Putin proposes a Trump-Xi summit on Ukraine, Zelensky and the rest of Europe not invited; Trump waives Russia “Graham Act” sanctions in the same weekend. Lulz for Zelenskyyyy being omitted and Ladybugs getting mogged from beyond the grave…
Trump claims "great progress" on a deal and says Zelensky doesn't want to end the war; also says Ukraine's "male population is low, wounded, and/or dead" and blames Kiev’s refinery strikes for US diesel prices. Trump should threaten to take away Zelenskyyyy’s coke supply to drive the point home.
Spurred by not getting a seat at the table, Zelensky is talking to Witkoff and Kushner about a new peace meeting as early as this week. More likely they’re discussing how to vacuum up the remaining money before the war comes to an end.
Mike Pence wants the Graham Act sanctions restored and the diesel deal cancelled. Every now and then he makes a public statement just to make sure everyone still knows what a flaming faggot he is…
In defiance of Trump's demand to leave energy targets alone the latest Ukrainian raid involves more than 1,000 drones across Russia with St Petersburg's oil export terminal on fire.
Simplicius reports the biggest story surrounding the attack: once again Ukraine utilized NATO airspace to carry out the attack and, presumably, to bypass Russian air defenses. Ukraine admits Lithuanian airspace was utilized by Ukrainian drones, but blamed it on “Russian electronic warfare”. Simplicius goes on to deboonk the “Russian interference” angle thusly:
If Russian electronic warfare was so inimitable as to be able to thwart the Ukrainian drones to somehow veer all the way into Lithuania as claimed by the Ukrainian spokesman—a country that does not even remotely border Russia (not counting Kaliningrad)—then why wouldn’t the same all-powerful electronic warfare systems be able to keep all drones from hitting their targets in St. Petersburg?
Russian retaliation: ballistic missiles hit Kiev, again with "no early warning”. Drones hit Rivne (large fires), Kovel's 330 kV substation and an oil depot in Shepetivka. Still no definitive word on whether the lack of an early warning is Starlink related or simply Russian innovation.
Egypt approves troops for Saudi Arabia after Riyadh admits losing an AH-6i copter over Najran.
Pakistan's army spokesman warns that attacks on Saudi Arabia trigger a collective response under the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey "Mecca Alliance”.
Inside Saudi Arabia: Riyadh airport closed to civil traffic for a 9th day, while early warnings issued in Najran and As Sulayyil.
Hormuz: the IRGC says a tanker hit a mine in the southern (Omani) corridor, and ship attacks are at their fastest pace since March.
Netanyahu says Israel is prepared to strike Iran preemptively without US support. He tells Americans that removing Iran's regime will bring gas prices down. Trump endorsed him ahead of the Oct 27 election. It would be lol-worthy to see them go it alone - but Israel is never really “going it alone” because of all the money and weapons they siphon from the US.
Editor’s note: French news cycle of niggers rioting, burning, and looting followed by empty speeches from Macron have elevated this story to the “nothing worth reporting” file. I’ll mention it again once something noteworthy happens (nothing ever happens).
Microsoft pulled out of a UK deal with Nscale, and IPO investors halved Nscale's $30bn valuation ask.
Goldman FICC reports record inquiry from non-traditional accounts on CoreWeave debt and Oracle CDS, and is hosting an investor call on it today.
Market concentration around tech stocks is second only to the 1880s railroads.
Anthropic is moving some shares into a new "public good" fund; One analyst calls it "USAID 2.0”. If hip-hop reenters the charts then we’ll know they’re back in business.
US: Jobs reports revised lower in 16 of 20 months, erasing 793,000 jobs; bank stocks down 6 weeks straight, the longest run since the financial crisis; August home repossessions: 5,794, up 42% y/y. I’m running out of jokes about Trump’s golden age.
Brazil's campaign theatre: Bolsonaro supporters brought an inflatable missile to a rally asking Trump to nuke Brazil. ”Nuke The Border” has evolved to its final form.
NYT reports: Legal immigration to the US plunges 50% under Trump's new visa restrictions, marking the sharpest cuts since the Great Depression, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic. If it’s true it’s a W.
We wrap up today’s poast with a reminder to enjoy Spooktober, it’ll be over before you know it…
