The Ultimate White House Insider

Inside Trump’s “Golden Dome”

Buck Sexton isn’t just another political commentator — he’s the No. 1 voice in conservative talk radio, co-hosting The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, which succeeded Rush Limbaugh’s legendary time slot.

Buck’s background as a former CIA officer sets him apart: He knows how D.C. truly operates, and his connections stretch from the top levels of the White House into President Trump’s inner circle and cabinet.

Recently, Buck was called into a closed-door meeting at the White House, seated directly across from President Trump and senior officials.

Left to right: Buck and President Trump; Buck and Vice President JD Vance; Buck, President Trump and Buck’s co-host Clay Travis

There, he gained firsthand insight into the strategies shaping America’s future — seismic policy shifts, economic maneuvers and political power plays with real consequences for your freedom and your wallet.

This isn’t gossip or spin. Buck brings insider intelligence and the truth the D.C. elite might prefer to keep hidden — now shared unfiltered through Paradigm’s Money & Power…

“You’re the first person without a clearance to see this. The president declassified it five minutes ago.”

Buck elaborates: “That’s what the White House counterterrorism chief said as he pivoted his computer screen toward me.

“We were in the West Wing, just down the hall from the Oval Office, with President Trump’s voice booming in the distance.

“I had just finished a 30-minute deep dive with the commander in chief and Vice President JD Vance,” he notes.

“Now I was watching footage eerily reminiscent of what I had seen myself so many times when I was overseas with the CIA almost two decades ago.

“Grainy surveillance video, tracking a vehicle, somewhere in Syria. All I knew was that a senior Islamic State terrorist was in the front passenger seat. Not for long.

“I knew a drone strike was coming. But I had never seen one like this before.

“Four projectiles, at incredible speed, hit the car in rapid succession, all in the front-right quadrant of the car.

“The car came to a stop on the side of the road. Three men exited and ran for their lives. They were unscathed. Remarkable…

“I had just witnessed a ‘Flying Ginsu’ drone strike,” says Buck.

“Instead of explosive ordinance, this new type of drone — technically, the R9X Hellfire — fires a high-speed projectile with six-blades that flare out just before impact.

“When it hits, it becomes what some call a ‘ninja bomb.’ It gruesomely slices through the target, while leaving those in its immediate vicinity unharmed.

“Pointing to what was left of the front passenger area of the car, the senior White House official said: ‘He’s gone… Good riddance.’

“Conversations with those at the highest levels of the U.S. intelligence apparatus are mostly confidential.

“But here is what I can share…

“President Donald Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ missile shield could mark the most transformative moment in defense policy since the Cold War — and possibly be the defining project of his political legacy,” Buck says.

“This ambitious fusion of Silicon Valley brilliance and Pentagon firepower signals the rise of a new kind of military-industrial complex,” he continues, “one that’s smarter, faster and constantly innovating.

“Companies like SpaceX, Palantir and Anduril aren’t just contributing; they're rewriting the playbook.

“Powered by AI, orbital surveillance and real-time interception technology, the Golden Dome would aim to neutralize threats before they even breached the atmosphere.

“But this isn’t just about defense. It’s a tectonic shift in global power dynamics.

“America is preparing to dominate the skies and the space above. And rivals like China and Russia know it…

“The Golden Dome will spark a new ‘Space Race’ moment, a new era of deterrence,” says Buck, “and a new definition of American strength.

“The Golden Dome isn’t just about preventing North Korea from striking Los Angeles with a nuclear missile.

“This is about an alliance between the most powerful technology companies, with the most sophisticated manufacturing capabilities, and the biggest military apparatus in the history of the planet.

“It is an AI-based union between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon that will change the world while creating some of the most valuable companies in human history

“We are transitioning from the rise of the semiconductor to the era of supercomputing, and President Trump is ushering in a new American technological superiority.

“To complete this task requires an all-hands-on deck approach from the top names in the American private sector…

“There are companies we can buy now which will be involved in creating trillions of dollars of new wealth in the years ahead,” Buck adds.

