MMN Editor

‘Nightcaps’ is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday-Friday on OutKick.com.I learned a valuable tip very early in my journalism career: Never read the comments.And for the most part, I follow that rule. But over the weekend, I was out on Old Hickory Lake covering The Champions, a massive bass fishing tournament with a $3.25 million purse.It was also our first big event since OutKick OutDoors became officially official back in August. So naturally, I was curious to see what people were saying.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEAnd after scrolling the comments, I made an alarming discovery: There are an awful lot of you who think there’s some sort of mass bass genocide happening on lakes across the country.Friends, allow me to explain how this works.These tournaments are catch-and-release. Anglers keep their fish alive in aerated livewells on their boats, hold them up for a few quick seconds during weigh-in, and then the fish are returned to the lake.In fact, keeping those fish alive is such a priority that competitors are heavily penalized if they bring a dead fish to the scales.Unfortunately, things do happen sometimes. But the entire process is designed to keep as many of them swimming as possible.And for the record, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with legal hunting and fishing, harvesting animals for food. But before y’all come yelling at me for covering bass fishing, please understand we’re not out here just murdering smallmouth in droves for funsies.MATT ROBERTSON WINS RECORD $1.25 MILLION FISHING PRIZE, DECLARES ‘TRAILER TRASH FOR LIFE’Maybe just relax, grab yourself a beer from the garage fridge, kick back and enjoy some Nightcaps.So you can all breathe easier now that we finally have confirmation.After months of dating rumors, suspiciously timed trips to Italy and a phone lock screen that seemingly gave the whole thing away, country music star Megan Moroney and USMNT soccer star Christian Pulisic are officially an item.Apparently, Moroney was chatting with actress Eiza González at the TIME100 Gala in New York City last Thursday when González reportedly joked, “We’re the new generation of WAGs.”González is dating tennis star Grigor Dimitrov, while Moroney has apparently claimed her spot on Team Pulisic.PEOPLE subsequently confirmed that the country singer and AC Milan star are, in fact, dating.Congratulations to the happy couple. And now we can close this case.Look, it’s no secret that I despise the Tennessee Titans.As someone who used to work there, I can confirm the absolute dumpster fire they put out on the field every Sunday is directly reflective of the ownership and front office that runs the place.I was thrilled for Derrick Henry when he got out of Nashville — and for Kevin Byard, too. So now I’m equally pumped that Big Jeff Simmons is in Chicago and will actually have a chance at a ring.And man, did he make one hell of a first impression.As a Miami Dolphins fan, I’ll likely never see a Super Bowl in my lifetime. I’m at peace with this. But I’m a Bears fan by marriage, so I hope they keep it up.I do not claim to be an expert on the fundamentals of basketball. My hoops career ended in fifth grade when I got frustrated with girls 7 inches taller than me boxing me out in the school gym.But even I know you’re not supposed to shoot a free throw like you’re trying to launch a grenade over enemy lines.Allow me to introduce you to Kendall Puryear, a 6-foot-3 forward for the University of South Florida women’s basketball team, who has perhaps the most unhinged free throw form I’ve ever seen.Seriously, watch this.WHAT WAS THAT?!Puryear, who transferred from Purdue this offseason, went to the line twice during Monday’s 80-54 win over Furman and missed both attempts. Which, given the mechanics we’re working with here, isn’t exactly shocking.For the record, Puryear was actually a standout shot put thrower in high school, ranking No. 1 in Missouri. Which actually explains a whole lot.But like I said, not a basketball connoisseur over here. We’ll need Dan Dakich to weigh in.Let’s open the mailbag.📩 Email: amber.harding@outkick.com (Send your thoughts, stories, tips, rants and photos of your dog.)🐦 Twitter/X: @TheAmberHarding📸 Instagram: @amberhardingSteve H. writes: Thanks for bringing back dog pictures! We miss the videos too. Tuesday nights used to be my favorite edition of Nightcaps until they disappeared. Duke (yellow lab) took time out of his busy schedule patrolling the yard and scaring away squirrels, rabbits, deer, and sand hill cranes to express his approval too.DF in AR writes: Why so many words on the wnba to an audience that doesn’t like the wnba or NBA??? Why not something about the world series?I like your writing but not the subjects woke Fox wants to highlight. I enjoy your personal trips and dog more. How about more words on positive and inspiring topics?Amber:Very kind of you to say, Darrell. Don’t worry — the travel/dog content is staying. At least on Tuesdays it is. And on OutKick OutDoors.In Friday’s Nightcaps, Zach vowed not to write about the WNBA (except for Sophie Cunningham) for the next seven months. I’m going to make you that same promise.I can’t promise I won’t throw some Cameron Brink in there occasionally, though.Eric P. (or maybe his dog, Duke) writes: Dogs on vacation?? But of course I need a vacation..just be sure the pool is at the right temperature..Amber:Always love it when Duke stops by Nightcaps.My Rocky is getting ready for a very busy vacation season. We’re leaving today for a little getaway to the woods then next month it’s off to Florida for Thanksgiving with the family. And then Indiana for Christmas.OK, Indiana isn’t much of a vacation destination, but Rocky’s just happy to be included.Brad B. writes: Your dog pics today reminded me to recommend you see the Heart of the Beast movie; it’s a bit of a tribute to wartime service dogs. Very good film and provides you with some additional Brad Pitt eye candy. Best seen in a theater as the cinematography is awesome.Amber:I saw it a couple of weeks ago! Phenomenal film. And I’m woman enough to admit I sobbed.No spoilers here, though.As a German Shepherd haver myself, I know that I’m biased. But man, they are just incredible dogs. Their intelligence, trainability and loyalty are out of this world.But so are their shedding and neediness, so keep that in mind before you go getting one.Jon C. writes: We ALWAYS travel with our dogs.Spartan Race, check. Beach trip, check. Two days driving to get to Montana so we can bring the adventure pups, in the designing stages. Life is just better with man’s best friend riding shotgun.Like some of your co-writers on Outkick that always end their columns with a pic of Steve Largent or Dale Earnhardt, you need to always end yours with a pic of Rocky.SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY OUTKICK NEWSLETTERAmber:I mean, if you insist.

