July Corporate Bankruptcies Hit Highest Level Since 2010

Money Metals News Service
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July Corporate Bankruptcies Hit Highest Level Since 2010

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Corporate bankruptcies hit a 14-year high in 2024, and the pace continued through the first seven months of 2025.

This should throw cold water on those who imagine the U.S. economy is booming, and it underscores the Catch-22 facing the Federal Reserve as it wrestles with interest rate policy to battle sticky price inflation.

In July, corporate bankruptcies hit the highest monthly total (71) since July 2020 when governments shut down the economy for the pandemic, according to data compiled by S&P Global.

That number was up from 66 bankruptcy filings in June.

Through the first seven months of 2025, 446 companies filed for bankruptcy. That was the most for any 7-month period since 2010, in the midst of the Great Recession.

S&P Global data includes companies with public debt and assets or liabilities of at least $2 million or private companies with assets or liabilities of at least $10 million at the time of filing.

Three companies entered the bankruptcy process in July with more than $1 billion in assets and liabilities at the time of their filings: LifeScan Global Corp., Genesis Healthcare Inc., and Del Monte Foods Inc. subsidiary Del Monte Foods Corp. II Inc.

The industrial and consumer discretionary sectors reported the most filings so far in 2025, with 70 and 61, respectively.

Consumer discretionary is a category of businesses that sell goods and services considered non-essential. According to S&P Global, this sector “has been particularly susceptible to economic headwinds, even with strong overall U.S. retail sales activity, as consumer buying trends have shifted and budgets have tightened due to inflation.”

According to S&P Global, companies are struggling in this higher interest rate environment. Uncertainty surrounding tariffs is also straining companies.

This is one of the reasons the markets are desperate for interest rate cuts. However, it’s not altogether clear that a Fed move will relieve corporate strain. While the central bank can push the short end of the yield curve down, the longer end is a different story, as pointed out by BCA Research bond strategist Ryan Swift.

“Yields at the front-end of the Treasury curve would almost certainly come down in any reasonable scenario where the Fed is cutting rates, but the very long end for the 10-year or 30-year is more in doubt. If yields don’t come down, then there is no economic benefit to borrowers from the rate cuts. But rate cuts could ignite animal spirits and send risk assets higher in the near term.”

In fact, 10-year Treasury yields rose after the Fed slashed rates by 1 percent at the end of 2023. The Treasury market has continued to show strain ever since, with bond prices falling and yields rising.

The Fed is between a rock and a hard place. The debt strain (not only on corporations, but also on consumers and the U.S. government) provides a strong argument for rate cuts. However, inflation clearly isn’t dead.

Ironically, the Fed is a primary reason businesses are saddled with so much debt to begin with. The central bank held interest rates at zero for nearly a decade after the 2008 Financial Crisis and dropped them back to that level during the pandemic. Even at the height of the Fed’s tightening cycle, monetary policy remains historically loose.

Chicago Fed Financial Conditions Index (Below zero represents loose financial conditions.)

This incentivized borrowing, blowing up this massive debt bubble.

The current situation puts the Federal Reserve in an impossible situation. It simultaneously needs to hold rates steady to keep price inflation at bay and lower rates to keep the air in the debt bubble.

It can’t do both.

Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

Tulsi Gabbard to Cut $700M from ODNI after Exposing Obama-Era Corruption

Luis Cornelio
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Tulsi Gabbard to Cut $700M from ODNI after Exposing Obama-Era Corruption

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) After releasing bombshell evidence of misconduct in the intelligence community, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced a sweeping plan to strip down and rebuild the agency.

Gabbard said Wednesday the Trump administration is launching “ODNI 2.0” to slash staff by 40 percent and save tax payers $700 million annually. Among the changes are to the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which is meant to track influence operations from abroad and threats to elections. Officials said it has become “redundant” and that its core functions would be integrated into other parts of the government.

The reorganization is part of a broader administration effort to rethink how it tracks foreign threats to American elections.

