Stocks edged lower in midday trading Tuesday, weighed down by a mixed batch of company earnings and another decline in bond yields. Financial sector stocks accounted for much of the selling as investors reacted to the decline in yields. The 10-year Treasury note slipped to 1.55% from 1.59% late Monday....
US, Iran Exchange Accusations in Wake of Attacks on Oil Tankers
The U.S. military released a video Friday it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement.  Iran's president, meanwhile, assailed the Trump administration, accusing it of...
Firm Fined $3.3M for Worst California Oil Spill in 25 Years
SANTA BARBARA — A pipeline company was fined nearly $3.35 million on Thursday for causing the worst California coastal spill in 25 years. A judge issued a fine and penalties against Plains All American Pipeline for a 2015 spill that sent 140,000 gallons of crude oil gushing onto Refugio State...
US Gives Exemptions to Sanctions on Iran Revolutionary Guard
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday granted important exemptions to new sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guard, watering down the effects of the measures while also eliminating an aspect that would have complicated U.S. foreign policy efforts. Foreign governments and businesses that have dealings with the Revolutionary Guard and its...
US Says No More Sanctions Waivers for Importing Iranian Oil
The Trump administration said Monday that it will no longer exempt any countries from U.S. sanctions if they continue to buy Iranian oil, stepping up pressure on Iran in a move that primarily affects the five remaining major importers: China and India and U.S. treaty allies Japan, South Korea, Turkey....
US Terror Label for Iran Revolutionary Guard Takes Effect
WASHINGTON — The U.S. terrorism label for Iran's Revolutionary Guard formally took effect on Monday, amid a battle between the Trump administration and some in Congress over waivers on oil and nuclear sanctions that are due to expire or be extended early next month. The Guard's formal designation as a...
These Are America’s Friends? CNN’s Zakaria Digs into Saudi Arabia.
"Saudi Arabia's story is intertwined with ours: The closest ally of this strange desert kingdom has been America, the world's most open democracy," says Fareed Zakaria, the CNN global affairs host and Washington Post columnist. "Why?" Zakaria explores the many answers to that question in the one-hour special "Saudi Arabia: Kingdom...
US to Ease Oil Drilling Protections for Imperiled Bird
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Trump administration moved forward Thursday with plans to ease restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling and other activities across millions of acres in the American West that were put in place to protect an imperiled bird species. Land management documents released by the U.S. Interior Department...
Police Search Saudi Consul's Home. Grisly Khashoggi Slaying Alleged.
ISTANBUL — Turkish crime-scene investigators entered the residence of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul on Wednesday to search for evidence in the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, just as a pro-government newspaper published a gruesome recounting of his alleged slaying. Saudi Arabia's green national flag flapped overhead as...
The US Now Has Second-Class Status in the Middle East
You may not have noticed it – the chair that wasn’t there. The seven-year Syrian civil war is ending with a government victory, aided by Russia and Iran. Talks to end to the war are accelerating. Who is at the table in those talks? Russia, Turkey and Iran. Noticeably, not...