Friday, August 28, 2026

Iran's Last Card Erased -- US Navy, USAF, And Space Command -- No Boots On The Ground -- August 28, 2026

Locator: 51580IRAN.

We're witnessing a doctrine shift that has not been previously reported. There is really some incredible "stuff" on YouTube. I can guarantee you that the US Navy is .... 

Now, the second part ... Trump wants to establish a new military academy ... the administration is seeing what Space Command is accomplishing and what Elon Musk's SpaceX is accomplishing ... make the point clear by establishing a new academy ....

If one looks at a map of the United States, and the location of the three existing US military academies (two on the "east coast" and one in the Colorado mountains) there are only a couple of logical choices. Houston, TX. Florida. Southern California. But one makes the most sense. Quick! Where did the president sign the executive order -- in Houston. 

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Iran's Last Card Erased

Link here. This guy is good. To the best of my knowledge, I have never subscribed to any YouTube channel; I just subscribed to this channel.



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Removing Every Last Iranian Mine That Was Put Into The Strait
 

The BBC is doing a better job reporting these stories than TNYT.

This "stalemate" could go on "forever," but everything suggests we'll see Iranian capitulation sooner than later. No one knows what that capitulation will look like but this is what Iran is facing:
  • almost total blockade at every level;
  • a new US a/c carrier on its way to the strait;
  • the likely breakup of OPEC and reorientation from the Mideast to the western hemisphere (with regard to oil);the irrelevancy of the strait. 

US To Control Much Of Venezuelan Proven Oil Reserves -- Per President Trump -- August 28, 2026

Locator: 51579VENEZUELA.

Chevron has certainly had a run of good luck the past few years. It appears to continue. Of course the devil is in the details. 

The story starts to emerge:

Backstory

Query

Which American integrated / major E&P oil company is likely to benefit most from this acquisition if it turns out to be accurate?

Reply


Query:

How are U.S. Gulf Coast refineries are structurally optimized to process this specific type of heavy Venezuelan crude? 

Reply:

Query:

How might this impact U.S. gasoline prices at the pump? 

Reply:

So many story lines:

  • heavy oil, Keystone XL, Canada;
  • Mideast, irrelevancy of the strait;
  • history of Ecuador and OPEC; what this means to OPEC;
  • Iran and its OPEC neighbors; and, oh by the way,
  • the size of Venezuela oil reserves; this is not trivial.
  • the irrelevancy of the Strait of Hormuz.  
  • the irrelevancy of Iran. Iran needs headlines.  

If this story is accurate

  • we need to see the details; and, 
  • we will hear any number of stories on Monday. 

What might help validate the amount of this deal?

CVX, ticker:

XOM, ticker:  

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Disclaimer

Briefly

  • I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.
  • I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.
  • I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple.
  • See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 
  • Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.
  • If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 
  • Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken, US economy, and the US market.
  • I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
  • And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution. 
  • I've now added Broadcom to the disclaimer. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom. Now, I've added Amazon. And QCOM.
  • Longer version here.
  • Personal Electricity Usage -- One Bedroom Apartment -- North Texas -- August, 2026

    Locator: 51578ELECTRICITY.

    Tag: personal electricity 

    Our only energy source: electricity; no natural gas.  One bedroom / one den apartment, north Texas, one month. No attempt to conserve energy except we do watch our heat and a/c closely. This is our total utility (electricity) bill. 

    Hottest summer since we've lived here. We moved to the DFW area in 2013 or thereabouts. 

    The company says our average price paid for electricity this month was 19.10 cents / kWh. Last month it was 18.80 cents / kWh.  

    This summer has been very, very hot compared to previous months. I don't know what our "average" is over the past year, but I expect to pay less than $100 / month, so to some extent I was surprised when I opened a similar statement last month but it made sense. A very, very hot summer. We were home the full month; no strict usage "rules."

    Alison's Quick Connects -- August 28, 2026

    Locator: 51577B.

    Quick connects:

