Zero Hedge

Parents Sent To Prison After Isolating Kids For Four Years Over COVID Fears

Parents Sent To Prison After Isolating Kids For Four Years Over COVID Fears

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

A court in northern Spain has sentenced a couple to prison after they kept their three children confined indoors for nearly four years due to intense fears of Covid.

The isolation, which began in December 2021 and continued until the children were rescued in April 2025, left the youngsters with significant mental and physical conditions, including difficulties walking, bowel and bladder control issues, and delayed development.

The case, underscores the profound and lasting effects that pandemic-related anxiety had, and continues to have, on some individuals.

Christian Steffen, 53, a German freelance tech recruiter, and his wife Melissa Ann Steffen, 48, an American-born naturalised German, lived in a rented home in Oviedo, Spain. 

Prosecutors stated that the parents “locked the minors up inside their home and isolated them completely from the rest of the world, denying them contact with other people both physically and through other forms of communication.”

They added that “The children didn’t even know their relatives or any other people that weren’t their parents. They never went outside, not even to the garden of their home, for almost four years because of the unfounded fear the accused had, and they had instilled in their children, that they might be infected with something.”

The children — a boy aged ten and eight-year-old twins — were not enrolled in school. They received homeschooling from their parents, had not seen a doctor since 2019, and lived in conditions described as squalid, with soiled nappies, rubbish, and inadequate sleeping arrangements including broken cots for the twins. 

Physical examinations revealed bowed legs, hunched posture, irritated skin, and other issues stemming from prolonged confinement and lack of medical care. After rescue, one child was reported to have knelt on the grass outside and touched it with amazement.

The couple was convicted of habitual psychological violence within the family environment and family abandonment. Each received a sentence of two years and four months in prison, plus an additional six months for family abandonment. 

They were also disqualified from parental authority for three years and four months, banned from approaching the children within 300 metres, and ordered to pay €30,000 in compensation to each child.

Defence lawyers argued that the situation was “voluntary isolation” from the world by parents who had taken a series of “probably wrong but not criminal decisions.” 

They noted that the Steffens had caught Covid and decided to self-confine and educate their children from home out of an “unsurmountable fear” of falling ill again. The parents insisted during the trial that they had always acted in the interest of the youngsters.

A city hall source told El Mundo that a vigilant neighbour, Silvia, raised the alarm after noticing suspicious supermarket deliveries including large quantities of nappies during school hours. She compiled a detailed dossier that led to a police investigation. 

Regional Social Rights and Welfare Minister Marta del Arco commented: “These are children whose trauma from what they experienced was bound to surface later on, and both educators and psychologists are working very intensively with them because they really need it.”

This case reflects how deeply some individuals were affected by the fear surrounding Covid-19. While most adapted as restrictions eased, a small number internalised the risks to an extreme degree, with tragic consequences for their families.

The incident comes as researchers continue to examine the wider psychological and developmental effects of the Covid era. 

A March 2026 study from the University of East Anglia found that Covid lockdowns may have permanently damaged children’s brain development, particularly executive functions such as behaviour regulation, focus, and adaptation. 

Professor John Spencer noted: “Children who were in reception when the country shut down showed much slower growth in key self-regulation and cognitive flexibility skills over the next few years than children who were still in preschool.” The study highlighted the critical role of peer socialisation during key early years.

Recent analyses, including a January 2026 international study on long Covid, have shown varying reports of brain fog, depression, and cognitive issues linked to the pandemic period, influenced by cultural and healthcare factors. 

Broader surveys from organisations like the WHO and Mayo Clinic have documented elevated levels of anxiety, depression, and stress persisting years after the initial outbreak, affecting both adults and children worldwide.

The Oviedo case illustrates an extreme outcome of that widespread fear environment. While the parents have been held accountable by the court, the episode serves as a stark reminder of the human cost when anxiety overrides normal family life and child development needs. 

As support services work with the affected children in Spain, the findings from ongoing research emphasise the importance of monitoring and addressing the long-term legacy of the pandemic on younger generations.

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Tyler Durden Wed, 05/13/2026 - 07:20

The Overhyped Nuclear Hazard America Has Mastered

The Overhyped Nuclear Hazard America Has Mastered

Nuclear waste remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of modern energy production in the United States. Critics continue to portray it as a dangerous, unsolvable problem, yet the country has managed it safely and effectively for decades with an impeccable safety record. 

Spent fuel from commercial reactors sits securely in pools and dry casks at more than 70 sites across 35 states. Transportation casks have traveled millions of miles without any releases. Not that there was ever a concern for one of these casks breaking open, considering their testing involves being dropped from helicopters and struck by a rocket-propelled locomotive...

France reprocesses the vast majority of its used fuel, demonstrating viable technology at commercial scale. In the United States, no significant radiation releases have occurred from commercial nuclear waste storage or handling in over half a century.

We previously covered Visual Capitalist's depiction of nuclear waste around the world and how the most dangerous waste represents less than a quarter of one percent of the total nuclear waste. 

A recent Utility Dive article highlights shifting approaches to this issue and examines the Department of Energy’s proposal for “Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.” These facilities would manage the entire nuclear fuel cycle, including reprocessing or recycling of the nation’s approximately 95,000 metric tons of spent fuel, which increases by roughly 2,000 tons each year. 

The campuses aim to combine waste management with regional economic benefits, creating long-term jobs and revenue streams for host states. Interest has already emerged from several states, including Utah, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, Idaho, and Nebraska.

U.S. taxpayers currently bear the costs for waste management and legacy cleanup. The DOE’s Environmental Management program operates with an annual budget exceeding $8 billion, while the federal government’s liability for permanent disposal now stands at more than $56 billion. The Trump administration also recently asked for an expansion of the funding. 

