U.S. To Begin 86-Million-Barrel SPR Dump Next Week Via Exchange Program

 The speed of the energy shock rippling out from the U.S.-Iran conflict in the Middle East and the near-paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz forced the 32-member IEA last week to approve a 400-million-barrel release from Strategic Petroleum Reserves to help cushion the blow to the global economy. The bulk of that supply will come from the U.S., with the Trump administration preparing a request to exchange 86 million barrels of crude oil as soon as next Wednesday.

The planned U.S. SPR release of 86 million barrels of crude, part of a broader 172 million-barrel U.S. release and part of the IEA's "historic" 400-million-barrel emergency release action plan across 32 nations to shield economies from the worst energy shock ever to hit the world, has been altered by the end of the week.

Under an exchange program, the Department of Energy will allow companies to borrow crude now and return it later with additional barrels as a premium.

Bloomberg Opinion and commodities columnist Javier Blas added more color on the altered SPR plan by the DoE on X, saying:

The U.S. government seems to have changed its mind about the terms of the use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve:

Earlier this week, it announced a SPR release (an outright sale, and the method used in the emergency actions of 1991, 2005, 2011, and 2022). But now, the DOE has published details for something different: a SPR exchange (effectively, an oil loan, with the barrels returned later with interest).

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright released a statement saying this SPR release will begin next week and "take approximately 120 days to deliver based on planned discharge rates."

"President Trump promised to protect America's energy security by managing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve responsibly, and this action demonstrates his commitment to that promise," Wright said.

He continued, "Unlike the previous administration, which left America's oil reserves drained and damaged, the United States has arranged to more than replace these strategic reserves with approximately 200 million barrels within the next year, 20% more barrels than will be drawn down, and at no cost to the taxpayer."

The current U.S. SPR holds about 415 million barrels, up from roughly 395 million barrels one year ago.

As JPMorgan noted last week, no matter how large the SPR release is, it would not be able to offset the biggest issue facing global energy markets: the sudden elimination of 16 million barrels currently stuck in the Gulf due to the Strait of Hormuz blockade. That's because it's not a stockpile problem, but rather a flow problem.

Beyond the incoming SPR dump, the Trump administration has taken several steps to combat triple-digit Brent and WTI prices by waiving a century-old law that requires U.S. ships to transport goods between U.S. ports, allowing domestic supplies to be shifted around more quickly. The administration then allowed Russian seaborne crude already at sea to be sold.

... and now, with a major U.S. attack on Iran's Kharg Island in the overnight hours, this will only raise more fears of tightening global supplies.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/us-begin-86-million-barrel-spr-dump-next-week-exchange-program

Regenxbio, Solid report data with Duchenne gene therapies

 This week saw both Regenxbio and Solid Bio report new data with their gene therapy candidates for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), vying to join Sarepta's Elevidys on the market.

Regenxbio gave an update on the phase 2/3 AFFINITY DUCHENNE trial of its RGX-202, reporting interim results that showed it was well tolerated, achieved robust expression of microdystrophin to replace the mutated dystrophin protein in DMD, and led to early functional improvements in ambulatory DMD patients aged one and over.

The data, from seven subjects in the study treated with the target dose of RGX-202, showed that their motor function 12 months later – measured using the North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) scale and timed function tests – was improved compared to matched external natural history comparisons and predictive modelling.

The results also showed that patients demonstrated cardiac stability at one year post-treatment as measured by MRI endpoints, an important finding as DMD causes progressive cardiac muscle degeneration (cardiomyopathy).

The company is now expecting to report pivotal data from the study in the second quarter of this year, and said it will ask for a meeting with the FDA to look at possible pathways toward filing RGX-202 for accelerated approval while it runs an ongoing confirmatory study.

Solid Bio, meanwhile, reported this week that its SGT-003 candidate had also achieved strong expression of microdystrophin, along with improvements in muscle integrity, including stabilisation and improvement in cardiac function in its phase 1/2 INSPIRE DUCHENNE trial.

For now, the investigators remain blinded to the motor function data in the study, which has now enrolled 40 subjects. Solid Bio said it is hoping to schedule meetings with the FDA in the first half of this year to seek guidance on accelerated approval, and indicated that it already has an agreement with the agency on the design of a phase 3 trial that will be called IMPACT DUCHENNE and is due to start dosing patients before the end of this month.

Both companies are hoping to provide an alternative one-shot treatment to Elevidys, which was launched in 2023, but ran into trouble last year after three fatalities were reported in non-ambulatory DMD recipients, leading to a pause in distribution.

The fatalities, linked to liver toxicity, eventually resulted in Elevidys' label being restricted to ambulatory patients only, but did not stop the product knocking on the door of blockbuster status last year, with sales of $899 million.

