so, “we overlook a lot of the compromisers, the deal-makers, the older statesmen” whose influence was less obvious but essential, he said.

Those delegates “took Madison and Hamilton’s ideas, made them workable, built compromises out of them, and often changed them completely or went a completely new direction,” Schwartz said.

Those lesser-known contributors include Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth. The two Connecticut delegates helped bridge an impasse over the rights of small states versus large states. The Great Compromise provided equal representation for each state in the Senate and population-based seats in the House of Representatives.

Sherman is among six Founders who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The other five were George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, and James Wilson.

John Trumbull's painting, “Declaration of Independence,” depicts the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. The painting can be found on the back of the $2 bill. The original hangs in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. It does not represent a real ceremony; the characters portrayed were never in the same room at the same time. Another Believer/CC BY-SA 3.0

Schwartz emphasized that the Founders weren’t “just this collection of really intelligent people.” Many members of the Constitutional Convention had business experience, had traveled the world, and were “middle-aged or a little bit older.”

Thus, “they had wisdom, a lot of practical experience,” Schwartz said, which strengthened the Constitution.

Many people don’t realize that beyond the “young firebrands” known for their constitutional contributions, quiet leadership came from delegates such as George Washington, an elder statesman and war hero who became the first president.

“Just by being there and overseeing the proceedings, he’s adding a lot to it,” Schwartz said.

Without Washington and lesser-known delegates such as Ellsworth and Sherman, America would have ended up with a very different Constitution, he said.

“That’s a lesson that’s relevant for us today. We have a lot of people in our current politics who say, ‘Hey, I’m young. I want to charge to the front of this scene,’” Schwartz said.

“I think the Founders show us a different path. ... It’s good to have big ideas, but you also need people who are going to work hard behind the scenes and get things done.”

A sculpture by Adolph Alexander Weinman depicts the Committee of Five, on the pediment of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. The committee was composed of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. They drafted and presented to the full Congress in Pennsylvania State House what would become the U.S. Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. Another Believer/CC BY-SA 3.0

Slavery and How the Founders Saw It

In recent years, young Americans have been taught that the Founding Fathers “were all pro-slavery, they all owned slaves, they all thought slavery was a good thing—and that’s just not true,” Schwartz said. “That’s a big myth and a big mistake that we have to deal with in today’s society.”

Actually, the Founders were divided over slavery; some were very much against it. However, they didn’t insist on action in the Constitution, Schwartz said, because they believed people could see it was dehumanizing—which would lead to its abolishment.

He and Bloodworth concurred on that point.

While it is “appalling” that people could “own other human beings,” Bloodworth said, it’s essential to remember that “slavery was the norm” at the time.

“The past is ‘another country,’ and we have to understand it on its own terms,” he said. “Too often, contextualizing is seen as ‘excuse-making,’ which it’s not the same thing.”

He credits the Founders for embedding “the logic of racial equality” into America’s foundational documents, even though many weren’t yet ready to fully embrace it.

The opening words of the U.S. Constitution are displayed on the exterior of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, on Sept. 15, 2003. Roger Sherman is among six Founders who signed both the Declaration and the Constitution. Jeffrey M. Vinocur/CC BY 2.5

“Many of the Founders’ documents indicate that they most certainly believed that slavery was going to ... die a slow death,” Bloodworth said.

Significantly, Washington freed his slaves upon his death.

“It doesn’t erase the fact that he owned slaves,” Bloodworth said, but that “momentous” act set the tone for others to follow suit.

Vincenzi warns against “over-simplified” views of the debate over slavery during the age of the nation’s founding.

“It’s complicated,” she said.

A significant number of delegates to the Constitutional Convention were determined to defend slavery. Many others wanted slavery to be abolished, yet they worried that “the sudden abolition of slavery could create a lot of problems,” Vincenzi said.

They asked questions such as “If you treat people as non-people for decades, how are they going to live once they’re emancipated?”

The slavery issue was a pivotal one that perhaps made a big compromise at the Constitutional Convention inevitable “for the sake of establishing a union that otherwise would have probably not been born,” she said.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 16:20
Tyler Durden

'Gave Iran Week Off Because We're Nice': Trump References Ayatollah Funeral In Rushmore Speech

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
'Gave Iran Week Off Because We're Nice': Trump References Ayatollah Funeral In Rushmore Speech

On Friday President Trump delivered a speech at Mount Rushmore to kick off the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations, and in it he confirmed that everything regarding Iran - whether on the military or diplomatic fronts - have been paused to allow for the Islamic Republic to bury its late supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Trump said Washington "knocked the hell out of Iran" and that the country was "dying to settle". He also made comparisons between the lengthy Iran conflict and the brief US operation to overthrow Maduro of Venezuela.

"We beat Venezuela in one day, and we knocked the hell out of Iran," he said. That's when he claimed that the current US posture and pause in action is all about allowing the Iranians time to conduct a week-long funeral for the slain Khamenei, killed during the opening day of Operation Epic Fury.

"We gave them a week off for a funeral because we're nice," he said.

Bloomberg News

The funeral ceremonies began in Tehran on Friday, with government representatives from dozens of countries paying respects, and with the public multi-city procession in full swing on Saturday, amid a heavy Iranian security presence.

While the US administration is touting its Iran 'excursion' as a 'win' - the reality is that it is looking more like a quagmire with each passing week.

Iran is no closer to abandoning its nuclear program, it is proclaiming its own control over the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian protocol, and its ruling clerics and IRGC military apparatus are firmly in place. Trump and White House officials had from day one vowed a rapid engagement, saying repeatedly it would end 'fast' - and had even initially touted that regime change would be imminent - but now it's been 127 days since the conflict's start.

Trump in his Rushmore speech didn't dwell long on the Iran (mis)adventure, but moved on rather quickly to themes of American exceptionalism.

"Americans honor excellence; we admire boldness; we respect ambition," Trump said. "We are a nation of dreamers and believers, warriors and explorers, doers and fighters and in every human endeavor Americans see an unfinished competition.

"What is strong can be made stronger. What is fast can be made faster. What is great can be made greater than ever before. And that's what's happening with America."

He continued: "Show us a mountain, and we'll just climb it. Show us an ocean and we'll just cross it. Show us a problem and we will just solve it. Show us a task the world calls impossible and Americans will get it done."

Trump: "We knocked the Hell out of Iran. They're dying to settle. They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral because we're nice." pic.twitter.com/wV13cT3FLp

— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) July 4, 2026

There's a rich irony in Khamenei's public funeral starting on the very day, July 4th, that America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding. The founding fathers warned the young Republic that America "goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy."

John Quincy Adams famously warned, "She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit."

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 15:45
Tyler Durden

CFPB Orders Remote Employees To Relocate To Washington Or Lose Jobs

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
CFPB Orders Remote Employees To Relocate To Washington Or Lose Jobs

Via American Greatness,

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has directed hundreds of employees who live outside the Washington area to relocate to the agency’s new headquarters or face losing their jobs, a move that could significantly reduce the bureau’s workforce.

Acting Director Russell Vought notified employees in a memorandum Tuesday that approximately 450 remote workers must commit to relocating to Washington by July 14. Employees who agree to the move are scheduled to begin reporting to the bureau’s new headquarters September 6.

According to the directive, employees who decline to relocate or fail to respond by the deadline will be separated from the agency.

The CFPB’s new headquarters, located at 445 12th St. SW in Washington, previously housed the Federal Communications Commission and currently houses the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The facility has space for about 550 employees, roughly half of the bureau’s current workforce of approximately 1,100.

The bureau’s employee union characterized the relocation order as a de facto workforce reduction, arguing the requirement is likely to prompt many employees to resign rather than move to Washington.

A limited number of employees appear to have been exempted from the relocation requirement, though the agency has not publicly explained the exemptions.

The CFPB has not publicly commented on the relocation notices.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 15:10
Tyler Durden

Could The Government Use Tax Dollars To Bail Out Bitcoin?

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Could The Government Use Tax Dollars To Bail Out Bitcoin?

 Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance

There was a time when Bitcoin’s biggest selling point was that it existed outside the financial system. No governments. No central banks. No bailouts. No “too big to fail.” It was supposed to be the antidote to everything that happened in 2008. In fact, I once argued that another 2008 is what could standardize bitcoin.

Fast forward fifteen years, and we’ve somehow reached the point where I’m asking myself whether the last remaining bailout for crypto might actually be...the U.S. government. Think about how unbelievably sickening that would be. It’s the terminus I kept arriving at yesterday while thinking about the only way Strategy would be able to survive if Bitcoin continued getting decimated from these prices. And sadly, the idea isn’t really unimaginable given our current administration’s ties with crypto.

Yesterday I wrote that Strategy’s new capital framework effectively buys the company time. And to be fair, it does. Management rolled out dedicated cash reserves, formal dividend policies, billions of dollars in buyback authorizations, and what at least appears to be a more disciplined approach to capital allocation.

But none of those changes alter the one variable that ultimately matters: Bitcoin’s price. Everything rests on the price of Bitcoin, from Strategy’s trajectory as a public company, to some of Bitcoin’s biggest and most well known advocates using it as a gauge as to when they would admit defeat on the long thesis.

Strategy has now openly acknowledged that Bitcoin is no longer untouchable. For years, Strategy built its identity around buying Bitcoin and never selling it. Now it has explicitly stated that those holdings can be monetized if necessary to fund dividends, replenish reserves, service obligations, or support buybacks. If Bitcoin keeps climbing, nobody will care. If Bitcoin starts falling hard, suddenly everyone will.

Selling Bitcoin to raise liquidity sounds perfectly prudent until you’re forced to sell into a declining market. At that point, the math starts working against you. Selling creates additional supply. Additional supply can pressure prices. Lower prices reduce the value of Strategy’s largest asset, potentially creating an even greater need for liquidity. That can lead to more selling, which creates more pressure, and before long you’ve got the financial equivalent of a dog chasing its own tail into a neighborhood wood chipper.

I’m not predicting that’s how this ends. Bitcoin is a massive global asset, and Strategy alone isn’t going to dictate where it trades. But the possibility now officially exists because management has crossed a line that investors once assumed would never be crossed. Bitcoin is no longer sacred. It’s now part of the liquidity toolkit.

That raises a much bigger question. What happens after every private-sector solution has been exhausted? What happens when the equity markets stop funding you, the preferred market dries up, convertible debt becomes too expensive, and you’ve already started selling Bitcoin? Who’s the buyer of last resort?

Historically, there’s almost always been one. Banks got one. Money market funds got one. The auto industry got one. Regional banks got one. The corporate bond market got one. During COVID we were buying damn near everything that wasn’t bolted to the floor. Whenever markets become sufficiently interconnected with the rest of the financial system, Washington inevitably starts talking about “systemic risk,” and once those two words enter the conversation, almost anything becomes possible. And remember, back in August of last year, I already asked whether or not Bitcoin was too deep in the fabric of the U.S. financial system: Is Bitcoin Too Deep In The Fabric Of The U.S. Financial System?

So why not a Bitcoin bailout from the government?

The Trump administration has developed some of the closest ties to the cryptocurrency industry of any U.S. administration in history. It has installed officials viewed as supportive of digital assets, pushed for clearer rules governing the industry, and repeatedly framed Bitcoin and blockchain innovation as strategic priorities for American competitiveness.

Trump himself has gone from skeptic to outspoken advocate, publicly backing Bitcoin mining, supporting the creation of a national strategic Bitcoin reserve, and cultivating close relationships with many of the industry’s largest executives and investors. The result is an administration that is no longer merely tolerant of crypto, but one that is increasingly politically invested in its success, making the industry’s fortunes more closely aligned with the White House than at any point since Bitcoin was created.

I can already imagine the press conference. “Today, in order to preserve financial stability, the United States government is announcing a Strategic Bitcoin Stabilization Facility.”

I honestly think I’d oscillate between laughing, crying and vomiting. The irony would be almost too perfect. The asset invented to escape governments...saved by the government. The people screaming “End the Fed”...saved by the Fed. The same crowd that spent fifteen years explaining why Bitcoin doesn’t need the traditional financial system suddenly hoping Washington becomes the biggest whale on Earth.

You couldn’t write satire this good.

Politically, I think it would be suicide. The government would be accused of bailing out crypto bros. Every taxpayer would ask why Washington is spending public money supporting digital assets while families are still struggling with the cost of living. It would probably become one of the most universally despised bailouts in modern American history. Democrats would run rampant in trying to regulate and suffocate crypto if they won in 2028. And yet...I can’t completely dismiss it.

We’ve spent the better part of two decades responding to every financial emergency with the same basic solution: print money, borrow money, guarantee money, or throw taxpayer money at the problem until everyone stops panicking. If crypto continues weaving itself into public companies, pension funds, ETFs, banks, retirement accounts, and increasingly complex financing structures, politicians will eventually start arguing that the consequences of doing nothing are worse than the consequences of stepping in.

The funny part is that, by Washington standards, Bitcoin wouldn’t even be that expensive to rescue. With a market capitalization hovering around a $1.2 trillion dollars, you’re talking about an amount of money that barely registers compared to the trillions we’ve borrowed, printed, guaranteed, and spent over the past twenty years.

I’m not saying the government would do it, but it’s amazing that we’re now living in a world where it’s no longer completely absurd to imagine the conversation taking place.

If Strategy’s increasingly elaborate financial engineering ultimately isn’t enough...if Bitcoin falls much faster and much farther than anyone expects...and if every private buyer finally disappears, the last remaining bailout may come from the very institution Bitcoin was created to replace.

And if that day ever comes, don’t tell me it’s impossible. The government has done a lot dumber sh*t with a lot more money.

--

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Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 14:00
Tyler Durden

Chart Of The Day: Democrats' Patriotism Falls Off A Cliff. Here's One Reason Why

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Chart Of The Day: Democrats' Patriotism Falls Off A Cliff. Here's One Reason Why

American pride remains high in absolute terms, but the trend is clear: the U.S. has shifted from being one of the world's most nationally proud countries to one that now resembles a typical Western nation.

There are multiple forces behind this decline, but the largest political signal comes from the transformation of the Democratic Party. What was once a center-left party has increasingly embraced socialism and Marxism, frequently expressing anti-American rhetoric while seeking to undermine capitalism and national identity with migrants who don't want to assimilate. 

The new face of the Democratic Party is NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose team of unhinged Democratic Socialists apparently thought it was a good idea to use George Washington's desk as the centerpiece of a propaganda video attacking America just one day before the country's 250th anniversary. That was not a coincidence - it was a signal.