Yet this material increasingly looks like a valuable resource rather than solely a liability. Private companies are beginning to compete aggressively for access to spent nuclear fuel. The DOE recently awarded over $19 million to firms including Oklo, Curio Solutions, Flibe Energy, and SHINE Technologies to advance recycling, transmutation, and isotope-harvesting technologies. 

Startups view the material as a feedstock for new reactor fuel, medical isotopes, and industrial applications rather than waste. As demand grows for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) and specialized isotopes, competition for this resource is expected to intensify.

Nuclear waste is incredibly hazardous, if mishandled. But, America has not mishandled it. With private-sector innovation now treating spent fuel as a strategic asset, the longstanding “problem” is transforming into an economic opportunity.
 

Tyler Durden Wed, 05/13/2026 - 06:55

Chinese National Indicted In Florida For Allegedly Importing Deadly New Synthetic Opioid

Chinese National Indicted In Florida For Allegedly Importing Deadly New Synthetic Opioid

Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A Chinese national has been indicted by the federal authorities in Florida for his alleged role in a plot to import and distribute large quantities of a new synthetic opioid, protonitazene, which is “significantly more potent than fentanyl,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a May 11 statement.

An undated image of nitazene tablets in the hand of a police officer in Australia. (Australian Federal Police).

Jia Guo and Seven Schmidt, an associate from Las Vegas, Nevada, are charged with conspiracy to import protonitazene into the United States from China and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute protonitazene. “If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the two counts,” the attorney’s office said.

The pair allegedly began operating a drug trafficking operation in September 2024. In the statement, the attorney’s office said the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) had investigated the pair, with assistance from China’s Ministry of Public Security.

“The indictment alleges that a China-based supplier and a domestic distributor worked together to bring a deadly synthetic opioid into the United States and turn it into counterfeit pills for distribution across the country,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason A. Reding Quiñones said.

Guo allegedly procured the protonitazene in China and shipped it to co-conspirators, including an associate in Miami-Dade County, who used special presses to manufacture counterfeit pills, which were then distributed to drug dealers throughout the country.

Schmidt allegedly used the alias “Vegas” to order large amounts of the pills and had them delivered from Florida to Nevada by the U.S. Postal Service.

It was not immediately clear whether Schmidt or Guo had legal representatives who could comment on their behalf.

‘One Pill Can Kill’

In September, Frank Tarentino, who heads the New York Division of the DEA, warned about the growing threat from new synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which are being imported from China. He said they are increasingly prevalent on the illicit drug scene.

Nitazenes are delivered in the form of counterfeit pills mimicking drugs such as Xanax or Percocet, according to the DEA. They are more resistant than fentanyl to naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses.

“Here in the United States, we have found it in heroin, methamphetamine, in some cases fentanyl, and more alarmingly, we have now seen it pressed into pills,” Tarentino said in a Sept. 10, 2025, interview with NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times.

“These pills are made to look familiar, but one pill can kill,” Reding Quiñones said on May 11. “If you use South Florida as a gateway to import synthetic opioids, make counterfeit pills, or profit from addiction, you will face federal prosecution.”

In October 2025, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) introduced the new task forces to target transnational organized crime operating in the United States.

The attorney’s office said the prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”

Reding Quiñones said the charges showed why Homeland Security task forces were needed.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 21:45

SpaceX, Google Eye Orbital Data Centers As Small-Town Resistance Grows

SpaceX, Google Eye Orbital Data Centers As Small-Town Resistance Grows

With roughly half of planned U.S. data center buildouts this year expected to be delayed or canceled amid mounting power constraints and local opposition, tech bros are increasingly looking beyond Earth and toward space for the next phase of compute expansion.

This dovetails with one of our most investable themes, "Data Centers In Space Are Coming: Here's How To Profit," in which we outlined how SpaceX, leveraging Starship's affordable launch costs and the Starlink network, could make it commercially viable to deploy spacecraft packed with chip stacks and build out a massive mesh network of orbital compute satellites.

Moments ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google is in discussions with Elon Musk's SpaceX as a key launch provider for orbital data center deployments.

The discussions center on potential Starship launches for Google's Project Suncatcher, which aims to test satellite-based computing hardware by 2027, the outlet reported, citing sources.

"We'll send tiny racks of machines and have them in satellites, test them out, and then start scaling from there," Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Fox News in a recent interview.

Pichai noted, "There's no doubt to me that a decade or so away, we'll be viewing it as a more normal way to build data centers."

With the SpaceX IPO scheduled for June and commanding a valuation between $1.25 trillion and $1.75 trillion, we recently outlined for readers exactly how to profit from the commercialization of space. Read more here.

The urgency for orbital data center deployments comes as Canaccord Genuity analyst George Gianarikas warned in mid-April that "the American data center boom is hitting a formidable wall of logistical friction."

Gianarikas is referring to the latest outlook by Sightline Climate, which is also reinforced by recent articles from Bloomberg and others, and reveals a sobering reality for 2026: nearly half of the nation's planned 16-gigawatt capacity faces cancellation or delay, with only 5 gigawatts currently under construction.

This inertia stems from a volatile mix of local permitting hurdles, community resistance, and a desperate reliance on overextended global supply chains for critical components like transformers and helium.

Mounting localized resistance against data centers has caused growing alarm among the tech bro world, such as Chamath Palihapitiya, founder of Social Capital and co-host of the All-In Podcast, who recently warned that data center sentiment among the American people is actually polling worse than ICE agents.

Hyperscalers are planning to spend a staggering $700 billion in capex on data center buildouts and other AI infrastructure this year.

