Free Republic

Six days before polls closed in the New York City mayoral primary, and hours after former Mayor Michael Bloomberg injected an extra $5 million into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's mayoral PAC, a group of Muslim Americans began mobilizing nationwide. A few donors told ABC News they knew they couldn't match Cuomo's donors, but believed a small jolt might give Zohran Mamdani a final push in the Democratic primary.

Not soon after the general election, and within two weeks of each other, two major financial institutions have left a United Nations Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). This is after they joined three years ago, pledging to require environmental social governance standards (ESG) across their platforms, products and systems. According to the "bank-led and UN-convened" NZBA, global banks joined the alliance, pledging to align their lending, investment, and capital markets activities with a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, NZBA explains. Since April 2021, 145 banks in 44 countries with more than $73 trillion in assets have joined NZBA, tripling...

Following the winter storm in February 2021, all three members of the Public Utility Commission and six members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board of directors resigned. The CEO of ERCOT was also fired. During the February 2021 winter storm, transmission companies inadvertently cut power to parts of the natural gas supply chain when ERCOT ordered the utilities to reduce power demand or risk further damage to the grid. That decision aggravated the problem as natural gas producers were unable to deliver enough fuel to power plants. At the same time, some wells were unable to produce as...

Uganda and Tanzania are set to begin work on a massive crude oil pipeline a year after the International Energy Agency warned that the world risked not meeting its climate goals if new fossil fuel projects were not stopped. The two East African countries say their priority is economic development...Eighty percent of the 1,440km- (895 mile) pipeline, whose construction will begin in a few months, will be in Tanzania including a terminal-storage facility in Chongoleani.French energy giant Total Energies and Chinese energy firm CNOOC International also have a stake in the $5bn (£4bn) venture.Because of the waxy nature of Lake...

Oil prices extended their slide during Tuesday trade in Asia as Iranian state media announced a ceasefire deal, easing investors’ concerns over supply disruptions.US West Texas Intermediate crude last slumped by 2% to $67.13 per barrel, hitting its lowest level in nearly two weeks. Brent crude, the global benchmark, was down 1.8% to $67.17 a barrel. Late on Monday, Trump announced what he called “a complete and total” ceasefire between Israel and Iran in a post on social media, which he said he hoped would become permanent. Iranian state media announced Tuesday a ceasefire has been “imposed on the enemy.”…

Two large California oil refineries are shutting down, triggering mounting concerns from state legislators, industry groups and many others.Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson of the Gardena district bluntly described his concern during a recent Sacramento hearing.“This is a tremendous loss,” Gipson told NBC Los Angeles, referring to the looming closure of the Phillips 66 plant near L.A. "The jobs that it holds, the individuals… working each and every day, those individuals live in my district, they shop in my district, they add to the economy in my district."Shutting down refinery powerhousesThe Phillips 66 and Valero’s Benicia sites are set to close...

U.S. oil prices retreated from weekly highs as markets assessed the potential for a reprieve in Middle East turmoil following a week of escalating tensions. The U.S. crude oil price benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, fell 8% to less than $68 a barrel, the lowest level since mid-June. The global Brent crude price benchmark likewise fell about 8%. Major stock indexes ended the day in positive territory. Just after 1 p.m. Monday, Iran said it had launched missiles toward a U.S. base in Qatar. Reports suggested the missiles had been intercepted. Markets viewed the strikes "as more of a symbolic retaliatory...

Following the US bombing of its nuclear sites, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil chokepoint. Rather than direct retaliation on the Iranian mainland, the US should counter this threat by seizing Kharg Island, the terminal through which 90% of Iran’s oil is exported. Additionally, the US should issue an ultimatum to Iran’s two navies—the IRGC’s coastal patrol and the regular blue-water navy to either dock and surrender or be sunk, thus ensuring freedom of navigation without a broader, destructive war on Iranian soil.

The Cyprus visit is a calculated effort to advance India's Mediterranean strategy by countering the Turkey-Pakistan alignment, they added. Cyprus's maritime connectivity and strategic location position it as a potential hub in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).With Cyprus set to hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council in 2026, PM Modi's visit -- the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 23 years -- paves the way for deeper India-EU collaboration during Cyprus's leadership term. This visit comes amid heightened Turkey-Pakistan solidarity, particularly following Turkey's support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.Cyprus, engaged in territorial disputes with Turkey, naturally...

Prior to President Donald Trump authorizing targeted strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, federal agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers have been arresting Iranian nationals, nearly all men, in the U.S. illegally. In the last few months, federal prosecutors have also brought terrorism charges against Iranians, including those in the U.S. working for the Iranian government. Iran is a designated state sponsor of terrorism. Iranian nationals illegally in the country are considered “special interest aliens” under federal law. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Sunday issued a warning to all Americans to be on a heightened...