Communist NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who just came to this country, chose to become an American, is deciding he is the foremost authority to tell Americans what it means to be American.

He has the AUDACITY, on America's 250th birthday, to call our great nation "an arena of… pic.twitter.com/sayf6IDu90

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 3, 2026

The larger message is that the DSA, their billionaire-funded NGO network, and many of their far-left thought leaders are fueling an anti-American sentiment campaign, while their base of migrants and white liberals, affected by nation-killing suicidal empathy, increasingly view everything about the U.S. as racist. That helps explain, in part, why national pride among the left has collapsed.

One X user points out a recent Nate Silver survey showing that American pride has tumbled. That person noted, "Paul @WomanDefiner: Funny things happen when 30% of people in America aren't American-born." And that's most likely correct, given that many of these migrants have little desire to assimilate...

Funny things happen when 30% of people in America aren't American born. https://t.co/Va84BVULjO

— Paul (@WomanDefiner) July 3, 2026

Another survey by YouGov found that Democrats view the Black Lives Matter flag more favorably than the actual American flag.

YouGov poll | 6/30-7/2

Do you have a positive or negative view of the following flags?

(By party, net)

🟦Democrats
Black Lives Matter +69
American +62
Mexican +54
Ukrainian +54
Gay pride +48
Transgender pride +35
Palestinian +15
Israeli −8
Thin Blue Line −24
Gadsden… pic.twitter.com/rFWHQNN7j0

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) July 2, 2026

Last week, mainstream Democrats began to panic over what years of welcoming socialists and Marxists into their DEI-powered coalition may have unleashed. The concern now is that DSA activists are no longer just an activist flank, but are hijacking parts of the party, seizing institutional power, and dragging the broader Democratic brand into an increasingly anti-American posture.

This shift has been fueled by an ecosystem of far-left NGOs, activist networks, and what may be foreign influence operations that have helped normalize socialist and Marxist politics within the party's base. Read more here.

"Democrats legitimately need to calm down. I'm a traditional Democrat, but I can't support the party right now. America is a great country, and it's not hard to live a relatively comfortable life here," another X user said.

Another poll.

And another. 

Chart of the Day: We'll leave you with this chart: U.S. National Pride vs. Foreign-Born Share...

Trump last night: 

Trump:

You can be loyal to Karl Marx or you can be loyal to America.

You can be a communist or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both. pic.twitter.com/4HosNoBcjR

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 4, 2026

White House via X earlier today: "You can be a communist or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both." 

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 13:25
Tyler Durden

DRAMageddon Deepens As Samsung Prepares 20% Memory Price Hike

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
DRAMageddon Deepens As Samsung Prepares 20% Memory Price Hike

There is no immediate price relief coming for cutting-edge memory chips, even as South Korea moves to double memory capacity. New fabs and expanded lines take time to build and then ramp production, meaning the supply response will lag demand. For now, DRAM inventories remain tight through year-end as data center buildouts accelerate, keeping producers like Samsung in control of the market, with more price hikes likely ahead.

The memory-chip squeeze is not easing anytime soon. That is the clear takeaway from a new report by the Shanghai-based Chinese financial media group Yicai, which says Samsung plans to raise average third-quarter DRAM prices by about 20% from the prior quarter.

More color from Yicai:

On July 3, it was reported that Samsung Electronics plans to raise the average selling price of its DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) by 20% in the third quarter of this year compared to the previous quarter.

"It's true," an executive from a consumer electronics manufacturer told CBN reporters. "Samsung had already spoken with us in June and we have now received verbal notification from Samsung about raising DRAM prices."

"The significant price increase of upstream components will be passed on to the final price of the finished product, which will curb market demand to some extent. However, since the overall price of consumer electronics products is not high now, even if prices rise, it is not expected to significantly affect users' purchasing decisions," said the person in charge of the aforementioned consumer electronics terminal manufacturer.

Another industry veteran also told reporters that the news that Samsung plans to raise DRAM prices by 20% in the third quarter is true, and Samsung has already notified some customers of the verbal price quote.

DDR4 DRAM spot prices tracked by inSpectrum Tech suggest the memory squeeze still has room to run, with the latest rebound pointing to another potential leg higher.

The industry response, and in South Korea's case, a national-level response, has been a massive push by giants Samsung and SK Hynix to double memory-chip production. But that chip capacity buildout will take years, meaning the current supply crunch is unlikely to ease quickly in the near term.

The situation is worsening, with a recent report detailing Apple's plan to buy cheaper DRAM from China. Meanwhile, there have been price hikes on popular gaming consoles, from Xbox to PlayStation, as tech giants can no longer shield consumers from memory-chip inflation and are now being forced to pass those costs along to customers.