We expect capex commitments toward orbital data centers to accelerate over the next several years, especially as Starship shifts from years of flight testing into full commercialization.

Starcloud...

For hyperscalers facing mounting constraints on land, power, permitting, and local opposition, space offers no zoning battles, no community resistance, and full access to solar energy.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 21:20

Ukraine To Israel: We Are Fighting The Same Axis Of Evil

Ukraine To Israel: We Are Fighting The Same Axis Of Evil

Via The Libertarian Institute

A Ukrainian diplomat said to the Israeli press that Tel Aviv is missing an opportunity to save the lives of its soldiers by working with Kiev on anti-drone technology. 

Speaking with Ynet about Kiev’s anti-drone capabilities, Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, said, "We are fighting from a different angle against the same axis of evil."

via YNet

"Unfortunately, we do not see much interest or appetite from the Israeli leadership in this field. I do not want to speculate about the reasons for that. I am very sorry to hear reports about soldiers who were hit by drones, because we suffer from exactly the same thing."

He added, "When meeting people from different parts of Israeli society, I often hear frustration over the fact that Israel is missing an opportunity to save more of its soldiers’ lives. Most Israelis support Ukraine and do not understand why Ukrainians are able to deal with drones and Israel is not."

Israel has faced thousands of drone attacks by Iran and Hezbollah. Over the past month, Hezbollah has released dozens of videos of its drones targeting Israeli soldiers occupying southern Lebanon. 

Ukraine has sent about 200 drone experts to the Middle East to help the US and Arab states take down Iranian drones. Russia has used a variant of an Iranian drone during the war in Ukraine. 

Komiychuk lamented that while some Arab countries were willing to accept Ukraine’s assistance, Israel was not.

"As you know, President Zelensky recently made several regional visits in the Middle East, mainly to discuss security cooperation and advancing peace," he said. "I worked hard to create direct political contact for our leadership. However, you cannot come to someone’s home without an invitation."

While both Ukraine and Israel have been top recipients of American military aid and support, the relationship between Tel Aviv and Kyiv is strained. The most recent point of friction was a Russian grain shipment that Israel received. Kiev demanded that Tel Aviv refuse the grain, claiming it was stolen by Russia from Ukraine. 

Kormiychuck said that while tension existed between Israel and Ukraine, "My duty as ambassador is to find common ground for mutual benefit and development, and I truly believe our conversations could have been much better."

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 20:55

"Chicom Among Us": Maryland GOP Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Chinese-Born Delegate's AI Disclosure Bill

"Chicom Among Us": Maryland GOP Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Chinese-Born Delegate's AI Disclosure Bill

Rooting out Chinese communist spies appears to be moving higher on the agenda at the U.S. Justice Department, with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche now at the helm.

On Monday, the DoJ indicted Arcadia, California, Mayor Eileen Wang for working with the Chinese government. The larger concern is that Chinese communists have penetrated deeply into many levels of the U.S. government, as well as corporate America.

Spies are like cockroaches: if there's one, there are likely many more.

That brings us to a recent podcast appearance by Mark Fisher and Brian Chisholm, Republican members of the Maryland House of Delegates, who raised alarm bells about one of their Democratic colleagues in Annapolis: Delegate Chao Wu, who was born in China and has pushed a state-level bill that would require AI companies to disclose sensitive trade data on their models.

"Welcome back to the Dumbest Bill in America. We have, of course, with us Delegate Brian Chisholm," Fisher said.

Fisher continued, "Because we believe that we have a communist Chicom among us. Well, and let me tell you why..." 

He said, "First of all, the bill is House Bill 823 from 2025. It was introduced by Delegate Wu — spelled W-U. And the bill basically says that if you're going to engage in AI training — artificial intelligence training — you have to disclose your training models and your training data every time you change it. Well, that would of course be a trade secret, wouldn't it?" 

Chisholm chimed in, saying, "So what their goal also in China… Look, China knows they can't take us down with tanks and bullets and all that. They have to kind of backdoor it. So they send in spies — people like Chao Wu — and try to gain intelligence, correct?" 

He continued, "That's the goal. The fight right now is who can get the intelligence faster. Why they sent us… it says something about Maryland. Maybe we're like the JV team that they sent Chao Wu to, because he's not the greatest of spies. I mean, his trail… and I'm sure you're going to bring up the article. We know he was working for the CCP when he was in college. You can't just reject it at one time…"

The article Chisholm was referring to...

Of course, Maryland Democrats call anything optically displeasing "racist" ...

Meanwhile, Dems in the state are "busy sending private letters policing podcasts and using CCP-style speech tactics." 

To sum up, HB 823 could compel AI developers in the state to publicly disclose commercially sensitive details about their training model pipelines, creating an opportunity for foreign competitors, such as China, to collect open-source data. 

Now, why would a Chinese-born Maryland lawmaker, right down the street from Data Center Alley, want to push such a bill?

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 20:30

Four Signs That Bitcoin Has Recovered To 'Full' Bullish Momentum

Four Signs That Bitcoin Has Recovered To 'Full' Bullish Momentum

Authored by Nancy Lubale via CoinTelegraph.com,

Market analysts said Bitcoin’s (BTC) upside remained intact despite the 2.5% correction from its multi-month high of $82,800 reached on May 6.

Key takeaways:

  • Bitcoin has successfully re-entered expansion territory as the Bull Market Support Band turned to support.

  • Bitcoin’s Stablecoin Supply Ratio has recovered from historic lows, indicating fresh liquidity is returning.

