Happy Friday, Wake Up Right fam! You may have seen the news about the Special Forces soldier involved in the Maduro raid who reportedly bet $400,000 the U.S. would take him out. I’m with Trump on this one—at least he bet on America to win.

Which got me thinking… are there Polymarket odds on how many typos sneak into Wake Up Right? 🤨

^{Sources: The National Pulse, ESPN, Spotify, Spotify, RCP}

President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to "shoot and kill" any Iranian boat caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran floods the world's most critical oil chokepoint with fresh explosives.

The details: Trump issued the order in a Truth Social post, writing:

Zoom out: This comes as a third U.S. carrier strike group arrived in the region and Navy mine-sweepers are working to clear the waterway – an operation that could take up to six months.

Firepower: The Pentagon had estimated over 90% of Iran's mine-laying ships and warehouses were destroyed, but hidden coastal stockpiles survived.

How’s the U.S. blockade doing? Early Thursday, U.S. forces boarded a sanctioned tanker smuggling Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean. CENTCOM says it has turned back 31 vessels since the April 13 blockade began.

Historic chaos: The International Energy Agency calls this the largest oil supply disruption in history, as tanker traffic collapsed from 100+ daily transits in peacetime to single digits.

The numbers: Roughly 20% of the world's seaborne oil moves through Hormuz.

What's next? Israel's defense minister said Thursday that Jerusalem is awaiting a U.S. "green light" to resume strikes on Iran. Trump says there's "no time pressure."

[Source: The National Pulse, CNBC]

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The Department of Justice took down 43 alleged Mexican Mafia members and associates running a sprawling drug, extortion, and murder operation across Orange County – directed, stunningly, from inside a California state prison.

The details: FBI Director Kash Patel announced "Operation Gangsta's Paradise" Thursday after pre-dawn raids at roughly 30 locations across Orange and Los Angeles counties. Federal prosecutors unsealed three indictments naming 43 defendants tied to "La Eme" – the prison gang that effectively controls most Hispanic street gangs in California.

Prison headquarters: The alleged ringleader, Luis Cardenas – aka "Gangster" – ran the whole operation from his cell at Ironwood State Prison using contraband phones and encrypted messaging.

How it worked: La Eme taxed illegal "slap houses" (gambling dens doubling as drug hubs), ran gang-controlled motels, and used violence to enforce payments.

Back up: In February 2025, two associates murdered a victim at the Akua Inn in Anaheim – a killing prosecutors say was committed to earn membership in the gang. Both face mandatory life and are death penalty eligible.

Big picture: La Eme is the connective tissue between Mexican cartels and street-level distribution – the reason fentanyl keeps flooding Southern California neighborhoods.

The last word goes to FBI Director Kash Patel, who wrote on X: "Well done to our agents, great partners and teams who executed brilliantly. This @FBI continues to break violent gang operations all over the country 🔥”

[Souce: DOJ]

🚀 President Donald Trump said he has ordered the U.S. Navy “to shoot and kill any boat” that is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Read more.

✅ Senate Republicans voted to pass a $70 billion budget resolution to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the remainder of President Trump’s term in the latest attempt to fully reopen the Department of Homeland Security. Read more.

🦻 Regeneron reached a deal with President Trump to lower U.S. drug prices for some Americans and offer its newly approved hearing-loss gene therapy free to eligible patients, joining drugmakers making pricing concessions under White House pressure. Read more.

🤝 The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by another three weeks, President Trump said after hosting the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in the Oval Office on Thursday. Read more.

🤖 Meta plans to lay off 10% of its workforce, about 8,000 employees, as it continues ramping up investments in artificial intelligence. Read more.

🪴 The Trump administration has reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Read more.

🤷‍♂ NYC East Village residents are suing Mayor Mamdani to stop the relocation of hundreds of homeless men to a new shelter in their neighborhood. Read more. This neighborhood voted overwhelmingly for him. They get what they voted for.

🇺🇸 President Trump announced plans to renovate the "filthy" Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, coating the bottom in an "American flag blue" hue. Read more.

🐟 Salmon exposed to cocaine in the water swim longer distances than those that go without, according to a study. Read more. This was too absurd not to share.

🦵 Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly requires a prosthetic leg and multiple surgeries, and has severe burns to his face. Read more.

👽 Rep. Tim Burchett said government briefings, pilot testimony, and evidence convinced him aliens exist, citing sonar reports of a football-field-sized object moving 200 mph underwater while demanding federal transparency now. Read more.

🎥 Trump responds to the $400K Maduro bet placed by a US Special Forces soldier. Watch.

🎥 Toddler steals the spotlight from Trump during drug price event. Watch.

🎥 An illegal alien randomly attacked a family, trying to eat a baby's face. Watch. Electric chair.

🎥 Rep. Luna: Master Sgt. Van Dyke should be free if Nancy Pelosi is free. Watch.

🎥 Sickening moment a NYC teen stomps on a girl's head for refusing to give him her phone number. Watch. [warning: graphic language and violence] This coward should be hit with attempted murder charges.

🎥 Trump blasts "stupid" question about whether he would use a nuclear weapon on Iran. Watch.

🎥 Check out the clown Democrats running for Governor of California. Watch.

🎥 RFK Jr. takes down sickly-looking Sen. Wyden with pure facts. Watch.

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