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close video ExxonMobils TX refinery expansion brings much needed affordable energy, fuels US economy: Janet Matsushita

ExxonMobil Senior Vice President of Global Operations Janet Matsushita tells Fox News Digital that its biggest oil expansion in 10 years is operating safely and reliably at full capacity.

Near the Gulf Coast just east of Texas’ oil-rich Permian Basin, nearly 2,000 ExxonMobil contractors are making sure the company’s latest project – which includes 26 miles of piping, 35 miles of electrical wiring and 875 tons of steel – is pumping oil at full capacity.

After launching America’s largest oil refinery expansion in over a decade, ExxonMobil’s senior vice president of global operations detailed how the company’s Beaumont complex is not only fueling U.S. energy supply but also the economy.

"When you put it all together and you look at this particular location, what I love about it, it allows us to buy what I consider to be very much needed, affordable energy, and in a very reliable supply to fuel the economy that we have here in Texas, the U.S. and, I say, across the globe," Janet Matsushita told Fox News Digital.

After beginning construction in 2019, the Beaumont refinery startup broke ground just over one month ago and added 250,000 barrels per day to its oil output, increasing its total processing capacity to more than 630,000 barrels daily. To put things into perspective, this equates to a sizable 4 million gallons per day, providing enough fuel to power 61,000 long-haul trucks in a single day. 

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The project's reported hefty $2 billion price tag was no match for Exxon, who completed the expansion on time and on budget, earning the facility two consecutive Gold Energy Star acknowledgments from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to Matsushita. 

ExxonMobils Beaumont refinery expansion adds 250,000 barrels per day to the oil companys processing capacity. (Fox News)

"It is actually the equivalent of building a brand-new refinery. It is a big expansion, it is not a minor expansion," she said contently. "When we built this project, we actually leveraged some of the best energy technology available so that when we operate this new project itself, it is one of the most energy-efficient versus industry standard."

"And [what's] really nice to see, we're actually connected to the U.S. Permian crude," she continued, "which is right here in our Texas backyard, and that is also a very energy-efficient operation in terms of how we perform. And it has an aspiration to actually be net-zero by 2030."

Prior to opening, the Beaumont expansion went through rigorous performance testing for safety and reliability, the VP of global operations explained. After 5 million working-person hours, ExxonMobil has reported no mishaps or injuries on site. close video Exxon, Chevron to focus on oil projects in the Americas

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"I'm extremely pleased to say that the whole project right now is actually running at design capability, which really speaks to the quality not only of the project, but of the execution-operating team that we have here in Beaumont," Matsushita touted.

In addition to now being one of the largest oil refineries in America, the Beaumont expansion also works towards ExxonMobil’s mission of creating sustainable solutions that improve quality of life and meet society's evolving needs.

"In 2022 post the pandemic, there was a significant demand for affordable energy to fuel the whole economic growth that was there," she said. "ExxonMobil from a manufacturing perspective. We globally actually ran the most throughput that we have had since 2012. And here in the U.S., we actually hit our highest peak record production of 2.1 million barrels a day of capacity, which is something we feel good about."

ExxonMobil is boosting fuel supply in Beaumont, Texas, with Americas largest refinery expansion since 2021. (Fox News)

And if it wasn't for the technology and engineering teams utilizing "really brilliant" 3-D imaging to create virtual models, training and planning for the expansion would not have run as smoothly, she said. 

"We actually do move a lot of our best global teams and we implement that global best practice at each of the sites. And we actually brought that all together here in Beaumont to be able to make this project such a success," Matsushita said. "The 3-D models, it allowed us to actually expedite our construction, so we knew exactly in all three dimensions what it would look like, and to compare it, train it, be ready for it. And now we have that available to us as we go forward from a sustainable maintenance perspective."

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The expansion’s peak hiring number thus far has swelled to about 1,700 on-site employees. From a local point-of-view, Beaumont – which sits about 80 miles east of Houston – has seen a $500 million influx from the project.

