Oscar Isaac attends the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar on April 18, 2026, in Santa Monica, California. (Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)
Oscar Isaac is teaming up with Martin Scorsese for a new Netflix series.
Isaac is set to executive produce and star in a brand-new, eight-episode series for the streamer that is set in the high stakes world of Las Vegas and its casinos.
This currently untitled show comes from showrunners, executive producers and writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who are known for their work on the show Billions.
The pair have written about the gambling world before. They made their screenwriting debut with the cult thriller film Rounders, which is about poker, and they wrote the heist film Ocean’s Thirteen, which is also set in Las Vegas.
Scorsese will executive produce the series. The legendary director is no stranger to this world either, famously having helmed the movie Casino and having served as an executive producer on the HBO series BoardwalkEmpire, which is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The currently untitled series will be an hourlong drama series in present-day Las Vegas. Isaac will play Robert “Bobby Red” Redman, "president of the hottest hotel casino in town, who has to make some long odds moves to try and secure his position and take more ground," according to Netflix.
This role is part of a new creative partnership between Isaac and Netflix. The streaming service will have first-look rights on film and series projects with his production company, Mad Gene.
Dominic McLaughlin stars in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.' (Aidan Monaghan/HBO)
Accio, season 2!
HBO has renewed its upcoming Harry Potter series for a second season. This renewal announcement comes months ahead of the debut of the show's first season. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will air on HBO and debut to HBO Max on Christmas Day 2026. Season 2 is set to begin production in fall 2026.
Additionally, Succession's Jon Brown, who was a writer on season 1, has been promoted to co-showrunner for season 2. He will serve in the role alongside Francesca Gardiner, the showrunner of season 1.
“As we have laid out our plans for the overlapping production schedules to finish season one by Christmas and to return to production for season two this Autumn, it has become clear that bringing on a co-showrunner is the key to maintaining our momentum," Gardiner said. "I’ve loved working with Jon from the very first day we met on Succession through to these recent times together on Harry Potter. Not only do I have huge admiration for his writing, but he’s also a brilliant collaborator and a lovely person. We are lucky to have him.”
Brown said he is "incredibly excited" to collaborate with Gardiner as co-showrunners.
"It has been a joy to write on Philosopher’s Stone and I’d like to thank Francesca and HBO for putting their faith in me to continue this remarkable journey. Seems you’re never too old to get your invitation to Hogwarts," Brown said.
Dominic McLaughlin leads the cast as Harry Potter. He stars alongside Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton, who play Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The show is described as a faithful adaptation of the books by J.K. Rowling, who serves as an executive producer.
Sometimes things of the past are recycled for today! David Rancken’s App Of The Day title gives you a big hint. It’s called Scoop – Carpooling & Commuting. You can find Scoop – Carpooling & Commuting in the Apple Store and Google Play below.
Signage at an Apple Store in San Francisco (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- Apple has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for $250 million after the tech giant was accused of marketing Apple Intelligence technologies that "did not exist" yet, according to a Tuesday court filing.
The settlement paves the way for payouts of up to $95 for iPhone users who purchased eligible devices between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025.
Plaintiffs in the suit asked a judge on Tuesday to approve the settlement, which they described as "within the range of what is fair, reasonable, and adequate," according to the filing.
The settlement will provide class members up to $95 per device, "depending on claim volume and other factors," the filing states.
The lawsuit, which was originally filed in March 2025, alleged the iPhone manufacturer "violated consumer protection laws when it advertised its new generation of iPhones as a breakthrough in artificial intelligence ('AI'), including significant enhancements to Siri, iPhone's digital assistant," according to Tuesday's court filing.
The lawsuit itself specifically accused Apple of introducing Enhanced Siri capabilities -- such as AI-powered digital assistant recollection and calendar reminders -- even though they "did not exist or were materially misrepresented."
The plaintiffs also alleged Apple "saturated the market with deceptive ads" promoting that technology, which were "viewed widely by the Public" online and in ad spots during major broadcast events. They alleged that promotion led consumers to buy iPhones due to the perception that Siri had some of those enhanced AI features.
According to Tuesday's settlement document, Apple has "maintained that its ads were not misleading because it disclosed from the outset the Apple Intelligence features would be delivered over time and continue to evolve."
