Originally published at: Trump Asks Ukraine to Stop Targeting Refineries as Diesel Hits $6.20 and BRICS (Incl. Iran) Bypass SWIFT – Peak Prosperity
Energy
President Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian diesel refineries, stating at the Irish Open that the strikes contribute to a global shortage. U.S. diesel reached $6.20 per gallon on Sunday while regular gas averaged $4.31, according to AAA. Russia banned diesel exports in July and imposed fuel rationing after Ukrainian strikes. Zelenskyy has described the campaign as targeting Russia’s war machine. The IEA reported Gulf diesel and gasoil exports at roughly a quarter of pre-war levels amid restricted Strait of Hormuz traffic, with U.S. diesel prices exceeding $200 per barrel in early September.
Relatedly, the Trump administration is reportedly considering the Defense Production Act to expand U.S. refining capacity after a White House meeting with about a dozen refiners. Current utilization exceeds 98%. Discussions follow an April directive on financing, permitting, and supply-chain issues. One proposal involves America First Refining’s planned 168,000-barrel-per-day facility at the Port of Brownsville, supported by a 20-year offtake agreement with India’s Reliance Industries. Other options include export restrictions and federal fuel tax waivers.
Economy
The 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi adopted a 45-page declaration endorsing settlement of intra-bloc trade in national currencies and a payments framework linking India’s UPI, China’s CIPS, and Russia’s SPFS. A gold-backed “Unit” token pilot was referenced, though members did not pursue a common currency. The declaration provides an alternative system for sanctioned members. In response, Trump threatened tariffs up to 100% on the bloc.
Meanwhile, Costco began rationing Kirkland Signature motor oil to two units per member per week, with 10 quarts at $58. Motor oil shares the same barrel as gasoline and diesel, and refineries are prioritizing higher-margin fuels amid supply disruptions. GM’s Dexos certification requires licensing fees. Mobil 1 is capped at five units per member, with six quarts at $44.
In other news, FinanceLancelot described current conditions resembling the 1980s debt trap, noting that oil above $100 increases debt while a collapse strengthens the dollar and raises servicing costs. He pointed to parallels with the post-1971 period and Volcker’s tightening, which contributed to defaults in Mexico and elsewhere, and suggested current yield and dollar trends align with risks of sovereign debt stress.
Geopolitics
A Russian attack drone struck a Kiev-to-Warsaw passenger train carrying 208 people two kilometers from the Polish border, according to Western media reports. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated there was no border violation but described the strike as an escalation involving Geran-5 drones. Ukraine’s rail operator reported advance warning prevented injuries, though service was delayed six hours. Ukrainian FM Andrii Sybiha called it an act of terror and demanded a trade embargo. Lithuania closed Vilnius airport briefly after a suspected drone sighting. The Wall Street Journal noted near-weekly drone incursions along NATO’s eastern frontier this summer. Some commentary has raised questions about the incident, including whether the targeted train was empty.
Health
Peter Navarro, writing in The Epoch Times, highlighted an August 15, 2021, entry from Anthony Fauci’s private diary, released by Sen. Rand Paul, in which Fauci wrote that on universal COVID boosters, “If we are too precise we will be called out because we cannot back it with data.” Navarro stated that the entry shows policy preceded justification and that Fauci identified the question of who needed another shot yet helped shape the public message. Five weeks later, the FDA advisory committee voted 16-2 against boosters for all adults 16+, then approved them for high-risk groups. Fauci recorded being “disappointed” and called the narrower authorization “a major mistake.” Some social media commentary has noted that vaccines remain supported by data on safety and effectiveness, including in pregnancy, and that the diary entry does not indicate an intentional plot.
In other news, Dr. McFillin described experiencing an unexplained week of dread that began on a sunny morning without any prompting event, ruminating thought, or biological trigger. Days later, he learned that people he knew hundreds of miles away had faced serious situations at that time. He cited a 2012 Frontiers in Psychology meta-analysis on physiological changes one to ten seconds before random stimuli, a 2003 Neuroscience Letters EEG study involving partners in shielded rooms, the CIA’s Stargate program as assessed by statistician Jessica Utts, and the 2022 Nobel Prize work on entanglement by Aspect, Clauser, and Zeilinger. He stated that the most attuned patients are often medicated for what may be perception rather than pathology.
US Politics
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed the PROTECT Act, which bars ICE arrests at courthouses, hospitals, schools, child care facilities, and places of worship, prohibits new 287(g) agreements, authorizes lawsuits against ICE agents personally, and requires employers to warn workers of impending ICE actions. The bill creates a 21-member commission that includes immigrant advocacy groups. ACLU data from eight larger states in 2025 recorded 41 ICE arrests near schools, nine at hospitals, and 171 at courthouses. Brookings identified 13 high-school arrests nationwide. The House passed the bill 134-21 and the Senate 37-3, with some Republican support. ACLU figures show 287(g) participation rose from 133 agencies in January 2025 to over 1,200 a year later.
Privacy & Surveillance
Revolut disclosed that it provided customer data—including names, birthdates, addresses, account numbers, transaction histories, government IDs, and onboarding selfies—to an unauthorized third party posing as a government agency. The email originated from a legitimate government domain and passed SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks. KYC and AML rules require retention of identity documents for up to seven years after account closure. Discord reported a similar incident in October 2025 involving a third-party vendor hack that leaked roughly 70,000 users’ government IDs collected for age-verification appeals.
Sources
Are Your Emotions Picking Up Signals From Afar?
If we continue to replicate this, the separation we take for granted may be an illusion.
Fauci’s Diary: Policy First, Data Later—Why MAHA Must Break the Machine
If we are too precise we will be called out because we cannot back it with data.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
Trump: Zelenskyy Must Spare Russian Diesel or Face Global Shortages
There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting, that’s hurting the world.
BRICS Bypasses Dollar in New Delhi, Iran Leads the Push
The New Delhi Declaration will not dethrone the dollar. What it does is hand the bloc’s sanctioned members a collective, expanding, and now formally endorsed alternative to the system Washington has used to isolate them.
Trump Weighs Defense Production Act to Expand Refining Amid $6 Diesel
Reuters reports late Friday afternoon that the Trump administration is considering whether to use the Defense Production Act to expand U.S. oil refining capacity as the Iran conflict drives up fuel prices.
Drone Strike Near Polish Border on Warsaw Train Fuels NATO Spillover Concerns
Whether a false-flag operation or an actual Russian strike, the incident suggests mounting spillover risks near NATO territory ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter.
Massachusetts Enacts ‘Super-Sanctuary’ PROTECT Act to Block ICE
The Protect Act is best understood as a reflection of the unrelenting nationwide radicalization of the Democratic Party, which is driven by rank-and-file activists, opinion makers, and primary voters who have found in ICE the ideal villain for their morality plays.
Revolut Leak Exposes the Reckless Cost of Mandatory ID Hoarding
That’s what makes governments’ push for more ID checks just to access ordinary parts of life so reckless.
Costco Caps Motor Oil Sales as Shortages and GM Fees Drive Up Prices
Not only does 10 quarts of Kirkland Signature full-synthetic now cost $58 when it used to go for as low as $30, but stores are now imposing a two-per-customer, per-week limit.
Dollar’s Rise After Oil Shock: 1982 Debt Crisis Returns?
So suddenly you go from high energy prices forcing you to take on more debt, to an environment where the rising Dollar makes it increasingly difficult to service that debt.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: @mcfunny, @ILoveUkraine90, and @itellsya.