A grab-bag analysis of current news, framed as bad news for ordinary people: governments and elites are seen colluding while AI, war, and surveillance expand.

• A US defense bill (section 224) would deepen US-Israel military ties, raising fears America gets locked into Middle East wars it can't easily exit.
• The Pentagon is suddenly leaking worries about Israeli spying, a sign of infighting just as Congress moves to tie the two militaries closer.
• AI firms like OpenAI aren't truly profitable, so talk between Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Sam Altman points to a coming government bailout of money-losing data centers.
• Candace Owens' first trip to Russia is read as part of a push to unite traditionalist Catholics and Orthodox Christians against Western secularism.
• Markets are called rigged and AI a bubble, with advice to get out of stocks since a few big players control the game.

Outlook: Expect a US ground invasion of Iran, a government rescue of AI firms, and rising US-China-Japan tension over South China Sea shipping lanes.