The Justice Department is now probing valuations at a BlackRock private credit fund. That sentence should stop everyone cold. Not because BlackRock is about to disappear. It isn’t. Not because one fund valuation probe means anyone has been proven to have done anything wrong. It doesn’t. A probe is not a conviction, and we need to be clear about that. But because the single biggest weakness in private credit has always been valuations.
BlackRock is facing a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) into the valuation practices of its private credit fund, BlackRock TCP Capital Corp
=================================================================
Trump: Holding Off 'Planned' Attack On Iran At Request Of Gulf Allies, 'Deal Will Be Made'
Headline roulette once again...
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/oil-slides-iran-says-us-agreed-lift-oil-sanctions-during-negotiation-period
=========================================================
Renewed Iran Headline Roulette Triggers Market Mayhem: AI Angst, Momo Meltdown, Bitcoin Battered
...peace-on, peace-off, peace-on; risk-on, risk-off, risk-on... piss off!
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/renewed-iran-headline-roulette-triggers-market-mayhem-bitcoin-battered
==========================================================
Japanese Bonds Crater After PM Takaichi Prepares To Issue Much More Debt To Pay For Gasoline Subsidies
"The about-face by Takaichi, who had been ruling out an extra budget all along, is making markets jittery and triggering a JGB selloff across the curve"
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/japanese-bonds-crater-after-pm-takaichi-prepares-issue-much-more-debt-pay-gasoline
================================================
UAE Paid New York Firm Millions To Bury Article On Ambassador's Links To Sex Traffickers: Report
NYT reveals far-reaching efforts..
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/uae-paid-new-york-firm-millions-bury-article-ambassadors-links-sex-traffickers-report
=========================================================================
Hundreds Of Subpoenas Are Targeting The Russian Collusion Hoax
... the Justice Department is hunting the architects of the Russia hoax, and they’re leaving no stone unturned..
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/hundreds-subpoenas-are-targeting-russian-collusion-hoax
====================================================
Trump Demands DOJ Probe Of Maryland's 500,000 "Illegal" Mail-In Ballots
"I'm going to ask the Attorney General of the United States, and the DOJ, to bring an immediate investigation into this situation."
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-demands-doj-probe-marylands-500000-illegal-mail-ballots
=====================================================
Wayfair CFO's Muted Home-Goods Demand Outlook Offers More Bad News For Realtors
"At some point, this cyclical category will recover, but our expectations...
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/wayfair-cfos-muted-home-goods-demand-outlook-offers-more-bad-news-realtors
=====================================================================
McDonald's Worker Axed After Viral Video Shows Her Shoving Fries In Mouth Then Back In Box
"So you want French fries today, right?"
The fired employee, who has yet to be publicly identified, will also face criminal charges at the Dudley District Court.
https://www.zerohedge.com/food/mcdonalds-worker-axed-after-viral-video-shows-her-shoving-fries-mouth-then-back-box
======================================================================================================
The Ebola Scare Begins: This Is Already The Worst Outbreak Of Bundibugyo Virus Disease In World History, And People Are Starting To Freak Out
Normally, outbreaks of Ebola are not a huge concern because doctors have highly effective tools that they can use to fight it.
But BVD is an entirely different story.
There is not much that health authorities can do about BVD except to contain it and hope that an outbreak eventually burns out.
In this case, that may not be so easy for a couple of reasons.
First of all, there are already hundreds of cases, and the death toll has now reached the triple digit mark…
At least 100 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 390 cases suspected, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has told the BBC.
Jean Kaseya warned that with no approved drugs or vaccines people should follow public health measures, including at funerals of Ebola victims.
https://citizenwatchreport.com/the-ebola-scare-begins-this-is-already-the-worst-outbreak-of-bundibugyo-virus-disease-in-world-history-and-people-are-starting-to-freak-out/
============================================================================
Pakistan deploys jet squadron, 8,000 troops, and air defense system to Saudi Arabia under defense pact.
Pakistan deploys fighter jets, air defenses, and thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia amid the Iran war.
Islamabad has sent around 8,000 troops, a squadron of JF-17 fighter jets, drones, and Chinese HQ-9 air defense systems to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact.
The deployment marks one of the largest recent overseas Pakistani military operations and comes as Pakistan simultaneously acts as a key mediator in the Iran conflict.
(FOR SOME TIME I HAVE BEEN THINKING THAT THESE ARAB DICTATORS COULD BE
OVERTHROWN BY MIGRANT WORKERS FROM A COUNTRY LIKE PAKISTAN. THEIR MEN COULD BE RECRUITED
BY PAKISTANI REGULAR SOLDIERS. THE ARAB ARMY COULD NEVER STAND AND FIGHT AGAINST PAKISTANI
SOLDIERS. LOOKS TO ME ALL OF THESE ARAB DICTATORS ARE MARKED FOR EXTICTION. PAKISTAN'S
SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON A LOT MORE THAN A FEW BILLION IN BTIBES.)
https://citizenwatchreport.com/pakistan-deploys-jet-squadron-8000-troops-and-air-defense-system-to-saudi-arabia-under-defense-pact/#more-221029
===========================================================================================
How Iran showed the underdog's steadfastness can go a long way
=========================
Software CEO Convicted In Massive $1 Billion Medicare Fraud Scheme Targeting Seniors
In a verdict hailed by federal officials as a major blow against one of the most egregious health care fraud operations in Florida history, a jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted Brett Blackman, 42, of Johnson County, Kansas, on multiple conspiracy charges related to a sprawling scheme that bilked Medicare and other federal programs out of more than $1 billion.
Blackman, the founder, owner, and CEO of HealthSplash, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and make false statements in connection with health care matters. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the primary fraud counts, plus additional time on the others. Sentencing is scheduled for August 26, 2026, according to the DOJ.
From "Healthcare Innovator" to Fraud MastermindPrior to his legal troubles, Blackman positioned himself as a serial entrepreneur and healthcare technology disruptor. He described HealthSplash as a visionary platform built on blockchain and smart contracts to connect patients, providers, servicers, and payers with transparent, friction-free care. The company aimed to eliminate suffering by delivering healthcare data instantly and shifting the system from reactive to proactive.
Blackman had expanded a medical compliance documentation firm called PMDRx into DMERx (Power Mobility Doctor Rx, LLC) to broaden its offerings. HealthSplash acquired DMERx in September 2017. Court documents portray a starkly different reality: the platform became a tool for generating false and fraudulent doctors’ orders for durable medical equipment (DME), primarily orthotic braces, and other prescriptions.
How the Scheme WorkedProsecutors said Blackman and co-conspirators aggressively targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries - often vulnerable seniors - through foreign call centers, spam mailers, and telemarketing. The goal: pressure recipients into accepting medically unnecessary equipment.
Once beneficiaries agreed, the DMERx platform routed orders to telemedicine doctors who signed them—frequently with little or no patient interaction, and sometimes while falsely claiming in-person tests had occurred. Suppliers and pharmacies paid illegal kickbacks for these orders, then billed Medicare and other federal programs (including those serving veterans and military families) more than $1 billion. Federal programs paid out over $450 million on the fraudulent claims.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/software-ceo-convicted-massive-1-billion-medicare-fraud-scheme-targeting-seniors