No SAVE Act? Congress Still Holds The Trump Card

Authored by Scott Yenor via American Greatness,

The failure of the United States Senate to pass the SAVE America Act is as regrettable as it is predictable. Noncitizen voting is already a federal crime in America. SAVE would have required voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. States would have to purge noncitizens from voting rolls, too.

Perhaps reliance on hostile state officials to implement the law would have rendered the SAVE America Act ineffective. We will never know.

The cause of election integrity is not dead. Congress has the constitutional power to ensure election integrity.

The American election system divides power between the states and the federal government.

States determine the “time, place, and manner” of elections and, within constitutional limits, determine who can vote.

Some states allow mail-in ballots. Others, like Oregon, send every voter a ballot. Other states allow mail-in ballots under special circumstances. Some states allow ballots to arrive well after Election Day. Some states require no identification for voters. Some wink at noncitizens voting. Others have rigorous identification requirements. Some countenance practices that sow the appearance of cheating into the counting of votes. Other states have clean elections that bring election results right away on election night.

But Congress has a plenary power to judge whether a state’s election results are consistent with the basic demands of representative government.

According to Article 1, Section 5 of the United States Constitution, “Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns, and Qualifications of its own Members.”

Congress can ferret out fraudulent votes of all sorts—not just voting by noncitizens.

Congress can then declare elections invalid and order a new election when it judges elections to be fraudulent.

Both the Senate and the House have pre-established procedures for investigation, including the power to subpoena state officials and state voting data. This power helps Congress ensure its own integrity.

Hundreds of House elections have been challenged in American history. Often, complaints are frivolous. Sometimes complaints involve qualifications, strictly speaking. Albert Gallatin had his election to the U.S. Senate voided by a 14–12 vote in 1794 because he had not been a citizen for nine years.

Other investigations, like the McLane–Farr dispute from the 1918 election, concern corruption pure and simple. Patrick McLane was originally declared the winner in a Pennsylvania race, but once evidence of “wholesale fraud and illegality” from fictitious voters and voters who were not citizens came to light, Congress determined that John Farr won.

In the late 1990s, Loretta Sanchez defeated Congressman Bob Dornan by fewer than 1,000 votes. Dornan challenged the election. Congress found that more than 700 illegal votes were cast. Since it was not enough to sway the election, Dornan’s challenge was dropped.

Investigations into election integrity were especially common after the Civil War, when Democrat-secessionist voting practices led to severe undercounting of Republican votes in the South.

Voter intimidation compromised the entire voting environment.

Today, Republicans fear that similar broad-scale corruption plagues blue states like California, Illinois, Michigan, and Oregon, all of which seem to have weak voter identification laws, poor audit procedures, lax voter purging techniques, and a fear of federal investigations into their practices.

Are elections within these states outside the margin of fraud? To know the answer, we would have to know the margin of fraud in those states. And that requires congressional investigations.

Democrat establishments have little incentive to clean up their elections. They benefit from the fraud that keeps them in power, so they are wary of actually investigating their own elections. State election systems are not completely subject to federal oversight.

There are many reasons not to have confidence in Oregon’s elections for the national legislature, for instance. Noncitizens are welcomed and registered. Many counties have had more than 100 percent registrations among voters. Mail-in ballots are ubiquitous and automatic. Dead people or people who have moved out of state have voted in past elections, and Oregon has been particularly lax in purging its voting rolls. Oregon’s federal elections would be worth a serious look from Congress, especially federal races decided by less than 10,000 votes.

If Oregon does not want to fix its elections, it need not. The state must simply pay the penalty for porous elections by not having representation in the U.S. House or Senate.

Congress has the constitutional means and the motives to police state elections, not with new laws but with its investigatory powers.

If the rest of the country can have confidence in their elections, Congress would, no doubt, seat a delegation. Congress could deny representation to states without voter identification laws or those that wink at foreign nationals voting in their elections. Or Congress could require new elections when voting rolls are not properly purged.

Congress has the power to determine whether states have a republican form of government. States with rigged elections do not have republican governments. And Congress can dust off its own powers to ensure the integrity of the election of its own members, even without the SAVE America Act.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 17:00

Former Congressman Blows The Whistle On Blackmail And Honeypots In Congress

In a candid interview with Human Events editor Jack Posobiec, former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) alleged that blackmail and sexual honeypot operations are far more prevalent than the American public is aware of.

Cawthorn, who was elected to represent North Carolina's 11th congressional district at just 25 years old in 2020, described the typical path these lurrid situations take. It often begins at donor dinners or late-night votes, when members unwind with drinks or head back toward Capitol Hill. While many lawmakers prefer socializing with fellow congressmen to avoid complications with staffers or outside interests, invitations can quickly turn strangely personal.

"Normally, the way I found that these things start getting off the ground is that it starts out—you’re maybe at a donor dinner or getting dinner after a late night of votes,” Cawthorn said. "Then, you know, everyone has friends inside of Congress, so you start hanging out with friends. Maybe you’re grabbing drinks, or on the way back to Capitol Hill, heading back to your homes."

"Then you start building these relationships, and most congressmen like to hang out with other congressmen, just because there are so many problems when you hang out with staffers or people with different angles in other parts of the Beltway, the former lawmaker continued. "I will tell you, normally, the way I came across this is that people start inviting me and saying, “Hey, why don’t you come back? My wife would love to hang out with you, and we can see what could be going on here. I think we’d have a really good time if we all got together in this way.”

"Then you start piecing it together and say, “Wait a minute, what kind of invitation is this? This sounds really weird. What do you mean leave my phone at the house?” That doesn’t make any sense—these random things they’re saying. It becomes very clear what they’re looking for. That’s the big one—“check your phone at the door,” that kind of thing,” he added.

WATCH: Madison Cawthorn explains how honeytrapping operations work in US Congress

"Once they have you on video they own you"pic.twitter.com/OVGCx4a7s9

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 15, 2026

Cawthorn told Posobiec that he made it clear he had zero interest in such activities.

"I’ve got a phenomenal life. I was only 25 years old when I was in Congress, so that didn’t interest me whatsoever. I thought the majority of people in the United States were very cognizant of that. So I came out and talked about it, and they tried to destroy me for it,” Cawthorn said.

Cawthorn lost his bid for reelection in the 2022 North Carolina Republican primary, falling to state Sen. Chuck Edwards (R), who later went on to win the general election.

"I’ll tell you, there were 16 people that I really hold responsible - the architects of trying to take down my political career,” Cawthorn explained. "I want you to ask yourselves: out of all the people who came out against me or sent funds to make sure I was pushed out of Congress, where are those people now?”

"I’m very happy that I was able to take the majority of them down, or that the majority of them are now out of office or have terrible personal lives at this point. But I will tell you, there are so many people inside Washington, D.C., that have much worse on them than what’s going on inside of this video,” he concluded.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 16:40

"Overwhelming Puke-Stream": It's All Going To Come Out Now...

Authored by James Howard Kunstler,

Showdown

“Everything that’s wrong is staring us right in the face, and half this country simply will not join us in fighting and fixing it. It’s infuriating and depressing and maddening.”

- James Woods on X

The closer this Iran war comes to a favorable resolution, the more garishly negative the puling Lefty-left gets, wishing fervently for the enemy to prevail. Why? Because the Lefty-left is also an enemy of our country. They want the operation to fail so they can reclaim power and resume wrecking and looting the USA.

By the way, what exactly would a favorable outcome of this war look like?

An Iran that doesn’t threaten nuclear jihad and doesn’t sponsor endless terror operations here, there, and everywhere. It looks like we are going to get to that. Iran’s choice is how deep do they want to take their own economic collapse before capitulating? If they’ll just stop now, they’ll still keep the lights on. They can be a normal, modern, developed nation without a death wish.

