Homan Reveals ICE Rescuing Migrant Children Trafficked To Pedos Under Biden, Lives Apart From Wife Due To Death Threats Homan Reveals ICE Rescuing Migrant Children Trafficked To Pedos Under Biden, Lives Apart From Wife Due To Death Threats President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, revealed that ICE has rescued migrant children sex-trafficked under the Biden administration, while noting he’s been separated from his wife due to death threats tied to enforcing Trump’s immigration policies. image “There were 300,000 missing children under the last administration,” Homan told Miranda Devine’s “Pod Force One” . "We rescued victims of sex trafficking [and] two weeks ago, we rescued a 14-year-old that was already pregnant, living with adult men.” “We rescued some victims of forced labor. We found children working on ranches and chicken farms, not going to school, but enslaved labor in the United States of America,” Trump’s border czar continued. “Some of the children we found [were] perfectly fine with their families. They just didn’t respond to call-ins [because they] didn’t want to face the consequences of immigration court,” he added. ICE officers previously disclosed to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General that thousands of migrant children were handed over to non-family sponsors, with HHS releasing over 14,500 in 2023 and 9,600 in 2024 to unrelated individuals or distant relatives, according to the . Additionally, only 1,000 of 2,400 kids in one November 2023 week went to parents or legal guardians. “Although these relatives may have been appropriately qualified, [one ICE officer] noted the UACs most at risk for trafficking or forced labor are those released to an unrelated sponsor,” an IG report said. Homan also told Devine DNA testing showed up to 30% of supposed families were unrelated. “A lot of parents paid a smuggling organization to bring their kids [over the border]. Some of these children were trafficked. We know HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] had several investigations where a child was rented by the criminal cartel to an adult male or female, crossed the border [and] when you’re done, you send the kid back [and] re-rent them,” Homan said. Later in the interview, Homan told Devine that living apart from his wife due to death threats he has received. Homan has that he’s living away from his wife because of death threats he’s receiving. “I spent a lot of time with my boys growing up, but as I got more and more — climbed the ladder of what I’ve done with ICE director and now back — I don’t see my family very much,” Homan said. “My wife’s living separately from me right now, mainly because I worked for many hours, but mostly because of the death threats against me. “She’s someplace else. I see her as much as I can, but the death threats against me and my family are outrageous,” he added. Thu, 06/26/2025 - 16:40
Hollowed Out Hollowed Out The status quo has pushed everything to an extreme of hollowed-out instability to maintain a superficial appearance of normalcy and stability. But it's all fake. The phrase that best describes the present era is hollowed out. By hollowed out I mean the exterior facade still looks pretty much the same as it did in the past, but the internal structure has corroded / eroded to the point that little remains of what provided strength and stability. What's left is the illusion of stability. Our spectacles have been hollowed out, lifeless, rote repeats of past performances, reduced to unintentional parodies of what was once vibrant. Our entertainment has been hollowed out, dominated by remakes, retreads, threadbare extensions of tent-pole franchises and sound-alike songs. Even our outrage has been hollowed out, perfunctory displays phoned in from afar, as we all know outrage has been exhausted along with everything else. Our "innovation" has been hollowed out, with toys such as flying motorcycles and self-driving taxis presented as "solutions" to phantom "problems," "solutions" that boil down to hype, clickbait or another reach for higher corporate profits. The most visible result of AI is AI Slop:  (29 min) (via Richard M.) Our incentives have been hollowed out, leaving only the most perverse extremes. The motivation to flood social media with AI Slop is the faint hope of creating a viral link that earns a pittance for the AI Slopper. Our realm of romance has been hollowed out, leaving a hellscape of dating sites and the wreckage left by ubiquitous online porn. Our food has been hollowed out, ultra-processed slop remorselessly worked into "new" "innovative" products that are parodies of quality and innovation: you've just got to try the new jalapeno-yuzu-crawfish bagel... Our politics have been hollowed out, with the only useful reform--requiring politicians to wear the logos of their corporate campaign donors--nixed because it would have made obvious what everyone knows: politics is now an open auction for favors and influence. It would be far more honest if we conducted the passage of congressional bills as open auctions on eBay for all to bid and all to see: Buy Now for only $500,000: a tax break hidden deep inside the untouchable Defense Appropriations Bill. Our economy has been hollowed out in virtually every sector, from Higher Education to Healthcare to housing. Much of what passes for "growth" is either waste (BS work, planned obsolescence, fraud), statistical trickery or artificial stimulus. The shell remains standing but it now requires massive injections of borrowed money to prop up the rotted facade. Consider Higher Education. Before it was hollowed out, millions of college students were educated without needing to enter debt-serfdom to pay tuition and fees. As this chart shows, student loans were zero in 1993. Now there's $1.5 trillion in student loans. The number of administrators quadrupled, while federal legislation made student debt the one form of debt that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy, effectively legalizing debt-serfdom. image The Higher Ed / student loan industry's relentless hype machine drummed the idea that doom awaited any young person without a university degree, or better yet, a graduate degree or MBA. The net result, as we all know, is a vast over-supply of MBAs, graduates of law schools and computer programmers, all fields currently being decimated as AI tools do to white-collar work what industrial robots did to blue-collar factory work. Meanwhile, back in the real economy, the nation has a severe shortage of skilled trade workers--yup, the kind of work denigrated by the "you gotta go to college" machine. Yes, the kind of work AI and robots can't do:   (June 2, 2025) The housing and mortgage sectors have also been hollowed out, creating overpriced facades propped up by $2+ trillion in Federal Reserve purchases of mortgage-backed securities (MBS). How did millions of households manage to buy homes from 1946 to 2001 without the Fed nationalizing the mortgage sector and inflating one housing bubble after another in the process? image Private-equity and corporations with bottomless credit lines courtesy of the Fed have feasted on housing, pushing valuations to extremes of unaffordability while jacking rents to the stratosphere to maximize shareholder value at the expense of the workforce. image The status quo has pushed us into extremes of hollowed-out instability to maintain a superficial appearance of normalcy and stability. But it's all fake. If Higher Education now requires students to become debt-serfs, that is not a system worth propping up. It should be allowed to be obsoleted by much more effective and cheaper alternatives, for example what I proposed 13 years ago in my book https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZCR9S0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EZCR9S0&linkCode=as2&tag=charleshughsm-20 . Everything has been hollowed out by insiders being enriched by a system that must be propped up with trillions in borrowed money lest it collapse under its own bloated weight. Insiders, grifters and apologists always trot out rationales which boil down to transparent self-serving excuses cloaked by piteous bleating. Garsh, it wasn't our greed, it was a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon... Now that everything's been hollowed out, nobody is accountable or takes responsibility for any of it. Disconnecting self-serving greed from consequences is the key dynamic in hollowing out once-functional institutions and sectors. Our experience of the real world has been hollowed out, too, something I explore in my new book  , which is available at a 25% discount (ebook edition) and 19% discount (print edition) through Friday, June 27. *  *  * https://www.patreon.com/charleshughsmith . Thu, 06/26/2025 - 16:20
New Texas Law Prevents Land Sales To CCP Members New Texas Law Prevents Land Sales To CCP Members (emphasis ours), Texas will ban individuals and companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from purchasing land in the state under a law set to take effect on Sept. 1. image Gov. Greg Abbott into law, restricting the foreign ownership of residential property, agricultural land, mineral deposits, and water rights across Texas. The legislation targets nations designated as national security threats by the Director of National Intelligence. Besides communist China, the current list includes Russia, Iran, and North Korea. It also grants the governor the authority to add more countries to the restricted list. With the new law, Texas is joining a growing number of states that regulate foreign ownership of their land. From January 2023 to July 2024, a total of 22 states have enacted similar laws limiting or banning foreign ownership of land, according to a https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB11013 by the Congressional Research Service released in August 2024. State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who reintroduced SB 17 earlier in 2024, hailed the Texas measures as “the strongest national security bill that this nation has ever seen from any state.” “I believe that, from the very bottom of my heart, we are protecting our land and our minerals,” the Republican senator at a press conference on May 31 following the bill’s passage in the Texas Legislature. “All of these are our resources that should never fall into the hands of adversarial nations.” In November 2022, Kolkhorst first the bill, which was killed in the state’s lower chamber at the time. Under the soon-to-be-enacted law, people from the designated nations living in the United States legally are allowed to purchase residential property but only if those properties serve as their primary residences. It restricts members of “the ruling political party or any subdivision of the ruling political party” in these nations from purchasing the state’s property. That means CCP members, for example, would not be able to buy land in Texas. Individuals who act “as an agent or on behalf of a designated country” are also subject to the land purchase ban. The law prohibits them from acquiring land and limits property leases to less than a year at a time. The bill vote. Among the four targeted nations—which collectively hold less than 1 percent of total foreign-held agricultural land—investors from China own the most U.S. forest land and farmland at 277,336 acres, according to the Department of Agriculture’s most recent