🛢 Workers go on strike at northern California refinery owned by Chevron

More than 500 workers at a Chevron Corp. refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area went on strike early Monday in a contract dispute. It came after workers voted down Chevron’s most recent contract offer and the company refused to return to the bargaining table.

If the strike shuts down the refinery, which seems likely, it could negatively affect the already high gasoline prices in California, a state with highest regular gas price in the nation, at $5.86 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.

Chevron representatives complained that in Richmond, where the refinery is located, the union’s demands “exceeded what the company believes to be reasonable and moved beyond what was agreed to as part of the national pattern bargaining agreement.”

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📊 Pence distances himself from Trump as he eyes 2024 campaign

Last month, Pence called out Trump by name, saying his former boss was “wrong” to insist that the former US VP had the power to unilaterally overturn the results of the 2020 election — a power vice presidents do not possess.

Pence has spent the past several months traveling the country, delivering policy speeches, raising money for midterm candidates and visiting early-voting states, while working on a pair of books. In the coming months, he is planning a return visit to Iowa, which holds the party’s first nominating contests of the presidential election cycle.

His political group, Advancing American Freedom, announced a $10 million ad campaign to support an expansion of American energy production. Still, early polls show that Trump remains the decisive favorite among GOP voters if the one-term US president chooses to mount another run. Without Trump in the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis so far appears to be an early favorite.

🌪 Multiple tornadoes leave damage across southern US

Tornadoes, hail and strong winds followed a front that inched its way across parts of Texas Monday. There were multiple tornadoes spotted across North and Central Texas in areas like Jacksboro, Luling and Round Rock.The tornado ripped through a high school with kids inside in Jacksboro, Texas. Fortunately, everyone was reportedly safe. 

Hail came down in San Antonio. Residents in that area snapped photos of pea and golf ball-sized hail that fell throughout the day.  The line of thunderstorms is nearing its way to the Houston area where a tornado watch remains in effect until 10 p.m. local time and flash flooding remains a concern until Tuesday morning.

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📡 Russian media must mark the Meta company as an organization banned in the country, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor said in a statement.

🗣 "According to Article 4 of the Russian law "On Media", when distributing information, Russian media are obliged to mark such an organization and its social networks in their editorial materials. The marking must contain an indication that its activities in Russia are prohibited," it said.

Roskomnadzor said the responsibility for the media for the lack of such marking comes after the Russian Ministry of Justice includes an extremist organization in the corresponding list.

🗣 "Russian media are not allowed to display the logo of the Meta Platforms Inc. organization and its social networks Facebook and Instagram either," it said.

Roskomnadzor said it will exclude Instagram and Facebook from the register of social networks, and the Meta company from the list of foreign entities operating in the internet in Russia.

🚫 Moscow's Tverskoy Court on Monday banned Facebook and Instagram in Russia for extremist activity, but made an exception for WhatsApp.

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🚙 VW will invest $7.1 billion in its North American production capacity

Volkswagen's electrification efforts in North America will receive an additional $7.1 billion investment over the next five years, the company announced on Monday. 

VW hopes that doing so will help drive 55 percent of its US sales to be EVs by 2030. The company estimates that 90 percent of the vehicles it sells in North America are already assembled in North America.

The company also plans to officially open its Battery Engineering Lab (BEL) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this May.

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Russia’s Ministry of Defence showed footage of the distribution of humanitarian aid to residents of Melitopol

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The Russian Defence Ministry has published footage of Ka-52 helicopters carrying out airstrikes on military infrastructure of Ukrainian nationalists, covering Mi-8 transport and combat helicopters, as well providing air escorts for military convoys, including humanitarian cargo

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Donald Trump vs Porn Star Stormy Daniels 2:0

A federal appeals court has denied Stormy Daniels' motion to strike down a lower court ruling in her failed defamation suit against @real_DonaldJTrump.

The longstanding legal battle between Daniels and the ex-president over her claim that they once had sex in 2006 appears to be over. Now the porn star will have to pay the former president nearly $300,000 in attorney fees.

Trump has already hailed the ruling as “a total and complete victory and vindication for, and of me”.

🗣 “The lawsuit was a purely political stunt that never should have started, or allowed to happen, and I am pleased that my lawyers were able to bring it to a successful conclusion after the court fully rejected her appeal. Now all I have to do is wait for all of the money she owes me. P.S. The Fake News probably won’t report this story!” he added

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❗️ Russia-US relations are on the verge of rupture, Deputy FM warns

❗️ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov:

▪️ US must stop escalating tensions with Russia;

▪️ Russia adapts to US sanctions;

▪️ US should stop projecting threats against Russia and put pressure on Kiev

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⚡️ Russian Armed Forces hit 137 military facilities of Ukraine over past day, Defence Ministry says

⚡️ Navalny found guilty on charges of fraud and contempt of court

📌 The Russian Defence Ministry has provided a briefing on the Ukraine op:

▪️ Units of the Russian Armed Forces have advanced up to 6 km. They are now fighting against units of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

▪️ DPR troops are fighting to take control of 3 cities. They have destroyed a company of the 53rd Separate Mechanised Brigade and units of the assault battalion of the 54th Separate Mechanised Brigade of Ukrainian forces. Three tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, four field artillery guns, and six all-terrain vehicles were destroyed in the area in past 24 hours;

▪️ People's Militia units of the Lugansk Republic have established control over four cities and continued to destroy units of the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. More than 40 personnel and five all-terrain vehicles of the enemy were destroyed;

▪️ Operational-tactical and army aviation hit 137 military assets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

▪️ Air defence units of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down 14 more Ukrainian drones in the air, including one Bayraktar TB-2;

▪️ A group of "night hunters" consisting of Ka-52 and Mi-28n helicopters destroyed nine Ukrainian tanks, and seven infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers during night strikes;

▪️ In total, 230 drones, 181 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1,528 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 154 multiple launch rocket systems, 602 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 1,312 units of special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been destroyed during the operation

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The Russian Ministry of Defence has published footage of the operation of a BUK-M3 air defence system during the special operation

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⚡️ Russia demands from the US to stop the demonization of Russia, Deputy FM says

⚡️ Russian Finance Ministry fully fulfills obligations on $65.6mlncCoupon on Eurobonds