week ending Sept 7

Fed's Williams ready to 'dial down' interest rates - A key member of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy committee said he is ready to support a rate cut this month. Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said Friday morning that the accumulated data from the past several weeks has given him confidence that inflation is on a sustainable trajectory toward the Fed's 2% target and that the labor market is no longer overheating."With the economy now in equipoise and inflation on a path to 2%, it is now appropriate to dial down the degree of restrictiveness in the stance of policy by reducing the target range for the federal funds rate," Williams said during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. "This is the natural next step in executing our strategy to achieve our dual mandate goals."The remarks came shortly after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest employment report, which showed that the economy added 142,000 jobs last month — slightly below market expectations — and the unemployment rate remained roughly unchanged at 4.2%. Williams, who took the stage 15 minutes after the report was released, said he had not given the data a thorough reading, but the topline figures supported his outlook."The data today is, at a rough cut, consistent with what we've been seeing," he said, "a slowing economy and cooling off in the labor market."After his speech, Williams said he did not have a view on whether the Fed's monetary policy arm, the Federal Open Market Committee, would reduce its target range for the federal funds rate by 25 or 50 basis points on Sept. 18. The benchmark rate has been between 5.25% and 5.5% since July 2023."That's not something I have a personal view on right now," Williams told reporters. "I think we've got to analyze all the data, not only the employment report, but look at other data that we've gotten and other data we will get and make a decision about what's the right decision to achieve our goals."During the event, Williams also discussed the Fed's balance sheet reduction efforts, which have seen nearly $2 trillion worth of assets roll off the central bank's books since 2022. He said the process has been going "smoothly and as planned," noting that reserves — funds that banks use to settle transactions with one another — remain abundant, or well in excess of what the banking system needs.

Another Fed official backs a rate cut this month -Another key Federal Reserve policymaker has thrown his weight behind a rate cut at this month's Federal Open Market Committee meeting.Fed Gov. Christopher Waller said the central bank was wise not to jump the gun on rate cuts during the banking crisis of March 2023 or when inflation unexpectedly cooled last year, but the time has come to reduce the target range for the federal funds rate."I believe our patience over the past 18 months has served us well," Waller said Friday in a speech at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. "But the current batch of data no longer requires patience, it requires action." Waller's remarks came just hours after Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said it was time to "dial down" the Fed's restrictive monetary policy. Both speeches follow Fed Chair Jerome Powell's assertion that the time has come for a change in policy. But Waller's comments were the most direct endorsement for a rate cut at the FOMC's Sept. 17-18 meeting yet from a Fed official. He also called for a series of rate cuts at subsequent meetings, noting that there is "sufficient room to cut the policy rate and still remain somewhat restrictive." Waller said he has not yet decided on the appropriate size of a cut at this month's meeting, nor has he committed to a specific schedule of policy rate reductions. He said cutting rates quickly and aggressively would give the U.S. the best chance at a so-called soft-landing — completing a tightening cycle without triggering a recession — but added that going too fast could allow inflation to ramp up again. "Determining the pace of rate cuts and ultimately the total reduction in the policy rate are decisions that lie in the future," he said. "As of today, I believe it is important to start the rate-cutting process at our next meeting. If subsequent data show a significant deterioration in the labor market, the FOMC can act quickly and forcefully to adjust monetary policy."

Bostic says risks to Fed's jobs, inflation goals now in balance -Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said the central bank's two mandates — stable prices and maximum employment — are now in balance for the first time since 2021, though he added he is "not quite prepared" to declare victory over inflation."Though they have declined significantly, risks to meeting our price stability mandate remain," Bostic said in an essay released Wednesday by the Atlanta Fed. "We must stay vigilant to ensure those risks continue to wane.""History shouts to us that loosening monetary policy prematurely is a dangerous gambit that can rekindle inflation and entrench it in the economy for many months or even years," he said. Bostic is a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee this year. His remarks didn't make clear whether he would go along with a widely anticipated quarter-point cut to interest rates when officials next meet Sept. 17-18.While continuing to sound a cautious note, the Atlanta Fed president also pointed to significant progress made in reducing inflation."Price pressures are diminishing quickly and broadly," he said. "The most recent monthly reports bolster my confidence that inflation is likely on a sustainable path to the committee's 2% objective."He also acknowledged the risk to the labor market should the central bank wait for inflation to return all the way back to 2% before reducing the restrictiveness of its policy. In examining both labor market data and anecdotal information, Bostic said he sees a "loosening but still broadly stable" jobs market."The labor market continues to weaken, but it is not weak," he said. Data out Wednesday pointed to a further weakening in employers' demand for workers, as US job openings declined in July to the lowest level since January 2021. Layoffs also edged higher.Less pressure to compete for workers has also cooled off wage increases, removing some of the impulse among businesses, especially in services, to raise prices to cover labor costs. More broadly, he said, pricing power among businesses appears to be fading."Rest assured, I do not sense a looming crash or panic among business contacts," Bostic said. "However, the data and our grassroots feedback describe an economy and labor market losing momentum."

