š¢As of early 2025, the US is facing concerns over several emerging viruses. Notably,Ā NorovirusĀ cases have risen to 91 by late December 2024, up from 69 in November. Additionally, a new strain ofĀ COVID-19, named XEC, is spreading and may become dominant soon, although vaccines remain effective against severe illness. Furthermore, theĀ H5N1 avian influenzaĀ virus has raised alarms due to increased human infections linked to contact with infected animals, with 61 cases reported this year. Finally,Ā Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV)Ā is also on the rise, particularly among children
šŗšø #Oklahoma high school principal (Kirk Moore) seen charging at and disarming a school shooter.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Victor Hawkins, was a former student who said he wanted to shoot up the school ālike the Columbine shooters did.ā While taking down the shooter, Moore was shot in the leg. He is expected to recover.
When the Principal woke up that day, he never thought he would be tackling a gunman.
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š“āā ļø šŗšø š®š· The Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Week 8 Recap: Competing Blockades and Piracy Surge
April 27, 2026
In this episode of What's Going on With Shipping?, Sal Mercogliano dives into the eighth week of the intensifying maritime conflict between the United States and Iran. As both sides enforce competing blockades across the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea, the "choke points" are truly being choked, with significant implications for global trade and oil prices.
00:00 ā Intro: Staged Takeover Analysis
01:25 ā JMIC Update: Somali Piracy Surge
01:58 ā "PEG LEG" & The Pirate Action Groups
03:05 ā Regional Threat Overview: The Mine Question
05:41 ā The "Umpire's" Data Check: Cargo vs. Tankers
07:22 ā The "Donut Hole" & Global Impact
16:04 ā Stateless Vessels & Article 110
27:50 ā Soapbox: Why No LCS Surge?
33:18 ā Economic Fury: Sanctions & Global Trade Shifts
š What's Going on With Shipping
š¾ šŗšø šØāš¾ U.S. Farm Bankruptcies Surge +46% as Fertilizer Costs Squeeze Farmers:
The American Farm Bureau Federation reported 315 Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings in 2025, up from 216 in 2024 and the third consecutive annual increase.
The Midwest got hit hardest with 121 filings, a +70% jump.
The Southeast followed with 105, up +69%.
Together, those two regions accounted for more than two-thirds of every farm bankruptcy in the country.
Fertilizer prices are pouring gasoline on the fire.
Urea, the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer on the planet, has ripped +87% year-to-date and trades near $720 a tonne.
For corn growers who depend on nitrogen, this is a dire situation.
Many farmers are reporting they will cut the amount of fertilizer they use, shift from corn toward less nitrogen-dependent soybeans, or just take the yield loss.
Farms are under pressure.
š Hedgeye
Trump said Iran could start āexploding from withinā in a few days if its oil gets āclogged.ā
It sounds exaggerated, but thereās truth to it.
Iran produces roughly 2 to 3.5 million barrels of oil every day, and that oil has to keep moving through ports, tankers, and export terminals like Kharg Island.
A large share of the governmentās budget depends on that flow, so when exports are blocked and thereās NO EXIT ROUTE, the system doesnāt just pause, it starts backing up.
Storage tanks fill quickly, and while Iran does have capacity, somewhere in the range of 40 to 90 million barrels, that space can get used up surprisingly fast under full production.
Once those tanks hit their STORAGE LIMIT, thereās no room left to absorb anything, and thatās where the real pressure begins.
At that point, Iran is forced into a difficult position. They can either cut production and immediately lose massive daily revenue, easily over $100 million, or keep pumping oil into a system that has nowhere to send it.
That...