Gold demand during one of India’s key buying festivals stayed muted on Sunday as record prices curbed jewellery purchases, ​offsetting a modest uptick in investment demand, according to Reuters. 

Indians celebrated Akshaya Tritiya, the ‌second-biggest gold-buying festival after Dhanteras, when purchasing precious metals is considered auspicious. Only this time near record gold prices – the precious metal closed just over $4800 – kept buyer enthusiasm rather subdued. 

“The sharp rally in prices curbed jewellery demand. In volume terms, buying was lower as consumers ​held back, though in value terms spending was higher due to ​elevated prices,” said Amit Modak, chief executive of PN Gadgil ⁠and Sons, a Pune-based jeweller.

Since consumers are, like everyone else, subject to the laws of supply and demand, it is natural that a higher price will lead to lower demand. Gold prices hit a record high of $5,594.82 ​per ounce on January 29 and are now trading just over $4,800.

Gold futures in ​India, the world’s second-biggest gold consumer, closed at 154,609 rupees ($1,670) per 10 grams on Friday, nearly 63% higher than at the last Akshaya Tritiya festival. Except in a few ​southern Indian states, demand was lower than normal across the rest ​of the country, said Surendra Mehta, national secretary at the India Bullion and Jewellers Association. Meanwhile retail ‌buyers ⁠have been stacking shifting toward gold coins, which are easier to liquidate, even as jewellers offered discounts on fees for crafting jewellery to attract buyers, said a Mumbai-based jeweller.

The AI funding frenzy continues, with Google planning to invest $10 billion in Anthropic at a $350 billion valuation, deepening its relationship with the San Francisco-based AI company best known for building Claude.

Bloomberg reports that Google’s deal with Anthropic includes an initial $10 billion investment at a $350 billion valuation, with the potential for another $30 billion if certain performance milestones are achieved. That would bring the potential deal size to as much as $40 billion.

Part of the deal includes Google Cloud providing 5 gigawatts of computing capacity to the AI startup, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, including Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei, over the next five years. Additional capacity could follow.

Earlier this week, Amazon committed another $5 billion to Anthropic at the same valuation, with the option to invest an additional $20 billion over time.

Amazon’s scramble for compute was detailed earlier in a deal with Meta:

Scramble For AI Compute: Meta Inks Multibillion-Dollar Deal With Amazon For CPU Chips

Bloomberg pointed out that the Google-Anthropic deal is an “expansion of an agreement announced earlier this month between Anthropic, Google, and Broadcom.”

For Google, the agreement with Anthropic strengthens demand for its cloud services and in-house TPU chips, which have become viable alternatives to Nvidia’s AI chip stack.

Earlier this week, Google unveiled two new chips for the agentic era, including the TPU 8t, designed for training AI models, and the TPU 8i, designed for inference, or running AI services once they are developed and deployed. Again, this is all positioned to take on Nvidia.

There has been increased scrutiny around “circular” AI financing since we broke down the math and called it an epic “circle jerk” last fall.

Washington is eyeing how to pressure Spain out of the NATO alliance, after the Spanish government has taken firm anti-Israel positions, as well as come out strongly against Trump’s Iran war, even disallowing some base and logistics access to the US armed forces.

An internal Pentagon email lays out options for the United States to punish NATO allies it says failed to support US operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance and reviewing the US stance on United Kingdom sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a US official told has told Reuters in a report published Friday.

via NATO/The Dispatch

In the Trump administration’s eyes, Spain has also been a non-contributing thorn in the side both both US and NATO policy. To a large degree it’s also easier for the US to single out and punish a country like Spain, compared more powerful and economically stronger nations like Turkey or France.

The policy options appear in a note expressing frustration over allies’ reluctance or refusal to grant access, basing, and overflight rights – known as ABO – for the Iran war, the US official explained.

The email specifies that ABO is “just the absolute baseline for NATO,” according to the official, who indicated this is being considered in senior policy circles.