“Just like the pursuit of semiconductors in the days after Sputnik’s launch, spin-off technologies will reinvent entire industries which will generate hyperdrive growth.

“And the time to invest in these opportunities is now.

“All the senior government officials I spoke to just a few weeks ago recognize that this new era of Silicon Valley titans joining with the MAGA mission is the future.

“It will change modern warfare and the economy,” Buck summarizes. “And it will determine the wealth, safety and destiny of this nation. I’ll have more to share soon.”

[Attention: According to the ultimate D.C. insider, Buck Sexton, who has immense access to the White House, Trump is preparing an estimated $2.2 trillion bombshell — a radical “Manhattan II” project to secure America’s global dominance in ways, frankly, never witnessed before.

Trump has done many shocking things, but this truly pushes the envelope. Even for the president, it’s revolutionary. And the implications for the U.S. stock market are enormous.

Because Buck believes Trump is going to make his move as soon as Oct. 15, you have an opening — however brief — to prepare. Access Buck’s riveting interview now.]

NVDA Crushes It (Almost)

Nvidia delivered a powerful earnings report — posting $46.7 billion in revenue, which marked a 56% jump from a year ago and a 6% increase from the previous quarter. The company’s adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.05, slightly above what analysts expected.

Still, the company’s data‑center business — a major engine of growth — fell just short of Wall Street’s sky‑high expectations. That mismatch, plus uncertainty around U.S. export restrictions, depressed shares about 3% in after‑hours trading.

One major headwind: Nvidia hasn't shipped any of its H20 AI chips to China this quarter, even though some licenses are in place — under the condition that 15% of those related revenues go to the U.S. government

The company notes that if restrictions ease, it could see $2–5 billion in potential sales, but it's not counting on that in its current forecast.

For now, Nvidia remains dominant in AI chips and reports it’s gearing up for a strong next quarter, forecasting about $54 billion in revenue.

In short: Nvidia’s results were strong, with big year-over-year growth and earnings per share. But the China situation and the just-missed data-center goal clouded reaction in NVDA shares.

At the time of writing, Nvidia shares are down about 1.15%. As for the broader picture on U.S. stocks, the tech-heavy Nasdaq is faring best: up 0.40% to 21,680. As for the S&P 500, the index is up 0.20% to 6,490, and the DJIA is up about 0.05% to 45,595.

Oil, however, is slipping; a barrel of West Texas crude is down 0.85% to $63.60. Precious metals, on the other hand, are catching bids today. Gold is up 0.80% to $3,475.70 per ounce, and silver is up 1.25% to $39.20. But the crypto market today is bifurcated: Bitcoin’s up 0.75% to $112,860; Ethereum, however, is down 1.15% to $4,510.

As for the high-stakes legal showdown between President Trump and Fed Governor Lisa Cook, Cook filed a lawsuit today in federal court challenging Trump’s unprecedented attempt to remove her. Within hours, Judge Jia Cobb — a Biden appointee to the bench in 2021 — scheduled a hearing for Friday at 10 a.m. ET on Cook’s request for a temporary block of Trump’s order.

Cook’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, blasts Trump’s mortgage-data snafu as the rationale for Cook’s removal as “nakedly pretextual,” arguing that even if true, such claims would not meet the Federal Reserve Act’s legal threshold of cause for removal.

The case is expected to escalate quickly; as Dave forecasted yesterday, the Supreme Court could even hear the case, marking the first-ever test of a president’s authority to fire a Fed governor. Stay tuned…

South America on the Brink

Tensions in South America have escalated quickly this month, drawing in not only Colombia and Venezuela but also the U.S.

The latest flare-up began in mid-August when fighting intensified in Colombia’s Catatumbo region near the Venezuelan border. Armed groups linked to drug trafficking and left-wing guerrillas clashed, forcing Colombia’s military to respond. The violence, and its spillover potential, has drawn international attention.

Source: InSight Crime

On Aug. 20, the U.S. deployed three warships and about 4,000 Marines to the Caribbean, just off Venezuela’s coast. Washington framed the mission as part of a counter-narcotics campaign.