The move followed Gabbard’s release of documentation exposing how the Obama administration weaponized the intelligence community to push the false claim that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to favor then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“Today I’m launching ODNI 2.0 – the first step toward bringing about transformational change that is based on cutting bloated bureaucracy, rooting out deep state actors, and restoring mission focus,” Gabbard wrote on X.

“When implementation is complete, ODNI will be more agile, efficient, and effective, reducing our organization by more than 40%, saving taxpayers $700+ million per year,” she added.

Gabbard said the new structure cuts redundant missions and personnel while shifting resources to critical investments and rebuilding trust.

She added that the overhaul is also about holding “bad actors” accountable.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Report: Eric Adams Once Handed a Reporter a Potato Chip Bag w/ Cash Inside

Headline USA Editor
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Report: Eric Adams Once Handed a Reporter a Potato Chip Bag w/ Cash Inside

(Headline USA) A longtime adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams who resigned from his administration while under FBI scrutiny gave a reporter a potato chip bag filled with cash Wednesday following a campaign event, a gift her lawyer later insisted wasn’t an attempted bribe.

The local news site The City reported the episode hours after one of its reporters said Winnie Greco had pressed a bag of potato chips into her hands containing a red envelope with a $100 bill and several $20 bills.

The reporter, Katie Honan, had scrutinized Greco’s conduct in the past as a major fundraiser for Adams in the Chinese American community.

Greco’s attorney, Steven Brill, told The Associated Press that the situation was being “blown out of proportion.”

“This was not a bag of cash,” Brill wrote in an email. “In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. And that’s all that was done here. Winnie‘s intention was born purely out of kindness.”

Asked why Greco wanted to make such a gesture to Honan, Brill said, “She knows the reporter and is fond of her.”

The City said it interviewed Greco later Wednesday and she apologized, saying she made “a mistake.”

“I’m so sorry. It’s a culture thing. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I feel so bad right now,” Greco said, according to The City.

In response to the report of the bag filled with cash, Adams’ reelection campaign said it had suspended Greco from further work as an unpaid volunteer and that Adams had no prior knowledge of Greco’s actions.

The City reported Greco had texted Honan to meet her inside a Whole Foods store after they both attended the opening of Adams’ campaign headquarters in Harlem.

When given the chip bag, Honan at first thought Greco was just giving her a snack and said she could not accept it but Greco insisted, according to the report.

Honan left and later discovered the money, then called Greco and told her she could not accept it and asked to give it back. Greco said they could meet later but then stopped responding, the report said.

Greco later called The City back and asked them not to do a story, saying “I try to be a good person,” the news outlet reported.

A City Hall spokesperson declined to comment Wednesday night. An Adams campaign aide, Todd Shapiro, said Greco holds no position in the campaign.

“We are shocked by these reports,” Shapiro said. “Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this matter. He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his sole focus remains on serving the people of New York City with integrity.”

A text message sent to a phone number listed in public records for Greco was not immediately returned Wednesday night.

Since she resigned as Adams’ director of Asian affairs last fall, Greco has occasionally been seen at Adams campaign events. Before her resignation, Greco had served as Adams’ longtime liaison with the city’s Chinese American community. She was also a prolific fundraiser for Adams’ campaigns.

In February of 2024, federal agents searched two properties belonging to Greco. Authorities didn’t explain what the investigation was about, and Greco has not been charged with committing a crime, but she was a number of close aides to Adams who resigned or were fired amid the federal scrutiny.

The City has reported extensively on the investigation and Greco’s conduct, including a campaign volunteer’s allegations that Greco had promised to get him a city job if he helped renovate her home.

A separate federal investigation into Adams led to a 2024 indictment accusing the mayor of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others — and returning the favors by, among other things, helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections.

A federal judge dismissed the case in April after the Justice Department ordered prosecutors to drop the charges, arguing that the case was interfering with the mayor’s ability to aid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Inflation, Currency Debasement, and the Illusion of Stability

Money Metals News Service
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Inflation, Currency Debasement, and the Illusion of Stability

(Money Metals News Service) In this week’s episode of the Money Metals Midweek Memo, host Mike Maharrey explored the parallels between Iran’s recent currency redenomination and the United States’ long history of monetary debasement.