However, it remains a big unknown whether the alliance can actually suspend a longtime permanent member, and the reality is that many other European countries are sympathetic to Spain’s stance.

A NATO official told Reuters, “NATO’s Founding Treaty does not foresee any provision for suspension of NATO membership.”

And the reality is that any kind of suspension process would probably take so long that it would outlast the current US administration. 

But Washington could take other steps, such as drawdown in large-scale fashion its long-running force presence in Europe. This is already on the table, to the point that some European allies are already anticipating it and making preparations. 

The Pentagon and Trump administration have said of Spain, “they are not there for us.” But perhaps from Spain’s point of view, (and its population), it is putting Spain’s national interest first. – and doesn’t want to get bogged down in yet more US-led adventurism in the Middle East.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Trump administration lawyers on April 23 said they are still considering whether to appeal a ruling that blocked the rollback of guidance on some vaccines.

Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 22, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The lawyers said in a filing that pausing the litigation over the guidance pending the resolution of any appeal that is filed would “promote judicial economy and avoid burdens on government agencies that may be rendered unnecessary by a decision on any appeal.”

For instance, if an appeal is filed, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit may dismiss some or all of the claims by plaintiffs in the case, which would eliminate the need for the government to produce records sought by plaintiffs, the lawyers told U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in a motion to stay proceedings pending resolution of any appeal.

“At a minimum, a First Circuit decision on any appeal could narrow the issues in dispute and provide guidance on how to resolve any remaining issues,” the motion stated. “If Defendants continue producing administrative records and the parties start briefing cross-motions for summary judgment before Defendants’ time to appeal has run and before the First Circuit has an opportunity to weigh in on any appeal, there is a significant potential for wasted time and resources.”

Murphy in March stayed the updates made to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine guidance under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resulting in the guidance reverting to what had been in place in mid-2025.

Murphy concluded that Kennedy and other officials did not follow proper procedure in updating the guidance and appointing new members to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.

That stay would remain in effect even if Murphy approves the requested motion, administration lawyers said.

The lawyers did not say why no appeal has been lodged against Murphy’s decision. They asked him to stay proceedings in the case until whichever comes later: May 15 or the resolution of any appeal the defendants may file.

The deadline to appeal Murphy’s preliminary injunction is May 15.

Shortly after the injunction was issued, the Department of Health and Human Services said it would prevail in an appeal. The department has declined to answer questions about why an appeal has not yet been lodged.

“Unless officially announced by us, any assertions about what we are doing next is baseless speculation,” a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in March.

The litigation was brought by multiple health care groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Government lawyers conferred with plaintiffs, who opposed the motion to stay the proceedings.

The FDA announced new steps to speed up research on psychedelic treatments for serious mental health conditions, following an executive order from President Donald Trump directing agencies to expand access to emerging therapies, CNBC and NBC reported this morning:

In a press release Friday, FDA commissioner Marty Makary said the medications “have the potential to address the nation’s mental health crisis, including conditions like treatment resistant depression, alcoholism and other serious mental health and substance abuse conditions.” On Monday, Makary told NBC News that with the accelerated application process, the FDA could potentially approve the first psychedelic drug by the end of summer.

The agency said this effort could support new treatments for conditions like treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders. Measures include prioritizing drugs with early promising results and offering incentives to companies studying compounds such as psilocybin and methylone. It also approved an early clinical trial for noribogaine, marking the first time a drug of its kind will be studied in the U.S.

Officials emphasized that these actions do not mean the treatments are approved or proven safe. All research will be closely monitored to ensure it meets strict scientific and safety standards.

Popular psychedelic names like Compass Pathways and AtaiBeckley have turned positive YTD on on the news out the last few days.

“The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said at the signing event days ago. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.”

Trump’s order, signed on Saturday, directs the FDA to prioritize review of certain breakthrough-designated psychedelic therapies, expands potential access under the Right to Try Act, commits at least $50 million in federal funding for state partnerships, and encourages closer coordination among HHS, the FDA, the VA, and private-sector researchers.