BankThink: If Fed independence is important, emancipate it from the White House | American Banker - The Fed was established in 1913 and evolved over time into a unique decentralized structure, which includes both control at the board of governors level and decentralized nodes of power distributed across the land, both of which have voting power in setting interest rates. This arrangement — which relies on both formal and informal policies — is admittedly elaborate, but it has the effect of insulating interest rate decisions from the presidency or from Congress, which empowers the central bank to make unpopular monetary policy choices and politicians from direct responsibility for those choices.But not everyone sees this arrangement as favorably as I do — and, indeed, as most economists do. Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, have recently floated the idea that the president should have a more direct hand in setting monetary policy. There is little detail on what that would amount to in practice, and at any rate Trump musing about leaning harder on the Fed is nothing new. But those musings dovetail nicely with a rising popularity of something called the "unitary executive theory" of the Constitution among sitting members of the Supreme Court, which holds that as chief executive of the United States, the president personally wields all of the powers delegated to the executive branch — possibly including the establishment of monetary policy.The Supreme Court, as I've noted before, does not actually seem eager to dismantle the Federal Reserve's independence or the existence of other similarly independent agencies. But the tension in the Fed's status as an executive agency with a twist is tenuous and places it in a legally liminal space where its independence — that is, its ability to function without interference from other branches of government save for prescribed checks and balances — depends on the Supreme Court, the president and Congress to continue to observe that independence. And some banking trade groups are intent on having the high court once again look under the hood of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's founding tether to the central bank, giving the justices a new opportunity to rethink how and whether executive power can be delegated.A constitutional amendment defining the Federal Reserve as an independent branch of government — distinct from the executive, judiciary and legislative branches — would confer onto the central bank an independence of judgment that other branches cannot take away. Such a proposal, depending on how it is worded, could either be very small or very big, and the type of amendment I have in mind here would be politically small. In essence, it would enshrine the Federal Open Market Committee as an independent branch of government, and that's it. Congress would still have the power to determine the makeup and rules of the FOMC just as it has considerable power to determine the makeup and rules of the Supreme Court; the executive branch would name members of the Fed Board just as they do today. But as to the question of what monetary policy would be on a day-to-day basis, that would be solely in the hands of those voting members.While I can envision a world in which such an amendment would be politically straightforward, very little ever is when it comes to the Fed. Disentangling the Fed's monetary policy functions from its regulatory or even participatory functions would be difficult — whether a president could fire a Fed board governor at will for regulatory policy issues but not for monetary policy ones is one dilemma that comes to mind. But the bigger problem is that the public enjoys the benefits of central bank independence while remaining skeptical of the institution itself. Changing the Constitution is difficult to do by design — it only is achieved with broad public support and muted public opposition, and as of right now that kind of public support isn't forthcoming.

Conservatives expect Mike Johnson will embrace proof-of-citizenship voting bill --Hard-line conservatives expect Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will embrace their favored tactic by bringing a stopgap bill to the House floor next week that includes a proof-of-citizenship voting bill and would extend government funding into 2025. Such a move would not only grant a win to the House GOP’s conservative wing, but would tee up a showdown with the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, which both object to the voting bill. Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to prevent a shutdown. Johnson’s office has not confirmed the funding plan, but Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) — a key member of the House Freedom Caucus who has been in discussions with leadership as he advocates for the strategy — is publicly expressing confidence about the next step. “Mike Johnson appears ready and willing to do it, and that’s where we currently sit,” Roy said in an appearance Tuesday on the “War Room” podcast. “When we get back next week, I believe that Mike Johnson will put on the floor a continuing resolution into 2025,” Roy added. The Freedom Caucus took an official position in August in support of attaching the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill led by Roy to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, to a continuing resolution (CR) that extends into 2025. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), another Freedom Caucus member, said that while he has not heard directly from the Speaker, he is hearing from “very good sources” that the SAVE Act will be included in a CR package. “We’ll vote on that this coming week and get it to the Senate and let them do what they may,” Norman said, adding he was “excited about it.” Roy said that Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) is working with Johnson’s office on the details of a continuing resolution that addresses top concerns. Prioritizing the SAVE Act puts focus on a major Republican messaging point about voting integrity in advance of the November election, and the bill has been supported by former President Trump, who in July urged Republicans to pass the bill “or go home and cry yourself to sleep.” The House passed the legislation as a stand-alone bill in July with the support of a handful of Democrats.

