RigZone

(Bloomberg) — The U.S. has forfeited some $18 billion tied to oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico since 2000 because of a decades-old law that gave energy companies a break on paying royalties when drilling in deep waters, federal investigators concluded Thursday.

The foregone revenue will keep climbing, as energy companies continue to harvest oil and gas royalty-free from dozens of affected tracts in the Gulf, long after lawmakers realized sloppy legislative writing prevented the government from making the price breaks temporary.  Continue reading “Oil Drillers Get $18B Break Thanks to Old Law”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

On Thursday a car bomb detonated in the town of Tal Abyad, wounding several Turkish-backed Syrian fighters outside their militia headquarters, following at least three other similar blasts this week, which targeted various groups fighting in northeast Syria.

The AP reports “There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing” and confirmed that “Similar bombings have taken place in the past in another enclave held for several years by Turkey and its Syrian allies on the northwest part of the border.” Multiple civilian casualties have been reported in each case.  Continue reading “Car Bombs Rock Northern Syria After “Hundreds” Of ISIS Prisoners Escape”

Fox News

President Trump announced Wednesday that conditions have been met between Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for what he called a “permanent ceasefire” between the two sides and that the United States is lifting sanctions on Ankara that were implemented following the invasion of northern Syria.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said that while a “permanent ceasefire” will be tough to maintain in the volatile region, he hopes it will last and end the conflict between Turkey and the Kurds.  Continue reading “Trump announces ‘permanent ceasefire’ in Syria between Turkey and Kurds; lifts sanctions on Ankara”

Fox News

Seattle is set to tax residents for using home heating oil in an effort to move the city away from a dependency on fossil fuels.

The city’s Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan in late September signed into law a bill that could prove costly to those unable to keep up with emerging home technology. A tax on heating oil for homes will go into effect starting next summer, giving residents of Seattle less than a year to make costly adjustments or risk paying even more in taxes.  Continue reading “Seattle’s new home oil tax could penalize elderly, middle-class families”

Fox News

Pacific Gas & Electric may be shutting off the power for a lot of people in California again.

The utility announced that it may need to do another “public safety” outage to prevent wildfires — less than two weeks after it did the same thing to 2 million Californians — much to the frustration of residents and officials. This potential new power outage could impact up to 500,000 people.  Continue reading “500k PG&E customers may lose power as San Jose revolts with buyout proposal”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Low-income consumers are struggling to make ends meet despite the “greatest economy ever,” and if a recession strikes or the employment cycle continues to decelerate — this could mean the average American with insurmountable debts will likely fall behind on their debt servicing payments, according to a UBS report, first reported by Bloomberg.

UBS analyst Matthew Mish wrote in a recent report that 44% of consumers don’t make enough money to cover their expenses.  Continue reading “Nearly Half Of US Consumers Report Their Incomes Don’t Cover Their Expenses”

9 News

US officials are discussing an option that would keep a small residual military force in north-east Syria to secure oil fields and continue the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS) militants.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he had not made a final decision on that option and has not yet presented it to President Donald Trump.  Continue reading “Small US force may guard Syrian oil fields”

ABC News

Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed during training at Fort Stewart in Georgia, according to officials.

The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, were pronounced dead on the scene after the Bradley Fighting Vehicle they were riding in was involved in an accident early Sunday morning, Patrick Husted, division public affairs officer, said in a news release.  Continue reading “3 US Army soldiers killed during training at Fort Stewart in Georgia, officials say”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared divided over the legality of Kansas prosecuting three immigrants for violating identity theft laws by using other people’s Social Security numbers in a dispute over whether the state impermissibly encroached on federal control over immigration policy.

The justices heard arguments in the state’s appeal of a 2017 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that voided the convictions of the three restaurant workers and found that a 1986 federal law called the Immigration Reform and Control Act prevents states from pursuing such prosecutions.  Continue reading “U.S. Supreme Court divided over Kansas illegal immigrant identity theft case”

Fox News

One of the sons of the infamous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was arrested — but subsequently released — by security forces after his detainment sparked intense fighting in northern Mexico Thursday night.

