Opportunity Lost? Gained? Squandered?

Houthis Declare "Total Ban" On Israeli Ships As Dual Chokepoint Crisis Stokes Supply Chain Nightmare Brent crude futures jumped as much as 5% to $97.83 a barrel, while WTI traded around $95 a barrel, as renewed Iran-Israel fighting threatened to unravel a fragile US-Iran ceasefire and further disrupt energy flows. On the maritime chokepoint front, Iran-backed Houthis declared a full ban on Israeli vessels in the southern Red Sea, warning that any Israeli ship (or linked ship) will be seen as a military target. "First: We declare a complete and total...

Waste Of The Day: Education Fraud Sweeps Nation Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations, Topline: Since 2019, school districts across 24 states and Puerto Rico have lost $225 million to fraud confirmed by the U.S. Department of Education inspector general's semiannual report to Congress. No more than $67 million has been recovered. Key facts: Open the Books and the State Financial Officers Foundation documented 74 instances of confirmed school fraud, averaging over $3 million each. There are far more that have gone unprosecuted or undetected. Florida and Illinois schools each had the most...

BP Retreats Further From Green Energy With Archaea Sale Via City A.M., BP plans to sell Archaea Energy after the US biogas operation delivered weaker-than-expected returns. Second-quarter adjusted profit climbed to $5.7 billion as Middle East disruption lifted oil and gas prices. Meg O’Neill is simplifying BP’s portfolio, reducing debt and concentrating investment on its most profitable assets. BP has announced that it will offload its US biogas business just days after confirming its exit from the North Sea, as the firm looks to shift its focus back to core oil and gas products. The...