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Iran fired 30 ballistic missiles at Israel starting Sunday night. Israel struck back with dozens of warplanes, hitting Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz. Iranian airports shut down. A missile fragment landed near Jericho in the West Bank. And both sides agreed to halt attacks… for now. This is the first direct exchange of fire between Iran and Israel since the ceasefire two months ago. That ceasefire was supposed to create space for permanent peace talks. Instead, it created a two-month pause before the next round of missiles. Iran said the strikes were “in defense of Lebanon” — retaliation for Israeli operations that continued despite the ceasefire deal that collapsed last week. Israel said it was targeting Iranian air defenses and missile launch sites. The IDF told reporters it is “preparing for a range of options from several days to as long as it’ll take.” Trump posted on social media Monday morning: “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting.’” Hours later, Iran’s military said it was halting attacks, claiming Israel had “learned a lesson.” Netanyahu said he would halt attacks “for now” — but warned the fight “is not over.” Oil jumped more than 4% on Monday. Brent crude rose to $96. WTI hit $93.67. The $200 billion war spending bill goes to markup in three days. The ceasefire was always a press release. The war was always the fact. |
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BREAKING The Man Who Gave Trump Lifetime Tax Immunity Was Just Nominated as Permanent Attorney General |
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Trump nominated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to run the Justice Department permanently last Wednesday. Blanche is the former criminal defense attorney who represented Trump through four indictments. After Pam Bondi was fired in April, Blanche stepped into the top job. His first major act as acting AG: settling Trump’s $10 billion IRS lawsuit… and tacking on a one-page addendum that “FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED” the IRS from auditing the president, his family, or the Trump Organization. The immunity was posted on the DOJ website with no press release. During his June 2 testimony, Rep. Rosa DeLauro confronted Blanche with the numbers. Save America PAC — Trump’s political action committee — paid Blanche nearly $10 million between March and December 2024 for his legal work. The immunity, DeLauro said, was worth roughly $100 million in avoided tax liability. “You just gave the president’s family a tax immunity to the tune of about $100 million,” she told him. Blanche denied it was immunity. The DOJ document says otherwise. Senate Majority Leader John Thune was asked if Blanche could survive a confirmation fight. His answer: “Hard to say.” Republican Senators Tillis and Cassidy have both raised concerns. The $1.776 billion slush fund is dead. But the audit shield stands. And the man paid $10 million to defend the president is now being asked to run the department that was supposed to hold him accountable. |
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EXPOSED Oil Jumped 4% on Monday as the Ceasefire Collapsed — and Gas Prices Are About to Reverse |
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Oil prices jumped more than 4% Monday morning as Iran and Israel exchanged direct missile fire. Brent crude rose to $96.05 a barrel. WTI hit $93.67. The two-week streak of falling gas prices is now expected to end. Gas had been dropping. The national average fell 30 cents from its May 21 peak, reaching $4.26 last week. Drivers had two weeks of relief at the pump. That’s over. The Strait of Hormuz — through which one-fifth of the world’s oil moves — remains closed. Saudi Aramco’s CEO warned last month that even if the strait reopened today, the oil market wouldn’t normalize until 2027. The strait hasn’t reopened. And with missiles flying again, it’s further away than ever. OPEC+ approved a production increase of 188,000 barrels per day starting in July. That’s a rounding error. Global demand is 100 million barrels a day. The cartel is adding 0.2%… while the war disrupts millions of barrels in supply. OPEC isn’t helping. It’s managing the crisis — prices high enough to fill their treasuries, low enough to avoid collapse. The war is the best thing that ever happened to their bottom line. |
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DEVELOPING The People Voting on $200 Billion in War Funding Own Shares in the Companies That Profit From It |
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Monday’s missile exchange means one thing for defense stocks: another surge. Since the war began February 28, Lockheed Martin is up 40%. RTX hit an all-time high. Northrop Grumman posted a record $95.7 billion backlog. The combined market value of America’s top three defense contractors has risen over $200 billion since the first strikes. The defense industry spent nearly $200 million lobbying Congress in 2025 — the biggest spike this century. Department of Defense contracts accounted for 74% of Lockheed’s revenue in 2024… and 98% of Booz Allen Hamilton’s. These companies don’t just sell to the Pentagon. They are the Pentagon’s supply chain. And members of Congress hold the shares. Senator Markwayne Mullin bought RTX stock two months before the war. Senator John Boozman did the same. On June 11 — three days from now — the House Appropriations Committee marks up a $200 billion war spending bill. The lawmakers who profit from the contracts will vote on whether to fund them. The defense industry doesn’t need to lobby for war. It just makes sure the people who vote on the funding have every reason to keep it going. |
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They rely on the shadows. |