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Hassan had been receiving treatment for a heart condition.

Three men were stabbed in Crown Heights, Brooklyn early Monday morning — hours before the notoriously violent West Indian American Day parade is set to kick off, according to police.

Central Banks Bought 23 Tonnes Of Gold In July

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

Central banks worldwide purchased a net 23 tonnes of gold in July, in line with the overall yearly trend, according to the World Gold Council (WGC).

Gold bars weighing 1000 grams each are displayed at the Austrian Gold and Silver Refinery (Oegussa) in Vienna, Austria, on Feb. 3, 2026. Georg Hochmuth/APA/AFP via Getty Images

The largest buyer last month was China, which bought 20 tonnes, according to a Sept. 3 WGC report.

"Notably, activity from the People's Bank of China (PBoC) has picked up pace in recent months, with double-digit monthly purchases of gold since May 2026," the report said. Poland purchased eight tonnes and was the second-largest buyer.

Russia was the top net seller, with six tonnes sold. This was followed by Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Jordan, all of which sold a tonne each.

Year-to-date, global central banks reported purchasing 130 tonnes of gold, down from roughly 160 tonnes during the same period in 2025. Poland has added 90 tonnes this year, with China buying 60 tonnes. Turkey has sold 85 tonnes, while Russia's sales total 50 tonnes.

Central banks account for roughly 20 percent of all historically mined gold, according to the WGC. Bullion serves as a vital bank reserve asset, valued for its liquidity, safety, and potential returns. In times of uncertainty, gold demand tends to rise.

According to a June 16 WGC report, a survey of central banks found that 89 percent of respondents forecast global central bank gold reserves to rise over the year.

As for funding, half of the respondents said they would procure the gold locally by using domestic currencies. Thirty-eight percent said they would sell other reserve assets to purchase gold.

"The majority of respondents (74 percent) see moderate or significantly lower US dollar holdings within global reserves over the next five years," the report said.

"Respondents also believe that the share of other currencies, such as the euro and renminbi, will remain unchanged over the same period, while gold holdings will increase."

Goldman Sachs predicts central bank buying will support the rise in gold prices, according to an Aug. 28 report. Such purchases are being driven by a need to diversify their reserves.

In 2022, the G7 nations froze Russia's assets held in Europe due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the central banks have been buying gold at an increased rate, according to Goldman Sachs.

Spot gold ended Friday at around $4,430 per oz., up from about $4,329 at the beginning of the year. Gold hit a peak of roughly $5,595 in late January.

Unable to Withdraw Gold

The Sept. 3 WGC report cites a conflict between Venezuela and the Bank of England over gold reserves.

The Venezuelan government has roughly $4 billion worth of gold stored with the bank and has sought to withdraw it. However, because the United Kingdom has refused to recognize Venezuela's socialist government, the country has been unable to secure its gold reserves.

According to the June 16 WGC report, central banks are continuing to diversify the locations of their gold reserves. While the Bank of England remained the top choice, domestic storage was a close second, followed by the Bank for International Settlements in third place.

This week, the Netherlands' central bank announced plans to shift roughly 86 tonnes of gold from the United States and Canada to London, citing geopolitical risk.

Ewa Manthey, commodities strategist at ING Bank, highlighted the risk faced by certain nations that store gold abroad, citing Venezuela's inability to retrieve its gold from the Bank of England, according to a Sept. 4 opinion on the company's website.

"This case is exceptional - but it shows that the host country's courts and political recognition decisions can affect access to reserves," Manthey said.

"Gold held at the Bank of England remains the property of the foreign central bank, but it is physically located in the UK and is therefore subject to UK jurisdiction."

Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 09:15

The proof is now in: Hobbling cops and making sure thugs walk free again and again destroys public safety. Just look at the 206% jump — yes, 206% — in felony assault arrests of repeat offenders over the past eight years, based on just-released NYPD stats.    So far this year, The Finest have nabbed...

In July, the late actor, who died in December 2025, was nominated for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy for his performance as Albert on the hit FX show.

In July, the late actor, who died in December 2025, was nominated for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy for his performance as Albert on the hit FX show.