Anyway, the paradigm Iran was operating in as a rogue state is dead, especially the malign influence of Britain’s banking and MI6 intel matrix. Britain, proven by its actions to be not a friend of America. . . Britain, a wretched little has-been island empire with bad teeth, overrun by wrathful Islamists, and, alas, soon to be a caliphate.

President Donald Trump has rearranged the geopolitical landscape with startling speed and efficacy. Much of Europe, it turns out, are not our friends, either. They would not let us use the NATO bases we pay for to conduct air operations over Iran. Hence, NATO is four dead letters. They can go dangle while they figure out how to live without oil, possibly go back to their centuries-long condition as a nonstop slaughterhouse, besetting each other with stupid, age-old feuds. Not our problem anymore.

China?

Their Belt-and-Road isn’t what it was just six months ago. Mr. Trump has kicked them out of South America. Their oil supply is suddenly sketchy. Notice, they didn’t lend a hand helping to clear the Strait of Hormuz. Turned out that the radars and air defenses they gifted Iran didn’t work too well. Uncle Xi Pooh Bear will have to re-think situation.

Mr. Trump says he might travel to Pakistan this weekend if there are papers to sign with Iran.

Israel and Lebanon announced a ten-day truce to sort out where things stand. Both of them want Hezbollah expelled for good. Anyway, Hezbollah can no longer enjoy financial support from Iran, meaning no more munitions or salaries for Hezbollah warriors, meaning Hezbollah is out of business — a major regional irritant neutralized. Can you dare to imagine a peaceable Middle East?

So, things have changed-up greatly in this long-volatile corner of the world, and that will leave Mr. Trump freer to attend to the discord and animus at home, namely the psychopathic Democratic Party’s non-stop demolition of political norms, with assistance from the bureaucratic Deep State and the NGO underworld.

Just at hand this week, we have Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sending criminal referrals to the DOJ on two key players (both liars) in Trump Impeachment No. 1: former Intel Inspector General Michael Atkinson and CIA agent “whistleblower” Eric Ciaramella — whose name the news media still fears to speak.

That impeachment, over the so-called “Ukraine phone call,” was from start to finish a complete fake, a criminal conspiracy. It involves a much larger cast-of-characters including then House Intel Committee Chair (now senator) Adam Schiff, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, CIA Director Gina Haspel, Chief Justice John Roberts, and virtually the whole Kiev US embassy staff at the time. Everybody involved was lying about one thing or another. The case is on Acting AG Todd Blanche’s desk now. Do you suppose it can just sit there?

It’s rumored that in the weeks ahead, Mr. Trump is fixing to conduct a declassification orgy of evidence unearthed by DNI Gabbard in the serial seditions run by US color revolutionists over the past decade. The presidential declass will obviate the usual tedious process of extracting declass permissions from every agency silo with a stake in the documents — meaning the evidence will go straight to US attorneys, including Jason Reding Quiñones, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, now running a grand jury out of Fort Pierce on the RussiaGate hoax.

Many of the players in that treasonous episode were involved in subsequent crimes against the nation: the 2020 election fraud; the Jan. 6 fed-provoked “insurrection” at the US Capitol; the fake House committee set up to pretend to investigate it; the Mar-a-Lago Raid; the multiple Trump prosecutions of 2024, the censorship campaign; and the manifold perfidious turpitudes of the “Joe Biden” administration, including the massive invasion of illegal immigrants.

It’s all going to come out now in one overwhelming puke-stream channeled into actual prosecutions. Only question is: will the massive revelation of truth prompt the millions of successfully brainwashed Americans to finally get their minds right over what has been perpetrated on our country?

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 16:20

Does Trump Know Something We Don't About Potential SCOTUS Vacancies?

Authored by Matt Margolis via PJMedia,com,

The midterm elections are coming up in November, and Democrats are generally favored to win the House, while the Senate is kind of a coin flip. While it would suck for Democrats to win the House because they’ll almost certainly find some bogus pretext to impeach President Donald Trump, there’s potentially more at stake regarding control of the Senate, including implications for confirming judges and potentially filling any potential Supreme Court vacancies.

No retirements have been announced, but speculation is mounting, and I’m starting to wonder if Trump knows vacancies are coming.

In a recent interview with Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo, Trump confirmed he has a shortlist of potential nominees ready to go — and he's prepared to fill as many as three seats if the opportunity arises.

"In theory, it's two — you just read the statistics — it could be two, could be three, could be one," Trump said.

"I don't know. I'm prepared to do it. But when you mention Alito, he is a great justice."

He added, "He does what's right for the country. It's the law, and he goes by it as much as anybody, but he gets to the point."

High praise from a president who has been, let's say, less enthusiastic about some of his own past nominees.

According to Fox News Digital, "Trump's remarks sharpen the stakes around any potential vacancy, as the president has signaled he is ready to seize the opportunity to deepen the court’s conservative majority. With retirement speculation around Alito and Republicans eyeing the window before the 2026 midterms, the prospect of an opening is already putting fresh focus on succession politics." 

Rumors about Alito, 76, potentially retiring have grown because of his age, his two-decade tenure on the bench and speculation that he may want to make sure a conservative successor is confirmed by the current Republican-led Senate, especially before the upcoming midterm elections in which Republicans are at risk of losing or seeing a diminished majority.

The rumors were further fueled when it was revealed Alito was treated last month for dehydration after becoming ill at a Federalist Society dinner. A Supreme Court spokesperson clarified at the time that the justice was "thoroughly checked" and returned to the bench the following Monday.

A source close to Alito insists he is not stepping down this term and is in the process of hiring the rest of his clerks for the next term. So at least for now, it sounds like he's not going anywhere.

Yet, Trump is ready with a shortlist of replacements? Is that a tell that he knows something we don’t?

It could be. Or it’s just being prepared.

After watching some of his own nominees drift from his expectations on high-profile rulings, you can be certain he'll be far more deliberate this time around. Whatever seats open up, expect Trump to treat the selection process with a level of scrutiny he may not have applied before.

The bigger picture here is worth appreciating.

No president since Ronald Reagan has reshaped the Supreme Court the way Trump has. His first three appointments — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — built the current 6-3 conservative majority. Trump may have an opportunity to secure a conservative majority for decades to come.

The question is, does he know that he will?

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 15:40

A "Bulging Lobe" Of Polar Vortex Madness Headed For U.S. East

Mother Nature across the Mid-Atlantic can only be described by the Katy Perry lyric, “You’re hot, then you’re cold,” as a meteorologist warns that a "tropospheric polar vortex" will sweep across the Lower 48 this weekend into early next week, abruptly ending the summer-like conditions in Washington, D.C.

"A bulging lobe of the tropospheric 'polar vortex' will be tracking through the Lower 48, bringing a cold front and much cooler air to the Eastern U.S.," meteorologist Ryan Maue wrote on X.

He added, "We'll wave goodbye to the nearly unprecedented mid-April heat wave."

A bulging lobe of the tropospheric "polar vortex" will be tracking through the Lower 48 bringing a cold front and much cooler air to the Eastern U.S.

We'll wave goodbye to the nearly unprecedented mid-April heat wave. pic.twitter.com/gcgSX0Xwzo

— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) April 17, 2026

Folks in the Capitol Beltway will see a 40°F swing in high temperatures from yesterday's 93°F to Monday's 52°F, according to Bloomberg data.

Wild swing for DC high temps plus the forecast.

Average temperatures in Washington at this time of year typically run in the mid-50°Fs. Yet, like the Katy Perry lyric above, Mother Nature still cannot seem to settle on a steady rising temperature trend with Northern Hemisphere spring underway.

