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Refinery Outages Are Lifting Fuel Prices Beyond Crude Costs
Disruptions to global refining are pushing fuel prices up beyond what higher crude costs alone would explain, Dallas Federal Reserve analysts Jesse Thompson and Garrett Golding wrote Oct. 8. Damage, shipping curbs and export bans have sidelined as much as 10 percent of global capacity. Crack spreads have widened beyond levels seen after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The analysts said the gap is a supply constraint, not retailer markup. The national average was about $4.36 a gallon on Oct. 8, the first October above $4. North America has lost refining capacity as older plants closed under thin margins, regulatory costs and green-fuel mandates. No large U.S. refinery has been built since 1977. Iranian strikes cut Gulf refining by 2 million barrels a day. Ukraine hit plants in Omsk and Ukhta. Tanker trackers said Hormuz crude flows had climbed back toward pre-war levels.
Editor’s Note: So, much to the dismay of Leftist in the US, oil prices are not the President’s fault. It’s the fault of their green policies.
🏛️ News & Politics
Protests Follow ICE Shooting of Dominican Gang Member in the Bronx
Protests erupted in New York City after an ICE agent shot a man the Department of Homeland Security called a criminal illegal alien and a member of the Trinitarios gang. Officers were conducting a targeted arrest about 4 p.m. Thursday in the Marble Hill section of the Bronx. DHS said Oscar Belgal, 28, of the Dominican Republic, had a grand larceny conviction and prior arrests for assault, robbery, drugs and weapons. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said an agent fired seven rounds and struck Belgal in the neck. Belgal remained conscious and was taken to a hospital. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the scene and marched to the hospital, chanting for ICE to leave the city. Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanded that the administration stop ICE enforcement in New York. DHS said Belgal rammed government vehicles as officers tried to box in his car.
Editor’s Note: Criminal illegal aliens are a danger to everyone, not just Democrats or Republicans. New York’s sanctuary laws harbor fugitives and they should be held legal responsible for interfering with federal law enforcement operations.
Trump Orders White House Hearing on Mortgage Claims Against Fed Governor
President Donald Trump will summon Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to the White House for a hearing over allegations that she made false statements about her mortgages. The move comes weeks before elections that will decide whether Republicans keep Congress. Trump has tried to fire Cook for more than a year while pressing the central bank to cut rates. A White House notice says a committee will report whether there is cause. The panel will hold a closed hearing. Committee members or Justice Department personnel may question Cook for no longer than four hours. Lawyers Abbe Lowell and Norm Eisen said Friday that an objective hearing would show she did not commit mortgage fraud. Trump first tried to remove her in August 2025. No president had fired a Fed governor. The Supreme Court ruled that a president needs cause and a clear process. Cook, appointed in 2022, remains through 2038.
Editor’s Note: Norm Eisen is one of the Left’s kings of lawfare. Look at any legal action against Trump or the Trump administration, and you will find him connected.
Obama Center Staff Move to Unionize Over Workloads and Benefit Cuts
The Obama Presidential Center opened in Chicago in June, and staff are already complaining about working conditions. In a letter this week, employees said they are organizing a union because of increasing workloads and benefit rollbacks. They said concerns have drawn vague responses from leadership. The letter said the cuts have produced a high turnover rate, with departing staff taking knowledge with them. Workers also said they were told health care costs would rise, promotions were suspended and paid time off was reduced, and that there would be no raises this winter. The complaints cover a center that cost about $900 million. The letter quoted Obama’s 2016 line that if he saw a problem at work he would organize his coworkers. Organizers are calling the effort Obama Workers United. Sixty-eight workers signed the letter. The drive is expected to cover more than 250 employees in Chicago, Washington and remote jobs.
Pentagon Says Fort Hood Terrorist’s Firing Squad Execution Will Be Livestreamed
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Thursday the government will publicly broadcast the firing squad execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 soldiers and wounded 32 at Fort Hood in November 2009. The Pentagon said the Dec. 3 execution at the Texas base will be livestreamed. Hasan entered a medical building with two guns, shouted “Allahu Akbar” and opened fire. He said he was angry that troops were deploying to Afghanistan. He was shot, paralyzed, and sentenced to death in 2013. President Donald Trump ordered a firing squad. Hegseth said people need to see “serious consequences,” and that soldiers with rifles will carry it out. He called it the first firing squad execution of a U.S. service member since World War II. Hasan is set to die at 1 p.m. CST. At trial, he said he had “switched sides.” Officials called the shooting workplace violence, not terrorism.