BOSTON — Joe Morgan, the popular Boston Red Sox manager who guided his hometown team to a pair of AL East titles, has died. He was 95. In a statement Sunday, the Red Sox announced that Morgan died Saturday night. The club was informed by his daughter, Catherine, team spokesperson Abby Murphy said. No further...

The truth is out on this week’s episode of HBO’s Lanterns.

NY Post readers discuss the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy ending in a mistrial due to one juror’s holdout.

Garrett Wilson is poised to put up big numbers for the Jets in 2026.

USS Abraham Lincoln Returning Home After Being "Sunk" Three Times By Iran

In yet another example of Iranian social media claims not matching up with reality, the nuclear powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home after a 286 day deployment and 5 days of rest at port in Thailand.  The ship was untouched by any signs of combat, despite the IRGC claiming on at least three separate occasions that they had sunk the mighty vessel with drones and missile strikes. 

Iranian aligned accounts even spread AI videos and video game clips of a ship sinking, arguing that the clips showed the Abraham Lincoln.  Left wing commentators celebrated the news, only to scrub their posts after it was revealed that the information was fake.

Despite resounding evidence to the contrary, many conspiracy advocates asserted that the Lincoln had been hit and the US government was "covering it up."  This also turned out to be nonsense after the carrier arrived at Laem Chabang Port in Thailand for rest and cleaning.  

The narrative then shifted, with people claiming that the Lincoln "looked damaged" and disheveled, which proved they were right about Iran hitting the vessel.  In reality, the carrier had normal rust and residue caused by months at sea. 

Is this rusty scrap metal Abraham Lincoln?
Where did this happen to it? pic.twitter.com/WItS8TBWXd

— Iran Embassy in Zimbabwe (@IRANinZIMBABWE) September 2, 2026

The posts exposed an embarrassing lack of basic knowledge when it comes to natural wear from sea water on naval ships facing long deployments.  

The cartoon depicts the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as an exhausted, rusted, and injured “old man” who can barely stand with the help of a walker. It is clearly a satire of the ship’s recently extremely long deployment (over 280 days at sea, including operations against… pic.twitter.com/A3LGzZoV1R

— 𝕊𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕻𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 (@SprinterPress) September 2, 2026

The ship was cleaned at port with no signs of damage from attack.  It has now left Thailand on a return trip to the US and the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado (San Diego).  

🇺🇸🇹🇭 USS Abraham Lincoln Gets A Deep Clean

After an extended deployment at sea, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is getting some serious attention at Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port.

Thai port crews are using high pressure water jets and scaffolding to clean the carrier’s hull,… pic.twitter.com/3urAvxLWzn

— Defense Intelligence (@DI313_) September 6, 2026

Latest Visuals ⚡️:

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Aircraft carrier wraps visit to Laem Chabang Port, Thailand returning back to South China Enroute towards San Diego pic.twitter.com/9wrE4r3iSY

— OSINT Digest (@Indowatchosint) September 6, 2026

The carrier and all its sailors are accounted for.  The return of the USS Abraham Lincoln highlights an incessant disinformation campaign by Iran and Iran supporters, flooding social media with false claims in an effort to win the war in the theater of public opinion.  On the ground, the vast majority of supposed IRGC successes have proven to be fake. 

The Iran War and the war in Ukraine have become case studies for a new era of digital warfare.  Substantial efforts are being made to "play the algorithms" and manipulate consensus.  Iran, perhaps more than any government so far, has relied heavily on digital guerrilla tactics as a way to demoralize US operations.  They have, of course, received extensive help from sources in the west. 

Whether or not one agrees with the reasons behind the war, it is clear that propaganda alone is not going to lead to victory.  Tangible realities matter and Iran is being hit with those tangibles in the form of an inflation crisis, import/export crisis and fuel shortage crisis and foreign ships passing more freely through the Strait of Hormuz.   

The lesson here is simple:  Online discourse is rarely a reflection of the truth.  All one has to do is wait a few months for the fog of war to clear and the majority of false claims will melt away.     

Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 08:50

After coming back into the tennis spotlight, Serena Williams went out with an Irish goodbye at the U.S. Open.

Your personal data is up for grabs, and it's costing you.

