Oil prices are generally sinking this weekdespite the U.S. seizure of a tanker off Venezuela's coast, saber rattling about doing it again, and Ukraine hitting a Russian tanker in the Black Sea.
Why it matters: Geopolitical strife historically shoves prices upward, especially when oil and oil producers are involved. So what's going on? A few overlapping things...
Residents in the Pacific Northwest face "catastrophic" and potentially life-threatening flood threats after days of heavy rains, the National Weather Service warns.
The big picture: Washington's governor declared a statewide emergency Wednesday to respond to the flooding that's already prompted water rescues, closed roads, caused power outages and left tens of thousands under evacuation orders in the state and across the border in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
An environmental group is suing the Trump administration over plans to feature President Trump's face on some of next year's national park passes.
The big picture: It's the administration's latest effort to suffuse Trump's name and likeness into everyday life, blurring the lines between governing and self-promotion.
The Trump administration Thursday imposed new sanctions on three nephews of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, a businessman close to his regime and six companies shipping its oil, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The new sanctions, to be announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, are the latest aspect of President Trump's pressure campaign on Maduro, whom the administration has accused of leading a narco-trafficking terrorist organization.
The second Trump era's first offshore oil and gas lease sale showed real but hardly gangbusters interest from the industry — and there's no simple explanation why.
Why it matters: The White House wants to juice domestic output, and the sale offered tracts at lower royalty rates enabled by the GOP budget law.
Commonwealth Fusion CEO Bob Mumgaard often discusses the technical complexities of fusion — but increasingly he's talking about building the sites to make it happen.
Why it matters: Commonwealth is one of the preeminent companies in the decades-long effort to harness the energy that powers the sun.
