Economy
JetBlue Airways reported plans for 30 to 40 percent fuel recapture pricing in the second quarter, rising to full recovery by early 2027, with capacity reductions in off-peak periods. First-quarter average fuel prices reached $2.96 per gallon, up 15.2 percent year over year, contributing to an 8.3 percent rise in operating expenses per available seat mile despite 4.7 percent revenue growth to $2.2 billion. The airline raised checked baggage fees by at least $10 last month and ended the quarter with $2.4 billion in liquidity after securing $500 million in aircraft financing. Analysts have questioned whether the fare hikes will succeed amid declining load factors.
Documents from a 2011 House Committee on Financial Services hearing indicate that only 17 percent of gold bars stored at Fort Knox meet the London Bullion Market Association’s good delivery standards, which require a minimum fineness of 995 parts per thousand and weights between 350 and 430 troy ounces. The documents show 64 percent of bars with fineness between 899 and 901, and an average of 916.7. About 83 percent of the holdings reportedly originated from melted Depression-era gold coins collected under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102 in 1933. US reserves total 8,133.5 metric tons, valued statutorily at $42.22 per ounce. No comprehensive physical audit with assaying has occurred since the 1970s, and past inspections reportedly lacked serial number verification or chain-of-custody records. The US Mint states that reserves are verified through annual seal checks regardless of purity standards.
Energy
In a recent post, Martin Armstrong states that the UAE’s exit from OPEC marks not just a policy dispute but the beginning of the breakdown of coordinated global energy policy under the pressure of war. As physical supply disruptions from the Iran conflict remove 7–10 million barrels per day, the UAE seeks greater flexibility to ramp up production toward 5 million barrels per day by 2027, well above its prior 3-million-barrel quota. Armstrong notes that OPEC restrictions had become a liability by preventing producers from monetizing available capacity during a tightening market, exposing the cartel’s underlying weakness as a political construct that only functions when member interests align. With war overriding coordination, this move signals a broader shift toward fragmentation, independent national action, and sustained volatility as pricing power moves from quotas to individual producers and market forces.
Relatedly, Mike Adams argues that reopening the Strait of Hormuz won’t restore oil production to its previous levels. Prolonged shutdowns in Persian Gulf oil fields risk permanent capacity losses of 20 to 30 percent due to water coning and precipitation of paraffin waxes and asphaltenes. Strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field and Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex have reduced regional pressure, impairing some wells. Kuwait experienced similar damage post-Desert Storm, with reports indicating years needed to restore output even after reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Petroleum consultants report that production could resume at around 70 percent capacity shortly after reopening.
Meanwhile, US gasoline prices reached a four-year high of $4.17 per gallon, with diesel at $5.46, according to the American Automobile Association. GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan reported a six-cent daily increase, surpassing earlier April figures. Prior to US and Israeli strikes on February 28, national averages stood around $2.98 per gallon.
US crude inventories dropped 6.234 million barrels for the week ended April 24, exceeding expectations and marking the largest decline since early February, with total stocks at 459.5 million barrels. Gasoline stocks fell 6.075 million barrels to December lows, distillates by 4.494 million, and Cushing by 796,000 barrels below 30 million. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve saw a 7.121 million barrel draw, the most since October 2022. US oil and fuel exports hit a record above 14 million barrels per day, with crude exports surging as imports declined to 5.75 million barrels per day, including East Coast imports from the Gulf Coast under a presidential waiver. Observers warn that the pace of inventory draws may prove unsustainable.
Geopolitics
US Central Command requested deployment of the Army’s Dark Eagle hypersonic missile, with a range exceeding 1,725 miles, to the Middle East for potential strikes on Iranian ballistic-missile launchers. The Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon costs about $15 million per unit, with a stock of eight. Centcom Commander Adm. Brad Cooper plans to brief President Trump on options, including short strikes on infrastructure and/or a ground operation to seize the Strait of Hormuz. Skeptics have noted the system’s unproven status and limited stockpile.
Iran’s rial fell to a record 1.8 million per US dollar, down 15 percent in two days, amid war disruptions and a US naval blockade on its ports, including vessel seizures. A high-ranking security source indicated Tehran views patience as limited and plans military action against the blockade if it persists, after offering diplomacy. The US has also imposed sanctions on 35 Iranian banking entities and over $340 million in state-linked cryptocurrency wallets.
Turning to the Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a ceasefire for Victory Day on May 9 during a 90-minute call initiated by Moscow with Trump. Putin described Russian troops as holding the initiative, and both leaders assessed the Kyiv regime’s prolongation of the conflict. Putin praised Trump’s extension of the Iran ceasefire and committed Russia to Middle East diplomacy, including prior offers to store Iran’s uranium. However, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy questioned whether the proposal extends beyond a brief pause for Moscow’s parade.
