Autor: Al Punto Hoy from ANASTACIO ALEGRIA

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Global Economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The writer is an FT contributing editor, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, and author of a forthcoming book on globalisationIn the Strait of Hormuz, tankers have been burning, along with what remains of the post-1945 American-led order. Meanwhile, the IMF’s new baseline forecast for global growth this year is exactly the same as it was six months ago and stock prices have gone up. The contrast between a world order on fire and a world economy on autopilot is glaring.…

Four years after Polymarket paid $1.4 million to settle with U.S. regulators and barred bets from American users, the explosive case against a soldier charged with trading on classified information is offering the prediction market a chance to come in from the cold.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Gannon Ken Van Dyke, an active-duty special forces soldier, was charged with using advance knowledge of the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to make $440,000 via Polymarket bets.The arrest came after months of speculation in the press and on social media…

In January, the senseless killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti briefly forced many Americans to confront the brutalities of state violence. Millions took to the streets nationwide to express their anger and outrage over the murders of a 37-year-old mother and poet and a 37-year-old nurse who cared for veterans. The idea that ICE is beyond reform and should be abolished was no longer confined to the left. Even prominent conservative pundits began saying openly what many progressives have known for years: This agency cannot be restrained by norms, oversight, or exposure.But as the administration’s “shock and awe strategy”…

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s new proposal to update laws for government spying got a big thumbs-down from civil liberties advocates who say it does not do enough to protect Americans’ privacy rights. The Washington-based libertarian think tank CATO said the bill lacked Fourth Amendment protections against unlawful search and seizure. “The reality is and always has been that mandating that the FBI live with a Fourth Amendment warrant requirement to get the digital data of Americans isn’t just what the Constitution requires. It’s absolutely technologically possible to do it in the FISA Section 702 context,” said Patrick Eddington, a CATO…

By TeeJay Small | Published 46 seconds ago For as long as video games have been around, studio execs have been pouring money into bad video game adaptations. Films like Uncharted, Mortal Kombat, and 1993’s Super Mario Bros are known far and wide for tarnishing the reputation of their source material, leaving fans wary of the entire genre. Do you remember when Assassin’s Creed got a film adaptation back in 2016? Me neither. So, when it was announced that an Elden Ring movie was in the works, I immediately became skeptical. I’m not saying that an Elden Ring movie is…

Kobe Bryant trading cards aren’t particularly rare. And because rarity equates to value, standard issue 1997 cards featuring the late Lakers great retail for a pedestrian $100 to $300. Then there are 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green cards, which just by typing that highfalutin name can give even the most savvy collector goose bumps. The key word is green. Most Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems cards have a red background and fetch around $300,000. Only 10 were made with a metallic green background and only three have been graded by respected grading firm Professional Sports…

Yves here. While this article debunks food stamp program means-testing by even tougher work requirement, its framing has the effect of treating that objective as legitimate even if misguided in its execution. IMHO, this is yet another manifestation of the notion of deserving versus undeserving poor: that unless there is an obvious reason for your poverty, such as being too old or too crippled to work, you don’t deserve help. Another is that stringent means testing will reduce program expenditures. God forbid that the US does farsighted-enough things to make sure that kids are well fed so their brains develop…

The US and Iran’s rival blockades of the Strait of Hormuz have become a «test of wills», says BBC’s Chief International correspondent Lyse Doucet.Earlier this month, US forces announced they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran’s coast.Iran calls the blockade «piracy», and its top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has said reopening the strait is «not possible» while the US maintains its naval blockade.Lyse Doucet is reporting from Tehran on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC’s Persian Service. These restrictions apply to all international media organisations operating in Iran.

A U.S. special forces soldier involved in the military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was arrested on Thursday after allegedly betting on Maduro’s removal from office before news of the raid was made public, a law enforcement source and a senior military official told CBS News.Federal investigators believe U.S. Army Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke made bets of more than $33,000 on the prediction market Polymarket within hours of President Trump’s announcement in January that Maduro had been captured, the source said. The bets hit and resulted in winnings of more than $409,000.According to an indictment unsealed…

A U.S. Army soldier was accused of making more than $400,000 trading on Polymarket based on the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. military forces, the Justice Department announced on Thursday. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, was charged with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud, and making an unlawful monetary transaction. According to the unsealed indictment, Van Dyke participated in the planning and execution of the operation to capture Maduro, called “Operation Absolute Resolve,” and used classified information to make wagers on the prediction marketplace. “Our…