Reuters

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Sinopec, Asia’s largest refiner, will boost U.S. crude oil imports to an all-time high as China tries to reduce its trade deficit with the United States, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

The company’s trading arm Unipec has bought 16 million barrels, or about 533,000 barrels per day (bpd), of U.S. crude to load in June, they said, the largest volume ever to be lifted in a month by the company.   Continue reading “China’s Sinopec to boost U.S. crude imports to all-time high: sources”

Fox News

President Trump on Thursday cancelled the highly anticipated summit with North Korea that was set for next month, calling the talks “inappropriate” following the “hostility” displayed in the latest comments from dictator Kim Jong Un.

The move to pull out of the summit, slated to take place in Singapore on June 12, came after threats from Kim to call off the talks. In a letter to Kim on Thursday, Trump said the world, and North Korea, has lost a “great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity.”    Continue reading “White House pulls out of summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un”

Fox 10

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL – Police in Panama City, Florida said the man who was involved in a shootout with officers Tuesday is dead.

The man is identified as 49-year-old Kevin Robert Holroyd. He’s also connected to a deadly shooting in Walton County.    Continue reading “Gunman involved in shootout with Panama City Police is dead”

New Orleans Advocate – by Chad Calder

Harahan Police Chief Tim Walker has turned over control of confiscated drug money to the city after the U.S. Department of Justice found the account was not being properly administered.

The action comes amid a continuing feud between Walker and Mayor Tina Miceli over control of the Police Department’s budget.

The feds sent Walker a letter last week saying the asset forfeiture money — which is used for training and equipment, buying drugs during undercover sting operations and paying informants — has to be in the hands of the city’s Finance Department.   Continue reading “Feds order asset forfeiture fund frozen in Harahan; police chief told to turn over control of account to city”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is moving to reverse Obama-era rules barring hunters on some public lands in Alaska from baiting brown bears with bacon and doughnuts and using spotlights to shoot mother black bears and cubs hibernating in their dens.

The National Park Service issued a notice Monday of its intent to amend regulations for sport hunting and trapping in national preserves to bring the federal rules in line with Alaska state law.   Continue reading “Interior moves to lift restrictions on hunting bears, wolves”

Daily Caller – by Robert Donachie

House and Senate Democrats have a new 2018 campaign platform they believe can propel their party to gain control of the lower chamber, and it is eerily similar to President Donald Trump’s “drain the swamp” motto.

The proposal is called “A Better Deal for Our Democracy.” It promises voters that if they elect Democrats in November, the party will “clean up the chaos and corruption in Washington.”   Continue reading “Democrats Roll Out New Agenda That Promises To ‘Clean Up The Chaos’ In Washington”

The Hill – by Max Greenwood

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) declared on Saturday that he backs the “real” Second Amendment, rather than an “imaginary” version of the provision that he says is touted by gun rights advocates.

“I support the real 2nd Amendment, not the imaginary 2nd Amendment,” Murphy tweeted. “And the real #2A isn’t absolute. It allows Congress to wake up to reality and ban these assault rifles that are designed for one purpose only – to kill as many people as fast as possible.”   Continue reading “Dem senator: I support ‘real’ Second Amendment, not ‘imaginary’ one”

KABC News – by Sandy Wells

California could become the first state in the nation to offer full health coverage to undocumented adults.

A hearing is set in Sacramento Tuesday on SB 974, which would “extend eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to individuals of all ages who are otherwise eligible for those benefits but for their immigration status.”   Continue reading “State senator pushes bill to offer free health care for illegals”

Yahoo News

HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) — A teenager who started a major wildfire in the scenic Columbia River Gorge in Oregon has been ordered to pay restitution for at least the next decade, though it’s unlikely the boy will ever cover his nearly $37 million bill.

The Oregonian reports that Hood River County Circuit Judge John A. Olson issued the opinion on Monday, awarding the restitution totaling $36,618,330.24 to cover the costs of firefighting, repair and restoration to the gorge and damage to homes. Victims include the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Transportation.   Continue reading “Judge: Teen must repay $37M for starting Oregon wildfire”

Mercury News

BESSEMER CITY, N.C. (AP) — A man intentionally rammed a vehicle into a steak and seafood restaurant in North Carolina on Sunday, killing his daughter and daughter-in-law who had been seated at a table inside with other family members, police said.