The discussion connected historic and current events to show how inflation is not only persistent but a deliberate policy tool of governments and central banks.

Iran’s Currency Redenomination

Iran’s parliamentary economics committee recently approved a bill to redenominate the rial, making the new unit equal to 10,000 old rials.

Officials claim the move will “simplify financial calculations” and reduce printing costs, but economists argue it is “neither an effective monetary policy nor a mechanism to control inflation.”

The country’s annual inflation rate is running between 30% and 40%, fueled by government budget deficits financed through loans from the central bank—money created out of thin air.

Maharrey drew a direct comparison to the Federal Reserve, which employs a more sophisticated version of the same scheme through quantitative easing, buying U.S. Treasuries with newly created dollars to prop up government borrowing.

Historical U.S. Examples of Currency Debasement

The United States has repeatedly manipulated its currency.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102, requiring Americans to turn in their gold, followed by raising gold’s official price from $20.67 per ounce to $35—a 40% devaluation of the dollar.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Coinage Act, stripping silver from dimes, quarters, and half dollars and replacing them with copper-based coins.

Then in 1971, President Richard Nixon closed the gold window, severing the final tie between the dollar and gold, while promising that the dollar would “be worth just as much as it is today.” History proved otherwise.

Maharrey reminded listeners that such practices stretch back to ancient Rome, where rulers clipped coins and diluted precious metals to stretch government coffers.

Junk Silver and Real Money

Pre-1965 U.S. coins are still 90% silver, and today a 1964 silver quarter has a melt value of roughly $6.77.

These coins, often called “junk silver,” hold tangible value and are highly sought after by collectors and investors.

Maharrey noted that they can serve as excellent barter instruments in the event of an economic crisis.

Unlike modern coins, which are essentially copper slugs, junk silver retains real value tied to metal content rather than government decree.

Inflation in the U.S.: Beyond Tariffs

Maharrey pushed back against mainstream claims that tariffs are driving today’s inflation, arguing that monetary expansion is the true culprit.

In July, core CPI registered a little over 3%, which sent markets into a frenzy over possible Federal Reserve rate cuts.

The CME FedWatch tool placed the odds of a September cut at 93.9%, with October odds rising from 55% to 67%. But producer price data told a different story.

The PPI surged 0.9% month-on-month in July, the biggest jump since June 2022 and far above the forecast of 0.2%. On an annual basis, producer prices were up 3.3%.

Services were the biggest driver, with service prices climbing 1.1% in July and portfolio management fees spiking 5.8%.

Core service prices jumped 4% annualized, while core service consumer prices rose 4.4%, the worst reading in six months. Because two-thirds of U.S. consumer spending is on services, this trend is especially damaging.

Maharrey pointed out that services are not tariffed, so the mainstream narrative blaming trade policy misses the real cause: monetary inflation.

The Federal Reserve’s Incomplete Fight Against Inflation

Between the Great Recession and the pandemic, the Federal Reserve expanded its balance sheet by nearly $9 trillion. It attempted to tighten policy by raising rates to 5.5% and trimming the balance sheet, but Maharrey argued this was far from sufficient.

For perspective, Paul Volcker raised rates to 20% in the early 1980s to finally slay inflation from the 1970s. Meanwhile, since mid-2023, the M2 money supply has expanded by more than $600 billion, reaching $22 trillion by June 2025—above the pandemic peak.

Even the Chicago Fed’s National Financial Conditions Index shows conditions remain historically loose. In short, the Fed never truly tightened, and inflationary pressures remain baked in.

Redefining Inflation: A Political Convenience

Maharrey explained that inflation was historically defined as an increase in the supply of money and credit, but today it is misdefined as simply “rising prices.”

This shift allows politicians and central bankers to blame inflation on external factors like tariffs, greedy corporations, or foreign leaders.

