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☆ Everything you want to know as OPEC+ agrees to cut oil production
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

OPEC+ agreed to cut production. But the group — which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia — agreed Wednesday to slash daily oil production by 2 million barrels, in a bid to send crude prices higher. But OPEC+ defended their decision, saying it was in response to "uncertainty that surrounds the global economic and oil market outlooks." At a news conference after the meeting, the Saudi energy minister added: "We would rather be pre-emptive than be sorry," the New York Times reports. The country's deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, said the EU's plan could lead to Russia temporarily cutting oil production further — a move that would see crude prices rise, and gasoline follow.

Putin cautioned it was no bluff, and Western politicians, diplomats and nuclear weapons experts are divided. Some say he could use one or more smaller, tactical nuclear weapons to try to stave off military defeat, protect his presidency, scare off the West or intimidate Kyiv into capitulation. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them," he said. Such blunt Kremlin rhetoric is very different to the much more nuanced nuclear signals preferred by late Soviet leaders after Nikita Khrushchev took the world to the brink of nuclear war in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Burns, though, said U.S. intelligence had no practical evidence that Putin was moving towards using tactical nuclear weapons imminently.

☆ US spy planes appear to be monitoring a Russian enclave in Europe, possibly looking for signs of nuclear weapons activity
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kaliningrad is a Russian territory on the Baltic sea, separated from mainland Russia by Lithuania. In 2018, Russia conducted a "major renovation" of a nuclear weapons site there, an expert said. In April, the Russian military announced that its Baltic Fleet in the Kaliningrad region conducted a "simulated missile strike exercise" using its "Iskander operational and tactical missile complexes." What they suggest, he told Insider, is that there is "an increased interest in Russian military movements by high-level decision makers in the United States." "The chances of his using nuclear weapons — at least tactical nuclear weapons — is going up by the day," Baer said.

☆ From DeSantis to Trump, last week defined Republican Party in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Kurt Bardella | Kurt Bardella Is An Adviser To The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee | A Member Of The Korean Americans For Political Action Board Of Advisers. He Is A Former Spokesperson | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ron DeSantis, using human beings as political props for a craven publicity stunt designed to stoke right-wing outrage toward migrants. Then, the current Republican Party standard-bearer found himself in even more legal hot water after the New York attorney general's lawsuit alleging Trump and his eldest children committed fraud. During climate week, Democratic Govs. The GOP has had other bad weeks in the past — and so has the Democratic Party. I left the ranks of the Republican Party because I was worried it had fundamentally lost its way.

☆ Russian exodus shows no signs of easing as Ukraine war looms over recruits
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

New satellite images released Monday appeared to show a large number of vehicles lining up at Russia’s border crossings with neighboring Georgia and Mongolia. On Tuesday, the Russian state news agency Tass quoted Russian border officials as saying that around 3,600 passenger cars were waiting to cross into Georgia. Kazak border authorities said 98,000 Russian citizens have entered Kazakhstan since the mobilization was announced, according to Russia’s state news agency Ria. NBC News reached out to border officials in both Kazakhstan and Finland for further comment. On Monday, Russian media reported cases of some men being turned back at Russian airports and barred from leaving the country.

☆ Investors shouldn't wait for the Fed to rescue the market this time
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"There may well be someplace where the Fed says they've turned the screws too hard. But, it's going to have to be something more exogenous," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth Management. "If in fact there is a Fed put, it's certainly got a strike price that's much lower than where we are now." The Fed has had only limited success in slowing price increases, and a resilient labor market is pointing to continued inflation pressures. The result has been a Fed tightening policy more aggressively than it has done in at least 30 years, posing threats to economic and financial stability.

☆ Russia's Medvedev raises spectre of nuclear strike on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Maxim ShemetovSept 27 (Reuters) - One of President Vladimir Putin's allies on Tuesday explicitly raised the spectre of a nuclear strike on Ukraine, saying that the U.S.-led military alliance would still stay out of the conflict for fear of a nuclear apocalypse. According to Russia's nuclear doctrine, the president may use nuclear weapons if the state faces an existential threat, including from conventional weapons. Around 90% of the world's nuclear warheads are held by Russia and the United States, who remain by far the world's biggest nuclear powers. Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary," Medvedev said, adding that it would do so "in predetermined cases" and in strict compliance with state policy. Medvedev, who cast himself as a liberalising president from 2008-2012, has regularly issued hawkish statements about the war in Ukraine.

☆ Ex-CIA officer says Putin is 'completely cornered' and the chances of his using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine are increasing 'by the day'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Robert Baer told CNN the Russian leader was unlikely to deescalate, given all his setbacks. Baer also said the chances that Putin might turn to tactical nuclear weapons were increasing. "The chances of his using nuclear weapons — at least tactical nuclear weapons — is going up by the day," Baer added, referring to smaller nuclear weapons meant for use on the battlefield. Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, equipped with both tactical nuclear weapons as well as strategic nuclear weapons, which would be used against cities. "Russians that I keep in touch within Russia are convinced he's going to go nuclear," Baer told CNN.

