Scott Smith

Associated Press

Venezuela Battles to Keep Prized Citgo

It's an attempt to block bondholders from foreclosing.

Gas station attendant Orlando Godoy takes a package of corn flour as payment after filling a motorist's tank in San Antonio de los Altos on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela.

Buying Gas with Cigarettes

Without cash in their wallets, drivers often hand gas station attendants a bag of rice, cooking oil or whatever is within reach.

Fishermen covered in oil get their boat ready for fishing on Lake Maracaibo near La Salina crude oil shipping terminal in Cabimas, Venezuela.

Fishermen Deal with Broken Oil Industry

Consumers have no idea the crab on their plates was caught in oil-soaked water.

In this June 19, 2019 photo, a farmer harvests potatoes at a community near La Grita, Venezuela. Crops are spoiling in Venezuela's fields, as hundreds of farmers in the remote state of Tachira become the latest casualty of the nation's deepening crisis.

Fuel Shortage Leading Farmers to Worry About Crops

Without a dependable supply of gas, shipments of pesticides have been cut off, equipment has become impossible to operate, and crops aren't arriving at markets.

In this May 14, 2019 photo, a dog is illuminated by a car during a black out in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Venezuela holds the world's largest oil reserves as well as vast water resources to fill hydroelectric dams. It long had a state-of-the-art power grid that sold excess electricity to neighboring countries.

Blackouts Boost Generator Sales

Residents able to scrape together enough dollars are buying backup generators in an attempt to regain a normal life.

In this Feb. 25, 2016, file photo, a sign calling attention to the loss of jobs blamed on the lack of water is displayed near Lemoore, Calif. With no groups stepping forward to bankroll Gov. Jerry Brown's ambitious plan to re-engineer California's north-south water delivery system, state and local officials now say millions of California water customers will have to spend billions funding the state's biggest water project in decades.

Millions on Hook for Water Tunnels

The struggling project could cost $16 billion.

In this Friday, Aug. 29, 2014 file photo, Pinot Noir grapes just picked are shown in a bin in Napa, Calif. California regulators say they're tightening the rules on a pesticide popular with farmers over new health concerns. The California Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, that it's targeting chlorpyrifos. Farmers use it to kill pests that attack many crops like grapes, almonds and cotton.

CA Tightens Pesticide Rules

The moves run contrary to a decision by Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the EPA, to end his agency's effort to ban the pesticide sold by Dow Chemical.

In this Feb. 25, 2016, file photo, water flows through an irrigation canal to crops near Lemoore, Calif. The federal regulators evaluating Gov. Jerry Brown's decades-old ambitions to re-engineer the water supplies from California's largest river are promising a status update Monday, June 26, 2017, as Brown's $16 billion proposal to shunt part of the Sacramento through two mammoth tunnels awaits a crucial yes or no from national agencies.

Huge Tunnels Win Approval

The $16 billion proposal will re-engineer California's water system.

In this Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, photo, containers of Roundup, left, a weed killer is seen on a shelf with other products for sale at a hardware store in Los Angeles. California regulators are taking a pivotal step toward requiring the popular weed killer Roundup to come with a warning label. The state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment announced Monday, June 26, 2017, that the weed killer's main ingredient, glyphosate, will be listed in July as a chemical known to cause cancer.

State Will Now Label Roundup as Cancer-Causing

Monsanto, however, has filed an appeal, arguing that Roundup doesn't cause cancer and that the labels will harm the company's business.

This Aug. 12, 2005 file photo shows organically grown strawberries for sale at a roadside stand in Watsonville, Calif. Jurors have sided with a California research university in its dispute with a renowned plant scientist credited with developing tasty strawberries as a professor there. Jurors in a San Francisco federal court said Wednesday, May 24, 2017, that professor Shaw broke the law when he and his research partner tried to profit from their work in a company they formed.

Jury Rules in Fight Over a Better Strawberry

A researcher sued UC Davis, saying that the university unfairly destroyed some of his work and keeps some of it locked in a freezer, depriving the world of a better strawberry.

This photo taken April 7, 2014, shows fresh strawberries in a UC Davis strawberry field in Watsonville, Calif. Douglas Shaw spent his career toiling in the fields in California to grow the perfect strawberry, one that was plump and bright red yet remained sweet even after the long trip to grocery stores across the country. When the professor retired from the University of California at Davis and set up his own strawberry-breeding business, though, he found himself in a legal jam. In a case set for trial in federal court later this month, the university is suing Shaw and his scientific partner, saying they stole the school's intellectual property by taking some of the fruits of their research with them.

Is World Being Deprived of a Better Strawberry?

Two scientists have filed a lawsuit, claiming their research into the perfect strawberry is locked in a freezer at UC-Davis.

Chemical giant Monsanto has sued the nation's leading agricultural producer, saying state officials illegally based their decision for warning labels on an international health organization.

CA, Monsanto Battle Over Roundup Labels

Jack McCall spent 30 years toting a backpack of Roundup to apply to produce on his 20-acre farm. He died of cancer in late 2015, and his widow believes a warning would have saved his life.