He cited Henry Hazlitt’s classic definition: “Inflation is an increase in the quantity of money and credit. Its chief consequence is soaring prices. For this, the government’s monetary policies are entirely responsible.”

By confusing the definition, governments obscure their responsibility for currency debasement.

Protecting Against Currency Debasement

The only defense, Maharrey concluded, is holding sound money.

Inflation is a stealth tax that erodes wealth and purchasing power, and governments will always debase their currencies.

Gold, silver, and other precious metals cannot be inflated away.

Junk silver, bullion coins, bars, and IRAs backed by physical metals provide a hedge against the decline of fiat money.

Maharrey encouraged listeners to take action now through Money Metals Exchange, noting that monetary debasement is not going to stop.

Closing Thoughts

Maharrey closed with a stark reminder that the Federal Reserve is the engine of big government, enabling the largest spending spree in world history.

From Rome to Roosevelt to today’s Federal Reserve, governments have always debased money to fund their ambitions. History makes clear that individuals must take matters into their own hands.

Real money—gold and silver—remains the best defense against the ongoing erosion of fiat currency.

Money Metals Exchange and the Sound Money Defense League are working together to advance policies that restore gold and silver to their historic role as constitutional money in the United States.

Through education, grassroots activism, and legislative initiatives at both the state and federal level, they are helping to eliminate discriminatory taxes on precious metals, promote legal tender laws, and build public awareness about the importance of sound money in safeguarding wealth and limiting government overreach.

To support these efforts—and to begin building sound money into their own lives—individuals should exchange their fiat currency Federal Reserve Notes for physical gold and silver from Money Metals, securing real money that cannot be universally devalued by government decree.

Israeli Cyber Chief Freed After U.S. Sex Sting Arrest, Sparks Outcry

Jose Nino
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Israeli Cyber Chief Freed After U.S. Sex Sting Arrest, Sparks Outcry

(José Niño, Headline USA) After his arrest in a sweeping Las Vegas child sex sting, Israeli cyber chief Tom Artiom Alexandrovich boarded a flight home before his first court hearing, raising sharp questions about Israeli influence in the United States’ criminal justice system.

Alexandrovich, who serves as Executive Director of the Cyber Defense Division at Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, was arrested last week during a multi-agency sting operation targeting online predators but was released on $10,000 bail and allowed to return to Israel before his hearing.

The U.S. State Department issued an unusual public denial on Monday, stating that “any claims that the U.S. government intervened are false” after allegations surfaced that diplomatic pressure facilitated Alexandrovich’s release. 

The department emphasized that he “did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date,” responding to speculation that his status as a foreign government official influenced his treatment by authorities.

 

Central to the controversy is the decision by acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada Sigal Chattah to decline federal prosecution of the case. In a press statement, Chatthah’s office announced her decision to leave prosecution to Nevada state authorities despite the involvement of federal agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in the original sting operation. 

Chattah was born in Israel and has been active in Jewish organizations. According to a report by The Times of Israel, she has been a member of the Israeli American Council, chaired the Israeli American Civic Action Network, and served on the board of Or BaMidbar, a Sephardic synagogue in Las Vegas known for its pro-Israel orientation.

The circumstances surrounding Alexandrovich’s release have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and advocacy groups. Unlike other suspects arrested in the same operation, Alexandrovich was released before his probable cause hearing and apparently faced no special conditions such as passport seizure. 

Law enforcement sources claim that he was “shocked” by the arrest and inquired about his “international flight back to Israel,” yet authorities allowed him to leave the country two days after posting bail.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., addressed the case on social media, proclaimed that “Pedophiles should not be released, they should face justice. No matter what country they come from.” 

 

Israeli officials initially denied that any arrest had occurred, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office claiming that a government employee had merely been “questioned by American authorities during his stay” and “returned to Israel as scheduled.” 

The Israeli National Cyber Directorate later acknowledged this statement was incorrect and confirmed that Alexandrovich had been placed on administrative leave “by mutual decision”, per a report by Israeli news outlet Ynet. 

