Daily Links — Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Wednesday keeps the dinar front and center: Iraq is struggling to contain a volatile gap in the currency, the 'delete the zeros' debate rolls on — restructuring or a confidence play? — and the cabinet moved on customs, oil, and electricity, approving ASYCUDA-based advance customs collection from October. Politically, Al-Maliki signals he doesn't want a fight inside the 'one trench' and hints support for Al-Zaidi. On the wider board, a viral claim that Venezuela met with the US Treasury to reconnect to the international financial system, rising Hormuz tension as the UAE cuts ties and the Saudis sail oil 'dark,' and a batch of home-front stories on election integrity, a Fauci-aide guilty plea, and Comcast turning routers into motion sensors. Here's everything on the desk.
Iraq & the Dinar
- Iraq struggles to contain a volatile dinar currency disparity — Channel 8
- Delete the zeros: a restructuring of the currency, or a step to boost confidence in the dinar? — Al-Sabah
- Iraq approves ASYCUDA-based advance customs tax collection from October — Channel 8
- Sudden decisions in the cabinet meeting — oil, customs, and electricity most notably — Baghdad Today
- Al-Maliki doesn't want a war between the sons of the 'one trench,' hints at resistance: Al-Zaidi is supported — 964 Media
Money & Markets
- Claim: Venezuela met with the US Treasury on Aug 10 and agreed to reconnect to the international financial system, with its gold held at the Treasury — X
- The US is forcing others to take sides — and so is China — ZeroHedge
Around the World
- UAE cuts ties as Iran warns Gulf states against helping Washington; Kpler says the US Navy is gaining ground in Hormuz — ZeroHedge
- Saudis offer to sell oil near Oman — a sign they're sailing 'dark' through Hormuz — ZeroHedge
- Ceuta in crisis: unrest at the Spanish enclave forces residents to flee — Modernity
Home Front
- Census Bureau analysis identified 24,000 non-citizen voters in the 2020 election, Trump says — The Epoch Times
- NSA blocked reports of CCP interference in US elections from reaching Trump, declassified docs show — The Epoch Times
- Former Fauci aide pleads guilty to a federal crime — The Epoch Times
- Comcast turns millions of routers into motion sensors — the same Wi-Fi signals can ID you with 99.5% accuracy — ZeroHedge
Links are shared for discussion. Not financial advice — always do your own research.