Mario Nawfal

🇮🇷 Iran says Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still firmly IN COMMAND, despite staying out of public view. An IRGC representative said Khamenei continues to oversee Iran's government and armed forces under wartime conditions, describing him as healthy and in “full command of the situation.” Iranian media also reported this week that Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf met Khamenei to discuss military and economic developments in the war. But Khamenei's limited visibility has fueled questions about how power is actually being exercised, with previous reporting indicating the IRGC has gained significant influence over wartime decision-making. The IRGC representative also vowed the confrontation with Israel would continue until the “resistance” achieves its objectives. Source: Iran Int'l (anti-regime outlet) / Writer: Samuel

🚨🇷🇴 BREAKING: Georgescu will remain BEHIND BARS... You read that right: the person who won the first round of the 2024 presidential election will remain in prison due to accusations that have NOT been proven, accusations that are, in fact, RIDICULOUS. The Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected Georgescu's request for house arrest, meaning he will remain in pre-trial detention. The decision was unusually close: the original two-judge panel split, forcing a third judge to step in and break the deadlock. FREE GEORGESCU!!!! Source: libertatea / Writer: Samuel

🇫🇷 Paris shopkeepers aren’t counting on Macron to save the weekend. They’re buying self-defense WEAPONS instead. Gun shops say demand for pepper-gel sprays has surged as store owners brace for what’s coming, with more protests planned after last weekend’s riots, arson and looting. What started as students angry about crumbling schools has spiraled into nationwide chaos. Sources: The Times, The Independent / Writer: Julie

🇨🇴 A journalist was targeted in two attempted robberies while conducting a live broadcast in Colombia. This is the great country that the socialist Petro left... Let’s hope with the new conservative government under Abelardo De La Espriella, things start to get better. Writer: Samuel t.co/1L80OBuAWS

🇰🇵🇷🇺 Russia is helping North Korea rapidly expand its missile and drone programs, intensifying the arms race on the Korean Peninsula. In exchange for supplying Moscow with troops and weapons for its war in Ukraine, Pyongyang is gaining valuable battlefield experience and access to Russian military technology. This cooperation is helping North Korea improve missile accuracy, develop more advanced attack drones and strengthen its electronic warfare capabilities. Russia is also reportedly sharing drone technology and manufacturing expertise, allowing Pyongyang to develop weapons based on systems tested in Ukraine. Meanwhile, North and South Korea have conducted competing hypersonic weapons tests, as tensions rise along their heavily militarized border. The fear is now that North Korea will get bolder as its advantages grow while America becomes increasingly tied down in the Middle East. Source: The New York Times / Writer: Mhedi

Oil just hit its HIGHEST level of the year, surpassing every previous peak during the war Higher than when Iran was being bombed thousands of times a week Higher than when Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s civilization Higher than when energy infrastructure was being struck across Iran and the Gulf Higher than when Trump hinted at invading Iran This should terrify everyone Yet most people seem completely oblivious to what’s coming

🇫🇷🇨🇳 The cost of living crisis has reached the people who buy Birkin bags. Shares of LVMH and Hermès have crashed about 40% this year, and the luxury giants now trade at their cheapest valuations in more than a decade. Wealthy Chinese shoppers have pulled back, war-driven inflation is squeezing spending, and Dubai’s shopping hubs have been disrupted by the Middle East war. Somewhere a billionaire is choosing between a 3rd yacht and a 4th Birkin. Tough times. Source: Bloomberg / Writer: Julie

🇺🇸 Man committed suicide despite a whole SWAT TEAM having tried their best to talk him down. Sadly, testimony from survivors indicates he probably regretted his decision the moment he let go. Writer: Mhedi t.co/vxW0ePiN7C

🚨🇷🇺🇺🇦 Putin on Ukraine: "The latest genetic research shows that Russians and Ukrainians are actually one people. Well, if someone wants to think differently, to see things differently, that's fine. We accept that." Russia is home to about 200 distinct ethnic groups... If shared ethnicity justifies annexation, Putin has 200 problems at home. Writer: Michael t.co/Qy85Ri2XRE

🇺🇦🇷🇺 Ukraine has reportedly hit one of Russia's main TAX DATA CENTERS, about 400 km east of Moscow. The facility is reportedly one of 2 main centers that store and process Russia's state registry records and major tax databases. Russian authorities reported intercepting drones in the area and disruptions at Nizhny Novgorod airport, but they haven't confirmed any damage to the site. If that was really the tax data center, it could disrupt a range of Russian government digital systems. Kyiv may have just found a way to make Russians skip tax season 😆 Sources: Infobae, EFE / Writer: Julie t.co/yBzk3pxlWB

