Economist Richard Werner: "This is what the drive to build all these hundreds, in fact thousands of data centers is about. It is an organizational challenge to micromanage the world's population through the new financial world order."

95% of central banks expect gold reserves to increase over the next 12 months

Gunfire near the White House Saturday evening. A suspect fired shots near the White House gates around 6 PM ET. The Secret Service engaged and shot the suspect outside the perimeter. Reporters on the North Lawn heard 20-30 shots, with the majority coming from the Secret Service response. At least two people were shot, including the suspected gunman, who is in grave condition. A second person, possibly a juvenile bystander, was also injured. No Secret Service agents were hurt. Trump was inside the White House at the time. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the FBI is on scene supporting the Secret Service. The lockdown was lifted about 40 minutes later. No motive or identification of the suspect has been reported. This is still developing.

President Trump announces that a major agreement with Iran has been “largely negotiated” and will be revealed shortly, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for shipping.

The Washington Times reports the US and Iran are expected to announce a draft agreement within 24 hours to end fighting on all fronts. The draft has been sent to both leaders for final approval. JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf have reportedly signed off. Trump convened his national security team and held a call with leaders from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan. Several urged him to accept. The Financial Times describes a more limited version: a 60-day ceasefire extension, gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a framework for nuclear talks. Core issues remain unresolved. No final decision has been made. Trump says he may decide by Sunday. CNN reports he was also presented options to resume strikes.

"The vaccines are annual money makers versus the cure, which was $10 of doxycycline covered by insurance. So pharma said no, we're going to do the vaccine." - (krisnewby) The Bayh-Dole Act let government scientists patent discoveries and split profits with pharma.

"Some people are so allergic they can't even go to a Texas barbecue without having respiratory issues." - (krisnewby) A single lone star tick bite can give you a lifelong allergy to red meat.

"Some people called it the poor man's nuke." - (krisnewby) The Army weaponized ticks because they inject directly into the body, bypass any protection, and leave no trace.

AI token spending has more than doubled since December 2025.

Kevin Warsh is inheriting the highest 10-year Treasury yields on a Fed chair's swearing-in date since Alan Greenspan in August 1987.

US money supply growth just hit 4% on a 6-month rolling basis. Fastest growth in 4 years.

TFTC 749 w/ (KrisNewby): "They weaponized fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes so we could drop them on our enemies during the Cold War." We discuss: ⚡ The CIA's tick bioweapon program ⚡ The Cuba operation in the JFK files ⚡ How Lyme Disease broke containment

The Trump administration is preparing for a possible new round of military strikes on Iran, per CBS News. No final decision has been made. Trump has signaled some flexibility on timing but has also made clear there will be consequences if Iran doesn't make a deal. Trump canceled his Memorial Day weekend plans and is returning to the White House. He's also skipping his son's wedding, citing "circumstances pertaining to Government." Some military and intelligence officials have also canceled weekend plans as the Pentagon updates readiness posture at overseas installations. The US transmitted what it called a final proposal to Iran on Wednesday via Pakistan, with a warning that rejection means strikes resume. Iran is reviewing it. Trump said Friday: "Iran is dying to make a deal. We'll see what happens." Rubio referenced NATO conversations in Sweden about reopening the Strait of Hormuz by military force as "Plan B" if Iran doesn't agree to do so on its own. Iran's IRGC warned that further strikes could widen the conflict "beyond the Middle East." House Republicans abandoned an effort Thursday to vote on limiting Trump's war authority against Iran after concluding they didn't have the votes.

