Happy Wednesday Everyone! Todayās newsletter: 1,003 wordsā¦3.8 mins
š Todayās Edition: IRGC Trump Assassination Plotter Killed, Trump Threatens Spain, Next Ayatollah, Congress Gets Classified Briefing On Iran, Jasmine Crockett Loses, X Money With William Shatnerā¦ & much more!
š Bananas are berries: True or False?
šTHE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
š„ Operation Epic Fury: What the Pentagon Says ā and What It Means
War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered the Pentagonās second formal update on Operation Epic Fury, this morning with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The stated objective: Dismantle Iranās missile, drone, naval, and nuclear-enablement capabilities ā without launching a prolonged ground occupation.
America is WINNINGādecisively, devastatingly, and WITHOUT MERCY.
ā Operational claims:
šÆ 1,000+ targets struck tied to missile production, drone networks, air defenses, and naval forces.
āļø U.S. and Israeli aircraft operating with what officials describe as near-total control of Iranian airspace after Iranian air defenses have been severely degraded. āUncontested airspaceā to happen in a matter of days.
š¢ A U.S. submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, signaling expanded maritime operations.
šØRegime change: Hegseth denied this is a formal regime-change war, though he noted that the deaths of senior Iranian leaders have altered the countryās power structure.
šCivilian impact: The Pentagon says it is reviewing reports of a strike on a girlsā school and maintains that U.S. forces are targeting military assets only.
Unconfirmed reports suggest, IRGC Telegram channels conversations revealed an IRGC missile misfired from their launch site (in the schoolās vicinity) and landed on the school itself.
Investigations into the missile and its trajectory are currently underway.
š” Bottom line: No timeline yet. Hegseth declined to specify an end date, stating operations will continue until Iranās offensive capacity is neutralized.
āļøTHE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
šŗšø šŖšø Trump Says āNoā to Spain; Spain Folds (?)
President Trump threatened to ācut off all dealings with Spainā after Madrid barred U.S. forces from using Rota and MorĆ³n bases for Iran operations, citing constitutional and UN Charter obligations.
The Pentagon redeployed 15 aircraft ā including refueling tankers ā away from both Spanish bases.
The EU signaled solidarity with Spain, with Macron expressing support and Brussels warning any trade cutoff would violate WTO and EU-U.S. trade rules.
Within hours of Trump's trade threat, White House Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt announced Spain had agreed to cooperate with U.S. military operations in Iran. Spainās FM flatly denies it.
š”Bottom line: Spainās holding its ground publicly, but behind closed doors, the story seems to be shifting.
š„· IRGC Commander Linked to Trump Plot Killed
Rahman Mokadam ā identified as the IRGC officer behind the 2024 assassination plot against Donald Trump ā has been killed in a targeted Israeli strike during Operation Epic Fury/Roaring Lion.
Mokadam allegedly oversaw covert and external assassination ops.
A 2024 DOJ complaint described an IRGC commander directing a plot to surveil and kill Trump; Israeli reporters now widely name Mokadam as that figure.
War Sec. Pete Hegseth confirmed the āleader of the unitā was eliminated.
š”Bottom line: Mokadam's killing joins Khamenei and dozens of senior IRGC commanders eliminated in five days.
š Iranās Succession Chaos: Is Mojtaba Next?
After the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran is in a volatile succession fight ā and his son ā Mojtaba Khamenei, is widely rumored to be the frontrunner.
Western outlets say senior clerics are debating Mojtaba, 56, a hard-line figure with deep IRGC ties.
Polymarket gives him a 63% chance of becoming the next Ayatollah.
In four days, three names floated: Mojtaba, Seyed Hassan Khomeini (grandson) and Alireza Arafi, whoās widely reported to be killed already.
āEverybody who seems to want to be the leader, ends up dead.ā
š”Bottom line: Iranian officials publicly deny any confirmed pick. Their Assembly was obliterated yesterday as 88 clerics reportedly congregated to vote on the next Supreme Leader.
š½THE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
š³ Texas Dems Pick Talarico Over Crockett
Jasmine Crockett lost the Democratic Senate primary to James Talarico, who secured ~53% of the vote with 94% counted.
Crockett = viral, combative, national profile.
Talarico = 36-year-old former middle-school teacher pitching faith-forward populism on wages and childcare.
ā”Whatās next: Talarico faces the GOP nominee in a state Democrats havenāt won at the Senate level since 1988.
šļø Congress Got the Briefing: Dems Say They Feel Worse.
Rubio, Hegseth, Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Caine briefed all House and Senate members Wednesday on Operation Epic Fury ā 1,250+ targets hit, Khamenei dead, no clear endgame timeline.
The divide: Republicans are largely on-message. Democrats are flagging a shifting legal rationale ā from "imminent threat to U.S. forces" to "Iran's expanding arsenal" ā within 48 hours.
The House is heading toward a War Powers vote. The Senate debate follows shortly after.
ā”The Gang of Eight was pre-briefed. Rank-and-file members say they still felt blindsided by the scale.
š¤ CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AIās Black Mirror Moments
š° Muskās X Money Beta: Beam Me Up, Bank Account
Elon Musk is rolling out Xās new payments service, X Money ā and using William Shatner to do it. Shatner auctioned 42 beta invites in exchange for $1,000 charity donations, with Musk boosting the posts.
What users get:
Metal debit card (via Visa)
Up to 6% APY
Deposits held at Cross River Bank (FDIC-insured)
ā”X now holds money-transmitter licenses in 40+ states. This is Muskās long game ā turning X into a payments-first āeverything app.ā
šø Nvidiaās $30B Bet on OpenAI ā Final Round?
Jensen Huang says Nvidiaās $30B investment in OpenAI āmight be the lastā before a potential IPO.
Translation: the $100B mega-deal once teased? Probably dead.
Huang also signaled Nvidiaās $10B stake in Anthropic is likely its final check there too.
ā”Nvidia isnāt just selling GPUs ā itās underwriting the AI arms race. But as OpenAI heads toward public markets, the supplier-investor dynamic gets complicated.
šŗ FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
Did You Know?
Bananas are actually berries, while strawberries are not!
A true berry must develop from a single ovary with seeds inside the fleshy fruit ā bananas qualify. But strawberries are āaccessory fruitsā formed from a swollen receptacle. Mind blown yet?