Queen Elizabeth II
By Original: Joel Rouse/ Ministry of DefenceDerivative: nagualdesign – defenceimagery.mod.uk, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65165563

Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom‘s longest-serving monarch, has died after reigning for 70 years. She was 96 years old.

The Queen died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, Balmoral, where she had spent much of the summer.

She came to the throne in 1952.

Queen Elizabeth II’s tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK’s entry into – and withdrawal from – the European Union.

Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975.

Her son, Charles, formerly Prince of Wales, will now be King Charles III with his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort. It is expected that Charles will be officially proclaimed King on Saturday.

Here in the United States, New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed flags on state buildings to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Queen Elizabeth, saying “”Queen Elizabeth II was a force on the world stage for decades and an inspiring female leader who leaves a lasting legacy. New York joins the people of the United Kingdom and all those who are mourning in honoring her life, and we send our prayers to her family.”

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. will ban all Russian oil imports.

The Associated Press reports Biden acknowledged it will bring costs to Americans, particularly at the gas pump, while toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

The action follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to U.S. and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion. Energy exports have kept a steady stream of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.

Biden said the U.S. was acting in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies and who he acknowledged may not be able to join in immediately. The announcement marked the latest Biden attempt at cutting off Russia from much of the global economy and ensuring that the Ukraine invasion is a strategic loss for President Vladimir Putin, even if he manages to seize territory.

The European Union this week will commit to phasing out its reliance on Russia for energy needs as soon as possible, but filling the void without crippling EU economies will likely take some time. The U.K., which is no longer part of the EU, announced Tuesday that oil and oil products from Russia will be phased out by the end of the year.

Unlike the US, which is a major oil and gas producer, Europe relies on imports for 90% of its gas and 97% of its oil products. Russia supplies 40% of Europe’s gas and a quarter of its oil. The U.S. does not import Russian natural gas.

The issue of oil sanctions has created a conflict for the president between political interests at home and efforts to impose costs on Russia. Though Russian oil makes up only a small part of U.S. imports, Biden has said he was reluctant to ban it, cutting into supplies here and pushing gasoline prices higher.

Inflation is at a 40-year peak, fueled in large part by gas prices, and that could hurt Biden heading into the November midterm elections.

Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. AAA said the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. hit a record $4.17 Tuesday, rising by 10 cents in one day, and up 55 cents since last week.

Even before the U.S. ban, many Western energy companies including ExxonMobil and BP moved to cut ties with Russia and limit imports. Shell, which purchased a shipment of Russian oil this weekend, apologized for the move on Tuesday amid international criticism and pledged to halt further purchases of Russian energy supplies. Preliminary data from the U.S. Energy Department shows imports of Russian crude dropped to zero in the last week in February.

In 2021, the U.S. imported roughly 245 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia — a one-year increase of 24%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.