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Anna's Daybreak News

_{Just facts, you think for yourself}

Friday, 5:23 AM

October 17, 2025

Good morning news friend! Discover today’s defining stories and the future they set in motion. 📰🌟

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John Bolton Indicted

John Bolton was indicted on 18 counts for unlawfully transmitting and retaining classified national defense documents, including over 1,000 pages shared with family via personal email and messaging apps.

Some information was compromised in a 2021 email hack linked to Iranian operatives, which Bolton did not report. FBI searches in August 2025 seized folders labeled “Trump I-IV” and sensitive materials on weapons of mass destruction and U.S. strategies.

Bolton faces up to 10 years per count and plans to surrender soon. He denies wrongdoing, citing pre-publication review and accusing political motives.

Sources: Bloomberg, AP News, Reuters, BBC, Pbs.

Venezuela Mobilizes Forces

Venezuela deployed troops and civilian militias along its Caribbean coast amid rising tensions with the U.S. Venezuelan forces total roughly 125,000 but face supply and training issues.

The U.S. has launched the largest military buildup in the Caribbean since the 1980s with 10,000 troops, eight warships, an attack submarine, and advanced aircraft including F-35Bs and B-52 bombers near Venezuela. Since September, the U.S. conducted six airstrikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels, killing at least 27.

The IMF predicts Venezuela’s 2026 economy will contract 3% with inflation at 682%. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of U.S. Southern Command, will retire at year-end amid growing regional tensions.

Sources: BS, Wmal, Co, Airandspaceforces, ABC, Cbsnews.

Today in Anna's Long Reads, we're covering a crisis hitting regional banks and a new report that might have you rethinking your retirement.

First, Wall Street is on edge after two regional banks revealed they were exposed to major borrower fraud, sending their stocks plunging over 10%. This comes right after several big bankruptcies, sparking fears that this is just the tip of the iceberg. JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon is now warning about "cockroaches" in the economy. Here we explain what's really going on.

Then, a new global report ranked the world's best and worst pension systems. The Netherlands came in at number one again. The United States? It fell to 30th place. We'll break down why the US system is struggling and what it means for your retirement savings. Click Here to Read it now!

Trump-Putin Summit #2

Trump and Putin held a two-hour call, agreeing to meet in Budapest within two weeks to discuss ending the Ukraine war. Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrived in Washington the same day seeking US approval for long-range Tomahawk missiles to pressure Russia.

Russia recently launched dozens of missiles and over 300 drones, striking Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure and causing outages. Putin warned supplying Tomahawks risks escalation and harms US-Russia relations. Trump expressed hesitation, citing limited missile supplies and linked Ukraine peace progress to the Gaza ceasefire.

US and Russian diplomats will prepare for the summit. Kyiv was not informed of the Trump-Putin talks beforehand.

Sources: WallStreetJournal, BBC, EuroNews, AXIOS, Dw.

Did you know we also write in-depth deep dives? They are long, packed with insights, and have received rave reviews. If you’re up for a detailed, action-packed read, check them out:

• The Asset Protection Blueprint

• The Retirement Tax Bomb

• Inflammation Crisis

• The Gut Brain Axis

• The Healthcare Hammer

• AI Proof Professionals

Auto Industry Tariff Relief

The White House will extend tariff relief for the US auto industry by five years, allowing automakers like Ford and GM to offset up to 3.75% of vehicle value against the 25% tariff on imported parts.

Previously set to end, this relief helps mitigate rising production costs amid tariffs on assembled vehicles, parts, steel, and aluminum. Japanese automakers like Toyota benefit from reduced import tariffs under a US-Japan trade deal, gaining a cost advantage over US makers.

GM shares rose 3.8% after the announcement, with Ford and Stellantis also seeing gains. The extension aims to ease financial pressures from global competition and high input costs.

Sources: Bloomberg, Economictimes, Financialexpress.

Gene Therapy to Cut Cholesterol

Researchers developed gene and epigenetic therapies targeting PCSK9 to lower LDL cholesterol with potential one-time treatments. A PPRH molecule, HpE12, reduced PCSK9 RNA by 74% and protein by 87% in liver cells; one dose lowered cholesterol 50% in mice.

Verve Therapeutics’ base editing permanently cut LDL by up to two-thirds in patients with a rare genetic disorder. nChroma Bio’s epigenetic silencing lowered LDL by 70% for over 16 months in animals, with reversibility and no side effects.

Scribe Therapeutics and Tune Therapeutics reported LDL reductions of 90% and 56% in preclinical models using gene editing and epigenetic drugs. These advances aim to replace statins with single-dose, durable cholesterol control.

Sources: SciTechDaily, Forbes.

Trojan Bacteria to Kill Tumors

Columbia Engineering developed CAPPSID, a cancer therapy using Salmonella typhimurium bacteria to deliver cancer-killing viruses directly into tumors. The bacteria naturally seek tumors and shield the virus from the immune system.

Inside cancer cells, the bacteria release the virus, which spreads to destroy tumor cells. The virus depends on a molecule produced only by the bacteria, preventing its spread to healthy tissue. Tested successfully in mice, CAPPSID shows improved effectiveness by combining both microbes.

Researchers aim to expand testing to more cancers and enhance safety using bacteria strains already tested in humans. A patent has been filed, with efforts underway to advance clinical trials.

Sources: SciTechDaily, Technologynetworks.

“You must keep your private thoughts under your own hat, for the minute a man knows what you want, he has found the handle to your will, and the minute he knows what you despise, he has found a stick to beat you with.”

Baked with love,

Anna Eisenberg ❤️