Free Republic

THE SAUDI-LED oil cartel OPEC+’s announcement earlier this month that it was cutting 2 million barrels of oil per day — a move that would drive up the price of oil just a month before midterm elections — rankled Democrats in Washington. They accused Riyadh of aligning itself with Russia, another powerful member of OPEC+, which would indeed profit off the move. “What Saudi Arabia did to help Putin continue to wage his despicable, vicious war against Ukraine will long be remembered by Americans,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. But Saudi Arabia actually pushed to cut oil production twice...

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its oil-exporting allies announced a 2 million barrel per day cut in oil production Wednesday, bucking months of pressure from Washington to increase production and potentially spiking gas prices again. The coalition, which includes the 13 OPEC nations and 11 non-members including Russia, made the announcement at its Vienna meeting, the first in-person summit since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announced cut is roughly equivalent to 2 percent of global supplies. In July, President Biden visited Saudi Arabia to directly appeal to its leaders to increase oil production, despite...

A group of some of the world's most powerful oil producers on Wednesday agreed to impose deep output cuts, seeking to spur a recovery in crude prices despite calls from the U.S. to pump more to help the global economy.

A dozen federal judges say they are no longer hiring clerks from Yale Law School, citing a slew of scandals that they say have undermined free speech and intellectual diversity. In addition to Fifth Circuit judge James Ho, who announced on Thursday that he would no longer hire law clerks from the nation’s top-ranked law school, 12 federal judges—both circuit and district court jurists—told the Washington Free Beacon they are joining the boycott. "Students should be mindful that they will face diminished opportunities if they go to Yale," said a prominent circuit court judge, whose clerks have gone on to...

DUBAI, Oct 2 (Reuters) - OPEC+ will consider an oil output cut of more than a million barrels per day (bpd) next week, OPEC sources said on Sunday, in what would be the biggest move yet since the COVID-19 pandemic to address oil market weakness. The meeting will take place on Oct. 5 against the backdrop of falling oil prices and months of severe market volatility which prompted top OPEC+ producer, Saudi Arabia, to say the group could cut production. OPEC+, which combines OPEC countries and allies such as Russia, has refused to raise output to lower oil prices despite...

European natural gas inventories rose by +96 BCF over past 7 days. EU nat gas storage 68% full. Current inventories at 2589 BCF. 23.9% higher than 1 year ago. EU goal is at least 80% full by Nov 1st for winter.

Foreign fighters who have joined Ukrainian forces battling Russia's invasion have been shocked by the brutality of the war and some say that disillusionment is creeping in. "They fought in Afghanistan or in Iraq and say they aren't ready" for what they face in Ukraine, says Polak, of his Western comrades who have signed up to fight. Polak -- whose nationality AFP is withholding to protect his anonymity -- estimates there are "perhaps several hundred" foreign fighters who have taken up arms for Kyiv since the invasion began. "Honestly, we have quite a few cowards" serving in the International Legion...

the lib spin is now that Graham had an “unhinged meltdown” because of course it is. There was nothing unhinged about the words coming out of Lindsey Graham’s mouth yesterday. He had more sense in his pinky finger than the entire Democratic party combined. Whatever. The libs are going with crap like this: "Oh my god. This is every woman’s nightmare. This is a terrifying image." https://t.co/mIgEN2ALhj — Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) September 27, 2018 um… "Just asked my wife. She said being left to drown in a car like your uncle did to Mary Jo Kopechne is a bigger nightmare...

A man had to forcibly remove a shark from his stomach with a knife after it latched onto him while he was swimming off the coast of Marthon, Florida. Shocking video shows Ervin Maccarty emerging from the water into a boat with a small shark attached to his body that won't let go. He is heard swearing and the shark begins to struggle, sending Mr Maccarty down on the ground in pain. His friends immediately come to his assistance, deciding to cut into the shark with a knife and 'bleed it out' until it lets go.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has confirmed a Sea World employee died Wednesday after being attacked by a killer whale. Emergency officials arrived just before 2:00 pm Wednesday (02/24/2010) and found the person unresponsive. Witnesses are reporting that the victim was a trainer who was dragged into the tank and drowned by the whale.

Do you ever wonder why it is that hypocritical Catholic laypersons can get by with snubbing their noses at the Holy Scriptures and Holy See all in one wide worship sweep?

Since it now seems very imminent, I decided that it was an appropriate time to start this up. Links to information and pictures (if we get them) can be posted here.

IAF fighter jets dropped over 20 tons in bombs late Wednesday night on a Hizbullah bunker, possibly the hiding place of the group's leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, in the Bourj al-Barajneh refugee camp in southeast Beirut. It was still unclear who was in the bunker at the time and what their fate was, but IDF sources said the bunker was totally destroyed and that all that was left was a crater. The IDF obtained intelligence information late Wednesday night that Hizbullah leaders possibly including Nasrallah had taken refuge inside the bunker. A wave of aircraft immediately took to the air...

Just saw on CNN that 23 tons of explosives were dropped on a Hezbollah bunker. Top Hezbollah officials are believed to have been inside. No story on the website yet.

AP SCIENCE WRITER LOS ANGELES -- A robotic NASA spacecraft designed to rendezvous with an orbiting satellite instead crashed into its target, according to a summary of the investigation released Monday. Investigators blamed the collision on faulty navigational data that caused the DART spacecraft to believe that it was backing away from its target when it was actually bearing down on it. "The inaccurate perception of its distance and speed ... prevented DART from taking effective action to avoid a collision," the summary said. The 800-pound Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology spacecraft was supposed to rendezvous with a defunct Pentagon...

Countdown underway for first SpaceX rocket launch The inaugural launch of the privately-made Falcon 1 rocket is targeted for 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT) today from a seven-acre isle in the Central Pacific Ocean. SpaceX delayed the launch from 4:05 p.m. so that the first stage recovery ship could be moved out of the restricted impact zone.

For your viewing pleasure....

In his demand for religiously-correct language this Christmas season, loudmouth Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly blurted out one of his silliest, most uninformed opinions yet. His sham slam on the Madison media -- of which the Wisconsin State Journal is the leading force -- went like this: "Now this is a conservative city, Richmond," O'Reilly said last week, referring to a Virginia newspaper that had criticized him. "I mean, this is not Madison, Wisconsin, where you expect those people to be communing with Satan up there in the Madison, Wisconsin media." As a matter of fact, it's much too cold...

A man in Sicily in Italy asked a friend to shoot him in the groin in the hope of making his ex-girlfriend feel sorry for him, police said. Police in the central Sicilian city of Piazza Armerina said they became suspicious when the 27-year-old went to hospital with wounds from a hunting rifle's pellets in the groin area. At first he said the wounds had been caused in a hunting accident, but later admitted he had asked a 16-year-old friend to shoot him in an attempt to win back the affection of his girlfriend, who had apparently left him because...