Vulnerable Republicans worry Johnson’s spending plan increases shutdown risk - Some of the House GOP’s most vulnerable members told Speaker Mike Johnson in a private GOP call on Wednesday that they’re worried his spending strategy heightens the risk of an electorally damaging government shutdown. During a private, 30-minute call with GOP lawmakers Wednesday, Johnson laid out his plan to quickly pass a spending bill that would punt the current Oct. 1 shutdown deadline into March. He’s also going to attach legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. It’s the exact strategy pushed by House conservatives, and will almost certainly be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate. Right now, it’s not even clear it has enough GOP support to pass the House. New York Rep. Nick LaLota, a vulnerable first-term Republican, asked Johnson on the call what the speaker would do if the Senate rejected that package and instead sent back a straightforward funding bill without the voting policy proposal, known as the SAVE Act. LaLota argued that allowing a shutdown would mean 10 vulnerable GOP incumbents lose their races in November — enough that Republicans would lose control of the House — according to two people on the call. The speaker declined to answer how he would respond in that situation, saying he didn’t want his plans to leak to the press. He also argued: You don’t go into a fight planning to fail. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), whom Democrats are also targeting in November, also pressed leadership during the call and sought clarity about the strategy behind the funding plan, a person familiar with her comments confirmed. She asked: “How long do we take this? Is the intent to message ‘Dems oppose SAVE,’ but are we going to take this to a shutdown?” It’s a familiar House Republican fight, but the political stakes are significantly higher this time. Vulnerable members don’t want to flirt with a shutdown so close to the election, especially when the ultimate outcome — a clean spending bill with no policy bills attached — feels inevitable. Plus, with centrists nervous about prompting a shutdown and some conservatives planning to oppose the spending bill regardless of policy riders, the strategy could mean Johnson and House Republicans tee up a bill that can’t even pass their own chamber. Johnson outlined his thinking for taking that risk on the call, arguing that Congress would need another six months to reconcile the $100-billion difference between Republican House and Democratic Senate leaders on topline spending numbers. If they kicked the deadline into December as Democrats want, Johnson argued, they’d likely just need another short-term patch and have to deal with a spending fight at Christmas. And attaching the SAVE Act was important to show Republican voters that the party cares about elections, he said. Plus, the speaker noted a new March deadline could give former President Donald Trump the chance to influence spending, if he wins the presidency. Republican leaders want to put the conservative-favored stopgap government funding bill on the floor for a vote next week. Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told lawmakers on the call that he’ll start whipping the funding plan on Monday night, when his team will meet in person for the first time since late July.

House GOP unveils stopgap plan to avert government shutdown -House Republicans on Friday unveiled their highly anticipated plan to avert a government shutdown that is sure to upset Democrats and has already drawn skepticism from some in the GOP.The 46-page plan would keep the government funded into March 2025, while tacking on language for stricter proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting, setting the stage for a budget showdown with Senate Democrats later this month. “Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and to secure our federal election process,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said after the bill went up. “Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections.” Democrats immediately knocked the proposal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) in a joint statement said “avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill drawn up by one party.” “Speaker Johnson is making the same mistake as former Speaker McCarthy did a year ago, by wasting precious time catering to the hard MAGA right. This tactic didn’t work last September and it will not work this year either. The House Republican funding proposal is an ominous case of déjà vu,” they said. “If Speaker Johnson drives House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the odds of a shutdown go way up, and Americans will know that the responsibility of a shutdown will be on the House Republicans’ hands.” Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) lost his gavel after putting a so-called clean, bipartisan CR on the floor to avert a government shutdown in the eleventh hour last year, only after attempts to pass a more partisan plan with cuts and border measures failed amid intraparty divides on funding. Johnson’s strategy to pair the continuing resolution (CR) with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act comes as Republicans have sought to seize on immigration and the border as key campaign issues heading into the November elections. The voting bill passed the House largely along partisan lines earlier this year, with only five Democrats in vulnerable races joining Republicans in passing the bill. Advocates pushing the measure say the legislation would ensure that only citizens can vote in federal elections, partly by making it mandatory for states to obtain proof of citizenship to register voters and by requiring states to purge noncitizens from voter rolls. Democrats have fiercely opposed the bill, however, and the Biden administration vowed to veto when the House considered it earlier this year, noting it is already a crime for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. The White House also argued the bill would make it more difficult for eligible voters to register and increase “the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls.” Conservatives have also been pushing to kick the current Sept. 30 deadline for lawmakers to hash out fiscal year 2025 funding into next year, hopeful of former President Trump winning back the White House in November. Proponents of the push say the move would allow Trump more influence in the shaping of much of government funding for much of 2025. But critics of the idea, including those in GOP circles, have downplayed the impact such a strategy will have on funding talks. They also acknowledge the Democratic-controlled Senate is certain to reject the measure in its current form, due both to the timing and the addition of the SAVE Act. Shalanda Young, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), knocked the “6-month CR approach” in a statement on Friday, while urging Congress to “quickly pass a bill to keep the government open and provide emergency funding for disaster needs across the country.” And Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement this week that a “continuing resolution that ends in December—rather than one that lasts a half year—is better for our national security and military readiness, veterans and their families, victims recovering from natural disasters, and all hardworking American taxpayers.” “Let us hope the majority does not drive us straight to a Republican shutdown,” she added. The bill introduced Friday also includes funds for a number of other items, including billions of dollars for disaster relief, about $2 billion for “shipbuilding and conversion” for the Navy, and payments to the family and heirs of late congressional members. That covers payments of $174,000, the amount of the annual salary for congressional members, to the widows of Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.), as well as the heirs at law of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). The bill does not appear to include language addressing the roughly $3 billion budget shortfall facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), after House GOP appropriators introduced a separate plan hours before to fill the gap.

Biden and Harris call for escalation of Gaza genocide following death of six Israeli hostages - The US political establishment responded to the deaths of six Israeli hostages in Gaza on Saturday with demands for an intensification of the genocide against Palestinians and expansion of war in the Middle East. After the Israeli military confirmed the six bodies retrieved from a tunnel in Rafah were hostages, President Biden issued a statement saying, “Make no mistake. Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes.” Vice President and Democratic Party nominee for President Kamala Harris issued her own statement from the White House. She said, “Hamas is an evil terrorist organization” that has “even more American blood on its hands.” Harris continued, “The threat Hamas poses … must be eliminated and Hamas cannot control Gaza.” The killing of the six hostages dominated US news media coverage all day on Sunday, the same media that largely ignores the far greater daily death toll from Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. These reports uncritically echoed the statements of the Israeli military about the details of the deaths, although such statements have repeatedly been proven false in the past. Speaking to Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday morning, Republican Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, called for an extension of the war into Iran. “If you want the hostages home, which we all do, you have to increase the cost to Iran. Iran is the great Satan here,” Graham said. The senator continued to say that specific acts of war to “hold Iran responsible” were required, including a target list of “oil refineries in Iran.” A mass protest of more than 500,000 people erupted in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening demanding that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu end the war in Gaza. News organizations reported that this is the largest demonstration in Israel since the genocide began eleven months ago. Chanting “Now, Now,” the protesters called for an immediate ceasefire that would enable release of the remaining hostages. Israel’s trade union federation Histradrut has called for a general strike on Monday that will shut down major sectors of the economy including banking, health care and transportation. While Netanyahu accused Hamas of stalling ceasefire negotiations, the US-backed Israeli military operation has maintained its blockade of Gaza and continued to carry out targeted air strikes against Palestinians in pursuit of its barbaric goal of “total victory.” Through Friday, the Gaza Health Ministry that the death toll has reached 40,602 since October 7 of last year and another 93,855 have been wounded. Israel’s ethnic cleansing operation has displaced the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and plunged the 141 square mile strip into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israeli Official: Without US Aid, Israel Couldn't Sustain Gaza Operations for More Than a Few Months - A senior Israeli Air Force official has told Haaretz that without US military aid, Israel would not have been able to sustain military operations in Gaza for more than a few months, demonstrating how crucial US support is for the genocidal slaughter of Palestinians. The support is especially crucial for the Israeli Air Force. The report said the US provides the IAF with “all of its fighter planes and some of its bombs, missiles and intelligence equipment.” The US also helps Israel develop “joint weapons systems for all three layers of air defense.”Since October 7, the US has shipped Israel over 50,000 tons of weapons and other m ilitary equipment. Weapons shipments have increased over the past month, with flight tracking data showing that August was the busiest month for US deliveries since October 2023.President Biden also signed a bill into law that included $17 billion in additional military aid for Israel on top of the $3.8 billion it receives in annual military assistance. The administration recently approved $20 billion in new arms deals for Israel, which includes a new fleet of F-15 fighter jets.The official speaking to Haaretz said the IAF is crafting a recommendation to increase the domestic production of bombs, missiles, and other ammunition to reduce reliance on the US. But any changes would take years to implement, meaning Israel will continue to be almost entirely reliant on US support.Israel’s reliance on the US gives the Biden administration enormous leverage over the Israeli government. The administration has refused to use that power to force a ceasefire despite claims that US officials are working for one.

Netanyahu 'torpedoed everything in one speech': US officials -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israeli forces must retain control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border, vowing "not to give in to pressure" over the issue in Gaza ceasefire talks. "The achievement of the war's objectives goes through the Philadelphi Corridor," he said at a televised press conference on Monday. "Control of the Philadelphi axis guarantees that the hostages will not be smuggled out of Gaza," he added. Palestinian resistance group Hamas is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from the area as part of the stalled talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. "I will not give in to pressure," Netanyahu said, referring to the strategic Philadelphi Corridor. In response, US officials involved in negotiating a hostage release-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas said that Netanyahu torpedoed their efforts, CNN reported. "This guy torpedoed everything in one speech," the source said in an initial reaction. Also on Monday, US President Joe Biden said that he does not Netanyahu is doing enough to secure a hostage deal with Hamas. Biden's remarks also came two days after the recovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages in Gaza, which prompted protests against Netanyahu’s government over the weekend. Of 251 people taken hostage during the October 7 attack, 97 remain in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Netanyahu Rejects US Assessment on Ceasefire, Says There's 'Not a Deal in the Making' - On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there was “not a deal in the making” regarding a potential ceasefire deal with Hamas and rejected a US assessment that an agreement was 90% of the way there. When asked on Fox News about the 90% assessment, Netanyahu said, “No, it’s exactly inaccurate. There’s a story, a narrative out that there’s a deal out there … that’s just a false narrative.”Later in the day, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was confronted about why the US assessments have been so far off base with Netanyahu. “I’ve heard what the prime minister said. I’m not going to get into a back and forth with him in a public setting,” he said.Kirby doubled down on the assessment that a deal was 90% the way there. “So, first of all, ’90 percent,’ ‘verge of a deal’ — you call that optimistic, I call that accurate. That’s how close we believe we are,” he said.Over the past few months, US officials have been constantly claiming a ceasefire deal is close while Netanyahu has been working to sabotage the chances of an agreement, a fact that’s been widely reported by Israeli media.Netanyahu continues to insist he won’t give up Israeli control of the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, despite Israeli negotiators and military officials not thinking it’s a necessary condition.

