2026, day 165 Good morning from Asia. ‘Trump says deal to be signed today; Tehran urges caution’ (AJ); ‘Iran says signing of Islamabad memorandum will not take place on Sunday’ (Reuters): ‘Exclusive: Iran sealed uranium cache and placed mines amid fears of US operation to seize material’ (CNN); ‘The Iranian Enforcer Driving Tehran’s Hard Bargaining With the U.S.’ (WSJ); ‘Opposition chief Lapid says US-Iran deal ‘doesn’t achieve any of Israel’s war goals’’ (ToI); ‘House Democrat slams US-Iran peace deal as ‘basically a surrender document’’ (The Hill); ‘Tanker struck by unknown projectile six nautical miles east of Oman, UKMTO says’ (Reuters); ‘Hezbollah claims drone attack on Israeli position in south Lebanon’ (AJ); ‘IDF preparing to stop Lebanon ground advance amid pending US-Iran deal’ (Kan); ‘In the trenches: Ukraine’s fight is now longer than the First World War, and looks eerily similar from the muddy holes on the front line’ (Globe and Mail); ‘Two phones and an app: How Russians skirt Putin's digital iron curtain’ (Reuters); ‘Trump to participate in G7 working session with Zelenskyy: official’ (Euractiv); ‘EU countries approve starting membership talks with Ukraine, Moldova’ (Politico); ‘Inside the Room Where America’s Brightest Game Out How to Avoid an AI Apocalypse’ (WSJ); ‘Asia shaken as US abandons role as guardian of rules-based order’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘Japan adds Indonesia to ‘network of navies’ after Australia, Philippines’ (SCMP); In geoeconomics, ‘Investment firms join Donald Trump’s $100bn race for Venezuelan oil’ (FT); ‘The world’s strategic oil reserves are running out fast’ (Economist) - “They cannot hold back the energy crunch for ever”; ‘China accuses US of power abuse with expanded blacklist of Chinese firms’ (SCMP); ‘Japan to explore rare-earth mining in Greenland to cut China reliance’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘A trade war between the EU and China seems inevitable’ (Economist) - “Europe sees Chinese subsidies, China sees European weakness”; ‘Why it’s nearly impossible to build a robot without China’ (Japan Times); ‘Amazon CEO’s Talks With U.S. Officials Triggered Crackdown on Anthropic Models’ (WSJ); ‘US decision to block Mythos access fuels European calls for sovereignty’ (Euractiv); ‘EU deepens Brazil ties, seeks less reliance on US tech’ (Reuters); ‘China’s Geely Auto to slash excess capacity amid overhaul to boost carmaker’s global edge’ (SCMP); In politics, ‘Farage: I will evict foreign nationals from council housing’ (Telegraph) - “Migrants will be given three months to find private accommodation or face being deported under Reform leader’s plans”; ‘Switzerland’s ‘Brexit moment’: Vote on a population cap sets up potential collision with EU’ (CNN); ‘America’s Politics Are Reaching Peak Paranoia’ (BBG); In markets, ‘There’s a Bug in the Gold Trade as Miners Move Like Meme Stocks’ (BBG)

Bill Clinton: “I killed myself trying to give the Palestinians a state. I had a deal they turned down that would have given them all of Gaza and 97% of the West Bank. You name it. They turned it down.” The Palestinians never wanted peace. This must be shared every single day.

2026, day 164 Good morning from Asia. ‘US-Iran peace deal text agreed, says Pakistan’s PM’ (FT) - “Senior American official says both sides expect to sign agreement in coming days”; ‘Iran peace deal looms while new military action flares near Strait of Hormuz’ (Reuters); ‘US forces shoot down Iranian drones targeting ships in Stait of Hormuz: Centcom’ (The Hill); ‘Senior Trump administration official outlines deal Iran agreed to, Vance plays down rumors’ (Al Arabiya); ‘US Vows Interim Iran Deal Will Reopen Hormuz, End Nuclear Threat’ (BBG); ‘US-Iran deal to include dismantling of Iranian nuclear program, US official says’ (JPost); ‘Many questions remain, with Tehran and Washington offering different accounts of what's in the framework to be signed” (CNN); ‘US military rushed to prepare ground mission to capture Iran’s uranium, but Trump paused it, sources say’ (CNN); ‘Knives come out for emerging Iran deal: 5 things to know’ (The Hill); ‘Exclusive: UAE to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, sources say’ (Reuters); ‘The UAE categorically denies media claims regarding the transfer of funds to Iran’ (MoFA); ‘Qatar pursued secret talks with Iran to shield gas complex from strikes, security officials say’ (WaPo); ‘Doha denies Washington Post report saying it proposed slashing output in bid to pressure US and Israel to end war, as part of effort to protect Ras Laffan’ (ToI); ‘How Donald Trump’s son-in-law accidentally sparked an Albanian uprising’ (Politico); ‘Trump Says U.S. Killed Venezuelan Tren de Aragua Gang Leader’ (WSJ) - “President says the strike was coordinated with the Caracas government”; ‘Ukraine turns Russia’s land bridge into ‘highway of death’’ (Telegraph); ‘China Presses Taiwan by Querying Foreign Ships for First Time’ (BBG); ‘China’s navy has missiles and drones. Why is it bringing back the ‘big guns’?’ (SCMP); In geoeconomics, ‘Macron wants the G7 to tackle China. Beijing isn’t playing along’ (Politico); ‘Commission proposes CAP changes to tackle fertiliser costs’ (Euractiv); ‘Capitals put strict conditions on CO2 tariff emergency suspension’ (Euractiv); ‘Out of the shadows: Huawei’s ‘chip queen’ steps back into the spotlight with scaling law’ (SCMP); ‘Huawei is considering deploying Ascend AI chips in Latin America, cloud chief says’ (SCMP); ‘Anthropic suspends latest AI models after US blocks access to foreigners’ (FT); In politics, ‘Miliband front-runner to be Burnham’s chancellor’ (Telegraph); ‘Miliband comes for underfloor heating in net zero drive’ (Telegraph); In markets, ‘SpaceX surges past $2 trillion in Nasdaq debut, closes in on Amazon’ (Reuters); ‘SpaceX’s surge on debut makes Elon Musk world’s first trillionaire’ (FT); ‘Why Oil Prices Haven’t Shot Through the Roof—Yet’ (WSJ) - “Prospects for a peace deal, falling Chinese demand and some workarounds to the Strait of Hormuz closure helped stop the crude market from going haywire”