  • Bitcoin’s spot taker CVD flips positive, suggesting real spot demand is back

Bitcoin’s price momentum is expanding

Private wealth manager Swissblock stated that Bitcoin is “still at full momentum,” despite the slight correction from recent highs.

Swissblock said that the latest rally saw the Bitcoin price momentum “successfully reignited and pushed back into full expansion territory.”

Bitcoin is now consolidating inside the cost-basis battlefield, with the true market mean and the short-term holder cost basis around $80,000 acting as support and the active realized price at $85,000 as resistance. 

Meanwhile, “momentum remains structurally strong,” the wealth manager said, adding:

“As long as momentum stays above the transition area, bulls retain control.”

Bitcoin price momentum. Swissblock

Echoing this observation, analyst The Great Mattsby pointed out that Bitcoin’s Bull Market Support Band has now turned into support, while the 21-week exponential moving average has crossed back above the 20-week simple moving average.

“The trend has officially flipped back to bullish.” 

BTC/USD weekly chart. Source: X/The Great Mattsby

Bitcoin liquidity signals “strong recovery”

The Stablecoin Supply Ratio (SSR) has recovered from its lower historical range below 10, the same zone that marked market bottoms in mid-2021, 2022 and mid-2023. 

Each time the SSR recovered from these lows, Bitcoin broke out of range and staged a strong rebound, as shown in the chart below.

Bitcoin Stablecoin Supply Ratio: Source: CryptoQuant

The recovering SSR suggests that stablecoin liquidity is returning to exchanges again, potentially setting the stage for another bull run for BTC price.

The Binance Stablecoin Supply Ratio Oscillator tells the same story. The chart below shows that Bitcoin’s 90D Stablecoin Supply Ratio Oscillator has moved back into positive territory, reaching 12-month highs at 2.8.

“This reflects a strong recovery from the negative zone, with stablecoin purchasing demand becoming more active during the current rebound,” CryptoQuant analyst Zizcrypto said in a Tuesday QuickTake note, adding:

“For context, the oscillator previously reached 2.43 in May 2025 and 4.00 in November 2024 — both during stronger market phases.”

Stablecoin supply ratio oscillator. Source: CryptoQuant

Bitcoin’s transaction activity is at 20-month highs

The strength in BTC price is reflected in Bitcoin's network activity, with daily transaction count rising by 116% in May to 831,450 on May 9.

This metric was last at similar levels in September 2024, before Bitcoin later rallied above $100,000 during the broader market surge following the US presidential election.

Bitcoin’s network activity is “more active than when it was at $100K,” analyst CW8900 said in an X post on Saturday, adding:

“The network is already showing signals of a bull market.”

Bitcoin daily transaction count. Source: CryptoQuant

Bitcoin’s daily active address count has also climbed, increasing by 7.1% over the last week to 707,719, while total fee volume surged 37% to $279,300 over the same period, according to Glassnode’s latest Market Pulse report.

“Such a significant increase suggests heightened onchain activity, potentially signaling bullish market conditions.”

Bitcoin daily active address count. Source: Glassnode

Increasing transaction count, daily active addresses and fees means more users are interacting with the network. It suggests high network activity, often correlating with increased interest and market confidence.

Bitcoin's “real demand” is back

Bitcoin’s 90-day spot taker cumulative volume delta (CVD), a measure of the difference between buy and sell volume over three months, shows a “significant shift in capital flow structure,” according to CryptoQuant analyst Rei Researcher. 

The metric flipped positive (green bars in the chart below) in early May as the price broke above the $78,000 resistance and has remained positive since. 

“Taker Buy Dominance in the spot market indicates buying pressure from ‘major players’ (Whales/Institutions) looking to hold $BTC rather than just speculating via derivatives,” the Rei Researcher said in a recent Quicktake note, adding: 

“Real demand has prevailed. When bulls are willing to pay higher prices to own $BTC, a sustainable uptrend usually follows.”

Bitcoin spot taker CVD. Source: CryptoQuant

If the CVD remains green, it could set the stage for another rally as seen in the past. A similar occurrence in May 2025 accompanied 65% BTC price gains. 

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s spot demand is also accelerating, with spot CVD rising 47% to $62 million from $42 million a week ago, additional data from Glassnode shows.

“This increase indicates a significant uptick in buying aggression among market participants,” the onchain data provider said, adding:

“This behavior implies heightened conviction, with aggressive traders actively setting higher market prices, potentially signaling continued bullish momentum.”

Bitcoin: Spot CVD. Source: Glassnode

As Cointelegraph reported, Bitcoin’s market value to realized value (MVRV) ratio suggests BTC's market structure is strengthening, which may be an early sign of a new bull market.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 20:05

As Hegseth Spars With Congress Over Iran War, Trump Decries Criticism As 'Virtual Treason'

As Hegseth Spars With Congress Over Iran War, Trump Decries Criticism As 'Virtual Treason'

There was a bit of a narrative shift on display in Congress as back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill with top defense and Trump admin officials played out Tuesday, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth repeatedly on the defensive as he and the administration face intensified scrutiny over the Iran war.

And the growing frustration vented in Congress is not just being sounded by Democrats. As Washington Post's Tuesday headline aptly described: Hegseth, Caine encounter intense bipartisan frustration with Iran war. It seems President Trump has been made keenly aware of potential growing rebellion among GOP ranks, and biting criticisms over how the conflict and Strait of Hormuz standoff is going, given he decided to level the word "treason" in an afternoon Truth Social Post. It seemed also aimed at a series of apparent recent sensitive or classified info leaks within the administration and Pentagon to the media, related to the conflict...

Trump stated while en route to China: "When the Fake News says that the Iranian enemy is doing well, Militarily, against us, it's virtual TREASON" - and he went on to charge that "they are aiding and abetting the enemy!"