Netanyahu Humiliates White House: 'There's No Gaza Deal In The Making... It's Not Close' - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday issued a bombshell of a statement which constitutes a glaring contradiction of the White House narrative on how things are going with Hamas negotiations toward a ceasefire deal. "There’s not a deal in the making," he told Fox News. "Unfortunately, it’s not close." He said this during a morning Fox News live interview segment. The remarks are the firmest and most unequivocal Netanyahu has ever been regarding what are clearly failed and perhaps even dead international efforts to achieve a truce in Gaza.For days and weeks now, a series of White House statements have claimed the Biden administration is spearheading efforts to achieve a peace deal and hostage swap, and Blinken and Kirby have used a variety of metaphors including being at "the goal line"while repeatedly claiming there's been a comprehensive deal on the table that's 'close'.However, only within the last couple days has President Biden's rhetoric changed. On the one hand the administration has blamed Hamas for rejecting the deal, and other other Biden has begun saying that Netanyahu is "not doing enough" to achieve peace.But the fresh Netanyahu interview confirms what many observers have suspected all along - that there's no viable deal to speak of currently, and really there never was a deal 'on the table' or at 'the goal line' at all. According to Fox:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday morning dismissed reports that negotiators were close to agreeing a cease-fire deal."It’s exactly inaccurate," Netanyahu told "Fox & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade during an interview. "There's a story, a narrative out there that there's a deal out there … that’s just a false narrative." Ironically the White House itself has been the biggest purveyor of this false narrative. This proves highly embarrassing to the US administration and the prime minister's fresh remarks are sure to exacerbate already growing US-Israel tensions.To emphasize this, Fox writes "He [Bibi] denied reports – by CNN and others – that the US Administration believes that an agreement is 90% completed."But ultimately, Netanyahu still laid blame on Hamas for there being no deal. He said to Fox that the group "don’t agree to anything. Not to the Philadelphi Corridor, not to the keys of exchanging hostages for jailed terrorists, not to anything. So that’s just a false narrative."

UK Suspends Some Arms Exports to Israel Over Gaza War Crimes - The UK announced Monday that it has suspended some arms export licenses to Israel over concerns the weapons are being used to violate international law in Gaza.Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the decision, which suspends 30 out of 355 export licenses for Israel and covers components for military aircraft, including fighter jets, drones, and helicopters. The export bans do not apply to components for the F-35 fighter jets, which the UK exports as part of a multinational program, unless it is known that the components will be shipped directly to Israel. Activists who have pressured the British government to suspend arms exports to Israel criticized the exemption for F-35s, which are a critical part of the Israeli Air Force. “The suspension of export licenses took far long and didn’t go far enough,” said Yasmine Ahmed, director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, according to Middle East Eye. “That the UK government chose to exempt components for the F-35, a workhorse of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign, shows either a miscomprehension of the law or a wilful disregard.” Lammy said a British government review concluded that there is a “clear risk” that British weapons might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. He also claimed that it hasn’t been verified that Israel has violated international law despite the mountain of evidence of Israeli war crimes that has emerged over nearly 11 months of the genocidal slaughter in Gaza. The US has similar foreign assistance laws that prohibit military aid to countries that will use it to violate US or international law. After a review, the State Department concluded that Israel was likely breaking the law but claimed there wasn’t evidence, allowing the military shipments to continue to flow.

DOJ charges Hamas leaders over Oct. 7 terrorist attack --The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other militants over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Tuesday.The charges, unsealed Tuesday, accuse Sinwar and other senior Hamas leaders of “financing and directing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the security of the United States.” The criminal complaint, filed in federal court in New York City, includes seven counts, including charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, resulting in death.“In its attacks over the past three decades, Hamas has murdered or injured thousands of civilians, including dozens of American citizens,” Garland said in a video announcement.Garland zeroed in on Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks, during which the group killed about 1,200 people — including more than 40 Americans. About 250 others were kidnapped and taken back to Gaza, including about a dozen Americans.“In the early morning hours of Oct. 7 last year, Hamas, led by these defendants, committed its most violent, large scale terrorist attack to date,” he added. “They perpetrated the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”The Oct. 7 assault sparked the nearly 11-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, during which Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and driven hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes. Israeli leaders have remained steadfast in their goal of eliminating Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.Garland said the unsealed charges are “just one part” of the DOJ’s efforts to “target every aspect of Hamas’s operations.”

