Monday☕️

Earth Intelligence

07 Jul 2025 — 6 min read

Trending:

On July 5, 2025, Elon Musk announced the creation of the America Party through a post on X, following a disagreement with President Donald Trump over a tax and spending bill that Musk criticized for increasing the national debt. The party aims to promote fiscal responsibility, reduce government debt, modernize the military with AI and robotics, advance technology, streamline regulations, support free speech, and encourage population growth through pro-natalist policies. Positioned as a centrist alternative, it seeks to represent voters not aligned with the major parties, with plans to target 2-3 Senate seats and 8-10 House districts in the 2026 midterm elections, including challenging Republicans who supported the bill.
The announcement received varied responses, with an X poll indicating 65% support from over 1.2 million respondents, but President Trump called the initiative impractical, noting the historical challenges faced by third parties in the U.S. political system. Andrew Yang expressed openness to working with Musk, suggesting potential partnerships. The America Party faces significant obstacles, including legal requirements for ballot access and competition from the established two-party system. While Musk’s wealth and influence provide resources, the party’s ability to gain traction and impact the 2026 elections remains uncertain, depending on its ability to build a broad voter base and navigate political barriers.

Economics & Markets:

Today’s commodity market:

Today’s crypto market:

Geopolitics & Military Activity:

Today, July 7, 2025, Israel initiated "Operation Black Flag," conducting over 60 airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in western Yemen, targeting the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Salif, the Ras Kanatib power station, and the Galaxy Leader, a ship hijacked by the Houthis in 2023. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated the strikes aimed to disrupt Houthi military infrastructure, citing the ports’ alleged use for Iranian weapon transfers and the ship’s role in maritime surveillance. Israel issued evacuation orders for the targeted areas and described the operation as retaliation for Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel, linked to the group’s support for Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned of further consequences for Houthi actions.

The Houthis, through spokesman Yahya Saree, confirmed their air force responded with missile launches toward Israel, claiming to use surface-to-air missiles against the strikes. No immediate casualties were reported, but the airstrikes likely damaged critical infrastructure, potentially affecting Yemen’s port operations and power supply. Houthi media claimed civilian facilities were hit, though Israel maintained the targets were military. This operation, the first major Israeli action against Yemen since the Israel-Iran ceasefire, underscores ongoing regional tensions.

Environment & Weather:

As of July 7, 2025, central Texas is grappling with severe flash flooding that began on July 4, 2025, caused by a slow-moving storm system delivering up to 20.6 inches of rain. The flooding, most intense in Kerr County, saw the Guadalupe River near Kerrville rise from under 2 feet to over 34 feet in an hour, resulting in at least 82 deaths—68 in Kerr County, including 28 children—and 41 people missing, including 10 girls from Camp Mystic. Areas like Hunt, Kerrville, Liberty Hill, Lakeway, Leander, and regions between San Antonio and Austin faced extensive damage, with homes and vehicles destroyed. Over 650 rescues have been conducted, but questions linger about the effectiveness of warning systems, as Kerr County lacked flood sirens despite National Weather Service alerts issued on July 3.

Search and rescue operations continue today amid debris and the risk of additional rain, complicating recovery efforts. A federal disaster declaration has activated FEMA support, and a $1.5 million donation from the NFL Foundation, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Texans is aiding relief. The flooding, which claimed notable figures like Camp Mystic owner Dick Eastland, highlights vulnerabilities in Texas’ flood-prone "flash flood alley." With 41 still missing and significant property losses, the region faces a challenging recovery, prompting calls for improved flood preparedness and infrastructure to mitigate future risks.

Statistic:

Largest assets on Earth by market capitalization:

GOLD: $22.311T
🇺🇸 NVIDIA: $3.885T
🇺🇸 Microsoft: $3.707T
🇺🇸 Apple: $3.189T
🇺🇸 Amazon: $2.371T
🇺🇸 Alphabet (Google): $2.184T
BTC: $2.169T
SILVER: $2.071T
🇺🇸 Meta Platforms: $1.807T
🇸🇦 Saudi Aramco: $1.604T
🇺🇸 Broadcom: $1.294T
🇹🇼 TSMC: $1.217T
🇺🇸 Berkshire Hathaway: $1.046T
🇺🇸 Tesla: $1.015T
🇺🇸 JPMorgan Chase: $822.61B
🇺🇸 Walmart: $784.95B
🇺🇸 Visa: $701.03B
🇺🇸 Eli Lilly: $700.83B
🇺🇸 Oracle: $666.59B
🇨🇳 Tencent: $579.31B
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust: $573.92B
🇺🇸 Netflix: $552.04B
🇺🇸 Mastercard: $516.91B
🇺🇸 Exxon Mobil: $483.54B
🇺🇸 Costco: $437.72B

History:

The dark web’s roots stretch back to the 1970s when the U.S. Department of Defense’s ARPANET, a precursor to the internet, began experimenting with secure, anonymous data transmission for military communications. The real breakthrough came in the mid-1990s when the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory initiated The Onion Router (Tor) project to create a system for anonymized internet traffic. By 2002, Tor was released to the public, enabling access to a hidden layer of the internet—sites with ".onion" domains, invisible to standard browsers like Chrome or Firefox. Tor’s magic lies in its layered encryption, akin to an onion’s skins: data passes through multiple volunteer-run servers (nodes) worldwide, each peeling back a layer of encryption, masking the user’s IP address and location. This made the dark web a breeding ground for both illicit pursuits. By 2011, Silk Road, a notorious dark web marketplace, popularized the sale of drugs, counterfeit money, and hacked data, using Bitcoin for untraceable payments. Yet, the dark web also became a sanctuary for whistleblowers, with platforms like WikiLeaks, and for privacy advocates sharing knowledge on forums. Its untraceability isn’t foolproof—exit nodes (where data leaves the Tor network) can be monitored, and user errors, like logging into personal accounts, can unravel anonymity. The dark web’s early evolution was a tug-of-war between those seeking freedom from surveillance and those exploiting anonymity for crime.
Fast forward to 2025, the dark web remains a shadowy ecosystem, estimated to handle 6-7% of Tor’s traffic with roughly 50,000-100,000 active hidden services. It’s a digital underworld where marketplaces like the successors of AlphaBay (shuttered in 2017) facilitate billions in trades for narcotics, weapons, stolen credit card details, and malware like ransomware kits. These sites operate with surprising sophistication, offering escrow services and user reviews, mimicking legitimate e-commerce. Conversely, the dark web is a lifeline for dissidents in authoritarian regimes, where journalists and activists use tools like SecureDrop to leak sensitive documents anonymously. Law enforcement has sharpened its tactics, employing blockchain analysis to trace cryptocurrency and infiltrating networks to dismantle major hubs—yet the dark web adapts, with alternative networks like I2P and Freenet gaining traction. Its decentralized nature ensures resilience, but it’s not invincible; high-profile arrests often stem from operational security lapses. Today, the dark web is a paradox: a tool for resisting censorship and a playground for cybercriminals, its fate shaped by the same anonymity that Tor’s creators envisioned. The balance tilts as privacy tech evolves and authorities counter with ever-more-invasive surveillance, keeping the dark web a contested frontier.

Image of the day: