Authored by Rachel Ann T. Melegrito via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

That jolt you feel from your morning coffee isn’t just hitting your brain—it’s reaching deep into your cells and flipping biological switches that could help you age more slowly.

Recent research suggests caffeine acts like a personal trainer for our cells, stressing them just enough to activate the same longevity pathways triggered by hitting the gym or cutting calories.

“In a sense, a bit of stress is beneficial,” John-Patrick Alao, a postdoctoral research scientist and the lead author of the study, told The Epoch Times.

The Cellular Machinery Behind Longevity

The study, published in Microbial Cell, discovered that caffeine induces a stress-like response in cells, activating a longevity pathway called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

AMPK functions like a cellular fuel gauge. When energy runs low or during times of stress, AMPK activates, forcing cells to conserve resources, repair damage, and clean up faulty components by recycling parts of themselves.

In biology, too much stress harms cells, but small amounts can actually help them adapt and repair, preventing damage from piling up. Over time, this helps tissues stay healthier, which supports a longer lifespan.

“Our research, at least in terms of caffeine, suggests that AMPK gets turned on because caffeine is exerting some sort of stress on the cells,” Alao said.

Alao noted that the little stress exerted by caffeine on yeast cells switches on protective genes and keeps cells in repair mode, preventing damage from building up and extending their lifespan. He likened it to having a mechanic with you at all times to catch problems early.

“Caffeine’s natural activation of this pathway suggests it could be a valuable nutritional tool… Something as common as your morning coffee could eventually play a role in how we design diets or treatments to improve long-term health and potentially support cancer therapies,” said Dr. Thomas M. Holland, a physician scientist and assistant professor at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, who isn’t part of the study.

The researchers used fission yeast cells for their experiments. While the findings cannot be directly applied to humans, yeast have similar cellular pathways that work similarly to human cells.

Holland noted that while the study used yeast and didn’t provide specific intake recommendations for humans, other research supports moderate caffeine consumption.

Potential Risks of Caffeine-Induced Stress

While caffeine’s mild stress on cells helps trigger processes tied to a longer lifespan—like making them divide earlier and at smaller sizes—this same response can also make cells more vulnerable to DNA damage because it gives them less time to catch and fix problems before multiplying, allowing damage to slip through more easily.

This poses particular risks for people with genetic conditions such as ataxia telangiectasia (ATM), who have difficulty repairing DNA damage.

“If you have ATM mutations, caffeine is probably not good for you,“ Alao said. ”But if you are healthy and you don’t have these mutations, then it is because you are turning on the stress… and your DNA repair machinery is then being turned on.”

However, Alao noted that significant questions remain about how caffeine’s effects translate from yeast cells to humans. In people, AMPK is more complex, with different forms found in different tissues like the heart and skeletal muscle.

Alao said that the AMPK system, while protective in healthy cells, may also help cancer cells survive under metabolic stress.

How Much Caffeine Is Best for Longevity?

Multiple large-scale studies have linked coffee consumption to longer, healthier lives. A recent study of nearly 50,000 women over 30 years found that those who drank about 315 milligrams of caffeine daily—roughly one and a half large cups of coffee—were more likely to age healthily, free from major chronic diseases.

Another study published in The Journal of Nutrition found that people who drink one to three cups of coffee daily have a 15 percent lower risk of death compared to noncoffee drinkers. The study also showed that coffee’s health benefits diminish when it is paired with sugar and saturated fats, such as those in many dairy-based creamers.

“Typically around 200 to 400 milligrams per day, or roughly two to four cups of coffee, [have been shown in studies to be] both safe and potentially beneficial for most adults,” Holland said.

Holland emphasized that caffeine is most beneficial when included as part of a balanced lifestyle—particularly one that combines a mostly plant-based diet and regular physical activity. He noted that natural sources of caffeine, such as coffee and tea, also provide polyphenols and antioxidants, which may help reduce inflammation, improve metabolism, and lower oxidative stress—factors linked to reduced cancer risk.