RT @anasalhajji: 🐺"Cushing 'cry wolf' again. 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺 Pundits have been sounding the alarm on Cushing storage for years. Every single time…

RT @anasalhajji: 🍎What is driving the surge in US refiners' fuel exports to African countries? 🍊How is the US rig count recovering, parti…

RT @anasalhajji: Look at that receovery in US oil rug count

Mehr, meh, or moah? Haven’t we been here N times already? What if that is the destination and not the journey?

Always a pleasure talking to Nate, and we cover a lot of ground beyond Iran… but, yes, despite the current news headlines (fast-changing as they are!), I underline that a TACO is the whole enchilada in terms of the geostrategic damage it would wreak on the US - and the West.

RT @anasalhajji: 🟥Europe’s Gas Balancing Act: LNG Shortfalls, Rising Russian Flows, and the Race to Refill Storage Avoiding an Energy Cru…

RT @anasalhajji: 🇮🇳India: Coal share in power generation declined form 74.5% in 2024 to 70.8% in 2025. 👇👇👇

Everyone always talking about “talent density” in Silicon Valley when we really should be talking about how 80% of pretzels in America come from a small region of Pennsylvania

RT @anasalhajji: 🔴How did Trump’s conflicting Iran statements trigger an 8% WTI swing? 🔵Why did OPEC cut its 2026 demand forecast while ra…

2026, day 163 Good morning from Asia. ‘Trump ‘cancels strikes’, says deal ‘approved’’ (AJ); ‘India demands end to US attacks on ships after three sailors killed’ (Reuters); ‘Trump says US, Iran could sign peace deal as soon as this weekend’ (Reuters); ‘Iran’s Foreign Ministry says large part of deal with US finalized, but no decision made yet’ (Reuters); ‘Netanyahu reportedly not given heads-up about Trump’s announcement, was caught off guard’ (ToI); ‘Explosions heard in Bandar Abbas’ (Mehr); ‘Iranian official: Explosion heard in Sirik due to confrontation with tanker in Strait of Hormuz’ (Ynet); ‘IDF pushes deeper in into Lebanon to neutralize threat of Hezbollah’ (JPost) - “IDF assessments have determined that they can't fully disarm the terror organization but can push them back far enough into Lebanon to significantly reduce the risk to Israeli citizens”; ‘Lebanon’s Christians flee Tyre, fearing Israel’s campaign will prevent return’ (Reuters); '’If order given, we will take over Beirut': IDF Golani cmndr. tells 'Post' about Wadi Saluki op.’ (JPost); ‘Syrian president receives invitation to US mid-June: Diplomatic source’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Turkey escalates tensions in Cyprus’ (FDD); ‘Why Europe should not choose to go it alone’ (FT) - “A secure future depends on a revitalised transatlantic alliance”; ‘Kallas defends EU’s foreign service after French paper questions its survival’ (Politico); ‘Arms maker Diehl in talks to build Ukrainian missile in Germany’ (FT); ‘Berlin, Israeli defence giant IAI sign deal for aerospace and defence innovation hub’ (Euractiv); ‘German and Spanish companies pitch themselves for alternative FCAS Jet’ (Euractiv); ‘Italy plans 40,000 troop increase and new reserve system under defence overhaul’ (Euractiv); ‘Ukraine aims to isolate Crimea from Russia, drone commander 'Madyar' says’ (Kyiv Independent); ‘How the FSB cut Russia off from the internet’ (FT) - “Shutdowns have made one of the world’s most online nations resort to cash, paper maps and pet cams”; ‘Russia ‘not looking for conflict’, says Nato’s top US commander’ (FT); ‘Russia builds up infrastructure near Europe's border to deploy over 100,000 troops’ (Ukraine Pravda); ‘US targets Cuba oil giant as Beijing and Havana deepen party ties’ (SCMP); ‘Nvidia denies Latin America role in chip smuggling as US-China AI rivalry reaches Brazil’ (SCMP); In geoeconomics, ‘Jeff Bezos says AI will bring ‘golden ages’ not mass job losses’ (FT); ‘China races against US for AI’s holy grail: self-improving tech’ (SCMP); ‘US eyes Japanese funding for nuclear revival, Lutnick says’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘China's hydrogen push outstrips Japan's in new fuel race’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘What naphtha shortage? China extends petrochemicals lead during Iran war’ (Nikkei Asia) - “Japan seeks Asian partnerships to build more resilient supply chains”; ‘Mark Carney's trade push collides with reality of U.S. dependence’ (Reuters); ‘Trump’s threat not to renew USMCA an invitation to make a deal, U.S. Ambassador says’ (Globe & Mail); ‘Ottawa tabling bill on forced labour after Trump threatens new tariffs’ (Globe & Mail); ‘We want bigger cuts to EU budget than planned, richer countries say’ (Politico); ‘Reeves to tempt rich US expats with lower taxes’ (Telegraph) - “Chancellor seeks to ease levies on American investors who want to live in Britain”; In politics, ‘Healey resignation torpedoes Starmer’ (Telegraph); ‘Donald Trump names former SEC head Jay Clayton as US intelligence chief’ (FT); ‘Trump and Allies Are Working on Plan to ‘Expunge’ Impeachments’ (WSJ); ‘Bardella vows 'new European architecture' if he wins power in France’ (Euractiv) - “Jordan Bardella says Ursula von der Leyen must go, and eyes close partnership with right-wing leaders in Germany and Italy”; In markets, ‘SpaceX IPO makes Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire’ (Reuters); ‘Oil Drops to Two-Month Low as Trump Says Deal With Iran Is Close’ (BBG)

