Aggregator

Only 30% of likely Empire State voters told Siena University they take a favorable view of the DSA.

For decades, millions of women have been told to lose weight, exercise more or simply "wait and see." Many left doctors' appointments feeling unheard, frustrated and still searching for answers.

Most often, feeling secure and confident about being well-stocked at cornerback is wishful thinking.

California’s gold is going for dirt cheap. The state’s luxury housing is getting more affordable — with million-dollar homes flying off the market. Four California metro areas landed among the 10 markets with the biggest year-over-year drops in luxury home prices in July, according to a new Realtor.com report. The entry point for luxury housing...

Interfering with homebuying was a first-week priority for Biden’s administration.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said an illegal immigrant drunk driver would never have been cut loose after his fourth conviction.

A coalition representing parochial schools and public school parents is launching an ad campaign urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to opt New York into a federal tax-credit program that would make more than 2.7 million students in the Empire State eligible for "freedom scholarships.”

Initial reports indicate the lightning strike as incarcerated individuals were returning from "evening meal."

World's Largest Alumina Refinery Outside China Abruptly Halves Output On NatGas Disruption

Norwegian aluminum producer Norsk Hydro's Alunorte plant in Brazil, one of the world's largest alumina refineries, reduced output by 50% following disruptions to natural gas availability.

Bloomberg reports that disruptions to NatGas availability at Alunorte forced a 50% reduction in output and sent aluminum prices in London to a seven-week high. Hydro said production would return to full capacity once gas supplies normalize.

Aluminum rose nearly 2% in London and traded at $3,373 a metric ton. Alumina futures gained 1% in Shanghai.

NatGas is critical to Alunorte because alumina refining requires high-temperature heat and steam. The gas powers the Bayer process, which refines bauxite: 

• Digestion: Bauxite is mixed with caustic soda and heated under pressure to dissolve the aluminum-bearing minerals.
• Evaporation and steam generation: Large boilers provide steam throughout the refinery.
• Calcination: Aluminum hydroxide is heated to around 1,832F to remove water and produce smelter-grade alumina.

The disruption means that Alunorte cannot maintain enough steam and furnace heat to operate its production lines, forcing the refinery to reduce throughput. For context, Alunorte is the world's largest single-site alumina refinery and the largest outside China. It is located in Barcarena, Pará, and has an annual capacity of 6.3 million metric tons.

Inventories in London Metal Exchange warehouses have fallen to 250,000 tons, the lowest level since November 1990. Norsk Hydro recently warned that the annual global aluminum deficit could top 900,000 tons if trade through the Strait of Hormuz remained disrupted.

Also in the industrial metals space, copper futures in London are trading above $14,000 per ton as metal inflows into the US continue ahead of President Trump's expected tariff, effectively tightening global supplies.

Surging prices for both industrial metals will only make electrification and decarbonization even more expensive.

"Copper and aluminum are important beneficiaries of electrification and decarbonization," said UniCredit SpA strategist Thomas Strobel. "While copper's investment case is driven by structural supply constraints, aluminum benefits from lightweighting, grid expansion and recycling. Together, they offer complementary exposure to some of the strongest long-term trends in the global economy."

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/12/2026 - 05:45

Bruce Blakeman is closer to unseating Gov. Kathy Hochul and turning the Empire State red than Lee Zeldin was in the home stretch of last election -- when the GOP rival mounted a nail-bitingly close challenge, a stunning new poll reveals.

A California college water polo star saved three girls from drowning in a Seattle lake when she noticed the youngsters struggling to keep above the surface while in deeper water.

"If he knew how much he was helping my career and my life, he would shut up about me because, you know, he's a horrible creature."

The 25-year-old was among three killed in an Iranian drone strike while working on base in Jordan.

“On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate."

“On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate."

Iran's Military Command Reshuffle Digs In For 'Hardline' Confrontation: US Must Meet All Demands For Hormuz Opening Summary

• Iran rejects peace push narrative: Tehran says Hormuz stays closed until the US accepts all its conditions.
• Hardliners take control: Iran reshuffles top military leadership, signaling a tougher stance.
• Pakistan pushes talks: Interior Minister arrives in Tehran for mediation efforts.
• US enforces blockade: American forces reportedly fired on a ship trying to breach the Iran blockade.
• Shipping attacks escalate in region: A Houthi attack reportedly killed three crew members, while another vessel was struck in the Gulf of Oman.

 

//--> //--> //--> Strait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by September 30?
Yes 18% · No 83%
View full market & trade on Polymarket

*  *  *

Iran Pours Cold Water on Pakistan's Diplomatic Optimism

Pakistan started the day by floating optimistic reports of the warring sides reverting to 'moving toward peace efforts' - however that appears very short-lived, or really was probably never a reality, given soon on the heels of these claims a top Iranian official has reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US corrects its 'behavior'. According to fresh reports out of state media sources:

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Rezaei says Strait of Hormuz will not open until the US changes its behavior and accepts Iran's conditions.