"Only Losers, Ingrates, and Fools are able to make a case against America!" he also wrote.

This moment might remind the American public of another key turning point in US history when past president cast all criticisms of wars of choice in the Middle East: When President George W. Bush was gearing up to launch new forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks, he declared, "Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists."

This week also saw arch-neoconservative Robert Kagan break from Trump's Iran War in the the pages of the generally pro-war Atlantic:

It’s hard to think of a time when the United States suffered a total defeat in a conflict, a setback so decisive that the strategic loss could be neither repaired nor ignored.

Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored. There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be “open,” as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world. The roles of China and Russia, as Iran’s allies, are strengthened; the role of the United States, substantially diminished. Far from demonstrating American prowess, as supporters of the war have repeatedly claimed, the conflict has revealed an America that is unreliable and incapable of finishing what it started. That is going to set off a chain reaction around the world as friends and foes adjust to America’s failure.

Kagan doesn't hold back:

Even if Trump were to carry out his threat to destroy Iran’s “civilization” through more bombing, Iran would still be able to launch many missiles and drones before its regime went down—assuming it did go down. Just a few successful strikes could cripple the region’s oil and gas infrastructure for years if not decades, throwing the world, and the United States, into a prolonged economic crisis. Even if Trump wanted to bomb Iran as part of an exit strategy—looking tough as a way of masking his retreat—he can’t do that without risking this catastrophe.

If this isn’t checkmate, it’s close.

But what might Trump also be responding to in his fresh Truth Social Post? Along with some media leaks, he also may have caught a glimpse of his top Pentagon officials and general in the hot seat all day.

Below are some highlights at a moment of growing bipartisan anger related to Iran operations. Most of the fireworks below involved Democrats' line of questioning. As a reminder, Wednesday will mark day 75 of a conflict that the White House initially said would take a matter of 'days' or weeks at most.

*  *  *

Pentagon Struggles to Articulate Strategic Vision & End-Game When Will the Strait Reopen? The Most Powerful Military in the World 'Held Hostage' Mounting Iran War Costs to the Taxpayer Trump Was 'Forced' To Lift Sanctions on Russian/Iranian Oil At Sea "At the Request of the Pakistanis it was Paused..." Plan To Escalate if Necessary 

*  *  *

President Trump before leaving to China issued a message which is definitely not going to sit well with much of the American public. The midterms will get here fast, after all...

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 19:40

Former CIA Director Brennan Says There Are Still "Legions" Of Anti-Trump, Deep State Operatives, At DOJ, FBI, & CIA

Former CIA Director Brennan Says There Are Still "Legions" Of Anti-Trump, Deep State Operatives, At DOJ, FBI, & CIA

Authored by Sundance via The Conservative Treehouse,

Appearing on MSNBC to talk to Lawfare ally Nicole Wallace, wife of New York Times narrative engineer Michael Schmidt – the guy who received leaks from FBI Director James Comey via Daniel Richman, former CIA Director John Brennan notes there are “legions” of operatives still embedded within the DOJ, FBI and CIA who are working against President Donald Trump.

This is not a surprise as we have noted the Trump administration continues to take apart the tentacles of Lawfare and Intelligence operatives in Main Justice, various U.S. Attorney offices, FBI Headquarters, FBI field offices and various Intelligence Community silos.

Marco Rubio has been working to clean up the National Security Council as well as the State Department operations, including USAID.  Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe have been working on the NSA and CIA collaboratively, and Todd Blanche has been working through the Dept of Justice.  FBI Director Kash Patel has removed about ten percent of the problem in his agency.

The core problem goes back to what we outlined on these pages {GO DEEP} and is not limited to those operatives who remain from the Obama/Biden era.  Some of the problems surface as a result of ‘republican’ voices recommending “sleeper cell” staff and sketchy personnel for positions in the administration. [I’ll put an example below]

One way to tell if the agency head or leader understands the challenge is by paying attention to how they talk about the agency’s mission objective.

Leaders like Marco Rubio and Tulsi Gabbard have openly acknowledged the problem and are actively tackling corruption within their ranks. Even John Ratcliffe has admitted his agency was politically weaponized and has taken steps to address it. There’s still a lot of work ahead, but their actions show visible progress.

People like Pam Bondi and Kash Patel have praised the institutional embeds without drawing attention to the corruption beneath them. Thankfully, Acting AG Todd Blanche seems to be taking a more confrontational approach internally, so maybe Kash Patel will follow suit. This isn’t about style—it’s about results, and there’s an urgent need for action.

To give an example of “sketchy” recommendations and predictable outcomes, I would draw attention to the lesser visible appointment of Morgan Ortagus.  Do you remember this very weirdly worded announcement, two weeks prior to the inauguration?

Via Truth Social

I have no idea who “them” is referencing in the announcement.

[…] “I’m not doing this for me, I doing it for them”

There were always three options for “them”: (1) the strong republican support people; or (2) people in the Middle East who would be dealing with her; or (3) Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner.  Regardless, of who “them” was, it was obvious President Trump was not thrilled by “their” request.

Mrs. Morgan Ortagus is a long time Deep State operative with roots in the U.S. intelligence community and USAID {citation}.  It was very predictable that she would undermine the goals of President Trump and she only lasted six months in the job.  Ortagus was quietly dispatched from her position in June 2025.

CTH predicted {SEE HERE} Mrs. Ortagus would be a big mistake because she was, quite frankly, one of the “legion” insiders referenced by former CIA Director John Brennan.  Ortagus’s entire career profile was/is textbook intelligence operative, likely legacy CIA.

