text: GASOLINE SHORTAGE HITS EAST COAST ALREADY LOW ON DIESEL: The fuel crisis on the East Coast is deepening as terminals already low on diesel are now low on gasoline. Distributor TAC Energy stated that numerous terminals over the past 72 hours have run out of gasoline and ethanol. Gasoline stockpiles on the East Coast have hit their lowest level since 2007. (AC: News coverage and panic buying could exacerbate low supplies, so we recommend keeping vehicles topped off. It’s also a good time to consider storage options, if you haven’t already. – M.S.) WHITE HOUSE EYES EXPANDING DIESEL RESERVE: The Biden administration is considering ways to expand an emergency fuel reserve in New England as the East Coast deals with shortages of both diesel and gasoline. Officials are concerned the one million-barrel reserve will not be enough to counter a severe disruption this winter and are considering options to bolster supply. The administration has finalized new rules to incentivize suppliers to sell diesel and gasoline to the government.LATEST VOTE STOKES RAIL STRIKE RISK: The National Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen has overwhelmingly voted against a labor deal brokered by the Biden administration. The parties agreed to a status quo period preventing a strike until December, and five more unions are scheduled to vote on the deal in mid-November.LARGEST MAKER OF HARD DRIVES TO CUT 3000 JOBS: Seagate Technology Holdings, the largest hard drive maker, eliminates 3000 jobs while buyers cut orders due to economic concerns. This will eliminate 7.5% of total employees. Seagate warned investors that demand is drying up after several quarters of rapid growth. Companies and governments are slowing their investments in computer networks, causing a buildup of unused parts.WARNOCK LEADS WALKER AMONG EARLY VOTERS IN CLOSE RACE: A majority of early voters have cast their ballots for Democrat Senator Warnock in the Senate race in Georgia. But according to a recent Monmouth University poll, Republican Herschel Walker holds the advantage among election day voters.GEOSTRATEGIC INTSUMCHINA REJECTS TAIWAN STATUS QUO, PLANS TO PRESS FOR REUNIFICATION: Speaking at an event organized by Bloomberg media, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that China had decided the status quo with Taiwan is no longer acceptable. Blinken said China plans to ratchet up pressure on the island nation and is openly threatening to use force should Taipei resist Beijing’s overtures for reunification. Blinken said the U.S. would stand up for its interests in the Pacific and that it was not trying to “restrain” China, but Beijing had fundamentally changed its relationship with the U.S. over Taiwan. Blinken added that China is speeding up the process by which it plans to pursue reunification. (AC: The U.S. foreign policy and defense establishment are coming to terms with China’s true timeline for the reunification of Taiwan. China’s massive military build up, reorientation of its economy, and realignment of its military leaders in its People’s Liberation Army are key indicators that China may use the chaos of Russian military operations in Ukraine, combined with the November U.S. election cycle to ramp up political and military operations to bring Taiwan under Chinese Communist Party control. This action by China could spark a regional conflict with neighboring Japan as well as involve both Koreas and break or significantly degrade global supply chains. – M.M.)Russia-NATO SITREP