Tulsi Gabbard resigned as Director of National Intelligence today after her husband Abraham was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. Effective June 30. Here's what her last few months looked like. Gabbard opposed the US strikes on Iran from the start. As the war escalated, she was reportedly sidelined. Sources told Tablet Magazine she "doesn't get invited to meetings anymore." While Trump and top national security officials like Rubio and CIA Director Ratcliffe directed the war from Mar-a-Lago, Gabbard was in Washington. Both of her top deputies quit over the same conflict. Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in March saying Iran "posed no imminent threat" and accused Israeli leaders of feeding Trump "misinformation" about a "swift path to victory." Then this week, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a former CIA officer and RFK Jr's daughter-in-law, also resigned over disagreement with the strikes. One Republican lawmaker told Politico that "both Kent and Gabbard have had less and less influence." Last week, a CIA whistleblower testified to the Senate that the CIA removed roughly 40 boxes of JFK assassination and MKUltra files from ODNI that were being processed for declassification. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said the files were taken "in the middle of the night." ODNI denied it was a "raid," but multiple intelligence sources confirmed to the Daily Caller that the CIA did take the files and hasn't returned them. As of yesterday, Gabbard was working to declassify a FISA Court opinion that reportedly exposes ongoing abuse of Section 702 warrantless surveillance. The FISA Court found in March 2026 that problems the DOJ claimed to have fixed are still happening and extend beyond the FBI. Her anti-weaponization task force, the Director's Initiatives Group, was dissolved in January 2026 after a CIA officer assigned to the group testified that internal "drama" over a circulated memo led to the shutdown. She was being openly discussed as the "next one out" as far back as March. She's the second Trump Cabinet member to depart after Kristi Noem was fired as DHS secretary in early March.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh: "Our mandate at the Fed is to promote price stability and maximum employment." "When we pursue those aims with wisdom and clarity, independence and resolve, inflation can be lower, growth stronger, real-take home pay higher, and America, can be more prosperous. And no less important, America's place in the world more secure." "These duties are now mine, Mr. President, because of the trust you have placed in me."

"Bitcoin is a neutral network. People you don't like might use it. And there's nothing you can do to stop it." Iran launched Hormuz Safe, a Bitcoin-powered maritime insurance platform for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, after OFAC froze millions in IRGC-linked USDT.

Trump Media transferred 2,650 bitcoin worth $205 million, a move widely interpreted as a sale. The company bought 11,542 BTC at an average cost of $118,522 per coin. This is the second large transfer in four months after moving 2,000 BTC worth $175 million earlier this year. According to Lookonchain, Trump Media is now sitting on a total unrealized loss of $455 million on its bitcoin holdings. Interesting timing given that the president signed an executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in March 2025 and his allies introduced a bill this week to acquire 1 million BTC.

Stanford cryptographer Dan Boneh: “It's insane to say that Bitcoin will not solve the quantum problem... of course Bitcoin will survive it and of course Bitcoin will solve it.”

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act. The letter, dated May 21 and addressed to Chairman Brett Guthrie, confirms that HHS supports H.R. 4348, a bill to reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act for another five years. The original law was first signed by President Trump in 2019 and established the National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases. Kennedy writes that Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, with an estimated 476,000 Americans diagnosed and treated annually. He notes that the disease "affects nearly every body system, producing wide-ranging symptoms that frequently overlap with other infections and autoimmune conditions," leading to frequent misdiagnosis or delayed care. Current diagnostics still cannot reliably detect all stages of Lyme disease, and many patients continue to experience persistent symptoms even after antibiotic treatment. The bill would reauthorize Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease for five years and renew CDC grants to state health departments for data collection, early detection, improved treatment, and public awareness. Kennedy adds that HHS would also support additional reporting metrics and accountability measures to ensure the programs are accomplishing their primary goals. HHS hosted a roundtable on December 15, 2025 that brought together Lyme disease patients, clinicians, and researchers to discuss diagnostics and clinical needs. The letter comes during a particularly bad tick season. Johns Hopkins hosted a media briefing on May 5 warning about the growing threat of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme and alpha-gal syndrome. In 2024, what is believed to be the first fatal case of alpha-gal syndrome in the United States was reported in New Jersey. Scientists are warning that warmer winters and expanding tick habitats are accelerating the spread of these diseases into regions that previously had little exposure. Kennedy has been one of the most vocal public figures on Lyme disease for years, making this an area where his personal advocacy and his role as HHS Secretary directly intersect.

Anthony Pompliano: "Go back to the 90s, we talked about internet entrepreneurs, internet companies. Now we just call them entrepreneurs and companies. In five years, we're not going to use the word crypto anymore."