Like Holland, Melissa Mitri, a registered dietitian and nutrition writer, recommends people stay away from supplements and energy drinks. “Some energy drinks and supplements contain a more concentrated form of caffeine, such as caffeine anhydrous, which can provide a significantly larger and more potent dose of caffeine than what is found in a cup of coffee.”

Mitri also noted that while more research is needed, a moderate amount of caffeine may help protect healthy cells during cancer treatment by reducing the potential damage caused by therapies like chemotherapy.

“Caffeine turns on AMPK, and AMPK is a really important target because it gets turned on by calorie restriction and exercise, and we know that calorie restriction and exercise are proven to extend lifespan,” Alao said.

Other Longevity Solutions

Caffeine isn’t the only compound linked to a longer lifespan through these cellular pathways. Other substances and diets are already known to target the same longevity-enhancing systems.

Rapamycin, for example, directly inhibits Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1), a protein complex that helps control how cells grow and respond to nutrients, slowing down the cell’s growth machinery.

Metformin, a widely used diabetes drug that improves insulin sensitivity, doesn’t act directly on TORC1 but instead lowers the cell’s energy state, which in turn activates AMPK.

Chronic overnutrition—particularly diets high in sugar, refined starches, and ultra-processed foods—deactivates AMPK, activating a pathway called TORC1, which promotes growth and accelerates aging.

“If you eat a lot of sugar, a high-fat Western diet, the TOR [Target of Rapamycin] is always on. And this leads to aging,” Alao said.

In contrast, dietary restrictions like low-protein diets and intermittent fasting activate AMPK, promoting the cellular cleanup processes that appear crucial for longevity. “Basically the body starts to eat itself, which seems to be important for cleaning all the damaged proteins and so on.”

It remains important for energy traders to closely monitor the Strait of Hormuz and other key critical maritime chokepoints in the region (recall Red Sea events last week, given persistent geopolitical tensions involving Iran and Israel. 

Tehran retains a diverse toolkit—both asymmetric and conventional—for disrupting tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. These methods include naval mine deployment, anti-ship missile and drone launches, fast-attack craft swarms, and the seizure of vessels transiting the critical waterway responsible for 20% of the world’s oil flows. 

Shortly after the U.S. launched “Operation Midnight Hammer” in late June, deploying stealth bombers to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan using Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, Iran’s parliament voted to authorize the closure of the strait. However, Tehran never closed the strait, but there was at least one report we covered that said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps mulled over littering the waterway with mines. 

Given that the mines were not deployed, a troubling new report from local media indicates that the IRGC has intercepted and seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The seizure was reportedly carried out under the pretext of “fuel smuggling,” according to Iranian state media outlet Mehr News Agency (MNA) on X. 

“The Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province has announced the seizure of a foreign oil tanker on charges of smuggling 2 million liters of fuel in the Sea of Oman,” MNA reported. 

The Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province has announced the seizure of a foreign oil tanker on charges of smuggling 2 million liters of fuel in the Sea of Oman.#BREAKING #BreakingNews‌ pic.twitter.com/gCr6yugb9f

— Mehr News Agency (@MehrnewsCom) July 16, 2025

Here are more details from pro-Iranian news channel Al Mayadeen:

“Following persistent surveillance of suspected fuel smuggling operations off Iran’s Sea of Oman coast, security forces boarded and searched a foreign oil tanker,” Ghahremani said.

Iranian authorities confirmed the seizure of the foreign tanker after detecting irregularities in its cargo documentation, with security forces arresting 17 crew members, including the ship’s captain, during the operation. The vessel was suspected of transporting two million liters of smuggled fuel through the Sea of Oman.

Fuel smuggling via “dark fleet” tankers has been a consistent tactic used by Iran to circumvent Western sanctions, with much of the crude oil ultimately making its way to China. Details about the seized vessel’s ownership and final destination remain limited.

Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

China has finalized new export controls on technologies crucial to making batteries and processing critical minerals, materializing a threat made in the earlier stage of its trade war with the United States.

In a joint announcement on July 15, China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology unveiled an updated version of its Catalog of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export.

The catalog, alongside two dual-use export control lists, is a key instrument governing China’s export control regime. It is divided into two categories: technologies completely banned from export, and technologies restricted under a licensing regime. Technologies on the restricted list cannot be exported without government approval.

The latest update adds a new entry: battery cathode material preparation technology, which specifically covers those for producing lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), and phosphate-based cathode precursors. These are essential materials for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.

The catalog also tightens existing rules under the section on the Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting and Rolling Industry, expanding restrictions on technologies for extracting metallic lithium and gallium, a vital material in semiconductor chips.

This round of revisions was initially proposed in January, shortly before the second inauguration of President Donald Trump, who has pledged to use tariffs and other tools to protect U.S. industries and rebalance trade between the United States and the rest of the world.

The U.S.–China trade war is currently in a state of truce, putting on hold Trump’s April 2 executive order on reciprocal tariffs, which would have raised tariffs on Chinese imports to as high as 145 percent.

China remains the world’s dominant miner and refiner of lithium and gallium. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has identified both materials as critical to national security and economic competitiveness.

According to a USGS report released in January, the United States is unable to domestically source any of 31 key critical minerals, and can only commercially refine one: beryllium. China, by contrast, is the primary source for eight of those minerals and the near-exclusive provider of 17.

Gallium was among three materials Beijing subjected to export controls in December 2024. In a parallel development, a high-grade gallium deposit discovered in Montana earlier that year has received fast-track permitting approval under the Trump administration, part of a broader push to reshore critical mineral supply chains and reduce reliance on Chinese imports.

The Montana deposit is being extracted by U.S. Critical Materials, a Utah-based company. Harvey Kaye, the company’s executive director, said during a hearing before the House Small Business Committee that it will extract gallium first.

“Our plan is to extract from our deposit literally this year and be able to, in effect, stand on the steps of the White House and/or Congress with a bag of gallium … found in Montana, processed with American technology, and available for the defense of this country and, indeed, the free world,” Kaye said.

Authored by Charles Kennedy via OilPrice.com,

• The U.S. is pressuring the IEA to shift focus from climate advocacy back to objective demand forecasting.

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright says withdrawal is an option if reforms aren’t made.

• The IEA’s forecasts clash with OPEC’s projection of rising oil demand through 2050.

The United States could abandon the International Energy Agency (IEA) if the organization, created in the aftermath of the 1970s Arab oil embargo, doesn’t return to forecasting energy demand without strongly promoting green energy.

“We will do one of two things: we will reform the way the IEA operates or we will withdraw,” U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has told Bloomberg in an interview.

“My strong preference is to reform it,” Secretary Wright added.

The official echoes voices in the U.S. Republican party that the agency has become an advocate of the energy transition and is not objective in forecasting energy demand trends.

From ensuring security of supply after the 1970s embargo, the agency has shifted from this purpose in recent years to endorsing the net-zero by 2050 goal and is advocating for a major change in the global energy system to include more electric vehicles (EVs), renewable power supply, hydrogen, and all other low-carbon energy sources.

The IEA’s forecast that oil demand will peak this decade is “just total nonsense,” the U.S. official said, adding he has been talking to the IEA’s executive director Fatih Birol.

Reports emerged earlier this year that the Trump Administration is pushing the IEA to ditch its focus on the energy transition and promotion of renewable energy sources.

Last month, the IEA doubled down on its narrative that a peak in global oil demand is still on the horizon.

Annual global growth will slow from about 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2025 and 2026 “to just a trickle over the next several years, with a small decline expected in 2030, based on today’s policy settings and market trends,” the IEA said in its annual Oil 2025 report for the medium term. 