RT @anasalhajji: 🔴السياسة ضد الجغرافيا: قصص الغاز التي تفضح عبث السياسة في التجارة العالمية تلعب السياسة دوراً محورياً في تشكيل التحالفات…

Very grateful to President Trump and the First Lady for joining the Catholic faithful and the bishops of the United States in dedicating the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. whitehouse.gov/briefings-sta…

China’s rare earth export restrictions are a direct strategic threat to the West. For China enthusiasts who claim China shows zero aggression, these policies are blatantly inflammatory to geopolitical stability Since April 2025, Beijing has restricted key heavy rare earths (dysprosium, terbium, yttrium etc.) in retaliation for US tariffs. Exports down ~50%. Prices outside China exploded: yttrium oxide 140x to ~$1,100/kg, dysprosium & terbium 4–5x higher. These are vital for defence magnets, jets, missiles, EVs & semiconductors. China controls 70% of production 90% of processing. China is basically telling the US and the rest of the West that it will disarm you militarily and economically through your supply chains This is economic warfare — weaponising supply chain dominance to coerce the West. It provokes the West into responding and escalating. The West, in turn, has provocative policies of its own that together form a ladder of escalation. Do not make a mistake, China is intent on dominating the world in a way that it can set its own terms, let's not pretend both sides aren't playing this game, it's propaganda to think otherwise theoregongroup.com/commoditi…

BREAKING 🚨: Japan Japanese Yen approaching its weakest level against the U.S. Dollar in almost 40 years 📉🇯🇵

The News Recap 1. President Trump is considering purchasing the Chagos Islands from the UK 2. Steven Spielberg says Disclosure Day will leave Christians questioning their Faith in God 3. The Social Security retirement trust fund is now projected to run dry in 2032 4. The Texas Rangers will have a Faith and Family Night this month on June 18th 5. McDonald's is planning to replace drive-thru attendants with an AI model named Archy 6. A case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm is under investigation in Texas 7. ESPN is negotiating a contract extension with Pat McAfee to pay him over $60 million per year 8. The South Carolina GOP Governor Runoff is between Pamela Evette and Alan Wilson 9. Lindsey Graham and Graham Platner win their Senate primaries 10. Canada has banned Texas cattle over a flesh-eating screwworm outbreak in the U.S. 11. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says he is unlikely to run for President in 2028 12. Pastor Willy Rice was elected as the next President of the Southern Baptist Convention 13. Dan Laine wins on Jeopardy 14. NASA has announced the crew for its 2027 Artemis III mission with 4 new astronauts 15. The U.S. fertility rate has hit an all-time low of 1.57 children per woman in 2025 16. Canada is planning a social media ban for kids under 16 years old 17. A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck northwest of Cuba 18. Egg prices have fallen to their lowest level in more than a decade 19. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks. The Knicks lead the series 2-1 20. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Las Vegas Golden Knights 5-3. The series is tied 2-2

I stopped by the new Reflecting Pool. It is simply glorious. There were a thousand people, everywhere, taking pictures and just enjoying its beauty. Thank you President Trump for restoring our city’s national treasure.