Originally published at: Tulsi Gabbard Resigns, China Announces Mining Controls on Strategic Minerals, WHO Raises Ebola Risk – Peak Prosperity
US Politics
Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation as Director of National Intelligence effective June 30, 2026. During her tenure, the office declassified more than 500,000 pages, eliminated DEI programs, established a Weaponization Working Group, and reduced annual intelligence community spending by more than $700 million. Alternative accounts have suggested possible internal policy frictions alongside the stated family reasons.
In other news, the Department of War released additional UFO-related documents and footage, including a 1949 report on a green fireball and military videos of unidentified objects. Secretary Pete Hegseth described the release as fulfilling a pledge of transparency. Skeptical commentary on social media has questioned the authenticity of some released materials.
Iran War
Iran has formally defined its administrative supervisory boundaries over the Strait of Hormuz. This news follows the earlier establishment of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which requires vessels to obtain permits and pay tolls of up to $2 million, payable in yuan or cryptocurrency. The IRGC Navy reported 26 vessels transited under its protection in the 24-hour period following the announcement.
Meanwhile, talks in Islamabad concluded without agreement following an April 7 ceasefire. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei directed that Iran’s stockpile of 60-percent-enriched uranium remain inside the country, according to two sources cited by Reuters. Iranian officials stated they will discuss detailed nuclear terms only after receiving guarantees against further strikes. U.S. officials have reiterated that Iran will not be permitted to retain highly enriched uranium.
Lastly, a Pentagon assessment described to The Washington Post indicated that the United States expended 200 THAAD interceptors and more than 100 SM-3 and SM-6 missiles in defense of Israel during the first five weeks of conflict. Israel used 100 Arrow and 90 David’s Sling interceptors. The intelligence community assessed that Iran retained more than 70 percent of its prewar launchers and missiles, while Israeli strikes declined 50 percent by the end of March.
Other Geopolitics
China announced new mining controls on strategic minerals effective June 15 that permit limits on output, restrictions on mining entities, and national-security reviews of foreign investment. Xinhua did not name the minerals to be added to the existing list that includes rare earths. Western efforts to diversify supply chains away from Chinese dominance have been noted in industry discussions.
In other news, the USS Nimitz strike group entered the Caribbean Sea on May 20, U.S. Southern Command stated. The same day, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro related to the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a Spanish-language video addressing Cubans. President Trump described a possible “friendly takeover” of Cuba and stated there would be no escalation. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel described the indictment as a political maneuver intended to justify military action. The deployment follows CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Havana and continues Operation Southern Spear, which began in September 2025. The actions have drawn mixed international reactions, including denunciations from some Latin American leaders as historically interventionist.
Energy
UBS analyst Arend Kapteyn stated that Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases have offset supply shortfalls and estimated the net loss through Hormuz at roughly 9 million barrels per day after releases. Meanwhile, Chinese state refinery run rates fell to 66.9 percent of capacity in the week to May 21, with Shandong independent refineries at 52.54 percent. April crude imports declined to 8.2 million barrels per day. Refining margins reached negative levels. Chinese industrial production, retail sales, and fixed-asset investment figures missed forecasts. China has continued building strategic crude stockpiles despite lower imports and refinery runs.
Economy
Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasuries declined from $9.49 trillion to $9.25 trillion in March. China reduced its holdings to approximately $652 billion, the lowest level since 2008. Japan also sold holdings. The largest decrease was in Turkey, whose holdings fell from $16 billion in February to $1.8 billion by the end of March. Some observers have described the sales as routine capital rotation amid geopolitical factors rather than a broad loss of confidence in U.S. assets.
