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Global economy, primarily powered by oil, coal and natural gas, is being choked and is using up its reserves of oil and natural gas. Soon it will be forced to halt uses of oil and gas which are less vital. What is cut will be decided globally through finance and politics. Fertilizer, and diesel fuel for tractors, harvesters and water pumps, drive modern agricultural production, which will be much reduced this year, with food shortages expected next year for staples of grains and legumes.
Market economics is likely to become politically untenable in cases where it declares that the poorer half of a society will just starve if it can’t afford rice. Command economics can be expected to take over, which is commonly the case during wars. Wars provide the public rationale for extreme economic measures and command economy more often than we might realize. To ruling elites, wars are a tool of control over societies, which maintain the ruling power structure and protect it from displeased citizens.
It is my opinion that the war between US/Israel and Iran, mostly blocking the Strait of Hormuz, is a reaction to the rollover in global production of cheap oil + natural gas liquids, and puts a control lever in the hands of various elites. The ownership of that lever is contested. Several elite groups can turn the valve off,but only an agreement between those groups can open the valve and let the oil, gas, helium and fertilizer through to Afriva, Africa, Europe and South America.
Most of the nations in these regions will have increasingly severe hardships while the valve remains closed, with industrial collapse and famine included. The correction to these disruptions will be delayed by months, due to shipping logistics, partial, due to bomb damage to shipping and refining facilities, and largely enduring. The oil-shocks of the 1970s led to a lot of changes in engineering priorities for automobiles, building insulation and public transportation. Many of those changes remain in place, especially in legal and regulatory statutes.
Adapt early. If you already adapted in 1973 this miight be easier for you. The move to make all transactions digital and intermediated by AI that serves our shadowy puppet-masters in their distant castles will not be made easier. I like to spend cash and write checks for now, but that is not their plan for us.
Surplus Energy Economics, They first make mad - STRESS & GRIEF AT THE END OF GROWTH Economic growth is generally understood as a process that delivers a material betterment of living standards over time.
But growth has two other virtues, neither of which has hitherto attracted as much attention as they deserve. Both will be a sore loss now that meaningful growth has ended (and even its faked simulacrum can’t be maintained for much longer),
First,economic growth can rescue us from the consequences of our own mistakes or misfortunes... ..These curative properties of growth also apply, though, to businesses and individuals. Governments, too, can grow their economies out of fiscal failures.
Growth, that’s to say, gives us hope. It’s associated with economic regeneration – we might even say ‘redemption’ – as well as with betterment, making it very important indeed from the point of view of collective psychology and expectation... ..The second great virtue of growth is that it can allow some to prosper without inflicting worsening hardship on others... ..Now that growth has ended, then, we face two fundamental shocks. The first is that we will have to own the consequences of our mistakes, and can no longer rely on economic expansion curing our ills.
Second,minorities will only be able to maintain or expand their wealth at the expense of majorities. This in itself is a massive political shift... ..Should we, then, be starting to think in terms of a post-growth derangement syndrome combining the destabilizing characteristics of grief and shock? If we look at the world from a perspective of determined objectivity, it’s hard to avoid the impression that collective rationality has been breaking down. ..Some of us have been prepared to go further, noting that economic expansion has been in the process of reversing into contraction.
Yet society seems to be in the early – the denial and anger – stages of grieving over the loss of economic growth. Perhaps, more specifically, denial has become deeply entrenched, and anger is now starting to make its presence felt...
..Problems with “the cost of living”, for example, are visible wherever we look, yet this is still described as a “crisis”, implying some purely temporary phenomenonthat wisdom or simply the passage of time will resolve.
This delusion is reinforced by an episodic narrative which blames worsening hardship and insecurity on the ‘bad luck’ of experiencing, in quick succession, a pandemic, a war in Eastern Europe and, now, a conflict in the Persian Gulf.... ..Meanwhile, the basis of economic value has been shifting, away from all forms of income and towards capital gains. The latter are, by definition, incapable of monetisation at the aggregate level. Obviously enough, the only people to whom the entirety of real estate, stocks and any other financial asset class could ever be sold are the same people to whom they already belong...American stock markets have reached new highs, despite the fact that closure of the Straits of Hormuz has already inflicted enough material damage to ensure, at the very least, a pronounced economic hit... ..What “demand destruction” actually means is that a price is reached at which consumers opt to do without oil rather than chasing its price to ever-greater heights.
Given the profound material consequences of petroleum deprivation,a reduction in the demand-destruction price-point can only mean that consumers – and hence the economy – are poorer than was previously the case... ..Meanwhile, the Energy Cost of Energy has been rising relentlessly. ECoE is defined as “that proportion of energy which, being consumed in the energy access process, is not available for any other economic purpose”... ..The real costs of aperson’s energy-intensive essentials could rise by more than 70% over the coming quarter-century.
In effect, discretionary (non-essential) affordability gets crushed.