Photo credit: depositphotos.com
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas said it secured a grand jury indictment for a US postal worker who stole thousands of pieces of mail and hundreds of Republican Party mailers starting in October. 
The Kansas postal worker, Kelly R. Cram, 59, faces charges of unlawful seizure, destruction, and delay of mail.
She is accused of stealing more than 4,400 pieces of mail in and around Pittsburg, Kansas, which is part of Congressional District 2. Incumbent Republican Representative Derek Schmidt is in a reelection battle against Democrat Don Coover.
“Nearly 400 political mailers solely related to Republican candidates or Republican Partly affiliated political action committees” were found in her garage, the prosecutor’s office said.
No mailers related to any other parties were found.
The US Attorney’s Office announced in a press release:
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment today charging a Kansas postal worker with stealing thousands of pieces of mail, including hundreds of political mailings that were all related to Republican Party candidates.
According to court documents, Kelly R. Cram, 59, of Baxter Springs, was indicted on one count of unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail.
Beginning in October 2026, Cram is accused of stealing 4,404 pieces of mail that were intended to be delivered to customers in and around Pittsburg, Kansas. Among the mail items she allegedly stole and placed in her garage, were nearly 400 political mailers solely related to Republican candidates or Republican Partly affiliated political action committees. Agents found no mailers related to candidates of any other political party at Cram’s residence.
This comes as polls show a tight race for Incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall and his Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton.
Republican Ty Masterson is also reportedly neck-and-neck with Democrat Cindy Holscher in the race for Kansas Governor.

The post DOJ Charges Kansas Postal Worker for “Stealing Thousands of Pieces of Mail” Including Hundreds of Republican Candidates’ Mailers appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The Great Wealth Divide: Own The Right Assets… Or Fall Behind