The company also "maintained that it successfully delivered more than 20 Apple Intelligence features" and argued that "consumers purchase new iPhones for any number of reasons that have nothing to do with Enhanced Siri features," the settlement document states.
An Apple spokesperson confirmed the settlement in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday.
"Since the launch of Apple Intelligence, we have introduced dozens of features across many languages that are integrated across Apple's platforms, relevant to what users do every day, and built with privacy protections at every step," the spokesperson said. "These include Visual Intelligence, Live Translation, Writing Tools, Genmoji, Clean Up and many more."
They added, "Apple has reached a settlement to resolve claims related to the availability of two additional features. We resolved this matter to stay focused on doing what we do best, delivering the most innovative products and services to our users."
The settlement payout applies to a list of iPhone 15 and 16 devices, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to Tuesday's filing.
The document notes there are approximately 37 million eligible devices.
The settlement will apply to those who purchased the eligible devices and "who reside in the United States and purchased an Eligible Device in the United States for purposes other than resale," according to the document.
HALLSVILLE – An East Texas family’s long wait for justice ended this week, more than a year after their son was jailed in Mexico for mistakenly crossing the border with a firearm. Hallsville native Caden Hawkins was returning from work in Arizona last March when GPS detours routed him toward a border checkpoint, according to our news partner KETK, his family said Mexican guards instructed him to pass through toward the United States. While border guards checked his truck at the security checkpoint, Caden told officials that he had a pistol inside his truck and was immediately placed under arrest.
Rep.Jay Dean, who had been working on Hawkins’ case, announced on Tuesday that he had returned to Texas.
HOLLYWOOD (AP) – Talking animal movies do not, on the whole, have the best reputation. Yes, there is “Babe,” but “Babe” is the exception. Most are pretty bad, whether it’s the uncanny effects, the shoddy storytelling or some horrifying combination of the two.
Audiences have earned the right to be skeptical when something like “The Sheep Detectives” comes along — everyone involved was too. And yet this family-friendly “Knives Out” with a murder mystery at the center, a starry ensemble including Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun, as well as the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart as yes, talking sheep, has caught more than a few off guard for its quirky humor, its sincerity and its unexpected depth.
Chris O’Dowd, who voices Mopple, “the most patient sheep,” noted: “You don’t get a lot of projects that are from the director of ‘Minions’ and the writer of ‘Chernobyl.’ It’s an unusual combination.”
In the film, in theaters Friday, Jackman plays George, a kind, but isolated shepherd in the English countryside who reads his animals murder mysteries at night. Unbeknownst to him, not only do they understand the words, they debate the stories among themselves. So when George dies under mysterious circumstances, the flock take what they’ve learned to try to help the dimwitted local police officer (Braun) solve the case, language barriers and all.
“What we know from watching this movie now with audiences over and over and over is that people are repeatedly delighted and surprised at how much more there is going on here than just silly sheep doing something silly,” screenwriter Craig Mazin said. “There are some really beautiful moments and themes and things that parents can talk about with their kids … and, most importantly, it is legitimately a movie that is meant for everyone.” Aiming high with ‘The Sheep Detectives’
The story of how “The Sheep Detectives” got made goes back almost 20 years, when veteran producer Lindsay Doran (“Sense and Sensibility”) told Mazin about Leonie Swann’s novel “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story.” He was expecting something cute, goofy and silly, but found himself enchanted by how smart, moving and philosophical it was.
It would take nearly a decade to secure the rights, and almost another to get the thing made, and made well thanks to studio executive Courtenay Valenti who, Mazin said, rescued it from rotting on a pile of scripts. Along the way they would find themselves emboldened by the caliber of talent who wanted to be part of it as well.
“Everybody involved was all on the same page of aiming as high as we could and sticking to our guns when it came to quality,” Mazin said. “Phil Lord and Chris Miller came on as producers as well, and their entire career has been about taking things that other people might not make good and making them good.”
Molly Gordon, whose character becomes a primary suspect when she mysteriously shows up in town the night of the murder, had the same reservations as many.
“The script was sent to my agent, and he emailed me, like, ‘This is really profound’ and I was like ‘How could this be profound?’ Like, I just, like, the sheep movie?” Gordon said. “And then within 10 minutes of reading it, I was like, this is one of the best scripts I’ve ever read.” The real audience test
Mazin’s own kids grew up while “The Sheep Detectives” was getting made. But he still invited his 21-year-old daughter to watch it with him and his wife a few months back. She’s proud of her dad for his career, but, he said, also wouldn’t hesitate to call something of his “mid.”