None of this is all that difficult to anticipate, but even its early stages are proving remarkably hard to process collectively.
Denial, thus far, has taken the forms of runaway monetary claim expansion, and a willingness to accept all technological change as “progress”, even where, as Charles Hugh Smith has explained, it often actually constitutes anti-progress. It’s not as though it’s even hard to predict that the undue faith invested in the false deities of limitless monetary stimulus and infinite technological possibility are likely to fail together, in an event at which the credibility both of money and of technology form a combined crisis.
In other words, we should anticipate a conjunction of technological disillusionment and a collapse of trust in money. https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2026/05/05/323-they-first-make-mad/comment-page-1/#respond
Larry Johnson, The Bogus Blockade Claim of the US Department of War Blockades are acts of war requiring effective enforcement(impartial, declared, and maintained by force).Violators(enemy or neutral ships breaching or attempting to breach)are subject to capture
Now that you understand the procedure,let’s look at the US Navy’s constraints. As I discussed in my last article, theUS Navy is keeping its ships 200 miles off the coast of Iran. If the venture any closer to shore they are vulnerable to missile and drone attacks. TheIranian ships — when they leave port — normally stay within 50 miles of the Iranian coast, which means they are outside the reach of the US Navy.
Next, let’s look at the current US Navy order of battle (this is based on publicly available information). As of late April 2026, theUS Navy has at least 14 actively operating or supporting in the broader region(Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, and relevant Indian Ocean areas). Thisincludes three Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs); at leasteight multiple guided-missile destroyers;six ships attached to the Amphibious Ready Groups(ARG) for the 31st and 11th MEUs, and two additional escorts (not part of the core ARG but often operate with it): theCruiser USS Robert Smalls(CG-62) and thedestroyer USS Rafael Peralta(DDG-115), forming a broader Expeditionary Strike Group. In other words,the US Navy only as 11 ships that could be used in a VBSS operation.
Do you see the math problem? The current US deployment means thatthe US Navy could do VBSS operations on 11 vessels… Tops!But that would mean that US destroyers, which have the mission of protecting the US carriers from air attacks, would have to be pulled off of their primary missionleaving the carriers to fend for themselves. https://sonar21.com/the-bogus-blockade-claim-of-the-us-department-of-war/
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-05-06 Project Freedom collapses in under 48 hours. Trump announced suspension of the Hormuz kinetic operation on May 5, citing “great progress” toward a deal with Iran via Pakistani mediation. The blockade remains in full force... ..UAE hit by second Iranian barrage in 24 hours. Air defenses actively engaging missiles and drones. NOTAM issued closing Emirates FIR partially until May 11. Iran categorically denies targeting the UAE, alleging the US was responsible — despite Iranian state-affiliated sources having warned the UAE hours before the May 4 strike. CNN reports an Israeli Iron Dome system was used in UAE interceptions — the Abraham Accords’ first publicly reported kinetic operation... ..Iran FM Araghchi lands in Beijing for talks with Wang Yi, eight days before Trump arrives for the May 14 summit. China simultaneously issued its first-ever blocking statute against US sanctions on five Chinese refineries... ..UK gilt yields hit generational highs. 30-year yield surged to 5.79%, highest since 1998. 10-year above 5.10%, highest since the GFC... ..Global oil reserves plunging at record pace. FT reports stockpiles fell ~200M barrels (6.6M bpd) even as demand collapsed ~5M bpd. S&P Global says even after Hormuz reopens, 7 months minimum to restore production, with the energy crisis potentially stretching into 2027... ..Hormuz architecture: the permit system replaces the blockade - Iran’s new “Administration for the Strait of Hormuz” requires prior permits and electronic instructions before transit — a permanent governance system, not a wartime improvisation
IRGC broadcast over VHF: no vessel permitted to transit without permission; any vessel attempting passage “will be destroyed”
Only cargo ship visible in the strait: Iranian... ..USAF tanker emergencies — two 7700 squawks in one day
KC-135R squawked 7700 emergency over the Persian Gulf, signal lost before confirmed landing — unclear if crashed
A second tanker, KC-46A, also squawked 7700 the same day
Both were replaced by aircraft from Ramstein sent to Tel Aviv - suggesting operational losses…..AI job displacement goes operational - Coinbase cuts 693 employees (14%) — AI agents write 50%+ of code, resolve 60% of support tickets. Armstrong: target state is “rebuilding Coinbase as an intelligence, with humans around the edge”
Anthropic launches 10 agent templates for financial services; FIS built a Financial Crimes Agent compressing AML investigations from days to minutes
