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The property that played a part in inventing the great American road trip has officially hit the market.

The Grammy-winning singer, who's been married to Mulligan since 2012, revealed why the actress prefers silence at home.

The Grammy-winning singer, who's been married to Mulligan since 2012, revealed why the actress prefers silence at home.

Cuba Crisis: Assessing The Claims Against Havana

By Patrick Pillow Via The Libertarian Institute

When President Donald Trump declared Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security in a January 2026 Executive Order, the designation was accompanied by a series of sweeping claims. Among them were accusations that Cuba “provides support” to Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, that it “supports terrorism,” and that the Cuban government supports actors who “seek to destroy the United States.”

What began as a discussion over Cuban intelligence capabilities has now expanded into a much broader narrative that presents Havana as a link between America’s foreign adversaries, militant organizations, and domestic political movements. And the claims have only continued to grow.

At the center of the debate are concerns over Cuba’s intelligence facilities and potential cooperation with foreign adversaries. Commercial satellite imagery has shown development at Cuban intelligence sites, including the Bejucal facility near Havana, where analysts have identified construction consistent with expanded signals collection capabilities.

The discussion quickly shifted from the capabilities identified through satellite imagery. In May 2025, Fox News reported that Republican lawmakers were increasingly concerned that Chinese-linked facilities in Cuba could serve as a platform to “monitor U.S. military movements” and “disrupt critical communications.”

The article highlighted warnings from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) and a letter from House lawmakers Mark Green (R-TN), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Carlos Giménez (R-FL), and Sheri Biggs (R-SC), who argued that suspected Chinese-linked sites could eventually function as a “forward operating base” for electronic warfare and intelligence collection against the United States.

While such facilities could potentially enhance Cuba’s ability to monitor U.S. military and communications activity in the region, analysts have noted that there is no public “smoking gun” directly linking these sites to Chinese intelligence operations, despite repeated U.S. claims of Beijing’s involvement.

In May, Axios reported that U.S. officials believed Cuba had acquired hundreds of military drones and discussed potential drone warfare scenarios involving U.S. interests in the region, including Guantánamo Bay and possibly Key West.

Those allegations were later repeated in a White House report on Cuba’s security threat, which cited The Jerusalem Post and echoed claims of Iranian drone transfers and military consultations. Notably though, the claims rely on anonymous U.S. intelligence sources and the original Axios reporting, while neither the media reports nor the White House assessment provided publicly available evidence independently verifying the allegations.

This sequence of events brings to mind Operation Northwoods, a 1962 Joint Chiefs of Staff proposal that explored staging attacks and attributing them to Castro’s Cuba as a justification for military action. Unlike the Axios allegations, Operation Northwoods was a documented proposal and, while never carried out, showed the lengths governments would go to manufacture pretexts for military action. 

The Axios report itself included several caveats that complicated its claims. Despite the headline, “Exclusive: U.S. eyes attack-drone threat from Cuba,” the same article stated that “U.S. officials don’t believe Cuba is an imminent threat” and that “no one’s worried about fighter jets from Cuba.” Perhaps the most significant admission was that the intelligence could “become a pretext for U.S. military action.”

The timing is worth mentioning: after the administration described Cuba as a national security emergency, alleged it was assisting U.S. adversaries, and warned of potential drone threats, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana to deliver a message that cooperation was possible only after “fundamental changes,” while invoking the January operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela.

The allegations were immediately disputed by both Havana and Moscow. Cuban officials accused Washington of creating a “fraudulent narrative” to justify additional pressure, while Russian officials denied that Cuba had purchased hundreds of military drones from Russia and Iran.

Neither government response proves that the Axios allegations are false, but the dispute highlights an issue: the public evidence behind the most significant claims remains unavailable.

By July, the alleged drone threat had moved beyond intelligence reporting and into political advocacy. United Against Nuclear Iran displayed an Iranian Shahed-136 drone in Coral Gables, Florida, warning that Iranian military technology in Cuba could threaten the United States.

