Mojtaba Khamenei; the son of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; is seen in Tehran; Iran; on December 14; 2016. Reza B | Afp | Getty Images Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei , has a new "verified" account on X , the influential social media platform owned by Elon Musk . Khamenei, whose X handle is @Rahbarenghelab_ , went on a tweetstorm Thursday about the war aga...
Mojtaba Khamenei; the son of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; is seen in Tehran; Iran; on December 14; 2016. Reza B | Afp | Getty Images Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei , has a new "verified" account on X , the influential social media platform owned by Elon Musk . Khamenei, whose X handle is @Rahbarenghelab_ , went on a tweetstorm Thursday about the war against Iran by the U.S. and Israel , and the Islamic Republic's response to it. "Dear fighter brothers! The desire of the masses of the people is the continuation of effective and regret-inducing defense. Furthermore, the leverage of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used," Khamenei wrote in one post to his more than 44,000 followers on X. All of the posts have been translated by X from Persian. "I assure everyone that we will not forgo vengeance for the blood of your martyrs," he wrote in another post. In addition to talking about the Strait of Hormuz , Khamenei urged Iran's neighbors in the Middle East to "clarify their stance" and for those that host U.S. military bases to shut them down. Read more U.S.-Iran war news U.S. forces sink 16 Iranian minelayers as reports say Tehran is mining the Strait of Hormuz Iran sends millions of oil barrels to China through Strait of Hormuz even as war chokes the waterway Former Israeli Ambassador: Iran war won't end in a few days Prediction markets face questions amid Iran war, nuclear detonation wagers Russia told Trump it has not shared intelligence with Iran during war, Witkoff says Oil retreats even after Energy Secretary wrongly claims Navy escorted tanker through Strait of Hormuz Strait of Hormuz will partially reopen in 2-3 weeks: David Roche The Iran war threatens LPG supply. India's restaurants are in trouble Iran defends strikes on Gulf neighbors — but they say trust is broken Why China can withstand oil's surge past $100 more easily than other countries Trump says oil price surge is a 'small price to ...
The economic fallout of the US-Israeli assault and Tehran’s retaliation is spreading fast, and pushing the most vulnerable towards disaster Soaring prices at the pump , the scrapping of mortgage deals , and the prospect of higher prices for everything from food to smartphones . The US-Israeli attack on Iran , and Tehran’s retaliation, has rocked the global economy. Consumers are already feeling th...
The economic fallout of the US-Israeli assault and Tehran’s retaliation is spreading fast, and pushing the most vulnerable towards disaster Soaring prices at the pump , the scrapping of mortgage deals , and the prospect of higher prices for everything from food to smartphones . The US-Israeli attack on Iran , and Tehran’s retaliation, has rocked the global economy. Consumers are already feeling the pain of the biggest energy supply shock in history, and Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed on Thursday that the strait of Hormuz will remain closed , according to a statement attributed to him by state media. The corridor is the biggest chokepoint for the global energy system. The relief to oil prices brought by the International Energy Agency’s largest ever release of reserves had already proved shortlived: as the US and Israel intensified attacks on Iran, it escalated attacks on transport infrastructure across the Gulf. But the impact is not evenly felt. In Asia, heavily reliant on the Middle East for crude oil and liquefied natural gas, Bangladesh closed all its universities and Pakistan some of its schools due to fuel shortages. While US coverage is dominated by the impact at home, others are paying a higher price. And it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who will be worst hit. Continue reading...
Warnings were ignored and processes rushed because No 10 had already made up its mind to let Peter Mandelson sail through The arrogance takes your breath away, even to the end. Sacked in disgrace for bringing shame upon those who trusted him, Peter Mandelson’s response, we now know, was to unsuccessfully demand half a million pounds of public money to go quietly, all while haughtily insisting upon...
