week ending Jan 6

Fed Minutes Push Back On Powell's Dovish Pivot --The Fed Minutes appear to be far less dovish than Powell suggested.

• No sign of imminent rate cuts: Policymakers say their projections imply reductions “would be appropriate by the end of 2024” and several suggest rates could stay at current level for longer than they currently anticipate
• The benchmark rate was seen as likely at or near its peak, though officials note that further rate hikes remain possible if the economy warrants them
• In addition, Fed officials reaffirmed a “careful” approach to rate decisions.
• Several participants observed that circumstances might warrant keeping policy rate at current level longer than they currently anticipate.
• Participants generally reaffirmed it would be appropriate for policy to remain restrictive until inflation was 'clearly moving down sustainably'.
• At the same time, officials acknowledge “clear progress” in 2023 toward Fed’s 2% inflation goal

It seems the discussion of rate-cuts, that Powell mentioned during the press conference, was far less of a 'thing' than the market went with.These Minutes in no way support a 150bps rate-cut cycle next year.And uncertainty remains high:

FOMC Minutes: "A lower target range for the federal funds rate would be appropriate by the end of 2024" --From the Fed: Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, December 12-13, 2023. Excerpt: In discussing the policy outlook, participants viewed the policy rate as likely at or near its peak for this tightening cycle, though they noted that the actual policy path will depend on how the economy evolves. Participants pointed to the decline in inflation seen during 2023, noting the recent shift down in six-month inflation readings in particular, and to growing signs of demand and supply coming into better balance in product and labor markets as informing that view. Several participants remarked that the Committee's past policy actions were having their intended effect of helping to slow the growth of aggregate demand and cool labor market conditions. They judged that, in combination with improvements in the supply situation, these developments were helping to bring inflation back to 2 percent over time. Most participants noted that, as indicated in their submissions to the SEP, they expected the Committee's restrictive policy stance to continue to soften household and business spending, helping to promote further reductions in inflation over the next few years.In their submitted projections, almost all participants indicated that, reflecting the improvements in their inflation outlooks, their baseline projections implied that a lower target range for the federal funds rate would be appropriate by the end of 2024. Participants also noted, however, that their outlooks were associated with an unusually elevated degree of uncertainty and that it was possible that the economy could evolve in a manner that would make further increases in the target range appropriate. Several also observed that circumstances might warrant keeping the target range at its current value for longer than they currently anticipated. Participants generally stressed the importance of maintaining a careful and data-dependent approach to making monetary policy decisions and reaffirmed that it would be appropriate for policy to remain at a restrictive stance for some time until inflation was clearly moving down sustainably toward the Committee's objective.

Fed Balance Sheet QT: -$1.28 Trillion from Peak, to $7.66 Trillion, Lowest since March 2021. Banks Got an Arbitrage Opportunity when Yields Dropped - by Wolf Richter - The Fed’s Quantitative Tightening (QT) hums along on autopilot. But the banks have figured out since one-year yields began to drop last November that they can earn risk-free interest income by borrowing from the Fed at the lower rate of the bank bailout facility, the BTFP, of around 4.85%, and then deposit that cash back at the Fed as reserves and earn 5.4%, risk free, hassle-free, thank you. That cash stays at the Fed, it doesn’t go anywhere, it just makes the banks some risk-free moolah. And use of that trick has jumped, obviously. That facility is set to expire in March, so they’re trying to get in while they still can. And we’ll get to that in a moment. Total assets on the Fed’s balance sheet dropped by $56 billion in December, to $7.68 trillion, the lowest since March 2021, according to the Fed’s weekly balance sheet today. Since peak-QE in April 2022, the Fed has shed $1.284 trillion. The closeup view: During QT #1 between November 2017 and August 2019, the Fed’s total assets dropped by $688 billion, while inflation was below or at the Fed’s target (1.8% core PCE in August 2019), and the Fed was just trying to “normalize” its balance sheet. Now inflation is still ricocheting through services, with “core services CPI” running at an annualized rate of 5.8%, though overall inflation rates were brought down by plunging energy prices and dropping durable goods prices. QT hums along on autopilot. Treasury securities: -$59.5 billion in December, -$1.02 trillion from peak in June 2022, to $4.75 trillion, the lowest since January 2021. The Fed has shed 31.1% of the $3.27 trillion in Treasury securities that it had added during its pandemic QE. Treasury notes (2- to 10-year securities) and bonds (20- & 30-year securities) “roll off” the balance sheet mid-month and at the end of the month when they mature and the Fed gets paid face value. The roll-off is capped at $60 billion per month, and about that much has been rolling off, minus the inflation protection the Fed earns on Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) which is added to the principal of the TIPS. The special function of Treasury bills for the pace of QT. These short-term securities (1 month to 1 year) are included in the $4.75 trillion of Treasury securities on the Fed’s balance sheet. But they have an important function for the pace of QT. The Fed lets them roll off (doesn’t replace them when they mature) if not enough longer-term Treasury securities mature and roll off to get to the $60-billion monthly cap. As long as the Fed has T-bills, the roll-off of Treasury securities will reach the cap of $60 billion every month. When the Fed runs out of T-bills to fill in the gaps, the Treasury roll-off will start to fall below the $60 billion cap. From March 2020 through the ramp-up of QT, the Fed held $326 billion in T-bills that it constantly replaced as they matured (the flat line in the chart). In September 2022, T-bills first started rolling off as needed to get the Treasury roll offs to $60 billion a month. T-bills are now down to $217 billion, after $14 billion rolled off in December. The Fed’s diminishing weight in the Treasury market: 17.6%.The incredibly ballooning US national debt, at $34 trillion, comes in two kinds of Treasury securities:

• $26.9 trillion of Treasury securities are traded and held by investors, including by the Fed. These “marketable securities” make up the Treasury bond market.
• $7.1 trillion of Treasury securities are held by entities of the US government, such as by government pension funds and the Social Security Trust Fund and are not in the bond market.

The Fed has now shed $1.02 trillion of Treasury securities, and its share of the “marketable” Treasury securities” — aka “Debt held by the public” — has fallen to 17.6%, from over 24% at the peak, as QT has reduced the Treasury securities on the Fed’s balance sheet, and as government debt ballooned (data points are quarterly).

The Fed's balance sheet drawdown may be happening faster than expected -- A marked downward trend in nonbank usage of the Federal Reserve's reverse repurchase facility — while part of an intentional reduction of the central bank's balance sheet — could signal a faster reduction of excess liquidity in the financial system than anticipated, a development that could have important monetary policy and liquidity implications for banks.Use of the Fed's overnight reverse repurchase agreement, or ON RRP, facility swelled in the final two weeks of 2023, going from $683 billion on Dec. 15 — its lowest level in 18 months — to $829 billion on Dec. 28, before jumping to more than $1 trillion on Dec. 29, the facility's final day of operation for the calendar year.The year-end influx is broadly expected — banks typically stop participating in the short-term repurchase agreement, or repo, market in late December as they settle their books for the year's end. This temporary pullback results in more counterparties turning to the Fed instead. By Tuesday, the first operating day of 2024, ON RRP usage was back down to around $700 billion.Analysts expect ON RRP usage to broadly resume its downward course that began last spring, and expect usage to stabilize at a lower level later in the year. But the specific timing of how this reduction plays out could impact banks and the supply of reserves available to them. "The question is whether or not it slows down as we continue," said Derek Tang, CEO and co-founder of the Washington-based research firm Monetary Policy Analytics. "If ON RRP [transactions] slow down, then reserves balances are going to start declining and that makes the Fed a little bit more nervous."Overnight borrowing and reserves both sit on the liability side of the Fed's balance sheet — which is being mechanically shrunk by the central bank's deliberate effort to reduce its assets, a process known as quantitative tightening, or QT. The Fed has been allowing $95 billion worth of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities to mature without replacing them since the summer of 2022, reducing its holdings by roughly $1.2 trillion since that time. Reduction of the Fed's balance sheet means less liquidity in the broader financial system, and thus has implications for the ease with which banks can access liquidity in a pinch.According to its balance sheet normalization principles, which were established in January 2022, the Fed will "slow and then stop" its balance sheet reduction as reserve levels reach a level deemed to be ample, whereby banks can freely exchange reserves without hoarding them.Throughout the QT process, Fed officials have pointed to the ON RRP uptake — which peaked at $2.5 trillion at the end of 2022 — as an indicator of excess liquidity in the financial system. The facility enables money market funds, government sponsored enterprises and other counterparties to lend assets to the Fed overnight and be repaid with interest the following day. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan, who previously oversaw the Fed's balance sheet activities as manager of the System Open Market Account, said there was "quite a bit of room" for continued runoff during a public appearance in October."Thinking about that, one of the things I look at is the overnight RRP facility," Logan said. "Until that facility gets back down towards zero, I think that there's still plenty of room for the securities portfolio to decline."Yet, ON RRP usage is not simply a reflection of the Fed's balance sheet policy, but rather the result of a host of financial market developments. A New York Fed staff report from December 2022 noted that the increase in ON RRP use coincided with a decline in Treasury bill issuance after COVID-19-related government stimulus programs wound down. The declining use of the facility has similarly lined up with a new wave of bill issuance that began after the end of the federal debt ceiling impasse last year.Another factor driving money market funds away from the ON RRP is an uptick in private market repo activity in recent months. Members of the Federal Open Market Committee acknowledged these developments during their meeting last month, according to minutes released Wednesday and said the overall balance sheet reduction has "proceeded smoothly."But, because of the various elements contributing to ON RRP developments, some market participants say the Fed should not base its balance sheet policy solely on the facility's usage.

Status of US Dollar as Global Reserve Currency and USD Exchange Rates: Long, Slow, Uneven Decline Continues by Wolf Richter • The US dollar has been the dominant global reserve currency for decades, amid many global reserve currencies. And there are lots of people, institutions, and governments that want to see an end to this “dollar hegemony.” But central banks other than the Federal Reserve are still holding large amounts of US-dollar denominated assets – $6.5 trillion in total – such as US Treasury securities, US government-backed MBS, US corporate bonds, US agency securities, even US stocks (the Swiss National Bank), all of which combined make up the USD-denominated foreign exchange reserves that central banks other than the Federal Reserve hold. The share of USD-denominated foreign exchange reserves dipped to 59.2%, according to the IMF’s COFER data released on December 31 for Q3 2023. For the past 20 years, the USD’s share has been on a slow downward trend, with other currencies nibbling at it from all sides. The euro was #2, the yen #3, the British pound #4. The Chinese renminbi dropped to #6, behind the Canadian dollar (more on all those in a moment): In dollar terms, the holdings of USD-denominated assets at foreign central banks dipped to $6.5 trillion. Note that the Fed’s holdings of Treasury securities and MBS are not included in foreign exchange reserves. No central bank’s holdings in its own currency are included. Since 1965, the USD’s share of global reserve currencies has gone through a tumultuous history, including the collapse of its share starting in 1978 through 1991 from 85% to 46%. This came after inflation exploded in the US in the late 1970s, and the world lost confidence in the Fed’s ability to manage inflation. And the decline of the USD’s share continued even as inflation began to fade in the 1980s. But by the 1990s, confidence returned gradually and the dollar’s share rebounded until the euro came along and put a stop to the gains by the USD (2023 through Q3) The other major reserve currencies. The euro’s share (#2) has been roughly stable at around 20% for years. In Q3, it dipped to 19.6% (black line, red dots in the chart below). The other currencies are the colorful tangle at the bottom of the chart: The USD is losing ground against the tiny “other currencies” combined. The chart below shows the colorful tangle magnified. China is the second largest economy in the world, yet its currency plays only a minuscule and declining role as a reserve currency, and is no threat to the US. But note the surge of the yellow line, “all other currencies” combined, each of which has a smaller share than even the swiss franc, but combined, they’re making headway.

• #3, Japanese yen, 5.5% (purple).
• #4, British pound, 4.8% (blue).
• #5, Canadian dollar, 2.5% (green), bypassing the Chinese renminbi.
• #6, Chinese renminbi, 2.4%, sixth quarter in a row of declines, lowest since Q4 2020 (red), amid the reality of capital controls, convertibility issues, and other issues. Central banks appear to be leery of holding RMB-denominated assets.
• #7, Australian dollar, 2.0% (brown).
• #8, Swiss franc, 0.18% (blue).
• “All other currencies” combined (yellow) have a total share of 3.9%. The largest one of them has a share even smaller than the Swiss franc’s share of 0.18%. But their combined share has risen from 2.5% in 2019 to 3.9% currently. These tiny reserve currencies combined are taking share from the USD:

Congress kicks off 2024 with shutdown scramble - Members of Congress face a mountain of government funding work and not much time to get it done before the shutdown deadline. Under the stopgap bill passed in November that avoided a government shutdown just before the holidays, Congress now has two deadlines in January and February to fund the government. The first deadline is set for Jan. 19, and lawmakers are split on next steps while deep divisions over spending persist. There are a few ways this could play out. First, Congress could pass the annual funding bills. Even as some conservatives continue to hope this could happen, others have signaled they would be open to passing a minibus given how far behind they are. “It’s going to be very difficult to get all of the appropriations bills we have to get done in time if we don’t have the [top-line] number, and we don’t have the number right now,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). The seven GOP-crafted spending bills that have passed the House andthe so-called “maxibus” of three bills that have passed the Democrat-controlled Senate look very different. Leaders will ultimately have to figure out those top-line numbers as well as how to craft a bipartisan bill that can pass both chambers. Second, Congress could pass another stopgap funding bill. If they take this route, it would be the third continuing resolution (CR) passed by lawmakers since September to buy more time for spending talks without triggering a government shutdown. Democrats have staunchly opposed this route, and before the Senate left for the end-of-year recess, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.) said, “A CR is simply unacceptable for a year.” “It’s devastating, particularly for defense, and we’ve got all of these wars going on. So, we need to reach an agreement on the top line and get about getting an outcome as soon as possible,” McConnell said. Third, parts of the government could shut down on Jan. 20 if Congress fails to pass legislation. Under the two-tiered stopgap bill that Congress passed last fall, lawmakers extended funding for four of the 12 appropriations bills through mid-January, including the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Agriculture. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), another appropriator, said before the holiday break that “If we don’t really get our act together and start working together and figuring these things out, it’s going to be difficult to [meet the January deadline].” The deadline for the remaining bills will come up on Feb. 2, when funding for the Defense, Labor and Health and Human Services departments could lapse. Finally, Congress could pass an omnibus package, which Republicans have railed against even as they become more normal. “I think we’re going to end up with one of two things: either an omnibus or a yearlong CR,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), an appropriator, said. “And I’m not sure that an omnibus that would be put together by [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)] and his team will get 10 Republican votes.”

Texas Democrat blasts Speaker Johnson for scoffing at $14 billion in border funds Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) criticized Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for suggesting on Wednesday that border patrol agents do not want the $14 billion in supplemental funds the Biden administration has requested to help deal with migration at the southern border. In an interview on “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip” on Wednesday, Crockett responded to Johnson’s earlier suggestion on the network that border patrol agents do not want the additional funding — which would provide 1,600 asylum officers to speed up the processing of claims, as well as 1,300 Border Patrol agents and 1,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Instead, Johnson said, the agents want policy changes. He spoke to CNN’s Jake Tapper during his trip with House Republicans to the southern border. “I disagree,” Crockett said. “I obviously wasn’t there, so I don’t know who it was that the Speaker and his cronies were able to visit, but I can tell you that I’ve had these conversations. And what I hear is that they do need the funding.” “We have so many officers that are having to leave their homes and be forced to go to the border because we are understaffed,” she added. Crockett advocated for advancing the supplemental funding request and addressing any needed policy changes. “So no, I will disagree and say that they need the funding. But I will also agree that there needs to be policy changes as well. It’s not about doing one or the other. It’s about doing both,” Crockett said. “And I can tell you that the money right now will help those cities that are struggling, whether it’s Eagle Pass or if we’re talking about Chicago, or if we’re talking about New York, I can guarantee you those mayors would not turn down the funding that the President has tried to push through and the Republicans refuse to do it,” Crockett added.

Johnson says GOP won’t shut down government over border spending, despite Roy threat --House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the House GOP won’t shut down the government over border spending following a threat by fellow member Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).Johnson appeared to try to cool fears over Roy’s recent threat to withhold government funding legislation until Democrats and President Biden agree to border security and asylum reforms in H.R. 2.When asked about Roy’s threat, Johnson responded that Roy wasn’t threatening to shut down the government. “Chip’s one of my closest friends and colleagues. I talked to him last night, that’s not what he intended to say,” Johnson said in a clip of CBS’s “Face the Nation” posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter Friday. In a letter from Tuesday, Roy said he and his colleagues “must make funding for federal government operations contingent on the president signing H.R. 2, or its functional equivalent, into law and stopping the flow across our border.”Roy isn’t the only Congress member to threaten to withhold government funding over the border.“I will not vote to fund the government until our border is secure,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote in a post on X.The Senate adjourned last month without a deal on funding for Ukraine or border security, ending a historically unproductive legislative session. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attributed the absence of achievements to the influence of former President Trump on the Republican-majority House.“Under a Republican House majority this year, we saw a year marked by chaos, extremism and paralysis. There’s no question that divided government and MAGA extremism made legislating in 2023 very difficult,” Schumer said in floor remarks.

In 2024 Congress Should Cut the Budget -- Ron Paul - In the closing days of 2023, the Biden Administration once again announced a large military aid package for Ukraine, this time a “mere” quarter of a billion dollars. Without a new authorization of funds from Congress, it is said to be the last bit of money left over from the more than $100 billion already authorized by Congress for the proxy war with Russia through Ukraine. President Biden’s request for an additional $100 billion to spread around Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan was rejected by a Congress eager for its winter break, and with each passing day it looks like it’s going to be harder to push it through. Poll after poll show that Americans are increasingly opposed to more of their money being spent on the neocon’s lost-cause war to overthrow Putin in Russia. For example, a recent Fox News poll revealed that more than 60 percent of Republican voters do not want any more money sent to Ukraine. As we enter an election year, it’s probably safe to predict that Republican candidates will be wary of crossing the wishes of the clear majority of voters. That is why the Biden Administration has been desperately trying to re-frame its request for more Ukraine war money as anything but a request for more Ukraine war money. For example, they even brought back the old discredited “domino theory” used to justify US actions in the Vietnam war. If we don’t stop Putin in Ukraine, Biden said in December, then he will keep going into western Europe where we will be forced to fight him there. On the one hand, supporters of the Ukraine war warn that Russia is about to reconstitute the Soviet empire in Europe, while at the same time the same people tell us Russia is out of missiles and on its last leg. One more infusion of US money will end the “Russian threat” once and for all. Both of these things cannot be true at once. In fact, neither of them is true. But still the Administration, much of Congress, and an insatiable military-industrial complex keep selling the lies. Last month Secretary of State Antony Blinken inadvertently revealed what exactly all the spending for war is about when he stated that as much as 90 percent of the aid for Ukraine is actually spent in the United States. The money is used “to the benefit of American business, local communities, and strengthening the US defense industrial base,” he said in an interview. In other words, the money “for Ukraine” is actually a massive welfare program for well-connected military contractors back home. As we begin the year 2024, we need to home in on the real threat to the United States. It is not Russia or China or Iran. The true threat is closer to home: it is a corrupt system that bleeds the country dry to fight imaginary enemies while enriching the military-industrial complex. For the New Year, Congress should resolve to end the stranglehold of the military-industrial complex by reining in out-of-control military spending. Members should simply vote “no” on military spending bills until they are drafted to benefit the American people rather than the Beltway elite. I don’t hold out much hope of this happening in the short run, but it only takes a few dedicated Members to make a real difference.

US Foreign Policy Is a Scam Built on Corruption - Jeffrey Sachs - On the surface, US foreign policy seems to be utterly irrational. The US gets into one disastrous war after another -- Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and Gaza. In recent days, the US stands globally isolated in its support of Israel’s genocidal actions against the Palestinians, voting against a UN General Assembly resolution for a Gaza ceasefire backed by 153 countries with 89% of the world population, and opposed by just the US and 9 small countries with less than 1% of the world population. In the past 20 years, every major US foreign policy objective has failed. The Taliban returned to power after 20 years of US occupation of Afghanistan. Post-Saddam Iraq became dependent on Iran. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad stayed in power despite a CIA effort to overthrow him. Libya fell into a protracted civil war after a US-led NATO mission overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. Ukraine was bludgeoned on the battlefield by Russia in 2023 after the US secretly scuttled a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine in 2022.To understand the foreign-policy scam, think of today’s federal government as a multi-division racket controlled by the highest bidders.Despite these remarkable and costly debacles, one following the other, the same cast of characters has remained at the helm of US foreign policy for decades, including Joe Biden, Victoria Nuland, Jake Sullivan, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, and Hillary Clinton. What gives? The puzzle is solved by recognizing that American foreign policy is not at all about the interests of the American people. It is about the interests of the Washington insiders, as they chase campaign contributions and lucrative jobs for themselves, staff, and family members. In short, US foreign policy has been hacked by big money. As a result, the American people are losing big. The failed wars since 2000 have cost them around $5 trillion in direct outlays, or around $40,000 per household. Another $2 trillion or so will be spent in the coming decades on veterans’ care. Beyond the costs directly incurred by Americans, we should also recognize the horrendously high costs suffered abroad, in millions of lives lost and trillions of dollars of destruction to property and nature in the war zones. The costs continue to mount. US Military-linked outlays in 2024 will come to around $1.5 trillion, or roughly $12,000 per household, if we add the direct Pentagon spending, the budgets of the CIA and other intelligence agencies, the budget of the Veteran’s Administration, the Department of Energy nuclear weapons program, the State Department’s military-linked “foreign aid” (such as to Israel), and other security-related budget lines. Hundreds of billions of dollars are money down the drain, squandered in useless wars, overseas military bases, and a wholly unnecessary arms build-up that brings the world closer to WWIII. Yet to describe these gargantuan costs is also to explain the twisted “rationality” of US foreign policy. The $1.5 trillion in military outlays is the scam that keeps on giving—to the military-industrial complex and the Washington insiders—even as it impoverishes and endangers America and the world. To understand the foreign-policy scam, think of today’s federal government as a multi-division racket controlled by the highest bidders. The Wall Street division is run out of the Treasury. The Health Industry division is run out of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Big Oil and Coal division is run out of the Departments of Energy and Interior. And the Foreign Policy division is run out of the White House, Pentagon and CIA. Each division uses public power for private gain through insider dealing, greased by corporate campaign contributions and lobbying outlays. Interestingly, the Health Industry division rivals the Foreign Policy division as a remarkable financial scam. America’s health outlays totaled an astounding $4.5 trillion in 2022, or roughly $36,000 per household, by far the highest health costs in the world, while America ranked roughly 40th in the world among nations in life expectancy. A failed health policy translates into very big bucks for the health industry, just as a failed foreign policy translates into mega-revenues of the military-industrial complex.

Biden Again Warns the US Could Fight Russia Directly If Congress Doesn't Approve More Ukraine Aid - President Biden on Friday called again for Congress to approve more spending on the war in Ukraine, claiming that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is successful in its war, it could risk pulling the US into a direct confrontation with Russia.Biden made the comments in a statement on a Russian attack on Ukraine that was said to be the largest of the war. According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia fired over 150 missiles and drones across the country and killed 31 people.Biden said Ukraine was able to intercept some missiles with US-provided air defenses and added that “unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people.”The president claimed that the stakes of the war extend beyond Ukraine to the US’s European NATO allies. “When dictators and autocrats are allowed to run roughshod in Europe, the risk rises that the United States gets pulled in directly,” he said. Biden and other officials in his administration have been using this argument in their pitch to approve the over $60 billion they’re seeking to fund the proxy war in Ukraine for another year. The central claim is that if Putin wins in Ukraine, he will move into a NATO country next. But there’s no indication Russia wants a fight with the alliance, which could quickly spiral into nuclear war.Putin recently responded to the claim, calling the idea that he has his eyes on NATO territory “nonsense.”“Russia has no reason, no interest — no geopolitical interest, neither economic, political nor military — to fight with NATO countries,” the Russian leader said.

The US Is 'Out of Money' to Arm Ukraine - The Pentagon said Thursday that the US is “out of money” to arm Ukraine as Congress has yet to authorize more spending on the proxy war.The Pentagon technically has $4.2 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to ship weapons to Ukraine but doesn’t have the funds to replenish the arms. “We have the authority to spend that from available funds but wouldn’t have the ability to replenish the stocks by taking money out — or taking stuff out of our inventory,” said Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. “We’re out of money.”The $4.2 billion is what’s left of $6.2 billion that was freed up by a so-called “accounting error” that overvalued previous arms shipments to Ukraine. Without the “error,” the US would have run out of money to arm Ukraine months ago.The Biden administration announced a $250 million weapons package for Ukraine on December 27 that the White House said was the last one until Congress authorizes more spending on the war.Other types of US aid to Ukraine have also dried up, including funding for the Ukrainian government. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said last week that government workers could face delays in the payment of their salaries or pensions if the US and the EU do not approve new aid packages soon.President Biden is seeking over $60 billion to fuel the war in Ukraine for another year, but Republicans in Congress are holding out on approving it to get Democrats to agree to major changes to border policies and laws. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) led about 60 Republicans on a trip to the border on Wednesday and said he would stand firm.“If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin with defending America’s national security,” Johnson said. “We want to get the border closed and secured first.”

Sanders calls for end of US funding for Netanyahu’s ‘immoral’ war - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on Congress on Tuesday to hold back more than $10 billion in military funding for Israel, warning it would be used to fund the Israeli government’s “grossly disproportionate” and “immoral” war in Gaza. It was the latest round of criticism the liberal senator has directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the killing of more than 1,200 Israeli civilians by Palestinian militants on Oct. 7. “While we recognize that Hamas’ barbaric attack began this war, we must also recognize that Israel’s military response has been grossly disproportionate, immoral, and in violation of international law,” Sanders said in a statement released Tuesday. Sanders said Americans “must understand that Israel’s war against the Palestinian people has been significantly waged with U.S. bombs, artillery shells, and other forms of weaponry.” “And the results have been catastrophic,” he continued, pointing to reports from the Palestinian health ministry that more than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes, two-thirds of them women and children. Sanders noted that an estimated 57,000 Palestinian civilians have been wounded, and that 85 percent of the population of Gaza has been driven from their homes. Sanders repeated his call for Congress to reject more than 10 billion in proposed military aid for Israel, which is part of an emergency foreign aid package that includes money for Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific region and border security. He argued that money would amount to “unconditional military aid for the right-wing Netanyahu government to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people.” “Enough is enough. Congress must reject that funding,” he said. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, voted last month against a procedural motion to advance a $110 billion emergency foreign aid package that included money for Israel. Every other member of the Democratic caucus voted to proceed with the bill. The Vermont senator’s statement comes after a similar rebuke on Dec. 4, which also called on Congress to not provide $10 billion to Israel, which he said would be used to fund the invasion of Gaza. “I do not think we should be appropriating $10.1 billion for the right-wing, extremist Netanyahu government to continue its current military approach,” he said on the Senate floor last month. “What the Netanyahu government is doing is immoral, it is in violation of international law, and the United States should not be complicit in those actions.” Sanders argued in a Dec. 12 letter to President Biden that Israel’s military response in Gaza has become “a mass atrocity,” and that it “would be irresponsible to provide an additional $10.1 billion in military aid” beyond defensive systems to protect Israeli civilians from missile and rocket attacks.

No Serious Discussions Within Biden Administration About Limiting Military Aid to Israel - Despite the mass slaughter Israel is committing in Gaza, there are no “serious discussions” within the Biden administration about cutting off Israel or placing any conditions on military aid, The New York Timesreported on Sunday.The report detailed President Biden’s commitment to supporting the Israeli campaign, saying he “has involved himself more intensely in the conflict than almost any other issue in three years in office.” President Biden has had tense conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has made meager efforts to get Israel to change its tactics but refuses to use any leverage the US has over Israel.At the same time, Israel recognizes the US is its main backer and doesn’t want to blow off President Biden’s suggestions altogether. Israel has agreed to some steps the US has asked for, including allowing limited aid deliveries into Gaza, which the UN and other aid agencies say is entirely inadequate for the situation as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the enclave are facing famine-like conditions.The Times report said Israeli officials “recognize that he is the most important ally they have amid rising global criticism and understand that he is the only thing stopping the United Nations from imposing sanctions.” Besides the unconditional military support, the US also provides Israel with political cover and vetoed or worked to water down several resolutions at the UN Security that called for a ceasefire in Gaza.Gaza’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that the death toll in Gaza passed 22,000 on Tuesday, a total that includes over 8,000 children. Over 57,000 Palestinians have been wounded, and nearly 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced.The Biden administration demonstrated its commitment to supporting the Israeli onslaught on Friday by bypassing Congress for a second time since October 7 to get more arms to Israel. The latest deal that was pushed through is for $147.5 million in 155mm artillery shells and related equipment.

I Don't Care What Religion The Genocidal Child Murderers Are by Caitlin Johnston - Unfuckingbelievable. It is un fucking believable that it’s 2024 and the US-sponsored incineration of Gaza is still going on. They’re just looking us dead in the eye and doing the worst things humans could possibly do, right in front of us. Against all laws. Against all opposition. The other day Tony Blinken posted an astonishingly obnoxious tweet fretting about how “This has been an extraordinarily dangerous year for press around the world,” as though his own administration had not directly facilitated the lion’s share of the deadly attacks on journalists in 2023. The utter gall of these freaks still surprises me sometimes. All this “anti-semitism” gibberish is so fucking stupid. It’s like if every time we wanted to criticize the Iraq invasion we had to do a whole big song and dance swearing on our lives that we weren’t racist toward Texans. I don’t give a fuck if you’re Jewish. I don’t care what religion you are. If you’re murdering thousands of children, the very least significant thing about that situation is what religion you happen to be. I think the overwhelming majority of people on my side see it this way. Actually what fuels antisemitism is murdering children by the thousands under the banner of the Star of David while adamantly insisting that your actions are inseparable from all Jews and the totality of Judaism.

• Step 1: Deliberately make Gaza uninhabitable
• Step 2: Leave Gazans no choice but to migrate elsewhere
• Step 3: Call this forced migration “voluntary” and “humanitarian”
• Step 4: Turn the entire Gaza Strip into a giant Israeli settlement

Don’t worry, Israel will be at peace once it defeats Hamas. Well, first it’ll need to conquer Syria, eliminate Hezbollah and Ansarallah, achieve regime change in Iran, and defeat all the new enemies these military campaigns will create along the way. But THEN there will be peace! It’s crazy how there’s mountains of evidence that Israeli higher-ups allowed October 7 to happen in order to advance ethnic cleansing agendas in Gaza, but you’ll never be allowed to say this blatantly obvious thing happened without being branded an anti-semitic conspiracy kook.

White House Slams South Africa's Genocide Case Against Israel - The White House on Wednesday slammed South Africa’s genocide case against Israel that was filed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), one of the UN’s top courts based in The Hague.When asked about the 84-page lawsuit South Africa has filed against Israel, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, “We find this submission meritless, counterproductive, and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever.” If Israel is found guilty of genocide by the ICJ, it would implicate the US as it’s providing weapons and political cover for Israel’s operations in Gaza with no conditions or red lines. The US has also justified Israel’s attacks on civilian areas and has shrugged off the massive civilian casualty rate as the price of the operation.The case against Israel could take years, but South Africa is asking the ICJ to immediately declare Israel is committing acts that could be considered genocidal and issue an interim order to halt its military operations,according to Haaretz. Hearings on the interim order are scheduled for January 11 and 12, and Israel is preparing to defend itself, signaling it is worried about the case.The ICJ has no power to enforce its order for Israel to halt military operations or to take action if it determines Israel is committing genocide. But the ruling would deal a major diplomatic blow to the US and Israel.South Africa has a strong case against Israel since over 22,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israel’s onslaught on Gaza in just less than three months. Over 50,000 Palestinians have been wounded, and nearly 90% have been displaced internally.Genocide is defined by Article II of the UN’s Genocide Convention as “a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.” Intent to commit serious physical harm against a group needs to be shown to prove a state is guilty of genocide at the ICJ. South Africa has included quotes from Israeli officials in its lawsuit that show Israel’s intent of “committing genocidal acts” or its failure to prevent them. When the onslaught first started, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a total siege on Gaza and said the Israeli military was fighting “human animals” in the enclave.

US rebukes ‘irresponsible’ comments from Israeli ministers --The U.S. State Department has rejected recent comments made by two Israeli ministers, calling them “irresponsible” and “inflammatory” for advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza.“The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.“This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible. We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately,” he added.Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, and Gvir, the nation’s national security minister, came under fire earlier this week after they each suggested the war in Gaza could result in the resettlement of the Palestinian people.Smotrich told reporters Monday that the solution to the war was “to encourage the voluntary migration of Gaza’s residents to countries that will agree to take in the refugees,” The Times of Israel reported.Ben Gvir echoed similar sentiments, telling reporters Monday that the war offers an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza,” according to the outlet.“We cannot withdraw from any territory we are in in the Gaza Strip. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I believe it is also an important thing,” Ben Gvir said.The U.S. has repeatedly pushed for a two-state solution. Miller said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that there “should be no mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.”“We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel,” Miller said in his statement. “That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world.”

US Admonishes Israeli Officials For Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud About Ethnic Cleansing - by Caitlin Johnstone -- The US State Department has issued a statement indignantly finger-wagging at two Israeli officials who recently drew headlines for openly endorsing the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip. The statement reads as follows: “The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible. We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately. “We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world.”The offending statements by Ben Gvir and Smotrich promoted the idea of “encouraging” Palestinians to flee Gaza en masse, absurdly referring to this hypothetical outcome as “voluntary migration” despite the fact that Israel has been doing everything in its power to make living in Gaza impossible. You will note, probably without surprise, that the statement contains nothing but empty scolding. No mention is made of the faintest possibility of any consequence of any kind being brought to bear should Israeli officials continue to openly advocate for eliminating the Palestinian population of Gaza and replacing it with Jewish settlements. This is because the US has no intention of actually doing anything to hinder Israel’s ethnic cleansing agendas.And make no mistake, that absolutely is Israel’s agenda. The State Department can claim all it wants that “such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government” and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has assured Washington that there are no plans to resettle Palestinians outside of Gaza, but Netanyahu himself has been publicly contradicting this claim with increasing brazenness. Just last week at a Likud party meeting Netanyahu explicitly said that his government is working on finding countries who would be willing to “absorb” Palestinian refugees from Gaza, claiming that the world is “already discussing the possibilities of voluntary immigration.”

US Military Sinks Three Houthi Boats in Red Sea, Killing 10 - The US military sank three vessels belonging to Yemen’s Houthis during a confrontation in the Red Sea on Sunday, killing 10, as tensions continue to rise in the region due to the US-backed Israeli slaughter in Gaza.According to US Central Command, four Houthi boats were attacking and attempting to seize the container ship Maersk Hangzhou, which was struck by a missile a day earlier. CENTCOM said helicopters from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower responded to the Hangzhou’s distress call and then engaged with the Houthi boats.“In the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the US helicopters with crew-served weapons and small arms,” CENTCOM said. “The US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews.” The Houthis said the boats the US attacked were “performing their humanitarian and moral duty… to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from passing through the Red Sea.” According to Al Maydeen, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the US “bears the consequences and repercussions of this crime” and affirmed that the US military “maneuvers in the Red Sea to protect Israeli vessels will not deter Yemen from fulfilling its religious, moral, and humanitarian duty to support and champion the oppressed in Palestine and Gaza.”

US, Allies Release Statement Threatening Houthis Over Red Sea Attacks - The US and some of its allies released a joint statement on Wednesday threatening Yemen’s Houthis over their attacks on Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea, which started in response to the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza.“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways,” the statement reads.The statement was issued by the US, Britain, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and Bahrain, the only Arab nation to sign onto the threat.The Times of London previously reported that the US and Britain were working on a joint statement that would threaten action against the Houthis if they didn’t stop the Red Sea attacks. Sources told the paper that options being considered by the US and UK were direct airstrikes on Yemen or using special operations forces to target Houthis boats. The US has already sunk Houthi boats, killing 10 during a confrontation on Sunday.Bombing Yemen would risk shattering the fragile peace in Yemen between the Houthis and the US-backed Saudi-led coalition. It would also risk sparking a major regional war as the Houthis could expand the scope of what they’re targeting, and they are capable of striking at long distances with their missiles and drones.The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, have vowed not to back downin the face of the US military. Ansar Allah officials have repeatedly stated that they will not stop their attacks on Israeli-linked commercial shipping until the Israeli siege on Gaza ends.

Burying the Future Under the Rubble That Is Gaza -The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child issued a statement on grave violations of children’s rights in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory on October 13, 2023. “We reiterate that the Convention on the Rights of the Child requires States parties and all actors to respect and to ensure respect for the rules of international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflict with regard to children. The Convention also aims to ensure the highest level of protection for children. We call on all actors, including the international community, to act to restore peace and preserve the safety and recovery of children as their immediate priority.“Many thousands of Palestinian children have been terrorized, killed, maimed, and left orphaned since October 12th—their lives destroyed. Their enshrined human rights, and to some extent their future, buried beneath the rubble of home, school, hospital, mosque, and church.The CRC, the most widely endorsed human rights document in history commits world leaders “…to protect children and to diminish their suffering…to uphold the far-reaching principle that children would have ‘first call’ on all resources, that the best interests of children would come first…in good times or bad, in peace or in war, in prosperity or economic distress.” (Koffi Annan, 2001)The United States is the only country that has not signed this global agreement. Perhaps we shouldn’t have been shocked then, when on May 12, 1996—in a rare and bold moment of truth-telling—Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, acknowledged the U.S. government knew that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children died as a result of US-supported economic sanctions. “The price,” she said in her infamous interview on 60 Minutes, “—we think the price is worth it.” Looking back, I think this might have been the beginning of the end for children around the world. In a brazen public announcement, the US government declared “the child” was not only not entitled to special, protected status; the welfare and well-being of children was secondary to national and international political and economic goals. And because the US wields enormous military and economic power across the globe, children everywhere were diminished, and worse, doomed.

US Drone Strike Kills Iraqi Militia Leader in Baghdad - A US drone strike in Baghdad killed a senior militia leader on Thursday, marking another significant escalation that could lead to a full-blown regional war.The strike killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, a deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operations in Baghdad. The PMF is a coalition of mostly Shia Iraqi militias that are part of the government’s security forces.At least one other militia member was killed in the strike, which targeted a PMF base in Baghdad. Later on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed it was responsible for the bombing.The Pentagon claims Abu Taqwa was believed to be responsible for attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria that started in October in response to US support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, but the US has not provided any evidence for the assertion.The drone strike has enraged the Iraqi government, which condemned it as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and security of Iraq” and said it was “no different from a terrorist act.”The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes in Iraq since October, all of which have been strongly condemned by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the US’s supposed partner in the country.Al-Sudani’s government has also condemned the attacks on US bases in Iraq but wants to work to find the perpetrators and strongly opposes the unilateral US airstrikes and extra-judicial killings.Al-Sudani said last week that his government was “heading towards” ending the presence of foreign forces in Iraq, which includes 2,500 US troops. Iraq’s parliament voted to expel US troops back in 2020 following the US drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, but the US has refused to leave.

Biden Admin Says US, Israel Not Behind Iran Blast As Death Toll Surpasses 100 -- Two explosions close in time to one another ripped through a cemetery in the southern Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday, killing scores of people and injuring over 15 others. The initial death toll of 20 was been quickly revised upward, with Reuters and Sky News subsequently reporting, "At least 50 people have been killed at a cemetery in Iran where a ceremony was being held to mark the 2020 assassination of Iran's top commander Qassem Soleimani, an official has told Reuters news agency."Large crowds had been gathered near the grave of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani a day of memorial events marking his death anniversary. The semi-official Nournews initially described that "several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery and relevant authorities are monitoring the situation".The death toll in Kerman city has risen to at least 103 killed, and over 141 injured, with new details being revealed in state-backed IRNA news as follows: "The first blast took place 700 meters away from Martyr General Qassem Soleimani’s tomb and the second explosion happened one kilometer away from it." Other sources are saying there were well over 170 injuries in the aftermath. "The explosions dispersed mourners from Kerman’s cemetery and ambulances rushed to deliver the injured to hospitals in the city," the report continues. This was among the single deadliest attacks in all of Iranian history.Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi didn't single out any country of its intelligence services for being behind the attack, but said, "the perpetrators and criminals who were involved in this terrorist crime will soon be identified and punished for their actions." However, some top Iranian officials did quickly point the finger at Israel and the US. This prompted a quick rejection of the allegation by the Biden administration, which also sought to distance Israel from the mass casualty event too: According to an afternoon press briefing by US national security council spokesman John Kirby (via RTRS):

• White House says the US does not have detail on the Iran bombing; US has no indication Israel was involved in the Iran blast
• White House says US will continue to maintain a significant force presence in the middle east; US will not shrink from defending US interests and free flow of international commerce
• Actions in the Red Sea directly threaten freedom of navigation.

Blinken warns against wider Middle East conflict in meeting with Turkish, Greek leaders -Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish and Greek leaders on Saturday, marking the beginning of a week-long trip around the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East to discuss the next phases of the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.Blinken started his day in Istanbul to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Blinken and Erdoğan discussed the war in Gaza, the White House said a press release.“The Secretary emphasized the need to prevent the conflict from spreading, secure the release of hostages, expand humanitarian assistance and reduce civilian casualties, and work toward broader, lasting regional peace that ensures Israel’s security and advances the establishment of a Palestinian state,” the statement reads.Fidan demanded the U.S. to back a cease-fire in the conflict, The Associated Press reported, with the foreign minister urging Blinken to begin negotiations with the Israeli government on a two-state solution in the region “as soon as possible.”The group also discussed the ascension of Sweden into NATO, a process which has been held up by Turkey. Erdoğan demanded that the U.S. approve shipments of F-16 fighter jets in exchange for a vote to allow Sweden in the alliance, which the U.S. agreed to.The Turkish parliament approved Swedish ascension last month, while the U.S. government has held off on sending jets until Sweden officially joins the alliance.Blinken also traveled to Crete, an Ionian island of Greece, to meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He will also visit Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt on the trip, returning to the U.S. on Tuesday.Tensions in the Middle East continue to rise as the Israel-Hamas war nears the three-month mark. Hezbollah threatened to join the conflict this week after a Hamas leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon.Houthi militants in Yemen have also increased attacks on Red Sea shipping, causing chaos in the commercial space and even threatening U.S. military personnel.

Biden Campaign Staffers Protest US Support for Israel's Gaza Onslaught - A group of 17 staffers for President Biden’s 2024 re-election have signed onto an anonymous letter protesting the president’s support for the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. “Complicity in the death of over 20,000 Palestinians, 8,200 of whom are children, simply cannot be justified,”the letter reads.The staffers said President Biden was losing support due to his full-throated for the Israeli campaign, noting that 72% of voters under 30 disapprove of his handling of the conflict. Recent polling has shown that the majority of Americans favor a ceasefire in Gaza, an idea the president opposes.“Biden for President staff have seen volunteers quit in droves, and people who have voted blue for decades feel uncertain about doing so for the first time ever, because of this conflict,” the letter reads.The staffers called for President Biden to use leverage to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, advocate for de-escalation in the region, end unconditional military aid to Israel, and work toward ending the Israeli occupation and other root causes of the conflict.The letter is the latest dissent from within the Democratic Party against the Biden administration’s support for Israel. A coalition of over 500 former staffers for President Biden’s 2020 campaign and Democratic Party staffsigned a similar letter in November.

It's Insane That Anyone Is Still Supporting Israel - Caitlin Johnstone -- It honestly blows my mind that there are still people adamantly supporting Israel after all this. After all the people they’ve killed. After all the lies they’ve been caught in. After all their comments endorsing genocide and ethnic cleansing, and all their actions showing they mean it. If you’re still supporting Israel at this point, you’re just telling everyone you don’t care about truth or morality. You’re announcing to the world that you care only about your weird ideological agendas and geopolitical control. You are publicly proclaiming that you are a dogshit human being. That you have lived on this earth all these years without arriving at any level of emotional or psychological maturity. That you have wasted your life on this planet. Wait til the Zoomers figure out that Epstein did what he did because he was running a sexual blackmail operation for Israeli intelligence.The most significant aspect of the Epstein story is not that he helped some famous people rape minors, it’s that powerful intelligence agencies use child sex slaves and sexual blackmail to exert control over our society.Nothing will convince you that Israel is a racist apartheid state held together by hate and violence faster than watching the videos uploaded onto social media by Israelis themselves. Israel talking about the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from Gaza after deliberately making Gaza uninhabitable is like mugging a guy at gunpoint and saying he gave you his wallet of his own free will because you didn’t physically reach into his pocket and take it from him.You guys it’s really really really important that Trump doesn’t get re-elected, because if he does then the US will have a president who supports mass murder and genocide and ethnic cleansing and he’ll probably let a ton of people get killed by racist tyrants.In all seriousness it’s extremely ridiculous that Biden sabotaged peace in Ukraine and is sponsoring a genocide in Gaza and we’re all sitting here praying that he doesn’t start a new war in the middle east, yet we’re still meant to be super duper worried if Trump gets back into the White House. Biden is everything people were worried Trump would be.

House Republicans stew over members who caused upheaval - House Republicans are stewing over a lack of consequences for those in their ranks who were at the center of much of the internal upheaval that dominated last year — and bemoaning incentives that some worry reward being loud over being substantive. After enduring a year with two drawn-out Speaker fights and other battles that spilled out onto the House floor, the slim House GOP majority is showing no signs of disciplining the rabble-rousers. And even as the hard-line Republicans at the center of the fights stand by their moves, members known for their behind-the-scenes productivity are heading for the exits. The frustration, while no longer as prominent as during flashpoints over the last year, lingers. “For a body that creates laws for the American people to live by, Congress lives in a lawless society to where members can do whatever they would like that goes against conference rules, and still have the ability to maintain the committee assignments — to still get, you know, whether it’s fundraising or extra dollars from leaders wherever it may be,” Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said. During the three weeks in October when frustrated Republicans struggled to elect a new Speaker, calls swirled to remove from committees or the GOP conference the eight Republicans who joined with Democrats to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). So did a discussion about changing the rule that allowed any one member to force a vote on ousting the Speaker. Seven of the eight at one point offered themselves up to be punished if holdouts against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) voted to make him Speaker. But as Republicans sought to move forward from the dysfunction under the leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), talk of imposing punishment fell off. And in the weeks that followed, actions on the House floor showed that some Republicans, having just gone through a historic Speaker fight, still had no fear of upending their party’s schedule or plans. They forced votes through privileged resolutions to formally reprimand other members and to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Hard-line conservatives pushed their colleagues to adopt aggressive amendments on must-pass spending bills and torpedoed votes on legislation if they were not considered. “When you discipline people, they learn from their mistakes. I mean, it’s called life. And if you don’t discipline people and members of Congress, you’re gonna get this result, which is privileged resolutions being brought to the floor every day, taking cabinet secretaries down to $1 — I mean, this isn’t helping the American people,” Miller said. Even one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy acknowledged that his party does not naturally impose discipline. “Democrats are good at carrot and the stick — you know, we reward you with the carrot or we hit you with the stick. We’re not very good at that as Republicans,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said. “We’re independent. We go out to do our thing.”

House GOP to begin 2024 with focus on border - House Republicans are beginning a crucial election year with a heightened focus on border issues as negotiations in the Senate on asylum policy changes drag on and the conference prepares to bring impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), in the first major event as part of that push, is leading a group of Republicans on a trip to the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday. About 60 members are expected to join him in the area represented by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R), including House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) — two of the men who would be at the center of any impeachment effort against Mayorkas. The trip is just the latest instance of Johnson getting more vocal about the border, which is increasingly looking like a big 2024 focus for the GOP, which is aiming to win the White House and majorities in Congress this fall. In December, Johnson sent a letter to President Biden urging him to take executive actions to address high border crossings, namely to impose stricter immigration policies and to restart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall. And last week, Johnson took another swipe at the Biden administration over Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussing “the benefit of regularizing the situation of long-term undocumented Hispanic migrants and DACA recipients” with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. “This development further demonstrates the Administration has no real intention of solving the humanitarian disaster and immediate national security crisis their policies have created,” Johnson said in a statement that also took a swipe at the president’s vacation in St. Croix between Christmas and New Year’s Day: “President Biden needs to stop vacationing and take immediate steps to stop the flow of illegal immigration into our country.” Republicans have long made migration issues central to their messaging efforts, even passing a sweeping package, the H.R. 2 Secure the Border bill, that would limit asylum protections earlier in 2023. But the issue is getting heightened attention from House GOP leaders now that the dust has settled from intraparty battles and the toppling of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — and as a bipartisan group of senators have struggled for weeks to hash out a deal on border policy changes as a condition for Ukraine funding. Gonzales told The Hill that getting 60 members of Congress to go on the border trip two days after New Year’s — marking the 21st delegation he’s hosted at the border — “is a small miracle and shows we are committed as a group.” All the while, House GOP scorn for Mayorkas — whom hard-line conservative have long called impeach — has ticked up in the House GOP. Republicans have upped the ante on their impeachment effort, pledging to soon take action on a matter that has taken a backseat to the inquiry into President Biden — even as the Homeland Security secretary was the first to be the subject of an impeachment resolution. While the House has twice referred a Mayorkas impeachment inquiry to the House Homeland Security Committee — declining to take an immediate vote on the House floor — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she received a guarantee from Johnson and Green that a Mayorkas impeachment vote would come in short order as she retracted a second resolution to boot him from his job. Green said the committee’s January schedule would be occupied with a series of hearings dedicated to the topic. “We’re going to have about three or four hearings in January, and then we’re going to mark up the impeachment articles that have been written,” Green said during a late-December appearance on Fox News. To Democrats, the interview highlighted that Republicans have already decided how to proceed — with the hearings leading to an outcome that has apparently already been drafted. “The House majority is wasting valuable time and taxpayer dollars pursuing a baseless political exercise that has been rejected by members of both parties and already failed on a bipartisan vote. There is no valid basis to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, as senior members of the House majority have attested, and this extreme impeachment push is a harmful distraction from our critical national security priorities,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement after Green’s interview. “Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe.” Green is feeling confident about his ability to turn the tide after members of his party joined Democrats in preventing a Mayorkas impeachment resolution from leapfrogging to the floor. “This guy needs to go, and I’ve got to convince eight Republicans — I think we can do that. That’s what we’re working on right now,” Green said. The chair criticized some of his colleagues for “rushing the thing to the floor without a due process” — a counter to his own approach, which has involved numerous hearings bringing in Trump-era immigration officials and announcing in June what he called a five-point plan to review Mayorkas’s “dereliction of duty.” “That’s why I think many of those eight voted no. And I’ve spoken to all eight. Most of them just want a due process to happen, and we’ve been doing that now for several months. That investigation wraps up this month, and then we will do a proceeding in January,” Green added.

US to reopen four legal crossings along southern border - Four legal crossings along the southern border will reopen Thursday after being shut down due to an increase in migrant encounters, authorities announced Tuesday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced legal border crossings in Texas, Arizona and California would be reopened starting at various times Thursday morning. This comes just a month after the agency shut down a handful of border crossings along the southwest border, citing increased levels of migrants as well as migrant smuggling as the reason.The agency emphasized that it is continuing to enforce action against those who do not enter the U.S. legally or who do not have a legal argument to stay in the country.“CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation,” the agency said in a statement. “We continue to assess security situations, adjust our operational plans, and deploy resources to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes — such as scheduling an appointment via CBP One — and those without a legal basis to remain in the United States.” The border crossings to be reopened are located in Eagle Pass, Texas; San Diego, Calif.; Lukeville, Ariz.; and Nogales, Ariz. The announcement comes as a group of 60 GOP lawmakers is scheduled to visit the Eagle Pass border crossing on Wednesday as Republicans hope to ramp up pressure on border security talks in the new year. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent President Biden a letter last month urging him to take executive action on the border, which many Republicans say has gotten out of control under Biden’s leadership. “Statutory reforms designed to restore operational control at our southern border must be enacted, but the crisis at our southern border has deteriorated to such an extent that significant action can wait no longer. It must start now, and it must start with you,” Johnson wrote at the time.

The Utter Insanity of Joe Biden’s Open Border | texasinsider.org - There have been more than 8 million illegal entries into the United States since Joe Biden was elected president. He appointed Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, whose apparent prime directive was to destroy the southern border.That task is precisely what Mayorkas has now accomplished. The result is that the border is neither “porous” nor “problematic,” but nonexistent, kaput, vanished—and by design.In one of the most surreal experiences in the history of the United States, each night Americans see video clips of thousands of foreign nationals crossing the border en masse with complete impunity—as if the entire corpus of federal immigration law has been dynamited. As millions of citizens watch this travesty, they hear only from Mayorkas, Biden, and his Pravda megaphone, Karin Jean-Pierre, that the border is “secure”—a Baghdad Bob narrative that they know that we know is an utter lie.Surely, this deliberate effort to destroy an entire border, to invite in millions of unchecked illegal aliens, and to violate oaths to execute faithfully the laws of the land are impeachable offenses for both Biden and Mayorkas. If not, what are?Stranger still, Americans have no real idea why these revolutionaries are destroying our border.Are they nineteenth-century anarchists who want to undermine the United States itself? Are they cynical “Demography is Destiny” and “The New Democratic Majority” leftists who need new dependent Democrat constituents to find votes for agendas that most Americans reject?Do they want to create billions of dollars in new entitlements and subsidies to grow government, hike taxes, and make the upper middle class pay, as Biden puts it, “their fair share?”Whatever the cause of this nihilism, there are at least 10 ways their open border is insidiously destroying the United States.Does legal immigration still exist? Are we still requiring those who would enter the U.S. legally to provide required documents, undergo audits, and complete background checks?Is not the current policy de facto punishing those who follow the law by tying them up in bureaucratic red tape for years as we reward unlawful behavior by greenlighting amnesties for lawbreakers?Is the Biden administration’s policy designed to deflect those from South Korea with MDs, or from Mumbai with PhDs, or from Taiwan with MBAs, by putting their applications on a slow, second-track pathway? Is DEI at work in the sense that America does not want here the accomplished who earned degrees and possess vital skills, as if they are thereby condemned as “privileged?”Does Biden realize that his legacy of inviting in “surging” millions, in contradiction of the law, will soon erode all support for immigration, legal or otherwise?Does the utter lawlessness at the border contribute to the general coarseness and current mockery of the rule of law in general—an epidemic that plagues our cities with homelessness, smash-and-grabs, car-jackings, and random assaults? Is the rationale that if you can walk freely past border security guards, who cares whether you ignore a summons, throw away a traffic ticket, or skip reporting some income? If the first thing a foreign national does is to violate the law by crossing the border without permission, and the second is to reside illegally in the US, and the third is to apply for some sort of food, housing, medical, legal, or educational subsidy, then is that really the type of new resident we desire?

Tester balks at Biden's climate change policies -U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and several other Democratic lawmakers in tossup Senate races are asking the Biden administration to abandon plans for tougher air pollution standards for power plants.In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the senators requested the agency collaborate with unions and power plant owners on “maintaining affordable, reliable power; protecting American energy independence; protecting jobs; and lowering emissions.” Tester coauthored the letter with Sens. Sherrod Brown, of Ohio; Joe Manchin, of West Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona. Republicans have made flipping the seats in Arizona, Montana and West Virginia a 2024 priority. The Republicans’ benefit, Manchin has announced he won’t seek re-election. Sinema has left the Democratic Party and is running as an Independent. At issue are EPA plans for tighter limits on power plant greenhouse gas emissions. Power plants account for 25% of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. The proposed “New Source Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units” would require power plant owners to capture most carbon dioxide emissions within 16 years.Colstrip Power Plant is one of the nation’s biggest emitters of carbon dioxide pollution, with about 10.9 million tons emitted in 2021. Announcing the proposed limits in May, EPA Secretary Michael Regan said that innovative technology will be key to curbing greenhouse gases. But Tester and the other Democrats questioned whether the technology was far enough along to serve as a parachute for coal power.Regan suggested in May that technology standards would compel power plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 617 million metric tons by 2042.

'Two Down,' Stefanik Brags After Harvard President Claudine Gay Resigns -Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik declared victory Tuesday after Harvard University president Claudine Gay announced her resignation following an aggressive far-right campaign for her ouster."TWO DOWN," Stefanik (N.Y.) wrote on social media, referring to the resignations of Gay and former University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, who stepped down last month."Harvard knows that this long-overdue forced resignation of the antisemitic plagiarist president is just the beginning of what will be the greatest scandal of any college or university in history," Stefanik added.Pressure on Gay to resign began after a December congressional hearing during which Stefanik questioned Gay, Magill, and other university presidents on whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" violates their institutions' rules prohibiting bullying and harassment.Gay responded that it "depends on the context" and said, "Antisemitic rhetoric, when it crosses into conduct, it amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation.""That is actionable conduct," Gay continued, "and we do take action."Gay's testimony prompted a firestorm of outrage from Republicans, far-right activists, and a billionaire hedge fund manager. Critics, including the former executive director of Harvard Hillel, have argued that right-wing forces are weaponizing antisemitism in a cynical attempt to further their assault on higher education and provide cover for Israel's war crimes in Gaza."This will be used by the very worst people to make higher education worse, not better. It will be used to cut funding, end diversity, stifle academic freedom." The 13-member Harvard Corporation stood by Gay in the wake of the December congressional hearing, but calls for her resignation continued to grow after the far-right activist Christopher Rufo andconservative news outlets reported and amplified allegations of plagiarism."On December 12, in a statement backing Gay as president, the Corporation acknowledged findings of improper citation," The Harvard Crimson, the university's student newspaper, reported last week. "The statement also indicated Gay would make corrections to two articles, which she submitted on December 14. One week later, Harvard announced Gay would also submit corrections to her dissertation." In her resignation letter, Gay wrote that "it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor—two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am—and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus."

Congress Has Not Looted Social Security - When I write on Social Security, I regularly have readers write and tell me the “real” problem with Social Security is that Congress has looted the Social Security trust fund and spent the money on other programs. I have as little respect for Congress as anyone and they are profligate spendthrifts, but this narrative is false.Every year, the trustees who govern Social Security’s operations issue a Trustees’ Report. Included in that report is a cash flow statement going back to the inception of the program in 1937. It details the taxes paid into the plan, adds interest earned from the excess funds held by the system, and then subtracts the administrative costs and benefits paid. In 69 of the 86 years since Social Security was created, the system has enjoyed a positive cash flow. This has resulted in the system building up a cushion over the years, which currently totals to about $2.7 trillion. So, where is that money?The answer is that it is invested in U.S. bonds. Those bonds earn interest which help defray the cost of the program and in the 17 years that it ran a negative cash flow, it cashed bonds to make up the difference. Those bonds are part of the overall debt issued by the federal government to finance its operations, albeit a relatively small amount of the total federal debt (~7-8%). Those who promote the “Congress looted Social Security” narrative have misinterpreted the use of the reserves by the federal government as part of its overall financing structure as evidence that the reserves have been used for other purposes.Some critics go so far as to suggest that the bonds that Social Security holds are worthless and will never be repaid. This is nonsense, which is most clearly demonstrated by the fact that Social Security has redeemed over $100 billion on bonds in the last two years and in 14 other years when its cash flow went negative. Beyond that, the market for U.S. securities is the deepest and most liquid in the world. The federal government auctions billions in securities on a weekly basis, which are regularly oversubscribed. While many, including your correspondent, worry about the long-term fiscal trajectory of the federal government, the risk of it defaulting on bonds held by Social Security is nil. However, some have raised a fair question as to whether investing all of Social Security’s reserves in U.S. bonds is the best investment strategy. The interest rate paid on the bonds is determined by a formula adopted by Congress in 1960. It uses a rolling average of the rate on all U.S. bonds with maturities longer than four years. My rough calculation indicates this has resulted in about a 5.2% average yield since 1960. Currently, the rate is much lower because interest rates have been so low for the last decade, notwithstanding the increase in rates over the last year. According to Social Security Administration data, the average return for 2022 was 2.35%. In contrast, the S&P 500 index has returned 10.15% since 1960. If the reserves had been invested in the S&P 500 during that time, the reserve balance today would be something around $30 trillion and we would not be facing any shortfall for decades. Of course, investing the reserve funds in stocks or other alternative investments would be hugely controversial and involve significant risks to the fund. Nonetheless, it would appear that a more diversified investment strategy would relieve some of the pressure on the system. But the real problem with the promotion of narratives like “Congress looted Social Security” is that they divert attention away from the real demographic problem that will continue to plague the system in the coming decades. How society will provide for its older citizens, and probably even what it means to be “retired,” is going to require a complete reset from our current notions. The sooner we accept the math of that new reality and begin to change our system and expectations, the less painful the transition will be.

Federal appeals court blocks Biden administration guidance protecting abortion access in Texas -- A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Biden administration cannot enforce federal guidance instructing doctors to provide abortion care in medical emergencies, no matter state law.The suit, brought by the state of Texas in 2022, argues that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot cite the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) in its guidance that medical providers must provide abortion care in life-saving situations.The HHS guidance, written just after the Supreme Court’s 2022 abortion decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, said that medical providers must both provide care when a patient cannot afford it and provide abortion care when the life of the patient is at risk. The appellate court ruled that only the first provision, regarding patients who cannot afford care, is relevant for federal guidance.“The question before the court is whether EMTALA, according to HHS’s Guidance, mandates physicians to provide abortions when that is the necessary stabilizing treatment for an emergency medical condition. It does not. We therefore decline to expand the scope of EMTALA,” Judge Kurt Engelhardt wrote in the unanimous ruling. Engelhardt ruled that the 1986 law does not specify any medical procedures, making the abortion-focused aspect of the guidance unfounded.A federal judge in Texas first blocked the Biden administration guidance in 2022, with the appeals court upholding that ruling Tuesday.HHS launched an investigation into two hospitals in Kansas and Missouri in May over allegations that they violated the guidance. The Biden administration also cited the EMTALA in a challenge to Idaho’s strict abortion restrictions in November. Idaho similarly argued that the EMTALA does not regard abortion. The state’s ban is under appeal.

GOP faces abortion landmines in battle for Senate - A ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday that federal regulations do not require emergency rooms to perform life-saving abortions if doing so would violate state law is the latest state-level development to fire up Democrats on the issue of abortion. Democratic strategists see the abortion issue as their best talking point in the battle to keep the Senate and White House and take over the House, and are pointing to other cases and ballot initiatives that should keep the topic in the headlines right up until Election Day. One of the biggest developments expected before the November election is a ruling from the Supreme Court on restricting the availability of mifepristone, a common abortion medication, even in states where abortion is legal. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals restricted access in an August ruling that banned telemedicine prescriptions and mail shipments. Thousands of women around the country are now collecting stockpiles of the pills, according to research published by JAMA Internal Medicine. There are other high-profile abortion-related cases in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Utah and West Virginia, according to the ACLU. In addition, abortion-rights advocates are looking ahead to battles over proposed ballot measures in Arizona, Florida and Nevada, three Senate battleground states. The “Arizona for Abortion Access Act” would amend the state constitution to include an explicit right to abortion. Arizona is now enforcing a 15-week state ban on abortion and the state Supreme Court is reviewing a 150-year old law that would place a near-total ban on abortions. In Nevada, a political action committee, Nevadans for Reproductive Rights, is trying to amend the state constitution to establish a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including the right to birth control, abortion and abortion care. A state district court judge, however, ruled in November the ballot measure was phrased too broadly. Abortion was Democrats’ best issue in the 2022 midterm election, when they picked up a Senate seat to expand their majority in the upper chamber and did much better than expected in House races. The biggest political headwinds Democrats face this year are voters’ concerns about inflation and President Biden’s poor approval numbers but Democratic strategists think they will overcome these disadvantages by playing offense on abortion.