Israeli news outlets like Haaretz have noted that Israel has historically served as a destination for fugitive sex offenders seeking to avoid U.S. prosecution, raising concerns about whether Alexandrovich will actually appear for his scheduled hearing next Wednesday. 

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino

Trump Administration Pushes to Remove Noncitizen Medicaid Enrollees

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Administration Pushes to Remove Noncitizen Medicaid Enrollees

(Andrew Rice, The Center Square) The Trump administration is cracking down on noncitizens receiving Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The center launched an oversight program, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to provide states with reports of individuals enrolled in Medicaid who do not appear on federal databases.

“We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

States are required to review the federal reports, identify immigration status discrepancies, request information and enforce noncitizen eligibility rules.

Federal law typically does not allow noncitizens to enroll in Medicaid. However, 1.4 million people are enrolled in Medicaid who do not meet citizenship and immigration status requirements, according to data from the Congressional Budget Office.

Some states, like California, Oregon and Colorado, have extended Medicaid eligibility to undocumented immigrants, which accounts for the large number of recipients. It is unclear how cooperation will go between states who have expanded Medicaid enrollment.

“Every dollar misspent is a dollar taken away from an eligible, vulnerable individual in need of Medicaid,” said CMS administrator Mehmet Oz.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law July 4, implemented tighter restrictions on Medicaid eligibility including a crackdown on work requirements for able-bodied adults, frequent eligibility redeterminations and increased restrictions on noncitizens.

The move from the health department comes as the Trump administration has worked to share more data on individuals enrolled in Medicaid. The health department first gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to enrollment records for individuals on Medicaid in June.

Twenty states, including California, Colorado and New York, filed a lawsuit against the department in July. A federal judge temporarily blocked the health agency from sharing information in those states last week.

“Using CMS data for immigration enforcement threatens to significantly disrupt the operation of Medicaid—a program that Congress has deemed critical for the provision of health coverage to the nation’s most vulnerable residents,” Judge Vince Chhabria wrote in the order.

Dem. Leader w/ Record of Stock-Market Success Bets Big on Israeli 3-D Printing

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Dem. Leader w/ Record of Stock-Market Success Bets Big on Israeli 3-D Printing

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) A recent analyst downgrade that sent stock Stratasys tumbling did not deter Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., from buying the dip on the Israeli 3-D printing manufacturer.

Given the Florida lawmaker’s role as ranking member of the military construction subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, that left some stock watchers, such as X’s Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker, wondering if a major defense contract might not be in the works.

Wasserman Schultz—the former Democratic National Committee chair who was forced to resign in disgrace following a 2016 leak of emails showed the DNC stacking the deck for Hillary Clinton—may not yet be as notorious as “Speaker Emerita” Nancy Pelosi when it comes to insider trading, but she is fast gaining ground.

Her February purchase of New Gold Inc., which netted her a 313% return in five months, was the latest example of her shrewd investing strategy, far outperforming the S&P 500’s 22% return rate during the same span.

She likewise has seen strong yields on some of last year’s purchases, including Hecla Mining and Patterson-UTI Energy.

In fact, many of Wasserman Schultz’s trades relate to mining and energy—sectors for which she also has a hand in regulation and policymaking while sitting on committees like the House Natural Resources Committee.

In 2021, under the Biden administration, Stratasys was awarded a $20 million contract to supply the U.S. Navy with up to 25 F900 3D printers.

The emerging technology promised to help the Navy shorten supply chains and improve repair capabilities, “cost-effectively extending the life of strategic and tactical assets like aircraft while ensuring sustainment activities can happen quickly and from virtually anywhere,” said Mark Menninger, director of Stratasys’s U.S. Government Business division.

“This contract, the largest government project for Stratasys to-date, continues to expand the presence of industrial 3D printing from Stratasys across the U.S. government,” Menninger added.

However, a lackluster earnings report compelled several stock evaluators to downgrade their bullish attitudes toward the company in August.