Not coincidentally, former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was removed from his position only a month before Ortagus lost hers.

On the day he was announced CTH said National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would be the first administration member to get the boot, because in the non-pretending world Waltz was a horrible choice just like Ortagus.  Mike Waltz was removed as National Security Advisor in May 2025, {citation} Ortagus was removed as Middle East envoy in June {citation}.

If the goal was to eliminate the Deep State, President Trump couldn’t take on a deeply corrupt Intelligence Community while also appointing its allies. Their close ties to the Intelligence Community made the failures of both Waltz and Ortagus predictable.

That said, behind the veneer of John Brennan’s statement on MSNBC is a guy who realizes the Trump administration has changed the dynamic and the agency systems Brennan is talking about no longer exist; at least they no longer have the same capabilities.

The need for control is a reaction to fear, and Brennan’s fear is both visible and very well founded.

The DOJ and FBI operate under the influence of the Intelligence Community, which ultimately holds the reins. The key figures leading the IC have made changes to the institutions that have significantly reduced the impact of bad actors within the DOJ and FBI.

The key positions are the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe are the people to watch, and we can tell by the counsel(s) they have put into place that each of them has clear eyes and a steady hand on those critical institutions.

Since mid-year 2025, around the same time Waltz and Ortagus were dispatched, you will note significant changes began surfacing in the National Security Council, the State Dept, the DNI and importantly the CIA.  Some of the changes make headlines, many do not; however, each is important and builds on a larger goal of dismantling a highly weaponized and political intelligence apparatus.

Internationally, what we see in the reaction of allied -or oppositional- governments and their intelligence agencies, is in large part a geopolitical reaction to the consequential changes being made by Rubio, Gabbard and Ratcliffe.  Each building upon a system that fundamentally changes U.S. policy to be in alignment with President Trump.  Each of them should be commended.

Domestically, the accountability developments involving James Comey, John Brennan, John Bolton, Michael Atkinson, Eric Ciaramella and others yet to emerge, stem from the transparency brought by the same trio working upstream from Main Justice and the FBI. The combined intelligence apparatus of the U.S. can cut through the chaff and countermeasures of Lawfare operatives, and I feel optimistic watching them in action.

Again, it’s not just the silo heads that are making a positive impact, it is the personnel decisions they are surrounding themselves with.  The amount of sunlight now coming over the horizon is toxic to the interests of those who organized shadow operations.

As long as Rubio, Ratcliffe and especially Gabbard, keep pushing the truth to the surface; as long as they keep exposing all the corruption that was used to manipulate and weaponize our government; as long as they keep strategizing on ways to declassify evidence former officials buried under false pretenses; then the DOJ, FBI and more importantly We The People, will have information we can use to make decisions.

Ultimately, it is the truth which makes evil enterprise retreat.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 19:15

China's Teapot Refiners Slash Output As Hormuz Crisis Crushes Margins

China's Teapot Refiners Slash Output As Hormuz Crisis Crushes Margins

Confirming our report from last Friday, Reuters reports that some independent refiners in China (also known as "teapots") are slashing their production rates as margins plummet to unprecedented negative levels, and demand weakens amid the continued paralysis of tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Citing unnamed trade and industry sources, Reuters reported today that the average operating rates at so-called teapots in Shandong had fallen to 50%, from 55% in April. What’s more, the operating rates of independent refiners are likely to fall further as the war drags on, and refiners swing into losses that the Reuters sources estimate at between $74 and $88 per ton of processed crude oil.

As a reminder, on Friday we reported that Chinese authorities ordered private refiners to maintain high levels of gasoline and diesel supply, even at a loss, or risk their crude import quotas being slashed if they reduce run rates. If the private refiners move to cut processing rates to preserve margins amid soaring crude prices, they would see their import quotas – handed out by the government in quarterly or semi-annual installments – reduced in the coming years, the officials warned. Instead, they appear to have aggressively reduced their import demands, leading to a big drop in Chinese oil imports.

Reuters confirms that it now appears teapots have run out of options and are risking lower quotas to manage their losses. “Without cutting output, the losses are unbearable,” one of the Reuters sources said.

Asia, the biggest oil demand center globally, is facing the greatest pain from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Overall, the war could force up to 6 million bpd cuts to crude runs across Asia in April, as refineries face severe supply disruption with 65% dependency on Middle East crude.

China is better insulated than its neighbous thanks to a stockpile of an estimated 1.4 billion barrels that has been accumulated over the past couple of years. Yet as OilPrice notes, this supply cushion is limited, so China is doing a fine balancing act of keeping the domestic market well supplied to avoid sharp price spikes, especially since China's economy is increasingly dependent on the well-being of its Pacific rim neighbors (and trading partners) who are far less insulated from surging oil prices. 

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 18:50

Saudi Arabia Secretly Launched Attacks On Iran At Height Of Epic Fury

Saudi Arabia Secretly Launched Attacks On Iran At Height Of Epic Fury

First it was revealed this week that UAE had directly attacked Iran in retaliatory strikes earlier in Operation Epic Fury, and now it has come to light that the Saudis did the same, and in multiple strike operations.

Reuters reports Tuesday that "Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the Middle East war, two Western officials briefed on the matter, and two Iranian officials said."

KSA military file image

"The Saudi attacks, not previously reported, mark the first time that the kingdom is known to have directly carried out military action on Iranian soil and show it is becoming much bolder in defending itself against its main regional rival," the report continues.

"The attacks, launched by the Saudi Air Force, were assessed to have been carried out in late March, the two Western officials said," Reuters notes further. One of the sources described this military actions as "tit-for-tat strikes in retaliation for when Saudi [Arabia] was hit."

