A New York Times investigation found that a sanctioned Russian energy giant secretly funded an American company pitching an Alaska gas project discussed in Ukraine peace talks. The company, Polar LNG, markets itself with American flags and a bald eagle as “America’s Arctic Advantage,” and plans to use Russian technology to liquefy and export natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope. Putin discussed the broader idea with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner last month, though a U.S. official said it was only mentioned broadly and there’s no indication the envoys knew of Polar LNG’s Russian ties. The company’s former CEO, Joel Riddle, says he resigned after learning that at least some of its funding came from Novatek, a Kremlin-linked firm under partial U.S. sanctions, and that he warned the Trump administration before leaving. Novatek has now confirmed it is moving to take a minority stake in the project, a striking effort by a Russian company to own a piece of American gas production. The project’s Novatek connections are complicated by the new Graham sanctions law, which specifically targets the company, though Trump waived the law’s Russia sanctions last week.
The Oleshky ceasefire is set to begin Oct. 29, as Russian diesel heads to the U.S. and Ukraine strikes deep inside Russia. The White House celebrated the ceasefire as Melania Trump’s achievement, posting that she had “forged a ceasefire in war-torn Oleshky” and calling it “peace through strength,” with up to 2,000 residents cut off from aid and facing starvation. Meanwhile, Russia’s deputy prime minister said the first three tankers of Russian diesel are headed to North America under Trump’s deal, with one expected to arrive in the U.S. on Nov. 7. Overnight, Ukraine struck a petrochemical plant in the Russian city of Togliatti, and an attack on a substation in southern Russia reportedly knocked out power across occupied Crimea, including Sevastopol and Yalta. Russia and Ukraine also completed their first prisoner exchange since August, swapping 270 servicemen each, which Zelensky called a “very important result.” British Prime Minister’s office, meanwhile, publicly rejected Witkoff’s description of Putin as a “humanitarian.”
Iran War Escalates as Strike Threats Mount, Oil Surges, and U.S. Officials Warn of a Year More of Fighting
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are spiking, with an American official warning strikes could come as soon as this weekend. Iran’s armed forces chief declared Saturday that U.S. military ships will never be allowed in the Persian Gulf “under any circumstances,” adding that Trump “will take that dream to his grave.” The warning came after Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, told Israeli army radio that a strike on Iran this weekend could “absolutely” happen, even though Trump has said any new strikes would wait until after the Nov. 3 midterms. A spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard dismissed Trump’s threats as “largely for media consumption,” warning that any U.S. action would be met with a response “several times greater.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections Tuesday, has repeatedly vowed to topple Iran’s government. European and Middle Eastern foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul urged both sides to show restraint, with France’s foreign minister warning further escalation “would leave no winners.”
U.S. intelligence warns that Iranian plots to kill Americans abroad have reached “advanced stages.” In an unclassified memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio obtained by CBS News, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said Iran has “substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel” in the Middle East and other countries. The memo did not name specific targets or say whether attacks were imminent. The State Department is now reducing staff at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the UAE, after ordering nonessential diplomats and families to leave Saudi Arabia earlier this week. The U.S. military has also been quietly shrinking its footprint in the region amid threats from Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen. Meanwhile, Iran’s president is set to travel to Moscow next week to meet Putin, the first such meeting in Russia since the war began, as Iran’s foreign minister says the two countries are closer than ever.
The Trump administration now admits the war Trump promised would last weeks could drag on for another year, as oil prices soar. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told the Financial Times the war could still be going 12 months from now, even though Trump initially said it would last “four to five weeks.” Trump, meanwhile, claimed the U.S. could “take all of the oil” and “take the whole country,” and said the real question is whether to “finish it off” or “let it wither.” Brent crude jumped to over $117 a barrel Friday, its highest level since March and up from under $97 at the start of October. The Dow fell more than 550 points as rising oil prices weighed on the market. Trump has accused Iran of faking attacks on ships to drive up oil prices ahead of the midterms, claiming more oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war, though overall shipping traffic remains sharply below prewar levels.
The war is spilling across the region, with oil washing up on UAE beaches and Saudi Arabia under fire from Iran-backed rebels. The UAE closed beaches and warned fishermen away after an oil spill, which analysts traced to a tanker hit by a projectile earlier this month and say covers roughly 60 square miles, with residents as far as Dubai reporting strong gas smells. Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi missiles aimed at the major oil hub of Yanbu and the city of Taif, briefly triggering danger warnings across regions including Mecca. Airstrikes in Yemen, which the Houthis blame on Saudi Arabia, have killed at least nine people over two days, including women and children. The U.N. warned that time is running out to get aid into the Yemeni city of Taiz, cut off by Houthi fighters for 20 days, where water production has fallen by about half. Britain has committed fighter jets to defend Saudi airspace, and Egypt is weighing sending troops.
This is one of the best features of Let's Address This---- a weekly recap. Sometimes I don't get to read what comes out during the week, but you put everything together in one spot.