Goldman Sachs research shows AI displacing 16,000 US jobs/month. Goldman then invested in the $1.5B JV with Anthropic, Blackstone, and Hellman & Friedman to deploy the very tools doing the displacing... ..Markets at record highs while internals rot - S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Russell 2000 all hit new all-time highs on the same day
Warren Buffett sitting on $400B cash, largest pile in corporate history: “We’ve never had people in a more gambling mood than now”
Buffett Indicator hit 227%, surpassing dot-com bubble and GFC
LEI/CEI ratio at 0.84, matching the 2008 GFC low — this level has never occurred outside a recession
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-05-05 Iran-US ceasefire collapsing in Strait of Hormuz: Iran struck UAE’s Fujairah oil facility with missiles/drones/cruise missiles (19 weapons total, 3 injured), hit an ADNOC tanker, fired on US patrol boats near Jask, and launched sustained attacks against USS Truxtun and USS Mason during their transit... ..US Treasury yield curve blew up simultaneously across maturities: Violent spikes hit the 2yr, 5yr, 20yr, and 30yr at the exact same moment — three times in succession. 30Y yield topped 5.01% for first time since July. Country-level selling profile... ..China issues first-ever blocking statute against US sanctions: MOFCOM invoked 2021 blocking rules to protect 5 Chinese refineries sanctioned for buying Iranian crude. Chinese companies legally ordered to ignore US designations... ..USAF KC-135R tanker squawking 7700 emergency over Persian Gulf: Signal lost before reaching Qatar. No confirmation of landing or crash. Possible shootdown or technical failure... **Russia threatens massive missile strike on central Kiev if Ukraine attacks May 9 parade: MoD statement explicitly warns civilian population and foreign diplomatic missions to evacuate.** ..IRGC broadcast over VHF that any vessel will be “targeted and destroyed” without permission
Iran published new control zone maps extending from Qeshm Island to Umm Al Quwain in UAE… ..Fujairah oil terminal (the Hormuz bypass route) on fire after Iranian strikes
UAE partially closed airspace May 4-11...
..UAE left OPEC on May 1. Iran struck 72 hours later
Iranian military official denied targeting UAE, alleged US was responsible — information warfare... ..Maersk confirmed a US-flagged vehicle carrier transited safely under Navy escort — first successful challenge to Iran’s enforcement
CENTCOM claims helicopters destroyed 6 Iranian fast boats. Iran denies, says US killed 5 civilians on cargo boats
US Navy officially calls the Strait mined — “extremely hazardous”... ..Vessel traffic remains at a trickle; majority using Iranian-approved routes, not Project Freedom corridor... ..Iran blockade timeline longer than expected: Detailed analysis puts Iran’s remaining storage + tanker capacity + output reduction at 69-83+ days, well past Trump’s “2 weeks” claim...
..Trump-Xi Summit: Asymmetric Leverage - Four C-17s prepositioned in Beijing with presidential logistics — while China issues blocking orders against Trump’s sanctions
China controls ~90% of rare earth supply chain, 80-90% of Iran’s crude exports, 37.7% of Hormuz throughput
Per shanaka86: “This is not a summit. This is a transactional audit of who actually holds which leverage in which chokepoint”
Moon of Alabama, War On Iran: – “Project Freedom” A One-Off Stunt – Tightening UAE Blockade – China Counters U.S. Sanctions On Sunday night at around 20:35 UTC President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy would help ships in the Persian Gulf to pass through the Strait of Hormuz... ..Mercogliano explains that the U.S. most likely put Navy reserve officer onto those ships. They were equipped with secure communication equipment which allowed to coordinate the moves. On their way out of the Persian Gulf the two ship most likely hugged the Omani coast at the south side of the Gulf of Hormuz.
The U.S. additionally claimed that two of its destroyers had entered the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claims that it had warned off a U.S. military vessel by shooting at it. Neither of these claims has been confirmed.
The U.S. also claimed that it had destroyed 5 to 7 (sources vary) IRGC fast boats, likely by helicopter, implying that those were about to attack the ships the U.S. Navy protected. Iran refutes that and says that the U.S. attacked two small civilian cargo boats. (At any time there are hundreds of these in the Strait.)
The great “Project Freedom”, that Trump had announced, was supposed to allow for traffic to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. But it now seem to have been a one-off special operation to get only two of some 900 stuck vessels out of the Persian Gulf. In parallel to this operation Iran tightened control over the oil flow leaving the Persian Gulf. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a pipeline which it allows it transport oil from its western oil fields to the Fujairah harbor at the eastern coast outside of the Strait of Hormuz. This has been used to export some 2 million barrels per day despite the blockade of Hormuz.
Yesterday Iran published a map which now includes Fujairah into the zone that Iran blockades. At the same time several Iranian missiles were fired at UAE installation. An Iranian drone hit Fujairah and left oil installations burning. Two UAE related ships were also attacked with one of them still burning.