Life's too short for bad coffee.

As Page Six previously reported, Gallagher was arrested on domestic violence charges in Australia in December 2025.

Gallagher, who shares 1-year-old son Kayden with Cameron, was arrested on domestic violence charges in Australia in December 2025.

Noise cancellation on sale.

Hartnett: A Democratic Sweep Will Trigger A Stock Market Rout, And Pop The AI Bubble

The biggest story last week was not the unexpectedly hot jobs report which, unfortunately, will be revised sharply lower next month as the labor market reverts to its deteriorating, AI-enhanced, trendline: Instead, what everyone was - or should have been focusing on - was the bottom falling out of the bond market with global yields jumping to the highest level in 2 decades, to wit: 

• 10Y Treasury yields jumping to 4.81%, near 2008 crisis levels
• 30Y Treasury yields jumping to 5.31%, highest since 2007
   
• Japan 10Y JGB  >3.0%    First time since 1996
• Japan 30Y JGB  4.2%, or 4x the BoJ policy rate
   
• German 10Y Bund  3.38%, post-2011 high
• France OAT-Bund spread 88bps, 2012 crisis highs
• Italy BTP-Bund spreads, 84bps, 2012 highs

A Bloomberg index of global bond yields just rose to the highest since 2007, and is just 1% away from the highest levels this century.

Appropriately, the topic of soaring bond yields is also the kick-off theme of the latest weekly Flow Show (available to pro subs) from BofA's Michael Hartnett, who writes that with a 99% probability the ECB hikes Sept 10th, 53% Fed hikes on 16th, 98% BoJ hikes 18th (per Bloomberg futures pricing), the hikes are coming fast and furious as central banks try to restore credibility to ward off surge in bond yields (which, as we have discussed extensively, is now the biggest threat to AI capex and the K-shaped consumer booms). In light of this, Hartnett says that if the Fed does hike despite stalled payrolls...

... then it will restore credibility and make sure the current "peak yields" don't go higher, it's also why to Hartnett, duration (RTY, XBI, KRE, REIT) keeps working despite surging yields and why "nouveau-leveraged" Mag7s are on the cusp of upside breakout. On the other hand, if the Fed does not hike - as Trump made painfully clear he will not approve - or even merely keeps rates on hold, then all bets are off, as is the Fed's credibility because for all his rhetoric, Warsh will prove to be "just one more of the guys."

Of course, it's not just the Fed: with Trump approval ratings the lowest on record...

... as a plurality of Americans say the most important problem facing the country is "the economy, unemployment and jobs" (followed in distant second place by those who said "threats to democratic values and norms"), Hartnett says that the White House is realizing that $4/gallon gas, 160 dollar-yen, 5% Treasury bond yields are "Maginot Lines" for the US admin, hence policy interventions via FX, bond buybacks, monetary policy (pressure on BoJ to raise policy rate that’s averaged 0.1% this century)...

... and why the policy panic working for now (see the surging Japan yen); or, as Hartnett described a month ago, global markets are subject to “whatever it takes” policies to maintain nominal macro boom and asset price bull...  and why Hartnett says to stay long commodities and debasement hedges, e.g. gold.

To be sure, this observation doesn't exist in a vacuum, and sits neatly inside a coherent set of themes Hartnett has been pushing over  the past several weeks: 

• "Bonds boss the bubble." His view is that long-dated yields - not equity stories - now dictate the AI trade, captured in his line from a week ago that "bonds trade information, equities trade ideas." He argues AI spenders and builders will keep underperforming AI adopters until global 30-year yields fall below 5%, and that the market is currently priced for a "perfect consensus": no landing, no Fed hike, no AI capex cut, and no Democratic sweep (which will inevitably disappoint).
• Stay long commodities and gold. With "whatever-it-takes" fiscal intervention holding down long-end yields, Hartnett has kept commodities and gold as the core inflation/geopolitical hedge. 
• The midterms are the contrarian flip. His base stance is long equities / short bonds, but he carves out a tactical exception: if Democrats look poised to sweep both chambers, a 10%+ equity selloff becomes likely, making bonds the contrarian Q4 buy. Investors have largely shrugged off election risk so far, which is exactly why he sees the asymmetry.
• The AI bubble is "fit to burst." In related commentary he laid out a post-bubble playbook — "long humiliation, short hubris" — favoring long bonds plus defensives (consumer staples, mining/materials, healthcare) over the crowded AI-buildout names, noting hyperscaler free cash flow has turned negative under buildout commitments.

