Muslim Hate Preachers OK, Harry Potter Not OK

Senators Unanimously Pass Resolution To Withhold Their Own Pay During Shutdowns Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times, The Senate unanimously approved a resolution on May 14 that would suspend senators’ pay during government shutdowns. The measure, introduced by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), passed by voice vote and is scheduled to take effect after the November midterm elections. Under the resolution, the Senate secretary would withhold lawmakers’ salaries whenever a government shutdown affects one or more federal agencies. Pay would be released once government funding is restored. Supporters say the proposal is intended...

Gamma Squeeze The World  Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance A little over a week ago, I wrote about Leopold Aschenbrenner returning to markets, and the ensuing nausea the entire spectacle caused me. For those who missed it, Aschenbrenner’s Situational Awareness fund had grown to roughly $45 billion before getting absolutely smoked in July, falling toward $10 billion and forcing the liquidation of most of its public equity portfolio to Darth Griffin over at Citadel. Then, barely six weeks later, CNBC reported that Situational Awareness was back, this time buying options tied to AMD, Bloom Energy, CoreWeave,...

Xi Jinping Refocuses On Taiwan With Renewed Political Outreach China hosted a high-profile meeting between Xi Jinping and a senior Taiwanese opposition figure from the Kuomintang (KMT), marking a notable resumption of party-to-party engagement after years of limited direct contact, according to Nikkei Asia. The meeting was tightly choreographed, featuring an extended handshake, formal seating arrangements, and controlled media coverage. These elements were designed to convey parity and legitimacy, signaling that Beijing views engagement with Taiwan’s opposition as politically substantive. The KMT has historically supported closer economic and political ties with mainland...