Meanwhile, a recent blog post by Mark Shryock opines that the global order is collapsing in real time, with 2026 as the critical window, as interconnected crises in energy, food, and finance accelerate beyond institutional buffers. He argues that the Strait of Hormuz disruption has already exhausted floating oil inventories, pushing the system toward “tank bottoms” where fuel physically cannot be delivered regardless of price, which will first cripple diesel-dependent food trucking and create uneven shortages starting from rural routes. Shryock contends that the petrodollar system is fracturing under wartime conditions through yuan-denominated tolls, non-dollar oil settlements by India and others, and central bank gold buying, while U.S. debt dynamics and printing responses will compound devaluation and erode purchasing power; he urges ordinary people to recognize these converging systems failures now, rather than treating events as isolated, because the acute and structural clocks are both running out.
Health
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a district court ruling that had found fluoridated water at 0.7 mg/L posed an unreasonable risk to children’s health. The appellate panel ruled that the district judge had violated the party-presentation principle. On remand, the district judge was directed to disregard evidence developed after 2020. Attorney Michael Connett described the ruling as an unprecedented application of the doctrine. The decision addressed procedural matters and did not evaluate the underlying scientific findings.
In other news, the WHO raised its national risk assessment of the DRC Ebola outbreak from high to very high. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported 82 confirmed cases and 7 confirmed deaths, along with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. Response efforts were affected by violence, including arson at a treatment center and an attack on a hospital. At least six Americans were reported to have been exposed to the Bundibugyo strain. Community distrust stemming from prior outbreak responses has been cited as a factor in local resistance.
Sources
US Carrier Enters Caribbean as Trump Ramps Up Cuba Pressure
The U.S. military command operating in the Western Hemisphere said on May 20 that an aircraft carrier strike group entered the Caribbean Sea, as the Trump administration heaps pressure on the Cuban communist regime.
Foreign Dumping of U.S. Treasuries Signals Rising Fiscal Alarm
Foreign Treasury Selling Is Getting Serious
Turkey Dumps Nearly All US Treasuries to Defend Crashing Lira
Turkey sold almost all of its US Treasuries in March as it stepped up efforts to support its currency during the first month of the Iran war.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Orders Enriched Uranium to Stay Put Amid Trump Clash
“The Supreme Leader’s directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” one of the Iranian sources said.
2026: Data on the Converging Oil, Food, and Dollar Crises—and What Households Must Do Now
The reason the window is 2026 is not because the crisis is approaching. The crisis is here.
Source | Submitted by slyon
Iran Seizes Hormuz: New Permits and Tolls Redraw Energy Chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz has become the world’s most dangerous chessboard, and Iran just moved its pieces into position.
Federal Appeals Court Vacates Fluoride Ruling on Technicality, Not Science
But this ruling only addresses a legal procedural question — not the science
Source | Submitted by pinecarr
UBS Warns of “Scary” Oil Price Scenarios Once Inventory Buffers Run Dry
The chart highlights some scary combinations.
Source | Submitted by nickythec
Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as DNI to Support Husband’s Cancer Battle
My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.
Source | Submitted by dreinmund
China Tightens Mining Controls on Strategic Minerals
China plans to impose mining controls on certain strategic minerals to ensure supply security and protect the finite resources
US Fired Most Interceptors Defending Israel From Iran, Pentagon Says
The United States absorbed most of the missile defense mission while Israel conserved its own magazines.
China’s Refining Rates Crash to Record Lows as Economy Tanks
Mysteel OilChem reported that China’s state refineries cut run rates below 67% of capacity in the week to May 21, the lowest on record.
WHO Elevates DRC Ebola Risk to ‘Very High’ Amid Hundreds of Suspected Cases
World Health Organization head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading at a rapid pace, announcing the agency has elevated the national spread risk from “high” to “very high.”
Department of War Releases Second UFO Files Batch With New Footage
The Department of War on Friday released a second tranche of UFO files, including additional footage of unidentified aerial phenomenon.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Sparrow News Network, Luck1448086, Rapid Response 47, Tawazon Media, Parkidem_Sofia, Bloomberg Law, michaelpconnett, GNzowo, Al Jazeera English, handford300520, and MasterOfCringe.