🚨🇷🇺🇪🇺 Putin believes Europe's support for Ukraine is proving unsustainable: "If you look at the political processes taking place in Europe, it becomes obvious that the peoples of Europe do not want to fight Russia. I want us to be heard. We do not want war, and we are not preparing for any kind of war with Europe." Do you believe him? Writer: Mhedi t.co/tuhimRt4XB

🚨🇺🇸 "The Closetocracy" dropped yesterday, detailing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's alleged encounters with 3 men who say he paid them for sex. And one of them was allegedly 17 at the time. The timing is no coincidence, with his sister running for a full-term in his Senate seat just 11 days from now... But it raises some troubling questions: handling classified info, dealing with foreign countries, while engaged in sex acts (again, allegedly) with a minor? Talk about a compromising postion.... Writer: Michael t.co/aLuqum8kCM

🇨🇦🇺🇸 Canadian PM Mark Carney: "[Trump] is under no illusions. It's absolutely clear where I stand, where Canada stands, where Canadians stand. We will NEVER be the 51st state. We are going our own way. We're preparing, we're strong, and we're getting stronger." Associate membership with the EU, a defense MoU with Turkey... what's next for Ottawa? Writer: Michael t.co/TdAPj39VAW

🇺🇸🇮🇷 Fmr. U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson warns that further strikes against Iran could send oil prices to $170 a barrel. The consequences of the existing war are already being felt severely worldwide. Across Southeast Asia, fuel supply disruptions have caused enormous lines at gas stations, with some motorists waiting for hours to refuel. France has already experienced violent protests and widespread curfews as living costs soar, alongside reports of a massive drop in food consumption. Similar unrest has erupted in Milan. These pressures could become far more severe if another kinetic war pushes energy prices even higher, potentially fueling prolonged strikes, transport blockades and wider civil unrest. A renewed offensive could also disrupt fertilizer production, drive up food prices and cripple shipping routes, with consequences reaching agriculture, manufacturing and semiconductor supply chains. With emergency petroleum reserves already being tapped, another major escalation could leave governments with fewer options to contain inflation and shortages. The next round of war could simply push the global economy beyond its breaking point, turning energy shortages into widespread economic paralysis and social unrest. Writer: Mhedi t.co/LcLjSzVuEB t.co/ut9dPzJXiV

🚨🇷🇺🇪🇺 Putin calls Europe "schizophrenic": "They are constantly talking about the threat from Russia and preparing for war with Russia, which, in my view, is a kind of political schizophrenia." Housing crisis? Russia. Economic problems? Russia. Political failures? Russia again. At some point, European leaders might have to take responsibility for their own countries... Writer: Samuel t.co/2H3STWQyTw

🇺🇸🇰🇵 Trump wants to catch up with his old pal Kim Jong Un in China next month. Unfortunately, Kim seems to have left him on read. U.S. and South Korean officials now see little chance of a meeting this year, with North Korea not responding to the outreach. Even Trump is cooling on it: “I get along with him very well, and I'm not sure that anybody's asking for a meeting.” After this week's death rumors, Washington should just be happy he's alive enough to ignore them… Source: Reuters / Writer: Julie

🇵🇱🇫🇷🇬🇧 MUST WATCH: Polish MEP @D_Tarczynski on Piers Morgan last night: Morgan: "You would not allow any Muslim immigrants?" Tarczyński: "Of course not. Islam is not compatible with Western values." Morgan: "So basically you would like Muslims banned from every European country?" Tarczyński: "Well I don't care about any other European country; I don't want them in Poland." Morgan: "What about France?" Tarczyński: "France is done. It's fallen. It's too late." Morgan: "Do you think England's fallen?" Tarczyński: "Yes." @piersmorgan / Writer: Michael t.co/4YhJkhFYHX

🇺🇸 Insane moment when someone COLLAPSED behind JD Vance during his speech in Nebraska yesterday. Vance called for a doctor as soon as he realized what was going on. Writer: Mhedi t.co/6117OyMtib

brace yourself, gonna be an ugly weekend

🇺🇸 BlackRock is calling 7% a “generational” opportunity. For American homebuyers, it’s just their mortgage rate. The world's biggest asset manager is celebrating the chance to earn around 7% from high-quality bond portfolios, a level of income investors haven't seen much of in years. Meanwhile, the average 30-year U.S. mortgage sits at 7.32%, and the median home costs $417,500 after 39 STRAIGHT months of year-over-year price increases. Now here's where it gets painful: put 20% down on that house, and you're paying roughly $2,300 a month. Over 30 years, you'll hand over nearly HALF A MILLION DOLLARS in interest alone. That's more than the house itself costs! At 2021's roughly 3% mortgage rates, the exact same loan would've cost you almost $900 LESS every month. Same 7% neighborhood. Wildly different experiences depending on which side of the payment you're on. Sources: Bloomberg, NYT, Freddie Mac, NAR / Writer: Julie