☆ Ex-CIA officer says Putin is 'completely cornered' and the chances of him using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine are increasing 'by the day'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Baer also said the chances that Putin turns to tactical nuclear weapons are increasing. "The chances of his using nuclear weapons — at least tactical nuclear weapons — is going up by the day," Baer added. He is completely cornered, and like a shark, he's got to move forward," Baer told CNN "He continues to bomb Ukrainian cities. Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, equipped with strategic nuclear weapons — which can be used on cities — and tactical nuclear weapons — which can be used on the battlefield. "Russians that I keep in touch with in Russia are convinced he's going to go nuclear," Baer told CNN.

☆ Russia's former president said nuclear threats are not a bluff, and that NATO won't step in if Russia nukes Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top Russian official repeated Russia's nuclear threats, saying it "isn't a bluff." Dmitry Medvedev said NATO countries wouldn't step in if Russia fired a nuke on Ukraine. Russia will also "do anything" to prevent the nuclear weapons emerging in the country's "hostile neighbors" such as Ukraine, Medvedev said. Reminding the world about Russia's nuclear arsenal is nothing new among Putin and his allies. After Putin's latest statement, the White House warned Russia would face "catastrophic consequences" if it used tactical nuclear weapons.

The United States has warned Russia there will be "catastrophic" consequences if Moscow uses nuclear weapons after setbacks in its war in Ukraine. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC News' "Meet the Press" Sunday that the consequences "would be catastrophic if Russia went down the dark road of nuclear weapons use." Putin has made a string of nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West as a whole since he launched his invasion just over seven months ago. Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world with almost 6,000 nuclear warheads and 1,500 of them currently deployed, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent think tank that tracks global stockpiles. It has also triggered an exodus of Russians attempting to flee the draft, clogging border crossings and snapping up available flights.

☆ Putin expected to proclaim annexation of Ukraine territory within days
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Russian-backed authorities claim to have carried out the referendums over five days on territory that makes up around 15% of Ukraine. "This farce in the occupied territories cannot even be called an imitation of a referendum," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in video address overnight. Russian officials have said any attack on annexed territory would be an attack on Russia itself. Russia's planned annexation of Ukrainian territory has been rejected globally, with even traditional allies of Moscow such as Serbia and Kazakhstan saying they will not recognise it. For now, Russian officials at the checkpoint were letting some people leave.

☆ Zelenskyy says he doesn't think Putin is 'bluffing' over nuclear threats
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskyy says that he does not think Vladimir Putin is "bluffing" about his nuclear threats. Last week, Putin threatened the use of nuclear weapons as he announced plans to beef up Moscow's forces in his fight with Ukraine. Last week, Putin announced plans to partially mobilize hundreds of thousands of reservists to beef up Moscow's forces in the Russian president's fight with Ukraine. He threatened the use of nuclear weapons as he said in a televised address to the nation that mobilization would begin immediately. He also falsely said that officials in NATO countries had spoken "about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia — nuclear weapons."

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy doesn't think Putin is bluffing over nuclear arms
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoKYIV, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he doesn't think Vladimir Putin is bluffing when he says Moscow would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"I don't think he's bluffing," Zelenskiy added. The Ukrainian president said Russian strikes on or near two Ukrainian nuclear plants could be considered "contemporary use of nuclear weapons or nuclear blackmail." Kyiv accuses Moscow of repeatedly shelling the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant during the war in Ukraine, and more recently conducting a missile strike near the Pivdennoukrainska nuclear plant. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Max Hunder, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US says it told the Kremlin that Russia will face 'catastrophic consequences' if it uses tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US told Russia it will face "catastrophic consequences" if it uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Russia maintains the world's largest nuclear arsenal, which consists of strategic nuclear weapons for use against targets like bases and cities and tactical nuclear weapons for battlefield use. With an operational nuclear triad, Russia has the ability to conduct nuclear strikes from land, air, and sea. Sullivan's remarks come after Putin delivered a rare televised address last week announcing partial military mobilization of the country's reservists and threatening to use nuclear weapons. Gen. Kevin Ryan, a former defense attaché to Russia, told Insider in mid-September he's now "even more concerned" about nuclear-weapon use by Putin.

☆ U.S. warns Putin of 'catastrophic' consequences over nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The United States would respond decisively to any Russian use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine and has spelled out to Moscow the "catastrophic consequences" it would face, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday. read more"If Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia. The United States will respond decisively," Sullivan told NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "This is not a bluff," Putin said in the remarks viewed on the world stage as a threat on the potential use of nuclear weapons. Sullivan said on Sunday: "Putin remains intent ... on wiping out the Ukraine people that he does not believe have a right to exist.

☆ An original Frank Lloyd Wright house in Wisconsin just hit the market for the first time in history and is now on sale for $725,000
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Wisconsin home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright just hit the market for the first time in its history. The Usonian-style residence, designed in 1954, is listed for $725,000. Wright built hundreds of homes in his lifetime and has been called the greatest American architect of all time. The house at 1425 Valley View Drive in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, made its market debut last week, listing for $725,000. Wright designed more than 1,100 architectural works in his lifetime, of which more than 500 were built, according to his foundation's website.