Study: Food insecurity in US dropped during pandemic - Through government programs that included the expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food insecurity among low-income US adults dropped by nearly 5% during the pandemic but rose by 2022, according to a study today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The findings were based on results from the 2019, 2021, and 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a nationally representative survey from the National Center for Health Statistics; 2020 was excluded due to pandemic-related restrictions on conducting the survey. Adults aged 18 and older were included in the survey, and low-income adults were those with household incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty limit. Food insecurity was defined as three or more affirmative responses on the US Adult Food Security Survey Module for the past 30 days. The researchers found the prevalence of food insecurity decreased from 34.6% in 2019 to 21.6% in 2021. Food insecurity among SNAP participants rose again in 2022 (though not to prepandemic levels), to 27.0%. The findings were counter to the hypothesis that the pandemic would have increased food insecurity. Instead, child tax credits, stimulus checks, and SNAP expansion provided a buffer for low-income adults. In an editorial on the study, authors write the drop in food insecurity during the pandemic is a case for permanent expansions of SNAP. "The political window to strengthen and leverage SNAP as a dual-pronged intervention to reduce food insecurity and promote health is now," they wrote.

COVID subcommittee chair says ‘honesty is nonnegotiable’ in upcoming Fauci interview - Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci will once again face questions on the origins of COVID-19, vaccine mandates and how to prevent something like the COVID-19 pandemic from happening again in his upcoming closed-door congressional interview, according to the chair of the committee leading the investigation. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic announced in November that Fauci had agreed to a 2-day transcribed interview on Jan. 8 and 9. He will also testify in front of the panel later this year, with the date still to be determined. Subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) told The Hill this interview will serve as an “after action review” of the federal government’s actions during the public health emergency for COVID-19. “We want to have some lessons learned and hopefully be able to come forward with some ideas for a path forward. And one of the things I keep saying is it’d be great if in the future we can predict the next pandemic, prepare for it, protect ourselves and maybe even prevent it,” Wenstrup said. “I think Dr. Fauci’s testimony is really a crucial component of the work we’re trying to do as it relates to the origins of COVID, the effects of mandates for vaccination, gain-of-function type research, scientific censorship in areas where it looks like it occurred.”Wenstrup noted the cover-up theory that Republicans on the subcommittee have put forward, which suggests Fauci and former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins encouraged researchers to write a paper that supported the natural origins theory of COVID-19 over a potential lab leak.Both Fauci and Collins took part in a teleconference with the researchers to discuss the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 in Feb. 2020. The select subcommittee heard from two of the researchers of that specific paper last year, in which they testified that Fauci and Collins said little in the teleconference, did not influence their paper and were mainly there to gather information. Fauci has previously spoken about this call, saying his role in organizing it was evidence of his openness to a lab-leak theory. Speaking about his views on the origins of COVID last year, Fauci said he maintains an open mind about where the virus may have come from, though alluded to the “accumulating evidence” supporting a natural origin.

The Wuhan Cover-Up: RFK Jr. Has The Receipts -- We desperately need a clear, accurate understanding about many things that have been taking place over the past few years, or should I say decades, and we all need to be saving hard copies or pdfs on hard drives of the important bits of history that we dig up. Bobby did the difficult part and collected those scraps, and he knitted them together into a narrative that very few people know about. In a nutshell: there is a cabal that took the concept of biological warfare 30 years ago and ran with it - in order to create new industries, massive profits, and to control the world using fear of death by contagion. He created a history that is also a page-turner, enabling us to understand in a much deeper way what we have just lived through. No kidding, he has the receipts. Tony Fauci is only one pawn on the chessboard in this book. There are many others, and I will mention just a few. Robert Kadlec is one. Sir Dr. Jeremy Farrar is a real knight, despite or because of having played a pivotal role in the overdosing of over 2,500 patients with hydroxychloroquine in the UK/Oxford and WHO clinical trials that he oversaw and funded. There are the funders; the scientists who will do anything for another grant; the massive network controlled by a syndicate: the money men and women from NIH’s many institutes, especially its best-funded NIAID; the NSF, whose former director was on the board of EcoHealth Alliance; the Wellcome Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation; and other charities deeply entangled with the ones I just mentioned. There are think tanks that help guide the direction the funding takes. A US DoD that contributes billions to whitewash and hide its biowarfare research. And a massive bureaucracy and media that protects all these people from exposure and punishment. Nobody really wants to think about bioweapons. They are unpleasant in the extreme to contemplate. They should not exist. They challenge our entire concept of medicine being sacrosanct, the knowledge of medicine never to be used for harm. This is in the Hippocratic Oath. Unfortunately, we cannot bury our heads in the sand over this issue. Our lack of knowledge about it, our revulsion toward it, and our deep-seated fears about it have enabled the spectre of biological warfare to lead us on a long and winding road to hell. The 2001 anthrax letters, sent at the right time to the right Senators, led to the Patriot Act, a massively profitable biodefense industry, and the rise of the Surveillance State. By 2005 we had the PREP Act, ostensibly to allow the DoD to continue using anthrax vaccines despite the revocation of the vaccine license in 2004. Did anyone know back then that the PREP Act would be used to greenlight contaminated gene therapy injections for billions around the world? Why didn’t the scientists designing these injections predict some, if not all of their harms, having spent hundreds of millions to study beta coronaviruses over 2 decades? Or did they? Without the PREP Act removing liability from the Covid vaccine manufacturers, the injectors, and the government planners who both designed the program, and gave away billions of taxpayer dollars in bonuses for each shot administered, such untested, unlicensed, and deadly shots would never have been administered. These Patriot and PREP Acts were passed because Congress and the American public were played like a fiddle, induced to be terrified. Congress attempted to immunize itself from criticism by throwing money at the problem, much of it going to Fauci, while through ignorance Congress made the problem of biological warfare far worse. Many Americans took the Covid experimental shots willingly, out of terror and ignorance. The half that held back were mostly beaten, shamed, or cajoled into compliance through the most incredible, federally-funded fifth general mind control assault the world has ever experienced. We have just lived through 3 bioweapon events, at least: the original Wuhan coronavirus, the Omicron variant, and monkeypox, all of which assuredly came from labs. It is obvious that many more nasty viruses and other microorganisms are still sitting in labs, many sponsored by military and intelligence agencies using our tax dollars. It is absolutely critical that the public act a lot smarter than it did last time, if there is a next time. It is critical to know what it is we are dealing with. And critical to understand that there ARE ways we can save ourselves that lie outside the government’s prescribed Overton window. The Wuhan Cover-Up gives you the facts, the history, and the understanding you need to grasp what is actually happening, right now. If enough of us read it, we will gain the knowledge and strength in numbers to stop and defund the biowarfare industry, revoke these terrible laws, and lay down our deep, unconscious fears regarding contagion.

Energy cases to watch in 2024 - Energy regulators’ power to address planet-warming emissions is in the crosshairs in federal courts in 2024. In one of the year’s biggest cases, the Supreme Court could rein in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s ability to use 50-year-old laws to take bold action on emerging problems like climate change. At issue in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo — a high-profile legal battle that will ripple through all federal agencies — is whether the justices should overturn the Chevron doctrine, which for 40 years has given regulators at FERC and elsewhere the benefit of the doubt in lawsuits over their rules. “It should be one of the most closely watched energy-related cases of 2024,” Joel Eisen, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said of Loper Bright. The justices could deal a second blow to FERC this year in a securities case that has the potential to hinder the agency — and other federal regulators — from enforcing its own rules. Beyond the Supreme Court, federal judges in 2024 may also require FERC to take a closer look at the climate impacts of the natural gas pipelines and export facilities it approves. As the nation’s chief regulator of electricity and natural gas transmission, FERC has come under increasing pressure in recent years to stop approving projects that will be significant contributors to rising global temperatures. How courts decide those disputes “will definitely have reverberating effects, especially if FERC loses,” said Moneen Nasmith, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, which represents environmental organizations challenging the agency. “What we really want FERC to be doing,” she said, “is talking about these emissions in a way that truly indicates that they understand how bad a project may be for the climate.” Here are some of the biggest energy cases to watch in the coming year.

House GOP majority to shrink to 2 with Ohio lawmaker’s early resignation -House Republicans’ already-slim majority will dwindle even further later this month when Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) resigns earlier than expected.Johnson’s office on Tuesday confirmed the congressman’s new official resignation date of Jan. 21, after he was expected to resign to take a job as president of Youngstown State University before mid-March.The resignation will leave the House with 219 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and three vacancies — meaning Republicans will be able to afford to lose only two votes on any party-line measure, assuming full attendance.Currently, the Republicans have a three-vote cushion, with the resignation of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Dec. 31 and the expulsion of former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) accounting for the two other vacancies.That razor-thin majority cushion could further complicate the path forward for major legislation and government funding as the clock ticks down to a two-tiered government funding deadline.Part of government funding is set to expire Jan. 19, and Johnson’s resignation will come before the second Feb. 2 deadline.An upcoming special election and another expected resignation will further affect the exact House GOP majority number. A special election to replace Santos is set for Feb. 13. Election analysts at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the special election as a “toss-up.” Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D), who previously represented the district, is facing Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip, a Nassau County Legislator.

Greene reacts after Florida resort attempts to cancel Jan. 6 book event: ‘They lost!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) ripped those who tried to cancel her book-signing event marking the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, touting that a new location had been secured.“The Communist Democrats tried to shut down my book signing,” Greene said in a video posted late Friday to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “They lost!” “I’ll be in Orlando, FL tomorrow night at a new venue to sign copies of my brand new book MTG. See you there!!” she added.The Georgia lawmaker was responding to the news that the Westgate Resort refused to host the signing. The venue, located in Kissimmee, Fla., claimed it was “not made aware” of the purpose of the event.“Please be advised that Westgate was not made aware of the purpose of this event when we were approached to host a book signing,” the resort said in an emailed statement. “This event has been cancelled and is no longer taking place at our resort.”Osceola County GOP Committee chair Mark Cross, who was in charge of the event, told The Hill in a statement that “the show must go on.”

Menendez accused of scheme involving Qatar in second superseding indictment -Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was accused in a second superseding indictment Tuesday of accepting gifts from the Qatari government and for helping a New Jersey real estate developer obtain millions in investment funds from the Gulf country, adding to the former Senate Foreign Relations chairman’s legal woes.The allegations add to the four criminal charges filed in September and October against the longtime New Jersey lawmaker. Menendez was charged with bribery, fraud, extortion and acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt, with the new accusations adding the involvement of Qatar.Prosecutors previously alleged that the senator accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold in exchange for political favors for three New Jersey businessmen and interests in Egypt. Tuesday’s superseding indictment adds that Menendez also made statements praising the Qatari government in an effort to secure a multimillion dollar deal for the real estate developer.The new indictment does not add additional charges. Menendez’s wife, Nadine Arslanian, and the three businessman also face criminal charges related to the scheme.The accusations in the superseding indictment claim Menendez introduced real estate developer Fred Daibes to a member of the Qatari royal family in order to encourage a multimillion dollar investment deal for Daibes. Menendez also released a press statement praising the country and instructed Daibes to send the statement to his Qatari contacts in an effort prosecutors characterize as exerting political influence.The press release in question, published in August 2021, lauded the Qatari government for assisting the processing of Afghan refugees attempting to enter the U.S. after the U.S. withdrawal.Representatives of the Qatari government later provided a Menendez family member with multiple tickets to a Formula One race, and Daibes gifted him at least two gold bars worth about $100,000 after he received the Qatari investment, prosecutors alleged.The senator previously pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing to the September and October charges. The Hill has reached out to his office for comment.“The allegations leveled against me are just that: allegations,” Menendez said in September. “I recognized that this will be the biggest fight yet. But as I have stated through this whole process, I firmly believe that when all of the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I will still be New Jersey’s senior senator.”

Hunter Biden contempt of Congress resolution to move soon in House Oversight Committee -- The House Oversight Committee will begin moving forward with holdingHunter Biden in contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena to sit for a deposition last month as part of the House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into his father. On Dec. 13, 2023, Hunter Biden was scheduled to sit for a deposition before the committee, but instead of partaking in the interview, Hunter Biden arrived at the Capitol and read a statement to the media outside, openly defying his subpoena. During his statement, he said he would not sit for a closed-door deposition and instead would only testify in a public hearing. Now the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer (R-KY), will soon move forward with holding the president’s son in contempt of Congress, according to a GOP committee aide.“The Oversight Committee will soon mark up a resolution holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a lawful congressional subpoena,” the aide said.This is the first step toward holding him in contempt. Once the resolution advances out of committee, it will then go to a vote of the full House, where it is expected to pass along party lines.Republicans believe that Hunter Biden’s testimony is key to their investigationinto President Joe Biden and whether he financially benefited from his family's overseas business dealings, whether he used his position as vice president to help his family profit, and whether he was involved in an alleged bribery scandal including his son and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where Hunter Biden was a board member.So far, Republicans have yet to produce concrete evidence that substantiates any of these allegations.

Strategy to Kick Trump Off the Ballot Under the Fourteenth Amendment Already Causing Chaos (So In Re Griffin Was Correctly Decided) Lambert Strether -- As readers who have been following along at home know, there is a concerted, bipartisan effort to use Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment (the “Disqualification Clause”) as a justification for removing Trump from state Presidential ballots on the grounds that he is an insurrectionist. This effort started in January 2021, immediately after Biden’s inaugural, but caught fire when two members of the Federalist Society, William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen, published “The Sweep and Force of Section Three” (“Sweep and Force”), which argued not only that Trump was an insurrectionist, hence disqualified, but that Section Three is “self-executing,” in that any official with responsibility for the ballot has the power to remove his name for that reason, no conviction in a court of law required. Shortly after “Sweep and Force”‘s publication, it was enthusiastically endorsed by legal luminaries like Larry Tribe and J. Michael Luttig, and its validity is now taken to be part of what passes for conventional wisdom these days, at least among non-Trump supporters, both conservative and liberal. “Sweep and Force” originally urged that state election officials could disqualify Trump all by themselves, much as they already do for ballot eligibility requirements like age and residence. However, these officials have so far taken the view that disqualifying a candidate for being too young or not living in the district is one thing, easily, indeed mechanically, ascertained, while determining that a candidate is or is not an insurrectionist is quite another, and not so ascertainable. So they requested backup, which the NGOs now leading the Section Three efforts sought to provide. Jurisdiction shopping followed, and we now have two decisions disqualifying Trump under Section Three, the first from the Colorado Supreme Court, the second from the Maine Secretary of State, the Maine decision citing to Colorado. (Both decisions are stayed, awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court.) In this post, I will argue that the Colorado and Maine decisions, taken together, show that “Sweep and Force”‘s notion that Section Three is self-executing is both wrong and a very bad idea. In other words, In Re Griffin (1869), in which Chief Justice Samuel Chase, shortly after the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, took the view that Section Three is not self-executing, was correctly decided, and Baude, Paulsen, Tribe, Luttig, and the various journamalists hot-taking their opinions retail, who urge that it was incorrectly decided, are themselves wrong. First, I’ll present key features of the Colorado and Maine decisions. Then, I will look how “Sweep and Force” treats Griffin, contrasting Baude and Paulsen’s approach to what Justice Chase actually wrote. I’ll conclude with some brief comments about potential effects of “Sweep and Force”‘s daft ill-advised theory on “self-execution” on our Constitutional order.

Trump appeals Maine 14th Amendment ballot ban - Former President Trump on Tuesday appealed a decision kicking him off Maine’s primary ballot to state court, beginning the next phase of the consequential 14th Amendment case.Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) disqualified Trump last week, making Maine the second state to rule Trump is ineligible under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection ban. Trump’s appeal to Kennebec County Superior Court kicks off a speedy timeline, prescribed under state law, to resolve the matter. The dispute could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which is already grappling with a 14th Amendment case that kicked Trump off the primary ballot in Colorado. In Maine, the judge is required to decide the case within 20 days of Bellows’s decision, which was issued Dec. 28. Bellows’s ruling is on hold until then, meaning Trump’s name will remain on Maine’s ballot in the meantime. Maine’s primary will occur on Super Tuesday, March 5. The losing side could subsequently appeal to Maine’s highest court, with state law allotting two weeks for a decision. The dispute could then land at the Supreme Court. “Maine’s Secretary of State went outside of her authority, completely ignoring the Constitution when she summarily decided to remove President Trump’s name from the ballot, interfere in the election, and disenfranchise the voters of her state,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. Maine and Colorado have been the only states so far to take the extraordinary step of removing Trump’s name from the ballot, although plaintiffs have filed more than two dozen challenges under the 14th Amendment to Trump’s candidacy nationwide. The Amendment prohibits someone from holding “any office … under the United States” if they “engaged in insurrection” after taking an oath to support the Constitution.

Barr says efforts to boot Trump from primary ballots ‘doomed to legal failure’ -- Former Attorney General Bill Barr called efforts to push former President Trump from primary ballots “doomed to legal failure” in an op-ed for The Free Press on Tuesday. “The actions of Colorado and Maine, and other states that follow suit, are not only doomed to legal failure, they also embolden and empower the former president,” Barr said, referencing the recent removal of Trump from the primary ballots in Maine and Colorado under the 14th Amendment.Barr also said the efforts “undercut the credibility of legitimate efforts to hold Trump accountable, and they fix in much of the public’s mind the image of effete elites trying to game the system.”Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) last week concluded the former president should be taken off the ballot in her state because of his actions leading up to and on Jan. 6, 2021.Earlier in December, the Colorado Supreme Court in a 4-3 ruling also said Trump should be taken off its ballot.The fights in both states are expected to eventually land in the hands of the Supreme Court.Barr argued in his op-ed that states do not have the power, legally, to “enforce the disqualification provision of the Fourteenth Amendment by using their own ad hoc procedures to find that an individual has engaged in an insurrection.”He said if the Justice Department found Trump engaged in an insurrection, “it would be another story. But it has not.”

Former federal judge: Trump’s violation of 14th amendment ‘couldn’t be any clearer’ - Former federal judge Michael Luttig argued Saturday that former President Trump’s violation of the 14th Amendment “couldn’t be any clearer.”“Section three of the 14th Amendment simply could not be any clearer that the former President is disqualified from the presidency as the Colorado Supreme Court held,” Luttig told MSNBC’s Ali Velshi on Saturday, the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.His argument comes just one day after the Supreme Court decided it would look into theColorado decision on whether Trump could be disqualified from appearing on the state’s primary ballot for his actions related to the insurrection.Luttig, who said he has spent the last three years studying the amendment, believes the high court — which currently leans Republican — will “likely look for every legitimate way possible” to avoid an opinion on whether Trump can be disqualified from running for office again.However, Luttig said, there are “very few, if any, off ramps” that would allow the nation’s highest court to avoid making that decision.

Trump warns of ‘big trouble’ as Supreme Court agrees to hear Colorado ballot case Former President Trump warned Friday that there will be “big trouble” if the Supreme Court does not rule in his favor on his eligibility for the 2024 presidential ballot.The Supreme Court is set to hear the Colorado case after the state’s Supreme Court determined last month that Trump should not be on the primary ballot due to his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.“I just hope we get fair treatment,” Trump said at an Iowa rally Friday. “Because if we don’t, our country’s in big, big trouble. Does everybody understand what I’m saying?”Trump also complained of Democrats casting doubt on the court because Trump appointed three of its justices, claiming that they are attempting to put undue political pressure on the court’s decisions.“They’re saying, ‘Oh, Trump owns the Supreme Court, he owns it. He owns it. If they make a decision for him, it will be terrible. It’ll ruin their reputations,” he said. “‘He owns the Supreme Court. He put on three judges. He owns the Supreme Court. If they rule in his favor, it will be horrible for them. And we’ll protest at their houses.’”“That puts pressure on people to do the wrong thing. What they’re doing is no different than Bobby Knight,” he continued, referring to the legendary college basketball coach famous for raucous arguments with referees.

Trump is growing stronger in Iowa. Why? - Former President Trump’s lead in the first presidential contest state of Iowa is growing, less than two weeks before the caucuses. The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Trump leading the field in Iowa with 51.6 percent support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley trail at 18 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively. Trump’s status as the party’s de facto incumbent, along with Iowa’s deeply conservative GOP base, create a fertile ground for the former president. Regardless, his campaign isn’t taking any chances, crisscrossing the state for events with and without him. The former president notably lost Iowa in the 2016 presidential caucuses, making this year’s event even more critical for him as he looks to wrap up the nomination as soon as possible. “Trump wants it to be the knockout blow,” said Jimmy Centers, an Iowa-based Republican strategist. “The sooner you can move on to the general and secure the nomination, the better off your campaign will be.” One of the most telling signs of this strategy came Tuesday, when Fox News announced Trump would be taking part in a town hall on the network as counterprogramming to the CNN primary debate, in which Haley and DeSantis will participate. “That should tell you everything you need to know about Iowa,” a Republican strategist said. While DeSantis has made Iowa a top priority, and Haley’s presence on the ground in the state was bolstered by her endorsement from the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, Trump’s team has seen signs of growing support as it quietly worked to build its operation there over many years. His campaign has engineered a recruiting strategy down to the precinct captains, making sure they’re prepared for caucus night. The responsibilities of Trump’s precinct captains include delivering a three-minute speech touting the former president and reporting results from their respective precincts. Last year, the campaign brought on former Iowa GOP political director Alex Latcham as the campaign’s early-voting state director.

Trump leads Biden among Hispanic, young voters: poll --Former President Trump leads President Biden among Hispanic and young voters, a new survey found.The survey, conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University, found that heading into a critical election year, Biden trails with several of the key demographics that helped him win the White House in 2020.Biden earned 34 percent support among Hispanic voters surveyed, compared with Trump’s 39 percent. That marks a large decline since 2020, when Biden earned 65 percent of the demographic group.The president has also lost support from Black voters. After carrying 87 percent support in the demographic in 2020, Biden now has just 63 percent, the survey found.His support from younger voters has dropped as well. In 2020, Biden crushed Trump by 24 points among the group. But the survey found that Trump now leads among voters under 35 with 37 percent support to Biden’s 33 percent.Young progressives have been disappointed that Biden has not taken more action on priorities such as climate change and voting rights. Student loan repayments resumed after his efforts to forgive a significant amount of debt were blocked by the Supreme Court. Biden’s backing of Israel in its war with Hamas is also disliked by many younger Americans, who are typically more sympathetic to Palestinians affected in the conflict, The Hill previously reported.USA Today noted one bit of potentially good news for Biden: While he is losing support among these groups of voters, they tend to be going toward third-party candidates and not Trump.Twenty percent of Hispanic and Black voters surveyed and 21 percent of younger voters say they will support someone other than Trump or Biden.The survey was conducted Dec. 26-29 among 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

One-third of adults in new poll say Biden’s election was illegitimate - As of last month, 62 percent of U.S. adults say they believe Biden was legitimately elected, down from 69 percent overall in the 2021 poll. The biggest drop in those who said the 2020 election results were legitimate came from Republicans — 31 percent in 2023, down from 39 percent two years earlier. Among Democrats, 91 percent say Biden was legitimately elected, a slight dip from 94 percent two years ago, and 66 percent of independents say the incumbent was legitimately elected, down from 72 percent in December 2021. The Post noted that, among those who primarily get their information from Fox News, only about 3 in 10 people say the president’s election was legitimate. Trump remains the GOP front-runner in his bid to return to the White House in 2024, despite facing four criminal indictments with a total of 91 criminal charges. Two of those cases relate to his efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election to Biden. Trump has maintained he was the rightful winner of the presidency, despite numerous election audits and more than 60 lawsuits that lost in court after failing to prove claims that the election was unfairly decided.

Bill Clinton to be identified as "Doe 36" and named over 50 times in upcoming Epstein doc dump --Former President Bill Clinton will be identified as “John Doe 36” in a trove of court documents related to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein which are expected to be released this week, according to a report.Clinton, 77, is mentioned more than 50 times across redacted documents related to a 2015 lawsuit from Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, according to ABC News.Many of the references to Clinton are believed to stem from Giuffre’s attempts to compel the former president to testify against the late sex offender and his former paramour and co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.Other Clinton mentions are expected to be related to attempts from both Maxwell and Giuffre to make Epstein come clean in 2016 after he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a deposition in that lawsuit.The documents are not expected to implicate Clinton in any illegal activity, ABC reported.The names of more than 170 people — known only as John and Jane Does previously — with ties to Epstein are expected to be revealed in the documents after Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska ruled just before Christmas they would be unsealed in the new year. Because of the New Year’s Day holiday, the documents are expected to be released beginning on Jan. 2.Several people identified in the documents have already had their association with Epstein or his vile sex-trafficking ring exposed.Many accusers and alleged victims are expected to be named, along with people who worked for Epstein over the years, were a part of his inner circle, or allegedly participated in his crimes.One such individual includes Prince Andrew, who Giuffre was allegedly told to have sex with by Maxwell and Epstein on numerous occasions.He eventually settled out of court a lawsuit brought by Giuffre.Clinton, who was photographed with Epstein and flew on his private jet on numerous occasions, has denied having any nefarious connections with with sex offender.

Epstein: Here's why Bill Clinton's inclusion in Epstein case raises some serious questions - economictimes.indiatimes.com -- Synopsis: Confidential court papers from 2015, set for public release, mention former US President Bill Clinton multiple times in the Jeffrey Epstein case. While not directly accusing Clinton of wrongdoing, these documents raise questions about his ties to Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell and alleged encounters on Epstein's Caribbean island. Despite recurrent references, no explicit link to misconduct is expected, but Clinton's inclusion aims to seek his testimony against Epstein and Maxwell. Clinton denies any illicit connections but remains under scrutiny regarding this unfolding Epstein saga. The emergence of confidential court papers from 2015 has stirred curiosity surrounding former US President Bill Clinton's connection to the Jeffrey Epstein case. These papers, set for public disclosure this week, have notably mentioned Clinton, prompting inquiries into his involvement in the Epstein saga.The documents, pivotal in legal disputes involving Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate, and Virginia Giuffre, bring to light allegations of Maxwell facilitating sexual abuse. Giuffre's claims of being directed by Epstein and Maxwell to engage in sexual encounters with high-profile individuals, including Prince Andrew of Britain, have sparked interest in Clinton's association.Judge Loretta Preska's decision to reveal these long-secret papers has heightened anticipation, as they may unveil the identities of over 150 individuals referred to as "John and Jane Does." While Clinton's name recurs more than fifty times in the papers, Giuffre hasn't accused the 77-year-old former president of any wrongdoing. Her account mentions meeting Clinton on Epstein's private Caribbean island but does not implicate him in illegal activities. Despite these repeated references to Clinton, the documents are not anticipated to directly incriminate him. Instead, his frequent appearances within the papers seem aimed at compelling his testimony against Epstein, the deceased sex offender, and Maxwell, his former associate.Both Maxwell and Giuffre have made attempts involving Clinton to push Epstein to disclose information in 2016, as Epstein repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a deposition in the lawsuit.Regarding his ties with Epstein, Clinton, who was photographed with Epstein and traveled on his private jet multiple times, has staunchly denied any inappropriate connections with sex offenders. However, the recurring mentions of his name within these confidential papers have spurred questions and further scrutiny into his association with the Epstein case ..

Epstein assistant Sarah Kellen 'quietly waiting' for court document dump - Jeffrey Epstein’s former assistant is “quietly waiting” for the other shoe to drop as the court documents exposing more than 170 people with ties to the pedophile’s sex-trafficking ring are set to be released Tuesday. Sarah Kellen, 44 — who allegedly scheduled the “massages” in which Epstein sexually abused his victims — is waiting to see if her name will be a part of the bombshell document dump, but could use her mountain of insider secrets to weasel her way out of trouble, according to a report.Kellen has reportedly held her cards close to her chest over the last few years in anticipation of such an unveiling that could identify her as an integral partner to the perverted operation.“She had a front-row seat to the debauchery. What she knows would shock the world,” a source close to Kellen and her husband, former NASCAR driver Brian Vickers, told the Messenger.“She has so much to say, to plead her case.” It is not clear if Kellen will appear as one of the names — previously known only as John and Jane Does — expected to be revealed in the documents after Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska recently ruled they would be unsealed in the new year.Former President Bill Clinton and disgraced Prince Andrew are expected to be among the prominent names featured in the damning unveiling.Kellen worked for Epstein for several years starting in the early 2000s and has been called a “knowing participant” in his sickening scheme involving underage girls.But she has largely avoided the public eye after her former boss committed suicide in 2019 and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted two years later for sex-trafficking young girls.She and Vickers live in a luxury Miami Beach “fortress” outfitted with private entrances that ensure she can’t be surprised with subpoenas, according to the source.“They have enjoyed basic anonymity and privacy and freedom for many years,” the insider told the outlet.“They don’t want any changes. So the pattern for which they live, which by the way is very careful — almost to the point of paranoia — is not without purpose.”The source said Kellen — who previously claimed she was regularly sexually abused by Epstein — could write a tell-all book detailing what she knows about her boss and Maxwell, but has remained quiet in order to keep the information as a “get out of jail free card.”“It’s more valuable for her to hold onto the information should she need it to stay free,” the source said. Although Kellen has not been charged with a crime, she has already been named in documents filed in a since-settled 2015 defamation lawsuit Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre brought against Maxwell.Kellen was also repeatedly mentioned at Maxwell’s federal criminal trial in Manhattan, with one victim claiming the assistant arranged “massage” appointments where Epstein would abuse her and take nude photographs of her.

Dershowitz on Epstein docs: ‘I want everything out’ -Attorney Alan Dershowitz demanded Tuesday that all the names associated with his former client Jeffrey Epstein be released, arguing that he has “done nothing wrong.” “The reason I wanted everything put out and I don’t think the judge put everything out, I think she was selective in what she put out and that’s unfair. I want everything out, every document, every piece of paper, half-truths or lies,” Dershowitz said on NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert.” “And I wanted them out for personal reasons because I know that they would prove what I’ve said from day one that I did nothing wrong,” he added. A federal judge in New York last month ordered the identities of more than 150 people mentioned in court documents related to the crimes of Epstein to be released. Speculation has since swirled over who could be included on the list as associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in jail. Dershowitz, an attorney and longtime friend of Epstein, maintained that he has “nothing to hide” in connection to the anticipated release of the names. He noted that Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, said last year that she may have been mistaken in her allegations that Epstein trafficked her to Dershowitz. “And the woman who accused me later admitted that she may have misidentified me, confused me with someone else, so I wanted everything out right from the beginning because I have nothing to hide,” he said. “But there are some people who may be ashamed of the fact that they hung out with Epstein but remember a lot of people hung out with Epstein before he was convicted — presidents of Harvard, Deans, Nobel quality scientists. He was very well thought of in the beginning,” he continued. “None of us knew.” Dershowitz, a professor at Harvard Law School, represented former President Trump during his first impeachment trial in 2020.

Jeffrey Epstein documents unsealed, naming Prince Andrew and former President Clinton — Hundreds of pages of unsealed documents from a lawsuit connected to accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were publicly released on Wednesday. This is the first set of documents to be unsealed under a December 18 court order, with more expected in the coming weeks. The documents in total, including material yet to be unsealed, are expected to include nearly 200 names, including some of Epstein’s accusers, prominent businesspeople, politicians and potentially more. The first batch of documents didn’t appear to contain any bombshell revelations. Much of the information in them has already been released through media reports and other court proceedings. But this is the first time these documents, filed with a court, have been released through the legal system. Attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell said in a statement on Wednesday: “She has consistently and vehemently maintained her innocence.” The documents contain excerpts of depositions taken of Maxwell and Virginia Roberts Giuffre. There is also a deposition from Johanna Sjoberg, who in the document described Prince Andrew touching her breast in a joking manner while taking photos. Sjoberg’s story has been public, but this is the first time her deposition has been unsealed. She worked sometimes for Epstein, and she has said that he pressured her to go beyond her comfort level at times in giving sexualized massages. Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre previously reached an out-of-court settlement in her sexual abuse lawsuit against him, according to a court document filed by her attorneys Tuesday. Andrew has denied the allegations against him. The deposition transcripts include references to several prominent names, as has been previously reported, including Andrew as well as Bill Clinton, the former US president. Sjoberg recalled in her 2016 deposition that Epstein spoke to her about Bill Clinton. “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls,” she said. When asked if Clinton was a friend of Epstein’s, she said she understood Epstein had “dealings” with Clinton. A spokesman for Clinton confirmed in 2019 that the former president had flown on Epstein’s private plane but said Clinton knew nothing of the financier’s “terrible crimes.” A Clinton spokesman on Wednesday reiterated that 2019 denial and told CNN that it has now “been nearly 20 years since President Clinton last had contact with Epstein.” Clinton has not been accused of any crimes or wrongdoing related to Epstein. In her deposition, Johanna Sjoberg also recalled a time she was with Epstein on one of his planes and pilots informed them they needed to land in Atlantic City. Epstein then suggested they contact Donald Trump. “Jeffrey said, Great, we’ll call up Trump and we’ll go to – I don’t recall the name of the casino, but – we’ll go to the casino,” Sjoberg said. Sjoberg later said in her deposition she never gave a massage to Trump. Trump is not accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein in the documents. CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment. Giuffre alleged in her deposition that Maxwell directed her to have sexual contact with people including former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Prince Andrew, tech guru Marvin Minsky, well-known French modeling scout Jean-Luc Brunel and American investor Glenn Dubin. A Dubin spokesperson said in a statement in 2019, when Giuffre’s allegations were previously made public, that “”Glenn and Eva Dubin are outraged by the allegations against them in the unsealed court records and categorically reject them.” The statement was widely reported at the time, including in the Washington Post, the Hill and Vanity Fair. The same portion of that deposition still has three unnamed people that were not revealed Wednesday. Giuffre alleges Maxwell directed her to have sexual relations with an “unnamed prince,” the “owner of a large hotel chain” and a completely redacted out name.

Jeffrey Epstein contact names released by court. Here are key takeaways from the unsealed documents. - Documents that include the names of more than 100 people connected to Jeffrey Epstein, including business associates and accusers, among others, were made public on Wednesday, Jan. 3, following a federal judge's December ruling that the information be unsealed. More than 900 pages of mostly unredacted documents were released Wednesday. Much of the information has been previously reported, and many of those whose names are mentioned are not accused of any wrongdoing.Though the unsealed court documents don't contain an actual list of associates, the names were expected to include some that also appeared on the flight logs of Epstein's private jet, nicknamed the "Lolita Express," which he often used to fly to his private island in the Caribbean. Those manifests and other documents, such as his private calendar, had previously been made public, including as part of legal proceedings or public records requests. Many of those who had business or social ties with Epstein, a convicted sex offender, have denied any misconduct or involvement in his activities.The release of the names stems from a now-settled defamation lawsuit brought in 2015 by Virginia Giuffre, who accused British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell of enabling her abuse by Epstein. Maxwell was found guilty by a New York jury in 2021 on conspiracy and trafficking charges related to Epstein, her longtime friend and sometime romantic partner, and her role for a decade in the abuse of underage girls. Court documents list 184 "J. Does," starting at J. Doe #3 through J. Doe #187. Some names are repeated twice. A small number are the names of minors or sexual assault victims, which the judge specified won't be released. According to a court record released Jan. 3, documents for two Does — 107 and 110 — will not be immediately released. One was granted an extension until Jan. 22 for her appeal about the release and the other's appeal is still under review.In many cases, the names in the documents "really are of innocent people. It's people who may have been employed, it's people who may have gone to dinner or to a cocktail party at Jeffrey Epstein's home," said CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman. "It is not necessarily naming people who have engaged in actions that were anything like the deplorable actions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."The documents released by the court mention some well-known figures whose contacts with Epstein have been reported in the past, such as Britain's Prince Andrew. The prince settled a lawsuitin 2022 with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him and Epstein of abusing her as a teen, an accusation Andrew denied. In a court filing at the time, his attorneys said, "Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others." A deposition from Johanna Sjoberg in the suit includes previous accusations alleging she was groped by Prince Andrew in 2001, when she was 21. BBC News reports Buckingham Palace previously called her allegations "categorically untrue." The newly released documents include questions to Maxwell about Sjoberg. Bill Clinton, also among the people whose names appear in the documents, had allegedly been described by Epstein as "a good friend," one Epstein accuser recounted in 2019. The former president's name had also appeared on manifests for the private jet, on which he said he had taken four trips "in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation." He has not been accused of wrongdoing. A spokesperson told CBS News it's been nearly 20 years since Clinton last had contact with Epstein, and referred CBS News to a 2019 statement denying Clinton had any knowledge of what he called Epstein's "terrible crimes." Clinton's name also came up In Sjoberg's deposition. She did not accuse him of any wrongdoing, but said that Epstein told her "one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls."

All the A-listers named in new Jeffrey Epstein documents --Dozens of high-profile names — including royalty, politicians and famous scientists — appeared in an avalanche of previously sealed court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were released late Wednesday.The trove of papers filed in Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s 2015 defamation suit against the dead sex offender’s “madam” Ghislaine Maxwell included references to Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton and Stephen Hawking, among other major figures.The lengthy list of boldface names paints a troubling picture of Epstein’s double life as an ace financier who used his wealth and connections to victimize dozens of young women.The 40 newly unsealed documents are part of a larger group of about 250 that are expected to be released in the coming days — naming more than 170 people with ties to Epstein, including victims and former employees. In addition to Giuffre’s allegations that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew while underage, the documents include additional claims from other Epstein victims about the disgraced British royal. One woman, identified as Jane Doe, testified that she had sex with the disgraced royal three times, and that Epstein told her to “give the Prince whatever he demanded.” Former President Bill Clinton’s name appears 73 times in the newly released papers, the Independent noted — but he is not implicated in anything illegal. As part of her 2016 testimony, Sjoberg recalled Epstein telling her that Clinton “‘likes them young,’ referring to girls.”Many references to Clinton appear to be related to Giuffre’s attempts to compel him to be deposed in her since-settled suit against Maxwell. Clinton — who flew on Epstein’s private jet multiple times — has denied having any knowledge of the creep’s crimes. Former President Donald Trump appeared at least four times in the unsealed documents. In Sjoberg’s deposition, she described how Epstein once “called up” the real estate mogul and suggested visiting one of his casinos when Epstein’s private jet was diverted from New York City to Atlantic City, New Jersey. “Jeffrey said, ‘Great, we’ll call up Trump and we’ll go to’ — I don’t recall the name of the casino, but — ‘we’ll go to the casino,’” Sjoberg testified. Sjoberg later added that she never massaged Trump. In her own deposition, Giuffre said she was lured into working as a masseuse for Epstein when she was 17 and working as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Epstein allegedly forced Jane Doe 3 to “have sexual relations” with his lawyer, former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, when she was a “minor,” according to claims in the documents. The alleged incidents took place “not only in Florida but … on private planes, in New York, New Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” one filing stated, adding that Dershowitz also was an “eye-witness to the sexual abuse of many other minors.” Epstein offered a reward to Giuffre’s friends, acquaintances and even family members in order to “help prove” that her allegations that theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking participated in an orgy were false, an unsealed email between him and Maxwell stated. Epstein’s emails mentioned a possible reward to deny claims that Professor Stephen Hawking participated in an orgy. The missive from January 2015 said Giuffre’s strongest allegation “is the Clinton dinner, and the new version in the Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage orgy.” Maxwell’s attorneys requested Giuffre provide photos or videos of herself with several high-profile people — including former Vice President Al Gore. Giuffre’s team objected to the motion on the grounds that such documents were in “custody and control” of Maxwell and Epstein, the unsealed paper showed. During her deposition, Maxwell denied giving a woman an outfit of a sexual nature to wear for Leslie Wexner, Epstein’s financial adviser and one-time business partner. Maxwell also said she had not communicated with the billionaire L Brands founder — whose ties with Epstein date back to the 1980s — about Giuffre’s lawsuit. In her own testimony, Sjoberg denied meeting the Victoria’s Secret mogul. Giuffre testified that Maxwell sent her to have sex with late New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, according to the documents. Sjoberg also recalled hearing about the Democrat being part of Epstein’s circle. “I want to say that he was supposed to come to dinner when we were in New Mexico. I don’t know if I met him. I believe that he and Ghislaine had dinner separate from myself,” she said in her deposition.

Fox News host highlights Trump's inclusion in newly unsealed Jeffrey Epstein court documents - A Fox News host on Thursday emphasized Donald Trump's inclusion in the list of names mentioned in the newly unsealed court documents pertaining to child trafficker and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein."Fox & Friends" began its Thursday morning show diving into reports about the 40 files and over 900 pages of court documents related to a 2015 civil lawsuit made public on Wednesday that disclosed the names of more than 100 people allegedly connected to the disgraced financier described as his associates, victims or affiliates. Former President Bill Clinton, lawyer Alan Dershowitz and magician David Copperfield seemed to be the most noticed among those named in the documents, but former President Trump, according to Mediate, has largely evaded the spotlight garnered from the documents' release.Following a brief news report, the talk show's panel mostly approached the subject with caution, but host Steve Doocy highlighted a New York Post report about Epstein's brother, Mark Epstein's, claim that his brother suggested to him that he had incendiary information on both the Clintons and Trump.“His brother, Mark Epstein, spoke to The New York Post a couple of days ago,” Doocy said. “Mark Epstein, the brother, said Jeffrey told him once, quote, ‘If I said what I know about both candidates running in 2016' — meaning Hillary and Donald Trump — 'they’d have to cancel the election.’ He did not elaborate what that meant, however.”Doocy then referenced an alleged victim who testified that Jeffrey Epstein informed her Bill Clinton "likes them young" and that in one instance when she was traveling on Epstein's plane, they made an unplanned stop in Atlantic City, Epstein said, "Great, we’re going to call up Trump," and they went to visit the billionaire at a casino. “But she wasn’t sure which casino it was,” host Ainsley Earhart said, to which Doocy replied, "They didn’t know that. But they did know it was Trump.”Trump and Clinton are not accused of any wrongdoing. Trump previously lauded his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in a 2002 profile in New York Magazine.“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” Trump told the magazine at the time. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

Bill Clinton, Stephen Hawking At An Orgy, And Michael Jackson: Here's Who's In Unsealed Epstein Docs So Far | The Jeffrey Epstein files have been unsealed. As expected, former President Bill Clinton is prominently featured - as John Doe #36 (for another good look at this - the first of several Epstein doc dumps to come, check out The Reactionary). Here's the list of names mentioned so far in the unsealed Epstein documents (of which there are many more to come). Their inclusion does not necessarily equal wrongdoing.

• Bill Clinton - "He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls."
• Michael Jackson - One accuser was asked: ""Did you ever meet anybody famous when you were with Jeffrey?" to which she replies: "I met Michael Jackson" at "Jeffrey's house in Palm Beach." The accuser said she was not forced to perform 'massage' on the pop star (perhaps because she wasn't a 12-year-old boy).
• Prince Andrew - According to accuser Johanna Sjoberg, Prince Andrew touched her breast while posing for a picture with a puppet of himself. "And they decided to take a picture with it, in which Virginia and Andrew sat on a couch," she said, adding "They put the puppet on Virginia's lap, and I sat on Andrew's lap, and they put the puppet's hand on Virginia's breast, and Andrew put his hand on my breast, and they took a photo."
• Alan Dershowitz - who has vehemently denied all accusations, but allegedly came "pretty often to Epstein's Florida mansion and got massages while he was there" according to accuser Virginia Giuffre.
• Stephen Hawking - In addition to Sjoberg's evidence, there is an email from Epstein to Maxwell in which he says she should "issue a reward" to any of Giuffre's associates who can disprove her allegations."You can issue a reward to any of Virginia's friends, acquaints, family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false," writes Epstein. "The strongest is the Clinton dinner, and the new version in the Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage orgy."Hawking was photographed on Epstein's 'pedo island' in March 2006 as part of a trip to a nearby science conference.
• Al Gore - Giuffre previously claimed that the former VP traveled on Epstein's carbon-spewing private plane. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
• Bill Richardson - the former (and now deceased) New Mexico Governor, who Giuffre says was among those whom Maxwell directed her to have sex with.
• George Lucas - Sjoberg was asked in May of 2016 if she had ever met or given massages to several other high-profile celebrities, including George Lucas, which she denied.
• David Copperfield - Sjoberg said she also met famed magicial David Copperfield, saying that she observed him to be a friend of Epstein's.
• Naomi Campbell - Who flew on Epstein's private jet, according to previously revealed logs from pilot David Rodgers. In 2019, Campbell admitted that she knew Epstein, saying "I was introduced to him on my 31st birthday by my ex-boyfriend Flavio [Briatore, the Italian businessman who has been convicted of fraud]. He was always front and centre at Victoria's Secret shows."
• Kevin Spacey - Who Johanna Sjoberg denied meeting, but traveled to Africa with Bill Clinton on Epstein's plane in 2002.
• Donald Trump - who notably 'did not' receive a massage at Epstein or Maxwell's request.

Jeffrey Epstein court files: ‘There's lots more to come,’ victim's lawyer says - The lawyer for multiple victims of Jeffrey Epstein says morecourt documents detailing the sex predator's actions and namesof associates will be released in the coming days after the bombshell disclosure of an initial set of files. "This is just the beginning batch," the attorney, Sigrid McCawley, told NBC News hours after the first tranche of 40 case files was unsealed in Manhattan federal court Wednesday night. The documents contained the names of Epstein associates such as Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew of Britain, billionaire Glenn Dubin, Michael Jackson, magician David Copperfield and more people. "There's a lot more to come," McCawley said. "There's a significant amount left for sure.""And as we've seen, in this case, truth is stranger than fiction. So we learn more each time about how the sophisticated trafficking operation happened for so many decades and how many people were involved," said McCawley, who represents Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre and other victims."It was vast, it was significant. And it harmed literally hundreds of young women. So you're going to start seeing more of how that happened, who knew about it and what was going on," McCawley said.The court documents being unsealed are part of a case file for a lawsuit that Giuffre filed years ago against Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who acted as a procurer of young women for Epstein, her one-time boyfriend.Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in August 2019, a month after being arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking underage girls.Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence on charges related to facilitating Epstein's rampant sexual abuse of women.

Richard Osman among authors missing royalties amid ongoing cyber-attack on British Library - Richard Osman’s cosy crime books The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, followed by, appropriately enough, Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library were the most borrowed library books in the UK this time last year.In February 2023, those authors would have been paid thousands of pounds each from Public Lending Right (PLR) payments – money earned by writers, illustrators and translators each time a book is borrowed. But not this year.Ongoing fallout from a massive cyber-attack means that PLR payments will not be paid as expected while the British Library, which manages the service, fights to restore its crippled systems.Every time an author’s book is borrowed from a library, they get about 13p, capped at £6,600 a year. To authors like Osman and JK Rowling, whose first Harry Potter book was also on last year’s top read list, this might be a drop in the ocean, but for many authors whose books are library favourites it is a different matter.Damian Barr, author of Maggie & Me and You Will Be Safe Here, said the scheme is vital for writers. “As advances are squeezed and publisher profits shared unequally, this payment can make a big difference.”The amount is not as big as a royalty, says Barr, but often publishers have constructed deals which mean an author doesn’t get royalties for years, if ever, even when their book is selling well. “I am amazed that PLR has survived successive Tory governments. It’s a small budget but makes a big difference, especially as the payment arrives in winter.Libraries and librarians are vital community assets and help writers build a readership.”Average author earnings are about £7,000 a year, according to the most recent report commissioned by theAuthors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), so the PLR payment can be a major financial boost.Last year, PLR funding, which is paid out by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), saw nearly £6.2m distributed among 21,034 registered authors.“PLR is a welcome annual windfall for authors,” said Joanne Harris, bestselling author and chair of the Society of Authors. “But more importantly it is a tangible piece of validation, especially for older authors whose sales may not be as high as they once were.”The British Library was hit by a cyber-attack at the end of October. At the time, its chief executive, Sir Roly Keating, said that access to even basic communication tools such as email was initially lost. “We took immediate action to isolate and protect our network but significant damage was already done. “Having breached our systems, the attackers had destroyed their route of entry and much else besides, encrypting or deleting parts of our IT estate.”

Museum World Hit by Cyberattack on Widely Used Software - Several prominent museums have been unable to display their collections online since a cyberattack hit a prominent technological service provider that helps hundreds of cultural organizations show their works digitally and manage internal documents.The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Rubin Museum of Art in New York and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas were among the institutions confirming that their systems have experienced outages in recent days.The service provider, Gallery Systems, said in a recent message to clients, which was obtained by The New York Times, that it had noticed a problem on Dec. 28, when computers running its software became encrypted and could no longer operate. “We immediately took steps to isolate those systems and implemented measures to prevent additional systems from being affected, including taking systems offline as a precaution,” the company said in the message. “We also launched an investigation and third-party cybersecurity experts were engaged to assist. In addition, we notified law enforcement.”Gallery Systems did not immediately respond to email and phone requests for comment.Signs of disruption were evident on several museum websites because eMuseum, a tool that usually lets visitors search online collections, was down. There was also disruption behind the scenes: Some curators said that they had returned from their winter vacations to find themselves unable to access sensitive information from another Gallery Systems program called TMS. That system can include the names of donors, loan agreements, provenance records, shipping information and storage locations of priceless artworks.“We noticed the outage starting Dec. 28,” Sandrine Milet, a spokeswoman for the Rubin Museum, said. “TMS was back and running yesterday while eMuseum is still down.”T. Barton Thurber, the director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, said, “I can confirm that unfortunately our museum — along with many others — has been impacted by the attack.”Paige Francis, the chief information officer at Crystal Bridges, said, “We are mostly concerned about the public’s inability to benefit from viewing our collection remotely during this disruption.”Cyberattacks against cultural groups are becoming more common, according to some security experts. In November, personal datawas stolen from the British Library by a ransomware group, which posted images of internal human resources files. The Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra also faced cyberattacks last winter, hampering their ability to sell online tickets.In many cases these attacks have come from ransomware groups, which hold the online service hostage until victims pay a sum. The nature of the attack on Gallery Systems was not clear.Some museums that rely on Gallery Systems — including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art — said they were not affected because they host their own databases. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston said that while its digital collection page no longer worked on its website, its internal data had not been compromisedIt was not immediately clear how widespread the cyberattack was, or what the full impact of it would be.“The objects in museums are valuable, but the information about them is truly priceless,” said Erin Thompson, a professor of art crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. “Often, generations of curators will have worked to research and document an artifact. If this information is lost, the blow to our knowledge of the world would be immense.”

Merck settles with insurance companies over $1.4B claim tied to 2017 cyberattack: report --Merck has reportedly settled with insurance companies that contested the pharma giant’s $1.4 billion claim after it was victimized by a crippling cyberattack in 2017.With the settlement—terms of which were not disclosed—the insurance companies avoided a ruling that would have provided a precedent for other cases involving insurance claims related to other state-led cyberattacks, Bloomberg Law reports. Six Russian military intelligence officers were eventually charged by the United States in the “NotPetya” ransomware cyberattacks, which targeted accounting software developed by a Ukrainian company that was used by Merck and several other companies. Malware infected more than 40,000 computers in Merck’s global network. A group of insurance companies invoked a “hostile/warlike action” clause, claiming that any state-backed action that “reflects ill will or a desire to harm” should exempt them from providing coverage. After Merck retaliated with a lawsuit in 2018, a New Jersey court rejected the insurance companies’ argument in 2022, saying the clause should only apply to armed conflicts. In May of last year, a New Jersey appellate court sided (PDF) with Merck again after eight insurance companies disputed $700 million of the coverage. A second appeal of that verdict was due for oral arguments this week before the parties settled, according to Bloomberg Law. Beyond the Merck case, the healthcare industry remains a top target for cyberattacks. Last year, German biotech Evotec had to shut down its network to cope with a cyberattack, while India’s Sun Pharma disclosed an IT security breach. Novartis was reportedly the victim of an extortion malware attack in 2022.

Consumers prepared to ditch brands after cybersecurity issues - In 2023, businesses have been hit with 800,000 cyberattacks, over 60,000 of which were DDoS attacks and 4,000 falling victim to ransomware, according to Vercara.The research found that consumers hold nuanced perceptions regarding cybersecurity incidents and are often less aware of the role they play in maintaining cyber hygiene within a business.These findings underscore brand trust’s important role in the digital landscape – with an overwhelming 75% of consumers expressing their readiness to sever ties with a brand in the aftermath of any cybersecurity issue.It takes a lot to earn consumer trust, especially after a successful cyberattack. 66% of US consumers would not trust a company that falls victim to a data breach with their data and 44% of consumers attribute cyber incidents to a company’s lack of security measures. Interestingly, 54% extend a degree of leniency toward smaller brands grappling with cyberattacks, in contrast to their higher expectations for larger businesses.These findings, coupled with the lack of awareness of how cyberattacks start, have led to reckless behavior from consumers – 55% of respondents use their corporate devices for online shopping, inadvertently posing risks to business infrastructure. However, 35% believe it’s challenging to impersonate large e-commerce brands.“In the current cyber landscape where most attacks start with some form of social engineering, it’s important for businesses to see their security policies through the eyes of their most vulnerable link – the employees,” says Colin Doherty, CEO at Vercara. “It’s important to run regular awareness and training sessions not just for the IT and cyber departments, but for all employees, as even more sophisticated ransomware and DDoS attacks can be spotted sooner if everyone knows what to look out for.”

Creve Coeur man loses thousands in crypto-investment scam — Multiple agencies are investigating an internet scam that cost one area man thousands. He's sharing his story in an effort to raise awareness after learning an expensive lesson. After years of playing the stock market on his own, a Creve Coeur, Missouri, man decided to get a little help with what he thought would be the next wave of investing. “I was interested in artificial intelligence because that’s the up-and-coming technology,” the anonymous victim said. Using social media, he was directed to what he thought was an online class using Elon Musk’s Quantum AI technology to predict the stock market. “For the most part, his stock recommendations were accurate,” the victim said. “Then he said the stock market was going to crash, or going to come down, and he suggested we sell all of our investments.” The instructor told all 500 people in the “class” to move their money into a crypto exchange. “He was introducing something called contract trading, which is kind of like day trading,” the man said. “You buy and then sell. It could last 5 minutes, it could last 30 minutes, it could last a couple of hours.” In a short amount of time, the man thought he had turned his $90,000 investment into more than $2.5 million, but he was told there were issues preventing him from making a withdrawal. “The only way for you to guarantee you’re going to get the money out on time is to apply for VIP status,” said the anonymous victim. “How much is VIP status? $50,000. Can I use my winnings? Oh no. You have to wire $50,000 to them.” “This is what I would call a crypto-investment scam,” said Better Business Bureau International Investigations Specialist Brian Edwards. "You should never have to pay money to get money.” Brian Edwards, an International Investigation Specialist with the BBB, says this is a new twist on an old scam where people are enticed with a combination of celebrity, cash, and urgency to fork over their money. “These scams are originating all over the world and people should be wary of that,” Edwards said.

Damage wrought by Arizona crypto scam just keeps growing, victims still coming forward — The Arizona investigator who first began tracking a prominent crypto fraud suspect is discussing the magnitude of the cases against him. “I’m just getting flooded with emails and phone calls from investors,” said Corporation Commission Investigator Toni Brown, who retired from her 34-year career as a law enforcement officer in December. Brown, speaking last month to 12News, said she was receiving 50-100 emails a day from people around the world who claimed to be victims of Jeremie Sowerby’s schemes. She says Arizonans should be wary of similar fraudsters. “Just the ease he was able to move from company to company, I have no doubt there are others out there doing the same thing,” Brown said. Sowerby - a Fountain Hills man who ran several crypto investment companies with accomplice Luis Ortega – was federally indicted for a third time last month. They are accused of creating fictitious crypto mining bots and fictitious cryptocurrency while attracting tens of millions of dollars from investors worldwide. Evidence from the Arizona Corporation Commission’s investigation and the FBI suggest there are at least 800-900 victims of Sowerby’s alleged crimes. But that may be an underestimate. As Brown notes, more alleged victims are coming forward daily. “Sowerby’s schemes are operated like multi-level marketing. You bring in one person and that person is offered an incentive to bring in friends and family or other people they know,” Brown said. Sowerby was associated with companies Dunamis Global Technologies, My Block Chain Life, and My Trader Coin, among others. Former friends say he learned multi-level marketing strategies more than a decade ago and and applied those skills to his crypto-based companies. The Arizona Corporation Commission took civil action against Sowerby in 2022 before the feds’ investigations brought its first criminal indictment in September of 2023. Sowerby remains behind bars and has pleaded not guilty. “A lot of people unfortunately believed his sales pitches,” said Mark Dinell, Securities Division Director at the ACC. Dinell oversees the department where Brown works, leading a staff of about 50 attorneys, accountants and investigators who pursue tips involving financial fraud. “We brought a case involving two of his scams, obviously the U.S. Attorney’s Office has brought cases on different scams,” Dinell said. A new Netflix documentary released this week, Bitconned, recounts the New York “CentraTech” scam that was also fueled by the cryptocurrency hysteria. However, it appears Arizona’s version may be more wide-reaching. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Centra scam raised upwards of $30 million from investors. According to one indictment against Sowerby, a digital wallet of Sowerby’s had collected more than $50 million alone. Sowerby is accused of spending money of investors on properties, cars and vacations. He also bought prizes for top-performing recruiters, prosecutors allege. Although Sowerby now faces civil and criminal repercussions, the odds are not typically favorable for victims to recoup all their money because financial fraud suspects spend lavishly, Dinell said. “We’ll (the ACC) pursue what we can. They (the feds) will pursue what they can and hopefully we will get some money for all of the victims,” Dinell said. Brown began following tips about Sowerby after he moved to Arizona from Canada for a second time several years ago. Brown says alleged victims of Sowerby include groups of professionals like attorneys and physicians, who networked with each other. “The crypto universe was new, exciting. People wanted to jump on the bandwagon. We have seen an explosion of numbers of investors and huge dollar amounts,” Brown said. Brown said Arizona historically has a national reputation for telemarketing scams and lax regulation of Limited Liability Corporations, or LLC’s. “So I think those two factors make Arizona a haven for scam artists and it’s going to take legislation to get those laws changed,” Brown said. “The Securities and Exchange Commission is starting to crack down on these companies but they definitely have a long way to go.” Hackers hijack govt and business accounts on X for crypto scams -- Hackers are increasingly targeting verified accounts on X (formerly Twitter) belonging to government and business profiles and marked with 'gold' and 'grey' checkmarks to promote cryptocurrency scams, phishing sites, and sites with crypto drainers.A recent high-profile case is the X account of cyber threat intelligence company Mandiant, a Google subsidiary, which was hijacked yesterday to distribute a fake airdrop that emptied cryptocurrency wallets.MalwareHunterTeam has been tracking this type of activity on X lately and reported several notable examples of compromised “gold” and “grey” accounts.Only in the past couple of days, MHT has posted about the accounts of Canadian senator Amina Gerba, nonprofit consortium ‘The Green Grid,’ and Brazilian politician Ubiratan Sanderson falling in the hands of hackers. Yesterday, cybersecurity company Mandiant's X account was hacked to promote a site with a crypto drainer. The company says that two-factor was enabled on the account, making the hijacking even more puzzling. A gold checkmark attached to an account on X indicates an official organization/company, while the grey badge marks profiles representing a government organization or an official.Both types of accounts need to meet specific eligibility requirements. By contrast, the blue checks are given to any user paying for an X Premium subscription.Due to the strict eligibility criteria, gold and grey "identity signals" inspire trust, and the content they distribute is typically considered more reliable.While the promoted idea behind X's verification and paid subscription system is to increase "by several orders of magnitude" the cost and difficulty for impersonation and scams, gold and grey badge accounts have become targets for hackers and a commodity for cybercriminals.A recent report from CloudSEK, a digital risk monitoring platform, highlights the emergence of a new black market where hackers sell compromised gold and grey X accounts for prices between $1,200 and $2,000.

Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki Unwittingly Used in Cryptocurrency Phishing Scam -- Anime and filmmaking legend Hayao Miyazaki has become the unfortunate face of a recent cryptocurrency phishing scam in Japan. Studio Ghibli co-founder and legendary anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has unwittingly been used as the face of a Japanese cryptocurrency phishing scam.On Dec. 29, 2023, Japanese news site Bengo4 reported that Miyazaki's likeness was being used to push a cryptocurrency scam in Japan. The scam works by people posting articles by fraudulent sites, designed to mimic reputable outlets like the Yomiuri Shimbun (which broke the stories on the new cheaper and faster "light anime" deal and the upcoming Pokémon theme park, PokéPark Kanto). These false articles are circulated on the popular 'goo' news aggregator, where they allege that 'Miyazaki' has been touting his cryptocurrency investment methods and encouraging people to invest. They then link directly to these cryptocurrencies, arousing suspicions of a scam designed to hook people. Some articles even suggest that Miyazaki has been contacted by the Bank of Japan over these allegations. An example screengrab followed by a viral reaction to it can be found below."I won't link so as not to abet fraud," the X (formerly Twitter) post reads, "but recently overseas fake investment sites have been mass-producing bogus articles left and right. They probably lump famous Japanese people together and make Hayao Miyazaki passionately advocate for shady money-making schemes. This is bad, but I can't help finding it hilarious. There's no way Hayao Miyazaki would say stuff like this. It's elder abuse, too awful."Yomiuri responded to Bengo4's request for a comment, saying, "The fake site has absolutely no relation to our company whatsoever. We have reported to the social media operating company that our copyright is being infringed and have demanded deletion." Yomiuri has also posted a note to their homepage and encourages people not to access these sites. The unfortunate news comes as Miyazaki's latest film The Boy and the Heron, blazes past another box office milestone, reaching $130 million worldwide.

How many more times will we be conned by crypto? Why haven’t floating rate cryptocurrencies gone the way of the Beta recorder? Fifteen years of experience have laid bare their fundamental flaws. They have no intrinsic value, offer little to no transparency, and anyone — priest or felon — can issue, operate or manage them. Sometimes we don’t even know who creates crypto coins. Their price is often driven by rumors on social media, and once users lose confidence, with no government oversight, the only way to realize any value is to sell before everyone else does. There is no house, car, securities, company or tangible value to liquidate at the bottom of a cryptocurrency run. It should not have been surprising in 2021 when economic reality momentarily replaced irrational exuberance and the price of Bitcoin dropped precipitously. That reduction in cryptocurrency value was comparable in magnitude to the crash of the stock market in the Great Depression. Billions more dollars subsequently vanished in the bankruptcies of FTX,Genesis Global Capital, Celsius, Voyager Digital, BlockFi, and Three Arrows Capital. Even in the face of mounting evidence exposing their flaws, cryptocurrencies have survived as crypto acolytes reflexively defend it. They dismiss pioneers like Sam Bankman-Fried (FTX) and Changpeng Zhao (Binance) as one-off anomalies who strayed from the true gospel. Investment experts rationalize a continuing financial faith in cryptocurrency because they see its decentralized transparency and its a “neighborhood-watch” type of oversight as the future of finance. If that were true, it would defy two centuries of experience that have painted a picture of what makes complex financial systems work. The meteoric growth of cryptocurrency since 2009 has been as remarkable as its ability to fend off regulation, even though some have all the earmarks of a con game. Operators can collect billions of real dollars in return for a computer code that has value only to the extent that the fools who purchase it anticipate finding even greater fools to take it off their hands. What could go wrong? As the writer Dave Barry sarcastically wondered, why would FTX investors have thought it was a bad idea to trust their money to a company with a meaningless name, an incomprehensible business model, and a crypto advocate who had been “the fourth runner-up in a John Belushi look-alike contest.” Since October, Bitcoin prices have surged from $27,000 to $45,000, pumping optimism into a battered industry. That bounce appears to be driven by the expectation that the SEC will approve crypto ETFs and wrap the business in government and institutional investor imprimaturs that will give it a much-needed facelift. We have seen these up and down fluctuations before, and they will continue as long as cryptocurrencies — whether viewed as money or securities — attempt to defy economic gravity. If the EFT rubicon is crossed, it may be a point of no return for financial stability. How have cryptocurrencies been able to get this far without significant government oversight?