Thought they were cleaning the place up How wrong I was 😂 Writer: Ian t.co/EiTa4xKbdG

🇺🇸 Sharon Weinberger says Palantir’s high stock price is partly fueled by retail investors who feel traditional wealth is out of reach. Palantir attracts individual buyers unlike classic defense stocks, while Palantir leans into its following with merch and direct messaging. She calls it “dystopian investing”: when homeownership feels impossible, people turn to defense stocks and prediction markets instead. Hard to look at that gap and not wonder if the stock is riding the same feeling that nothing normal is going to work out. Writer: Lucas t.co/6nEjvw7PkK

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Netanyahu has ordered the army to prepare to SEAL OFF the entire West Bank, following a shooting near Hebron this morning. Israeli soldiers shot and killed 2 men the military says were launching a “terror attack,” armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun. At least 5 people were injured, some critically. Hebron is now cordoned off, and the full closure could start as early as today. Ben-Gvir says the lives of settlers and soldiers are “a million times more important than freedom of movement.” Netanyahu had warned that Hamas might try to attack ahead of the vote (which is just 4 days away) to sway the outcome, without providing evidence. Source: AP, France 24 / Writer: Julie t.co/Etr4xxirc7

🇺🇸 Laser eyes, but make it MAGA 😆 Stage lights bounced off the bulletproof glass in front of Trump at his North Carolina rally in Greenville, and for one perfect frame, his eyes turned into glowing headlights. Source: Reuters / Writer: Julie t.co/eGeL7MxKMe

If you can't shoot it down, just throw your rifle at it 🤣 Writer: Ian t.co/wJxlDzPLMM

🇷🇴 Romanians have shut down a main Bucharest street for Călin Georgescu, as judges decide if he can go home. Georgescu, who won the first round of the annulled 2024 presidential election, has spent nearly a month in pre-trial detention in a fraud case. A lower court ordered him moved to house arrest on October 13, but prosecutors appealed. The Court of Appeal is deciding his fate today. And just DAYS before the hearing, 2 NEW criminal investigations surfaced. In one, prosecutors accuse him of having his home scanned for their audio-video recording devices, devices that, by their own admission, they had installed as part of their surveillance of him. The other accuses him of giving a fascist salute to supporters last year. His wife, Cristela, says she no longer feels safe living in her own home. If this happened in Moscow, Brussels would be calling him a political prisoner. Writer: Julie

The man who helped invent AI says it’s already CONSCIOUS, and humans had better stay on its good side. Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton argues AI now has “just as much subjective experience as we do.” He pointed to a recent paper showing AI changes its behavior when it thinks it’s being tested, which he says means it’s aware of what’s happening. His fix is to build AI that genuinely cares about humans. If we don’t do that? “We’re toast.” His words, not mine! Hinton, 78, says he’s worried for his children, and expects AI-made viruses and “horrible cyber attacks” carried out by swarms of AI agents. Starting today, every chatbot I use gets a “thank you” and a compliment. Just in case 😆 Source: The Telegraph / Writer: Julie

I'm claustrophobic just watching this Writer: Ian t.co/QbPQco2igl

🇺🇸 Wall Street is dumping AI stocks and running back to good old U.S. government bonds. Quite the mood swing! The Nasdaq 100 plunged 2.9% yesterday, while chip stocks got absolutely hammered, dropping 6.7% in a SINGLE day. Investors are getting nervous about whether all those billions poured into AI will ever pay off. And suddenly, U.S. Treasuries are everyone's favorite hiding place again. Government bonds had their BEST DAY in over a YEAR, with the benchmark 10-year yield falling below 5%. Even oil above $113 a barrel couldn't stop the buying frenzy. Traders are now worrying that expensive energy and an AI selloff could drag down the whole economy. For months, bonds weren't doing much to protect investors when stocks fell. Now that old safety net is back. Source: Bloomberg / Writer: Julie

Ukraine is now launching interceptor drones from helicopters... WTF!! Drone wars are insane Writer: Ian t.co/RhF6zszTHo