Big Oil Looking into New Drilling Sites to Escape Iran Turmoil

Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Other Energy Companies are Speeding-Uup their Searches for New Oil and Gas Prospects. far away from the Perils of the Middle East War.

Exxon recently outlined a potential plan to pump up to $24 billion into Nigeria’s deep-water oil fields, while Chevron expanded its footprint in Venezuela. BP bought stakes in oil blocks off the coast of Namibia, and TotalEnergies signed an exploration deal with Turkey. Major oil companies could together create $120 billion in value from their exploration ventures in coming years, the energy research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie estimated Thursday.

Iran’s attacks on energy infrastructure and a shipping bottleneck in the Persian Gulf region have sparked a global scramble for oil and lopped off billions of dollars in revenue for some Western oil companies. But the surge in energy prices is providing the oil industry with a windfall of cash that is expected to help it venture into territories previously out of reach or abandoned years ago. The influx comes after many drillers cut spending on exploration to return more cash to shareholders.

“Never underestimate the romance of upstream people looking at opportunities. They say, Boy, wouldn’t it be great if we could do this or that.” said Edward Chow, a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic & International Studies and a former Chevron executive. “Now, you’ve got the cash to do it.” During a call Thursday with executives from Exxon, Chevron and other oil companies, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urged them to keep bolstering oil output to counter surging prices ahead of a looming supply shortfall.

U.S. oil futures are trading near $88 a barrel, above the mid-$60 range where they were hovering before the war. Prices plunged Friday after Trump and Iranian officials said the Strait of Hormuz had reopened. Iran later said the strait was closed again. The oil companies want to maximize their production to take advantage of the higher prices—but within the confines of their current budgets and without taking on the added costs of making major investments, people familiar with the matter said.

Combined, major oil companies spent an average of $19 billion on global exploration each year from 2021 to 2025, according to Wood Mackenzie. Energy executives are also focused on a longer-term mission: finding enough oil and gas to fuel their profits into the 2030s, some of the people said. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil-and-gas chokepoint between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, has trapped 20% of the world’s daily diet of oil and liquefied natural gas.

Some Western oil companies with operations in the Middle East have taken significant hits. Exxon has said the war curtailed its global oil-and-gas production by 6% in the first quarter. The company is poised to lose about $5 billion in revenue a year after suffering damage at natural-gas facilities in Qatar. Its partner QatarEnergy has estimated that repairs could take up to five years.

For now, the oil-and-gas sector is expected to turn its attention away from the Persian Gulf. A few days before the war began, Chevron said it was entering exclusive talks with Iraq’s Basra Oil for a stake in one of the world’s largest onshore oil fields, West Qurna 2. But analysts said it is doubtful that Western oil companies would sign any major deals in the Middle East until the conflict is fully resolved.

Instead, the economic fallout from the war is driving the companies to diversify their portfolios—and spread out the risk of disruption across the globe. Energy companies are also trying to boost their reserves. The world’s oil producers need to find enough new resources to add 300 billion barrels to their collective reserves to meet global demand through 2050, according to Wood Mackenzie. Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP and TotalEnergies are looking closely at new drilling prospects in Africa, South America and the eastern Mediterranean that could refill their reserves for the next decade.

This past week, Exxon took a step toward drilling off the coast of Greece. In recent months, it signed preliminary exploration agreements with Iraq, Turkey and Gabon. In Trinidad and Tobago, the company is conducting seismic work to find oil and gas in the country’s deep waters. Exxon’s international spending came in at about $9 billion last year, including its existing developments.

Meanwhile, Chevron has boosted its exploration team, including through last year’s $53 billion acquisition of Hess. It has brought a former TotalEnergies executive, Kevin McLachlan, on board as its vice president of exploration. Chevron has earmarked $7 billion in spending on offshore developments around the world this year.

In Venezuela, where Chevron is the largest foreign investor, the company agreed this past week to an asset-swap deal that would boost its position in regions rich in viscous heavy oil that U.S. refineries favor. The state-run Petróleos de Venezuela sold the company an additional 13% working interest in one of its joint ventures in Venezuela. Another project, in which Chevron has a 30% stake, was granted development rights to a neighboring area.

At an energy conference in Houston last month, Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth said the country’s recent move to change laws that govern fossil-fuel deals is a good first step. “There’s still things that I believe need to happen to encourage investment at the scale that people would like to see,” Wirth said. He added that operators in Venezuela need more durable and predictable dispute resolution, among other concerns.