India moves to block crypto exchanges - India's Financial Intelligence Unit contends that about a dozen cryptocurrency exchanges are operating "illegally" because they are not complying with local anti-money-laundering regulations. The regulator has sent notices to the exchanges, which include Binance, Kraken and Mexc, and has asked India's IT Ministry to block the exchanges. The FIU contends the exchanges, while operating offshore, still fall under local risk management guidelines. Location is often a source of friction between India's government and foreign firms. India has sparred with Visa and Mastercard, for example, over rules that require the U.S.-based card companies to store data inside India. More recently, India granted domestic payment licenses to a group of fintechs including RazorPay, Cashfree and Open.

Countries around the world are passing crypto laws — but the U.S. is the top cop out there -- Regulators around the world from Europe to Asia ramped up efforts to bring about formal laws for digital currencies in 2023 — but it was the U.S. that took some of the harshest legal actions against major players in the industry. In a year that saw crypto heavyweight Binance ordered to pay more than $4 billion to U.S. authorities and its former CEO’s guilty plea, along with high-profile lawsuits against five crypto companies by the Securities and Exchange Commission, regulators overseas have been equally busy both adopting new legislation — and pushing for more — to rein in the sector’s bad actors. The U.S. has proven to be one of the most active enforcers of penalties and legal action against crypto companies this year, as authorities looked to counter bad practices in the industry following the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire — including his FTX exchange and sister firm Alameda Research. “To be clear, in some cases — like FTX — enforcement was necessary,” said Renato Mariotti, a former prosecutor in the U.S. Justice Department’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Section. “But U.S. enforcement actions against market participants that are more focused on compliance are questionable and the result of the U.S. ‘regulation by enforcement’ approach.” While many regions have passed laws with potentially tough penalties, the U.S. is still the only country that has actively taken action against large-scale crypto companies and projects. Thus far, the U.S. has led that campaign against crypto firms by enforcement and has, by far, been the most punishing of regulators when it comes to penalties and fines. “Other countries have a comprehensive regulatory framework in place. We don’t,” Mariotti told CNBC. “As a result, issues that should be determined by legislation or regulation are instead litigated.” Indeed, in the absence of hard-and-fast rules from Capitol Hill, the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Department of Justice, and Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen), have worked in parallel to police the space, in a sort of patch-quilt version of regulation-by-enforcement. “These agencies have provided guidance to the industry on how digital assets and cryptocurrencies must be offered and sold, traded, and held by custodians,”“However, much of their work has involved providing guidance to the industry through enforcement actions,”

BankThink: We need to introduce more 'friction' in cryptocurrency transactions | American Banker --The exchange of cryptocurrencies via blockchains has opened up unprecedented opportunities for investing and digital transformation, promising a new era of efficiency and expanded access for the global financial system.But every new innovation has a "dark side" of potential misuse and abuse, as we learned from news reports that the recent attack by Hamas against Israel was likely funded via digital walletsand seemingly untraceable cryptocurrencies, to the tune of at least $130 million.This risk is as unacceptable as it is unnecessary. As Senators Elizabeth Warren and Roger Marshall recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "It's past time to apply the same anti-money-laundering rules to crypto that already apply to banks, brokers, check cashers and even precious-metal dealers before these loopholes allow terrorists to finance more attacks."I couldn't agree more. The same aspect that makes digital (blockchain) assets attractive to all users — decentralization — unfortunately also makes them attractive to those inclined to cover their tracks. When money flows in large volumes between countries, such as aid money following a large-scale natural disaster, crypto is a valuable medium, bypassing the "friction" of scrutiny at financial interface points for the sake of expediency.But in the case of malicious actors, that's a liability. Regulations require banks to create friction by scrutinizing both sides of international money transfers. This is good friction; friction that promotes safety and doesn't necessarily come with any negative consequences. On the blockchain, conversely, there is currently no one guarding the gate. For now, the essence of how the rails of the crypto industry work makes sanction checks on the transfer of wealth nearly impossible. Here is where the crypto enthusiasts say, "but anonymity of transaction parties is central to the blockchain." I agree, and we do not need to change this dynamic. An alternative would be to assess sanctions controls at the point of entry into the crypto ecosystem, not the point of transaction. As we know, once you're on-chain, the risk has evaporated, making it an excellent tool to avoid sanctions.And don't expect the industry to come to its senses on its own. Key players have hired a lobbyistto argue for self-regulation. We see how well that is going. While it has been said that no particular digital currency is uniquely suited for terrorists, creating something of a headwind, it seems only a matter of time until one emerges. And as it is, last year saw an estimated $20 billion in illicit blockchain transactions, reaching not only sanctioned terror groups but fentanyl distributors, oligarchs and other sanctioned folks. Informed observers have warned for years that crypto could enable bad actors, which makes the recent attack all the more concerning. But this is by no means an inevitable outcome. We in the compliance technology industry know how easily artificial intelligence and machine learning can aid human regulators by flagging suspect transactions to detect money laundering and sanctions evasion, bringing that friction to parity with the traditional financial system. The solution lies in firms' willingness to invest in software tools to change that dynamic, and that can only come about when regulators make crypto providers take the risks seriously, by regulating every crypto currency the way they regulate dollars, and taking the same tough enforcement stance against crypto firms as they do other financial intermediaries. A bipartisan Senate bill introduced by Warren and Marshall, the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act, is a strong step in the right direction.Rather than resist change, the crypto providers must get with the program and build world-class compliance systems, powered by the latest iterations of AI, scrutinizing every asset that is tokenized, from dollars to yachts, jewelry, antiquities. Given the powerful capabilities of AI — and we're only at the beginning — these measures need not be an overly cumbersome burden.

Final Bitcoin ETF Application Filings Get Posted by Major U.S. Exchanges -- U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) appear to be on the verge of launching after the exchanges that will list them filed amended documents, suggesting they expect U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approval in the coming days.The amended 19b-4 filings, filed on behalf of BlackRock, Grayscale, Fidelity and other issuers, join last month's amended S-1 filings, addressing feedback from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). More than a dozen applicants hope to launch the first spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S.; it's likely multiple issuers will be approved simultaneously.Individuals at two different issuers told CoinDesk on Thursday that their companies anticipate approvals sometime next week.One of the individuals told CoinDesk that filing the amendments did not mean approvals were guaranteed but said they were optimistic.A final deadline for SEC action for at least one application, by Ark 21 Shares, is Jan. 10, suggesting the regulator may approve all of the final applications it is comfortable with by that date.This filing "is another important step towards uplisting GBTC as a spot bitcoin ETF," Grayscale spokeswoman Jenn Rosenthal said in a statement, referring to the company's bitcoin trust that it wants to turn into an ETF. "At Grayscale, we continue to work collaboratively with the SEC, and we remain ready to operate GBTC as an ETF upon receipt of regulatory approvals."Earlier Friday, Bloomberg reported that the SEC's commissioners were "expected to vote on the exchange-rule filings next week." The regulatory agency needs to approve both the 19b-4 filings and the S-1 filings before the ETFs can launch.

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs could win approval next week after last-minute application updates (Reuters) - Investment management firms, stock exchanges and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday discussed final wording changes on filings for spot bitcoin ETFs, a step that could lead to U.S. approval of the funds for the first time next week, sources familiar with the matter said. Issuers held discussions with SEC officials about the S-1 prospectus documents that every exchange-traded fund (ETF) must submit for approval, according to executives and representatives of five firms who declined to be identified due to the confidentiality of the ongoing talks. Multiple issuers said Friday they expect to receive final approval of S-1 filings by late Tuesday or Wednesday. The SEC sought what three issuers described as "minor" changes. Some asset managers are expected to amend their filings to disclose fees or identities of the market-makers for their ETFs. Those updates are due by 8 a.m. ET (1300 GMT) on Monday and could become public that day, sources familiar with the process said. An SEC spokesperson said the agency did not comment on individual filings. Separately, regulators have been working with exchanges to finalize 19b-4 filings, which spell out the rule changes the SEC must approve for spot bitcoin ETFs to launch. Late Friday, exchanges submitted revisions to 11 of those filings. People familiar with the filing process have said issuers that met end-of-year filing revision deadlines may be approved to launch by Jan. 10, the date when the SEC must either approve or reject the Ark/21Shares ETF, the fund that is first in line. Multiple asset managers have applied for permission to launch spot bitcoin ETFs since 2013, but the SEC rejected them, arguing the products would be vulnerable to market manipulation. Fourteen firms including BlackRock (BLK.N), Fidelity and WisdomTree (WT.N) submitted applications for spot bitcoin ETFs last year and await a decision from the SEC. In a move that three issuers described as unusual, the SEC has asked issuers that hope to launch next week to also prepare written requests for the regulator to accelerate the effective date for those ETFs. The normal process is for regulators to discuss the timing more informally with issuers. Bloomberg previously reported that SEC commissioners are expected to vote on the 19b-4 rule changes next week. A source at one of those issuers told Reuters that vote is likely to take place on Wednesday.

Fincen beneficial ownership registry goes live -- — The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Monday said companies can now submit beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports to the agency's long-awaited database, capping a years-long battle in Congress to combat anonymous shell companies. The BOI registry — which the Treasury says will help law enforcement and financial institutions identify true owners of most U.S. legal entities — was mandated by the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act, which passed Congress as part of a defense spending bill in 2021. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen noted the database will help prevent bad actors from conducting illicit finance while hiding behind the anonymity of shell companies."The launch of the United States' beneficial ownership registry marks a historic step forward to protect our economic and national security," Yellen said in a statement. "Having a centralized database of beneficial ownership information will eliminate critical vulnerabilities in our financial system and allow us to tackle the scourge of illicit finance enabled by opaque corporate structures."Existing applicable reporting companies, or those registered for commerce in the United States prior to January 1, must file their initial reports to Fincen by January 1, 2025, a year from the registry's launch. Businesses created in 2024 have 90 calendar days to file after receiving notice of their company's effective registration. Companies are only required to submit such information — including beneficial owners' identification documents and address — once, and update or correct as needed.The database officially opened even as Fincen continues to iron out some of the details regarding implementation of the CTA and amid political pushback. The agency previously announced it would release a trio of rules governing businesses' reporting requirements; access by law enforcement and financial entities to the database; and a revised customer due diligence (CDD) rule outlining how financial institutions can utilize the database for anti-money-laundering compliance.The first of these — known as the "reporting rule," finalized September 2022 — mandates which entities, such as corporations and limited liability companies operating in the United States, would need to report information about their beneficial owners. The second "access rule," released in December, detailed the conditions under which such BOI may be disclosed to law enforcement, financial institutions and regulators. Fincen has yet to issue the third rule concerning customer due diligence. The three-part CTA implementation has also coincided with a major shift in Fincen's leadership, as Treasury veteran Andrea Gacki replaced acting Fincen head Himamauli Das in July.Political pushback against the database grew as the reporting deadline approached late last year. Republican lawmakers, led by House Financial Services Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Gacki urging them to postpone the BOI reporting requirements specifically for small businesses, who lawmakers say will have trouble complying with what they characterize as onerous requirements of the reporting rule. In September the agency released guidance aimed at providing clarity about the reporting requirements for small businesses.

The 'Beneficial Ownership Information' Reporting Rule & The Surveillance-State-- The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act created the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting rule to ostensibly target money laundering.Beginning January 1, 2024, the Act mandates U.S. companies, regardless of size, to register their beneficial and controlling owners with the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). FinCEN claims the corporate ownership database will be used exclusively to identify anonymous shell companies involved in money laundering and terrorist activities. Once again, like the Patriot Act, it grants surveillance powers violating the Constitution. There is no provision for judicial oversight to protect individual rights as if that ever mattered.Reporting requirements apply to an estimated 33 million reporting companies defined as corporations, limited liability corporations, or similar entities. There are twenty-three categories of companies that are exempt from reporting. They are nonprofits, banks, insurance companies, investment funds, public companies, broker-dealers, public accounting firms, money-transmitting businesses, and existing shell companies with no foreign owners, assets, or active businesses.The main scope is Main Street businesses like small owner-operated businesses like restaurateurs, construction trades, professional service organizations, retailers, and other privately owned businesses. Reporting requirements take effect in 2024 for newly-formed entities and on January 1, 2025, for existing entities.The law imposes its heaviest burdens on law-abiding U.S. citizens. At the same time, criminal enterprises will not report, manipulate, or avoid disclosure requirements undermining the law. This is similar to municipal gun control restrictions; criminals just ignore the law. The FinCEN database will be composed of law-abiding companies. “Beneficial owner” is defined as “an individual who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise exercises substantial control over the entity” or “owns or controls not less than 25 percent of the ownership interests of the entity.” For each of the covered individuals, the reporting company must furnish to FinCEN their full legal name, birth date, current residential or business street address, IRS Taxpayer Identification Number, and “unique identifying number from an acceptable identification document,” such as an unexpired passport or a state-issued identification card or driver’s license. Any changes in a covered individual’s address, a new driver’s license, or beneficial ownership must be reported.Reporting companies that deliberately fail to comply with the reporting requirements are subject to a civil penalty of up to $500 per day, up to $10,000, two years’ imprisonment, or both a fine and confinement. An interesting dilemma is whether all beneficial owners will be assessed civil and criminal penalties. Will BOI or the IRS require banks to freeze the corporate entity's account without due process?The IRS agent staff is expanding, and it will have the muscle to take advantage of BOI’s corporate ownership database for targeted investigations and audits with the possibility of targeting political opposition. If you think I’m kidding; keep in mind the IRS targeted and relentlessly audited directors and officers of Tea Party nonprofits only because they were considered dissenters. BOI will be a tool of tyranny.

BankThink: Acting Comptroller Hsu misses the point of decentralized tokenization | American Banker -- Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu acknowledges the potential of tokenization. However, he prefers tokenizing on centralized blockchains over decentralized counterparts. We believe decentralization is the main point, and the OCC chief is missing it.The OCC chief highlights centralized blockchains due to their "efficiency." If you want efficiency, a database will suffice. Centralized blockchains are merely dressed-up databases.Centralizing for efficiency's sake is a "technocratic fallacy" reminiscent of economic central planning. The true value of a decentralized blockchain is in reducing reliance and on trust on centralized actors, and in aligning incentives to promote good behavior across market participants.In a decentralized blockchain, market participants receive rewards and punishments for checking, or failing to check, the work of others. The result is a transparent, rules-based, self-regulating market system that promotes integrity of transactions and ensures provenance.The 2008 financial crisis laid bare the pitfalls of centralized systems and "trusted actors" such as ratings agencies and investment banks. Remember 2008 subprime securitizations, Libor shenanigans and credit default swap counterparty risk piling up across the system? Decentralized blockchains, functioning on game-theoretic principles, could have helped mitigate each of these issues.Here's how.Consider the murky asset backed securitizations during the 2008 crisis. In a decentralized blockchain environment, the process of securitization could be standardized and transparent. Every asset backed security could be tokenized, and its underlying assets could be tracked in real time.Smart contracts could enforce compliance by ensuring that only loans meeting qualifying criteria are bundled. This on-chain transparency could have prevented the blind accumulation of toxic assets or asymmetric information advantages that favor certain participants.How about Libor shenanigans?A decentralized blockchain could replace the dependence on banks' self-reported interest rates with a more transparent and automated system. Banks that misreport rates would face an economic penalty in the same way a malevolent node on the ethereum network is punished (e.g., "slashed") for bad behavior.Smart contracts could be used to aggregate data from various sources to calculate a fair and transparent reference rate. This would eliminate the opportunity for manipulation, as the data would be openly verifiable and not under the control of any single party.Lastly, decentralized blockchains could have created transparent marketplaces for credit default swaps. The blockchain would have allowed participants to see the level of risk exposure in real time, ensuring that companies couldn't take on excessive risk without the market being aware.

Colorado is mapping a dangerous path on access to credit - The credit card you used to purchase your latte this morning and to fill your car with gas wasprobably issued by a bank based in Delaware, South Dakota or some state other than Colorado. Why? Because under a unanimous 1978 decision authored by liberal lion William Brennan, the Supreme Court ruled that banks holding a "national charter" would be governed by the interest rate ceilings of the state in which the bank is based instead of the state of the customer's residence. This one decision transformed the American economy, unleashing unprecedented competition and putting Visa, Mastercard and other credit cards in the hands of millions of American families who were previously reliant on pawnbrokers, personal finance companies and store credit to make ends meet.Yet a law set to go into effect in Colorado in July would deprive the most credit-deprived Coloradans of the same access to competitive financial services available to the more well-off and effectively destroy the rapidly growing fintech industry in the state. The consequences to Colorado's more financially strapped households could be catastrophic. Other states are considering following suit.The mechanism for this folly is a law enacted this past June under which Colorado will "opt-out" of an obscure federal law, the Depository Institutions and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (known as DIDMCA or DIDA), that was passed in response to the Supreme Court's 1978 decision. DIDA provided that banks chartered under state law would have the same rights to "export" their home state interest rates as national banks, in effect enabling state-chartered banks to compete on equal terms with national-chartered behemoths such as Citi and Chase. But DIDA also authorized states to pass laws to "opt-out" of this parity provision, thereby depriving residents of access to financial products issued by state-chartered banks based in other states. To date, only Iowa and Puerto Rico have invoked DIDA's opt-out provision, but other states and the District of Columbia currently are considering following Colorado down this path.National banks would not be impacted by opting out of DIDA, thereby leaving their middle-class credit card users largely unscathed. Less well-off consumers, however, will be hit hard by the law. Banks traditionally have shown little interest in offering financial services to higher-risk and lower-income consumers, a problem that has been exacerbated in recent years by multiple financial regulations that reduce the incentives of large banks to serve these customers. Lacking access to credit cards, younger consumers, immigrants and others with unproven or poor credit rely on an assortment of financial products to make ends meet, such as installment loans, payday loans and pawn shops.

Will a 'soft landing' fuel 1990s-like boom for banks? -- Banks had a bumpier ride than expected last year, but many analysts see brighter times ahead for the industry as the Federal Reserve weighs interest rate cuts. High interest rates were a major factor behind banks' troubles in 2023, as they were forced to pay depositors higher rates and turn to more expensive funding backstops during last spring's banking crisis.Bankers expect some lingering pain this year from what proved to be a year of heavy deposit competition. But if deposits were the major issue in 2023, the health of bank borrowers is expected to define how well the industry fares in 2024. What's certain is some borrowers are likely to default on their loans. High interest rates, lower cash buffers and perhaps slowing demand has made it a bit harder for bank customers to repay their obligations. Credit card charge-offs are back near their pre-pandemic levels, commercial borrowers are beginning to see stress and worries remain over banks' commercial real estate loans. But the U.S. economy has consistently defied recession forecasts, making it more likely that loan defaults will stay contained. Markets are increasingly optimistic that the Fed can achieve an elusive "soft landing," where a rate hike cycle doesn't end up crashing the economy. The last time that happened: the mid-1990s under then-Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. Bank stocks boomed in 1995 as the economy remained on track — and banks' loan books remained healthy, unlike in the recessions of 2001 and 2008. Gerard Cassidy, an RBC Capital Markets analyst, wrote in a note to clients that he expects some bank loans to go sour this year but that the deterioration should be "quite gradual and manageable." "As investors become more comfortable with the credit outlook as banks successfully manage through it, we believe the banks should be able to outperform the broader market similar to 1995," Cassidy wrote. Bank stocks rallied last month over that optimism, but a few analysts are a bit more skeptical. Banks were a major beneficiary of the mid-1990s boom, which fueled strong loan growth of 7%, wrote Erika Najarian, an analyst at UBS. But today, the rise in nonbank lenders means banks will have a smaller role, she wrote, and the effects of a decade of ultra-low rates followed by rapid rate hikes remain unclear. "We are unsure that the pre-conditions for a soft landing are as strong as they were in the mid-'90s," Najarian wrote in a note to clients. Soft landing or not, here are some key trends to watch in bank earnings this year.

FDIC's McKernan questions asset management giants' influence on banks — Jonathan McKernan, a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board, on Friday suggested the agency scrutinize the growing influence of the "Big Three" asset managers — Vanguard, BlackRock and State Street — on publicly-traded banks. in the remarks — delivered to a session on financial regulation at the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools — McKernan said the three largest U.S. asset managers wield sizable shareholder voting power at publicly-traded banks as well as strong sway over their boards."In light of the large and increasing role played by the Big Three, I think we at the FDIC, as well as the other banking regulators, should revisit the regulatory comfort that we have provided some of the Big Three as to how much they can own, and what activities they may engage in, without being found to 'control' a banking organization."The three firms have seen substantial growth in their portfolios as a result of the popularity of index funds pegged to publicly-traded companies. This has resulted, according to estimates by scholars McKernan cited, in the three firms casting roughly a quarter of the total votes at the annual meetings of S&P 500 companies at the end of 2017.McKernan said he is concerned that such influence may result in the asset managers exercising control over publicly traded banking organizations — a regulated condition under banking laws. According to McKernan, regulators have addressed this by reassuring the big three that — as long as they adhere to certain passivity agreements — regulators would not designate the firms as wielding controlling status under banking laws, a determination that could trigger heightened regulation of the asset managers.He said those agreements are increasingly being reinterpreted to a concerning extent, allowing the big three leverage over corporate governance, such as the right to appoint up to two directors to the boards of certain banks.McKernan suggested the full bipartisan FDIC board be allowed to weigh in on passivity covenants, and, rather than allowing the big three to self-certify compliance with the agreements, that regulators take a more active role in ensuring the firms do not control public banks in violation of banking statutes like the Bank Holding Company Act and the Change in Bank Control Act."We perhaps should consider replacing all these various articulations of FDIC regulatory comfort with FDIC board-approved notice-and-comment rulemaking," he said. "We should consider taking a close look at the Big Three themselves, in particular the activities of their investment stewardship teams and their interactions with management of publicly traded banking."McKernan also reiterated his concerns about regulators' recent Basel endgame capital proposal. He said the proposal relies too heavily on the standards set by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision — the international bank regulatory standard-setting body — and he said the proposed framework would impose undue costs on firms and create a framework unprecedented in comparison to previous regulatory capital standards.McKernan therefore suggested regulators should come together and revise the proposal to garner greater bipartisan consensus on the capital standards. "I take others at their word that they're interested in fostering more consensus than we had on the July proposal," he said. "The July proposal amounts to a big leap of faith in the Basel Committee, and if anything, the particulars of the endgame standards should give us good grounds for skepticism and also potential grounds for some departures from those standards in our U.S. implementation."

Morgan Stanley's Gorman says new bank capital rules will be 'wound back' — New banking rules proposed last year by U.S. regulators were "extremely aggressive" and are likely to be "materially wound back" before being put in place, Morgan Stanley Chairman James Gorman said. "They'll definitely change," Gorman said in a Bloomberg Television interview Wednesday, noting that regulators have received thousands of comments about the proposed rules. "It was a proposal that I would say was extremely aggressive and set a marker. It will not go through in that form. If it did, I think it would have very, very negative consequences for corporate lending across this country, which is not what you want. It's not going to help the economy grow." The financial world has been in a heated debate over the U.S. proposals tied to what's called the Basel III Endgame — an international overhaul initiated more than a decade ago in response to the financial crisis of 2008. If approved by US watchdogs, the rules would require big banks to increase their capital cushion by almost 20% to ensure they can survive another crunch. The Federal Reserve and other regulators say the changes can help avoid turmoil such as last year's meltdowns of midsize banks. But bankers have been increasingly vociferous in their arguments against the proposals, saying they are unnecessary and will drive up interest rates for first-time homebuyers as well as underserved and low-to-moderate-income borrowers. They also say the plans will push riskier lending further outside regulator purview. "What was put out is highly, highly, highly unlikely to be what is ultimately regulated," Gorman said. "I think this is a highly aggressive proposal that will be materially wound back when it finally becomes law or regulation."

Corrected: Regions Bank unwittingly invited a surge in check fraud last year | American Banker --Regions Financial, which reported $135 million in losses due to check fraud during a six-month period last year, inadvertently enabled the fraud surge through a change in the period of time that it holds deposits before making them available to customers.In response to an analyst's question late last year about the spike in check fraud, Regions Chief Financial Officer David Turner said that the Birmingham, Alabama-based bank "tweaked something to try to become more customer-friendly in terms of the period of time that we hold a deposit. Because if you hold deposits too long, you start getting complaints.""We opened the door too wide, bad people came rushing in, and we didn't close the door timely enough," Turner added in his comments at the BancAnalysts Association of Boston Conference in November. "That's on us."Jennifer Elmore, a Regions spokesperson, said in an email after the original version of this story was published that Turner was referring to an adjustment designed to accelerate customers' access to deposits. But she declined to elaborate, or to say when Regions made the change that Turner referenced."Out of respect for proprietary information and our work with law enforcement supporting their investigation into the check fraud schemes, we will decline to provide further information," Elmore said. Outside experts said that when banks expedite the release of customer funds, they may be assuming some risk.Banks are having to balance internal controls to prevent fraud with customer satisfaction, said Brian Cairl, senior managing director at K2 Integrity, a consulting firm that works with financial institutions on compliance risks and financial crimes."Anything that the bank can do to delay a disbursement of the funds that they receive — in order to make sure that when they disburse the funds, they're doing so to legitimate individuals, people for whom those funds were intended — is in my opinion a step forward," Cairl said.Regions was hit by two waves of check fraud schemes, CEO John Turner said in early December at the Goldman Sachs 2023 U.S. Financial Services Conference. First, fraudsters targeted the bank using a counterfeit check scheme, and later fraudsters turned to stolen checks, according to Turner.During the second quarter of 2023, Regions reported an $82 million loss related to check fraud, and in the third quarter it reported an additional $53 million loss.Since identifying the schemes, Regions has hired new staff and installed technology to help prevent fraud. Jeremy King, a bank spokesperson, said in an email that "fraud prevention is a 24/7 focus for our teams."

FDIC action against Tennessee bank emphasizes tech - Brighton Bank has entered an agreement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.to overhaul its anti-money-laundering technology and practices after a report from the regulator last year found the bank violated compliance laws. The FDIC demanded the community bank, which is based 30 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee, take a broad set of actions to remedy its violations of the Bank Secrecy Act [BSA], according to a consent order that was made public on Friday. The order, which took effect Nov. 30, requires Brighton Bank to appoint a BSA officer, enhance audits of information technology, and train staff in BSA/AML requirements, among other action items. The consent order emphasizes the need for stronger information technology controls for the bank's compliance and cybersecurity. Brighton Bank did not respond to requests for comment. Michael Dawson, a partner at law firm WilmerHale, said he's seen an increase in demand for BSA/AML advice from clients. "This order reflects ongoing close scrutiny across all the federal banking agencies of AML compliance programs," Dawson said. "The other thing is, this order reflects how important it is that the BSA/AML function is supported by strong IT functions. It really is not possible to have effective BSA/AML functions without an effective IT function." Dawson, who advises financial and technology clients on regulation, added that federal regulators have said they would only use public enforcement actions on banks with issues that are systemic, not isolated incidents of violations. Brighton Bank is required by the consent order to improve its practices related to BSA/AML, Dawson said, including having a designated BSA/AML team, independent testing, employee training and internal controls. The order also specifically addresses the bank's wire system, such as wire limits, verification processes and wire insurance. Dana Twomey, who leads risk and compliance consulting for financial institutions at West Monroe, said banks have to leverage a number of technology controls and process controls to ensure wires are reviewed appropriately before they're sent.

FDIC's unusual order against tiny Utah bank: Sell yourself or liquidate --Federal regulators are forcing a tiny bank in Utah to either sell itself or liquidate, an unusual step that appears to be a last-ditch effort to avoid placing it into receivership.The order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which the agency made public last week, is similar to the sell-or-merge directives that regulators used after the 2008 financial crash to force troubled banks to take action, industry lawyers say.But this time, the FDIC order is more akin to sell-merge-or-liquidate — effectively shutting down the bank if another institution can't get it out of its problems. The bank in question, Liberty Bank in Salt Lake City, is one of the smallest in the country, with just $13 million of assets.The action was surprising to several bank lawyers and regulatory experts contacted for this story. They pointed to issues the FDIC laid out with the bank's bookkeeping, a requirement that the bank get the value of its premises appraised and even a directive to figure out who owns a parcel of land used for extra parking.Most surprising was the public nature of the FDIC's repudiation, an escalation from what likely was behind-the-scenes pressure from agency officials, the experts said. A public rebuke raises the risk that depositors could pull their money, they said.The bank has not been consistently profitable since 2007, according to an American Banker review of regulatory data on its quarterly performances.In an email, Liberty Bank President and CEO Kendall Phillips said the bank is "fully cooperating with the regulators on all issues of the order.""We are earnestly seeking a successful resolution for our depositors and customers with a sale or a merger," Phillips said.

Top House financial services committee member Luetkemeyer to retire | American Banker — Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, the longtime Republican from Missouri and senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, will not seek reelection in 2024, his office said. Luetkemeyer had established himself as one of the committee's most influential voices. He currently chairs the panel's subcommittee on national security, and before his time in Washington, worked as a state banking examiner and community banker. He was first elected in 2009, and will retire when his term ends in January 2025. Luetkemeyer is the second senior Republican on the House Financial Services Committee to announce that he will not seek reelection in the upcoming races. The panel's current chairman, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, has also said he will retire from Congress at the end of the year, leaving open the top Republican spots on the committee. Before announcing his departure, Luetkemeyer was considered a frontrunner to take over for McHenry as the top Republican on the committee, and had previously expressed interest in the position.

How the ‘Visionaries’ of Silicon Valley Mean Profits Are Prioritised over True Technological Progress - Technological innovation in the last couple of decades has brought fame and huge wealth to the likes of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. Often feted as geniuses, they are the faces behind the gadgets and media that so many of us depend upon. Sometimes they are controversial. Sometimes the level of their influence is criticised. But they also benefit from a common mythology which elevates their status. That myth is the belief that executive “visionaries” leading vast corporations are the engines which power essential breakthroughs too ambitious or futuristic for sluggish public institutions. For there are many who consider the private sector to be far better equipped than the public sector to solve major challenges. We see such ideology embodied in ventures like OpenAI. This successful company was founded on the premise that while artificial intelligence is too consequential to be left to corporations alone, the public sector is simply incapable of keeping up.The approach is linked to a political philosophy which champions the idea of pioneering entrepreneurs as figureheads who advance civilisation through sheer individual brilliance and determination.In reality, however, most modern technological building blocks – like car batteries, space rockets, the internet, smart phones, and GPS – emerged from publicly funded research. They were not the inspired work of corporate masters of the universe.And my work suggests a further disconnect: that the profit motive seen across Silicon Valley (and beyond) frequently impedes innovation rather than improving it.For example, attempts to profit from the COVID vaccine had a detrimental impact on global access to the medicine. Or consider how recent ventures into space tourism seem to prioritise experiences for extremely wealthy people over less lucrative but more scientifically valuable missions.More broadly, the thirst for profit means intellectual property restrictions tend to restrict collaboration between (and even within) companies. There is also evidence that short-term shareholder demands distort real innovation in favour of financial reward. Allowing executives focused on profits to set technological agendas can incur public costs too. It’s expensive dealing with the hazardous low-earth orbit debris caused by space tourism, or the complex regulatory negotiations involved in protecting human rights around AI.Excessive corporate dominance has other dimming effects. Research scientists seem to dedicate valuable time towards chasing funding influenced by business interests. They are also increasingly incentivised to go into the profitable private sector.Here those scientists’ and engineers’ talents may be directed at helping advertisers to better keep hold of our attention. Or they may be tasked with finding ways for corporations to make more money from our personal data.Projects which might address climate change, public health or global inequality are less likely to be the focus.Likewise, research suggests that university laboratories are moving towards a “science for profit” model through industry partnerships.

Banks and fintechs unload on CFPB's open banking plan -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's open banking proposal is drawing both praise and criticism from banks, fintechs and at least one lawmaker as the bureau crafts a far-reaching rule that will give consumers control over their own financial data. The CFPB received more than 11,000 comments on its personal financial data-rights plan,unveiled in October, that requires financial institutions to allow customers to share their transaction data with other providers through digital interfaces. The plan currently covers checking accounts, credit cards, digital wallets and prepaid cards. But bank trade groups want the CFPB to include a wider array of financial products, such as buy now/pay later loans and Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, and want the rule to level the playing field by covering all data collected by third-parties and data aggregators.Under the CFPB's plan — known as the 1033 rule, for its section in the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 — third parties may not collect, sell, use or retain a consumer's personal financial data for targeted marketing or to cross-sell other products, an issue criticized by fintechs and their trade groups. The proposed rule would require that consumers be made aware of where their data is held and how it is used, sparking a nuanced debate about whether consumers should be given the option to "opt in," or "opt out," of having their data used for secondary purposes. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra has said the proposal would increase competition by helping consumers more easily switch banks while creating strong data security and privacy standards. Consumer financial data can only be used for a specific purpose and "is not a free pass" for companies to exploit for advertising or profit, Chopra has said. Rep. Patrick McHenry, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, praised Chopra in a comment letter that highlighted the similarities between the CFPB's 1033 proposal and Republicans' Data Privacy Act of 2023. "A guiding principle behind section 1033 is that consumers will benefit from increased control and portability of their data," wrote McHenry, who is not seeking reelection next year. "Consumers should be empowered to know what data is being collected, where the data is stored, with whom the data is shared, and what rights those authorized third parties have with respect to consumers' data."McHenry threw his support behind the CFPB's plan to give consumers the right to revoke access to their data at any time and to limit use by authorized companies to just one year, unless the consumer agrees to further access. Banks already share consumers' transaction data with fintechs — mostly through data aggregators, and often begrudgingly through screen scraping. Screen scraping does not appear in the text of the proposal, though the plan seeks to move away from the practice whereby people give their usernames and passwords to third parties to access their data. Bank trade groups want the CFPB to ban screen scraping altogether. In a 57-page comment letter, the Consumer Bankers Association said that screen scraping is both costly to banks and risky to consumers. Brian Fritzsche, the CBA's vice president and associate general counsel, said the CFPB should take action against third parties that screen scrape, claiming that without doing so, the bureau would be outsourcing the monitoring and policing of third parties to banks."Absent an express prohibition, it would be unduly costly for data providers to effectively block screen scraping and push usage of safer APIs," Fritzsche wrote, referring to application programming interfaces that send data directly from one company to another. "This is misguided, and instead the Bureau should play a more significant role in taking action against third parties that screen scrape. Importantly, screen scraping may cause consumer harm because, if a third party relies on screen scraping, any tailoring of the consumer's authorization vanishes and a third party could have access to consumer information beyond what the consumer has authorized."

What New York Gov. Hochul's pressure on BNPL means for lenders -- As buy now pay/later lending accelerates, so do government efforts to regulate the product in the name of consumer protection and managing credit risk. The latest move came this week from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who has proposed legislation that would require BNPL lenders to obtain a license. The bill, if passed, would also permit state regulators to issue rules for the industry. The governor's announcement shortly follows guidance on managing BNPL risks from theOffice of the Comptroller of the Currency in December, and numerous other efforts fromstates and regulators within and outside the U.S. to create rules that specifically govern BNPL. "We've been moving toward more regulation for BNPL in the U.S.," said Daniel Keyes, a senior analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research. "It will be over the next couple of years. It won't be all this month."In an email, Justin Henry, deputy communications director for the governor, said specific legislative language will be unveiled as part of Governer Hochul's executive budget presentation later this month.It would not be surprising to see other states, especially those that routinely take the most progressive stance on consumer protection, to follow New York's lead, said Eamonn Morann, senior counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP.

CMBS delinquencies drop but new bankruptcy shows issues persist -- Commercial mortgage-backed securities arrears showed short-term improvement on the whole in December after a challenging year, but it was still a tough month for some property types and players. The delinquency rate fell to 4.21%, reversing November's 19-basis-point uptick, Kroll Bond Rating Agency reported Tuesday.But as a Bloomberg report about JER Investors' recent Chapter 11 filing and longer-term trends suggest, some underlying issues aren't likely to entirely abate in the new year.Sector downgrades ran at a rate nearly twice that of upgrades for most of 2023, primarily due to loans maturing into a higher rate environment or remote work-related vacancies.Monetary policymakers' recent statements about possible cuts to the federal funds rate may be relieving one of these concerns, to a limited extent."We believe additional rate increases are behind us," said Eric Thompson, senior managing director and global head of structured finance at KBRA, during a recent press conference the rating agency held on its 2024 outlook.Lower CMBS ratings will likely keep outpacing upgrades this year but the rating agency's researchers said in a related report that they "do not expect to see meaningful changes in the breadth and magnitude."The continuing stress may continue to be more manageable for some players than others.In addition to JER, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust and WeWork have filed for bankruptcy due to vulnerabilities in the commercial market.While the Mortgage Bankers Association recently found elevated delinquencies across investor types in its more recent quarterly report, suggesting it's been a concern across capital sources, the trend may be more pronounced for CMBS, which have a relatively higher arrears rate.

MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased Over a Two-Week Period in Latest Weekly Survey - From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased Over a Two-Week Period in Latest MBA Weekly Survey: Mortgage applications decreased 9.4 percent from two weeks earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 29, 2023. The results include adjustments to account for the holidays.The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 9.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from two weeks earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 38 percent compared with two weeks ago. The unadjusted Refinance Index decreased 43 percent from two weeks ago and was 15 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 5 percent compared with two weeks ago. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 34 percent compared with two weeks ago and was 12 percent lower than the same week one year ago.“Markets continued to digest the impact of slowing inflation and potential rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, helping mortgage rates to stay at levels close to the lowest since mid-2023. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate edged higher last week and ended 2023 at 6.76 percent, over a percentage point lower than its recent peak of 7.9 percent in October 2023,” s “The recent decline in rates has given the housing market some cause for optimism going into 2024, but purchase applications have not yet picked up in response, with the overall level of purchase activity 12 percent lower than a year ago. Refinance applications were still at very low levels, but were 15 percent higher than a year ago. “The housing market has been hampered by a limited supply of homes for sale, but the recent strength in new residential construction will continue to help ease inventory shortages in the months in come.” ...The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) increased to 6.76 percent from 6.71 percent, with points increasing to 0.61 from 0.55 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate increased from last week. The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index.According to the MBA, purchase activity is down 12% year-over-year unadjusted.Red is a four-week average (blue is weekly). Purchase application activity is up from the lows in late October and early November, but still below the lowest levels during the housing bust.The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990.With higher mortgage rates, the refinance index declined sharply in 2022, and even with some recent minor increases, activity is barely off the bottom.

Housing January 1st Weekly Update: Inventory Down 2.9% Week-over-week, Up 4.4% Year-over-year - Altos reports that active single-family inventory was down 2.9% week-over-week and finished 2023 up 4.4% year-over-year. Inventory will likely decrease seasonally until the Spring. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of December 29th, inventory was at 513 thousand (7-day average), compared to 529 thousand the prior week. Inventory finished 2023 up 4.4% year-over-year but is still far below pre-pandemic levels.The second graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.The red line is for 2023. The black line is for 2019. Note that inventory is up from the record low for the same week in 2021, but still well below normal levels.Inventory was up 4.4% compared to the same week in 2022 (last week it was up 3.9%), and down 34.4% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week down 34.2%). Back in June, inventory was down almost 54% compared to 2019, so the gap to more normal inventory levels is closing.Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube.

Asking Rents Mostly Unchanged Year-over-year -- Today, in the Real Estate Newsletter: Asking Rents Mostly Unchanged Year-over-year -- Brief excerpt: Here is a graph of the year-over-year (YoY) change for these measures since January 2015. Most of these measures are through November 2023, except CoreLogic is through October and Apartment List is through December 2023. The CoreLogic measure is up 2.5% YoY in October, down from 2.6% in September, and down from a peak of 13.9% in April 2022. The Zillow measure is up 3.3% YoY in November, mostly unchanged from 3.2% YoY in October, and down from a peak of 16.1% YoY in March 2022. The ApartmentList measure is down 1.0% YoY as of December, up from -1.1% in November, and down from a peak of 18.2% YoY November 2021. ... OER and CPI shelter will decline further in the CPI release next week.

Construction Spending Increased 0.4% in November --From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending increased:Construction spending during November 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,050.1 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised October estimate of $2,042.5 billion. The November figure is 11.3 percent above the November 2022 estimate of $1,842.2 billion. Private spending increased and public spending decreased: Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,595.0 billion, 0.7 percent above the revised October estimate of $1,584.4 billion. ... In November, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $455.1 billion, 0.7 percent below the revised October estimate of $458.1 billion.This graph shows private residential and nonresidential construction spending, and public spending, since 1993. Note: nominal dollars, not inflation adjusted. Residential (red) spending is 7.5% below the recent peak. Non-residential (blue) spending is at a new peak. Public construction spending is slightly below the peak in the previous month. The second graph shows the year-over-year change in construction spending. On a year-over-year basis, private residential construction spending is up 3.7%. Non-residential spending is up 19.3% year-over-year. Public spending is up 16.2% year-over-year.This was slightly below consensus expectations for 0.5% increase in spending, however, total construction spending for the previous two months was revised up.

Update: Lumber Prices Up 9.6% YoY - Here is another monthly update on lumber prices. NOTE: The CME group discontinued the Random Length Lumber Futures contract on May 16, 2023. I've now switched to a new physically-delivered Lumber Futures contract that was started in August 2022. Unfortunately, this impacts long term price comparisons since the new contract was priced about 24% higher than the old random length contract for the period when both contracts were available. This graph shows CME random length framing futures through last August (blue), and the new physically-delivered Lumber Futures (LBR) contract starting in August 2022 (Red). LBR is currently at $544.00 per 1000 board feet, up 9.6% from $496.5 a year ago.There is somewhat of a seasonal demand for lumber, and lumber prices usually peak in April or May.We didn't see a significant runup in prices last Spring due to the housing slowdown, but we might see some pickup in early 2024.

Vehicles Sales increase to 15.83 million SAAR in December; Up 17% YoY --Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for December: December U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Hit 5-Month High; Entire 2023 Totals 4-Year Best 15.5 Million (pay site). Labor-related plant shutdowns in the U.S. that covered the latter half of September and most of October negatively impacted deliveries in November. Combined sales of the vehicles impacted by shutdowns fell 15% year-over-year in November. If those vehicles had matched year-ago results, sales would have totaled a 15.9 million-unit SAAR. While CUVs accounted for over half the market for the second time ever, vehicles impacted by the strikes were largely behind weakness in pickups, SUVs and vans. This graph shows light vehicle sales since 2006 from the BEA (blue) and Wards Auto's estimate for December (red). Sales in December were up 3.3% from November, and up 16.8% from December 2022. The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967. Vehicle sales are usually a transmission mechanism for Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy, although far behind housing. This time vehicle sales were more suppressed by supply chain issues and are up year-over-year.Sales in December were above the consensus forecast.

Ugly Charts of Auto Sales: GM, Toyota, Ford. Stellantis, oh my, Got Crushed by Hyundai-Kia’s Record Sales. Tesla Has Arrived - by Wolf Richter -- Total new vehicles delivered to retail customers and fleets (dominated by rental fleets) in the US rose by 12.4% from the dismal levels a year earlier to 15.46 million vehicles. The two best years were 2000 and 2016, with 17.4 million and 17.5 million vehicles sold. In 2023, sales were about 11% below the 2000 high and 11.6% below the 2016 high. And compared to 1986, sales were down 3.7%, and compared to 1985, sales were flat. That was nearly four decades ago! Over the same period, the US population has increased by 40%! Screwing up the market with price increases and going upscale. Turns out, after decades of price increases and going upscale to maximize revenues and profits, automakers have created a market in the US where the average American can no longer afford a new vehicle, and they’re buying used vehicles – financially, a good strategy. Automakers have thereby screwed up the US market to where new vehicle sales are languishing in the best years and plunging in the bad years. Full-size pickup trucks are a great example of price increases and going upscale. There have been only four automakers that sell a high volume of full-size pickup trucks in the US: GM, Ford, Stellantis, and Toyota. Nissan will discontinue its Titan in 2024 due to low sales. Two new players are now entering the market, still with small numbers, Rivian and Tesla. So, for now, four companies are selling full-sized trucks in volume, with huge price increases year after year, and grotesque profit margins, a testimony of oligopolistic pricing behavior. We here at WOLF STREET have developed our own new-vehicle price index based on the bestselling truck, the Ford F-150, and the bestselling car, the Toyota Camry. We discussed this and our notion about the pickup truck oligopoly here. And for your amusement, this is the chart – since 1990, the MSRP of the F-150 XLT has shot up by 267%, including a spike of 39.4% from 2020: The average transaction price including all incentives, discounts, and addendum stickers had spiked by 36% during the pandemic, from $34,900 in December 2019 to an absurd $47,300 in December 2022, according to JD Power data. Then in 2023, inventory was back on dealer lots, and discounts and incentives were piled on, and most of the odious addendum stickers vanished (if you see an addendum sticker, “just say no”), and by December 2023, the average transaction price had dipped by 2.7% to a still absurd $46,055:

ISM Manufacturing Contracts For 14th Straight Month, New Orders Sink - For the 15th month in a row, ISM Manufacturing survey signaled no expansion (print over 50) in December. While the 47.4 print is up from November's 46.7 (and better than the 47.1 expected), it is still a contractionary signal “Companies are still managing outputs appropriately as order softness continues," said Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., Chair of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee:. "Demand eased, with the (1) New Orders Index contracting at a faster rate, (2) New Export Orders Index essentially flat, and (3) Backlog of Orders Index climbing back above 40 percent but still in fairly strong contraction territory." Graphs Source: Bloomberg None of the six biggest manufacturing industries registered growth in December.

ISM® Manufacturing index Increased to 47.4% in December - The ISM manufacturing index indicated contraction. The PMI® was at 47.4% in December, up from 46.7% in November. The employment index was at 48.1%, up from 45.8% the previous month, and the new orders index was at 47.1%, down from 48.3%. From ISM: Manufacturing PMI® at 47.4% December 2023 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® “The Manufacturing PMI® registered 47.4 percent in December, up 0.7 percentage point from the 46.7 percent recorded in November. The overall economy continued in contraction for a third month after one month of weak expansion preceded by nine months of contraction and a 30-month period of expansion before that. (A Manufacturing PMI® above 48.7 percent, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.) The New Orders Index remained in contraction territory at 47.1 percent, 1.2 percentage points lower than the figure of 48.3 percent recorded in November. The Production Index reading of 50.3 percent is a 1.8-percentage point increase compared to November’s figure of 48.5 percent. The Prices Index registered 45.2 percent, down 4.7 percentage points compared to the reading of 49.9 percent in November. The Backlog of Orders Index registered 45.3 percent, 6 percentage points higher than the November reading of 39.3 percent. The Employment Index registered 48.1 percent, up 2.3 percentage points from the 45.8 percent reported in November. This suggests manufacturing contracted in December. This was slightly above the consensus forecast.

BLS: Job Openings Little Changed at 8.8 million in November -From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary The number of job openings changed little at 8.8 million on the last business day of November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations decreased to 5.5 million and 5.3 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.5 million) edged down and layoffs and discharges (1.5 million) changed little. The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Discharges and other (red column), and Quits (light blue column) from the JOLTS. Note: The difference between JOLTS hires and separations is similar to the CES (payroll survey) net jobs headline numbers. This report is for November; the employment report this Friday will be for December. Note that hires (dark blue) and total separations (red and light blue columns stacked) are usually pretty close each month. This is a measure of labor market turnover. When the blue line is above the two stacked columns, the economy is adding net jobs - when it is below the columns, the economy is losing jobs. The spike in layoffs and discharges in March 2020 is labeled, but off the chart to better show the usual data. Jobs openings decreased in November to 8.79 million from 8.85 million in October. The number of job openings (black) were down 18% year-over-year. Quits were down 16% year-over-year. These are voluntary separations. (See light blue columns at bottom of graph for trend for "quits").

Job Openings Slide To Three Year Low As Hiring Suddenly Craters Below Pre-Covid Levels, Quits Tumble - After several months of sharp moves in both directions, the most recent of which was the unexpected 617K plunge in the number of US job openings to 8.733 million, the lowest since March 2021, moments ago the BLS reported the latest, November JOLTS data (as a reminder, this BLS data set lags the jobs report by a month), was a rather tame change with the number of job openings dropping by a modest 62K, the smallest monthly change since Dec 2020, to 8.790 million down from an upward revised 8.852 million (previously 8.733 million). This means that after the revision, the November number was still the lowest since April 2021, even though it was lower than the original October print (which was revised higher). According to the BLS, in November job openings decreased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-128,000) and in federal government (-58,000). Job openings increased in wholesale trade (+63,000). Also, worth noting that a lot of the major job opening drops that were originally reported last month for October in fields like social assistance (-236,000), finance and insurance (-168,000), and real estate and rental and leasing (-49,000), have been revised higher.The continued modest drop in the number of job openings meant that in November, the number of job openings was 2.499 million more than the number of unemployed workers, up modestly from last month's 2.346 million which was the lowest since July 2021. This is due to the large drop in unemployed workers in November (6.291 million) from October (6.506 million). Said otherwise, in November the number of job openings to unemployed dropped to just 1.34, the lowest level since August 2021 and almost back to pre-covid levels of 1.3... and a far cry from the record 2.0 hit in early 2022. But what was more interesting than the number of job openings in November, was the number of quits: and as the number of job openings slumped to the lowest in more than two years, the number of people quitting their jobs - an indicator traditionally closely associated with labor market strength as it shows workers are confident they can find a better wage elsewhere - tumbled by 157K 3.471MM, which is at the 3.4 million level reported in Feb 2020, just before the covid shutdown. According to the report, the number of quits decreased in professional and business services (-77,000) and in educational services (-23,000). In other words, in at least one part of the labor market normality has been restored. And just in case some still believe the "Bidenomics" strong jobs lie, the number of hires also crashed in November, sliding by 363K to 5.465 million, well below the pre-covid levels... ... as number of hires in professional and business services tumbled by a whopping -163,000. On a total monthly basis, the 363K plunge was the biggest since July 2020

More Signs that Power in the Labor Market Has Shifted from Workers back to Employers - by Wolf Richter -- Job openings edged down in November, but remained relatively high, workers quit quitting maybe because they’re worried about their jobs, and with voluntary quitting back to normal, the churn in the workforce at companies is also back to normal: with fewer people quitting, there are fewer vacant slots that need to be filled, so fewer job openings and fewer hires. Layoffs and discharges fell sharply in November and are well below the Good-Times lows before the pandemic. A labor market that isn’t quite back to normal yet, but is getting there, as the pandemic-era churn that had shifted power from employers to workers is subsiding. Job openings dipped by 62,000 in November from October, after the drop of 498,000 in the prior month, to 8.79 million openings, the lowest since March 2021. Openings were still 27% higher than in November 2019, according to data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today as part of its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), based on a large survey of employers and not on internet job postings. The three-month moving average, which irons out the month-to-month ups and downs and shows the trend, fell by 236,000 in November, after having stabilized in the prior three months: People quit quitting. The layoff headlines since mid-2022 scared workers into hanging on to their jobs, and fewer of them went chasing after the greener grass on the other side of the fence. There is a lot of anecdotal reporting about workers who don’t want to return to the office biting the bullet and returning to the office at least a few days a week, rather than quitting to find a remote job. Voluntary quits fell by 157,000 to 3.47 million, after having stabilized over the prior four months. The three-month moving average (3MMA) fell by 64,000 to 3.58 million. Quits are now back in the range where they had been during the Good Times before the pandemic. Fewer quits translates into fewer newly vacant slots – so fewer job openings – and employers have to hire fewer people to fill those job openings – so fewer hires – and it means less churn and a more stable workforce, and that’s good for employers, but not so good for workers. It’s a sign that power in the labor market has shifted from workers back to employers. Layoffs and discharges dropped by 116,000 in November to 1.53 million, and are in a historically very low range. Businesses across the US fire workers for a variety of reasons all the time. When discharges are done for economic reasons, they’re “layoffs,” and when they’re done for other reasons, such as performance, they’re “discharges.” During the Good Times in 2014-2019, layoffs and discharges averaged 1.8 million per month. That was just part of a normal labor market. During the Great Recession, at the peak, layoffs and discharges exceeded 2.5 million a month. In March 2020, they exceeded 13 million. The three-month moving average dropped by 52,000 to 1.59 million, well below the low points in the years before the pandemic: New hires… With fewer people quitting and fewer people getting fired or laid off, there were fewer vacant slots to fill, and so hires dropped further. Hires in November fell by 363,000 to 5.46 million. The three-month moving average fell by 128,000 to 5.73 million, in the middle of the range of 2018 and 2019. This is another sign that the incredible churn in the labor market during the pandemic has subsided and that demand for labor has returned to normal-ish levels, and that workers no longer enjoy the power they used to have a couple of years ago.

Job Openings by Industry: From Construction at New Highs to Information where Openings Vanished by Wolf Richter -Earlier today, we discussed how job openings, voluntary quits, layoffs & discharges, and new hires showed that power in the labor market has shifted from workers back to employers.Now we look at job openings by industry for November, based on data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which is based on a large survey of employers and not on internet job postings.We’ll start with construction, because that’s the good news, and we’ll follow up with information, an industry that includes some tech and social media companies, where job openings collapsed. And then we’ll look at some the major industry categories in between. All charts are the three-month moving averages (3MMA), which iron out the month-to-month ups and downs and show the trends. We also compare the 3MMA of November job openings to the same period in 2019. Construction (8 million employees in all types of construction) is looking for you! We discussed the eyepopping boom in factory construction in December. Investment in buildings and infrastructure has been growing. Growth in single-family residential construction has resurged in the second half of 2023. And the labor market for construction workers is tight.

• Job openings 3MMA: +28,000
• To 434,000 openings, highest in the data
• From 2019: +44%

“Information,” a small sector with only 3 million employees, includes companies engaged in web search portals, data processing, data transmission, information services, software publishing, motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting including over the Internet, and telecommunications. The three-month moving average has dropped so sharply in 2023 that in November, it was 20% below the same period in 2019! Job openings 3MMA: -23,000 To 127,000 openings. From 2019: -18% Professional and business services, a huge category with 22 million employees. The category includes Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Administrative and Support, and Waste Management and Remediation Services. This industry category includes some of the tech and social media companies. Others are in the “information” sector or in other categories. The job market in this sector has loosened up some but still remains tight, with job openings still 35% higher than in the same period of 2019: Job openings 3MMA: -43,000 To 1.64 million openings From 2019: +35%. Manufacturing, 13 million employees. The labor shortages have vanished, but the job market remains fairly tight. Compared to 2019, job openings were up by 36%. Job openings 3MMA: -19,000 To 570,000 openings From 2019: +36% Healthcare and social assistance, 21 million employees: Job openings 3MMA: -32,000 To 1.71 million openings From 2019: +49%. Leisure and hospitality, 16 million employees: Job openings 3MMA: -30,000 To 1.25 million openings From 2019: +25%.

Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease to 202,000 - The DOL reported: In the week ending December 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 202,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 218,000 to 220,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,750, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 212,000 to 212,500.The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased to 207,750.

ADP: Private Employment Increased 164,000 in December - From ADP: ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by 164,000 Jobs in December; Annual Pay was Up 5.4% Private sector employment increased by 164,000 jobs in December and annual pay was up 5.4 percent year-over-year, according to the December ADP® National Employment ReportTM produced by the ADP Research Institute® in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab (“Stanford Lab”). The ADP National Employment Report is an independent measure and high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on actual, anonymized payroll data of more than 25 million U.S. employees. ...“We're returning to a labor market that's very much aligned with pre-pandemic hiring,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “While wages didn't drive the recent bout of inflation, now that pay growth has retreated, any risk of a wage-price spiral has all but disappeared.” This was above the consensus forecast of 130,000. The BLS report will be released Friday, and the consensus is for 158 thousand non-farm payroll jobs added in November.

Manufacturing Jobs Decline In Latest ADP Report, Services Soar - After four straight months of disappointments, ADP Employment Report printed +164k jobs in December, better than the +125k expected, up from a revised +101k gain in November. That is the largest monthly job gain since August with Services jobs dominating once again (+155k Services vs +9k Goods-producing). The advance was led by services sectors including leisure and hospitality and education and health services, while Manufacturing and mining saw job declines. Wage growth continued to slow: Job-changers wage growth dropped to 8.0% from 8.3%, lowest since May 2021 Job-stayers wage growth dropped to 5.4% from 5.6%, lowest since August 2021 "We're returning to a labor market that's very much aligned with pre-pandemic hiring," said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. "While wages didn't drive the recent bout of inflation, now that pay growth has retreated, any risk of a wage-price spiral has all but disappeared." The MidWest and South saw job declines of 21k and 7k respectively while The West and Northeast saw job gains soar (+109k and +94k respectively) Finally, we note that ADP has under-estimated the print for BLS for the last three months...

December Employment Report: 216 thousand Jobs, 3.7% Unemployment Rate - From the BLS: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 216,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in government, health care, social assistance, and construction, while transportation and warehousing lost jobs....The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for October was revised down by 45,000, from +150,000 to +105,000, and the change for November was revised down by 26,000, from +199,000 to +173,000. With these revisions, employment in October and November combined is 71,000 lower than previously reported.The first graph shows the jobs added per month since January 2021.Total payrolls increased by 216 thousand in December. Private payrolls increased by 164 thousand, and public payrolls increased 52 thousand.Payrolls for October and November were revised down 71 thousand, combined.The second graph shows the year-over-year change in total non-farm employment since 1968.In December, the year-over-year change was 2.70 million jobs. Employment was up solidly year-over-year but has slowed closer to more normal levels of job growth recently.The third graph shows the employment population ratio and the participation rate.The Labor Force Participation Rate decreased to 62.5% in December, from 62.8% in November. This is the percentage of the working age population in the labor force.The Employment-Population ratio decreased to 60.1% from 60.4% (blue line). The fourth graph shows the unemployment rate.The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7% in December from 3.7% in November.This was above consensus expectations; however, October and November payrolls were revised down by 71,000 combined.

A Jobs Report of an Economy Plugging Along Just Fine Despite 5.5% Rates & Recession Fears. But Wage Growth Heats Up by Wolf Richter • It was the kind of jobs data you’d expect from an economy that is plugging along just fine. The number of payroll jobs created by employers was “better than expected,” the prior two months were revised down, and after revisions, over the past three months, companies added 494,000 workers to their payrolls, bringing the total number of jobs to a record 157.2 million, as per the surveys of employers. In all of 2023, employers added 2.70 million workers to their payrolls, which was one of the better years of the past 25 years – despite the interest rates that the Fed jacked up to 5.5%: Employment in the vast and diversified US labor market doesn’t suddenly plunge from one month to the next, unless there is some kind of shock, such as the Lehman bankruptcy or a lockdown. Efforts to measure the details of this vast and complex labor market monthly via surveys of employers and households create monthly ups and downs that then show up in the headlines, when in fact the trends did not change. A cottage industry has sprung up around predicting what this or that number would be for the month, and then the headlines will have “more than expected” or “less than expected” in it, as if it made any difference what anyone expected about this monthly up-and-down noise. So people poured over today’s jobs data, picking apart the monthly ups and downs, arguing over the seasonal adjustments, revisions, the structure of the data itself, and whatnot. But we want to see the trends. Overall employment, those with salaried jobs and the self-employed, a broader and more volatile measure based on a survey of households, dropped bigly in December, after a big jump in November, after a drop in October, etc., and that stuff happens, I mean who wants to answer surveys just before Christmas or Thanksgiving. So over the past three months, the total number of working people fell by 367,000. But over the prior three months, they’d jumped by 546,000, and that’s how it goes with this volatile stuff, and one month doesn’t show anything other than noise. In all of 2023, total employment increased by 1.88 million, which is typical for an economy that is plugging along just fine – despite the 5.5% interest rates. The number of unemployed people who are actively looking for a job, after wobbling higher from historic lows at the beginning of 2023, thereby showing some cooling of the overheated labor market, suddenly dipped by 446,000 over the past three months, and the three-month moving average shows this. Maybe more noise, maybe the beginning of a trend: All year, folks have been hoping that a significant drop in the labor market would “force” the Fed to cut rates in 2023. But that didn’t happen. The labor market has been plugging along at a good clip all year, and the expected decline in jobs packaged with a recession – the most widely anticipated recession ever – has failed to appear. We can quibble with some of the details, but overall, the jobs data has been fine all year, exactly what you’d expect from an economy that’s just plugging right along. And there has been nothing in this labor market data that would “force” the Fed to cut rates and end this horrible record QT and start QE all over again in their dreams because QE, or the hopes for QE, has been the only thing that works for stocks. But on the inflation front, some concerns are building up in the other direction: Average hourly earnings of “production and non-supervisory employees,” after cooling sharply, are reaccelerating. These “production and non-supervisory employees” – the bulk of total employment but excluding the management types – include working supervisors and all employees in nonsupervisory roles, including engineers, designers, doctors and nurses, teachers, office workers, sales people, bartenders, technicians, drivers, retail workers, wait staff, construction workers, plumbers, etc. The 3MMA in December rose to 0.39%. Annualized, that’s 4.8%, the highest since January 2023. The month-to-month wage increases jump up and down a lot. Maybe just more noise, or maybe the beginning of a new trend of wage growth in the 4% to 5% range: Hot wage increases were a persistent topic during Powell’s press conferences in 2022 and earlier in 2023. Then the topic shifted to wage increases cooling off, which introduced the hot-button topic of being done with the rate hikes, and maybe seeing a few cuts in 2024 – a gazillion rate cuts, according to Wall Street bets, because, well, we don’t know why. So now we can look forward to the new topic of wage growth re-accelerating?

Comments on December Employment Report – McBride - The headline jobs number in the December employment report was above expectations, however employment for the previous two months was revised down by 71,000, combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio both decreased, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%. Leisure and hospitality gained 40 thousand jobs in December. At the beginning of the pandemic, in March and April of 2020, leisure and hospitality lost 8.2 million jobs, and are now down 163 thousand jobs since February 2020. So, leisure and hospitality has now added back about 98% all of the jobs lost in March and April 2020. Construction employment increased 17 thousand and is now 448 thousand above the pre-pandemic level. Manufacturing employment increased 6 thousand jobs and is now 201 thousand above the pre-pandemic level. Typically, retail companies start hiring for the holiday season in October, and really increase hiring in November. Here is a graph that shows the historical net retail jobs added for October, November and December by year. Seasonal Retail HiringThis graph really shows the collapse in retail hiring in 2008. Since then, seasonal hiring had increased back close to more normal levels. Note: I expect the long-term trend will be down with more and more internet holiday shopping. Retailers hired 120 thousand workers Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) net in December. This was above last year. This was seasonally adjusted (SA) to a gain of 17 thousand jobs in December. Since the overall participation rate is impacted by both cyclical (recession) and demographic (aging population, younger people staying in school) reasons, here is the employment-population ratio for the key working age group: 25 to 54 years old. The 25 to 54 years old participation rate declined in December to 83.2% from 83.3% in November, and the 25 to 54 employment population ratio declined to 80.4% from 80.7% the previous month. Both are close to the pre-pandemic levels. The graph shows the nominal year-over-year change in "Average Hourly Earnings" for all private employees from the Current Employment Statistics (CES). There was a huge increase at the beginning of the pandemic as lower paid employees were let go, and then the pandemic related spike reversed a year later. Wage growth has trended down after peaking at 5.9% YoY in March 2022 and was at 4.1% YoY in December. From the BLS report: "The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.2 million, changed little in December but was up by 333,000 over the year. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs." The number of persons working part time for economic reasons decreased in December to 4.21 million from 3.99 million in November. This is at pre-recession levels. These workers are included in the alternate measure of labor underutilization (U-6) that increased to 7.1% from 7.0% in the previous month. This is down from the record high in April 2020 of 23.0% and up from the lowest level on record (seasonally adjusted) in December 2022 (6.5%). (This series started in 1994). This measure is close to the 7.0% level in February 2020 (pre-pandemic). This graph shows the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more. According to the BLS, there are 1.245 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks and still want a job, up from 1.220 million the previous month. This is down from post-pandemic high of 4.174 million, and up from the recent low of 1.050 million. This is close to pre-pandemic levels. Through December 2023, the employment report indicated positive job growth for 36 consecutive months, putting the current streak in 5th place of the longest job streaks in US history (since 1939). Summary: The headline monthly jobs number was above consensus expectations; however, employment for the previous two months was revised down by 71,000, combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio both decreased, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%. Another solid employment report. The headline jobs number in the December employment report was above expectations, however employment for the previous two months was revised down by 71,000, combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio both decreased, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%.