UAE, the uppity sheikdom, has recently left the Arab led OPEC organization. It allied itself with Israel and the U.S. and has taken part in their attack on Iran. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/05/war-on-iran-project-freedom-a-one-off-stunt-tightening-uae-blockade-china-counters-u-s-sanctions.html
Iran War: Peak Chaos as Trump Announces “Humanitarian” Convoy to Enter Strait to Free Trapped Ships, Soon Walked Back by Officialdom; Negotiations Reported as Collapsing as Iran Toughens Position; UAE Enters War https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/05/iran-war-peak-chaos-as-trump-announces-humanitarian-convoy-to-enter-strait-to-free-trapped-ship-soon-walked-back-by-officialdom-negotiations-reported-as-collapsing-as-iran-toughens-position-ua.html
Tehran, May 5 (AFP) May 05, 2026, Iran military ‘categorically’ denies launching attacks on UAE
“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran did not launch any missile or drone operation against the United Arab Emirates these past days,” the Khatam al-Anbiya central command said in a statement.
“If such an action had been taken, we would have announced it firmly and clearly,” it added.
“Therefore, the report of that country’s Ministry of Defence is categorically denied and completely unfounded,” it said, however, warning that any attacks launched from Emirati territory would be met with a “firm response”. https://www.spacewar.com/afp/260505205758.t8t06ag2.html
Iran Claims Two Missiles Hit U.S. Naval Vessel Near Jask; But Washington Denies Incident Conflicting accounts emerged on Monday after Iranian state-affiliated media reported that missiles struck a United States naval vessel near the port of Jask, while U.S. officials denied that any such attack occurred. Iran’s Fars News Agency stated that two missiles hit a U.S. Navy ship operating near the southern Iranian coastline after it allegedly ignored navigation warnings issued by Iranian forces. According to the report, the vessel was sailing close to the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz and was forced to halt its movement and turn back. Iranian sources described the ship as a frigate or destroyer and claimed it had violated maritime safety protocols. https://www.thedefensenews.com/news-details/Iran-Claims-Two-Missiles-Hit-US-Naval-Vessel-Near-Jask-But-Washington-Denies-Incident/
Artificial Stupidity in the Persian Gulf Let’s begin a few years ago when the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was first introduced at the September 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi. The network of railroads, ship-to-rail, road transport routes, energy pipelines and high-speed data cables connecting South Asia, the Gulf and Europe was in theory supposed to be some sort of answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It never made much sense as a logistics corridor as it involves moving cargo via ships from India to the UAE, putting them onto trains going through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, and then back onto ships to go from Israel to Europe.
The Trump administration, however, followed Silicon Valley’s lead and shifted away from the Biden focus on a logistics corridor to more of a digital cesspit of corruption with each IMEC locale fortifying a lucrative new pole of American hegemony with Israel playing a lead role. It was an AI superiority invitation from Europe to India written in the blood of genocide, but it’s collapsing now as the Persian Gulf, which the “plan” depended on, goes up in flames. https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/05/artificial-stupidity-in-the-persian-gulf.html
The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem - Iranian state media circulating maps of the Gulf’s undersea cable routes in apparent threat to sever the global internet https://asiatimes.com/2026/05/the-internet-has-a-strait-of-hormuz-problem/
Kyle Young, IMEC – Trump tears a page from the WEF playbook to launch his version of technocratic globalism Since Trump began his second term I’ve had this thought rattling around in my head that there must be some connections between all of the bad things that are currently being imposed on us; the war on Gaza, the war on Iran, AI, digital ID, digital currency, the artificially induced fertilizer famine, the surveillance apparatus, the sudden explosion of data centers being built everywhere, Trump cozying up to all the big tech bro’s, and all of that being imposed on us even though none of us voted for any of it... Since then, thanks to information from Escape Key, Patrick Wood, Meryl Nass and Catherine Austin Fitts, the puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place... ..I think most would agree that a new world order of a private digital currency and a surveillance system, both run by AI and controlled by the Trump family - a system in which no one gets to vote - will be far worse than the old order... ..What’s being placed between any parties conducting a transaction in this new world order is... a machine, AI... ..The IMEC trade route begins at the port of Jawajarlal India. It then goes to ports in Oman and the UAE. At those ports goods will be transferred to trains and transported across Saudi Arabia, Jordan and on to the port at Haifa, Israel where goods will once again be loaded onto ships to be sent to ports in Southern Europe and on to the Eastern US.
