how bout we reinstate the ban on the US exporting crude oil, which Trump and his partners in crime did away with during Trump's administration.

if we weren't exporting it, we wouldn't have to import it.

and how bout if Trump in spring of 2020 hadn't strong armed the Saudis into cutting oil production 2.5 million barrels PER DAY. (which i don't think the Saudis have increased since, and can't help but wonder if Trump isn't asking them not to).

and SA and others to cut production 9.7 million barrels per day.



excerpts from an April 30 ,2020 article,
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WASHINGTON/LONDON/DUBAI (Reuters) - As the United States pressed Saudi Arabia to end its oil price war with Russia, President Donald Trump gave Saudi leaders an ultimatum.

In an April 2 phone call, Trump told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that unless the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) started cutting oil production, he would be powerless to stop lawmakers from passing legislation to withdraw U.S. troops from the kingdom, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

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Trump delivered the message to the crown prince 10 days before the announcement of production cuts. The kingdom’s de facto leader was so taken aback by the threat that he ordered his aides out of the room so he could continue the discussion in private, according to a U.S. source who was briefed on the discussion by senior administration officials.

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A senior U.S. official told Reuters that the administration notified Saudi leaders that, without production cuts, “there would be no way to stop the U.S. Congress from imposing restrictions that could lead to a withdrawal of U.S. forces.”

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On April 12, under pressure from Trump, the world’s biggest oil-producing nations outside the United States agreed to the largest production cut ever negotiated. OPEC, Russia and other allied producers slashed production by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd), or about 10% of global output. Half that volume came from cuts of 2.5 million bpd each by Saudi Arabia and Russia, whose budgets depend on high oil-and-gas revenues.
On March 16, Cramer was among 13 Republican senators who sent a letter to Crown Prince Mohammed reminding him of Saudi Arabia’s strategic reliance on Washington. The group also urged Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to investigate whether Saudi Arabia and Russia were breaking international trade laws by flooding the U.S. market with oil.

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On March 18, the senators – a group that included Sullivan of Alaska and Ted Cruz of Texas – held a rare call with Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Cramer called the conversations “brutal” as each senator detailed the damage to their states’ oil industries.

After prolonged and fractious negotiations, top producers pledged their record output cut of 9.7 million bpd in May and June, with the understanding that economic forces would lead to about 10 million bpd in further cuts in production from other countries, including the United States and Canada.

------------------------
Trump hailed the deal and cast himself as its broker. “Having been involved in the negotiations, to put it mildly, the number that OPEC+ is looking to cut is 20 Million Barrels a day…” he tweeted shortly after the deal.


https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-trump-saudi-specialreport-idUSKBN22C1V4


TRUMPFLATION..

I like offbeat stuff that is dark and this comic strip always delivered in the past. After a hiatus, Johnny is back!

This is a good run down of how bad he has been and the mistakes he's made. I've posted it before as it's a nice issue by issue summary. It should be a lesson for the next president, and any elected official. People aren't going to cross the aisle when you promote extreme policies and pander to the extremes in a party.


Biden is so bad that in the face of the damning evidence coming out of the Jan 6 hearings people would still rather have Trump in office than Biden. That's how bad Biden has been for the country.

Time to criminalize atheism?

But it’s a list you don’t want to be on top of:
Saturday Tradition @Tradition

The toughest schedules next football season (ESPN FPI):

1. Indiana
2. Rutgers
3. Iowa
4. Maryland
5. Wisconsin
6. MSU
7. Penn State
8. NW
9. Michigan
10. Ohio State
11. Nebraska
12. Illinois
13. Minnesota
14. Purdue
12:36 PM · Jun 16, 2022·Twitter for iPhone

Mike Pence gets the award for January 6th. However everybody was afraid to talk before January 6th and also after January 6th. A bunch of cowards - all of them.

Let's not forget that all but two Republicans voted against having any of these hearings. And those two are now viewed to be pariahs by the GOP.

Seems like a strange move but he's allowed to make his own choices. I wish him luck and hope he comes back home in the coming years.

Its the first step to ending robo-calls! Privacy rights in phones and phone data.

Time to round up all the liars and phone number ghosters!

Build prisons on the desert plains!

Shoot the ones in Pakistan and India with drones.

A mans home is his castle. Stop calling me!

Take notes, McNutt

Golf fans that paid for the US Open hospitality tent package were promised the “very best views” of the action, but one lucky group got even more than they bargained for on Friday.

