Podcasts about Gulf

Helicopters. Cargo containers. Old washing machines. For years, fishermen dumped this waste into the Gulf of Mexico. But they weren't just trying to get rid of junk; they were trying to create artificial reefs that would help attract fish. For this month's Nature Quest, WWNO coastal reporter Eva Tesfaye takes a (metaphorical) dive into the gulf to find out if Alabama's ocean junkyard is an economic – and environmental – solution.This episode is part of Nature Quest, our monthly segment that brings you a question from a Short Waver who is noticing a change in the world around them.Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org telling us your name, location and a question about a change you're seeing in nature – it could be our next Nature Quest episode!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

North Dakota State Climatologist Daryl Ritcheson joins the show for his annual check-in about the climate (our fourth???) - He and Jacob revisit last year's forecast misses and hits before diving into 2026. They explore the transition from La Niña to El Niño, implications for U.S. agriculture, hurricane risk in the Gulf, and crop prospects in South America and the Black Sea. The discussion then widens into a candid debate over sea level rise, extreme weather trends, and climate data interpretation... Highlighting disagreements, long-term cycles, and the importance of questioning assumptions in an era of clickbait and politicized climate narratives.--Timestamps:(00:00) - Welcome(01:40) - Forecast Scorecard(04:02) - Federal cuts & the National Weather Service(06:52) - AI in meteorology(09:18) - Weather hype, clickbait, and short public memory(13:17) - 2026: La Niña fading, El Niño on deck(14:39) - Atlantic hurricane outlook for 2026 (Gulf Coast focus)(19:32) - Heartland & farm belt forecast(22:30) - West vs. Rockies(24:30) - Global Ag weather(27:44) - Black Sea outlook(29:34) - 1.5°C Threshold: What the Recent Record Heat Means(34:26) - Satellites vs. Tide Gauges(35:48) - Glaciers, Natural Cycles & Past Warm Periods(37:25) - Extreme Weather Claims(40:09) - Tornado Trends & the Problem of Short Data Windows(42:41) - What Actually Keeps Daryl Up at Night(44:50) - Depoliticizing Climate Talk(49:12) - India & the Monsoon(52:22) - Trusted Data Sources, Raw Data, and “Weather Rhymes”--Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.comJacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShapJacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe --The Jacob Shapiro Show is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com--Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today's volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.--

James Van der Beek's death raises the question … why are so many young people dying of colorectal cancer? Dr Andrea Dwyer, cancer expert joins KCBS, Plus,w hy do our brains make us hesitate? with Dr. Eric Eitry, prof at Carnegie Mellon on KCBS and great white sharks in the Gulf with Prof Sean Powers and Tommy Tucker out of WWL.

Tensions with Iran are heating up again, nuclear negotiations are stalling, deadlines are being floated, and questions are growing about whether this ends in diplomacy or something more serious. What is really happening behind the scenes, and how close are we to a major shift in U.S. policy? Dr. Kelly Shannon, Historian of U.S. foreign relations, Fellow at Georgetown University and a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University, joins Ian Hoch to talk about it.

We're gonna play this on a Monday! Ann is back again and Katie is back again and she went to some place called Punta Gorda Florida where she was looking at all kinds of animals and deers and boners out in nature. Edward really likes Ann's innuendo voice, we talk about the Gulf of America, Ann talks about her mail order adventure, Luke complains about the general public, Jaclyn and Katie share some info about their cheese people and Edward introduces us to his brand new game. Back in the olden days, there was a catalog showroom called Witmark that you could see crap to buy. Our contest this week is guessing how much all the neat crap in the catalog actually cost in US American dollars! Can you guess how much a Casio watch used to cost? Who was out there buying hobo clowns? Do you want your own Ted DiBiase wrastlin man? Play along this week only on Bubbles' Mushrooms!