With its stock valuation falling below $10 a share, Wasserman Schultz quickly swooped in to snatch it up.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle have been slammed for their suspicious stock trades and above-average returns. The only House member to outperform Wasserman Schultz in 2024 was Rep. David Rouzer, R-NC.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., led the charge on Congress’s most recent effort to ban insider trading with a July bill, the PELOSI Act, that also covers future presidential administrations, drawing criticism from current President Donald Trump.

While Trump tentatively expressed support in principle for a ban on insider trading, the fate of Hawley’s bill remains uncertain as it awaits clearance by the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Even fiscal hawk Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., noted that it was “poorly written” and could disincentivize successful business leaders from running for office.

“I think it’s a sort of heavy-handed, not very thoughtful approach,” Paul said, according to Fox Business.

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Blacks Beg Trump to Help Clean Up Chicago after D.C. Takeover

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Blacks Beg Trump to Help Clean Up Chicago after D.C. Takeover

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) The staggering success of President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C., to address its out-of-control crime spree has led residents in other blue-run urban communities to beg for expansion of the federal police state.

A viral post on X showed what appeared to be a black Chicago resident speaking directly into the camera to address the president.

“Hey Trump, Trump—you need to bring the National Guards to Chicago, man,” he said. “You got kids killing kids, man. That’s not good, man.”

He went on to point out that the crime rate in the Windy City made the nation’s capital pale by comparison.

“Washington, D.C., is not much going on compared to Chicago, man… There’s a war happening right now in Chicago.”

Trump made reclaiming D.C. one of his campaign promises during last year’s reelection campaign—and, as with many of his election-year vows, he has delivered.

 

The decision to bring in the National Guard appears to have been spurred by a vicious Aug. 3 assault on DOGE staffer Edward “Big Balls” Coristine during a failed carjacking.

In just one week, D.C. police reported drastic reductions in crime that included an 83% drop in carjackings.

Trump has the authority under the U.S. Constitution to assume control of Washington, D.C., as a federal territory rather than a sovereign state. By contrast, in order to send troops other into blue-run states and cities, he must generally act at the invitation of the governor, except to enforce federal law or preserve civil rights.

Nonetheless, blue-city mayors and other Democrat thought-leaders, including actor Alec Baldwin—no stranger to violent crime—have responded with panic at the prospect of more takeovers.

Meanwhile, some—including communist Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass—have claimed that the targeting of high-crime areas, which generally correlates with areas highly populated by black residents and run by black mayors, means that Trump is a racist.

“It’s essentially going after young black and brown youth,” Bass claimed.

 

At the same time, leftist media outlets like the Washington Post have pounced on the fact that Trump was not sending troops into black D.C. neighborhoods but only to high-traffic tourist areas as another sign that he is racist.

Although all but one of the top-20 crime cities in the U.S. are currently run by Democrats, an Axios report last week instead carped on the fact that 13 of them were in states with Republican governors.

Recent data indicated that Chicago was the second-highest U.S. city (after New York) in terms of overall crime, but it ranked below several others in per-capita crime rates.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnston recently announced  that he would need a massive tax hike to cover police pensions—despite having squandered large amounts of money subsidizing illegal immigrants in the sanctuary city.

He deflected over the city’s recklessness by denying that ultra-wealthy residents were being driven away.

“Not that I know a whole bunch of millionaires, but do you know what they talk about when they do engage with me?” Johnson said. “They talk about community safety. They don’t talk about taxes. Their No. 1 issue is community safety, and as we continue to see the trend moving a positive direction, that allows for our economy to grow.”

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Grok Says Comey’s Swiftie Fangirl Confession Is Likely Part of Psy-Op

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Grok Says Comey’s Swiftie Fangirl Confession Is Likely Part of Psy-Op

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey’s recent videotaped confession that he was a Taylor Swift superfan perplexed many, fueling both ridicule and rampant speculation among conservative pundits.

According to Grok, the X-based artificial intelligence platform developed by Elon Musk, the move may well have been part of a psy-op campaign as the walls begin to close in on Comey over his starring role in the Russia-gate conspiracy.