As Hartnett continues to hammer the rising bond yield theme, he next takes a somewhat contrarian view, and notes that the 10-year rolling return from US stocks is 15%, commodities 11%... while Treasuries are -2%, the worst of the past 100 years.

For bond bulls (if any are still left, now that even career bond bull Lacy Hunt turned bearish) this is a good sign: as the next two charts show, negative long-run returns have been a great entry points for stocks in 1939, 1974, 2009...

... and commodities in 1933, 2018.

And while the US midterms are not a “regime change” election like Thatcher/Reagan in 1980, or BREXIT/Trump 2016, a Fed hike, TSY buybacks, signal a rising risk the midterms show the biggest voter priority is “affordability” not lower taxes, faster AI data center expansion... which is why to Hartnett lower Q4 yields remain a very good contrarian play.

Hartnett's latest Flow Show then pivots away from bond yields, and to the main topic of the week, namely the upcoming midterms (appropriately just as we penned "Democrat Sweep? Here Are JPMorgan's Midterm Trades - And Why Gridlock Pays"). The BofA strategist believes that for all the posturing, the midterms are not a “regime change” election, e.g. Thatcher/Reagan in 1980 = end of inflation/start of bond bull, BREXIT/Trump in 2016 = end of globalization = start of commodity bull;

Alas the coming midterms are unlikely to change the trajectory of US government spending (which will keep rising until it is forced to stop); Hartnett views that 2020s as a decade of political populism as MAGA (Reform party in UK) and Democratic Socialists of America (Greens in UK) represent the culmination of post-GFC Tea Party and Occupy Wall St insurgents. 

More importantly, the populists (right or left) are spending a lot to stay popular... which is why 2020s is a decade of fiscal excess, nominal GDP boom (past six years up 63% in US from $20tn to $32tn) and “Anything But Bonds” strategic asset allocations (TSYs up 74% in past six years, from $23TN to $40TN). Meanwhile, as the latest BofA Fund Managers Survey shows, investors are not fearful of midterms saying POTUS governs through Executive Orders not Congress (277 thus far, on track for most since Truman), and say a Democrat sweep is unlikely given tough Senate “map”; when asked about the most likely outcome from midterms in August BofA Fund Manager Survey (see report), 47% said GOP Senate & DEM House, 23% said DEM sweep, 9% said GOP sweep/maintains control of Congress (current GOP Senate majority is 53-47, in House 218-212).

Source: BofA FMS

To be sure, the Senate map is tough for Dems: they must flip 4 of 6 most vulnerable GOP seats in North Carolina (current probability of DEM flip = 92%), Maine (69%), Alaska (64%), Ohio (55%), Texas (51%), Iowa (37%); and DEMs must defend vulnerable seats in Georgia (94% = current prob of DEM hold), New Hampshire (84%), Michigan (65%); the key battleground states for investors to watch are Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Michigan.

Note that Wall Street is already focused on Texas Governor race between GOP incumbent Abbott (currently polling 49% according to Real Clear Politics) and his Democrat challenger Hinojosa (45%); the clash is seen as big referendum on AI data center expansion (Abbott was recently forced to announce a data center moratorium to arrest decline in polling numbers).

But as Hartnett's next chart shows, the Democratic sweep likelihood is rising, with Trump's Presidential approval number ranges from 35-40%, significantly below historical average 2 months ahead of midterms (53% as shown below).

Furthermore, the BofA strategist points to the latest Polymarket probabilities, which show odds of a Democratic sweep at 50% (vs., GOP Senate/DEM House at 35%, and a GOP sweep at just 10%).

This matters because for Hartnett, a Democrat sweep is a threat to asset prices: an electoral shift from populist capitalism to populist socialism, means the next big direction in tax & regulation is up not down (and EPS negative), and would be accompanied by policies to lower inflation, healthcare, improve affordability challenge K-shape wealth boom, AI capex boom, stocks "too big to fail" Wall Street zeitgeist.

