Happy Friday Everyone! Todayās newsletter: 1,137 wordsā¦4.3 mins
š Todayās Edition: Putinās Red Carpet Welcome, Alaskaās Backstage Tea, Humanoid Robo Olympics, Blackrock-Saudi Deal, Pete Davidsonās Tat, Hurricane Erinā¦ & much more!
šØ Watch For:
Results of the Trump-Putin Alaska Summit: Aug 15th-16th
šTHE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
President Trump welcomes President Putin to Alaska
šŗšø š·šŗ Putin's American Welcome: Pageantry Meets Pragmatism
President Putinās arrival in Alaska for his first U.S. visit in a decade was a masterclass in geopolitical stagecraft. The Russian President touched down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to a Top Gun-worthy welcome:
A red carpet flanked by F-22 Raptors and a thunderous flyover of B-2 stealth bombersāthe same aircraft used in Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iran.
The two leadersā choreographed greeting leaned into their odd-couple dynamic.
Trump, ever the showman, applauded as Putin approached, then delivered his trademark bone-crushing handshakeācaptured in photos
Putin pointed skyward mid-grip, as if acknowledging the bombers overhead.
They posed on a navy-blue platform emblazoned with āAlaska 2025ā.
The Format: Originally planned as a one-on-one, the meeting shifted to a 3 + 3 formatāa concession to critics wary of Trumpās solo dealings with Putin. This structure is meant to keep discussions tight while letting principals cut deals.
Team Trump: Secretary of State Marco Rubio (a Russia Hawk) and envoy Steve Witkoff (a Putin Whisperer).
Team Putin: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Kremlinās Iron Tongue) and top foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov (the America Guru/Putinās Shadow Fixer).
The expanded roster hints at the agenda: Beyond Ukraine ceasefire talks, expect trade, Arctic cooperation, and nuclear arms chatter.
š” A joint press conference is expected if talks run their projected 6-7 hours.
āļøTHE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
Clockwise from Top-left: Special envoy Kirill Dmitrievās press briefing photobombed by a cute bear; Foreign Minister Lavrov sports a Soviet sweatshirt; a moose party crashes at the military base; the army cots reserved for Russian journalists; stadium corridors leading to journalistsā accommodations.
š Alaska Summit Backstage Edition: Cold Showers, Soviet Swag & Chicken Kiev Chaos
The Alaska summit's pre-game is proving more entertaining than the main event.
Anchorageās hotel crunch has Russian journalists literally sleeping on army cots in a university sports arena!
The communal showers have become the stuff of legend, with correspondents timing their 5 AM wake-ups to avoid the ice-cold water queues.
Meanwhile, FM Lavrov rolled up wearing a soviet style "CCCP" sweatshirt (Reads USSR in Russian), becauseā¦trolling.
The real comedy gold? Russia's state flight unwittingly served their own delegation Chicken a la Kievāyes, the Ukrainian dishāwhile flying to negotiate about Ukraine; sparking memes about āculinary warfareā.
š» And the wildlife: An Alaskan moose and a bear wanted in too, as they photo-bombed press briefings; making for a truly entertaining pre-summit experience.
š° BlackRockās $11B Saudi Gas Gamble: Wall Street Fuels the Kingdomās Pivot
BlackRock just turbocharged Saudi Arabiaās gas ambitions with an Oceanās Eleven-style infrastructure heistālocking in a 20-year monopoly on Aramcoās Jafurah field.
Aramco keeps 20-year exclusive rights to process raw gas, a move to boost output 60% by 2030, cut oil reliance, and fuel industrial growth.
š” Bottom Line: For Wall Street, itās a rare, high-stakes buy-in to Saudi energy infrastructureātying BlackRockās fortunes to Riyadhās push for gas dominance.
š·šø Serbiaās Streets Boil Over
Riots in Novi Sad saw protesters smash and loot ruling SNS party offices, chanting āHe is finishedā at President Vucic.
In Belgrade, flares and firecrackers turned boulevards into battlegrounds as riot police fired tear gas and beat back crowds.
An opposition politician was hospitalized, 40+ arrested, and dozens injured.
The spark: Fury over a deadly train station collapse tied to corruption allegations.
š” Bottom Line: Serbiaās unrest is no protestāitās an uprising brewingāand these riots show no sign of cooling.
š½THE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
Main: Pete Davidson on the Breakfast Club podcast; Inset: The famous Clinton tattoo on his arm.
š SNLās Pete Davidsonās Keeping This One Tattoo
The comedian revealed on The Breakfast Club podcast that while heās erasing nearly 200 tattoos, his ink of Hillary Clinton remains.
āI love that Hillary,ā he said, explaining he got it after her 2016 loss to honor her resilience. āShe was really at the forefront of some bullsātā¦ I just wanted to cheer her up.ā
Clinton even checked in during his removal process, asking, āYouāre not removing me, are you?ā Davidson assured her, āHillary stays.ā
š” In a world of fleeting celebrity endorsements, Pete Davidson's dermis remains ride-or-die for Clinton 2016. That's commitment.
š Hurricane Erin: East Coast Dodges a Bullet (For Now)
The Atlanticās first major hurricane this season is flexing Category 4 musclesābut NYC breathes easy as models show Erin veering into the ocean.
The good news? Models show it'll likely "recurve east" of the US thanks to upper-level winds pulling it away.
Bad news? Even a near-miss means NYC gets a brutal surf, rip currents and coastal flooding, as Mother Nature reminds everyone she's still the boss.
š” Bottom line: When even hurricanes avoid American politics, you know it's been a rough year.
š¤ CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AIās Black Mirror Moments
Main: Humanoid robots competing in a race. Inset: Humanoids competing in a football match.
šØš³ Chinaās Robot Olympics: Where A.I. Athletes Faceplant for Glory
Beijing's hosting 500+ humanoid robots from 280 teams across 16 countries competing in everything from soccer to hip-hop dancing at the "Ice Ribbon" Olympic venue. (video here)
Results so far? Lots of impressive stumblingārobots face-planting during kickboxing and soccer collisions that look like a toddler mosh pit.
They also got medals and walked away with prizes.
The real winner? Unitreeās H1 bot, which āsprintedā 1,500 meters (read: didnāt combust).
š” Every clumsy collision is training data gold for Chinaās AI dominance push. Also, are we cooked? (asking for a friend)
š° Trump Bets on Intel with Unprecedented Gov Stake
The U.S. government is negotiating a direct stake in Intel to salvage its delayed $20B Ohio chip fab and counter Chinaās semiconductor dominance.
The deal, sparked by CEO Lip-Bu Tanās White House mea culpa after Trump demanded his resignation over China ties, could give Washington leverage over Intelās operations.
Why It Matters:
Ohio Jobs: A lifeline for Intelās stalled factory, now delayed to 2030
Tech Cold War: Follows Trumpās 15% China revenue tax on Nvidia/AMD chips
Market Shock: Intel shares surged 7%, adding $7B in value
š” While Intel declined direct comment, it reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Trumpās push for U.S. tech leadership.
šŗ FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
Left: Lorenzo āthe Magnificentā Medici; Right: Michelangelo
Michelangelo lived with the Medici family as a teen
Lorenzo "the Magnificent" discovered 13-year-old Michelangelo and housed him in the Medici Palace for 4 years, treating him like family.
The Medicis were also said to have bankrolled Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci.
š THE ROAST
Because World Leaders Beg To Be Dragged
This is too good šš
ā #Politi_Rican šµš· š šŗšø (#@TheRicanMemes)
3:09 AM ā¢ Aug 15, 2025