This comes amid widespread reports that Iran has just undergone a significant military shuffling of top command leadership, which points to the ascent of the 'hardliner' crowd - as in those who are against signing an MoU deal with Washington...

Iran’s Leader has appointed 6 top military commanders:

• Ali Abdollahi: Chief of Staff
• Ahmad Vahidi: IRGC Commander
• Kiumars Heydari: Deputy Chief of Staff
• Mostafa Izadi: Deputy IRGC Commander
• Ali Ozmayi: IRGC-Navy Commander
• Hossein Taeb: Chief of Basij. pic.twitter.com/3usuJwSm1y

— Arya Yadegaar (@AryJeayBackup) August 10, 2026

The Wall Street Journal and others are picking up on Tehran's obvious shift away from negotiations, and toward a more permanent state of military resistance. It writes: "Now, the new supreme leader, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, is putting his own stamp on the country’s national-security policy amid a confrontation with the U.S. that could last months or even years."

According to more of WSJ's analysis:

In a sweeping overhaul of the government’s top echelon on Sunday and Monday, Iran named seasoned hard-liners to run the country’s security policies and institutions of repression.

It marked the most significant government reshuffle under Mojtaba Khamenei, who hasn’t been seen in public since the war began. U.S. intelligence agencies say he is alive but severely injured, and top Iranian cabinet members say they have never met him since he took office. Iranian officials say he was injured but in good health.

Analysts said the appointments signaled Khamenei’s determination to hold fast in a showdown with President Trump, who is seeking concessions on Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. 

“The regime is preparing for a more confrontational posture at home and abroad,” said Kasra Aarabi, an expert on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful paramilitary force, at United Against Nuclear Iran, a policy organization that opposes Iran’s government.  

For some - especially the non-interventionists, it was obvious the war would take this course from day one.

'Return of Peace Efforts' Headline Pushes Oil Down

Despite what are clearly ongoing attacks on international vessels in regional waters, suddenly mediators are feeling optimism again, and decided to float another apparent round of pre-US market open headlines suggesting peace could return.

Though there's as yet no evidence of this, the Pakistani Defense Minister has signaled that the US and Iran are close to some agreement and that the situation is moving towards peace. Oil prices promptly plummeted ahead of market open. Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, has also just arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials amid going mediation efforts, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.

US Fires on Ship Attempting to Break Iran Blockade

This came ironically just as reports of more serious shipping incidents, at least one of them deadly, emerged in regional waters, but perhaps the brief 'peace is near' headline redux had its intended effect on markets.

And significantly, the US is clearly still enforcing its military blockade of Iranian ports - and so no, the warring sides do not seem 'close' to a return to deal-making, instead the ground reality is quite the opposite:

US forces reportedly fired on a Panama-flagged ship that attempted to run the American blockade of Iranian ports early Tuesday, according to WSJ citing a US official.

"A U.S. military helicopter fired at the rudder of the ship after its crew ignored warnings from American personnel working to enforce the naval blockade of Iran’s ports, the official said," The Wall Street Journal details:

"There were no immediate reports of any casualties in the incident, which took place before dawn on Tuesday. The U.S. official said the ship appeared to be attempting to transfer its crew to another civilian vessel after the attack," the report adds.

Deaths of Crew Members under Houthi Attack

There's been a major deadly attack on a commercial ship in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait region off Yemen on Tuesday, amid the ongoing escalation against Saudi shipping by the Houthis.

Yemen's internationally recognized government has announced that at least three people have been killed in a Houthi attack on an unidentified commercial ship in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, however there's been no immediate confirmation forthcoming from the Houthis themselves.

The small vessel has been identified as the Tanzania-flagged Tihamah, and reports say this marks the first deaths from Houthi maritime attacks since the start of the Iran war in February.

File image via OilPrice

According to emerging details in Reuters via maritime monitors:

UK Maritime Trade Operations said it ​had been informed that a cargo vessel off the coast of al-Mokha, Yemen, had been hit by an unknown projectile, resulting in casualties.

British maritime security company Ambrey said the ship was reportedly targeted and ​damaged by the Houthis, killing three crew members, while at anchor 3.3 nautical miles ​northeast of Perim Island, Yemen.

Two Pakistanis and one Indonesian person were killed as the ship sailed ‌from Salalah ⁠in Oman via Djibouti, the Yemeni sources said. After the attack, the crew lost control of the ship and were approached by Yemeni coast guard, they added.

And yet the stricken vessel does not appear to be Saudi-owned or operated, which could signal that the Houthis are expanding their siege of the waterway to include all foreign vessels and not just Saudi and Israeli-linked ones.

