Insider trading being "illegal" depends on the definition in the statute and the facts.

I wouldn't assume that any story reflects the legal definition of "insider trading." I certainly wouldn't say that this set of facts "almost certainly is" insider training. That's jumping to conclusions.

Though I would agree the circumstances are suspicious.

If you are *actually* worried about it, then file a complaint/tip with the SEC (securities and exchange commission). They investigate that kind of thing.

Otherwise, I'd shrug my shoulders and, to quote the immortal words of Ben Kenobi, "move along..."

By A David Merritt (Adm) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 02:16 pm: Edit

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 03:39 pm: Edit

As I said, people bet on the futures market all the time. Anyone who has the nerves for that roller coaster could have bet on it. I think it would have been fairly easy to guess that some kind of ceasefire would happen at the last minute. That is far more likely than any US president would tell insiders he was about to make a deal.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 04:07 pm: Edit

By Douglas Lampert (Dlampert) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 04:22 pm: Edit

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 05:44 pm: Edit

Idle speculation is fun, but when it becomes deliberate character attacks with zero evidence, well, enough is enough. You people threw a fit if anyone said "Biden Crime Family" and this has less evidence. Any more about this oil futures thing and I'm going to explain a whole new meaning for "sanctions".

Jessica, that's twice you've pulled this stunt. Don't do it a third time.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 05:50 pm: Edit

The Pakistani Prime Minister posted on X hours before the announcement with the proposal.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 06:13 pm: Edit

I just heard the tail end of a report on the radio, that the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) reported that two bases in spain (Naval Station Rota (Cádiz) and
Morón Air Base (Seville) ) are to be “drawn down” as u.s. military and naval personnel are going to be ordered to return to the U.S.
In other news, the US. aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, which had a on board fire last week, has been ordered to Greece for repairs.

Ordinarily, it would be expected that the carrier would have been ordered to Rota Spain for repairs.

It seems the NATO situation is not calming yet.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 06:25 pm: Edit

Survivors of the Iranian attack that killed six U.S. service members are criticizing the Pentagon’s description of the incident. They spoke with CBS News and took particular issue with SecWar Hegseth’s description of the drone as a "squirter" that snuck through the unit’s defenses.

"Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," an injured soldier told the network. "I want people to know the unit … was unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position."

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Thursday, April 09, 2026 - 08:45 pm: Edit

If the unit was not prepared to defend itself that's on the unit.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 07:46 am: Edit

You should all watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN0SdVDj-oc&t=1577s

Drones are not the end of all weapon systems. It’s complicated.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 12:15 pm: Edit

There are several news reported concerning the state of ther U.K. Royal Navy.

A google inquiry says,

Quote:” As of early 2026, the United Kingdom's Royal Navy has approximately 62 to 63 commissioned ships in its active fleet. This total generally includes aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered attack submarines, ballistic missile submarines, destroyers, frigates, and patrol vessels, but excludes Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) support ships.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
+3
Key Details of the Royal Navy Fleet (2026):
Major Combatants: The fleet is anchored by 2 Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, 6 Type 45 destroyers, and 7 Type 23 frigates.
Submarines: The service operates 4 Vanguard-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (carrying Trident missiles) and 6 Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Patrol/Other Vessels: The fleet includes 26+ patrol and coastal vessels, along with mine counter-measure ships.
Support: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) provides additional support with around 9-12 auxiliary ships.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
+3
Note: The number of active, deployable ships is often reported lower due to maintenance and refits, with reports noting only 13 major surface combatants (13 frigates/destroyers) are frequently available for operations.”

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 01:59 pm: Edit

I watched it. Their point, which I agree with, is that the concept of the Tank is not outdated. They also talk about how Russian Lancet drones are vulnerable to Ukrainian FPV drones. I believe this is evidence for, not against, the importance of drones.

Here is further evidence --

Many of the oil tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz were attacks by drone boats. Collectively, these attacks effectively shut down the strait.