Related:

• Meteorologists Warn About Super El Nino Event

• Drought Engulfs 60% Of U.S. As Farmers Begin Spring Planting

Lefty MSM outlets would have us all believe that this schizophrenic weather is somehow because of cow farts and gasoline-powered cars and gas stoves, and we must be taxed to death to solve Al Gore's global warming.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 15:25

The End Of Oil Volatility As A Weapon

Authored by Tom Luongo via Gold, Goats, 'n Guns blog,

This is the only chart that matters right now…not borrowing costs (@lukegromen).

It’s the weekly chart of Brent Crude.

I’ve been telling my patrons for three weeks in the Market Reports that the Brent Crude chart has all the earmarks of a market being manipulated UP to support a narrative…

That narrative is Donald Trump is a madman who broke the world and is losing in Iran.

Look at the chart carefully, you see big gaps between weekly closes and opens. Also, note the tails to the downside versus the wicks to the upside. Tails are much longer than wicks…. telltale signs of a market that has topped but someone is trying to keep reflating it.

Why? Many reasons, from speculations, positions, narrative control, etc. Markets are the sum total of all of these players.

But the reality is that you can only manipulate a market over a short period of time (H/T@armstrongeconomics) unless you control the total pricing system for that market… i.e. central banks and currencies…. and why the gold and silver markets have been manipulated for years.

Oil is a market of immense volatility, with 5-year moving average of its Range/Price topping 7% on a weekly basis, which is in bitcoin territory. It should be the most boring market on the planet, since everyone depends on it. But it isn’t.

It trades like a penny stock on a double espresso. (H/T Dennis Miller).

Someone profits from that volatility. Someone works with others to create that volatility. All Roads don’t lead to DeMoines, FYI.

Oil volatility is the enemy of certainty. It retards investment in some cases and redirects it to other less viable investments in others… c.f. Wind, solar, LED lights, and all this Watermelon (Green on the outside, Commie Red on the inside) nonsense.

If we want a world of predictability, which is the essential purpose of Human Action (H/T Mises, something most Miseseans have forgotten), then we have to accept that sometimes we have to defend our right to a predictable future.

And no amount of asking for it nicely is going to get us there. We were never voting our way out of this.

That’s why I’ve been in full-throated favor of this conflict with Iran. It’s why I allowed myself to see the world differently than I did previously.

The Federal Reserve is just a tool. It can (and has) been a tool for evil, but it can also be a tool for good, like all technology. This is why SOFR was the beginning of this war, and why this morning’s announcement by Iran is end of the current battle in it. It should still be deprecated in importance, removed from duties it was never designed nor been allowed to perform.

The same can be said for the US military, which has been a tool used to enforce the “tyranny of evil men” (H/T Roger Avery & Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction) on Wall St., Bay Street, K Street, and 10 Downing Street. But, like the Fed, it can be used judiciously, to serve humanity with the right set of circumstances and the right mission.

It did so.

We’ve been blackmailed by evil people for generations to accept this lack of investment certainty to indulge our cynicism, or lack of faith in humanity.

We chuckled in “Collapsitarian” for too many years. And I, frankly, just got sick of it.

It’s pathetic and evil and we shouldn’t tolerate it in them or ourselves for another gods-damned minute. Period. It’s anathema to human life, common decency, and civilization itself.

This is the truth. And it all goes back to the intersection of selling narrative while hitting desperate people where they live and breathe… in their pocketbooks.

In the end, oil prices want to fall because the fundamentals are bearish (H/T @DoombergT). There is no Peak Oil. There is no Green New Deal.

There is only Zul…. okay, maybe not Zul. *grin*

This chart is your literal snapshot of a pricing control system being destroyed in real time… by one guy, Donald J. Trump, with support from his Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent, Sec. War Pete Hegseth and his merry band of warfighters, and his Sec. of State Marco Rubio.

He has both exposed and stolen London’s control over oil flows to support its centuries-old evil by the studious application of Gold (dollars), Goats (American Industrial Might) ‘n Guns (Brrrrrt!).

Stew all you want, haters. But, he’s done it. The Hormuz Blackmail is done.

Trump has his hand on the global oil spigot now… and he can turn the volatility up or down. The US is the global price setter now, like it or not.

… Why?

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 15:10

Charles Schwab To Launch Spot Bitcoin Trading For Retail Clients

Authored by Micah Zimmerman via Bitcoin Magazine,

Charles Schwab announced further details and plans in their attempt to launch direct spot bitcoin trading through its new platform, Schwab Crypto™, signaling a major step by one of the country’s largest brokerage firms into the digital asset market. 

The feature will roll out in phases over the coming weeks and will allow retail clients to buy and sell bitcoin and ethereum through existing Schwab platforms, the bank said. 

The move gives millions of Schwab clients the ability to trade bitcoin alongside traditional holdings such as stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds. Clients will access Schwab Crypto through Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, which will act as custodian for the digital assets. 

Blockchain infrastructure provider Paxos will handle sub-custody and trade execution under a federally regulated trust structure.

“Clients want to conduct more of their financial lives at Schwab,” said Jonathan Craig, Head of Retail Investing.

“With Schwab Crypto, they can trade digital assets within their existing accounts while drawing on the service, research, and tools they rely on.”

At launch, Schwab Crypto will enable direct trading in bitcoin and ethereum, which together represent about three-quarters of global crypto market capitalization. 

Schwab will charge a transaction fee of 75 basis points on the dollar value of each trade, placing its pricing at the low end of the brokerage industry. Over time, the firm plans to add more cryptocurrencies and enable transfer capabilities for deposits and withdrawals.

Schwab said its platform will integrate digital assets across Schwab.com, the Schwab Mobile App, and the thinkorswim® trading suite. Clients will retain access to Schwab’s 24/7 customer service network, digital asset education through Schwab Coaching®, and research from the Schwab Center for Financial Research.

Charles Schwab is jumping into bitcoin

Joe Vietri, Head of Digital Assets at Schwab, described the launch as an extension of the firm’s broader digital strategy.

“Our goal is to be the destination of choice for retail investors who want to integrate digital assets into their portfolios with confidence,” Vietri said.

Paxos, a New York–based blockchain provider overseen by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, will supply the infrastructure that underpins the new trading offering. Its custody platform is already used by several global financial institutions seeking regulated access to digital assets.

Schwab already holds a strong presence in the digital asset ecosystem, with clients owning roughly 20 percent of spot crypto exchange-traded products.

The new feature expands Schwab’s reach beyond indirect crypto exposure through ETFs, mutual funds, and futures tied to cryptocurrency benchmarks.

The company’s entry into spot trading will position it alongside firms such as Coinbase, Robinhood, and Webull, which have long provided retail access to major digital currencies.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 14:40

Charles Schwab To Launch Spot Bitcoin Trading For Retail Clients

Authored by Micah Zimmerman via Bitcoin Magazine,

Charles Schwab announced further details and plans in their attempt to launch direct spot bitcoin trading through its new platform, Schwab Crypto™, signaling a major step by one of the country’s largest brokerage firms into the digital asset market. 

The feature will roll out in phases over the coming weeks and will allow retail clients to buy and sell bitcoin and ethereum through existing Schwab platforms, the bank said. 

The move gives millions of Schwab clients the ability to trade bitcoin alongside traditional holdings such as stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds. Clients will access Schwab Crypto through Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, which will act as custodian for the digital assets. 

Blockchain infrastructure provider Paxos will handle sub-custody and trade execution under a federally regulated trust structure.

“Clients want to conduct more of their financial lives at Schwab,” said Jonathan Craig, Head of Retail Investing.

“With Schwab Crypto, they can trade digital assets within their existing accounts while drawing on the service, research, and tools they rely on.”

At launch, Schwab Crypto will enable direct trading in bitcoin and ethereum, which together represent about three-quarters of global crypto market capitalization. 

Schwab will charge a transaction fee of 75 basis points on the dollar value of each trade, placing its pricing at the low end of the brokerage industry. Over time, the firm plans to add more cryptocurrencies and enable transfer capabilities for deposits and withdrawals.

