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Kamikaze Drone Maker Raises $320 Million In U.S. IPO As 'War Unicorns' Rise The rise of "war unicorns" will be an impressive development to watch over the next several years, as we've diligently laid out for readers for months, well before the U.S.-Iran conflict, how a massive government push and in capital markets would begin to prioritize the next generation of defense-tech firms rather than big, bloated legacy defense contractors. Aevex, a military drone maker backed by Madison Dearborn Partners, is the latest example of capital markets getting excited about war unicorns, with the company selling 16 million shares at $20 each in an IPO, with shares expected to begin trading on Friday. The deal was reportedly oversubscribed multiple times, according to Bloomberg sources. Aevex is a direct public-market play on low-cost kamikaze drones, with a sizable portion of last year's revenue linked to Ukraine. It has two unmanned systems programs, Phoenix Ghost and EUCOM AOR Deep Strike, ...

Hochul Joins Mamdani In New York's "Eat The Rich" Movement Authored by Jonathan Turley, The hunt is on... New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used Tax Day to announce a new fee targeting wealthy people who still linger in the city after moving their primary residences to other states. The tax, called pied-à-terre (or “foot on the ground”) is designed to hit people who still maintain high-value properties in the city. It is a remarkably moronic effort to ensure that wealthy people cut all ties with the city. However, Gov. Kathy Hochul has yielded to the far left and joined the effort. Mamdani, a socialist who supports the “decommodification” of private property, is seeking major tax increases, including a 10% property tax, to fund his pledges for free buses, city-run stores, and other policies. He will need it. Mamdani not only recently admitted that he cannot fulfill his pledge for free buses this year, but that he will only build the first of five promise city-run stores...

Cybertruck Sales "Propped Up" By SpaceX Buying Spree Bloomberg is out with a new report saying Tesla's Cybertruck sales were "propped up" in the fourth quarter by purchases from companies inside Elon Musk's business empire. SpaceX accounted for 1,279 Cybertruck registrations, or about 18% of all U.S. Cybertruck registrations during the last quarter of 2025. The report went on to say that xAI, Boring Co., and Neuralink also purchased the stainless-steel EV during the period. "That means almost one in every five Cybertrucks registered during the period were delivered from one part of Musk's sprawling business empire to another," Bloomberg's Dana Hull noted. Hull added, "Without those sales to other Musk-run companies — which included xAI, Boring Co. and Neuralink, in addition to SpaceX — Cybertruck registrations in the fourth quarter would have fallen 51%." Hull quoted Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for advisory firm Aut...

"Mr. Biden Lives Abroad": Hunter Leaves Country As Former Lawyers Seek Millions Authored by Jonathan Turley, “Mr. Biden lives abroad.” Those four words in a filing from Barry Coburn confirmed what had long been rumored about his client: Hunter Biden has left the country as his former lawyers and creditors seek millions in unpaid debts. He added, “He cannot pay his current lawyers.” As I wrote about years ago, Biden's art grift would dry up as soon as he could no longer deliver influence and access to power. Reportedly unable to move art, Hunter has moved out of the reach of many creditors. He is rumored to be in South Africa, where his wife, Melissa Cohen, was born and raised. Hunter is the Blanche DuBois of American politics. He has always relied on the kindness (and greed) of strangers when he could allegedly offer influence or access to his father, Joe Biden. Hunter told a South African podcast in November that “We're trying to be between Cape Town and the States...

House Votes To Extend Surveillance Powers Until April 30 The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) - which was notoriously abused so spy on the 2016 Trump campaign, and has been used for "backdoor searches" targeting Americans. Friday's vote - via unanimous consent after a longer five-year reauthorization pushed by Republicns failed to advance - extends Section 702 until April 30.  The short-term measure now moves to the Senate, which faces a looming deadline: the current authorization expires April 20. The vote comes despite a well-documented history of FISA abuses spanning both individualized Title I warrants and the bulk warrantless collection under Section 702, as detailed in multiple Department of Justice Inspector General reports, declassified Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) opinions, and congressional oversight findings. President Donald Trump had urged Republicans to sup...

