United States

Authored by Shannara Johnson via HardAssetsAlliance.com,

As the tension between North Korea and the US continues to grow, the possibility of war is rapidly evolving into a probability. Now some military experts worry that an attack via EMP (electromagnetic pulse) on the US mainland might be a feasible option for Pyongyang.

The signs are certainly there: Having recently completed the ninth missile test of 2017, Kim Jong-un promised to send the US an even bigger “gift package.”

Authored by Norman Solomon via Counterpunch.org,

Any truthful way to say it will sound worse than ghastly: We live in a world where one person could decide to begin a nuclear war — quickly killing several hundred million people and condemning vast numbers of others to slower painful deaths.

Authored by Matthew Jamison via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

Management at the New York Times is planning to lay off half of the copy editors on staff – a decision that provoked a walkout at the NYT’s Times Square headquarters last week. But after an embarrassing editing error risked starting World War III, we’re thinking they might want to reconsider – at least until tensions cool between the US and North Korea.

Authored by Nick Cunningham via OilPrice.com,

There are some early signs that the shale boom is once again coming to a halt, beaten back by another bear market.

The oil rig count declined by 2 last week, the first decline in six months. It is too early to tell whether or not this is a trend – it is one data point, after all – but if the surging rig count starts to flatten out or even decline a bit, it would provide a huge lift to the oil market.