Not only does the route bypass the Strait of Hormuz, it also bypasses the potential choke point at the Suez canal... ..Gaza lies just to the south of Haifa. Trump has said the US will be taking over Gaza. That’s not true. If these plans are allowed to proceed, Gaza will be taken over by the Board of Peace. We’re being told this will be this governance will be temporary, but there is no time frame for a transition. The Board of Peace was endorsed by the UN Security Council in November of 2025. It was formally launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January of this year... The continuity of globalism is in the process of being passed from the worlds largest unelected, non governmental body, the UN, to a private global entity that will use AI, digital currency and surveillance to rule... ..IMEC and the Board of Peace answer to no one. Both entities sit outside of any national or international jurisdiction. Nevertheless, both involve partnerships with India, Saudi Arabia UAE, Israel, the US, France, Italy, Germany and the European Union... ..It’s the quintessential private/public partnership loved by globalist organizations like the WEF, the Bilderberg Group, the Trilateral Comission, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Rockefeller Fund, the Soros Fund, the Gates Foundation, the Fabians and so on... Put another way, what we are witnessing is the implementation of the first big stage of the globalist Great Reset... ..Jared Kushner designed the diplomatic preconditions for this entire architecture. He brokered the Abraham Accords in 2020 — the normalization agreements between Israel and the Gulf states that made IMEC conceptually possible. He left government, founded Affinity Partners, and raised $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, $1.5 billion from Qatar’s Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based Lunate — the same Gulf sovereign entities that are cornerstone investors in IMEC infrastructure. He co-authored the Gaza reconstruction masterplan. He sits on the Board of Peace executive board... ..Trump himself approved the Pax Silica coalition — the State Department initiative that exports the full American AI technology stack to trusted partners. The UAE signed on January 14, 2026, gaining preferential access to advanced semiconductors, AI compute infrastructure, and frontier models. Biden had restricted these exports.
USAF Says Former Qatari 747 Boeing Ready For USA Paint Scheme The U.S. Air Force reports that the Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, now designated the VC-25B Bridge, has completed modification and flight testing and is entering the paint phase ahead of deployment as an interim Air Force One jet.
The bridge aircraft is a former Qatar head-of-state Boeing 747-8i that will serve as an interim presidential aircraft until Boeing’s delayed VC-25B replacements are ready, now expected in 2028. https://www.zerohedge.com/military/usaf-says-former-qatari-747-boeing-ready-usa-paint-scheme
Meryl Nass MD, How do you feel about AI governing all aspects of life? The United Nations has been quietly building the justifications and foundation for it.
John Helmer, NOT SO QUIET DEATH – THE US ORDER TO KILL THE IRANIAN NAVY’S DENA AND ITS CREW In the early morning of March 4, Sri Lanka time, the Islamic Republic of Iran Ship (IRIS) Dena was attacked by the US submarine USS Charlotte with two torpedoes.
The first destroyed the Dena’s propeller shaft and stopped her dead in the water. Her position was at coordinates 6.0073 degrees North, 79.8654 degrees East: that was nine nautical miles (nm) outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters; 19 nm (35 km) west of the harbour of Galle, a port on the southwestern coast of the island.
At the 30-knot speed the Dena had been moving, she was 18 minutes from the safety of Sri Lankan territory. Immobilized, however, the Dena captain, Abuzar Zarri, gave the crew the order to assemble on the aft deck in full visibility of the Charlotte, and prepare to abandon ship. As the crew mustered, a second torpedo was fired by the Charlotte to sink the Dena and kill the crew.
The torpedo warhead explosion broke the keel; the Dena sank in less than five minutes.
Of the crew’s 180-man complement, 32 were rescued from the water by the Sri Lankan coast guard, including Zarri and the first officer; 87 bodies were recovered; 61 were lost. Altogether, 148 were killed.
On the Charlotte, submerged at a distance from the Dena of less than 10 nm (18 km), there was an interval of approximately ninety minutes between the first fire order and the second, the kill order. https://johnhelmer.net/not-so-quiet-death-the-us-order-to-kill-the-iranian-navys-dena-and-its-crew/#more-94129
Yeah... In a stunning escalation of partisan rhetoric, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) declared on national television that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is “guilty” of war crimes — and compared U.S. military operations against drug-smuggling boats to the actions of Nazi submarine captains executed after World War II. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/dem-rep-suggests-hegseth-could-be-executed-war-crimes-nazi-sub-captains
It’s up and down every day: WTI Holds Rebound Gains As US Fuel Exports Hit Record High, Production Dips, Huge SPR Drain https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/wti-xxxx-us-oil-exports-hit-record-100mm-barrels-last-week-huge-spr-drain
Ahead Of Trump-Xi Summit, Beijing Tells Chinese Firms To Ignore U.S. Sanctions On “Teapot” Refineries https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/ahead-trump-xi-summit-beijing-tells-chinese-firms-ignore-us-sanctions-teapot-refineries
China Wants Iran War End, Pushes ‘Immediate’ Hormuz Reopening During Araghchi Visit Ahead Of Trump-Xi Summit Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is currently in Beijing meeting with his Chinese counterpart, FM Wang Yi, and the timing of the visit sends a resounding message to Washington and the West. The highly anticipated Trump-Xi meeting is still scheduled for next week, expected for May 14-15, though there has been ample speculation the ongoing events of the unpredictable Iran war and Hormuz Strait crisis could derail the trip at the last minute. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/china-wants-iran-war-end-pushes-immediate-hormuz-reopening-during-araghchi-visit-ahead
US Navy Jet Fires On Iran-Flagged Tanker Trying To Reach Iranian Port Axios reports that the White House is nearing a preliminary deal with Iran to end the war, as Trump post appears to offer olive branch. Other reports say just hammering out at ‘framework’ for ‘monthlong’ talks.
