SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom cracked down on oil producers Tuesday, halting approval of hundreds of fracking permits until independent scientists can review them and temporarily banning another drilling method that regulators believe is linked to one of the largest spills in state history. The state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources announced it will not …

GALEANA, Mexico (AP) — The eight children, some mere infants, who survived the ambush in northern Mexico not only escaped the drug cartel gunmen who killed their mothers but managed to hide in the brush, with some walking miles to get help despite grisly bullet wounds. In a testament to a mother’s devotion, one woman reportedly stashed her baby on …

LONDON (AP) — Energy prices rose Friday after a missile strike on an Iranian tanker revived concerns about instability in the oil-rich region, though analysts say the global market is now more resilient to disruption to supplies. The international benchmark for oil rose 1.6% to $60.05 a barrel after Iranian officials said two missiles hit a tanker off the coast …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of retirees will get a modest 1.6% cost-of-living increase from Social Security in 2020, an uptick with potential political consequences in an election year when Democrats are pushing more generous inflation protection. The increase amounts to $24 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates released Thursday by the Social Security Administration. Following a …

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday poured cold water on prospects for a bipartisan compromise on gun legislation, even as Attorney General William Barr circulated a draft plan on Capitol Hill to expand background checks for gun sales. In a Fox News interview, Trump said no deal is imminent, more than six weeks after mass shootings in Texas …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Global energy prices spiked Monday by a percentage unseen since the 1991 Gulf War after a weekend attack on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia caused the worst disruption to world supplies on record, further fueling heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. American officials released satellite images of the damage at the heart …

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — T. Boone Pickens, a brash and quotable oil tycoon who grew even wealthier through corporate takeover attempts, died Wednesday. He was 91. Pickens was surrounded by friends and family when he died of natural causes under hospice care at his Dallas home, spokesman Jay Rosser said. Pickens suffered a series of strokes in 2017 and was …

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man “full of anger” stabbed, slashed and robbed his way across two Southern California cities in a bloody rampage that killed four people and wounded two others who were apparently targeted at random, authorities said. The 33-year-old man from the city of Garden Grove robbed more than half a dozen businesses and killed two men …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California has among the most stringent gun laws in the country and on Monday a far-reaching new initiative to curb violence will require background checks for every ammunition purchase. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other proponents said it will save lives but opponents are suing in hopes of eventually undoing a law they said will mostly harm …

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke said Thursday he’s willing to consider a moratorium on new leases to drill for oil and gas on federal lands as a way to help combat climate change. The Democratic presidential hopeful told reporters while campaigning in Nevada on Thursday the nation needs to rethink how it protects its public lands …