Energy
Shipping 2 million barrels of U.S. crude to Japan cost about $81 million recently, or $40.50 a barrel, versus $9 million a year earlier. EIA said tanker rates hit records in September as insurance rose and ships detoured around conflict zones. Gulf-to-Asia freight near $80 million a cargo reportedly made some U.S. barrels uneconomic for Asia and left heavy crude stacked in the Americas. Some VLCCs earned over $1 million a day against $55,000 in 2025. Refineries pay freight on top of the quoted price.
Economy
Homeowners insurance now exceeds property taxes in two-thirds of U.S. counties, 75 percent with weather-related auto coverage counted, Bloomberg Intelligence found. Premiums rose 45 percent after inflation over a decade, 79 percent in Nebraska, and run 2.5 to four times taxes in the Southeast. Average insurance is 14 percent above the tax bill. Zillow and Thumbtack put hidden costs at $16,566, up 31.7 percent in five years. Federal disaster aid is moving toward a 50-50 split with states.
Existing-home sales have stayed about one-third below pre-2020 levels for three years as prices set records. Most mortgages still carry rates under 5 percent. A 3 percent loan on $400,000 costs about $840 a month less than one at 6.5 percent. Fannie Mae and the Federal Housing Finance Agency put lock-in at 1 to 1.5 million delayed sales a year. The median first-time buyer is 40. Cash purchases run about one-third of sales. 2023 mobility was the lowest since 1948.
Geopolitics
Matthew Cole’s book Princes and Thieves reports Dutch spies captured Jared Kushner’s iPhone screen after a GRU (Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation) exploit and saw a UAE account funded with hundreds of millions through Azerbaijan. It alleges Mohamed bin Zayed and Mohammed bin Salman put at least $2 billion toward the then-adviser, including a First Abu Dhabi Bank account he could sign via the Watani Al Emarat Foundation and $1 billion at Israel’s Central Bank. Kushner’s lawyer denied any such accounts or charity links and said he followed U.S. law. David Friedman denied a role. Four senior Trump officials said they knew of no such presidential authorization. Jared Kushner described the claims as “completely insane,” “outrageous fabrications,” and “fantasy, fiction, and advocacy” that “never happened,” stating that no bank statements, wire records, or other verifiable evidence was provided.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a West Bank operation after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers near Hebron, days before the October 27 elections. Troops locked down the territory, raided 15 areas, and displaced about 2,200 people, Hebron’s mayor said. Relatives’ homes were demolished, and 106 iron gates sealed the city. Netanyahu said Israel would change the place completely and, if re-elected, finish off the Iranian regime, Hamas, and Hezbollah. B’Tselem warned of collective punishment. The IDF said the action is targeted, with three exit checkpoints after questioning.
Separately, the Houthis claimed strikes on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, Yanbu Aramco plants, the Rabigh refinery, East-West pipeline pumps, King Fahd Airport in Dammam, Najran Airport, and Khamis Mushait Air Base. Yahya Saree said the attack repaid Saudi raids on Sanaa. Saudi Civil Defense warned of missile shrapnel toward Mecca and Medina. Flights over much of the kingdom stay grounded. Washington expanded pullouts of diplomats from Riyadh. No independent confirmation of hits or significant damage has emerged, and Yahya Saree later denied any targeting of Mecca or Medina.
US Politics
The Energy Department designated helium a critical material, a gas used in semiconductors, medical imaging, quantum computing, and rockets. Secretary Chris Wright said the move backs domestic manufacturing. Helium is recovered from natural gas. Qatar’s exports have been curtailed by Iran’s Hormuz closure and attacks, and Russia imposed export controls. The United States supplied 81 million cubic meters in 2025, 43 percent of global output, and exported 38 million. Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson said shortages could be a single point of failure.
In other news, a Media Research Center study finds 58 percent of Americans get news from Apple News, Google News, Yahoo News, or MSN. The study reported that right-leaning sites were 15 percent of top outlets studied but got 1 percent of Apple News top-feed slots and 2.7 percent on Google News. Zero of 620 January Apple top stories were from right-wing sources, according to the study. Of 487 February Google News top stories, 2.2 percent were right-leaning. Apple News is preloaded on iPhones and Google News on Androids.
European Politics
German states propose that social platforms fill 20 percent of algorithmic recommendations with content from approved media, per a draft Digital Media State Treaty open until November 13. Public broadcasters ARD, ZDF, and Deutschland Radio would qualify automatically. Private outlets would apply to 14 state regulators for news reporting and staffing tests. The quota would cover Instagram and X feeds. Officials said it protects journalism from engagement-driven posts. All 16 states must ratify. Critics said the tests measure structure, not viewpoint range.
