International Energy Agency announces largest ever release of reserve oil amid Iran war
A general view of an oil storage depot March 10, 2026. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The International Energy Agency on Wednesday said it would release 400 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve, marking the largest oil release in the group’s history as the global economy grapples with fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Oil prices soared after the outbreak of war as traders feared a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global oil supply.
Before the war, roughly 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait each day, but tanker traffic has now “all but stopped,” Faithe Birol, executive director of the IEA, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“The conflict in the Middle East is having significant impacts on global oil and gas markets with major implications for energy security, energy affordability and the global economy,” added Birol, whose organization counts 32 member nations, including the U.S. The release from the IEA’s oil reserve on Wednesday would make up for the lost oil flow for roughly 20 days. Taken together, IEA member countries retained about 1.2 billion barrels of reserve oil prior to the latest release, the group previously said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Rev. Jesse Jackson has a word with Sen. Barrack Obama, after a Congressional Black Caucus ceremony at the Library of Congress, in which members where sworn into the CBC for the109th Congress, Jan. 4, 2005. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
(CHICAGO) — Three former American presidents and a former vice president are set to honor the late Rev. Jesse Jackson at a memorial service in Chicago on Friday morning – a “Celebration of Hope” that is being held by the family of the pioneering civil rights leader, who died on Feb. 17 at the age of 86.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to deliver remarks at the homegoing services on Friday, according to the Jackson family. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Jill Biden are also expected to attend the services, the family said.
ABC News reached out to representatives for Clinton, Obama, Biden and Harris for further comment.
“Jesse Jackson, Sr. marched beside Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil rights for all people. He traveled the world fighting economic and gender inequity. Until his last days, he fought for better healthcare, education, and peace in Chicago, Illinois, the United States, and beyond,” the Jackson family said in a statement on Wednesday. “I hope everyone who joins us to honor his legacy will also continue to champion these causes. That would be the best possible tribute and celebration they could offer.”
Friday’s public homegoing service will take place at the House of Hope event center. A private service will take place on Saturday morning in Chicago.
The services come after thousands paid their respects to Jackson as he lay in honor at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago last week. He was also honored in his birth state of South Carolina on Monday, where he laid in state at the state house in Columbia.
“Jesse Jackson, Sr. changed the United States — and the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement. “We are deeply honored to know there are people from every walk of life who want to join us to pay their respects.”
Other scheduled speakers at the service on Friday include Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Ill., and Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts. Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson and gospel legends Bebe Winans and Pastor Marvin Winans are also expected to perform on Friday. Stevie Wonder is set to perform at the private service on Saturday.
Jackson died after experiencing health issues over the past several years, including a battle with Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder.
Jackson’s children honored their father’s legacy at a press conference last month, reflecting on his 1984 and 1988 presidential runs and how he dedicated his career to advancing economic justice and building political power for Black Americans.
Jackson’s son, Jesse Jackson, Jr., called for unity in the Feb. 18 press conference ahead of his father’s funeral services.
“Do not bring your politics out of respect to Rev. Jesse Jackson and the life that he lived to these home going services,” he said. “Come respectful and come to say thank you, but these homegoing services are welcome to all Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing, because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American.”
The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office released this image of a man in connection with a homicide, Feb. 2, 2026, in rural Momence near the Illinois/Indiana border. (Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office)
(KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill.) — A man has been arrested in the death of a bar owner who was fatally shot Monday morning near the Illinois-Indiana state border.
Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was arrested Tuesday in Indiana as he was exiting his residence, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office.
Burkes is now being held in Indiana and is awaiting extradition to Illinois, where he will face charges, authorities said.
Burkes is accused of killing Courtney Drysdale, 30, while she was preparing to open the bar just before 11 a.m., when a suspect entered the bar, brandished a firearm and demanded money from the cash register, according to the sheriff’s office.
Despite Drysdale’s cooperation, the suspect allegedly shot her twice “execution style,” Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said at a press conference Tuesday.
Before fleeing, the suspect attempted to remove what he believed was a digital recording device from a wall, but investigators were able to recover video evidence, Downey said.
“This type of violent behavior has no place in our society, and I am extremely appreciative of the overwhelming support we received from the public, the media as well as our partners in the criminal justice system near and far,” Downey said in a statement after the arrest.
“I want to praise, not only the extraordinary efforts of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force, the FBI, the US Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Hammond Police Department on this quick and peaceful apprehension, but I want to commend the community-at-large for coming together and providing quantities of tips and information that ultimately led to this swift arrest,” said Downey.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine delivers remarks during the NCAA Football Championship celebration at Ohio Stadium on January 26, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
(CLARK COUNTY, Ohio) — Schools and county offices in Ohio’s Clark County received multiple bomb threats targeting the Haitian community on Monday, prompting classes in Springfield to be canceled for the day, according to Gov. Mike DeWine.
There is no credible threat to the public at this time, according to the FBI’s Cincinnati office, which said it is “aware of a number of hoax threats in Central Ohio.”
The emailed threats were directed at schools and public facilities, according to Springfield Mayor Rob Rue. County offices began receiving threats referencing pipe bombs around 7:45 a.m. Monday, DeWine said.
“These are threats that also referenced Haitians,” DeWine said during a press briefing on Monday. “The whole essence of the threats were the Haitians should be out, get rid of the Haitians.”
Duffel bags were found outside the Clark County Municipal Court and Public Safety Building in Springfield, DeWine said.
Police responded and no suspicious devices were found, according to Springfield Police Division Chief Allison Elliott. There are “no substantiated threats to the community,” the chief said in a statement.
The Springfield City School District said it is closing all buildings on Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”
“This is a despicable act,” DeWine said. “It’s caused kids to miss a whole day of school today.”
“We will do whatever we need to do to keep the schools open,” he later said.
Several streets that closed off in downtown Springfield have since reopened, officials said.
The governor said threats were also received in other parts of the state with “similar rhetoric,” but it’s unclear if they were from the same people. The threats were also emailed, according to Elliott.
The FBI is investigating.
“While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we are currently working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as soon as it comes to our attention,” the FBI Cincinnati said in a statement.
The region is no stranger to these kinds of threats. In September 2024, several bomb threats rattled Springfield after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance doubled down on false claims that Haitian immigrants were abducting and eating pets.
These latest threats come as the Trump administration fights in court to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
Addressing Monday’s threats, Rue said the community “has faced a familiar situation that understandably caused concern.”
“I want to be clear, there is no immediate or credible threat to the public at this time,” Rue said in a statement. “These matters are being taken seriously and addressed with the highest level of caution and professionalism.”