"We look forward to fueling the economy here as we go forward," Matsushita told Fox News Digital. "We've added major chemical refining, lubricants and [liquefied petroleum gas] projects all across Texas and Louisiana, and I do believe directly and through the multiplier effects of our investments, all of our expansion projects, we expect to provide long-term economic benefits for the regions that we actually operate in, and we're very proud of our connectivity with our community."

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Iran denies ‘direct talks’ with US over its nuclear programme

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Iran denies 'direct talks' with US over its nuclear programme

Donald Trump has said the US is having direct talks with Iran over its nuclear programme – stating Iran will be in “great danger” if the negotiations fail.

The president has insisted Tehran cannot get nuclear weapons.

But Iran almost immediately contradicted the president insisting the talks due to take place in Oman on Saturday would be conducted through an intermediary.

Iran had pushed back against the US president’s demand that it enter negotiations over its nuclear programme or be bombed, but speaking at the White House on Monday, Mr Trump said: “We’re having direct talks with Iran, and they’ve started.

“It’ll go on Saturday,” he continued. “We have a very big meeting, and we’ll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable.”

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits nuclear centrifuges in Tehran. Pic: Reuters
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits nuclear centrifuges in Tehran. Pic: Reuters

When pressed for more details on the talks, the US president said they are taking place “at almost the highest level”, without specifying who would take part or where they would be held.

“Hopefully those talks will be successful, it would be in Iran’s best interests if they are successful,” he said. “We hope that’s going to happen.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Mr Trump said Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if the talks aren’t successful, I actually think it will be a very bad day for Iran”.

However, Mr Trump’s bullish comments were not matched by Tehran. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that indirect high-level talks would be held in Oman, adding: “It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court.”

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt
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Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters

On Tuesday, Iran’s state media said the talks would be led by Mr Araghchi and US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, with Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al Busaidi, acting as intermediary.

Mr Trump’s previous warnings of possible military action against Iran heightened already tense nerves across the Middle East.

He has said he would prefer a deal over military confrontation and in March wrote to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to suggest talks. Iranian officials at the time said Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations.

Mr Netanyahu had to sit there, listen and accept it

It now seems clear why the Israelis were summoned to the White House at short notice.

The US and Iran will sit down together to directly negotiate a nuclear deal in a matter of days.

Mr Trump didn’t say who would be taking part in the talks but said it would be “almost at the highest level”.

He wouldn’t reveal the location, and he didn’t put a timeline on it, but Washington and Tehran in close dialogue is a major development in Middle East geopolitics.

Benjamin Netanyahu had to sit there, listen and accept it.

By doing it publicly, in the Oval Office, Mr Trump has asserted his power and effectively forced the Israeli prime minister to accept the outcome.

Iran is yet to respond publicly, and it’s not clear what role Britain and France might play, as nuclear states and permanent members of the UN Security Council. Maybe none at all.

Mr Trump said Iran would be “in great danger” if the talks failed, but stopped short of explicitly saying he would order military action.

Mr Trump wants a deal, Israel will not be at the table and Mr Netanyahu’s ability to influence the talks, if he doesn’t like the way they are going, will be limited.

Some in Israeli media are describing the meeting as a humiliation for the prime minister and I suspect Mr Netanyahu will have left the White House concerned and possibly angry by what he heard.

But Mr Netanyahu has long shown an ability to force himself into the conversation – he won’t sit by and watch the talks progress without finding a way to have his say.

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands outside the White House. Pic: AP
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Mr Trump welcoming Mr Netanyahu to the White House. Pic: AP

Direct talks would not occur without the explicit approval of Iran’s supreme leader, who said in February that negotiations with the US were “not smart, wise, or honourable”.

During his first White House term, Mr Trump withdrew the US from a deal between Iran and world powers designed to curb Iran’s nuclear work in exchange for sanctions relief.

He also reimposed US sanctions.

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Iran has since far surpassed that deal’s limits on uranium enrichment.

Tehran insists its nuclear programme is wholly for civilian energy purposes but Western powers accuse it of having a clandestine agenda.

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Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House visit – his second in just over two months – was also due to include a news conference but this was cancelled earlier on Monday.