At what point does Trump start raging at soaring memory prices

PPI Electronic Components is pulling entire core index higher pic.twitter.com/v9ufHmx0gG

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 11, 2026

JPMorgan analyst Jay Kwon recently broke down South Korea's push to double memory production. Read the note here.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 12:15
Tyler Durden

FBI Mole Wore Wire Inside Newsom's Inner Circle: Lawyer

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
FBI Mole Wore Wire Inside Newsom's Inner Circle: Lawyer

A mole working for the Biden FBI was secretly recording Gavin Newsom's inner circle before the agency expanded its corruption probe into the California governor and his wife, according to a bombshell report by the NY Post. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom, Alexis Podesta

Democrat insider Alexis Podesta, a 45-year-old Sacramento consultant and Newsom appointee - no known relation to John Podesta - secretly taped conversations for the FBI as early as June 2024, while Joe Biden was still in the White House, according to McGregor Scott, the former US attorney now representing Dana Williamson. Williamson, 53, ran Newsom's office as chief of staff until late 2024; in May she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to federal agents.

Federal prosecutors accused Williamson and others of orchestrating a scheme to siphon roughly $225,000 from a dormant campaign account which belonged to former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra -disguising the payments as legitimate consulting fees while routing the money to benefit Becerra's former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie. According to Podesta's attorney, she was placed in charge of overseeing the account in question - but did not know the payments were improper.

Becerra is now the Democratic nominee to succeed Newsom as governor. 

"Alexis wore a wire, and Dana did not," said Williamson's lawyer and former US attorney for the Eastern District of California, McGregor Scott. 

"A lot of people received letters essentially informing us that there were certain periods of time where the FBI was given access to follow phone calls," said assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), who said he was among those who received a letter even though he had never spoken with either Podesta or Williamson. 

"I don’t know how these investigations work, but it sounds like they cast a pretty broad net across the Capitol community to see what they could find." 

A separate source with knowledge of the matter said they knew of four Sacramento insiders who also received FBI notifications confirming they had been recorded.

One recipient told the source: “Dude, I got this f—ing letter. I never even met with Dana Williamson!”

“Their curiosity was that they never even met with Dana Williamson, so they were wondering what this is all about,” the source said.

“And now you have the answer.” -NY Post

News of the wire comes just over two weeks after Newsom claimed that the Trump administration is punishing him because he may run for president in 2028. 

"They're demanding records, they're abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents. Donald Trump isn't just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he's coming after me because I'm considering running for president, because he hates that I've consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit," Newsom said, before sending a mass email asking for political donations. 

Sources close to the investigation, however, told The Post that the feds have spent the past year digging into Newsom, his staff, and his wife's taxes after whistleblowers reportedly dropped the dime that led to the probe. Williamson's attorney told the outlet that his client declined to cooperate because she didn't have anything on Newsom. 

Podesta - a former staffer for the late Dianne Feinstein, is a longtime Democratic power broker who remains on California's State Compensation Insurance Fund board - to which Newsom appointed her in January 2020. She also held senior positions in Gov. Jerry Brown's administration, and served as secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. While she hasn't been charged with a crime, her attorney identified her as an uncharged co-conspirator in the Williamson indictment.

Of note, Podesta is still getting paid $60,797 by the state while cooperating with the FBI, while she sits on the Insurance Fund Board. 

Campaign finance records show Becerra's committee making $10,000 monthly payments to 'Podesta Company' during 2023 and 2024. During this period, Williamson - while Newsom's CoS - shared confidential info with Podesta regarding a corporate client that has now been identified as Activision Blizzard.

Williamson’s plea agreement states that she was captured in a June 2024 wiretap strategizing with the co-conspirator about how to respond to a Public Records Act request involving the state’s litigation against the company. Williamson and Podesta exchanged text messages on the issue, according to court records. Podesta has not publicly commented on the matter. -NY Post

Hoover, the Republican assemblymember, told The Post: "All of this stuff just raises so many questions ... "What is going on in this administration? What types of conversations are being had? I think the entire case should be really concerning for the general public. It’s really raising a lot of mistrust."

"I think it underlines how problematic this current administration is. [Newsom] is someone who wants to run for president of the United States. It’s really disappointing to see that this is the level of our politics."

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 11:55
Tyler Durden

New York City Appropriates $7 Million For 'Trans Equity', Drag Queen Story Hours

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
New York City Appropriates $7 Million For 'Trans Equity', Drag Queen Story Hours

Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness,

A massive $126 billion spending plan approved by the New York City Council earlier this week includes nearly $7 million for so-called ‘trans equity’ programs and drag queen story hours.

The New York Post reports that the budget was approved by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and directs the taxpayer money to programs and services “to help empower the transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) community.”

NYC budget funnels $7M to transgender programs, drag story hours

For the record, Drag Queen Story Hour now receives more city funding than the Department of Veterans Services.

Understand where we are.pic.twitter.com/UtvWOfZPod

— The Unredacted (@theunredacted) July 2, 2026

The city council said, “Funding may support education programs, employment services, workforce development, healthcare navigation, legal guidance, community workshops, or academic research, among others.”

According to The National Review, the new budget doesn’t include any spending for the additional 580 police officers Mayor Mamdani promised to hire.