Schwab said its platform will integrate digital assets across Schwab.com, the Schwab Mobile App, and the thinkorswim® trading suite. Clients will retain access to Schwab’s 24/7 customer service network, digital asset education through Schwab Coaching®, and research from the Schwab Center for Financial Research.

Charles Schwab is jumping into bitcoin

Joe Vietri, Head of Digital Assets at Schwab, described the launch as an extension of the firm’s broader digital strategy.

“Our goal is to be the destination of choice for retail investors who want to integrate digital assets into their portfolios with confidence,” Vietri said.

Paxos, a New York–based blockchain provider overseen by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, will supply the infrastructure that underpins the new trading offering. Its custody platform is already used by several global financial institutions seeking regulated access to digital assets.

Schwab already holds a strong presence in the digital asset ecosystem, with clients owning roughly 20 percent of spot crypto exchange-traded products.

The new feature expands Schwab’s reach beyond indirect crypto exposure through ETFs, mutual funds, and futures tied to cryptocurrency benchmarks.

The company’s entry into spot trading will position it alongside firms such as Coinbase, Robinhood, and Webull, which have long provided retail access to major digital currencies.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 14:40

Record Share Of Home Sellers Cut Listing Prices In February: Report

A record share of home sellers cut their listing prices in February as competition for homebuyers necessitated steep price reductions, an April 9 report by real estate platform Redfin said.

About 34.2 percent of sellers reduced their listing prices in February, up from 31.5 percent in the same month a year earlier, according to Redfin’s analysis of MLS data.

That was the highest February share since the firm began tracking MLS records in 2012.

The sellers who cut their listing prices reduced them by an average of $40,915, said Redfin.

That amounts to a 7.3 percent cut, the highest for any February since 2023.

Final sales prices could include further reductions due to negotiations on such items as closing costs, contingency fees, and other contractual stipulations.

“Price cuts are on the rise because it’s a buyer’s market,” said Redfin data journalist Lily Katz and senior economist Yingqi Xu.

“There are hundreds of thousands more home sellers in the market than buyers because buyers have been spooked by high mortgage rates, high prices and economic uncertainty. When sellers outnumber buyers, buyers can often negotiate on price because they have a lot of options to choose from.”

As The Epoch Times' Bill Pan reports, in markets flush with new housing inventory, the number of sellers who slashed their listing prices was far more pronounced.

Nearly 60 percent of sellers in San Antonio, Texas, lowered their listing prices in February, Redfin reported, while slightly more than 55 percent of sellers in Austin, Texas, initiated price cuts, followed by Dallas (47.3 percent), Tampa, Florida (45.9 percent), and Fort Lauderdale, Florida (44.9 percent).

Homebuilding in Texas and Florida has begun to cool after years of growth and cyclical overbuilding, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported earlier this year. In Florida, home prices are being affected by rising insurance costs related to natural disasters, while condominium homeowner’s association fees have skyrocketed due to new safety regulations on older buildings more than three stories tall.

Conversely, sellers were far less likely to reduce prices in markets where housing inventory is limited. Just over 7 percent of sellers in San Francisco reduced their listing prices in February, with 11.1 percent of sellers in San Jose following suit. In Newark, New Jersey, about 13 percent of sellers dropped their listing prices.

Sellers who have been in their homes longer and have higher amounts of equity were less inclined to drop their sales prices, Redfin’s analysts noted.

“Many people bought during the peak of the pandemic market when home prices were soaring,” Katz and Xu wrote.

“In a lot of areas, prices have come down, meaning sellers are at risk of being underwater. Many of these sellers price high initially in an attempt to recoup their investment, only to find they must lower their expectations because the market has adjusted.”

Sales of existing homes rose by 1.7 percent in February from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million, according to the National Association of Realtors. However, sales were down by 1.4 percent year over year.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 14:20

Record Share Of Home Sellers Cut Listing Prices In February: Report

A record share of home sellers cut their listing prices in February as competition for homebuyers necessitated steep price reductions, an April 9 report by real estate platform Redfin said.

About 34.2 percent of sellers reduced their listing prices in February, up from 31.5 percent in the same month a year earlier, according to Redfin’s analysis of MLS data.

That was the highest February share since the firm began tracking MLS records in 2012.

The sellers who cut their listing prices reduced them by an average of $40,915, said Redfin.

That amounts to a 7.3 percent cut, the highest for any February since 2023.

Final sales prices could include further reductions due to negotiations on such items as closing costs, contingency fees, and other contractual stipulations.

“Price cuts are on the rise because it’s a buyer’s market,” said Redfin data journalist Lily Katz and senior economist Yingqi Xu.

“There are hundreds of thousands more home sellers in the market than buyers because buyers have been spooked by high mortgage rates, high prices and economic uncertainty. When sellers outnumber buyers, buyers can often negotiate on price because they have a lot of options to choose from.”

As The Epoch Times' Bill Pan reports, in markets flush with new housing inventory, the number of sellers who slashed their listing prices was far more pronounced.

Nearly 60 percent of sellers in San Antonio, Texas, lowered their listing prices in February, Redfin reported, while slightly more than 55 percent of sellers in Austin, Texas, initiated price cuts, followed by Dallas (47.3 percent), Tampa, Florida (45.9 percent), and Fort Lauderdale, Florida (44.9 percent).

Homebuilding in Texas and Florida has begun to cool after years of growth and cyclical overbuilding, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported earlier this year. In Florida, home prices are being affected by rising insurance costs related to natural disasters, while condominium homeowner’s association fees have skyrocketed due to new safety regulations on older buildings more than three stories tall.

Conversely, sellers were far less likely to reduce prices in markets where housing inventory is limited. Just over 7 percent of sellers in San Francisco reduced their listing prices in February, with 11.1 percent of sellers in San Jose following suit. In Newark, New Jersey, about 13 percent of sellers dropped their listing prices.

Sellers who have been in their homes longer and have higher amounts of equity were less inclined to drop their sales prices, Redfin’s analysts noted.

“Many people bought during the peak of the pandemic market when home prices were soaring,” Katz and Xu wrote.

“In a lot of areas, prices have come down, meaning sellers are at risk of being underwater. Many of these sellers price high initially in an attempt to recoup their investment, only to find they must lower their expectations because the market has adjusted.”

Sales of existing homes rose by 1.7 percent in February from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million, according to the National Association of Realtors. However, sales were down by 1.4 percent year over year.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 14:20

FIFA Rebukes NJ's Lefty Governor In Transportation Dispute

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Leaders behind the 2026 FIFA World Cup rebuked New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she launched what appeared to be a social media campaign complaining that the state would be stuck footing the bill for public transportation tied to the event.

The 2026 World Cup is set to span multiple days, including eight matches at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in June.

Estimates suggest the games could generate over $3 billion in economic impact for the region.

However, the state is expected to expand public transportation services, as has been typical for previous World Cup host sites.

The agreement between FIFA and New Jersey was signed under Sherrill’s predecessor, former Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who left office in January.

“We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill wrote on X, adding that New Jersey is expected to cover roughly $48 million in transportation costs.

“I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come. FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t – I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one,” she added.

FIFA pushed back, saying it was “quite surprised” by Sherrill’s remarks, as quoted by several media outlets.

“FIFA worked for years with host cities on transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation,” the organization said.

FIFA also pointed to the lack of precedent for such demands, noting that previous major events at MetLife Stadium did not require organizers to cover fan transportation costs.

FIFA have responded to this - and strongly.

“We are quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach today on fan transportation. The original FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial… https://t.co/ZHgGIIxo8n

— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) April 16, 2026

The dispute centers on how to move roughly 40,000 fans expected at MetLife during matches this summer.