Families of American Citizens Held in Gaza Want US To Cut a Deal With Hamas - The families of American citizens who are being held hostage in Gaza are asking the US to consider making a unilateral deal with Hamas that wouldn’t involve Israel, NBC News reported on Wednesday.The families made the request on Sunday during a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, which came after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages, including US-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin.Sources told NBC that the US told the families they would consider “every option” but said they believe a deal with Hamas that includes Israel is still the best approach. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been sabotaging the chances of the deal by continuing to demand Israeli control of the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi Corridor.After the six bodies were recovered from Gaza, families of the dead hostages said Netanyahu was to blame for their deaths for not reaching a deal. The US has refused to put any real pressure on Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire and continues to ship weapons to Israel to support the genocidal slaughter in Gaza.It’s unclear whether the US has anything it could offer Hamas to secure the release of the remaining Americans in Gaza. According to NBC, there are four Americans who the US believes are still alive and three others believed to be dead.The Biden administration has put together a list of prisoners in the US that Hamas might want to see released, but Hamas’s main demands are for a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. The US could achieve a full hostage and ceasefire deal by threatening to cut off military aid to Israel, which is vital for sustaining military operations in Gaza, but there’s no sign the administration is considering doing that.

Threaten Iran to stop Hamas, Lindsey Graham says - Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that the best way to stop Hamas from killing more Israelis was to meaningfully threaten Iran. Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” the South Carolina Republican was responding to news that six Israeli hostages had been found dead in Gaza, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents had spoken at the Democratic National Convention in August. “If you want the hostages home,” Graham told host Jonathan Karl, “which we all do, you have to increase the cost to Iran. Iran is the great Satan here. Hamas is the junior partner. They’re barbaric, religious nazis, Hamas.” The senator had a specific set of targets in mind. “I would urge the Biden administration and Israel to hold Iran accountable for the fate of remaining hostages and put on the target list oil refineries in Iran if the hostages are not released,” he said. Israel said the six hostages, seized on Oct. 7, were killed shortly before they were about to be rescued. In response to the news, President Joe Biden said: “It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.” Graham has long been an ardent supporter of Israel and an assertive foe of Iran and its allies in the Middle East. Addressing Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Graham said: “If you want to really change things when it comes to the hostages, tell the Ayatollah what he values is on the target list. Until that happens, nobody’s coming home.”

Trump's Former Envoy to Israel: US Should Fund Israeli Annexation of West Bank - Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has called for the US to fund the Israeli annexation of the West Bank in a book that was released on Tuesday, which is titled One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.Friedman, who was ambassador from 2017 to 2021, wrote in the book that Israel needs financial assistance “to assert and maintain its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” using the biblical name for the Israeli-occupied West Bank.He suggested the next Republican administration could work with Congress to redirect $1 billion meant to provide aid to Palestinians. “The easiest bucket to tap into and reposition is that of the United States,” he wrote.Friedman said the US should support the Israeli annexation of the West Bank “based first and foremost on biblical prophecies and values.” He told Forward that he hopes to share his annexation plan with former President Trump at “an appropriate time.”While he was in office, Trump unveiled a so-called “peace plan” that would have seen Israel annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, a long, narrow valley along the West Bank’s border with Jordan. The proposal was dead on arrival since it was a non-starter for the Palestinians. Miriam Adelson, the wife of the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, has reportedly pledged $100 million to spend on Trump’s 2024 campaign, and she is expected to press him to support the Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

Seven US Troops Injured in Raid Against ISIS in Iraq - Seven US troops were injured in a raid against a suspected ISIS hideout in western Iraq on August 29, The Associated Press reported on Saturday.A Pentagon official said five US soldiers were wounded in the raid, and the other two were hurt from falls during the operation. The official said that all “personnel are in stable condition.”US Central Command said in a press release that 15 ISIS operatives were killed in the raid, which was conducted with Iraqi forces, and claimed no civilians were harmed. CENTCOM said the ISIS fighters were armed with “numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts.”An Iraqi military statement on the raid said the hideout was targeted by airstrikes, which was followed by an “airborne operation.” It said all “hideouts, weapons and logistical support were destroyed, explosive belts were safely detonated and important documents, identification papers and communication devices were seized.” Earlier this year, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for an end to the US-led anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq and said Iraqi forces could handle ISIS remnants on their own.Al-Sudani reiterated his view on Sunday in a meeting with Maj. Gen. Kevin C. Leahy, commander of the US-led coalition. “[T]he remnants of ISIS no longer pose a threat to the Iraqi state, as they have become isolated groups hiding in remote areas to avoid capture,” he said.The US and Iraq entered talks on the future of the US military presence, but the Biden administration has made clear it has no intention of leaving. Al-Sudani called for an end to the coalition in response to US airstrikes that targeted the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of Shia militias that was formed in 2014 to fight ISIS and is part of Iraq’s security forces.