In contrast to this, OPEC sees oil demand rising through 2050, with consumption expected at 123 million barrels per day (bpd) then, up from about 105 million bpd this year.

Last week, OPEC reiterated its view that there is no peak oil demand in sight.

The cartel has slammed the IEA in recent years for “dangerous” forecasts of imminent peak oil demand that would hurt consumers and “only lead to energy volatility on a potentially unprecedented scale.”

Many were shocked (again) after the latest CPI and PPI data confirmed that the experts were once again dead wrong, and instead of the widely expected inflation tsunami, Trump’s tariffs have so far sparked only continued disinflation (which will only become more acute as home prices slide). And yet, anyone who read our Beige Book analysis from April (not to mention our accurate prediction from last June that “The Experts Are All Wrong About Inflation Under A Trump Presidency“) would have known just that: as we laid out, “Beige Book Finds Inflation Mentions Tumble To 3 Year Low” which was the clearest indication that despite the prevailing narrative, rising prices is simply not a thing businesses across the US are worried about. We got further confirmation of this last month, when the latest Beige Book found no runaway inflation (again) but instead that sentiment in the economy splitting along party lines.

Fast forward to today when the latest, July, Beige Book was released, and it revealed that according to reports across the 12 Fed districts, “economic activity increased slightly from late May through early July.” Five Districts reported slight or modest gains, five had flat activity, and the remaining two Districts (New York and Philadelphia, naturally democrat strongholds) noted modest declines in activity. That, the Beige Book admitted, represented an improvement over the previous report, in which half of Districts reported at least slight declines in activity.

The Beige Book said that all Districts reported that while economic activity rebounded, uncertainty remained elevated, contributing to ongoing caution by businesses. Nonauto consumer spending declined in most Districts, softening slightly overall (hardly a signal of an imminent inflationary burst). Auto sales receded modestly on average, after consumers had rushed to buy vehicles earlier this year to avoid tariffs. Tourism activity was mixed, manufacturing activity edged lower, and nonfinancial services activity was little changed on average but varied across Districts.

Meanwhile, offsetting some of the economic slowdown, loan volume increased slightly in most Districts. On the flip side, construction activity slowed somewhat, constrained by rising costs in some Districts while home sales were flat or little changed in most Districts, and nonresidential real estate activity was also mostly steady. Activity in the agriculture sector remained weak. Energy sector activity declined slightly, and transportation activity was mixed.

Overall, the outlook was neutral to slightly pessimistic, as only two Districts expected activity to increase, and others foresaw flat or slightly weaker activity.

Focusing on labor markets, the Beige book reported the following:

• Employment increased very slightly overall, with one District noting modest increases, six reporting slight increases, three no change, and two noting slight declines. 
• Hiring remained generally cautious, which many contacts attributed to ongoing economic and policy uncertainty.
• Labor availability improved for many employers, with further reductions in turnover rates and increased job applications.
• A growing number of Districts cited labor shortages in the skilled trades.
• Several Districts also mentioned reduced availability of foreign-born workers, attributed to changes in immigration policy.
• Employers in a few Districts ramped up investments in automation and AI aimed at reducing the need for additional hiring.
• Wages increased modestly overall, extending recent trends, with reports that ranged from flat wages to moderate growth.
• Although reports of layoffs were limited in all industries, they were somewhat more common among manufacturers.
• Looking ahead, many contacts expected to postpone major hiring and layoff decisions until uncertainty diminished.

As for prices, it should come as no surprise by now that the runaway inflation everyone was expecting just isn’t there. Here is Beige book confirmation: 

• Prices increased across Districts, with seven characterizing price growth as moderate and five characterizing it as modest, mostly similar to the previous report. 
• In all twelve Districts, businesses reported experiencing modest to pronounced input cost pressures related to tariffs, especially for raw materials used in manufacturing and construction.
• Rising insurance costs represented another widespread source of pricing pressure.
• Many firms passed on at least a portion of cost increases to consumers through price hikes or surcharges, although some held off raising prices because of customers’ growing price sensitivity, resulting in compressed profit margins.
• Contacts in a wide range of industries expected cost pressures to remain elevated in the coming months, and yet despite expecting just that for months now, there has been zero abnormal tariff-driven inflation of note yet.