https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/economic-policy-analysis/afida/annual-reports/foreign-holdings-us-agricultural-land-december-31-2023 . Texas alone has 123,708 of those acres, making it the state with the largest Chinese holdings. It was followed by North Carolina with 44,263 acres and Missouri with 42,905 acres. Nationwide, Iranian and Russian investors reported owning 3,030 acres and 11 acres, respectively, while there was no reported acreage held by North Koreans, according to the report released in December 2023. State Rep. Cole Hefner, a Republican who carried SB 17 in the House, said that the new law will “prevent hostile foreign nations from buying up Texas land and exposing Texas to a significant and growing threat.” “We cannot, we will not, allow oppressive regimes who actively seek to do us harm to seize control and dictate their terms over our economy, our supply chains, our daily lives, our critical infrastructure, or our food supply,” Hefner said at the May 31 press conference. State Sen. Bryan Hughes told reporters that the bill was not about foreign people but was part of Texas’s efforts to stand up against threats from hostile foreign adversaries. He pointed to the threats posed by transnational repression, saying that agents from foreign adversaries operate in Texas, going after dissidents and Americans who speak out against them. “We love all people,” Hughes said. “We do not support hostile foreign governments that are very open about their designs on us, and we will not let them mess with Texas.” Thu, 06/26/2025 - 15:45
Trump Demands Cancelation Of 'Hero' Netanyahu's Graft Trial: 'US Saved Israel, Now It's Going To Save Bibi' Trump Demands Cancelation Of 'Hero' Netanyahu's Graft Trial: 'US Saved Israel, Now It's Going To Save Bibi' Despite earlier reporting during Trump's opening months in office to the contrary, the US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now seem closer than ever. They are partners in war, and now apparently partners in looking out for each other in legal cases. In something unprecedented, Trump has issued a statement being viewed as a brazen attempt to intervene in Israel's judicial system, at a moment that a high court cross-examination of Netanyahu is set to resume after it was paused due to the judiciary operating in emergency mode during the war with Iran. Trump wrote on Truth Social: "BREAKING NEWS… I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister!" image The lengthy post described that he and Netanyahu "just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land." "Anybody else would have suffered losses, embarrassment, and chaos! Bibi Netanyahu was a WARRIOR, like perhaps no other Warrior in the History of Israel," Trump claimed further. "The result was something that nobody thought was possible, a complete elimination of potentially one of the biggest and most powerful Nuclear Weapons anywhere in the World, and it was going to happen, SOON! We were fighting, literally, for the Survival of Israel, and there is nobody in Israel’s History that fought harder or more competently than Bibi Netanyahu." The Netanyahu trial goes back to 2020, and Trump further called the whole saga "politically motivated" and asserted that the prime minister been through a "Horror Show". "Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me," Trump further wrote. "Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State." The trial focuses on three corruption cases - including charges of fraud and breach of trust, as well as charges of bribery. The allegations range from illegally receiving expensive gifts based on political favors, to quid pro quo agreements with some Israeli media sources for more favorable coverage, to authorizing telecom-related regulatory decisions to benefit friends and allies. Trump's very strong words on the case have caused alarm in Israel due especially to how much foreign aid and military assistance Washington has historically given Israel. Told — Trita Parsi (@tparsi) Such direct pressure by the sitting US president could cause judicial decision makers to soften their approach and thus impartiality, many fear. It also will certainly create unease among Netanyahu's political opposition, to say the least. Thu, 06/26/2025 - 15:25
The Next Energy Revolution Is Coming. Is The DOE Ready? The Next Energy Revolution Is Coming. Is The DOE Ready? , The last energy revolution that changed the world — natural gas fracking — happened in part thanks to the Department of Energy (DOE). Early R&D funding, support for horizontal drilling, and key public-private partnerships helped fracking get off the ground and turn America into an energy powerhouse. image Now, we are on the cusp of another energy revolution, this time focused on the clean technologies of advanced nuclear, geothermal, natural hydrogen, and fusion. Fortunately, the United States is rich in these energy resources. The challenge with these technologies isn’t a lack of supply; it’s the speed and scale at which we can bring this energy online.  American innovators and entrepreneurs are ready to deliver solutions, but outdated bureaucracy and inefficiency within the DOE threaten to delay progress. With a leader like Secretary Chris Wright, who brings real-world experience from the private sector, the DOE has an opportunity to once again become a force multiplier for energy innovation — if it embraces smart, structural reforms. Here’s where the DOE can start. 