The Dad jokes must stop, my brain can't take it anymore :)
A New York Times investigation found that a sanctioned Russian energy giant secretly funded an American company pitching an Alaska gas project discussed in Ukraine peace talks. The company, Polar LNG, markets itself with American flags and a bald eagle as “America’s Arctic Advantage,” and plans to use Russian technology to liquefy and export natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope. Putin discussed the broader idea with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner last month, though a U.S. official said it was only mentioned broadly and there’s no indication the envoys knew of Polar LNG’s Russian ties. The company’s former CEO, Joel Riddle, says he resigned after learning that at least some of its funding came from Novatek, a Kremlin-linked firm under partial U.S. sanctions, and that he warned the Trump administration before leaving. Novatek has now confirmed it is moving to take a minority stake in the project, a striking effort by a Russian company to own a piece of American gas production. The project’s Novatek connections are complicated by the new Graham sanctions law, which specifically targets the company, though Trump waived the law’s Russia sanctions last week.
The Oleshky ceasefire is set to begin Oct. 29, as Russian diesel heads to the U.S. and Ukraine strikes deep inside Russia. The White House celebrated the ceasefire as Melania Trump’s achievement, posting that she had “forged a ceasefire in war-torn Oleshky” and calling it “peace through strength,” with up to 2,000 residents cut off from aid and facing starvation. Meanwhile, Russia’s deputy prime minister said the first three tankers of Russian diesel are headed to North America under Trump’s deal, with one expected to arrive in the U.S. on Nov. 7. Overnight, Ukraine struck a petrochemical plant in the Russian city of Togliatti, and an attack on a substation in southern Russia reportedly knocked out power across occupied Crimea, including Sevastopol and Yalta. Russia and Ukraine also completed their first prisoner exchange since August, swapping 270 servicemen each, which Zelensky called a “very important result.” British Prime Minister’s office, meanwhile, publicly rejected Witkoff’s description of Putin as a “humanitarian.”
Iran War Escalates as Strike Threats Mount, Oil Surges, and U.S. Officials Warn of a Year More of Fighting
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are spiking, with an American official warning strikes could come as soon as this weekend. Iran’s armed forces chief declared Saturday that U.S. military ships will never be allowed in the Persian Gulf “under any circumstances,” adding that Trump “will take that dream to his grave.” The warning came after Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, told Israeli army radio that a strike on Iran this weekend could “absolutely” happen, even though Trump has said any new strikes would wait until after the Nov. 3 midterms. A spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard dismissed Trump’s threats as “largely for media consumption,” warning that any U.S. action would be met with a response “several times greater.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections Tuesday, has repeatedly vowed to topple Iran’s government. European and Middle Eastern foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul urged both sides to show restraint, with France’s foreign minister warning further escalation “would leave no winners.”
U.S. intelligence warns that Iranian plots to kill Americans abroad have reached “advanced stages.” In an unclassified memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio obtained by CBS News, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said Iran has “substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel” in the Middle East and other countries. The memo did not name specific targets or say whether attacks were imminent. The State Department is now reducing staff at U.S. embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the UAE, after ordering nonessential diplomats and families to leave Saudi Arabia earlier this week. The U.S. military has also been quietly shrinking its footprint in the region amid threats from Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen. Meanwhile, Iran’s president is set to travel to Moscow next week to meet Putin, the first such meeting in Russia since the war began, as Iran’s foreign minister says the two countries are closer than ever.
The Trump administration now admits the war Trump promised would last weeks could drag on for another year, as oil prices soar. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told the Financial Times the war could still be going 12 months from now, even though Trump initially said it would last “four to five weeks.” Trump, meanwhile, claimed the U.S. could “take all of the oil” and “take the whole country,” and said the real question is whether to “finish it off” or “let it wither.” Brent crude jumped to over $117 a barrel Friday, its highest level since March and up from under $97 at the start of October. The Dow fell more than 550 points as rising oil prices weighed on the market. Trump has accused Iran of faking attacks on ships to drive up oil prices ahead of the midterms, claiming more oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war, though overall shipping traffic remains sharply below prewar levels.
The war is spilling across the region, with oil washing up on UAE beaches and Saudi Arabia under fire from Iran-backed rebels. The UAE closed beaches and warned fishermen away after an oil spill, which analysts traced to a tanker hit by a projectile earlier this month and say covers roughly 60 square miles, with residents as far as Dubai reporting strong gas smells. Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi missiles aimed at the major oil hub of Yanbu and the city of Taif, briefly triggering danger warnings across regions including Mecca. Airstrikes in Yemen, which the Houthis blame on Saudi Arabia, have killed at least nine people over two days, including women and children. The U.N. warned that time is running out to get aid into the Yemeni city of Taiz, cut off by Houthi fighters for 20 days, where water production has fallen by about half. Britain has committed fighter jets to defend Saudi airspace, and Egypt is weighing sending troops.
Other news:
What other deals has Donald J. Trump made to receive more money for the Trump family?
Sorry, I'm here for the dad jokes.
This is one of the best features of Let's Address This---- a weekly recap. Sometimes I don't get to read what comes out during the week, but you put everything together in one spot.
Thank you.
Thank you Kent! That’s exactly the goal with this recap. I appreciate you