The revelation suggests that even as the Trump White House tried to present this is a very limited war, or even a mere US "excursion" - as Trump previously said, it was on the brink of spiraling into an all-out regional war involving Gulf allies hitting back directly at the Islamic Republic.

By and large the Gulf allies relied solely on the US and Israel to pummel Iran during the prior 38 days of heavy bombing which marked the peak of Operation Epic Fury.

This as the Gulf absorbed the bulk of Iran's retaliation. Iran sent hundreds if not thousands of ballistic missiles and drones on Gulf energy, infrastructure, and even central areas of cities.

It had remained at the time an open question of whether countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait would actually then go on the offensive. It seems that to some degree they did, and the public didn't know about it.

Neither the Saudis nor Emirates have publicly acknowledged direct attacks on Iran, and per the new Reuters reporting Tuesday:

Saudi Arabia has meanwhile sought to prevent the conflict from escalating and has stayed in regular contact with Iran, including via Tehran's ambassador in Riyadh. He did not respond to a request for comment.

The senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not directly address whether a de-escalation agreement had been struck with Iran, but said: "We reaffirm Saudi Arabia's consistent position advocating de-escalation, self-restraint and the reduction of tensions in pursuit of the stability, security and prosperity of the region and its people."

Iranian officials declared they were primarily targeting US assets and military bases, and further vowed to 'punish' these countries for ever hosting American bases in the first place.

But this new info showing that the Saudis and UAE in had already in effect joined the US military campaign marks yet more evidence of escalation. The ceasefire meanwhile seems effectively dead at this stage. NBC is now reporting the Pentagon actually considering re-naming Iran war ‘Sledgehammer’ if ceasefire collapses.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 18:00

The Slide From 'Minnesota Nice' To Assaulting Journalists

The Slide From 'Minnesota Nice' To Assaulting Journalists

Authored by Matt Cookson via RealClearPolitics,

Minnesota wasn’t always a fixture in the national news cycle. Now, it seems every month there is a new headline about Minnesota. This time, it involves a mob of protestors assaulting a conservative journalist. If Minnesotans want to end the trend of political violence plaguing their state, they must take a stand against incidents like these.

Last month, Savanah Hernandez, a journalist with TPUSA, was mobbed and assaulted while filming an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis. Hernandez makes a living covering controversial events, so documenting this protest is nothing new for her. Things took a turn, however, when protestors assaulted Hernandez, shoving her several times, driving her to the ground.

By all accounts, it was merely Hernandez’s presence and reputation that drew the ire of the protestors. Nothing reported as of yet indicates she was the instigator of any violence. I won’t go into Ms. Hernandez’s views, because they couldn’t be less relevant to the issue at hand: There is no justification for what happened to her at that protest. Free speech and freedom of the press are foundational rights of our republic. Ms. Hernandez should not fear violence for coverage of an event that any journalist would cover. Her assailants should be held accountable to the fullest extent possible.

Unfortunately, political violence in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is nothing new. Beyond the violence of the past weekend, Minnesota has become a hotbed for this type of thing. Renee Good was tragically killed after physically obstructing ICE operations. She should still be alive today, yet this type of confrontation goes beyond typical First Amendment protests and heightens the risk of violent confrontation. The people of Minnesota have every right to voice anti-ICE opinions, but physical obstruction crosses a line. One that leads to unnecessary confrontations with law enforcement.

Yet Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey only make things worse through their frequent comparisons of ICE agents to Nazis and their threat to use the National Guard to interfere with federal agents.

Another example of this contempt for First Amendment freedoms came after a group of anti-ICE protestors stormed a church service they believed was led by an ICE agent. Not only did this group not tolerate disagreement, but they actively sought out people to intimidate. It’s one thing to be violent towards an attendee of a protest; it’s another to go into a church full of people who have nothing to do with the issue and impose your beliefs on them.

While the heat of this episode died down and ICE reduced its presence in the state, the assault on Ms. Hernandez suggests Minnesota’s political culture has markedly changed. Once known for its friendly “Minnesota Nice” culture, things have changed, especially in the past decade. The turning point for this change happened in the summer of 2020, when the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests, rioting, and looting.

As a resident of the state during that time, I remember sitting in my parents’ living room, watching the city of Minneapolis in flames. How did Gov. Walz respond? Despite pleas from Mayor Frey, Walz waited to deploy the National Guard, allowing unnecessary destruction to take place. Frey asked Walz for National Guard help on Tuesday, June 2, but Walz didn’t deploy the guard until the following Friday; even then, it was only partially activated. The violence Walz permitted led to more than half a billion dollars’ worth of damage in what was the second most destructive riot in U.S. history.

This episode set the precedent that the Minnesota government would take a soft position on political violence, incentivizing people like those who attacked Hernandez to respond violently when faced with opposing views.

Thankfully, the rule of law is not dead in Minnesota. The family who assaulted Hernandez will be charged for their actions that day. To deter future incidents, the alleged assailants should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

More needs to be done to prevent future incidents like this. Although not responsible for the violence, Gov. Walz bears some of the blame for allowing this culture to fester. His term as governor is soon ending, and his successor must make clear that violence against political opponents will not be tolerated. Otherwise, incidents like this will happen more often.

Minnesota is well known for its natural beauty and friendly people. The attack on journalist Savanah Hernandez has called the latter into doubt. If Minnesotans don’t reject these incidents as antithetical to their values, violence will only increase. Minnesota must reject political violence and learn how to disagree respectfully.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 17:40

US Unleashes Another Wave Of Crude From Strategic Reserve As Gas Prices Soar

US Unleashes Another Wave Of Crude From Strategic Reserve As Gas Prices Soar

The U.S. government will loan 53 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to petroleum companies in a bid to relieve elevated gas and oil prices amid the conflict with Iran.