Further east, UKMTO also received a report of an incident involving a container ship and military forces in the Gulf of Oman.

UKMTO WARNING 109-26

Click here to view the full product ⤵️ https://t.co/352rLshzGu#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/5g4OTPteMc

— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) August 11, 2026

If this alleged incident which is closer to the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz is confirmed, it would likely be a directly Iranian-linked incident. WSJ details that "maritime security firm Vanguard reported that a Panama-flagged containership called Vela Nova was struck by a missile fired from a helicopter while transiting westbound through the Gulf of Oman about 71 nautical miles from the coast of Pakistan."

"The missile struck the vessel, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished," said Vanguard, noting that all 17 crewmembers are accounted for.

Since joining the regional conflict on Iran's side, the Houthis - which have long been seen as proxies of Tehran, have attacked dozens of vessels after declaring their "siege for siege" operations against Saudi Arabia.

Overnight Developments

• Iran’s new supreme leader, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, is putting his own stamp on the country’s national-security policy amid a confrontation with the U.S. that could last months or even years. In a sweeping overhaul of the government’s top echelon on Sunday and Monday, Iran named seasoned hard-liners to run the country’s security policies and institutions of repression. WSJ
• Persian Gulf energy producers are concluding that Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz will become permanent, disrupting their oil and gas exports and global energy supplies indefinitely. The problem is they worry the alternative—going back to war—would be worse. WSJ
• There was a maritime incident reported in Bab al-Mandab, with Fars reporting that a Saudi ship was reportedly targeted by the Yemeni army. In other news, 
• Yemeni sources said a second missile targeted a ship while the coast guard was rescuing its crew in Bab al-Mandab.
• The UKMTO has received a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said the world should hold the US accountable for the Hormuz block, while Hormuz security requires end to US aggression, according to Fars News Agency.
• Yemen military source said government forces launched a concentrated attack on militia positions in Harib, Shabwa, according to Al Arabiya.
• Explosions reported in Yemen's Marib, according to SNN.
• Lebanon and Israel are expected to hold the next round of talks in early September, according to Al-Arabiya.
• Israeli forces conducted new strikes in southern Lebanon, according to SNN.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/12/2026 - 05:15

A sex offender dad killed his wife and four children in their Kansas home before calling 911 to report the shooting and taking his own life.

British Police Unit Flags Over 100 Social Media Posts For Arrest Amid Immigration Backlash

Via American Greatness,

A specialist British police unit created to track online sentiment has referred more than 100 social media posts to local forces for potential arrest, according to data obtained through Freedom of Information requests and reported by The Times of London.

The National Internet Intelligence Investigations unit notified local police about 106 posts, with 50 of those flagged in June alone, in the aftermath of disclosures surrounding the murder of teenager Henry Nowak.

Nowak was stabbed to death by Vikrum Digwa, and his pleas for help were reportedly ignored by officers who doubted the dying student after his killer claimed to be a victim of racism.

Footage of Nowak’s final moments spread widely online and triggered protests and riots in Southampton, fueling accusations of two-tier policing among critics who argued Nowak was treated differently from his killer because he was white.

The task force traces its origins to the Southport riots, which broke out after Axel Rudakubana, a teenager of Rwandan heritage, murdered three young girls and wounded 10 others in a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event.

Rather than reckon with the role immigration policy played in the tragedy, the Labour government under then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer labeled the public backlash “far-right” and launched a sweeping crackdown, arresting more than 1,876 people, including some individuals whose only offense was a social media post.

Police chiefs declined to detail the specific posts flagged by the unit, saying disclosure could jeopardize ongoing investigations.

They nonetheless acknowledged the initiative remains “still in the early stages of being established,” a signal that the volume of flagged posts is likely to grow.

Britain already ranks among the most aggressive Western nations in policing online speech. 

The Times of London has estimated that police made 33 arrests per day in 2023 over allegedly offensive online content, totaling 12,183 arrests for the year, all before this new task force reached full operation.

The National Police Coordination Centre, the same body that oversaw Britain’s policing response during COVID-19 lockdowns, defended the unit’s mission, saying it “supports policing’s understanding of protest-related activity in the online environment by developing a broader picture of emerging, potential risks.”

The centre added: “Looking across force boundaries enables the identification of issues that may not be evident from information held within individual force areas alone.”

The online monitoring effort follows a pattern set during the pandemic, when the British government deployed the Army’s 77 Brigade, a specialist “information warfare” unit, to track and influence public opinion, including monitoring journalists and politicians critical of lockdown policy.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/12/2026 - 05:00

Mamdani has resisted the lessons that his family experience in Uganda should have taught him about the dangers of class resentment and racial and ethnic sorting.

A surrogate who refuses to abort her unborn baby despite the wishes of his biological parents has scored an early legal victory in the case – just weeks before her due date.