Officials said the decision was made because the Israeli prime minister and Mr Trump had “two back-to-back media availabilities (the greeting in the Oval Office and the formal news conference), and they wanted to streamline things”.

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Calls for ‘irresponsible’ UK government to follow Canada’s lead on rules for young drivers

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Calls for 'irresponsible' UK government to follow Canada's lead on rules for young drivers

The UK government is facing accusations of being “disingenuous” and “irresponsible” amid growing criticism for not introducing tougher licensing laws for new drivers.

Officials in countries that already use so-called Graduated Driving Licences (GDLs), major UK motoring organisations and bereaved families say reforming the way new motorists get a licence will save lives.

Sky News joined Canada’s largest road policing unit and driving school to understand how GDLs work – with evidence showing that deaths among 16 to 19-year-old drivers there have fallen by 83%.

Despite strong evidence, the UK government says it is not considering introducing them – claiming they “unfairly” penalise young drivers.

“It’s so disingenuous. You’re downplaying what an important function and responsibility it is to be behind the wheel of a car,” says Superintendent Matt Moyer, who heads up Toronto Police Traffic Services.

Supt Matt Moyer
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Supt Matt Moyer

The province of Ontario was the first region of North America to introduce GDLs more than 30 years ago.

It takes at least 20 months to gain a full driving licence, with students earning certain freedoms in stages.

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Rules include new drivers not being allowed on the road between midnight and 5am, a ban on driving on high-speed roads and a limit on the number of under 19-year-old passengers.

Maria Bagdonas
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Maria Bagdonas

Many of these factors have featured in fatal accidents in the UK.

As soon as GDLs were brought in 1994, there was an immediate 31% drop in collisions involving novice drivers.

Maria Bagdonas is chief operating officer of Young Drivers of Canada, the country’s largest driving school.

“It could be passenger restriction, it could be a time of day restriction, it could be a blood alcohol or drug concentration restriction – basically the idea is not to take someone who is newly licensed and say here, ‘go forth’ in this crazy mad driving world and just let them – do or die, because more often it’s the die,” she said.

She questions the UK government’s decision to not introduce GDLs.

“Is it irresponsible to allow the same thing to happen over and over again and expect a different result without any interference…or is it insane?”

We joined new learner drivers in Toronto as they get behind the wheel for the first time.

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Sky’s Dan Whitehead met learner drivers in Canada

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One of them is 23-year-old Bapreet Kaur.

Barpreet Kaur
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Barpreet Kaur

She gasped when we told her that in the UK, learners can do an intensive course for just one week before taking your test.

“Not everything is about freedom, you have to consider others as well. It’s not just you driving, right? There are other people on the road you have to make feel safe.”

Another learner, 16-year-old Anthony Martella, admits it is frustrating how long it takes.

Antony Martella
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Antony Martella

“It makes me feel safe because when you’re on the road you want that mutual respect with other people on the road as well…having that aspect of making it longer so people can drive and learn the ways of the road, it makes it better for everyone,” he added.

“It is a bit frustrating, but I completely understand why the rules are in place.”

Graduated Driving Licences are also in place in other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand.

In 2023 around a fifth of people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain in car collisions involved a young driver – and the UK government says young male drivers are four times more likely to be killed or injured compared with other motorists.

The AA, RAC, road safety charities Brake and RoadPeace, MPs and some police have spoken in favour of GDLs.

The campaign group Forget-Me-Not Families Uniting, made up of those who’ve lost loved ones in car crashes, has lobbied the government to bring in the tougher laws – and last week delivered a 100,000-strong petition to Downing Street.

‘People keep dying’

Mia Pullen, whose brother Elliot was killed when a car he was travelling in smashed into a tree at 100mph in 2023 in Oxfordshire, told Sky News he would still be alive if GDLs had been in place.

“It makes me feel really angry, and really quite disappointed and let down by our government because he would still be here and so would hundreds of other people’s sons and daughters,” Ms Pullen said.

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Sister of crash victim: ‘I need no other families to experience what ours has experienced’

She said the number of accidents mean something needs to be done.

Toronto Police
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Toronto Police

“I think they’re making a very irresponsible decision. How can you not think they’re the most important thing right now in the road safety laws.