Speakers at the event, including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Rep. Carlos Giménez, emphasized the drone’s capabilities, including its reported explosive payload and range, arguing that such systems could theoretically reach targets as far away as New York and that large-scale drone attacks could overwhelm existing defenses.

However, the exhibit demonstrated only that Iranian drone technology exists—not that the displayed drone came from Cuba, that Havana possesses Shahed-136 systems, nor that Cuba has the capability or intent to use such weapons against U.S. targets. Even coverage of the event relied on claims that “reports” indicated Iranian drones were present in Cuba, rather than presenting evidence from Cuba itself.

The narrative continued to expand with a July 20 State Department report titled Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism, which argued that “Havana had solidified its place as the ideological capital of the modern radical left.” 

The document points to figures such as Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and participants in Cuba solidarity movements as evidence of an influence network. While these individuals openly support engagement with Cuba and criticize U.S. policy, the analysis provides no evidence that they are acting as agents of the Cuban government or participating in a coordinated influence operation.

The claims also extend to domestic politics, arguing that “many of the most significant upheavals in recent American political history—from the George Floyd riots to the rise of Antifa to protests on college campuses—can be linked, in some way, shape, or form, to Cuban influence.”

Of note, the document does not provide evidence that Cuba directed, funded, or coordinated these movements. Instead, it appears to treat ideology, criticism of U.S. foreign policy, and participation in Cuba solidarity efforts as evidence of an influence network.

The report also states that China and Russia have “tripled” their intelligence personnel in Cuba since 2023. That claim traces back to a Wall Street Journal report citing unnamed officials familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments, rather than publicly available or declassified intelligence.

Sanctions-ravaged Cuba can barely keep the lights on, and yet it poses some grand existential threat to the US homeland?

Cuba moves to open several crisis-ravaged sectors of its economy to private firms, as the communist government tries to ease acute shortages of basic goods and services resulting from a US energy blockade. pic.twitter.com/RHBcrpTbH2

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) July 29, 2026

None of this is to say that Cuba does not pose legitimate security concerns. Havana has a history of espionage, intelligence operations, and alliances with U.S. adversaries. The question though is if this history should influence the claims now being made about Cuba.

The conclusion this document reaches goes beyond just intelligence concerns. Rather than simply describing Cuba as a hostile foreign government, it presents Havana as a network of activist groups, nonprofits, universities, and domestic political movements with an agenda. The claims presented make many allusions without providing evidence that Cuba directed, funded, or controlled these movements.

Claims this broad require clear evidence. The history of disputed intelligence assessments including Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, “yellowcake” uranium, and mobile biological weapons programs, are just a few examples where assertions were made while evidence remained lacking or fabricated.

With Havana recently rejecting the State Department report as “propaganda,” only time will tell whether the allegations presented in this document lead to a change in U.S.-Cuba policy or if it will become just another chapter in the decades-long rivalry between Washington and Havana.

Tyler Durden Thu, 07/30/2026 - 20:05

'Situational Bewareness': Star AI Investor Dumps Assets To Citadel After Massive Levered Bets Blow Up Summary:

• In echoes of Archegos chaos from 2021, Situational Awareness - a once $45BN tech fund - has been forced to liquidate its public share holdings due to margin calls from TRS

• Ken Griffin's Citadel scooped up the portfolio (at a health discount we are sure) as counterparties forced the liquidation.

• The fund is now around $10BN (all private holdings)

• Leopold - the fund manager - is getting married this weekend to Anthropic's Chief of Staff

*  *  *

Update (1500ET): Wondering who was involved? Below we highlight the holdings of Sandisk and circled bank/dealer positions (Morgan Stanley, Goldman, Jane Street, JPM, BNP, UBS, Deutsche, BofA etc.) who are all typical total return swap counterparties. 

As a reminder, they hold the physical shares; clients get the economic exposure and leverage synthetically.

*  *  *

Update (1130ET): The Wall Street Journal reports that Situational Awareness, the highflying artificial-intelligence-focused hedge-fund firm, sold the bulk of its stock portfolio to Ken Griffin's investment firm Citadel after suffering deep losses, according to people familiar with the matter.