“In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans,” Trump said, citing the veteran suicide rate.

The order also instructs the Justice Department to move quickly on rescheduling any psychedelic-based product that successfully completes Phase 3 trials and receives FDA approval.

Trump continued, “And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA-approved.” 

As we wrote days ago, these stocks are starting to go ‘mainstream’ after being ignored and out of the limelight for years. Zero Hedge contributor Quoth the Raven has named the sector his “best idea” sector for 2026.

Authored by Stephen Silver via 19fortyfive.com,

“Water is $4.50 for a basic Desani. Smartwater is $6.25. Food is almost unaffordable, and people bring their own food now. Soon, we might as well call Walt Disney World here in Florida the Most Expensive Place on Earth.” 

That’s what the Editor-In-Chief, Harry J. Kazianis, an avid Disney fan, told me just recently when it came to the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Mickey Mouse Walt Disney World 19FortyFive.com Image

Clearly, he isn’t wrong: Disney has announced its ticket price calendar for 2027, and it is raising prices on some tickets, including peak days, according to the new ticket pricing calendar.

Pricing has been announced through October 2027, with pricing for November and December next year yet to be revealed. 

Disney World Prices Keep Going Up In Florida 

The ticket pricing scheme at Walt Disney World is dynamic and complex, but, as The Street reported, tickets on some dates will cost more than they did previously. 

“While base-level ticket prices remain unchanged, peak-day pricing has quietly climbed, with the most popular dates now reaching up to $219 per day,” The Street reported. “That represents a roughly 10% increase from the previous $199 peak seen in 2025, reinforcing Disney’s continued shift toward demand-based pricing.”

Each of the parks at Walt Disney World in Florida has a price range. Per The Street, The Animal Kingdom has a range of $119 – $189, while EPCOT’s range is $144 – $204. Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ cost ranges from $149 to $209, while the Magic Kingdom Park ranges from $159 to  $219. 

According to an analysis by MickeyVisit, “we are seeing large increases for single-day tickets, including new peak prices for three theme parks at Walt Disney World.” Disney World, the site says, “uses a dynamic pricing structure, which means single-day ticket costs vary depending on the date, taking into account guest demand, holidays, and other variable factors.”

Epcot in Florida. Image from 19FortyFive.com staff.

As that site said, it’s part of an upward trend in Disney pricing. 

“Walt Disney World’s prices are continuing to trend upward each time a new set of prices is released,” the MickeyVisit site said. “But if we look at the graph above, we can see that the largest shift is happening at the higher end of pricing. While the lowest 1-day ticket price has only moderately increased over the past decade, the highest-priced tickets have seen a dramatic surge, with prices more than doubling since 2015.”

“Even Disney is Worried” 

The high cost of the Disney park experience has been a topic of discussion for a long time. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal reported in February of 2025 that rising costs at the parks are a concern that the company itself is aware of. “Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation” was the Journal’s headline. 

It grew out of the pandemic, the Journal reported, when Disney’s parks were closed to the public for over a year, finally returning in April of 2021. 

“The Happiest Place on Earth has long felt like one of the most expensive spots on the planet for many Americans—but the allure of a magical family vacation kept visitors streaming in,” the Journal reported.

Walt Disney World Boardwalk Hotel. Image by 19FortyFive.com

“Then, as post-pandemic demand soared, Disney put price hikes into overdrive, putting vacations at its theme parks out of reach for many American families. Attendance growth has slowed over the past few years, and even some families that were once regulars are canceling their pilgrimages.”

One-day adult passes to Disneyland, in California, broke the $200 mark for the first time in 2024, the Journal story said. 

That story also noted that the rising cost has been questioned inside the company, with surveys of park-goers finding that some were concerned about pricing and considering not returning. 

“Some inside Disney worry that the company has become addicted to price hikes and has reached the limits of what middle-class Americans can afford, according to people who have worked on park pricing,” the Journal said. “Internal discussions over whether Disney parks may be losing their grip on the hearts and wallets of families with young kids have become more frequent, some of those people said.” 