US Intelligence Believes China Weighing Sending Iran Advance Radar Systems US intelligence is flagging early signs that Beijing may have been eyeing a move into the Iran conflict - quietly considering sending advanced radar systems, which it is said to have been mulling since near the opening of the US-Israel war which kicked off last month. These anti-Beijing allegations are contained in fresh CBS News reporting, citing analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), who conclude China was actively weighing whether to equip Tehran with upgraded radar capabilities. via GT It should be recalled that earlier parallel reports said Moscow was feeding Iran intelligence on US military positions across the Middle East - raising the specter of a broader shadow alignment forming behind the scenes. "This technology would significantly enhance Iran's ability to detect and track incoming threats, like low-flying drones and cruise missiles, and could help protect its air defense systems against ...

U.S. Navy Spy Drone Circles Cuba As Report Says Pentagon Weighing Possible Military Ops With President Trump signaling on Thursday that a deal with Tehran could be close, and indicating that another round of talks may take place this weekend, the focus is already beginning to shift beyond the Gulf region and back toward the Gulf of America, where reports earlier this week suggested the U.S. military was preparing for some form of intervention against the communist regime in Cuba. USA Today reported on Wednesday that the Department of War is preparing for a possible operation in Cuba. The report was based on two sources. The DoW responded to the outlet, saying it plans for a range of contingencies and remains prepared to execute the president's orders as directed. By early Friday, X user OSINTdefender reported that a U.S. Navy high-altitude, long-endurance maritime surveillance drone "flew an over-12-hour mission off the coast of Cuba." BLKCAT6, a U.S. Navy MQ-4C “Triton” High-A...

Trump Says Admin Investigating Deaths, Disappearances Of US Scientists Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to look into reports of multiple U.S. scientists who have either died or gone missing in recent months. “I hope it's random, but we're going to know in the next week and a half,” he told reporters, adding that “I just left a meeting on that subject.” The reports, he added, are serious, because “some of them were very important people, and we're going to look at it over the next short period.” The president provided an update a day after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the Trump administration is investigating. A reporter asked Leavitt about 10 scientists who died or disappeared over the past several years, with some of them having access to nuclear or aerospace material. “I haven't spoken to our relevant agencies about it. I will certainly do that, and we'll get you an answer. If true, ...

There Is No "Fair Share"... There Is Only "More" Authored by James Hickman via SchiffSovereign.com, In April 1971, Keith Richards loaded his family and his Bentley onto a cross-Channel ferry and drove south until he hit the Mediterranean. He rented a 19th-century villa called Nellcôte on a hillside above Villefranche-sur-Mer, and converted the basement into a recording studio. Over the following year the rest of the Rolling Stones rotated through the house and nearby properties to record the double album that became Exile on Main St., while staying deliberately out of reach of the British tax authorities. The top marginal income tax rate in Britain at the time was 75%, and a surcharge on the highest earners pushed the effective rate on the wealthiest past 90%. Three years later, under Denis Healey's 1974 budget, the top rate on earned income would climb to 83% and the rate on investment income would reach 98%. Britain would spend the rest of the decade watching capital fl...

Futures Storm Higher Into Record Territory On Now Daily Ceasefire Hopium Stocks are pushing higher again on the same old regurgitated news: namely speculation that a deal to end the war between the US and Iran is getting closer, the same exact "speculation" that has pushed the Nasdaq higher for what will now be 13 days in a row, and the same speculation that may keep pushing stocks even higher until the reality of no ceasefire sends risk plunging in a few days. For now however, it is sufficient to lift markets thanks to the relentless CTA VWAP grind higher, and as of 8:15am, S&P futures are 0.4% higher, with Spoos trading above 7100 while Nasdaq futs gain 0.3% after both gauges hit record highs Thursday, with all Mag 7 stocks trading higher in the premarket (MSFT +1.1%, AAPL +0.8%). Netflix tumbled 10% after it gave a disappointing Q2 forecast and Reed Hastings announced he is stepping down as Chairman. The dollar was down 10 bps and headed for a February low. Global bonds were ...

