jittawit21 // Shutterstock

Anyone who drives a car understands the sting of having to fill up their tank and pulling into the gas station, only to discover that gas prices have skyrocketed. Paying extra for gas means you have less to spend on other things, which, over time, can really put a crimp in your budget.

Cheap Insurance explored some of the reasons behind major changes in gas prices, and compiled a list of the cheapest gas stations in every state using data from Gas Buddy.

Gas prices fluctuate based on several factors, including the cost of the key ingredient, crude oil, as well as the available supply and demand for gasoline. If the price of oil rises, a major refinery goes offline, or more drivers are hitting the road, for example, then the cost will increase.

In the first half of 2022, a unique confluence of events led to a surge in gas prices. The increased demand stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a slowdown in oil production all contributed to a national all-time high of $4.93 per gallon on average in June 2022.

Seasons also affect gas prices. Demand tends to drop in winter, but the cost also falls because gas stations switch to a different blend of gasoline that’s optimal for lower temperatures—and has cheaper ingredients.

Location also matters. The South and Midwest tend to have the lowest gas prices, while the West, including Hawai’i, has the highest. Californians, in particular, pay more for gas on average than any other state. That’s because of its high state excise taxes; its isolation from the country’s major pipelines, which causes supply issues; and its requirements that mandate a more environmentally friendly blend of gas that costs more to produce and adds to the price per gallon.

No matter where you live, read on to see if you can get a deal on gas near you.

Alabama
#1. Chevron (4426 Higgins Rd, Mobile): $2.09
#2. Circle K (2317 6th Ave SE, Decatur): $2.14
#3. Buc-ee’s (6900 Buc-ee’s Blvd (along Coosa Ave), Leeds): $2.15

Alaska
#1. Airport Gas & Oil (4480 Dale Rd, Fairbanks): $3.00
#2. Fred Meyer (2191 East Sun Mountain Ave, Wasilla): $3.32
#2. Speedway Express (7172 W Parks Hwy, Wasilla): $3.32

Arizona
#1. TA Express (3225 E Rincon Road, Littlefield): $2.19
#2. Shell (405 W Speedway Blvd, Tucson): $2.23
#2. ARCO (802 W Speedway Blvd, Tucson): $2.23

Arkansas
#1. Brookshire’s (1310 Constitution Ave, Ashdown): $2.06
#2. Sam’s Club (7700 Rogers Ave, Fort Smith): $2.07
#2. Fast Mart (4920 Baseline Rd, Little Rock): $2.07

California
#1. Feather Falls Mini Mart (6032 Lower Wyandotte Rd, Oroville): $2.69
#2. Big Valley Market and Fuel (1119 Napo Way, Lakeport): $2.99
#2. Sinclair (12045 Bryant St, Yucaipa): $2.99

Colorado
#1. Murphy Express (4085 Beverly St, Colorado Springs

RSplaneta // Shutterstock

Global e-commerce has crossed the $6 trillion mark and according to Shopify, cross-border commerce is now growing faster than domestic sales in many regions. As more shoppers buy from brands outside their home country, the opportunity for global sales continues to accelerate.

But, as Passport discusses here, international demand alone doesn’t guarantee conversion. The final moments before checkout are a critical turning point and as global e-commerce scales toward 2026, even small points of friction in pricing, duties, taxes, or currency can quietly derail purchases. The cost of a confusing or inconsistent checkout experience is becoming harder to ignore.

International Transactions Amplify Cart Abandonment

Cart abandonment remains one of the most persistent challenges in e-commerce. Based on UX research analyzed by the Baymard Institute, roughly 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned on average, highlighting how often shoppers leave before completing a purchase.

That challenge becomes more pronounced in cross-border transactions. International checkouts introduce additional layers of complexity — including pricing considerations tied to duties and taxes, delivery timelines affected by customs requirements, and payment preferences that vary across regions — all of which can increase hesitation during the purchase process.

As international e-commerce continues to grow, these challenges carry greater weight. What may once have been tolerated as a minor inconvenience is increasingly shaping whether global interest converts into revenue or ends in an abandoned cart heading into 2026.

Top Reasons Global Shoppers Abandon Carts

Online shoppers often don’t complete a transaction, not because they lose interest, but because something at checkout gives them pause. Data from the Baymard Institute shows that unexpected extra costs, including shipping fees, taxes, and duties, are the most common reason shoppers abandon carts. When those unexpected charges appear late in the purchase process, they undermine confidence at the moment a shopper is deciding whether to proceed.

For international customers, there are even more barriers beyond surprise expenses. Limited or unfamiliar payment options, delivery uncertainty driven by long transit times or vague estimates, currency confusion, lack of localization, and unclear return or refund policies all contribute to a higher perceived risk at the final step. As shoppers compare options across borders more frequently, even small gaps in clarity can derail an otherwise strong intent to buy.

Why These Issues Are Becoming Harder to Ignore

Cart abandonment has long challenged e-commerce brands, but its impact is intensifying as m

Por Gul Tuysuz y Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

El jefe del Ejército de Libia murió en un accidente aéreo mientras regresaba a Trípoli tras una visita oficial a Turquía, informó el primer ministro Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah.

El teniente general Mohamed al-Haddad falleció junto a cuatro acompañantes en un “trágico accidente” durante el vuelo de regreso desde Ankara, según el comunicado del primer ministro, quien encabeza el Gobierno de Unidad Nacional respaldado por la ONU. Al-Dbeibah expresó sus condolencias a las familias de las víctimas y calificó la pérdida como una tragedia para la nación y la institución militar.