In short, for yet another month, the sky is not falling.

Here is a snapshot of highlights by Fed District:

• New York: Economic activity continued to decline modestly as heightened uncertainty hindered decision-making. Employment was up slightly and wage growth was modest. Selling price increases remained moderate, while input prices rose steeply with widespread tariff-related cost increases.

• Philadelphia: Business activity continued to decline modestly in the current Beige Book period. Activity fell moderately for nonmanufacturers but edged up slightly for manufacturers. Employment declined slightly, while wages increased slightly. Prices rose modestly after moderate growth last period. Generally, firms expect slight growth over the next six months, although economic uncertainty remains. 

• Cleveland: District business activity continued to be flat in recent weeks, but contacts expected activity to increase slightly in the months ahead. Several manufacturers reported softer orders, and transportation contacts reported a steep decline in demand. Contacts said that cost growth remained robust while their selling prices only increased modestly. 

• Richmond: The regional economy grew moderately in recent weeks. Consumer spending on retail, leisure, and hospitality increased at a modest to moderate rate. Business conditions were largely unchanged as firms across most sectors reported steady sales and demand. However, manufacturing activity contracted slightly with firms citing higher prices curtailing demand in recent weeks. Employment rose modestly and price growth remained moderate this cycle. 

• Atlanta: The economy of the Sixth District was little changed. Labor markets and wages were steady. Prices rose moderately. Consumer spending softened, but travel and tourism increased modestly. Residential and commercial real estate activity declined. Transportation activity grew modestly. Loan growth was flat. Manufacturing was flat, but energy activity rose moderately. 

• Chicago: Economic activity increased slightly. Employment increased modestly; consumer spending, business spending, and construction and real estate activity were flat; manufacturing declined slightly; and nonbusiness contacts saw no change in activity. Prices rose moderately, wages rose modestly, and financial conditions loosened slightly. Prospects for 2025 farm income were unchanged. 

• St. Louis: Economic activity has remained unchanged. Employment levels were generally unchanged. Prices continued to increase moderately, and most contacts continued to expect higher nonlabor costs in the coming months as a result of tariffs. The outlook among contacts remains highly uncertain and slightly pessimistic. 

• Minneapolis: Economic activity was flat overall. Employment grew slightly and wage growth was moderate. Price growth eased but manufacturers felt more acute pressures. Overall consumer spending was down but tourism activity increased. Construction and energy activity decreased while manufacturing and vehicle sales were flat. 

• Kansas City: Economic activity in the Tenth District was mostly unchanged, with some rebound in consumer spending and financial activities. Labor availability was reportedly much higher, which lowered expected wage pressures for the remainder of the year. Prices rose at a moderate pace. 

• Dallas: Economic activity in the Eleventh District economy was up slightly over the reporting period. Non-financial services activity grew modestly, and manufacturing production held steady. Loan volumes expanded, while oil production was flat, retail sales declined, and the housing market weakened. Employment was unchanged and price pressures held steady. Outlooks remained pessimistic. 

• San Francisco: Economic activity was largely stable. Employment levels were slightly lower. Wages grew at a slight pace and prices increased modestly. Retail sales expanded modestly, and consumer and business services demand eased. Conditions in manufacturing, and residential real estate markets weakened somewhat. Lending activity and conditions in agriculture were largely unchanged.