“When the film ended, they were both just sort of a sobbing, happy mess,” he said. “My daughter, who doesn’t cut me any slack at all, AT ALL … Was like, ‘That is such a good movie.’ I thought, ‘OK’ … if your kids are older, it still works.”
The movie is coming into a fairly healthy theatrical marketplace, where PG-rated movies are often outperforming PG-13 movies and where non-franchise movies with the right buzz have been finding their audience, including another Amazon MGM release, “Project Hail Mary.” Mazin, a veteran screenwriter who also co-hosts the popular “Scriptnotes” podcast, doesn’t often hype his own projects like this. Usually he thinks they should speak for themselves.
“Nobody needs the guy who wrote something to say, no, it’s really good. This is the first time in my career that I’m like, but actually, no guys. I love this,” he said. “Seeing this movie is a purely positive experience.”
And it needs a little bit of hype. “The Sheep Detectives” is currently tracking for a muted box office debut, in the $10 million to $15 million range. But it’s also a movie that has been underestimated at nearly every step.
“Low expectations are, you know, sometimes a gift,” Mazin laughed.
PALESTINE – The Palestine Police Department is looking for a 30-year-old man who was last heard from in February. According to our news partner KETK, a Facebook group dedicated to Zachary Overturf’s disappearance, his last known communication was with his mother on Feb. 26 via phone. His apartment, which he shared with a friend at Whispering Pines Apartments, had recently caught fire on Feb. 22 at 1:06 a.m., and only his wallet, credit card, cell phone and keys were found.
Overturf is about 6-foot-1-inch tall, weighs approximately 160 lbs., and is described as a White man with brown hair and blue eyes. He has several tattoos, including an incomplete circle on his right wrist, an eye on the right side of his neck, a wolf and native American girl on his shoulder and a ghost with scythe on his left leg.
Overturf is said to have frequented Timber Crest Apartments, which is near Whispering Pines Apartments. Facebook messages to Zach Overturf have not been able to be delivered since April 9.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Palestine Police Department at 903-729-2254 or send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 903-729-8477.
SULPHUR SPRINGS (KETK) — An ongoing narcotics investigation in Hopkins County has resulted in the arrest of several people, the seizure of a large amount of illegal substances and over $70,000, officials said on Wednesday. According to our news partner KETK and the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, investigators executed a search warrant at an apartment complex on Sulphur Springs. Three people were arrested at the scene.
During the search, the following illegal substances and contraband were recovered:
*309 grams of cocaine *1,677.5 grams of THC vape pens *73 grams of psilocybin *15 pounds of marijuana *Two AR-platform rifles *One pistol *$73,294.02
“The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office remains vigilant and proactive in its mission to protect the citizens of Hopkins County and will continue to take decisive action against illegal activity,” the sheriff’s office said.
Hayden Panettiere pictured on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Hayden Panettiere has publicly revealed that she identifies as bisexual.
The actress shared the detail about her personal life in a new interview with Us Weekly that was published on Wednesday. In the interview, Panettiere said it was her experience writing about her life for her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, that helped her decide to share this part of herself.
"Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable to confidently say that yes, I am bisexual. I said it! This is the first time I got to say it out loud," Panettiere said.
The actress said she didn't always know what she would be comfortable sharing about herself in the two years it took her to write the memoir. This did come up, and she decided, "Why not?"
"I’ve chosen to be completely brutally honest about this, and that’s something about me that I was never able to share with the world, because it was just never the right time," Panettiere said.
The actress continued, detailing her attraction to women but also that she felt "afraid" to come out at first.
"I was not encouraged to just be myself," she said. "Then it came, the period where it felt like people coming out, especially women coming out, and saying that they were bisexual or liked girls, was a fad."
Panettiere didn't want to be simply "jumping on the bandwagon," as she put it, rather, she "wanted to make sure that I really sat down and chose my words carefully and was able to tell my story in an honest way, that people understood. On one hand, it’s sad that I had to wait till I was 36 years old to share that part of me, but better late than never, right?”
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man accused of firing a gun at law enforcement officers near the Washington Monument this week was following the path of Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade before the shooting and made a vulgar remark about the White House after the confrontation, according to a court filing Wednesday.