December jobs report: consistent with a “soft landing,” despite discordance in household data --My focus remains on whether jobs gains are most consistent with a “soft landing,” i.e., no further deterioration, or whether deceleration is ongoing; and more specifically: Whether there is further deceleration in jobs gains compared with the last 6-month average. Whether the unemployment rate is neutral or decreasing; or whether there is further weakness; and Based on the leading relationship of the quits rate to average hourly earnings, weather YoY wage growth continues to decline slightlyThe news on all three was good. The six-month average of jobs gained has steadied, at 198,500 an increase from last month. The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.7%. Average hourly wages for nonsupervisory workers also remained steady at 4.3%. There is an important caveat about this month’s numbers: data from the household report’s seasonal adjustments was changed. This means that m/m changes in those metrics (which were otherwise very bad) need to be taken with a hefty dose of salt.Here’s my in depth synopsis.

• 216,000 jobs added. On a YoY basis, jobs rounded to up 1.7%, down -0.1% from last month, and the lowest % gain since March 2021
• Both October and November were revised downward, by -45,000 and -26,000 respectively, for a total of -71,000. This continued the steady drumbeat of downward revisions that we saw almost all last year. The 3-month moving average declined from 180,000 to a new post-pandemic low of 165,000.
• Private sector jobs increased 164,000. Government jobs increased by 52,000.
• The alternate, and more volatile measure in the household report, declined by -683,000. November, which was originally reported as a big rebound of 747,000, was also revised downward to 586,000. More importantly, the YoY% gain in this report – which avoids issues with seasonal adjustment – declined to +1.2%, the lowest since the pandemic lockdowns.
• The U3 unemployment rate remained at 3.7%. The civilian labor force, the denominator in the figure, declined by -676,000, while the numerator, the number of unemployed, rose a tiny 6,000.
• The U6 underemployment rate increased +0.1% to 7.1%, 0.6% above its low of December 2022.
• Further out on the spectrum, those who are not in the labor force but want a job now increased 328,000 to 5.671 million, vs. its post-pandemic low of 4.925 million set last March.
• the average manufacturing workweek, one of the 10 components of the Index of Leading Indicators, declined another -0.1 hours to 40.4, equal to its lows earlier this year and down -1.1 hours from its February 2022 peak of 41.5 hours.
• Manufacturing jobs rose 6,000.
• Within that sector, motor vehicle manufacturing jobs declined 2,100.
• Construction jobs increased by 17,000.
• Residential construction jobs, which are even more leading, rose by 3,900. This is a new post-pandemic high.
• Goods jobs as a whole rose 22,000 to a new expansion high. These should decline before any recession occurs. They remain up 1.0% YoY, which is an average pace compared with most of the last 40 years, although the trend continues to be slight deceleration.
• Temporary jobs, which have generally been declining late 2022, declined again, by -33,300, and are down about -250,000 since their peak in March 2022.
• the number of people unemployed for 5 weeks or fewer rose 122,000 to 2,191,000.
• Average Hourly Earnings for Production and Nonsupervisory Personnel increased $.10, or +0.3%, to $29.42, a YoY gain of +4.3%. This is unchanged from one month ago, but remains the lowest since June 2021.
• the index of aggregate hours worked for non-managerial workers fell -0.1%, but is up 1.4% YoY, an improvement from October’s low of 1.0%.
• the index of aggregate payrolls for non-managerial workers rose 0.2%, and is up 5.8% YoY. This is 0.3% above the YoY low set in October, and 2.7% above the most recent inflation rate, meaning average working-class families have more buying power.
• Leisure and hospitality jobs, which were the most hard-hit during the pandemic, rose another 40,000, which is still -163,000, or -0.9% below their pre-pandemic peak.
• Within the leisure and hospitality sector, food and drink establishments rose 22,100. This sector has completely recovered from its pandemic downturn.
• Professional and business employment increased 13,000. These tend to be well-paying jobs. This series has declined by -71,000 since last May and is currently up only 0.6% YoY. This appears to be mainly fueled by retrenchment in tech jobs.
• The employment population ratio declined -0.3% to 60.1%, vs. 61.1% in February 2020.
• The Labor Force Participation Rate also declined -0.3% to 62.5%, vs. 63.4% in February 2020.

SUMMARY: This month’s report was complicated by annual revisions to seasonal adjustments in the household report. As a result, the generally very poor numbers in that portion of the report need to be taken with lots of salt, although the YoY comparisons are not affected. Meanwhile, the establishment report, which gives us job gains and losses in various sectors, was generally positive and did not show any marked deceleration compared with earlier in 2023.On the positive side, manufacturing, construction, and goods producing jobs generally continued to increase. These should all roll over before any recession were to begin. Residential construction in particular continued to rebound. Leisure and hospitality jobs continued to make up lost ground. Professional and business jobs staged a slight rebound. Nominal YoY wage growth was steady, and above inflation. Only the continued decline in temporary help jobs, and a decline in vehicle manufacturing jobs, were blemishes, with a more concerning drop in aggregate hours worked by nonsupervisory personnel.For the record, the household report showed big declines in the number of employed, the labor force participation ratio, the employment population ratio, and those who are not employed but want a job now. The underemployment rate rose slightly, as did the level of short term unemployment. Only the headline unemployment rate, and the number of unemployed, remained steady.Overall, to return to the theme with which I began this note, December’s employment situation was consistent with a “soft landing,” and did not show any significant continued deceleration in the important metrics I have been monitoring.

Migrants taking trains from New Jersey to NYC after bus arrivals restricted: officials -- After New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) restricted bus arrivals last week in an effort to curb a surge of migrants, bus operators appear to have found a loophole by dropping migrants off at a New Jersey train station from which they can continue on into the city.Under an executive order announced last week, Adams is requiring bus operators who are aware they are transporting migrants with fares paid for “by a third party” to provide the city with notice at least 32 hours ahead of their anticipated arrival. However, New Jersey officials say bus drivers have found a way around the new restrictions by dropping off the migrants at Secaucus Junction Train Station — about a 15-minute ride from New York City. Tyler Jones, a spokesperson from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) office, said bus operators are also dropping off migrants at train stations throughout the state.“Our Administration has tracked the recent arrival of a handful buses of migrant families at various NJ TRANSIT train stations,” Jones said in a statement to The Hill. “New Jersey is primarily being used as a transit point for these families — all or nearly all of them continued with their travels en route to their final destination of New York City.”“We are closely coordinating with our federal and local partners on this matter, including our colleagues across the Hudson,” he added.New York City has been inundated by arrivals of migrants over the last year, with the mayor’s office saying the city has taken in more than 160,000 asylum-seekers so far. Adams has repeatedly called on the federal government to assist the city, saying that the influx is too much for it to handle. Republican-led states have been busing migrants to Democratic-led cities over the past year as the country grapples with how to deal with the migrant crisis. Adams’s executive order last week aimed to limit the number of bus arrivals in the city from states such as Texas and Florida. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli suggested that the restrictions placed by Adams may be too strict.“It seems quite clear the bus operators are finding a way to thwart the requirements of the Executive Order by dropping migrants at the train station in Secaucus and having them continue to their final destination,” Gonnelli said in a statement.“Perhaps the requirements Mayor Adams put in place are too stringent and are resulting in unexpected consequences as it seems the bus operators have figured out a loophole in the system in order to ensure the migrants reach their final destination, which is New York City,” Gonnelli added.

'Sanctuary' City New York Sues Texas Charter Bus Companies For $700 Million Over Migrant Dropoffs -- New York City is suing more than a dozen charter bus and transportation companies involved in busing migrants to the self-proclaimed 'sanctuary' for migrants that now wants nothing to do with them. "New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone," said NYC Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday. "Today, we are taking legal action against 17 companies that have taken part in Texas Governor Abbott’s scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to New York City in an attempt to overwhelm our social services system." According to the lawsuit, the companies have violated New York state law by failing to pay for the cost of caring for migrants, which the city says amounts to $708 million in damages for what's already been spent caring for them. The filing cites New York law that requires anyone who brings a "needy person" from out of state for the purposes of making them the state's problem, either take them out of the state or support them. "Governor Abbott’s continued use of migrants as political pawns is not only chaotic and inhumane but makes clear he puts politics over people. Today’s lawsuit should serve as a warning to all those who break the law in this way," said Adams, who's been at war with the Texas governor for sending illegal immigrants to the sanctuary city. Meanwhile, staggering footage from Wednesday has shown hundreds of migrants - mostly young men - lining up around a block for shelter in Manhattan. According to Adams in a statement to Fox5, "We're getting close to anywhere from 2,500 to peaking at 4,000 a week.""We were not just saying we're out of room as a soundbite," he continued, citing the more than 161,000 migrants who have arrived in the Big Apple since the spring of 2022."We're out of room, literally" he said. "People are going to be eventually sleeping on the streets."Adams also recently announced an executive order which requires charter buses to provide at least 32 hours' notice before they arrive in NYC, as well as a requirement to arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. between Monday and Friday - and to drop off at one specific spot, Fox News reports.

Some parents are prosecuted or fined when children miss school --A judge in Missouri sentenced a single mother to jail when her kindergartner missed school. Student truancy can still go to court. The 5-year-old missed school for a doctor’s appointment. The next day he had a fever. Once, his mother had car trouble, and the boy missed a day. Another time, his family fell sick with covid-19. And then there was the day he missed school when his mother brought him to his brother’s medical appointment, knowing she would not make it to school pickup on time.The kindergartner racked up 14 absences in five or so months — half of them without explanation — according to his Missouri school district, which steered the case to prosecutors. His mother, Tamarae LaRue, wasconvicted of violating the state’s compulsory attendance law, a verdict the state Supreme Court upheld several months ago.The episode ultimately sent LaRue to jail for 15 days — her case showing some of the more punitive stakes as chronic student absenteeism remains at near-record highs and many areas around the country seek to combat the problem.“We see a lot of states that have policies where parents can be sanctioned for truancy,” said Nina Salomon, deputy division director of corrections and reentry with the Council of State Governments Justice Center. “They can end up in jail. They can have a significant number of fines or fees associated with a truancy petition. There are a lot of different approaches across the country.”More than 14.7 million students across the country were considered “chronically absent” in 2021-2022 — 80 percent higher than before the pandemic, according to researchers. Chronic absenteeism typically means missing at least 18 days of a school year, or 10 percent, excused or unexcused.School officials often work with families to resolve problems that hamper attendance. But students with multiple unexcused absences may also be found “truant,” which can lead to more-severe consequences.

Judge ridicules book-ban law so strict characters can't be identified as male or female --A judge's ruling effectively ridiculed attempts to enforce a book-banning law in Iowa that he said was so strict it made using any pronouns — including his and hers — illegal.U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher granted a preliminary injunction to the law Friday that bans library books that depict any sex acts and forbids teachers from discussing gender identity, NBC News reported.The law had been signed last year by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. It was meant to take effect on New Year’s Day. But Locher wrote that it was far too broad.“The underlying message is that there is no redeeming value to any such book even if it is a work of history, self-help guide, award-winning novel, or other piece of serious literature,” he wrote.“In effect, the Legislature has imposed a puritanical ‘pall of orthodoxy’ over school libraries.”He said he’d seen no evidence that the book had caused any “significant problems.”And he said the law’s restrictions on gender identity were so broad that it forbade recognizing any gender or relationship — including straight ones.“The statute is therefore content-neutral but so wildly overbroad that every school district and elementary school teacher in the State has likely been violating it since the day the school year started,” he wrote. The law was set to take effect on the 1stCharacters couldn’t even be identified as male or female, “as any such discussion would, again, amount to promotion or instruction that relates to the person’s gender identity.”

Keeping children safe in a rapidly changing digital landscape - Twenty years after starting as an intern at an organization to help create a safe media environment for children, Josh Golin is leading the group’s efforts as its executive director. The mission of Fairplay, formerly known as the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, has stayed the same. But along the way, Golin, who took over as executive director in 2015, has seen how its target shifts.“When I started doing this work, we were primarily focused on things like television commercials, and junk food marketing to kids and the childhood obesity epidemic,” he told The Hill in a recent interview.Those issues are still a concern, but Golin said the rise of social media was a turning point, specifically pointing to the launch of YouTube Kids in 2015.“That really precipitated a shift where we started looking at the design of platforms. And not just looking at the effects of the actual advertisements and marketing on children, but really looking at the entire ecosystem and how it was built for advertisers at children’s expense as kind of being the core and key issue,” Golin said. Golin said a big milestone moment was in 2019, when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settled with Google over illegal data collection on YouTube, triggered by a complaint the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood filed along with the Center for Digital Democracy. The settlement required Google and its subsidiary YouTube to pay $170 million to settle allegations of collecting personal information from children without their parents’ consent, in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). In response, YouTube alsopublished a blog post about updates to better protect data for children’s content.“We don’t think that settlement was strong enough. It should have been for more money. There should have been different ways about the way it was implemented. But it was really important. It was the first time a major platform was forced by regulators to change how they were interacting with children,” Golin said.That outcome led the group to change its focus on advocacy work. Before then, the group was active at the FTC mostly to garner media attention or pressure the companies to change, he said.

Ohio Governor Who Vetoed Bill Blocking Sex-Changes For Children Took $40K From Pro-Trans Hospitals -- What a shock... Ohio's 'Republican' governor, Mike DeWine, took over $40,000 from hospitals which prescribe puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children, before vetoing a bill that would outlaw puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children.DeWine stunned state Republicans on Friday, vetoing House Bill 68, which would also prevent transgender athletes (dudes) from competing in girls' sports.According to The Federalist Papers;A review of donations from 2018 to 2023 reveals that the governor received a total of $40,300 from the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA), Cincinnati Children’s, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and ProMedica Children’s Hospital.The OCHA donated $10,000 to the Mike DeWine and Jon Husted Transition Fund on Dec. 28, 2018, and another $10,000 on Dec. 7, 2022, according to the report. This transition fund allows candidates to spend donations for “transition activities and inaugural celebrations,” as outlined in Ohio’s campaign finance handbook.Affiliates of OCHA, such as Cincinnati Children’s and ProMedica, also made significant contributions. Cincinnati Children’s donated $300 on Dec. 15, 2022, and ProMedica, another affiliate of OCHA, donated $10,000 in December 2018. Nationwide Children’s, a third affiliate with OCHA, donated $5,000 in December 2018 and another $5,000 in January 2023 to the transition fund.The Cincinnati Children's and Nationwide Children's hospitals, for example, offer gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, and have no stated age limit guidelines for patients.Nick Lashutka, president of the OCHA, slammed House Bill 68 during testimony, arguing that it "strips away" the rights of parents and their transgender children.Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s statement on the veto was incredible (see clipped video): “Were Ohio to pass HB68, it would be saying that the state knows better, what is medically best for their child, than the two people who love that child the most: their parents.”

Chinese exchange student found in Utah mountains in suspected ‘cyber kidnapping’ - A foreign exchange student has been found after being reported missing last week, according to local authorities. The student, Kai Zhuang, had been staying with a host family in Riverdale, Utah, at the time of the incident. Riverdale Police said they received a report of a kidnapping Friday. “Officers were contacted by the high school of the missing foreign exchange student,” a Sunday press release by Riverdale Police read. “The high school reported to Riverdale Police that they were contacted by the victim’s parents in China. The parents reported to school officials that they received a photograph of their child that would indicate he was abducted, and they requested a ransom.” Kai’s family told police that they transferred around $80,000 dollars “to bank accounts in China due to continuous threats from the kidnappers.” Police said they believed Kai had been “isolating himself at the direction” of so-called cyber kidnappers, and that they were notified by the FBI about cases with similar backgrounds to Kai’s. “Cyber kidnappers have been targeting foreign exchange students, in particular, Chinese foreign exchange students,” the release read. “The kidnappers threaten the young foreign exchange students and their family and they demand ransom. They tell the victims to isolate themselves and they monitor them through Facetime calls and or Skype.” Kai was later found in a tent near Brigham City, Utah, “alive but very cold and scared,” authorities said. He had “no heat source” in the tent, but did have some food and water and a sleeping bag, among other items.

A couple paid $80,000 after being told their teen son was kidnapped. He was found living in a tent outside Salt Lake City, police said. -A Chinese couple was scammed out of $80,000 after being told their son was kidnapped during his student exchange program in Utah, the police said on Sunday. But Kai Zhuang, 17, was, in fact, camping alone outside Salt Lake City in freezing temperatures at the ransomers' instruction, the Riverdale Police Department said in a statement. Authorities said Zhuang was a victim of "cyberkidnapping," a ploy to convince families to pay a ransom over a kidnapping that never happened. Scammers often target Chinese foreign exchange students, who are contacted via FaceTime or Skype and told to follow instructions or risk their families being threatened. These students are ordered to isolate themselves and send photos depicting themselves as captives. The criminals then send the photos to the victim's family with a ransom note. "The cyberkidnappers continue to extort the family by using fear, tactics, photos, and voice recordings of the victim, leading the family to believe the kidnappers are with the victim causing them harm," Riverdale police said. Zhuang is believed to have initially been told to camp by himself away from his host family in Riverdale, the police said. He tried to follow those instructions on December 20, according to officials. Police in Provo, a city to the south of Salt Lake City, found Zhuang carrying camping equipment that day. The officers didn't know Zhuang was under duress and took him back to his host family, the police said. But he left his host family again shortly after, and on Thursday, his parents in China contacted his school, saying they had received a ransom note. According to the Riverdale police, the family had already paid $80,000 to bank accounts in China amid "continuous threats." The police said they visited Zhuang's host family, who hadn't realized he was missing that day. So authorities launched a search for Zhuang with helicopters and drones while using his phone and bank records to track his location. A detective hiking up a mountainside near Brigham City eventually found the teenager "alive but very cold and scared" in a tent in the woods, the police said.

New FAFSA launches after a long delay, but with issues -- A simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid is finally online after a significant delay.However, as part of a “soft launch,” the new FAFSA form has only been periodically available. It’s likely few, if any, of the millions of students applying to college for the 2024-25 academic year have been able to successfully submit an application, according to higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.“I am convinced that nobody has been able to submit the form,” he said.“Congress required the FAFSA to be available before Jan. 1, 2024. They missed that deadline,” Kantrowitz said.“Leading up to and as part of the soft launch, we have identified some minor issues,” the U.S. Department of Education said in a statement Sunday . “We are aware of these issues and are working to resolve them.”For now, Kalman Chany, a financial aid consultant and author of The Princeton Review’s “Paying for College,” advises students and families not to panic. “If you are having access issues, it is better to wait,” he said.“They had to have something available even if it wasn’t ready for prime time.”Even if students do submit a completed 2024–25 FAFSA form early this year, that information won’t be sent to schools until late January, the Department of Education also said, “so you will have ample time to fill out the form and do not need to rush to complete the form during the soft launch.”With the delayed timeline, colleges might still be able to get financial aid award offers done by late March or early April, according to Kantrowitz. “Otherwise, it will be a complete disaster,” he said. “Families will not be able to get financial aid offers in a timely manner. Already, students who applied early action or early decision do not have award offers.”Not only has the timing changed, but the simplified form now also uses a calculation called the “Student Aid Index” to estimate how much a family can afford to pay.Under the new system, more low- and moderate-income students will have access to federal grants, but the changes will reduce eligibility for some wealthier families.And, as part of the FAFSA simplification, families will no longer get a break for having multiple children in college at the same time, effectively eliminating the “sibling discount.”For now, the new FAFSA also relies on old consumer price index figures from 2020, which don’t account for the recent runup in inflation. That could mean many students “will get less financial aid than they deserve,” Kantrowitz said.“It is a pretty big deal,” he said. “We are talking about thousands of additional dollars that families will have to pay for college.”All families of four in this application cycle with adjusted available income over $35,000 will be affected by the failure to make inflationary adjustments, with middle- and higher-income students the hardest hit, according to Kantrowitz. There will be less of an effect on lower-income students whose expected family contribution was already $0.

The future of higher education in America looks bleak. Joel Eissenberg -- I got my BA from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1977. At the time, the university charged no tuition, but “fees” were about $165/quarter for a full load. Of course, as a state university, it was heavily subsidized by state tax dollars. Quite a feat for a state that has no income tax. The business model for higher education has been changing for a while. Small private colleges are closing or merging because of declining enrollment. State universities are raising in-state tuition as well as out-of-state tuition to compensate for legislature cuts to education, putting a college degree out of reach of many working class learners. For now, higher education in America is a magnet for foreign students, who are willing to pay full tuition. But as university administrators continue to cut programs and faculty, that won’t be sustainable. “The future of higher education looks bleak. Money will flow to elites in private schools, who will benefit from comprehensive language instruction, liberal arts, inclusive critical thinking skills, and a global curriculum, and thus have access to global careers in the arts, finance, diplomacy, national security, international business, international law, AI, and other fields. Students at state schools will receive the education that the oligarchs want them to, based on their largesse.”

Harvard students call for Gay’s resignation in editorial --Two students at Harvard University called for the resignation of Claudine Gay, the university president, after a series of scandals “plagued our beloved university.”Gay has faced growing pressure and calls for her resignation after dealing with allegations of plagiarism, as well as criticism over her response to antisemitism on campus.The students wrote an op-ed in the school paper, The Harvard Crimson, in which they argued Harvard’s president has a “deeply challenging managerial job” and that she failed.“Our doubts began in the wake of the attacks on Oct. 7. Without question, Gay botched her public response to the crisis,” the students wrote. “Now, on top of these blunders, it has surfaced that Gay plagiarized portions of multiple academic papers. The situation seems to worsen with every passing week.”Gay, alongside the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology presidents, appeared before Congress to testify about their responses to a rise of antisemitism on their campuses since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.The accusations of plagiarism mounted when The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative outlet, found four papers of Gay’s from the 1990s with plagiarism concerns.The Harvard Corporation said an analysis found no violation of Harvard’s standards for research misconduct. Gay reportedly is “proactively requesting” four corrections in two articles, and to insert citations and quotation marks that were omitted from original publication.“President Gay may be a good person. She may even be a praiseworthy scholar, despite the allegations. But that isn’t enough to remain president. The leader of the world’s foremost university must be held to a higher standard, one that Gay has unfortunately failed,” the students wrote.

Harvard's Gay Resigns Following New Allegations Of Plagiarism, Shortest Presidential Tenure In History -- After weeks of mounting evidence that Harvard President Claudine Gay essentially plagiarized her way to the top, Gay announced on Tuesday that she is resigning Tuesday afternoon, the Harvard Crimson reports.Gay’s resignation — just six months and two days into the presidency — comes amid growing allegations of plagiarism and lasting doubts over her ability to respond to antisemitism on campus after her disastrous congressional testimony Dec. 5.Gay weathered scandal after scandal over her brief tenure, facing national backlash for her administration’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and allegations of plagiarism in her scholarly work.This is Claudine Gay's resignation letter. Rather than take responsibility for minimizing antisemitism, committing serial plagiarism, intimidating the free press, and damaging the institution, she calls her critics racist. This is the poison of DEI ideology. Glad she's gone. pic.twitter.com/WlqMKLn6pAThe resignation makes Gay's tenure the shortest in the history of the university. Gay is expected to make a statement about the decision, which came three weeks after the Harvard Corporation - the university's highest governing body - announced unanimous support for Gay after "extensive deliberations."Sounds like they weren't extensive enough.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to fund development of new antibacterial therapy -The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation announced today that it's investing up to $5 million in Ohio-based Clarametyx Biosciences to develop a drug that could help CF patients clear difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. The money will support development of CMTX-101, a monoclonal antibody that has shown the ability to disrupt biofilm formation across several species of bacteria, including the species that tend to cause chronic infection in CF patients, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, and nontuberculosis mycobacteria. CF patients with chronic P aeruginosa infections are currently being enrolled in a phase 1b/2a clinical trial that will investigate the safety and tolerability of CTXM-101 in combination with inhaled tobramycin.Because of the mucus that builds up in their lungs, CF patients are prone to bacterial infections that can exacerbate their condition. Most of those infections involve bacteria that form biofilms—communities of microbes that can grow on human tissue, medical devices, and prosthetic joints and form a protective layer around the bacteria, shielding them from the immune system and antibiotics.CTXM-101 is designed to collapse biofilms by targeting a region of proteins that help stabilize and maintain biofilm integrity. Without the protection of the biofilm, the bacteria causing the infection become more susceptible to antibiotics. CF Foundation officials say the approach may also reduce the inflammation that results from chronic infections in CF patients.

COVID-19 continued decline in 2023, though its impact still resulted in more than 1,900 deaths statewide, according to Ohio Department of Health -- While COVID-19 continues a long-term downward trajectory, Ohio and Dayton-region counties still felt the impact of the virus in 2023, ending the year with a growing percentage of COVID cases stemming from the latest Omicron variant JN.1. “Generally speaking, the situation in terms of the impact of COVID has been improving,” said Dan Suffoletto, public information manager for Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County. The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations fluctuated up and down throughout 2023. The state was coming down from a spike in early January 2023 with approximately 2,428 cases recorded on Jan. 3, 2023, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 dashboard. Increases were seen in early September, going down until late October, when there a gradual increase began to the end of the year. Even with ups and downs, Ohio’s 2023 COVID numbers are dramatically down from 2022′s highest levels — 32,715 cases on Jan. 3, 2022; 366 hospitalizations on Jan. 7; and 192 deaths on Jan. 13, according to ODH data. Cases of COVID-19 continue to be reportable in Ohio, but cases are under-reported due to the availability of at-home testing. Many who do test positive just stay home and self-treat, with no notification. ODH considers hospitalizations to be a better indicator of COVID’s impact, and current hospitalization numbers remain lower than at the same time in each of the past two years. ODH officially recorded 12,453 COVID hospitalizations in 2023 — roughly equivalent to the entire population of West Carrollton, Urbana or Franklin. That number is down 62% from Ohio’s 33,380 COVID hospitalizations in 2022, but there’s some uncertainty to the data. The state cautions that hospitalizations are under-reported on ODH’s date-specific dashboard, as 15,201 hospitalizations have been excluded due to the admission date for those hospitalizations being unknown. Combining the two hospitalization numbers could put the 2023 number at 27,654. The state has had 147,202 COVID hospitalizations since the pandemic began, the majority of them in 2020 and 2021. According to ODH, COVID was responsible for 1,925 Ohioans’ deaths in 2023. The availability of COVID-19 vaccines, along with updated versions of the vaccine, are credited for part of the decrease in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, experts say, though fewer than 10% of Ohioans have received the updated vaccine.

Final COVID-19 update for 2023: mainly good news (at least on a comparative basis) - Final COVID-19 update for 2023: mainly good news (at least on a comparative basis) The Bonddad Blog by New Deal democrat - Dec 31, 2023 - Mark Unread - by New Deal democrat Here is the status of the COVID-19 pandemic as of the end of 2023. It’s mainly “good news,” at least on the comparative scale. But as (now) per usual, we are in the midst of the Thanksgiving through New Year’s surge. Let me start with infections, which these days can only be inferred from wastewater sampling. Per Biobot, we currently have as many infections as we did one year ago at this time (and three years ago as well, to the extent we can trust the skimpy early sampling). In fact, only the original Omicron explosion was signficantly worse than where we are now: Also as per usual for this time of year, the Northeast (Yellow in the graph below) and the Midwest (light purple) are the worst affected regions, probably because they are the coldest regions, leading to much more indoor gathering: But if infections are just as bad as they have been for 2 of the past 3 years at this time, hospitalizations are running only about 70% of last year’s levels at this time (first and last bars below): And deaths are running at about 60% of last year’s at this time: The comparisons are even better when we compare hospitalizations over the entire pandemic: Hospitalizations are only about 30% of what they were at this time at the end of 2020, and only about 20% of what they were during the Omicron wave. Deaths are 10% or less of where they were at year end 2020 or year end 2021: To put some numbers on it, for the 9 months starting April 1 through December 31 each year (measured by the closest reference week),
- in 2020 there were 367,000 deaths
- in 2021 there were 289,000 deaths
- in 2022 there were 96,000 deaths
- in 2023 so far there have been 39.000 deaths. This will probably rise to about 42,000 once updates are complete for the last 3 weeks of December.This will probably rise to about 42,000 once updates are complete for the last 3 weeks of December. That’s a decline of almost 90% from the first year of the pandemic. Last year at this time the BA.4&5 variants were fading, as an alphabet soup of new candidates created more infections. Within a month, XBB had emerged the clear winner: XBB remained the dominant variant almost all this year. Only in the past month has it been supplanted by JN.1: Although there won’t be another update until Friday, as I type this JN.1 probably accounts for about 2/3rd’s of all new infections - which would be equivalent to the entire recent surge. To summarize: COVID has become endemic. Very little in the way of mitigation remains, either by mask-wearing or uptake of the newest booster shot. Despite this, hospitalizations are much improved, and deaths a shadow of what they were early in the pandemic. Some of this is probably better treatments, like Paxlovid, some is better care generally with better understanding of the virus, and much of it is doubtless that a population that has almost universally suffered at least one infection, and many if not most have been vaccinated multiple times, is far harder for the virus to waylay. Some, alas, is also that the most vulnerable have already been killed by the virus, so they aren’t around now.

Another Covid wave hits U.S. as JN.1 becomes dominant variant - The United States is in the throes of another covid-19 uptick, cementing a pattern of the virus surging around the holidays as doctors and public health officials brace for greater transmission after Americans returned to school and work this week. Coronavirus samples detected in wastewater, the best metric for estimating community viral activity, suggests infections could be as rampant as they were last winter. A smattering of health facilities around the country, including every one in Los Angeles County, are requiring masks again. JN.1, the new dominant variant, appears to be especially adept at infecting those who have been vaccinated or previously infected. While photos of positive coronavirus tests are once again proliferating across social media, fewer people are going to the hospital than a year ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 29,000 covid hospitalizations in the week before Christmas, the most recent data, compared with 39,000 the previous year. The agency has reported an average of 1,400 weekly deaths since Thanksgiving, less than half of the fatalities at the same point last year.Even so, covid remains one of the leading causes of death as well as the top driver of respiratory virus hospitalizations — worsening the strain on hospitals also seeing influxes of flu and RSV cases. “Of the three major viruses, it is still the virus putting people in the hospital most and taking their life,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in an interview Wednesday. Even mild cases can lead to the lasting complications inflicted by long covid. The CDC still recommends people isolate for five days after testing positive, though many Americans have stopped doing so and free tests are harder to come by, making it easier for the virus to keep spreading if people don’t know their cold is actually covid. “As with any public health advice, getting people to adhere to policies is always challenging,” said Simbo Ige, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health who is urging residents to follow that guidance. “Appealing to people’s desire to be part of the solution to ending covid or reducing the impact of covid is what we have seen be most effective.”

‘Pirola' JN.1 is the probable future of COVID pandemic, experts warn—but you didn’t hear it from the WHO - In late 2021, on the heels of the deadly Delta wave of infections, a new variant came flying in out of left field—one so highly mutated, so drastically different that it changed the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic.Dubbed Omicron by the World Health Organization, it contained more than 30 mutations that separated it from the original virus—alterations that gave it veritable wings. In short order, its lineage would become the only one of consequence, its progeny able to out-compete all other viral combinations evolution sent its way.Omicron was the beginning of an era—one that, despite its outlandish success in infecting and reinfecting the public, would see the end of both global and national pandemic emergency statuses. For more than two years, COVID and Omicron were all but synonymous. Now, as the world enters its fifth year of COVID, the calculus may have changed, experts say. The new, highly mutated COVID variant JN.1—dubbed “Pirola” by volunteer variant trackers—has achieved global dominance. And like Omicron, it came flying out of left field. Most new variants differ from each other in just one or two small ways. But with its 30-plus additional mutations, Pirola is as genetically divergent from Omicron as Omicron was from the original COVID.In short, JN.1 is, by all appearances, a game changer. Most—if not all—variants of consequence for the foreseeable future could very well evolve from it, experts tell Fortune—until the virus throws another black swan-style curveball, anyway. Whether the WHO will recognize it with a Greek letter—in what would be its first designation in over two years—remains to be seen. As of Jan. 3, it had not—and some experts say that’s a mistake.Among them: Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and a leading authority on the virus. When cases of JN.1 began skyrocketing this fall, “instead of side-stepping, the WHO could have easily given it a new Greek letter,” he told Fortune. When the international health organization declared B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, or VOC, and assigned it the Greek letter Omicron in late November 2021, governments responded, ramping up sequencing and mitigation measures. Travel was restricted; testing was required before flight; masks were required on planes.Aside from prompting governments to take action, Greek letters can—and should—serve as communication tools that “alert the public there is a serious variant” that could fuel a “wave around the world”—even if it isn’t pushing hospitals to the brink, Topol contends. “But they’ve just called it a VOI (variant of interest), and that just doesn’t cut it, with the growth advantage this variant has demonstrated,” he said. “It’s just extraordinary.”

Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 variant – Lancet - The SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 lineage, first identified in August 2023, is phylogenetically distinct from the current circulating SARS-CoV-2 omicron XBB lineages, including EG.5.1 and HK.3. Compared with XBB and BA.2, BA.2.86 carries more than 30 mutations in the spike protein, indicating a high potential for immune evasion.1–4 BA.2.86 has evolved and its descendant, JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1), emerged in late 2023. JN.1 harbours Leu455Ser and three mutations in nonspike proteins (appendix pp 17–18). Spike protein mutation Leu455Ser is a hallmark mutation of JN.1: we have recently shown that HK.3 and other flip variants carry Leu455Phe, which contributes to increased transmissibility and immune escape ability compared with the parental EG.5.1 variant.5 Here, we investigated the virological properties of JN.1. We estimated the relative effective reproductive number of JN.1 using genomic surveillance data from France, the UK, and Spain, where more than 25 sequences of JN.1 have been reported, using a Bayesian multinomial logistic model (appendix pp 10–15, 17–18).6 The reproductive number of JN.1 in these three countries was higher than that of BA.2.86.1 and HK.3, one of the XBB lineages with the highest growth advantage at the end of November, 2023 (appendix pp 17–18).5 These results suggest that JN.1 might soon become the dominant lineage worldwide. Indeed, by the end of November 2023, JN.1 had already overtaken HK.3 in France and Spain (appendix pp 17–18). The in vitro ACE2 binding assay7 showed that the dissociation constant value of the JN.1 receptor-binding domain (RBD) was significantly higher than that of the BA.2.86 RBD (appendix pp 17–18), suggesting that Leu455Ser decreases binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor. In contrast, the pseudovirus assay showed that the infectivity of JN.1 was significantly higher than that of BA.2.86 (appendix pp 17–18). This discrepancy could be due to the difference between monomeric RBD and trimerised whole spike protein (appendix pp 2, 17–18). We then performed a neutralisation assay using rodent sera infected with BA.2.86 or immunised with BA.2.86 spike protein. In both cases, the 50% neutralisation titre (NT50) against JN.1 was similar to that against BA.2.86 (appendix 17–18), suggesting that Leu455Ser does not affect the antigenicity of BA.2.86. On the other hand, the NT50 of breakthrough infection sera with XBB.1.5 and EG.5.1 against JN.1 was significantly lower than that of HK.3 (2·6-fold to 3·1-fold) and BA.2.86 (3·8-fold; appendix pp 17–18). Furthermore, JN.1 shows robust resistance to monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine sera compared with BA.2.86 (appendix 17–18). Taken together, these results suggest that JN.1 is one of the most immuneevading variants to date. Our results suggest that Leu455Ser contributes to increased immune evasion, which partly explains the increased reproductive number of JN.1.

People Report Two 'New' Symptoms Following JN.1 Covid Infection - The JN.1 strain of Covid, which has become dominant globally, is now associated with two new symptoms as reported by patients. This strain, flourishing in countries like the UK, US, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, France, China, and India, is being closely monitored by health officials due to concerns about its potential impact on public health. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, in addition to the common symptoms of Covid such as runny noses, coughs, headaches, and weakness, individuals infected with the JN.1 strain have also reported experiencing trouble sleeping and anxiety. These new symptoms mark a shift in the clinical presentation of the virus. The Winter Coronavirus Infection Study noted an increase in the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in England and Scotland in the weeks leading up to December 13, 2023. Interestingly, there has been a decrease in reports of loss of taste and smell among those infected. Thomas Russo, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York, has expressed concerns about the transmissibility of the JN.1 strain. He notes that JN.1, being a derivative of BA.2.86, may be more transmissible than previous variants. However, he also highlights that the updated vaccine is closer to JN.1, which could potentially protect against severe disease even if cases rise. In light of these developments, health authorities continue to emphasize the importance of vaccination. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been actively encouraging vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and those with health conditions, to get vaccinated against flu and Covid-19. As of the report, millions of eligible adults in England have yet to receive their vaccinations. The emergence of new symptoms and the spread of the JN.1 strain highlight the need for continuous monitoring and research to effectively combat the virus.

Mask mandates return at some US hospitals as COVID, flu jump (Reuters) - Hospitals in at least four U.S. states have reinstated mask mandates amid a rise in cases of COVID, seasonal flu and other respiratory illness. Healthcare facilities in New York, California, Illinois and Massachusetts have made masks mandatory among patients and providers. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told WABC TV on Wednesday that mask mandates had resumed at all 11 of the city's public hospitals, 30 health centers and five long-term care facilities. "What we don't want is staffing shortages, right? When we saw the omicron wave in 2022, the biggest issues were not only people getting sick, but that we had a lot of frontline health workers, they were out with COVID," Vasan told WABC. The most recent weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed there were over 29,000 hospitalizations from COVID across the U.S. from Dec. 17-23, up more than 16% from the previous week. The CDC also reported over 14,700 flu hospitalizations in that same period. Mask mandates were political and cultural flashpoints during the COVID pandemic, sparking anger among those who bucked medical advice and felt masks did little to suppress the spread of the illness. A conservative-dominated Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's federal vaccine-or-test mandate for companies, and a judge appointed by his Republican predecessor struck down his public transportation mask mandate. There was also deep resentment among those who did wear masks and felt their health was put in jeopardy by those who did not. More than 1.1 million Americans have died from COVID, CDC figures show, a greater rate than most other wealthy countries. Rush University medical system in Chicago said on Tuesday that it was requiring "patients, visitors and staff to wear hospital-approved masks in some areas of the campus. They include clinical waiting areas and patient registration." Cook County Health, which encompasses Chicago, and Endeavor Health in the Chicago suburbs, last month started requiring masks again, after the Illinois Department of Public Health asked hospitals to step up mitigation efforts in several areas, including facility-wide masking. In Massachusetts, Berkshire Health Systems began mandatory masking on Wednesday, according to a statement. In California, Los Angeles County on Saturday reinstated masking at all licensed health care facilities, according to a county statement provided to the City News Service.

COVID, flu severity similar, but Omicron BA.5 patients more likely to die, 2021-22 study suggests In 2021 and 2022, the proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 and influenza patients admitted to a US intensive care unit (ICU) were similar, but COVID-19 patients admitted during the Omicron BA.5 variant period were more likely to die in the hospital, according to a study published late last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.A team led by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers analyzed medical records and COVID-19 and flu surveillance network data from selected counties in 14 states from October 2021 to September 2022."After very low levels of influenza circulation during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, circulation increased during the 2021-2022 season," the researchers wrote. "The epidemiology of COVID-19 has also changed during the pandemic with circulation of new variants and increasing population-level immunity."In total, 5,777 and 2,363 eligible adults were hospitalized for COVID-19 and flu, respectively. Amid the Delta variant-predominant period (October to December 2021), 1,632 were hospitalized, compared with 1,451 during the Omicron BA.5 period (June to September 2022). During the 2011-22 respiratory virus season, 2,363 people were hospitalized for flu.During the Delta- and Omicron BA.5- predominant periods, 29.6% and 70.3% of hospitalized adults, respectively, completed at least a primary COVID-19 vaccination series, while 56.2% of flu patients were current on seasonal flu shots.The proportion of COVID-19 patients who were admitted to an ICU, received invasive mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (IMV/ECMO), or died in the hospital declined from the Delta to the Omicron BA.5 period. A similar percentage of Omicron BA.5 and flu patients were admitted to an ICU (15.5% vs 13.3%) and received oxygen via high-flow nasal cannula (7.1% vs 9.5%), noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (11.7% vs 14.4%), or IMV/ECMO (5.9% vs 4.2%).Relative to flu patients, those infected with Omicron BA.5 had higher rates of vasopressor use (8.2% vs 4.8%), renal replacement therapy (5.2% vs 3.4%), and in-hospital death (4.6% vs 2.6%). In-hospital death rates were higher only for those aged 18 to 49 years during the Omicron BA.5 period; there was no difference in death rates for any other age-group between Omicron BA.5 and flu.The reduced disease severity amid Omicron BA.5 predominance is likely multifactorial, including increased population-level SARS-CoV-2 immunity from vaccination and previous infection, broader availability of effective drugs, and refined clinical management strategies, the study authors said."Despite declines in COVID-19 severity, this analysis demonstrates that both viruses continue to cause severe disease among hospitalized patients, and optimizing disease prevention and treatment strategies like vaccinations, antiviral medications, and use of non-pharmaceutical interventions may attenuate severe disease," the researchers wrote. "Continued monitoring of severity trends is warranted as new variants circulate and population-level immunity changes."

Updated COVID vaccine 71% effective against hospitalization for older adults -The estimated effectiveness of the updated COVID-19 vaccine among people aged 60 and older in the Netherlands was 70.7% against hospitalization and 73.3% against intensive care unit (ICU) admission in fall and early winter 2023, according to a study published yesterday in Eurosurveillance.Researchers at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment and University Medical Center Utrecht parsed data on hospitalizations with admission dates from October to December to estimate the effectiveness of the XBB.1.5 Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine among recipients of at least one previous vaccination. The study included 2,050 hospitalized adults aged 60 and older, 14.4% of whom had received the 2023 COVID-19 vaccine."Since October 2023, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA load in sewage water has been rising steadily up to the highest level since start of this surveillance system in 2020, indicating a high level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during the past months," the authors noted.The vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated at 70.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66.6% to 74.3%) against hospitalization and 73.3% (95% CI, 42.2% to 87.6%) against ICU admission. In comparison, the estimated VE of the bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 vaccine available from October 2022 to December 2022 was 64% (95% CI, 59% to 68%) against hospitalization for recipients aged 60 to 79 years. "However, a direct comparison between these seasonal estimates could be confounded by the fact that the 2022 autumn campaign was closer in time to the previous campaign in spring 2022," the researchers wrote.

Less than a third of high-risk COVID outpatients prescribed antivirals, study finds In a clinical cohort study, only 31.9% of high-risk adult COVID-19 outpatients were prescribed an antiviral drug, which the researchers said underscores the need to identify and reduce treatment barriers.A team led by scientists from the California genomics firm Helix analyzed electronic health records from two healthcare systems in Minnesota and Nevada to determine prescribing patterns of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid), molnupiravir, and remdesivir among 3,247 high-risk COVID-19 patients from April 2022 to June 2023.The findings were published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.In total, 31.9% of patients were prescribed a COVID-19 antiviral, the most common of which was Paxlovid (87.6%), followed by molnupiravir (11.9%) and remdesivir (0.5%). The vast majority of patients were given their prescription on either the day they tested positive (30.3%) or the day after (56.3%).The prescribing rate rose slightly over time, from 28.0% in 2022 to 34.6% in 2023. The proportion of patients with underlying conditions prescribed an antiviral was 32.2% to 42.6%. The percentage of patients with Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores of 1, 2, 3-4, and greater than 5 was 26.2% to 45.5%.Antiviral prescribing rates were similar for adults aged 65 and older (39.6%), including those with chronic lung disease (39.8%) or a weakened immune system (43.0%). Of the 1,732 patients (53.3%) with symptoms, prescribing was not meaningfully different overall (35.4% vs 27.9%) among asymptomatic patients or those 65 and older (42.6%).Ages 50 to 64 years and 65 and older (vs 18 to 49); asthma, diabetes, obesity; and CCI values of 1, 2, or 3-4 (vs 0) were significantly tied to a higher likelihood of prescription. Conversely, unvaccinated status (vs vaccinated 0 to 5 months earlier) and having an emergency department or laboratory-only (vs outpatient) visit or chronic kidney disease were significantly linked to lower chances of prescription.

Cost of hospital care rose 26% for COVID-19 patients over course of pandemic, data show --A study published today in JAMA Network Open shows the average direct cost to provide hospital treatment for COVID-19 patients in the United States rose by 26% from 2020 to 2022, with costs increasing even after the launch of vaccination and the emergence of new variants.Though the country has only 4% of the world's population, it saw 15% of the global hospitalizations for COVID-19 and 16.3% of deaths. Hospitalizations peaked during the winter of 2021-22, when the Omicron variant surged. At that time, 20% of US hospital admissions were for COVID-19, and almost 30% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds were used by COVID-19 patients.The cross-sectional study reviewed 1,333,404 inpatient stays across the United States from March 1, 2020, through March 31, 2022. Patients had a primary or secondary COVID-19 diagnosis and were seen at 841 hospitals.Fifty-two percent of the patients were men, with an average patient age of 59.2 years. A total of 35,909 (3%) of the patients were Asian, 181,249 (14%) Hispanic, 292,029 (22%) Black, and 788,727 (59%) White.The mean length of stay was 8.9 days.The adjusted mean cost of an inpatient stay was $11,275 (95% confidence interval [CI], $11,252 to $11,297) overall, increasing from $10,394 (95% CI, $10,228 to $10,559) at the end of March 2020 to $13,072 (95% CI, $12,528 to $13,617) by the end of March 2022, the authors said. That 26% increase is in significant contrast to a 2% to 5% average annual medical cost increase due to inflation.Certain comorbidities significantly increased the costs incurred during a patent stay, with obesity adding $2,924 on average per stay. Coagulation deficiency, or blood clotting disorders, incurred an additional $3,017 in the cost of an inpatient stay.Treatments used during hospital stays also greatly affected costs: Notably, patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) had an adjusted mean cost of $36,484 (95% CI, $34,685 to $38,284).Patients who used invasive mechanical ventilation had an adjusted mean cost of $20,941 (95% CI, $20,685 to $21,198) vs $9,614 (95% CI, $9,530 to $9,697) for those without this treatment. The peak use of both ECMO and mechanical ventilation was in late 2021, when 30% of COVID-19 hospitalized patients required those interventions.

The Washington Post: Four Years On, Long Covid Still Confounds Us. Here’s What We Now Know -- Many people now view covid-19 as an almost routine inconvenience, much like flu, RSV and other seasonal infections. But four years after reports surfaced of a new respiratory illness, prompting a massive response among researchers, the disease’s aftereffects — commonly called long covid — continue to confound doctors and patients alike.“We know a lot about this particular coronavirus,” said Francesca Beaudoin, chair of the department of epidemiology at Brown University. “That does not translate into an understanding of the long-term consequences of infection.”As many as 7 percent of Americans report having suffered from a slew of lingering symptoms after enduring covid-19, including fatigue, difficulty breathing, brain fog, joint pain and ongoing loss of taste and smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there is still no clearly defined cause of, or cure for the syndrome.The costs of our lack of understanding are vast, Beaudoin and others say, creating a huge new burden on the health-care system, as people report limitations in their daily activities including being able to work. What to know:

• How is long covid diagnosed?
• What is long covid, anyway?
• Who gets it?
• Can I stop myself from getting long covid?
• What treatment is available?
• What’s my chance of recovery?

Study describes clinical features that may lead to long COVID -Today a study published in Nature Communications describes features of the acute phase of COVID-19 infection seen in patients who later developed long COVID, and a second study in the same journal suggests that long-COVID fatigue is linked to changes to the mitochondria in muscle cells.The first study looked at patient reported outcomes (PRO) among 590 patients with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), or what is commonly known as long COVID. These symptoms linger after the acute (first 4 weeks) phase of illness, or patients experience new symptoms after acute infections.The study enrolled participants who were hospitalized for COVID-19 from May 5, 2020, to March 19, 2021, at 20 US hospitals. None had been vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of illness.Overall, more than half (52%) of the participants hospitalized with COVID-19 had symptoms lasting 3 months after the acute phase of infection, the authors said. Similar to other studies, long COVID was seen more often in female patients, those with longer hospital stays, and those with multiple comorbidities.The main factors associated with PASC were chronic pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR] 2.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41 to 4.29), and chronic neurologic disorder (OR 2.13; 95% CI, 1.20 to 3.78).A total of 245 participants (52%) had an elevated baseline C-reactive protein, and 297 (50%) had an abnormal baseline D-dimer (> 0.5 mg/L) upon hospital admission. Blood samples showed that patients who reported PASC had lower receptor binding domain and spike antibody (Ab) titers on day 1 of the study."Our data demonstrate that higher SARS-CoV-2 viral burden and lower Ab titers during the acute phase are associated with both the physical predominant deficit as well as the multidomain deficit PRO clusters," the authors wrote.During hospitalization, 76% of participants received oxygen therapy, 68% received steroids and 64% received remdesivir.Among the 52% of participants who reported symptoms 12 weeks post-infection and beyond, 29% reported shortness of breath, 21% reported muscle aches or pain, and 20% reported cough."Any use of [the antiviral drug] remdesivir and steroids in the inpatient period was not associated with a decrease in PASC prevalence," the authors found.

A third in Hong Kong may have had COVID amid Omicron, most with no symptoms -Hong Kong researchers estimate that 33.6% of the adult population had COVID-19 in 2022, 72.1% with no symptoms, according to ananalysis published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.Chinese University of Hong Kong investigators examined the seroprevalence of open reading frame 8 (ORF8) antigens against SARS-CoV-2 to estimate the number of people infected during a spike in Omicron BA.2 variant cases from March to June 2022. In late February 2022, the government mandated self-reporting of positive rapid antigen testing (RAT). A total of 1,028 volunteers who reported no history of COVID-19 infection gave plasma samples for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with ORF8 protein as an antigen. The researchers estimated infections using a model based on rates of positive ELISAs relative to the number of patient-reported cases from the Hong Kong Department of Health.The median participant age was 50 years, 63.9% were women, and all but one reported receiving more than two doses of COVID-19 vaccines.Of all participants, 2.5% had evidence of a previous COVID-19 infection. Among the total population, 16.2% were reported to have had COVID-19 by RAT (6.1%) or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR; 10.1%).Using estimates from their statistical model, the authors inferred that 33.6% (95% credible interval, 32.1% to 34.8%) of the 7.5 million Hong Kong residents (roughly 2.5 million) contracted COVID-19 from January to June 2022. They estimated that 41.8% of reported infections and 72.1% of total cases were asymptomatic."With such a large number of unrecognized cases circulating the virus in the community, it was not surprising that the Omicron outbreak was uncontrollable, even though stringent measures, such as contact tracing and quarantine for close contacts, continued to be in effect," the authors wrote. "Public health agencies need to take into account the potential for substantial undercount of actual numbers of infections when considering the commitment of resources to prevent and control outbreaks."

Long-Term Brain Issues In COVID Patients May Be Linked To Disease Severity, Not COVID Itself: Study A new study reports that brain function can be impaired for 18 months after a person has recovered from COVID-19, especially if the individual was hospitalized. However, COVID-induced cognitive impairment is no more severe than impairment due to other diseases causing hospitalization.The prospective cohort study, published in JAMA Network Open, suggests that the brain health of COVID-19 patients who were ill enough to go to the hospital suffered long-lasting neurological damage that included new psychiatric diagnoses, such as anxiety and depression, fatigue, and sleep issues. Previous studies showed these symptoms occurred among 12 percent to 50 percent of individuals one year after infection. Consistent with these findings, this study found that about 38 percent of study participants still had cognitive symptoms at the 18-month follow-up.The results offer insight into long-COVID symptoms and how the virus can affect the brain over time. Although fewer people are being hospitalized for COVID-19, just over 20,000 Americans were hospitalized for the virus during the last week of December. Researchers looked at 120 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at two hospitals in Copenhagen between March 2020 and March 2021. The average patient was 61 years old, and over half of patients (58 percent) were men. The COVID patients were compared to a control group of hospitalized patients, which included 50 who had non-COVID pneumonia, 50 with myocardial infarction, and 25 in non-COVID-related intensive care. Both the COVID patient group and the control group were assessed for cognitive impairment, underwent psychiatric interviews and neurological examinations, and were assessed for fatigue after they were released from the hospital.When comparing the COVID group with the non-COVID hospitalized control group, the research team found both groups fared similarly in cognitive, psychiatric, and neurological tests 18 months after they left the hospital. However, the COVID group was worse off in overall executive function and sense of smell. Older patients with COVID-19 had a higher risk of cognitive impairment than healthy controls, the research team noted. COVID patients also experienced more psychiatric issues, sleep issues, and problems involving memory between the six-month and 18-month follow-up periods.Despite COVID patients understandably experiencing more cognitive issues than healthy controls, those hospitalized both for COVID and non-COVID illnesses showed comparable cognitive impairment, leading researchers to theorize that cognitive impairment is determined more by illness severity and hospitalization than COVID-19.The new study adds to a growing body of evidence that COVID-19 contributes to cognitive decline, including diminished memory and attention and sleep disturbances. A study conducted by Harvard Medical School in April 2022 noted that patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had such trouble recalling words and paying attention that their cognitive decline equated to losing 10 IQ points. Patients who had to be intubated on ventilators experienced more brain fog, the study found.

US flu and COVID levels climb higher as RSV remains elevated - Doctors visits and hospitalizations for flu and COVID continue to rise across much of the country, and though respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels are still high, activity is dropping in some areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in updates that take stock of the week between Christmas and New Years. Emergency department (ED) visits for flu and COVID are elevated for all age-groups except for school-age children, the CDC said in a respiratory virus snapshot. However, it said holiday-related school closures and related changes in health-seeking behaviors may be impacting those trends. The group added that ED visits for RSV dipped slightly. Inpatient and intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy, another closely watched metric, remained stable for patients admitted for any reason, as well as those admitted for flu and COVID. In its weekly FluView update, the CDC said the percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness rose to 6.9%, up from 6.1% the previous week. At clinical labs, the percentage of respiratory samples that were positive for flu rose to 17.5%, up from 16.1% the week before. The 2009 H1N1 virus is still dominant, though both H3N2 and influenza B continue to circulate. The CDC's flu map shows that the southeast is still experiencing the most intense activity, followed by the eastern and western regions. Minnesota is the only state where flu activity is listed as minimal. Flu hospitalizations continue to rise and remain highest in seniors, followed by adults ages 50 to 64 years and children as old as 4.Overall, deaths from flu rose to 0.9% of all deaths, up from 0.5% the previous week. The CDC reported seven more pediatric flu deaths, raising the season's total to 27. All seven of the new deaths were reported in December. Five were linked to influenza A viruses, and of three subtyped viruses, all were H1N1. For COVID, wastewater levels and test positivity are tracking higher than at the same time last year, 27% and 17%, respectively. However, the CDC said illnesses needing medical attention are lower this year, 21% less than a year ago. In its data updates, the CDC reported more steady rises in its severity markers, with hospitalizations up 20.4% from a week ago and deaths up 12.5%. Hospitals in the Midwest and Northeastern regions had more counties at moderate and high levels for COVID hospitalizations than other parts of the country. The percentage of deaths from COVID rose 12.5% compared to the previous week, with COVID making up 3.6% of all deaths in the nation. Percentages were highest in Missouri, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Meanwhile, one of the CDC's early indicators—ED visits—trended higher and were up 12.8%. ED visits for COVID were highest in children younger than 2 years and in seniors. Test positivity was down slightly and is at 12.4% nationally and highest in the Midwest, followed by the Northeast and Northwest. In its latest variant proportion update today, the CDC said JN.1 levels rose sharply again, 2 weeks after it became the dominant Omicron variant. It now makes up 61.6% of samples, up from 38.8% 2 weeks ago. In another RSV development today, the CDC updated guidance for health providers regarding the use of nirsevimab (Beyfortus), the new monoclonal antibody preventive treatment for young children. In October, due to short supply caused by high demand for the new tool for protecting infants, the CDC had urged doctors to prioritize doses for certain groups.However, now that manufacturers plan to release 230,000 more doses in January, the CDC urged health providers to return to its original recommendation that infants and children who are recommended to receive it get their doses as soon as possible.

CDC Data Show Respiratory Viruses Soaring: Covid More So Than Last Year - KFF Health News - CDC wastewater analysis shows that covid levels are higher than they were at this time last year, and although covid is the leading respiratory illness sending people to hospital, flu activity is also high. But, separately, studies show that more U.S. adults are up for getting flu shots than covid or RSV ones. Nationally, Covid-19 levels in wastewater, a leading measure of viral transmission, are very high – higher than they were at this time last year in every region, CDC data shows. Weekly emergency department visits rose 12%, and hospitalizations jumped about 17% in the most recent week. And while Covid-19 remains the leading driver of respiratory virus hospitalizations, flu activity is rising rapidly. The CDC estimates that there have been more than 7 million illnesses, 73,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths related to the flu this season, and multiple indicators are high and rising.

Covid-19, RSV and flu are hospitalizing tens of thousands of people each week this respiratory illness season | CNN — As seasonal virus activity surges across the United States, experts stress the importance of preventive measures – such as masking and vaccination – and the value of treatment for those who do get sick. Tens of thousands of people have been admitted to hospitals for respiratory illness each week this season. During the week ending December 23, there were more than 29,000 patients admitted with Covid-19, about 15,000 admitted with the flu and thousands more with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationally, Covid-19 levels in wastewater, a leading measure of viral transmission, are very high – higher than they were at this time last year in every region, CDC data shows. Weekly emergency department visits rose 12%, and hospitalizations jumped about 17% in the most recent week. Did you gather in large groups for the holidays? A virus may be your post-holiday present And while Covid-19 remains the leading driver of respiratory virus hospitalizations, flu activity is rising rapidly. The CDC estimates that there have been more than 7 million illnesses, 73,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths related to the flu this season, and multiple indicators are high and rising. RSV activity is showing signs of slowing in some parts of the US, but many measures, including hospitalization rates, remain elevated. Overall, young children and older adults are most affected. “It’s a wave of winter respiratory pathogens, especially respiratory viruses. So it’s Covid, it’s flu, and we can’t diminish the importance of RSV,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. “So it’s a triple threat, and arguably a fourth threat because we also have pneumococcal pneumonia, which complicates a lot of these virus infections.” Respiratory virus activity has been on the rise for weeks. Now, flu-like activity is high or very high in two-thirds of the United States, including California, New York City and Washington, as well as throughout the South and Northeast, according to the CDC. “Remember, all of these numbers are before people got together for the holidays,” Hotez said. “So don’t be disappointed or surprised that we even see a bigger bump as we head into January.” Vaccines can help prevent severe illness and death, but uptake remains low this season – despite a historic first, with vaccines available to protect against each of the three major viruses. Just 19% of adults and 8% of children have gotten the latest Covid-19 vaccine, and 17% of adults 60 and older have gotten the new RSV vaccine, CDC data shows. Less than half of adults and children have gotten the flu vaccine this season. “We have, as a population, underutilized both influenza and the updated Covid vaccines, unfortunately,”

Study highlights threat of dual-carbapenemase–producing bacteria - A study conducted in a New York City health system identified several patients infected with dual-carbapenemase–producing organisms (DCPOs), researchers reported late last week in JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance.In the study, researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai used rapid molecular testing to identify 26 DCPO isolates from 13 patients treated at Mount Sinai Hospital from 2018 through 2021. Twenty-four of the isolates were from the Enterobacterales order (22 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 1 Escherichia coli, and 1 Enterobacter isolate) and 2 were Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The most common carbapenemase combination was bla_NDM/bla_OXA-48-like, which was found in 16 isolates, and whole-genome sequencing revealed that the DCPOs were located on distinct plasmids.All 26 isolates were resistant to penicillins, cephalosporins, ampicillin/sulbactam, and piperacillin/tazobactam, and 7 were non-susceptible to all antibiotics tested.Analysis of patient data showed that 11 of the patients had been hospitalized in the prior year (7 in the intensive care unit) and had received antibiotics within the last month, 7 were from foreign countries, and all had at least one underlying condition. High blood pressure, kidney disease, and diabetes were the most frequently seen comorbidities. Six of the patients died, with two of the deaths directly attributed to the DCPO infection.The study authors say the findings are concerning, because DCPOs further compromise the already limited treatment options for carbapenemase-producing organisms and could threaten the utility of newer antibiotics. Furthermore, their location on plasmids could facilitate horizontal gene transfer and lead to multispecies dissemination of DCPOs."Infectious diseases physicians should be aware of this threat, as our study shows high mortality in patients infected or colonized with DCPOs," they wrote. "Further research into appropriate management of infections caused by DCPOs is needed."

Quick takes: Philadelphia measles cluster, more WEE cases in Argentina, global polio update | CIDRAP

• The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) yesterday said it is investigating a measles cluster involving unvaccinated residents, with four confirmed cases and two additional suspected cases. In a statement, PDPH said there is an index case, plus three locally acquired cases, of which two were hospitalized. Officials said the two suspected cases were exposed to measles after one of the confirmed cases attended daycare, disregarding quarantine and exclusion instructions. As they track cases and potential exposures, officials are urging people to get up to date on their measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination and asking health providers to be on the lookout for new cases.
• Following Argentina's recent report of a rare case of Western equine encephalitis (WEE), its first human case in more than two decades, the country has reported 11 more detections, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said today in its weekly communicable disease update, which cites the Argentina health ministry. The initial patient was reported from Santa Fe. As of the week starting December 18, 12 cases have been confirmed among 63 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease. Six patients are from Santa Fe, including a 66-year-old man who died from his infection. Five are from Buenos Aires and one is from Entre Rios. Patient ages range from 30 to 70 years old, and most are men. All were hospitalized.
• Seven countries reported more polio cases this week, mostly from Africa and all involving vaccine-derived types, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GEPI). Six reported more circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (1), Guinea (10), Mali (3), Niger (1), South Sudan (1), and Tanzania (1). The cases from Niger and South Sudan were their first for 2023. Also, two countries reported more circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) cases: the DRC (2) and Madagascar (1).

