Mario Nawfal

🇮🇱 🇸🇾 🇹🇷 Daily news recap: Israeli helicopters are reportedly flying weapons and radar gear into Syria’s Druze heartland. Damascus has accused Israel of arming Druze militias in Sweida, and Syria now sits squeezed between Turkish weapons flowing in from the north and Israeli weapons coming up from the south: “Israel’s arming the Druze.” Syria’s new government is getting carved up by its neighbors before it ever gets the chance to stand on its own. @WeTheBrandon

🇺🇸 Another Falcon 9 LIFTS OFF carrying SpaceX’s disk-shaped Starfall lab into orbit in Florida 🔥 The roughly 4,600-pound capsule went up today on a rideshare mission, built so researchers can do work in zero gravity and bring stuff back down. Putting both the tech and the stock into more people’s hands is a pretty direct way to make space feel less distant. Writer: Lucas t.co/X0w5h93lZg

🇮🇷🇺🇸 Netanyahu could derail his own election by restarting the Iran war... and Trump's endorsement now ties the midterms to whatever Bibi does next An American president openly endorsing a sitting Israeli prime minister a week before his vote breaks a long-standing norm, and the reason is simple: Washington has to work with whoever wins. Eli Clifton of the Quincy Institute, author of Israel's Lobby, says the endorsement ties Trump's political fate to Netanyahu's, and a trailing prime minister with a war to restart has an easy way out of October 27: "From a practical matter, I don't see how you can have elections if you have air raid sirens going off and people in bomb shelters." Iran would hit Gulf energy and targets inside Israel, and Eli says Dimona is on the table if Israel goes nuclear, and possibly if Iran's own nuclear sites are hit again. The timing is before October 27, before November 3, or shortly after... so the next two weeks decide whether this war restarts on Israel's election calendar or America's. @EliClifton @WeTheBrandon

🇺🇦🇷🇺 A woman in Kyiv breaks down watching a MAN BURN inside his car after a Russian drone hit The strike landed near the highway outside the city this morning and set several vehicles on fire while people were driving. 3 are confirmed dead, and others are hurt. Sadly, the battlefield has been the regular cities for several months. Writer: Lucas t.co/xOAa72ZFQb

🚨🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Iran’s blockade of Hormuz is failing: the Gulf is pumping out MORE oil than before the war Kpler's numbers for the week through Oct. 18: 24 million barrels a day out of the region against 23.3 million prewar, and Hormuz itself back to 82% of normal even though October has seen roughly 30 ship attacks, a fifth of the war's total. Saudi and Emirati pipelines now carry 40% of the Gulf's non-Iranian crude around the strait, up from 17% in February. Iran's own exports stay bottled up by the US blockade. The system doing it is ugly and EXPENSIVE. Tankers reportedly load inside the Gulf with their trackers off, dash through under American air cover along the Omani coast, hand the cargo to another ship in the Gulf of Oman and go back in for more. Crews get three times their monthly pay or a $25,000 bonus for one round trip, a supertanker run to China costs a record $37 a barrel in freight, war insurance has jumped from under 3% to 10% of hull value, and one ship that took an RPG through its water tank last week was carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude at the time. Credit where it's due: CENTCOM said last week that the US controls Hormuz and Tehran's "closed" claims are lies, and the volume data backs Washington. Iran can still make the trip dangerous and the whole world is paying for it at $108 Brent, which is why gas is $6 and Trump is at 31%. But the leverage Tehran built in April, the actual shortage of crude, appears to be gone. Source: WSJ / Kpler / Writer: Daniel

🇪🇸 We don’t deserve dogs! But we are so blessed that they choose to love us unconditionally! Writer: Jamie t.co/xLclYet14O

🇺🇸 🇮🇷 One Iranian missile hitting a US warship could mean hundreds of casualties a week before the midterms Matt Bracken says a strike wouldn't even need to sink the ship, and the political fallout would land squarely on the White House: "If there are hundreds or more casualties a week before our midterm election, I think it's going to be blowback against Trump and the Republicans." Is anyone in Washington willing to roll those dice with November 3 this close? @Matt_Bracken48

🇺🇸 Trump has now delivered $1B in military settlements to Camp Lejeune families affected by TOXIC WATER The payouts cover illnesses linked to decades of contaminated drinking water at the base, with the administration speeding up approvals after years of delays. Trump also pledged to push through the remaining legitimate claims if Republicans hold both chambers. After years of families dealing with the fallout, it’s good to see real help finally reaching them. Writer: Lucas t.co/aEVscCkUNW

🇮🇹 Bologna’s brightly dressed woman BLOWN AWAY by a WATER CANNON Watch it in slow-motion. Doesn't even look like she was rioting 😂 Writer: Marie t.co/hYvt6kNMFy

🔥🇺🇸 The whole Sprouse twins’ story is INSANE. Their former manager, Joshua Werkman, is currently on trial for child abuse in Pennsylvania, where he’s been working as an EMT and youth sports volunteer. I guess they didn’t care that he was convicted in 2008 of misdemeanor child molestation. Dylan Sprouse was apparently the victim of an alleged recent break-in. That has folks wondering whether it was an effort to keep them quiet. Source: @entylawyer / Writer: Jamie

🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Twenty Iranian missiles arriving in the same minute could overwhelm the defenses around a US carrier. Matt Bracken says the big unknown is terminal guidance, whether Iran's missiles can find a moving ship in the final seconds of flight, and nobody outside Tehran can say for sure: "If 20 missiles come in in one minute, it's a completely different situation. And you could potentially overwhelm the defenses." If Iran has cracked that problem and the Pentagon is betting it hasn't, every plan built around carrier safety is built on sand. @matt_bracken48

🇫🇷 France’s riots started out as student protests that unraveled into CRIMINAL OPPORTUNISM. ~70% of the 2,500 people arrested during the country's Oct. 17–18 civil unrest were adults. The cause was COMPLETELY lost in the chaos. Writer: Marie t.co/ME2CJFIIOC

🇪🇬🇧🇷 Egypt’s Interior Ministry confirmed they ARRESTED Brazilian content creator Malevola Alves and a friend over sexual gestures and harassment on the streets of Alexandria. Authorities said both admitted to filming and posting the clips for views. The case has now been referred to the Public Prosecutor. Agree or disagree with local laws, filming yourself doing this in public for clout doesn’t exempt you from the rules. Writer: Lucas t.co/cIJehb68mQ

🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump declares Iran is no longer the "bully of the Middle East" after eight months of war The Pentagon has tied Iran to the deaths of around 600 American troops in Iraq alone, and Trump says those days are over: "They were the bully of the Middle East. They were one of the bullies of the world. They're not a bully anymore." Iran's conventional military has taken a beating, so that part passes the sniff test. The bullying hasn't stopped at sea, though, since October has been the worst month for attacks on ships in Hormuz since March, and Iran's Houthi allies are blockading Saudi shipping in the Red Sea. The bully lost its army and kept its mines... and no victory lap counts until tankers can sail both straits freely without catching fire. Writer: Daniel

🇺🇸 🇮🇷 A US fleet stuck in the Arabian Sea with no shore leave is building pressure to use it before it has to leave. Former Navy SEAL Matt Bracken says the ships are worn out and the crews are running low on patience, which turns a show of force into a use it or lose it moment: "You've built up this force, and the troops are restless. They're frustrated. The politicians at home are wondering about the midterms." A fleet that can't stay out there forever leaves Washington two choices, strike or sail home, and the clock is choosing for it. @matt_bracken48

🇺🇲 Trump, at his core, is a jokester… and it can be ROUGH on the Secret Service. Like when he abruptly walks away from agents... "You know, the Secret Service HATES when I do that. No secret! I did that once, like two days ago. And all the Secret Service is RUNNING; they weren't prepared!” Poking at the people paid to keep you alive is BOLD when they’re already doing a mediocre job. Writer: Marie t.co/Z7baYvUBye

🇮🇩 REALLY ANOTHER ONE?! Chaotic protests break out in Indonesia over jobs and rising costs Students and others hit the streets in Bandung on Prabowo’s 2-year mark, demanding more jobs, steadier prices, and better handling of the big forest fires. Unrest in more than 4 countries cannot be a coincidence... Writer: Lucas t.co/3ngCYLxmPs

🚨🇺🇲 OHIO GOVERNOR’S RACE SINKS TO NEW LOW An anonymous attack ad circulating online features the Ohio Dem. gubernatorial candidate’s estranged mother calling her a liar and disputing her account of a troubled childhood. Amy Acton said her stepfather sexually abused her as a child. He was arrested and indicted on a rape charge in 1978, and Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody. Her mother stayed with her stepfather until his death. Her brother, Philip Stearns, condemned the ad as “a despicable low.” The video’s creator and funder remain unknown. Ramaswamy’s campaign has not claimed responsibility. Childhood trauma as campaign ammunition? You've lost my vote. Source: NYT, AP / Writer: Marie t.co/B4XZl1ko9m

🇸🇦🇾🇪 Taiz has reportedly fallen to the Houthis and Marib is next... Aramco's output is already down nearly a third and MBS may not survive the year The Houthi missiles keep landing inside Saudi Arabia with an accuracy nobody serious expected when this started, and the kingdom they're hitting was already wounded. A new breakdown of the damage shows Aramco lost close to a third of its quarterly liquids output between the first and second quarters, before the Houthi war even began in July. Larry Johnson, former CIA, says the crown prince is running out of road: "I don't think MBS will survive to the end of the year. Personally." Egypt's parliament is debating whether to authorize an intervention and Turkey is pushing the Mecca Accord through its own, but Larry calls most of it lip service and expects the Turks to have the same success they had in 1918 and 1919. Nobody has shown him a plan for moving and supplying an army across Saudi Arabia, so Riyadh may be buying allies who show up after the war is decided. @WeTheBrandon @NewSonof