The suspect, Michael Marx, was shot multiple times during Monday’s confrontation and was in the back of an ambulance on his way to a hospital when he said, “‘F(asterisk)(asterisk)k the White House’ and “Kill me, kill me, kill me,’” a Secret Service agent said in an affidavit.
The sworn statement does not specify whether investigators believe Marx had a particular target.
Marx was walking along the path of Vance’s motorcade when officers spotted him near the intersection of 15th Street and Independence Avenue. The officers were responding to a Secret Service agent’s report that Marx was seen near with White House complex with a firearm concealed on the right side of his body, the affidavit says.
Marx pulled a firearm from his waistband as he ran away from Secret Service officers and fired at one of them, but a bystander behind the officer was shot in the leg, the affidavit says. Officers returned fire and struck Marx in his abdomen, a hand and his left arm, according to the filing. It says Marx spit at officers as they provided him with aid after the shooting.
The teenage bystander was not seriously injured and has been released from a hospital, ABC News reported. ABC was first to report what the suspect allegedly said after the shooting.
Marx, who had a Texas driver’s license, was charged in a complaint with assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm during a violent crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The shooting came just over a week after a California man tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with guns and knives. Cole Tomas Allen has been charged in that incident with attempting to assassinate the president and firing a gun at a Secret Service officer.
Around the time of Monday’s shooting, President Donald Trump was holding a small business event at the White House, which was briefly locked down as authorities investigated.
Online court records did not immediately list the name of a lawyer representing Marx.
Marx has used aliases, including Michael Patrick and Michael Zavici, according to the affidavit. It says Marx had a 2011 drug trafficking conviction in Florida that made it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
Tom Everett Scott, Lexi Minetree and June Diane Raphael in 'Elle.' (Jessica Brooks/Prime Video)
Omigod, you guys!
Prime Video has released the teaser trailer for its upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle. The show follows the character Elle Woods, who was originated by Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 film, as she takes on high school.
Lexi Minetree stars as young Elle Woods in the upcoming series. The prequel follows Elle as "we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love," according to Prime Video.
"We meet her in 1995 as a fish in the tumultuous waters of high school where she encounters tricky friendships, forbidden romance, and questionable fashion choices," according to the show's official description. "Through it all, Elle uses her family as a touchstone, and forms an even tighter bond to her mother, proving that they can get through anything life throws their way as long as they have each other."
The trailer is filled with glimpses of Elle's life growing up in Bel-Air in the year 1995. She enjoys her glamorous existence before her parents tell her they are moving to Seattle, Washington.
"Bruiser, wish me luck," Elle says to her beloved dog before heading out to her first day at a brand-new high school.
Laura Kittrell created the series, which she co-showruns and executive produces with Caroline Dries. Witherspoon executive produces, while Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore helmed the first two episodes and also executive produces. Additionally, Prime Video has already ordered a season 2 ahead of season 1's debut.
The series also stars June Diane Raphael as Elle’s mother, Eva, and Tom Everett Scott as her father, Wyatt. Gabrielle Policano, Jacob Moskovitz, Chandler Kinney and Zac Looker make up the rest of the main cast.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — An election year redistricting movement has spread to South Carolina as Republicans attempt to redraw majority-Black congressional districts that have suddenly become susceptible because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upending protections for minority voters.
Urged on by President Donald Trump, South Carolina Republicans are attempting to redraw a district long held by a Black Democratic lawmaker in their quest for a clean sweep of the state’s seven congressional seats.
Lawmakers already are meeting in special sessions in Alabama and Tennessee in a bid to change their U.S. House districts. And Louisiana lawmakers are making plans for new congressional districts after the Supreme Court last week struck down the state’s current map.
The stakes are high for minority voters who stand to lose their preferred representatives and for any Republican lawmakers reluctant to follow Trump’s wishes. In Republican primary elections Tuesday, Trump-endorsed challengers defeated at least five of the seven Indiana state lawmakers targeted by Trump’s allies for refusing to support a congressional redistricting effort last year.
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling said Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating a second Black-majority House district as it attempted to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The ruling significantly altered a decades-old understanding of the law, giving Republicans grounds to try to eliminate majority-Black districts that have elected Democrats.
The ruling revved up an already intense national redistricting battle ahead of a November midterm election that will determine control of the closely divided House.