The Sherrill administration has reportedly considered charging up to $100 per rider to transport fans from New York City to the stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about 10 miles from Manhattan.

The logistics are complicated by the decision to prohibit parking at MetLife Stadium due to public safety concerns, forcing attendees to rely on mass transit, rideshares and chartered buses.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 14:00

FIFA Rebukes NJ's Lefty Governor In Transportation Dispute

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Leaders behind the 2026 FIFA World Cup rebuked New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she launched what appeared to be a social media campaign complaining that the state would be stuck footing the bill for public transportation tied to the event.

The 2026 World Cup is set to span multiple days, including eight matches at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in June.

Estimates suggest the games could generate over $3 billion in economic impact for the region.

However, the state is expected to expand public transportation services, as has been typical for previous World Cup host sites.

The agreement between FIFA and New Jersey was signed under Sherrill’s predecessor, former Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who left office in January.

“We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill wrote on X, adding that New Jersey is expected to cover roughly $48 million in transportation costs.

“I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come. FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t – I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one,” she added.

FIFA pushed back, saying it was “quite surprised” by Sherrill’s remarks, as quoted by several media outlets.

“FIFA worked for years with host cities on transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation,” the organization said.

FIFA also pointed to the lack of precedent for such demands, noting that previous major events at MetLife Stadium did not require organizers to cover fan transportation costs.

FIFA have responded to this - and strongly.

“We are quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach today on fan transportation. The original FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial… https://t.co/ZHgGIIxo8n

— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) April 16, 2026

The dispute centers on how to move roughly 40,000 fans expected at MetLife during matches this summer.

The Sherrill administration has reportedly considered charging up to $100 per rider to transport fans from New York City to the stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about 10 miles from Manhattan.

The logistics are complicated by the decision to prohibit parking at MetLife Stadium due to public safety concerns, forcing attendees to rely on mass transit, rideshares and chartered buses.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 14:00

 

What a delightful and productive trip this was!

We met with lots of clients and spoke with families who wanted to learn how we can help them reach their goals and achieve better outcomes using all of the tools we deploy.

I hosted a few live Masters in Business interviews at the Bloomberg offices at Pier 3 (they are amazing workspaces). The keynote was my conversation with Glen Kacher, founder of the tech-focused long-short hedge fund Light Street. I’ll drop that into the MiB feed as soon as it’s ready.

The apocalyptic hellscape (LOL) that is San Francisco could not have been lovelier. The city is clean, vibrant, friendly, and in the midst of a very healthy boom.

Those people who panic sold real estate here 2-3 years ago should cancel their cable subscriptions. Those who they sold it to are grateful.

I hear the same exact things when out-of-towners visit New York. “Hey, I thought this city was supposed to be a burnt-out hulk of what it was!? Every restaurant, theater, and park is filled with happy, polite people! What gives?!?”

Don’t believe everything (anything?) you see on TV.

 

More photos below

 

The crew worked all day, then kicked back in the evening, enjoying all of the  wonderful cuisine SF has on offer:

Kris and I picking the entire left side of the menu:

 

Keto for the win:

 

Jonathan is not fooling around:

 

Michelle: Give me that!

 

San Francisco may be a tech town, but it’s a finance town as well, as this Vol Seller makes clear:

I appreciate the Oak Green color choice, too!

 

All told, our visit to the Bay Area was delightful, and we are already making plans to return before too long!

See ya real soon!

 

 

Previously:
The Evolution of Alpha (April 3, 2026)

Ritholtz Wealth Management Is Coming to San Francisco! (March 26, 2026)

RWM Coming to San Francisco April 14-16 (February 26, 2026)

RWM in San Francisco for Two Live MiB shows! (April 13, 2026)

 

The post Thank You, San Francisco! appeared first on The Big Picture.

Critical Metals Shares Surge 40% After Expanding Rare Earth Mining Position In Greenland

Critical Metals Corp. shares have surged as much as 45% in trading today after the company significantly expanded its position in Greenland’s Tanbreez rare earth project, tightening its grip on a resource it sees as central to a US-friendly supply chain, according to Bloomberg.

It marks the biggest intraday gain in half a year and lifting the company’s valuation to roughly $1.7 billion.

According to documents reviewed by Bloomberg, the firm raised its ownership to 92.5% by purchasing the remaining 50.5% stake it previously didn’t control from Rimbal Pty Ltd. The company confirmed the transaction in a statement released Friday.

With this deal, Critical Metals now holds a dominant share of Tanbreez, a deposit rich in rare earth elements such as terbium and dysprosium—materials essential for electronics and defense systems. The company describes Tanbreez as one of the largest known rare earth resources globally.

“We believe this important catalyst and hurdle now achieved helps to accelerate the approval by the Greenland government for permitting to commence mining," said Analyst Tim Moore from Clear Street. He has a $20 price target on the name and sees the increased stake as  "positive with funding matching estimates and control change being approved after previous delays", per Bloomberg. 

The acquisition comes amid a broader push by the US and its partners to lock in supplies of critical minerals and lessen dependence on China, which still leads the world in rare earth processing. Greenland, with its vast untapped reserves, has become an increasingly strategic location—though projects there remain costly and face regulatory hurdles.

Over the past year, Greenland has drawn growing attention from Washington, with renewed political and commercial interest reflecting its rising importance in global resource competition.

The island is no longer just a remote outpost—it’s becoming a focal point in the evolving economic and geopolitical relationship between Greenland and the United States.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 13:40

Critical Metals Shares Surge 40% After Expanding Rare Earth Mining Position In Greenland

Critical Metals Corp. shares have surged as much as 45% in trading today after the company significantly expanded its position in Greenland’s Tanbreez rare earth project, tightening its grip on a resource it sees as central to a US-friendly supply chain, according to Bloomberg.

It marks the biggest intraday gain in half a year and lifting the company’s valuation to roughly $1.7 billion.

According to documents reviewed by Bloomberg, the firm raised its ownership to 92.5% by purchasing the remaining 50.5% stake it previously didn’t control from Rimbal Pty Ltd. The company confirmed the transaction in a statement released Friday.

With this deal, Critical Metals now holds a dominant share of Tanbreez, a deposit rich in rare earth elements such as terbium and dysprosium—materials essential for electronics and defense systems. The company describes Tanbreez as one of the largest known rare earth resources globally.

“We believe this important catalyst and hurdle now achieved helps to accelerate the approval by the Greenland government for permitting to commence mining," said Analyst Tim Moore from Clear Street. He has a $20 price target on the name and sees the increased stake as  "positive with funding matching estimates and control change being approved after previous delays", per Bloomberg. 

The acquisition comes amid a broader push by the US and its partners to lock in supplies of critical minerals and lessen dependence on China, which still leads the world in rare earth processing. Greenland, with its vast untapped reserves, has become an increasingly strategic location—though projects there remain costly and face regulatory hurdles.

Over the past year, Greenland has drawn growing attention from Washington, with renewed political and commercial interest reflecting its rising importance in global resource competition.

The island is no longer just a remote outpost—it’s becoming a focal point in the evolving economic and geopolitical relationship between Greenland and the United States.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 13:40

Senate Votes To Repeal Biden-Era Mining Ban In Minnesota, Sending Bill To Trump

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Senate narrowly voted on April 16 to overturn a 20-year mining ban imposed by the former Biden administration on a national forest in northeastern Minnesota.

The measure, which passed 50–49 and will now advance to President Donald Trump’s desk, will reverse the previous administration’s mining ban on 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest and pave the way for Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chile-based Antofagasta, to carry out mining activities in the area.

Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), who sponsored the legislation, said on X that he was thankful for the Senate’s decision to approve the bill. The House approved the bill on Jan. 21.

“A major victory for America and Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District was secured today,” he wrote on X.