Oil Plunges As Iran 'Completely Opens' Hormuz, US Reportedly 'Mulls' $20BN Cash-For-Nukes Deal Summary Iran's Aragchi says "Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open" US mulls cash-for-uranium deal as 'three-page' MOU peace plan takes shape Peace talks reportedly on Sunday in Islamabad Odds of a permanent peace deal by the end of the ceasefire are soaring... Iran Opens Hormuz In a rather shocking turn of events, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchi posted on X that the Strait of Hormuz is open: "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran." Oil crashed even lower on the report... Are we getting close to 'Mission Accomplished'? US Mulls $20BN Cash-For-Uranium Deal According to two U.S. officials and two additional sources briefed o...

Critical Shortage Of Jet Fuel: EU Airlines Have Just 6 Weeks Supply Left Via Remix News, The European market is facing a critical shortage of kerosene, with only six weeks of supply remaining, and the war in Iran is threatening the continent with a major aviation crisis. Since the war broke out, jet fuel prices have jumped 70 percent, threatening the financial health of European airlines. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that this scarcity may soon lead to widespread flight cancellations across Europe. To combat the dwindling supply, the EU is reportedly developing an emergency plan to maximize refinery output and stabilize fuel distribution. Fatih Birol, the director of the IEA, stated that these disruptions are a direct consequence of the ongoing blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. He emphasized the gravity of the situation, warning: “The longer the blockade lasts, the worse it will be for world economic growth and inflation.” The crisis is expected to move from logistical ...

Madison Air Pulls Off Biggest U.S. Industrial IPO Since 1999 As Data Center Cooling Theme Heats Up Madison Air Solutions surged 18% in its IPO on Thursday after raising $2.23 billion, pulling off the largest U.S. industrial IPO in nearly three decades. Shares closed at $31.75, signaling strong investor appetite for an industrial name tied to the AI infrastructure buildout. The Chicago-based company designs and manufactures ventilation, filtration, and cooling systems for data centers, semiconductor manufacturing facilities, life sciences buildings, and commercial buildings. Most importantly, investors care about MAIR because it sells liquid, hybrid, and air-cooling equipment for data centers, tying it directly to the AI buildout boom.  Data centers account for roughly 20% of MAIR's business. The company operates 30 brands and generated $3.34 billion in 2025 revenue, up from $2.62 billion a year earlier, though net income declined to $124 million from $236 million. Like many industrials opera...

Aluminum Market Descends Into Supply 'Black Hole' Aluminum prices on the London Metal Exchange are climbing into the end of the week, reaching $3,621 a ton and approaching the peak seen during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The problem now is that the aluminum market has been thrust into a serious supply shock amid the U.S.-Iran conflict in the Middle East, one that is unlikely to be reversed in the near term. One big problem we highlighted last weekend was that Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), the Gulf's largest aluminum producer, declared force majeure on part of its contract book after Iranian missile and drone strikes hit its Al Taweelah smelter. Then there is the Hormuz chokepoint and the U.S. blockade of the critical waterway, which has only further throttled vessel traffic. It is important to note that EGA accounts for 4% of the world's aluminum production. The broader Middle East accounts for about 9% of global aluminum production. JPMorgan analysts have warned that the indus...

A Model For Europe? Switzerland Moves To Strengthen Country Against Foreign Property Owners And Migration Via Remix News, Foreign property owners will see their access to Swiss housing significantly reduced, as the Federal Council has decided to require authorization for their purchases. With foreigners accounting for more and more real estate transactions in the Western world, Switzerland's tough measures may be a template for other nations. The new measure aims to combat the housing shortage, especially as the population is set to vote in two months on the Swiss People's Party's (SVP) initiative “No 10 Million Swiss Francs,” reports Blick, based on a statement from the ATS Swiss Telegraphic Agency. The Federal Council intends to require authorization for the purchase of primary residences by nationals of countries outside the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), it stated in a press release. If these owners relocate, they will have to resell their property w...