In a news release on Monday, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would release the crude oil from its sites in Louisiana and Texas to contribute to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) move to stabilize the price of oil, which has often risen above $100 per barrel since the conflict started on Feb. 28.

As of Tuesday morning, the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose slightly to $108.

“Deliveries will begin immediately as the Department continues to move swiftly to address short-term supply disruptions and strengthen U.S. energy security,” the agency said in a statement, adding that petroleum companies “may begin scheduling deliveries immediately.”

The DOE, according to the news release, will “evaluate market conditions and operational capacity as it advances additional steps to meet the full United States commitment under the coordinated international release.”

Trafigura is taking the largest haul of nearly 13 million barrels, followed by Marathon and Exxon Mobil Corp, the US Energy Department said Monday.

Near-record volumes of government oil are flowing to market in a bid to rein in prices at the pump ahead of the busy summer driving season.

As Jack Phillips reports for The Epoch Times, participating petroleum companies can also use President Donald Trump’s usage of the Jones Act waiver, a federal statute that requires all goods transported by water between U.S. ports to be carried on American ships with American crews, to help “accelerate critical near-term oil flows into the market,” the DOE release said.

The DOE has already loaned around 80 million barrels from the reserve in recent weeks, bringing the total to 172 million barrels.

The U.S. government had agreed to that larger amount in March in a ​pact with more than 30 countries in the IEA to release about 400 million barrels.

The oil will be released between June and August, when refiners crank up as gasoline demand peaks.

The decision is an attempt to mitigate the price increases caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes on a normal day. Iran has launched strikes and threatened commercial vessels in the strait, while it has also said it would create a legal framework to oversee the transportation of ships in the area.

Fatih Birol, the IEA’s director, has said the Iran war has created the biggest-ever energy ‌crisis.

If ⁠supply disruptions from the war persist, the agency is ready to release additional oil from strategic reserves, Birol said on May 7.

So far, member countries have released 20 percent of available reserves, Birol said.

“This is indeed the biggest crisis ​in history,” Birol told France Inter ​radio in an interview broadcast on April 21.

“The ⁠crisis is already huge, if you combine ​the effects of the petrol crisis and the ​gas crisis with Russia.”

The SPR, held in caverns at four sites ​on the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, currently holds about 393 million barrels.

The Trump administration committed to release 172 million barrels in a so-called exchange program, where oil is loaned to companies and must be returned in kind at a later date.

So far the US has agreed to release 133.1 million barrels.

It’s unclear if the energy department will hold another offer until it meets the 172 million-barrel target.

Not all the oil remains in the US. Part of it is being exported to Europe and South America.

The announcement from the DOE comes as Trump said on Monday at the White House that he rejected the latest peace proposal from the Iranian regime and signaled that a already-tenuous ceasefire between the United States and Iran is on “life support.”

Also on Monday, Trump said he would move to suspend the federal tax on gasoline in a bid to lower prices at the pump.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 17:20

Unearthed DOJ Files Implicate Hunter Biden In Potential Sex Trafficking Violations

Unearthed DOJ Files Implicate Hunter Biden In Potential Sex Trafficking Violations

Authored by Luis Cornelio via HeadlineUSA,

Newly released internal DOJ files appear to implicate President Joe Biden’s disgraced son, Hunter Biden, in alleged prostitution-related activity, corroborating accusations raised years earlier by Senate Republicans.

Hunter Biden / PHOTO: AP

The files, obtained Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, showed Hunter exchanging text messages with several women discussing payments, travel arrangements and extended meetings.

Some of the exchanges appeared to raise potential issues under the Mann Act. This federal law prohibits interstate prostitution and other sex trafficking-related offenses, according to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Notably, Grassley was among the Senate Republicans who previously warned in a September 2020 report that Hunter may have paid Eastern European women for prostitution or interacted with individuals potentially tied to a human trafficking ring.

The messages reviewed by Headline USA also referenced payment methods including Zelle, Venmo, Cash App and wire transfers.

In November 2018, Hunter appeared to have booked a flight for an unidentified woman from Los Angeles to an undisclosed location.

On March 22, 2019, a presumed woman told Hunter that a ticket cost $560. Hunter replied: “I’m going to send you money and you buy ok.”

Another message later stated: “Sent you 750 by cash app,” while a separate exchange read: “And I will have another 3K for you in cashmere [sic].”

Additional messages appeared to discuss payments tied to extended periods. In one exchange, Hunter appeared to ask how much an individual would charge for “an extra eight hours,” prompting the recipient to reply: “5000.”

Hunter also appeared to reference discounts for “anything over 4,” seemingly referring to hours.

In another exchange, after Hunter offered $9,000, the recipient replied: “9500 ok.” Hunter then responded he would “wire money at 2 pm all of it thanks love.”

Separate January 2019 messages showed a recipient repeatedly complaining that money had not arrived. Hunter replied that he had sent two certified checks to a New York P.O. Box address.

Other exchanges appeared to reference the availability of individuals in different parts of the country.

According to Grassley, the DOJ possessed the files but declined to pursue prostitution- or sex-related charges against Hunter.

Prosecutors instead focused on tax violations and false statements Hunter made on a federal firearm purchase form regarding his drug addiction.

Before leaving office, Joe Biden issued Hunter a sweeping blanket pardon covering any federal offenses potentially committed between January 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024. This was the first time in U.S. history a sitting president issuing such a broad pardon to his own child.

Tyler Durden Tue, 05/12/2026 - 17:00

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