After a while, all the noise becomes something of a blur and begins to make no sense. It appears that U.S., U.K., and E.U. foreign policies, so intent on harming other countries (primarily Russia and China) rather than strengthening themselves, have met their matches in the BRICS, or, rather, the policies of the West have caused the countries of the East, the BRICS, or the "Global South" to unite and that union is making life more and more difficult for the instigators, marginalizing them and destroying their currencies.
"Project Ukraine," as Alex and Alexander over at the Duran prefer to call it, is a massive sinkhole into which NATO nations have thrust hundreds of billions of dollars, euros, and pounds, only to get 1.7 million Ukrainians killed, the country torn to pieces, and the damage done to themselves yet to be fully realized. The most massive foreign policy blunder of this century and maybe of all time has brought Europe, the UK, and the United States to the brink of insolvency, reduced weapon stockpiles to bare minimums and threatened national security.
By almost any standard, Ukraine has been a failure of massive proportions, yet the countries which promoted the proxy war against Russia continue to support it, all the while attempting to deflect blame for its continuation on Russia and sometimes, Ukraine.
President Trump, who campaigned on ending the war in Ukraine "on day one" is an absolute embarrassment to diplomacy. He could stop the fighting by withdrawing U.S. support - in money and weapons - to Ukraine, but refuses to do so. Thus, he has sentenced more Ukrainians to their deaths, and made the United States a global pariah. The continuity of lies and fabrications about the causes for the Ukraine conflict and its ongoing status, promoted by the government and parroted by the media, are too numerous to enumerate, but it boils down to simple soundbites: Russia bad, Ukraine democracy, rah!
It's a huge bag of horse manure, everybody knows it, and it needed to be ended years ago. But it won't end, because the military industrial complex that runs the U.S. government doesn't want it to end. They're making too much money blowing up things.
Ukraine is a ten thousand pound yoke hung on the neck of Americans, Europeans, and UK citizens and there's nothing anybody can do about it. Ukraine will prove to be the ultimate undoing of all the Western economies. Their insistence on continuing the madness of this failed campaign is inconceivably reckless and devastating.
An opinion poll in France's Le Monde finds: 96% feel dissatisfied or angry about the state of the country; 90% believe it is in decline; 81% don’t think democracy is working for them; 66% think most politicians are corrupt; 71% think their living standards are getting worse; 57% have trouble making ends meet; 85% think France ‘needs a real leader to restore order’; and 63% say they don’t ‘feel at home any more’.
On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new round of sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. How these sanctions are going to harm Russia or how they are going to be enforced are as yet unknown, since Russia sells oil globally, mostly to China, India, and other countries outside the U.S. sphere of influence. They likely won't harm Russia in the least, nor will they help to end the conflict in Ukraine. India and China aren't going to stop buying Russian oil just because the U.S. says they shouldn't. It's basic extortion. "You bought Russian oil. Pay us." Doesn't really work that way.
What these sanctions did manage to accomplish, however, was to spike the price of U.S. and European oil higher. WTI crude oil bottomed out at $56.39 on Tuesday. Brent crude was $60.36. As of Thursday morning, WTI is $61.68 and Brent is $65.81. Russia hasn't blinked. A real “game-changer” ya got there.
Obviously, this strategy is tantamount to poking oneself in the eye with a stick. One has to ask, "qui bono?" Well, obviously, ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and a host of other oil giants and their shareholders who have been horrified at the recent declines in the price of oil and petrol and gas at the pump, putting their mammoth profits at risk. You can bet your bottom dollar that all those Senators and House Reps who are keeping the government shut down bought a few shares beforehand.
These new sanctions are piled on top of 18 prior rounds of sanctions imposed against Russia. Obviously, they're working wonders, if making the BRICS alliance stronger and keeping the war in Ukraine running in Russia's favor is what they had in mind. These policies are much too stupid to be accidental. They are purposeful, designed to weaken the countries imposing the sanctions and to make their own citizens suffer.