Since Trump prodded Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last year, a total of eight states have adopted new congressional districts. From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10 seats. But some of the new districts could be competitive in November, meaning the parties may not get all they sought.
South Carolina to test its will for redistricting
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn has represented South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District since it was redrawn to favor minority voters in 1992. He’s running for an 18th term. But it could get harder for him to win reelection if Republicans redraw his district.
A committee on Wednesday easily passed a proposal that could allow South Carolina lawmakers to consider drawing new congressional districts, setting up a showdown on the state House floor later in the day.
The resolution would require a two-thirds vote to pass. Republicans have a supermajority, but some are concerned that an attempt to redraw the map to get rid of the state’s lone Democratic representative could backfire and create up to two districts where Democrats are competitive.
Democratic state Rep. Spencer Wetmore said the redistricting effort reveals cynical politics focused more on winning for a narrow group than on helping all people.
“Daddy Trump calls and needs to grasp at some power, and once again we jump,” she said.
The state’s primaries are June 9 and early voting starts in three weeks. Tennessee plan targets Memphis district
Republicans on Wednesday released a proposed new U.S. House map that would split Memphis’ home of Shelby County among three districts, instead of the current two. The map would break up the state’s lone Democratic-held U.S. House district, centered on the majority-Black city of Memphis, creating a ripple effect of alterations to districts throughout the western and central parts of the state.
“Tennessee is a conservative state and our congressional delegation should reflect that. This bill ensures it does,” said Republican state Sen. John Stevens, who is spearheading the legislation.
The plan was being presented Wednesday in legislative committees, with the expectation that both chambers could vote on it Thursday.
Democrats and civil rights activists have denounced the redistricting effort. When the state Senate began work Tuesday, shouts of “shame, shame, shame” could be heard inside the chamber from protesters gathered in the hallways.
On the chamber floor, state Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Black Democrat from Memphis, called the redistricting “an act of hate.”
The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March. The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6. Alabama looks at setting a new primary
The state House on Wednesday could debate legislation that would allow Alabama to hold a special congressional primary, if the Supreme Court clears the way for the state to change its U.S. House districts.
In light of the court’s ruling on Louisiana’s districts, Alabama officials have asked courts to set aside a judicial order to use a U.S. House map that includes two districts with a substantial number of Black voters. Republicans instead want to use a map passed in 2023 by the Legislature that could help the GOP win at least one of those two seats currently held by Democrats.
Alabama’s primaries are scheduled for May 19. If the Supreme Court grants the state’s request after or too close to the primary, the legislation under consideration would ignore the results of that primary and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under the revised districts.
Democrats denounced the legislation as a Republican power grab that harkens back to the state’s shameful history of denying Black residents equal rights and representation.
Republicans are “working to secure an electoral victory by taking Alabama back to the Jim Crow era, and we won’t go back,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell told a crowd gathered outside the Alabama Statehouse. Thousands had already voted in Louisiana
After last week’s Supreme Court decision, Republican Gov. Mike Landry postponed the state’s May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts. State Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, a Republican, said a redistricting committee he leads plans to hold a public hearing Friday.
Louisiana voters had already sent in more than 41,000 absentee ballots by last Thursday, when Landry suspended the House primaries, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. That’s about a third of all the absentee ballots sent out to voters. Around 19,000 were from registered Democrats, 17,000 from registered Republicans and the remainder belonged to neither party.
Democrats and civil rights groups have filed several lawsuits challenging the suspension of Louisiana’s congressional primary.
SMITH COUNTY – Smith County Road 1139, also known as Indian Creek Road, will be closed Thursday, May 7, for a bridge replacement. CR 1139, west of Tyler and near Lindsey Park, from Spur 364 to CR 1140, is the roadway affected. The project is expected to take about three months.
TYLER – The City of Tyler will show appreciation for outstanding public servants during Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) from May 4 through May 8. All City of Tyler non-emergency offices and facilities will be closed Friday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for an interdepartmental event. Essential and emergency functions will continue.
Celebrated since 1985, PSRW is a nationwide public recognition campaign honoring the men and women who serve as federal, state, county, and local government employees.
Customers pump gas into their car at a 76 station, May 4, 2026 in Los Angeles (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- Sky-high gasoline prices are hammering drivers across the United States as the Iran war chokes off global oil supply. California, however, may be feeling the sting more than anywhere else.