Allen covers Vestas’ turbine supply deal with RWE for the 1.4 GW Vanguard West offshore project in England and its bid for TPI Composites’ blade factories in bankruptcy court. Plus Germany’s Nordlicht One foundations arrive ahead of schedule and Enel buys $1 billion in US wind and solar assets. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! You know … there is a company in Denmark that makes wind turbines. Vestas. And this week … Vestas had itself quite a week. On one hand … the Danish giant just locked in a deal to supply ninety-two of its massive V236 turbines to RWE’s Vanguard West project off the east coast of England. One-point-four gigawatts of offshore wind. Each turbine … fifteen megawatts. That project just won a Contract for Difference in the UK’s Allocation Round Seven. RWE and its partner KKR want a final investment decision by this summer … and power flowing by twenty twenty-nine. And this is part of something bigger. RWE signed preferred supplier agreements with Vestas back in December of twenty twenty-three for the entire four-point-two gigawatt Norfolk Wind Zone. That is three massive projects … off one English coast. So Vestas is building turbines for the British. But here is where it gets interesting. Over in a Houston bankruptcy court … wind blade maker TPI Composites has been carving up its assets since filing Chapter Eleven last August. A firm called ECP V acquired the bulk of TPI’s remaining operations. They were the only bidder. The auction … canceled. But certain facilities in Mexico and India? Those were carved out of the deal entirely. And the company circling those assets? Vestas. The very same Vestas building turbines for England has put in its own qualified bid for the blade-making plants that once served it as a customer. So while one hand signs turbine contracts … the other reaches into bankruptcy court to secure its own supply chain. Now … across the North Sea in Germany … the Nordlicht offshore wind cluster just hit a milestone of its own. The first monopiles and transition pieces for Nordlicht One … finished ahead of schedule. Sixty-eight foundations. Each monopile … eighty meters long. Nearly thirteen hundred tonnes of steel. When complete … Nordlicht One will be Germany’s largest offshore wind farm at nine hundred and eighty megawatts. Combined with Nordlicht Two … the cluster will generate six terawatt-hours of clean electricity every year. And then there is Italy’s Enel. The power giant announced it is buying eight hundred and thirty megawatts of American wind and solar assets from Excelsior Energy Capital … for one billion dollars. That deal closes later this year. And it will push Enel’s North American renewable capacity to thirteen gigawatts. Globally … Enel Green Power now commands sixty-eight gigawatts of clean energy. So let us step back and look at the picture. A Danish turbine maker wins a massive English contract … while quietly bidding on bankrupt blade factories to protect its own supply chain. German foundations arrive ahead of schedule. And an Italian energy giant bets one billion dollars on American renewables. From the North Sea to the Gulf of Mexico … from English coastlines to Houston courtrooms … wind energy is not slowing down. It is building … faster. And now you know … the rest of the story. Good day!

Please take 5 minutes to fill out Ark Media's LISTENER SURVEY ____ As American military assets flow into the Middle East and Tehran prepares its response to Washington's demands, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to assess whether President Trump is leaning toward diplomacy or decisive military action. They break down what's real, what's signaling, what would be the goals and scope of an American attack, and whether Israel is preparing to take part in it. In this episode: - Is Trump leaning toward a strike or a deal? - What “zero enrichment” really means and why it matters - Pickaxe Mountain and Iran's rebuilding nuclear infrastructure - The scale of U.S. military deployments in the region - Israel's preparedness and the missile defense dilemma - Hezbollah, Gulf states, and regional spillover risks - Symbolic strike or regime-level operation? - How politics, legacy, and red lines shape Trump's decision More Ark Media: Subscribe to Inside Call me Back Explore Israel Votes Listen to For Heaven's Sake Listen to What's Your Number? Watch Call me Back on YouTube Newsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav Eyal Instagram | Ark Media | Dan X | Dan Dan Senor & Saul Singer's book, The Genius of Israel Get in touch Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

Jeffrey Epstein's relationship with elements of the Saudi royal family has long hovered in the background of the scandal, rarely explored with the seriousness it deserves. Epstein moved easily within elite Gulf circles during the 1990s and early 2000s, cultivating relationships with Saudi businessmen, royals, and intelligence-adjacent figures under the same vague cover he used everywhere else: finance, philanthropy, and “advising” powerful people. His access was not casual. Epstein traveled repeatedly to Saudi Arabia, hosted Saudi nationals at his properties, and was known to facilitate introductions between Middle Eastern elites and Western political and financial figures. As with many of his relationships, the exact nature of the services he provided remains opaque, but the pattern is familiar: proximity to power, insulation from scrutiny, and an ability to operate across borders with little interference from U.S. authorities.The most disturbing and concrete piece of evidence tying Epstein to Saudi state-level protection surfaced after his 2019 arrest, when law enforcement discovered he was in possession of a Saudi passport. The passport listed a false name but included his photograph, raising immediate red flags about who issued it, why it existed, and how Epstein obtained it. This was not a novelty item or souvenir. Saudi passports are tightly controlled state documents, and possession of one by a non-citizen under an alias strongly suggests official facilitation rather than private forgery. Epstein claimed he used it for travel in the Middle East, yet no serious public accounting has ever been given for how a convicted sex offender and alleged intelligence-linked financier ended up holding sovereign identity documents from a foreign monarchy. Like so much of the Epstein story, the discovery was quickly noted, then quietly sidelined, leaving unanswered questions about foreign intelligence ties, diplomatic cover, and how deep Epstein's international protection network truly went.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Meet Patricia Caswell, a lifelong mariner and General Manager of the Superyacht Service Centre at Gulf Craft Group, UAE. With decades at sea and in maritime leadership, she oversees superyacht maintenance, refit, and operations. Passionate about mentoring and inclusivity, Patricia champions excellence, innovation, and diversity while helping position the UAE as a global superyacht hub.FOLLOW Captain PatriciaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/captain-patricia-caswell-08410130/FOLLOW Gulf Craft Group:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gulf-craft-group/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gulfcraftgroupWebsite: ⁠https://gulfcraftgroup.comYACHT FEMMEWebsite: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.yachtfemme.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yachtfemme/Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/yacht-femme/