Fatal TB outbreak shows importance of screening tissue transplants - Today a new study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) linked to contaminated bone allografts (tissue transplant) from the same donor. On July 7, 2023, a patient who had spinal fusion surgery that incorporated a bone allograft product containing live cells experienced symptoms of meningitis 5 weeks after surgery.Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient, and state health authorities contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Clinicians were reminded of a 2021 TB outbreak, which involved 113 recipients in 18 states, related to bone allograf M tuberculosis transmission. Before 2021, bone allograft–related M tuberculosis transmission had last been reported in the United Kingdom in 1953. On July 11, a different state health department contacted the CDC after a patient complained of a persistent surgical site infection after using the same bone allograft product during a back surgery. Drainage from the site showed M tuberculosis. Within hours of the July 11 case, the CDC contacted state health departments and quarantined the 53 units of tissue that had not yet been distributed and provided a list of all healthcare facilities that had purchased tissue units from that lot, alerting eight hospitals and five dental offices in seven states (California, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia), the authors said. "CDC recommended that any unused units be quarantined, recipients be evaluated and started on multidrug treatment for TB disease regardless of signs and symptoms," the authors wrote. "And health care facilities implement TB-specific infection prevention and control measures during follow-up encounters with these patients." An investigation found 36 patients had undergone procedures using at least one unit from the product lot contaminated with M tuberculosis. By December 20, 2023, 5 of the 36 patients had lab-confirmed TB, and 10 others had clinical symptoms. The two initial cases reported in July both died from TB infections.

Two thirds of California TB programs note recent drug-shortage issues - A survey of tuberculosis (TB) drug controllers and managers at California TB programs reveals that 64% of those that reported at least one TB case from 2016 to 2021 experienced a delay in availability or lack of supply of any oral first-line drug to treat the disease in the past year, often leading to delayed initiations or pauses in therapy. The study, headed by the California Department of Health and the California TB Controllers Association, involved a web-based survey fielded in 2022 to all 61 California TB programs, 54 of which responded. About 20% of TB cases are reported from California, where TB programs are decentralized.The results were published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.The study authors noted that TB drug shortages have been a concern in the United States for years and as recently as May 2023. "Contributors to these disruptions include loss of manufacturers to the U.S. market, inefficient supply chains, and lack of active ingredients available for import," they wrote.The two most commonly used first-line TB medications are isoniazid and rifampin, and rifapentine has been incorporated into shorter first-line regimens. All three have been subject to shortage once since March 2020.

Nutramigen powder baby formula recalled for fear of bacterial contamination -- Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) on Sunday recalled some batches of its Nutramigen Hypoallergenic Infant Formula Powder, a product marketed toward infants with milk allergies. The recall affects Nutramigen Powder 12.6 and 19.8 ounce cans sold in the United States. MJN said in an announcement that the recall was due to a “possibility of contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii.” The recalled product was manufactured in June and distributed between June and August. “Based on the limited availability of the remaining stock of this special infant formula, it is believed that much, if not all, of the products recalled in the United States have been consumed. There are no reports of illnesses or adverse events to date,” reads the company’s announcement. MJN posted product batch codes for the affected cans, which have a “use by” date of Jan. 1, 2025. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cronobacter sakazakii can contaminate baby formula at processing centers or in homes. Babies younger than 2 months, premature babies and babies with weakened immune systems are the most vulnerable to the bacteria, which can cause meningitis.

More infant formula recalled in Canada -- Another infant formula is being recalled for possible contamination, this time with Cronobacter sakazakii. The bacteria can cause rare bloodstream and central nervous system infections and has been associated with severe intestinal infections and even death. Mead Johnson Nutrition (Canada) Co is recalling certain Enfamil brand Nutramigen A+ LGG Hypoallergenic formulas from the Canadian marketplace. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the formula was distributed nationally and has a sell-by date of January 2025. At the time of the recall, no illnesses linked to the formula were reported.The latest recall follows 2 years of international formula recalls and shortages, prompting the US Food and Drug Administration to publish new strategies last March to ensure the safety of infant formula.

At least 24 sickened in multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to charcuterie -- Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared more information on an ongoingSalmonella outbreak linked to contaminated charcuterie products. The 11,000 pounds of meat were recalled by New Jersey meat processor Fratelli Beretta USA earlier this week.Twenty-four cases in 14 states have been identified, with 5 hospitalizations. No fatalities have been reported in this outbreak. Of interviews with 11 sick patients, 6 reported eating a variety of charcuterie products, and of 3 who recalled a specific brand, all reported eating the brand subject to the recall. Whole genome sequencing of bacteria from sick people suggests that the samples are closely related, adding evidence that the they were sickened by the same food.Earlier this week, Salmonella was identified in an unopened sample of "Busseto Foods Charcuterie Sampler Prosciutto, Sweet Soppressata, and Dry Coppa," collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as a part of the investigation after one Minnesotan fell ill in December. The CDC said tests on the Minnesota product sample yielded Salmonella I 4:I:- and that sequencing is underway to determine if the strain matches the one from sick patients. So far, it's not clear which component of the sampler was contaminated.The sampler was sold at Sam's Club stores in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas, and has a sell-by date of April 27, 2024. Eleven illnesses have been identified in Ohio, with other states reporting only a single case."Check your fridge for recalled products. Do not eat them. Throw them away or return them to where you bought them," the CDC said.

Company recalls charcuterie products amid multistate Salmonella outbreak --New Jersey meat processor Fratelli Beretta USA has recalled about 11,000 pounds of its Busseto Food brand ready-to-eat charcuterie products after the Minnesota Department of Agriculture detected Salmonella in a product sample.In a recall notice, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) said it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health partners to investigate a multistate Salmonellaoutbreak. The positive sample that Minnesota officials found came from an unopened product sample as part of an illness investigation.On January 2, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said one Minnesotan got sick in December after eating a Busseto brand charcuterie sample bought at Sam's Club. The patient wasn't hospitalized. The MDH said that, since many patients infected with Salmonella don't seek medical care, the number of affected people is likely to be higher.The FSIS recall notice said the sampler pack was produced on October 30, 2023, and was sold as a twin-pack containing two 9-ounce trays containing prosciutto, sweet sopressata, and dry coppa with the lot code L075330300 and best-if-used-by date of April 27, 2024.Products subject to the recall were shipped to Sam's Club distribution centers in eight states: Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas. The FSIS said it is concerned that the products may still be in customer's refrigerators. It urged people not to consume them and to throw the products away or return them to the place of purchase.

FDA says applesauce pouches recalled for lead also contained chromium - The Food and Drug Administration warned Friday that applesauce pouches previously recalled for containing lead may also contain chromium, increasing the risks of illness after ingestion.The applesauce was initially recalled Nov. 13, with the Centers for Disease Control saying impacted pouches could contain lead.The FDA said Friday that the chromium contamination was from the cinnamon in the pouches, supplied by Ecuadorian distributor Austrofoods.“People who ate recalled products, especially if they had elevated blood lead levels, may have been exposed to chromium and should inform their healthcare provider so they can monitor health and provide supportive care, as needed,” the agency warned.Nearly two dozen toddlers were impacted by lead poisoning due to the applesauce contamination, the CDC said in November. The recalled applesauce pouches included WanaBana brand apple cinnamon fruit purée pouches, as well as Weis and Schnucks brand cinnamon applesauce pouches, the CDC said. In its update Friday, the FDA said recalled pouches could still be found on shelves of some Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores as recently as mid-December.

Brazilian city launches mass dengue vaccination campaign -The city of Dourados in Brazil's Mato Grosso del Sul state yesterday became the country's first to launch a mass dengue vaccination campaign.In a prefecturestatementtoday, officials said 537 doses were given on the first day of the campaign, which was developed by the municipal health department in a partnership with Takeda, which produces the Qdenga vaccine.Targeting 150,000 people between ages 4 and 59 years old, the dengue vaccine will be administered in two doses, 3 months apart.Prefecture health secretary Waldno Lucena, MD, said, "Dourados has been an example for the entire country, vaccination strengthens individual defenses and also contributes to building a collective barrier against the spread of dengue."Brazilian drug regulators approved the Takeda vaccine in March 2023. The live attenuated vaccine, given subcutaneously, is built on a serotype 2 backbone and targets all four dengue serotypes.The Americas region experienced record dengue activity in 2023, with Brazil the hardest-hit country, with more than 2.9 million cases. The World Health Organization last month noted a marked rise in dengue activity over the past two decades and warned that multiple factors could fuel further rises, including vector distribution changes, climate change, El Nino weather pattern consequences, and fragile healthcare systems.

Firefighter's Wife Finds Out Why Nearly 2 in 3 Firefighters Die of Cancer: 'We've Got to Protect the Next Generation' -Diane Cotter went on a mission to discover why so many firefighters die of cancer. What she found not only shocked her but has led to a movement to change firefighter gear to save them.According to People Magazine, Cotter is featured in a new documentary titled, “Burned: Protecting the Protectors” which helps explore why two in every three firefighters dies of cancer. She noted that in 2014 her husband Paul was diagnosed with prostate cancer and she automatically believed it was due to his career as a firefighter with Massachusetts’ Worcester Fire Department.Cotter feared that smoke inhalation had caused the cancer and that it was due to failures in his gear. She said, “I saw all these quarter- and dime-size holes in the crotch area. I told myself, ‘Holy cow, this is how all these chemicals got into his body.’”But as she researched, the facts led her elsewhere. She learned that many of the 1.2 million firefighters in America wear gear that contains heavy amounts of toxic per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).“Initially I was searching to find information to prove that their gear didn’t contain these chemicals,” she explained. “But as I peeled back the layers, I realized that this gear that was meant to protect firefighters was actually killing them,” she went on.PFAS are found in many everyday products like dental floss and food packaging in the United States. The connection between the toxic chemicals and cancer led Cotter to contact other firefighters as well as scientists. Then she learned that firefighters in Europe are no longer wearing gear with PFAS.She admitted, “I’d never heard of them before.” She said it was difficult to understand her findings at first when discussing the situation with University of Notre Dame nuclear physicist and professor Dr. Graham Peaslee.“He told me that the gear contained staggering amounts of PFAS, some of the largest levels he’d ever seen,” she continued. By 2020, Cotter’s concerns aided the development of a peer reviewed study which is helping her to urge political leaders to ban these harmful substances from protective gear. “We’ve got to protect the next generation. The cost to Paul and myself was great. But the cost of doing nothing would be even greater,” she said.

Lawmakers urge legal action over firefighter PFAS exposure | WWLP (SHNS) – Nearly half of the Legislature signed onto a letter to Attorney General Andrea Campbell this week, imploring the state to join Worcester firefighters diagnosed with cancer in their lawsuit against companies that make firefighting gear alleged to include toxic PFAS chemicals.Ninety-seven lawmakers — 24 senators, representing a majority of that chamber, plus 73 representatives — signed the letter, which asked Campbell to join and expand upon the suit that alleges manufacturers of turnout gear treated their products with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and sold them to fire departments and governments despite knowing the health risks of PFAS exposure. The federal suit was filed last year by 10 Worcester firefighters diagnosed with cancer.“Our firefighters place themselves in harm’s way to protect the Commonwealth’s residents and property. In doing so, they utilize gear, procured by the government, with the expectation that the gear will help protect them from harm. That gear should not provide short term protection at the cost of long-term harm. We respectfully request that your office undertake litigation related to firefighter turnout gear and help protect those who protect us,” the lawmakers wrote in Monday’s letter to Campbell.PFAS is a class of man-made chemicals that do not break down entirely in the environment, and exposure to their long-lasting presence has been linked to serious and negative health impacts like thyroid disease and kidney cancer. PFAS chemicals are all around us; they are used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, children’s products, carpets, leather goods, ski wax, firefighting foams and more, and they have leached into drinking water supplies and the soil.Serious levels of PFAS contamination have been found in more than 126 public drinking water systems in at least 86 Massachusetts communities.

PFAS Chemicals Awareness Lacking Among U.S. Adults-- Three-quarters of U.S. adults do not know what forever chemicals are, according to a study published online Nov. 16 in PLOS ONE. T. Allen Berthold, Ph.D., from Texas A&M AgriLife in College Station, and colleagues administered a nationwide survey to assess awareness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and community contamination; awareness of PFAS-containing products and intentions to change product use; and awareness and concern about PFAS in drinking water. The analysis included data from 1,100 online respondents. The researchers found that almost half the respondents had never heard of PFAS and did not know what it is (45.1 percent), while an additional 31.6 percent had heard of PFAS but did not know what it is. The vast majority of respondents (97.4 percent) did not believe their drinking water had been impacted by PFAS. There were no associations between demographic factors and knowledge of PFAS or levels of concern with PFAS in drinking water. Known community exposure was the strongest predictor of PFAS awareness, and respondents aware of community exposure were more likely to change their use of items with potential PFAS contamination and answer that their drinking water sources were also contaminated with PFAS. "PFAS information and health risks need to be better communicated to the public to help increase awareness," the authors write.

Have you heard of forever chemicals? It started with the work of this Cincinnati attorney -- You likely have synthetic chemicals lurking in your body. Nearly every American has some amount of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroakyl substances — also known as “forever chemicals” — in their blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PFAS come in hundreds of varieties in products like firefighting foams, cosmetics, food wrappers and many others. Scientists don’t fully understand the health effects of these chemicals, but what is known is in large part due to the work of one man — a Cincinnati lawyer named Robert Bilott, whose more than 20-year legal battle with one of the world’s largest chemical manufacturers began with a phone call. “One day, I got a call in my office from a gentleman who started telling me about cows that were getting sick and dying in West Virginia,” he said. Bilott traced the contamination to a landfill owned by DuPont that drained into the farmer’s property in Parkersburg, West Virginia. “What we discovered there is that we were dealing with a chemical in that landfill — in the water coming out of the landfill — that was completely unregulated,” he said. Bilott had discovered the first widely known case of PFAS contamination, he said. “We ended up learning that this was an incredibly toxic, persistent, bioaccumulative, carcinogenic chemical,” he explained. “What we ended up discovering was, what we thought was going to be a small case for one farmer ended up revealing what became global contamination. This chemical was, we found out, in the water all over the United States, all over the country, and was, in fact, getting into the blood of almost every living creature on the planet.” Bilott won that case, and his next — the world’s first class action lawsuit against a PFAS manufacturer. His win was even made into a movie starring Mark Ruffalo called “Dark Waters.” Part of the settlement included a scientific panel to study the long-term health effects of PFAS exposure, in which 69,000 people who lived near Parkersburg, including those who lived across the river in Ohio, and were exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, took part. “That panel was able to confirm that drinking PFOA was linked to six different diseases, including two types of cancer,” Bilott said. DuPont eventually paid $750 million in damages to people in West Virginia and Southern Ohio exposed to the chemicals. All the while, Bilott said he had been pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to recognize the dangers of PFAS. “When the science panel finally finished their work in 2012 and made these links with... the six different diseases that were linked with drinking PFOA, I sent that information to EPA and said, 'What else is needed to begin regulating this chemical in drinking water?'” he said.

Pentagon slow to remedy forever chemicals in water around hundreds of military bases — USA Today - Oscoda, Michigan, has the distinction as the first community where “forever chemicals” were found seeping from a military installation into the surrounding community. Beginning in 2010, state officials and later residents who lived near the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base were horrified to learn that the chemicals, collectively called PFAS, had leached into their rivers, lakes, and drinking water. .Thirteen years later, the community is still waiting on whatever it will take to clean its water. As a result of dogged activism and pressure from government officials, the Air Force has finally taken initial steps simply to contain the chemicals.Wurtsmith is just one of hundreds of contaminated U.S. military sites. Under congressional pressure, the Defense Department has acknowledged it has a big mess to clean up. It has spent years trying to grasp the scale of the contamination and assess the costs U.S. taxpayers will shoulder to clean it all up. Further, there’s no clear scientific agreement on how to destroy the chemicals, even as companies pitch their scientists’ best solutions in a bid for a share of billions of dollars in looming government contracts.“We’re really at the forefront,” said Tony Spaniola, a lawyer-turned-activist whose family owns a home across Van Etten Lake from the former base. “There has been gross mismanagement of this entire program – a lot of stonewalling, a lot of foot-dragging.” He added, “In the meantime, this stuff is continuing to spew into groundwater continuously, into lakes, rivers.”PFAS chemicals have been linked to increased cholesterol levels, preeclampsia in pregnant people, decreased birth weights, decreased immune response to vaccines and certain types of cancer. A federal study of U.S. military personnel published in July was the first to show a direct connection between PFAS and testicular cancer, and the chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of kidney cancer.Despite rising concerns over the potential effects of these substances, Pentagon officials have defended their use of them as a matter of national security, asserting in a report to Congress in August that banning them would undermine military readiness. Up to 600 active or former military installations and adjacent communities are or may be contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The chemicals are found in a bevy of products used by the U.S. military for decades, including industrial solvents, stain retardants, waterproofing compounds and firefighting foam.

Residential drinking wells near defunct Ware Road dump must be tested for PFAS - The Michigan PFAS Response Action Team has designated the former Lowell City Landfill on Ware Road in Boston Township as an “area of interest” for groundwater contaminated by PFAS after elevated levels of the pollutants were detected during routine sampling. Monitoring wells installed at the site were used to sample the groundwater for PFAS (per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances) compounds in July 2023.

Grayling water main seeks to replace PFAS-contaminated wells - Grayling Charter Township is hoping to construct a line that would bring municipal water to neighborhoods with PFAS-contaminated wells. The proposed main hasn't been fully designed yet, but the system aims to transport water north from Kirtland Community College — to approximately 500 residences around Grayling. The initial main would target Clough subdivision, Sherwood Forest and Evergreen Drive, which have been impacted by PFAS plumes from the Grayling Army Airfield and the Camp Grayling cantonment area. Township supervisor Lacey Stephan III said the goal is to have municipal water flowing in by early 2025 after the design is completed next year. Connecting to the main will be optional, Stephan said, but it's likely a "healthy majority" would be necessary to move the project forward. "This is the only guaranteed permanent solution for clean drinking water, and it's also the least expensive alternative for access to clean drinking water," Stephan said at the Dec. 4 Grayling Restoration Advisory Board meeting. The township will be receiving a $25.6 million grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) in January. The grant will cover a portion of the project, including residential costs to hook up to the system. "Residents will have a water bill [around $30 a month], but there will be no charge to hook up," Stephan said. "If they don't hook up while it's [offered] and decide a year later they want to, there will be a tap fee because that money will be gone." Stephan said participating residents will be required to decommission their wells, which would also be covered by the state grant. Nearly $100,000 has already gone toward funding feasibility studies, and the total project is estimated to cost around $75 million, which accounts for future service districts.

U.S. Water Utilities Deploy PFAS Treatment Technologies to Safeguard Drinking Water for Communities – As U.S. and European lawmakers tighten restrictions on toxic PFAS contaminants in water, utilities and businesses are working to safeguard drinking water supplies for communities. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are widely used, long lasting chemicals whose components break down slowly over time.PFAS chemicals are human-made but have become widespread in some water sources across the country and can have potentially harmful effects on human and animal health. Latest estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) monitoring program show that one in four public drinking water systems contain PFAS concentrations at or above minimum reporting levels.[1]Xylem (NYSE: XYL) is working with municipal and industrial customers to address this challenge, with more than 80 PFAS mitigation installations in the U.S. alone.For example, Stratmoor Hills Water District (SHWD), which oversees a combination of surface and groundwater sources in the foothills of Cheyenne Mountain in Southern Colorado Springs, has deployed selective ion exchange treatment aimed at countering the threat of PFOA and PFOS – two of the most commonly identifiable PFAS compounds of concern. Using selective single-use ion exchange technology, the utility has reduced contaminants to levels below compliance limits and mitigated water quality issues for its customers.

The state budget set aside $125M to address PFAS. Months later, communities are still waiting for relief. | Wisconsin Public Radio - At the beginning of last year, Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed spending more than $100 million to address pollution from so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS. Months later, Republican lawmakers called for even more money, voting to create a $125 milliontrust fund to address PFAS contamination as part of the current two-year budget, which Evers signed. The Democratic governor is often at odds with Republicans who run the Legislature, but they seemingly found themselves in the heat of agreement on the PFAS issue — at least in theory. But nearly six months have passed since Evers signed the budget, and the money has yet to be spent. With time running out on this legislative session, it's unclear whether it will be. PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals used in cookware, food wrappers and firefighting foam. They don’t break down easily in the environment. High exposure to the chemicals has been linked to kidney and testicular cancers, fertility issues, and other serious health problems. Under Evers’ original budget proposal, the state would have spent $100 million for a municipal grant program. That money would have helped local governments pay for investigating, testing and treating PFAS in water systems. The funds would also have paid for temporary emergency water supplies and 11 more positions at the DNR to address the chemicals. The trust fund Republicans voted for instead set aside $125 million to address and prevent PFAS contamination, but there are strings attached. Under the GOP plan, spending the money either requires lawmakers to pass a separate bill, or it requires the Department of Natural Resources to get approval from the Legislature's budget committee. So far, lawmakers have yet to greenlight the $125 million. In recent days, Evers has accused Republicans of blocking efforts to help people facing PFAS contamination. "While I was proud of the bipartisan work accomplished in the budget to secure the first real, meaningful investment by legislative Republicans to address PFAS contamination statewide, I am disheartened at the lack of urgency that has followed since," Evers said in a statement. "Republicans’ continued obstruction of basic government functions is playing politics with our water and peoples’ lives and their livelihoods."

GOP senators knock Evers, DNR for halting work on PFAS groundwater standards – WisPolitics - State Sens. Eric Wimberger and Rob Cowles are suggesting Gov. Tony Evers and the DNR are hypocritical for pausing work on PFAS groundwater standards and requesting legislative approval to advance them. Evers on Tuesday announced the Department of Natural Resources would pause rulemaking on the standards after finding the costs would exceed statutory limits under the REINS Act by more than $23 million. He requested Wimberger and Cowles introduce legislation to allow the rule to advance. “After years of Governor Evers and DNR inaction on comprehensive PFAS rules, and repeated assertions that the $10 Million REINS Act threshold was not triggered to stop them, now claim today that they cannot act because of the $10M REINS Act threshold,” the Green Bay Republicans said in a statement to WisPolitics Thursday. They added it’s “incredible” Evers was able to promulgate surface water standards for PFAS last year without legislation, while now claiming he can’t act on the groundwater standards without legislation. Wimberger and Cowles argued the only thing that’s changed is their PFAS legislation, which would utilize the $125 million set aside in the state budget to combat PFAS. Evers has asked that the funding be released to DNR by JFC. “The 13.10 request is another cynical attempt to maintain enforcement powers over pollution victims while wastefully spending with no plan,” Wimberger and Cowles said. The REINS Act requires legislative approval for administrative rules with costs of $10 million or more over any two-year period. DNR estimated the total cost to implement the rule at more than $33 million over the first two years. The state has limits of 70 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), while the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed standards of 4 ppt for the same PFAS compounds. But Lee said those standards only protect municipal water drinkers. He said the proposed 20 ppt groundwater standard for PFOA and PFOS would provide additional protections for private well owners. “It’s more than reasonable and there is no good reason, even considering DNR’s estimated cost of compliance, that the Legislature shouldn’t jump at the chance (to) get this done,” Lee said. “Absent some change in the law, I don’t see a way to get these standards on the books. The ball really is in the Legislature’s court.”

Who Pays to Get Forever Chemicals Out of Drinking Water? It Could Be You – WSJ -- Forever chemicals have shown up in drinking water across the country. Water systems are spending millions of dollars to filter out PFAS, the long-lasting compounds commonly known as forever chemicals, which have been linked to cancer and other health problems. Officials say settlements with 3M and DuPont won’t cover all of the costs of building new filtration systems. Now they are appearing in homeowners’ soaring utility bills.

PFAS lawsuits involve complex science and law, but settlements can be worth millions - The individuals and municipalities involved in lawsuits over PFAS contamination face yearslong litigation in complex cases that could involve new and untested legal theories, experts say.Increasing awareness of the risks of chemical contamination by the class of synthetic chemicals widely used in household products has led to thousands of lawsuits across the nation. Late last month, the city of Wausau filed suit against 15 manufacturers and another 61 insurance companies. It is the latest PFAS lawsuit in Wisconsin, and follows legal action by the city of Eau Claire, residents in the town of Campbell, residents near Rhinelander and others. Such lawsuits are typically targeted at manufacturers, including 3M or Tyco, known to have produced PFAS. In some cases, companies have chosen to settle similar lawsuits on the local and national levels. But the path to resolution takes years and involves complex scientific and legal work.In the case of the Wausau lawsuit, for example, individual manufacturers may argue that their company is not responsible for the contamination but another company is. In the legal process known as discovery, both sides would try to bolster their claims by seeking company records and performing complex scientific testing on the city's water, which in 2022 was found to becontaminated with PFAS in all its municipal wells."There can be some ability to trace that, because each company would be producing, potentially, different types of PFAS that could be linked back to them," said Steph Tai, a law professor and associate dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an expert on environmental law. That process will likely involve opposing scientific experts from the plaintiffs and the defense. Long-term PFAS exposure has been linked to an increased risk of some cancers, including prostate and testicular cancer. It can also cause increased cholesterol levels and reduced fertility in women. Our understanding of PFAS and its risks over time are relatively new, and in many places regulators have only recently begun to grapple with how to define water standards. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is working to finalize national drinking water standards for PFAS, EPA Administrator Michael Regan told WPR in November.But those filing PFAS lawsuits, whether on behalf of municipalities or affected residents, likely do not need to show that manufacturers knew the risks of the chemicals at the time they allowed them to enter the water system, said attorney Philip Comella of the Chicago firm Taft Stettinius and Hollister, who has worked extensively on PFAS cases.

First dive survey of Lake Tahoe's lakebed finds high amounts of plastic and other litter - Plastic litter is a growing problem around the world, and new research shows that the bottom of Lake Tahoe is no exception. In one of the first studies to utilize scuba divers to collect litter from a lakebed, 673 plastic items were counted from just a small fraction of the lake. In the study, published in the November issue of the journal Applied Spectroscopy, researchers from the Desert Research Institute and the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center teamed up with the nonprofit Clean Up the Lake to take a close look at the litter. First, scientists broke it down into categories based on use (such as food containers and water bottles), followed by the chemical composition of the plastic. The knowledge gained can help scientists better understand the source of large pieces of litter in the lake, as well as whether they're a significant source of microplastics as larger pieces break down and degrade. Previous research found that the waters of Lake Tahoe contain high levels of microplastics, defined as plastics smaller than a pencil eraser. "There's very little work on submerged plastic litter in lakes," said Monica Arienzo, Ph.D., associate research professor of hydrology at DRI and one of the study's lead authors. "And I think that's a real issue, because when we think about how plastics may be moving in freshwater systems, there's a good chance that they'll end up in a lake." To collect the litter, research divers swam transects along the lakebed near Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park and Zephyr Cove, covering 9.3 kilometers. They found an average of 83 pieces of plastic litter per kilometer, with the lakebed near Hidden Beach and South Sand Harbor showing significantly more (140 items/km and 124 items/km, respectively). No stretches of the lakebed surveyed were free of plastic litter. The most common plastic litter categories were food containers, bottles, plastic bags, and toys, along with many items that couldn't be categorized. Collecting this information can contribute to Arienzo's ongoing microplastics research in the region, helping to identify the sources of the small plastic fragments. "When we study microplastics, we only have the chemical information, or the plastic type," Davidson says. "We don't know where it came from—a plastic bag, toy, or otherwise— because it's just a tiny piece of plastic. But now we can use this litter data to point to the dominant types of plastics and compare them to microplastic data." The study can help inform efforts by Tahoe-area communities to address plastic litter, such as South Lake Tahoe's 2022 ban on single-use plastic bottles and Truckee's ban on single-use food containers. The research also highlights ways that scientists can work with nonprofits to collect data that can address local environmental concerns.

VIDEO: Truck carrying hazardous material from site of East Palestine derailment crashes in Russell Township (WJW) — A dual-axle tanker truck carrying hazardous material taken from the site of the East Palestine train derailment crashed and rolled over early Tuesday, spilling a small amount of its contents and some diesel fuel, according to officials. The truck crashed on state Route 306, near the intersection of Chagrin Mills and Chillicothe roads in Russell Township, Geauga County, according to a news release from Russell Fire Department Assistant Chief Nicholas Sambula. Township firefighters headed to the scene at 5:17 a.m., according to a news release. The Chagrin Southeast Regional Hazmat Team responded to contain leakage of diesel fuel. The truck was found to be carrying Class 9 hazardous material, a classification for “miscellaneous” materials that don’t belong in any of the other hazardous material categories, like explosive, flammable, radioactive or others, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The truck was carrying about 5,000 gallons of hazardous waste from the train derailment site — mostly rainwater collected from the area that was not treated by the village’s wastewater treatment facility, according to an EPA spokesperson.About 4 to 5 gallons of that material are believed to have been spilled at the crash site, according to firefighters.The truck, which was operated by Kuhnle Brothers Inc. of Cleveland, was loaded on Friday, Dec. 29. It was temporarily parked at the trucking company’s facility before it headed out to a Vickery Environmental site in Northwest Ohio for disposal in a deep well injection site, according to the EPA.After the crash, the hazardous liquid escaped through “minor leaks” in the tanker truck’s dome lid, according to the EPA. The hazmat team on-scene used containment basins to collect the liquid.Video from SkyFOX early Tuesday showed what appeared to be a tanker truck on its side, and a pole taken out:FOX 8’s Patty Harken reported the crash happened at about 5:15 a.m. The road was closed between state Route 87 and Washington Street, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation, and was expected to remain closed for the morning traffic rush.

Targeted household cleaning can reduce toxic chemicals post-wildfire, research shows -Wildfire smoke remnants can linger for days, weeks and months inside homes and businesses. Recent research from Portland State's Elliott Gall, associate professor in Mechanical and Materials Engineering, examined how long harmful chemicals found in wildfire smoke can persist and the most effective ways to remove them with everyday household cleaners. Wildfires create compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are formed in the combustion process at high temperatures. These compounds are highly toxic. "They are associated with a wide variety of long-term adverse health consequences like cancer, potential complications in pregnancy and lung disease," Gall said. "So if these compounds are depositing or sticking onto surfaces, there are different routes of exposure people should be aware of. By now, most people in Portland are probably thinking about how to clean their air during a wildfire smoke event, but they might not be thinking about other routes of exposure after the air clears." Public messaging is fairly consistent on what to do during a fire to reduce exposure to smoke—close windows and doors, run an air purifier and consider wearing a mask—but messaging is limited about what to do post-wildfire. Gall's study published in Environmental Science & Technology looked at the accumulation and retention of PAHs over a period of four months on three different indoor materials: glass, cotton and air filters. Initial findings showed that levels of PAHs remained elevated for weeks after exposure. After materials were loaded with PAHs from wildfire smoke, it took 37 days for PAHs to decrease by 74% for air filters, 81% for cotton and 88% for glass. That reduction is significant but it takes time and means increased health risks from elongated exposure. However, laundering cotton materials just one time after exposure to smoke reduced PAHs on the material by 80%. Using a commercial glass cleaner on glass materials like windows and cups reduced PAHs between 60% and 70%. Unlike glass and cotton, air filters can't be cleaned and need to be replaced after an extreme smoke event. "Even if there's potentially some more life in them, over time PAHs can partition off the filter and be emitted back into your space,"\

Study finds pod-based e-cigarettes with higher nicotine more likely to cause irregular heartbeat - With the start of a new year, smokers and vapers may have resolved to quit or cut back on the habit to improve their health. They may want to use caution, however, if their strategy involves switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, considered by some to be a less harmful alternative.A new study from the University of Louisville (UofL) shows the nicotine in certain types of e-cigarettes may be more harmful than others, increasing the risk for irregular heartbeat orheart arrhythmias. A popular claim is that nicotine in e-cigarettes is relatively harmless, whereas additives and combustion products largely account for the harms of traditional cigarettes. The UofL research, which tested the effects of e-cigarettes with various types and doses of nicotine in animal models, showed that the nicotine form contained in pod-based e-cigarettes, nicotine salts, led to heart arrhythmias, particularly at higher doses.In the study published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, researchers compared heart rate and heart rate variability in mice exposed to vape aerosols containing different types of nicotine.The aerosols contained either freebase nicotine, used in older types of e-cigarettes; nicotine salts, used in Juul and other pod-based e-cigarettes; or racemic freebase nicotine, simulating the recently popularized synthetic nicotine; and their effects were compared to nicotine-free e-cigarette aerosols or air. In addition, the research team delivered increasing concentrations of nicotine over time, from 1% to 2.5% to 5%. The nicotine salts induced cardiac arrhythmias more potently than freebase nicotine, and the cardiac arrhythmias increased with the higher concentrations of nicotine. "This suggests the nicotine is harmful to the heart and counters popular claims that the nicotine itself is harmless," said Alex Carll, assistant professor in UofL's Department of Physiology, who led the study. "Our findings provide new evidence that nicotine type and concentration modify the adverse cardiovascular effects of e-cigarette aerosols, which may have important regulatory implications."The study also revealed that the higher levels of nicotine salts increased sympathetic nervous system activity, also known as the fight-or-flight response, by stimulating the same receptor that is inhibited by beta-blockers, heart medications which are prescribed to treat cardiac arrhythmias. In the autonomic nervous system, sympathetic dominance increases the fight-or-flight response in bodily functions, including heart rate.

Exposure to cigarette smoke found to increase cancer risk in dogs - A new study linkscigarette smoke exposure to an exponentially higher rate of bladder cancer in Scottish terriers. By assessing individual dogs and studying their medical history, scientists are beginning to untangle the question of who gets cancer, why, and how best to detect, treat, and prevent cancer. Led by Purdue veterinarian Deborah Knapp, a team of researchers tracked a cohort of 120 Scottish terriers over a three-year period. In a paper published in The Veterinary Journal, they found that dogs exposed to cigarette smoke were six times more likely to develop bladder cancer than those that were not. "Cancer is a combination of what you are born with—your genetics—and what you are exposed to—your environment," Knapp said. "In this case, we studied these dogs for years at a time, and then we went back and asked, 'What was different between those that developed cancer and those that did not develop cancer? What were the risk factors?'"Scottish terriers, famous for being presidential pets, are also notable for a less cheerful reason: They develop bladder cancer at a rate 20 times higher than that of other dog breeds. When Scotties and other dogs develop bladder cancer, it is often an aggressive form similar to muscle-invasive bladder cancer in humans.Knapp's team studied 120 Scotties, assessing their health, environment, food, activity, locations, and anything they could think of that might affect their cancer risk. The goal was both to figure out what could prevent a heartbreaking and often fatal cancer in this breed but also to use that information to see what might affect cancer in other dogs and even humans. Dogs make an excellent study species because they live alongside humans, sharing food, bedding, housing, atmosphere, and almost everything else."We know that Scotties' genetics play a huge role in making them vulnerable to cancer," Knapp said. That strong genetic signal tied to cancer helps researchers isolate other factors that affect the likelihood of any dog, or human, getting cancer, and to do so with smaller numbers of dogs."If we were to do this study with mixed breeds of dogs, it would take hundreds and hundreds of dogs to uncover this same risk, which is probably there, just more difficult to discern because those dogs are not already inclined genetically to get bladder cancer."

Avian flu strikes more US poultry in 5 states -- Five states reported more highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in poultry over the last few days, including California where more layer farms were hit by the virus, according to the latest updates from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).Two more outbreaks were reported from layer farms in Sonoma County, California, one with 54,000 birds and the other with 37,200. Also, officials reported an outbreak at a layer pullet farm in Marin County that houses 151,000 birds. Over the past month, California has been the state suffering the most poultry losses. Elsewhere, South Dakota reported another outbreak at a commercial gamebird producer, this time in Edmunds County at a location that has 1,400 birds. Also, Missouri, Montana, and Texas reported outbreaks involving backyard poultry.Since the H5N1 outbreaks in US poultry began in February 2022, the events have led to a loss of a record 79.7 million birds across 47 states.Sporadic H5N1 infections in humans have occurred in people exposed to infected poultry or their environments, including a positive respiratory specimen collected from a poultry culler in Colorado back in April 2022. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its state and local partners have monitored more than 7,000 people in 52 jurisdictions who were exposed to infected birds or sick or dead mammals, the group said in a December 29 technical update. Of 175 people who had symptoms, only the Colorado patient tested positive for the virus.Though the threat to human health remains low, the CDC said widespread geographic prevalence in wild birds and poultry poses an exposure risk to people and mammals, which could result in viral evolution or reassortment, and could change the current risk assessment.

France reports avian flu at vaccinated duck farm --Animal health officials in France today reported an avian flu outbreak at a duck farm on which the birds had been vaccinated in November 2023 as part of the country's initial rollout of the poultry vaccine, which marked the first in Europe.The government of Vendee department, located on France's western coast, detailed the development in a statement translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease news blog. Officials said the results were confirmed on January 2 and that the 8,700 ducks on the farm have been depopulated.Officials acknowledged that vaccination doesn't eliminate the risk in poultry but can reduce virus shedding and circulation.In early December, France's agriculture ministry ordered that farmed ducks in high-risk areas receive athird vaccine dose because of new scientific evidence. It's not clear, however, if the ducks on the outbreak farm had received the third dose.A few countries, such as China, routinely vaccinate poultry against avian flu viruses. However, ongoing concerns that vaccination could mask ongoing circulation have made other countries hesitant to rollout broader vaccination, with some—such as the United States—barring the import of poultry from countries that immunize poultry against avian flu.Commercial poultry in multiple world regions have been hit hard by the newer 2.3.4.4b clade of the H5N1 avian flu strain, and at the end of December, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) weighed in with a policy brief, saying current control measures might be enough to control the spread of the virus.The WOAH has endorsed use of the vaccines, based on international standards. It has said that it's possible to maintain international trade while proving that countries can maintain surveillance in and around immunized flocks.

Sierra Nevada snowpack at lowest level in 10 years: What it means for California's water supply - California's statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack—the source of nearly one-third of the state's water supply—is at its lowest level in a decade, a major turnaround from last year when huge storms ended a three-year drought and buried ski resorts in massive amounts of snow. On Tuesday, the snowpack was just 25% of its historical average for Jan. 2. A year ago on the same date, it was a staggering 185% of normal. The last time there was less snow at the beginning of a new year was 2014 when it stood at just 19%. The lack of snow so far this year is due to fewer big storms hitting the state than normal. And when storms have come, they have been warmer, depositing snow mostly at higher elevations. But the meager totals so far across California's pre-eminent mountain range are not a cause to panic, experts say. Not only are there three months left in the winter season, which typically ends in early April, but last year's soaking winter filled reservoirs across the state. That "money in the bank" means chances are low that there will be significant urban water restrictions across the state this summer, even if the winter ends with below-average snow and rain. "The reservoirs are in great shape," said Jay Lund, vice director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis. "Almost every reservoir in the state is near or well above its historical average for this time of year. We can sleep better knowing there is water in the reservoirs." On Monday, Shasta Lake, California's largest reservoir, was 69% full, or 116% of its historic average for New Year's Day. Similarly, Oroville in Butte County, the state's second-largest reservoir, was 68% full, or 130% of its historical average. To the south, Diamond Valley in Riverside County, a key water supply for Los Angeles, was 93% full.

Corn, Wheat Prices Post Largest Yearly Decline In Decade As Hope For Easing Food Inflation Rises Despite the El Nino-related weather disturbances affecting key agricultural areas globally and the disruptions in the Black Sea stemming from the war in Ukraine, there is encouraging data suggesting further easing in food inflation in the new year. This development comes amid the soaring risks of food riots in emerging markets, as the weakening of EM currencies against the dollar has made staple foods increasingly more expensive for poorer populations worldwide. Bloomberg data shows corn and wheat prices have recorded their largest annual declines in a decade. This is primarily because of bumper crops in key ag regions and might lead to further easing of food inflation into the first half of 2024. Corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade plunged 31% this year, and wheat contracts fell 21% - the largest annual declines since 2013. Soybeans were down 15%. This led the Bloomberg Grains Spot Subindex to slide 22.8%. This is good news for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization World Food Price Index, which has already come off record highs. "The rout was driven by bumper crops in key crop suppliers Brazil, US and Russia following years of disruptions caused by extreme weather, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine that pushed prices to record highs in 2022," Bloomberg wrote in a note, adding, "Lower prices for staple grains could bring down the cost of bread and make it less expensive to feed livestock, dairy herds and even biofuels. Analysts are anticipating even lower prices for corn and soybeans in 2024, while wheat is expected to rebound amid tighter supplies." However, there is still uncertainty about whether global food prices will decrease swiftly enough to prevent food riots in EM countries. The current food price levels are comparable to those that sparked the Arab Spring riots in the Middle East in 2010.Sara Menker, founder and CEO of Gro Intelligence, warned last month in an interview with Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of Bloomberg's New Economy Forum in Singapore that the current food crisis surpassed the one in 2007-08. She explained this is mostly because of elevated crop prices and steep declines in local currencies against the dollar.

The zaï technique: How farmers in the Sahel grow crops with little to no water Hubert Reeves once wrote that "on the cosmic scale, liquid water is rarer than gold". And what is true for the universe is even truer in the Sahel, the name given to the vast, arid belt that skirts the Sahara and stretches across Africa from east to west. Since 3,000 BCE, the peoples of this region have invested tremendous effort into coming up with myriad ways to capture and control this remarkably scarce resource. Faced with the poor distribution of water across space and time, they have had to resort to intelligent, thrifty methods to make the most of even the tiniest drop. Overlooked for many years, the secrets of the Sahelian landscape are starting to pique the interest of researchers and decision-makers. Each year in the Yatenga, northern Burkina Faso, the first June rains arrive to soothe the scorch of the seemingly interminable dry season. The now-quenched soil breathes life back into the bushland as clumps of millet and sorghum spring up just about everywhere, transforming parched savannahs into verdant thickets. But in some villages, the fragile Sahelian ecosystem has been completely upended. Due to thinning plant cover after the heavy drought period of the 1970s and 1980s, the unstable, iron-rich soils of the Yatenga have been stripped bare by erosion. They are now a desolate crust where torrential rains are simply swept away as run-off before they have a chance to seep through. Instead of bringing new life, the water erodes the land along with the hopes of local farmers.However, some have attempted to adapt and innovate in this hostile landscape. Yacouba Sawadogo and his family are hard at work perforating the crusted soil in preparation for the first rain. Each wielding a daba (which is a traditional tool similar to an adze), they dig down into the red laterite earth.The farmers perform a pattern of vigorous movements, dividing up the plot with their neat, orderly divots. Into each one, they drop a handful of compost, a few grains of sorghum, and a dusting of light soil. Job done! The field is ready to welcome the next rainstorm. On the face of it, it seems counter-intuitive to sow seeds at the height of the dry season in a field riddled with holes. But this expertise, known as zaï, has been honed by the peoples of the Yatenga for centuries. By virtue of this revolutionary farming technique, they have mastered the art of catching rain. According to local oral history, the technique was used in the olden days by families who possessed tiny areas of poor soil but fell out of favor when the rain became more plentiful in the 1950s. Soon after, however, came the desperately dry decades of the 1970s and 1980s. Faced with the ever-encroaching desert, Yacouba Sawadogo unearthed the technique of zaï, which he has since used to revitalize and reforest 27 hectares of degraded land. Powerful winter storm to rapidly strengthen over the Central U.S. early next week - The United States braces for a powerful winter storm, forecasted to strengthen rapidly over the Central region early next week, affecting areas from the West to the East Coast. According to NWS predictions on Thursday, January 4, 2024, the storm may bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions, destructive winds exceeding 80 km/h (50 mph), and heightened flooding risks. As one winter storm affects the Northeast this weekend, another winter storm will arrive on the West Coast. The next storm will then rapidly strengthen over the Central U.S. and progress to the East Coast early next week. While there is still some uncertainty in the exact track and details of the storm, heavy snow is likely in the higher elevations of the Western U.S. this weekend; in a swath over parts of the Southern High Plains, Central Plains, and Midwest Monday and Tuesday, January 8 and 9; and in the interior Northeast Tuesday and Wednesday, January 9 and 10. Given the intensity of the storm, strong winds may create areas of blizzard conditions. NWS is urging residents living in affected areas to continue checking for forecast updates as the area of greatest threat will become clearer in the coming days. Gusty winds are expected on the warm side of the storm too, and may exceed 80 km/h (50 mph) and cause damage, even outside of thunderstorm activity. The strongest gusts are most likely near the Appalachians and on the East Coast. Heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday is likely to lead to flooding, including river flooding, in the Eastern U.S. Powerful onshore winds are also likely to lead to coastal flooding issues along much of the East Coast.

Widespread Arctic air outbreak anticipated across much of the U.S. through mid-January - -- The United States is bracing for a widespread cold air outbreak, anticipated to affect much of the lower 48 states through mid-January due to a strong mid-level high pressure over Greenland and the negative Arctic Oscillation phase. Expected severe conditions include sub-zero temperatures and wind chills, widespread wintry precipitation, and potential flooding along the Eastern Seaboard. The NWS Climate Prediction Center forecasters have warned of a widespread Arctic air outbreak across much of the lower 48 states through mid-January, triggered by strong mid-level high pressure over Greenland and the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, a key indicator of Northern Hemisphere weather patterns. This event is set to bring significantly cold temperatures and wind chills, particularly across the Intermountain West and much of the Northern Plains. mid level height map january 12 - 18 2024 (1) us hazards outlook valid january 12 - 18 2024 (1) Sub-zero temperatures and severe wind chills are anticipated in these regions, posing risks to life and property. Alongside the extreme cold, storminess during this period is likely to lead to widespread wintry precipitation, affecting areas from the Intermountain West to the interior Northeast. The Eastern Seaboard is also on alert for potential flooding risks. As the Arctic air interacts with local conditions, there is a possibility of flooding along coastal and inland areas, exacerbating the challenges posed by the cold temperatures. People living in affected areas are advised to heed local warnings and prepare for a period of severe winter weather that could affect a wide array of daily activities and safety.

Weather alerts issued across US as winter storm expected to hit East Coast -- Weather alerts have been issued across the U.S. as a winter storm has been forecast to hit the East Coast. Winter storm warnings have been issued in states including New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS had warned Friday of heavy snow and severe ice from Maryland to Maine. “For the interior Mid-Atlantic and New England, there is increasing confidence in heavy snow from Saturday afternoon into Sunday,” the NWS said Friday. “The greatest uncertainty in the rain-snow transition is from southeast Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey into southern New England.” “The combination of heavy, wet snow and gusty winds in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts may lead to some power outages and tree damage,” it added. “Gusty onshore winds may lead to minor flooding along the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England coasts, particularly for the Sunday morning high tide cycle.” Despite the heavy snow in other areas, cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia were not forecast to get significant snow. Instead, they were forecast to receive rain and sleet because of high temps. The East Coast, however, isn’t the only area facing winter storm warnings, per the NWS. States like New Mexico, Washington and Oregon are also facing their own winter storm warnings.

Storm Henk causes flooding and travel disruption in UK - Hundreds of flood warnings were in place in the UK on Wednesday, after strong winds and rain lashed large parts of the country, hitting travel and cutting power. The strongest gusts from Storm Henk were recorded on Tuesday afternoon on the Isle of Wight, off England's south coast, where the wind reached 94 miles (151 kilometers) per hour. The wind got up to 81 mph at Exeter airport, along the south coast in Devon, the Met Office weather agency said. Gloucestershire Police in western England said a man in his 50s was killed when a tree fell on his car during the storms near Cirencester. On Wednesday morning, the Environment Agency said it had issued 294 flood warnings—where flooding is expected—and 341 flood alerts—where flooding is possible—in England. Several residents had to be evacuated from houseboats and caravans on the River Nene near Northampton, 70 miles north of London, because of rising waters. Eight flood warnings and 32 flood alerts were in force in Wales, as well as a severe flood warning, indicating a danger to life, Natural Resources Wales said. According to the Energy Networks Association, an industry body of gas and electricity suppliers, some 10,000 customers were without power. National Highways, which operates and maintains motorways and major roads in England, said several main routes were closed because of flooding. The organization warned that with more rain forecast in several regions throughout the day, some roads would remain shut for several hours. Train companies also warned passengers that services would be disrupted, as high winds had brought down trees onto railway lines.

Snowstorm paralyzes southern Norway, leaving thousands without power - Thousands of Norwegians have been trapped in snowdrifts across the southern part of the country, leading to widespread transport disruptions and power outages since the start of the year. State meteorologists have warned of continued heavy snow and strong winds, as municipalities scramble to manage the crisis, closing schools and deploying emergency services. The severe weather, described as “unusual” by officials, has brought life to a standstill in many areas, with more snow expected throughout the week. In the southwestern county of Agder, the situation quickly escalated on New Year’s Eve when a severe storm blanketed the area, disrupting transport of all kinds and causing widespread power outages. The intensity of the snowfall prompted state meteorologists to issue warnings, which were swiftly followed by the establishment of crisis management teams in the southern cities of Kristiansand and Arendal, as well as the smaller coastal community of Risør. These teams were tasked with managing the snow deluge, which by Monday afternoon, January 1, 2024, had reached nearly 70 cm (2.3 feet). Schools in municipalities along the coast, including Kristiansand, Lillesand, Tvedestrand, Risør, and Arendal, announced closures through at least Wednesday, January 3, citing weather conditions. The Red Cross stepped in to bolster emergency response capabilities, making extra ambulances available and deploying over a dozen snowmobiles to ensure medical teams could reach those in need. Persistent snowfall led to the shutdown of local train lines, including Arendalsbanen, portions of Sørlandsbanen, and Vestfoldbanen. The heavy snow also snarled roads, leading to an advisory for Tønsberg residents to work from home if possible. Even the capital, Oslo, was not spared, with bus services struggling and the E6 motorway closed after a serious car accident. Officials urged motorists to equip themselves with warm clothing, food, and shovels, emphasizing the unpredictability of the snowstorm. Oslo announced delays in garbage collection due to severe access problems for garbage trucks. The persistent snow also closed the E18 highway near Grimstad, exacerbating traffic issues as several vehicles became stuck. Meteorologists forecasted an additional 40 cm (1.3 feet) of snow by Thursday, January 4. The situation in Grimstad, typically known as a summer holiday destination, starkly contrasted its usual ambiance, with snow reaching well above knee level. Throughout Southern Norway, authorities advised against all but essential driving, urging residents to remain indoors. Public transport in the Oslo area faced its own set of challenges, with Ruter, the public agency, considering a complete shutdown of bus traffic due to unmanageable snow accumulation. The tram service, too, faced early shutdowns, affecting access to popular destinations like Frognerseteren. While the coastal areas bore the brunt of the storm, even mountainous regions were not immune, with long lines forming for escorted convoys on major highways.

Finland records coldest January temperature since 2006 - Finland experienced its coldest January temperature since 2006 when Enontekiö Airport registered -42.4 °C (-44.3 °F) on January 4, 2024. The severe cold is not isolated to Finland, as nearby regions in Sweden and Norway have also reported record-low temperatures, indicating a widespread Arctic chill across the Nordic countries. The northwestern town of Ylivieska became a focal point of the cold snap with a recorded temperature of -37.8 °C (-36 °F) early on January 3, 2024, but on January 4, the mercury at Enontekiö Airport in Lapland plunged to -42.4 °C (-44.3 °F) at 06:21 UTC, adding this day to the record books as the coldest January day in Finland since 2006. On January 5, Enontekiö Airport recorded a minimum temperature of -44.3 °C (-47.7 °F), marking the lowest temperature of the century in the Fennoscandian Peninsula. The final Tmin in Enontekiö Airport was -44.3°C, the lowest temperature of the century in Fennoscandia!

• -44.3°C Enontekiö 🇫🇮 (2024)
• -44.0°C Storbo 🇸🇪 (2001)
• -43.9°C Drevsjø 🇳🇴 (2001)
• -43.8°C Naimakka 🇸🇪 (2024)
• -43.6°C Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka 🇸🇪 (2024), Inari & Kittilä 🇫🇮 (2006)https://t.co/g6v0UqxF2A pic.twitter.com/WYUXCSt9Fp

— Thierry Goose (@ThierryGooseBC) January 5, 2024 gfs 2m temperature anomaly january 5 2024 full Forecasters warned that the Finnish capital of Helsinki is bracing itself for a week of biting cold, expecting temperatures to hover between -15 and -20 °C (5 and -4 °F). Certain areas could see the thermometer dip even lower, potentially surpassing -40 °C (-40 °F) before the end of the week. Meanwhile, neighboring Sweden’s Lapland region reported temperatures plummeting to -43.6 °C (-46.5 °F) in Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka on January 3, marking not only the lowest January temperature in Sweden since 1999 but also the coldest day for the area since records began in 1888.

Powerful earthquake hits Japan, prompting tsunami warnings A string of earthquakes shook Japan on Monday, prompting officials to declare tsunami warnings and order evacuations along the country’s western coast.There were more than a dozen earthquakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. This included one earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 — which is considered a major earthquake that can cause serious damage.Japan initially issued major tsunami warnings for Ishikawa with surfs up to 5 meters high but has since downgraded to a simple tsunami warning. The country also issued tsunami warnings and advisories along its western coast, where waves could reach at least 3 meters high, according to the meteorological agency. The agency confirmed initial waves along some parts of the coast have already arrived.“A large tsunami has been observed, and there is a risk of tremendous damage. If you are on the coast or along the river, please evacuate to safe places such as high stand evacuation buildings immediately,” the agency said in a press release.The agency also warned that there was a risk of houses collapsing and landslides in areas where the earthquake was strong. It urged residents to pay close attention to more shocks and potential rainfall in its press release.The Associated Press (AP) reported that at least six homes were damaged by the earthquakes with people trapped inside them. Government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said a fire also broke out in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, and more than 30,000 households are without electricity, the AP reported. Hayashi said no deaths or injuries have been reported yet, according to the AP.

Massive M7.6 earthquake hits near the west coast of Honshu, Japan — major tsunami warning issued for Ishikawa - A very strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M7.6 (preliminary) hit near the west coast of Honshu, Japan at 07:10 UTC (16:10 local time) on January 1, 2024. USGS and EMSC are reporting it as M7.5 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

• A major tsunami warning has been issued for Ishikawa Prefecture. Tsunami warnings were also issued for Niigata, Toyama, Yamagata, Fukui and Hyogo prefectures along the Japan Sea coast.
• Residents in the coastal Noto area in Ishikawa Prefecture were asked to evacuate immediately to higher ground.
• Authorities have warned of waves as high as 5 m (16.4 feet) in Noto.
• Russia also issued tsunami warnings in its far eastern cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.

The epicenter was located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Noto Peninsula about 42.1 km (26.2 miles) NE of Anamizu (population 17 840), 55.4 km (34.4 miles) NNE of Nanao (population 45 309), 66.4 km (41.2 miles) NNW of Nyūzen (population 25 007), 68.8 km (42.8 miles) NNW of Kurobe-shi (population 41 564), and 88.7 km (55.1 miles) N of Toyama (population 415 844). 17 000 people are estimated to have felt violent shaking, 144 000 severe, 577 000 very strong, and 3 337 000 strong. A tsunami around 1 m (3.3 feet) high struck parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan, with a larger wave of up to 5 m (16.4 feet) expected, public broadcaster NHK reported. This is the first time a “major tsunami warning” was issued since the 2011 earthquake in northeastern Japan. The warning is issued when tsunami of 3 m (10 feet) or more are expected. First visuals of HUGE wave hitting Suzu City in Japan#Earthquake #Japan #tsunami pic.twitter.com/aPMY6in36g (2 YouTube videos) Footage aired by NHK showed buildings collapsing in Ishikawa, and tremors shook buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast, local media reported. More than 36 000 households lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture. Hokuriku’s Shika plant in Ishikawa, which was located the closest to the quake’s epicenter, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspection and saw no impact from the quake, the agency said. Extensive damage is probable and the disaster is likely widespread. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Japan. Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are heavy wood frame and reinforced/confined masonry construction. Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as tsunamis, landslides, fires and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses.

Japan earthquakes: At least 62 dead. Follow latest updates - (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan left at least 62 people dead as rescue workers fought Wednesday to save those feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas two days after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area. The first 72 hours are considered crucial to save lives after disasters. Water, power and cell phone service were still down in some areas. Residents expressed sorrow about their uncertain futures. Of the deaths, 29 were counted in Wajima city, while 22 people died in Suzu, according to Ishikawa Prefectural authorities. Dozens of people have been seriously injured, including in nearby prefectures. Although casualty numbers continued to climb gradually, the prompt public warnings, relayed on broadcasts and phones, and the quick response from the general public and officials appeared to have limited some of the damage. Toshitaka Katada, a University of Tokyo professor specializing in disasters, said people were prepared because the area had been hit by quakes in recent years. They had evacuation plans and emergency supplies in stock. “There are probably no people on Earth who are as disaster-ready as the Japanese,” he told The Associated Press. Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. Katada warned the situation remains precarious and unpredictable. The March 2011 quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan had been preceded by other quakes. Japanese media’s aerial footage showed widespread damage in the hardest-hit spots, with landslides burying roads, boats tossed in the waters and a fire that had turned an entire section of Wajima city to ashes. Japan’s military has dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts. It was uncertain how many more victims might still be in the rubble. Nuclear regulators said several nuclear plants in the region were operating normally. A major quake and tsunami in 2011 caused three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan.

Japan quake survivors face freezing rain, threat of landslides - (Reuters) - The death toll from an earthquake that struck Japan on New Year's Day rose to 64 on Wednesday as authorities rushed to bring aid to survivors facing freezing temperatures and heavy rain forecast for later in the day. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck the Noto peninsula on Monday afternoon, levelling houses and cutting off remote areas from aid. Heavy rains were forecast in the quake-hit areas on Wednesday, raising fears of landslides that could further hinder efforts to free many more people trapped under rubble. Severed roads, damaged infrastructure, and the remote location of the hardest-hit areas have complicated rescue efforts. The full extent of damage and casualties remains unclear two days after the quake. Authorities have confirmed 64 deaths, up from 55 late on Tuesday, making the earthquake the deadliest in Japan since at least 2016. Smaller quakes continue to hit the peninsula. Firefighters from Osaka and Nara prefectures pressed on despite the rain and aftershocks, searching for a woman trapped in a wooden structure squashed by a seven-floor building which collapsed sideways. The rescuers were removing rubble to try to reach the woman, who was not showing any vital signs, a firefighter said. The government opened a sea route to deliver aid and some larger trucks are now able to reach some of the more remote areas, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a press conference following a national disaster response meeting. "It's been over 40 hours since the initial quake. This is a battle against time, and I believe now is a crucial moment in that battle," he said. More than 33,000 people have evacuated their homes ,and some areas have no access to water or electricity and have spotty signal, according to Ishikawa prefecture. The mayors of the hardest-hit cities demanded the government clear roads and deliver aid swiftly at a regional emergency disaster meeting held on Wednesday morning. "Even those who narrowly escaped death can't survive without food and water," said Masuhiro Izumiya, the mayor of Suzu, a town of about 13,000 near the quake's epicentre. "We haven't received a single loaf of bread."

Japan earthquake: Fires hit quake zone as rescuers race to reach survivors - Rescue efforts continue in Japan after at least 64 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that hit the country on New Year's Day. Homes collapsed, buildings caught fire and roads were extensively damaged, hindering the work of rescue services. The epicentre of the 7.6 quake was the Noto peninsula, in central Japan. The Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said that emergency services were locked in a "race against time" to rescue survivors. "More than 40 hours have passed since the disaster. We have received a lot of information about people in need of rescue and there are people waiting for help," Mr Kishida said Wednesday after an emergency task force meeting. He also said some 3,000 rescuers were trying to reach parts of the Noto peninsula. Helicopter surveys showed many fires and widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure. The city of Wajima, on the northern tip of Noto, has been cut off from land routes. In the coastal city of Suzu in Ishikawa prefecture, some 90% of homes in the city had been "completely or nearly completely destroyed", mayor Masushiro Izumiya told news outlet Kyodo. The Japanese military has been handing out supplies including food, water and blankets for those who have had to vacate their homes. The country's government has said that 57,360 people had to be evacuated. Tens of thousands of meals are being delivered across the affected region. Aftershocks continued into Wednesday. The chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, warned people to "be alert" for more earthquakes "of an intensity of up to 7" in the coming week. Ishikawa, 155km (96.3 miles) south of the Noto peninsula, experienced a 5.5 quake on Wednesday morning. The major tsunami warnings put out by the Japanese government on Monday were later downgraded. By Tuesday, all tsunami advisories were lifted along the Sea of Japan, meaning there was no longer a risk of giant waves.

Japan Airlines jet burst into flames after collision with quake-relief plane -Japan Airlines says its crew was cleared to land by air traffic control before colliding with a Japan Coast Guard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.Audio from LiveATC.net details the crew of Japan Airlines 516 was cleared to land on runway 34 right. The crew reads back “cleared to land 34 right.” “According to interviews with the operating crew, they acknowledged and repeated the landing permission from air traffic control, and then proceeded with the approach and landing procedures,” Japan Airlines said in a new statement. After landing, the Japan Air Lines Airbus A350 “collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft and caught fire, the statement added.Japan Airlines says there were three members of the crew in the cockpit of the flight along with 9 members of the cabin crew. A total of 367 passengers were on the flight — 359 adults and 8 infants. Five people in the Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 were killed.Incredibly, Japan Air Lines says only one person on board received bruises, but 13 “requested medical consultation due to physical discomfort.” Japan Airlines and airplane manufacturer Airbus are both part of an investigation into the collision between two aircraft at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Tuesday in which five people died. At the same time, the death toll from Monday's earthquake in western Japan has risen to 57. Here are the latest headlines:

• Crash investigation underway: Japan Airlines is taking part in theinvestigation to determine who is responsible for the deadly crash between a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 and a Japan Coast Guard plane, said an airline representative. While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary reports say that the pilots of the Japan Airlines flight did not spot any aircraft on the runway before landing. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it will send a team to help investigate Tuesday’s collision.
• Five dead working on earthquake relief: Five crew members on the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) plane that collided with the Japan Airlines plane were killed, and the captain is in critical condition. The Coast Guard plane was due to fly to Niigata prefecture to help with earthquake relief efforts.
• More than a dozen passengers injured: Seventeen passengers on board Japan Airlines flight 516 were injured after it burst into flames, and four were taken to hospital. No further details on their injuries were provided. More than 100 fire trucks were dispatched to the scene of the fire and most flights have been cancelled.
• Earthquake death toll rises: The death toll from the 7.5 magnitudeearthquake that struck Japan’s west coast on Monday has risen to 57. The quake shook the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings, sparking fires and triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia.

Tsunami flooded over 100 ha (247 acres) in Ishikawa following M7.6 quake, Japan - (videos) A tsunami triggered by a M7.6 earthquake on January 1, 2024, has flooded at least 100 ha (247 acres) of land in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The quake, causing waves over 120 cm (3.9 feet) and land displacements up to 3 m (10 feet), has led to at least 84 fatalities, extensive damage and displacement, with the full impact still unfolding. The land ministry conducted an analysis of Suzu City and Noto Town on the Noto Peninsula, using aerial imagery and concluded that 15 ha (37 acres) of Iida Port in Suzu City were flooded and 27 ha (66 acres) across Nunoura and Kurikawashiri in Noto Town. Despite ongoing evaluations, the complete extent of damage, especially to residential structures and the precise depth of the flooding, remains uncertain. By January 4, the death toll increased to 84 and the number of injured people to 305. The cities of Wajima and Suzu reported the highest death tolls, with 48 and 23 deceased respectively. The officials have also listed 179 individuals as missing from the six most affected cities and towns, with an ongoing plea for information to aid the search and rescue operations.