State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar questioned, “Why isn’t there more money for police?”

Kassar added, “There are countless dollars going toward extreme, far-out programs,” Kassar said.

“This goes way beyond recognizing transgender individuals into spending millions of taxpayer dollars to promote transgenderism.”

Key funding initiatives of the nearly $7 million earmark include $1 million for directed to Destiny Tomorrow for the first transitional housing program for transgender individuals in the Bronx as well as $705,000 for community health for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and $600,000 for the Caribbean Equality Project.

The allocation also includes funding for education and tolerance with funds for the Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund and the Trans Formative Schools program, alongside localized funding from city council members for drag story hours in schools and libraries.

Allen Roskoff, head of the Jim Owles Liberal LGBT Democratic Club, told the New York Post, “Transgender youth need our support. These individuals are the most vulnerable people out there. We will do everything in our power to protect these children from hate orchestrated by far right Republicans. We are going to see to it they get the health care and protection they deserve.”

The approval of the nearly $7 million earmark comes on the heels of Mamdani encouraging New Yorkers to set their thermostats to 78 degrees to conserve energy, with Republicans calling the mayor’s budgeting priorities into question.

Mamdani should use the $7 million to improve the electric grid. https://t.co/MExzjDFawi

— Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) July 1, 2026 Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 11:40
Tyler Durden

Ships Abruptly U-Turn Near Hormuz As Some Shift To Iran-Approved Routes

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
Ships Abruptly U-Turn Near Hormuz As Some Shift To Iran-Approved Routes

The reopening of the Hormuz chokepoint has proceeded relatively smoothly for weeks, but an overnight development shows that the process remains fragile. At least eight ships attempting to exit the Persian Gulf abruptly reversed course near the critical waterway.

Bloomberg cites ship-tracking data showing that the vessels, including oil tankers, product carriers, bulk carriers, and vehicle carriers, were moving toward the strait along the Omani coast before abruptly turning back. Several ships later resumed their transits through the strait by shifting northward onto a route closer to the Iranian coast, in line with Tehran's request that ships use authorized Iranian-designated lanes.

via Bloomberg: 

It is unclear why the ships abruptly altered course, though Tehran has repeatedly warned vessels by VHF radio to follow designated routes.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran warned Western powers that the Hormuz waterway is not a "theater for the military display of extra-regional powers."

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran views itself as the responsible power and security guarantor of the strait, adding that Tehran would closely monitor any foreign military movements in the waterway.

Gharibabadi's warning came shortly after the UK and France announced that their navies were ready to support freedom-of-navigation operations in the waterway.

"Iran, as the responsible power and guarantor of the Strait's security, warns with sensitivity to any military movement in this waterway," Gharibabadi said on X.

He added, "The security of Hormuz lies with the coastal states; the crisis-makers will be held accountable for the consequences of their adventurism; this is a serious warning."

While daily commodity vessel crossings have averaged around 34 since Monday, Hormuz vessel traffic remains well below pre-war levels.

Natasha Kaneva, JPMorgan's top commodities strategist, provided clients with more color on Hormuz ship flows and what it means for energy markets:

There is now a rush to move stranded cargoes out of the Strait of Hormuz. Average crude exports from the Persian Gulf plus re-routed volumes over the last ten days have already recovered to about 19 mbd, just 3 mbd below pre-war levels. The backlog is also disappearing quickly: floating storage has fallen to just 20 million barrels, while another 10 million barrels remain in onshore tanks awaiting exports.

Meanwhile, inbound tankers are lining up to enter the Strait, preparing to load barrels that have been sitting in storage tanks for months. More entering vessels will be needed as production across the Gulf gradually returns to normal operating levels. We are already seeing a growing queue of ballast VLCCs moving towards the Gulf.

The line is long and deep—an important signal that the logistical chain is reconnecting and that loadings can continue uninterrupted as the system works its way back toward normal.

Professional subscribers can read more about Hormuz and Gulf energy markets on our new Marketdesk.ai portal.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 11:05
Tyler Durden

10 Charts Show How America Has Changed In 250 Years

Zero Rss
1 month 1 week ago
10 Charts Show How America Has Changed In 250 Years

Authored by Sylvia Xu via The Epoch Times,

The United States has transformed from a collection of 13 eastern colonies into a transcontinental nation spanning 50 states, one district, and five major territories—a geographic expansion forged through land purchases and war treaties.

America’s two-and-a-half-century evolution includes not only geographic growth, but also transformations in population, family structures, wages, the housing market, and health.

Through data and graphics, here is a look at how the country has changed over 250 years.

Changing Face of America

In 1790, 95 percent of Americans resided in rural areas; by 2020, that figure had dropped to 20 percent.

This demographic shift transformed the rural landscape itself. More than 50 percent of rural residents lived on farms prior to 1940, but that share dwindled to a mere 5 percent by 2000.