Authored by Kelly Caro via Doug Casey’s International Man,Let’s start with three assumptions that I consider rock-solid.1. Government spending will continue to grow.2. The government will need more currency debasement to finance that spending.3. Wages will not keep up.If I had to distill this into a single point, it would be:You can’t outrun the money printer by working harder. You need to own the right assets or fall behind.Owning inflation-resistant assets matters more than income, though income still matters.Let’s zoom out and look at the big picture.The following chart tracks gold, the S&P 500, the money supply (M2), median housing prices, wages, and the CPI over the past 62 years.According to the rigged CPI, prices rose 977%, while wages rose 1,179%. The official numbers claim that wages have outpaced inflation since 1964.Yet anyone with eyes to see and a functioning brain knows that claim is false. Reality lies in a different ballpark.The government uses the CPI as misleading propaganda to conceal its atrocious currency debasement.The growth in the money supply provides a better measure of the damage. It grew 5,775% over the same period.In other words, wages kept pace with about 20% of the currency debasement. Relative to the money supply, wages lost about 80% of their value.To me, this better reflects reality and provides a sound benchmark and hurdle rate.If your wealth does not grow at least as fast as the money supply, you are losing ground and heading down the road to serfdom.Median housing prices rose 2,070%. Housing outpaced wages but failed to keep pace with currency debasement.Gold and the S&P 500 outran currency debasement.Now let’s look at the same chart starting in 1999.This chart tells a similar story.According to the CPI, prices doubled, rising 100%.Wages rose 140%, outpacing the government’s official inflation measure.Housing rose 156%, beating wages but falling far short of the 427% increase in the money supply.The money supply has grown to more than five times its 1999 level. That is why $1 million does not buy what it once did.The S&P 500 rose 523%, with currency debasement driving much of that increase.Gold won, rising 1,549%.These charts illustrate the main implication of the currency debasement megatrend:You can’t outrun the money printer by working harder. You need to own the right assets or get left behind.Housing has not kept pace, and I do not expect it to.You need to own gold and the right stocks if you want to outpace currency debasement.Remember, this process compounds. Year after year, asset prices and capital gains grow faster than wages. Over time, this dynamic has created a deep divide between asset owners and wage earners. I expect that divide to widen.In this age of ever-increasing currency debasement, your top financial priority should be to join the asset-owning class, where your wealth grows and compounds with currency debasement. Otherwise, you remain a wage earner chasing fiat dollars that lose value each year.In the fiat system, owning assets pays better than selling your labor.And it’s not even close.The government can hide the effects of currency debasement behind manipulated statistics such as the CPI. But gold acts as a mirror of truth. In time, gold reflects the damage in its price.Ever-increasing currency debasement has defined the financial system since the creation of the Federal Reserve 113 years ago.It began on a small scale that few people noticed, then grew with each passing year.The years 1933 and 1971 were inflection points. So were 2008 and 2020. Each episode ratcheted currency debasement higher. The long-term trend points toward more currency debasement, not less.In this environment, gold is the clear winner.Not only did its price outperform, but it did so with much less risk than stocks. Gold is money. It carries no company-specific or equity risk.Gold is the best risk-adjusted asset to hold over the long term. That is why it should anchor any plan to outrun inflation.Currency debasement will keep widening the divide between asset owners and wage earners. You can own assets that benefit from it – or watch it erode the rewards of a lifetime of work.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 11/03/2026 – 15:45

A retired NYPD officer living in Florida was arrested Monday after authorities say he made a social media post calling for the beheading of a Pinellas County commissioner who recently voted to approve the expansion of a local mosque.Rodolfo Mienert, who now lives in St. Petersburg, allegedly commented on a Facebook post criticizing Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott for supporting a land-use change that would allow the North Pinellas mosque to expand.According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the 68-year-old ex-officer called Scott a “Republican turncoat” before writing, “off with his head!”Mienert posted this Facebook comment under the username “Rudy MineAllmine,” according to an affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.OHIO MAN CHARGED OVER GRAPHIC THREATS TO KILL TRUMP, BEHEAD GOP LAWMAKERThe account’s profile picture shows Bugs Bunny holding a revolver, while its bio reads, “…if I pissed off a libtard today, I’m happy!! no further reply!!”The last post made by this account reposted a campaign video from Scott, accompanied with the message: “DO NOT vote for this person, he voted FOR a mosque.”Detectives traced the IP address of the account that made the post to Mienert, who later confirmed the account was his.MAN INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY POSTING GRUESOME DEATH THREATS AGAINST KRISTI NOEM, PAM BONDI ON SOCIAL MEDIAMienert told detectives he is “very vocal and not afraid to share his opinion” on political issues and said he called Scott a “turncoat” because of his vote to approve the mosque expansion.Mienert also told detectives he had attended an Oct. 27 County Commission meeting where residents discussed the mosque issue at length.During that meeting, he said he escaped New York to “beautiful Florida” and claimed the growing footprint of the mosque would damage the environment and make traffic worse.Mienert was arrested and charged with one felony count of a written or electronic threat to kill, an offense that carries a maximum of 15 years in prison in Florida.In a statement, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said that “threatening to cut off the head of a county commissioner because of his vote on a land issue is intolerable and we will strictly enforce the law against anyone who makes threats of this nature.”Mienert, who retired as a sergeant after 22 years with the New York Police Department, remains in the Pinellas County Jail, according to records reviewed by Fox News Digital. He is set to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.