The White House is pushing for more U.S. oil companies to plow money into Venezuela’s dilapidated oil sector. Most drillers are cautious about investing there after years of mismanagement. Chevron is set to conduct exploration work later this year in Egypt, where it holds 9 million net acres in the Mediterranean Sea, and it recently confirmed substantial oil discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico. Earlier this year, it won four offshore leases near Greece, as well as a block award in oil-rich Libya.

Oil prices are expected to remain elevated over the coming months even if the bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz clears.

“Sustained high oil prices are the best friend of exploration,” said Schreiner Parker, an analyst at Rystad Energy, a research and consulting firm. “In the medium to longer term, there will be a risk premium attached to every barrel coming out of the Persian Gulf that will push people into frontier exploration.”










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Michigan Refuses Trump Demand for 2024 Election Ballots

Michigan Officials on 4/19/2026 Pushed Back on a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Demand for Detroit-Area Ballots and Other Materials related to the 2024 Election, Accusing the Trump Administration of trying to Cast Doubt on the Integrity of U.S. Elections.

The DOJ last week, sent a Letter Demanding Ballots, Ballot Receipts, and Ballot Envelopes to the Clerk in Wayne County, Home to the Heavily Democratic-Leaning City of Detroit, According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D).

Nessel's Office Released the DOJ's Letter, Authored by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon (R), along with a Reply Vowing to Fight the Request. "This request is as absurd as it is baseless,” Nessel said in a Joint Statement with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D). "If this administration wants to bring this circus to our state, my office is prepared to protect the people’s right to vote.”

Trump (R) has long Pushed the False Claim that His 2020 Election Defeat to Biden (D) was the Result of Widespread Voter Fraud. Dhillon's Letter Focuses on 2024's Elections, Arguing they Too need Scrutiny.

The DOJ Confirmed the Letter's Authenticity in Response to a Reuters Request but did Not Provide further Comment.

The 2020 Election remains a Prominent Concern for many Trump Administration Officials.

DOJ Staffers so far, have Reviewed 60 million Voter Records and found they included the Names of 350,000 Dead Persons, said Dhillon, who Leads the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. She did Not provide any Evidence that Votes were Cast for those Names.

In addition, about 25,000 People who Lacked Proof of Citizenship were Referred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) "to dig into that further and see the extent to which people voted," She said.

The DOJ has Suffered Multiple Legal Setbacks in its Pursuit of Election-Related Records, with Judges Ruling against Requests in: California, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon.

A Federal Judge on 4/17/2026 Rejected DOJ's Bid to Force Rhode Island, to Turn Over Non-Public Data on Nearly 750,000 Registered Vvoters, so the Trump Administration could Probe "election integrity" in the Democratic-led State.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

FBI and DOJ Scramble to Fill Depleted Workforce

The FBI and Justice Department (DOJ) are Scrambling to Rebuild a Depleted Workforce, after a Wave of Departures over the Past Year, with Leaders easing Hiring Requirements and Accelerating Recruitment in ways, that some Current and Former Officials see as a Lowering of Long-Accepted Standards.

The FBI has used Social Media Campaigns to Attract Applicants, Offered Abbreviated Training for Candidates from other Federal Agencies, and Relaxed Requirements for Support Staff seeking to become Agents. At the same time, the DOJ has Opened the Door to Hiring Prosecutors out of Law School to Help Fill Vacancies in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the Country. Some Current and Former Agents also Say the FBI is Promoting into Positions of Leadership Employees with Less Experience, than would be Customary for the Jobs.

The Moves Reflect a Broader Effort to Stabilize a Workforce Strained by Retirements and Resignations, Prompted in Part by Concerns over the Trump (R) Administration's Politicization of the Department, along with the Firings of Lawyers, Agents, and other Employees, Deemed Insufficiently Loyal to the Republican President's Agenda. Critics of the Changes say they Amount to a Reduction in Standards for a Law Enforcement Institution that has Long Prided itself on Professional Expertise and is Responsible for Everything from Preventing Terrorist Attacks to Building Complex Public Corruption Prosecutions.

“It’s a sign of, among other things, the difficulty the department is having right now in keeping and recruiting people,” said Greg Brower (R), a Former U.S. Attorney in Nevada who Left the FBI in 2018, as its Chief Congressional Liaison. The FBI Defended the Changes as a Necessary Modernization of its Hiring Pipeline, saying it is Streamlining, not Lowering, Standards and Rremoving what it says were “Bureaucratic” Steps in the Application Process. It said Applicants were still Evaluated “on the same competencies.”