Meanwhile, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow pulled Egyptian mummies, stating the deceased did not give informed consent. Policy requires documented consent from the person or descendants. A respect sign replaced priest Nekht’s coffin. A mummified head, a Luxor hand, and a foot dating 2,000 to 5,000 years old went to storage. Officials cited International Council of Museums ethics and a 2025 African Reparations report. MSP Murdo Fraser said visitors come to learn about ancient civilizations. A YouGov poll showed 78 percent of Britons think it is acceptable for museums to display ancient human remains, with 12 percent finding it unacceptable.
Health
Brownstone Fellow Alan Cassels writes that Shingrix’s 90 percent efficacy claim is relative. He states that trials of more than 16,000 people found a 3.4 percent shingles rate on placebo over 3.5 years versus 0.3 percent with the vaccine, so 32 must be vaccinated to prevent one case. Cassels notes the annual risk over 50 is 0.3 to 1 percent. He calculates that preventing one case of postherpetic neuralgia would take 333 vaccinations. One in 11 to one in 25 suffer systemic reactions, according to Cassels. Two doses cost about $400 cash, $12,800 per case avoided at that price, he writes.
Education
Nearly 18 percent of University of California freshmen failed or withdrew from intro math in 2025-26, twice the 2020-21 rate when SAT and ACT scores were required. GPA fell from 3.18 to 2.7. UC Merced hit 36 percent, UC Santa Barbara 8.2 percent. More than 3,000 faculty asked that standardized tests return, saying admissions no longer confirm STEM readiness. UC Davis professor Joel Hass cited a large preparedness gap. Berkeley’s Zvezdelina Stankova wrote that office hours now reteach fractions. EdSource noted that first-year retention for intended STEM majors remained 94 percent, that most students start in more advanced math courses, and that not all faculty support reinstating standardized tests.
Sources
US Designates Helium Critical Material to Avert Supply ‘Single Point of Failure’
Helium is essential to producing the semiconductors and advanced technologies that power our economy.
Germany Plans to Force 20% State-Approved Content Into Social Media Algorithms
In other words, the state wants to control what people are seeing in their feeds.
The 90% Shingles Vaccine Illusion: Tiny Benefits, Big Marketing
Relative risk reductions such as “90% effective” are promotional shorthand, a misleading description of what an individual drug or vaccine recipient can expect.
Museum Hides Egyptian Mummies Over Lack of ‘Informed Consent’
Museums exist to show the past as it was, not as current sensitivities require it to appear.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
The Hidden $40 Shipping Bill Inflating Every Barrel of Oil
When moving a barrel of oil can add roughly $40 to its delivered cost, transportation is no longer a footnote to the oil-price story.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
Kushner’s Hacked iPhone and the $2 Billion Gulf Slush Fund
Instead, MBZ and MBS initially, and then MBZ alone, put at least $2 billion into at least two bank accounts for Kushner.
Source (Paywalled) | Submitted by Chris Martenson
The Housing Market Hasn’t Crashed. It’s Frozen Solid.
Nothing crashed; the country simply stopped moving.
Source | Submitted by Stph
UC Math Failures Double After SAT Drop as Faculty Demand Tests Back
Nearly one in five freshmen at the University of California are flunking introductory math classes amid widespread calls from faculty to reinstate standardized testing requirements for admissions.
Insurance Now Exceeds Property Taxes in 75% of U.S. Counties
When the share of automobile premiums attributable to extreme weather is included, that figure climbs to 75%.
Houthis Claim Missile Strikes on Saudi Airports, Refineries and East-West Pipeline
Yeman’s Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) have announced a major new Saturday operation against Saudi territory, claiming to have struck over a half-dozen targets deep inside the kingdom, including against energy infrastructure and airports.
58% Get News From Left-Biased Aggregators That Shut Out Conservatives
all four aggregators exhibit a heavy left-wing bias by overwhelmingly surfacing mainstream and left-leaning publications while filtering out conservative outlets.
Netanyahu’s Pre-Election West Bank Siege After IDF Killings
We will act to destroy this place, to change it completely,” Netanyahu said.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: YouGov, @amindlesswasted, Arabian Gulf Business Insight, Reuters, Al Jazeera English, The Jerusalem Post, Newsweek, HousingWire, and EdSource.
by rodster 
