August 17
News
US stock indices closed lower on Monday amid concerns that elevated oil prices will fuel inflation as hopes for a deal to end the war in the Middle East faded. The S&P 500 fell 0.5%, the Nasdaq lost 0.2% and the Dow shed 273 points.
Prospects for peace suffered a setback, with fighting flaring anew and rhetoric escalating. Oil prices rose, rasing concerns that inflation could prompt the Fed to raise rates before the year is over.
The 30-year Treasury yield hit its highest level since 2007, reflecting concerns over surging government spending. Credit-sensitive stocks, including financials and hyperscalers, closed lower.
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Iran
The 60-day period associated with the Iran-US interim peace deal ended Monday without a breakthrough, with Washington rejecting an extension and a senior Iranian official saying the US had a few weeks to meet the agreement’s terms before further talks. President Donald Trump said he did not expect Iran to agree to the kind of deal he considered necessary and again made preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon the central US demand.
AlJz
Trump calls on Iran to surrender; IRGC threatens with ‘maximum deterrence’
Press
Source: Pentagon concedes no military plan can secure Strait of Hormuz as Trump seeks scapegoats
The intelligence source further revealed that the deadlock has left US President Donald Trump deeply frustrated, prompting him to seek scapegoats within his own administration.
Haaretz
Iran Preparing for Wider War as It Expects U.S. and Israel to Do the Same
The Wall Street Journal reports that Tehran has given the IRGC expanded control of the country's military, while expanding its counterintelligence efforts within Iran and increasing domestic production of missiles and drones
Simpl
Iran's Strategy Vindicated as US's Logistics Chain Hobbled and Stretched by Early Strikes
US’s naval problems in the theater all stemmed from Iran’s deliberate strategy of wiping out US bases in the region, resulting in the extremely inefficient lengthening of US supply chain logistics for war. NYT details how the ailing USS Lincoln will now be replaced by the USS George Washington, hobbling over from INDOPACOM, leaving the 7th Fleet with no forward deployed carriers on the critical ‘Chinese front’.
Today’s Peak Digest
Martin Armstrong’s models project Democrats will take the House but not the Senate in the 2026 midterms, followed by Republican gains above 70% in 2028. He also forecasts an EU breakup after 2029, the Ukraine war ending by 2030, and the collapse of republican government forms by 2032. Armstrong stated that China and the West are using proxies to deplete munitions stockpiles and does not expect a near-term stock crash.
Debt Rattle
2026 Midterms Very, Very Tight Election – Martin Armstrong
Musk has infuriated foreign governments by making PUBLIC required censorship
Two of the world’s biggest chipmakers are loading up on SpaceX
Kory
What’s Behind Trump’s Unexpected Favor To Kim Jong Un? Trump’s favor to Kim was unexpected because he mentioned North Korea alongside Russia, China, and Iran as “US adversaries” just last month who have the ability to manipulate US elections.
Kunstler
"Both Parties Are Whirling Around The Drain Of Extinction..."
What remains for America to discover about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is that she’s a mere opportunist with nothing inside except some skill at middle-school girl games. . . Eva Peron without the savvy
AOC: I froze my eggs in case I wanted to get an abortion later in life | Genesius
Someone is always going to be better than you
When I teach second graders about the Declaration of Independence, they often object to the claim that all people are created equal. No, they’ll point out, some people are just better — at sports, at school, at games, you name it. I can usually quiet their objections by pointing out that different people are good at different things: some are good at math, some at reading, some at drawing. This is an incomplete reassurance, and the second graders know it. Some people are kind of better at everything.
New York Doubles Down on Sanctuary | A.Muse
“It’s called a sanctuary for criminals.”
Andrew Jackson, facing nullification in 1832, said, “The laws of the United States must be executed. I have no discretionary power on the subject.”
GORK is a slang term in the medical field. It describes a terminal patient whose brain is nonfunctional. In a broader, more informal context, it may describe a despised person, similar to terms like "dork" or "geek."
Stuporous: Having slow or confused reactions, as if in a stupor; groggy.
Stunned or confused and slow to react (as from blows or drunke
A suicide is not a lynching
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