The Hill – by Timothy Cama

The Interior Department implemented a new policy Thursday aimed at streamlining the oil and natural gas drilling process on federal land by cutting back on the opportunities for drilling opponents to slow down the process.

A memo signed Wednesday and released Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) states that it is the agency’s policy to “simplify and streamline the leasing process to alleviate unnecessary impediments and burdens, to expedite the offering of lands for lease,” and to ensure drilling rights sales happen regularly.  Continue reading “Interior rolls back oil drilling policies for federal land”

Houston Chronicle

One of President Donald Trump’s favorite subjects for praise – the Texas oil industry – is urging him to back off his hard-line stance on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, which represents oil companies across Texas,  passed a resolution this week urging Trump not to raise tariffs on Mexico and Canada, so as “to foster the expansion of unfettered energy trade and investment.”   Continue reading “Texas oil companies tell Trump to leave NAFTA alone”

NBC News

A teenage girl was taken into custody after two students were shot at a Los Angeles middle school on Thursday, authorities said.

The gunfire wounded a 15-year-old boy, who was shot in the head and is in critical condition, and a 15-year-old girl, who was struck in the wrist and is in fair condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.   Continue reading “LA middle school shooting: Two students wounded, female student in custody”

Bloomberg – by Jessica Summers

U.S. oil production surged above 10 million barrels a day for the first time in more than four decades, another marker of a profound shift in global crude markets.

The milestone comes weeks after the International Energy Agency said the U.S. is poised for “explosive” growth in oil output that would push it past Saudi Arabia and Russia this year. New drilling and production techniques have opened up billions of barrels of recoverable U.S. oil in shale rock formations in the past 10 years, reversing decades of declining output and turning the nation into an exporter.   Continue reading “US oil production tops 10-million-barrel-per-day mark”

CBS

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – ICE is targeting undocumented immigrants at local courthouses in the Bay Area and across the country.

The feds laid out new guidelines for arresting undocumented immigrants and KPIX 5’s Phil Matier got his hands on the new directive from ICE.

The feds say they are going after undocumented immigrants and that includes reaching into the local courthouses and taking them by force, if necessary.   Continue reading “ICE To Target Undocumented Immigrants At California Courthouses”

Breitbart – by Bob Price

Immigration officials released more than 100,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) apprehended at the border into the U.S. interior since Fiscal Year 2016. White House officials state that many of the family members of these minors–mostly from Central America–paid criminal organizations to smuggle their children to the United States.

In just over two years, federal law forced immigration officials released more than 100,000 UACs into the U.S., according to the White House. UACs are defined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as migrants under the age of 18 who arrive at the border without an adult family member.   Continue reading “More than 100K Unaccompanied Migrant Children Released into U.S. Since FY2016”

WTVR 9 News

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Police have arrested a Virginia Tech freshman who they say was illegally in possession of multiple assault rifles.

Yungsong Zhao, 19, was arrested Monday and charged with possessing an assault rifle firearm while not being a lawfully admitted U.S. citizen, which is a class 6 felony, according to arrest warrants obtained by WDBJ7.

Zhao is a Chinese immigrant in the U.S. under a VISA.   Continue reading “Virginia Tech freshman arrested for illegally possessing assault rifles”

NJ.com – by Ted Sherman

In a shocking turnaround, the U.S. Justice Department has dropped its case against Sen. Robert Menendez.

In a court in Newark on Wednesday, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the corruption indictment against the New Jersey Democrat after a federal judge last week acquitted Menendez and his co-defendant, Salomon Melgen, of seven of the 18 counts against them.  Continue reading “In shocking move, feds drop all charges against Sen. Bob Menendez”

The Hill – by Miranda Green

The governor of Washington on Monday rejected a permit that would allow North America’s largest oil-by-rail terminal to be built in the state.

Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said that he was in agreement with state regulators who unanimously recommended last month that he reject oil companies Tesoro and Savage’s application to build a terminal at the Port of Vancouver.   Continue reading “Washington gov rejects proposed oil-by-rail train station”

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Quartz – by Abdi Latif Dahir

Israel is hiring civilian “immigration inspectors” to crack down on “illegal aliens and their employers,” marking a turning point in the Middle Eastern nation’s relationship with migrants and refugees.   Continue reading “Israel will pay civilians $9,000 to capture African migrants”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

The United States Air Force is launching its largest-ever three-week premier set of air war drills, called Red Flag 18-1, starting on Friday and will conclude February 16, said the 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs.