In this episode host Iain Ballantyne talks to guest Steve Kershaw, a former Royal Navy submarine officer, about his amazing career under the sea and his work today helping to bring about the UK'S ‘Hybrid Navy' transformation.Iain kicks off by asking Steve to explain what led him to choose a naval career in the mid-1980s and why it was the engineering side of the Senior Service that appealed most.After talking about his time undergoing Initial Sea Training and being ‘streamed' to the Submarine Service as an engineer, Steve relates how for a short period he returned to the Surface Fleet. He spent time in HMS London, including a foray to Berlin as the infamous Wall dividing East and West came down in late 1989.Steve served in several Royal Navy nuclear-powered hunter killer submarines (SSNs) of the Trafalgar Class, including during the 1991 Gulf War. That boat spent 13 weeks dived in the Mediterranean watching Libya to ensure it did not come into the conflict on the side of Saddam Hussein.Steve also went to sea in the Upholder Class diesel-electric submarine HMS Unicorn for a marathon voyage from the UK to the Indian Ocean and Gulf and back. He reveals to Iain how he found the ‘dirty boat' world aboard Unicorn to be somewhat different to the nukes.While away the UK Government decided to take the four (fairly new) Upholders out of commission, which was a blow. Steve reveals the impact that had on Unicorn's crew. A deployment involving Steve, which hit the headlines for the wrong reasons was that of HMS Tireless as part of Naval Task Group 2000, and which saw a circumnavigation of the world cancelled. The SSN was ‘trapped' in Gibraltar for a year due to serious technical problems and Steve returned home rather than going around the world.Among other things Iain and Steve discuss is his time with Naval Sea Trials Party 30 (NSTP 30) and its work to ensure RN submarine sensors remained on the cutting edge during a continuing contest under the sea.Steve and Iain also discuss how the ‘Hybrid Navy' aims to provide a solution to giving the British fleet of today and tomorrow more mass and presence at sea as part of the new Atlantic Bastion concept.*For more on navies and their activities worldwide, get the magazine! Web site http://bit.ly/wifrmag Also, follow it on X @WarshipsIFR Facebook @WarshipsIFR and Warships IFR TV on YouTube @warshipsifrtv3668 • Steve Kershaw served 21 years in the UK submarine service and has spent the rest of his career consulting in Defence and Security. He has been at PwC for over 15 years and a partner for 11 of them. His primary role is to lead consulting teams working in the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). He is also PwC's Global Security and Defence Sector leader, helping individual territories and multi-national accounts such as NATO to develop and utilise the best that PwC has to offer. He specialises in improving military programmes and procurements and also enterprise-wide transformation.•Iain Ballantyne is the founding and current Editor of ‘Warships IFR' magazine (first published in 1998) along with its ‘Guide to the Royal Navy' (since 2003) and ‘Guide to the US Navy' (since 2018). Iain is also author of the books ‘Hunter Killers' (Orion) and ‘The Deadly Trade' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), both about submarine warfare, plus ‘Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' and ‘Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom' (both published by Canelo). In 2017 Iain was awarded a Fellowship by the British Maritime Foundation, which promotes awareness of the United Kingdom's dependence on the sea and seafarers. Visit his web site Bismarckbattle.com and follow him on X @IBallantyn