“People keep dying. You keep seeing it on the news, ‘young person has been killed’ or another young person has killed someone else because they’re not experienced enough to drive.”

Back in Toronto, Supt. Moyer said there are challenges in enforcing the tough GDL rules.

“You need an in. We can’t just arbitrarily stop people because ‘we think’ or ‘we have suspicion of’. We have to believe an offence has been created.

“We have to be realistic – and manage the expectations of the community. I don’t have enough people to pull over everybody that looks like their young at 3 o’clock in the morning – I don’t have that,” he said.

But he is clear the system works.

“Come out to some of our fatals and find out why there’s 3,000 pounds of steel wrapped around this person and yet there was never any standard applied to them.

“I understand there are some people who feel it might be an infringement on their rights to actually introduce laws.

“These aren’t laws, they are standards – and the more people who will accept that and abide by that, you’ve just made a major contribution to public safety in Britain.”

Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sakaria
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Prabmeet Sakaria

Ontario’s minister of transport, Prabmeet Sakaria, agrees that GDLs are the safest way to learn.

“We have some of the largest highways in probably North America and so we have to be very careful putting people onto the roads.

“The data speaks for itself here, right. We’ve got 16-18 lane freeways here. Should someone who’s just picked up their licence, really be able to jump on some of the busiest, fastest roads, should they be able to do so not having the experience?”

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Alice was killed and her mum and sister were both seriously injured in a crash. Watch the full interview with her father on the UK Tonight on Sky News at 8pm on Tuesday

A Department for Transport spokesperson told Sky News: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way.

“Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers.”

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Politics

US to get its first XRP-based ETF, launching on NYSE Arca

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US to get its first XRP-based ETF, launching on NYSE Arca

US to get its first XRP-based ETF, launching on NYSE Arca

Asset manager Teucrium Investment Advisors is set to launch the first XRP-based exchange-traded fund in the US markets, a leveraged XRP (ETF) on the NYSE Arca.

The Teucrium 2x Long Daily XRP ETF will seek to offer investors two times the daily return of the XRP (XRP) token with a 1.85% management fee and annual expense ratio, according to the company’s website. The XRP-based ETF will trade under the XXRP ticker beginning April 8.

“If you have a short-term high-conviction view on XRP prices, you may consider exploring the Teucrium 2x Long Daily XRP ETF,” the alternative asset manager said.

XXRP currently has $2 million worth of net assets.

US to get its first XRP-based ETF, launching on NYSE Arca

Details of Teucrium’s soon-to-be-launched XXRP ETF. Source: Teucrium

Teucrium founder and CEO Sal Gilbertie told Bloomberg on April 7 that investors had shown strong interest in an XRP ETF and hinted that it may file to list more crypto ETFs in the future.

Gilbertie was also pleased that XXRP would launch during a market downturn driven largely by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“What better time to launch a product than when prices are low?” Gilbertie told Bloomberg.

Likelihood of an approved spot XRP ETF still high: Analyst

Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said it was “very odd” to see a new asset’s first ETF come in leveraged form — however, he added that the odds of a spot XRP ETF being approved remain “pretty high.”

US to get its first XRP-based ETF, launching on NYSE Arca

Source: Eric Balchunas

Several spot XRP ETF applications from the likes of Grayscale, Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, Canary Capital and 21Shares are being reviewed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In February, Balchunas and fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart attributed 65% approval odds to a spot XRP ETF in 2025.

Predictions market Polymarket states there is currently a 75% chance that the SEC will approve a spot XRP ETF in 2025.

Related: XRP price sell-off set to accelerate in April as inverse cup and handle hints at 25% decline

Up until recently, ETF issuers would have seen a different environment for filing for XRP ETFs as Ripple Labs — the creators of the XRP token — and the SEC battled out a four-year court battle over XRP’s security status.

That case came to a close last month.

Teucrium has amassed over $310 million worth of assets under management since it was founded in 2010.

It offers mostly agricultural commodities, such as ETFs tracking the likes of corn, soybeans, sugar and wheat.

Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple and industry with no crypto legal precedent set

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