There were other bidders for the firm's public equities book, which included large positions in AI hardware stocks such as Nebius and Sandisk.

Citadel rival Millennium and Situational Awareness investor Jane Street both put in their own offers, people familiar with the situation said.

But, 'Big Ken' saved the market again (and his own book).

According to the same 'people familiar', Situational Awareness did not sell its private portfolio of AI companies, which includes a significant stake in Anthropic.

Aschenbrenner's fiancée also works for the leading AI company.

The Dario curse:

SBF invested in Anthropic. Stake now worth billions, but fund blows up (SBF in prison)

Leopold invested in Anthropic. Stake now worth billions, but fund blows up (Leopold getting married)

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 30, 2026

From assets under management above $45 billion less than a month ago, Situational Awareness's AUM is reportedly now back below $10 billion...

Not so wunderkind after all?

Perhaps Leopold should have listened to Ken Griffin's warnings from a couple of years ago?

As @GoshawkTrades wrote on X:

A 24-year-old ex-openai researcher ran a fund to $45 billion with eight people, was up 439% net through june, and by the end of july had sold his entire public stock portfolio to ken griffin in a single block trade.

griffin described this exact failure mode two years ago, asked why portfolio managers wash out at citadel:

"you have a portfolio that is extraordinarily highly concentrated, you have large positions, you cannot demonstrate a clear and concise competitive advantage in why you own those positions."

"and there are some people that just, with full information, are unable to help themselves and get to a better portfolio construction."

he was also asked the opposite question in the same interview, why citadel keeps working, his third and final answer was this:

"it's experience. it's the price paid in losses and pain that converts into wisdom. my leadership team, we've been through a lot of very difficult moments of the markets together. we've learned some very bitter lessons. but it makes us much more effective as investors in periods of turmoil and crisis."

citadel started in november 1990. situational awareness started in 2024, long AI infrastructure and short software at roughly 4x leverage. both legs went against it in the same three weeks.

there was no bitter lesson priced into that book yet.

that's what got bought.

he wasn't wrong about AI. he was wrong about the construction of his book.

Here's Ken...

a 24-year-old ex-openai researcher ran a fund to $45 billion with eight people, was up 439% net through june, and by the end of july had sold his entire public stock portfolio to ken griffin in a single block trade.

griffin described this exact failure mode two years ago, asked… https://t.co/kVNwitYcmx pic.twitter.com/Ob7EeXIvUv

— Goshawk Trades (@GoshawkTrades) July 30, 2026

*  *  *

Update (1000ET): Situational Awareness has exited all of their public investments, CNBC’s David Faber reports on air, citing people familiar with the situation.

Faber reports that the liquidation was done “through one enormous trade."

Roughly two-thirds of the assets under management at Situational Awareness were public equities, both that he owned on the long side and that he was shorting, Faber says.

That could help explain the panic bid in Nasdaq this morning, as investors may believe the overhang from this unwind is over...

...do you really think that Leopold was the only 'smartest man in the room' that was using TRS to massively lever into momentum?

*  *  *

In 2020/2021, one fund almost single-handedly used massive amounts of leverage to drive several big media and tech stocks dramatically higher.

That fund - Archegos - run by the now infamous Bill Hwang - used Total Return Swaps (TRS) to build massive levered positions on the back of de minimus capital (and even more notably, without everyone seeing how much he really owns because these were 'off-balance-sheet' swaps).

For a while, everything was awesome.

The prime brokers were earning their interest and Archegos was making bank, Hwang was a genius, as the shares rose on the back of their own virtuous buying circle.

But then, one day in March 2021, one of his big stocks (ViacomCBS) suddenly drops a lot because the company sold more shares.

The banks came knocking for some more collateral to cover the losses (which were huge due to the leverage), but Archegos didn't have the cash (and they had been using TRS from a number of brokers - none of which knew about - creating a systemic crisis). 

The prime brokers were forced to liquidate the holdings (first one to sell wins), and the result was the escalator up in shares became an elevator down (see chart above) in a number of the names that Archegos was holding.

Since then we have had a few scares, but in general, banks have improved their risk management process (a number of risk managers were fired over Archegos).