//The Wire//2300Z February 20, 2026////ROUTINE////BLUF: STRATEGIC MOVEMENT CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EAST. CALTECH SCIENTIST FOUND MURDERED AT HIS HOME IN CALIFORNIA. TERRORIST CONDUCTS VEHICLE RAMMING ATTACK ON ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION IN NEVADA.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events-Middle East: The airlift of American forces into the region has largely transitioned to a steady flow of logistics and cargo aircraft, as the fighters and tankers have completed their forward deployment to airbases mostly in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) flights adjacent to Iranian airspace have continued over the past few days, as last-minute checks are conducted before the final "GO" command is given.Weather: The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for Imam Khomeini International Airport (OIIE) indicates clear weather for the next few days. Westerly winds of 12 kts are expected in Tehran, and visibility is forecasted to be at least 5 miles for the next few days. Current METARs for other locations around the region confirm that there are no cloud ceilings, and clear skies are expected throughout the next week.Sea conditions in the Gulf are similarly excellent, with the sea state remaining calm throughout the evenings as standard for this time of year. Light chop is expected in the afternoon on Saturday, with otherwise smooth seas expected for the Strait of Hormuz for the new two days.-HomeFront-Nevada: This afternoon authorities in Boulder City released preliminary information regarding a terror attack that was conducted last night. Details are sketchy at best, with authorities stating only that an individual from New York traveled to Boulder City with the intent to conduct a terrorist attack. At some point last night, the unnamed individual rammed a vehicle into an electrical substation near Boulder City, before taking their own life.Analyst Comment: As of right now, very little information has been made public, and due to the remote nature of the attack site, no civilians witnessed the incident. Authorities have not confirmed which electrical site was targeted, however the Mead Substation is the only facility in the area that matches the loose description provided by police. The suspect has not been identified, and the circumstances of how this event developed have not yet been disclosed, beyond stating that this was a deliberate terror attack. More information is expected this afternoon, as this is a developing situation at the time of this report.California: This morning more details were disclosed regarding a murder that was committed on Monday. Carl Grillmair, a renowned astronomer and researcher at the California Institute of Technology, was found murdered at his home just outside Los Angeles, after being shot in the chest on his front porch on Monday. A few days after the murder, the suspect was identified as Freddy Snyder, who was arrested on Wednesday.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Any time a high-profile murder is committed, a closer look at the case is warranted. Authorities working the case have portrayed this crime as a carjacking-gone-wrong, as the lead suspect has a long history of carjacking. Upon conducting the shooting, the suspect immediately ran to a neighbor's home and attempted to carjack them as well, according to local media reports.However, beyond the rap sheet of the alleged suspect, none of the details as presented make sense simply based on the location of the murder. The victim was a well-known astronomer, and as a result he lived in the middle of nowhere so as to avoid light pollution as much as possible for his home stargazing and research efforts. This residence is so remote that it's exceptionally unlikely that this was a random crime. To get to this residence, the assailant would have had to drive down multiple dead-end roads, in

THERE IS A FEEDBACK FROM HKJ'S HEADPHONES TO HIS MIC - THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE FIXED - I HAVE BEEN TOLD HKJ HAS BEEN YELLED AT APPROPRIATELY. AI slop from our mate Claude Sonnet 4.6 - who is a good slopmaker and a blessed robot.Jack the Insider and Hong Kong Jack are back for Episode 145, kicking off with Chinese New Year greetings before diving headlong into the Liberal Party's new leadership under Angus Taylor, Victoria's CFMEU corruption saga, and the ever-deepening Epstein files rabbit hole. They roam through the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky's sharp Putin put-down, Cuba's unravelling regime, and the Iran situation — then lighten the mood with one-hit wonders in literature, the T20 World Cup disaster, AFL State of Origin, Winter Olympics, and the Premier League title race. Buckle up.SHOW NOTES WITH TIMESTAMPS

In today's Smashi Business Show, Gulf-backed Anthropic triggers a cybersecurity selloff, Lakshmi Mittal expands ArcelorMittal in Sharjah, and the Trump administration advances a proposed civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia.

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing SEND HELP (2026), from writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the film is directed by Sam Raimi.  A mousy corporate strategist named Linda (Rachel McAdams) and her arrogant, nepo-baby boss Bradley (Dylan O'Brien) are the only survivors of a private jet crash on a remote island in the Gulf of Thailand.  The workplace hierarchy is instantly demolished when Linda reveals she is a "Survivor" super-fan with formidable wilderness skills, leaving the injured and helpless Bradley entirely dependent on the employee he previously humiliated and passed over for a promotion.  As their isolation stretches on, the survival mission descends into a darkly comedic and visceral battle of wills, where the shifting power dynamic becomes just as dangerous as the elements themselves.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 53 m, is rated R and is currently in theaters.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. #SendHelp #DamianShannon #MarkSwift #SamRaimi #RachelMcAdams #Linda #DylanOBrien #Bradley #EdyllIsmail #Zuri #XavierSamuel #Donovan #DarkComedy #PsychologicalHorror #PsychologicalThriller #Thriller #Adventure #Horror #InTheatersNow #NewRelease #FridayFamilyFilmNight Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