And finally, confirming that contrary to conventional wisdom the economic picture has been largely unchanged since April, the latest Beige Book found that contrary to prevailing media narratives, mentions of inflation actually dropped again, sliding to a new four year low of just 5 from 10 the previous month (effectively before the Biden inflationary explosion period) while mentions of “slow” rose to the highest since last October, just after the Powell Fed cut rates by 50bps. Overall, a very awkward report for a Fed that no longer has any excuse not to cut. 

All of which suggests that the US economy – while hardly on fire as it was during the hyperinflationary period of Biden’s admin – continues to chug along and is hardly collapsing as so many Trump foes would like to see; and it certainly is not seeing prices explode higher.

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Newly released emails further expose the behind-the-scenes push within the Biden DOJ’s push to manufacture a criminal case against President Donald Trump. 

The emails – obtained by the Senate Judiciary Committee and first reported by legal expert Margot Cleveland – show the FBI scrambling to go after Trump despite having no evidence. 

One email revealed former FBI Agent Tim Thibault plotting with colleagues how to zero in on the Willard Hotel.

Trump allies used the hotel as a command center to monitor the 2020 election results. 

2/ They wanted to open an investigation to allow for investigative activities. NOTE open an investigation to investigate a crime of which they had evidence! pic.twitter.com/p3WtqMRs0T

— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) July 15, 2025

According to the email, Thibault was actively hunting for a crime tied to the Willard Hotel.

He laid out two options: launch an assessment or open a preliminary investigation. 

He objected to the first option, noting it would limit the FBI’s authority. Under an assessment, interviews and “more probative” actions were barred. Subpoenas would be tightly restricted.

Thibault admitted the office was “hard at work attempting to predicate a Preliminary investigation.” This route, he said, would enable a broader and likely more aggressive investigation. 

In short, the FBI tried to launch a criminal probe without a shred of evidence. 

The email, dated March 2, 2022, came just six months before Special Counsel Jack Smith unsealed an indictment over Trump’s efforts to question the 2020 election. 

Federalist senior legal writer Margot Cleveland said the officials involved should be referred to the Inspector General for further investigation. 

One recipient on the email chain was Wayne Jacobs, a senior FBI agent whom Director Chris Wray later promoted to lead the Philadelphia field office. 

As Headline USA previously reported, Jacobs is married to former J6 committee investigator Soumya Dayananda. 

That connection has raised red flags, especially after Dayananda bragged that the charges against Trump closely mirrored her committee’s work. 

Despite his ties to Dayananda and the Biden-era FBI, Jacobs remains on the taxpayer payroll, running one of the agency’s most powerful field offices. 

The FBI fired Thibault in 2024 after he violated the Hatch Act by making political posts on social media. Whistleblowers have accused Thibault of showing a “pattern of active public partisanship.” Thibault participated in probes of both Trump and Hunter Biden.

Read the emails below…

8/ And looks like Jacobs is still in charge at Philly! pic.twitter.com/H1q841Jted

— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) July 15, 2025

9/9 So is Jacobs part of the swamp or fingering the bad actors and revealing where the bones are buried?

— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) July 15, 2025

Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,

A 19-year-old man was arrested over the weekend after throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Dickinson County Republican Committee headquarters in Iron Mountain, Michigan.

Zayn Edward Arcand, who allegedly identifies as “genderfluid,” appeared for his arraignment via Zoom Monday afternoon.

Arcand admitted to throwing the Molotov cocktail, which failed to ignite, at the Republican Party office “to send a message against the corruption.”

The suspect acted out of dissatisfaction with Trump administration policies, according to authorities.

Arcand was charged Monday in Dickinson County District Court with arson and manufacturing and possessing a Molotov cocktail.

A witness reported seeing the suspect in the area just before 4 p.m. Saturday attempting to light a rag sticking out of a bottle and throwing the bottle at the window of the GOP headquarters,  according to Jeff Solka, director of Iron Mountain Police and Fire Services.

Surveillance camera footage showed the bottle shattered on impact but did not catch fire.

A second broken glass bottle was found in the parking lot, also with an unknown liquid and rag sticking out of the top, according to the news release.