But, the money that primes can make from the interest and the incessant momentum of the AI bubble perhaps became too much to miss out on... especially when you know other competitors are doing 'the thing'.

All of which brings us to the last month...

About six weeks ago, we raised a big red flag that something was going on as soaring funding costs suggested the banks were offering significant leverage...

Unprecedented surge in S&P funding costs by dealers lending out futures and Total Return Swaps (remember Archegos) to institutional clients. Think of it as lending costs for long positions. pic.twitter.com/x9KQu4r9MK

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 15, 2026

The last few weeks have seen dramatic unwinds of a number of the highest-flying AI-related names (and the total collapse of momentum)...

Put those two things together and we smelled a TRS-Tantrum.

Overnight, we may have found the first culprit caught in this over-levered trap.

Situational Awareness, a hedge fund launched by former OpenAI employee Leopold Aschenbrenner that manages around $20 billion, is seeking new money after facing losses linked to declining AI stocks, the Financial Times reported.

Situational Awareness (SA) said in an investor letter dated July 24 outlining its half-year performance that it had "not been immune" to the market moves, including in Asia, but added that the dynamic had created opportunities for investment, the FT reported. The hedge fund was up 439% on a net basis this year through the end of June, the paper said. 

The fund engaged existing investors and lenders in discussions on raising capital, according to the FT, which cited unidentified people briefed on the matter.

“PS. At times we call out opportunities that seem like a particularly good time to add funds, if you have been waiting for one,” he said in the investor letter, seen by the FT, which was sent in recent days and offered the ability to invest new cash on August 1.

Some investors have been offered the option to purchase assets in its portfolio, the newspaper added.

The talks were described as ad-hoc by one of the people.

As Bloomberg reports, some of the fund’s largest holdings have slumped in recent weeks.

Shares of AI-focused cloud platform Nebius Group NV, in which the fund disclosed a multi-billion-dollar position in May, have dropped 48% from a peak last month, wiping around $35 billion from the company’s market value.

In March, Situational reported a large position in Sandisk Corp., which has fallen 56% in just over a month, and another in SharonAI Holdings Inc., which is down by a similar margin since mid-June.

Do those charts look familiar?

Look again at the PARA chart at the top - pumped and dumped by Archegos.

CNBC's David Faber reported this morning that several of the firm’s prime brokers - including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase - have been working with the fund as it seeks to meet margin requirements or reduce positions in an orderly fashion, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The brokers have been marketing a group of the firm’s holdings on both the long and short side for sale prior to today’s start of trading, according to people familiar with the situation.

These reports have been denied by the fund.

Martin Shkreli (consider the source), confirms that SA is down 50% MTD and that Goldman is liquidating...

Rumors:
SALP down more than 50% MTD
SALP was up 200% YTD and is now down more than 30%
GSCO has liquidated some SALP positions

Source: Godel News
*want to be clear we wish SALP well and hope all of our clients and non-clients do great. just reporting what we're hearing. https://t.co/zcmVNNCK94

— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) July 29, 2026

In around 15 days, the next set of 13Fs will drop and we will discover which dealers have the most TRS exposure on their books.

As a reminder, Bill Hwang was sentenced to 18 years in prison...

Tyler Durden Thu, 07/30/2026 - 20:00

Rotary International is one of the most respected service organizations in the world. So it is disappointing that the organization has chosen someone with a history of bigoted language to lead its “Orange County L.A.” chapter.

The unofficial contest, returning after almost 20 years, is more about raising money and giving locals a reason to laugh at elections than about politics.

Mason Miller continues to raise his stock as the MLB trade deadline looms.

Democrats — most of them, anyway — are smart enough not to name “Jews” as the bad guys, so they pick on “AIPAC” instead.

Mets rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing has bounced back from a mini-slump, going 5-for-10 with five runs and three steals over his last three games.

A 9-year-old American boy was attacked by several ferocious dogs on a Bahamas beach Tuesday and was airlifted back to the US for medical treatment.

