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Oil Prices Are Spiking — Here's What It Means for Your Gas Tank and Grocery Bill

  Published July 17, 2026 Crude oil is trading near one-month highs this week, and if you've filled up your tank recently, you've probably already felt it. The culprit: an escalating conflict in the Middle East that's disrupting one of the world's most important oil shipping routes — and it's starting to show up at Canadian pumps and, eventually, on grocery store shelves. What's happening with oil prices West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the North American benchmark, has been trading around the $79–$80 per barrel range this week — up roughly 5% over the past month. Brent crude, the global benchmark that matters more for what Canadians pay at the pump, has been hovering near $85 per barrel, also near a one-month high. The spike traces back to renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and has intensified strikes, while Iran has responded with attacks on U.S. bases and threats to disrupt regional energy shipments further. ...

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Trump Orders Expansion of Migrant Facility at Guantanamo Bay

In a move that has sparked significant debate, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will sign an executive order instructing the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to prepare a migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay. This directive aims to expand the existing Migrant Operations Center to full capacity, providing additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States.

Trump's announcement came during the signing ceremony for the Laken Riley Act, an immigration detention measure. He emphasized the need to halt what he described as a "border invasion" and mentioned that the facility at Guantanamo Bay has 30,000 beds to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem supported the move, stating that resources could be established for the "worst of the worst" at Guantanamo Bay.

The decision to use Guantanamo Bay, a site historically associated with the detention of terrorism suspects, has raised eyebrows and concerns among various officials and human rights advocates. The facility, which became a detention site in 2002 under President George W. Bush, has been a contentious issue for years, with former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama both attempting to shut it down during their terms.

The announcement has caught many officials at the Pentagon off guard, with some expressing uncertainty about the number of beds currently available for migrants and whether this would be a short- or long-term mission. The move is part of Trump's broader efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, which has been a central theme of his political career.


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