The FBI has long been seen as the Nation's Premier Federal Law Enforcement Agency, with a Recruitment Process Anchored around Physical Fitness Tests, a Writing Assessment, Interview, and Training Academy at Quantico, Virginia. Elements of the Regimen have been Periodically Tweaked to Fit the Bureau's Needs, including over the Past Year under the Leadership of FBI Director Kash Patel (R).

With a Mantra to “let good cops be cops,” Patel announced Last Fall that Transfers from other Agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration would be able to Complete a Nine-Week Training Academy instead of the Traditional Academy that spans more than Four Months. The Change Rrankled some Current and Former Officials who Say the FBI's Protocols, Professional Culture and Diversity of Cases it Handles Help to Distinguish it from other Agencies.

For Support staff employees looking to become agents, the bureau more recently said it would waive requirements of a written assessment and an interview with a three-member panel of FBI agents meant to measure life experience and judgment, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the moves and an internal written message seen by the AP. The FBI said onboard employees would still need recommendations from a senior leader and to complete Quantico training.

“We are not lowering standards or removing qualifications in any way. What we are doing is streamlining the process to remove duplicative, bureaucratic steps to the application system for onboard employees,” the FBI said in a statement, adding, "These are changes based on a wide variety of feedback from successful agents with over 20 years’ experience.”

Patel boasted in January of a 112% increase in applications, and the FBI says it has a “clear path” to add around 700 special agents this year and that its current Quantico class is one of its largest in years. But some people familiar with the matter say an applications uptick does not necessarily correspond to a surge in high-caliber recruits that can offset the attrition the bureau has endured.

At the other end of the employment spectrum, the FBI also faces turnover among senior leaders, including special agents in charge, the title given to leaders of most of the bureau's 56 field offices. Some were fired by Patel over the past year and others retired. Many offices are now led by someone who has been in the job for under a year.

Facing what current and former officials say is difficulty in filling some of the positions, the FBI has moved quickly to promote agents up the ladder, people familiar with the matter say. That includes elevating assistant special agents in charge to special agents in charge and opening the door for employees to be considered for leadership roles without the significant headquarters experience the FBI historically regarded as necessary for a holistic view of bureau operations.

As a conservative podcast host before becoming director, Patel talked about shutting down FBI headquarters and transforming it into a museum of the “deep state” and immediately upon his arrival told colleagues that as director he would move hundreds of employees from Washington into the field.

“As a field agent, you have a field agent’s mentality, you have a field agent's view,” said Chris Piehota, a retired FBI senior executive. Without adequate headquarters experience, he added, you don't know “the business side of the FBI, the logistical side of the FBI or the political jungle" that can accompany the job. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has lowered hiring prerequisites for some federal prosecutors.

Department officials recently suspended a policy that U.S. attorneys offices only hire prosecutors with at least one year of experience practicing law. The department did not explain the reason, but said in a statement that it is “proud to empower young and passionate prosecutors and offer attorneys at every level the opportunity to invest their talents into keeping their communities safe."

It comes as parts of the agency are struggling to keep up with the workload amid critical staffing shortages, with the department recently acknowledging that it has lost nearly 1,000 assistant U.S. attorneys. In Minnesota, for example, the federal prosecutors’ office has been gutted by resignations amid frustration with the administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement and the department’s response to fatal shootings of civilians by federal agents. Justice Department headquarters in Washington has endured staffing losses, too.

The number of lawyers in the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, which prosecutes organized crime groups and violent gangs, is down significantly, though the section is looking to hire additional attorneys. A National Security Division section that works espionage cases has reported a 40% drop in prosecutors.

The department said in a statement that it has seen an increase in criminal complaints and indictments despite a loss in prosecutors, underscoring the “bloated, ineffective and weaponized” institution it says the administration inherited.

Officials have enlisted military lawyers to serve as special prosecutors in some offices. The administration has also used social media to recruit applicants. One recent post from the FBI's Indianapolis office said: "A calling bigger than yourself. A mission that matters. If you’re ready for the challenge, there’s a place for you on the FBI team. Chad Mizelle (R), who Served as Chief-of-Staff to Trump's First Attorney General, Pam Bondi (R), recently Urged Lawyers to Contact Him on X if they want to become Prosecutors, “and support President Trump and anti-crime agenda.” Mizelle’s Post raised Eyebrows Not only because Federal Prosecutors have Not Generally been Solicited over Social Media, but also because Support for the President has Not been a Prerequisite for Career Employees.

