Geopolitics
French President Emmanuel Macron said France will send soldiers, radar, and defense systems to protect Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu oil port while stressing France was not getting involved in any conflict. The East-West pipeline can move up to 7 million barrels a day, bypassing Hormuz, and Riyadh said it was hit on September 10 by drones from Iraq. EU diesel hit a record 2.23 euros a litre. About 16 percent of French stations reported fuel shortages. Jean-Luc Mélenchon denounced the plan, saying troops in Saudi Arabia mean settling on a theater of war and calling for a parliamentary vote.
Meanwhile, satellite images show major construction at seven Chinese sites linked to nuclear programs: Pingtong, Zitong, Lop Nur, Jiuquan, Mianyang, Jinta and Guangyuan. Villages were cleared at one site for a fusion research center using lasers to study detonation-like conditions, according to reports. The images cannot show what is occurring inside. Washington has accused China of a secret 2020 Lop Nur test, which Beijing denies. The construction is among issues for Thursday’s Trump-Xi meeting in Washington. China maintains a no-first-use nuclear policy and describes its posture as defensive.
Energy
Ukrainian drones were reported to have struck two Russian oil refineries and a missile-parts plant. A fire was reported at Lukoil’s Permnefteorgsintez, one of Russia’s 10 largest refineries, with capacity above 13 million metric tons a year. Drones also reportedly struck Almaz-Antey’s Iskra Plant in Ulyanovsk, which makes missile microelectronics, injuring eight people, including a child. Rostov’s Novoshakhtinsk refinery, capacity 5.6 million metric tons, was damaged and suspended operations after an attack involving around 50 drones, according to reports.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency allowing farmers and timber harvesters to use dyed tax-exempt diesel in Class 2 forest-products and Class 5 farm-use highway vehicles through October 22, 2026, and directed a request for IRS penalty relief. Dyed diesel is normally restricted to off-road equipment. Louisiana diesel reached $6.03 a gallon, 112 percent above LSU AgCenter 2026 crop budgets. U.S. distillate inventories stood 12.5 percent below the five-year average, with net exports near five-year highs. Landry has supported a temporary diesel export ban. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said a diesel export ban “definitely doesn’t work” and could force refiners to cut output, pushing up gasoline and jet fuel prices.
WTI traded about $12 a barrel below ICE Brent after a 7 percent weekly drop, even as oil headed for a slight 2 percent weekly gain. Freight costs and discussion of a diesel export ban were cited as factors on U.S. crude. The EU has pressed the U.S. over a contemplated 90-day diesel export ban amid a reported 700,000 barrel-a-day deficit.
Meanwhile, October natural gas futures rose 4.5 percent to $3.159 per million British thermal units after Columbia Gas Transmission declared force majeure on West Virginia’s Mountaineer XPress line, cutting about 1.8 billion cubic feet a day of firm service from the September 25 Timely Cycle on a 2.7 Bcf/d Appalachian takeaway system. No restoration timeline was given.
Economy
Express carriers are passing increased fuel and routing costs into surcharges. The International Energy Agency called the near-total Hormuz closure the largest oil-supply disruption on record, with Brent near $99. Jet fuel reached $194.90 a barrel and U.S. diesel a record $6.31 a gallon. FedEx’s fuel bill rose 66 percent to $1.43 billion last quarter. The Federal Reserve raised rates to 3.75-4.00 percent after August CPI of 3.4 percent.
In other news, Chinese auto brands accounted for a record 11.7 percent of European new-car sales in August, more than doubling to 97,639 units. BYD rose 131 percent to 26,103 and Chery 210 percent to 24,332. MG rose 32 percent to 21,132 and slipped to third. Chinese plug-in hybrid sales tripled to 33,384, taking 34 percent of that powertrain. PHEVs are not subject to extra EU tariffs of up to 35.3 percent. Reuters reported that the EU is urging Britain to raise tariffs on Chinese cars.
Artificial Intelligence
Martin Armstrong warned that developers intend within months to let AI rewrite its own code and design successor models, with results no one can specify. According to the commentary, neural nets are trained with human-set objectives, yet builders cannot catalog every behavior of a system given internet access, so they cannot write ironclad rules. The commentary stated that the models would still lack moral reasoning and follow orders rather than make ethical judgments.
British Politics
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has assigned a Customer Compliance Manager to every billionaire with a UK tax footprint, using its records, public data and foreign-government information to map businesses and trusts. Managers are to challenge returns where HMRC believes the correct amount is not being paid. After the non-dom regime ended in April 2025, Chris Rokos, Lakshmi Mittal and Nassef Sawiris left. QTR’s Fringe Finance opines that the scrutiny will drive capital abroad. An HMRC spokesman said the agency wants to help all customers get their tax right and that dedicated managers for wealthy individuals have existed for several years.