Portland Charges 32 Men in Child Sex Trafficking Case as Eight Remain at Large
Oregon authorities are asking the public to help find eight men accused of buying sex from a trafficked girl in Portland. The Multnomah County district attorney’s office said 32 men have been charged with felonies. Eight have been convicted. Eight remain at large. Senior Deputy District Attorney J.R. Ujifusa released mugshots Wednesday but not the names of the wanted men. He said the office knows who they are. The girl was trafficked in Portland from ages 13 to 17. The abuse began in 2020. Police opened the case in 2023, when she came forward. The investigation started on 82nd Avenue. Traffickers Dominique Williams and Kai’leif Newcomb were sentenced to 19 and 15 years. Sixteen men have pending cases. Ujifusa said more buyers are expected. Sgt. Onest Robert said officers recovered six minors in six weeks this spring and are seeing more children on the street. Tips can go to 503-823-3333.
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📢 The Fifth Column Watch
Apple News Voting Guide Steers Users Toward Democrat-Friendly Coverage
Apple News sent iPhone users an alert reading “This personalized guide has all the information you need.” The link opened a zip-code tool for coverage. Heritage Foundation fellow Robby Starbuck said what he tested “felt heavily biased in favor of Democrats.” In Portland, Maine, a guide called Democrat nominee Hannah Pingree the youngest House speaker and quoted her pledge to guard Maine from the Trump administration. Republican Bobby Charles was introduced through a Washington career. Democrat Troy Jackson was a logger. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was noted for votes on a health-law repeal and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. An Ohio piece called Trump’s approval “far under water” and tied Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) to him. A Kansas guide treated a citizens-only voting amendment as needless. Apple did not answer questions on source selection. A February FTC letter said the app had promoted left-wing outlets and suppressed conservative ones.
Preschool Teachers Offered Classroom Plans for a Lifetime of “Justice” Activism
Preschool-through-second-grade teachers received training at an April 18, 2026, summit at the School in Rose Valley, organized by the Greater Philadelphia Diversity Collaborative. Kindergarten teacher Jarrod Green led the workshop “Nurturing Future Activists,” which told participants to build classroom plans to prepare children for “a lifetime of justice work.” The summit advertised Philly Children’s Movement’s Radical Morning Meeting. The group, formed after a January 2015 children’s march for Black Lives Matter, says systemic change requires changing how people raise children. By February 2024, it named a pilot in four Philadelphia elementary schools: Alexander Adaire, Vare-Washington, General Philip Kearny and Spring Garden. At Adaire, a coach worked with a first-grade teacher on Nina Simone and Ruby Bridges. Kindergarteners at a C.W. Henry Martin Luther King Jr. Day activity wrote Mayor Cherelle Parker on Chinatown, book bans, hunger and gun violence. Rutgers’ 2023 curriculum names the group as a partner.
Cornell Defendant Seeks to Remove James as Texts Undercut Doe’s Account
Gillio Lopes, named in Jane Doe’s Cornell suit, asked a New York court to remove Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor. He said James has shown bias. Governor Kathy Hochul appointed James to investigate a suit Doe filed in September. The filing cites a Sept. 28 post: “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable.” Lopes said this shows James believes Doe. Doe alleges she was sexually assaulted on Oct. 19, 2024, at the Chi Phi house. Texts she sent afterward cut against that claim. She wrote that her memory was “super clouded,” they were “way too drunk and high,” and “none of the sexual stuff was illegal.” She added, “our body our choice,” and told one man, “I really do love u and Matt.” The district attorney said her statement called it voluntary. He reopened the case. A hearing is set Oct. 29.
Green Candidate Screams Profanities at Jewish Father Outside Wisconsin Gas Station
Green Party candidate Matthew Arndt was caught on video Thursday morning screaming a profanity-laced tirade at a Jewish father who had his young son in the car at a Mobil station in Mequon, Wisconsin. Arndt, a Mequon accountant, is the Green nominee in the 6th District against Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI). Police said two Mequon men had a road-rage encounter around 8:50 a.m. on Mequon Road and pulled into the station. The father, an Israeli immigrant who has lived in the United States 12 years, said he was driving his son to school. His car had an Israeli-flag sticker that read “F*** Hamas.” He said the other driver pulled alongside, flipped him off and screamed. He photographed the plate and followed the SUV into the station. Arndt shouted “f*** Israel,” said he is running for Congress in the 6th District, and told the father the whole country is against him.