Space Photos Show Japan Earthquake Destruction -Satellite images show mass destruction to Japan's west coast and inner cities after a series of powerful earthquakes hit the country on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported 21 earthquakes registering 4.0 magnitude or stronger striking central Japan in a span of just over an hour and half. One quake was an estimated 7.6 magnitude quake, according to JMA. Photo of a coastal town in Japan before and after a tsunami flooded it. The event triggered tsunami warnings, which were eventually lifted. Some nearly 4-foot-high waves were seen in the city of Wajima and nearly 3-foot-high waves in Kanazawa, reported NHK, a Japanese public broadcaster. The earthquake left thousands without power. Rescue teams continue to search for those trapped under the rubble. Before and after space photos of burned and destroyed buildings in Wajima. In the town of Suzu, near the quake's epicenter, 90% of houses might have been destroyed, according to the town's mayor, Masuhiro Izumiya, Reuters reported. "The situation is catastrophic," he said, per Reuters. Capsized boats and damaged buildings in Suzu City after a powerful earthquake hit Japan. The event was so powerful that the ground shifted, rising by over 13 feet in some places and shifting more than 3 feet in others, the BBC reported. The change was enough that even Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's ALOS-2 spacecraft measured the shift, reporting that the distance between it and the ground had shortened, per the BBC. A road destroyed by the earthquake is shown on the left while another giant fissure is shown from a satellite image on the right. Monday's quake triggered aftershocks — which have continued into Wednesday — and has so far killed at least 62 people, per the national broadcaster NHK. Rescue teams are still attempting to rescue people trapped under the rubble. Monday's shake is being compared to Japan's 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake. However, that earthquake, which triggered nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima plant and killed 18,000 people, was far more destructive. Part of the reason Japan's death toll is much lower than it was in 2011 — other than the magnitude of this earthquake being significantly lower — is because of the system that has been built around one of the most seismically active countries in the world, the BBC reported. The country's emergency services are well prepared for earthquake rescues, buildings are built with strict guidelines to withstand shaking, and earthquake alerts can give people up to 20 seconds of notice before the worst tremors begin. Comparatively, countries much less prepared have seen devastating death tolls.

Major X5.0 solar flare erupts from Region 3536 — the strongest flare of Solar Cycle 25 - (video) A major X5.0 solar flare erupted from Active Region 3536 at 21:55 UTC on December 31, 2023. The event started at 21:36 and ended at 22:08 UTC. This is now the strongest solar flare of the current solar cycle — Solar Cycle 25 — and the strongest flare since X9.3 on September 6, 2017. A Type IV radio emission was associated with the event. Type IV emissions occur in association with major eruptions on the Sun and are typically associated with strong coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar radiation storms. Additionally, the flare event was associated with a 10cm Radio Burst (tenflare) lasting 21 minutes and with a peak flux of 3 100 pfu. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.The location of this region does not favor Earth-directed CMEs, but this will change in the days ahead as it rotates toward the center of the disk. This region was named 3514 during the last transit and was responsible for the X2.8 solar flare on December 14 — the strongest solar flare since September 2017 before today’s X5.0. There is a small possibility that a part of the CME may reach Earth in a couple of days. A major X5.0 solar flare erupted from Active Region 3536 at 21:55 UTC on December 31, 2023. The event started at 21:36 and ended at 22:08 UTC. This is now the strongest solar flare of the current solar cycle — Solar Cycle 25 — and the strongest flare since X9.3 on September 6, 2017. A Type IV radio emission was associated with the event. Type IV emissions occur in association with major eruptions on the Sun and are typically associated with strong coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar radiation storms. Additionally, the flare event was associated with a 10cm Radio Burst (tenflare) lasting 21 minutes and with a peak flux of 3 100 pfu. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications. cme produced by x5.0 solar flare on december 31 2023 Image credit: NASA SDO/AIA 301. Image acquired at 22:58 UTC on December 31, 2023 The location of this region does not favor Earth-directed CMEs, but this will change in the days ahead as it rotates toward the center of the disk. This region was named 3514 during the last transit and was responsible for the X2.8 solar flare on December 14 — the strongest solar flare since September 2017 before today’s X5.0. There is a small possibility that a part of the CME may reach Earth in a couple of days. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over the Pacific Ocean at the time of the flare. The explosion was powerful enough to produce a solar tsunami. In addition to the X-flare, the newly numbered Region 3536 (N05E75, Hax/alpha) produced an M1.0 flare at 19:12 UTC on December 31. Regions 3533 (N14W78, Bxo/beta) and 3534 (S13E03, Dao/beta) were seen to be in decay while Region 3531 (S20W77, Hsx/alpha) was stable over the past 24 hours. Three prominent filament eruptions were observed during the same period. The first filament eruption occurred in the vicinity of S40E65 at around 06:00 UTC on December 31, the second was near N38W50 at around 09:00 UTC, and the third was located near S52E68 at around 17:00 UTC. Three CMEs associated with the filament eruptions have been analyzed and determined to be directed off the Sun-Earth line, SWPC forecasters said. As of this report, LASCO satellite imagery had not been updated to include the X5.0 flare. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed in available coronagraph imagery.

Largest solar flare since 2017 reported: What we know— A massive solar flare — the largest in years — was spotted on the sun on New Year’s Eve, sparking a warning to some high-frequency radio users.In an update Sunday evening, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) released an image of the flare, which appeared as a large, glowing spot on the sun. You can see that image below. “A flare is an eruption of energy from the sun that generally lasts minutes to hours,” the SWPCexplains. This one in particular, which peaked just before 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, was categorized as an X5 flare. Solar flares are classified based on their strength, much like earthquakes, according to NASA. The scale ranges from B-class on the lowest end to C-class, then M-class, and finally, X-class. Each letter represents a ten-fold increase in energy output, and there is a scale of 1 to 9 in each class, except for X-class. X-class flares can exceed 9, with the largest-ever recorded being an X45 that occurred in 2003.Flares that are B- or C-class are too weak for us to notice on Earth, NASA explains, and M-class flares “can cause brief radio blackouts at the poles and minor radiation storms that might endanger astronauts.” X-class flares can cause more noticeable impacts, like radiation storms that can impact satellites and give small radiation doses to airplane passengers flying near the poles. NASA notes that they can also cause “global transmission problems and world-wide blackouts.” At an X5, Sunday’s flare was much smaller than the flare recorded in 2003. It was, however, the strongest since September 2017, when an X8.2 flare was detected, according to the SWPC. This flare also supersedes an X2.8 solar flare reported in the same region of the sun on December 14. At the time, the SWPC reported that flare was “likely one of the largest solar radio events ever recorded.” The SWPC said those using high-frequency radio signals (like emergency managers) may notice a “temporary degradation or complete loss of signal on much of the sunlit side of Earth” as a result of Sunday’s solar flare. For the rest of us, the SWPC said we “need not be concerned.” While a coronal mass ejection (CME) — which can cause northern light displays on Earth — was detected in connection with Sunday’s solar flare, the chances of any of us seeing the aurora Monday night appear slim.The SWPC’s current forecast shows only a few states have a chance at catching the auroras Monday night. Much of Alaska and Canada have a high likelihood of seeing the northern lights while some states — Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have slim chances (denoted by the light green and red “view line” on the map below).The aurora “may become visible along the horizon,” the SWPC said Monday. A minor geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for Tuesday, though the likelihood of seeing the aurora appears even slimmer then, per the SWPC’s current forecast.Solar activity and CMEs are only expected to be more common in 2024 as the sun continues through Solar Cycle 25. Solar cycles are 11-year periods when the sun flips its magnetic poles, sparking space weather like flares and CMEs, which are explosions of plasma and magnetic material from the sun that can reach Earth in as little as 15 to 18 hours, NOAA explains. Those CMEs that do impact Earth not only cause auroras but can impact our navigation, communication and radio signals. While it may sound alarming, you shouldn’t expect a five-day blackout and grounded flights if the aurora brightens up your sky.

2023 was Earth’s warmest on record. Will this year be even hotter? --As a year of surprising global warmth came to a close, a record high annual average temperature was already assured. Now, some scientists are already speculating: 2024 could be even hotter. After all, vast swaths of Earth’s oceans were record-warm for most of 2023, and it would take as many months for them to release that heat. An intense episode of the planet-warming El Niño climate pattern is nearing its peak, and the last time that happened, it pushed the planet to record warmth in 2016.That suggests there will be no imminent slowdown in a surge of global warmth that has supercharged the decades-long trend tied to fossil fuel emissions.It could be enough to, for the first time on an annual basis, push average planetary temperatures more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial, 19th century levels, according to Britain’s Met Office. The planet came closer than ever to that dreaded threshold in recent months, providing a first glimpse of a world where sustained levels of that heat would fuel new weather extremes.But such climate trends can be difficult to predict with precision. After all, at the start of 2023, scientists predicted the year would end as one of the planet’s warmest on record. They didn’t expect it to set so many new precedents — and by record-wide margins.“The fact that we are in uncharted territory, we don’t actually know what will happen next,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.El Niño is known to raise planetary temperatures by as much as a few tenths of a degree Celsius, a decent margin for a globally averaged statistic. That’s because it’s associated with warmer-than-average surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, and those waters release heat and steam into the atmosphere.El Niño typically lasts a year or less, peaking during the winter months and then fading in the spring. While scientists say no two El Niño events are exactly alike, each one brings some predictability to global climate patterns like few other planetary phenomena.The current El Niño, which began in June, is considered strong and could peak as a historically potent episode some time in the coming weeks or months. It could be on par with a strong El Niño that began in early 2015, peaked that December, and faded by June 2016, on the way boosting 2016 to record warm global warmth.If that pattern holds true this time, that could mean record warmth that has persisted over the past six months surges even higher in the first half of 2024.

Federal judge in Oregon denies efforts to dismiss climate lawsuit filed by young people – OPB - A federal judge in Eugene, Oregon, has denied U.S. Department of Justice motions to dismiss a climate lawsuit brought by 21 youth plaintiffs. This could clear the way for the case to finally go to trial.The lawsuit was filed in 2015 by young people ranging from age 8 to 19 years old. It alleges the federal government, through its policies and subsidies for fossil fuel companies, knowingly allows human-caused climate change. The plaintiffs argue climate change and the dangers it poses violate their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.Attorney Julia Olson with Our Children’s Trust represents the plaintiffs.“We are going to trial this year,” Olson said. “And it’s just time the federal government is held accountable for its affirmative conduct that is causing the climate crisis to worsen.”Olson said she’s now preparing for pretrial conferences and hopes the trial can begin this fall.“2024 is going to be the year of children and young people continuing to rise up and secure their rights,” Olson said. “It’s a big year for democracy. And this case and this trial is going to be a big part of that journey.”Olson said their success with a state climate lawsuit in Montana last year is promising for the federal lawsuit. In her opinion denying the DOJ’s request to dismiss the case, Judge Ann Aikin said the climate “catastrophe is the great emergency of our time and compels urgent action.”

An emergency brake for the climate: EU advisory board recommends 90%–95% reduction in emissions by 2040 -- To limit global warming to 1.5°, the EU's Science Advisory Board on Climate Change recommends that Europe reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 90%–95% by 2040 compared to 1990. Fossil fuels should be phased out as quickly as possible. The reason is clear: The climate crisis is here and now. We are experiencing possibly the warmest year in human history. Record-warm oceans are contributing to historic floods in China, Greece, Slovenia, and Norway. Forest fires ruined Northern Europeans' summer holiday and devastated Hawaii's Maui Island. Hikers in Texas and chickens in England died from heat stress. But there is broad political support for the 1.5°C target in the Paris Agreement, in Norway as in Europe. All (distribution) principles based on historical emissions show that rich countries and China have used up their share of the emission budget, and then some. Politicians promised voters to take strong action to reduce emissions. Emissions of 350 billion tons is enough to raise atmospheric concentrations of CO2 to the point where we have a 50% probability that the average global temperature will reach or surpass the threshold of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average. Last year, carbon emissions from energy and cement production alone reached a record 37 billion tons, according to Global Carbon Project. Without abruptly slowing down, we will pass 1.5° around 2030. Summer this year has given us a taste of what an average year will look like then.

EPA gives Louisiana authority to approve projects storing carbon dioxide underground - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted Louisiana the right to approve projects that store carbon dioxide underground. These projects take carbon dioxide emitted by energy production or industrial processes and inject it into rock formations underground to prevent it from going into the atmosphere and worsening climate change. The EPA said last week that the state’s program meets requirements for approval. In a written statement Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said that the state’s geology and existing pipeline infrastructure set it up to be a major hub for carbon capture and sequestration projects. “While CO2 sequestration is not the only strategy available for carbon management, it is the most mature and market-ready tool available in the near term,” he said. The EPA’s move was met with criticism from some on the left, who raised concerns with both the State of Louisiana and the use of carbon storage more broadly. Beverly Wright, executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, called the decision “simply wrong” and said it “leaves Louisiana’s most vulnerable exposed to an untested pollution control technology,” in a written statement. She also said that the state has “a track record of ignoring environmental justice concerns and failing to comply with environmental regulations for decades.”

Public outcry against carbon capture in Louisiana growing - Communities across south Louisiana want to protect themselves from what they consider to be a risky and possibly dangerous prospect of having tons of carbon dioxide injected underground to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) — capturing the planet-warming gas from industry and storing it permanently underground — has become a top Biden administration solution to meeting the country’s 2050 net-zero emissions goals. Louisiana has at least 20 underground carbon dioxide storage projects in the planning or development stages, most concentrated in the southeastern part of the state. In addition, a sprawling network of pipeline expansions to carry the gas is planned, many to be funded through provisions and tax credits in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which have ignited the CCS industry. No such projects have yet been built in Louisiana. And there are worries about the safety and efficacy of CCS after a 2020 leak of a carbon pipeline in Satartia, Mississippi sent 45 people to the hospital.A state legislative task force is exploring the impacts CCS could have in Louisiana.But those living in lower income or majority-minority communities worry that voices from neighborhoods that are whiter and galvanize more quickly will have a greater say in where these projects go — or if they will be built.So far, residents from predominantly white communities have been the only people showing up to the mid-day legislative task force meetings at the state Capitol to express their objections to CCS.Their criticisms are focused on a project that would inject carbon captured from a local chemical company underneath Lake Maurepas, a recreational estuary between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.Randy Delatte, president-elect for Livingston Parish, told the task force at its most recent meeting on Monday that he worries the carbon will escape through the 52 nearby abandoned oil and gas wells.“Our concern is Lake Maurepas,” Delatte said. “Our concern is that the people are not being heard.”Darren Burns, who testified during the Nov. 29 meeting, said CCS would transform the lake into an industrial dumpsite.“This is not clean energy; it’s dirty,” Burns said in his impassioned plea. “Have you done your homework? This will produce more carbon than it captures.” Said Lisa Cothern, another defender of Lake Maurepas: “There is no guarantee this stuff is never going to leak.”

Selective conversion of CO₂into dimethyl ether over hydrophobic and gallium-modified copper catalysts - The selective conversion of CO₂ and H₂ into valuable chemicals and fuels is a promising route for carbon recycling. Multiple routes have been developed for the CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, higher alcohols, dimethyl ether (DME), aromatics, hydrocarbon, and olefins. Among these products, DME is attractive because it is nontoxic and noncorrosive and has been used as a platform chemical in industry, a carrier for hydrogen, and an additive for fuels.A series of catalysts has been synthesized for the direct hydrogenation of CO₂-to-DME via cascade catalysis involving methanol synthesis and methanol condensation to DME over a supported copper catalyst. However, high DME selectivity was only achieved at low conversion of CO₂, resulting in poor one-pass productivity.When the CO₂ conversion increased, abundant by-products of CO, methanol, and hydrocarbons were produced. A recent trend is CO₂ to DME conversion over bifunctional catalysts, such as acid oxide-supported copper nanoparticles, but their performance is still unsatisfactory. In addition, the copper nanoparticles were sintered during catalysis, resulting in poor durability.Recently, a research team led by Prof. Feng-Shou Xiao and Prof. Liang Wang from Zhejiang University, China, has overcome these limitations by developing a highly active, selective, and durable copper nanoparticle catalyst for converting CO₂ to DME. This was achieved by loading Cu nanoparticles onto hydrophobic and Ga-modified silica supports. The Ga-modified silica provided moderate acidity for methanol dehydration to DME, which hindered deep dehydration to hydrocarbons.Importantly, the hydrophobic catalyst surface efficiently hinders the sintering of the Cu nanoparticles, which is usually triggered by water and methanol. Consequently, under the following reaction conditions (6000 mL g_cat^–1·h^–1, 3 MPa, 240 °C), the CO₂ conversion of 9.7%, DME and methanol selectivities of 59.3% and 28.4%, and CO selectivity of only 11.3% were obtained. In a continuous evaluation for 100 h, the performance was well maintained without any deactivation trend, outperforming the general supported Cu catalysts.The research is published in the Chinese Journal of Catalysis.

The regulation of air pollution that crosses state borders - As many of us were reminded last summer when forest fires in Canada turned New York City's air to the color orange, air pollution is transported by the wind. Fortunately, here in the United States, the Commerce Clause of the Constitution gives the federal government the authority to regulate business practices that cross state lines. The EPA's air pollution authority, enshrined in the Clean Air Act provides a specific mechanism for controlling cross-state air pollution. According to the EPA's website: "The Clean Air Act's 'good neighbor' provision requires EPA and states to address interstate transport of air pollution that affects downwind states' ability to attain and maintain National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Specifically, Clean Air Act section 110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I) requires each state in its State Implementation Plan (SIP) to prohibit emissions that will significantly contribute to nonattainment of a NAAQS, or interfere with maintenance of a NAAQS, in a downwind state. The Act requires EPA to backstop state actions by promulgating Federal Implementation Plans (FIPs) in the event that a state fails to submit or EPA disapproves good neighbor SIPs." In the latest attack on the EPA's authority to regulate our environment, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide if the agency has exceeded its authority in its effort to prevent air pollution transported from one state to a neighboring state. Acting on requests by the states of Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia, as well as pipeline operators, power producers and U.S. Steel Corp (X.N), to avoid complying with the federal 'Good Neighbor' plan restricting ozone pollution from upwind states, the court said it would hear arguments in the dispute in February…. "At issue in the current dispute is an EPA rule, finalized in June by President Joe Biden's administration, regulating ozone, a key component of smog, in a group of states whose own plans the agency determined did not satisfy the 'Good Neighbor' provision of the Clean Air Act requiring efforts to account for pollution that could drift into states downwind. The agency said the inadequate plans in 23 states required a federal program to reduce emissions from large industrial polluters in those states." Since the authority to regulate this type of pollution is clearly authorized by the Constitution and the Clean Air Act, the Supreme Court must somehow substitute its scientific expertise for the EPA's and accept the argument that ozone pollution is not dangerous. While I am far from a lawyer, the EPA clearly has the authority to regulate ozone. Some U.S. courts these days don't seem to give much weight to scientific or technical expertise. Typically, the Supreme Court disguises this scientific judgment in a dubious legal argument, but the outcome is to undermine action based on the scientific expertise of the EPA. The mechanics of the process in this case involved a large number of states that proposed state air pollution control plans that the EPA considered inadequate. The ability of these plans to reduce the scientifically proven harm of ozone pollution was the basis for the EPA's determination. This triggered the promulgation of a federal rule mandating ozone reduction in the states with inadequate plans. This past February, the EPA found that 23 states had air pollution control implementation plans that failed to protect downwind states from ozone pollution. While the basic structure of the Clean Air Act requires a partnership between the federal government and the states, conservative "red" state governments increasingly oppose any federal efforts to require states to adhere to national policy. They are not interested in partnering with the federal government but prefer to fight the feds for political points and media attention.

Tester balks at Biden's climate change policies -U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and several other Democratic lawmakers in tossup Senate races are asking the Biden administration to abandon plans for tougher air pollution standards for power plants.In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the senators requested the agency collaborate with unions and power plant owners on “maintaining affordable, reliable power; protecting American energy independence; protecting jobs; and lowering emissions.” Tester coauthored the letter with Sens. Sherrod Brown, of Ohio; Joe Manchin, of West Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona. Republicans have made flipping the seats in Arizona, Montana and West Virginia a 2024 priority. The Republicans’ benefit, Manchin has announced he won’t seek re-election. Sinema has left the Democratic Party and is running as an Independent. At issue are EPA plans for tighter limits on power plant greenhouse gas emissions. Power plants account for 25% of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. The proposed “New Source Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units” would require power plant owners to capture most carbon dioxide emissions within 16 years.Colstrip Power Plant is one of the nation’s biggest emitters of carbon dioxide pollution, with about 10.9 million tons emitted in 2021. Announcing the proposed limits in May, EPA Secretary Michael Regan said that innovative technology will be key to curbing greenhouse gases. But Tester and the other Democrats questioned whether the technology was far enough along to serve as a parachute for coal power.Regan suggested in May that technology standards would compel power plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 617 million metric tons by 2042.

Iranian cyberattack poses threat to Pennsylvania water utilities — Aliquippa, a small town in western Pennsylvania, is one of the latest victims to experience an international cyberattack, putting its water utilities at risk. Federal authorities have identified Iranian hackers as the perpetrators behind the cyberattack. These kinds of attacks are alarming because hackers could gain control over these systems, which would enable them to shut down pumps responsible for providing drinking water or even contaminate the water supply. There was a similar incident in 2021 when a hacker tried to poison the water supply in Oldsmar, Florida. Fortunately, that attempt was unsuccessful. Several states, including New Jersey, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, and California, have passed laws to enhance cybersecurity funding and outreach. On the federal level, the Safe Drinking Water Act gives limited authority to the EPA to address cybersecurity threats. In March, the EPA proposed a new rule requiring states to audit the cybersecurity of water systems. However, this initiative faced opposition as states like Missouri, Arkansas, and Iowa sued the agency for overstepping its authority.Currently, there are bills in Congress that take different approaches. One aims to impose regulations for larger or more complex water utilities. Another proposal would amend the Farm Bill to send federal workers to smaller water companies to help them detect and address cyber threats. The new movie, "Leave the World Behind" has been on the top of Netflix’s charts, portraying the nightmarish scenario of a country being hacked by an adversary. These days, it seems as though malicious cyber threats have become more of a reality we need to be prepared for. There’s a range of data, but according to a study from the University of Maryland, there are over 2,200 cyberattacks each day, translating to one attack every 39 seconds and over 800,000 annually. Data is varied regarding the source of cyber threats, but a report from Security Today indicates that China leads the world with 27% of attacks, the United States is in second place at 17%. The U.S. government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identifies the United States’ major cyber threats come from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The financial toll of these cyberattacks is significant. IBM data reveals that the U.S. has experienced the costliest data breaches globally for the 13th consecutive year, averaging $9 million per breach last year. Globally, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 exceeded $4 million per data breach, reflecting a 15% increase since 2020. Furthermore, data breaches in the healthcare industry consistently incur the highest costs out of all other industries, with an average of $10.93 million and a 53% increase since 2020.

Biden admin unveiled tax rules for ‘clean’ hydrogen - The Treasury Department released heavily anticipated tax guidance Friday that would force companies to use low-carbon or zero-emissions energy to power the hydrogen production process — a move designed to keep emissions in check for the emerging industry. The regulations for the 45V tax credit, which are available for public comment for 60 days, outline how to qualify for up to $3 per kilogram of the cleanest hydrogen produced with prevailing wages and apprenticeship requirements. The administration says hydrogen produced by fossil fuels with carbon capture will qualify. Under the plan, a 60-cent credit kicks in for a kilogram of hydrogen produced with four kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent. Producers earn more credits with lower CO2 equivalent emissions. “Clean hydrogen will be critical in reducing emissions from harder-to-decarbonize sectors like heavy industry and heavy transportation,” John Podesta, senior adviser to President Joe Biden for clean energy innovation and implementation, told reporters ahead of the proposal’s release. “Treasury’s proposal will help build that clean hydrogen industry, while including important environmental safeguards.” The guidance aims to ensure hydrogen production is not siphoning clean electricity from the grid that would otherwise be used to power homes, businesses and electrical vehicles. To claim the full credit, companies will need to immediately start using new clean electricity produced in the same region of a hydrogen facility. In 2028, eligible projects will need to match the electricity used to produce hydrogen with new clean electricity production on a strict hourly basis.

Industry leaders blast Treasury’s draft guidance for clean hydrogen tax credits | Utility Dive -The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service on Friday released proposed regulations defining criteria hydrogen producers will have to meet to qualify for the 45V clean hydrogen production tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act.According to the proposed rules, hydrogen producers would have to use renewable or zero emission electricity from generators who began operation no more than three years prior to the construction of the hydrogen facility. The electricity would also have to be sourced from within the same geographic region as the hydrogen production facility, and would be subject to hourly matching rules beginning in 2028. Hydrogen industry leaders panned the proposal, saying the framework is too rigid and will impede the growth — and decarbonization — of U.S. industry.The past year has seen discussion of the IRA's 45V hydrogen production tax credit criteria turn into a “political brawl,” according to Keith Martin, co-head of U.S. projects at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. So it is not surprising that the Treasury's draft guidance, released the Friday before Christmas after weeks of delays, prompted frustration and even threats of lawsuits the morning of its release.The IRA assigns a graduated value to the 45V credit, so that the value of the credit ranges from $.60 per kilogram of hydrogen to $3 depending on the intensity of the hydrogen's lifecycle carbon emissions, and whether the hydrogen producer meets prevailing wage and apprenticeship criteria. But in it's draft guidance, the Treasury Department proposes additional eligibility criteria regarding the age and location of renewable electricity used to drive hydrogen production. Hydrogen producers must also meet hourly matching rules by 2028 to qualify for the credit — a rule Martin said will make it difficult to finance hydrogen projects going forward.The proposed rules include similar criteria for other potential hydrogen feedstocks, in addition to clean electricity. Hydrogen producers, for example, must show that any renewable natural gas they used was not previously used for another purpose.The Biden Administration touted the proposed rules as a way to reduce carbon emissions.But the hydrogen industry is broadly critical of the draft guidance.Although some hydrogen producers, including electrolyzer manufacturer Electric Hydrogen, welcomed the guidance, the rules unpopular within the hydrogen industry, and some leading hydrogen producers are already talking about suing to stop the implementation of Treasury's proposal, according to Mona Dajani, a partner at Baker Botts, where she co-chairs the firm's energy, infrastructure and hydrogen practice.The proposed rules also garnered criticism from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va.“Adding onerous new restrictions for the hydrogen tax credit is particularly hypocritical when this administration has bent, broken, and ignored the law again and again to make it easier to access electric vehicle tax credits,” Manchin said in a statement. “Today’s proposed rule doesn’t just violate the law — it makes absolutely no sense, and I will continue to fight this administration’s manipulation of the IRA.”

3 questions will shape Biden’s hydrogen plan - The Treasury Department guidance for hydrogen tax credits is sparking debate about how the federal government will measure industry emissions and the role of nuclear power and carbon capture technology in developing “clean” fuel.The guidance released in late December outlined how companies can obtain a tax credit for clean hydrogen production established in the Inflation Reduction Act, known as 45V. The credit is worth up to $3 per kilogram of hydrogen produced if emissions are low enough with prevailing wages and apprenticeship requirements. It scales down to as low as 60 cents per kilogram for hydrogen projects with higher emission levels.Now, new questions are emerging about the plan that will be determined in coming months and could influence whether U.S. hydrogen production helps the environment.The final rules “may be more beneficial comparatively to hydrogen production,” said Timothy Fox, managing director for ClearView Energy, noting that Treasury has “wiggle room” to make changes.The guidance regulations are available for public comment until Feb. 26. A public hearing is scheduled for late March.The Biden administration says it hopes the tax credit will lower the cost of hydrogen produced with renewable energy and fossil fuels tied to carbon capture to $1 per kilogram by 2031.Under the guidance, companies must immediately use new clean electricity added to the grid and produced in the same region as a hydrogen production facility. By 2028, all companies will have to prove that they are producing hydrogen during the same hour new clean energy sources contribute to the grid — a policy that environmentalists say is key to keeping hydrogen emissions in check.Upon release, environmentalists and progressive congressional Democrats praised the plan for provisions such as the requirement to use new clean power immediately.But hydrogen producers and other Democrats slammed the rules, arguing that they would slow the development of hydrogen projects. The Hydrogen Forward coalition, which includes companies such as Bloom Energy and Linde, called the guidance “overly restrictive and unworkable.” As the administration weighs public comments, here are three issues still to be decided in 2024 that could shape the emerging industry.Under the Treasury guidance, a clean electricity source is considered new if it comes online and starts powering the grid within three years before a hydrogen production facility uses it. For example, if a hydrogen facility comes online in January 2026, it must use clean power added to the grid between January 2023 and 2026.Hydrogen producers also must get official documentation known as energy attribute certificates to prove that the new clean energy is powering their facilities and comes from the same region. Additionally, the rules allow hydrogen producers to count existing clean electricity — such as wind, solar, nuclear and hydropower facilities — as a new energy source if those facilities increase their generation. However, Treasury is seeking comments on multiple proposed exemptions. One proposal would allow 5 to 10 percent of hourly clean energy generation from an existing facility powering the grid before 2023 to count as a new clean energy source. That means that power from some wind or solar farms or nuclear reactors operating now theoretically could qualify. Fox said the provision could provide enough energy to produce 1.4 to 2.9 million metric tons of hydrogen annually, according to Clearview’s rough estimate. The U.S. makes roughly 10 million metric tons of hydrogen annually today. But some environmentalists say they are worried the proposal would undermine the push for “additionality,” or the idea that hydrogen should be produced with added clean electricity on the grid. “There is that potential sledgehammer impact of just allowing it 5 to 10 percent writ large,” said Rachel Fakhry, emerging technologies policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Theoretically, we’re deeply concerned about that just watering down the whole intent.”

New 'clean’ hydrogen rules will favor some regions more than others -- The U.S. clean hydrogen industry may be vanishingly small, but thanks to new proposed rules from the Biden administration, the geography of the emerging sector is coming into focus — and not everyone is pleased with it.Late last month, the Biden administration laid out its rules for the 45V hydrogen production tax credit. It’s the world’s most lucrative incentive for using water and carbon-free electricity to produce ​“green” hydrogen, a fuel that could help decarbonize essential industries like steelmaking and shipping.But to get the subsidy, hydrogen producers must follow the world’s strictest rules for when, where and how the clean power they use is generated and consumed, to ensure that clean hydrogen doesn’t end up causing more climate harm than it solves.Those newly proposed rules are known as the ​“three pillars.” Canary Media has covered the ins and outs of the three pillars — why they’re needed, how they could work and who’s been for and against them — over the past year as environmental groups and some industry players lobbied the government to adopt the approach.The pillars boil down to three key requirements hydrogen producers must comply with to receive the most lucrative tax credits: use zero-carbon power delivered from where it’s generated to where it’s consumed and tracked on an hour-by-hour basis, which comes from newly built resources rather than existing ones, to ensure that existing zero-carbon power isn’t diverted from the grid to be used for hydrogen production.Energy experts have demonstrated in multiple studies and models that these stipulations are necessary to ensure clean hydrogen production actually helps to decarbonize the economy. Without such strict rules, they warned, hydrogen producers would receive billions in federal subsidies for a ​“clean” fuel that actually makes emissions worse.Now, as the U.S. Treasury Department prepares to defend its proposed rules against challenges from fossil fuel companies, utilities and others that oppose them, the entire industry is trying to understand just how this approach will work in practice.One clear and early implication is that, under the three-pillars structure, certain regions of the country will win, and others will lose. That’s because cost-effective green hydrogen production will be driven to the places where new renewable power can be built at the lowest cost and produce as much power as possible — and most likely barred from regions that lack those characteristics.This logic can be frustrating on both a conceptual and political basis, however, particularly for states with large existing nuclear and hydropower resources that won’t pass the rule requiring that hydrogen use carbon-free electricity from resources built no earlier than three years before hydrogen production begins.Meanwhile, the Midwest and the Southwest U.S. — and in particular states like Texas, which combine rich and fast-growing renewables potential with much of the country’s preexisting hydrogen infrastructure — are likely to benefit the most from the coming wave of clean hydrogen production.

Confusing Biden Tax Credit Scheme Threatens to Block Hydrogen Hubs - Marcellus Drilling News -- Earlier this week, MDN told you about proposed new IRS rules coming from the White House (the 45V tax credit) that will favor solar and wind use in generating so-called green hydrogen, and disfavor (make more expensive) hydrogen produced using natural gas (see Biden’s Proposed IRA 45V Tax Credit “Kneecaps” ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub). Yes, the new rules, as proposed, essentially kneecap the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) project, winner of $950 million from Uncle Sam to help build a hydrogen hub in the Marcellus/Utica region. Of course, the proposed 45V tax credit is dense and difficult to understand. We have a better explanation of what it will do…

Appeals Court Deals Blow To California City's Gas Stove Ban - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has declined to reconsider a ruling preventing a ban proposed by the City of Berkeley, California, on new natural gas hookups from going into effect. The panel’s Jan. 2 ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by the California Restaurant Association (CRA) alleging federal law overruled the City of Berkeley’s ban on installing natural gas installations in newly constructed buildings. Berkeley became the first U.S. city to ban gas stove hook-up installations in 2019 after the city council passed an ordinance requiring that new buildings be built all-electric, beginning Jan. 1, 2020. Existing buildings were not affected by the ordinance, which aimed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. In their lawsuit, the association—the largest nonprofit statewide restaurant trade group in the nation—argued that restaurants rely on natural gas for preparing certain foods and that the ban would impact the way chefs are trained to prepare food, which is typically via natural gas stoves. They further argued the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (ECPA) of 1975 preempts the City of Berkeley’s ban on gas hookup installations in new residential and commercial buildings. Under the ECPA, local regulations are prevented from impacting the energy use of natural gas appliances. However, a lower court ruled in favor of Berkeley in July 2021, disagreeing with the restaurant association’s interpretation of federal energy law, prompting CRA to file an appeal.

U.S. Engine Maker Will Pay $1.6 Billion to Settle Claims of Emissions Cheating - The United States and the state of California have reached an agreement in principle with the truck engine manufacturer Cummins on a $1.6 billion penalty to settle claims that the company violated the Clean Air Act by installing devices to defeat emissions controls on hundreds of thousands of engines, the Justice Department announced on Friday. The penalty would be the largest ever under the Clean Air Act and the second largest ever environmental penalty in the United States. Defeat devices are parts or software that bypass, defeat or render inoperative emissions controls like pollution sensors and onboard computers. They allow vehicles to pass emissions inspections while still emitting high levels of smog-causing pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, which is linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The Justice Department has accused the company of installing defeat devices on 630,000 model year 2013 to 2019 RAM 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines. The company is also alleged to have secretly installed auxiliary emission control devices on 330,000 model year 2019 to 2023 RAM 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines. “Violations of our environmental laws have a tangible impact. They inflict real harm on people in communities across the country,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “This historic agreement should make clear that the Justice Department will be aggressive in its efforts to hold accountable those who seek to profit at the expense of people’s health and safety.” In a statement, Cummins said that it had “seen no evidence that anyone acted in bad faith and does not admit wrongdoing.” The company said it has “cooperated fully with the relevant regulators, already addressed many of the issues involved, and looks forward to obtaining certainty as it concludes this lengthy matter. Cummins conducted an extensive internal review and worked collaboratively with the regulators for more than four years.” Stellantis, the company that makes the trucks, has already recalled the model year 2019 trucks and has initiated a recall of the model year 2013 to 2018 trucks. The software in those trucks will be recalibrated to ensure that they are fully compliant with federal emissions law, said Jon Mills, a spokesman for Cummins. Mr. Mills said that “next steps are unclear” on the model year 2020 through 2023, but that the company “continues to work collaboratively with regulators” to resolve the issue.

Taking advantage of EV tax credits just got easier -- A change to the federal EV incentive that took effect Monday could widen access for low and middle-income buyers who want to go electric but have been excluded by high prices. The clean vehicle tax credit, which offers up to $7,500 toward a new electric, hydrogen, or plug-in hybrid vehicle, and up to $4,000 for a used one, is now available as an instant rebate at approved dealers. Until now, buyers could not take advantage of the credit until they filed their taxes. EV-equity advocates said the change will put buying an electric vehicle within reach of more buyers. “It’s a huge help,” Irvin Rivero, e-mobility associate at the Bay Area nonprofit Acterra, told Grist. Rivero consults prospective buyers on how to apply for financial incentives, and said some clients either can’t afford the upfront cost or do not earn enough to owe taxes.“A lot of people were getting the tax credit, but the people who didn’t have tax liability weren’t benefiting from this program,” Rivero said.Consumers bought more than one million electric vehicles in the United States in 2023. The average new EV transaction price was $53,469 in July, about $5,000 more than the overall average car price. While some automakers dropped prices toward the end of 2023, rising interest rates are undermining those cuts.Part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the clean vehicle tax credit is available to households making up to $300,000, depending on their filing status, and applies to cars costing no more than $55,000 and vans, pickup trucks, and SUVs costing up to $80,000. Used cars must be at least two years old and not cost more than $25,000.Rivero said many of those he helps have been waiting for the change to go into effect before buying a car. “It’s going to get busy at the dealerships, I imagine.”To get the rebate, consumers must go to a dealership that isregistered with the IRS for the program. Dealers will either reduce the purchase price or provide cash to the buyer, and will be reimbursed by the IRS. Danny Connelly, the general sales manager at Tracy Volkswagen about an hour east of Oakland, California, said his dealership has already registered for the program. “We expect to sell a bit more cars from it,” he told Grist, adding that some customers have been waiting for the change to take effect before making a purchase. “It will be an easier customer experience and easier for us,” he said.What may become less easy for customers, however, is finding a model that qualifies for the incentive. As part of the Biden administration’s efforts to promote a domestic supply chain for EVs, eligible vehicles must meet certain requirements for how much of their battery components and critical minerals are sourced or manufactured in North America. It’s still unclear how many cars will qualify, but Taylor Shively of the analytics firm CRU estimates that of the 17 available all-electric models, as few as 10 will get the full credit, and not all variants of a model may be eligible. Tesla, for example, has stated that certain versions of its most affordable offering, the Model 3, no longer qualify.

What to know about 2024 changes to the electric vehicle tax credit - Changes to the federal electric vehicle (EV) tax credit are set to take effect Jan. 1, reflecting a push by the Biden administration to focus the financial incentives on domestically produced vehicles. The changes to the tax credit, which tops out at $7,500, will exclude certain EVs that include internationally sourced components from eligibility, while for the first time allowing some buyers to access the credit right after buying an eligible vehicle. These changes stem from a central provision of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the sweeping climate and infrastructure law President Biden signed in 2022. The provision barred vehicles including components or critical minerals from “foreign entities of concern” (FEOC) from being eligible for the credit. In November, the Biden administration issued rules for determining which entities fall under this disqualification. This includes companies fully or partially controlled by the governments of China, Iran, North Korea or Russia. These restrictions are expected to reduce the number of vehicles eligible for the tax credit but are part of the Biden administration’s efforts to promote EV adoption while reducing reliance on Chinese components in particular. China controls much of the supply chain for EVs, dominating the refinement and production market for many of the critical minerals that are used in the vehicles’ batteries — even though the U.S. itself has many known deposits of those minerals. Starting Jan. 1, the tax credit will also become redeemable as a point-of-sale rebate among dealers registered with the IRS, whereas previously car buyers needed to claim it on their taxes the following year. “That means that you have a lower monthly payment, EVs are going to be more affordable to more people, and the dealers get the credit back from the IRS after the sale is made.” The FEOC rule, meanwhile, will strip multiple vehicle models of their eligibility for the credit, Abuelsamid said. These include the standard-range Tesla Model 3, which will see its credit cut in half to $3,750 due to its use of a Chinese-made CATL battery, and the Mustang Mach-E, which was previously eligible for the $3,750 credit but will be fully disqualified following the changes. Certain GM vehicles may also temporarily lose eligibility, he added, due to components that are currently sourced from Chinese suppliers, although the automaker is in the process of resourcing them. Ultimately, the changes will shrink the pool of eligible vehicles, but they will make it easier overall for consumers to buy an electric vehicle, according to Abuelsamid. “What it will do is, it will make it easier for more consumers to purchase those vehicles who are eligible, so we may see an uptick in sales” among eligible vehicles, he said. At face value, the point-of-sale rebate would seem to be the change that most directly affects consumers. However, the FEOC rule could potentially lead to a disruption of supply chains that trickles down to potential EV buyers. “The [FEOC rule] could definitely create problems relating to the supply chain — one of the things we all learned during the pandemic is if you don’t have close-by, resilient supply chains, you can have a lot of problems,” he said, citing pandemic-era chip shortages. “If we don’t manage getting this critical minerals issue under control and leave some of it in the hands of foreign entities … we’re going to end up with those bottlenecks all over again.” Another wrinkle for industry, Foster said, is that the FEOC restrictions will not apply to raw materials used in EV batteries until 2025. “That’s created a certain level of consternation on the part of companies that were investing in mining some of the very minerals that were necessary to get the materials for the car itself,” he said. “[It] has really concerned a number of stakeholders, starting with mining companies themselves, many of whom have been looking at increased mining of copper, lithium and nickel here in the United States.”

Only 13 EVs Now Eligible For $7,500 Tax Credit Due To New Biden Admin Rules --Just as EV demand appeared to be nearing super-saturation, incentives for buying electric vehicles are starting to fall by the wayside.There are now just 13 EV models that are eligible for a consumer tax credit of as much as $7,500 thanks to new Biden administration rules that took effect on January 1, according to Bloomberg. Previously, the number had stood closer to 24 models, but for the new year the tax credit excludes vehicles that use battery components manufactured by Chinese companies, the report says. “Automakers are adjusting their supply chains to ensure buyers continue to be eligible for the new clean vehicle credit, partnering with allies and bringing jobs and investment back to the United States,” said Treasury Department spokeswoman Ashley Schapitl.She also commented that some companies were still in the process of submitted data to see if they qualify for the credit. Last month, the Treasury Department announced rules targeting battery components made by companies under Chinese jurisdiction or with at least 25% Chinese government ownership, the report says. These regulations, expanding in 2025 to include suppliers of essential battery materials like nickel and lithium, are part of President Joe Biden's climate law, influenced by Senator Joe Manchin.Manchin, pivotal in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed to address concerns over U.S. taxpayer money subsidizing Chinese-made batteries.As Bloomberg notes, depending on the manufacturing location of battery components and parts, vehicles may qualify for a $7,500 or $3,750 credit.Eligible models for the full or partial credit include Tesla's Model Y, Rivian’s R1T, Stellantis's Jeep Wrangler 4xe, and Ford's F-150 Lightning. However, Tesla's Cybertruck, certain Model 3 versions, Nissan’s Leaf, Ford’s E-Transit van, and GM’s electric Blazer and Silverado lost credit access.

The (Pretty Short) List of EVs That Qualify for a $7,500 Tax Credit in 2024 - EV shoppers woke up on Monday to a market in which fewer vehicles than before qualify for the U.S. government’s $7,500 federal tax credit.The eligibility rules mean that just 19 models can receive the credit when purchased as new, down from 43 last year. The Nissan Leaf, Tesla Cybertruck and Volkswagen ID.4 are among those that no longer qualify.The federal government published the new list of eligible EVs over the weekend, based on the latest guidance from the Treasury Department under the Inflation Reduction Act.Another change this year is that auto dealers can claim the credit for customers at the point of sale, as opposed to having customers wait until they file their taxes.If you’re confused by the rules, you’re not alone. They reflect the government’s desire to encourage automakers to build EVs in this country and to use battery components sourced from this country or its allies. Eligibility has been a moving target as the government issues additional rules and automakers make changes to respond to the rules.“It’s very convoluted and complicated,” said Brett Cubellis, an accountant in the Columbus, Ohio office of Schneider Downs who leads the office’s auto industry practice. “We are spending a lot of time assisting automotive dealerships to help them understand what credit applies to each transaction.”The government summarizes the eligibility rules and lists the qualifying models atFuelEconomy.gov. Here is a roundup of the vehicles:

The next frontier in EV battery recycling: Graphite -- As more and more Americans embrace electric vehicles, automakers and the federal government are racing to secure the materials needed to build EV batteries, including by pouring billions of dollars into battery recycling. Today, recyclers are focused on recovering valuable metals like nickel and cobalt from spent lithium-ion batteries. But with the trade war between the U.S. and China escalating, some are now taking a closer look at another battery mineral that today’s recycling processes treat as little more than waste. On December 1, China implemented new export controls on graphite, the carbon-based mineral that’s best known for being used in pencils but that’s also used in a more refined form in commercial EV battery anodes. The new policies, which the Chinese government announced in October shortly after the Biden administration increased restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductors to China, have alarmed U.S. lawmakers and raised concerns that battery makers outside of China will face new challenges securing the materials needed for anodes. Today, China dominates every step of the battery anode supply chain, from graphite mining and synthetic graphite production to anode manufacturing.Along with a new federal tax credit that rewards automakers that use minerals produced in America, China’s export controls are boosting the U.S. auto industry’s interest in domestically sourced graphite. But while it could take many years to set up new graphite mines and production facilities, there is another, potentially faster option: Harvesting graphite from dead batteries. As U.S. battery recyclers build big new facilities to recover costly battery metals, some are also trying to figure out how to recycle battery-grade graphite — something that isn’t done at scale anywhere in the world today due to technical and economic barriers. These companies are being aided by the U.S. Department of Energy, which is now pouring tens of millions of dollars into graphite recycling initiatives aimed at answering basic research questions and launching demonstration plants.If the challenges holding back commercial graphite recycling can be overcome, “the used graphite stream could be huge,” Matt Keyser, who manages the electrochemical energy storage group at the the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, told Grist. In addition to boosting domestic supplies, recycling graphite would prevent critical battery resources from being wasted and could reduce the carbon emissions tied to battery production.

Grant seeks to recruit Appalachian manufacturers for clean energy --As federal incentives spur a wave of new domestic clean energy manufacturing, economic boosters in Ohio and neighboring states see an opportunity to “Make it in Appalachia.”A virtual summit this month will serve as part of public kickoff efforts to identify and support small and medium manufacturers in the region so they can play a role in the growing clean energy economy.The New Energy Economy project is being funded by a $10 million federal grant awarded this fall. Lead applicant Catalyst Connection and ten other partners have been working over the past two months to finalize subcontracts for the effort, which encompasses 156 counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.“By supporting small-to-medium manufacturers and providing training and resources, we can drive economic transformation, create in-demand jobs, and build a brighter future for Appalachian communities,” said Steve Herzenberg, co-director of ReImagine Appalachia, one of the grant partners.ReImagine Appalachia is hosting its virtual strategy summit on January 16 and 17. The first day will focus on how to turn the Ohio River Valley into a sustainable manufacturing hub, with discussions the next day focused on community rebuilding and workforce development under federal climate infrastructure programs. The Appalachian Regional Commission is providing funding for the grant under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of its Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies. ARISE supports multi-state projects to drive large-scale regional economic change.The New Energy Economy project will provide training, technical assistance, supply chain mapping and guidance for factory and product upgrades to more than 1,000 small to medium-sized manufacturers over four years in sectors that include renewable energy, hydrogen, smart grid, green buildings, and electric vehicles.“We want to identify and support companies that want to participate in a new clean energy supply chain or improve their factory in energy efficiency,” said Petra Mitchell, president and CEO at Catalyst Connection, based in Pittsburgh. Although much of Appalachia is rural, the region includes many towns and cities.Mitchell said a wide range of businesses could benefit in different sectors. Planned hydrogen hubs, for example, will need lots of metal products and meters, she said. So companies making those types of things may want to think about how they could adapt existing products or develop new ones to serve that sector.

As reliability concerns with renewables rise, upgrading inverters is urgent, analysts say | Utility Dive --A critical technology is needed to sustain the U.S. energy transition’s momentum, according to engineers focused on power system reliability and clean energy.Inverters with “grid-forming” capabilities, or GFM, are needed to support the growing penetration of inverter-based resources, or IBRs, like wind and solar, according to engineers with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, and engineers with the Energy Systems Integration Group, or ESIG, which advocates for integrating and managing higher levels of renewables.Inverters convert renewables-generated energy into the alternating current flowing through the U.S. transmission system.“The power system’s heartbeat is a 60 Hertz, or cycles per second, current to which all generation on the grid must synchronize,” said NERC Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer Mark Lauby. “As long as variable renewables’ inverters synchronize their generation with that 60 Hertz heartbeat, they can deliver power into the system without concern about system faults,” But faults causing current fluctuations go uncorrected by today’s renewables’ limiting “grid-following” inverter capabilities, making deployment of GFM with new IBRs urgent, engineers agreed. The U.S. does not have unified comprehensive standards requiring grid following inverters, which took 20 years to develop in Europe, said Energy Systems Integration Group, or ESIG, Chief Engineer Julia Matevosyan. “And we don't have another 20 years to develop GFM standards to avoid reliability failures,” she added.Fluctuations in the power system’s heartbeat that threaten reliability have been stabilized by traditional power plants, called synchronous machines, but they are retiring, engineers said.To drive GFM deployment, pilots are needed to test GFM performance, engineers agree. Standards defining GFM requirementsbased on the pilot results must then be set by NERC and system operators, and market incentives for protecting reliability should be provided to reward those who deploy GFMs, the engineers said.

Could 2024 be a breakout year for the transmission grid?…-- It’s hard to solve a challenge as sprawling and complex as doubling or tripling the scale of the transmission grids across the U.S. in a little over a decade. But the country’s climate and clean energy goals depend on it.Study after study has found the country can’t build renewable energy at the pace needed to rapidly decarbonize the power grid without also building a massive amount of new power lines, fast. But over the past half-decade, grid growth has slowed, not accelerated, bogged down by conflicts over siting, permitting and paying for new transmission capacity.The sheer scale of growth needed is staggering. Achieving the Biden administration’s goal of a zero-carbon grid by 2035 will require 75,000 miles of new high-voltage lines — enough to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City and back 15 times — according to an estimate from Princeton University’s Repeat Project. While some high-profile, large-scale transmission lines and significant regional grid expansions launched in the past few years, grid experts warn they’re still far from enough to get the country on track to meet federal or state clean-energy goals. And that’s not counting the need for more power lines to make the grid more resilient against extreme weather and to meet the needs of a growing and increasingly electric-powered economy.In all likelihood, federal action will be needed to get the U.S. power line buildout moving at the pace required to shift the country away from fossil fuels.But despite a push by the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress to revamp federal policies to unlock transmission growth, 2023 saw only limited progress on that front, said Rob Gramlich, president of consultancy Grid Strategies. ​“There are a lot of bills and a lot of proposed rules flying around. But not so many laws or final rules.”

U.S. regulators: Texas grid too reliant on natural gas for blackouts The Texas power grid should reduce its reliance on natural gas to generate electricity in the case of a grid failure, U.S. regulators concluded in a study published last week.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. and several regional grid reliability organizations conducted the study as part of the ongoing postmortem following the deadly power outages during Winter Storm Uri, the February 2021 storm that brought freezing temperatures to Texas for days. The study looked at the grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and its access to so-called black-start resources, power generation that is designed to provide electricity without support from the grid. Most large power plants need electricity to start up.“These (black-start) resources are critical to restoring electric service in event of a total blackout,” FERC wrote in a statement accompanying the study.What happened in February 2021 was not a total blackout, a worst-case scenario during which the Texas power grid could be down for weeks. Instead, ERCOT initiated rotating outages, which are intended to temporarily cycle the loss of power through different areas, that spiraled into outages lasting days in some parts of Texas.Nevertheless, black-start resources might have helped lessen the impact of Winter Storm Uri. During the storm, the Texas grid had 28 black-start resources, all of which used natural gas as their primary fuel, according to a November 2021 study of the event by FERC, NERC and the grid reliability groups.Over the course of the multiday storm, 82% of black-start resources on the Texas grid experienced an outage, reduction of electricity output or failure to start at some point, according to the 2021 study. Also, 18% failed or faced issues because of freezing equipment, while 39% were faulty because of fuel limitations, the study said.FERC, NERC and their partners found that the grid managed by ERCOT still relies heavily on natural gas as fuel for its black-start resources. It also observed that the electric and natural gas industries are very dependent on one another to maintain reliable operations.

UK Fossil Fuel Power Generation Falls to Lowest since 50s: Carbon Brief Power generated from coal, gas and oil in the United Kingdom dropped in 2023 to the lowest since 1957 on renewable energy growth and electricity use slowdown, according to an analysis. However, the rate of increase in low-carbon generation was still below the level needed to meet the government’s goal of getting 95 percent of power from low-carbon sources by 2030, according to the Carbon Brief report published this week. Last year saw the share of fossil fuels in the country’s power generation decrease 22 percent compared to 2022, said the London-based climate reportage organization. Fossil fuels made up 33 percent or 104 terawatt hours (tWh) of power produced in the UK 2023, the country’s lowest for such sources in 66 years, it said. Natural gas comprised 31 percent, coal just over one percent and oil just below one percent, Carbon Brief reported using data from the government and Elexon Ltd. Elexon operates the power supply-demand balancing system in Great Britain. “These declines have been caused by the rapid expansion of renewable energy (up six-fold since 2008, some 113TWh) and by lower electricity demand (down 21 percent since 2008, some 83TWh)”, it wrote. Low-carbon sources accounted for 56 percent of power generated in the UK 2023, of which 43 percent came from renewables and 13 percent from nuclear energy. “The remainder is from imports (7 percent) and other sources (3 percent), such as waste incineration”, Carbon Brief said. UK power generation in 2023 had the lowest-ever carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity, or the amount of CO2 released per unit of electricity generated. Emissions of the planet-warming gas from the power sector averaged 162 grams per kilowatt hour. “This remains a long way from the government’s ambition for 95 percent low-carbon electricity by 2030 – just seven years from now – and a fully decarbonized grid by 2035”, Carbon Brief said. The fastest rate of growth in the share of low-carbon generation in the UK’s power mix has been 25 percentage points in seven years, from 23 percent in 2010 to 48 percent in 2017. This rate is still below the 39 percentage points increase needed, based on the 2023 share of low-carbon sources, to reach the 95 percent aim by the end of the decade. “The rise of renewables since 2008 has been nearly as steep as the fall for fossil fuels”, Carbon Brief said. “Notably, however, since reaching 134TWh in 2020, renewables have effectively stood still, with output of 135TWh in 2023, matching the record 135TWh set in 2022. “This reflects the balance between continued increases in wind and solar capacity, variations in average weather conditions and reduced output in the past two years from bioenergy”.

TVA may delay 2,470-MW coal plant shutdown over FERC pipeline inaction -The Tennessee Valley Authority may delay the closure of its 2,470-MWcoal-fired Cumberland power plant if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission doesn’t promptly approve a gas pipeline project, thefederal power agency said Wednesday.TVA plans to build a 1,450-MW combined cycle, gas-fired power plant by 2026 to replace one of the Cumberland plant’s two units in Tennessee by the end of that year. It intends to retire the second unit by the end of 2028. FERC is reviewing a proposal by Tennessee Gas Pipeline to build a 32-mile pipeline to supply fuel to the planned gas-fired power plant. The company asked FERC to approve its project by Nov. 1, 2023, so it could be operating by Sept. 1, 2025, in time to deliver gas to the planned gas-fired plant.FERC staff issued a final environmental impact statement for the project on June 30, clearing the way for a commission decision on the proposal, Tennessee Gas said in a December letter seeking agency action on the pipeline plan. “Any further delay in Commission action on the Cumberland Project threatens to delay TVA’s scheduled retirement of the coal units at the Cumberland Fossil Plant,” the federal power agency said. A holdup in retiring Cumberland Unit 1 would lead to additional construction, repair and maintenance upgrades and costs needed to maintain reliability and comply with environmental regulations such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s wastewater discharge rules, according to the TVA.It would also hamper the TVA’s plan to cut its carbon emissions intensity 80% below 2005 levels by 2035, the federal power agency said.A delay in approving the pipeline to support the planned gas plant could affect grid reliability, the TVA warned, noting that the North American Electric Reliability Corp. has determined that between 2024 and 2028, the agency’s service territory in the Southeast faces a high risk of electricity shortfalls under normal and extreme conditions.The Cumberland plant failed to run during Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, when the TVA instituted rolling blackouts, according toa lawsuit filed in June in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by Appalachian Voices, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club — groups opposing the planned gas-fired plant.In the suit, the groups contend the TVA violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to adequately consider how the gas-fired power plant would affect the climate, the environment, and power customers, and without fairly evaluating carbon-free energy alternatives.In November, Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club told FERC if the agency approves the pipeline, it should require Tennessee Gas to halt construction on the pipeline if the future of the power plant is in doubt. The TVA — the nation’s largest public power supplier — provides power to about 10 million people in seven southeastern states.

Thanks to Statehouse Republicans, we’ll soon have Ohio pipelines to nowhere – and you’ll be paying: Kent Smith --- This month, Ohio Republicans made it clear who gets special treatment on Capitol Square, when Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 201 after it was amended at the last minute and rushed through both chambers.Originally, House Bill 201 was an unnecessary bill meant to prohibit any type of restrictions on gas-powered vehicles. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the amendment was yet another effort to give more of your money to the utility companies in this state and do so with as little discussion as possible.What does the amendment do, you might ask? The amendment allows gas utility companies to build pipelines anywhere under the guise of economic development. That means the utility could build a bunch of pipelines to dozens of potential industrial sites, hoping that a company moves into just one of those sites and the utility gets a new customer.Have you heard of the bridge to nowhere? Well, this legislation could now launch a pipeline to nowhere. Or a million pipelines to nowhere.Only one opponent was able to attend the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee to raise a voice in public opposition to this backroom, sneaky policy-making. Kim Bojko, speaking on behalf of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, said, “This amendment is an anti-competitive, utility-driven policy that will add costs to consumers’ bills.”The argument made for this legislation — that it was supposedly far too important to have an extended discussion about – was that, “we need to have parcels ready for the next Intel investment.”But that reasoning falls apart when you remember that Intel managed to move to Ohio without having a “Pipeline to Nowhere” policy in place.There are multiple lessons to be learned here: First, Ohioans need to hang onto their wallets any time Mike DeWine and Statehouse Republicans move quickly. Second, the Ohio GOP will ignore recent history, that is, the largest money-laundering and bribery scandal in state history, and do whatever the utility companies want – be it needed or not.This bill will cost Ohioans millions on their gas bills – for years. Both the legislation and amendment look like they were written by gas companies for gas companies. It gives utilities a free pass to charge you anytime they want to build a pipeline through someone else’s rose garden.Keep this in mind when you start to see unexplained increases in your future gas bills. The GOP supermajorities never have your best interest at heart when Ohio utility companies ask for a handout. State Sen. Kent Smith of Euclid represents Ohio’s 21st Senate District, which includes a number of Cleveland’s eastern suburbs and parts of the city of Cleveland. Have something to say about this topic? Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

OH Gov. Signs Law for Utilities to Charge $1.50/Mo. for New Pipes - Marcellus Drilling News The left in Ohio is up in arms again. It’s always up in arms. Everything is a crisis. Everything is a climate tragedy. Everything is a conspiracy — so says the environmental left. Last Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill (HB) 201 into law. A provision was tacked onto HB 201 late in the legislative process, several weeks before it was passed, that allows natural gas utility companies to charge customers a piddly $1.50 per month ($18 per year) to help fund new pipelines that will get built in rural areas to industrial sites — areas without existing natgas pipes. The aim is to attract new businesses to locate in the Buckeye State. Many companies won’t consider a potential site without cheap, easy access to natural gas already installed. HB 201 helps make it much more likely a business will consider a site in Ohio, given access to cheap Utica Shale gas. Cue the enviro left’s shrill response.

Major Natural Gas Pipeline Replacement Planned for Columbus, OH - Marcellus Drilling News - Columbia Gas of Ohio will start work this spring to replace a 4.3-mile section of a 20-inch natural gas pipeline from Clintonville to North Linden (Columbus), a key piece of infrastructure that brings gas to thousands of homes throughout central Ohio. Columbia Gas purchased and will demolish several buildings along the pipeline’s route as part of the project. The work is scheduled to begin in April and finish by the end of the year. Columbia’s president and chief operating officer, Vince Parisi, says the pipeline is “our backbone of Columbus” and is “pretty critical” to natural gas distribution throughout the region.

Diversified Sells Major Stake in Select Appalachian Wells for $200M - Marcellus Drilling News --Diversified Energy Company, with major assets in the Appalachian region (including the Marcellus/Utica), announced yesterday the company had sold a majority stake in an unspecified number of Appalachian conventional oil and gas wells to an investment company called DP Lion Equity Holdco, for $200 million. We could not find who owns DP Lion. The company was registered as an LLC in the State of Delaware on Oct. 19, 2023. That’s about all we know about the buyer. The deal includes Diversified retaining a 20% ownership in the wells (80% goes to DP Lion). Diversified will also continue to operate the wells. Update: A sharp MDN reader sent us a link to a previous Diversified SEC filing that shows DP Lion Equity Holdco, LLC, is, in fact, a subsidiary of Diversified. So Diversified raised new money by selling some of its assets to itself! Or, more likely, to a slightly different set of investors, but the assets are still controlled (essentially owned) by Diversified.

Zefiro Evaluates 5 Orphaned Wells for Plugging in Erie County, PA - Marcellus Drilling News -- Last May, MDN told you about Zefiro Methane Corp., a private “methane offsets originator” headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, acquiring a majority ownership stake in Plants & Goodwin (P&G), an OFS and oil well-plugging company located in Bradford (McKean County), Pennsylvania, for an undisclosed sum (see Canadian Methane Offsets Co. Buys Northwest Pa. Well Plugging Co.). The Zefiro/P&G tie-up is now bearing fruit. DEP inspection reports reviewed by David Hess from the PA Environment Digest Blog show Zefiro has begun evaluating abandoned conventional wells in Springfield Township, Erie County, for its program.

Cabot Shareholder Lawsuit re PA Fracking Violations Tossed by Judge --Marcellus Drilling News -- In October 2020, a law firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Cabot Oil & Gas shareholders against Cabot (now Coterra Energy), claiming the company “had inadequate environmental controls and procedures and/or failed to properly mitigate known issues related to those controls and procedures,” and that the company “failed to fix faulty gas wells which polluted Pennsylvania’s water supplies through stray gas migration,” and that the company, in general, hid all of this from the public — namely from investors (see Second Lawsuit Filed Against Cabot Claiming Securities Fraud). A similar lawsuit previously filed was canceled due to a lack of shareholders willing to sue. However, this second lawsuit sprouted legs and has continued. But here is where it gets murky…

24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 18 – 31 -- Marcellus Drilling News -- We are catching up on permits issued…for the last two weeks of December. Normally we cover permits issued for a single week. This report covers permits issued for the two weeks covering Dec. 18 – 31. Perhaps it’s a good thing we’re reporting on two weeks as Ohio’s ODNR seems to have taken the last two weeks of the year off, issuing just a single permit. There were 24 new permits issued for the final two weeks of the year, cumulatively, versus 35 permits issued for Dec. 11 – 17. Pennsylvania issued 19 new permits for the final two weeks of last year. Ohio issued just 1. And West Virginia issued 4 permits. Range Resources took the top spot with 9 permits issued in Washington County, PA. ANTERO RESOURCES | APEX ENERGY | ARMSTRONG COUNTY | ASCENT RESOURCES | BRADFORD COUNTY | CHESAPEAKE ENERGY | CNX RESOURCES | EQT CORP | GREENE COUNTY (PA) | JEFFERSON COUNTY (OH) | RANGE RESOURCES CORP | RITCHIE COUNTY | SNYDER BROTHERS | WASHINGTON COUNTY | WESTMORELAND COUNTY

Mountain Valley proposes shrinking Southgate extension - Mountain Valley Pipeline is proposing to more than halve the length of its Southgate Extension running from southern Virginia into North Carolina, a change that would mean it no longer needs a compressor station Virginia previously rejected, according to an update with federal regulators.The Dec. 29 announcement of the reduced project, which would shrink from 75 to 31 miles, comes on the heels of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granting the company another three years to complete work.Southgate was previously intended to transport natural gas from Mountain Valley’s primary 303-mile pipeline — which runs from the Utica shale fields in West Virginia into Pittsylvania County — farther south into Rockingham and Alamance counties in North Carolina. The new plan would halt the extension in Rockingham.In an update filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mountain Valley lead developer Equitrans Midstream said the proposal is part of an agreement with the Public Service Company of North Carolina and an unnamed third party, both of which have committed to purchase increased amounts of gas carried by the extension.“In contrast to the original, lengthier project route and design, which required an additional compressor station (the permit application for which was denied by the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board in 2021), the revised project would include substantially fewer water crossings and would not require a new compressor station,” the update states.The original Southgate plans required the construction of a compressor station near Chatham, Virginia to repressurise gas from Mountain Valley’s main pipeline so it could travel the rest of the distance into North Carolina. However, Virginia’s air board denied a required permit for the station in December 2021, saying pollution from the facility would disproportionately impact Black and low-income people in the area surrounding it. In addition to the Virginia denial, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality previously rejected two requests by the pipeline company for a state water permit because of “unnecessary and avoidable impacts to surface waters and riparian buffers.” The project also still needs a federal approval known as a 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers because it will release dredged or fill material into waterways. The update filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission notes the anticipated completion date of the project is June 2028, two years past the new deadline FERC gave it last month, meaning the company will need to ask for another extension.“Mountain Valley remains committed to the MVP Southgate project and helping meet public demand for affordable, reliable natural gas,” said Shawn Day, a spokesperson for the project. “At the appropriate time, the MVP Southgate team intends to pursue all necessary permits and authorizations to complete construction of this important energy infrastructure project.”