It's … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode: Why you better hope you retire at juuuust the right time, why the researchers at the Federal Reserve are being scolded by a White House economic advisor, and taking boneless chicken to court. Related episodes: Chicken meat, Gulf of Mexico lawsuit and Social Security beyond the grave Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths What would it take to fix retirement? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez and Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The crew dives into practical cooking technique: why some induction burners struggle to push a roux dark (and how throttling, pan material, and heat management affect the result), followed by a broader discussion of “high instantaneous heat, low average heat” cooking—rotisserie logic, off-and-on grilling, and moisture control strategies that build crust without overcooking. Dave also revisits shrimp quality—why wild Gulf shrimp taste dramatically better than commodity farmed blocks—and shares recent kitchen experiments, including Austrian scarlet runner beans with pumpkin seed oil and beta-carotene “Golden Fluff-O” biscuit trials. Along the way: New Orleans food notes, po'boy bread realities, and the usual rapid-fire equipment and technique tangents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a “surgical strike” meets a country that's spent years hardening its air defenses, extending missile range, and practicing asymmetric warfare? We sit down with Larry Johnson to test the myths, map the ranges, and weigh what a U.S. or Israeli hit on Iran would truly unleash. From carrier standoff distances and Tomahawk limits to GPS disruption and Russian-made air defenses, we break down the real capabilities and constraints that rarely make it into headlines—and why quick wars promised from podiums so often become long, costly stalemates. The conversation widens to Israel's calculus and the political push in Washington. Can Jerusalem act alone if Iran crosses a ballistic red line? Johnson argues the “12-day war” already answered that: retaliation arrived within hours, pressure mounted by day six, and only a quiet workaround ended the exchange. We also unpack the emerging China–Russia–Iran defense ecosystem—3D radar, GPS jamming, naval drills—that raises the cost of any strike and heightens the chance of spillover into the Gulf, the Red Sea, and global energy routes. Deterrence by threat of nukes sounds simple; in a crowded neighborhood of nuclear and near-peer powers, it's a dangerous bet. With the last U.S.–Russia arms control guardrail gone, tensions don't just simmer—they set the stage for miscalculation. Johnson lays out how New START's collapse, escalating sanctions, and unkept diplomatic signals leave Moscow convinced that only battlefield facts count. That leads us to Ukraine's outlook: dwindling manpower, training pipelines under missile threat, and a Russian campaign that advances by attrition and pressure. We explore why Odessa remains pivotal, how air defense shortages compound losses, and what a negotiated end might look like when one side insists on new borders and the other can't regenerate combat power fast enough. If you value clear-eyed analysis over slogans, this deep dive connects the dots between Iran, Israel, Russia, China, and Ukraine with a focus on capabilities, logistics, and consequences. Follow the show, share this episode with a friend who tracks geopolitics, and leave a review telling us where you think the off-ramp lies.

Is the market teetering on the edge of a "seminal collapse"? On this episode of Volatility Views, Mark Longo, Mark Sebastian (the "Meatball"), and Russell Rhoads (Dr. VIX) break down a chaotic week in the vol markets. From the aftermath of a legendary "V-Death Match" on the Pro network to the Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs, the team explores why the VIX is hovering near 20 despite indices sitting near all-time highs. Inside This Episode: The Volatility Review: A deep dive into the "weird" market reaction following the Supreme Court tariff ruling, spicy PCE data, and the decoupling of the Mag Seven from the rest of the market. The Private Credit Fiasco: Mark Sebastian sounds the alarm on cross-asset margining, Bitcoin's "teetering" state, and the potential for a Michael Saylor "apology tour." The VIX Mothership: Analysis of the massive call buying in March, April, and even May 70/80 strikes. Is someone hedging for a black swan? Russell's Weekly Rundown: Breaking down the "best option trade ever seen" using July 100 calls to finance downside protection. The Weekend Trade: With carrier groups moving in the Gulf and geopolitical tensions rising, is it time to load up on UVIX?

AN ANCIENT CITY'S MODERN DIVIDE HEADLINE 1: Iran and Russia held joint naval exercises in and around the Gulf of Oman.HEADLINE 2: The European Union officially designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.HEADLINE 3: Israel carried out a large counterterrorism operation in the town of Hebron this week.---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Yishai Fleisher, who serves as the international spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief---Featured FDD Pieces:"Europe Looks to Israeli Tech to Defend Tanks" - Brad Bowman and Justin Leopold-Cohen, Real Clear Defense"Free Jimmy Lai!" - Cliff May, The Washington Times"Ukraine, four years in" - LinkedIn Newsletter: This Week at FDD

Is the market teetering on the edge of a "seminal collapse"? On this episode of Volatility Views, Mark Longo, Mark Sebastian (the "Meatball"), and Russell Rhoads (Dr. VIX) break down a chaotic week in the vol markets. From the aftermath of a legendary "V-Death Match" on the Pro network to the Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs, the team explores why the VIX is hovering near 20 despite indices sitting near all-time highs. Inside This Episode: The Volatility Review: A deep dive into the "weird" market reaction following the Supreme Court tariff ruling, spicy PCE data, and the decoupling of the Mag Seven from the rest of the market. The Private Credit Fiasco: Mark Sebastian sounds the alarm on cross-asset margining, Bitcoin's "teetering" state, and the potential for a Michael Saylor "apology tour." The VIX Mothership: Analysis of the massive call buying in March, April, and even May 70/80 strikes. Is someone hedging for a black swan? Russell's Weekly Rundown: Breaking down the "best option trade ever seen" using July 100 calls to finance downside protection. The Weekend Trade: With carrier groups moving in the Gulf and geopolitical tensions rising, is it time to load up on UVIX?

