U.S. Government Spending $88 Billion a Month in Interest on National Debt – Equal to Spending on Defense and Education Combined
April 10th, 2026Via: Fortune:
The problem with an increasing debt burden is that it costs more to maintain it: This is precisely the issue with which the U.S. Treasury is wrangling at present. As total U.S. national debt ticks over $39 trillion, the interest payments on that value are eye-watering: $529 billion for the first six months of the current fiscal year.
A new budget update from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released yesterday highlights that the government—according to preliminary estimates—paid out the near $530 billion between October 2025, when the fiscal year starts, and March 2026. This equates to more than $88 billion in interest payments a month, or more than $22 billion a week.
That means the service payments on public debt are roughly equal to spending for the same period on both the Department of Defense’s military budget and the Department of Education. These two outlays contribute costs of $461 billion and $70 billion respectively.
Mebendazole Polymorph for Treatment and Prevention of Tumors
April 9th, 2026Via: U.S. Patent US11110079B2:
Mebendazole is an antiparasitic drug with over 40 years of safe use. Recently mebendazole was repurposed for glioblastoma therapy. Three polymorphs of mebendazole exist, but the relative polymorph content for existing drugs varies, and the therapeutic anti-cancer relevance of the different polymorphs was unknown. As an oral drug mebendazole polymorph C is a superior form, and it reaches the brain and brain tumors in effective concentrations. Efficacy is further improved by combining mebendazole with a P-glycoprotein inhibitor. Mebendazole may also be used for therapy of other cancers, as well as a chemo-preventative agent.
China Produces “Baby Shahed” Kamikaze Drones For $500
April 9th, 2026War is hell. And then drones appeared on the battlefield.
Via: Zero Hedge:
China’s manufacturing base is now churning out short-range, low-cost kamikaze drones priced at under $500 per unit, which X user PLA Military Updates has described as “Baby Shahed” drones.
According to the post, the so-called Baby Shahed costs around 3,000 yuan (about $450), has a range of 20 to 30 kilometers, flies at roughly 200 kilometers per hour, and can be launched by hand or from a rack. These drones could even be launched from a box truck or shipping containers.
U.S. Will Automatically Register Men Aged 18 to 25 for Military Draft Pool Beginning in December
April 9th, 2026Via: Daily Mail:
The United States will automatically register eligible men aged 18 to 25 for a military draft pool beginning in December.
The rule change was submitted by the Selective Service System, which maintains a database of Americans who would be able to serve in the military.
‘This statutory change transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources,’ the agency’s website said.
Shipping Through Strait of Hormuz After “Ceasefire”? “There Is No Free Flow”
April 8th, 2026Via: What’s Going on With Shipping?:
Anthropic Mythos
April 8th, 2026Via: Ars Technica:
Anthropic has launched a new cybersecurity AI model to a select group of customers, including Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, days after details about the project were leaked online.
Its new model, Claude Mythos Preview, would be available only to vetted organizations, including Broadcom, Cisco, and CrowdStrike, Anthropic said on Tuesday. The company added it was also in discussions with the US government about its use.
…
Mythos has been in use with partners for several weeks. Although it is a “general purpose” model with wider capabilities, it is the first time the company has limited release of a model due to its capabilities in cyber security.
Anthropic said the software can identify cyber vulnerabilities at a scale beyond human capacity, but it could also develop ways to exploit these vulnerabilities, which bad actors could use. The company said the model could “reshape” cyber security practices and does not plan a broad release.
…
In recent weeks, Mythos has identified thousands of so-called zero-day—previously undiscovered—vulnerabilities and other security flaws, many of which are critical and have persisted for a decade or more.
In one example, it found a 16-year-old flaw in widely used video software, in a line of code that automated testing tools had executed 5 million times without detecting the issue.
However, the model also displayed some issues during testing.
At one point, Anthropic found that it had escaped its so-called sandbox environment—designed to prevent it from accessing the Internet—and posted details of its workaround online.
Anthropic acknowledged it demonstrated “a potentially dangerous capability for circumventing [the company’s] safeguards.”