The average price of a gallon of gasoline in California clocks in at $6.13, standing 36% higher than the national average, AAA data showed. Some elected officials in the state have warned of a potential oil and gas shortage that could push prices up even further.
Siva Gunda, the vice chairman of the California Energy Commission, on Tuesday said at a hearing of the state assembly that California retains enough gasoline to satiate demand over the coming weeks.
"I do not see presently -- at least up to six weeks -- a supply shortfall," Gunda said. "Beyond that, based on what we're hearing from the industry and what we've observed, the pricing will move molecules to California, but it will come at a price."
David Alvarez, a Democratic California state assembly member who represents Southern San Diego, warned of the potential impact on consumers.
"For six weeks, at least, there seems to be some certainty. But almost as certain is if this situation continues after six weeks, we would likely see some price increases," Alvarez said.
Fuel prices in California typically run higher than other states, even in the best of times. That usual price disparity stems from regulations and taxes imposed in the Golden State, among other factors.
The Iran war has exacerbated the price pressure, exposing California's dependence in large part on foreign imports, some analysts said. A shutdown of some key oil refineries in recent months worsened California's vulnerability, slashing the state's gasoline output in the absence of alternative fuel sources.
Still, the drop-off in gas supply is unlikely to produce a shortage of product at local gas stations, since an ongoing surge in prices should deter some buyers, analysts said. Under such a scenario, known as "demand destruction," high prices make gas unaffordable for some drivers, forcing them to forgo gasoline use altogether.
"A shortage within the continental U.S. would take a really extreme situation, since prices respond to supply and demand," Susan Bell, a senior vice president at the consulting firm Rystad Energy, told ABC News.
The Middle East conflict, which began on Feb. 28, prompted Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the worldwide supply of oil. As a result, global oil prices have soared more than 50%.
The vast majority of oil that passes through the strait is bound for Asian markets, but some of it reaches the United States, including California. That dependence has worsened a widely felt problem: since oil prices are set on a global market, prices have climbed for just about everyone as buyers chase fewer barrels of crude.
California imports about three-quarters of its oil from foreign nations and Alaska, California Energy Commission (CEC) data shows. Roughly 30% of the state's oil comes from the Middle East, especially Iraq and Saudi Arabia, according to the agency.
"California is challenged buying crude oil because they did buy from the Middle East," Bell said.
The oil bottleneck has driven up the price of crude, straining the state's supply chain. But the shortfall of gasoline in the state owes primarily to a decline in the availability of refined products, some analysts said.
California ships in a portion of its auto fuel from Asia, but those imports have been disrupted by the war, they added.
The shutdown of two major oil refineries in recent months has diminished the state's ability to make up for the lost gasoline with in-state production, they added. A longstanding absence of adequate pipeline infrastructure connected to other states, meanwhile, has prevented California from turning to domestic supply.
Gasoline inventory in the state averaged 9.55 million barrels over the four weeks ending on April 24, CEC data shows. That figure puts inventories near the lowest level on record dating back to 2005, according to a Reuters analysis. That total stock includes non-California gasoline, blending components and California's gasoline blend.
"California has designed an energy island in terms of the products we actually use. We're not connected to the rest of the U.S. as efficiently as many other states are," Paasha Mahdavi, a professor of energy governance and political economy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told ABC News.
As a result, Mahdavi added: "There's a crunch hitting gas stations."
Despite the supply squeeze, California is unlikely to suffer from long lines at gasoline stations or customers leaving with empty tanks, some analysts said.
Rather, the price of gasoline will continue to move up, reaching such heights that some buyers will turn to alternatives or simply go without fuel, Severin Borenstein, a professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, told ABC News.
If public officials were to put a price cap on gasoline, then customers would likely flock to the pump and empty inventories, Borenstein added. As prices surge, however, customers will fall out of the market instead.
"We don't have any gas lines because we don't regulate the price of gas," Borsenstein told ABC News. "As much as people hate high gas prices, they hate gas lines even more."
HOLLYWOOD (AP) – Talking animal movies do not, on the whole, have the best reputation. Yes, there is “Babe,” but “Babe” is the exception. Most are pretty bad, whether it’s the uncanny effects, the shoddy storytelling or some horrifying combination of the two.