Officers were able to identify the suspect, who later admitted to assembling the bottle bombs in his driveway. He threw them at the GOP headquarters “to send a message against the corruption,” Solka stated in a news release, adding, “The suspect was hoping what he made was flammable and would ignite.”

Arcand was arrested later Saturday and booked into the Dickinson County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

The owners of the building said they were relieved the damage wasn’t worse, according  13 News.

“We were very concerned,” Ray Broullire told reporters. “Not to mention there’s people in this building. It was a Saturday, thank goodness. You know, that was a big plus. But yeah, when something like that happens, you just kind of expect the worst. We’re glad it worked out the way it did.”

Angela Hall, chair of the Dickinson County Republican Committee, said she was relieved that the fire-bombing attempt failed, but  called the incident “scary.”

“It was one of those moments of shock where you try to just digest it,” Hall said, adding, “Violence to try to sway anyone politically is not OK.”

Since President Trump returned to office, left-wing “protesters” have escalated their violent tactics against their political enemies while the corporate media has attempted to excuse or downplay the violence.

Early into Trump’s 2nd term, agitators targeted then-DOGE chief Elon Musk by vandalizing and firebombing Tesla dealerships and harassing Tesla owners.

In May, Elias Rodriguez, 30, opened fire on Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, at the Capital Jewish Museum, killing both.  He shouted “Free, free Palestine” as he was being arrested.

Last month another pro-Hamas  radical shouted “Free Palestine” as he threw Molotov cocktails at Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, wounding thirteen people, and killing one.
Also in June, downtown Los Angeles saw antifa-fueled anti-ICE riots where agitators assaulted immigration officers, slashed tires, torched vehicles and and defaced public buildings.  President Trump had to call in thousands of National Guard troops and 700 active-duty U.S. Marines to the city to quell the violence.

On the 4th of July, heavily armed antifa agitators from the Dallas-Fort Worth ambushed an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, setting off fireworks to lure police to the scene and shooting a responding officer in the neck.

Left-wing militants also clashed with federal officers at an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon on the 4th of July, with hundreds of agitators attempting to storm holding cells.

And last week, a gunman armed with tactical gear and a rifle  opened fire upon Border Patrol agents at the entrance of a Border Patrol annex facility in McAllen, Texas, injuring two police officers and a Border Patrol employee.

Mari Negro, chair of the Dickinson County Democratic Party, also condemned the Iron Mountain attack in a written statement Monday.

“The Dickinson County Democratic Party does not condone or support violence in any form,” Negro wrote. “We’re glad that property damage was kept to a minimum and no one was hurt, thanks to the immediate response of our local police.”

Hall added that she believes 95 percent of the community feels the same way, no matter what their political affiliation.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitman (D) and Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) have yet to comment on the attack.

After yesterday’s disappointment – and a meeting with President Trump – conservative Republicans flip-flopped and voted to push forward with landmark cryptocurrency legislation.

As The Block reports, The House voted 215 to 211 on Wednesday to move forward and later take a vote on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (also known as the GENIUS bill), which would create a regulatory framework for stablecoins and could be slated to head to President Donald Trump’s desk before the end of the week. 

Lawmakers also voted to proceed with the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or Clarity for short, that takes a whole-of-crypto approach and would create a clear regulatory framework for crypto in part through designating how the SEC and CFTC will regulate.

They also agreed to later vote on a bill to block the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) directly to individuals, which was reportedly the most critical itemn for the conservative Republicans yesterday. 

No Democrats voted yes to move forward with the bills. 

The vote pushed Bitcoin higher (after yesterday’s disappointment)…

And sent Ethereum soaring even higher (notably outperforming its big brother this week)…

Is The ETH/BTC ratio set to retake Election levels and beyond?

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, posted on X during the vote that the caucus would be voting in favor and that they had agreed to meet later to add CBDC provisions into Clarity. 