Regenxbio and Solid Bio have both pointed to the safety profile of their gene therapies, saying there was no evidence of liver injury in their trial updates. The two studies were presented at the 2026 Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) annual meeting earlier this week.

https://pharmaphorum.com/news/regenxbio-solid-report-data-duchenne-gene-therapies

Trump: Many countries to deploy war ships to keep Hormuz open

 US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that a multinational naval coalition will deploy warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

"Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe," he wrote in a Truth Social post.

He added that "hopefully" China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others "that are affected by this artificial constraint," will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait would no longer be a "threat."

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Trump:-Many-countries-to-deploy-war-ships-to-keep-Hormuz-open/65873539

Jordan downed 79 Iranian drones, missiles last week

 Jordan's military claimed on Saturday that Iran launched 85 missiles and drones at the country over the last week, with air defense systems intercepting 79 of them and the remaining projectiles landing inside Jordanian territory.

The army reported that five drones and one missile landed within the country, while civil defense workers and police responded to 93 reports of falling debris during the attacks.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Jordan-downed-79-Iranian-drones-missiles-last-week/65873513

Iran: Oil exports from Kharg uninterrupted

 Deputy governor of Bushehr province, Ehsan Jahaniyan, told Iranian news agencies on Saturday that exports from Kharg Island remained uninterrupted and that oil companies' activities on the site were still underway after the US struck military installations on the island.

"Export and import operations, as well as the activities of companies based on the island, are currently ongoing," IRNA and Tasnim news agencies quoted Jahaniyan as saying. Jahaniyan also added that the bombing left no casualties.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran:-Oil-exports-from-Kharg-uninterrupted/65873531

Trump: Planes at S. Arabia base not 'struck or destroyed'

 US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to slam "an intentionally misleading headline by the Fake News Media" about the five tanker planes that were supposedly struck down at an Airport in Saudi Arabia.

"In actuality, the Base was hit a few days ago, but the planes were not 'struck' or 'destroyed.' Four of the five had virtually no damage, and are already back in service. One had slightly more damage, but will be in the air shortly. None were destroyed, or close to that, as the Fake News said in headlines," he wrote.

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two US officials, that five US Air Force refuelling planes had been hit and damaged on the ground at Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan air base following an Iranian missile strike in recent days.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Trump:-Planes-at-S.-Arabia-base-not-'struck-or-destroyed'/65873526

London Buses Must Now Be Equipped With Stab-Kits

 by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Calls for “bleed kits” to be rolled out across London’s bus network have gained traction, with the London Assembly unanimously backing a motion to install them in major bus stations and trial them on high-risk routes.

These kits, designed to stem severe bleeding from deep wounds, are pitched as a lifesaver in emergencies—yet their sudden necessity speaks volumes about the city’s descent into chaos under unchecked policies.

The push comes from the London Youth Assembly, highlighting how young people feel increasingly unsafe on public transport.

As Hugo Maxwell, chair of the London Youth Assembly, put it: “These kits are already in lots of Underground stations but buses are the mode of transport most used by young people and therefore it’s essential that we start the rollout there.”

Labour’s transport spokesperson Elly Baker added: “I’ve heard too often from young people that they don’t always feel as safe as they should do travelling… Passing this motion will show that we are listening to young people and backing the investigation of a potentially valuable method of saving lives.”

BBC reports frame this as a proactive safety measure, but online reactions cut through the evasion.

One X user quipped: “The English will be wearing mail armor again. Return to feudal times.”

Another noted: “Their police are too busy arresting people for memes.”

A commenter added: “Self Defense should be available to everyone.”

And one simply stated: “Ready for my commute to work in London,” alongside an image of protective gear.

This rollout underscores a low-trust society where stabbings are dismissed as background noise, a grim reality fueled by open borders and soft-on-crime approaches.

Instead of tackling the root of this horrific reality, it is just being accepted that commuters are somewhat likely to be attacked and killed, as if it’s an accepted part of everyday life in London.

Practically every week we see barbaric attacks, such as this recent one by an Afghan illegal migrant who butchered innocent dog walker Wayne Broadhurst in broad daylight.

Whenever this happens, police urge against sharing the footage, claiming they are attempting to curb “misinformation.”

People are in fear for their lives every day.

iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://modernity.news/2025/10/29/watch-petrified-woman-details-brutal-…" width="600" height="400" title="“Watch: “Petrified” Woman Details Brutal Reality Of Lawless, Borderless Britain” — modernity" data-secret="dQfpdhgsnz" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content">

Ironically, when a London bus driver recently stood up to a criminal, he was fired from his job. 

What kind of hell are we now living in where buses are doubling as trauma centers?

Paging Ricky Gervais…

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/london-buses-must-now-be-equipped-stab-kits