The vehicle’s driver, Roger Self, was immediately arrested and the preliminary evidence indicates he purposely drove all the way into the Surf and Turf Lodge about noon, authorities said. Jail records show he’s been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter, Katelyn Self, a deputy with the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, and his daughter-in-law, Amanda Self, a nurse.  Continue reading “Police: Man rams SUV into restaurant, kills daughter, daughter-in-law”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. trade war with China is “on hold” after the world’s largest economies agreed to drop their tariff threats while they work on a wider trade agreement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday.

Mnuchin and U.S. President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said the agreement reached by Chinese and American negotiators on Saturday set up a framework for addressing trade imbalances in the future.   Continue reading “U.S., China putting trade war on hold, Treasury’s Mnuchin says”

Update via CBS The suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a Texas high school Friday morning has been identified as 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, law enforcement sources tell CBS News.

Chron

SANTA FE, Texas – At least 10 people died Friday morning in gunfire at Santa Fe High school, law enforcement officials confirmed, while at least a dozen others were injured, according to area hospitals.   Continue reading “At least 10 dead in Santa Fe High School; shooter had multiple guns, bombs”

ABC 5

A suspect is in custody after a shooting at Texas’ Santa Fe High School, according to Cris Richardson, the assistant principal.

He told reporters assembled near the school that there was an active shooting, but “that person has been arrested and is secured.”   Continue reading “Report: At least 8 dead after Texas’ Santa Fe High School shooting”

The Blaze – by Aaron Colen

Georgia state Sen. Michael Williams made waves with his “deportation bus” ad, and for several hours, YouTube had taken the video down for violating its hate speech policy before later putting it back up, The Hill reported.

“They are doing everything they can to keep our message from reaching voters with the truth,” Williams said in a statement Wednesday. “They will not silence me nor our movement.”   Continue reading “YouTube removed GOP candidate’s ‘deportation bus’ ad for hate speech — then put it back up”

NPR

If you are reading this, you are likely one of the more than 14 million people who vehemently believe that this audio clip is saying either the word “Yanny” or the word “Laurel.”

If you haven’t heard it yet, take a listen:   Continue reading “‘Yanny’ or ‘Laurel’? Why People Hear Different Things In That Viral Clip”

Yahoo News

An Illinois school resource officer stopped an armed teenager at a high school this morning, according to the local police chief, who applauded the officer for saving “countless” lives.

When the 19-year-old suspect fired several shots this morning near a gym at Dixon High School, the school resource officer reported the incident to authorities and then confronted the gunman, Dixon police chief Steven Howell said at a news conference.  Continue reading “‘Heroic’ resource officer hailed for stopping armed teen at high school, saving lives”

Fox News

REYHANLI, Turkey –  U.S. military equipment and ammunition, sent to Syria as part of a failed Obama administration plan to find and arm moderate forces to defeat ISIS, were instead simply handed over to an Al Qaeda group, according to the man who said he himself brokered the deal.

“I communicated with Al Qaeda’s branch, Al Nusra, to protect and safely escort me and my soldiers for two hours from North Aleppo to West Aleppo,” Maj. Anas Ibrahim Obaid, better known on the battlefield as Abu Zayd, told Fox News from his home in the western Aleppo area. “In exchange, I gave them five pickup trucks and ammunition.”   Continue reading “‘I gave the US trucks and ammunition to Al Qaeda’: The chaotic US effort to arm Syrian rebels”

CNN

Aliso Viejo, California (CNN)The deadly explosion in an Orange County building that killed one woman and injured three others appears to be intentional and is being investigated as a criminal act, a law enforcement source told CNN.

But the source also cautioned that it’s early in the investigation.

Continue reading “Explosion at California medical facility appears to be intentional act, source says”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON – A mere 72 hours after the Chinese government agreed to put a half-billion dollars into an Indonesian project that will personally enrich Donald Trump, the president ordered a bailout for a Chinese-government-owned cellphone maker.

“President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast,” Trump announced on Twitter Sunday morning. “Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!”   Continue reading “Trump Orders Help For Chinese Phone-Maker After China Approves Money For Trump Project”