    North Dakota's oil production in June was strong, at 34.58 million barrels -- Bismarck Tribune
    North Dakota's natural gas production set a new record in June -- Minot Daily News
    Interior's oil rule changes silence landowners, put land at risk -- North Dakota Monitor
    Industrial Commission approves loans for CO2 capture at coal plant -- North Dakota Monitor
    ND oil patch is responding to strong prices with more drilling rigs, robust completion activity -- The Journal
    North Dakota oil output climbs to 1,153,000 bpd in June, up 28,000 bpd from May -- Energies Media
    Petroleum Council's Ron Ness outlines Bakken efficiency, steady resilience, and energy security -- WDAY
    Work gets under way by Minnesota Power on a North Dakota HVDC upgrade project -- Daily Energy Insider
    EERC aims to unlock more of the Bakken while creating connections between energy and ag -- UND Today
    PSC approves short-term rate increase for MDU while considering larger increase -- North Dakota Monitor
    Data centers in North Dakota have received tens of millions in sales tax breaks -- North Dakota Monitor
    Proposed North Plains Connector continued its local outreach in North Dakota -- Bowman County Pioneer
    Where North Dakota's data centers stand: 26 facilities tracked as footprint grows -- Valley News Live
    How did data center skepticism impact elections in southeastern Wyoming? Opponents lose. -- WyoFile
    Trump to nominate top North Dakota appeals litigator Phil Axt to be federal judge -- North Dakota Monitor
    Federal childcare subsidy for working North Dakota families to expire in September -- North Dakota Monitor
    Sen. Kevin Cramer vows to block future Trump nominees over federal wetlands rule -- North Dakota Monitor
    Second special session expected to cost North Dakota more than $200K. Is it worth it? -- Dickinson Press
    Crashes up but speeding citations down one year after North Dakota speed limit changes -- Dickinson Press
    Hoeven discusses MCOOL, prairie dog control, grassland access with local ranchers -- Dickinson Press
    North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong to lead mental health workshop in Bismarck -- Bismarck Tribune
    Health and Human Services suffers cybersecurity breach; about 1,700 people affected -- Bismarck Tribune
    North Dakotans support term limits and a citizen legislature, but can the state have both? -- Bismarck Tribune
    80% of state exports at risk: North Dakota braces for impact of Canada tariff standoff -- KFYR-TV
    North Dakota makes more money available to livestock producers hit by drought -- North Dakota Monitor
    State Senator Dean Rummel asking for change on property tax payment discounts -- KX News
    Aviation industry generates a nearly $3.6 billion economic impact in North Dakota -- Minot Daily News
    Tioga approves two special education aides; Central Elementary confronts growing needs -- Williston Herald
    Schools spend billions on AI, but struggle to figure out what's worth buying -- North Dakota Monitor
    Ray Public School could be facing an instrument shortage in the coming school year -- The Journal
    Higher ed board rescinds TikTok ban on devices owned by state's public institutions -- North Dakota Monitor
    Education Secretary McMahon visits rural North Dakota school as part of nat'l tour -- North Dakota Monitor
    School year opens with shifting enrollment: Divide holds steady; Ray has largest decrease -- The Journal
    Alexander schools enters fall with distinct sense of stability and excitement -- McKenzie County Farmer
    Arnegard steps back from historic school acquisition; city to reallocate funds -- McKenzie County Farmer
    New innovation engineering degree at Minot State University welcomes its first freshman class -- KFYR-TV
    People of New Town celebrate milestone 75 years of community, progress, and growth -- Minot Daily News
    McKenzie County has changed; should fire response boundaries change with it? -- McKenzie County Farmer
    Where is the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library located? Don't ask Google Maps -- Dickinson Press
    Hoeven discusses MCOOL, prairie dog control, grassland access with local ranchers -- Dickinson Press
    Stanley granted $650,000 in loans from State Revolving Fund for water infrastructure -- Minot Daily News
    Dickinson State University announces academic leadership, organizational changes -- Dickinson Press
    North Dakota's commercial service airport boardings strong but 4% below record high -- Minot Daily News
    North Dakota officials say state's famous wild horses remain shielded from recent BLM practices -- KFYR-TV
    Divide officials invited to forum on data centers; event to discuss facility rules, solicit feedback -- The Journal
    Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce holds annual banquet, honors local businesses -- Dickinson Press
    Recent improvements to Wildrose's park are giving families more opportunities to gather -- Williston Herald
    McKenzie County approves $900,000 for Air-Medical base in Watford City -- McKenzie County Farmer
    McKenzie County Commissioners issue deadline on delinquent dept. budgets -- McKenzie County Farmer
    Twenty different grievance concerns have been filed by several Mercer County residents -- Hazen Star
    Key swing state candidates scrambling to endorse stricter data center policies ahead of midterms -- The Hill
    TotalEnergies will invest in two major oil pipelines designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz -- Oil Price
    Iran unveils huge new gas discovery, of which 73% is recoverable, amid US economic pressure -- Oil Price
    News satire: New data center built to handle the influx of online rants against data centers -- Babylon Bee
    Chinese Foreign Ministry: Latest US sanctions on Iran 'will only further intensify tensions' -- The Hill
    Hormuz vessel traffic remains depressed as Iran and Oman weigh temporary shipping corridor -- Oil Price
    Iran threatened an aggressive response to the latest U.S. sanctions announced early this week -- Oil Price
    Democrats angle to sharpen attack on post-midterm target: Trump's critical minerals deals -- E&E News
    Trump admin EPA moving to make it harder for people to weigh in on data centers -- Salt Lake Tribune
    US in discussions with Venezuela's government to acquire direct ownership stake in key oil fields -- Oil Price
    45 power plants in India running on critically low levels of coal stocks as electricity demand rises -- Oil Price
    Alberta premier has rejected idea of using export taxes on oil as a retaliation against Trump -- Oil Price
    Trump plans to pare down environmental reviews of oil and gas exploration in North Slope -- E&E News
    Science review linked to climate lawfare suits was "sham shrouded in secrecy" AGs allege -- Daily Caller
    Stephen Moore: Net Zero is dead and gone, need for dependable, affordable energy killed it -- Creators
    Despite decades of alarmism, latest polls show voters still aren't buying the climate scare -- Breitbart

    One New Permit; One Permit Canceled; WTI Holds Above $83 -- August 28, 2026

    Locator: 51576B.

    WTI: $83.40.

    Active rigs: 36.

    One new permit, #43267 --

    • Operator: Rockport Energy
    • Field: Ranch Creek (McKenzie)
    • Comments:
      • Rockport Energy has a permit for an Annie 7-6-31 1HR, NENW 18-146-98, 
        • to be sited 335 FNL and 1243 FWL.

    One permit canceled:

    • 26330, Formentera Operations, Frazier oil field, Divide County.