Marcinthematrix

BREAKING: Brent crude oil surges to $117 following strikes on oil refineries and gas plants in the Middle East.

🚨 BREAKING: 🇺🇸 Trump admin considering deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, per Reuters.
This is about Hormuz, not regime change.
The US has been bombing Iran from the air for 18 days. It hasn't worked. The Strait is still closed. Day 14.
So now the calculus shifts:
2,500 Marines from the 31st MEU (based in Japan) are already en route with the USS Tripoli and 20 F-35Bs. CENTCOM requested them specifically for Hormuz operations.
Now Reuters reports thousands more under consideration.
The likely mission: seize the small islands near the shipping lanes and set up air de

BREAKING: President Trump has called for no strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure following today’s strikes on a vital Iranian gas field by Israel, per WSJ.
Context most people are missing:
Trump has been protecting Iran's energy infrastructure since Day 1 of this war. He bombed military targets on Kharg Island on Mar 14 but deliberately left the oil terminals untouched. Called it "decency."
Today Israel went around that and hit South Pars, the world's largest gas field.
Iran retaliated within hours by striking Qatar's Ras Laffan (20% of global LNG). Fires burning. "Extensive damage."
Trump

BREAKING: Brent crude jumps to $110 after Israeli strikes hit an Iranian gas plant.

BREAKING: Wholesale inflation in February rose 3.4%, the biggest jump in a year.

BREAKING: ~20,000 seafarers are stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the International Maritime Organization.

BREAKING: China nears tapping commercial crude stockpiles as the Middle East war drags on, with potential drawdowns of up to 1M barrels/day.

BREAKING: Key U.S. macro events today
• 08:30 AM ET: PPI and Core PPI data drop
• 02:00 PM ET: FOMC rate decision
• 02:30 PM ET: Fed Chair Powell speech
Expect volatility across markets.

BREAKING: Kim Jong Un has won the election, and it is historic.
North Korea reports 99.93% approval, 99.99% turnout, and all 687 seats secured in its latest election.
For the first time since 1957, authorities acknowledged some “no” votes.

Meta's Metaverse cost more than
the Apollo Moon program.
$46.5 billion on Reality Labs from 2020 to 2025.
The entire Apollo program cost $42 billion (adjusted).
They spent $4.5 billion more than it took
to put humans on the moon.
And got a virtual avatar that couldn't
grow legs for two years.
The cost per user math is insane:
Horizon Worlds: $232,500 per user
Instagram at acquisition: $33 per user
That's a 7,045x difference.
Zuckerberg renamed the entire company for this.
Told Wall Street VR was the future of computing.
It wasn't. AI was.
Meta Horizon Worlds shuts down June 15, 2026.
Now Me

$83,720 per second.
That's how fast the US is adding new debt
while funding 4 wars at the same time.
Iran. Ukraine. Taiwan. Israel.
The numbers:
$901B defense budget (record)
$175B to Ukraine since 2022
$20B in Taiwan arms since 2020
$15-25B Iran war (est. first month alone)
$3.8B/year to Israel (before emergency packages)
Meanwhile:
National debt: $39 trillion
Interest payments: $1.3T/year
That's more than the entire defense budget.
Oil: $109 and climbing
SPR: 172M barrels (half of 2020 levels)
Coalition allies committed: zero
The US is spending more on other countries' defense
than most cou

Trump’s latest remarks:
• Called NATO’s stance on Iran a “very foolish mistake,” criticizing allies for not helping
• Praised support from Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain
• Described Iran as a military operation
• Said US–China talks are reset, with a meeting in ~5 weeks
• On Cuba: will be doing something very soon

BREAKING: Trump says most NATO allies declined to join U.S. military action against Iran, calling the alliance a “one-way street” despite shared opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
Is NATO unity cracking?

BREAKING: OpenAI will provide AI to U.S. government and defense agencies through AWS, covering both classified and unclassified work.

BREAKING: U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent has resigned amid the escalating Iran war.

BREAKING: Mastercard acquires stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK in a deal worth up to $1.8B.
It operates in 130+ countries and processes billions in volume.
Coinbase previously walked away from a $2B BVNK acquisition on Nov 2025 after due diligence.

BREAKING: Middle East oil benchmarks hit record highs as war disrupts supply.
Dubai crude surges to $153/bbl, with premiums spiking to $56.
Exports to Asia plunge ~32% as Strait of Hormuz disruptions choke flows, forcing refiners to cut output or seek alternatives.

BREAKING: PayPal expands its $4,000,000,000 $PYUSD stablecoin access to ~70 countries, adding 68 new markets.