“Mining is our past, our present, and our future – and the future looks bright!”

The Biden administration imposed an order in 2023 to block mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the surrounding watershed located in the Superior National Forest for 20 years. But Stauber said on Jan. 12 that the former administration did not properly transmit the required notice to Congress about the ban.

The vote to overturn the ban came under the Congressional Review Act, which gives Congress the authority to review and disapprove federal actions within 60 Senate session days of the action’s submission.

The Sierra Club, which has opposed overturning the ban, said mineral mining bans had not been considered rules that are subject to the Congressional Review Act in past administrations.

“The Boundary Waters is one of the country’s most iconic wilderness areas, visited by thousands every year. It should be a place for recreation and conservation, not for pollution and exploitation,” Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club’s land protection program, said in a statement.

Save the Boundary Waters, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the Senate’s passage of the measure “sets a dangerous precedent for public lands nationwide.”

“We’re not done fighting. There are still paths to stop this mine,” the group said in a post on X.

If the ban is lifted, the Trump administration will be free to reissue mining leases to Twin Metals, which has been trying to develop the mine for decades on land controlled by the federal government. The mine would need to undergo an environmental review and obtain permits.

Twin Metals said in a statement to multiple news outlets that the bill’s passage marked “a critical moment” for the United States’ efforts to strengthen its mineral supply chains.

“The Twin Metals team ​looks forward to a robust discussion and engagement with our communities through any future regulatory processes,” Twin Metals spokeswoman Kathy Graul said.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 13:20

Senate Votes To Repeal Biden-Era Mining Ban In Minnesota, Sending Bill To Trump

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Senate narrowly voted on April 16 to overturn a 20-year mining ban imposed by the former Biden administration on a national forest in northeastern Minnesota.

The measure, which passed 50–49 and will now advance to President Donald Trump’s desk, will reverse the previous administration’s mining ban on 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest and pave the way for Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chile-based Antofagasta, to carry out mining activities in the area.

Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), who sponsored the legislation, said on X that he was thankful for the Senate’s decision to approve the bill. The House approved the bill on Jan. 21.

“A major victory for America and Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District was secured today,” he wrote on X.

“Mining is our past, our present, and our future – and the future looks bright!”

The Biden administration imposed an order in 2023 to block mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the surrounding watershed located in the Superior National Forest for 20 years. But Stauber said on Jan. 12 that the former administration did not properly transmit the required notice to Congress about the ban.

The vote to overturn the ban came under the Congressional Review Act, which gives Congress the authority to review and disapprove federal actions within 60 Senate session days of the action’s submission.

The Sierra Club, which has opposed overturning the ban, said mineral mining bans had not been considered rules that are subject to the Congressional Review Act in past administrations.

“The Boundary Waters is one of the country’s most iconic wilderness areas, visited by thousands every year. It should be a place for recreation and conservation, not for pollution and exploitation,” Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club’s land protection program, said in a statement.

Save the Boundary Waters, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the Senate’s passage of the measure “sets a dangerous precedent for public lands nationwide.”

“We’re not done fighting. There are still paths to stop this mine,” the group said in a post on X.

If the ban is lifted, the Trump administration will be free to reissue mining leases to Twin Metals, which has been trying to develop the mine for decades on land controlled by the federal government. The mine would need to undergo an environmental review and obtain permits.

Twin Metals said in a statement to multiple news outlets that the bill’s passage marked “a critical moment” for the United States’ efforts to strengthen its mineral supply chains.

“The Twin Metals team ​looks forward to a robust discussion and engagement with our communities through any future regulatory processes,” Twin Metals spokeswoman Kathy Graul said.

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 13:20

Iran Bats Down 'Baseless' Trump Claim On Handing Over Enriched Uranium To US, As He Declares Hormuz 'Never Again' Closed Summary

• Trump Praises Iran for Fully Reopening Hormuz Chokepoint; Crude Tanks, Yields Dump, Equity Futs Up; Follows by claiming Iran will 'never again' close it; FARS soon after contradicts in fresh threat.

• Iran's Aragchi says "Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open". However, Iranian official tells FARS: "If the maritime blockade continues, it will be considered a violation of the ceasefire, & the Strait of Hormuz transit route will be closed."

• US mulls cash-for-uranium deal as 'three-page' MOU peace plan takes shape. Trump claims US will get the 'nuclear dust' - Iran official denies.

• Peace talks reportedly on Sunday in Islamabad. Trump: "Most of the main points are finalized. It’ll go pretty quickly."

Odds of a permanent peace deal by the end of the ceasefire are soaring above 50% by the end of the month...

Huge Denial by Iran

Iranian source in conversation with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: Trump's claim about the delivery of Iran's enriched uranium is baseless. Per the report:

• Iranian source in conversation with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: Only civilian ships can pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and that too through routes specified by Iran. The announcement of the temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with the current negotiations with Washington.
• We waited a few hours to make sure that a ceasefire had been established in Lebanon; then we temporarily opened the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement of the temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the ceasefire in Lebanon are part of the agreement.
• Negotiations on the issues of dispute with the United States are still ongoing, but due to Washington's excessive demands, there is no clear perspective.
• Washington's demands in the negotiations remain illogical and unreasonable. The US President's claim about taking Iran's enriched uranium is baseless

The 'excessive demands' complaint is exactly the same Iranian position prior to Friday, when Trump made a series of massive claims and declarations on some kind of agreed-to and imminent final peace deal. Latest:

Iran says its enriched uranium is "as sacred to us as the soil of Iran and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances," adding that 60% enriched uranium will not leave the country "in any way," per Iran's Foreign Ministry via Tasnim.

And more contradiction in terms of Trump's big claims concerning a major Iran deal in the works, wherein he's insisted money won't be exchanged for the US obtaining the enriched uranium and 'nuclear dust':

The U.S. has told Tehran it would give Iran access to $20 billion if it hands over its stockpile of fissile material, officials familiar with the negotiations say. The proposal is one of the ideas on the table for resolving one of the big sticking points in talks: how to remove Iran’s access to 972 pounds of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.

Axios reported the U.S. proposal earlier Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the offer would include all of Iran’s fissile-material stockpile, which includes medium- and low-enriched uranium. Two of the officials said Iran has neither dismissed nor accepted the proposal at this point.

More Big Trump Words on Alleged Iran Deal in Works

A grand deal in the works as Trump says a second round of direct talks will likely be held this weekend? It's too hard to say what's agreed upon from the Iranian side at this point, as Trump continues issuing rapid-fire Friday statements:

Talks over a lasting agreement will “probably” be held this weekend, the president said. 
“Most of the main points are finalized. It’ll go pretty quickly,” Trump said.

The president denied that the moratorium on Iran’s nuclear program would expire after 20 years. Asked if the program will completely halt, Trump responded "No years, unlimited."

Really?...

TRUMP TELLS REUTERS WILL BRING IRAN'S URANIUM TO US

Iran Threatens to Again Close Strait: FARS

And soon on the heels of what appears to be a lot of Trump projection:

IRAN TO CLOSE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IF US BLOCKADE PERSISTS: FARS

In essence, despite the flurry of victory lap-style messages from Trump on Truth Social Friday, the ground reality remains that Iran will do what it has been doing if the US does what it has been doing - but the question will be whether each side keeps up the charade for the sake of the war not restarting, or whether this is again headed toward inevitable clash.

Iranian official to Fars:

If the maritime blockade continues, it will be considered a violation of the ceasefire, and the Strait of Hormuz transit route will be closed.

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 17, 2026

Trump claims Iran Agrees to 'Never Close' Strait Again

The President is doing a rapid-fire Truth Social victory tour of sorts, but seems to have entered pure projection and wishful thinking territory, now claiming Tehran has "agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again" and that the vital oil transit waterway "will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!

