The Unregulated Podcast

On this episode of The Unregulated Podcast Tom Pyle, Mike McKenna, and producer Alex Stevens discuss the updates from the Iran conflict, the upcoming midterms, Democrats' affordability problem, and more.

Links:

Sam Graves Out: https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/powerful-house-republican-joins-retirement-wave-5558870c
Trump Says US Will Consider Iran Ceasefire When Hormuz Is Open: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116329512466946656
With Trump Focused on Iran, Affordability Worries Take Back Seat: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-31/with-trump-focused-on-iran-affordability-worries-take-back-seat?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=69cc752c7699020001e2d6a4&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
Can the Democrats Do Better?: NO: https://x.com/TonySeruga/status/2038368112031178781?s=20
Gavin on High Speed Rail: https://x.com/mazemoore/status/2039071877461672424?s=20
Moreno wants to widen ban on Chinese Autos: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/republican-senator-proposes-widen-us-ban-chinese-autos-2026-03-31/
The affordability crunch is pushing Democrats to scale back climate ambitions: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/30/democrats-energy-affordability-climate-00848073
Trump’s ‘God Squad’ exempts Gulf oil drilling from Endangered Species Act requirements: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5808861-gulf-of-mexico-oil-drilling-esa-god-squad/?email=ebc2f06a7ff85ddb8312c159ae74a0309d4b1ffd&emaila=76afe2afa715ddeb0bda14174a2608e3&emailb=e65a42d9e87113ea327ad990aedd346e7d3bc9d0c6913e29a724c034dc35938f&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=E%26E%203/31/26
Trump Administration Sues New Jersey Town Over Natural Gas Ban: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-31/with-trump-focused-on-iran-affordability-worries-take-back-seat?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=69cc752c7699020001e2d6a4&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
More Covid Longing: https://www.politico.eu/article/europeans-urged-to-work-from-home-and-drive-less-as-eu-warns-of-long-crisis/
Congress should be governing, not on a break in Disney World: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/04/01/lindsey-grahams-disney-world-trip-government-shutdown/89400182007/
Shatner: Rocket Man: https://x.com/Super70sSports/status/2039062978054545657?s=20
Energy and the Iran Conflict: https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/fossil-fuels/energy-and-the-iran-conflict/

Links:

New OKC Senator
Alan-armstrong-senate-mullin-stitt-oklahoma-republicans.html
Source: NY Times

Clip: Paxton Shoots Back
https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/2032454580257353760?s=20

Clip: Thom Tillis: Why Do All Politicians Do This? And Why Does Congress Always Give them Stupid Legacy Legislation?
https://x.com/ThisWeekABC/status/2035496667433349568?s=20

Opinion: Why are so many Democrats out of touch?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/opinion/democrats-midterm-elections.html
Source: NY Times

CA Governor Polling
https://archive.ph/mQkAC
Source: LA Times

Bianco: Let’s Just Count Them. What’s the harm.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-21/riverside-county-sheriff-chad-bianco-seizes-more-than-half-million-ballots
Source: LA Times

Energy

Trump/Total Deal
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ceraweek-us-totalenergies-shift-1-billion-wind-oil-gas-2026-03-23/
Source: Reuters

More and More and More Natural Gas
https://www.upstreamonline.com/exploration/us-independent-hits-gas-with-egypt-well/2-1-1964743
Source: Upstream

Asia Looking to the West for Oil
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/asia-wants-more-us-oil-to-reduce-middle-east-dependence-burgum.html
Source: CNBC

Apparently, the IEA is Nogalistic for COVID
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/20/people-urged-to-work-from-home-in-global-oil-crisis/
Source: The Telegraph

Jones Act Waived
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/18/trump-jones-act-oil-iran-war.html?taid=69bb0d5e363d3f0001067c43&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
Source: CNBC

Maritime Union Not Happy
https://x.com/mercoglianos/status/2034337745993191660?s=20

Balsa Tree Poachers
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/half-million-balsa-trees-illegally-logged-amazon-rainforest-every-year-feed-global-wind
Source: Zero Hedge

