A cracked oil pipeline valve wheel mounted on a desert pumping station, with a distant plume of black smoke rising against a pale sky and a fuel price display board showing sharply rising diesel numbers in the foreground, wide shot from a low angle, harsh golden hour light from the right casting long shadows across the sand, deep contrast and shallow depth of field.

Trump's 'Annihilate' Threat Jolts Oil, Diesel Rips Higher

By Oliver BennsSeptember 23, 2026

Brent crude swung wildly on Tuesday after President Trump told the UN he faced a choice between striking a deal with Iran or annihilating it, hinting any decision would wait until after the US midterms. Prices had dropped 3% to around $97 on hopes of a Saudi pipeline restart and diplomatic progress, before settling back at $98. JP Morgan has abandoned its baseline oil forecast, citing an unmodellable endgame. US retail diesel has ripped to $6.50 a gallon, up 75% year-on-year, with a mooted US export ban threatening to pull 40% of global waterborne diesel supply off the market once Russian and Middle Eastern outages are added in.

DraftKings Built AI to Squeeze Its Biggest Losers

DraftKings has developed a machine learning model that scores customers on 'elasticity' - how much they will lose after receiving a free bet - and targets the most vulnerable with more promotions, according to a New York Times report. A parallel model designed to flag users heading into a gambling crisis was shelved. US online sports betting revenue has grown from $1.5bn in 2020 to $17bn in 2025, with 82% of last NFL season's revenue coming from just 3% of customers. DraftKings shares are near a 52-week low, down more than 50% from their 2025 peak.

Prediction Markets Face Supreme Court Reckoning

Prediction markets captured roughly a quarter of US sports betting volume during the World Cup, with 69% of sports trading volume coming from users in states without legal sports gambling - 43% from Texas and California alone. The Supreme Court is expected to take up a case deciding whether sports event contracts, about 80% of prediction market volume, violate state gaming law. An adverse ruling would effectively wipe out the current prediction market model outside niche categories like elections.