1. Streamline Contracting and Applications The DOE’s current application and contracting process is burdensome and redundant. Companies often face unnecessary delays just trying to navigate paperwork, such as being required to secure community benefits agreements or labor partnerships before the technology in question is even commercially viable. To make matters worse, organizations must submit separate applications for each DOE program or office, even when pursuing similar goals. The DOE can address this issue by standardizing applications across the department, eliminating duplicative requirements, and leveraging modern tools like AI to automate non-critical aspects of the process. These changes would increase efficiency, lower barriers to new entrants, and accelerate the introduction of transformative technologies to market. 2. Cut NEPA Red Tape — Where DOE Has Authority While protecting the environment and holding polluters accountable is an essential role for the government, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been weaponized to stall or block critical energy projects. While the DOE does not have full control over NEPA’s broader structure, and Congress should seriously consider repealing this outdated law, DOE does have discretion over how NEPA is applied to its programs and supported projects. One key opportunity is for DOE to expand the use of categorical exclusions — designations for projects that do not significantly impact the environment and therefore do not require full-scale environmental assessments. This is especially important for new energy technologies that haven’t yet reached commercial scale or environmental risk. DOE can also streamline internal review timelines, accelerate grant negotiations, and release funding as soon as projects meet agreed-upon milestones. These kinds of administrative reforms are entirely within DOE’s control and could make a real difference in the pace of deployment. 3. Focus on Acceleration, Not Picking Winners and Losers DOE should not be in the business of picking technological winners and losers. The private sector is far better suited to determine what solutions work best in the real world. The federal government should not also be financing projects that can secure private financing. What the DOE should do, however, is utilize its considerable resources, such as the Loan Programs Office, to bridge funding gaps and accelerate promising technologies to market on a global scale. This means supporting a diverse range of innovations — from next-generation nuclear to long-duration storage and advanced grid software — not because of ideological preferences, but because we need all of the above to meet growing demand. The key is to level the playing field, provide support where market gaps exist, and let the best technologies rise to the top based on merit and scalability. 4. Support Transparency and Talent DOE should publicly track and report application processing times to hold itself accountable. Additionally, it should foster a culture of excellence by rewarding employees based on talent and performance, rather than just tenure. Reform should also include the ability to swiftly remove employees who consistently undercut the department’s mission of advancing U.S. energy leadership. The next energy revolution won’t be unleashed because of a single reform. But together, these changes would transform the Department of Energy from a slow-moving bureaucracy into a dynamic catalyst for American energy innovation. The private sector is ready. The resources are available. With the right reforms, DOE can help unlock the full potential of American energy, reasserting our leadership at a time when energy security, economic growth, and technological competitiveness depend on it. The time to act is now. Drew Bond is the Co-Founder, President & CEO of C3 Solutions.  Thu, 06/26/2025 - 15:05
DOGE'd? IRS Sheds 26% Of Staff As Federal Workforce Pared Down DOGE'd? IRS Sheds 26% Of Staff As Federal Workforce Pared Down A new report from the head of the IRS’s Taxpayer Advocate Service shows that the agency has lost more than one-quarter of its workforce since President Donald Trump assumed office. image The overhaul is consistent with the administration’s effort to slim down the federal government, but it raises questions about the agency’s readiness for the 2026 tax season. According to the June 25 📄.pdf , the IRS workforce has dropped from 102,113 employees to 75,702 since January—a roughly 26 percent reduction. The majority of those departures came through voluntary exit programs rolled out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump administration initiative to shrink the federal workforce, boost bureaucratic efficiency, and reduce deficits. Of the 26,411 employees who left the agency since Jan. 25, more than 17,500 took buyouts through the DOGE-related “fork in the road” resignation offer, formally known as the Deferred Resignation Program. Another 1,475 exited through early retirement or voluntary separation incentives, while nearly 3,000 departed through standard attrition such as resignation, termination, or death. National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins, who heads the Taxpayer Advocate Service, which produced the report, praised the IRS for delivering one of its smoothest filing seasons in recent memory this year. But she warned that the sharp reduction in personnel—particularly in areas such as taxpayer services, IT, and small business operations—could strain the agency in the year ahead. “The 2025 filing season was one of the most successful filing seasons in recent memory,” Collins said in a . “But with the IRS workforce reduced by 26 [percent] and significant tax law changes on the horizon, there are risks to next year’s filing season. It is critical that the IRS begin to take steps now to prepare.” The report noted that many of the agency’s most experienced leaders were among those who left, compounding operational challenges. Some key preparatory steps—such as hiring and