Steve Sears

Stock markets are too high and set to fall, says Bank of England deputy

Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke, Fort Bragg Special Forces, is facing up to 60 years in federal prison after allegedly turning his seat at the Operation Absolute Resolve planning table into a $409,881 Polymarket payday. Timeline tells the story: Dec. 8: classified briefing, signs NDA. Dec. 26: opens Polymarket account via VPN. Dec. 27 through Jan. 2: dumps $33,000 across 13 bets, all YES on Maduro being out by Jan. 31. Jan. 3 at 0201 local: Delta Force and the 160th SOAR Night Stalkers hit the target in Caracas. Hours later, Van Dyke was allegedly photographed on the deck of a ship at sunrise in fatigues, carrying a rifle, standing with three other operators. Then he cashed out. When OSINT sleuths started tracking his handle “Burdensome-Mix,” he asked Polymarket to delete the account. Polymarket flagged him instead. FBI, CFTC, and SDNY did the rest. First ever U.S. criminal case for prediction market insider trading. The CFTC is invoking the so-called “Eddie Murphy Rule” from Trading Places.

DOJ EXPECTED TO DROP CRIMINAL PROBE OF FED CHAIR POWELL AMID PRESSURE FROM SENATORS – ABC SOURCES

BREAKING: World's biggest condom maker to raise prices due to Iran war, per BBC

IRAN THREATENS TO HIT REGIONAL POWER PLANTS IF US STRIKES ESCALATE – FOX NEWS

INVESTORS DUMP U.S. STOCKS AS GLOBAL ROTATION BUILDS Investors are pulling money out of U.S. equities and shifting into international markets, with the trend accelerating into Q2, according to Bank of America. Funds sold $15.4B in U.S. stocks in March while buying heavily in Europe and Japan. Over the past year, U.S. outflows have reached $284B, far exceeding inflows elsewhere. Healthcare attracted strong buying, while tech—especially software and AI—saw major selling. Overall, active funds are now most overweight Europe and underweight the U.S.

This is Mohamed Aziz–the most photographed bookseller in the world. Aziz is in his late 70s and is the oldest bookseller in Morocco. He lost both of his parents at the tender age of 6. When he was 15 years old, he couldn't afford the cost of tuition and had to drop out of school. But Aziz's desire for knowledge stayed strong. In 1963, he started buying and selling books. He started with just 9 books and a rug under a tree in the medina of Rabat. Over the years, he acquired more books and eventually, in 1967 he opened his now famous bookshop. He's been selling books from that bookstore for over 40 years. Today, he spends between 6-8 hours a day reading. “My life revolves around reading,” he says. When asked what he needs to be happy, he says simply: "a couple of pillows and books." Over the past few decades, Aziz has taught himself several languages and read thousands of books: "I have read over 4,000 books in Arabic, French, English, or Spanish, so it means I have lived more than 4,000 lives. Everyone should have that chance. A book is a gift you can open again and again.” And when asked why he leaves his books outside, unchained and unattended, he simply answered: “Those who can’t read won’t steal books. And those who can, aren’t thieves.”

IRAN PRIVATELY SIGNALLED YESTERDAY IT WOULD ATTEND, BUT TODAY INDICATED IT WOULD NOT, ACCORDING TO AXIOS CITING A SOURCE.