☆ Take Five: Intervention watch is here
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Election results from Italy, euro area inflation numbers and U.S. and Chinese data also give investors plenty to chew over. Japan's authorities finally had enough of a weak yen and intervened to stem a sharp decline against the dollar. Investors have already ramped up expectations for another 75 bps, ECB rate hike in October, so the data shouldn't change the near-term rate outlook. How a new government navigates an energy crunch that is pushing highly-indebted Italy into recession will also be under scrutiny.

☆ Putin's 'incredibly dangerous' nuclear threats raise the risk of an unprecedented disaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Putin’s threats increase the risk of escalation to a nuclear conflict drastically. Beatrice Fihn, Nobel laureate and executive director of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, urged political leaders to renew efforts to get rid of all nuclear weapons by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Beatrice Fihn, Nobel laureate and executive director of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, told CNBC that Putin's "incredibly dangerous and irresponsible" threats drastically increase the risk of escalation to a nuclear conflict. Fihn called for the international community to "unequivocally condemn any and all nuclear threats" and urged political leaders to renew efforts to get rid of all nuclear weapons by signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 'No going back'Max Hess, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute think tank, described Putin's nuclear threats as a "very significant announcement."

☆ Russian state-media stars pushing Putin's official war narrative have been exempted from fighting in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian state media workers have been exempted from Putin's latest military draft. It means the TV stars pushing a distorted image of the war won't have to face its reality. The decision to exempt state-approved journalists ensures that the media figures pushing a distorted state narrative on the war in Ukraine won't have to face its realities themselves. And some Russian media stars have flourished in an environment that rewards blatant propaganda — often going further than the Kremlin itself. Russia-1 host Olga Skabeyeva has played a key role in the Kremlin's propaganda strategy amid the war in Ukraine.

☆ Former NATO commander says he's not losing 'a lot of sleep' over Putin's nuclear threats as the Russian leader ups the ante in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A former NATO commander said he's not losing "a lot of sleep" over Putin's nuclear threats. "I don't see Putin deciding to use a nuclear weapon," Stavridis said. The US has for months privately warned Russia there would be serious consequences if it employs a nuclear weapon, according to a Washington Post report. But Stavridis said he's not losing "a lot of sleep" over Putin's nuclear rhetoric. And in reference to Putin's nuclear threat, Daalder asserted that "anyone who finds it necessary to say that he's not bluffing most likely is."

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s renewed nuclear threats has raised fears that his plans for escalation in Ukraine may not be limited to mobilizing more troops. Desperate for a victory, the Russian leader allied his nuclear threats and call-up of reservists to a plan to annex occupied territory in Ukraine’s east and south. “Creating more ‘Russian’ territory is an attempt to scare the West because Russian nuclear doctrine has always maintained that nuclear weapons would only be used in defense of Russia directly. In fact, when Ukraine launched attacks on annexed Crimea this summer, a territory Moscow considers Russian, Putin did not reach for the nuclear button, O’Brien noted. And that victory, Putin hopes, could come through eroding Ukraine’s international support,” Giles said.

☆ Putin's nuclear threats indicate the president is increasingly aware of how limited his military options are in Ukraine, Russia expert speculates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vladimir Putin on Wednesday escalated his war in Ukraine with a direct threat of nuclear warfare. Putin is increasingly "aware of how limited his actual military options are," one expert said. During his televised speech, the president also baselessly accused the West of threatening to use nuclear weapons and responded with an acknowledgment of Russia's own nuclear arsenal. "It is clear that he is growing more and more aware of how limited his actual military options are in this war." A Russian nuclear missile rolls along Red Square during the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of Nazi defeat, on June 24, 2020 in Moscow, Russia.

☆ In Ukraine-Russia war, Putin nuclear threat can't rattle Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis | Daniel L. Davis Is A Senior Fellow For Defense Priorities | A Former Lieutenant Colonel In The Army Who Was Deployed Into Combat Zones Four Times. He Is The Author Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Events unfolding in the Russia-Ukraine war this week represent the most dramatic escalation since the initial invasion in February. But however much we may not like the war, at this point it represents no threat to American national security. If Putin feels too threatened, he could genuinely consider resorting to tactical nuclear weapons. That makes it all the more important for Biden to stay resolved to keep the U.S. footprint in the war small. American national security is not presently at risk from the war between Kyiv and Moscow, and Biden must keep it that way.

☆ Fact Check-Clip of St. Petersburg protest dates to at least March 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip of a protest in St. Petersburg, Russia, was not filmed in September 2022, despite being shared by netizens in the hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a partial mobilization to support Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. Instead, the clip dates to at least March 2022, weeks after Russia initially sent troops into the country. The clip shows throngs of people marching in front of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg. It was shared on Twitter on Sept. 21, 2022, with a caption that reads: “Massive protest by Russians in St Petersburg against the war in Ukraine. The clip of a protest in front of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg was not filmed in September 2022, and instead dates to at least March 2022.

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