US captures ISIS leader in Syria --The United States has captured an ISIS leader who helped members of the terror group after they escaped from a detention facility in Syria, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). CENTCOM forces, working with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), captured Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal on Sunday, according to a release, just days after five ISIS foreign terrorist fighter detainees fled the Raqqah Detention Facility. Three of the escapees remain at large, according to CENTCOM, after SDF recaptured two others. Al-Dandal was assessed as a “facilitator” aiding efforts of detained ISIS fighters.More than 9,000 ISIS detainees are held in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, the military said, and ISIS wants to free its detained fighters and “subsequently fuel an ISIS revival.” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, called the numbers “a literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention.”“If a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond,” Kurilla said in a statement, adding that the U.S. will continue to work with the international community to repatriate the ISIS fighters to their countries of origin. Last week, the U.S. military and Iraqi Security Forces targeted ISIS militants in a separate raidthat left at least 15 of the group’s operatives dead in Western Iraq. The latest developments come as threats from terrorist groups such as ISIS come into new focus three years after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, worrying security experts. Last month, ISIS-affiliated actors carried out a stabbing attack in Germany and threatened a Taylor Swift concert in Austria.

US Says It Captured ISIS 'Facilitator' in Syria With Kurdish Forces - US Central Command said Monday that its forces, along with the Kurdish-led SDF, captured an ISIS “facilitator” in Syria who was responsible for breaking other ISIS members out of prison.“During the early morning hours of September 1, CENTCOM forces and SDF captured Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, an ISIS facilitator assessed to be aiding efforts of detained ISIS fighters to include recently escaped fighters,” CENTCOM said in a press release.The command said that five ISIS members broke out of prison last week. The SDF captured two of them and is on the search for the other three.“Over 9,000 ISIS detainees remain in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, a literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention. If a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of CENTCOM.On Monday, the SDF released 50 people accused of being members of ISIS as part of an amnesty deal.The SDF also holds tens of thousands of women and children in the US-funded detention facilities that were set up after the defeat of ISIS in eastern Syria. In April, Amnesty International released a report that accused the SDF of being responsible for torture and “mass death” due to inhumane conditions at the prisons.The report said that the US is “involved in most aspects of the detention system” and that the Pentagon has provided “hundreds of millions of dollars to the SDF and affiliated security forces.” The US uses ISIS as its justification to stay in Syria, but the occupation is more about keeping the areas it controls out of the hands of the Syrian government and its allies, which includes Iran and Russia. The US alsomaintains crippling economic sanctions on Syria, which are designed to prevent the country’s reconstruction and have a devastating impact on civilians.

Two US Marines Assaulted by Turkish Nationalist Group in Izmir - On Monday, two US Marines were attacked by a Turkish nationalist youth group in the Turkish port of Izmir in an incident partially motivated by US support for the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians.The two Marines were wearing civilian clothes and arrived in the city onboard the USS Wasp, a US Navy amphibious assault ship. Turkish authorities responded to the attack and arrested 15 suspected assailants.“We can confirm reports that US service members embarked aboard the USS Wasp were the victims of an assault in Izmir today, and are now safe,”the US Embassy in Turkey wrote on X. “We thank Turkish authorities for their rapid response and ongoing investigation.”The 15 who were arrested were all members of the Turkey Youth Union (TGB), an offshoot of the nationalist Vatan Party. “No one will be able to respond to the cries for help from US soldiers,” TGB wrote on X in a post that included a video that showed part of the attack.

Watch: US Soldiers Assaulted By Turkish Mob After Navy Ship Makes Port Call At Izmir - On Monday a mob of Turkish men attacked American soldiers who had been walking the streets of Izmir in southern Turkey, apparently as the US personnel were on liberty after the USS Wasp which they are attached to made port call. Social media video shows a group of men surrounding one US soldier and while violently constraining him. The Turkish men then stick a white bag over his head in an effort to humiliate and possibly kidnap the American and those with him. The brief clip then shows a couple more US troops jumping in to push the Turkish men off their fellow soldier. Reuters has confirmed of the incident, "A nationalist Turkish youth group on Monday physically assaulted two U.S. soldiers in western Turkey, the U.S. Embassy in Turkey and the local governor's office said, adding that 15 assailants had been detained over the incident." The same report says that a total of five other US soldiers quickly came to their fellow servicemember's aid to fight off the attackers, after which local police quickly intervened. The US Embassy in Turkey has subsequently confirmed the American personnel are safe after the incident, "We can confirm reports that U.S. service members embarked aboard the USS Wasp were the victims of an assault in Izmir today, and are now safe," it said on X. There was no mention of injuries. The Izmir governor's office identified that the attackers were part of an ultra-nationalist group called the Turkey Youth Union (TGB), which is associated with the opposition Vatan Party. The statement said that the Turkish group "physically attacked" two American soldiers who were in civilian clothes in the Konak district. The assaulting group reportedly chanted "Yankee, go home!" while detaining at least one of the Americans. It all happened in broad daylight.