TPM – The Microsoft Choke Point – Age Verification and Identity Control
April 8th, 2026Most people don’t know (or care) about any of this.
Most will comply with everything asked of them without concern or complaint.
Financial services and government issued IDs will be how this comes down for people who are trying to resist. It will simply become impossible to exist without compliance with these systems.
I can see a scenario where people create “normie” devices in order to comply with device/biometric requirements to do banking or take commercial flights, for example.
Then, they might have their more privacy focused devices running Linux for everything else. Not, so much, because this would ultimately be effective. But more to feel a sense of at least having done something to resist.
Via: Rob Braxman Tech:
After U.S. – Iran Ceasefire, Massive Israeli Attack Kills Hundreds in Lebanon
April 8th, 2026In other news, Iran blocks ships in the Strait of Hormuz with Lebanon cease-fire demand and $2M toll:
Iran is again blocking ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz just hours after agreeing to reopen the waterway, blaming the reversal on Israel striking Lebanon — despite President Trump making clear Beirut was never part of the cease-fire agreement.
“Due to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, oil tankers will not be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” the Iranian embassy in Mumbai posted to X on Wednesday, citing Iran’s Fars News Agency.
But Trump on Wednesday told PBS News Hour that “everyone knows” Israel’s fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon is a “separate skirmish” not included in the cease-fire deal with Iran.
Via: Al Jazeera:
Israeli strikes have hit several dense commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning, killing hundreds of people and wounding more than 1,000 others, hours after a ceasefire was announced in the United States-Israeli war on Iran.
Lebanon’s Civil Defence said at least 254 people were killed and 1,165 others were wounded in the attacks on Wednesday.
Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said Lebanon was facing a “dangerous escalation” after Israel launched “more than 100 air strikes” across the country.
CIA “Ghost Murmur”
April 8th, 2026The alleged story about the rescue of a U.S. F-15 weapon system officer makes no sense at all.
So, for whatever it’s worth…
Via: New York Post:
The CIA used a futuristic new tool called “Ghost Murmur” to find and rescue the second American airman who was shot down in southern Iran, The Post has learned.
The secret technology uses long-range quantum magnetometry to find the electromagnetic fingerprint of a human heartbeat and pairs the data with artificial intelligence software to isolate the signature from background noise, two sources close to the breakthrough said.
It was the tool’s first use in the field by the spy agency — and was alluded to Monday afternoon by President Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe at a White House briefing.
“It’s like hearing a voice in a stadium, except the stadium is a thousand square miles of desert,” a source briefed on the program told The Post. “In the right conditions, if your heart is beating, we will find you.”
This source and another with knowledge of Lockheed Martin intelligence collection tools told The Post that Ghost Murmur was developed by Skunk Works, the aerospace giant’s secretive advanced development division. The company declined to comment.
Trump Announces Two-Week Ceasefire as Iran Agrees to Reopen Strait of Hormuz, Allowed to Charge Fees on Ships
April 7th, 2026It looks like Iran is allowed to continue collecting fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is an astonishing development.
The two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, a regional official said Wednesday.
The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. It wasn’t immediately clear what Oman would use its money for.
The strait is in the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran. The world had considered the passage an international waterway and never paid tolls before.
The official, who had been directly involved in the negotiations, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
—
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2026
Via: MoneyControl:
The US-Iran ceasefire may reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it does not restore business as usual. Instead, it resets how the world’s most critical oil route will operate, with Iran positioned to oversee who passes, and how.
Under the agreement, vessels can transit the strait for a limited period, but only in coordination with Iranian armed forces and a likely toll to Iran and Oman, according to reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters.
Iran’s position has been consistent across official statements and diplomatic proposals.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said vessels would be allowed to pass “via coordination with Iran’s armed forces,” a formulation echoed in Tehran’s ceasefire communication.
According to AP reporting, Iran’s 10-point plan, presented as the basis for talks, explicitly calls for “controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran’s armed forces,” framing it as a strategic gain for Tehran.
That language signals a shift from unrestricted transit to managed access.
Russia and China Block UN Resolution on Strait of Hormuz