About two years ago, Sonar21 released an article detailing how the Biden Administration tapped the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to reduce oil prices and bolster the faltering economy, a move aimed at gaining political advantage during the 2022 midterm elections. Biden released approximately 260 million barrels rapidly, potentially damaging the aging salt caverns through deformation and shrinkage. In 2000, the SPR office estimated that the facilities had a remaining life span of twenty-five years, assuming routine maintenance. Assuming refiling the SPR at three million barrels a month, it would take a staggering seven years to replace the 260 million barrels....

On June 1, 2025 crude oil was $60.00 per barrel. As of this morning crude oil is $76.50 per barrel. Today will be a slow trading day as it is a holiday.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A sharp rise in global oil prices following Israeli strikes on Iran will benefit Russia and bolster its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday in comments that were under embargo until Saturday afternoon. Speaking to journalists in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said the surge in oil prices threatens Ukraine´s position on the battlefield, especially because Western allies have not enforced effective price caps on Russian oil exports. “The strikes led to a sharp increase in the price of oil, which is negative for us,” Zelenskyy said. “The Russians are getting stronger...

US stock futures fell Thursday as an Israeli attack on Iran shook global markets, leading oil prices to spike as the Israeli defense minister declared a state of emergency. Futures attached to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) dropped 1.5%. S&P 500 futures (ES=F) plunged 1.6%, and those attached to the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) sank 1.7%. On Thursday night, Israel conducted what it called a "preemptive strike" against Iran, citing fears over development of nuclear weapons in Tehran. Explosions erupted across the Iranian capital, reports said. Crude oil (CL=F) soared 8% as the strikes hit the third largest producer...

Deadhorse, Alaska It’s unusual to find a cabinet-level official—much less three—standing on a makeshift platform amid barren permafrost, enduring “balmy” 20-degree weather, 4,650 miles by road from the White House. It’s a show of commitment to an overlooked yet central theme of this Trump administration—setting free the private economy. That plank of the Trump agenda has been eclipsed by drama over tariffs and the Republican tax bill, though it is economically as important and moving far faster. Leading it are Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. Joe Biden instituted a “whole...

MIT researchers have developed a new membrane that separates various types of fuel by molecular size, potentially eliminating the need for the energy-intensive process of crude oil distillation. Turning crude oil into everyday fuels like gasoline, diesel, and heating oil demands a huge amount of energy. In fact, this process is responsible for about 6 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Most of that energy is spent heating the oil to separate its components based on their boiling points. Now, in an exciting breakthrough, engineers at MIT have created a new kind of membrane that could change the game....

The proposal is regarding 13 million acres of government-owned Arctic land that is part of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.. The Interior Department on Monday proposed the restoration of oil and gas drilling in the Arctic after it had previously been restricted by the Biden administration. The proposal is regarding 13 million acres of government-owned Arctic land that is part of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, which is a total area of 23 million acres that former President Warren G. Harding set aside in 1923 as an emergency supply of oil for the Navy. The Naval Petroleum Reserves...

One of the major issues that President Trump ran on in the 2024 election was energy. "Drill, baby, drill" was the motto (even if Trump did borrow it from a famous Alaskan), and when he was back in office, the president set about putting our energy policy to rights When you're talking energy and mineral resources, you have to talk about Alaska. In the energy front, much of our development is and will be on the North Slope. On Monday, several key Trump administration members visited "the Slope" to see things for themselves. Three Trump Cabinet members began a tour...

The Supreme Court unanimously decided on Thursday to limit environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects in a case that will have sweeping impacts on President Donald Trump’s energy agenda. In a move that will restrict power of federal judges, Thursday’s decision reduces the scope of reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to focus solely on immediate impacts. Under NEPA, federal agencies are required to study any potentially significant environmental consequences of federal permits for infrastructure projects. “NEPA does not allow courts, ‘under the guise of judicial review’ of agency compliance with NEPA, to delay or block agency projects...

SummaryEight OPEC+ members met online OPEC+ cites steady economic outlook, healthy fundamentals Started unwinding output cuts in April For more detail on OPEC+ unwinding its cuts, see Explainer LONDON/MOSCOW, May 31 (Reuters) - The world’s largest group of oil producers, OPEC+, stuck to its guns on Saturday with another big increase of 411,000 barrels per day for July as it looks to wrestle back market share and punish over-producers. Having spent years curbing production - more than 5 million barrels a day (bpd) or 5% of world demand - eight OPEC+ countries made an modest output increase in April before...