Tuesday, June 7 top stories
It is Tuesday, June 7. Here are today’s top stories.
Explainer on high gas prices
Gas prices have continued to spike. According to AAA, the national average is $4.87 a gallon as of Monday. That number is up 25 cents in just one week. At least 10 states have gas prices higher than $5, while California is seeing prices over $6.
I was reading a couple of explainers on why gas prices are so high and I was reminded that gas was very cheap during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The national average in April 2020 was… $1.81 a gallon. At that time, U.S. oil prices were crashing and trading on the stock market at below zero. Analysts at that time said there was an oversupply of oil. Global oil companies cut down on production to keep prices afloat.
Now, in 2022, gas prices are breaking new records every week. What has changed?
First, the Russian invasion of Ukraine had effects on global oil prices. Russia is one of the world’s top producers of oil. Many countries have already sanctioned or plan to sanction Russian oil, so it creates higher demand for energy with less supply, which is always going to raise prices.
Second, the coronavirus pandemic has moved past its lockdowns phase. Americans and others around the world are now filling up their cars and going back to the office or to the stores or on out-of-town trips. We’re flying again. This means our demand for gasoline is high. But the refineries and U.S. oil companies have not resumed production to pre-pandemic levels.
Why is that? An analyst with CNN Business said there are two reasons why production has not resumed. The first is that U.S. oil companies are struggling to find new employees and equipment and that it takes time to scale up oil production. The second reason is that oil companies are hesitant to drill for more oil, maybe because they’re not sure of what the Biden administration will do with regard to stricter environmental policies, or maybe because they would rather just raise the price of oil and keep production levels the same because they can reap huge profits.
With the summer season upon us, demand for gasoline will only increase. The war in Ukraine has no signs of ending anytime soon. It’s safe to say that gas prices will stay high and go higher this summer.
New York raises age limit for semiautomatic rifles to 21
On Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new law that prohibits anyone under 21 from purchasing a semiautomatic rifle in the state. The governor also signed 10 bills that strengthened gun laws.
Less than a month ago, an 18-year-old used a AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle to kill ten people in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. The Uvalde elementary school shooter was also 18.
Gov. Hochul said she is signing the new laws because strong action will address gun violence rather than just sending thoughts and prayers.
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Chappelle honors victims of Buffalo supermarket shooting
Comedian Dave Chappelle was in Buffalo, New York on Sunday to host a show in honor of those who died in the supermarket shooting. All the 10 victims were Black and the suspected gunman was a self-identified white supremacist who was motivated by racist hate. Chappelle invited some of the families of the victims to the show and told the audience that he was donating all proceeds from the show to the families.
A son of one of the victims of the Buffalo shooting appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for a hearing on domestic terrorism. His name is Garnell Whitfield Jr., the son of 86-year-old Ruth Whitfield. He called on the panel to do something to “stop the cancer of white supremacy and the domestic terrorism that inspires.”
Uvalde funerals; teacher survivor describes ordeal
In Uvalde, funerals are still taking place for the 19 children killed in the Robb Elementary School mass shooting on May 24. Two teachers were also killed. On Monday, 9-year-old Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia was buried in a custom Encanto dress that was provided by Disney. Funerals will continue into mid-June.
A teacher at Robb Elementary School who survived the shooting, Arnulfo Reyes, was interviewed by ABC News. He was in Room 111, one of the adjoining rooms with Room 112, which is where all the victims were found.
He said his class was watching a movie when he heard bangs. He told his students, 10- and 11-year-olds, to get under their desks and act like they were asleep. When he turned around, he saw the gunman. Two shots rang out and he said he knew something was wrong and that he couldn’t feel his arm and fell to the floor while the gunman opened fire in his classroom.
The teacher said he pretended to be unconscious. The shooter came back to him and shot at his back. He said he could hear police officers walking outside and other children asking for help, but there was silence before the gunman started shooting again.
The teacher said it felt like an eternity before he heard law enforcement breaching a classroom door to kill the gunman. He has gone through several surgeries and is still recovering. 11 of Reyes’ students died.
He called the police officers who responded to the shooting “cowards” because they took too long to go inside and that he would never forgive them.
On Wednesday, an 11-year-old survivor of the shooting, Miah Cerrillo, will testify before a House panel on gun violence. Miah is the girl who smeared blood on herself and pretended to be dead while she waited for help.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/06/1103318977/states-highest-gas-prices
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/06/energy/record-gas-prices-causes/index.html
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/dave-chappelle-donate-buffalo-show-proceeds-mass-shooting
https://deadline.com/2022/06/dave-chappelle-buffalo-show-shooting-victims-1235039378/
https://people.com/crime/uvalde-victim-eliahna-garcia-funeral-days-after-10th-birthday/
https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-texas-shootings-7d1b94249df9de5f416ccf75cf8e9474