Although the U.S. urban population surged from 5 percent in 1790 to 80 percent in 2020, this growth shifted heavily toward suburban and outlying areas after 1950, leaving central cities with less than half of the total urban population.

While domestic migration altered where Americans lived, shifting global immigration patterns simultaneously refined who made up the nation.

The number of U.S. foreign-born residents grew from 2.2 million in 1850 to 50.2 million in 2024, or from 9 percent of the national population to nearly 15 percent.

Europe supplied the majority of immigrants during a century-long window from 1850 to 1970, though its share dropped from 92 percent to about 62 percent.

The Mexican-born population of the United States multiplied more than 15 times between 1970 and 2010, exploding from fewer than 800,000 to nearly 12 million.

The pivot point of modern immigration was the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, according to a 1999 study from the Organization of American Historians.

Men sit on a bench outside a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles on April 27, 2005. The Mexican-born population in the United States grew from fewer than 800,000 in 1970 to nearly 12 million in 2010. Hector Mata/AFP via Getty Images

The law was “instrumental in transforming Mexican immigration” from a seasonal flow of undocumented workers into settled families across the country, according to the journal.

Spurred by economic instability in Mexico in the late 1980s, migrants “opted to remain abroad, accept the proffered legalization, and settle more permanently into a United States life.”

By 2010, the regional makeup of the foreign-born population was led by Latin America (over 50 percent), followed by Asia (28 percent) and Europe (12 percent).

California, Texas, and Illinois were the leading states of residence for Mexican-born populations.

Despite the global immigration and an 84-fold population increase over 230 years, the most common American last names have remained consistent, according to an April report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Surnames such as Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller, Davis, and Wilson all placed in the top 15 in both the 1790 and 2020 censuses.

Notably, Asian last names such as Zhang, Liu, and Wang ranked among the fastest-growing surnames between 2010 and 2020, according to the bureau’s data.

Evolution of the American Household

America was young in 1800, with high fertility rates and abundant land. Its population was young, too—roughly 50 percent of the population was 16 years old or younger.

In the 18th century, the average American woman bore at least seven children.

Benjamin Franklin attributed the high fertility rates to the ease of acquiring good farmland.

A portrait of the D.D. Miller family of Goshen, Ind., from an album dated 1910–1920. Large families were common in the United States in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Mennonite Church USA Archives/Public Domain

“So vast is the Territory of North-America, that it will require many Ages to settle fully,” he said in a 1751 essay. “Land being thus plenty ... a labouring man, that understands Husbandry, can in a short Time save Money enough to purchase a Piece of new Land sufficient for a Plantation, whereon he may subsist a Family.”

The American population grew and lived longer. It expanded from from 3.9 million in 1790 to roughly 342.6 million by June 2026, while its median age more than doubled, from 16 to around 39.

In 1790, large families dominated the landscape, with 36 percent of U.S. households containing seven or more members. Conversely, small households (one to two people) made up just 11.5 percent of the population.

The trend reversed over time. By 2010, large households with seven or more people dwindled to under 2 percent, while small households of one or two individuals surged to a 60 percent majority.

Despite the shrinking size of the American family, the cultural ideal of a stable, self-sufficient home remained a cornerstone of national policy.

“A family that owns its home takes pride in it, maintains it better, gets more pleasure out of it, and has a more wholesome, healthful, and happy atmosphere in which to bring up children,” President Herbert Hoover said in a 1931 handbook for homebuyers.

The federal government implemented standardized housing, city plans, and building codes to increase homeownership beginning in the 1920s.

By 1930, the federal government introduced long-term, fixed-rate mortgages that self-amortized over 20 years—later expanded to 30 years.

Homes in Staten Island, N.Y., on April 10, 2025. The modern, long-term mortgage introduced during the 1930s, to combat a foreclosure crisis during the Great Depression, enabled widespread middle-class homeownership. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

But before 1940, homeownership never exceeded 50 percent. 

Then began, in 1945, the economic miracle of the postwar era—a “golden era” for the American family.

Homeownership climbed steadily through this era and reached almost 65 percent by the end of the 1960s, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Since then, it has stayed relatively stable, rising to just over 66 percent in 2000 and dropping to 63 percent in 2020.

In the pre-Depression era, most homeowners were mortgage free. Those who carried mortgages often had short-term contracts of around one to five years, with large downpayments of more than 50 percent. Many homeowners turned to second mortgages as a source for downpayments.

The modern, long-term mortgage introduced during the 1930s to combat a foreclosure crisis during the Great Depression enabled widespread middle-class homeownership. 

At the same time, it had the effect of reducing the number of homeowners who owned their homes outright. Less than 19 percent of Americans owned their homes free and clear in 2000, but the number is rising, according to Census Bureau data. Almost a quarter of Americans owned their homes outright in 2020.

Cost of the American Dream

The U.S. government sold land at just $1 an acre in the 1790s. But there was a catch.

Congress needed a way to raise funds to support the fledgling government after the costly American Revolutionary War. The Land Ordinance Act of 1785 raised those funds through land sales. The acreage was cheap. However, buyers had to purchase a minimum of 640 acres and had to pay in cash or military land warrants.