LOGO — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rejected that explanation, calling the U.S.deployment a threat and ordering the mobilization of 4.5 million civilian militia members.

Also on Aug. 20, Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned against U.S. military action. “An invasion of Venezuela by the United States could cause a civil war similar to the one that has destroyed Syria since 2011,” Petro cautioned, emphasizing the risk of mass instability and displacement.

On Wednesday this week, Venezuela announced the deployment of 15,000 troops — backed by aircraft, drones and river patrols — to its border with Colombia. Diosdado Cabello, a top Maduro ally, says Colombia had been informed of the operation and even invited Bogota to carry out similar measures to secure both sides of the border.

Meanwhile, the U.S. expanded its naval presence, adding more ships to the Caribbean. In response, Venezuela dispatched warships and drones to patrol its coastline, while also taking its case to the U.N. to denounce U.S. “aggression.”

The situation is fragile — we’ll keep you posted — and the next few weeks will determine whether the conflict escalates further.

When Power Bills Get Political

Electricity costs are climbing across the nation’s largest power grid, the PJM Interconnection, and the surge is drawing political scrutiny. For the second-straight year, wholesale power costs in the region have hit record highs.

That’s raising concerns for Republicans heading into competitive races in states where energy bills hit voters hardest. To wit…

Source: Bloomberg, EIA

The price spike has multiple drivers. Traditional fuels like natural gas, coal and nuclear are relatively expensive, but the real game-changer is demand. AI data centers are gobbling up massive amounts of electricity.

In PJM’s territory, which spans all or part of 13 states plus Washington, D.C., these facilities are now a key reason utilities must pay sharply higher “capacity charges.” Those charges ensure the grid has enough backup supply for peak demand, and they’ve surged as utilities scramble to keep up.

Not surprisingly, some states are getting a clue and pushing back. Lawmakers in states including Indiana, New Jersey and Oregon are studying or enacting special rates to make sure Big Tech bears more of the burden. Otherwise, the costs fall on households and small businesses already stretched by inflation.

The issue goes beyond energy; it’s a debate over fairness in the digital economy. Families are effectively subsidizing the infrastructure that keeps tech giants running around the clock.

And with power bills spiking hardest in key swing states, it’ll be fascinating to see whether anger over electricity costs turns into real political shock waves when the midterms roll around.

South Korea’s Coffee “Tribe”

In Seoul’s plush Daechi neighborhood, cafe owner Hyun Sung-joo thought he’d seen it all — until one customer showed up armed with two laptops and a six-port power strip. “I ended up blocking off the outlets,” he sighs. With sky-high rents, Hyun says, one seat-hogging customer can throw off the economics of a whole cafe.

These marathon cafe-campers even have a name: Cagongjok — a mash-up of Korean words meaning “study tribe.” And they’re everywhere.

A Starbucks in Seoul’s Gangnam district hums with students and job seekers, heads bent over exam prep, coffee cups long drained. One 18-year-old tells the BBC she clocks in around 11 a.m. and stays until 10 p.m., sometimes leaving her laptop to “hold” the seat while she grabs dinner.

To curb such extreme cases, Starbucks Korea recently rolled out national guidelines discouraging customers from bringing in desktop monitors, printers or even partition walls (yes, really). Staff won’t kick anyone out, but they may “offer guidance.” Whether that changes behavior is anyone’s guess.

The cafe economy itself has ballooned: Coffee shops in South Korea have surged nearly 48% in five years, now brushing up against 100,000 nationwide. Surveys show 70% of Gen Z job seekers study in cafes at least weekly.

For many, it’s less about caffeine and more about needing a place to work that isn’t home. With tight housing and labor conditions — and scarce public study space — cafes have become a lifeline.

Heh, have I got a business model for some enterprising member of the Cagongjok…

Take care! We’ll be back Friday.

Best regards,

Emily Clancy
Associate editor, Paradigm Pressroom's 5 Bullets