According to all-knowing Bloomberg, transactions involving the two Russian oil producers need to be wound down by November 21, leaving a window of opportunity open for negotiation, evasion, maybe some live ammo shooting at each other. President Trump's meeting with China's Xi Jinping, expected to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea October 31 and November 1 (too bad. They're going to miss the Breeders' Cup and possibly games six and seven of the World Series), is more likely to turn into a massive pissing match rather than some grand trade deal. Who game plans these things? Some drunken sailor? Howard Lutnik? P. Diddy? Bo Diddley?
The question was posed to Bing's AI co-pilot, "How do sanctions against Russian oil companies cause U.S. oil prices to rise?"
Here is what it said:
Sanctions against Russian oil companies, such as Rosneft and Lukoil, lead to a rise in U.S. oil prices due to several reasons:Increased Demand: The sanctions target Russia's two largest oil companies, which are essential for the U.S. energy market. The sanctions are part of a broader effort to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine, which has implications for global oil supply and demand.
Market Impact: The sanctions are expected to reduce Russia's oil production and exports, which could lead to a decrease in supply and increase in demand for U.S. oil. This could result in higher prices for U.S. consumers.
Economic Consequences: The sanctions are also expected to have economic consequences for Russia, including reduced revenue and potential economic instability. This could further impact the global oil market and lead to higher prices for U.S. oil.
In summary, the sanctions against Russian oil companies are expected to cause a rise in U.S. oil prices due to increased demand, reduced supply, and economic consequences for Russia. These factors combined can lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers.
Higher prices. Just what Americans, Britons, and Europeans need. So screwed.
In a little more than a week, should the U.S. government shutdown continue past the end of October, funding for SNAP, otherwise known as "food stamps" will expire. 42 million Americans will not get their monthly allotment of money to buy groceries.
First off, it's shameful that 12% of the population needs assistance in order to eat, as in, stay alive, but, if the government allows SNAP to go unfunded, there will be riots, looting, and mayhem across America. It's probably why Trump has prepositioned National Guard troops to places like Chicago, Memphis, etc. This is just another stage of the government shutdown master plan, easing everybody into martial law, dependent on the federal government - despite it being unfunded, "shut down" as it were - for protection. Thug tactics. Protection racket.
Let's see how that goes. Things are getting just a little out of hand when it comes to government and the power they wield. Definitely not a good look, but, this is what happens when people put their faith in politicians who put their own interests ahead of the county’s.
With all the confusion, malfeasance, and objectionable noise in global politics underway, Wall Street chugs along, though most of Wednesday was spent chugging in reverse. For whatever reasons, all the major indices were down. Maybe they were "overextended", like everybody was complaining about gold and silver before they were summarily slapped down on Tuesday. Could be anything. Probably nothing to worry about. Stocks always go up.
This morning, there seems to be some concern over earnings reported after the close Wednesday and before the bell Thursday. Tesla (TSLA) is down four percent after missing its earnings target. Dinosaur computer firm, IBM (IBM) posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.65, beating the analyst estimate of $2.44 handily. Revenue came in at $16.33 billion, ahead of consensus estimate of $16.09 billion and representing a nine percent increase year-over-year. However, shares are down seven percent in the pre-market. Investors apparently are more concerned with slowing growth in the company's cloud business and timid growth projections. Maybe that PE ratio of 47 has something to do with it. Or AI, or, aye-aye, or an eye for an eye, who knows?
Not to worry, Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) are both higher in anticipation of higher fuel prices courtesy of sanctions on Russian oil companies. See how that works?
What could go wrong?
At the close, Wednesday, October 22, 2025:Dow: 46,590.41, -334.33 (-0.71%)
NASDAQ: 22,740.40, -213.27 (-0.93%)
S&P 500: 6,699.40, -35.95 (-0.53%)
NYSE Composite: 21,514.71, -56.45 (-0.26%)
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