Episode Details

Show Notes — 2026-05-22 # Hunchline: The Morning Line — Friday, May 22nd 2026 Quantum computing stocks went absolutely feral on Thursday — D-Wave Quantum up 45%, Rigetti up 42%, and a cascade of compute-adjacent names ripping double digits — while the Department of War dropped 161 declassified FBI UAP files through a new transparency portal called PURSUE, and the internet spiraled over footage of a Fox News guest who may or may not have been wearing a hyper-realistic silicone mask. ## In This Episode - **Quantum Stock Mania** — D-Wave Quantum up 45%, Rigetti up 42%, and the whole quantum computing sector went parabolic Thursday with momentum pile-on dynamics - **Authoritarianism Arrives With A Login** — ZeroHedge piece arguing that modern authoritarian control operates through digital identity infrastructure, not military coups - **PURSUE Portal — 161 Declassified FBI UAP Files** — The Department of War released formerly classified FBI documents on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena through a new presidential transparency portal - **Robert Harward Mask Footage** — Online communities obsessing over Fox News footage that appears to show a retired military official wearing a hyper-realistic silicone mask - **43% of CEOs Plan to Slash Junior Roles** — Entry-level job pipeline being cut as AI takes over routine tasks, with structural implications for the next generation's career trajectories - **Syria's Sharaa at G7** — Former ISIS-linked militant attending the G7 summit in France as a diplomatic guest for Syria's reconstruction - **Pentagon-Beijing Talks Stalled** — US delegation visit to China held up over massive Taiwan arms package - **Byron Allen Trending #1** — Media mogul in the news for a major business or legal development ## Market Board | Ticker | Close | Change | |--------|-------|--------| | S&P 500 | $745.91 | +0.63% | | NASDAQ | $718.45 | +0.74% | | Russell 2000 | $283.45 | +1.28% | | Bitcoin | $77,347 | -0.87% | | Ethereum | $2,127.24 | -0.61% | | Gold | $414.77 | -0.63% | | Oil | $144.16 | -0.08% | | D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) | $28.01 | +45.13% | | Rigetti Computing (RGTI) | $24.08 | +42.65% | | Intuit | $308.32 | -19.69% | ## Sports + Odds **Scores — Thursday:** - NBA: New York Knicks 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 93 - NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder 122, San Antonio Spurs 113 - NHL: Montreal Canadiens 6, Carolina Hurricanes 2 - MLB: Atlanta Braves 9, Miami Marlins 3 - MLB: Pittsburgh Pirates 6, St. Louis Cardinals 2 - MLB: Toronto Blue Jays 2, New York Yankees 0 - MLB: New York Mets 2, Washington Nationals 1 - MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks 2, Colorado Rockies 1 - MLB: Athletics 3, Los Angeles Angels 2 **Today's Odds:** - NHL: Vegas Golden Knights @ Colorado Avalanche — Avalanche -192, Vegas +160 - MLB: Cleveland Guardians @ Philadelphia Phillies — Phillies -184, Cleveland +154 - MLB: Houston Astros @ Chicago Cubs — Cubs -142, Astros +120 - MLB: St. Louis Cardinals @ Cincinnati Reds — Reds -116, Cardinals -102 **Prediction Markets:** - Strait of Hormuz traffic normal by end of month: 3.5 cents (very low probability) - US-Iran permanent peace deal by May 31: 20 cents - Bitcoin target price contract near $77,320 (live, sweating) - Norway to win 2026 FIFA World Cup: 2.4 cents ## Google Trends Watch 1. **Byron Allen** — Media mogul trending amid ongoing legal/business developments 2. **Catalina Island** — Boat fire off the California coast sparked searches overnight 3. **Chud the Builder Bond** — Meme account announced a satirical financial product; internet lost it 4. **Jack Quaid** — Actor trending after press appearances and connection to Jack Ryan game announcement 5. **Andor** — Star Wars series season two continuing to generate weekly discourse 6. **JPEGMAFIA** — Experimental rapper dropped new content or announced shows 7. **search** — The Sean Penn film 'Search' trended; yes, 'search' trended on Google 8. **accident attorney** — Legal ad machine activated by local crash news 9. **The Last of Us** — Emotionally devastating episode