Warnings were ignored and processes rushed because No 10 had already made up its mind to let Peter Mandelson sail through The arrogance takes your breath away, even to the end. Sacked in disgrace for bringing shame upon those who trusted him, Peter Mandelson’s response, we now know, was to unsuccessfully demand half a million pounds of public money to go quietly, all while haughtily insisting upon his dignity as a servant of the crown. In other words, this week’s disclosures suggest Mandelson behaves in a tight corner pretty much exactly as bitter experience suggests he might. What they still don’t explain satisfactorily is why Downing Street, seemingly alone, failed to anticipate that. To understand what went wrong, imagine the three-step process by which he became ambassador to Washington as a sandwich: two bland slices of officialdom, representing the Cabinet Office’s initial efforts at due diligence and a deeper vetting process at the end, glued together with political filling. Take away the middle, which is the political operation around the prime minister himself, and what’s left is dry bread falling apart in your hands. Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columinst Guardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink? On Thursday 30 April, ahead of the May elections, join Gaby Hinsliff, Zoe Williams, Polly Toynbee and Rafael Behr as they discuss how much of a threat Labour faces from the Green party and Reform UK, and whether Keir Starmer can survive as leader of the Labour party Book tickets here or at guardian.live Continue reading...
mikkelwilliam/E+ via Getty Images Overview Altimmune, Inc. ( ALT ) is a curious stock. By all metrics, it’s undervalued/underappreciated. Its GLP-1/glucagon agonist, pemvidutide, is prepping for a Phase 3 MASH program. Even conservative probability of success/peak share estimates result in a risk-adjusted NPV well over its paltry ~$200M enterprise value. So what’s going on? My last write-up on ALT...
mikkelwilliam/E+ via Getty Images Overview Altimmune, Inc. ( ALT ) is a curious stock. By all metrics, it’s undervalued/underappreciated. Its GLP-1/glucagon agonist, pemvidutide, is prepping for a Phase 3 MASH program. Even conservative probability of success/peak share estimates result in a risk-adjusted NPV well over its paltry ~$200M enterprise value. So what’s going on? My last write-up on ALT was in January and followed receipt of Breakthrough Therapy Designation for pemvidutide in MASH. The company had also just detailed 48-week Phase 2 data, in which pemvidutide improved non-invasive markers of fibrosis and liver health. The drug was also well-tolerated (especially relative to its class), and high-dose patients lost 7.5% of their weight. However, MASH is becoming increasingly competitive, and Altimmune may be a few years behind its competitors. And a pivotal MASH program is no small venture without a partner. Altimmune’s Phase 3 plan also raised eyebrows. “No titration” (unlike other GLP-1s like WEGOVY) used to be a differentiating feature for pemvidutide, but management wants to up the dose in Phase 3 (to 2.4 mg), and to get there will require titration. This will, simultaneously, impact pemvidutide’s tolerability, which was its other differentiating feature (higher doses usually result in more side effects). ALT is down 27.2% since my “ cautious Hold ” rating, and I saw the company has provided further details on its MASH aspirations (see Q4 call transcript , press release ). Data by YCharts So I took another look below. MASH Pemvidutide’s Phase 3 MASH program design has been finalized. It will be a single global pivotal trial specifically structured to support an accelerated approval filing. Author's Compilation The “dual-cohort” approach is interesting. To me, it shows that while the FDA is interested in non-invasive tests for MASH, biopsy remains the “goldstandard.” In fact, the biopsy cohort will serve as the basis for the accelerated approval filing at...
Oil drillers in central California have resorted to the costly and cumbersome alternative of trucking crude barrels 50 miles after the shut down of a refinery and idling of a key pipeline cut off outlets for their products. Up to 35,000 barrels a day of oil used to flow north from California’s once-prolific Kern oil field to refineries in the San Francisco Bay area on a pipeline operated by Crimso...