More than 30 militarized police and National Guard members were patrolling the northern city of Culiacan – the capital of Mexico’s Sinaloa state – when they were fired upon from a house, officials said.  Continue reading “Mexican police release El Chapo’s son after arrest turns into shootout”

Des Moines Register

STUART, Ia. — Four people, including three law enforcement personnel, were injured after an attempt to serve an arrest warrant led to gunfire at a central Iowa apartment building.

Three Guthrie County sheriff’s deputies and a Stuart police officer went to 615 SW Seventh St., Apt. 1, in Stuart at 10:40 p.m. to deliver a warrant, said Adam DeCamp, special agent in charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.  Continue reading “Iowa police shooting: Two Guthrie County sheriff’s deputies shot serving arrest warrant; two others injured in officer-involved shooting”

Bloomberg Editorial

The combination of guns and alcohol is especially dangerous, and far too little has been done to address it. Federal law doesn’t restrict access to guns by people with a history of alcohol abuse, and fewer than half of U.S. states impose prohibitions of this kind. The risks to public safety are increasingly clear, and the issue demands more careful attention than lawmakers have allowed up to now.  Continue reading “Drivers With DUIs Shouldn’t Be Armed”

Axios

Vice President Mike Pence announced from Ankara on Thursday that Turkey has agreed to cease its military operation in northern Syria for 120 hours so that Kurdish forces can withdraw from the area.

The big picture: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously said that he would “never” agree to a ceasefire, after the U.S. withdrawal from northern Syria paved the way for Turkey to begin a military assault on U.S-allied Kurdish forces that they view as terrorists. The breakthrough came after five hours of negotiations between Pence and Erdogan and followed the authorization of sanctions against Turkish officials earlier this week by President Trump.

Continue reading “Pence announces Turkey has agreed to temporary ceasefire in Syria”

Alt-Market – by Brandon Smith

For many years now I have focused a considerable amount of analysis on the subject of Syria, with an emphasis on the country’s importance to the global elites as a kind of geopolitical detonator; the first domino in a chain of dominoes that could lead to a war involving international powers. I believe this war will develop on multiple fronts, most importantly on the economic front, but it could very well turn into a shooting war involving numerous actors.  Continue reading “The Syrian Debacle Is Actually Well Planned Chaos”

Yahoo News

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a sharecropper’s son who rose to become the powerful chairman of a U.S. House committee that investigated President Donald Trump, died early Thursday of complications from longstanding health issues, his office said. He was 68.

Cummings was a formidable orator who passionately advocated for the poor in his black-majority district , which encompasses a large portion of Baltimore as well as more well-to-do suburbs.  Continue reading “Powerful Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings has died”

CNN

Abandoned by the United States and facing a deepening Turkish military offensive, Kurdish forces near the northern Syrian border have struck a deal with the Syrian government, marking a major shift in the country’s eight-year war.

On Monday, Syrian troops were reportedly advancing north towards the border to confront Turkish forces, returning for the first time in years to a region where the Kurds had established relative autonomy, and further solidifying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on the country.  Continue reading “Kurdish forces backed by US strike deal with Syria’s Assad, in major shift in 8-year war”

Fox News

Los Angeles city and county firefighters battled a fast-spreading wildfire that ignited at around 9 p.m. Thursday, prompting evacuations in the northern part of the county.

Santa Ana winds of up to 60 mph helped the Saddleridge Fire jump two freeways and grow to more than 1,600 acres with zero containment by 1 a.m. Friday, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed.  Continue reading “Fast-spreading wildfire prompts evacuations in Southern California”

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States announced on Friday a new, large deployment of forces to Saudi Arabia to help bolster the kingdom’s defenses following the Sept. 14 attack on its oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Iran.

The planned deployment, which was first reported by Reuters, will include fighter squadrons, one air expeditionary wing and air defense personnel, the Pentagon said.  Continue reading “U.S. to deploy large number of forces to Saudi Arabia”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Many questions remained unanswered early Friday after an attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea sent oil prices higher, in the latest attack on energy-industry infrastructure in an increasingly volatile part of the world. According to the New York Times, a fire erupted on an Iranian oil tanker about 60 miles from the Port of Jeddah on Friday after the tanker’s two major tanks were struck by missiles, causing an oil spill.  Continue reading “Iranian Oil Tanker Struck By 2 Missiles Near Saudi Port”