White House says it expects a response to the latest offer within 48 hours.
Iran’s initial response via media & national security spox: US demands are unrealistic & do not reflect reality, & Axios report based on too much ‘speculation’. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/sp500-futs-jump-bonds-rally-oil-tanks-axios-report-us-iran-nearing-deal
Israel Says Preparing For Escalation With Iran, Didn’t Know Deal Was Close: ‘Series Of Targets Ready’ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-says-preparing-escalation-iran-didnt-know-deal-was-close-series-targets-ready
Larry Johnson, All Indicators Signal that Trump Will Restart the War Against Iran This Week A friend who is a resident of the UAE — someone who is well connected — sent me a note stating that his source in the Emirati government told him that hostilities would commence on Thursday, the 7th. However, I also know that among the leadership of CENTCOM there is not a lot of enthusiasm for initiating new attacks. https://sonar21.com/all-indicators-signal-that-trump-will-restart-the-war-against-iran-this-week/
Celia Farber has some of the photos: Palestinian Photographer Saher Alghorra Awarded Pulitzer Prize For ‘Breaking News Photography;’ Hailed As A “Haunting, Sensitive Series Showing The Devastation And Starvation In Gaza..”
Caitlin Johnstone states it openly: Protest Laws Should Be Viewed As Efforts To Ban Criticism Of Israel
Thanks Eleni: Convicted Spy Jonathan Pollard Announces Political Campaign, Calls For Ethnic Cleansing Of Gaza Pollard’s run for a seat in the Knesset signals that the rise of ultra-Zionist political parties in Israel is only beginning.
Israel Confirms 500 Strikes Against Lebanon Since ‘Ceasefire’ Went Into Effect - Displacement and destruction continues as ceasefire fails to cease firing https://news.antiwar.com/2026/05/05/israel-confirms-500-strikes-against-lebanon-since-ceasefire-went-into-effect/
As in Gaza, Israel is targeting rescue workers in South Lebanon, killing more than 100 since March https://israelpalestinenews.org/as-in-gaza-israel-is-targeting-rescue-workers-in-south-lebanon-killing-more-than-100-since-march/
They burn out your eyes, nose, mouth and lungs. Israel targets southern Lebanon with internationally banned phosphorus shells Artillery hits towns in Bint Jbeil as airstrikes strike multiple areas in Tyre district, state media says https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-targets-southern-lebanon-with-internationally-banned-phosphorus-shells/3927936
“Spitting and humiliation are daily. People are afraid to walk in Jerusalem with Christian symbols.” https://israelpalestinenews.org/spitting-and-humiliation-are-daily-people-are-afraid-to-walk-in-jerusalem-with-christian-symbols/
“I Heard People Screaming”: Flotilla Activist Describes Israeli Navy Attack in European Waters Hannah Smith, a representative of the Global Sumud Flotilla who was aboard the ships when Israeli forces raided them, told Democracy Now that activists were held in a makeshift prison of shipping containers and barbed wire for nearly two days, denied water and sanitary supplies, subjected to physical force, and left in freezing temperatures with jackets confiscated. When activists refused to leave without the six held in solitary confinement, “many people were beat, many people were dragged, I was held in a stress position for many hours,” Smith said. “I heard people being beat. I heard people screaming. I heard people being dragged around. It was absolutely horrifying.”
Israel’s brutality toward Gaza flotilla activists – 3 articles https://israelpalestinenews.org/israels-brutality-toward-gaza-flotilla-activists-3-articles/
With World Distracted by War, Extremist Settlers Intensify Attacks in West Bank https://israelpalestinenews.org/with-world-distracted-by-war-extremist-settlers-intensify-attacks-in-west-bank/
Trump Hits Cuba With New Sanctions; Rubio Warns Of Havana’s Foreign Influence Ops https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-hits-cuba-new-sanctions-rubio-warns-havanas-foreign-influence-ops
Trump jokes US will be ‘taking over’ Cuba after Iran conflict The president made the comment when recognizing attendees at a Florida event in West Palm Beach. The guests included former Rep. Dan Mica.
“He comes from, originally, a place called Cuba, which we will be taking over almost immediately,” Trump said of Mica. “Cuba’s got problems. We’ll finish one first. I like to finish a job.”
The president then jokingly suggested that the takeover could happen as some U.S. warships return from the Middle East.