Oil drillers in central California have resorted to the costly and cumbersome alternative of trucking crude barrels 50 miles after the shut down of a refinery and idling of a key pipeline cut off outlets for their products. Up to 35,000 barrels a day of oil used to flow north from California’s once-prolific Kern oil field to refineries in the San Francisco Bay area on a pipeline operated by Crimson Midstream LLC . The San Pablo Bay Pipeline has been empty since December, however, after one of the key buyers — Valero Energy Corp ’s Benicia refinery — prepared to process its final barrel of crude and started shuttering operations in February. The bottleneck has created a regional glut and is squeezing margins for California oil producers. This comes at a time when Governor Gavin Newsom prepares for a potential presidential bid with an electorate concerned about the cost of living and as oil and gas prices spike nationally because of the war in Iran . Californians pay the highest pump price in the nation, an issue in part compounded by refinery closures spurred by years of what the industry views as hostile regulator policy. Read More: US to Ease Ship Rule in Bid to Tame Spiraling Fuel Prices About half of the displaced crude is being sent on an alternate line, but most of the remainder is being put on trucks in eastern Kern County and driven 50 miles to Pentland Station to be shipped on a pipeline to refineries in and around Los Angeles. Crimson has been spending at least $3 million a month to keep open the option to ship crude on the pipeline. It has promised California’s energy regulator that the conduit would remain viable through at least the end of March, parent company CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust CEO Robert Waldron said in an interview. “If someone calls up tomorrow I could ship oil,” Waldron said. Nearly 100 trucks a day are making the 100 mile round-trip journey to Pentland Station, according to oil driller E&B Natural Resources President Steve Layton, whos...
The German chancellor and his Social Democrat coalition partners need to learn the right lessons, after an election reverse in Germany’s third-largest state For most of the postwar period, the state of Baden-Württemberg was both a bastion of German conservatism and – as the home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche – an economic powerhouse. But in volatile times, even regions that embodied political stabi...
The German chancellor and his Social Democrat coalition partners need to learn the right lessons, after an election reverse in Germany’s third-largest state For most of the postwar period, the state of Baden-Württemberg was both a bastion of German conservatism and – as the home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche – an economic powerhouse. But in volatile times, even regions that embodied political stability and industrial prowess now deliver the unexpected. A come-from-behind victory for the Greens last Sunday, in the first of a series of important regional elections this year, suggests that Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrat-led national government is alienating voters in the same way as other centrist administrations in Europe. If Sir Keir Starmer has Gorton and Denton to anguish over, Mr Merz and his Social Democrat coalition partners now have Baden-Württemberg. Caveats apply. The Greens already had an impressive power base in Germany’s third-largest state , where they have been the senior partner in coalition administrations for 15 years. In Cem Özdemir, their victorious candidate, they also fielded a charismatic and popular campaigner. Mr Özdemir’s personal achievement is in itself a cause for celebration. The son of immigrants who arrived in the country in the 1960s, he becomes Germany’s first state premier with Turkish roots. Continue reading...
A sequel to record-breaking hit KPop Demon Hunters has been officially confirmed at Netflix. The film will again be a collaboration between the streamer and Sony with Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the writer-directors, returning. “I feel immense pride as a Korean film-maker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters,” Kang said in a statement. “There’s so much...
A sequel to record-breaking hit KPop Demon Hunters has been officially confirmed at Netflix. The film will again be a collaboration between the streamer and Sony with Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the writer-directors, returning. “I feel immense pride as a Korean film-maker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters,” Kang said in a statement. “There’s so much more to this world we have built and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.” Kang and Appelhans have also signed an exclusive writing and directing deal with Netflix. In an interview earlier this month, Appelhans said of sequel reports: “I’ve seen a lot of comments on YouTube interviews that have been voted right to the top that say something along the lines of, ‘If there’s going to be a sequel, let them cook. Don’t rush it. We can all wait.’ The audiences are so media savvy now. They don’t know the animation pipeline per se, but they have sort of spoken in the sense of if we make it great, they’ll be there.” A reported release date of 2029 is believed to be too soon given the extensive work required on a film such as this. Bela Bajaria, the streamer’s chief content officer, praised the first film for igniting “a global fandom that crossed languages, generations, and genres”. The animated adventure, about a demon-hunting music trio called Huntrix, was originally made by Sony Pictures before being released on Netflix as part of a first-look deal. It became a runaway success after it was launched on the platform last summer, becoming the most-watched original film in Netflix history. It was also given a singalong theatrical release in August becoming Netflix’s first ever number one film at the US box office. The film was also nominated for two Oscars, for original song and animated film, at this Sunday’s ceremony. There will also be a special performance of nominated song, and number one hit, Golden.