HEADLINES:• Gulf States Commit Over $4 Billion to Gaza Reconstruction at Trump's Board of Peace Meeting • Cristiano Ronaldo invests $7.5 million in Herbalife health tech company, stock jumps • Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Arrives in New Delhi for India AI Impact Summit  Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModrWhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLUInstagram: https://aug.us/4ihltzQTiktok: https://aug.us/4lnV0D8Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): https://aug.us/3BTU2MY

Meet my friends, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton! If you love Verdict, the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show might also be in your audio wheelhouse. Politics, news analysis, and some pop culture and comedy thrown in too. Here’s a sample episode recapping four takeaways. Give the guys a listen and then follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Are We Going to Strike Iran? In‑depth foreign policy analysis featuring Steve Yates, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former White House national security official, who breaks down the intensifying risk of U.S. military strikes against Iran. Yates outlines how the administration is negotiating over Iran’s nuclear program even as it positions F‑35s, F‑22s, and other assets for what he describes as a “high likelihood” of targeted military action within the next two weeks. He explains that any strike would be aimed at degrading Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities—not launching a full‑scale war—while regional powers aligned under the Abraham Accords weigh their own interests in the potential collapse of the Iranian regime. The conversation then turns to the complex geopolitical landscape involving Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba, where Yates argues that the U.S. is using “smart power”—economic, political, and strategic pressure—to create conditions for gradual regime transformation without repeating the mistakes of Iraq. Clay and Buck press Yates on possible successors inside Iran, the role of the Iranian diaspora, and whether Gulf nations secretly prefer the current Ayatollah in power as a known, contained adversary. This leads into a moment of levity as they mock Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez’s widely panned appearance at the Munich Security Conference, where she struggled to answer a basic question about China–Taiwan tensions. Yates jokes that even a quick AI search would have prepared her better. Dirty Dem Playbook The James Talarico–Stephen Colbert controversy, which Clay and Buck argue has massively backfired on Democrats. They trace how CBS refused to air the Talarico interview over potential FCC equal‑time violations involving Texas Senate candidate Jasmine Crockett, but the decision instead triggered a “Streisand Effect”, catapulting Talarico to viral fame. CNN’s election data analyst Harry Enten confirms that Google searches for Talarico skyrocketed nationally and especially in Texas—over 1,100%—dramatically shifting prediction markets toward him in the upcoming Democratic primary. Clay argues that the real political victim is Jasmine Crockett, likening the situation to the Democratic Party “rigging” the 2016 primary against Bernie Sanders. The Trans Trend Karol Markowicz, co‑host in the Clay & Buck Podcast Network, who joins to analyze two high‑profile transgender‑related family mass murders—one in British Columbia and one in Rhode Island. The hosts argue that political activism and online rhetoric have normalized delusional thinking while discouraging honest discussions about mental health. Markowicz highlights the sudden spike in youth identifying as transgender as a “social contagion,” noting huge differences in rates between states like New York and Florida. The segment also covers a groundbreaking legal development: NYU Langone halting gender-transition procedures for minors amid growing malpractice lawsuits, including a recent multimillion‑dollar jury award to a detransitioner. The show then pivots to cultural commentary, including Markowicz's evaluation of Taylor Swift’s cultural power, where she agrees that Swift is comparable in scale to global icons like the Beatles and Madonna. Clay and Buck debate Swift’s influence across generations and joke about Clay’s much‑discussed mustache. The hosts also highlight uplifting Olympic news as Team USA men’s hockey star Quinn Hughes goes viral for calling America “the greatest country in the world” after scoring a sudden‑death goal over Sweden—one of the few unapologetically patriotic moments they say mainstream media rarely promotes anymore. Pro-Trump Granny Clay and Buck spotlight a powerful moment from President Trump’s Black History Month event at the White House, where an impassioned grandmother, Floresia Cook, went viral for defending Trump’s record on crime and public safety. They note Trump’s warm statements about Jesse Jackson following his passing. The hosts wrap with an economic update: 30‑year mortgage rates have hit a four‑year low, edging just above 6%, which they say may begin to thaw the frozen housing market locked up by years of Biden‑era inflation. They end on a light note about a typo discovered in Buck’s bestselling book Manufacturing Delusion. Make sure you never miss a second of the show by subscribing to the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton show podcast wherever you get your podcasts! ihr.fm/3InlkL8 For the latest updates from Clay and Buck: https://www.clayandbuck.com/ Connect with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on Social Media: X - https://x.com/clayandbuck FB - https://www.facebook.com/ClayandBuck/ IG - https://www.instagram.com/clayandbuck/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/clayandbuck Rumble - https://rumble.com/c/ClayandBuck TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@clayandbuck YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim, Phil, Ian & Tate are joined by Amber Duke to discuss the potential of war with Iran as the US continues a massive buildup in the Middle East, a cryptic 4chan post suggesting Iran will get nuked, NYC moving to defund the police, and rumors Trump is preparing a speech to reveal aliens.   Hosts:  Tim @Timcast (everywhere) Phil @PhilThatRemains (X) | https://allthatremains.komi.io/ Ian  @IanCrossland  (everywhere) | https://graphene.movie/ Producer: Carter @carterbanks (X) |  @trashhouserecords  (YT) Guest: Amber Duke @ambermarieduke (X)

Ramadan began this week. Somewhere around 2 billion Muslims around the world will be engaging in a day time fast for the next month. Living in the Gulf, Ramadan contorts my life in so many...