Before 1800, the average wage for laborers—such as hod-carriers, mortar-mixers, diggers, and choppers—was $65 a year, “with food and, perhaps, lodging,” estimated historian John Bach McMaster in his book “A History of the People of the United States, From the Revolution to the Civil War.”

Wages varied by occupation and state. Women at a cotton factory in New York were paid around $104, Henry Wansey reported in his traveling journal, published in 1796 as “An excursion to the United States of North America, in the summer of 1794.” Salaries of seamen were from $240 to $288.

Clergy’s salaries were higher. A Connecticut clergyman could earn 100 pounds—about $475 in 1794, according to Wansey’s journal.

Farmers harvest potatoes in an unknown location in the United States, in this file photo from the 1930s. Before 1880, the American workforce was rooted in agriculture, but by 2000 the proportaion of farm-related workers had fallen to less than 1 percent of the workforce. Stringer/Files-ACME/AFP via Getty Images

Before 1880, the American workforce was rooted in agriculture. Nearly 30 percent of working adults aged 16 and older were farmers, and an additional 20 percent or more worked as laborers.

By 2000, the number of farm-related workers had dropped to less than 1 percent of the workforce. Instead, professional roles grew to command over 20 percent of American jobs, followed closely by office and administrative occupations at more than 15 percent.

No matter how much the job market changed, the difficulty of translating that income into property ownership has remained a permanent financial hurdle.

While a buyer in the 1790s might have paid almost 10 years wages’ for land, a modern buyer may pay over six years’ salary for a home.

Houses line sidewalks in the Manhattan Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., circa 1945. Formerly occupied by the U.S. Coast Guard, the properties were turned over to veterans to ease the city's post-war housing shortage. The national homeownership rate rose to 55 percent by 1950. European/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images

A closer look at the 1790s housing market reveals that while a basic roof was within reach for some, luxury estates demanded an astronomical premium.

A log house in Hamburg, Pennsylvania—with four rooms on a floor, including doors, windows, wainscoting, and locks—cost roughly $200, Wansey observed in his travels.

A New York villa on 80 acres of improved land was listed for around $19,000 in 1794, according to Wansey.

That was a fortune compared to laborers’ wages.

Then as now, the steep premium on New York real estate also extended to the rental market. “House rent is very dear,” Wansey said in 1794 from New York City. “One hundred and fifty pounds sterling is a common rent for storekeepers and tradesmen to give.”

That yearly rent was equivalent to more than $600 in 1794, or around $18,000 today.

Causes of Death

In 1811, tuberculosis (23.5 percent), diarrhea (6 percent), pneumonia (5 percent), and stillbirths (5 percent) dominated the causes of mortality among 942 deceased Boston residents, according to an abstract reprinted in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012.

Teething, worms, and drinking cold water were also found to kill, according to the study.

In the early 20th century, tuberculosis was still a leading cause of death in the United States, along with pneumonia and influenza.

By 2010, influenza remained on the list but heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions assumed more dominant roles.

Circulatory diseases accounted for the largest number of excess U.S. deaths—the number of deaths over the estimated number based on historical trends—from 1999 to 2022, according to a study of more than 63.5 million deaths published in May in JAMA Network Open. The nation’s death rate fell in 2025 to its lowest point on record, according to CDC data. The leading causes of death in 2025 were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries.

Over two-and-a-half centuries, the American population has lived longer.

In the late 1700s, the life expectancy was around 35 to 40 years old, according to historical estimates. Today, the average American life expectancy is about 79 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Average life expectancy in the 18th and 19th centuries was heavily influenced by high infant and childhood mortality rates. Infections such as dysentery, diphtheria, scarlet fever and pneumonia killed many babies and children.

Over the nation’s history, advances in technology, sanitation, food safety, and medicine, including the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century, reduced infant mortality—the death of an infant before its first birthday—dramatically.

Mothers and their babies gather at a health station for feeding babies with bottled milk, on Madison Street, New York City, circa 1930. Infant mortality—which claimed about 100 babies per 1,000 births in 1915, fell throughout the 20th century to 5.4 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 2025, due to advances in medicine and other factors. Keystone View Company/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images

A lack of data on births and infant deaths in the 19th century United States makes it hard to gauge infant mortality, although by some historical estimates, up to 20 percent of infants died in the first year of life in the 19th century United States.

By 1915, when U.S. Census Bureau annual data on the subject was first available, the infant mortality rate in the United States was 100 per 1,000 live births. 

In 2025, the infant mortality rate dropped to an all time low of 5.4 infant deaths per 1,000, according to the CDC.

Maternal mortality rates also plummeted. In 1900, the maternal mortality rate in the United States was about 850 women per 100,000 births, according to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2026, that number stands at just 17.9 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the CDC.

Tyler Durden Sat, 07/04/2026 - 10:30
Tyler Durden

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