US Politics
Former Utah letter carrier Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, was indicted for unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail after prosecutors say he discarded roughly 300 mail-in ballots. They allege that on June 3 he dumped Eagle Mountain deliveries, including June 23 primary ballots, in a dumpster in a church parking lot to lighten his workload, with no political motive. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said the act undermines election integrity. Next appearance is November 30.
Canadian Politics
British Columbia Premier David Eby called an October 24 election less than two years into his term, describing Donald Trump’s trade war as an existential moment and likening it to a wildfire. The vote overlaps municipal elections despite local objections. The NDP held 47 seats and a one-seat majority. Seven of CentreBC’s eight MLAs, including leader Peter Milobar, rejoined the B.C. Conservatives the day of the election call, as did Independent Brennan Day. Elenore Sturko stayed and became CentreBC leader. Brent Chapman, husband of outgoing Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, left for OneBC. The Conservatives won 44 seats in 2024 then shrank amid internal conflict. Interim leader Lorne Doerkson called the snap vote opportunistic and said the chance to unite was massive.
Education
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier demanded that Sarasota County fire Pine View teacher Liz Ballard and revoke her certificate if it is shown she targeted an eighth-grader over conservative views. Uthmeier said she pulled him into debates, labeled him a misogynist, and questioned his father. Union president Jason Means said the letter is not accurate compared with an ongoing investigation. Superintendent Terry Connor said the district will examine the facts and ensure a fair process. Uthmeier gave the district until October 1. Human resources documents reportedly showed the student made unprompted comments about abortion, beating up women, and Andrew Tate, according to WUSF.
Sources
Louisiana First to Declare Diesel Emergency, Letting Farmers Use Tax-Free Fuel as Prices Hit $6/Gallon
Governor Landry has issued an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency, allowing Louisiana farmers and timber harvesters to use the dyed diesel fuel they already keep on hand.
Source | Submitted by Walberga
The Unknowable Risk of Recursive AI: When Machines Design Their Successors
They are intending to introduce in a few months the recursive ability to allow AI to rewrite its own code and in essence to design the next generation.
Source | Submitted by Rodster
WTI Slides $12 Below Brent as Diesel Ban Talk and Freight Costs Hit US Crude
With WTI now trading $12 per barrel below ICE Brent, the market seems to be harbouring deep concerns about US refiners cutting runs (and buying less crude).
Source | Submitted by PhilH
Ukraine Hits Russian Refineries and Missile Plant in Overnight Drone Strikes
Ukrainian drones struck two major Russian oil refineries and a defense plant overnight, causing fires, damage and injuries, according to Russian officials and Ukrainian monitoring channels.
Chinese Brands Hit Record 11.7% Europe Share as BYD, Chery Surge Past MG
Chinese automakers more than doubled sales in Europe in August, reaching a record 11.7 percent market share as BYD and Chery Group posted triple-digit gains and plug-in hybrids surged.
Utah Postal Worker Indicted After Dumping Hundreds of Ballots to ‘Lighten Workload’
Seei later told investigators he threw away the mail to “lighten his workload.”
Britain Assigns a Dedicated Tax Agent to Every Billionaire
The United Kingdom is about to discover the part of the Laffer Curve where the billionaire taxpayers simply get on a plane and go somewhere else.
B.C. Conservatives Absorb CentreBC as Eby’s Snap Election Unites the Right He Hoped to Split
I think the opportunity to unite is massive for us. And I think that, honestly, David might have made a very serious mistake in calling this election.
Eby Calls Snap B.C. Election, Casting Trump as ‘Existential’ Threat While Conservatives Crumble
B.C. Premier Eby calls election for Oct. 24, framing Trump as ‘existential’ threat
Wars, Sanctions and Surcharges: The Hidden Inflation in Every Delivery
That cost doesn’t disappear. It moves down the supply chain and into the inflation numbers central banks are now fighting.
Macron Deploys Troops to Saudi Oil Port While Insisting France Isn’t Involved in Any Conflict
he stressed that France was “not getting involved in any conflict,”
NatGas Jumps 4.5% After WV Pipeline Force Majeure Cuts 1.8 Bcf/d
October gas futures climbed 4.5%, or 13.6 cents, to $3.159 per million British thermal units on Nymex as of 11:00 a.m. ET.
China’s Nuclear Buildup: Satellites Show Rapid Expansion at Seven Sites
China is rapidly expanding infrastructure tied to its nuclear weapons program, with satellite images revealing major construction at seven sites as Beijing faces growing scrutiny over its expanding arsenal.
Florida AG Demands Firing of Teacher Accused of Canceling Conservative 8th Grader
A Florida history teacher is fighting for her reputation after the state’s attorney general accused her of trying to ‘cancel’ an eighth-grade student over his conservative views.
Source | Submitted by Acorn Endeavors
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Reuters, Russia’s Defense Ministry, The Telegraph, @JLMelenchon, WUSF, and CNN.
by mike-from-jersey 