Russia's oil/gas export terminals at Novorossysk, Ust-Luga, and Primorsk have all had their operations heavily impacted by drone and/or missile attacks. These are Russia's main hydrocarbon export terminals on the Black and Baltic seas. I see an article from just five hours ago that Novorossysk has "partially" resumed operations after a shutdown caused by a drone attack two days ago. Meanwhile, Ust-Luga suspended operations on March 25 after a drone attack and resumed on April 8. So Russia's main Baltic oil export termrinal was out of operation for two weeks because of Ukrainain drones and missiles.

Ukraine's allies have asked it to slow down its drone attacks on Russian oil refineries during the Hormuz crisis. (Ukraine declined to do that)

About 75% of Russian battlefield casualties are currently caused by Ukrainian drones.

Russia fires 100-500 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine on a typical night. Anywhere from 75% to 95% of these are shot down, in many cases by drone interceptors.

Ukraine has a points system for its drone operators. They spend points to buy drones for themselves. One of the highest point values is for killing Russian drone operators.

Since March 1, Ukraine has been averaging about one Russian air defense system a day destroyed. Most or all by drone attacks.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 02:00 pm: Edit

Iraqi Speaker Qalibaf said today that there will be no negotiations with the U.S. without a ceasefire in Lebanon and a release of blocked Iranian assets.

Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to any ship unwilling to pay tolls to Iran, a practice which Pres. Trump has demanded that they stop.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 02:15 pm: Edit

SecWar not SecDef.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 02:58 pm: Edit

Chuck: when Congress changes the name of the Dept. of Defense to the Dept. of War, let me know. Until then, it's SecDef.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 04:46 pm: Edit

For this board, it is SecWar. To avoid confusion. Will I have to delete entire messages like I do when someone doesn't capitalize proper names?

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 05:08 pm: Edit

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 05:48 pm: Edit

You can use "Secretary Hegseth" if you want.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 07:19 pm: Edit

Seems to be a stalemate on the ceasefire. Iran says there will only be a ceasefire if it applies everywhere including Lebanon and all sanctions are lifted AND they can charge tolls through the strait.

Trump says "no to that, we will start bombing again if you don't stop firing missiles and blocking the strait, we are reloading now."

Maybe if Jessica and I split the oil futures we'd making a killing.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 08:55 pm: Edit

There are now, amid acute military tensions in early 2026, reports suggest that Iranian citizens and protesters have clashed directly with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel and affiliated Basij militia in Tehran streets. While the IRGC often dominates with superior firepower, instances of confrontation have occurred.
Facebook
Facebook
+4
Key Details on Clashes and Security Tension:
Active Confrontations: Protests and clashes have been reported in major cities, including Tehran, with citizens confronting security forces and chanting against the leadership.
Targeting of Security Installations: Reports indicate that in early 2026, significant strikes and attacks, potentially by internal actors, have targeted IRGC, Basij, and government installations in Tehran.
Escalating Violence: The IRGC has warned that protests and street actions disrupting public security will be treated as collaboration with the enemy.
Urban Warfare Tactics: Footage in April 2026 showed security forces taking cover in urban areas like underpasses during heightened tensions and potential external strikes, suggesting a volatile, high-stakes security environment.
Protester vs. Security Clashes: Reports from 2025-2026 have documented instances of security forces firing live ammunition at crowds during intense protests, with civilian groups sometimes fighting back.

Are we supposed to feel sorry for the IIRG personnel? Not only do they have to deal with U.S. and Israeli air strikes, but even some citizens of Iran are fighting the IIRG?

Reports listed above are from a Google inquiry, as always, AI may not have totally correct information.

Y.M.M.V.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 10:57 pm: Edit

The ceasefire talks are (my prediction) going to collapse in about the first thirty minutes tomorrow. We will probably start bombing and may seize Kharg.

Jessica, I am buying oil futures to buy at 75, figuring to cash in when it hits 125. What say you?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 10, 2026 - 11:08 pm: Edit

The ten points that I posted earlier, it turns out, came from Iran not the White House and were not the list of discussion points that Trump said he could work with. The US never agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon, because Israel would not agree to that.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Saturday, April 11, 2026 - 05:12 am: Edit

SVC, I definitely agree that the ceasefire won't last. I'm less clear how long Iran will hold out.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, April 11, 2026 - 05:16 am: Edit

No one knows, but when the collapse of the IRGC government comes, it will be fast.