training seasonal workers—had yet to begin as of mid-year, raising concerns about potential gaps when the filing season opens in January 2026. The staffing reductions are part of a broader Trump administration push to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy. A February executive called for a “critical transformation” of the civil service and instructed agencies to root out what it described as “waste, bloat, and insularity.” A subsequent from the Office of Management and Budget laid out plans for deep workforce cuts across non-defense agencies. Critics Assail Downsizing While proponents of the downsizing initiative argue that it will foster a more efficient and accountable federal bureaucracy, critics say the cuts could hollow out government services. “The IRS is underfunded, understaffed, and underappreciated,” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) https://www.youtube.com/live/F6jkZ7YXhf4 at a June 25 Capitol Hill briefing on the Trump administration’s IRS cuts. Former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen also criticized the downsizing, calling it “nonsensical” to weaken the agency responsible for collecting revenue needed to run the government—particularly amid calls for deficit reduction. The watchdog report also flagged potential upcoming budgetary pressures. The Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal calls for a 20 percent cut to IRS appropriations, and a total reduction of 37 percent when accounting for the expiration of Inflation Reduction Act funds, the report noted. “A reduction of that magnitude is likely to impact taxpayers and potentially the revenue collected,” Collins wrote. Collins urged the administration to lift its hiring freeze and grant direct hiring authority so that the IRS can bring on essential staff in time to prepare for next year’s tax filing season. Without swift action, she warned, taxpayers could face longer wait times, service delays, and greater frustration. Looking ahead more broadly, the administration’s fiscal 📄.pdf envisions cutting a net 107,000 jobs across non-defense agencies next year—a more than 7 percent reduction relative to current staffing levels. The proposed cuts include both executive actions that can be implemented without legislation and broader proposals that require congressional approval. Actual reductions may be even steeper. Several agencies, including the Department of Defense, have announced planned cuts that were not included in the June budget documents. The White House has acknowledged that the published staffing figures “may not reflect all of the management and administrative actions underway or planned in federal agencies.” Some of the Trump administration’s workforce reduction efforts have been challenged in court. Judges have implementation of certain cuts, including downsizing initiatives at the State Department and the Department of Education. Meanwhile, the latest government jobs to USAFacts. Thu, 06/26/2025 - 14:25
Indian Politician Calls For Bitcoin Reserve Pilot As US Embraces Crypto Indian Politician Calls For Bitcoin Reserve Pilot As US Embraces Crypto The national spokesperson for India’s ruling party called on the country to consider launching a Bitcoin reserve pilot, saying that it would be a strategic step toward economic resilience.  image In an article for India Today, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari   the US strategic Bitcoin reserve and Bhutan’s state-led mining operations signal that global finance is shifting toward crypto.  He added that India, with an expanding renewable energy infrastructure, is positioned to create a sovereign Bitcoin strategy. “This isn’t a reckless pivot,” Bhandari wrote. “It’s a calculated step toward embracing digital assets’ legitimacy.” Crypto assets are taxed but unregulated in India  India’s crypto tax policy remains in limbo. Bhandari pointed out that in India, crypto is heavily taxed but unregulated. The government has imposed a 30% flat rate tax on virtual digital assets (VDAs) like BTC and Ether. However, it has yet to establish a regulatory framework for digital currencies.  Under Section 115BBH of the country’s  , profits from selling crypto are taxed at 30%. While purchase costs can be deducted, there are no provisions for other expenses or losses. In addition, a 1% Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) applies to all crypto transactions above $115, deducted from either the buyer or seller.  During India’s G20 presidency in 2023, Bhandari noted, the government helped coordinate a crypto working group with the International Monetary Fund. However, other nations are already racing ahead.  Bhandari said that while recommendations will take their due course, jurisdictions like Russia, China, Brazil and other G20 nations led by the US are not pausing their crypto efforts to wait for a consensus. He also cited the US government’s plan to expand its BTC reserves with budget-neutral purchases and pointed to three US states that already authorized Bitcoin as a reserve asset.  Bhandari says Bitcoin reserve pilot could enable innovation Bhandari said India’s path forward should include regulatory clarity, starting with a sovereign BTC reserve initiative. He added that clear regulation could bring transparency and oversight to the emerging asset class and enable innovation while protecting investors.  “India stands at a pivotal juncture,” Bhandari wrote. “A measured Bitcoin strategy —perhaps a reserve pilot — could strengthen economic resilience and project modernity.”  Thu, 06/26/2025 - 13:45
