Gas prices could hit record highs this summer, according to GasBuddy, with the national average projected to reach $4.48 a gallon by Memorial Day and possibly climb to $4.80 over the summer amid the growing Iran conflict. Remember when “#ThanksObama” became shorthand for every American economic hardship? Should we bring that energy back for President Trump now that Americans are paying for yet another politically manufactured crisis?
*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00 a.m. ET.
Lead:Â Trump Made Trade Deals. Putin and Xi Made History
Photo credit:Â TASS
The U.S. has managed to push two global powers closer than ever. Russia and China are now building what may become the most powerful economic and strategic alliance outside the Western system and Western leaders helped make it happen by trying to prevent it from happening.
It is the classic example of an evil plan backfiring.
The United States spent years trying to isolate Russia through sanctions, proxy wars, and economic pressure. Instead, Washington may have helped create the strongest anti-Western economic alliance of the modern era.
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the two signed a sweeping series of agreements covering energy, finance, artificial intelligence, transportation, manufacturing, and military coordination.
Among the most significant developments was renewed momentum behind the massive Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project, which would permanently redirect huge volumes of Russian energy away from Europe and toward China. The two nations are also rapidly expanding trade outside the U.S. dollar system, building financial channels designed to bypass Western sanctions and banking pressure altogether. What is emerging is not just a trade relationship, but a parallel economic architecture stretching across Eurasia.
The timing is especially striking given President Trump’s own agreements with China announced just last week. Those deals were largely transactional: tariff pauses, trade concessions, agricultural purchases, and efforts to stabilize markets.
The Putin-Xi agreements go much further. Russia and China are building long-term infrastructure, integrated industrial systems, alternative financial rails, and strategic technological cooperation designed to reduce dependence on the West entirely.
All of this comes as Europe struggles with high energy costs, deindustrialization, stagnant growth, debt pressure, and the economic fallout from years of sanctions and war policy. What Western strategists once feared most may now be taking shape in real time: a Russia-China economic axis powerful enough to challenge the Western-led global order itself.
If the System Feels Broken, Build Outside It
Photo credit: Redacted Crew
Today’s stories all point to the same thing: the old systems are not working for everyday people.
Prices keep rising. Savings keep losing value. And waiting for someone else to fix it is not a strategy.
That’s why more Redacted readers are asking a simple question: “How do I start building something of my own?”
If real estate investing has been sitting in the back of your mind, this quick quiz can help you find your starting point.
In about 60 seconds, you’ll see which path may fit your situation best — whether you’re just learning, ready to use retirement funds, or looking for a smarter next move with cash or equity. You’ll get:
A mattress isn’t just furniture. The right one can change how you feel when you wake up.
That’s why so many people swear by GhostBed. These aren’t built like ordinary mattresses—they’re designed as sleep systems focused on comfort, support, and recovery. If you’re waking up stiff, sleeping hot, or tossing and turning all night, your mattress may be part of the problem.
GhostBed gives you 101 nights to try it at home, risk-free. And right now, they’re offering some of their lowest prices of the season, plus an extra 10% off.
Did you miss our last live show? No problem, you can catch the replay here! And don’t miss this segment we did with Clint Russell from the Liberty Lockdown show, about what happens next on the American right after the defeat of Thomas Massie by the Epstein class.
What’s Trending
Photo credit:Â Ram Trucks
The Ram Rumble Bee is trending because Stellantis announced a new lineup of V-8 muscle trucks.
Barney Frank is trending because the politician died at the age of 86 after a battle with congestive heart failure.
Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., is trending because she announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
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