On January 26, the air war drill, known as Red Flag, officially kicked off at Nellis Air Force Base, 20-miles outside of Las Vegas. Base officials have warned residents of increased military aircraft activity due to aircraft departing from Nellis Air Force Base twice-a-day to conduct war drills on the Nevada Test and Training Range.  Continue reading “USAF Begins Massive GPS Blackouts In The Western US During Largest Ever Air War Drill”

Yahoo News

A number of states are considering right to repair bills, legislation which if passed would make it easier for individuals and repair shops to replace or repair electronics parts. Repair.org reports that 17 states have already introduced bills this year and while most aim to make repair parts and manuals accessible, Washington’s proposed legislation would straight up ban electronics that prevent easy repair. “Original manufacturers of digital electronic products sold on or after January 1, 2019, in Washington state are prohibited from designing or manufacturing digital electronic products in such a way as to prevent reasonable diagnostic or repair functions by an independent repair provider,” says the bill. “Preventing reasonable diagnostic or repair functions includes permanently affixing a battery in a manner that makes it difficult or impossible to remove.”  Continue reading “Washington state bill would make hard-to-repair electronics illegal”

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The New American – by Bob Adelmann

Adam Weatherby, grandson of the founder of Weatherby, Inc. and president of the high-end custom rifle and shotgun maker currently located in Paso Robles, California, made a big announcement on Tuesday in Las Vegas — the company is moving its operations to Wyoming:

We wanted a place where we could retain a great workforce, and where our employees could live an outdoor lifestyle.   Continue reading “High-end Gun Maker Quits California, Announces Move to Wyoming”

Breitbart – by Katherine Rodriguez

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to give illegal aliens brought to the U.S. as children under DACA free tuition at the state’s public colleges.

Cuomo, a Democrat, included a provision in his $168 billion budget that would change the state’s education law to make illegal alien children who were part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty program eligible to receive free tuition through the Excelsior Scholarship, the New York Post reported.   Continue reading “New York Gov. Cuomo Wants to Give DACA Recipients Free Tuition at State Colleges”

Fox News

Authorities in Colorado have identified one suspect in the shooting death of an Adams County sheriff’s deputy late Wednesday.

Dreion Martise Dearing, 22, was booked on charges of first-degree murder of a peace officer, first-degree murder after deliberation, and second-degree burglary, Fox 31 Denver reported.   Continue reading “Suspect identified in shooting death of Colorado sheriff’s deputy”

Fox News

As Congress faces a deadline to deal with the DACA program, a story in Washington state is revealing how divisive the issue of illegal immigration is.

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee recently learned the state’s Department of Licensing was sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It prompted Inslee to put up his own wall to block any future cooperation and protect those in the country illegally.   Continue reading “Washington state gov warns driver licensing bureau not to help ICE”

Breitbart – by Charlie Spiering

President Donald Trump said he would be willing to revisit the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal — if a better deal can be reached.

“I would do TPP if we were able to make a substantially better deal,” he said, calling the Obama-era trade proposal a “terrible deal.”

Trump made his remarks during an interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen while visiting the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.   Continue reading “Trump Open to Revisiting TPP if He Can ‘Make a Substantially Better Deal’”

The Hill

Breitbart News rolled out a new line of attack aimed at President Trump on Wednesday after Trump announced that he was open to a path to citizenship for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

In a headline Wednesday, the typically pro-Trump right-wing news outlet labeled the president “Amnesty Don” in an article that accused him of “breaking his immigration commitment.”  Continue reading “Breitbart labels Trump ‘Amnesty Don’ over DACA plans”

Flathead Beacon

PORTLAND, Ore. — A federal judge Wednesday sentenced a man to a year and a day in federal prison for digging a trench during the armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon.

Jake Ryan of Plains, Montana, was found guilty in March 2017 of depredation of government property.   Continue reading “Plains Man Sentenced for Role in 2017 Oregon Standoff”