A severe winter storm has brought heavy snow, and freezing temperatures to Americans across the United States.
The National Weather Service has warned of dangerously cold wind chills with night-time temperatures falling below -20C in some cities.
Calling the storms “historic,” President Donald Trump on Saturday approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia.
A leading Venezuelan human rights group says at least 80 political prisoners have been released under pressure from the US.
Alfredo Romero, head of Foro Penal, said his group was verifying the identities of those freed from prisons across the country on Saturday – and more releases were likely to take place.
It is the latest batch of detainees released since the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a raid, and took him to New York to stand trial on drug-trafficking charges earlier this month.
On Friday Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said more than 600 prisoners had been freed – but Foro Penal says this figure has been inflated.
Romero announced the releases on social media. He also posted an image of Foro Penal colleague Kennedy Tejeda who he said had been held in Tocorón prison, west of the capital caracas since August 2024.
In a post on X, Foro Penal lawyer Gonzalo Himiob said the number of releases could rise above 80 “as we proceed with verification”.
This has left them in legal limbo and they have been barred from speaking in public, the group said.
Before this weekend’s developments, the group had confirmed the release of just 156 political prisoners since 8 January.
Some domestic opposition figures and at least five Spanish nationals are among those confirmed to have been freed so far.
Separately, Rodriguez said she was due to have a call on Monday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, to ask the UN to verify the lists of those released so far.
Human rights groups and activists have long accused the government of using detentions to muzzle critics. The Venezuelan government has denied holding political prisoners, insisting they were arrested for criminal activity.
Many were detained after the 2024 presidential election, when Maduro claimed victory despite opponents and many countries disputing the results.
Oneok(NYSE: OKE) offers investors an attractive dividend yield today. At 5.5%, it’s several times above the S&P 500‘s dividend yield, which is approaching its record low at around 1.2%.
While higher-yielding dividend stocks can have higher risk profiles, that’s not the case with Oneok’s payout. It’s on rock-solid ground. That’s enabling the pipeline company to give its investors another raise.
Image source: Getty Images.
Oneok recently declared its latest quarterly dividend payment. The diversified energy midstream company will pay $1.07 per share ($4.28 annualized) on Feb. 13 to investors who hold shares by Feb 2. That’s a 4% increase from its prior level.
That continues the pipeline company’s quarter-century track record of delivering stable to growing dividends for its investors. While Oneok hasn’t increased its dividend every year during that period, it has nearly doubled its dividend payment over the past decade. It has a much better track record than its closest peers in the pipeline industry, most of which have reduced their dividend payments at some point over the past 10 years.
Oneok’s current target is to grow its dividend by 3% to 4% each year. That’s a very achievable goal, given its financial strength and the visible growth it has coming down the pipeline.
The pipeline company’s diversified midstream operations generate very stable cash flow as long-term contracts and government-regulated rate structures underpin the bulk of its assets. Additionally, the company has an investment-grade credit rating backed by a conservative 3.5 times leverage ratio.
Oneok has grown significantly in recent years by completing a series of large-scale acquisitions. It sees the potential of capturing several hundred million dollars in additional cost savings and commercial synergies from these deals, including $250 million targeted for 2026.
Meanwhile, the company has several organic expansion projects under construction to expand its midstream operations. It currently has projects underway that should enter commercial service through the middle of 2028, including joint ventures (JVs) to build a new LPG export terminal and a large-scale natural gas pipeline. These projects will provide Oneok with incremental sources of stable cash flow as they enter commercial service over the next few years.
Oneok’s strong financial profile will enable the company to continue expanding its operations. It can make bolt-on acquisitions like last year’s $940 million deal to acquire the remaining 49.9% JV interest in its Delaware G&P. It can also continue to approve organic capital projects to expand its operations. Securing additional investments would further enhance and extend the visibility of its growth profile.
Oneok offers investors a big-time income stream these days. The pipeline giant’s dividend is on a rock-solid foundation, thanks to its stable cash flows and strong financial profile. Meanwhile, with more growth coming down the pipeline, it should have ample fuel to continue increasing its high-yielding payout.
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