Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, surging oil prices had sent stateside inflation to its highest level in decades. Domestic oil prices had surged to more than $130 per barrel and more than $4 per gallon.

President Joe Biden has once again resorted to begging his former foes to bail him out of this costly crisis. First on the list for Biden to broker a visit to, according to Axios, is Saudi Arabia. Hans Nichols reports that the president’s advisers are planning a visit to “repair relations” with the Middle Eastern nation and “convince the Kingdom to pump more oil.”