Netflix will pay as much as $600 million for InterPositive, the AI moviemaking company founded by Ben Affleck, according to people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw discusses why the streaming giant made the purchase and how the technology works. He joins Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow on “Bloomberg Tech.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Netflix will pay as much as $600 million for InterPositive, the AI moviemaking company founded by Ben Affleck, according to people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw discusses why the streaming giant made the purchase and how the technology works. He joins Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow on “Bloomberg Tech.” (Source: Bloomberg)
is a news and reports editor with more than a decade of experience. She was previously an editor at Vox.com and Racked. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Get ready to get even more KPop, demonier, and as huntery as possible. Netflix’s smash-hit, Oscar-nominated animated film KPop Demon Hunters is returning for a sequel, with the fictional Korea...
is a news and reports editor with more than a decade of experience. She was previously an editor at Vox.com and Racked. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Get ready to get even more KPop, demonier, and as huntery as possible. Netflix’s smash-hit, Oscar-nominated animated film KPop Demon Hunters is returning for a sequel, with the fictional Korean girl group HUNTR/X coming back to lay down pop hits and smash evil boybands (and/or other demons). Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans will once again direct their first project in an “exclusive multiyear writing and directing partnership” with Netflix. Seeing as the first movie was Netflix’s self-reported most-popular film of all time, the company’s widest theatrical release and first ever box office #1, nominated in both the Best Animated Film and Best Original Song categories at this weekend’s Oscars (and seemingly a lock for at least one award, if not two), and the breakout song “Golden” topped the charts in more than 30 countries, and holding the number one spot on US charts for 18 non-consecutive weeks over six months last year, this sequel is likely just the next step of many. Co-director Kang confirms as much, telling Netflix’s Tudum, “There’s so much more to this world we have built, and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.”
Tether Holdings SA Chief Investment Officer Richard Heathcote , who oversaw the vast reserves backing its main stablecoin and a deals spree involving everything from soccer clubs to humanoid robots, is stepping down from his position. Heathcote is moving into a non-executive advisory role and giving up day-to-day responsibilities, the company said in a statement in response to questions from Bloom...
Tether Holdings SA Chief Investment Officer Richard Heathcote , who oversaw the vast reserves backing its main stablecoin and a deals spree involving everything from soccer clubs to humanoid robots, is stepping down from his position. Heathcote is moving into a non-executive advisory role and giving up day-to-day responsibilities, the company said in a statement in response to questions from Bloomberg News. His deputy, Zachary Lyons, will replace Heathcote. “Richard has played an incredibly important role in shaping Tether’s investment strategy during a defining period for the company,” Tether Chief Executive Officer Paolo Ardoino said in emailed remarks. Heathcote helped Tether turn itself into an investing juggernaut, funneling earnings from the multibillion-dollar reserves backing its stablecoin USDT into not just Treasury bonds, but stakes in companies around the world. For instance, Tether is leading a funding round of about €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in German startup Neura Robotics , Bloomberg reported last week. Read more: Tether’s $150 Billion CIO Proved Himself Getting Cantor Backing USDT has risen to $184 billion in circulation, making it by far the largest stablecoin, although growth has plateaued in recent months. Because Tether must hold liquid assets like US Treasury bills to back the token, its T-bill ownership swelled to $122 billion at the end of 2025, according to Tether’s latest attestation . Heathcote, a former broker at Cantor Fitzgerald’s BGC Group Inc., was key to nurturing the relationship between the crypto giant and the US investment bank, long run by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick . Cantor is an investor in Tether and custodies its portfolio of US Treasuries.
The stock’s recent price action, notably following a powerful earnings advance Tuesday, suggests selling pressure may be fading, raising the possibility that the EV maker could be preparing for a rebound if sentiment toward China’s auto sector continues to improve. One never wants to see a single stock shouldering all the weight of a group.
The stock’s recent price action, notably following a powerful earnings advance Tuesday, suggests selling pressure may be fading, raising the possibility that the EV maker could be preparing for a rebound if sentiment toward China’s auto sector continues to improve. One never wants to see a single stock shouldering all the weight of a group.
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Stocks tumbled Thursday as U.S. crude prices continued their climb back towards $100 per barrel on uncertainty over potential supply disruptions in the Middle East. That inverse relationship between crude and equities has been w...
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Stocks tumbled Thursday as U.S. crude prices continued their climb back towards $100 per barrel on uncertainty over potential supply disruptions in the Middle East. That inverse relationship between crude and equities has been with us since the start of the Iran war nearly two weeks ago. With the S & P Short Range Oscillator becoming more and more oversold, we're looking to hold our nose and do some buying for the portfolio. Our trading restrictions have limited our opportunities, but earlier we shared a shopping list of names we're watching closely. Palo Alto Networks bought the software selloff . The company said late Wednesday it added $1 billion to its share repurchase authorization after opportunistically buying last month. Between Feb. 20 and Feb. 24, the company bought 6.8 million shares in the open market at an average price of $147.69. Great timing by management with shares up about 13% since then. In late February, we downgraded Palo Alto Networks to our 3 rating , meaning sell into strength. We still hold Palo Alto Networks in high regard and view it as a best-of-breed cybersecurity name. However, we didn't want to continue owning two cybersecurity stocks and preferred CrowdStrike for its better growth. That being said, we have been reluctant to sell Palo Alto into the recent strength because the war in Iran has escalated the cyber threat environment, supporting the need for enterprises to consolidate with the best technology providers to protect their systems. Earlier Thursday, we reported on the rise of Iran-linked cyberattacks, something that CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz confirmed directly to Jim Cramer in a text message. "You will see a lot more companies get targeted that are related to the conflict in Iran. And while the smoke screen of the war is going on, China is ramping up the...
sarawuth702 The CEO of drone maker Red Cat ( RCAT ) said the U.S. military would likely be able to easily intercept a drone attack by Iran on California, even if the drones were launched from small boats, according to Fox Business. "We don't have any details currently, but if they're trying to launch vertical-launch mechanisms off of small boats off the coast of California, it's going to be very e...
sarawuth702 The CEO of drone maker Red Cat ( RCAT ) said the U.S. military would likely be able to easily intercept a drone attack by Iran on California, even if the drones were launched from small boats, according to Fox Business. "We don't have any details currently, but if they're trying to launch vertical-launch mechanisms off of small boats off the coast of California, it's going to be very easy to find and very easy to kill," Jeffrey Thompson told Fox Business on Thursday . Thompson added, however, that smaller drones, which can operate at lower altitudes, would be harder to identify and intercept. "The really small ones like FPV drones… are going to be very hard to battle because they're just so quick," Thompson said. Thompson's remarks come in the wake of reports that Iranian or pro-Iranian entities could be readying a drone attack on California. More on Red Cat Holdings Red Cat Holdings: Poised For Explosive Growth As Military Drone Contracts Accelerate Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (RCAT) Discusses Innovation Day With Focus on Corporate Updates, Growth Strategy and Product Demonstrations Transcript Red Cat: Innovation Day Likely To Elevate Drone manufacturers rally amid Middle East tensions; AVAV, KTOS, and DPRO lead gains U.S. drone makers court Asian militaries at Singapore Airshow
Joe Lucosky, founding and managing partner of Lucosky Brookman, joins Matt Miller on "Bloomberg Markets." He discusses, market and regulatory pressures facing companies as they seek public listing. (Source: Bloomberg)
Joe Lucosky, founding and managing partner of Lucosky Brookman, joins Matt Miller on "Bloomberg Markets." He discusses, market and regulatory pressures facing companies as they seek public listing. (Source: Bloomberg)
US Knows Location Of Most Iranian Sleeper Cells Inside America, Trump Says Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President Donald Trump said on March 11 that his administration knows the location of most Iranian sleeper cells in the United States. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on March 11, 2026. Andrew Harnik/Getty Imag...