US Reportedly Mulls Easing Iran Sanctions, Assisting Non-Enrichment Nuclear Program US Reportedly Mulls Easing Iran Sanctions, Assisting Non-Enrichment Nuclear Program Update(1340ET): In an entirely bizarre and unexpected pivot, and following yesterday's Trump statements suggesting that a new Iran nuclear deal might not even be necessary (given the narrative that its enriched uranium and nuclear capability has been fullly destroyed), the White House is already in discussions for a deal both to ease Iran sanctions and potentially help the Islamic Republic build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program, but importantly without domestic enrichment. "The Trump administration has discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program, easing sanctions, and freeing up billions of dollars in restricted Iranian funds – all part of an intensifying attempt to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, four sources familiar with the matter said," a fresh Thursday https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/politics/us-iran-talks-nuclear-program?cid=ios_app says. "Key players from the US and the Middle East have talked with the Iranians behind the scenes even amid the flurry of military strikes in Iran and Israel over the past two weeks, the sources said," the report continues. "Those discussions have continued this week after a ceasefire deal was struck, the sources said." The report says multiple early-stage proposals are under discussion, but all based on a key non-negotiable: that Iran must halt all uranium enrichment. However, this is one red line that Tehran has been insistent it won't give in to, as a matter of national sovereignty.  According to more from the CNN https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/politics/us-iran-talks-nuclear-program?cid=ios_app : Among the terms being discussed, which have not been previously reported, is an estimated $20-30 billion investment in a new Iranian non-enrichment nuclear program that would be used for civilian energy purposes, Trump administration officials and sources familiar with the proposal told CNN. One official insisted that money would not come directly from the US, which prefers its Arab partners foot the bill. Investment in Iran’s nuclear energy facilities has been discussed in previous rounds of nuclear talks in recent months. "The US is willing to lead these talks," a Trump admin source said. "And someone is going to need to pay for the nuclear program to be built, but we will not make that commitment." Arab partners would be pressured to foot the bill, the report emphasizes, also at a moment there's a new push to expand the Abraham Accords. If true, this would constitute quite a drastic - almost total 180 shift - even as the dust still settles in the wake of the massive weekend US B-2 strikes on Iran this weekend. At this point it has yet to be proven that Iran's nuclear development capability has been truly destroyed and halted (WH assertions notwithstanding). Yet now suddenly, the US could be mulling a 'truly peaceful nuclear energy program' method of assistance for Tehran. But the White House might at any moment deny the contents  of this new CNN report and the claims therein.  * * * Summary: As expected Hegseth during the Thursday morning Pentagon press conference excoriated the mainstream media for its coverage of the Trump-ordered attacks on Iran's nuclear sites. This after repeatedly praising Trump's leadership at yesterday's NATO summit. "I hope, with all the ink spilled, all of your outlets find the time to properly recognize this historic change in continental security that other presidents tried to do, other presidents talked about," Hegseth said. "President Trump accomplished it. It’s a huge deal." He strongly pushed back especially against CNN reporting that the strikes merely set back Iran's nuclear program by months, again, framing the avalanche of MSM skepticism as supposedly due merely to anti-Trump bias and not wanting to give him a 'win'. "Again, it was preliminary, a day and a half after the actual strike, when it admits itself in writing that it requires weeks to accumulate the necessary data to make such an assessment," the defense secretary said. The president "created the conditions to end the war, decimating – choose your word – obliterating, destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities," he asserted, before reading aloud the assessments of various US and foreign intelligence heads. Much of the press conference consisted of a highly detailed narrative of what it was like for troops - from officers to enlisted privates - in the Middle East as Iran's very brief retaliatory missile strike rained down on Qatar, and US-manned anti-air batteries intercepted the inbound projectiles. There was also a lot of focus on the pilots and crew of the B-2s and their marathon 37-hour bombing run all the way from Missouri to Tehran and back. The presser, especially while Hegseth was speaking, was charged with patriotism and emotion - much more than is normal for a Pentagon press briefing. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine emphasized in a detailed way the specs of the 30,000 pound bombs dropped on the Iranian sites, and they "functioned as designed, meaning they exploded." Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine demonstrates how GBU-57 MOPs work: "Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater because they're designed to deeply bury and then function ... All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go." — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) "A point that I want to make here: the Joint Force does not do [battle damage assessments]," Caine told the press pool. "By design, we don’t grade our own homework. The intelligence community does. But here’s what we know following the attacks and the strikes on Fordow: First, that the weapons were built, tested and loaded properly. Two, the weapons were released on speed and on parameters. Three, the weapons all guided to their intended targets and to their intended aim points. Four, the weapons functioned as designed, meaning they exploded. We know this through other means intelligence means that we have that were visibly, we were visibly able to see them. And we know that the trailing jets saw the first weapons function." He actually cited one pilot's eyewitness account as saying the blast from the initial bombs was so big as it was like an overwhelming flash of daylight.  