u/RationalExcellence

Trump, Don Jr., Eric, and the Trump Organization dropped their $10B suit against the IRS over the old tax return leak. In return, the DOJ set up a $1.776B Anti-Weaponization Fund paid from taxpayer money and the IRS is permanently barred from pursuing any past tax claims against Trump, his family, or his companies.

The Mirror calls the whole thing corrupt and labels Trump the most corrupt president in history. No money goes directly to Trump. The fund is supposed to compensate others who claim they were targeted by prior administrations.

For markets, this removes a long-running tax overhang on Trump-related entities. DJT (Trump Media & Technology Group) has been trading mostly on Trump headlines lately.

This settlement clears one layer of legal risk, though it adds fresh political controversy. No obvious read-through to broader indices like SPX or sectors like financials (XLF), but it does signal reduced IRS scrutiny for high-profile names.

Article: https://www.themirror.com/news/politics/donald-trump-corrupt-irs-settlement-1847427

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told CBS he plans to gradually end US military aid and shift to an “equal partnership.” Israel currently gets around $3.8 billion a year, but he says the country has reached maturity and wants joint projects instead of aid.

This comes while tensions are still high in the region. It could keep oil prices swinging as traders weigh extra uncertainty.

Energy names like XOM and CVX are the obvious ones to watch if crude moves higher on the risk premium. Defense stocks could also react depending how procurement shifts play out.

I’ve been setting up my trades even on weekends to catch these kinds of headlines early. Trading CFDs on oil, commodities, and metals through Bitget has made it simple to adjust positions fast when news breaks like this.

Anyone else tracking oil futures or these stocks right now?

Millions of manufacturing jobs GONE.

What a strategy...

Cloudflare (NET) reported Q1 2026 results that cleared the bar. Revenue came in at $640M, up 34% from a year ago and above the $622M estimate. Adjusted EPS was $0.25 versus $0.23 expected. The company also narrowed its net loss.

Full-year guidance was raised slightly on both revenue and EPS.

The stock still fell 24% in after-hours trading.

The bigger story is the plan to cut over 1,100 jobs, or about 20% of the workforce. CEO Matthew Prince said agentic AI has changed how the company operates. AI usage inside Cloudflare jumped 600% in the last three months. They're shifting to an agentic AI-first model, so some roles are no longer needed. He called AI the company's biggest tailwind in its history and said the cuts, while tough, are the right move. The company expects $140-150M in charges tied to the layoffs in Q2.

This is a straightforward case of AI reducing headcount even at a company whose core business is internet infrastructure and security.

Anyone watching NET or thinking about how this might play out for other names in the space like AKAM or FSLY?

Clip from yesterday’s remarks is everywhere. Trump said they’ve cut drug prices by 90%... or 500-600% if you spin the math differently.

This lines up with the TrumpRx deals and Most Favored Nation pricing push. Administration struck agreements with about 17 companies, mostly to avoid tariffs in exchange for lower prices on select drugs for Medicare, Medicaid, and cash buyers. Some examples from the announcements:

• PFE; up to 85% discounts on certain drugs through direct-to-patient channels.
• LLY; Zepbound and newer obesity meds capped around $50/month for Medicare patients (was $1,000+).
• ABBV; cuts on Humira, Synthroid, and others via Medicaid and TrumpRx.
• MRK; Januvia family at roughly 70% off list for direct purchasers.

White House claims hundreds of billions in savings over the decade. At the same time, reports from early 2026 show even these same companies raised list prices on hundreds of other branded drugs in January.

Stocks had mixed moves when the deals first dropped, PFE saw a decent pop on the tariff relief news, others were flatter. The real question is the net earnings effect: lower net realized prices on big growth products (GLP-1s, immunology, diabetes) versus any volume lift or policy certainty.

Anyone modeling the 2026-2027 revenue or margin impact on these names? Or is the market mostly shrugging because the cuts are narrow and the tariff threat is off the table for now?

Source clip: https://x.com/atrupar/status/2052794612658376942

The Post published satellite imagery today confirming Iranian strikes damaged hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft, radar, and air defense systems across multiple US bases in the region. The count is at least 228 affected items, significantly higher than previous public reports. One clear example is Camp Buehring in Kuwait.

This kind of under-the-radar escalation tends to keep defense names in focus. LMT, RTX, NOC, and GD have all seen steady interest whenever these stories surface. The images don’t change fundamentals overnight, but they do highlight ongoing risk in the Gulf that wasn’t fully priced in a week ago.

I’m not jumping to conclusions on how far this goes, but sustained tension usually supports the sector even if oil volatility cuts both ways. Anyone else tracking the defense names more closely after seeing the photos? Or are you treating this as noise until we get clearer signals from the administration?

Link

Stats

More billionaires need to do this

Its not just the economy its the culture of those countries that has made their system work.

any ways, for Swedish dad on parental leave... is this true also.