BBC Pay Tables Show White Staff Trail Minority Colleagues in Six of Seven Bands
The BBC’s 2025/26 pay-gap tables show white staff took home a lower median wage than black, Asian, mixed and other ethnic minority colleagues in six of seven career bands. Minority employees earned 13.2 percent more in the lowest band and 5.3 percent more among senior leaders. White median pay was higher in only one scale. The corporation says minority pay is higher than, or close to, white pay in all bands. Across the workforce, it reports a 0.7 percent median ethnicity gap in favor of white staff, and a 7.6 percent gap in favor of men. Women in senior leadership were paid 1.4 percent more than senior men. Disabled managers were paid 7.5 percent more than non-disabled colleagues. A spokesman said pay is fair and gaps fluctuate. Former culture secretary Sir John Whittingdale said staff should be paid on value and merit. The BBC also runs mentoring schemes.
Editor’s Note: The Left can’t even have fidelity to their crown jewel: equity.
ON THIS DAY IN 1936:
Power generated at the newly completed Hoover Dam was transmitted 266 miles across the desert to Los Angeles, marking a major milestone in Western U.S. infrastructure and urban development.
🌐 International
Riots Spread From France to Belgium as Migrants Are Said to Join Antifa in Brussels
Riots that began in France continued Friday in Belgium, with clashes reported at Brussels Central Station. Social media account Visegrád 24 said young second- and third-generation migrants had joined Antifa in the Brussels unrest. Footage showed mortars fired and police using water cannon on protesters. A separate clip from Liège compared the street violence to France and said the people smashing property were no longer hiding their origins. The post accused French left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon of inflaming a high-school movement ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The unrest follows days of riots that spread from France into Belgium. Police faced groups throwing objects near the station as a march set for 10:30 a.m. remained tense. Belgian footage from Liège showed the same pattern of street damage that has marked the French unrest. The account said much laxity and the same victim narrative from the left were feeding the disorder.
Iran Claims Strike on Gas Tanker in Hormuz as Houthis Are Reported Mining Bab al-Mandab
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday it struck a liquefied petroleum gas tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. State media said the ship was trying to pass “illegally” and suffered a massive fire. The IRGC Navy warned that vessels committing violations outside the strait would be punished. Separately, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported a vessel about 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the United Arab Emirates was hit by an unknown projectile. The fire was later extinguished. Al Arabiya reported Friday that Houthi militias planted a large number of mines in the Bab al-Mandab, and that engineers are clearing mines there. The Houthis had said the strait was open, with attacks reserved for Saudi- and Israeli-linked ships. Oil prices rose after the reports. President Donald Trump said Thursday the United States would not attack Iran before the November midterm elections. Tehran has said talks are stalemated.
Rubio Sanctions International Criminal Court and Warns It Will Be Dismantled
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court and will ban transactions with it. He said America never joined the court and that both parties have rejected its power to prosecute American citizens, service members or political leaders. Rubio said the administration deferred the designation, hoping the court or member states would change course. Neither has taken meaningful steps. The action gives member states a chance to negotiate. If that fails, Washington will adjust. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said. He told allies who rely on American service members to rein in the court, or the United States will dismantle it “brick by brick.” The United States signed the 1998 Rome Statute, withdrew that signature in 2002 and never ratified it. In 2021 the Biden administration dropped earlier sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
China Nominates Party Health Official to Lead WHO After U.S. Exit
China confirmed Oct. 8 that it is nominating Song Li, a senior Chinese Communist Party health official, to lead the World Health Organization. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the move shows China’s support for the agency. Song heads women and child health at the National Health Commission. She earned a doctorate at Peking University, studied at Harvard, and sits on a WHO advisory group. She lost a 2023 race for the Western Pacific office. If elected, she would be the second Chinese national to run the agency, after Margaret Chan. Song joins candidates from Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar, Botswana, Indonesia and Spain. The Executive Board will pick three finalists in February. Member states elect the winner in May 2027. The agency is cutting jobs after the United States quit. President Donald Trump ordered that withdrawal in January 2025, citing bias. China is now the largest payer of mandatory dues.
Editor’s Note: China, so credible after the COVID-Wuhan thing…
Panama Hit by 7.6 Quake as Tsunami Warning Covers Nearby Coasts
A preliminary 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck about 9 miles west of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama, on Oct. 9, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake was centered near Panama’s southern tip at a shallow depth of about 6 miles. The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for surrounding coasts, including Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Chile put Easter Island under a precaution advisory. Tremors reached Panama City, where buildings shook and people left for the streets. Rosendo Domínguez, 60, of Herrera province, said the quake knocked things over in his kitchen and that residents were outside and scared. Local Civil Protection said it was checking for damage near the epicenter. The shock was also felt in Colombia. The quake hit Herrera province, more than 120 miles southwest of the Panama Canal. Officials had not immediately reported deaths, injuries or a confirmed wave. Neighboring countries still remained under a tsunami watch.