“On the way back from Iran, we’ll have one of our big — maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier — the biggest in the world,” he said. “We’ll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore, and they’ll say, ‘Thank you very much, we give up.’” https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/all-things-trump/trump-jokes-us-will-be-taking-over-cuba-after-iran-conflict
Gold & Geopolitics goes into first, second and third order effects of the liquidity squeeze now beginning: The liquidity squeeze 2.0 - A short update
All-Time High 55% Of Americans Say That Their Financial Situations Are Getting Worse https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/all-time-high-55-americans-say-their-financial-situations-are-getting-worse
Gilbert Doctorow explains that Russians are tired of wartime economy now: It’s the Economy Stupid! Russia’s economy is doing very badly and what that means for September parliamentary elections…
Gilbert Doctorow, What is news and what is not news? Today’s online edition of The Financial Times has a front-page article informing us that “US pullback on long-range missiles leaves Europe exposed.” What they are saying is that Trump has cancelled the delivery of US medium range Tomahawk and other missiles to Germany that President Biden had forced on Chancellor Scholz within a 2026-2027 time line. This change in U.S. nuclear strategy from intercontinental missiles based in the USA to medium range missiles based in Europe with very short strike times suitable for a decapitating attack were a key factor in Russia’s changing its nuclear doctrine in November 2024. The article, of course, plays the readers for fools by explaining how Moscow must receive this news “with glee.” And they put this news up alongside the mention of Trump’s previously announced 5,000 man drawdown of the American troops stationed in Germany.Both are said to be the consequence of Trump’s pique over Merz’s criticism of the American president’s Iran war as lacking in strategy of attack and strategy of withdrawal. However, the weighted value of these two developments is like putting an elephant alongside a mouse.The drawdown is the mouse. Trump is removing only 5,000 out of the current 37,000 American soldiers in Germany. To take more would put him in direct conflict with Congress which does not want any drawdown.
However, cancelling the delivery of missiles is truly a big blow to the entire European defense (read offense) capability. And it could be justified to Congress if anyone bothers to ask by the serious shortage of these missiles in the US inventory due to the Iran war, which compounded earlier shortages from the Biden support for Kiev.
Theremoval of the threat of US missiles reaching all of European Russia within a 15 minute flight time must be an enormous relief to Russian planners and surely makes it easier for them to offer to Europeans a major concession, namely the removal of Russia’s medium range missiles,especially the hypersonic missiles from the western borders of Russia, Kaliningrad and Belarus to behind the Urals.
Gilbert Doctorow explains a potential opening for Russian decapitation strikes against Kiev, Putin’s muffled barking We were told that President Putin also responded to the latest statements coming from Vladimir Zelenskyduring his stay at a European gathering in Yerevan, Armenia the same day.Zelensky said that his armed forces intend to attack the Victory Day parade in Moscow on the 9th with drones. The Ukrainians’ ability to get through Moscow’s very sophisticated air defenses was demonstrated a day earlier when one of their drones hit a residential building on Mosfilmovskaya, a thoroughfare just next to the Moscow River in the very center of the Russian capital.
Putin’s response was to warn Kiev that if it does attack, the Russians will then massively bomb the center of Kiev and he warned foreign diplomats to evacuatethe city now.
60% of voters believe France is witnessing ‘a replacement of the French population by non-European populations’
Marion Maréchal warns of leadership of successive French governments who stand idly by as France self-destructs https://rmx.news/article/to-our-greatest-misfortune-our-rulers-are-among-the-40-french-politician-laments-french-rulers-who-do-nothing-about-population-replacement-and-surging-migrant-crime/
Taxpayers Foot Staggering £629 Million Bill For Foreign Nationals In UK Prisons https://www.zerohedge.com/political/taxpayers-foot-staggering-ps629-million-bill-foreign-nationals-uk-prisons
Volkswagen Likely to Allow Chinese Automaker to Build in Shuttered Volkswagen Auto Plant SUMMARY: Volkswagen went to China to sell cars. Volkswagen opened EV auto plants in China bringing in German industrial technology and equipment. China learned from Volkswagen and started their own EV auto companies to compete. Volkswagen EV sales in China started dropping dramatically, and the Chinese EV brands took over.
Due to internal climate regulations in Europe, Volkswagen in the EU then begins giving money to China that subsidizes their competition. China exports their EVs to Europe. Volkswagen EV auto plants start closing. China now takes control of the Volkswagen EV auto plants to build Chinese EVs in Germany.
With operations now inside the (EU) house, the Chinese government extract European wealth and pump subsidies into their EV operations in Germany, flooding the European market with cheap EVs that will undercut the German auto manufacturing sector. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/05/04/volkswagen-likely-to-allow-chinese-automaker-to-build-in-shuttered-volkswagen-auto-plants/#more-283080
EU to Begin Censoring Emojis on Social Media — For ‘Safety’ https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2026/05/03/eu-to-begin-censoring-emojis-on-social-media-for-safety-n4952447
This is really a long summary list. Take a scan: The Mysterious Deaths Surrounding the Clintons
12 of their own bodyguards past away alone. Nobody has 47+ people close to them who all mysteriously died or took their own life.