Los otros fallecidos fueron: el jefe del Estado Mayor de las Fuerzas Terrestres, general de división al-Fitouri Ghreibel; el director de la Autoridad de Fabricación Militar, general de brigada Mahmoud al-Qatioui; el asesor del jefe del Estado Mayor del Ejército libio, Mohamed al-Asawi Diab; y el fotógrafo de la oficina de prensa, Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.

La cadena turca CNNTurk informó que la tripulación estaba compuesta por tres ciudadanos franceses.

Las autoridades turcas reportaron que perdieron contacto con el jet ejecutivo que transportaba a al-Haddad y su comitiva poco después de despegar de Ankara este martes por la noche.

El ministro del Interior de Turquía, Ali Yerlikaya, indicó que el contacto se perdió a las 8:52 p.m., hora local, con un jet Falcon 50, matrícula 9H-DFJ, que había despegado del aeropuerto Esenboga de Ankara a las 8:10 p.m. rumbo a Trípoli.

“Se recibió una notificación de aterrizaje de emergencia cerca de Haymana; sin embargo, no se pudo restablecer el contacto con la aeronave”, dijo Yerlikaya. Haymana está ubicada a unos 81 kilómetros al suroeste de Ankara.

Posteriormente, Yerlikaya informó que los restos de la aeronave fueron localizados por las fuerzas armadas turcas a unos 2 kilómetros al sur de la aldea de Kesikkavak, en el distrito de Haymana.

CNNTurk reportó que el jet declaró una emergencia eléctrica y solicitó regresar al aeropuerto antes de perder comunicación.

El ministro de Justicia turco, Yilmaz Tunc, anunció que se abrió una investigación para esclarecer todos los aspectos del accidente.

Más temprano, las Fuerzas Armadas de Turquía informaron que al-Haddad fue recibido oficialmente en Ankara con una ceremonia militar y sostuvo reuniones bilaterales con el jefe del Estado Mayor de Turquía, general Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post El jefe del Ejército de Libia muere en accidente aéreo en Turquía appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Daniel Wine, Jordan D. Brown, CNN

Welcome to 5 Things PM! Everyone watches “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Elf” over the holidays, but festive vibes come in unexpected forms. So what’s the ultimate non-traditional holiday movie? Fill out your bracket.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.

5 things

1⃣ VA cuts

Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs are finding little to be merry about after the agency said it would eliminate tens of thousands of open jobs. The positions include doctors, nurses, mental health care providers and social workers.

2⃣ ‘Your life turns upside down’

Mahendra “Mick” Patel went to Walmart to pick up Tylenol. What he perceived as an innocent exchange between strangers turned into a kidnapping charge, and the retired engineer spent 47 days in jail before the case was thrown out.

3⃣ Avoiding the flu

Millions of Americans are hitting the road or taking to the skies for family gatherings during the holidays. Doctors offer advice on what you should do if you test positive for the flu.

4⃣ A true trailblazer

Betty Reid Soskin, the National Park Service’s oldest active ranger when she retired at age 100, has died. She played a key role in educating visitors on the work of Black Americans on the home front during World War II.

5⃣ Kitchen MVP

Chefs and casual cooks have different notions of kitchen essentials. Samin Nosrat, a best-selling author and host of a popular Netflix series, includes one item she used to dread but now adores.

Watch this

Dear Santa…: Tag along with CNN’s Richard Quest to the official address of Mr. Claus in Norway. Inside is a Christmas-themed post office that receives thousands of letters each year.

Top headlines

• Former Sen. Ben Sasse announces he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer and calls it a ‘death sentence’
• What we’ve learned so far from the latest batch of Epstein files
• Melodee Buzzard, a 9-year-old girl who vanished during a road trip with her mother, is found dead, source says

Check this out

Mystery foot fossil: Scientists say they solved the puzzle behind a set of 3.4 million-year-old bones found in Ethiopia in 2009. The fossils have now been linked to an unfamiliar species and could shake up the human family tree.

<

By Gul Tuysuz, Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

(CNN) — Libya’s army chief was killed in a plane crash while returning home from an official visit to Turkey on Tuesday, the country’s prime minister said.

Lt. Gen. Mohamed Al-Haddad was killed along with four of his companions in a “tragic accident” while on flight home to Tripoli from an official visit to Ankara, Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah said in a statement.

“With great sadness and sorrow, we have received the news of the death” of Al-Haddad and four of his companions, al-Dbeibah added. The prime minister, who heads a UN-backed Government of National Unity, offered condolences to the families of the victims, calling the loss a tragedy for the nation and the military institution.

Al-Dbeibah identified the four others killed as: Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Maj. Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghreibel; Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatioui; adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab; and media office photographer Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.

Turkish broadcaster CNNTurk reported that the plane had a crew of three, all of whom were French nationals.

Turkish authorities reported earlier that they had lost contact with a business jet carrying Al-Haddad and others shortly after it departed Ankara on Tuesday evening.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said airport authorities lost contact at 8:52 p.m. local time with a Falcon 50 business jet, tail number 9H-DFJ, which had taken off from Ankara Esenboga Airport at 8:10 p.m. en route to Tripoli.

“An emergency landing notification was received from the aircraft near Haymana; however, contact with the aircraft could not be re-established afterward,” Yerlikaya said. Haymana is located about 50 miles (81 kilometers) southwest of Ankara.

In a later statement, Yerlikaya said “the wreckage” of the aircraft has been reached by the Turkish army forces about 2 km south of the Kesikkavak Village in Haymana District.

CNNTurk reported that the jet had declared an electrical emergency and requested to return to the airport before communication was lost.

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the crash, which will look into “all its aspects and with great care.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Turkey’s Armed Forces said Al-Haddad had been formally received in Ankara with a military ceremony as an official guest. He held bilateral talks with Turkish Chief of the General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu following the ceremony.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Libya’s army chief killed in plane crash in Turkey appeared first on News Channel 3-12.