“Comey’s Swiftie video appears as a calculated psyop to rehabilitate his image, divert from past FBI controversies, and subtly mobilize anti-Trump sentiment via cultural icons,” Grok wrote. “In 2025’s polarized landscape, it’s a bid for relevance amid potential legal pressures.”

An extended analysis from the AI program broke down several possible motives: diversion, image rehabilitation, influence, psychological warfare and covert messaging.

“His motives likely include a mix of protecting his legacy, influencing public perception, and possibly communicating with like-minded individuals or groups,” it wrote.

Comey was fired by Trump in early 2017 for his role in an attempted coup that included secretly spying on the president and strategically leaking information to the New York Times to launder the ludicrous details of the discredited Steele Dossier.

His firing, in turn, triggered the dubious appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, whose lengthy and costly probe of the Russia hoax helped Democrats retake the House of Representatives in 2018.

The partisan probe, with the addled Mueller as its empty-suited figurehead, was more likely a cleanup operation than an investigation. It ultimately cleared Trump of any prosecutable crimes but sent several of his surrogates to prison for unrelated process crimes.

Newly released documents, long classified by the deep state, have since revealed that Comey conspired with other Obama administration figures—including then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and CIA Director John Brennan—to peddle the manufactured scandal at the direction of President Barack Obama himself.

Comey simultaneously had a lead role in whitewashing the legitimate crimes of Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, claiming the FBI had reviewed hundreds of thousands of emails as part of its investigation into her mishandling of classified material when, in fact, it did not.

The seriousness of the crimes may lead to acts of increasing desperation and preposterousness from co-conspirators. Brennan and Clinton last week said they would support nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize if he were to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Yet, Comey’s adoration of Swift defied all logical reasoning at its surface level with reactions ranging from calling him “creepy” to “psychopath.”

Grok said that Comey may simply be trying to soften his image by portraying himself as a wholesome and relatable family man—a tactic he has long sought to use as part of his masterclass in mass manipulation.

He may be engaged in clout-chasing in order to win over popular sentiment among young and low-information Americans who are less aware of his alleged crimes. He may also be trying to catch the attention of Swift herself, who has succeeded at times in swaying public opinion—although she failed to do so in the 2024 election.

Other possibilities included that the bizarreness of the video would simply distract from the Russia-gate conspiracy by redirecting media coverage to a different topic—or, perhaps, priming the stage for him to plead insanity.

As far as psy-ops go, however, his objective may be to create cognitive dissonance by juxtaposing a ridiculous and implausible scenario—his Swift stanning—with the reality of the Justice Department’s Russia-gate probe.

Still, several others suggested he was trying to deliver a dogwhistle message in plain sight.

Investigative journalist Lori Gallagher said it might be a “stand-down” order to his co-conspirators “with emphasis on damage control and operational security.”

Meanwhile, the account MJTruthUltra pointed to Comey’s specific song selection, suggesting the coded message might be directing co-conspirators what specific platforms to use for unmonitored communication.

“My best guess, Comey just sent out a very desperate signal about where to have private conversations,” said the anonymous X influencer. “Only he and whomever the message it was intended for knows exactly what it means/where to go.”

Comey previously faced Secret Service scrutiny over an apparent death threat to Trump after he posted an image of shells at the beach spelling out the number sequence “8647.”

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Headline Geopolitics: Karen Kwiatkowski on U.S. Wars and Lies

Jose Nino
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Headline Geopolitics: Karen Kwiatkowski on U.S. Wars and Lies

(José Niño, Headline USA) In this Headline Geopolitics episode, José Niño interviews retired Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, the Pentagon whistleblower who exposed how intelligence was manipulated to justify the Iraq War.

She reflects on her journey from career officer to critic of interventionism and offers sharp insights on today’s conflicts in Israel, Syria, Iran, and Russia.

Listen now for a rare insider’s take on America’s endless wars.

Follow Karen Kwiatkowski’s work below:

LewRockwell.com: https://www.lewrockwell.com/author/karen-kwiatkowski

Twitter: https://x.com/karen4the6th

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino

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