🇺🇸 He’s a “Super Genius” alright… Yet he can’t seem to do the math on how many missiles he needs to finish this thing with Iran. Writer: Jamie t.co/SibIu0q2Im

🇺🇸 Bessent says a Democratic House would mostly mean MORE NOISE and VERY LITTLE actual POWER to stop the Trump agenda He points to his own recent hearings as proof. The last one was supposed to be about international financial institutions, and he says he didn't get a single question on the topic. Lawmakers just used the time for political attacks instead. If that is the pattern, then taking the House looks more like theater than a real roadblock. Writer: Lucas t.co/w7Pu0YeCd1

🇺🇸 CHIP PRODUCTION in North Carolina gets a $1.5B push from the Department of War. Trump’s team lined up a conditional loan to help a local chipmaker expand U.S. production of specialized semiconductors used in defense systems. The goal is to build critical tech at home instead of relying so heavily on foreign suppliers. The funding comes with conditions, but the mission is clear: strengthen domestic production and secure the supply chain. Writer: Lucas t.co/ertXed2ozs

🇦🇱 YOUNG WOMEN AND GIRLS REFUSE TO BACK DOWN IN ALBANIA Even as police unleash water cannons and pepper spray, the protesters are standing their ground in Tirana. Police intimidation isn’t forcing a retreat...yet. Writer: Marie t.co/kkNFB0WG6x

🇺🇸 The hottest inflation prints since 2022 hit last week and Treasury yields FELL... which may mean the bond market is sniffing out a 1929-style bust The 10-year spiked to 5.33% on the CPI surprise, then dropped to 5.04% within 24 hours after a producer-price number that should have sent it the other way. George Gammon of Rebel Capitalist says that only makes sense if the long end sees demand destruction coming, and his new comparison is the one nobody wants: "If it's a 1929, you can't see it coming because you just get that right hook from Tyson." The Buffett Indicator sits near 245% against 130% in 1929. Diesel is already $6 to $7 and heads toward $10 if oil reaches $140, and an economy propped up by asset prices and AI capex has no Fed put left. George's answer for a 401(k) is a 200-day moving average and a willingness to sit in cash, because set-it-and-forget-it investing is over. @GeorgeGammon

🇦🇱 ALBANIAN CROWDS KEEP HOLDING the line in Tirana night after night as the protests refuse to die What began as anger over the development of the Kushner resort in the coastal area and the flamingos there has turned into bigger street battles, with students and others joining in, demanding the government step down. The longer it runs, the harder it gets to call this a small local dispute. Writer: Lucas t.co/N9CcLEzJ8Q

🇮🇩 Brazilian woman caught smuggling  8 POUNDS of LIQUID COCAINE into Bali. Airport footage shows police inspecting her luggage and uncovering cocaine disguised as everyday personal-care products. Police said the 36-year-old told investigators she was promised $50,000 to deliver the drugs to someone on the island. If convicted, she could face life imprisonment or the death penalty under Indonesian law. No executions in years, but the country still threatens drug smugglers with the firing squad. Literally. Source: Globo / Writer: Marie t.co/jmTbjuC10y

🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺 Witkoff carries a new Ukraine peace plan from Oslo to Putin in St. Petersburg tomorrow... and Zelensky just offered to stop hitting Russian refineries if Moscow stops hitting his grid The Oslo room held Zelensky, the leaders of Norway and Finland, the E4, the EU and NATO, and a US official says Kyiv "brought forward new ideas" and everyone left with "strong alignment at the working level." Kushner dialed in sick and, per one source, was "very direct" on the refinery strikes, which is the line Trump has repeated every day since the diesel deal. Then Zelensky gave him the answer: a refinery ceasefire for a grid ceasefire. That's the same offer Wicker begged Trump to take from Kyiv on Sunday, and it's now the thing Witkoff can put in front of Putin with Washington's name on it. Putin has refused a three-way meeting with Zelensky all year, and Moscow has spent the diesel windfall firing 16 ballistic missiles a night at a country with "a couple" of Patriots left. Source: Axios / Writer: Daniel

🇫🇷📊 Le Pen is WINNING EVERY tested runoff in the latest French poll, and the gap keeps GROWING after the recent riots A major survey that started the same night as the October 17-18 violence just came out. She sits at 34-38% in the first round and clears every head-to-head they tried, from 56% against Philippe up to 68% against Mélenchon. When the numbers show her lead expanding in the weeks after streets got set on fire, it suggests many voters had already decided which side they trust to restore order. Source: TF1 Info / Writer: Lucas

🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Daily news recap: Tehran is betting it can outlast Trump by waiting out the midterms... and that bet could backfire badly. Iran figures the vote is its best weapon, but the weeks after November 3 are exactly when Washington would have the most room to strike. Tehran is already warning what happens if it does: “We do not dismiss the possibility of war this time. The US will face very serious problems and the world will experience a major energy crisis should war renew.” That’s when Tehran finds out whether its bet pays off or blows up in its face. @WeTheBrandon