🚨 THE BANKING CRISIS NO-ONE IS TALKING ABOUT AS TRUMP EYES IRAN "VICTORY"

The Narativ | Know Sooner

1. 💣 IRAN CRACKDOWN PLAYS INTO TRUMP’S HAND

Iran shut down the internet Friday morning. Khamenei vowed security forces “will not back down” against protesters he called “vandals.” Live network data shows traffic collapsed Thursday evening as demonstrations entered their second week across 145 cities in 28 provinces. Death toll reached 44. Trump warned Tehran Thursday it will be “hit very hard” if authorities start killing people. Amnesty and Human Rights Watch document security forces using rifles, shotguns, water cannon against largely peaceful crowds. Khamenei’s crackdown will appear to force Trump’s hands but don’t believe the theater—like Maduro and Venezuela, any liberating of Iran will be a game of optics. If Trump somehow manages to eject the Iranian regime, it will only be possible because China and Russia allow it. We are watching an autocratic shell game.

2. 💰 FED BAILS OUT SILVER SHORT

A major bank bet silver prices would fall. They sold silver they didn’t own—expecting to buy it back cheaper later. Instead, silver surged 144% in 2025. Now the bank owes silver it doesn’t have. The New York Fed injected $51 billion Halloween, another $34 billion since—emergency cash to unnamed banks. Signs point to JP Morgan, which shorted 5,900 tons. Here’s the crisis: Physical silver costs $130/oz in Japan. Paper contracts show $72. That’s an 80% premium. Why? China is holding back exports—cutting them off January 1. There isn’t enough real silver available. Banks wrote paper promises for silver that doesn’t exist. When buyers demand actual metal, the shortage is exposed. Samsung’s new EV battery needs a kilo of silver per car. The Fed lifted caps on emergency lending for the first time in years. Translation: Banks sold something they can’t deliver. Fed is covering their bet with your money. If it sounds a lot like 2008, it is.

3. 🛢️ TRUMP OIL MEETING FRIDAY

White House hosts oil executives Friday to discuss Venezuela. Exxon, Chevron, ConocoPhillips expected. Trump announced Tuesday Venezuela provides 30-50 million barrels at market price. Meeting follows Trump canceling “second wave of attacks” Thursday after prisoner releases.

4. ⚖️ SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN THREE WEEKS

Congress has until January 30. House passed three-bill package Thursday 397-28. Senate next week. Six more bills needed. Johnson says House votes on three more next week—three weeks to avoid another shutdown after record 40-day closure.

5. 🌍 GREENLAND WAR FOOTING

Trump wants Greenland. Canada and Europe are backing Denmark. This isn’t rhetorical—it’s pre-positioning. When alliances form this fast around territorial claims, war planning is underway. Trump withdrew from 66 international bodies Wednesday including climate treaty, creating infrastructure for unilateral action. Greenland has rare earth minerals, shipping lanes, military positioning against Russia. Canada shares Arctic border. Europe needs Arctic access. Nobody’s bluffing.

🎯 THE PATTERN

Follow the money backward. Fed is secretly bailing out banks that bet wrong on silver—$85 billion since Halloween. JP Morgan likely the culprit, shorted 5,900 tons. Trump needs Venezuela’s oil not for democracy but to prevent bank collapse. When commodity shorts blow up, you need either cash or actual commodities fast. Iran’s internet blackout Friday shows Khamenei moving to massacre phase, but if Trump somehow topples the regime cleanly, it’ll be another Maduro situation—too perfect, too convenient, especially with Russia and China backing Tehran. Meanwhile Trump pulled out of 66 international organizations Wednesday, removed constraints on unilateral action. Greenland dispute isn’t rhetoric—Canada and Europe are already backing Denmark, which means military planning. The pattern: banking crisis → desperate energy grab → regime changes that feel staged → withdrawal from international law → territorial wars. Congress has three weeks until shutdown, no bandwidth to check any of it. Financial collapse driving foreign policy. Everything converging. War footing accelerating while banks burn.

---

ICYMI: I was a guest on The Daily Whatever Show with Lawrence Winnerman and Dana DuBois. Thanks for inviting me on!

TODAY’S SHOWS:

3 PM ET THE FIVESTACK WITH DEAN BLUNDELL