Exxon Mobil is buying Pioneer Natural Resources in an all-stock deal valued at $59.5 billion, its largest buyout since acquiring Mobil two decades ago, creating a colossal fracking operator in West Texas. Including debt, Exxon is committing about $64.5 billion to the acquisition, leaving no doubt of the Texas energy...
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Movie Will Be a Blockbuster — and Might Shake Up Hollywood
NEW YORK — Greg Marcus has been in the movie business for years but he never expected to be urging moviegoers to take out their phones during a film — let alone to be crafting friendship bracelets in preparation for an opening weekend. But there the chief executive and chair of...
What is Hamas? A History of the Terrorist Group Ruling the Gaza Strip
BEIRUT — Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, launched an attack inside Israel over the weekend, killing hundreds and taking others hostage. Its unprecedented breach of the border sent fighters inside border communities and military installations, shocked Israel and its allies, and raised questions about the group’s capabilities and strategy....
Israel Pounds Downtown Gaza City, Vowing Punishing Retaliation for Weekend Attack
JERUSALEM — Israel bombarded downtown Gaza City on Tuesday and expanded a massive mobilization of reservists, vowing punishing retaliation against the Hamas militant group that increasingly left residents of the tiny Palestinian territory with nowhere to go. Four days after Hamas militants stormed into Israel, bringing gunbattles to its streets for the first time...
Best-Selling Clovis Native’s Latest Book Series for Young People Will Launch in 2024
NEW YORK — The hero of Chris Colfer's next book series is no ordinary boy. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announced Tuesday that the Clovis native, actor and million-selling author is working on “Roswell Johnson Saves the World,” which the publisher calls a space fantasy that “combines the heart-pounding...
The Future of Electric Vehicles Looms Over Negotiations in the US Autoworkers Strike
WAYNE, Mich. — On the picket lines at a Ford factory west of Detroit, many striking workers don't think the electric vehicle revolution is coming for their jobs — at least not in the near future. But just in case, they're backing United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain's quest to unionize EV battery...
US Senators See a Glimmer of Hope for Breaking a Logjam With China Over the Fentanyl Crisis
BEIJING — A group of U.S. senators visiting Beijing expressed hope Tuesday that they had opened the door ever so slightly to government talks with China on its role in the fentanyl crisis ravaging America. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is heading the group of three Democrats and three Republicans, said Chinese...
Former Baseball MVP Steve Garvey Joins California US Senate Race, Gives GOP Ballot Dash of Celebrity
LOS ANGELES — Former baseball MVP Steve Garvey joined the race Tuesday to succeed the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, giving Republicans a splash of star quality on the ballot in a heavily Democratic state where the GOP hasn’t won a Senate race in 35 years. Garvey, 74, launched his...
Newsom Vetoes Bill co-Authored by Arambula Requiring Local Independent Redistricting Panels
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed legislation that would have required dozens of his state's largest cities, counties, and educational districts to use independent commissions to draw voting districts, dealing a setback to “redistricting reform” advocates. “We’re frustrated, confused, and deeply disappointed,” Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of voting rights...
Israeli Survivors Recount Terror at Music Festival, Where Hamas Militants Killed at Least 260
JERUSALEM — The night was a getaway. Thousands of young men and women gathered at a vast field in southern Israel near the Gaza border to dance without a care. Old and new friends jumped up and down, reveling in the swirl of the bass-heavy beats. Maya Alper was standing...