Facing The Country Club’s longest hole – the 616-yard fourteenth – MJ Daffue found himself making an unexpected detour after his tee shot skewed left and settled on the hospitality deck.

Still in bounds, the South African could have taken the opportunity of a drop ball, but instead lined up his 4-wood on the carpet, much to the delight of the crowd gathered to watch mere feet away.


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hired to coach at Jeffersonville, his alma mater and mine. He's had an interesting career arc. Hope he does well there,

There was once an island kingdom whose people were all fabulously wealthy.​

Even though they could have afforded to live anywhere they wanted, tradition dictated they stay on their tiny island home.

Eventually, their king became frustrated and called a meeting of the tribe's elders. He said he wanted them to figure out a way he could enjoy his wealth, and stay within traditional guidelines.
After much consideration, the elders suggested he build a magnificent throne. When he objected there was not enough room in his hut for a throne, the elders suggested he call in an engineer to solve the problem.

Soon, the king's tiny hut was rigged with an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys. He could lower the huge throne for use during the day, and at night, he could haul the throne up, and lower his bed. This was truly the best of both worlds for the king.

Unfortunately, after a few months of constant use, the ropes frayed, and one night, the throne slipped and came crashing down on the king, killing him.

The wise men of the island recognized a lesson in this experience and added to the lore of their people this statement:

"People who live in grass houses should not stow thrones."






and a chick.....

I'd vote for this. If a person has been accused of domestic violence or is having any sort of violence related mental issues, that person shouldn't be able to buy a gun.

Indiana will have numerous prospects on campus this weekend.

Here is a list of the names we have confirmed. There may be a few additional.

Definitely encouraging to know we’ve got smart people at the top of the military. It must be challenging for learned military officers to deal with unlearned civilians in power.

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This is the headline of a story this afternoon on Fox news.com.

The rats are thinking of leaving a sinking ship.

Is our great president going to admonish them while on his knees begging for oil? If we were energy independent which Biden stopped, Joey wouldn’t need to beg.

Behold:

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This was a busy week on the recruiting trail for Indiana as June 15 was the first day that college coaches could directly contact class of 2024 prospects.

A few names Indiana reached out to were five-star forward Derik Queen, five-star wing Jahni Howard, four-star forward Yves Missi, four-star guard Tyler Perry, four-star forward Aiden Sherrell, four-star guard Jaeden Mustaf, four-star forward Asa Newell, four-star forward Ayden Evans, four-star forward Tyler McKinley, three-star guard Kyle Greene forward Raleigh Burgess, forward Cooper Koch, forward William Jobe, guard Jacob Theodosiou. There may be a few more but those are the ones TheHoosier.com confirmed.

Three new offers went out this week: four-star forward Aiden Sherrell, four-star guard Jaeden Mustaf, four-star forward Asa Newell.

Sherrell is a 6-foot-10 forward who is originally from Norcross, Ga. He is making the move to Wasatch Academy (UT) for this season. He is ranked No. 47 in the Rivals70 class of 2024 rankings. Sherrell is playing on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer for the Utah Syndicate and is averaging 11.8 points, 10 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Sherrell holds offers from Arizona State, Creighton, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, LSU, Memphis, St. John’s, Nebraska and more.

Mustaf is a 6-foot-5 combo guard who can do a lot with the ball in his hands. He is transferring from Dematha (DC) to Carmel Christian (NC) this season. He is ranked No. 36 in the Rivals70 class of 2024 rankings. Mustaf holds offers from Xavier, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Rutgers, Harvard, Georgetown, George Mason, Bryant and more. On the Adidas circuit this summer, he is playing for New World averaging 8.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He is playing up with the 17Us.

---

As for 2024 forward Asa Newell, he took an unofficial visit to Indiana on Monday and left with a scholarship offer.

A couple of key quotes from he and his dad:

"Indiana, their campus is so nice, it's really beautiful. They definitely exceeded my expectations. I wasn't expecting too too much but when I got there. I was surprised that the campus was so beautiful," Newell told TheHoosier.com. "The visit was good. I met Coach Ya, coach Walsh and coach Woodson. All really good guys."

"We had fun. it was a fun visit. It was a very well prepared visit. We toured the facility and campus, took some pictures," Justin Newell, Asa's dad, said. "It was a lot of fun. Probably the best unofficial visit we've had so far."