MVP Redesigns Southgate Natural Gas Extension After Securing New Capacity Agreements - Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP) is revamping its proposed Southgate extension, reducing its length, cutting down on the number of water crossings and bypassing the need for a previously planned compressor station, the operator told regulators. In filings late last week with FERC and the Securities and Exchange Commission, MVP said it entered into precedent agreements in late December with the Public Service Company of North Carolina (PSNC) “and another investment grade utility customer” for the redesigned Southgate extension. PSNC had committed to 300,000 Dth/d on the earlier iteration of the Southgate project, which was approved in 2020 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. As previously proposed, Southgate would have added 75.1 miles to extend the MVP..

MVP Southgate natural gas pipeline will no longer cross Alamance County The controversial MVP Southgate project will be shortened by more than half and no longer pass through Alamance County, according to public filings by Equitrans Midstream, the majority owner and operator of the natural gas pipeline.Based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Equitrans Midstream announced the project’s proposed redesign in its filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 29. The project has not been finalized; nor has the company published a new route map.MVP Southgate was to traverse more than 70 miles, starting from Pittsylvania County, Virginia, then entering North Carolina near Eden, in Rockingham County. From there, the route would have traveled southeast through Alamance County, ending near Haw River.Now the pipeline will travel just 31 miles and end in Rockingham County. There, the routing will also likely change, according to a letter from Equitrans Midstream to federal regulators.MVP Southgate is an extension of the embattled MVP main pipeline, which would run from a fracked gas operation in West Virginia through environmentally sensitive and precarious terrain in Virginia. The main line is more than five years behind schedule because of several successful legal challenges by environmental advocates and permit denials by Virginia environmental officials.Equitrans Midstream didn’t answer emailed questions about what prompted the route change, but instead directed Newsline to a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, also known as FERC, dated Dec. 29.In that letter, Equitrans Midstream wrote that it had entered into agreements with PSNC and an unnamed “investment grade utility customer” that “contemplate a redesigned project.”The timing of Equitrans Midstream’s announcement is curious. In mid-December, FERC approved the company’s request for an extension of time until June 2026 to complete MVP Southgate, three years later than originally proposed. (The project has been delayed because of permitting and legal problems with the main MVP line. Only after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, succeeded in inserting a go-ahead for the main line into the federal debt ceiling package that Congress approved last June, could it proceed.)Yet in its SEC filings, Equitrans Midstream estimates MVP Southgate will be complete in June 2028 — two years after the FERC extension expires.A company spokesman didn’t explain the discrepancy between the dates, but in its letter to FERC, Equitrans Midstream noted it plans to request “an updated completion due date.” The company is “evaluating the permitting and regulatory roadmap for the project … and will provide additional information to the Commission and other applicable permitting agencies as it continues with project development.”Equitrans Midstream is seeking new natural gas shippers for the revised MVP Southgate project. This is called an “open season,” during which potential shippers bid for available capacity on the pipeline. After open season concludes, Equitrans Midstream “will finalize the scope and timeframe of the redesigned project,” the letter to FERC read.The original route would have significantly harmed the environment, at least in the short-term. It would have crossed 207 streams, three ponds and temporarily damaged 17,726 linear feet of streams, 6,538 square feet of open waters, and 14 acres of wetlands; another 0.02 of an acre of wetlands would have been permanently harmed. Nearly 14 acres of riparian buffers would have also be affected. MVP Southgate would have also crossed Stony Creek Reservoir, the main drinking water supply for the City of Burlington.Without a map of the new route it’s unclear whether MVP Southgate will still cross the Dan River as originally planned.

Chatter Grows about E&P Pullback as Mild Early Winter Weather, Robust Natural Gas Storage Pressure Prices - A growing number of analysts have penciled in lower natural gas prices and more gas and oil production cuts for 2024 to remedy supply-demand imbalance, which worsened late in 2023 amid a mild start to winter and record production levels. The heating season only saw intermittent cold spells in November before December clocked in as one of the warmest on record. The combination with record gas production had by late December swelled the surplus of gas in storage to 316 Bcf, or 10% above the five-year average. “We believe U.S. gas prices need to average lower than we thought previously to incentivize incremental demand via coal-to-gas substitution and lower supply via steeper Haynesville Shale declines,” Goldman Sachs Group’s Samantha Dart said.

TVA adds new units in Kentucky to quickly generate more power — The Tennessee Valley Authority said Tuesday that three new power-generation units are online in Kentucky, designed to help the utility quickly meet demand as it rises. TVA said the new combustion turbine units use natural gas and are located at the Paradise Combined Cycle Plant in Kentucky. It also said the new units can reach full power within 11 minutes and TVA said it can use them when other sources of power aren't available, helping the utility make sure it can continue serving its coverage area reliably. They add an additional 750 megawatts of power to TVA's operating fleet, which can power around 440,000 homes, according to a release from the TVA. The units started commercial operation on Dec. 31 and joined three other turbines that started operating in July at the Colbert site in Alabama. Those turbines also added around 750 megawatts. The new units are part of a plan to add more than 3,800 megawatts of power to the grid by 2028, according to TVA. As part of the plan, TVA also said it is replacing older and less efficient units.

Williams to Acquire Gas Storage Facilities from Hartree for $1.95B ---Williams is buying from Hartree Partners LP six underground natural gas storage facilities with transport links in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi for $1.95 billion. The companies expect to close the agreement, which involves 115 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of storage capacity, this January subject to customary conditions. Under the deal, New York City-based Hartree is also divesting to Williams 230 miles of gas pipelines and “30 pipeline interconnects to attractive markets, including LNG markets, and connections to Transco, the nation’s largest natural gas transmission pipeline”, Williams said in a recent press release. Two of the storage facilities, Pine Prairie and Southern Pines, directly serve Williams’ Transcontinental Pipeline (Transco) and “are well positioned for expansions”, Williams said. Transco is a 10,000-mile gas transmission system between south Texas and New York supplying the Appalachia, Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions. Williams says the pipeline carries about 15 percent of the United States’ natural gas. Williams, headquartered in Tulsa city, operates 33,000 miles of pipelines in total, which it says account for a third of the transported gas in the US. Three of the five coastal states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, or the Gulf Coast states, were among the top five natural gas consumers last year according to the country’s Energy Information Administration. Texas accounted for 15.1 percent of the national total consumption 2022 at 4.88 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Louisiana, last year’s third biggest natural gas consumer, consumed 1.96 Tcf. Florida, at fifth, consumed 1.62 Tcf. Armstrong also noted, “Since 2010, U.S. demand for natural gas has grown by 56 percent while gas storage capacity has only increased 12 percent”. “We expect the increasing demand for high deliverability storage to drive significant earnings growth across these assets”. The acquisitions include four salt domes with a combined capacity of 92 Bcf and two depleted reservoirs with a combined capacity of 23 Bcf. The six storage facilities can be injected with up to five Bcf of gas daily on an aggregated average, while their combined withdrawal capacity is 7.9 Bcf per day, “among the highest of any natural gas storage platform in the United States”, Williams said.

Energy Transfer Accused of Blocking Rival Natural Gas Pipelines, Restricting Haynesville Development --A Momentum Midstream LLC affiliate has joined two natural gas pipeline operators in accusing Energy Transfer LP of upending industry practices for pipeline crossings in Louisiana, which they said threatens to stall development of the Haynesville Shale and growth of LNG exports. New Generation Gas Gathering (NG3) LLC, a Momentum affiliate, said its $1.6 billion pipeline and carbon capture project has been put on hold after Energy Transfer sued to block the project from crossing the midstream giant’s Gulf Run Pipeline. “Energy Transfer is blatantly and openly engaged in anticompetitive conduct and unfair trade practices in violation of Louisiana law” by using Gulf Run in an attempt “to secure a stranglehold on the movement of natural gas out of northwestern Louisiana,”.

Energy Transfer pipeline fight could hurt Haynesville - The ongoing dispute over the construction of the Energy Transfer pipeline has the potential to negatively impact the Haynesville region. The pipeline, which aims to transport natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale fields to markets in the Gulf Coast, has faced opposition from environmental groups and local communities concerned about the potential environmental and social impact. If the project stalls or is ultimately canceled, it could have significant economic consequences for the Haynesville region, which relies heavily on the natural gas industry. The Energy Transfer pipeline, also known as the Bayou Bridge pipeline, is a joint venture between Energy Transfer LP and Phillips 66 Partners LP. The proposed 163-mile pipeline would connect the terminus of the existing Energy Transfer pipeline in Texas to refineries and export terminals in Louisiana. However, opposition to the project has been mounting, with concerns ranging from potential water contamination to infringement upon private property rights. The Haynesville region, located in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas, is a major natural gas producing area and heavily dependent on the energy industry. The construction of the Energy Transfer pipeline would provide a boost to the local economy, creating jobs and increasing demand for natural gas extraction. If the project is halted, it could result in lost economic opportunities and stifle growth in the region. Furthermore, the Energy Transfer pipeline is seen as crucial for the export of natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale fields. The delay or cancellation of the pipeline could hinder the ability of these gas-rich regions to access Gulf Coast markets, potentially dampening production and reducing revenue for producers. In conclusion, the fight over the Energy Transfer pipeline has the potential to harm not just the environment, but also the economy of the Haynesville region. The outcome of the struggle will have far-reaching implications for both local communities and the energy industry as a whole.

US was top LNG exporter in 2023 as hit record levels (Reuters) - U.S. liquefied natural gas exports hit monthly and annual record highs in December, tanker tracking data showed, with analysts saying it positioned the United States to leapfrog Qatar and Australia to become the largest exporter of LNG in 2023. The U.S. was the stand out in global LNG supply growth in 2023, said Alex Munton, director of global gas and LNG research at consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group of the rise to 8.6 million metric tons leaving U.S. terminals in December. Qatar was the largest LNG exporter in 2022 and Australia the second-largest that year, U.S. government data showed. "U.S. record production was driven by two factors: the return of Freeport LNG to full service, which added 6 MT and the full-year output of Venture Global LNG's Calcasieu Pass facility that added 3 MT more than in 2022," Munton said. Full year exports from the U.S. rose 14.7% to 88.9 million metric tons (MT) driven largely by the return to full production of the Freeport LNG plant that had suffered a fire in 2022, and as others increased processing efficiency, LSEG data showed. Shipments compare to 77.5 million metric tons in 2022, the data from the financial information provider showed. Europe remained the main destination for U.S. LNG exports in December, with 5.43 MT, or just over 61%. In November, 68% of U.S. LNG exports were to Europe, LSEG data showed. The month-over-month drop reflected warmer than normal temperatures in Europe and elevated storage levels, analysts at consultants Rystad Energy said. European gas storage was about 97% full at the beginning of December, it reported. Asia was the second largest export market for U.S. LNG in December, taking 2.29 MT, or 26.6%, of exports, up from 18.5% in November. U.S. exports to Latin America were half a million metric tons, or just under 6% of total exports, LSEG ship tracking data showed. Natural gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants have climbed an average 14.9 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in January, up from a monthly record of 14.7 bcfd in December. That topped the prior all-time monthly high of 14.3 bcfd in November, LSEG data showed. U.S. gas was trading Tuesday morning at $2.55 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) at the Henry Hub benchmark in Louisiana , $9.81 per mmBtu at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark in Europe and $11.52 per mmBtu at the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) in Asia .

Aethon Said Pausing Haynesville Development on Low Natural Gas Prices - Aethon Energy Management LLC has curtailed natural gas development in the East Texas portion of the Haynesville Shale because of low prices, according to joint exploration partner Black Stone Minerals LP. Houston-based Black Stone said it received notice that the private exploration and production company was exercising a “time-out” provision under its joint agreements as natural gas prices had fallen below a specified threshold. “Low gas prices are obviously challenging for operators and royalty owners in the area, but we look forward to working with Aethon to minimize downtime and get the best possible results” for investors, said Black Stone CEO Thomas Carter Jr.

Commonwealth LNG Looks to Capitalize on Growing Global Natural Gas Market as it Targets 2024 FID - As the team behind the Commonwealth LNG project proposed for Cameron, LA, pushes toward a final investment decision this year, Executive Chairman Paul Varello said the global natural gas market is on the precipice of change despite the relative calm over the past year. When Varello and the Commonwealth team proposed the more than 9 million metric ton/year (mmty) facility over a decade ago, the goal was to use the next generation of modular liquefied natural gas technology to create a plant with lower upfront costs and lower associated emissions. Now, with half of Commonwealth’s capacity under final or tentative agreements, Varello said the firm is looking toward the future of a gas market with new emerging players and new ways of making contracts.

Shell Looks to Join BP’s Push for Calcasieu Pass LNG Commissioning Probe - Shell plc is looking to intervene in a complaint against Venture Global LNG Inc. one of its fellow contract holders, BP plc, filed with FERC late last year. In December, BP filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting it compel Virginia-based Venture Global to release confidential information about the extended commissioning process at Calcasieu Pass. BP and other long-term offtakers of the project, including Edison SpA, Shell, and Repsol SA, have accused the company of hiding behind alleged technical issues to delay sending contracted cargoes in favor of selling its own spot volumes. An LNG trading unit of Shell argued Tuesday in a filing it should be allowed to join the proceeding, as it “will be directly affected by the outcome of this...

Shale driller EOG expects U.S. production growth to halve in 2024 - EOG Resources Inc., one of the biggest independent shale producers, expects U.S. crude production to grow at less than half of last year’s pace amid lower drilling activity in oil fields. After ending last year with an estimated production growth of 900,000 bpd higher than the end of 2022, U.S. oil expansion will be “considerably less,” EOG President Billy Helms said Thursday in a presentation to investors. “Bringing on a lot of production last year, you’ve got a steeper decline to offset this next year,” he said. “That tells you that US production is not going to be able to continue to grow at the pace that it did last year.” Drillers from the Permian basin in West Texas to the Bakken shale of North Dakota ramped up oil production well beyond what analysts foresaw last year, pushing output to a record just as OPEC and its allies put the brakes on supplies to arrest price declines. Helms said EOG expects to report roughly 3% growth in its 2023 oil production when posting fourth-quarter earnings in the coming weeks. EOG doesn’t see the need to increase activity, mainly in its core regions this year, but may expand drilling in its emerging Utica Shale fields located across Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Helms said.

LNG delays, warm November hurt most shale gas stocks at end of 2023 - S&P Global -Shares in shale gas stocks generally outperformed the S&P 500 through late October 2023 until a warm start to winter and uncertainty about the in-service dates of Gulf Coast LNG terminals brought an end to the party. Most US shale gas stocks ended 2023 below the S&P 500, in contrast to 2022, when most of those stocks added double-digit percentage increases in value while outperforming the stock market index. Natural gas prices at the benchmark Henry Hub dropped 26.5% on the warm temperatures in November 2023, dragging the top 10 stocks in shale gas exploration and production companies down with them. Even rumors of potential mergers and acquisitions deals, in the wake of megadeals by Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp., failed to excite investors about the sector as 2023 came to a close. Of the top 10 US shale producers, only Utica Shale driller Gulfport Energy Corp. outperformed the S&P 500 in 2023, gaining 80.9% in value between Dec. 30, 2022, and Dec. 29, 2023. Four shale gas E&P stocks posted double-digit percentage losses over the year. One analyst said Gulfport's stock has room to run. "This small-cap should begin showing up on investor screens as it continues to execute operationally with improving capital efficiencies," Siebert Williams Shank oil and gas analyst Gabriele Sorbara told clients when he started covering Gulfport on Dec. 19, 2023. "We believe [Gulfport] remains underappreciated by the market at the current valuation, as our $200 [price target] offers 51.6% upside on a conservative 3.3x 2025 EV/EBITDA multiple."

US natgas prices jump 6% to five-week high on colder forecasts (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures jumped about 6% on Thursday to a five-week high on a drop in daily output and forecasts for colder weather and higher heating demand over the next two weeks. Capping gains was a smaller-than-expected storage draw last week when milder-than-normal weather limited heating demand. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said utilities pulled just 14 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas out of storage during the week ended Dec. 29. That was less than the 40-bcf withdrawal analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and compares with a withdrawal of 219 bcf in the same week last year and a five-year (2018-2022) average decline of 97 bcf. Front-month gas futures for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 15.3 cents, or 5.7%, to settle at $2.821 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), putting the contract on track for its highest close since Nov. 24. That was the biggest daily percentage gain since late October. Even though prices were up for a third day in a row and late January is usually the coldest part of the year, many traders said winter futures for November-March likely already peaked at $3.608 per mmBtu on Nov. 1 due primarily to recent record production and ample supplies of gas in storage. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the lower 48 U.S. states had fallen to 107.3 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in January, down from a monthly record of 108.5 bcfd in December. Meteorologists projected the weather would remain near to warmer than normal through Jan. 12 before turning colder than normal from Jan. 13-19. With colder weather coming, LSEG forecast U.S. gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 134.1 bcfd this week to 135.3 bcfd next week. Those forecasts were higher than LSEG's outlook on Wednesday. Gas was trading around $11 per mmBtu at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark in Europe and $12 at the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) in Asia.

US natgas prices gain 3% to six-week high with extreme cold coming (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas prices climbed about 3% to a six-week high on Friday forecasts that extreme cold weather in mid- to late January will boost demand for the fuel for heating to its highest since hitting a record during a winter storm in December 2022. In addition to sky-high demand, extreme cold could cause production to drop by freezing oil and gas wells, pipes and other energy equipment, which the energy industry calls freeze-offs. Traders also noted that gas prices were up for a fourth day in a row because output was already down since hitting record highs in December and as record amounts of gas continued to flow to U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants. Prices rose despite forecasts for mild weather this week and next, and ample amounts of gas in storage. Analysts said there was currently about 12.1% more gas in storage than normal for this time of year. Front-month gas futures NGc1 for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 7.2 cents, or 2.6%, to settle at $2.893 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their highest close since Nov. 22. For the week, the front-month gained about 15% after sliding about 4% last week. That was the biggest weekly percentage gain since mid-June. Even though the coldest part of winter was still coming, many traders said winter futures for November-March likely already peaked at $3.608 per mmBtu on Nov. 1 due primarily to recent record production and ample supplies of gas in storage. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states fell to 107.4 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in January, down from a monthly record of 108.5 bcfd in December. Meteorologists projected the nation's weather would remain mostly warmer than normal through Jan. 11 before turning colder than normal from Jan. 12-20. With colder weather coming, LSEG forecast U.S. gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 135.0 bcfd this week to 135.9 bcfd next week and 150.1 bcfd in two weeks. The forecasts for this week and next were higher than LSEG's outlook on Thursday. On a daily basis, total U.S. demand, including exports, would reach 158.2 bcfd on Jan. 16, according to LSEG's latest forecasts. That would be the most since winter storm Elliott in December 2022 but would fall short of the daily all-time high of 162.5 bcfd on Dec. 23, 2022, according to federal energy data from S&P Global Commodities Insights. U.S. pipeline exports to Mexico rose to an average of 5.5 bcfd so far in January, up from 4.6 bcfd in December but still well below the monthly record of 7.0 bcfd in August. Analysts expect exports to Mexico to rise in coming months once U.S.-based New Fortress Energy's NFE.O plant in Altamira in Mexico starts pulling in U.S. gas to turn into LNG for export. Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants rose to an average of 14.8 bcfd so far in January, up from a monthly record of 14.7 bcfd in December.)

200 orphan oil and gas wells plugged in 2023 by Michigan regulators - – Michigan environmental regulators said they plugged about 200 orphan oil and gas wellsin 2023 as part of efforts to reduce methane emissions and address climate change.Orphan wells are abandoned or improperly plugged oil and gas wells without a solvent owner or operator to hold accountable.Michigan officials ramped up the rate of plugging these types of old wells after receiving a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Interior – a significant uptick over the typical $1 million annual appropriation. The surge in money came from the federal bipartisan infrastructure law.“Through this boost in funding, we hope to do 25 years’ worth of work in the next few years,” said Adam Wygant, director of the oil and gas division at Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).“This additional federal infrastructure money allows us to hire two new staff dedicated to the orphan well program and permanently plug these wells at a rate eight times faster than before, restoring the land for future use,” he said.Nearly half of Michigan’s known orphan wells were plugged in 2023 alone. Officials had a list of about 450 identified orphan wells when the federal grant dollars were awarded last summer.The state’s orphan well program launched about 30 years ago and since then about 400 sites have either been sealed or cleaned up.Improperly abandoned well sites can leak contaminants into surface and groundwater, and methane and other greenhouse gases also escape and contribute to climate change.

Oil spill in Victoria causes gas-like odor across the Coastal Bend region The Goliad County Emergency Management department said an oil spill at the Port of Victoria caused a strong gas-like odor to spread across the Coastal Bend region on Thursday. Officials from Ingleside to Rockport and Corpus Christi said they received a high volume of calls from residents about the smell.In Goliad County, officials reported more than 30 calls of symptoms related to the odor."Although we feel like most of the county was unaffected, we had numerous calls for headaches, nausea, burning eyes, and even respiratory issues," said Sarah Ontiveros, coordinator for the Goliad County Emergency Management, in a letter posted to social media.The smell came from a large oil spill in Victoria containing an unknown amount of crude oil, diesel, and hydrogen sulfide.Victoria's Office of Emergency management confirmed the spill and said incident cleanup and response efforts were under the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.Goliad County issued a temporary "shelter in place" on Thursday. Officials said it was not mandatory and was issued strictly as a precaution because of the amount of calls received.An update from Goliad County on Friday morning said the TCEQ continued to work with Victoria and Calhoun counties to address the spill.

Texas City oil spill: 11,000 gallons of petroleum collected from Moses Bayou ditch after oil-water separator at facility overflows - (KTRK) -- Residents in Texas City may notice crews in the area working to clean up an oil spill that was discovered last week. The spill was first detected on Christmas Day near an oil pumping station on the city's west side when people who live nearby complained about a strong oil odor. According to the Texas City Emergency Management, 261 barrels of sweet crude oil, which is approximately 11,000 gallons, have been collected so far from Moses Bayou, a drainage ditch (Ditch No. 6) that flows into Galveston Bay. The waterway reportedly does not intersect or flow into the Gulf Coast Water Authority's nearby freshwater supply canals. Authorities discovered the spill came from a small facility on Century Boulevard that reported an issue with its oil-water separator, which caused an overflow. Despite complaints of heavy odor, officials said there are no reports of any medical calls to the area due to exposure. Those in the area are still being asked to continue to avoid contact with the affected area and/or affected wildlife. An Environmental Protection Agency representative said that as of Saturday, a blue heron was rescued from the spill but later died, and a dead Belted Kingfisher was found. "We have multiple agencies conducting air monitoring, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CTEH, the Texas City Fire Department, and E3 OMI, at no point during this incident has anyone detected a reading that would indicate a threat to health," Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator Joe Tumbleson said. "All partners represented in the Emergency Operations Center concur that there has been no impact to area well water or to surface water that feeds into our drinking water system." Tumbleson added that there was no impact to Moses Lake and that the spill was contained.

261 barrels of crude oil removed from Texas City ditch after spill - About 261 barrels of crude oil have been removed from a Texas City ditch following an oil spill, Texas City Emergency Management said on Tuesday. The spill was found on Dec. 25 in the ditch that is also referred to as Moses Bayou. The oil was coming from an oil pumping station in the city’s west side that had a faulty oil-water separator. Crews are continuing their efforts. They’re working on drainage ditch 6, and they hope to completely finish cleaning up by Feb. 15. “Texas City Emergency Management, in partnership with local, county, state, and federal agencies, have continuously monitored the oil spill incident,” said Joe Tumbleson, Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator. “We are grateful to report that there has been no impact on Moses Lake, and no loss of containment has occurred. The leading edge of the spill remains just west of the Texas City golf course.” Tumbleson said they have not detected unsafe air conditions or water conditions. “All partners represented in the Emergency Operations Center concur that there has been no impact to area well water or to surface water that feeds into our drinking water system.” People were also asked to avoid the affected area and wildlife. Several agencies have responded to the spill such as: The Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM), the Texas General Land Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, Galveston County Emergency Management, Water Drainage District #2, the United States Coast Guard, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Officials are still unsure how much crude oil was discharged from the faulty oil-water separator at the pumping station. They also have not confirmed how long oil was spilling from the site. What happened Since Dec. 26, multiple state, federal, and local agencies have coordinated the cleanup, said Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator Joe Tumbleson. The spill was first detected Christmas Day when residents near the oil facility called Texas City officials to complain about a strong oil odor, Tumbleson said. After hours of searching for the source, officials found the oil came from a faulty oil-water separator at a small oil facility on Century Boulevard near Moses Bayou. Tumbleson said his office alerted the facility owner, Sawtooth Oil and Gas, of the spill. It is not known how long oil had been coming out of the facility, Tumbleson said. He said company officials explained that the unmanned facility had an issue with its oil-water separator that caused an overflow. The small facility where the oil spilled is about 200 feet from the drainage ditch. Tumbleson said the oil coming from the spill is sweet crude oil. While maps refer to the waterway as a bayou, it is a drainage ditch (Ditch No. 6). It is the longest drainage ditch maintained by Galveston County Drainage District No. 2. It stretches from the Lago Mar subdivision eastward behind Mainland City Centre and eastward to Moses Lake in Texas City. The oil spill site is near Century Boulevard, and the waterway flows past four subdivisions. Tumbleson said the oil in the water stretches about half a mile from Century Blvd. to State Highway 3. Thus far, harm to wildlife has been minimal. Janie Acevedo-Beauchamp of the Environmental Protection Agency said as of Saturday, a blue heron was rescued from the spill, but later died. A dead Belted Kingfisher was also found, Acevedo-Beauchamp said. There have been no other confirmed reports of adverse effects on wildlife. Texas Game Wardens are monitoring the area to track any wildlife impact. The waterway does not intersect or flow into the Gulf Coast Water Authority’s nearby freshwater supply canals. Records show as well that there are about 180 people who live within a 1/4-mile radius of the spill site. But the drainage ditch/Moses Bayou flows within yards of several subdivisions. Residents have complained of the heavy odor of oil, but there are no confirmed reports of any medical calls to the area because of exposure. Aside from the heavy smell of oil, air monitoring in the area has found no indications of harmful levels of chemicals in the air.

Texas City oil spill clean-up expected to last until mid-January | Local News - City emergency management officials expect an oil spill that spread along Moses Bayou last week to be cleaned up by Jan. 15 and said it wouldn’t affect drinking water of wells.

APA Joining E&P Merger Parade with Takeover of Permian-Focused Callon - Houston’s APA Corp., which in recent years has pursued overseas oil and gas prospects, is storming back to the Permian Basin with a $4.5 billion all-stock takeover of Callon Petroleum Co. APA, long a Permian exploration and production (E&P) stalwart, already has a broad portfolio in the Midland and Delaware formations. In the Delaware, where the super independent has a wide swath of natural gas-rich opportunities, Callon has nearly 12,000 acres. The deal overall would give APA another 145,000 acres. “Callon has built a strong portfolio in the Permian Basin that is complementary to our existing Permian assets and rounds out our opportunity set in the Delaware,” APA CEO John J. Christmann Jr. said.

New Mexico considers setback requirements for oil wells near schools and day care centers (AP) — A bill to ban oil and gas production within a mile (1.6 kilometers) of schools and day care centers across New Mexico is among the first published proposals as the state Legislature prepares for a 30-day session that could bring an overhaul to fundamental oil and gas regulations. Regulators in the No. 2 U.S. state for oil production are considering reforms including setback requirements aimed at protecting children from pollution, amid pressure from environmental groups and other advocates to bolster pollution controls and fulfill constitutional obligations to regulate the industry. Published Wednesday, a bill introduced by Democratic state Rep. Debra Sariñana of Albuquerque would halt approval of new drilling permits within a mile of school facilities starting in July of this year. It also would halt most oil and natural gas operations in those zones by 2028. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham directed the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to consult with a variety of stakeholders and develop its own robust set of proposed reforms to the New Mexico Oil and Gas Act, which regulates production of the two fossil fuels. The results of that process will include the establishment of setbacks from schools, hospitals, medical facilities, multifamily housing, single family homes and water bodies statewide. Lujan Grisham spokesperson Maddy Hayden said in an email Wednesday that the distance of the setbacks has yet to be determined. A draft of the agency’s proposal includes language that refers to a setback of 2,640 feet (0.80 kilometers) for schools, homes and health care facilities. Sariñana, a retired high school math teacher, said her proposal would likely affect about 800 existing wells out of more than 65,000 across the state. “It’s about our kids. This year it’s about our kids,” she said.

New Mexico governor proposes 10% spending increase amid windfall from oil production (AP) — New Mexico’s governor is proposing a nearly 10% general fund spending increase for the coming fiscal year to shore up housing opportunities, childhood literacy and health care access, with additional payouts for electric vehicles purchases.Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday published the $10.5 billion budget plan for the fiscal year running from July 2024 through June 2025. It would increase general fund spending by roughly $950 million over current annual obligations.The Democratic-led Legislature develops its own competing spending plan in advance of a 30-day legislative session that begins Jan. 16. Lujan Grisham can veto any and all budget provisions approved by legislators. The nation’s No. 2 oil-producing state anticipates a multibillion-dollar surplus for the coming fiscal year, driven largely by oil and natural gas production in the Permian Basin that underlies southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. The governor has signaled affordable housing as a major priority, proposing one-time spending of $500 million to expand opportunities through down-payment assistance, and to finance affordable housing and related infrastructure. The state separately would use $40 million to launch a statewide homelessness initiative.

‘No Significant Impact’ in Pausing Natural Gas, Oil Activity on Colorado’s Thompson Divide, Say Feds - A multi-year effort to pause oil and natural gas development across a portion of Colorado’s Western Slope may soon be finalized, according to federal officials. A draft environmental assessment (DEA) issued in December by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) found there would be “no significant impact” if federal mineral leasing was withdrawn for 20 years across 224,713 acres of national forest land in the Thompson Divide near Crested Butte. The Biden administration has proposed a 20-year pause in leasing across the federal land, mostly in Gunnison and Pitkin counties. The federal lands are overseen by the Interior Department’s USFS and the Bureau of Land Management. The impact on oil and natural gas development would be negligible, the USFS stated.

Chevron Warns of $3.5-4B in 4Q Upstream Impairments, Mostly California, GOM Assets -Chevron Corp.’s upstream oil and natural gas assets are set to take a big one-time hit in the fourth quarter results, primarily because of “continuing regulatory challenges” in California, where the integrated major is headquartered. The San Ramon-based producer on Tuesday detailed the upstream impairments in a Securities and Exchange Commission Form 8-K filing. The actions in aggregate “are currently estimated to result in noncash, after-tax charges of $3.5-4.0 billion in the company’s fourth quarter 2023 results,” executives noted in the filing.

Berkeley's gas ban is all but dead. What does that mean for other cities? -On Tuesday, a federal appeals court decided not to revisit its earlier decision to strike down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban in new buildings. The ruling dealt a blow to the city of Berkeley, which requested a rehearing after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ initial decision in April, and casts uncertainty over similar policies to electrify buildings in dozens of other cities. In effect, the court simply chose to uphold its earlier judgment in April to invalidate Berkeley’s gas ban, legal experts told Grist. But unless the city of Berkeley chooses to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, the 9th Circuit’s judgment is now final. (The Berkeley city attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment on its next steps in time for publication.) That means that for cities in the 9th Circuit region, which spans 11 western states and territories including California, Oregon, and Washington, local gas bans similar to Berkeley’s are no longer legal. “For cities in the 9th Circuit that have laws that are modeled closely on the Berkeley ordinance, this is a door closing,” said Amy Turner, director of the Cities Climate Law Initiative at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. In 2019, Berkeley became the first city in the country to pass a ban on installing natural gas piping in new buildings, requiring all-electric appliances. Dozens of cities across the 9th Circuit region, including more than 70 in California alone, quickly followed suit, drafting new laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and indoor air pollution. But later that year, the California Restaurant Associationinitiated a lawsuit against Berkeley’s policy, arguing that natural gas stoves were essential for preparing foods like “flame-seared meats” and “charred vegetables.” In 2021, a federal district court ruled against the restaurant industry, but that decision was overturned in April 2023 by the 9th Circuit. That court held that national energy efficiency standards preempted Berkeley’s law, which would in effect prevent the use of gas-powered appliances that meet federal standards. The city of Berkeley requested a rehearing of the case before 11 judges on the 9th Circuit — a petition that was denied in this week’s decision.

Long Lake residents concerned about mystery oil spill - - Last week a mystery sheen was spotted floating down the Spokane river in Millwood. According to the Department of Ecology, they are still not sure where it came from. They are able to confirm that it's oil with no PCBs, which are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds.

AltaGas Greenlights Montney Shale Natural Gas Processing Expansion - Calgary-based AltaGas Ltd. has sanctioned the Pipestone Natural Gas Processing Plant Phase II expansion project in the Alberta Montney Shale region. Construction is set to begin this year on the expansion, which is fully permitted. The project would provide an additional 100 MMcf/d of sour deep-cut natural gas processing capacity and an additional 20,000 b/d of liquids-handling capabilities, according to AltaGas. AltaGas announced the final investment decision (FID) for the project late last month upon closing its acquisition of the existing Pipestone processing complex and adjacent Dimsdale gas storage facility from Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure Ltd. for C$650 million ($487 million). The asset package also included the Pipestone condensate truck-in/truck-out terminal...

Peak Gasoline Demand Turns Out to Be a Mirage: Javier Blas - After fueling the 20th century automobile culture that reshaped cities and defined modern travel, gasoline was supposed to begin its long goodbye this year. It didn’t. Sure, Tesla Inc. and its rivals sold more electric vehicles in 2023 than ever before, reducing fossil fuel demand. In the moneyed suburbs of London, New York and Beijing, EV cars are a common sight. From that narrow perspective, it looks like the world has already started ”transitioning away from fossil fuels,” as agreed at the recent COP28 climate talks. But it’s a mirage. Even as EV sales increased, the global oil industry sold more gasoline than ever this year, surpassing the previous 2019 peak that the International Energy Agency had expected would remain an unassailable all-time high. Outside wealthy neighborhoods, the internal combustion engine still reigns supreme; in middle- and working-class areas, the energy transition remains a distant prospect.From the 1950s onward, when Henry Ford’s dream of a car in every middle-class American driveway became a reality, gas stations sprung up next to drive-in restaurants and strip malls, transforming the US landscape and economies across the globe. The gasoline used to power automobiles accounts for roughly one-in-four barrels of petroleum-refined products consumed worldwide. As the climate crisis garners increased attention, the fuel is destined to play an outsized role in the energy transition — an early indicator of whether the shift away from fossil fuels is happening, and at what speed. The theory was that as EV cars became more popular, gasoline demand would be “disproportionally” impacted, the IEA predicted in its most recent five-year oil outlook, released in June. “This means that the fuel is likely to exhibit the earliest and most pronounced peak in demand” of all fractions of the oil barrel, it added. While consumption would recover this year, it wouldn’t reach pre-pandemic levels; the outlook was for a gentle, but constant, downward trend. In the middle of the year, the IEA predicted that gasoline usage would “never return to 2019 levels,” when demand reached 26.7 million barrels a day. Instead, consumption rose to about 26.9 million barrels a day this year, according to the latest IEA figures.1 And 2024 is poised for another, even if small, increase, to just above 27 million barrels a day. As thing stand, the peak in gasoline demand has been delayed by five years, to 2024 from 2019. And I won’t be surprised if, once more data are available and forecasts are updated, the peak is pushed forward even further.

China Funds Big Green Groups While Russia Funds Anti-Fracking Groups -Marcellus Drilling News -- The two biggest enemies of the United States, Russia and China, are attacking our country and its fossil fuel infrastructure using proxies — nonprofit groups — funneling money to said groups that use the money to finance a blizzard of lawsuits and other activities aimed at destroying our fossil energy industry. We’re in a war, and we don’t even know it! Just the News, one of the best independent news sites on the web, has an expose focusing on China’s role in funding Big Green groups that, in turn, attack our fossil energy industry.

Orlen: Polish LNG imports continue to rise - Poland’s LNG imports via the Swinoujscie terminal rose almost 6 percent in 2023 compared to the year before, boosted by shipments from the US, according to Orlen. The Swinoujscie LNG terminal received 62 cargoes or about 4.66 million tonnes of LNG in 2023, Orlen said in a statement. This compares to 58 LNG carriers or 4.4 million tonnes of LNG in 2022, which marked a record and a rise of 57 percent year-on-year. The growth of LNG imports in 2022 was possible due to the expansion of Gaz System’s facility in Swinoujscie, where PKN Orlen booked a regasification capacity of 6.2 bcm per year. This is some 1.2 bcm more than before. Thanks to further investments, the capacity will increase to 8.3 bcm of gas per year in 2024 and Orlen booked all of these volumes as well. In November 2022, PKN Orlen completed its merger with Poland’s dominant gas firm, PGNiG, which is in charge for all of the LNG supplies coming to the Swinoujscie facility. The Swinoujscie LNG terminal received its first commercial cargo in June 2016. Prior to that it also received two commissioning LNG cargoes. Orlen received the 250th cargo at the LNG terminal in September this year, and the 268th cargo on December 28. The 216,200-cbm Q-Flex LNG carrier, Al Sahla, delivered the last cargo under a long-term contract with QatarEnergy LNG, previously known as Qatargas, Orlen said. US liquefaction and export terminals remain the biggest suppliers of LNG to Poland. Orlen has contracts with Cheniere and Venture Global LNG. However, the latter has still not declared commercial operations at its Calcasieu Pass facility. The Polish firm said that 41 ships arrived in 2023 from the US to Swinoujscie as part of long-term and spot purchases. Qatar was the second-largest supplier with 19 shipments, while one shipment each arrived from Trinidad and Tobago and Equatorial Guinea. In 2022, 36 deliveries came from the US, and 18 ships arrived from Qatar. Chartered LNG carriers, expansion Besides boosting LNG supplies, Orlen is developing its fleet of chartered LNG carriers. In October 2023, Norway’s Knutsen and Poland’s Orlen named two newbuild LNG carriers at Hyundai Samho’s yard in Mokpo, South Korea. The carriers in question are Saint Barbara and Ignacy Lukasiewicz. Prior to that, South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries delivered two LNG carriers to Knutsen that are serving Orlen under charter deals.

China Regains Top LNG Buyer Position - China has regained the title of world’s biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas, as a further rebound in deliveries threatens to tighten supply of the heating and power plant fuel. LNG shipments to China rose 12 percent last year to nearly 71 million tons, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. High prices and virus restrictions had significantly cut demand in 2022, which helped free up LNG shipments to gas hungry nations elsewhere. Although China’s LNG deliveries remain below 2021 levels, due in part to cheaper alternatives, the nation is expected to drive global demand growth for the next decade. China’s imports are slated to increase almost 20 percent to 84 million tons through 2025, and to 136 million tons by 2030, according to Rystad Energy. A surge in shipments to China before new supply comes online later this decade risks upending the gas market’s careful balance. Europe is far more dependent on the fuel after the loss of Russian pipeline gas, and a jump in Chinese LNG buying — especially this year or next — could threaten a price war between the regions. Gas makes up just 8.5 percent of China’s total energy mix, based on data from the Energy Institute, leaving it with plenty of room to grow as it replaces dirtier alternatives like coal. In Japan, by contrast, gas makes up a fifth of the mix, while it’s a third in the US. China imported 17 percent of all LNG shipments last year, according to ship-tracking data. For comparison, the entirety of western Europe accounted for 26 percent. Gazprom’s gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline reached 22.7 billion cubic meters last year, above contracted volumes. China’s thermal coal benchmark, already on a downturn last year, may slide further as milder demand growth makes little headway in clearing the nation’s surplus.

JKM Prices Continue Decline Despite Earthquake in Japan - A 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit western Japan continued to have little impact on the country’s natural gas demand and Asian natural gas prices on Wednesday. Two coal-fired power plants were closed and some gas-fired generation had been reduced in the Noto region after the quake hit Monday. The Naoetsu LNG import facility was briefly shut down, as well, but has since been reopened. Kpler vessel-tracking data on Wednesday showed the Ibri liquefied natural gas vessel offshore ready to unload at Naoetsu with a cargo from the Bintulu LNG facility in Malaysia. Japan’s spot electricity price for Thursday declined by nearly 10% as the country’s power reserve was at required levels. While the earthquake, which killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds more, could impact...

Oil spill response effective at Alvheim FPSO, says Aker BP – Aker BP has issued details of how it responded to an oil spill at the Alvheim field in the Norwegian North Sea at the end of November.During a production re-start on the Alvheim FPSO following an unplanned shutdown, with one well online, an estimated 51 cu m of oil were discharged through the produced water outlet.The company responded by closing all necessary valves immediately to stop the flow and mobilized its emergency response organization alongside the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies (NOFO) and the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) to deal with the oil on the sea surface.NOFO and the NCA opted to implement a technique known as mechanical degradation, which involved the standby vessel Esvagt Stavanger mixing the oil down into the water column until it dissolved.Satellite and aerial surveillance measures also took place, in addition to the standby vessel’s oil radar.According to Aker BP, the response was effective with the size of the oil slick significantly reduced by the following day. That led the NCA, in consultation with NOFO and Aker BP, to end the operation on December 1.By that point no oil was visible on the sea surface either in satellite images or via flyovers, and no harm was found to have been caused to birds or marine life in the area.“Our co-operation with NOFO and the Norwegian Coastal Administration shows that the Norwegian shelf has sound and effective oil spill preparedness in place, should the need arise,” said Marit Blaasmo, Aker BP’s Senior Vice President—People & Safety.

Aker BP commissions spill detection upgrade for offshore Norway platforms — Aker BP has asked Vissim to develop an upgraded oil spill detection solution for its fixed and floating installations offshore Norway. These comprise platforms at the Valhall, Ula, Edvard Grieg, Ivar Aasen, Alvheim and Skarv fields in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea. According to Vissim, the new radar-based oil spill detection system will employ upgraded image processing technology to enable detection of smaller oil spills. It will also employ machine learning to classify detected phenomena to prevent the system from generating false alarms, one of the main concerns with radar-based oil spill detection as it can cause undue stress among the operators. Norway’s regulatory environment requires offshore operators to implement detection technologies that make them independent of weather conditions. Vissim’s combined solution is said to facilitate vessel tracking and oil spill detection via the same radar. A higher degree of sensitivity in image processing is claimed to make the new system less susceptible to false alarms triggered by heavy rain, vessel wake and other incidents. Since the fall of 2023, the company has been developing an expanded digital dashboard for Aker BP’s oil spill monitoring and detection needs. This integrates input from various detection sources, including radars, satellites and sensors on subsea production equipment, combining them into one visual overview.

Venezuela oil giant says 80 percent of oil spill cleaned up --Venezuela's state oil company said Thursday that an oil spill at a refinery on the country's western coastline was no longer "active" and that more than 80 percent of the affected area had been cleaned up.Wednesday's spill at the El Palito facility in the northwestern state of Carabobo occurred when heavy rainfall caused fluids to overflow from lagoons at the site, PDVSA said on social media platform X."It is important to clarify that it is not heavy crude oil, but a discharge of hydrocarbons, wastewater or effluents that were directed to the coastal marine environment," the company said."At this time there is no active source of spillage, there is no rupture of pipeline or system," it went on, adding that the "situation is being controlled by highly trained personnel under current safety protocols."The spill sloshed tarry ooze onto beaches, affecting several seaside resorts and causing environmental groups and fishermen to sound the alarm. Work was under way Wednesday to clean up the spill.The last oil spill recorded in the area was in July 2020, when waste from the same refinery flowed into the sea. That accident contaminated Morrocoy National Park, a tourist area with a score of islets with white sand beaches.

Venezuela Deploys Troops Amid Dispute with Guyana --Venezuela has decided to deploy more than 5,000 soldiers on its eastern Caribbean coast after neighboring Guyana received a warship from the UK amid a dispute over the Essequibo territory, according to President Nicolas Maduro. “Venezuela has the right to defend itself, to tranquility, to peace,” Maduro said Thursday on state TV, while accusing Guyana of violating an agreement signed two weeks ago to continue talks over the oil-rich territory without the use of arms. “We do not accept provocations, threats from anything or anyone.” Venezuela made a similar move in 2018 to halt ships working for Exxon Mobil Corp off in the area. Today’s actions, which Maduro said were just the first stage of a wider plan, could lead to an escalation of the long-dormant dispute between the neighboring countries over the Essequibo, a region roughly the size of Florida that’s controlled by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela since the 19th century. Venezuela’s Navy Commander Neil Villamizar said 5,682 military personnel from several components of Venezuela’s armed forces were deployed, along with three ocean patrol vessels, three multipurpose vessels, seven missile boats, eight amphibious vehicles and over 20 fighter planes, including 12 Sukhoi. While the troops deployed represent roughly 4 percent of Venezuela’s estimated military force, it matches the number of Guyana’s estimated combatants. That balance of power could shift if Guyana’s allies intervene, according to Rocio San Miguel, an expert in military issues and the president of Caracas-based watchdog group Control Ciudadano. Earlier in December, the UK reaffirmed its support for Guyana following the renewal of Venezuela’s border claim on the Essequibo region. Following a visit by David Rutley, British Minister for the Americas, Caribbean and Overseas Territories, Britain deployed a Royal Navy warship known as HMS Trent to Guyana to take part in joint exercises.

Argentina Eyes Free Market for Oil - Argentine President Javier Milei is seeking to extinguish decades of government intervention in the nation’s oil industry by unshackling crude exports and leaving local fuel prices at the whim of market forces. Milei included such measures in sweeping legislation he sent to congress on Wednesday, the latest move since the libertarian president took office on Dec. 10 with a mission to deregulate Argentina’s tightly controlled economy. While his bill has far-reaching consequences for a slew of industries, it features a chapter specifically addressing oil. The free-market provisions in his bill seek to replace rules from the 1960s that prioritize ensuring affordable fuel supplies at home. Those rules, which give refiners the right to first refusal on export cargoes and let the government meddle in crude and gasoline pricing, have in recent years held back the vast shale patch known as Vaca Muerta — Spanish for dead cow. Under Milei’s proposal, sales abroad “will be free” and “the executive branch won’t be able to intervene in, or fix, prices in the domestic market.” “Energy prices will couple with international values,” Juan Jose Carbajales, an energy consultant who once served as oil and gas undersecretary, wrote in a report. “The most radical change is eliminating the requirement to satisfy the needs of the local market — it’s an historic rupture with a century of Argentine tradition.” It would also be a boon for drillers including YPF SA — the state-run oil company that Milei wants to privatize — whose shale investments have been curtailed by cheap prices at pump, as well as Vaca Muerta’s other major crude producers, Chevron Corp., Shell Plc and local outfit Vista Energy. Milei’s bill will likely face stiff opposition in congress, where his party is a minority, since it rips at the fabric of status-quo Argentine policymaking. While the legislation is being debated, Milei will move to liberalize oil markets on a more informal basis, according to two people familiar with the matter. The government will stop brokering talks between oil producers and refiners, allowing them to set crude and gasoline prices as they wish, said the people, who weren’t authorized to publicly disclose private deliberations. Shale oil in Argentina traded at $58 a barrel in the third quarter, when Brent traded at $86, according to YPF.

Nigeria Destroys Dozens of Illegal Oil Pipelines, Refineries - Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Ltd. (NNPC) has dismantled dozens of unauthorized oil pipelines and refineries in different parts of Nigeria during a year-end week-long operation, the national oil and gas company said. Authorities uncovered 42 refineries and 14 illegal pipelines operating in the Niger Delta between December 23 and 29, NNPC said in a video report Tuesday. One illegal oil storage site was also discovered. Ten incidences of pipeline vandalism, eight cases of infraction of vessel automatic identification system and four oil spills were also recorded during the operation, under NNPC’s campaign to stop oil theft. Eighteen persons have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the incidents, which affected several companies not only NNPC. Also among the victims were Maton Engineering Nigeria Ltd., Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd. and Shell Petroleum Development Co., according to the report released on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. “For NNPC Ltd. there is no backing down on the war on crude oil theft until the menace is eradicated for good”, NNPC said in the report. The lingering problem of oil theft comes amid a shortage of refinery feedstock in the West African country. Last month the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said it had met with the Nigerian Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to seek stronger action to ensure domestic crude supply. The meeting “came on the heels of the prevailing shortage of feedstocks to the modular refineries operating within the shores of the country and formed the basis a meeting between the regulators”, the NUPRC said in a press release. Last November the government inaugurated a special committee to combat oil theft. In the country’s annual oil and gas fair last May, the oil and gas regulatory body Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) urged the government to address “wanton crude oil theft in the Niger Delta” to “enable the production of hydrocarbons at reasonable costs and profitability”, stated a press statement from the NCDMB. “[M]ost indigenous operators were unable to evacuate their crude oil through pipelines for over one year and are now forced to explore alternative options at high costs”, the NCDMB said then. Equinor ASA announced November it was selling its stake in the Niger Delta’s Agbami oil field as it exits the country. Norway’s majority state-owned Equinor holds a 20.21 percent stake in Agbami, which is operated by Chevron Corp. with a 67.3 percent interest. Prime 127 Nigeria Ltd. holds the remaining 12.49 percent. The world’s biggest oil discovery in 1998, Agbami holds an estimated 900 million barrels of recoverable volumes, according to information from Chevron. According to the latest report on oil theft by government agency the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the country lost over 505 million barrels of crude and 4.2 billion liters of petroleum products, or $40.06 billion and $1.84 billion respectively, between 2009 and 2018. “Cumulatively, total crude and product losses for the period amount to $41.9 billion. This is the size of Nigeria’s entire foreign reserves”, it said in the report published November 2019. Oil has been among the top five sectors contributing to Nigeria’s economy. In the latest gross domestic product data by the National Bureau of Statistics, petroleum and natural gas comprised 5.48 percent of the nation’s economy in the third quarter of 2023, making this sector the fifth-largest contributor to the economy behind crop production, trade, telecommunication and information, and real estate.

Nigeria's top court says Shell's appeal should be heard after oil spill claim (Reuters) - Nigeria's Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Shell should be granted a hearing over an alleged oil spill in the Niger Delta after the Court of Appeal halted an asset sale and ordered a judgement claim to be paid prior to hearing its case. The case, one of several against Shell Plc (SHEL.L) locally and abroad, started with a High Court ruling in November 2020 that ordered Shell to pay 800 billion naira ($878 million) to communities of Egbalor Ebubu in Rivers state, who accused the firm of an oil spill that damaged waterways and farms. Shell denies causing the spill. Shell had appealed to stop the High Court from executing its judgement but the Court of Appeal ordered Shell to deposit the money in an account controlled by the court, before its appeal could proceed. Shell was also ordered to pause the disposal of local assets last June until the Supreme Court ruling, to allow for any compensation due to the Niger Delta Community. Mohammed Ndarani, the community's lawyer, told Reuters that the Supreme Court had now returned the case to the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the appeal court did not look into the merits of the case and directed that Shell be granted a hearing. The case is being closely watched after the country's oil regulator refused to approve Exxon Mobil's $1.28 billion asset sale to Seplat Energy in 2022, raising concerns among international oil companies about the difficulty of selling assets in Nigeria. Shell, like other oil majors operating in the country, is focusing on deep water drilling and divesting from onshore operations, which are prone to crude theft and vandalism of pipelines, hitting Nigeria's oil production.

An oil spill in an ignored wetland in Tamil Nadu- The Hindu -- On December 3-4, Cyclone Michaung, which lingered 100 km off the coast of Chennai for about 16 hours, brought heavy rainfall to the city. It forced the Tamil Nadu government to not only deal with the problem of heavy flooding, but also turn its attention to the wetlands of the heavily industrialised Ennore-Manali region in the northern part of the city where oil had spilled over from the premises of a public sector refinery.Even as oil from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) refinery flooded houses and entered the Buckingham Canal and the Kosasthalaiyar river, which empties into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board underplayed the extent of the ecological disaster. Since the spill occurred in inland waters, the Indian Coast Guard could confirm that the oil had entered the sea only through an aerial assessment.The State government began to act only eight days after the spillage and after it was nudged by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The government’s 20-member oil spill crisis management committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, inspected the mouth of the river, or Ennore Creek, and directed the CPCL to compensate for the damages caused to the environment and the fisher folk, and ramp up remediation. The initial work was not only delayed but also haphazard. Without an approved standard operating procedure in place and for reasons that are unclear, the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority and district authorities, who, as per the draft ‘Tamil Nadu State Oil Disaster Contingency Plan’, are the nodal agency and the on-scene commander, respectively, took a back seat.The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests set up a coordination centre at Ennore. Along with the CPCL, the Department deployed one oil skimmer and 200 fishermen with their boats from the hamlets of Ennore to remove the oil. As of December 16, 300 additional workers from four sea-cleaning agencies were brought in along with a fleet of machinery comprising five gully suckers, four skimmers, poclains and tippers. Over 50 tonnes of oil-laden sludge have been removed from Kosasthalaiyar so far.The Department has said that remediation is expected to be completed by December 19. However, it would be unwise to rush the clean up as, in addition to the 11-kilometre stretch from the CPCL plant to Ennore Creek, oil has spread further south till the Kasimedu harbour and up north to the Pulicat backwaters, a fishing ground and also a biodiversity hotspot for thousands of migratory birds. State government officials and the CPCL said that the incident was “unprecedented” and that they were “caught unawares”. However, in 2017, two cargo ships carrying oil collided near Kamaraj Port in Ennore, significantly affecting the fisherfolk and their livelihoods. Besides, there are 17 highly polluting industries in Manali of which nine are petrochemical, and the residents of the region have been flagging pollution concerns for years.

Ennore oil spill shows pelicans forage, use wetlands over a larger geography- A week after an oil-drenched spot-billed pelican was sighted 400 km away at the Tiruppur Nanjarayan tank bird sanctuary, bird experts are calling for detailed studies to understand Chennai’s largest local migration of waterbirds and their relationship with wetlands. Post Ennore oil spill, which caused misery to people and ecology, the affected birds, especially pelicans, were photographed widely in different wetlands in and around Chennai. Now these birds are being sighted several hundreds of kilometres away as well. This suggests pelicans forage and use wetlands across a wide geography over days and weeks. This has been somewhat confirmed post the oil spill, when oiled black pelicans are being seen in rotation in Ennore, Cooum, Adyar, Pallikaranai, Sholinganallur and Kovalam in different numbers on different days and even as far as Nanjarayan. “I have been observing local migration of pelicans at Pallikaranai and Kallukuttai lake on a daily and weekly basis. Early morning, they fly in from the north in dozens of flocks and settle in Kallukuttai and Velachery lakes and surrounding wetlands, and in a few hours they fly south - possibly to Pallikaranai, Kovalam estuary and other wetlands. On different days their numbers vary - suggesting that pelicans forage and use wetlands across a larger geography. More observations and studies are needed to understand the movements of pelicans and large water birds and their relationship with wetlands,” said bird expert and author M Yuvan. Udumalaipettai DFO Devendra Kumar Meena told TNIE the bird was first spotted by forest watchers last Friday and again sighted at the Nanjarayan bird sanctuary on Tuesday. Local Nature Society volunteers also visited and confirmed that it was an oil spill affected bird. “The pelican is active and feeding well. Two eco-guides, four protection watchers are fielded along with a forester to monitor the bird and explore the possibility of capturing it to wash off the oil. We haven’t seen it for the last two days. Our staff are searching in nearby wetlands. We are also surprised how the bird travelled such a long distance with oil all over the body,” he said. Meanwhile, in Ennore, the rescue team captured two pelicans and brought them to the Guindy National Park for necessary treatment on Thursday. E Prasanth, Chennai wildlife warden, said there was information that ‘black’ pelicans are spotted even in Kaliveli bird sanctuary in Villupuram district. “So far, we have captured eight pelicans, including two birds captured today. The rescued birds were given 4-5 soap washes, but still there is oil. It would take some time for the birds to fully recover. In a month’s time, we plan to release them. Health wise, they are in good shape and feeding well,” he said.

Philippine Coast Guard Contains 30-L Oil Spill in Davao City: Cleanup Operation and Investigation Underway - THE Philippine Coast Guard, including the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM), Coast Guard Station (CGS), and Coast Guard Sub-Station, effectively contained a 30-liter oil spill at Km. 11, DavSam Port, Sasa, Davao City, on the night of January 2. Surveillance revealed an affected area of approximately 200 cubic meters. Ensign John Caven Esteban, deputy commander of the Marine Protection Force of the Coast Guard District Southern Mindanao, confirmed in a media interview on Wednesday, January 3, that the cleanup operation took several hours from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on January 2. Responding promptly to the incident at 7:50 pm on the same day, Coast Guard personnel utilized an oil spill absorbent boom and absorbent pads to recover sludge, mainly consisting of diesel and bunker oil. They returned the next morning to ensure zero oil spills. The recovered sludge is set to be turned over to the Coast Guard's waste collector. An ongoing investigation aims to determine the spill's source, considering possibilities such as a resident, a waste factory, or a sea vessel, despite potential washout due to the strong current within Davao Gulf.

India turns to Saudi as purchases of Russian oil fall in Dec (Reuters) - India increased imports of Saudi oil in December as payment problems drove its Russian oil buys to an 11-month low, with at least five cargoes of the sweet Sokol variant heading to other locations, data from vessel tracking agencies showed. Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), which was set to get the Sokol oil, had to withdraw from its inventory and buy from the Middle East to make up the shortfall, sources told Reuters last month. Top refiner IOC is the only state-run firm with an annual deal to buy a variety of Russian grades, including Sokol, from Russian oil major Rosneft. India's oil imports from Russia in December declined between 16% and 22%, according to Reuters calculation on the basis of data from flow tracking agencies Vortexa, Kpler and LSEG. Its imports of Saudi oil, rose by about 4%, however, data from Kpler and Vortexa showed. LSEG data shows India's monthly Russian oil imports declining by 22% to 1.21 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, while Kpler shows a drop of 16% to 1.39 million bpd. "Perhaps it's still too early to write off India's appetite for the Sakhalin grade (Sokol)," said Viktor Katona, lead crude analyst at Kpler, adding that three new Sokol cargoes on the NS Antarctic, Jaguar and Vostochny Prospect were heading for India. Aframax ships NS Century, NS Commander, Sakhalin Island, Lityny Prospect and Krymsk; and a very large crude carrier Nellis carrying Russian Sokol oil for IOC were sailing for the Strait of Malacca, Kpler and LSEG ship tracking data showed. The NS Century faced sanctions imposed by the United States in November for the sale of Russian oil at a price above the cap of $60 a barrel fixed by the G7 grouping of nations and had been floating near Colombo since. "China appears to be the final solution for some cargoes," said Katona. Here is a table of India's preliminary imports from its top three suppliers. Volumes are in 1,000 bpd.

OPEC to Resume Regular Monitoring Meetings Next Month - OPEC+ will resume its regular oil market monitoring meetings with an online session early next month, delegates said. The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, which includes group leaders Saudi Arabia and Russia, will convene in the first week of February, said the delegates, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. One person said that the meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 1. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies began a new round of production cutbacks this month, in a bid to avert a global supply surplus during the first quarter and defend crude prices. Brent futures were little changed near $77 a barrel on Tuesday. Oil slumped almost 20 percent in the fourth quarter as record supplies from the US and elsewhere countered the effect of supply constraints by OPEC+ and robust fuel demand. Oil consumption growth is forecast to slow down sharply this year, prompting predictions of an oversupply. OPEC+ agreed at its last meeting in November to deepen existing supply cuts this quarter by around 900,000 barrels a day. Yet the price impact has been muted as crude traders are skeptical of how much will actually be implemented, with several key members struggling to dial back output further. Prices are getting some support from the turmoil in the Middle East, which has flared in recent weeks with attacks on merchant shipping through the region. The conflict between Israel and Hamas rages on, while Iran has dispatched a warship to the Red Sea after the US Navy destroyed three boats operated by Houthi militants. The OPEC+ JMMC typically meets every two months to review oil market conditions on behalf of ministers. The full 22-nation coalition is next due to gather on June 1 in Vienna. Member nation Angola quit the group last month after 16 years amid a bitter dispute over its production quota, but its departure isn’t expect to have any impact on supplies from the country or the wider alliance.

The Oil Market Posted an Outside Trading Day and Ended Lower in its First Session of the New Year - On Tuesday, the oil market posted an outside trading day and ended lower in its first session of the new year amid the sharp losses seen in the equities market. At the start of a new year, the oil market opened higher and rallied on concerns about possible disruptions to Middle Eastern supply after the latest attack on a container ship in the Red Sea on Sunday. The market rallied close to $2 as it extended its gains to $73.64 early in the session. However, the market retraced more than 62% of its move from a low of $67.98 to a high of $76.18 as it tumbled to a low of $70.06 amid the sharp losses seen in the equities markets, which saw some profit taking and realignment of portfolios at the start of the new year. The market later retraced some of its sharp losses ahead of the close. The February WTI contract settled down $1.27 at $70.38 and the March Brent contract settled down $1.15 at $75.89. The product markets ended the session down, with the heating oil market settling down 31 points at $2.5258 and the RB market settling down 1.14 cents at $2.0949. Denmark's Maersk will decide on Tuesday whether to resume sending vessels through the Suez Canal via the Red Sea or redirect them around Africa following a weekend attack on one of its ships. On Sunday, Maersk paused all Red Sea sailings for 48 hours following attempts by Yemen-based Houthi militants to board the Maersk Hangzhou. U.S. military helicopters repelled the assault and killed 10 of the attackers. Maersk had more than 30 container vessels set to sail through Suez via the Red Sea, while 17 other voyages were put on hold. A decision will be taken on Tuesday regarding how to proceed. The Hangzhou, which was hit by an unknown object during the attack, was able to continue on its way with LSEG shipping data showing the vessel now close to the Suez Canal. The botched Houthi boarding operation was the second attack on the Maersk Hangzhou in as many days. The ship, which is carrying 14,000 containers en route from Singapore, was hit by a missile on Saturday about 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hodeidah, Yemen. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby declined to say what options the U.S. is considering when asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" if Washington would consider a preemptive strike on the Houthis. Earlier on Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a call that Iran should help stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Three sources stated that OPEC+ plans to hold a meeting of its Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee in early February, though an exact date has not been decided. At its last full ministerial meeting on November 30th, OPEC+ agreed to voluntary output cuts totaling about 2.2 million bpd during the current quarter, led by Saudi Arabia rolling over its current voluntary cut. The JMMC meeting is expected to assess the deal's implementation in January. Germany's Hapag-Lloyd will continue to divert its vessels around the Suez Canal for security reasons. A spokesperson said "We monitor the situation closely day-by-day, but will continue to reroute our vessels until Jan. 9." The spokesperson added that the company will decide on that day whether or not to continue rerouting ships. IIR Energy reported that U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in 10,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending January 5th, increasing available refining capacity by 11,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to increase to 432,000 bpd in the week ending January 12th.