Jeff & Shannon expose elite fallout as former Prince Andrew is arrested over Epstein-linked misconduct while Trump's Board of Peace launches its first session on Gaza reconstruction. Shredding globalist cover-ups live—tune in at Rumble, YouTube, X and Red State Talk Radio now! Patriots, hold the line—the establishment is cracking wide open on February 19, 2026, as former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on his 66th birthday, faces arrest by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office for allegedly sharing confidential UK government communications with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as trade envoy, with fresh DOJ-released Epstein files finally forcing long-overdue accountability across elite circles. At the same time, President Trump's visionary Board of Peace convenes its inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C., uniting dozens of nations—including pledges of billions from Gulf states and others—for Gaza reconstruction, hostage returns, and a lasting ceasefire that sidelines failed UN approaches in favor of real America-First peace and stability. @intheMatrixxx and @shadygrooove, the relentless truth dynamos, dive deep into these seismic developments, connecting the dots on elite networks, questioning mainstream media spin that protects the powerful, and highlighting Trump's bold moves to deliver results where others failed. The truth is learned, never told—the constitution is your weapon—tune in at noon-0-five Eastern LIVE to stand with Trump! MG Show: America First MAGA Podcast & Conservative Talk Show Launched in 2019 and now in Season 8, the MG Show is your go-to source for unfiltered truth on Trump policies, border security, economic nationalism, and exposing globalist psyops. Hosted by Jeffrey Pedersen (@InTheMatrixxx) and Shannon Townsend (@ShadyGrooove), it champions sovereignty, traditional values, and critiques of establishment politics. Tune in weekdays at 12pm ET / 9am PT for patriotic insights strengthening the Republic under President Trump's America First agenda. Hosts - Jeffrey Pedersen (@InTheMatrixxx): Expert in political analysis and exposing hidden agendas, with a focus on Trump's diplomatic wins and media bias. - Shannon Townsend (@ShadyGrooove): Delivers sharp insights on intelligence operations, Constitutional rights, and defenses of Trump's strategies against mainstream critiques. Where to Watch & Listen Catch live episodes or on-demand replays packed with MAGA victories like inflation drops, border awards, Trump pardons, and psyop exposures: - Live Streams: https://rumble.com/mgshow for premium America First content. - Radio: https://mgshow.link/redstate on Red State Talk Radio. - X Live: https://x.com/inthematrixxx for real-time pro-Trump discussions. - Podcasts: Search "MG Show" on PodBean, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Amazon Music. - YouTube: Full episodes at https://youtube.com/c/inthematrixxx and https://www.youtube.com/c/TruthForFreedom. Follow for daily pro-Trump alerts: - X: @InTheMatrixxx (https://x.com/inthematrixxx) and @ShadyGrooove (https://x.com/shadygrooove). Support the MG Show Fuel the MAGA movement against establishment lies: - Donate: https://mg.show/support or contribute at https://givesendgo.com/helpmgshow. - Merch: https://merch.mg.show for official gear. - MyPillow Special: Use code MGSHOW at https://mypillow.com/mgshow. - Crypto: https://mgshow.link/rumblewallet. All Links Everything MG Show Related: https://linktr.ee/mgshow. MG Show Anthem Get chills with the patriotic track: https://youtu.be/SyfI8_fnCAs

