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Oil Prices Are Spiking — Here's What It Means for Your Gas Tank and Grocery Bill

  Published July 17, 2026 Crude oil is trading near one-month highs this week, and if you've filled up your tank recently, you've probably already felt it. The culprit: an escalating conflict in the Middle East that's disrupting one of the world's most important oil shipping routes — and it's starting to show up at Canadian pumps and, eventually, on grocery store shelves. What's happening with oil prices West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the North American benchmark, has been trading around the $79–$80 per barrel range this week — up roughly 5% over the past month. Brent crude, the global benchmark that matters more for what Canadians pay at the pump, has been hovering near $85 per barrel, also near a one-month high. The spike traces back to renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and has intensified strikes, while Iran has responded with attacks on U.S. bases and threats to disrupt regional energy shipments further. ...

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Hunter Biden's Legal Troubles and Presidential Pardon

 

Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, faced legal issues related to firearms and tax convictions. In June 2024, he was convicted of lying on a federal form when purchasing a gun in 2018, falsely stating that he was not a drug user. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes for the years 2016 to 2019. These charges stemmed from a period in his life when he struggled with drug and alcohol abuse before becoming sober in 2019.

Despite previously pledging not to use his presidential authority to grant clemency to his son, President Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for Hunter Biden on December 1, 2024. This pardon not only covered the gun and tax offenses but also any other federal offenses Hunter Biden may have committed from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024. President Biden justified his decision by stating that raw politics had infected the legal process, leading to a miscarriage of justice.

A presidential pardon is an expression of forgiveness granted by the President of the United States for federal criminal offenses. The power to pardon is derived from Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which allows the president to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. A pardon forgives federal criminal offenses and exempts the individual from punishment, but it does not signify innocence.



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