Like with some other fresh assertions this morning, there's no confirmation from the Iranians, who also say the strait is 'open' - but while asserting its own terms and preconditions for vessel passage.

Still, this flurry of headlines generated in large part by Trump's 'optimistic' (to say the least) series of messages, has pushed oil significantly lower. WTI pushes lower to 79 Friday late morning... WTI has retraced 70% of the peak rise from the start of the war.

NATO 'Paper Tiger' can 'Stay Away': Trump

The President continues unleashing a series of Iran-related statements on Truth Social, in his latest once again dumping on NATO, claiming that the alliance has belatedly offered the US help in its Hormuz Strait mission, but Trump in all caps said he told them to 'stay away' unless 'they just want to load up their ships with oil.' 

He then repeated a familiar theme of his, blasting NATO as a 'Paper Tiger' for its allege weakness and lack of help with US Iran and Hormuz operations. However, from NATO and Europe's perspective, the strategic vision and scope of the mission has been constantly evolving, leaving allies confused to say the least - so this doesn't provide them with enough incentive or confidence to assist in intervening.

And he quickly followed with this highly dubious claim:

And more, now we're something like 10 or 11 Truth Social statements in and it's still just morning:

Trump Again Touts US Will Seize 'Nuclear Dust'

President Trump keeps touting that the US will seize Iran's "nuclear dust" - which he says is what has resulted from the massive bombing campaign of Iranian nuclear sites as part of Operation Epic Fury. 

But the US will get this even as "No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form" - in the latest Friday Truth Social post. However, none of this has been acknowledged by Iran in terms some kind of grand bargain with the US. The below appears merely another fresh threat from Trump, in order to perhaps create leverage and fear amid potential renewed talks.

Trump Responds 

Minutes after Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas posted on X that the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open", President Trump responded on Truth Social:

"IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!"

Of course, we joke, but really...

Soon to be the Strait of America pic.twitter.com/aUJ7dkusfB

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 17, 2026

About 20 minutes after Trump's first Truth Social post, the president fired off another, this time declaring that the "naval blockade will remain in full force." 

Trump said: 

The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business, with full passage restored.

However, the naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran only until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete.

This process should move very quickly, as most of the points have already been negotiated. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Trump: US blockade on Iran to remain in place pic.twitter.com/CvJ9iEVv9C

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 17, 2026

Market impact so far:

• WTI dropped 9% to $86/bbl after Iran announced the Hormuz chokepoint opening during the ceasefire

• Brent retreated to $91 a barrel

• The dollar plunged while bonds surged, with 10-year yields falling to 4.23%

• European benchmark NatGas prices also fell sharply following the announcement

• Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index erased all gains since the Iran war began

• US main equity futures are green

UBS analyst Nana Antiedu comments on "OIS markets reprice" as Hormuz reopens:

BoE and ECB pricing reacted sharply to US President Trump saying that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open.

The GBP OIS market has now removed 11bp of hikes removed for the year, now pricing 27.5bp cumulatively.

Similarly, the 10bp of hikes have been removed for the ECB this year, now pricing 44.4bp cumulatively. For the FOMC, OIS markets reprice cumulative cuts to 15bp, down 5bp.

This chart shows market expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate changes in 2026.

Iran Opens Hormuz

In a rather shocking turn of events, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchi posted on X that the Strait of Hormuz is open:

"In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran."

Oil crashed even lower on the report...

Are we getting close to 'Mission Accomplished'?

US Mulls $20BN Cash-For-Uranium Deal

According to two U.S. officials and two additional sources briefed on the talks, Axios' Barak Ravid reports that the US and Iran are negotiating over a three-page plan to end the war.

The three-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) the two sides are negotiating over also includes a "voluntary" moratorium on nuclear enrichment by Iran.

The U.S. demanded in the last round of talks that Iran agree to a 20-year moratorium. Iran countered with five years. The mediators are still trying to close the gap.

As part of the MOU, Iran would be allowed to have nuclear research reactors for the production of medical isotopes, but would pledge that all of its nuclear facilities would be above ground.

The existing underground facilities would remain out of commission.

Perhaps the most notable element under discussion being that the U.S. would release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Axios adds that a top priority for the Trump admin is ensuring Iran can't access the stockpile of nearly 2,000kg of enriched uranium buried in its underground nuclear facilities, in particular the 450kg enriched to 60% purity.

The Iranians, meanwhile, need money.

The parties are negotiating over what will happen to the stockpile and how much of Iran's assets will be unfrozen. They are also discussing the terms on which Iran could use that money.

WTI Crude front-month oil futures prices are tumbling on the report, down over 11% - back near post-ceasefire lows...

President Trump said Thursday that U.S. and Iranian negotiators would likely meet this weekend for a second round of talks to try to seal the deal.

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Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 13:05

Iran Bats Down 'Baseless' Trump Claim On Handing Over Enriched Uranium To US, As He Declares Hormuz 'Never Again' Closed Summary

• Trump Praises Iran for Fully Reopening Hormuz Chokepoint; Crude Tanks, Yields Dump, Equity Futs Up; Follows by claiming Iran will 'never again' close it; FARS soon after contradicts in fresh threat.

• Iran's Aragchi says "Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open". However, Iranian official tells FARS: "If the maritime blockade continues, it will be considered a violation of the ceasefire, & the Strait of Hormuz transit route will be closed."

• US mulls cash-for-uranium deal as 'three-page' MOU peace plan takes shape. Trump claims US will get the 'nuclear dust' - Iran official denies.

• Peace talks reportedly on Sunday in Islamabad. Trump: "Most of the main points are finalized. It’ll go pretty quickly."

Odds of a permanent peace deal by the end of the ceasefire are soaring above 50% by the end of the month...

Huge Denial by Iran

Iranian source in conversation with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: Trump's claim about the delivery of Iran's enriched uranium is baseless. Per the report:

• Iranian source in conversation with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed: Only civilian ships can pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and that too through routes specified by Iran. The announcement of the temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with the current negotiations with Washington.
• We waited a few hours to make sure that a ceasefire had been established in Lebanon; then we temporarily opened the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement of the temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the ceasefire in Lebanon are part of the agreement.
• Negotiations on the issues of dispute with the United States are still ongoing, but due to Washington's excessive demands, there is no clear perspective.
• Washington's demands in the negotiations remain illogical and unreasonable. The US President's claim about taking Iran's enriched uranium is baseless

The 'excessive demands' complaint is exactly the same Iranian position prior to Friday, when Trump made a series of massive claims and declarations on some kind of agreed-to and imminent final peace deal. Latest:

Iran says its enriched uranium is "as sacred to us as the soil of Iran and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances," adding that 60% enriched uranium will not leave the country "in any way," per Iran's Foreign Ministry via Tasnim.

And more contradiction in terms of Trump's big claims concerning a major Iran deal in the works, wherein he's insisted money won't be exchanged for the US obtaining the enriched uranium and 'nuclear dust':

The U.S. has told Tehran it would give Iran access to $20 billion if it hands over its stockpile of fissile material, officials familiar with the negotiations say. The proposal is one of the ideas on the table for resolving one of the big sticking points in talks: how to remove Iran’s access to 972 pounds of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.

Axios reported the U.S. proposal earlier Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the offer would include all of Iran’s fissile-material stockpile, which includes medium- and low-enriched uranium. Two of the officials said Iran has neither dismissed nor accepted the proposal at this point.

More Big Trump Words on Alleged Iran Deal in Works

A grand deal in the works as Trump says a second round of direct talks will likely be held this weekend? It's too hard to say what's agreed upon from the Iranian side at this point, as Trump continues issuing rapid-fire Friday statements:

Talks over a lasting agreement will “probably” be held this weekend, the president said. 
“Most of the main points are finalized. It’ll go pretty quickly,” Trump said.

