MIDWEST EXXON REFINERY GOES DOWN SAUDI HALT CRUDE SHIPMENTS TO EUROPE PUTIN CALLING UP TROOPS NATO FEARS HYBRID WAR TO ESCALATE
[SEPTEMBER 18, 2026 (12:30 PM PDT)] Lots of collective hand ringing regarding a range of issues related to the continued partial closure of the Straight of Hormuz. The biggest fear is of an all-out famine--next year-- from shortages of fertilizer, diesel; accordingly, farmers are already stopping or throttling-down planting and harvesting. In a related story of refining capacity being squeezed in the US, ZeroHedge reported this: MIDWEST BRACES FOR DIESEL HIKES AFTER HUGE EXXON REFINERY SHUTDOWN Fallout from the Houthi-Saudi conflict continues. FINANCIAL POST: SAUDIs HALT SHIPMENTS OF CRUDE TO EUROPEAN REFINERIES A short post for today, but I thought the continued escalation (s) or missteps in and around NATO countries regarding Russia warrant continuing coverage. WaPo: Wave of Russian Strikes Plots Raise Fear of Conflict Spiraling hmmm, I was allowed to read the above story, yet when I was just checking the links functionality, WaPo hit a paywall. Vladimir Putin remains determine...