Free Republic

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reinstated oil and gas sanctions on Venezuela on Thursday, a recognition that lifting the sanctions did nothing to entice the socialist regime to host a free and fair election. The Biden administration lifted some of the strictest U.S. sanctions on dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime last year as part of a dialogue in which Maduro agreed to host a presidential election sometime in 2014. The deal collapsed rapidly; Maduro scrapped it in October and launched a new wave of violence against anti-socialist dissidents, likely bankrolled by new oil profits. The Biden sanctions relief lasted...

Since Hamas’s brutal attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and the resulting Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, tensions and hostilities across the Middle East have reached fever pitch. And with such a complex regional crisis playing out, it should not come as a surprise that the Biden administration is reconsidering its military priorities in the region.It should be cause for significant concern, however, that this could involve a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. While no definitive decision has been made to leave, four sources within the Defense and State departments said the White House is no...

The Associated Press’s latest foreign donor wants to transform journalists into "community activists on climate change." The AP doesn’t seem interested in publicizing that. It’s the latest left-wing charity to fund the Associated Press, which says it is read by four billion people each day. Philanthropies that support packing the Supreme Court, defunding the police, and other left-wing initiatives have contributed millions of dollars to the AP in recent years, the Free Beacon reported. While the AP says it maintains editorial independence from its deep-pocketed donors, its climate reporting reflects many of the KR Foundation’s core beliefs. A recent AP...

No one ever lost money betting on the ability of the Empire of Chaos, Lies and Plunder to construct a “coalition of the willing” whenever faced with a geopolitical quandary. In every case, duly covered by the reigning “rules-based international order”, “willing” applies to vassals seduced by carrots or sticks to follow to the letter the Empire’s whims. Cue to the latest chapter: Coalition Genocide Prosperity, whose official – heroic – denomination, a trademark of the Pentagon’s P.R. wizards, is “Operation Prosperity Guardian”, allegedly engaged in “ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.” Translation: this is Washington all but...

Huge volumes of US oil production, as well as output from Brazil and Guyana, have eaten away at the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies' command of global crude flows, with the energy cartel's market share dropping to its lowest mark in nearly a decade, according to the International Energy Agency. In its oil report covering data up to December 2023, the IEA said OPEC+'s market share had fallen to 51% in 2023. It hasn't been that low since the group expanded to include additional allies in 2016, the Paris-based firm said. "Record-breaking supply from the United States,...

Iran International An oil refinery inside Iran went up in flames over the weekend, triggering several massive explosions. The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, or IRNA, said that all 18 reservoirs at the refinery in eastern Iran’s Birjand special economic zone caught fire. “The initial stages of the fire consumed 1.5 million litres of fuel,” Iranian officials said. The Jerusalem Post reported that Iranian officials were leaning toward letting the fire burn itself out because it was too dangerous for firefighters to get close enough to attempt to extinguish it. There was no indication of what caused the fire or...

A few years ago when there was some trouble with Venezuela and Colombia I remember reading that Brazil would have huge trouble moving their army there because the Amazon rainforest is nearly impassable.Is this true?What are they able to do now if Venezuela invades Guyana?

Tensions between neighbors Venezuela and Guyana have ratcheted up in recent weeks over a long-running territorial dispute. At issue is a 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) border territory around the Esequibo river, which is mostly jungle, and an offshore area where massive discoveries of oil and gas have been made.

An undercover sting operation has highlighted a Saudi Arabian government plan to artificially raise global oil demand, Channel 4 News can reveal in an investigation released just days before climate crisis talks begin in the UAE. Officials from Saudi Arabia’s Oil Sustainability Programme (OSP) have admitted the country’s state-backed plan to target Africa and Asia with petrol, oil and diesel products, under a public programme from its Ministry of Energy. The operation was conducted by the Centre for Climate Reporting, and given exclusively to Channel 4 News, with a team posing as oil investors. In a secretly recorded video call,...

It is déjà vu for major oil producers, who are again considering steeper production cuts. It took only a month after the Hamas attacks on Israel unleashed a punishing war for oil prices to fall below their pre-Oct. 7 level. The steep drop in oil prices last week, with Brent crude briefly dropping to $77 per barrel, led to speculation that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers (OPEC+) will decide to cut production at its next meeting. OPEC’s last-minute decision to delay the meeting, now scheduled for Nov. 30, will only add to the speculation. U.S....

In a speech to a Seattle crowd Wednesday, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made the claim that lower oil imports improves U.S. energy security. Praising Biden’s historic green energy funding and 100% clean electricity goal by 2035, Granholm said “With all this electrification, we could slash our net crude oil imports by almost 60%, and that strengthens energy security.” Granholm, who appeared with Vice President Kamala Harris also said Harris "has been amazing inside the White House as the champion for clean energy." One of the most common critiques of Biden’s green agenda is that it has thus far achieved the...