Disney Annual Passholder August 10, 2023. 19FortyFive.com Image.

The Journal also estimated the average cost of a visit. 

“For a two-parent family with two young kids, a typical four-day visit to Walt Disney World, including a stay at a value-priced, Disney-owned hotel, costs $4,266 in 2024, according to Touring Plans, a data provider that helps vacationers plan theme park visits. That cost, before food and transportation costs, is up from $3,230 five years earlier, adjusted for inflation,” the newspaper reported. 

This happens as the Disney parks business has become a more important part of the Walt Disney Co.’s overall financial picture, which also owns everything from animation studios to Marvel to “Star Wars” to ABC and ESPN. And indeed, Josh D’Amaro, who formerly headed the parks business, earlier this year was named the company’s new CEO, replacing Robert Iger. 

What the New Boss Thinks 

D’Amaro has addressed the issue of rising costs at the Disney parks, including during a March shareholder call, his first as CEO. 

The new CEO was asked how the company, under his leadership, will balance shareholder growth with other metrics, such as audience satisfaction, as seen in park prices. 

“This is an important question,” the CEO said. 

“Our goal is for every single guest to feel that their experience is worth it,” D’Amaro said on that March earnings call. “Basically, we want this experience to be the best day of a guest’s life. And we’re always measuring our success here.”

He also said that guest satisfaction and other metrics are high across Disney’s parks. 

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Image Credit: 19FortyFive.com

“When it comes to how we think about pricing,” the new CEO said. “We focus on offering a wide range of options at different price points so that families can visit in ways that work for them, whether that’s during a value season or taking advantage of multi-day ticket savings or even special offers.”

The previous head of the parks division, who is now taking over as CEO, suggests there’s no major change in pricing strategy for the parks. 

“We try to provide a fair amount of choice and flexibility for guests while at the same time making sure that we’re managing daily attendance and the overall guest experience,” D’Amaro said. 

Oklo announced an agreement with NVIDIA and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to advance critical nuclear infrastructure, AI-enabled research, and nuclear fuel R&D at Los Alamos. 

The partnership aligns Oklo’s advanced reactor platform, NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure, and LANL’s deep expertise in materials science and nuclear fuels. Together, the trio aims to accelerate deployment of resilient, high-assurance energy while supporting the federal government’s Genesis Mission.

Initial projects focus on physics- and chemistry-based AI models for fuel validation, materials science and fabrication R&D on plutonium-bearing fuels, and grid reliability studies for nuclear-powered AI factories at LANL. 

“This agreement brings together reactor deployment, high-performance compute, and world-class fuel and materials science expertise” said Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte. “We believe this will advance our plutonium-bearing fuel work on Oklo’s Pluto reactor, which was selected under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program, and help bring resilient power in support of the Genesis Mission.”

Oklo has been finding themselves at the center of attention for multiple different private and government ventures. Meta provided Oklo a prepayment for securing fuel at a 1.2 GW nuclear campus in Ohio, and Oklo’s subsidiary Atomic Alchemy recently completed the majority of the construction at the Groves site in Texas. 

Today Jake and I signed the Certificate of Substantial Completion for the Groves Test Facility building structure. In 229 days, we turned a green field into a beautiful building with all of the infrastructure needed to support long-term operations. Our operators and research…

— Thomas Eiden (@AtomicEiden) April 21, 2026

NVIDIA’s own CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly stressed that AI factories need round-the-clock firm power, a point we highlighted when nuclear stocks surged on his comments. 

With roughly $2.5 billion in cash, no debt, and customer prepayments offsetting first-of-a-kind costs, Oklo is positioning itself as a leader in the sector. HSBC initiated coverage the same day with a Buy rating and $96 price target, citing Oklo’s owner-operator model, DOE pilot momentum, and path to first revenue later this year from its Idaho radiochemistry lab. 

Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The United States on April 23 imposed sanctions on a wealthy Cambodian senator, Kok An, who allegedly ran crypto-romance scam centers that stole millions of dollars from U.S. citizens.

Thai soldiers stand outside an abandoned scam center in O’Smach town on the border between Thailand and Cambodia on March 12, 2026. Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images

Kok, 71, is a political ally of Hun Sen, who served as Cambodian prime minister for 25 years before stepping down in 2023 and handing power to his son, Hun Manet. The 73-year-old is now president of the Cambodian Senate.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned 28 individuals and entities linked to the suspected scam centers.

“Eliminating fraud is a top priority for the Trump administration,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “Treasury will continue to target fraudsters and scam centers that steal billions of dollars from hardworking Americans, no matter where they operate or how well-connected they are.”

Industrial-scale cyberscamming, based in scam centers in Burma (also known as Myanmar) and Cambodia, has become a major money-maker for organized crime groups.

The Treasury said in a statement that operators within this network have “stolen millions of dollars from U.S. victims while operating under the protection of Kok An and his political connections.”

Tricked Using ‘Romantic Relationships’

The Treasury said fraudsters use “the lure of friendship or romantic relationships” to coax vulnerable Americans into transferring their savings in the form of digital assets by promising investment opportunities and high returns.

Matthew Hogan, a detective with the Connecticut State Police and an officer on the Secret Service’s Financial Crimes Task Forces, told The Epoch Times last year that the biggest growth has been in long-term scams known as “pig butchering,” which involves luring people into fake cryptocurrency investments. The phrase comes from the Chinese term “sha zhu pan.”

The Treasury said Kok owns numerous companies, including Crown Resorts, and has retrofitted casinos and office parks as scam centers where workers—who are often trafficked from China and other countries—target U.S. citizens and trick people out of cryptocurrency, which is then laundered by Kok’s associates.

“Nearly all major scam compounds in Cambodia are connected to casinos, which serve to launder the proceeds of scams,” the Treasury said.

Kok is a senator from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. It was founded during the Cold War, and was close to the Soviet Union and later communist Vietnam. It dropped its Marxist-Leninist ideology in the early 1990s.

Andy Jenkinson, a fellow of the Cyber Theory Institute and author of the book “Stuxnet to Sunburst: 20 Years of Digital Exploitation and Cyber Warfare,” told The Epoch Times in April 2025 that the annual losses to cybercrime globally are “over $10 trillion, or put it another way, $32 billion a day.”

Tether Freezes $344 Million USDT

The move was announced hours after stablecoin issuer Tether froze $344 million in its USDT stablecoin, allegedly linked to “sanctions evasion, criminal networks, or other illicit activity.”

“When wallets are identified as connected to sanctions evasion, criminal networks, or other illicit activity, Tether can move to restrict those assets,” Tether said.

The company also said it maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward the criminal use of USDT, and has long followed OFAC guidelines on sanctioned individuals and entities.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The political left has proven time and time again that they hate inherent masculine traits, almost as much as they hate the nuclear family and healthy population growth in the west.  Positive portrayals of the heterosexual nuclear family are in steep decline.  Children are rarely seen in media, with a disturbing uptick in adults acting like children while marketing products typically reserved for kids.  

It’s as if children and happy families are being erased from popular culture.  

This agenda is made even more apparent by the bizarre reactions of feminists and left wing activists to any positive portrayals of normal family dynamics.  Specifically, straight white male role models and white fathers are not allowed to enter the picture.  If there is any form of family in media, it must be a single mother and “girl boss” raising the children on her own, or, mixed-ethnicity couples.  Even then, fatherly influence is largely diminished. 

This propaganda rule especially applies to video games where young men are most likely to be exposed.  The recent release of the sci-fi action game “Pragmata” has caused a significant stir on social media, triggering the feminist gestapo and enraging them.  In response, they have launched a disturbing (and revealing) propaganda campaign to associate the game with “pedophile content”. 

