Reuters

HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. crude exports from Corpus Christi, Texas, have surged to a record in recent weeks, often surpassing hubs such as Houston and Beaumont, Texas, thanks to faster-than-expected infrastructure additions.

The infrastructure boom at Corpus Christi helped push crude exports there to a weekly record of 1.59 million barrels per day (bpd) in late December, more than doubling levels that held for the first eight months of last year, and above Houston’s 2019 peak of 1.36 million bpd, according to vessel-tracking firm ClipperData.  Continue reading “Record oil volumes shipped from Texas port”

RT

Arrests have been made in connection with the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran, Iran’s judiciary has announced, following President Hassan Rouhani’s call for a special probe into the deadly accident.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told Iranian state media on Tuesday that individuals had been detained as part of “extensive investigations” into the incident. He did not disclose how many people had been arrested.  Continue reading “Iran makes arrests over accidental downing of Ukrainian airliner”

RT

Scientists in the US claim to have created zombie robots from reanimated frog cells, giving rise to a living organism never seen or created before which can perform important tasks while healing itself.

These millimeter-wide “xenobots” were designed on a supercomputer using an evolutionary algorithm to create thousands of candidate designs. The winning designs can propel themselves toward a target and deliver a payload, and can also heal themselves when torn apart.  Continue reading “‘Neither robot nor animal’: Scientists develop the ‘Xenobots,’ 1st robots constructed completely from LIVING CELLS”

Fox News

Four gun-control bills on Monday advanced in Virginia’s General Assembly, setting the stage for a contentious showdown between gun-rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers who have vowed to bring comprehensive changes to the state.

The bills that sailed through the state’s Judiciary Committee would require background checks on all firearms purchases, allow law enforcement to temporarily remove guns from people deemed to be a risk to themselves or others, limit handgun purchases to one a month and let localities decide whether to ban weapons from certain events.  Continue reading “4 gun control bills advance in Virginia’s General Assembly”

CNN

More than a dozen Saudi servicemen training at US military installations will be expelled from the United States after a review that followed the deadly shooting last month at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, multiple sources told CNN.

The Saudis are not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killed three American sailors in the December shooting, two sources said, but some are said to have connections to extremist movements, according to a person familiar with the situation.  Continue reading “More than a dozen Saudi servicemen to be expelled from US after review of December shooting at Naval Air Station”

Zero Hedge –  by Tyler Durden

As was previewed by Trump two days earlier, moments ago Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that the Trump administration is imposing new sanctions on Iran, specifically targeting the country’s metals exports and eight senior leaders. The Treasury said the actions Friday target the 13 largest steel and iron manufacturers in Iran and top copper and aluminum producers.  Continue reading “US Imposes Sanctions On Virtually Entire Iranian Economy”

Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist

Ashland City, TN — Two police officers who strapped an 18-year-old in a restraint chair and tortured him with a taser were arrested and charged with multiple crimes in June 2018. The horrifying video was so damning that the normal process of sweeping it under the rug was not an option. However, the trial for the cop who did the torturing, concluded last year and ended in a mistrial. Luckily, the system is determined to hold him accountable, and on Tuesday, former Corporal Mark Bryant heads back to court to be tried again for the torture.  Continue reading “Cop Goes to Trial After Horrifying Video Shows Him Torture Teen in a Restraint Chair with Taser”

Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist

Phoenix, AZ — Police in Arizona have just released the full dramatic body camera footage from when an officer shot and killed a 14-year-old boy who had attempted to escape on foot while holding a toy gun with a visibly orange tip. For the first time, we are now seeing the full situation of what happened when Officer Joseph Jaen opened fire on Antonio Arce, killing him. 

This week, the Tempe Police Department released the video among a slew of other documents, 911 calls and personnel files on officer Jaen. The files and the video were released only after the family and the media made numerous requests. Still, the department waited almost a full year after Arce’s death to release it.  Continue reading “Body Cam Released of Cop Killing 14yo Boy for Running Away with Orange-Tipped Toy Gun”

Business Insider – by Ryan Pickrell

Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 is suspected to have been hit by fire from a Russian-built Tor M-1 (SA-15) surface-to-air missile system operated by the Iranian military, according to multiple reports.

Pentagon officials told Newsweek that the incident is believed to have been an accident, as anti-aircraft systems were likely active at the time of the suspected shoot down. The Pentagon could not confirm the report for Insider.  Continue reading “The Ukrainian flight that crashed in Iran was shot down by a missile, according to US satellite intelligence”

MSN

A Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 airliner carrying at least 176 people crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing everyone on board.