US Knows Location Of Most Iranian Sleeper Cells Inside America, Trump Says Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President Donald Trump said on March 11 that his administration knows the location of most Iranian sleeper cells in the United States. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on March 11, 2026. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Joint U.S.–Israeli strikes killed many top leaders in Iran, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and denigrated the country’s military, prompting concerns that Iranian undercover terrorist cells, or sleeper cells, may act inside the United States. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz have both publicly warned of a heightened risk of terrorism in recent days. When asked about reports of an internal government bulletin warning of an Iranian cell in California and a question regarding how many sleeper cells are in the United States at the moment, Trump said, “ We know where most of them are; we’ve got our eye on all of them ,” adding that “a lot of people came in” through the border policies of the previous administration. Earlier this month, Abbott warned of potential sleeper cells in Texas after a Senegalese man fatally shot three people and injured more than a dozen people at a bar in Austin, Texas. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the man, Ndiaga Diagne, was wearing clothing featuring an Iranian flag and the words, “Property of Allah.” Earlier this week, Cruz told a reporter that the “risk of terrorism right now is quite high” as he made note of the Austin shooting and another alleged terrorist attack in New York City over the past weekend. In the New York incident, two people were arrested following the attack in which improvised explosive devices were thrown. On March 12, Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first statement on the conflict in the Middle East, saying that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz should be used as leverag...
Stefonlinton/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I began covering Fastenal Company ( FAST ) in 2021. What I first thought of as being just another boring industrial supply company ended up showing up as a highly disciplined, innovative, and technology-driven supply chain juggernaut. Since it’s my first article about Fastenal and I know not many are familiar with the name, it's only fair that I prese...
Stefonlinton/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I began covering Fastenal Company ( FAST ) in 2021. What I first thought of as being just another boring industrial supply company ended up showing up as a highly disciplined, innovative, and technology-driven supply chain juggernaut. Since it’s my first article about Fastenal and I know not many are familiar with the name, it's only fair that I present what the company does. I could just summarize it with their motto: “great people, close to your business, empowered by technology”, but I’ll briefly explain it. Fastenal is the largest fastener supplier in North America. They sell a broad range of industrial and construction supplies (e.g., threaded fasteners, bolts, screws, wire rope, metal framing systems, cutting tools, safety products etc.) through a global network of locations utilizing diverse technologies such as vending devices, bin stock devices, and eBusiness (e-commerce sales, mostly to traditional customer base as supplement to other channels). The large majority of their transactions are business-to-business. First conceived in the early 2000s, the vending machines used to store fasteners, MRO items, tools, and multiple other products, through what is called Fastenal Managed Inventory (FMI), are the backbone of the company’s ability to outperform its peers. Fastenal founder Bob Kierlin's genius was recognizing that something as boring as a bolt, sold with extreme reliability and convenience at an industrial scale, could build an extraordinary business. Instead of a factory worker stopping production to go find a bolt, the right fastener is always stocked right on the factory floor and automatically reordered when inventory runs low. Fastenal FMI (Fastenal IR) I view FAST as a bullish long-term investment, one of the finest industrial compounders in the market, driven by its market share gains, digital transformation, and potential for accelerated growth in 2026. However, at current prices, the valuation leav...