Zika linked to birth defects in 6 U.S. Pregnancies
Three U.S. women infected with the Zika virus lost or terminated pregnancies due to brain-damaged fetuses and three others gave birth to babies with defects, federal health officials reported Thursday. Peter J. Hotez, fellow in disease and poverty, comments in USA TODAY: http://usat.ly/1XtOcW8.
House Democrats End Sit-In
The demonstrators, including most of the Texas Democrats in Congress, sought a vote on a bill banning those on terrorist watch list from buying firearms. Speaker Paul Ryan adjourned the chamber until after Independence Day without allowing the measure to the floor. Political science fellow Mark Jones comments on Houston Public Media: http://bit.ly/28VIQRR.
Amb. Djerejian Receives Award for Humanitarian Diplomacy
Trump Wrong on Iraqi Oil
On June 5, Donald Trump falsely claimed Iran is “taking over the oil” in Iraq. Jim Krane, the Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies, comments in MSN News: http://bit.ly/1ZLWYgb.
Venezuela Oil Production Drops Sharply
Venezuela registered its biggest monthly oil-production decline in a decade in May, signaling further trouble for a country already enduring severe economic hardship, The Wall Street Journal reports.
"This is very surprising," said Francisco Monaldi, fellow in Latin American energy policy. "If you want to point to the biggest problem, it is cash flow, which for PdVSA now looks worse that we had imagined."
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required): http://on.wsj.com/1YpF3gR