“We need good prosecutors,” wrote Mizelle, who left the Department in 10/2025. “And DOJ is hiring across the country. Now is your chance to join the mission and do good for our country.”










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Ukraine Lands Diehl Defense Deal for F-16 Missiles

Ukraine Signs a Strategic Contract to Produce IRIS-T Missiles for Air Defense Systems.

Ukraine and the German Company Diehl Defense have Agreed on New Deliveries of IRIS-T Systems, and Joint Development of Missiles for F-16 Aircraft. The Parties have Agreed to a Ssharp Increase in Supplies and the Launch of Joint Projects in the Field of Aviation Weapons, according to Information from Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

IRIS-T SLM and IRIS-T SLS systems have already become the Ffoundation of Ukraine's Multi-Layered Air Defense. Diehl Defense CEO Helmut Rauch Officially Confirmed these Plans. The Focus is on Concrete Solutions that will Allow for Faster Receipt of Scarce Missiles to Intercept Enemy Targets.

"We focused on increasing and accelerating the delivery of missiles for IRIS-T systems. These systems have already proven effective in combat and are a key component of a layered air defense architecture," Emphasized Mykhailo Fedorov.

In Addition, Ukraine and German Arms Manufacturers discussed developing Missile Projects specifically for F-16 Fighter Jets. This could be a Technological Breakthrough for the Ukrainian Air Force:

・Development of New Air-to-Air Missiles.
・Implementation of Technologies to Counter Ballistic missiles.
・Supply of Long-Range Ammunition Funded by the European Union.
・Improvement of Radar Systems.

A Separate Item in the Agreement is the Possibility of Testing the Latest Defense Solutions Directly in Ukraine. The Combat Experience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will help German Engineers Refine Equipment in Real Time.

Fedorov Emphasized that this Co-Operation is Systematic. It Not only Addresses the Current Needs of the Front but also Ccreates a Foundation for the Future Security of the Entire Continent.

"I am grateful to Diehl Defense for its support and readiness to expand cooperation. This is systematic work that strengthens the protection of Ukraine’s skies and enhances security across Europe," the Mminister said.

Ukraine is currently Moving toward Developing its Own Air Defense Systems of All Standards, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Him, this Includes All Necessary Air Ddefense Systems, Missiles, and Related Equipment. Special Attention is being Paid to Countering Ballistic Threats.

It has also become known that an Enemy Shahed Drone was Shot Down for the First Time by a Private Air Ddefense System. This Happened in the Sky Over the Kharkiv Region, Mykhailo Fedorov said.

Meanwhile, U.S Arsenals are being Depleted, and Washington is Delaying Weapons Deliveries to Europe. This means Ukrainian Air Defense Systems will also Face a Shortage of Ammunition.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Appeals Court Allows Trump Ballroom Construction to Resume

Construction of a Ballroom and Presidential Bunker at the White House will Continue for Now, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Granted an Administrative Stay of an Order earlier this week, that Blocked Most Above-Ground Construction.

The Next Hearing in the Case is set for 6/5/2026, according to the Court's Briefing Schedule, so Construction will likely continue through at least then.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon Temporarily Blocked Construction of the Ballroom in March. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia then Ordered Him to Reconsider the National Security Implications of Halting the Work. Leon Clarified that Work on an Underground Presidential Bunker could Continue, but said Most Above-Ground Construction must Stop.

The Justice Department Filed an Appeal in Leon's Ruling on 4/16/2026, Arguing Leon's ruling "would imperil the President and national security and indefinitely leave a large hole beside the Executive Residence."

Trump (R) Blasted Leon's Decision on TruthSocial, calling him a "highly political Judge" making an "illegal overreach."

"The Ballroom is deeply important to our National Security, and no Judge can be allowed to stop this Historic and Militarily Imperative Project," Trump wrote. In another Post, Trump said "the underground doesn't work, isn't necessary, and would indeed be useless, without the above ground sections."

Trump announced Plans for a Privately Funded White House Ballroom Last Summer and Unexpectedly Demolished the East Wing in 10/2025. The National Trust for Historical Preservation Sued to Block Construction of a New East Wing, late 2025.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Judge Sides with AZ in Ruling for Midterms Voting

The Top Election Official in Arizona's most Populous County will get more Authority in Running Elections after a Judge Sided with His Office in a Prolonged Legal Fight with the Local Board that Shares Responsibility for Overseeing the Vote.