Southern California residents were hit with a series of quakes on Election Day.
At least two notable earthquakes rattled the Mexico side of the California-Mexico border and Southern California on Tuesday.
A preliminary magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Baja California at 10:27 on Tuesday morning. The quake was later downgraded to a 4.7.
Shaking was felt in Mexicali and across parts of Southern California.
One minute later a smaller quake struck in the high desert near the Nevada border.
A magnitude 3.6 quake struck at 10:28 am near Sandy Valley, northeast of Riverside.
According to Fox 5 San Diego, a series of small quakes struck the same region on Monday.
“The quakes happened near the Imperial Fault Zone, an area of geological faults in Imperial County and the adjacent parts of Baja California, that have had previous earthquakes above magnitude 6 and 7,” Fox 5 San Diego reported.

Good morning Southern California! Did you feel the magnitude 4.7 earthquake about 4 miles north of Delta, Baja California Mexico at 10:27 am? The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system was activated.
See: https://t.co/PRYYDZ1c6L
@ImperialCntyCA @SanDiegoCounty @Cal_OES @CAGeoSurvey @ListoSanDiego @ListosCA @FEMARegion9 @USGS_Quakes @CaltechSeismo
ShakeMap from this earthquake.
— USGS ShakeAlert (@USGS_ShakeAlert) November 3, 2026

The post Earthquakes Rattle Mexico-California Border and Southern California on Election Day appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Disney is preparing for another round of layoffs, and some managers were told to cut 20% of expenses, unnamed sources told multiple media outlets.

Leaving Las-Vega: Nomura Structured-Notes Head Says Banks Face ‘Hedging Squeeze’ Amid Booming Business

Structured notes have been booming, with SEC-registered US notes on track to hit about $300 billion this year, up from roughly $200 billion last year. But the demand that had been levitating option premiums has gone, according to Alex Micalizzi, Nomura’s international head of equity structured notes, leaving the banks that sell these notes with more volatility to offload than the market wants to absorb.Asked on Bloomberg’s Odd Lots whether the pullback reflected tight balance sheets or nervousness about expressing views, Micalizzi said it wasn’t views. “I suspect that to protect portfolios, call options were being bought in the market. And as those portfolios changed and maybe shrank, the need for that went away,” he said, adding that “large buyers that elevated option premium disappeared at the same time.”How The Hedge WorksA structured note is a bank IOU paired with options. In the most common yield version, the client effectively sells the bank a put, and the premium funds the coupon. The bank hedges out the directional risk and is left long volatility, or vega, which it sells into the listed and broker markets – typically to S&P market makers – sized to how long it expects the note to survive.The fastest growth has come in “worst-of” autocallables tied to the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Russell 2000. They pay a richer coupon because the investor takes the risk on whichever index does worst, and they knock out early, returning principal plus the coupon, once even the worst performer is back above its starting level on an observation date. With the Russell running higher in a near-straight line since last year’s Liberation Day after years of going sideways, those notes have been knocking out and getting reissued. “What drives volumes in an [autocall] is a knockout,” Micalizzi said.In a rising market that’s a “virtuous cycle”: trades knock out, new ones come in, and day-one hedges work. Once stocks got choppy, notes that would have knocked out after three months started to look like longer-dated paper, and dealers all needed to sell more vol at once, just as counterparties outside the listed market and interdealer brokers pulled back and demand for that optionality was “fading come August.” Dealers ended up with a lot more vega to offload just as market makers grew more reluctant to take it, as Bloomberg’s Tracy Alloway put it. “That is very well described, yes,” Micalizzi said.”Peak Vega”Alloway’s next question was whether that limits what banks can sell if they can’t offload the vega. “Yes and no. I think there is still a market. There is way more liquidity in the U.S. capital markets than anywhere else,” Micalizzi said. What ultimately drives issuance, he said, is the direction of the market: if stocks go sideways or down, “you’re just not going to get the demand for more.”The bigger problem sits in the notes already sold. US-registered worst-ofs typically carry three-to-five-year maturities but an expected life of about two years, so dealers hedge them by selling two-year vol as a proxy. If the worst-of index falls, the chance that a note runs the full five years “becomes a real thing,” and the dealer, short two-year vol, is suddenly exposed at five years with no new issuance coming in.”So that dynamic will mean there’s no new issuance, but I’m now short this two-year trade and I really don’t– I never had vega there. I use that position as a proxy for the five year. And so that term structure also changes where you can get the stuff that’s depressed in the market having a higher value because you’ve just got your short hedge on and now you’ve got exposure to the five year. And again, conversely, we get markets go back to all time highs. I’m just left short the two year and that’s another reason it can go up. And when we look at this stuff and we model it, we call it peak vega.”The rally side of the trap came up earlier in the conversation: if the indices bounce, notes can knock out within three months, leaving dealers holding nothing but their short hedges. “So there’s a situation where dealers can be left short. A lot of vega on the street, just on a small rally,” Micalizzi said, noting that “we’re not too far from all-time highs as it is.”Alloway asked whether that’s part of what Nomura’s Charlie McElligott calls the “spot up, vol up” regime. Micalizzi said it’s even more pronounced in single stocks, but on the index side “we are definitely seeing that just because of the growth of the worst of and the growth of the U.S. SEC registered notes,” in longer-dated options.The AI NamesOn single stocks, where semis and the hyperscalers are the popular underlyings, the product complexity “goes to another level.” Coupons can be contingent, paid only if the worst performer hasn’t fallen too far, and instead of quarterly checks, the notes generally observe knockouts daily after giving the stocks a month to “breathe.” Maturities typically run six to 18 months, maybe two years. Alloway pointed to a CoreWeave-linked note sold in Asia carrying a 40% annualized yield, written up by Bloomberg’s Shuli Ren.”So either I have vol here or I don’t, and I’m now observing it every single day,” Micalizzi said, describing an “on-off type of market in the single stock names.”The most creative structure he’s seen lets each stock in a worst-of basket knock out on its own on daily observations. A stock that rallies 20% early is taken out, regardless of what it does next, so the dealer can end up holding a deep in-the-money put on a name that has since collapsed – a put that vanishes the moment the last remaining stock rallies. “And so I’ve got this massive vol of vol position where if everything just rallies now, it’s done,” he said.Many Ways To DieFor buyers, the ideal is to get in when volatility is high, then watch markets quietly drift lower while the coupon keeps paying, until “the world has become nice again, and I’m left with this really high coupon for as long as possible.” Rip higher and the note knocks out early. Plunge through the barrier and, with a knock-in put, the buyer takes the full loss measured from day one, all the way to zero.For dealers, “there’s many ways to die.” A slow grind lower can hurt – hedged at two years, stuck with five, while volatility falls and skew flattens. So can a large move that runs past the put spreads and call spreads used as hedges. On a real AI repricing, dealers can flip to short gamma around the barriers, which Micalizzi said means “I have to buy when market goes up and sell when market goes down.”Those barriers haven’t been tested in this boom. “In all fairness, we haven’t really seen a down market where those puts have been there,” Micalizzi said.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 11/03/2026 – 15:30