Oil rises on Middle Eastern turmoil, Libyan supply disruption - Oil extended gains as supply disruptions in Libya, increased tensions in the Middle East and an OPEC statement stressing its commitment to stabilizing prices ushered bulls back into the market. West Texas Intermediate rose more than 3 per cent to trade above US$72 on Wednesday amid the slew of bullish developments. Libya’s Sharara field, the country’s largest, has begun the process of fully shutting down after protests. The field had been pumping about 300,000 barrels a day recently.Meanwhile, Houthi militants claimed to have attacked another merchant ship in the Red Sea. Iran has dispatched a warship to the waterway, representing its most audacious move to challenge U.S. forces in the key trade route and possibly emboldening the Houthis.Further heightening tensions, Iran suffered two blasts that killed more than 100 people. The Iranian government didn’t say who was responsible for the attacks. “Nobody wants to be short crude below $70 when there is unrest in the Middle East,” The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries also on Wednesday released a statement saying it was committed to “unity, full cohesion and market stability.”Traders are assessing whether strong non-OPEC supply will remain a dominant oil-market theme in again 2024. Higher output from outside of the producer group has so far countered its efforts to tighten the market — but extended curbs take effect this week.WTI for February delivery climbed 3.1 per cent to $72.59 a barrel at 11:42 a.m. in New York. Brent for March settlement rose 2.9 per cent to $78.10 a barrel.

Oil Jumps Afrer Libya's Sharara Oil Field Shut Down By Protesters; Terrorist Attack In Iran -After sliding to fresh multi-week highs yesterday despite a burst of geopolitical risks and adverse escalations - almost as if the intern in charge of the White House oil trading desk was only left with a sell button - WTI rebounded after briefly sliding below $70 this morning and traded near session highs, reversing all of yesterday's losses after a Bloomberg report that Libya's Sharara oil field would be shuttered due to protests. The previously noted news that over 100 people have been killed in Iran in a terrorist attack near the grave of former IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, in a terrorist attack only led to further gains.As OilPrice notes, after false rumors of the closure of the giant Libyan Sharara oil field on Tuesday, a letter from Libya’s National Oil Company on Wednesday confirmed the shutdown of one of Libya’s most important oil fields.According to Libya’s Al-Ahrar disgruntled protestors took to the field on Wednesday morning stating that the field would not be re-opened until their demands and those of the entire region of Fezzan in Southern Libya would be met.In talks with Libya’s Al-Ahrar TV, spokesman Abu Bakr Abu Shreya of protest group the Fezzan Gathering Association demanded better services and development of Southern Libya.Fears are that the protests may spread to the nearby 60,000 bpd El Feel field.Sharara produces around 270kb/d, out of Libya's total 1.2mb/d total output; the last time the field saw a short disruption for the last time in July of 2023 when protests erupted following the arrest of an official who tried to become the boss of Libya’s central bank. During a period of relative stability following the truce between the rivaling parties in 2020, Libya’s crude oil production has risen to around 1.2 million barrels per day, and Libya’s state oil firm has plans to ramp up production to 2 million bpd by 2030 according to Minister of Oil and Gas Mohamed Oun.While these disruptions may be relatively short-lived, they will be a reminder that the relative stability in Libya in 2023 has not been the norm in recent years. Libyan production fell below 700kb/d for a couple months in 2022, collapsed for most of 2020, and has been very volatile for years. Oil markets will focus on delivery of the new OPEC+ cuts, on potential risk of disruption from the widening conflict in the region, and on understanding the potential for more of the positive supply surprises we saw last year. However, Libya could be another important variable.

Oil prices rise more than 3% on mounting Middle East tensions, OPEC pledge to support market - Oil rose more than 3% on Wednesday as the U.S. warned Houthi militants against further attacks in the Red Sea and OPEC pledged to remain united in supporting prices. Protests in Libya have also shut down the Sharara oil field, which produces 300,000 barrels per day, two engineers told Reuters on Wednesday. The West Texas Intermediate contract for February gained $2.32, or 3.29%, to settle at $72.70 a barrel. The Brent contract for March added $2.36, or 3.11%, to settle at $78.25 a barrel. Houthi militants, who are based in Yemen and backed by Iran, claimed Wednesday that they targeted the CMA CGM Tage container ship. French shipping giant CMA CGM told CNBC in a statement that the vessel “did not suffer any incident.” This comes a day after Danish shipping giant Maersk halted all shipping through the Red Sea until further notice due to repeated Houthi attacks on vessels. German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd confirmed Wednesday that it would continue to avoid the Red Sea. The U.S. and 12 allies called Wednesday for the Houthis to immediately halt “these illegal attacks,” warning the militants would “bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.” “The United States does not seek conflict with any nation or actor in the Middle East,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters during a White House briefing Wednesday. “But neither will we shrink from the task of defending ourselves, our interests, our partners, or the free flow of international commerce,” Kirby said. Oil prices have been volatile this week, with U.S. crude and the global benchmark settling more than 1% lower on Tuesday despite Maersk’s decision to continue avoiding the Red Sea due to attacks by the Houthis. “We haven’t seen prices react much in part because fundamentals are softer for crude right now,” Amrita Sen, founder and director of research at Energy Aspects, told CNBC on Wednesday. “We’ve seen some inventory builds toward year end and that’s why the market just isn’t sensitive to this.” “Even if there are attacks we’re not expecting any oil supply losses on the back of it,” Sen said. “The market is going to look for specific supply disruptions that actually helps tighten balances before we see a significant increase in prices.” OPEC and its allies issued a statement Wednesday pledging to remain united in the group’s “efforts to maintain oil market stability going forward.” Several members of the group pledged in November to cut 2.2 million barrels per day through the first quarter of this year to support prices. Traders have been skeptical of that pledge because it is voluntary and OPEC has struggled to maintain a united front. The promised voluntary cuts have done little to support prices as the U.S. pumps crude at a record clip and demand weakens in China. U.S. crude and the global benchmark fell more than 10% in 2023 on worries that the market is oversupplied.

WTI Holds Day's Gains After API Reports Big Crude Draw - Crude prices soared today, round-tripping yesterday's losses, after traders apparently woke up to the tensions in the MidEast.Traders have largely looked past shipping disruptions in the Red Sea and the threat of a wider war in the Middle East over the past few weeks as those factors have yet to impact global oil supply and output, but the Danish shipping giant Maersk said today it would indefinitely suspend shipments through the Red Sea.But major fatalities following explosions at a ceremony held to mark the four-year death anniversary of an Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani (prompting Iran to explicitly threaten a response) and reports that Libya's largest oilfield has been shut down due to protests, may have been the straw to break the back of complacency. Overall, the oil market seems "likely to be in rough balance, but uncertainty about supplies abound - from sanctions on Iran, Russia and Venezuela having less effect, to the possibility that [U.S. President Joe] Biden will try to tighten them," said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research.

• Crude -7.42mm (-3.00mm exp)
• Cushing +765k
• Gasoline +6.91mm
• Distillates +6.69mm

Crude stocks saw an unexpectedly large drawdown last week, but very large builds in products spoiled the bulls' party. Cushing stockpiles rose for the 11th month...

WTI Extends Losses After Massive Product Inventory Builds, Large SPR Add --Oil prices are sliding back again this morning, after surging yesterday to erase Tuesday's losses, following a bigger than expected crude draw reported by API (but notably large product inventory builds).Broad 'risk-off' sentiment in markets to start the year (and dollar strength) appear to be dulling any impact from possible supply disruptions in Libya for now. DOE

• Crude -5.50mm (-3.00mm exp)
• Cushing +706k - 11th weekly build in a row
• Gasoline -10.9mm - largest build ever
• Distillates -10.9mm - largest build since Jan 2019

Crude inventories declined for the second week in a row (more than expected) but gasoline and distillate stocks exploded higher...Bloomberg's Alex Longley notes one key thing to remember with all this data is that it essentially covers the final week of the year. That’s a time when the figures can get wonky for all kinds of reasons - tax purposes if you’re holding barrels in Texas, swaths of the country celebrating the holiday period, etc. So it’s worth taking some of the more extreme numbers with a grain of salt.The Biden administration added 1.055mm barrels to the SPR last week - the largest addition since June 2020...

Oil Falls as Rising US Fuel Supply Counters Mideast Tensions -- After advancing more than 3% in the prior session, oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and Brent crude traded on the Intercontinental Exchange retreated Thursday as investors balanced concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East against inventory data showing U.S. gasoline and distillate fuel supplies spiked more than 20 million barrels (bbl) last week as demand slumped into the New Year's holiday. U.S. Energy Information Administration's inventory report released late morning was overwhelmingly bearish for refined products, showing outsized builds across all three product categories amid exceptional demand weakness. Nationwide gasoline inventories spiked 10.9 million bbl in the final week of December, distillate fuel supplies surged 10.21 million bbl and jet fuel stocks built by 2 million bbl. At the same time, gasoline consumption collapsed to the second lowest weekly rate of 2023 at 7.954 million barrels per day (bpd), down 1.24 million bpd or 13% from the previous week. While it's not unusual for gasoline demand to soften into the New Year's holidays, the curve of last week's decline was pronounced compared to pre-pandemic years. There seems to be growing disconnect between the strength of U.S. labor market and gasoline demand that used to be closely correlated before the pandemic-driven lockdowns. For context, weekly unemployment claims in the final week of December dropped to a three-month low 202,000 applications but gasoline consumption eroded to a near recessionary level. Demand for middle distillates didn't fare any better, eroding to the lowest weekly rate of 2023 at 2.658 million bpd, down 1.32 million bpd from the previous week. Distillate fuel consumption closely correlates with nationwide industrial activity. The U.S. manufacturing index released by the Institute of Supply Management on Wednesday showed the industrial economy contracted for the 14th consecutive month in December. Limiting the downside for the oil complex, tensions in the Middle East continue to rattle oil markets in the aftermath of the deadliest attack in Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. ISIS claimed responsibility Thursday morning for the twin blast that killed over 80 people at the tomb of military General Qasem Soleimani. In initial response, Tehran blamed Israel for the attack and vowed to immediately retaliate, spiking tensions in a volatile region. Robert McNally, president and founder of Rapidan Energy Group, estimates that there is at a minimum a 30% chance of material supply disruption in the Middle East at this juncture. "While Tehran doesn't want the war, President Biden doesn't want the war -- no one is willing to de-escalate either. Everyone is escalating here over the holidays. The market is too complacent. I think there must be at least $12 of geopolitical risk premium," McNally told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday. Separately, antigovernment protests in southern Libya shuttered the country's largest oil field, El Sharara, and the El Feel oil field, removing some 350,000 bpd from the global oil market. Both fields are in the Murzuq Basin in southern Libya jointly operated by Libya's state-owned company NOC, Spain's Repsol, France's Total, Austria's OMV and Norway's Equinor. Libya's oil fields and infrastructure have been frequently targeted by protestors and rival militias since the fall of Moammar Qadhafi in 2011. At settlement, ICE March Brent futures fell $0.66 to $77.59 bbl after reaching an intrasession high of $79.41 bbl, and NYMEX February West Texas Intermediate futures declined to $72.19 bbl, down $0.51. NYMEX February ULSD futures dropped back $0.0160 to $2.5884 gallon, while NYMEX February RBOB futures retreated $0.0480 to $2.1101 gallon.

Oil sets 3% weekly gain on Libyan outages, Middle East attacks -- Oil posted a weekly advance, bolstered by output disruptions in Libya and increased tensions in the Middle East. West Texas Intermediate rallied near US$74 a barrel, posting a 3 per cent weekly gain. Protesters in Libya have disrupted supply from the Sharara and El-Feel fields, which could take about 300,000 barrels a day out of the market. Meanwhile, the Houthi militant group in Yemen claimed another strike on a merchant ship in the Red Sea. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was en route to the Middle East after a deadly attack in Iran that has stoked concerns that the conflict is broadening. The geopolitical risk is offsetting bearish U.S. stockpile data that showed large increases in gasoline and diesel inventories. Crude’s gain this week comes despite analysts turning more pessimistic on the market. Wall Street already is cutting price forecasts for this year after global benchmark Brent dropped by almost a fifth last quarter. A surge in supplies from outside the OPEC+ alliance, led by U.S. shale drillers, is expected to continue, while consumption growth is forecast to slow. Prices: WTI for February delivery climbed $1.62 to settle at $73.81 a barrel in New York Brent for March settlement rose $1.17 to settle at $78.76 a barrel.

Suspected Israeli Airstrikes Kill at Least Six Militants in Eastern Syria - Three suspected Israeli airstrikes hit eastern Syria near the Iraqi border on Saturday, killing at least six militants. The strikes hit targets near the city of al-Bukamal in the Deir Ezzor province. Both the US and Israel have launched airstrikes in the area before, but a US official told The Associated Press that the US was not responsible for this round.Israel has not commented, but Israeli officials typically maintain a policy of ambiguity when it comes to bombing Syria and do not comment on individual strikes. The Israeli media outlet Ynet described the airstrikes as “attacks attributed to the” Israeli Defense Forces. Syria’s Defense Ministry also reported Israeli airstrikes on the city of Aleppo later on the same day, with only some material damage reported.Iraqi militia sources told AP that four members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah were killed in the strikes near al-Bukamal as well as two Syrian militants. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) put the death toll much higher, saying 25 were killed, five Syrian nationals and 20 non-Syrians, but the number is not confirmed.Israel has bombed Syria with impunity for years and has ramped up airstrikes on the country since October 7. The US has also launched several rounds of airstrikes against Shia militias in eastern Syria and Iraq in response to attacks on US bases that started over President Biden’s full-throated support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.

Unknown gunmen bomb crude oil pipeline in Yemen (Xinhua) -- Unknown gunmen carried out an attack and blew up a major crude oil pipeline in the country's southeastern province of Shabwa on Monday evening, a government official told Xinhua. The blast was directed at the pipeline responsible for transporting crude oil from the Jannah Hunt oil field in the Usaylan district, the source said on condition of anonymity. This pipeline stretches to the Nushima export port located on the Arabian Sea in Shabwa. He clarified that the sabotage attack caused significant damage to the pipeline, leading to towering flames and thick plumes of smoke in the area. The attack on the pipeline occurred following the withdrawal of military personnel, who abandoned their posts in securing the pipeline due to grievances over unpaid salaries from the government, according to the official. Yemen's crude oil export operations have been severely disrupted due to the ongoing conflict between the Yemeni government and the Houthi group. The nine-year-long conflict has not only destabilized the nation but has also fostered the rise of armed gangs and extremist groups across Yemen, further complicating the security landscape. The recent pipeline attacks only exacerbate an already dire situation, further undermining the country's infrastructure and economic stability.

US Military Sinks Three Houthi Boats in Red Sea, Killing 10 - The US military sank three vessels belonging to Yemen’s Houthis during a confrontation in the Red Sea on Sunday, killing 10, as tensions continue to rise in the region due to the US-backed Israeli slaughter in Gaza.According to US Central Command, four Houthi boats were attacking and attempting to seize the container ship Maersk Hangzhou, which was struck by a missile a day earlier. CENTCOM said helicopters from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower responded to the Hangzhou’s distress call and then engaged with the Houthi boats.“In the process of issuing verbal calls to the small boats, the small boats fired upon the US helicopters with crew-served weapons and small arms,” CENTCOM said. “The US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews.” The Houthis said the boats the US attacked were “performing their humanitarian and moral duty… to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from passing through the Red Sea.” According to Al Maydeen, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the US “bears the consequences and repercussions of this crime” and affirmed that the US military “maneuvers in the Red Sea to protect Israeli vessels will not deter Yemen from fulfilling its religious, moral, and humanitarian duty to support and champion the oppressed in Palestine and Gaza.”

Iran Dispatches Warship To Red Sea, Houthis Warn Of "Repercussions" After US Forces Kill Rebels During Maersk Ship Attack Regional instability risks mount in the Red Sea following the Iran-backed Houthi attack on a Maersk container ship on Sunday. US Forces responded with attack helicopters that eliminated three small boats and ten rebels.After the skirmish, a spokesperson for the Yemeni militia group warned of "consequences and repercussions" for the US aggression. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea confirmed on the Yemeni TV channel Al-Masirah that US forces killed ten of its fighters. "US enemy forces attacked three boats belonging to the Yemeni Naval Forces, which led to the martyrdom and the loss of ten people from the Naval Forces," Sarea said.The spokesman said its fighters were "performing their humanitarian and moral duty" to deter Israel-related commercial vessels from transiting the Red Sea "in solidarity and support for the Palestinian people."He said the US "bears the consequences" for attacking and killing ten of its fighters, adding that the "military movements in the Red Sea to protect Israeli ships will not prevent Yemen (Houthi militia) from performing its humanitarian duty in support of Palestine and Gaza."Perhaps even more problematically from a global escalation perspective, Iran dispatched a warship to the Red Sea.The Alborz destroyer traversed the Bab El-Mandeb strait, a narrow choke point between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, on Monday, Iranian state media said, adding that Iran’s naval fleet has been operating in the area “to secure shipping lanes, repel pirates, among other purposes since 2009.”

Houthis Claim Another Container Ship Attack As Middle East Turmoil Worsens - Turmoil in the Middle East today has been marked by twin explosions near the burial site of the late Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, resulting in at least 73 fatalities and injuring 170 others. Additionally, there are new reports of another attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. According to Bloomberg, the Houthis' armed forces' spokesman claimed rebel forces attacked the container ship "CMA CGM TAGE" after the vessel's captain ignored multiple warnings. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization reported a vessel that would've been in the same proximity of CMA CGM TAGE came under attack. However, French container shipping giant CMA CGM SA said the container ship "did not suffer any incident" and was sailing through the Red Sea area with a destination of Alexandria. Bloomberg data shows the container ship switched off its automatic identification system in the Arabian Sea before the Bab al-Mandab Strait on December 30. The transponder was turned on Tuesday.

Israel-Hamas war threatens global shipping as risk of wider conflict intensifies - Shipping companies are diverting their cargo away from the Red Sea as attacks by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen intensify in response to the ongoing siege of Gaza. The attacks by the Houthi rebels, officially known as Ansar Allah, are now sparking confrontations in other parts of the Middle East, and U.S. diplomats are moving to reassure allies and stanch a wider conflict. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways,” said the U.S., Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and eight other countries in a joint Wednesday statement. There have been 25 attacks since Nov. 18 against merchant ships moving through the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet, told reporters Thursday. In December, the U.S. launched naval operation “Prosperity Guardian” along with the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain to protect commercial ships from attacks by the Houthis. Pentagon officials have been keeping in nearly constant contact with merchant ships at sea using a tactical communications network, a senior defense official told The Hill Thursday. The U.S also sunk Sunday three small Houthi boats following an attack on a merchant ship, prompting Iran to send its Alborz destroyer to the Red Sea the following day. But the Houthis remain unbowed, vowing to continue their attacks in response to the bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces. More than 22,000 Palestinians have died and more than 57,000 have been injured during the siege of Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Houthi drone ship explodes in Red Sea as US steps up warnings - A drone boat filled with explosives launched from the part of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthi militants drew within “a couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial ships in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, according to the Pentagon. The explosion of the unmanned surface vessel (USV) — which had transited 50 miles from Yemen out into Red Sea shipping lanes — came after the U.S. and 11 other countries called on Yemen’s Houthis to stop their attacks on merchant ships in the area, warning of unspecified “consequences.” The incident also marks the first time the group had used a drone ship to attempt to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, according to Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. “It came within a couple of miles of ships operating in the area — merchant ships and U.S. Navy ships — and we all watched as it exploded,” Cooper told reporters, noting that the intended target of the attack was unclear. Since Nov. 18, the Houthis have aimed numerous exploding drones and missiles at merchant ships in an attempt to damage the vessels in protest of Israel’s deadly and catastrophic air campaign and on-the-ground military operations in the Gaza Strip. The bombardments have successfully disrupted international shipping, with some companies suspending their Red Sea transits. Cooper said there have been 25 Houthi attacks on merchant vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November, including Thursday’s, with “no signs that their irresponsible behavior is abating.” There have been no casualties thus far, but he hinted that it may only be a matter of time before that could occur. “Shipping lanes in this region are dense. The vessels approach a chokepoint. . . they often form very narrow lines and travel near each other,” Cooper said. “This, coupled with the fact that Houthi missiles often miss their intended target, means that any ship, really at any time, is at risk of collateral damage when passing through the Houthi-controlled territory in the vicinity of the southern Red Sea.”

US, Allies Release Statement Threatening Houthis Over Red Sea Attacks - The US and some of its allies released a joint statement on Wednesday threatening Yemen’s Houthis over their attacks on Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea, which started in response to the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza.“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways,” the statement reads.The statement was issued by the US, Britain, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and Bahrain, the only Arab nation to sign onto the threat.The Times of London previously reported that the US and Britain were working on a joint statement that would threaten action against the Houthis if they didn’t stop the Red Sea attacks. Sources told the paper that options being considered by the US and UK were direct airstrikes on Yemen or using special operations forces to target Houthi boats. The US has already sunk Houthi boats, killing 10 during a confrontation on Sunday.Bombing Yemen would risk shattering the fragile peace in Yemen between the Houthis and the US-backed Saudi-led coalition. It would also risk sparking a major regional war as the Houthis could expand the scope of what they’re targeting, and they are capable of striking at long distances with their missiles and drones.The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, have vowed not to back down in the face of the US military. Ansar Allah officials have repeatedly stated that they will not stop their attacks on Israeli-linked commercial shipping until the Israeli siege on Gaza ends.The Biden administration has shown no interest in using any of its leverage on Israel to end the slaughter in Gaza. The US continues to provide unconditional military support and is opting for regional escalation rather than cutting off Israel.

US Drone Strike Kills Iraqi Militia Leader in Baghdad - A US drone strike in Baghdad killed a senior militia leader on Thursday, marking another significant escalation that could lead to a full-blown regional war.The strike killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, a deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operations in Baghdad. The PMF is a coalition of mostly Shia Iraqi militias that are part of the government’s security forces.At least one other militia member was killed in the strike, which targeted a PMF base in Baghdad. Later on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed it was responsible for the bombing.The Pentagon claims Abu Taqwa was believed to be responsible for attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria that started in October in response to US support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, but the US has not provided any evidence for the assertion.The drone strike has enraged the Iraqi government, which condemned it as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and security of Iraq” and said it was “no different from a terrorist act.”The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes in Iraq since October, all of which have been strongly condemned by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the US’s supposed partner in the country.Al-Sudani’s government has also condemned the attacks on US bases in Iraq but wants to work to find the perpetrators and strongly opposes the unilateral US airstrikes and extra-judicial killings.Al-Sudani said last week that his government was “heading towards” ending the presence of foreign forces in Iraq, which includes 2,500 US troops. Iraq’s parliament voted to expel US troops back in 2020 following the US drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, but the US has refused to leave.

Amid Escalation, Israel Attacks Hezbollah Targets in Southern Lebanon - With the very real possibility that the assassination of Hamas figure Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut earlier this week could expand the ongoing war, Israel seemingly increased the odds Thursday with a flurry of attacks on Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon. These hit an observation post and multiple infrastructure targets. They also reportedly struck an anti-tank squad.Arouri was instrumental in brokering the major Israel-Hamas hostage exchange, and was reportedly trying to get another one going before Israel killed him. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned in a televised speechthat the assassination would not go unpunished and hitting Beirut was a very big deal indeed.But while top Likud figures were crowing about the killing, many Israelis were openly expressing concern that the death of Arouri effectively put to rest the hope of a second hostage exchange. For those who still have family members held by Hamas, this is clearly nothing to celebrate.And yet that may have been the point for Israeli hawks, who are not really on board for the exchange, and are more than happy to put the kibosh on a clear path to peace. If that means expanding the war into Lebanon, some of them are very much also on board with making that happen too. Perennial hawk Avigdor Lieberman is openly calling for a 50-year occupation of Southern Lebanon to punish Hezbollah and establish a permanent buffer zone, effectively another occupied territory. This isn’t exactly official Israeli policy right now, but if it were to become so, nothing would facilitate it so much as provoking a full war with Hezbollah.We Are Entirely Too Close To Another Major War In The Middle East - Caitlin Johnstone -- The US and its allies have published a joint statement warning Yemen’s Houthis to cease the attacks they’ve been making on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis, officially known as Ansarallah, have successfully slashed Israeli port activity by an extremely massive margin with their maritime tactics in response to Israel’s ongoing massacre in Gaza. The statement asserts that the Yemeni attacks “are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” complaining that they are “adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods,” and ultimately threatens that the Houthis will “bear the responsibility of the consequences” should these attacks continue. Many critics have been pointing out the irony of the western power alliance threatening military intervention to protect shipping containers and corporate profits while actual human beings are being butchered by Israeli airstrikes and starved by Israeli siege warfare with nothing but friendly support from these same powers.“Palestinians would really love to get the same amount of attention and protection as shipping containers,” tweeted Palestinian-Canadian journalist Yasmine El-Sawabi.That the US and its allies would go to war against the people who are trying to stop an active genocide tells you everything you need to know about them. The fact that they’d do it for corporate profit margins tells you even more, and the fact that they’d do it to a nation they’ve already helped inflict unfathomable horrors upon in recent years tells you more still.And that’s just one of the potential wars looming on the horizon in connection with the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. As Trita Parsi recently explained in The Nation, there are three other fronts along which wars could also erupt in the region apart from a western conflict with the Houthis: in Iraq and Syria where US forces have been repeatedly under attack by militants in response to the Gaza assault, in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, and the absolute nightmare scenario of a full-scale war with Iran.“That risk exists on four fronts: Between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah, in Syria and Iraq due to attacks on US troops by militias aligned with Iran, the Red Sea between the Houthis and the US Navy, and between Israel and Iran following both the assassination of an Iranian general in Syria and the explosion in Kerman today at the commemoration of the death of General Qassem Soleimani that has killed more than 100,” Parsi writes.

Iran Vows a 'Harsh Response' for Bombing That Killed Over 100 Iranians - Iran has vowed a “harsh response” to the bombing in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman that killed at least 103 people, including women and children, but has not formally attributed blame for the attack.The bombing targeted a memorial commemorating the fourth anniversary of the US killing of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was targeted by a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Iranian officials have said two separate bombs were placed in bags on the side of a road leading to a cemetery where a large crowd of people was heading.“The evil and criminal enemies of the Iranian nation once again created a disaster and martyred a large number of dear people in Kerman,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement. “This disaster will have a harsh response, God willing.”Israel is a suspect in the bombing since it has a history of conductingsabotage attacks, assassinations, and drone attacks inside Iran and recently killed a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander in Syria, as well as a senior Hamas official in Beirut. Israel also appears to be attempting to provoke a regional war that would draw in the US.But the scale of the bombing was bigger than anything Israel has carried out inside Iran in the past. US officials are pointing to ISIS as a potential culprit, as the group has also carried out attacks inside Iran in recent years and was an enemy of Soleimani.The Iranian mission to the UN hinted Israel could have been responsible in a post on X. “The fear of the Zionist regime & its puppet terrorist groups of Martyr Soleimani led to another crime in Kerman during his commemoration ceremony,” the mission said. “Iran will respond with fire & fury to the orchestrators, perpetrators, & anyone who’s aided & abetted in this terrorist attack.”

Doomsday: What could drive Israel and Iran to start launching nuclear weapons? - Although Israel’s Gaza war is most visibly being waged against Hamas, the ultimate adversary is Iran. If Israel’s counter-terrorism efforts should sometime bring it into direct confrontation with Iran, the result could be an immediate escalation between these two adversary states. In such a plausible scenario, even a still-pre-nuclear Iran could elicit a “limited” Israeli nuclear reprisal. The principal escalation dangers would be an Iranian use of radiation dispersal weapons or an Iranian rocket attack on Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor. For Israel, a country smaller than Lake Michigan, nuclear weapons and strategy remain essential to national survival. Israel’s traditional policy of deliberate nuclear ambiguity, or “the bomb in the basement,” goes back to its early days. During the 1950s, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion understood the need for a dramatic “equalizer” against larger and more populous regional enemies. Today, facing a recalcitrant and soon-to-be nuclear Iran, Israel needs to update and refine its policy of deliberate nuclear ambiguity. The key objective of such needed changes would be credible nuclear deterrence, a goal that will now require selective nuclear disclosure. Though ironic and counter-intuitive, Iran will need to be convinced that Israel’s nuclear arms are not too destructive for actual use. There will be perplexing nuances. For Israel to fashion reason-based nuclear policies, Iran should be considered rational. But it is conceivable that Iran might act irrationally, perhaps even in alliance with other states (such as Syria or North Korea) or kindred terror groups (such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or the Houthis). Unless Jerusalem were to consider Pakistan an authentic enemy, Israel presently has no already-nuclear enemies. Still, as an unstable Islamic state, Pakistan is potentially subject to a coup d’état by assorted Jihadist elements and is closely aligned with Saudi Arabia. The Sunni Saudi kingdom could sometime decide to “go nuclear” itself because of Shiite Iran’s steadily accelerating nuclear progress. For Israel’s nuclear deterrence to work longer-term, Iran will need to be told more rather than less about Israel’s nuclear targeting doctrine and the invulnerability of Israel’s nuclear forces. In concert with such changes, Jerusalem will need to clarify its still-opaque “Samson Option.” The point would not be to “die with the Philistines” (per the biblical Book of Judges), but to enhance “high destruction” options of its nuclear deterrence posture. Though the only gainful purpose of Israel’s nuclear weapons should be deterrence at different levels of military destructiveness, there will remain circumstances under which Israeli nuclear deterrence could fail. How might such intolerable circumstances arise? Four distinct scenarios emerge, with results that range from very destructive to catastrophic. First, if Iran were to launch “only” a massive conventional attack on Israel, Jerusalem could respond with a limited nuclear retaliation. If Iranian first-strikes were to involve chemical or biological weapons, Israel might also decide to launch a measured nuclear reprisal. This decision would depend, in large part, on Jerusalem’s expectations concerning follow-on Iranian attacks and its calculations of comparative damage-limitation. A nuclear retaliation by Israel could be ruled out conclusively only in circumstances where the Iranian aggression is entirely conventional and “hard-target” oriented — that is, oriented toward Israeli weapons and military infrastructures, not toward Israel’s civilian populations. A second scenario would involve Israel feeling compelled to preempt Iranian aggression with conventional weapons. In that case, that enemy state’s response would largely determine Israel’s next moves. If this response were in any way nuclear, including “mere” radiological weapons, Israel would likely turn to certain controlled forms of nuclear counter-retaliation. If Iran’s retaliation were to involve other non-nuclear weapons of mass destruction, Israel could still feel pressed to take the escalatory initiative. This decision would depend upon Jerusalem’s considered judgment of enemy intent and on its corollary calculations of damage-limitation. If the Iranian response to Israel’s preemption were limited to hard-target conventional strikes, it is unlikely that Israel’s decision-makers would go nuclear. If, however, the Iranian conventional retaliation was “all-out” and directed in part toward Israeli civilian populations, an Israeli nuclear counter-retaliation could not be excluded. Such a counter-retaliation could be ruled out only if Iran’s conventional retaliation were proportionate to Israel’s preemption; confined to Israeli military targets; circumscribed by legal limits of “proportionality” and “military necessity,” and accompanied by verifiable assurances of non-escalatory intent. A third (and highly unlikely) scenario involves Israel launching a preemptive nuclear strike against Iran. Although circumstances could arise wherein such a strike would be rational and permissible under international law, it is improbable that Israel would allow itself to reach such end-of-the-line circumstances. An Israeli nuclear preemption could reasonably be expected only if Iran had already acquired nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, threatened to use them, began a countdown to launch, and Jerusalem believed that exclusively conventional preemption could not save the Jewish State from destruction.

ISIS Takes Credit for Bombing in Kerman, Iran That Killed At Least 84 - ISIS took credit for the Wednesday bombing in Kerman, Iran, that killed at least 84 people, but Iran has yet to formally attribute blame for the attack.According to Iran’s PressTV, ISIS issued a statement on its Telegram channels that said two of its members detonated explosive belts in a suicide attack. Iranian officials initially said two bombs were likely placed in bags at the scene, but a source told Iran’s IRNA news agency that at least one of the explosions was the result of a suicide bombing.“The suicide bomber in the first incident was a man who was completely dismembered as a result of the explosion and the identification of the suicide bomber is under investigation,” the source said. “The cause of the second blast was most likely the same.”The bombing targeted a memorial commemorating the fourth anniversary of the US killing of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was targeted by a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Initial reports said over 100 were killed, but the latest death toll is 84.Israel is also a suspect in the bombing since it has a history of carrying out sabotage attacks and assassinations inside Iran, but never anything on the scale of the bombing in Kerman. Israel has also been carrying out attacks across the region and recently killed a senior member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria. Iranian officials have hinted at a potential Israeli role but say they’re carrying out an investigation to find the perpetrators. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed a “harsh response” to the bombing.

Turkey Arrests 34 Suspected Mossad Spies Over Abduction Plot Aimed At Hamas Leaders --Turkey has busted up what it says is a major Israeli spy plot on its soil, having arrested 34 suspects on Wednesday, alleged to have been plotting attacks on foreigners in Turkey, namely Hamas operatives.In total 46 arrest warrants were issued, with the Chief Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul says ongoing efforts are underway to capture the remain suspects at large. The are all suspected of conducing espionage activities specifically on behalf of the Mossad intelligence agency.According to statements in Turkish media, "The investigation found that Israeli intelligence was behind activities targeting foreigners residing in Türkiye, from reconnaissance to assaults and abduction attempts."However, "No other details are available regarding the investigation, but Mossad was implicated in the past in investigations about attempts to kidnap Palestinians living in Türkiye."Indeed Hamas operatives and some of the group's leadership have long been known to hide out and conduct business in Turkey. Israel has recently vowed to pursued the group's leadership abroad, possibly in a Munich-style assassination campaign.In early December, Turkish Intelligence warned of "serious consequences" if Israeli agents try to seek Hamas members abroad, or especially on Turkish soil. This had been in response to provocative words issued by Ronen Bar, head of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet. He had said at the time, "The cabinet has set us a goal, in street talk, to eliminate Hamas. This is our Munich. We will do this everywhere, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar." Since then, Israel-Turkey relations have deteriorated, almost to the point of complete breakage in official diplomatic relations. President Erdogan has even recently liked his Israeli counterpart PM Netanyahu to Hitler. As for this current 'spy round-up' - Turkish authorities say hundreds of thousands in cash has already been recovered, as well as weapons and munitions: Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a video of operations jointly carried out by police and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). On a social media post, Yerlikaya said an investigation into international espionage activities led to the operations. "We will not allow espionage targeting our national unity," Yerlikaya said. The minister said authorities discovered more than 143,000 euros ($157,300) and more than $23,000 in the possession of suspects, along with one pistol and a large amount of munitions.

Report: Israel Rejected Hamas Offer on New Hostage Deal - Israel rejected an offer made by Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators on a new hostage deal, Axios reported on Monday.Citing unnamed Israeli officials, the report said Israel received the offer on Sunday and conveyed that it was “unacceptable” the following day. The proposal included a three-phase process that would have started with Israel beginning to pull its forces from Gaza and Hamas releasing 40 hostages.The proposed deal would have ended the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and the war altogether once the final phase was implemented, which would have involved Hamas releasing all the Israeli military personnel they had captive. But Israeli officials have vowed the assault on Gaza will continue through the entire year of 2024.“The proposal we received from Hamas on Sunday was totally off base and we asked the mediators to try and produce a more acceptable proposal. They are working on it and let’s see what happens,” one Israeli official said.While Israel rejected the deal, Israeli officials said the proposal showed Hamas is willing to negotiate despite previously saying there would be no talks until a full ceasefire.But successful negotiations became much less likely on Tuesday as an apparent Israel dramatically escalated tensions in the region by launching a drone strike in Beirut and killing a senior Hamas official, Saleh al-Arouri, who was a key figure in the deal that led to the release of over 100 Israeli hostages and over 200 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel Assassinates Deputy Head Of Hamas In Drone Attack On Beirut Suburb -- Hamas has now officially confirmed the death of high-ranking political official Saleh al-Arouri. There was previous confirmation through various sources, including in Israeli media, yet the IDF has yet to take responsibility for the attack:Hamas’s deputy leader abroad Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli strike in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, the Hezbollah-linked al-Mayadeen reports....Based in Lebanon, al-Arouri, 57, was deputy head of the terror group’s political bureau and considered the de facto leader of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank.Israeli intelligence officials believe that al-Arouri also helped plan the June 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens — Gil-ad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel — as well as numerous other attacks.He had served several terms in Israeli jails, and was released in March 2010 as part of efforts to reach a larger prisoner swap for Gilad Shalit, an IDF corporal kidnapped by Hamas in 2006

Israeli Military Says Gaza Slaughter Will Continue for All of 2024 - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that it would withdraw some troops from Gaza but that it expects the brutal assault on the enclave to continue through the entire year of 2024, The Times of Israel reported.IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military was “adjusting” its “fighting methods to each area in Gaza” to prepare for a long conflict. “Tonight, 2024 will begin. The goals of the war require lengthy fighting, and we are prepared accordingly,” he said.Hagari said the IDF was taking these measures “out of the understanding that we will be needed for additional missions and continued fighting during the entire coming year.” He said that some “of the reservists will return to their families and work this week.” The Times later reported that the IDF was pulling a total of five brigades out of Gaza.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials have made clear they plan to continue the Gaza slaughter for the long term. Despite international calls for a ceasefire and accusations of genocide, Netanyahu said Sunday that his campaign will continue for “many more months.”The US continues to provide unconditional and full-throated support for the massacre as the Biden administration bypassed Congress for the second time to get more arms into Israel’s hands.In less than three months of relentless airstrikes and a ground campaign in Gaza, the Israeli operations have killed over 21,000 Palestinians, including over 8,000 children, and wounded over 50,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israeli Assault Causing Disease, Hunger to Rapidly Spread Across Gaza -- With roughly 90% of Gaza residents displaced and seeking safety from Israel's bombardment and ground attacks, crowding into shelters in cities including the already densely populated Rafah, humanitarian agencies warned Tuesday that the spread of disease and the risk of starvation are showing no signs of slowing down in the blockaded enclave. A week after the World Food Program (WFP) warned that about "half of Gaza's population is starving," .About 20% of the population faces an "extreme lack of food," Arif Husain told The New York Times. "I've been to pretty much any conflict, whether Yemen, whether it was South Sudan, northeast Nigeria, Ethiopia, you name it," Husain told the newspaper. "And I have never seen anything like this, both in terms of its scale, its magnitude, but also at the pace that this has unfolded." Skipping meals, particularly among adults caring for children, has become "the norm" in Gaza, the WFP said on social media.With roughly 90% of Gaza residents displaced and seeking safety from Israel's bombardment and ground attacks, crowding into shelters in cities including the already densely populated Rafah, humanitarian agencies warned Tuesday that the spread of disease and the risk of starvation are showing no signs of slowing down in the blockaded enclave.A week after the World Food Program (WFP) warned that about "half of Gaza's population is starving," the United Nations organization's chief economist said Tuesday that less than three months into Israel's relentless assault, the territory appears to meet at least one of the criteria for famine.About 20% of the population faces an "extreme lack of food," Arif HusaintoldThe New York Times. "I've been to pretty much any conflict, whether Yemen, whether it was South Sudan, northeast Nigeria, Ethiopia, you name it," Husain told the newspaper. "And I have never seen anything like this, both in terms of its scale, its magnitude, but also at the pace that this has unfolded."Skipping meals, particularly among adults caring for children, has become "the norm" in Gaza, the WFP said on social media.Experts on Gaza's humanitarian crises—which gripped the enclave even before Israel began bombing Gaza in retaliation for Hamas' attack in October—are among those suffering, the Times reported, with International Crisis Group analyst Azmi Keshawi telling the newspaper that he is one of thousands of displaced people who has to go searching daily for sustenance to feed his family. "Our daily nightmare is to go hunt for food," "You cannot find flour. You cannot find yeast to make bread. You cannot find any kind of food—tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, eggplant, lemon, orange juice." Human Rights Watch said last month that Israel is using starvation as a method of warfare—a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.The lack of nourishment has put residents at heightened health and safety risks as many are sleeping out in the open without adequate clothing or blankets to keep out the elements, as colder winter weather arrives.Along with the growing hunger crisis, the United Nations has been monitoring the spread of communicable diseases and healthcare workers' inability to adequately care for people due to Israel's blockade and refusal to allow in adequate aid.The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there have been 179,000 cases of acute respiratory infections; 136,400 cases of diarrhea—the second-leading cause of death among young children worldwide—in children under age five; and 55,400 cases of scabies since mid-October.The organization said Gaza is at "imminent risk" of more disease outbreaks.The severe overcrowding of cities and shelters, where displaced people have the use of one toilet for every 700 people on average, has contributed to the rapid spread of illnesses.

Burying the Future Under the Rubble That Is Gaza -The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child issued a statement on grave violations of children’s rights in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory on October 13, 2023. “We reiterate that the Convention on the Rights of the Child requires States parties and all actors to respect and to ensure respect for the rules of international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflict with regard to children. The Convention also aims to ensure the highest level of protection for children. We call on all actors, including the international community, to act to restore peace and preserve the safety and recovery of children as their immediate priority.“Many thousands of Palestinian children have been terrorized, killed, maimed, and left orphaned since October 12th—their lives destroyed. Their enshrined human rights, and to some extent their future, buried beneath the rubble of home, school, hospital, mosque, and church.The CRC, the most widely endorsed human rights document in history commits world leaders “…to protect children and to diminish their suffering…to uphold the far-reaching principle that children would have ‘first call’ on all resources, that the best interests of children would come first…in good times or bad, in peace or in war, in prosperity or economic distress.” (Koffi Annan, 2001)The United States is the only country that has not signed this global agreement. Perhaps we shouldn’t have been shocked then, when on May 12, 1996—in a rare and bold moment of truth-telling—Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, acknowledged the U.S. government knew that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children died as a result of US-supported economic sanctions. “The price,” she said in her infamous interview on 60 Minutes, “—we think the price is worth it.” Looking back, I think this might have been the beginning of the end for children around the world. In a brazen public announcement, the US government declared “the child” was not only not entitled to special, protected status; the welfare and well-being of children was secondary to national and international political and economic goals. And because the US wields enormous military and economic power across the globe, children everywhere were diminished, and worse, doomed.

Israeli Finance Minister Calls for Expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza - - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has again called for the expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and for the return of Israeli settlements to the enclave.“What needs to be done in the Gaza Strip is to encourage emigration,” Smotrich, leader of the extremist Religious Zionism party, told Israel’s Army Radio.“If there are 100,000 or 200,000 Arabs in Gaza and not 2 million Arabs, the entire discussion on the day after will be totally different. They want to leave. They have been living in a ghetto for 75 years and are in need,” he added.Smotrich previously expressed support for the idea of “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians from Gaza to other countries around the world. Other Israeli officials have made it no secret that they hope to ethnically cleanse Gaza, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said last week that he was looking for nations to “absorb” Palestinians. Smotrich also holds a minister position in the Defense Ministry that gives him the power to expand settlements in the West Bank, and he is a settler himself. He told Army Radio that he doesn’t “think there’s anyone in Israel who doesn’t want to see Jewish settlements everywhere.”

Two Israeli Ministers Say 'Resettle' Palestinians from Gaza and Build Settlements in the Strip - Two extremist ministers in the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated calls on Monday for the “resettlement” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and for the establishment of Israeli settlements in the enclave. Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s minister of national security and leader of the Jewish Power party, said the onslaught in Gaza presents an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza.” “We cannot withdraw from any territory we are in in the Gaza Strip. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I believe it is also an important thing,” Ben Gvir told reporters and members of his party, according to The Times of Israel Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told members of his Religious Zionism party that the “correct solution” to the conflict is “to encourage the voluntary migration of Gaza’s residents to countries that will agree to take in the refugees.” He added that Israel will “permanently control the territory of the Gaza Strip” and establish settlements.Smotrich made similar comments a day earlier, saying the population of Palestinians in Gaza must be reduced. “If there are 100,000 or 200,000 Arabs in Gaza and not 2 million Arabs, the entire discussion on the day after will be totally different,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.Ahmad Tibi, an Arab member of the Israeli Knesset, condemned the rhetoric from Smotrich and Ben Gvir, accusing them of inciting genocide. “A day will come and these two senior ministers in the Israeli government will stand before an international tribunal for war crimes,” Tibi said.While once on the fringes of Israeli politics, Smotrich and Ben Gvir now have significant power, and their ideas are becoming more popular. Many Israeli officials and Knesset members, including members of Netanyahu’s Likud party and the centrist Yesh Atid party, have called for other countries to take in Palestinian refugees. Netanyahu said last week that he was looking for other countries to “absorb” Palestinians from Gaza to facilitate the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. He has also made clear that his vision for a post-war Gaza is open-ended Israeli military control.

Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza Is Becoming an Official Israeli Government Policy - The idea of cleansing Gaza of its Palestinian population is slowly becoming an official Israeli government position, Zman Israel reported on Wednesday.A senior Israeli official said that Israel is already in discussions with Congo and other nations on absorbing Palestinian refugees. “Congo will be willing to take in migrants, and we’re in talks with others,” the official said. Israeli officials are framing the plan as a “voluntary” resettlement, but the Israeli military is making Gaza uninhabitable. Besides the massive bombing campaign that has destroyed nearly 70% of the homes in Gaza, the siege has left many Palestinians facing starvation and disease.The Zman report came a day after the US condemned rhetoric from two Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, about the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and the establishment of Jewish settlements in the conflict. The US State Department said the Israeli government has insisted the statements do not reflect government policy, but that claim does not align with reality.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was working on finding countries to accept Palestinians. “Our problem is [finding] countries that are willing to absorb Gazans, and we are working on it,” he said. On Tuesday, Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel told Zman that “voluntary migration is the best and most realistic program for the day after the fighting ends.” Gamliel penned an op-ed for The Jerusalem Postpublished in November, where she proposed the “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians from Gaza.Similarly, two members of the Israeli Knesset, Danny Danon, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, and Ram Ben-Barak, a member of the opposition party Yesh Atid, called for Western countries to take in Palestinian refugeesin pages of The Wall Street Journal, demonstrating the idea is popular across the political spectrum.It was obvious from the start of the Israeli onslaught in Gaza that the Israeli government wanted to achieve ethnic cleansing in the enclave. In October, a leaked document drafted by Gamliel’s Intelligence Ministry proposed pushing all 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza into Egypt. But Cairo is standing firm on its opposition to accepting Palestinian refugees and enabling Israel’s plans, forcing the Israeli government to look elsewhere.

They're Calling Ethnic Cleansing "Voluntary Migration" Now -- by Caitlin Johnstone -- Israeli officials are now openly admitting that they’re working on “encouraging” the migration of Palestinians from Gaza, ridiculously claiming that this migration would be “voluntary” despite their having deliberately made the enclave uninhabitable over the last three months.The Times of Israel reports:“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s two senior far-right partners endorsed the rebuilding of settlements in the Gaza Strip and the encouraging of “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians on Monday, while hawkish opposition MK Avigdor Liberman called for Israel to reoccupy southern Lebanon.“Speaking during their parties’ respective faction meetings in the Knesset, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented the migration of Palestinian civilians as a solution to the long-running conflict and as a prerequisite for securing the stability necessary to allow residents of southern Israel to return to their homes.“The war presents an ‘opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza,’ Ben Gvir told reporters and members of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party, calling such a policy ‘a correct, just, moral and humane solution.’“‘We cannot withdraw from any territory we are in in the Gaza Strip. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I believe it is also an important thing,’ he said. “The ‘correct solution’ to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ‘to encourage the voluntary migration of Gaza’s residents to countries that will agree to take in the refugees,’ Smotrich told members of his Religious Zionism party, predicting that ‘Israel will permanently control the territory of the Gaza Strip,’ including through the establishment of settlements.” The repeated use of the word “encourage” stands out in these remarks, given that encouraging Gaza’s inhabitants to flee their homeland is exactly what Israel’s actions since October have been doing. Once you’ve made 90 percent of Gaza’s inhabitants homeless with internal displacement, forced half the population into starvation via siege warfare, destroyed the enclave’s entire healthcare system to the point where disease is now running rampant, all while raining death and destruction from above in a wildly unpredictable mannerwith airstrikes routinely hitting designated safe zones, you’re offering the population some very strong “encouragement” indeed to vacate the region as soon as possible. This obviously makes the argument for the “voluntary migration” of Gazans completely nonsensical, since violently coercing someone into doing something and ensuring that they’ll die if they don’t do it is the exact opposite of what the word “voluntary” means. But that’s the slogan we’re seeing pop up again and again as Israel draws closer to its final solution to the Palestinian problem in Gaza. Netanyahu and his cohorts have been repeatedly uttering phrases like “voluntary resettlement” and “voluntary migration” to describe the plan for Gaza’s Palestinian inhabitants to either move to refugee camps set up in the adjacent Sinai Peninsula in Egypt or to be taken in by other nations around the world. Netanyahu has said that a team must be established to “ensure that those who want to leave Gaza to a third country can do so.” Iraq invader Tony Blair wasreportedly being eyed as a potential leader of such a team by Israeli officials, though Blair has denied this.

Israel’s Genocide Betrays the Holocaust -- Chris Hedges -- Israel’s lebensraum master plan for Gaza, borrowed from the Nazi’s depopulation of Jewish ghettos, is clear. Destroy infrastructure, medical facilities and sanitation, including access to clean water. Block shipments of food and fuel. Unleash indiscriminate industrial violence to kill and wound hundreds a day. Let starvation — the U.N. estimates that more than half a million people are already starving — and epidemics of infectious diseases, along with the daily massacres and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes, turn Gaza into a mortuary. The Palestinians are being forced to choose between death from bombs, disease, exposure or starvation or being driven from their homeland. There will soon reach a point where death will be so ubiquitous that deportation - for those who want to live - will be the only option. Danny Danon, Israel's former Ambassador to the U.N. and a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Israel’s Kan Bet radio that he has been contacted by “countries in Latin America and Africa that are willing to absorb refugees from the Gaza Strip.” “We have to make it easier for Gazans to leave for other countries,” he said. “I'm talking about voluntary migration by Palestinians who want to leave.” The problem for now “is countries that are willing to absorb them, and we're working on this,” Netanyahu told Likud Knesset members. In the Warsaw Ghetto, the Germans handed out three kilograms of bread and one kilogram of marmalade to anyone who “voluntarily” registered for deportation. “There were times when hundreds of people had to wait in line for several hours to be ‘deported,’” Marek Edelman, one of the commanders of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, writes in “The Ghetto Fights.” “The number of people anxious to obtain three kilograms of bread was such that the transports, now leaving twice daily with 12,000 people, could not accommodate them all.”The Nazis shipped their victims to death camps. The Israelis will ship their victims to squalid refugee camps in countries outside of Israel. Israeli leaders are also cynically advertising the proposed ethnic cleansing as voluntary and a humanitarian gesture to solve the catastrophe they created.This is the plan. No one, especially the Biden administration, intends to stop it. The most disturbing lesson I learned while covering armed conflicts for two decades is that we all have the capacity, with little prodding, to become willing executioners. The line between the victim and the victimizer is razor thin. The dark lusts of racial and ethnic supremacy, of vengeance and hate, of the eradication of those we condemn as embodying evil, are poisons that are not circumscribed by race, nationality, ethnicity or religion. We can all become Nazis. It takes very little. And if we do not stand in eternal vigilance over evil — our evil — we become, like those carrying out the mass killing in Gaza, monsters. The cries of those expiring under the rubble in Gaza are the cries of the boys and men executed by the Bosnian Serbs at Srebrenica, the over 1.5 million Cambodians killed by the Khmer Rouge, the thousands of Tutsi families burned alive in churches and the tens of thousands of Jews executed by the Einsatzgruppen at Babi Yar in Ukraine. The Holocaust is not an historical relic. It lives, lurking in the shadows, waiting to ignite its vicious contagion. We were warned. Raul Hilberg. Primo Levi. Bruno Bettelheim. Hannah Arendt. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. They understood the dark recesses of the human spirit. But this truth is bitter and hard to confront. We prefer the myth. We prefer to see in our own kind, our own race, our own ethnicity, our own nation, our own religion, superior virtues. We prefer to sanctify our hatred. Some of those who bore witness to this awful truth, including Levi, Bettelheim, Jean Améry, the author of “At the Mind's Limits: Contemplations by a Survivor on Auschwitz and Its Realities,” and Tadeusz Borowski, who wrote “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen,” committed suicide. The German playwright and revolutionary Ernst Toller, unable to rouse an indifferent world to assist victims and refugees from the Spanish Civil War, hanged himself in 1939 in a room at the Mayflower Hotel in New York City. On his hotel desk were photos of dead Spanish children.

Israel Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Limiting Their Power - The Supreme Court of Israel has struck down a controversial judicial overhaul law enacted last year by the Netanyahu administration which would limit the high court's power. The judicial overhaul, passed last July and resembling a constitutional amendment, sought to restrict the Supreme Court's authority to nullify government decisions deemed "unreasonable in the extreme." However, the court - unsurprisingly, has ruled against the law, the Wall Street Journal reports.The ruling could revive the deep political and social strife generated by the judicial reform last year, just as the country reels from the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel and is embroiled in a devastating war in Gaza.Before the Oct. 7 attack, hundreds of thousands of Israelis came out weekly to protest against Netanyahu’s push to limit the powers of the court and give more control to the elected government.Eight justices ruled in favor of striking down the law, with seven against.According to the report, analysts say the decision could have substantial consequences for postwar politics when Israel's ongoing war with Hamas militants in the Gaza strip eventually comes to a close - including any inquiry into intelligence failures leading up to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which left 1,200 people dead (and which has drawn a disproportionately deadly response).The law, passed last summer by the Knesset, was a component of a broad package aimed at limiting the court's power and giving lawmakers more control. According to Netanyahu, activist, liberal judges control the court - and the legislation seeks to restore the proper balance of power (so, what Democrats want to do to the US Supreme Court). Opponents have argued that the legislation would undermine the court's power as a check on executive and legislative power, and would erode the country's liberal democracy.

Just 15 percent of Israelis would keep Netanyahu as prime minister after war: Survey -Only 15 percent of Israelis want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stay in his position after the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to a survey released Tuesday.The Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute survey also found that 23 percent of Israelis want Benny Gantz, a member of thecurrent emergency unity government, to be prime minister instead of Netanyahu.On Sunday, Netanyahu dismissed claims his country is committing a genocide in Gaza, in the wake of South Africa’s filing of a case against his country at the United Nations’s top court.“I would like to say a word about South Africa’s false accusation that Israel is committing genocide. No, South Africa, it is not we who have come to perpetrate genocide, it is Hamas,” Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, according to an English translation reported by Agence France-Presse. “Hamas would kill us all if it only could,” Netanyahu added.More than 21,500 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s retaliatory actions for an attack by Hamas in early October that killed 1,200 Israelis.The poll also found only 10.8 percent of Israelis being “[v]ery optimistic” about the “state of democratic governance” in Israel. Only 7 percent of respondents said Israel is meeting the goal of “[t]oppling Hamas” to a “[v]ery large extent.” About 36 percent said it is meeting the aforementioned goal to a “[m]oderate extent.”

Report: Israel Rejected Hamas Offer on New Hostage Deal - Israel rejected an offer made by Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators on a new hostage deal, Axios reported on Monday.Citing unnamed Israeli officials, the report said Israel received the offer on Sunday and conveyed that it was “unacceptable” the following day. The proposal included a three-phase process that would have started with Israel beginning to pull its forces from Gaza and Hamas releasing 40 hostages.The proposed deal would have ended the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and the war altogether once the final phase was implemented, which would have involved Hamas releasing all the Israeli military personnel they had captive. But Israeli officials have vowed the assault on Gaza will continue through the entire year of 2024.“The proposal we received from Hamas on Sunday was totally off base and we asked the mediators to try and produce a more acceptable proposal. They are working on it and let’s see what happens,” one Israeli official said.While Israel rejected the deal, Israeli officials said the proposal showed Hamas is willing to negotiate despite previously saying there would be no talks until a full ceasefire.But successful negotiations became much less likely on Tuesday as an apparent Israel dramatically escalated tensions in the region by launching a drone strike in Beirut and killing a senior Hamas official, Saleh al-Arouri, who was a key figure in the deal that led to the release of over 100 Israeli hostages and over 200 Palestinian prisoners.

Russia, Ukraine Conduct Major UAE-Brokered Prisoner Swap - Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday announced their largest prisoner swap of the conflict in a deal that was brokered by the UAE.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 230 Ukrainians were freed in the deal, including 213 soldiers, 11 officers, and six civilians. Russian media reported that 248 Russian service members were released from Ukrainian captivity.The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said the deal was able to be reached thanks to its friendly ties with both nations.“The success of the mediation efforts was a reflection of the strong friendly relations between the UAE and both the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine, which were supported by sustained calls at the highest levels, and which resulted in one of the largest exchanges of captives between the two sides since the beginning of the war,” The ministry said in a statement.The prisoner exchange comes as Russia has been intensifying its missile and drone strikes in Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces have been stepping up operations inside Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putinvowed to increase strikes on Ukraine in response to a Ukrainian missile attack on Russia’s Belgorod Oblast that killed 25 people.

Putin Vows to Ramp Up Strikes on Ukraine After Belgorod Attack - Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Monday to ramp up attacks on Ukraine in response to the Ukrainian strike on Russia’s Belgorod Oblast.“They want to intimidate us and create uncertainty within our country. We will intensify strikes. Not a single crime against our civilian population will go unpunished,” Putin said during a New Year’s Day visit to a military hospital, according to AP.Ukraine targeted Belgorod in a missile attack on Saturday, the most significant Ukrainian strike on Russian territory of the war. It came a day after Russia launched what was said to be its largest missile and drone attack across Ukraine, killing 31, according to Ukrainian authorities.The governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast said Monday that the death toll in the Ukrainian attack had risen to 25 civilians. Putin insisted Russia’s strikes in retaliation would only be aimed at military facilities, although Ukrainian officials said the 31 killed on Friday were civilians.“Of course, we can hit public squares in Kyiv and in any other Ukrainian city,” Putin said. “I understand — I’m boiling with rage — but do we need to hit civilians? No. We are hitting military targets, and that’s what we will keep doing.”

Russia Pounds Kiev With 100 Missiles As Air War Escalates In Deadly Tit-For-Tat- -- The Ukrainian capital of Kiev was pounded by Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles on Tuesday morning, in a massive series of strikes which also targeted other cities, resulting in a reported death toll of at least five people killed and some 130 others injured.The day prior, Russian President Vladimir Putin had vowed to "intensify" strikes against Ukraine in retaliation for the major Saturday cross-border attack on Belgorod, which killed at least 24 Russians, including children.Later in the day Tuesday the scale of the attack on Kiev has come to light, showing that the Kremlin is clearly trying to send a 'message'. The New York Times writes that "The barrage — which the Ukrainian Air Force said involved about 100 missiles, including hypersonic weapons that fly at several times the speed of sound — was the latest in an escalating cycle of air assaults between the two countries, as both sides look for ways to inflict damage away from the largely deadlocked front line."Ukrainian Armed Forces commanader Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, said the army was able to successfully intercept about three-quarters of the Russian barrage. He claimed that all ten hypersonic missiles were destroyed with the assistance of Western-delivered Patriot missile batteries. Increasingly, Ukraine has been reliant on US-supplied anti-air systems, and has been begging to urgently receive more, even as it faces a troop manpower crisis.The northeastern Kharkiv region was also targeted in the Tuesday morning attack. The oblast's capital of Kharkiv city sits just south of Russia's Belgorod. Within hours later, Ukraine launched a retaliatory attack of at least eight missiles on Belgorov. Regional media says one Russian civilian was killed and four others injured, citing the local governor.

The UK Has 'Nothing' Left in Its Military Stockpiles After Arming Ukraine - The UK has “nothing” left in its military stockpiles after sending weapons to Ukraine, The Times of London reported on Sunday, citing an anonymous Ukrainian military source.The report said British and other European officials were “cranking through the gears” to ramp up weapons production to continue fueling the proxy war even though it’s clear Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield.The report reads: “Britain’s military intelligence chiefs believe Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia in 2024 because it does not have the manpower or the weapons for a big battlefield breakthrough.”Despite reality on the battlefield, some British officials believe NATO just needs “time” to ramp up arms production to beat Russian President Vladimir Putin. But time is clearly on Putin’s side as war fatigue is growing in the West.President Biden has yet to secure the over $60 billion he’s seeking to fund the proxy war through 2024 as Republicans are holding out for a border deal. Republican leaders in Congress have said they plan to approve the Ukraine aid once they reach an agreement, but as time goes on, it will become more and more difficult to keep funding the war.Officials in Europe are concerned that the US would no longer support Ukraine if former President Trump won the 2024 election. Trump has said he could end the Ukraine war, although he has sent mixed signals and was the first president to send “lethal” aid to Kyiv after he signed off on thedelivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles in 2017.A British source told the Times that Europe must continue the proxy war even if the US isn’t involved. “Can continental Europe afford to fold just because Trump says no more US dollars? I think most realize that Putin can’t be allowed to win as consequences for European security are grave,” the source said.

Almost Half of British Teens Feel Addicted To Social Media, Study Says - Almost half of British teenagers say they feel addicted to social media, according to findings that come amid mounting pressure for big tech companies to be held accountable for the impact of their platforms on users.The finding, from the Millennium Cohort study, adds to evidence that many people feel they have lost control over their use of digital interactive media. It comes as dozens of US states are suing Instagram and its parent company, Meta, accusing them of contributing to a youth mental health crisis and as the EU has ushered in major reforms designed to give consumers more control over smartphone apps.The latest research, by Dr Amy Orben’s team at the University of Cambridge, used data from the Millennium Cohort study which is tracking the lives of about 19,000 people born in 2000-2002 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. When the cohort were aged 16-18 they were asked, for the first time, about social media use. Of the 7,000 people who responded, 48% said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I think I am addicted to social media”. A higher proportion of girls (57%) agreed compared to boys (37%), according to the data shared with the Guardian.Scientists said this did not mean that these people are actually suffering from a clinical addiction, but that expressing a perceived lack of control suggests a problematic relationship.“We’re not saying the people who say they feel addicted are addicted,” said Georgia Turner, a graduate student leading the analysis. “Self-perceived social media addiction is not [necessarily] the same as drug addiction. But it’s not a nice feeling to feel you don’t have agency over your own behaviour. It’s quite striking that so many people feel like that and it can’t it be that good.”There has been growing concern about the potential for digital technologies to drive compulsive behaviours, with the World Health Organization establishing “gaming disorder” as a diagnosis in the International Classification of Diseases. Earlier this year, the US surgeon general issued a rare public health advisory on the risks that social media may pose to young people’s mental health and wellbeing.However, the evidence underpinning these public health concerns is mixed, with one recent study on Facebook use challenging claims that social media is psychologically harmful and the clinical classification of behaviours linked to digital technology remaining contentious among experts.