Pentagon Seeks Stunning 243x Budget Surge For Drone Warfare Unit As Eurasian Wars Reshape Combat

Houthis Declare "Total Ban" On Israeli Ships As Dual Chokepoint Crisis Stokes Supply Chain Nightmare Brent crude futures jumped as much as 5% to $97.83 a barrel, while WTI traded around $95 a barrel, as renewed Iran-Israel fighting threatened to unravel a fragile US-Iran ceasefire and further disrupt energy flows. On the maritime chokepoint front, Iran-backed Houthis declared a full ban on Israeli vessels in the southern Red Sea, warning that any Israeli ship (or linked ship) will be seen as a military target. "First: We declare a complete and total...

Chicago Approves 19% Hotel Tax To Fund Tourism Push The Chicago City Council has approved a plan to boost tourism marketing by raising hotel taxes. Under Ordinance 2026-0022544, the total tax rate on hotel rooms will increase from 17.5% to 19% in downtown and nearby areas, according to Fox News. The higher rate will apply to hotels with more than 100 rooms that choose to participate. The report says that alongside the tax increase, the council created a Tourism Improvement District (TID) to fund Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism marketing organization. Revenue...

Lilly's Next-Gen Weight-Loss Drug Clears Trial With Near-Bariatric Surgery Results Eli Lilly reported positive Phase 3 results for its next-generation obesity drug, retatrutide, which delivered weight-loss results on par with those of bariatric surgery. In the TRIUMPH-1 trial, overweight adults, but without diabetes, achieved meaningful weight loss across all tested doses after 80 weeks: 12 mg dose: average weight loss of 70.3 pounds, or 28.3% of body weight. 9 mg dose: average weight loss of 64.4 pounds, or 25.9%. 4 mg dose: average weight loss of 47.2 pounds, or 19% Ahead of the results,...