In this episode of The Horn, Alan is joined by Asher Lubotzky, senior research fellow at the Israel-Africa Relations Institute, to discuss Israel's recognition of Somaliland and its interests in the Horn of Africa. They trace the history of Israel's involvement in the region and its relationships today. They discuss why Israel moved to recognise Somaliland, how the decision links to Red Sea security concerns and the Houthi threat from Yemen, and what both sides hope to gain from closer ties. They also examine whether the growing rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could shape Israel's role in the Horn, and what Israel hopes to gain from diplomatic relations on the continent. For more, check out our recent episode “The Rupture in the Gulf, and Its Fallout”, our Analyst's Notebook “Gulf Tensions Spill into Somalia as Mogadishu Snubs UAE”, as well as our Horn of Africa page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Kyle Chan, a fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings, previously a postdoc at Princeton, and author of the outstanding High-Capacity Newsletter on Substack. Kyle has emerged as one of the sharpest and most empirically grounded voices on U.S.-China technology relations, and he holds the all-time record for the most namechecks on Sinica's “Paying it forward” segment. We use his recent Financial Times op-ed on “The Great Reversal” in global technology flows and his longer High-Capacity essay on re-coupling as jumping-off points for a wide-ranging conversation about where China now sits at the global technological frontier, why the dominant decoupling narrative misses powerful structural forces pulling the two economies back together, and what all of this means for innovation, choke points, and the global tech ecosystem.4:35 – How Kyle became Kyle Chan: from Chicago School economics to development, railways, and systems thinking 12:50 – The Great Reversal: China at the technological frontier, from megawatt EV charging to LFP batteries 17:59 – The electro-industrial tech stack and China's overlapping, mutually reinforcing tech ecosystems 22:40 – Industrial strategy and time horizons: patience, persistence, and the long arc of China's auto industry 33:45 – Re-coupling under pressure: Waymo and Zeekr, Unitree robots, and the structural forces binding the two economies 40:22 – The gravity model: can political distance overwhelm technological mass? 47:01 – What China still wants from the U.S.: Cursor, GitHub, talent, and the AI brain drain 51:52 – Weaponized interdependence and the danger of securitizing everything 57:30 – Firm-level adaptation: HeyGen, Manus, and the playbook for de-sinification 1:02:58 – The view from the middle: Gulf states, Southeast Asia, and India as geopolitical arbitrageurs 1:10:18 – Engineering resilience: what policymakers are getting wrong about the systems they're buildingPaying it forward: Katrina Northrop; Grace Shao and her AI Proem newsletterRecommendations:Kyle: Wired Magazine's Made in China newsletter (by Zeyi Yang and Louise Matsakis); The Wire China Kaiser: The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet by Yi-Ling LiuSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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//The Wire//2300Z February 17, 2026////ROUTINE////BLUF: MASS SHOOTING REPORTED IN RHODE ISLAND. IRANIAN FORCES CONTINUE NAVAL DRILLS AS AMERICAN FORCES BEGIN MASS MOVEMENT INTO MIDDLE EAST.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events-Caribbean: American forces continue airstrikes on narco vessels, with three fastboats sunk overnight in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Two strikes were carried out in the Pacific, and the third in the Caribbean. A total of 11x EKIA were reported as a result of the strikes.Middle East: This morning Iranian forces continued naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. These drills, dubbed the "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz" exercise by the IRGC-N, has involved various show-of-force targeting drills involving various naval platforms. These exercises involved the brief closure of a section of the Strait for a few hours today, as live-fire drills were conducted throughout the day.Europe: This morning, the mass movement of US military aircraft was observed throughout the continent as American forces begin the surge of forces into the Middle East. Overnight, multiple flights of F-16's, F-22's, F-15's and F-35's were all observed maneuvering toward the region, totaling several dozen aircraft. Command and Control aircraft were observed staging as well, alongside several Airborne Early Warning platforms.-HomeFront-Rhode Island: Yesterday afternoon a mass shooting was reported at a skating rink in Pawtucket as one assailant began firing in the stands at a high school hockey game. The shooter has been identified as Robert Dorgan, who was targeting his ex-wife and children during the attack. Concerning casualties, two fatalities have been reported, along with multiple wounded.Analyst Comment: This appears to be a domestic incident, in which a transgender individual murdered his family in the middle of a crowded venue. Based on the shooter's social media pages, this individual was very obviously mentally ill and had made threats openly for some time, including one post which directly threatened violence one day before the shooting.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: So far, the mass mobilization of equipment to CENTCOM looks like the Real McCoy, once again. As of this afternoon, this is the largest migration of military aircraft into CENTCOM in many years, and differs from the last time the US struck Iranian facilities in that fighter aircraft are moving into theater much moreso than the previous one-and-done, single-sortie mission that was Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER. Of course, moving aircraft is comparatively cheap when it comes to the manipulation that these actions provide, which in this case is very obviously intended to pressure the Iranians into accepting whatever deal is put before them. This afternoon Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi departed Geneva, with the past two weeks of talks more or less being a stalemate. As must always be noted, the forces that are being staged right now can always turn around and go home without a shot being fired. However, even taking this into account (and adding in the wider geopolitical context), it's very likely that cratering Iranian facilities is on the menu once more.Probably the best form of warning for the Iranians is the minor detail that the main aircraft carrier in the region (the USS *ABRAHAM LINCOLN*) has not transited the Strait of Hormuz. This foreboding detail is likely due to long-standing doctrine; any serious actions taken in Iran will require more maneuverability (and range) than the Gulf can provide. As a result, a common rule of thumb has been that the United States holding position in the Arabian Sea (without transiting the Strait) is an indicator that the US is serious. If the US just wanted to posture, the Navy would have sailed through the Strait just to flex on the Iranians brown-water navy, and since a CSG