Among the more interesting assertions and revelations was that the Pentagon has been working intensely on the operation, particularly to take out the Fordow site, for-15 years. While the US military often spends a lot of time on various 'contingency' options to present to the Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Caine's description of two Pentagon analysts who devoted a decade-and-a-half of their lives to studying just Fordow strongly suggests the US long ago knew it would pull the trigger at some point. "In the days preceding the attack against Fordow, the Iranians attempted to cover the shafts with concrete to try to prevent an attack. I won’t share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap, but you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were," Caine said. "The planners had to account for this, they accounted for everything. The cap was forcibly removed by the first weapon, and the main shaft was uncovered." At Pentagon, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Caine, explained 15 years of planning for disabling Fordo nuclear facility. A team focused on deeply buried, underground targets were briefed on a construction project in Iran in 2009. "They knew from the very first days what… — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) And President Trump soon after the Pentagon briefing ended, wrote the following on Truth Social: image Meanwhile, Fox is reporting that the Senate has finally received a delayed Iran briefing. This seems to continue a long GWOT era tradition of presidents across administrations bombing first, and then notifying Congress later. Meanwhile, the international debate over just where Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is now located (if it's not destroyed) continues to intensify, despite the Trump denials that it remains: TRUMP: NOTHING WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE FACILITY IRAN LAW SUSPENDING IAEA COOPERATION COMES INTO EFFECT Simultaneous to Trump issuing another statement rejecting the thesis that the uranium has been moved and hidden, Financial Times reports in a strangely worded headline ("Iran moved uranium from Fordow before US strikes, EU capitals believe") the : Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact following US strikes on its main nuclear sites, European capitals believe, calling into question President Donald Trump’s assertion that the bombing “obliterated” the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme. Two people briefed on preliminary intelligence assessments said European capitals believe Iran’s stockpile of 408kg of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels was not concentrated in Fordow, one of its two main enrichment sites, at the time of last weekend’s attack. It had been distributed to various other locations, the capitals believe. This would indeed be an interesting twist - that the bulk of enriched uranium stockpiles were not even located at Fordow, which appeared to be the heaviest hit in the US operation. According to more: The people said EU capitals were still awaiting a full intelligence report on the extent of the damage to Fordow — which was built deep beneath a mountain near the holy city of Qom — and that one initial report suggested “extensive damages, but not full structural destruction”. Iranian officials have suggested the enriched uranium stockpile was moved before the US bombing of the plant, which came after days of Israeli strikes on the country. But again, the White House as well as Thursday Pentagon presser is sticking by the Trump claim of total and utter obliteration. Perhaps the world will learn the truth in the coming days and weeks, or possibly not at all, pending 'proof' and data from the ground, which the Iranians will likely not be willing to give. For some of our prior coverage on this pressing coverage, see-- * * * After blasting the 'fake news' and mainstream outlets NY Times and CNN in particular in Wednesday comments at the NATO summit, President Trump will continue 'setting the record straight' on the Iran bombings, as the Pentagon is set to hold an "irrefutable" press conference on Thursday morning, providing more details on last weekend's B-2 bomber raids on the Iranian nuclear sites of (per AI summary)-- Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant: A heavily fortified, deeply buried uranium enrichment site near the northern city of Qom. Natanz Nuclear Facility: Iran's main uranium-enrichment complex, located near Isfahan in central Iran. Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center: A key conversion and research facility south of Isfahan city. Very unusually, the US President claimed that 'fake news' reports upset the pilots who flew the bombs over Iran, by claiming that Iran's nuclear capability was not in fact completely destroyed. image "Secretary of Defense (War!) Pete Hegseth, together with Military Representatives, will be holding a Major News Conference tomorrow morning at 8 A.M. EST at The Pentagon, in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots," Trump posted to Truth Social.  "These Patriots were very upset! After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the Success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times. They felt terribly," he continued. WATCH LIVE (to start at 0800ET): Hegseth is also expected to address a controversial leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report, first https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/24/politics/intel-assessment-us-strikes-iran-nuclear-sites , which strongly suggested that the US strikes did not destroy Iran's nuclear capability: Two of the people familiar with the assessment said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges are largely “intact.” Another source said that the intelligence assessed enriched uranium was moved out of the sites prior to the US strikes. “So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,” this person added. Most recently the CIA has since backed the Trump admin's claims, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday having sought to clarify in a https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/statement-from-director-john-ratcliffe-about-intelligence-on-irans-nuclear-program/  that the agency had obtained "a body of credible evidence [that] indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged" by recent strikes. But then this too includes somewhat ambiguous language. Thu, 06/26/2025 - 13:40
Stellar 7Y Auction Stops Through After Jump In Foreign Demand Stellar 7Y Auction Stops Through After Jump In Foreign Demand After two mixed coupon auctions this week (a solid 2Y, a subpar 5Y) moments ago the Treasury concluded the week's final coupon auction when it sold $44 billion in 7Y paper in a well-received sale. The auction stopped at a high yield of 4.022%, down from 4.194% in May and the lowest since last September.  The auction also stopped 2bps thru the 4.024% When Issued, the second consecutive stop through in a row and 8th in the past 10 auctions. image The bid to cover was ugly: it dropped from 2.695 to 2.531, the lowest since August 2024 and obviously well below the six-auction average of 2.637. The internals were most solid, with Indirects rising to 76.7%, up from 71.5% in May and the highest since December. And with Directs taking just 11.62%, the lowest since December's record low 2.85%, Dealers were left with 11.6%, up from May's record low of 4.85%. image Overall, this was a solid auction, arguably the best of the week, and one which came with yields across the curve already near session lows so there was little movement: the 10Y was down at 4.257% after the auction broke for trading, barely changed from where it was earlier.  Thu, 06/26/2025 - 13:22
Trump Admin Will Encourage All Americans To Use Wearables, Says RFK Jr. Trump Admin Will Encourage All Americans To Use Wearables, Says RFK Jr. (emphasis ours), The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will soon start a massive advertising blitz to encourage uptake of wearables such as fitness trackers among Americans, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on June 24. image “We’re about to launch one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables,” Kennedy said on Capitol Hill in Washington during a congressional hearing. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) spoke positively about what he described as innovative wellness tools and asked Kennedy to describe how the government is promoting access to such tools. Balderson noted that research that increased patient engagement can result in improved health. “It’s a way people can take control over their own health, they can take responsibility, they can see what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and a number of other metrics as they eat it, and they can begin to make good judgements about their diet, about their physical activity, about the way they live their lives,” Kennedy said. “We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda, Making America Healthy Again. My vision is that every American is wearing a wearable within four years.” Balderson also asked about concerns over keeping data from wearables private. Kennedy declined to address that aspect of the matter. In addition to his role as health secretary, Kennedy is chairman of the MAHA Commission, established by President Donald Trump to study ways to improve the health of Americans. The commission, in its first report, published in May, only mentions wearables once. It says that electromagnetic radiation is “an exposure due to the proliferation of cell phones, WiFi routers, cell towers, and wearables,” with some studies https://jech.bmj.com/content/75/6/562.long exposure to the radiation to issues such as reduced sperm count. Other research has https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)02170-5/fulltext that wearable trackers can lead to skin irritation and other dermatologic problems, although many user issues were resolved, and they continued using the trackers. Two divisions of HHS  separately in May that they would be utilizing information from wearables for research, trying to discern the causes of autism. Kennedy said some of his friends have experienced profoundly positive impacts from wearables. They “utterly changed their lives just from wearing a glucose meter,” he told members of Congress on Tuesday. He then indicated that the administration is looking into making sure the costs of wearables are covered, bringing up the weight loss drug Ozempic. “It’s a miraculous impact on health in our country,” he said. “It’s $80 a month, we’re exploring ways of making sure that those costs can be paid for. Ozempic is costing $1,300 a month. If you can achieve the same thing with an $80 wearable, it’s a great thing for the American people.” Thu, 06/26/2025 - 13:00