Mike Margitan retweeted
“In late spring 2020, a source I knew to be reliable called me with a story,” writes Matthew Cole. “The Dutch government had hacked into Jared Kushner’s phone and monitored him as he accessed a Dubai-based bank account. What was odd, the source said, was that the money in the account—hundreds of millions of dollars—had come from a bank in Azerbaijan. Most importantly, Kushner appeared to have transferred significant amounts of money from the Dubai account to other individuals, including a warlord, a mercenary and a one-time hit man. The story sounded preposterous, I told my source. And yet.
Six months later, I found myself speaking with someone else about the UAE government and their use of mercenaries in conflicts around the Middle East and Africa when I asked, on a whim, whether they knew anything about Kushner and bank transfers from a UAE account. My acquaintance grew quiet. Then they replied, ‘Yes.’” Kushner’s lawyer denied the bank account existed.
Read an exclusive excerpt from Cole’s book, ‘Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East’: vanityfair.visitlink.me/Q5_W…
Mike Margitan retweeted
A wild story: the CEO of a US energy company whose plans were discussed during the Witkoff-Kushner-Putin negotiations resigns. Why? He learned that his company's main investor is a sanctioned Russian company, not the UAE
nytimes.com/2026/10/23/us/po…
Mike Margitan retweeted
🔴 Behind me, you can see Oleshky: the town no one wanted to hear about nine months ago.
Now, the world knows but the ordeal is not over.
The next week ceasefire will be used for a “press tour” to whitewash Russia's war crimes.
Don't fall for Russian propaganda.
Mike Margitan retweeted
US energy company execs have resigned in disgust as the Trump family is caught secretly expediting the funneling of $25 billion from a sanctioned Russian energy giant in exchange for allowing Russians to obtain a natural gas project in Alaska.
According to investigations by The New York Times and Financial Times, Russia's Novatek allegedly concealed its financial involvement in the American project through a UAE-linked intermediary.
Gentry Beach, a longtime Trump ally and close friend of Donald Trump Jr., signed an agreement with Novatek to pursue natural gas development in Alaska. Reuters documented the arrangement in February.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin discussed this cooperation on the Alaska energy project with Trump's representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, during negotiations involving Russia and Ukraine.
The controversy deepened when Polar Train LNG's CEO, Joel Riddle, raised concerns about concealed Russian financing and possible sanctions violations. He departed in September, followed by other senior executives.
The Financial Times also described discussions about a potential arrangement under which Novatek would provide technology for the Alaska project in exchange for sanctions relief benefiting its Arctic LNG 2 development in Siberia.
According to The New York Times, Riddle and two other departing executives warned the Trump administration about the Russian financing and urged officials to investigate.
The White House maintains that the project was mentioned only briefly and that no detailed discussions took place. There is no established evidence that Kushner or Witkoff knew about the allegedly concealed financing. Polar Train LNG denies wrongdoing.
The central question is how a sanctioned Russian energy company became involved in a major American energy venture while Putin was discussing potential economic cooperation with Trump's representatives and a longtime Trump family associate was pursuing a separate agreement with the same Russian company.
Selling Alaska to the Russians or selling Ukraine to the Russians - to the Trump family it's all the same.
ft.com/content/e9cfbfbb-e65a…
Mike Margitan retweeted
When first reported, 2025’s jobs reports added up to 1.2 million new jobs.
After revisions, the economy added just 116,000 — 90% less.
Mike Margitan retweeted
Worth two minutes of your time to hear Jimmy Rogers lay bare one of the main ills facing big-time college sports and the athletes themselves.
Iowa State Daily's @henry_annen asked Rogers what he needs from new AD Jared Benko to elevate Iowa State football.
Good stuff.
Mike Margitan retweeted
From the FT:
"Investors are racing to buy credit default swaps to protect their portfolios in the event the AI boom unravels....
In a sign of investors’ increasing unease over the borrowing binge, the cost of buying CDS on many AI-linked companies has hit record highs this month."
#economy #markets #tech #bonds @ft
Mike Margitan retweeted
UPDATE: Lithuania says the overnight arson attempt targeted Starlink infrastructure operated by SpaceX at the Delska data center in Vilnius.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, said the site is part of the Starlink network, providing
communications to civilians, businesses and the military.
Vitkauskas also linked the incident to previous cases in Poland and Bulgaria, describing them as part of a Russian effort to disrupt Starlink operations and undermine Ukraine’s military efforts.
🇱🇹 BREAKING: Lithuania says an attempt was made overnight to set fire to a company storing Starlink communications equipment used by Ukraine, in an incident Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has linked to Russia’s suspected hybrid warfare campaign against Europe.
The attempted arson took place at around 2 a.m. According to Sinkevičius, the company had already been warned by Lithuanian security services about possible attacks, prompting it to strengthen security at the site. The attempt was ultimately prevented, and incendiary liquids were found at the scene in containers ranging from 3 to 5 litres, as well as a 10-litre canister.
The company supports nine Starlink satellite antennas used by Ukraine, making the facility relevant to communications supporting Kyiv.
Lithuanian officials have confirmed that the incident is under investigation. Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas said officers worked through the night collecting evidence and examining the scene. No suspects have been detained so far, and the company’s operations were not disrupted. Any damage is believed to be minimal.
Mike Margitan retweeted
Russia struck Ukraine’s energy sector 76 times since Donald Trump announced an “energy ceasefire,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.
A weekly barrage of nearly 2,700 drones, 1,700 bombs, and 66 missiles proves Moscow rejects de-escalation, he warned.
kyivpost.com/post/87414
Mike Margitan retweeted
Another day, another hot inflation report.
Business inflation surged in September to 6.3% (!). The expectation was 5.4%.
Every category of business inflation was hot, even after stripping away energy costs.
It's inevitable that companies will pass some of these costs along to consumers. It's yet another reason this fight against inflation is likely to be longer than anyone wants.
Business (wholesale) inflation: 6.3%
Consumer Inflation: 3.7%
Another “stellar” report card for Rochester MN schools:
= RPS reading proficiency 47.1%, < state avg 48.6%.
= RPS math proficiency 41.2%, < state avg 44.9%.
= RPS science proficiency 25.4%, < state avg 25.5.%.
More $ does not = better results. PB SpinDrs
Mike Margitan retweeted
Railways 1845. Utilities 1929. Japan 1989. Dotcom 2000. Shale 2014.
Same order each time: stocks peak, capex keeps rising for another 6-24 months, then rolls over.
The trigger was usually a central bank.
Another “stellar” report card for Rochester MN schools:
= RPS reading proficiency 47.1%, < state avg 48.6%.
= RPS math proficiency 41.2%, < state avg 44.9%.
= RPS science proficiency 25.4%, < state avg 25.5.%.
More $ does not = better results. PB SpinDr
postbulletin.com/news/local/…
Wow… re: Covid origin discussion
Bill Gurley: Searching for Feynman youtu.be/A4Q7zAayW20?si=pQ7b… via @YouTube
Mike Margitan retweeted
🚨Oracle might be in big trouble.
Its credit default swaps just hit a record high, and its 2056 bonds are now yielding over 8% for the first time.
Oracle is one downgrade away from junk status.
If that happens, $120 billion of its bonds get automatically pulled from investment-grade indexes.
This comes right after Oracle's force majeure notice on its New Mexico data center, and while long-term US yields are hitting multi-decade highs.
This isn't just an Oracle problem.
Credit default swaps are rising across Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia, and SpaceX too.
The market is starting to worry about how this entire AI buildout is being financed.