“This is an important step to ensure Americans are protected from government overreach into their financial privacy,” Harris said. 

Punchbowl News reported that Rep. Greene originally voted no for moving forward with the bills, but later changed her vote to yes. 

Earlier in the day, Greene said she would not vote for it, again signalling concerns over CBDC bans. 

“The only way to guarantee a ban on a central bank digital currency is through law,” Greene posted on X ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

“The GENIUS Act does not ban CBDC or maintain people’s chain of custody.”

During a press conference earlier on Wednesday, House Democrats urged lawmakers to vote no on Clarity. Top Democrat of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters called the Clarity and GENIUS “two of the most dangerous pieces of legislation.”

“Let’s be clear, these bills are a gift-wrapped invitation for Trump to continue his full-scale crypto con,” she said.

Next, lawmakers will take votes on the bills.

Both Clarity and the anti-CBDC bill would have to be passed by the Senate before becoming law. GENIUS has already been passed by the Senate, so it would go to Trump’s desk.

One of the world’s largest and most iconic electronic dance music festivals, Tomorrowland—set to begin in just days at De Schorre in Boom, Belgium—could face a significant delay after footage circulating on X shows its main stage completely engulfed in flames.

Tomorrowland’s website shows the EDM festival—featuring house, techno, trance, hardstyle, and more—is scheduled to begin its first weekend on Friday. The second weekend is set for July 25–27.

Hours ago, Tomorrowland’s X account posted the weekend lineup, including Axwell on Friday, Nicky Romero and Alan Walker on Saturday, and David Guetta on Sunday. 

Tune into the Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 Livestream and follow these wonderful performances on https://t.co/56O4G2BX8r and in the Tomorrowland App. Together with Coca Cola. pic.twitter.com/DADNQWnOmw

— Tomorrowland (@tomorrowland) July 16, 2025

Before…

After: Dramatic footage … there goes the weekend plans:

BREAKING: The main stage of Tomorrowland is on fire.

For those that don’t know Tomorrowland is a massive electronic music festival held in Belgium. Known for its massive stage designs and light shows the event brings in over 200,000 people every year. pic.twitter.com/Ffjv7l4N5B

— Robbie Harvey (@therobbieharvey) July 16, 2025

Test met vuurwerk gaat fout. Hele mainstage in brand. #tml2025 #tomorrowland pic.twitter.com/rborI7IFBr

— Koen Godderis (@koengodderis) July 16, 2025

🚨🇧🇪TOMORROWLAND MAIN STAGE GOES UP IN FLAMES

A massive fire has engulfed the main stage of the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, Belgium – just days before opening.

Firefighters are battling the blaze, with no festivalgoers on site yet, but around 1,000 staff were present.… pic.twitter.com/0YyEEQYOIo

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 16, 2025

*Developing… 

America’s largest power grid has issued another “Maximum Generation Alert” and “Load Management Alert” as temperatures soar across the eastern half of the U.S. This comes amid a national trend of retiring fossil fuel power plants and replacing them with unreliable ‘green’ energy sources—creating a severe mismatch between baseload capacity and rising demand, and raising the risk of rolling blackouts in some areas. 

PJM Interconnection, the operator of the largest U.S. power grid serving 65 million people across 13 states and D.C., issued a “Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert” for Wednesday, ordering all available power generation to run at full capacity to ensure power demand is met during peak hours amid tightening conditions. 

PJM’s grid alerts are procedural and inform neighboring grids of potential export curtailments, advising transmission/generation owners to defer maintenance. Today’s peak demand forecast is around 145,000 MW across the service district.

The NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s latest 6–10 day temperature outlook map shows that much of PJM’s customers will experience temperatures well above average levels for this time of year. 

None of this should come as a surprise to readers: we’ve extensively covered PJM’s repeated warnings, shared a Goldman Sachs note highlighting that the grid is “getting critically tight,” and urged those at risk to consider adding backup power generation at home.