Commonwealth Report: Diesel Pain Drags On

0:00Did you know your brain is roughly 73% water? That's why even mild dehydration can sometimes contribute to things like headaches, dizziness, brain fog, and irritability. Staying properly hydrated with water and electrolytes plays an important role in supporting your memory, focus, and mental alertness. The longer your cells are hydrated, the better your chances to enhance your health and transform your life, which is even more important as we age. Enter native hydrate. Native hydrate is 100% natural with a formula that includes BCAA's and all nine essential amino acids to support muscle recovery, strength, and overall wellness. Plus it helps replenish key electrolytes to support your body's natural energy levels as only five calories per serving and is free of artificial flavor, sugars, and dyes. Every order comes with a 365-day money back guarantee. To try at risk free at nativehydrate.com slash Tom THOM and see what it can do for your hydration and wellness. That's nativehydrate.com slash Tom.

1:01Oil executive is worn diesel pain will last another year as Trump's war drags on. People with Palm America's oil just told the Federal Reserve that your fuel bill isn't coming down anytime soon. The Dallas Fed surveyed 125 energy firms across Texas, Northern Louisiana, and Southern New Mexico between September 16 and 24. And nearly half of those executives, 48% said it'll take more than a year for diesels markup over crude to get back to 2025 levels. For gasoline, 36% said the same. Crude averaged almost $99 a barrel while the survey was out in the industry expects $88 at years end. Most don't see Persian golf exports back to normal before 2027 and 21% said 2028 or later. One executive put it bluntly, diesel is the mother's milk of the economy. Every truck, every tractor, every freight train runs on it. So this shows up at the price of our groceries and where's the windfall going? Half of all the big producers said their extra cash is headed to shareholders.

2:05Trump started a war with Iran working families are paying for it at the pump in the checkout line and the oil barons are caching the checks. That's not an energy policy. That's a wealth transfer. Does Trump run into regime change operation against Brazil's democracy? Brazil votes on Sunday and the alarm bells are ringing about who's got a thumb on the scale. President Lula De Silva is facing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president now serving 27 years in prison for plotting a coup. Reuters reported today that Brazil's own intelligence agency has confirmed interference in the election from the United States and Russia. Think about that pairing for a second. Flavio recently sat down with Trump in the Oval Office while he was trying to get out from under a scandal back home. Trump calls the father's prosecution a witch hunt. Last year he hit Brazil with tariffs and sanctioned a Supreme Court justice over it. Now senators Jean Shaheen, Peter Wilch and Tim Cain have written to Marco Rubio, charging the US officials have waged, quote, a campaign of interference and destabilization in Brazil.

3:12This Mark will vice, vice broad set his flat out illegal under the charge of the organization of American states, which we signed. We spent years outraged the Russia meddled in our elections. Now our own government stands accused of doing it with Russia to the biggest democracy in Latin America. A country that won't respect other people's votes. Won't respect yours for long. Europe and Canada forage a sweeping new alliance is America being left behind. While Trump picks fights with our friends, our friends are making other plans. Politico got his hands on a draft joint statement that the European Union and Canada plan to release at a summit in Montreal starting October 29th. It lays out a wide new partnership. They'll work to tear down digital trade barriers. They'll speed up investment and critical minerals, shore up their supply chains. They'll cooperate on low carbon energy and stand together behind Ukraine. They're even planning to jointly buy 50 to have a lot of water bombers ready by 2030 to fight wildfires on both sides of the Atlantic.

4:15The draft says, quote, the world is rapidly changing with unprecedented geopolitical challenges. As diplomatic talk for, we can't count on the Americans anymore because of Trump. And it doesn't stop there. Earlier this month, Ursula Vanderlain invited Canada to become the EU's first ever associate member, a status that doesn't even exist in Europe's treaties. The tariffs and the 51st state insults Canada is looking across the ocean instead of across the border. For 80 years, America led the democratic world. Trump is teaching that world to get along without us. You may know Frontotemporal degeneration or FTD as the disease that recently forced Bruce Willis to retire from acting. While it's the most common form of dementia for adults under age 60, many people, even doctors, aren't familiar with it. Uncharacteristic personality changes, apathy and unexplained struggles with decision-making, movement, speaking, or language comprehension are the most common symptoms.