Ghislaine Maxwell Wants to Expose ‘Big Name’ in Exchange for Pardon https://slaynews.com/ghislaine-maxwell-expose-big-name-exchange-pardon/
BREAKING:TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS HAVE SPOKEN TO EDWARD SNOWDEN ABOUT FULL PARDON, RETURNING HOME - Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, a LONG TIME ALLY OF AND ADVOCATE for PERSECUTED PATRIOT Edward Snowden, has reportedly spoken with him about the possibility of a looming FULL PARDON from President Trump and the facilitation of his PERMANENT RED CARPET RETURN HOME with a hero’s welcome.
BOOM! JOE ROGAN GOES NUCLEAR ON THE DEADLY COVID JAB HOLOCAUST — SHOCKING NEW STUDY EXPOSES UP TO 600,000 AMERICANS SLAUGHTERED BY THE SHOTS IN THE US ALONE! “That’s a lot of people, man. More than World War I, World War II, and Vietnam COMBINED!” The Deep State Pharma cabal’s experimental depopulation weapon just got caught red-handed — and they still want you lining up for more boosters!
A Midwestern Doctor, We Now Know How The Government Lied About the COVID Vaccines For more than 250 years, the same playbook has been used to prop up toxic vaccines. At long last, we have a chance to end it. Story at a Glance:
Since the dawn of vaccination, authorities have habitually doubled down on unsafe and ineffective vaccines, regardless of the pushback they received or the evidence against them.
Sustaining this has required increasingly brazen methods to censor and conceal the deluge of “extremely rare” injuriescaused by an ever-expanding vaccination schedule.
Senator Ron Johnson, whohas worked tirelessly to expose this coverup, recently held a Senate hearing aptly titled:“Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals.”
Faced with a tsunami of vaccine injuries too large for anyone to ignore, the FDA and CDC searched for a way to statistically dismiss it, eventually settling on effectively comparing Moderna’s injury rate to Pfizer’s and declaring the vaccines “safe” because there was no major difference between the two.
When a senior FDA analyst pointed out this obvious flaw and suggested comparing them to less toxic vaccines instead, documents show the entire FDA turned against her to suppress her findings. As a result, dozens of conditions we have all seen the COVID vaccines cause were never officially linked to them—despite the data clearly showing they were.
Sayer Ji, THE TEN-DAY COUNTDOWN: “Please Delete This Email” — How Fauci’s Own Words May Seal His Fate
Sasha Latypova, Anthony Fauci will not be prosecuted for covid crimes. Mark this post.
Steve Kirsch, VAERS safety signals for the COVID vaccine were being triggered so the FDA silenced the whistleblower Thanks to the brilliant work of Ron Johnson and his staff, we now know that the FDA knew that a more accurate analysis method was throwing off safety signals so the FDA silenced the whistleblower.
BREAKING STUDY: Infant Mortality Surged 37% and Birth Defect Deaths Jumped 46% After COVID-19 “Vaccine” Rollout
Official Philippine government data show a 20-year decline in infant mortality was completely erased in just five years—alongside a collapse in live births.
Nicolas Hulscher MPH, We now have clear evidence that the COVID shots have crippled the reproductive capacity of humanity.
In animal models, they destroy over 60% of women’s non-renewable egg supply. In human data (n=1.3 MILLION), vaccinated women have ~33% fewer successful pregnancies than unvaccinated. The latest study found “vaccine” mRNA and spike protein invade the human placenta and fetal cells. 37% of placentas from vaccinated mothers contained lethal spike protein.
Kennedy Announces Historic Shift in U.S. Mental Healthcare Treatment
The HHS Secretary introduceda plan to help wean Americans off addictive and excessively prescribed antidepressants
Celia Farber, The Cruise Ship ‘Hanta Virus’ OP Has Grown To Include Its First Crisis Actors Repeating Imagery And Symbolism From Covid--Along With Inverted Epidemiology, Like Trapping Passengers On Cruise Ships Said To Be Afflicted With New Plague Via Rats
Peter McCullough MD, Silent Risks on the High Seas: A Survival Guide for Hantavirus Prevention Cruise ship MV Hondius outbreak emphasizes importance of independent measures for cabin safety, environmental vigilance, and personal resilience against rodent-borne pathogens
Celia Farber again: The Hantavirus Op Has Escalated Since This Morning’s Post - I Want To Ignore It But I Can’t. We Have To Be Prepared. Whatever That Means .
Paul Marik MD, Sunlight: Medicine or Carcinogen? Why sunshine may protect you—and why red light therapy might do the opposite
Paul Marik MD, The Serotonin Myth: Why SSRI’s So Often Fail” - Depression - Part 1
Paul Marik MD, Depression Is Not What We Think It Is (Part 2)
Paul Marik MD, Intermittent Fasting, Metabolic Health, and Modern Disease - The Path to Metabolic Health
Euthymic Vegetable Gardener (pictured recently in therapeutic milieu)
You have corn tasseling?
Thank you John.
Edward Snowden should consider the phrase, "there's no honor among thieves". Good luck with that pardon if he takes it.