Matt Iglesias: "How come no climate groups have the courage of their convictions to make the case for prolonging the war and keeping the strait closed?"
https://x.com/mattyglesias/status/2036100831989121352?s=20

Trump Suing CA for Emissions Standards
https://apnews.com/article/california-trump-administration-emission-vehicles-electric-cars-1e174fede381afb9c76b867cc92d86c6
Source: AP

Hands off my Thermostat
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/why-more-wa-utilities-want-to-remotely-control-your-thermostat/
Source: Seattle Times

In DC News…
H Street Street Car Going Away. At least they built it. Unlike California’s High Speed Rail.
https://x.com/SlopHq/status/2035791848317268057?s=20

#266: A Dry Buffalo (3/14/26)

Links:

Links:
Strait of Hormuz - Source: CNN

Hern Running in OK - Source: Fox News

Rahm Emmanuel - Source: WSJ

The Exodus Continues, Starbucks - Source: WSJ

Yahama to leave CA - Source: Fox Business

Funny How That Works: Competition in Health Care - Source: Washington Post

New Refinery: 100% Shale - Source: PR Newswire

McKenna responds to Senator Cramer on the PROVE IT Act - Source: Washington Times

Will Carb hit the brakes on new CA climate rules? Even some Dems want them to. - Source: NY Post

Lights out in NY - Source: NY Sun

Tweet of the Week:
https://x.com/TheKevinDalton/status/2031817172629291431?s=20

#265: Yabber, Yabber, Yabber (3/7/26)

Links:

Noem Out, Mullin In
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/05/markwayne-mullin-noem-dhs-00814761
Source: Politico

Iran
One Side: Rand Paul
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-rand-paul-america-war-but-americans-didnt-vote
Source: Fox News

The Other Side:
https://thedispatch.com/article/iran-trump-supreme-council-leadership/
Source: The Dispatch

China’s Oil Dilemma
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/02/iran-us-strikes-china-oil-supply-charts-00806415
Source: Politico

AI Anxiety: Blackrock Limits Withdrawals
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-06/blackrock-s-26-billion-private-credit-fund-limits-withdrawals
Source: Bloomberg

Senate Permitting Talks Back On
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5770709-senate-democrats-energy-bill-talks/
Source: The Hill

Who Actually Wrote the Climate Manual for Federal Judges?
Source: The Honest Broker/Roger Pielke
https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/who-actually-wrote-the-climate-manual?utm_source=substack&publication_id=119454&post_id=189872400&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=2sdhe&triedRedirect=true

#264: What Is It Going To Get Me This Time? (3/2/26)

Links:

Iran
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/24/congress/ahead-sotu-dems-demand-trump-iran-plans-public-00796594?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f102-dd93-ad7f-f9072a680001
Source: Politico

More Companies Leaving Blue States: Public Storage
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-02-24/storage-company-is-latest-to-leave-california-for-texas
Source: LA Times

Happy Anniversary, LNG Exports
https://www.forbes.com/sites/edhirs/2026/02/24/us-lng-exports-have-changed-global-energy-markets/
Source: Forbes

There they go again: Geothermal, the new wind and solar.
https://www.euronews.com/2026/02/19/geothermal-energy-could-replace-42-of-eus-fossil-electricity-which-nation-has-the-most-pot
Source: Euronews

Greenpeace
https://apnews.com/article/greenpeace-energy-transfer-dakota-access-pipeline-30bfb9939dea06f1e9763cd2d662ae73
Source: AP News

SCOTUS takes up Boulder climate lawfare case.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/state-courts-cant-run-foreign-policy-fe111bae?st=u3a5pP&reflink=article_copyURL_share
Source: WSJ Opinion

Cassidy:
https://x.com/SenBillCassidy/status/2024870779364446696?s=20

Germany starts ditching climate targets.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/25/germany-accused-ditching-climate-targets-scraps-renewables-mandate
Source: The Guardian