Happy Thursday Everyone! Today’s newsletter: 990 words…3.7 mins
🗞 Today’s Edition: Houthis Sink Ship, UK-France Go Nuclear, Ursula Survives Vote, Brazil Hits Back, X CEO Quits, Emirates’ Crypto Checkout…& much more!
🚨 Watch For:
Potential announcement on Gaza ceasefire deal this week
Potential TikTok deal announcement next week
📜THE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
Greek-owned cargo ship named Eternity C in the Red Sea. Source: Houthi Media Office.
🌊 Red Sea Flashpoint—Houthis Sink Cargo Ship, Take Hostages
The Red Sea just got hotter. Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck again—sinking a Greek-owned cargo ship, killing crew members, and kidnapping survivors in their most serious attack in weeks.
🔻 What went down:
Houthis pummeled the ship with missiles, drones, and gunfire for hours before it went under.
Some crew were rescued, others are missing or held hostage.
The U.S. slammed the Houthis for the “kidnapping” and demanded immediate release.
📍 Why now? The rebels say they’re targeting vessels linked to Israel in solidarity with Gaza. This attack is part of a wider campaign that’s disrupted global trade and drawn Western condemnation.
🚢 Why it matters: The Red Sea is a crucial artery for global shipping. Renewed Houthi aggression throws maritime security into chaos and risks undoing fragile diplomatic progress in the region.
👀 Big picture: With hostages in rebel hands and commercial ships on edge, the Houthis just dialed up a dormant conflict—testing international patience and reshaping the security calculus in the Middle East just as a historic regional peace deal is underway.
♟️THE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
UK & France Go Nuclear - Homer Simpson might have tips😜😜
🇧🇷 ⚔🇺🇸 Brazil to Hit Back at Trump’s 50% Tariff
🚨Brazil’s President Lula da Silva convened an emergency meeting and vowed “reciprocity” after Trump slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, escalating tensions.
💬 Trump claims the move is punishment for Brazil’s treatment of ex-president Bolsonaro and what he calls an “unfair trade relationship”— despite a $7.4B U.S. surplus.
“Please understand that the 50% number is far less than what is needed to have the Level Playing Field we must have with your Country”, said the President.
🗣 Lula clapped back: “We won’t be lectured by anyone.” and invoked a new law allowing countermeasures against unilateral sanctions.
📉 Markets reacted fast: Brazil’s real dropped 2%.
💀 Bottom line: This is geopolitical chess with a side of petty—August 1 is D-Day.
🇪🇺 Von Der Leyen’s Victory: Survived, not thrived…
🤕 Ursula von der Leyen beat a no-confidence vote in the EU Parliament—but not without bruises.
🗳 Survival by the Numbers: While twice as many lawmakers rejected the motion as supported it;
Ghosting the Vote: 166 MEPs skipped it entirely
Rebel States: In Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, and France, more MEPs backed her ouster than supported her.
Lukewarm Loyalty: Only 30% of Italy’s MEPs voted to save her.
💡 Bottom Line: The motion—led by the far right—flopped, but it exposed cracks in von der Leyen’s coalition and signaled a more combative, unpredictable second term.
🔥 The Roast: Brussels politics is giving some Real Housewives vibes.
🇬🇧 🇫🇷 UK & France Go Nuclear—Together
🤝 The UK and France just inked a landmark defense pact, pledging—for the first time in history—to coordinate their nuclear deterrents against any "extreme threat to Europe."
🪖 The Deal Deepens:
Military ties
Boosts missile production (hello, Storm Shadow upgrades),
And scales up joint forces to 50,000 troops.
💡 Bottom Line: With 515 nukes between them, the only Western European nuclear powers are making a renewed commitment to European and NATO security.
🗽THE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
The iconic image that reverberated around the world: President Trump gets back up after getting shot and raises his fist in powerful defiance.
🇺🇸 Secret Service Suspends 6 Agents Over Trump Assassination Attempt
💂 Six agents guarding Trump during the 2024 Butler, PA rally assassination attempt, have been suspended without pay for up to 42 days.
💡 They’ll return in downgraded roles—no one was fired.
🤯 A Senate report blamed “preventable failures,” from poor comms to rooftop blind spots.
🔍 Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn is holding the Secret Service “totally accountable for Butler.”
🇺🇸 Pentagon Goes All-In on Rare Earths
💰 The Pentagon just became MP Materials' top shareholder with a $400M bet—sending shares soaring 50%.
▶ The Play: Secure domestic rare earths (critical for F-35s, subs) and break China’s 70% stranglehold on supply.
🍎 NYC Angle: JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are funneling $1B to build a new magnet plant—with the Pentagon guaranteeing purchases for a decade.
💡 Bottom Line: Uncle Sam’s now a Wall Street player in the great tech-metal arms race.
🤖 CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AI’s Black Mirror Moments
Linda Yaccarino and Elon Musk
🚨Yaccarino Quits as CEO of X—Power Struggles, AI Scandal, No Clarity
🧨 Linda Yaccarino stepped down as CEO of X (formerly Twitter) on July 9 after two turbulent years—but gave no reason for her exit. Her resignation follows public outrage over Grok, X’s AI chatbot, which posted antisemitic content referencing Hitler.
👀 Behind the scenes:
Insiders say she was a “CEO in title only”
Musk maintained tight control over product, policy, and tech
Her job was to fix ad relationships — but revenue never fully recovered
💡 Bottom Line: Her departure leaves X leaderless at the top, fueling fresh uncertainty about its future.
✈ Emirates Airline Eyes Crypto Checkout
Dubai’s Emirates is partnering with Crypto.com to let passengers pay in crypto by next year.
💳 Bitcoin, Ether, and CRO could soon buy you a first-class seat.
🎯 Target: younger, tech-savvy flyers.
🕌 The move fits Dubai’s larger push to become a global crypto hub—with real-world adoption in-flight.
📺 FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
Humphrey Bogart playing chess with his wife (and fellow movie star) Lauren Bacall
Humphrey Bogart was an avid chess player and played correspondence chess with soldiers overseas in WWII (and you thought playing regular chess was hard enough…)
One day, the FBI intercepted a letter and mistook the chess notations for a secret code. Long story short; he was asked to stop.
