Matthew Miller, the former State Department spokesman, confirmed a report that blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for impeding any ceasefire agreement with Hamas to bring an end to the massacres in Gaza.
ECONOMIC UPDATE
Chief Seattle said that “All things are connected like the blood which unites one family.”
U.S. NATIONAL DEBT TOPS $40 TRILLION
On 18 August, the U.S. national debt officially reached $40.05 trillion after the Treasury Department reported borrowing $432.3 in July to pay its bills.
SPECIAL REPORT: ECONOMIC D-DAY SANCTIONS
U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent has announced new sanctions against Iran’s trading partners that are intended to “sever every economic lifeline” sustaining the country’s economy.
TRUMP: IRAN NOT READY TO MAKE THE ‘RIGHT DEAL,’ TRUMP CLAIMS U.S. IN FULL CONTROL OF HORMUZ
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he did not believe that Iran was prepared to agree to a deal that Washington finds suitable to end the war, but he assured reporters that the U.S. was in “total control” in the Strait of Hormuz.
DEBT, INFLATION, AND THE COLLAPSE OF PURCHASING POWER. (AMERICA IS BEING ERASED FROM WITHIN FASTER)
ONLY A FRACTION of the population was ready for what’s already happening… AND even less are prepared for what is coming next….
FAILURE TO SELL THE WAR: POLL SHOWS IRAN WAR REMAINS DEEPLY UNPOPULAR AMONG AMERICANS
A newly released survey found that just 31 percent of American voters say they support the U.S. war against Iran, which is the lowest level since the war started and a decline of 6 percent since March.
Global Economy
SPOTLIGHT: BIGS GETTING BIGGER
Payment processing company Stripe will put up $8 billion in cash and stock to take over OpenRouter, a startup that allows companies to switch among various AI models to find the one that is cheapest or best suited to a particular need.
SPOTLIGHT: THE “HORMUZ WAR” SHAKES UP THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY
Iran claims to have blacklisted 45 tankers that have violated its rules for passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
AI FRENZY VAULTS CHINA’S TECH STOCKS’ VALUATIONS ABOVE U.S. RIVALS
China’s top tech stock index has returned 29 percent this year through 18 August, more than twice the NASDAQ’s 12.4 percent.
U.S. Economy
MARKET OVERVIEW
The three main U.S. stock indexes turned in a positive performance on Friday but not even the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 500-point leap was enough to overcome ongoing worries about heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf and the implications of the bond markets’ midweek sell-off over fears of deteriorating U.S. fiscal conditions.
SPOTLIGHT: PANIC IN THE BOND MARKET
On 18 August, investors dumped government bonds amid heightened fears that inflation will continue to rise, government deficits are out of control, and a flood of AI-related bond issues are diluting bond values, the Financial Times reported.
SPOTLIGHT: AI BORROWING TESTS ITS LIMIT
We have greatly detailed that in the very near future, possibly this October, there will be a Dot-com Bust 2.0 that will crash the equity markets and spike gold prices.
The Iran War
TRUMP: IRAN NOT READY TO MAKE THE ‘RIGHT DEAL,’ TRUMP CLAIMS U.S. IN FULL CONTROL OF HORMUZ
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he did not believe that Iran was prepared to agree to a deal that Washington finds suitable to end the war, but he assured reporters that the U.S. was in “total control” in the Strait of Hormuz.
IRAN CONSIDERS ATTACKING U.S. MILITARY TARGETS IN EUROPE IF TRUMP RESTARTS WAR
Iran has considered attacking U.S. positions inside Europe that have been used to facilitate bombing campaigns on Iran, including an airbase in Bulgaria that has allowed Washington to use the facility for refueling aircraft, according to the Financial Times.
IRAN CALLS NEW U.S. SANCTIONS ‘ECONOMIC TERRORISM’ AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DOUBLES DOWN ON FAILURE
The Trump administration’s newly announced ‘Economic D-Day’ sanctions against Iran are tantamount to “crimes against humanity” and “economic terrorism,” according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The Israel War
GAZA/LEBANON DEATH TOLL
Israel killed about 73,431 Palestinians and injured another 174,437 since the genocidal war started in October 2023.
TENSIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND ISRAEL RISE OVER IDF STRIKE ON SYRIAN BASE
Israel’s decision last week to launch an airstrike on a base in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province angered Turkey, which called the strike another example of Tel Aviv’s “expansionist and destabilizing policies,” according to a report.
NO CLEAN WATER: CHILDREN IN GAZA FORCED TO FIGHT TO SURVIVE
The IDF has destroyed or damaged most of Gaza’s water infrastructure during the genocide that started in October 2023, which means Palestinians inside the enclave must search for water, often relying on children as young as four years old to carry gallons of water to their tent camps.