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl head to Newark on Tuesday night to take on a Devils team that suddenly has one of the best goalies in the world. It’s the marquee game on an 11-game NHL slate, and with the NBA off for Election Day, it has the spotlight to itself. Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users promo code FOXNEWS350 to bet $20 and get $350 in FanCash on Devils vs. Oilers.Hellebuyck vs. the best duo in hockey. Connor Hellebuyck has been as good as advertised in New Jersey, opening 2-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. He’s built his career on stealing games against elite offenses, and McDavid and Draisaitl are the toughest test he’ll get all month. If he holds them in check, the Devils are in great shape at home.Edmonton’s goaltending gap. Tristan Jarry gives the Oilers a 4-1-2 record and two shutouts, but his .901 save percentage is a red flag against a Devils team that can push the pace. Edmonton can survive a shaky night from its goalie when its stars are rolling. It’s much harder when the other team’s goalie is standing on his head.The special teams battle. McDavid and Draisaitl together on the top power play is the most dangerous unit in the league. New Jersey has to stay out of the box. If the Devils keep this game at five-on-five, they can lean on their structure and their goalie. If they hand Edmonton chances on the man advantage, the Oilers’ price at +135 starts to look like a bargain.The last time these teams met, New Jersey won 2-1 in January. The books have priced the under at -125 for a reason. Hellebuyck’s numbers so far point to a low-scoring night, and the Devils’ best path to winning is keeping the game tight and grinding out a one- or two-goal result. Even if Edmonton’s stars break through once or twice, it would take a goaltending collapse on both ends to get to seven goals. Bet $20 on the Under and collect $350 in FanCash once it’s graded, no matter how it lands.Oilers vs Devils OddsOdds are subject to changeElite goaltending against the most dangerous one-two punch in the sport, with the hockey world watching. New users can bet $20 on Devils vs. Oilers and get $350 in FanCash with Fanatics Sportsbook promo code FOXNEWS350.