Trump touts Venezuelan oil shipment as fuel-price relief

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would welcome a tanker carrying one million barrels of Venezuelan crude in Texas, describing the shipment as a gift to the United States and predicting that additional oil would lower fuel prices. The precise terms of the cargo and its effect on prices have not been established. Trump pointed to the vessel while speaking in Corpus Christi during a Texas visit aimed in part at supporting Republican candidates before the November midterm elections. He told reporters the oil would be given to the United States for use as it chooses. In a later social-media post, he predicted gasoline and diesel prices would fall sharply soon. The remarks came as fuel costs have become a political concern for Republicans. The national average for regular gasoline was $4.27 a gallon on Tuesday, according to figures cited in the reports, down from $4.48 a month earlier but above the $3.05 average a year before. Trump has linked expected price relief to increased oil supplies and has also said prices would ease after the war in Iran ends. The White House said in September that the first shipment under the Venezuela oil deal would probably reach U.S. reserves in...