ICYMI, IT’S MY THURSDAY ESSAY FOR VIP SUBSCRIBERS: Kinetic Sanctions, Shadow Fleets, and the Long, Slow Bleeding of Russia.

The war on Russian oil just went global, and the question now might not be whether President Donald Trump’s new sanctions will work, but whether they’ll work fast enough to matter.

Since we first discussed Ukraine’s war on Russian energy production back in August with what some call “kinetic sanctions” on refineries, depots, and export facilities, Trump launched a new and serious round of traditional sanctions on Russia’s ability to sell crude oil and refined products.

How’s it going? As your neighbors with marital troubles say on Facebook, “It’s complicated.”

Much more at the link.

ALEX BERENSON: Why do so many Americans feel so financially stressed when the overall economy is strong?

AT AMAZON, Shop Holiday Deals. #CommissionEarned

IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: Congressional Perks: Congress spends on pricey airfare, lodging and private jets.

Members of Congress regularly commute between Washington, D.C., and their home districts with taxpayers paying the tab, but some choose to spend more than others – a few even charter private jets, an investigation by The Center Square found.

When it came to charter – or private airplane – travel, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., was the top spender with nearly $63,000 paid for charter flights since 2019. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., was second, paying $18,295 in the same time period for five flights from Executive Aircraft Leasing, LLC., data from the Members’ Representational Allowance data shows.

When it comes to overall travel expenses, the office of U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, was in the top three of both airfare and lodging for all of Congress since 2019, including some pricey reimbursements to himself – not airline or charter companies – for flights.

David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said there have to be better controls on travel to avoid abuses.

Maybe don’t let them anywhere near DC. Couldn’t hurt.

IF YOU’RE A GAMER, BUY YOUR MINIATURES AND SUCH FROM SOMEONE TO THE RIGHT OF LENIN:   Murphic Industries.

He’s having a store-wide 40% off sale!

I LIKE THE CUT OF HIS JIB:

This is the way. https://t.co/S3YBmkiUbk

— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) November 6, 2025

UNDERREPORTED STORIES: Tracking China in the Americas: When Beijing Controls the Capital’s Power Grid.

I LEARNED TO DO SUBTITLES:  Sing O’ Clanker!

THIS REACTION SEEMS RIGHT. Dems won elections in states Trump lost. GOP could have done better, should have done better, but the legacy media are trying to turn this into some kind of momentum event. What the GOP needs to focus on is what it can do better, which is mostly on-the-ground turnout operations.

I think it's idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states, but a few thoughts:

1) Scot Pressler, TPUSA, and a bunch of others have been working hard to register voters. I said it in 2022, and I've said it repeatedly since: our coalition is "lower propensity" and…

— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 5, 2025

Related: Liberal Analyst Warns Dems: So What? Big Deal. “Does that mean that Democrats discovered the key to the Resistance, as they and their allies in the Protection Racket Media gloated last night? Liberal analyst and pundit Ruy Teixeira threw a gallon of cold water on that notion today at the Free Press. Democrats had already demonstrated an ability to win in low-turnout elections, Teixeira writes, and none of these wins speak to actual momentum in higher-turnout elections — such as midterms, and in purple and red turf.” Yes, winning low-turnout elections in blue states is good for morale, and demoralizing to some Republicans — especially when the press amplifies the Democrats’ spin, as always — but it’s not really much of a flex.

#2 AND FALLING FAST:   NYC only the second-best city in the world, according to latest power ranking.

THAT’S WHY HE ISN’T ‘NEWSWORTHY’ IN OUR LEGACY MEDIA:   Don’t cry for President Milei – he’s doing a grand job.

THAT OUGHT HELP THE TOURIST BIZ:  To see New York under Mamdani, look at London under Khan.

GOLLY! THAT ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS!  Schumer Shutdown Propaganda: Media Coverage Heavily Favored Democrats.

NOTHING SO ENOBLES CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS AS DYING AND ENABLING THE MSM TO COMPARE THEM FAVORABLY TO ACTIVE CONSERVATIVES:  Dick Cheney’s Death Revives an Old Liberal Media Game.

GOOD. LET THE MASKS COME DOWN:  ‘We’re Done Hiding’: Mamdani’s Win Supercharges Islamists’, Marxists’ Confidence.

Note they’re also idiots, since he won barely a majority and you know there was fraud (there are democrats in NYC) and he was running against granny-killer-Cuomo.  But the left doesn’t understand numbers or facts. Don’t let them spin you. This is why they always fail.

THESE ARE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY (FORGET COWS):  Dead Cows Can’t Fart: The Dark Side of Denmark’s Methane Reduction Experiment.

MAMAS, DON’T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE MURDEROUS DUMBASSES:  Alleged yuppie jihadis, 19, from Montclair, NJ, plotted Boston bombing-style attack, planned to join ISIS: feds

WELL, THAT SURE IS CHEERFUL:  “Lesson 5: Always Blame the West First”.

And for the Xploders.

THIS:  The thing you have to remember about this woman and those like her is that she genuinely doesn’t know that anyone disagrees with her basic worldview. She doesn’t even see it as a worldview. It’s just the obvious truth.

And for the X-pelled.

WHAT HE SAID:  Their World’s Turned Upside Down.

NEWS YOU CAN USE BECAUSE THE MSM IS MADE OF LIES AND FAIL:   2023 data: Other causes of death to minors still outpace firearms.

WHEN I SHARED THIS ON FB SOME CRITTER TRIED TO ACT LIKE THERE WERE NO MORE COMMUNISTS:  Throw Another Virgin Into the Volcano!

It’s super cute to pretend there’s a difference between socialism and communism. Some of us lived through the cold war, though.

OPEN THREAD: Make it special.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN: Pan Am Inches Towards Revival 34 Years After Going Out of Business.

SPACE: Rocket Lab launches private Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit.