Happy Monday Everyone! Today’s newsletter: 1048 words…3.9 mins

🗞 Today’s Edition: Trump’s Ultimatum to Putin, Netherlands Rations Electricity, America takes over Ukraine Port, Elmo Got Hacked, Bitcoin Blasts Off …& much more!

🚨 Watch For: Potential Tiktok deal announced this week

One killer insight to stash in your back pocket

🇺🇸 🇷🇺 Trump’s Announcement: 50-Day Countdown for Putin With A Side Of A 100% Tariff Threat

🇺🇦 Trump’s Ukraine pivot just flipped the board. After months of hedging, the President says he’ll flood Ukraine with “billions of dollars” worth of weapons.

📦 The catch: He’s routing the arms through NATO allies, who will foot the bill.

⏳ The threat: If Putin doesn’t sign a peace deal in 50 days, Trump vows 100% tariffs on Russia and secondary sanctions—squeezing any company that still does business with Moscow (India and China now on thin ice).

💡 Why this matters: Trump’s move blends his “America First” isolationism with cold, transactional geopolitics. It pressures Europe to bankroll the war without committing U.S. troops or tax dollars—but also puts Putin on a public timer, forcing a decision in the coming weeks.

📍NYC angle: Wall Street’s already gaming out tariff fallout. Surprisingly, the Moscow Exchange index climbed by approximately 2.7% and the ruble strengthened, as investors welcomed the grace period and perceived Trump’s threats as less immediate or severe than initially feared.

🔍 Bottom line: Trump’s deal-making bravado just became a countdown clock for war—or Wall Street chaos.

Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves

🌾 Americans Take Over Key Ukrainian Grain Port

🇺🇸 Two U.S. firms—Argentem Creek and Innovatus Capital—just took control of Odessa’s Olimpex grain terminal — Ukraine’s largest, after a fierce legal brawl with local owners.

⚔ The Controversy: The local owners allege this was “politically motivated”. Whereas the Americans assert their actions were necessary to protect their investment and restore the terminal’s operations, vital for Ukraine’s economy.

⚓ Why it matters: With Russia out of the grain deal, U.S. control over this Black Sea export hub is a huge strategic win—for both global food security and Western influence in wartime Ukraine.

⚡The Dutch Start Rationing Electricity

🇳🇱 The Netherlands is rationing electricity as its grid buckles under rapid electrification and climate goals.

🔌 Blame: An overloaded grid, tech shortages, and a messy green transition post-Groningen gas field closure.

💸 With Europe’s highest electricity prices, this is a €200B wake-up call for other EU nations eyeing full electrification.

🔍 Bottom line: Green goals need cables—fast.

🇬🇧 🇱🇾 Shots Fired at British Diplomats in Libya

💥 A gunman opened fire on a UK diplomatic convoy in Tripoli on June 26, damaging two vehicles but causing no injuries.

🛑The twist: The shooter belonged to a Tripoli-backed militia, but London called it "road rage" to avoid blowing up relations with Tripoli's government.

💡 Why it matters: The incident comes as Russia expands influence in Libya, and UK diplomacy flounders; raising concerns over geopolitical control in the region.

Political Drama From DC To NYC

😠 Elmo’s Potty Mouth

‼ The official X account of America’s beloved Sesame Street character, Elmo - went rogue. It called on the President to release the Epstein files and referred to the President as a “child f**ker”.

🗨Damage Control: “Elmo’s X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account.”, a spokesperson told NBC news.

🤐 The posts have since been deleted and Elmo hasn’t tweeted anything in nearly 12 hours. The memes on the other hand, are fire!!

🏛 Trump Axes Education Dept

🇺🇸 The Supreme Court gave Trump the green light to resume Education Department layoffs, lifting a judge’s block in a 6–3 decision. The 6-3 ruling lets Trump fire 1,400 staffers—bypassing a lower court’s block—to gut the agency without Congress.

💥 Liberal justices dissented sharply, warning it hands presidents the power to “repeal statutes by firing staff.”

🔍 Bottom line: Trump’s war on the federal workforce just scored another judicial win.

Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AI’s Black Mirror Moments

🚀 Bitcoin Blasts Past $120K on ETF Hype

🪙 Bitcoin hits an all-time high of $123,000, fueled by a $1.18B ETF inflow — the biggest day for BTC ETFs in 2025.

⚡ With corporate treasuries stacking sats (that’s satoshis for our non-crypto bros) and Congress inching toward crypto-friendly legislation, investors are riding the rocket.

🤑🤑Wall Street bros, meet your new favorite asset.

🤖 Pentagon Drops $200M on Big AI

The DoD is awarding up to $200M to Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI to build next-gen AI agents for national security.

🔍 Bottom line: It’s Silicon Valley meets the military-industrial complex—again. AI is now becoming a national defense asset.

🎲🎰Iconic Las Vegas Sign Designed By A Woman

This legendary “Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign was created in 1959 by Betty Willis, a graphic designer working for Western Neon. A local businessman named Ted Rogich, commissioned the sign. He wanted something bold and audacious to welcome visitors to “Sin City”.

Betty Willis chose to never copyright her design, saying it was her gift to the city.

She passed away in 2015 at the age of 91, leaving behind an iconic and timeless piece of American pop culture.

Because World Leaders Beg To Be Dragged