Thursday, April 30, 2026
Iran War: Oil Rises to $126 Due to Press Reports of Briefing to Trump on Military Options; Iran Threatens to Counter US Blockade
Today’s Iran war update: Trump is still trapped in his own mess and is too seriously considering more self-destructive kinetic action
US-Led Sanctions: The End of a Regime
Why the US sanctions regime has become a dead letter.
Satyajit Das: The Re-Shaping of the Persian Gulf and Energy Markets
Are the Gulf states a wild card that could unblock the impasse between the US and Iran?
Coffee Break: OpenAI Trial Pits Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is getting his day in court against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman as both men aim for record-setting IPOs amid scrutiny and skepticism over revenue.
Supreme Court Justices Weigh Monsanto Bid to Block Warning Lawsuits in Glyphosate Litigation
A good recap of the Monsanto glyphosate case now before the Supreme Court, including its broader implications.
Russell’s Teapot: Dispatches From the Final Stage of the AI Bubble
The AI future sold to markets rests on claims that cannot survive scrutiny, not foresight but hype dressed up as inevitability.
Iran War: Trump Insanity Escalates, Administration Doubles Down on Failed Economic Strangulation as Iran Digs In and Costs to World Rise; Israel Destruction of South Lebanon Continues
Today’s Iran war update: the appearance of limited action continues to mask ongoing damage to the world economy
Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold. Russia Deals Germany Impeccably Timed Oil Blow
Cut off of Kazakh oil through Druzhba pipeline amid global supply crunch deepens Germany’s crises.
Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – The U.S. Navy Adrift
The U.S. Navy’s difficulties are often treated as separate problems—shipbuilding delays, readiness shortfalls, troubled procurement, and operational strain. This article argues they form a self-reinforcing system of converging constraints, exposing deeper weaknesses in force structure, logistics, and strategic planning.
US Military Strategy Document Misleads. Deliberately?
To what degree is the Trump Administration implementing its much-ballyhooed US National Defense Strategy?
All Talk, No Action: The EU’s Abject Failure, Once Again, to Correct Course On Israel
“Some of the most senior figures in the Brussels bureaucracy have no red lines. They just have red carpets, which they roll out whenever Israel’s advocates ask them to do so.”
Palantir in Argentina and the Future of U.S. Dominance
The future of U.S. dominance relies on making governments dependent on technology companies that have effectively become part of the State