The Biden administration has canceled an offer to buy 6 million barrels of oil to replenish America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), multiple outlets have reported. Last year, President Biden drew criticism when he sold off 180 million barrels of oil from the SPR, resulting in a near 4-decade reserve low, which he claimed helped to "stabilize crude oil markets and reduce prices at the pump." This July, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a buyback plan to replenish the reserve. One of those acquisition orders, however, has been canceled amid rising oil costs, according to Reuters. The administration previously set...

Josef Stalin of the old Soviet Union used to be called County Joe. But Biden has so many possible nicknames: Corrupt Joe, Pay-for-play Joe, Sleazy Joe, Bully Joe, etc. How about Green Joe? Green Joe (or the Nasty Green Giant?) along with his energy goon Jennifer Granholm, have drained the strategic petroleum reserve by 46% while gasoline prices have soared 60% under Bidenomics. Gasoline prices have rise over 6.5% just since 7/23/2023. Trump wants to drain the swamp, Biden/Granholm want to drain the strategic petroleum reserve so we can’t go back to fossil fuels. Biden and Granholm as Fossil Fools...

Jared Bernstein was VP Joe Biden’s former Chief Economist and is now chair of the United States Council of Economic Advisers. Pretty impressive! Except that Bernstein is not really an economist. He has a PhD in social welfare from Columbia University. In other words, Bernstein is a Progressive Marxist cheerleader, not a real economist. Perfect for The Biden Adminstration where they installed a small town Mayor with no experience (Buttigieg) as Transportation Secretary. But Bernstein’s interview with Fox’s Shannon Bream on gas prices under Biden says it all about his economic acumen: Top economic advisor Jared Bernstein tries and fails...

What is Bidenomics? It isn’t what Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre thinks. She said Biden hates “trick down economics”. Instead, Biden prefers a Soviet-style command economy where The Federal Government spends trillions of dollars and directs where the money goes. We also have the Socialist Federal Reserve that relies on rate manipulation to achieve policy results. A good example of Biden’s Soviet-style “Bidenomics” is his use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Biden has now drained almost 50% of the SPR from when he was sworn in as President. And has drained the SPR for 14 straigth weeks to manipulate...

The U.S. has for years been giving Iraq tens of billions of dollars to help with its finances on the specific condition that the country reduces its imports of gas and electricity from Iran eventually to zero. Iran has wielded enormous power over Iraq for a very long time indeed through its various political, economic, and military proxies. Iraq will pay with its own oil supplies for the gas and electricity that it has long been importing from Iran. Ever since the U.S. officially ended its ‘combat mission’ in Iraq on 31 December 2021, it has been looking for a...

Last week, Turkey's President Erdogan toured the Middle East, signing investment deals, while also gifting the leaders Turkey's first electric car. These recent moves come as a part of a diplomatic reset between Turkey and the Gulf states; so, in this video, we're going to take a look at the history of Turkish relations with the Gulf states, why Erdogan has U-turned, and what this means for the region.00:00 - Introduction01:08 - Why Turkey Fell Out with the Middle East in the First Place04:35 - Erdogan's Pivot08:35 - Sponsored ContentWhy Turkey is Cosying Up to Saudi Arabia | 10:25TLDR News...

Iran’s oil exports have hit a five-year high in recent months as the country sells more to China and other countries, adding large volumes of discounted crude to a global energy market already struggling amid concerns over demand. The surge in Iran’s oil supply threatens to upend efforts by Saudi Arabia and other major crude producers to prop up prices by cutting output. Oil’s value has fallen by about a fifth since late last year on expectations of a slowing global economy and a glut of cheap Russian cargoes. It also shows how Iran is increasingly circumventing U.S. sanctions as...

US officials asked Saudi and other Gulf producers to stall production cuts The cuts, announced early this month, led to spate of headlines Although they take effect in November, delay would have put off further NSC spokeswoman called it 'categorically false to connect this to U.S. elections' Saudi officials viewed the request 'as a political gambit' White House spokesman John Kirby said Biden is reconsidering his Saudi stance Added that the president is willing to work with Congress on future of relations Top Democrats have called for a freeze on arm sales after the OPEC decision Senator Dick Durbin said...

The White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Biden and the de facto leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the U.S. was working to build international support for countering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and contain a surge in oil prices, said Middle East and U.S. officials. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the U.A.E.’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan both declined U.S. requests to speak to Mr. Biden in recent weeks, the officials said, as Saudi and Emirati officials have become more vocal in recent weeks in their criticisms of American policy...