"Coach Woodson has deep roots in Indiana and wanting to implement an NBA style system and wanting to win and be effective," Justin Newell added. "That's a heavy factor for us. Learning that system early.

"The whole coaching staff has value that they would add to Asa's experience there. Also coach Clif (Marshall) has a really tight relationship and a lot of desire to care and mentor the players on a deeper level and that's something that means a lot to us. I was very impressed by coach Clif and how he incorporates his core values and beliefs into the system."

Newell is a 6-foot-9 forward who transferred to Montverde Academy this summer. He is highly skilled who can play on the perimeter and on the inside. He discussed his game and growing confidence:

"Main thing is my confidence. I'm growing into my body. I really think I made a huge jump from last year. My defense has gotten a lot better. My body maturing is the biggest jump... I would say I'm an outside-in player... I think when I'm around the three-point line, if a guard is on me I'm going to take him into the post and get a bucket on him. If a big is on me, slower big, I'll take him into the lane. But the game is positionless. I'm just a player right now."

More on Newell's visit:

Indiana visit 'exceeded expectations' for 2024 top-35 forward Asa Newell

Indiana extended an offer to Montverde top-40 2024 forward Asa Newell on his unofficial visit this week.

indiana.rivals.com

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2023 five-star forward Xavier Booker was on campus for an unofficial visit on Wednesday afternoon. He moved up to the No. 2 overall prospect in the class this week.

Booker's recruitment is national and is not ending anytime soon. He has offers from Gonzaga, Duke, Oregon, Auburn, Indiana. Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas, Louisville, Purdue and many more.

Michigan State and Duke have been the perceived leaders in the recruitment but it is still wide open.

A couple key notes from Booker's unofficial visit on Wednesday, per a source:

- Took place in the afternoon and he was able to watch practice and had in depth conversations with Coach Woodson and the rest of the staff

- it was a ‘significant’ step in their eyes

- Conversations with the staff was more about how he would fit in the system, more than before

---

A new 2023 name to pop up is four-star forward Devin Royal. Royal is a 6-foot-6 forward ranked No. 90 in the Rivals150 rankings.

Royal plays for Pickerington Central High School (Oh.).

Xavier, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Marquette are some of the main programs involved at the moment.

Royal is averaging 18.9 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit for All-Ohio.

He's a name to keep an eye on as a potential Indiana target but not one at the front of your mind at the moment until Indiana makes some sort of push.

---

The IBCA Top 100 camp is taking place this weekend and TheHoosier.com will be there. Some of the top talent in the state is playing.

Here are some of the notable players:

2023 forward Xavier Booker, 2023 forward JQ Roberts, 2023 wing Sam Orme, 2023 guard Joey Hart, 2023 wing Logan Imes (Penn State), 2023 guard Myles J. Colvin (Purdue). 2023 guard Joey Brown, 2023 guard Garwey Dual, 2024 forward Flory Bidunga, 2024 forward Kanon Catchings , 2024 forward Jack Benter, 2025 forward Trent Sisley, 2025 guard Jalen Haralson

---

We got the chance to talk with Race Thompson yesterday. He has some really good things to say about the freshmen, his improvements, conversations with Mike Woodson and more. Here are some tidbits.

- On Freshman Malik Reneau: 'He already seems like he's ready to play in the Big Ten... he's really impressed me.'

Said he has had a few nice step backs, a shimmy euro-step the other day. 'Bigger, stronger, better than I thought.'

- On where he's looking to improve: 'Really shooting the ball and ball handling... little tiny things to make my shot more consistent.'

Mentions not getting away from his 'bread and butter' in the high/low post.

- talks about the improvements Jordan Geronimo has made with his perimeter skills, ball handling in order to play at the '3' position alongside himself and Trayce.

- Mentions the thought of 'where would I go' in terms of professional basketball options, that played into his decision to come back. Talks a lot about his goal to play at the next level and knowing Mike Woodson can help him get there in his development.

- On Jordan Hulls on staff: 'He knows how to win and what it takes to win, so having him back will help us out as a team.'

- On Kaleb Banks: 'A big wing that can defend, shoot the ball on all 3 levels. He's going to be really fun to watch and play with.'

Full Q&A:

Anita Ekberg

https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-dei-crt-schools-parents

Like a session of the game telephone that just kept getting worse for this woman.