Additionally, loss of political capital = less ability for Trump to coerce resources, corporations, foreign governments into support for policy priorities of AI war with China, resource monopolization.

Putting all this together, Hartnett says a Democrat sweep = big risk-off: it would lead to a slump in i) stocks (more than 10%), ii) the dollar, and iii) bond yields into year-end, while international stocks outperform on less trade & military wars... but Europe outperforms Asia (loses Trump AI friend); the BofA strategist says the best hedge for a Democrat sweep is short financials & US dollar. In contrast, a surprise GOP sweep (maintain House/Senate) control = big risk-on, and more importantly a green light for AI bubble and positive US dollar (“exceptionalism returns").

Finally, the largely priced-in scenario of a “GOP Senate/ DEM House” translates into more of the same: modest risk-on... “gridlock = goldilocks”.

More in the full BofA Flow Show note available to pro subs.

Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 08:30

New York Rediscovers Nuclear Power, With Plenty Of Political Fine Print

Five years after Indian Point’s last reactor shut down, Albany rediscovered the appeal of electricity that runs around the clock without burning fossil fuels.

Governor Kathy Hochul wants 5 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity, with at least 1 GW developed by the publicly owned New York Power Authority, plus a separate 4 GW initiative. 

There haven't been any announcements for the technology of choice, but the most likely candidates are the large Westinghouse AP1000 and the smaller 300 MW BWRX-300 from GE Vernova Hitachi.

As Canary Media reports, the reversal follows this spring’s weakening of New York’s climate law. The state’s difficulties with delivering large renewable projects also hasn’t helped keep them on the pure-play renewables path, which was made worse with the Trump administration’s assault on offshore wind.

The construction of new nuclear power generation offers a governor facing re-election a unique win-win opportunity: nuclear offers dependable low-carbon generation alongside renewables while also offering industrial investment, construction jobs and promises of lower bills.

Eight upstate communities have expressed interest in hosting projects. With strongly Republican-leaning counties on the list of possibilities, including Jefferson, Oswego, and Schuyler, Gov. Hochul could use the new mega-projects to score political points.

NYISO’s 2026 Power Trends warns in their recent report that trying to replace over 4 GW of something that's almost always on (nuclear) with less than 3 GW of something that's almost always off (renewables) isn't exactly how you set the state up for future success.

The report from NYISO does highlight a common problem between nuclear and other sources of generation, which is the issue of actually getting the power where it needs to go. If most of the energy demand is downstate, then additional dependencies and bottlenecks come into play. Transmission capacity becomes a problem to get the power from upstate.

Then there is Indian Point. As we previously reported, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has pushed to revive the roughly 2 GW facility, whose retirement increased reliance on fossil generation. Hochul opposes reopening it while championing new construction upstate.

A restart would require substantial work, however, a precedent is already being set with other restarts around the country, most notably at the Palisades. If there is true concern in the state for meeting baseload needs, then outright rejecting the restart of a nuclear facility becomes confusing.

Opponents are arguing nuclear spending could crowd out faster alternatives, so Senator Kevin Parker’s pending legislation would impose a 30-month pause on taxpayer and ratepayer support for new or restarted nuclear facilities while a task force studies costs and alternatives.

As we have highlighted a few times now, selective nuclear enthusiasm extends well beyond Albany.

Texas committed $350 million to advanced nuclear development in 2025. Yet Greg Abbott fought the proposed Andrews County spent-fuel storage facility, and Texas enacted restrictions in 2021 on offsite high-level waste storage.

New Mexico similarly committed almost $5 million in development assistance and workforce support for Kairos Power’s Albuquerque expansion. Meanwhile, state officials battled Holtec’s proposed HI-STORE spent-fuel facility. Holtec abandoned the New Mexico project in 2025.

The common thread is an appetite for nuclear generation capacity accompanied by arguments over who carries the liabilities. New York’s pivot could strengthen its grid for decades, potentially even the next century, if it can follow through with its swing.

Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 08:30

"I guess he just wants to express that he's secure in his own manhood."