5:17It is often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, depression, and sometimes just a midlife crisis. It's world FTD awareness week. You can learn more about this disease and the important steps you can take to preserve and maximize quality of life by visiting the Association for Frontotemporal degeneration at the AFTD.org. Find help, share hope, go now to the AFTD.org. Find a new video on the AFTD.org. Don't let the fear of a breakdown keep you up at night. Trust the shield, car shield, and say goodbye to terrifying repair booths.

6:18And hello to peace of mind. Your plan also comes with 247 roadside assistance. Curricutone, rental car options, and so much more. Don't wait till it's too late. Call car shield now before a breakdown. Protect your wallet, protect your car with car shields. Get our best protection ever. Call now. You'll thank me later. 800-254-1639-800-254-1639. The 800-254-1639. Senate Democrats block a toothless GOP data center bill who pays for AI's power. Senate Democrats today blocked a Republican bill that claimed to protect you from the cost of the AI boom. It's called the Rate Payer Protection Act. It sailed through the house this month with nearly an animus support, but it couldn't get 60 votes in the Senate. It told state utility regulators to consider whether data centers pulling at least 100 megawatts should pay the full cost to the grid upgrades they need. Consider not required.

7:19Chuck Schumer boiled his objection down to one word. Optional. Quote Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill, he said. The whole exercise was staged to rescue Ohio's John Hustard, the appointed senator now fighting Sherrod Brown to keep his seat. Brown calls Hustard the face of data centers because as Lieutenant Governor, he lured them to Ohio with generous tax breaks. Democrats are pushing their own grid savings act, which would make data center operators pay mandatory costs to connect to the grid. Paul Lein cited in the debate gives Democrats a 12-point edge on this issue. Trump says, tells communities to accept these things. The richest companies in history want your power and they want you to pick up the tab. Optional doesn't cut it. Latino voters abandoned Trump in Texas. Can Taloriko pull off a political earthquake? Donald Trump carried Texas by 14 points in 2024. Now the ground is shifting under his feet. Greg Sargent at the New Republic reports that Democrat James Taloriko is running close

8:21in the Senate race and he's doing it with an openly pro-immigrant campaign. After ice shot of Venezuela and immigrant in the back in Austin, Taloriko called for more legal pathways, a path to citizenship for long time residents and stronger border security. He says the border should be like the front porch for the welcome mat and a lock on the door. The numbers back him up. A Texas Southern University poll of three border districts that swung hard to Trump found Democrats leading in all three by five, eleven and three points. Only 36% of Latinos there approve of Trump on immigration. Statewide Taloriko is pulling around 60% of Latino voters. Trump won 55% up in two years ago. Paulster Mark Jones said quote, they thought they were getting a secure border in public safety, not the deportation of friends, co-workers and relatives. And as our economy is doing the rest, the great realignment was a mirage. Treat people with cruelty and they'll remember it at the ballot box. The Atlantic exposes Federman's mega fundraising deals.

9:22Is he still a Democrat? John Federman ran as a hoodie wearing champion of working class people. The Atlantic reports that after the Democratic fundraising firm Mission Wired stopped working with him in June. His political operation turned to a firm with ties to the MAGA world. In a private message, the magazine obtained a consultant offered conservative groups 75% of every new donor's first gift. One gets the contact information, a donor list he could use in a future campaign and his appeals have gone out through a outlet called redmajorities.com, TrumpTruths.org, and America first war room.com. One warned that socialists are hijacking the Democratic Party. Republican Senator Mike Lee even used him in his own fundraising pitch writing that Federman is basically a Republican now. Federman and CC has no interest in switching parties, but Democrats told the Atlantic he's got little chance of winning a primary in 28, which leaves retirement, a party switch, or an independent run.

10:22Former Congressman Connor Lamb, who may challenge him, didn't mince words, quote, his career as a Democrat is over. Pennsylvania voters sent a Democrat to the Senate to fight for them. When a politician builds his donor list on the other side's mailing lists, voters deserved to ask who he answers to. And that's the way it is that a Wednesday, September 20th, 2026, on Tom Hartman.