Musk's America PAC Reportedly Plans $120 Million Midterm Blitz, Setting Stage For Renewed Left-Wing War On Elon

The New York Times reports that Elon Musk's America PAC plans to spend as much as $120 million to help Republicans in November's midterm elections, signaling that the world's richest man is preparing to reenter the political game with fewer than 100 days until voters head to the polls.

America PAC's spending surge will likely spark a coordinated opposition campaign from Democratic groups and left-wing NGOs, ranging from protests and activist pressure to sustained negative press coverage of Musk, as well as attempts to damage his brands, including Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI.

The Democrats' playbook could resemble their coordinated pressure campaign against Musk when he was involved with DOGE and the dismantling of most of USAID. This sparked street demonstrations by left-wing and far-left activist networks supported by left-wing NGOs, along with an aggressive left-leaning media campaign that sought to make him the public face of the administration's agenda.

The NYT report is based on "two people briefed on the plans," and like many stories run by left-leaning corporate media. Musk usually denies the reports on X, but if this report is correct, it says Musk authorized America PAC to build a field operation across at least eight states, targeting Senate races in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, and Ohio, while considering contests in North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas.

America PAC is also gearing up to support House candidates in California, Wisconsin, and Washington, according to those people.

Musk's nearly $300 million bet on the 2024 campaign proved politically successful. Still, it came at a steep cost to his brands, which became targets of information warfare operations with coordinated pressure from left-wing journalists and NGO-backed activist groups.

Remember when MSM outlets ramped up stories portraying Musk as a Nazi while he was at DOGE, dismantling the left's USAID slush fund?

This is how the information operations game is played, and the ones being played were the American people.

Remember, the far-left even launched a firebomb campaign against Tesla service centers, as the left fringe rules through intimidation, violence, and terrorism.

JUST IN: Tesla firebomb attacker indicted by federal grand jury, facing 20 years in prison. pic.twitter.com/uj94L8ym6t

— Remarks (@remarks) April 1, 2025

Judging by Musk's X posts and the broader Republican Party's increasingly new messaging, the GOP appears to be converging on a single marketing platform ahead of the midterms: Democrats serve as the political vehicle for a socialist and Marxist takeover. It's that simple.

That narrative is not being manufactured from nothing. The Democratic Socialists of America's own rhetoric about dismantling the American "empire" from within gives Republican strategists a political gift in the market while establishment Democrats fret over their party fracturing in a far-left revolutionary takeover.

The emerging theme for America PAC and Republican candidates will likely focus on anti-communism, framing the election as a choice between capitalism vs. socialism, national sovereignty vs. border abolition, and law and order vs. violent crime and revolution.

DSA has effectively handed Republicans the advertising material to connect illegal alien invasion, violent crime, attacks on law enforcement, street unrest, and all other failed globalist policies under a single ideological threat narrative. That is precisely the political branding that establishment Democrats fear and are melting down over (read here & here).

Tyler Durden Thu, 07/30/2026 - 19:40

Flock Safety currently partners with more than 60 Arizona law enforcement agencies, though some cities have begun backing away from the technology.

The Happiest Place on Earth is cleaning house, and Disney die-hards can take home some seriously strange souvenirs home.

An independent analyst rates the race between 2-term incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley in the Hudson Valley's swing 17th House District as a toss-up.

The Women's National Basketball Association may claim to put women first, but the league sure has a funny way of showing it.  

As Fernando Mendoza has been getting settled into his first NFL Training Camp, the Raiders are hoping he can be for their offense what Maxx Crosby is for their defense. According to Levi Damien of The Raiders Wire, Crosby has been a major help in developing Mendoza as the future leader of the Raiders. “He’s...

Kaelon Black has yet to play in an NFL game, and he’s already leaving a strong impression on 49ers veterans at training camp. Running back Christian McCaffrey was quick to praise his teammate when asked about him after Wednesday’s practice and called him “stacked.” “You can tell he’s played a high level of football; he’s...

Adva Lavie was dressed in a blue prison gown and cuffed as she entered a Los Angeles courtroom.

A fierce second-alarm fire tore through a commercial building in Vernon.