The Decision could have Broad Implications in One of the Nation’s most Prominent Battleground States, which will have several High-Profile Races this Fall. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has been Roiled by Election Conspiracy Theorists ever since Trump (R) Lost the State to Joe Biden (D) during His Bid for Re-Election in 2020.

Justin Heap (R), the Recorder in Maricopa County, Sued the Predominantly Republican County Board of Supervisors Last Summer, Alleging it had Illegally taken Control of Certain Aspects of Election Administration. Heap Claimed the Board Transferred Funding, IT Staff, and some Key Functions, including Management of Ballot Drop Boxes and Establishing Early Voting Sites, away from His Office through an Agreement Negotiated with His Predecessor, whom He had recently Defeated in a GOP Primary.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney mostly Sided with Heap's Office in His Ruling, which was Filed 4/6/2026. but Appeared on the Public Docket 4/17/2026. The Board of Supervisors “acted unlawfully and exceeded its statutory authority by seizing therRecorder's personnel, systems and equipment and refusing to return them” to the Recorder, He wrote.

Blaney also Ruled that the Recorder's Office is Responsible for Overseeing In-Person Early Voting, among other Duties, while the Board is Responsible for other Operations, such as Selecting Election Day Voting Locations, Supplying Polling Locations and Hiring Poll Workers.

“The Board's assertion of plenary authority over election administration through its general supervisory powers is inconsistent with Arizona law,” the judge Wrote.

Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee said the board will consider an appeal.

“I disagree with other portions of the ruling, and I will explore all options with the Board of Supervisors, including an expeditious appeal,” McGee, a Republican, said in a statement. "From day one, the Board of Supervisors has provided Recorder Heap the resources and staffing needed to fulfill his statutory duties. We will continue to do so because voters always come first.”

In a Statement, Heap praised the Ruling as a “clear and decisive victory for the rule of law and for the voters of Maricopa County.”

“The court confirmed that the Board cannot override state law, use funding as leverage, or take control of election duties assigned to the Recorder,” Heap said. "This ruling restores both the authority and the resources necessary for my office to do its job.”

Heap, a former Republican State Lawmaker, was Elected in 2024 after Unseating Incumbent Stephen Richer in the GOP Primary and Defeating a Democratic Candidate in the General Election. In the Past, Heap has Stopped Short of Repeating False Claims that the 2020 and 2022 Elections were Stolen, but has said Voters don’t Trust theSstate’s Voting System and that it’s Poorly Run.

False Claims of Fraud since the 2020 Presidential Election led to Threats of Violence against Richer and Others in the Maricopa County Elections Office. Richer Blamed Heap for Contributing to an Aatmosphere of Distrust and Vitriol Directed toward the Office.

“He catered to the really ugly stuff that the people in that office had to live through,” Richer said of Heap, in an interview 3/2026. “And he allied with people who were very much in the eye of the storm in terms of creating it.”

Once Hhe took Office, Heap Terminated a Previous Agreement that was Reached between Richer and the Board that had Revised How Election Operations were Divided between the Two Offices. Heap Filed His Lawsuit with the Backing of America First Legal, a Conservative Public Interest Group Founded by Stephen Miller (R), now a Deputy Chief-of-Staff in the White House.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

US Received Applications for Air traffic Control Roles

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received 6,000 Applications for Air Traffic Control Roles in the last 12 hours, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy (R) said on 4/17/2026.

The FAA Opened Applications for Air Traffic Controller Positions Overnight, Duffy said at the World Economy Gathering in Washington.

The U.S. Air Traffic Control System in the U.S. is Stretched Thin. Many Controllers are Working Mandatory Overtime, and Six-Day Weeks, and the FAA's Air Traffic Control Training Academy ⁠Faces Serious Issues with Retaining Students.

The Workload for Air Traffic Controllers is also Growing. Between 2015 and 2024, Total Flights using the Air Traffic Control System Increased by about 10% to 30.8 million, According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Government's Auditor.

The Trump (R) Administration is especially Focused on Recruiting Video Gamers for Air Traffic Control Positions, Duffy said.

He said His Team Surveyed a Group of Current Controllers and Learned that most of them Play Video Games, Prompting the Department to Recruit from that "Community," He said.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker