Charles Schwab, Citadel Securities Weigh Entering Prediction Markets

 by Jesse Coghlan via CoinTelegraph.com,

Traditional finance giants Charles Schwab and Citadel Securities are both considering entering prediction markets, with each separately weighing up how they wish to get involved in the fast-growing sector.

“I think at some point we likely will have prediction markets,” Rick Wurster, the CEO of the banking and investing titan Schwab, told investors during a call on Thursday.

He added that prediction markets weren’t “of tremendous interest” when he recently asked a group of Schwab clients about them, but it was an area the company would “take a hard look at, and it would be quite straightforward for us to offer.”

Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurster speaking to CNBC after the company launched Bitcoin and Ether trading on Thursday. Source: CNBC

Prediction markets such as the popular Kalshi and Polymarket have exploded in use over the past few months, with both platforms seeing a record combined total monthly trading volume of $23.6 billion in March, according to Token Terminal.

However, Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction market platforms have also caught the ire of some US state regulators, who have accused them in court of offering unlicensed sports betting.

Some federal lawmakers have also vowed to crack down on prediction markets, claiming the platforms weren’t doing enough to stamp out insider trading.

Wurster said Schwab’s potential offering would steer away from allowing bets on areas such as sports, politics and pop culture as it looks to position itself as a partner for building long-term wealth.

“Prediction markets that are not aligned to that are not something that we want to pursue,” he said.

“If you look at the stats on the success of gamblers, they're not strong, and people generally lose money.”

Citadel “keeping an eye” on prediction markets

Meanwhile, Citadel Securities president Jim Esposito said at a Semafor conference in Washington, DC, on Thursday that the company is “absolutely keeping an eye on developments” in prediction markets. 

Citadel Securities president Jim Esposito speaking at the Semafor World Economy conference on Thursday. Source: YouTube

“We're not there yet, there's not that much liquidity,” he added, but said that the market is likely to “ramp and scale,” and it was “certainly possible” that the market-making firm would potentially look to get involved.

Esposito said Citadel was “not looking at sports at the moment at all, I don't see us entering that market,” but did signal an interest in some event contracts.

He added that Citadel could see its retail and institutional clients use some event contracts as a hedge for risks to their investments, such as contracts for elections, which have been known to move markets.

“That's going to be some of the biggest risks to investors' portfolios that they're going to have to grapple with,” Esposito said. “Having a clean and distinct way to hedge certain risks, I think there's a good use case and industrial logic to it.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/charles-schwab-citadel-securities-weigh-entering-prediction-markets

Kuwait Declares Force Majeure As US Seizure Of Iranian Ship Escalates Tensions

 By Charles Kennedy of OilPrice.com

Kuwait has declared force majeure on shipments of crude oil and refined products after disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz prevented some vessels from entering the Persian Gulf.

The move comes as tensions in the Strait escalated again following the U.S. seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the waterway.

According to Reuters, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has notified customers that it is invoking contractual clauses allowing it to withhold certain scheduled deliveries after the blockade hindered access to the Gulf. The measure is not expected to result in a complete halt to supply. 

The latest escalation follows a volatile weekend in which the Strait briefly reopened before closing again after Iran linked the reopening of the shipping lane to the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade targeting its oil exports.

Iran’s foreign ministry said it has no plans for a new round of talks following the U.S. seizure of the vessel. U.S. President Donald Trump said a delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is heading to Islamabad for talks. Pakistan has tightened security in the capital ahead of the potential negotiations.

Iran has warned that it cannot guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz if its oil exports continue to be restricted, saying that security for shipping in the waterway cannot be separated from pressure on its own crude flows.

Shipping activity in and around the Strait has been disrupted again, with vessels altering routes and operators reassessing transit risks through one of the world’s most important oil shipping lanes.

After plunging late last week, oil prices rebounded in early trading as markets reacted to the renewed disruption and the risk of further constraints on flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

The renewed pressure also comes as Iran-aligned Houthis have threatened to target the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising concerns about additional risks to alternative export routes for Middle East crude.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/kuwait-declares-force-majeure-us-seizure-iranian-ship-escalates-tensions

DOJ Shakeup In Florida Signals Major Escalation In Russiagate Criminal Probe

 The Department of Justice appears to be gaining fresh momentum in its criminal investigation into the 2016 Trump-Russia collusion narrative, with a significant overhaul of the team handling the case in southern Florida.

According to investigative journalist Julie Kelly’s reporting at Declassified.live, longtime Trump legal advisor Joe diGenova - a former U.S. Attorney and prominent commentator - will be sworn in Monday as counsel to the attorney general. He will assume leadership of the ongoing grand jury probe based in Fort Pierce, the district overseen by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. That same courthouse was the site of Cannon’s landmark July 2024 ruling dismissing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents case against President Trump after she found Smith’s appointment unconstitutional. The grand jury has been active in Fort Pierce since January, Kelly reports.

DiGenova’s wife, Victoria Toensing, has also served as a key Trump legal counselor for years. In a notable earlier move, the Biden Justice Department seized Toensing’s cellphone in April 2021 during a separate inquiry tied to Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to examine the Biden family’s overseas dealings.

But wait, there's more...

The addition of DiGenova isn’t the only retooling. Earlier this week, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche removed the career prosecutor previously in charge of the investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, who played a key role in concocting the Trump-Russia collusion scheme in 2016. According to CNN, assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Medetis Long was ousted “after she resisted pressure to quickly bring charges against the former CIA director and prominent critic of President Donald Trump.” Meditis Long notified lawyers representing several individuals who have received subpoenas or interview requests related to the investigation that she was off the case, the New York Times reported on Friday. -Declassified Live

Blanche has also sent one of his senior aides, Christopher-James DeLorenz - who clerked for Judge Cannon during the documents litigation - to the Fort Pierce team.

These changes come shortly after President Trump dismissed former Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month, citing dissatisfaction with the pace of the Russiagate accountability effort. In a pointed press conference days later, Blanche—whom Trump immediately named acting attorney general—made clear the department’s direction. “The president has said time and time again that he wants justice,” Blanche told reporters. “If you look at what happened to him, his family, his administration, the agents who protected him, people who just happened to walk by him on a given day, they got subjected to…massive investigations by this department.”

Blanche speaks from direct experience: he defended Trump in both the Florida documents case and the Manhattan hush-money prosecution brought by District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Earlier this year the Justice Department did secure indictments against a small number of figures tied to the lawfare campaign, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Those cases were later dismissed, however, after a judge ruled that the appointment of the acting U.S. Attorney who filed them, Lindsey Halligan, was improper. That decision is now under appeal in the Fourth Circuit.

Still, many Trump supporters are demanding deeper accountability. While the initial charges brought some satisfaction, the expectation is for more significant action. A potential indictment of Brennan - who many view as a top target - now looks increasingly likely. He was recently subpoenaed in connection with his 2023 congressional testimony, in which he denied that the discredited Steele dossier influenced his 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment alleging Russian election interference on Trump’s behalf.

Brennan’s legal team has reacted with alarm. In a highly unusual letter sent last December to the chief judge of the 11th Circuit, his attorneys urged the court to block the probe from proceeding in Fort Pierce—viewed as a more conservative venue than Miami—and to bar Judge Cannon from any involvement. The letter claimed that Cannon’s prior rulings created the appearance of favoritism toward Trump and accused prosecutors of deliberately steering the case to her courtroom in line with what they called the president’s political retribution agenda.

If diGenova’s role expands beyond Brennan to encompass a wider “grand conspiracy” review - potentially covering everything from the roots of Russiagate through January 6, the Mar-a-Lago raid, and the conduct of the now-disqualified special counsel - additional high-profile targets could come into focus. Among them are individuals already the subject of criminal referrals sitting with the DOJ, including Thomas Windom (referred by House Judiciary Chairman James Jordan for alleged obstruction during congressional depositions) and January 6 committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson, accused of fabricating testimony about an incident in the presidential vehicle. This week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also referred two former officials—Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson and analyst Eric Ciaramella - for their roles in advancing the 2019 Ukraine-related impeachment allegations against Trump. Both men have documented connections to the original Russiagate players.

Even Jack Smith may not be fully in the clear. Recent reporting from CBS News indicates that Florida prosecutors are examining documents linked to Smith’s prior investigation of the president. Smith could additionally face scrutiny for allegedly continuing to hold himself out as special counsel in court filings long after Cannon disqualified him, raising questions of contempt and potential false statements to Congress.

As Julie Kelly observed in her Declassified.live piece, diGenova—still energetic and far from retirement age—may be exactly the experienced, no-nonsense figure needed to bring decisive momentum to the Florida investigation and deliver the accountability many have long awaited.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/doj-shakeup-florida-signals-major-escalation-russiagate-criminal-probe

Anthropic to spend over $100B on AWS technologies

 Amazon.com Inc. and Anthropic PBC announced on Monday that they will expand their collaboration, with the latter company committing to spend more than $100 billion over the next decade on Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies.

"The commitment includes Trainium2, Trainium3, Trainium4, and the ability to purchase future generations of Trainium as they become available," Amazon said in a press release. It added that AWS customers will have full access to Anthropic-native Claude console from within AWS.

Additionally, Amazon said it plans to invest $5 billion in Anthropic now and up to $20 billion in the future, in addition to the $8 billion it had already invested in the artificial intelligence company.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Anthropic-to-spend-over-dollar100B-on-AWS-technologies/66108211

Two killed in shooting at Mexico's Teotihuacan site

 Two people died in a shooting that occurred at the Teotihuacan archeological site near Mexico City, Mexico's Security Cabinet stated on Monday, confirming an earlier report by local newspaper El Universal.

In a post on X, the cabinet affirmed that a Canadian woman succumbed to gunshots, while one of the perpetrators committed suicide. Previously, El Universal reported that three suspects seemingly participated in the shooting. The Security Cabinet added that a firearm, a bladed weapon, and live cartridges were found at the site and neutralized.

Meanwhile, La Jornada daily reported that three suspects, who have still not been identified, have climbed the Pyramid of the Sun and began shooting at the present visitors. On the other hand, the Milenio newspaper alleged there was one shooter, who wore jeans, a plaid shirt, and a face mask.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Two-killed-in-shooting-at-Mexico's-Teotihuacan-site/66107690

Trump expands emergency powers for US energy supply

 United States President Donald Trump moved on Monday to expand domestic energy capacity across multiple sectors using emergency powers, citing national security and economic risks.

The measures cover oil, natural gas, coal, and electricity infrastructure, including production, refining, transmission, storage, and large-scale energy projects. The directives, issued under the Defense Production Act, allow federal support such as funding, purchase commitments, and accelerated development to increase capacity.

The move builds on Trump's earlier declaration of a national energy emergency on January 20, 2025, when he said "Drill, baby, drill," as the administration pushes to increase output, cut costs, and reduce reliance on external energy sources.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Trump-expands-emergency-powers-for-US-energy-supply/66108300

AHA urges HRSA to axe 340B model that would cost hospitals $1B+ a year

 The American Hospital Association has urged the Health Resources and Services Administration to abandon its consideration of the 340B rebate model pilot program, arguing the approach would impose significant financial and administrative burdens on hospitals.

In an April 20 letter responding to an agency request for information, the AHA said the rebate-based structure “is flawed in both conception and design” and would deviate from the intent of the 340B program, which aims to support safety-net providers.

“[I]t will inflict more than a billion dollars in costs annually on the hospitals that Congress designed the 340B Program to benefit,” AHA said. “It will jeopardize access to care for millions of Americans. It will force 340B hospitals to divert their scarce resources away from providing comprehensive services to patients and toward compliance with a new discount mechanism that benefits only drug companies and their third-party vendor, Second Sight Solutions. And it will do so in a way that has inherent and insurmountable design flaws.”

According to the AHA, hospitals would be forced to manage a new compliance framework tied to rebate processing, benefiting drug manufacturers and third-party vendors rather than providers and patients.

The association also raised concerns about what it described as “”nherent and insurmountable design flaws” in any rebate-based system.

HRSA issued the request for information Feb. 13 after previously abandoning a similar 340B rebate pilot following litigation brought by the AHA, the Maine Hospital Association and four safety-net health systems.

The AHA’s push comes amid broader legal and regulatory turbulence surrounding the 340B program. 

Last month, a federal court vacated a 2013 HRSA policy governing hospital drug purchasing, finding the agency failed to adequately justify its reasoning under the Administrative Procedure Act. The policy — tied to the “GPO prohibition” — had significant financial implications, with some hospitals reporting annual compliance costs ranging from $500,000 to $1.6 million.

The ruling did not resolve the underlying policy question, leaving room for HRSA to revisit the issue if it provides sufficient justification. It also follows a separate February decision in which a court vacated HRSA’s 340B rebate model pilot program on similar procedural grounds, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of the agency’s approach to the program.

Editor’s note: Becker’s has reached out to the HRSA for comment and will update this story as more information becomes available.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/aha-urges-hrsa-to-axe-340b-model-that-would-cost-hospitals-1b-a-year/