It was unclear what caused the crash of the aircraft, a Ukraine International Airlines flight bound for Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Early statements from both countries were confused and contradictory.  Continue reading “Boeing 737 Plane Crash in Iran Prompts Conflicting Statements”

CNN

This is probably not the way motorists in Washington state wanted to spend their New Year’s Eve.

Several people got trapped in their cars Tuesday after strong winds blew a thicket of tumbleweeds into a portion of a state highway, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Chris Thorson.  Continue reading “Tumbleweeds blocked a Washington state highway, trapping people in their cars”

Fox News

An airstrike Friday hit two cars carrying members of an Iran-backed militia north of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, killing five people, an Iraqi official told The Associated Press.

The official added that the identities of those killed were not immediately known. It was not immediately clear who launched the strike, but a U.S. official told AP the attack was not an American military attack.  Continue reading “Airstrike kills 5 members of Iran-backed militia, Iraq official says”

RT

The interim prime minister of Iraq has condemned the US assassination of a senior Iranian commander, calling it an act of aggression against his country. Qassem Soleimani was killed at Baghdad airport.

Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force, was killed after his convoy was hit by US missiles. A deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iraqi militia collective backed by Iran, was killed in the same airstrike.  Continue reading “US killing of Iranian commander on Iraqi soil violates terms of US stationing troops in the country – Iraqi PM”

Fox News

A battle over gun control in Virginia with national implications is heating up as the legislature prepares to vote on sweeping new restrictions and localities band together to defy them in growing numbers.

Virginians turned out to debate the measures and other issues at public budget hearings on Thursday, less than a week before the General Assembly’s first legislative session of 2020. Both the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) and Gun Owners of America specifically warned about Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s related budget proposal, which directs $250,000 for the Department of Corrections to incarcerate people as a result of new restrictions.  Continue reading “Gun control standoff heats up in Virginia as ‘sanctuaries’ grow, big votes loom”

RT

The Turkish parliament has voted to approve a plan to send troops to support the UN-recognized government in Libya as it continues to fight forces loyal to a rival government in the eastern part of the country.

Lawmakers approved the motion, which grants a one-year mandate for the troop deployment, in an emergency session on Thursday. The motion passed by 325 votes to 184.  Continue reading “Turkish parliament backs govt plan to send troops to Libya in emergency session”

Yahoo News

PARIS (AP) — Global powers warned Friday that the world became a more dangerous place after the U.S. assassinated Iran’s top general, urging restraint on all sides. Britain and Germany also suggested that Iran shared some blame for provoking the targeted killing that dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the Mideast.

China, Russia and France, all permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, took a dim view of the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport early Friday that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani and several of his associates. The 62-year-old led Iran’s elite Quds Force, responsible for the country’s foreign campaigns.  Continue reading “‘A more dangerous world’: Iran killing triggers global alarm”

Yahoo News

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran has vowed “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport that killed Tehran’s top general and the architect of its interventions across the Middle East, as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing.

The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Iran, which has careened from one crisis to another since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions.  Continue reading “Iran vows ‘harsh’ response to US killing of top general”

ABC News

OMAHA, Neb. — Two people were found dead and a police officer was wounded after an exchange of gunfire at a housing complex in Omaha, authorities said.

The New Year’s Eve shooting happened after officers were called to a complex known as Evans Tower shortly after 10 p.m., Omaha police Deputy Chief Scott Gray said. Two officers encountered an armed man in the hallway on the fifth floor, Gray said. Continue reading “2 dead, officer hurt after exchange of gunfire in Omaha”

The Most Important News – by Michael Snyder

During colonial times, European powers exploited Africa for the vast resources that it possesses. But what China is doing today is actually much worse. Yes, the Chinese greatly desire African resources, but ultimately what they want is Africa itself. But instead of conquering Africa using military force, China is using economics instead. Today, more than 10,000 Chinese-owned firms are operating in Africa, and virtually every major road, bridge, railway and skyscraper is being built by the Chinese. As a result, most African nations are very deeply indebted to China at this point. And as you will see below, when those debts go bad that gives the Chinese a tremendous amount of leverage. Continue reading “The Takeover: China Is Building Enormous Self-Sustaining Chinese Cities All Over The African Continent”