Even left-wing gaming media outlet Kotaku has noticed the strange reaction among woke activists to “Diana”, suggesting that this is an overreaction by a society now overwhelmed by the Epstein Files (though most people have never actual read them), as well as dark tales of child abuse from the bowels of studios like Nickelodeon. 

Though, they still attempt to justify leftist paranoia by claiming that the right wing’s defense of the game and its positive messaging on fatherhood is causing the reaction.  In other words, conservatives viewing it as a cultural “win” against the woke erasure of fathers in entertainment is the rationale for the political left’s crash-out.  Conservatives argue that if leftists see pedophilia in every interaction between a man and a child, then this is likely a self-report on their own evil impulses.  

If Capcom’s goal with Pragmata was to make everyone who plays this game want to be a parent, then they’ve done an amazing job.

I always sit back when Diana starts playing and think to myself “so this is what is like having a daughter”

She’s so cute pic.twitter.com/PsTMnTK6eo

— NikTek (@NikTek) April 19, 2026

It’s not only feminists on the left that are acting crazy in response to Pragmata, though.  Some women in centrist and even some conservative circles are posting some of the most unhinged and unscientific commentary, suggesting that childless men are incapable of fatherly instincts, and any single men who feel a fatherly connection to the child character must be exhibiting hidden pedophile tendencies.

lots of strange reactions to this game. let’s clear some things up:

childless men do not have paternal instincts the way that childless women have maternal instincts (we observe this even in the way little girls play vs. little boys).

men first experience paternal instincts… https://t.co/1PCQgzbqOp

— mary morgan (@maryarchived) April 20, 2026

This is how pervasive the anti-masculinity narrative has become in western society.  Every interaction between men and women or men and children is viewed through a communist lens of power dynamics and predatory sexuality.  The fact that the vast majority of men are good is contrary to the agenda.  Only 3.9% of men are convicted of a violent crime.  Only 1% of men commit persistent crime.  Only 0.5% of men are convicted of sexual assault.        

When it comes to the sexualization narrative, the primary problem is, of course, that the child in the game is an android, not a human.  The fact that feminists and their ilk are hysterical over the presence of a robot child in a game is hilarious enough, but we have to keep in mind that this is not about the child and they do not actually care about pedo content in media. 

Remember, these are the same people that defended the Netflix release of “Cuties”, a film made by a Muslim director which depicts actual 11-year-old girls engaging in highly sexualized scenarios.  Leftists in Hollywood have been sexualizing children in media for decades.  What they are actually upset about is the fact that the game portrays a man acting like a father, and they hate the possibility that young men will see this and be inspired.

Case in point, far-left streamer and “influencer” Hasan Piker expressed disgust over Pragmata, not because of imaginary pedophilia, but because the game might convince “loser gamers” to want a family someday.  Piker laments that people he calls “unf*ckable losers in the gaming sphere” are talking about starting families, which he doesn’t understand.  He argues that having a family is “not something that [they’re] gonna experience, ever, for the rest of their lives.”  

It should be noted that Hasan Piker is 34 and has no children.

Finally, in the bowels of the Marxist cesspool known as Reddit, moderators on some of the biggest gaming boards are censoring any positive mentions of Pragmata, indicating that the conspiracy against the messaging is widespread. 

Reddit is banning you if say nice things about PRAGMATA.

The Leftist activist freaking out about this game has to be studied.

They can’t stand wholesome family values.

They instantly project “pedo” whenever they see a kid because they have no kids and can’t imagine a parental… pic.twitter.com/kBhFbevAzw

— Grummz (@Grummz) April 19, 2026

As usual, the cancel culture mob has failed to prevent the game’s success.  Pragmata has sold over 1 million copies in just a two days, and is set to become one of the most successful games of 2026.  The reason is obvious; it appeals to the largest demographic for action games:  Young men.  Not only because of the action content, but because the game gives them someone to fight for. 

It is this instinct within men that the political left fears more than anything.