World's First Six-Gen Bomber Completes Aerial Refueling Test Flight Northrop Grumman released new images of its B-21 Raider stealth bomber performing "more advanced stages of flight test" and "aerial refueling." Northrop Grumman's B-21 Raider continues to demonstrate outstanding performance as the program moves into more advanced phases flight test, including aerial refueling. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force) The B-21 is the world's first sixth-generation aircraft and the "most advanced aircraft to take to the sky now has global reach," according to Northrop. The B-21 Raider conducts aerial refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker, which is a key part to the Raider's role in projecting power globally. (Photo Credit: Northrop Grumman) The test campaign of the B-21 comes as Eurasia is on fire in multiple conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the US-Iran conflict in the Gulf area. Northrop did not say when the B-21 conducted the test flight but our reporting...

Norway's Oil Export Earnings Surge 68% Amid Iran War Authored by Alex Komani via OilPrice.com, Norway's crude oil export earnings surged 67.9% year-on-year in March to a record 57.4 billion kroner ($6.1 billion), primarily driven by soaring global energy prices following the outbreak of the Iran war and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices averaged 1,014 kroner ($107.52) per barrel in March, the highest monthly average since September 2023. As Europe's largest producer of oil and natural gas, the Scandinavian country exported 56.6 million barrels of crude oil in March, good for nearly 2 million barrels per day. Norway's natural gas export revenues also climbed 19% to over 69 billion kroner as Europe sought alternative energy sources amid Middle East instability, helping the country record a trade surplus to the tune of 97.5 billion kroner, its highest level since January 2023. Norway's windfall oil earnings did not escape the attention of U.S. President Donald Trum...

Germany's Anti-Immigration AfD Party Jumps To 27%, 4 Points Ahead Of CDU Via Remix News, In a new poll from YouGov, the Alternative for Germany (AfD0 party jumped to 27 percent, now four points ahead of the rival Christian Democrats (CDU), in a sign that the AfD continues to distance itself as the most popular party in Germany. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel was quick to publish the poll results on X, writing: “4 percentage points ahead of the Union, 4 out of 5 citizens dissatisfied with Merz: We no longer have time for undemocratic firewalls. The political turnaround must happen now.” 4 Prozentpunkte Abstand zur Union, 4 von 5 Bürgern unzufrieden mit Merz: Wir haben keine Zeit mehr für undemokratische Brandmauern. Die politische Wende muß jetzt erfolgen. pic.twitter.com/rWe3sm04RU — Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) April 15, 2026 The governing parties that make up the federal government are seeing their fortunes quickly fall. The CDU/CSU fell by three percentage points to 23 percent, which ...

Gulf War Leaves $58 Billion Repair Bill And Global Equipment Crunch Last week, JPMorgan - which correctly noted that headlines tend to focus on the fact of damage not the scale - was the first itemize the damage from the war in Iran, finding more than 60 energy infrastructure assets in the Gulf have been affected by drone and missile strikes, with roughly 50 sustaining different degrees of damage.  What about the actual dollar value of the inflicted damage? According to Rystad, repair and restoration costs for energy-linked infrastructure as a result of war in the Middle East could hit $58 billion, with the total for oil and gas facilities potentially up to $50 billion.  Three weeks after the energy consultancy published an initial estimate of $25 billion in repair costs across Gulf energy infrastructure, the scope of damage has expanded materially. The continuation of military strikes drove up the number of impacted assets across the region before largely subsiding following an 8 Ap...

Afghan Man Arrested For Series Of Rapes Of Goats And Sheep In France Via Remix News, A 19-year-old Afghan national has been arrested and charged following a series of brutal sexual attacks on goats and sheep in Pennes-Mirabeau, a municipality in Bouches-du-Rhône, near Marseille. The suspect was taken into custody by the anti-crime brigade (BAC) on the night of April 9-10, 2026, after local sheep and goat owners alerted police. Since early 2026, several owners had discovered their animals injured, with incidents reported in both February and March. The animals had their legs tied and showed clear signs of rape, according to French newspaper La Provence. After multiple similar episodes, the owners installed motion-sensor cameras on their properties in an attempt to identify the perpetrator. The footage revealed the silhouette of a young man visiting their livestock at night, and the images were handed over to police, who were eventually able to identify a matching suspect. The man appeared bef...