US Politics
Pentagon acting comptroller Jules Hurst testified to the House Armed Services Committee that US combat operations against Iran cost about $25 billion over the first two months ending with the April 8 ceasefire, primarily munitions, operations, maintenance, and equipment replacement. The figure precedes a White House supplemental funding request amid a proposed $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 defense budget, up 42 percent, including $52.9 billion for munitions procurement. President Trump met defense CEOs in March to boost production of systems like Patriots and JASSM-ER, with 1,100 of the latter fired. Democrats described the costs as excessive and accused the administration of misleading the public.
In other news, Defending Education reports that the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, plus state and local affiliates, directed over $1 billion in member dues and PAC funds since August 2015 to left-wing entities, nonprofits, school board campaigns, and school choice opponents. National unions contributed $669 million, states and locals $336 million, supporting groups like Planned Parenthood, NARAL, Human Rights Campaign, and GLSEN, and candidates including Joe Biden.
Canadian Politics
Nova Scotia Education Minister Brendan Maguire stated during a House of Assembly debate that parents “absolutely don’t” have rights over their children. He defended school policies on social gender transitions without parental notification and provincial funding for gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and surgeries for minors post-puberty. Guidelines since 2014 allow students in grades 7-12 with the capacity to consent to use preferred pronouns and identities confidentially from parents. An update incorporating these into a school code of conduct proceeded without public vote.
Meanwhile, a mother at Chatelech Secondary School in Sunshine Coast School District 46 received a two-month campus ban and a Child Protective Services report after verbally objecting to an obligatory land acknowledgement ritual before her daughter’s drama performance on December 4, 2025. CPS found no welfare issues and closed the case. Her appeal to the superintendent, arguing violation of Charter rights and the district’s non-sectarian duty, was denied. She withdrew her children and plans a Supreme Court challenge.
Sources
Fort Knox Gold: 83% Too Impure for International Trade
The bulk of the US gold reserves held in Fort Knox are made up of impure “non-standard” bars that don’t qualify for use in international settlements.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
UAE Quits OPEC: Energy War Triggers Oil Cartel Collapse
This is the beginning of the breakdown of coordinated global energy policy under the pressure of war.
Source | Submitted by westcoastjan
US Poised to Deploy Dark Eagle Hypersonics Against Iran as Centcom Briefs Trump
US Central Command has asked to send the Army’s long-delayed Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran
Nova Scotia Education Minister: Parents “Absolutely Don’t” Have Rights Over Children
“No, they don’t. They absolutely don’t…”
Pentagon: Iran War Cost $25 Billion in First Two Months
Combat operations against Iran have cost the U.S. military about $25 billion in two months
Putin Proposes Ukraine Truce on Victory Day in 90-Minute Call with Trump
Vladimir Putin informed his American counterpart of his readiness to declare a truce for the period of Victory Day celebrations.
Iran’s Rial Crashes to Record 1.8 Million per Dollar as Tehran Eyes “Unprecedented” Strike on US Blockade
Iranian Currency Hits All-Time Low As Tehran Threatens ‘Unprecedented’ Response To US ‘Maritime Piracy’
US Oil Exports Smash Records as Inventories Plunge and SPR Drains Most Since 2022
US Oil Exports Soar To New Record High As Inventories Tumble, SPR Drained Most Since October 2022
JetBlue’s Fuel Recapture: 30-40% Fare Hikes, Capacity Cuts Amid Iran War Cost Surge
JetBlue Plans 30-40% “Fuel Recapture” Fare Hikes, Capacity Cuts To Cover Rising Costs
US Gas Prices Hit 4-Year High Amid Iran Conflict and UAE’s OPEC Exit
The national average price for a gallon of gas was $4.17, “the highest level since 2022,”
Teachers’ Unions Divert $1B+ in Dues to Far-Left Causes, Not Classrooms
Teachers’ Unions Funneled Over $1 Billion To Leftist Political Causes Over Past Decade
Canadian Mom Banned from School, Reported to CPS Over Land Acknowledgement Protest
Canadian mom objects to school play’s land acknowledgement, gets banned from campus and reported to CPS
Why Reopening Hormuz Won’t Restore Oil: Permanent Well Damage Begins Now
The common assumption that reopening the Strait of Hormuz will restore the flow of oil is physically wrong.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: US Mint, PiQ, 13F Pro, Reuters, Oilprice.com, Gulf Sentinel, The Federal, StratNewsGlobal, Roro, Javier Blas, lookner, Robin Mills, LessCredibleDefence, Jackson Hinkle, IranWire, IranWireEnglish, ZelenskyyUa, KyivIndependent, Furkan Gözükara, and TRT World.
by rodster 