The president denied that the moratorium on Iran’s nuclear program would expire after 20 years. Asked if the program will completely halt, Trump responded "No years, unlimited."

Really?...

TRUMP TELLS REUTERS WILL BRING IRAN'S URANIUM TO US

Iran Threatens to Again Close Strait: FARS

And soon on the heels of what appears to be a lot of Trump projection:

IRAN TO CLOSE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IF US BLOCKADE PERSISTS: FARS

In essence, despite the flurry of victory lap-style messages from Trump on Truth Social Friday, the ground reality remains that Iran will do what it has been doing if the US does what it has been doing - but the question will be whether each side keeps up the charade for the sake of the war not restarting, or whether this is again headed toward inevitable clash.

Iranian official to Fars:

If the maritime blockade continues, it will be considered a violation of the ceasefire, and the Strait of Hormuz transit route will be closed.

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 17, 2026

Trump claims Iran Agrees to 'Never Close' Strait Again

The President is doing a rapid-fire Truth Social victory tour of sorts, but seems to have entered pure projection and wishful thinking territory, now claiming Tehran has "agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again" and that the vital oil transit waterway "will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!

Like with some other fresh assertions this morning, there's no confirmation from the Iranians, who also say the strait is 'open' - but while asserting its own terms and preconditions for vessel passage.

Still, this flurry of headlines generated in large part by Trump's 'optimistic' (to say the least) series of messages, has pushed oil significantly lower. WTI pushes lower to 79 Friday late morning... WTI has retraced 70% of the peak rise from the start of the war.

NATO 'Paper Tiger' can 'Stay Away': Trump

The President continues unleashing a series of Iran-related statements on Truth Social, in his latest once again dumping on NATO, claiming that the alliance has belatedly offered the US help in its Hormuz Strait mission, but Trump in all caps said he told them to 'stay away' unless 'they just want to load up their ships with oil.' 

He then repeated a familiar theme of his, blasting NATO as a 'Paper Tiger' for its allege weakness and lack of help with US Iran and Hormuz operations. However, from NATO and Europe's perspective, the strategic vision and scope of the mission has been constantly evolving, leaving allies confused to say the least - so this doesn't provide them with enough incentive or confidence to assist in intervening.

And he quickly followed with this highly dubious claim:

And more, now we're something like 10 or 11 Truth Social statements in and it's still just morning:

Trump Again Touts US Will Seize 'Nuclear Dust'

President Trump keeps touting that the US will seize Iran's "nuclear dust" - which he says is what has resulted from the massive bombing campaign of Iranian nuclear sites as part of Operation Epic Fury. 

But the US will get this even as "No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form" - in the latest Friday Truth Social post. However, none of this has been acknowledged by Iran in terms some kind of grand bargain with the US. The below appears merely another fresh threat from Trump, in order to perhaps create leverage and fear amid potential renewed talks.

Trump Responds 

Minutes after Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas posted on X that the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open", President Trump responded on Truth Social:

"IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!"

Of course, we joke, but really...

Soon to be the Strait of America pic.twitter.com/aUJ7dkusfB

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 17, 2026

About 20 minutes after Trump's first Truth Social post, the president fired off another, this time declaring that the "naval blockade will remain in full force." 

Trump said: 

The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business, with full passage restored.

However, the naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran only until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete.

This process should move very quickly, as most of the points have already been negotiated. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Trump: US blockade on Iran to remain in place pic.twitter.com/CvJ9iEVv9C

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 17, 2026

Market impact so far:

• WTI dropped 9% to $86/bbl after Iran announced the Hormuz chokepoint opening during the ceasefire

• Brent retreated to $91 a barrel

• The dollar plunged while bonds surged, with 10-year yields falling to 4.23%

• European benchmark NatGas prices also fell sharply following the announcement

• Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index erased all gains since the Iran war began

• US main equity futures are green

UBS analyst Nana Antiedu comments on "OIS markets reprice" as Hormuz reopens:

BoE and ECB pricing reacted sharply to US President Trump saying that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open.

The GBP OIS market has now removed 11bp of hikes removed for the year, now pricing 27.5bp cumulatively.

Similarly, the 10bp of hikes have been removed for the ECB this year, now pricing 44.4bp cumulatively. For the FOMC, OIS markets reprice cumulative cuts to 15bp, down 5bp.

This chart shows market expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate changes in 2026.

Iran Opens Hormuz

In a rather shocking turn of events, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchi posted on X that the Strait of Hormuz is open:

"In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran."

Oil crashed even lower on the report...

Are we getting close to 'Mission Accomplished'?

US Mulls $20BN Cash-For-Uranium Deal

According to two U.S. officials and two additional sources briefed on the talks, Axios' Barak Ravid reports that the US and Iran are negotiating over a three-page plan to end the war.

The three-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) the two sides are negotiating over also includes a "voluntary" moratorium on nuclear enrichment by Iran.

The U.S. demanded in the last round of talks that Iran agree to a 20-year moratorium. Iran countered with five years. The mediators are still trying to close the gap.

As part of the MOU, Iran would be allowed to have nuclear research reactors for the production of medical isotopes, but would pledge that all of its nuclear facilities would be above ground.

The existing underground facilities would remain out of commission.

Perhaps the most notable element under discussion being that the U.S. would release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Axios adds that a top priority for the Trump admin is ensuring Iran can't access the stockpile of nearly 2,000kg of enriched uranium buried in its underground nuclear facilities, in particular the 450kg enriched to 60% purity.

The Iranians, meanwhile, need money.

The parties are negotiating over what will happen to the stockpile and how much of Iran's assets will be unfrozen. They are also discussing the terms on which Iran could use that money.

WTI Crude front-month oil futures prices are tumbling on the report, down over 11% - back near post-ceasefire lows...

President Trump said Thursday that U.S. and Iranian negotiators would likely meet this weekend for a second round of talks to try to seal the deal.

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Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 13:05

Microsoft Triples-Down On Data Centers, As Half Of Planned Projects Face Cancelations, Delays

Microsoft unveiled plans to triple its data center footprint in Cheyenne, Wyoming, snapping up roughly 3,200 acres on the city's south edge. 

The deal covers a 200-acre parcel in Bison Business Park plus an adjacent 3,000-acre tract, turning what is already one of the company's longstanding hubs into a sprawling complex. 

With 11 data centers operational and three more under construction across four campuses, the tech giant is betting big on the Cowboy State's energy resources and workforce. 

A company spokeswoman called it a "commitment to continued growth," citing the area's skilled labor, solid infrastructure, and thriving energy sector.

The land grab hit the headlines amid a far less rosy picture for the data center frenzy in the United States and beyond. Announcements keep piling up at a disturbing clip, fueled by the AI “gold rush” and hyperscaler spending projected to top $700 billion this year alone. 

Earlier this week we reported that nearly half of the roughly 16 gigawatts of U.S. data-center capacity slated to come online in 2026 will likely face delays or outright cancellation. In fact, only about 5 gigawatts have even broken ground, according to Sightline Climate's latest outlook. Supply-chain gaps, transformer shortages, and grid constraints are turning ambitious blueprints into paper tigers.

Even in Cheyenne, not everyone is popping champagne. State Senator Cale Case voiced caution about future ratepayer impacts and grid congestion, 

“It looks good on paper,” Case said.

“But what happens down the road when those supplies become constrained? So, it’s not benign, and it takes a lot of thought. I don’t think you can ever say this is not going to impact other customers.”

In the UK, OpenAI recently paused its ambitious Stargate project over prohibitive energy costs and regulatory hurdles, as we recently highlighted. Wyoming's climate and energy edge may insulate Microsoft's Cheyenne bet for now, but the global wave of cancellations suggests many shiny press releases will never pour concrete. 
 

Tyler Durden Fri, 04/17/2026 - 12:40