Russia To Change Nuclear Doctrine in Response to Western Escalations -Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Sunday that Moscow will change its nuclear doctrine in response to Western escalations related to the war in Ukraine.“As we have repeatedly said before, the work is in the advanced stage, and there is a clear intent to introduce a correction [to the nuclear doctrine],” Ryabkov told the Russian news agency TASS.Ryabkov said the doctrine would be updated based on “the examination and analysis of development of recent conflicts, including, of course, everything connected to our Western adversaries’ escalation course in regards to the special military operation.”Ryabkov said it was too early to say when the doctrine would be updated. “The timeframe for its completion is a rather complicated issue, considering that we are talking about the most important aspect of our national security,” he said.Russia’s nuclear doctrine was last updated in 2020. It allows for the use of nuclear weapons if Russia faces a nuclear attack or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the Russian state.Ryabkov’s comments come amid fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, an offensive Ukraine is carrying out with US and NATO support. The US is allowing Ukraine to use US-provided armored vehicles, bombs, and missilesinside the Russian territory, marking a significant escalation in the proxy war.

Why is Russia changing its nuclear doctrine amid the Ukraine war? | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera -- Russia is amending its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons as a response to perceived Western involvement in the Ukraine war, its Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Sunday.The comments came at a time when Russia is battling an incursion into its Kursk region by Ukrainian troops and amid growing attacks on Russian territory by Kyiv using Western weapons.So what exactly is Russia’s nuclear doctrine, how big is its arsenal, what might change, and are others changing their policies too?

• Russian President Vladimir Putin last signed off on the country’s nuclear doctrine in June 2020. The six-page doctrine is formally called the Basic Principles of State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence.
• It says Russia considers nuclear weapons to be exclusively a means of deterrence.
• The doctrine deems the use of nuclear weapons an “extreme and compelled measure”.
• It emphasises deterrence of aggression by the Russian military strength, “including its nuclear weapons”.
• Under the doctrine, Russia can use nuclear weapons in “response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies”.
• Additionally, it can use them in case of aggression against Russia with conventional weapons “when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy”.

Minister Ryabkov said the decision to change the nuclear doctrine is “connected with the escalation course of our Western adversaries”. In late August, Ukraine confirmed it had used weapons supplied by the United States in its Kursk incursion.Russia’s Sunday announcement is “not an isolated instance”, Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at the London-based Chatham House think tank, told Al Jazeera.Instead, Giles said, it is “part of the ongoing Russian campaign that has shaped the US course of action throughout this war” against Ukraine.In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the Kremlin has repeatedly used threats and rhetoric that experts say is aimed at deterring Western intervention in the war.In March 2023, the United Nations Security Council warned that the risk of the use of nuclear weapons was higher than at any time since the Cold War.Putin has made several implicit threats of nuclear attack since the war broke out:

• On February 24, 2022, when he announced the special military operation in Ukraine, he said Russia possesses certain advantages in the newest types of weaponry. “Whoever tries to hinder us, or threaten our country or our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to consequences that you have never faced in your history,” he added.
• In September 2022, Putin said, “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people – this is not a bluff.” A few days later, he said the US set a precedent when it dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
• In February 2023, Russia said it would suspend its participation in the New START treaty with the US, which limits the number of nuclear warheads each side can deploy.
• In March 2023, Russia said it struck a deal with its ally Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine, to station tactical nuclear weapons there. Tactical nuclear weapons are used in the battlefield including in proximate fighting, unlike strategic weapons which are meant to be propelled over long distances to destroy enemy cities.
• In October 2023, Putin said there was no need to amend its nuclear doctrine because if another country attacked it with nuclear weapons, Russia would respond within a split second with hundreds of nuclear weapons. “I think, no person of sound mind and clear memory would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia.”
• In February 2024, Putin took a short flight on a modernised Tu-160M nuclear-capable strategic bomber. A few days later, he warned Western countries that they risked provoking nuclear war if they sent troops to fight in Ukraine.
• In March 2024, when Putin was asked in an interview whether Russia was ready for nuclear war, heresponded: “From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready.” However, he added that Russia has never felt the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Russia’s intimidation tactic seems to have worked, say analysts. While Ukraine has used US weapons in its Kursk incursion, it was “careful not to tell the US in advance because they were scared the US would try to stop it”, Giles said. He added that US restrictions on Ukraine using long-range missiles in Russia are also possibly because Washington is scared of risking a nuclear war.

Report: US Close To Agreeing on Long-Range Cruise Missiles for Ukraine - The US is close to reaching an agreement on giving Ukraine cruise missiles that could hit targets deep inside Russia, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing US officials.The officials said the US is expected to include Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) in a weapons package that will be announced for Ukraine this fall. But first, there are technical issues to work through to ensure they can be fired by Ukraine’s Soviet-made fighter jets.An older version of the JASSM can hit targets over 230 miles, and there are newer versions that can fly over 500 miles. Reuters said it was unable to establish which kind the US is considering sending to Ukraine. Providing the older, shorter-range version would put less strain on US military stockpiles. The US officials said that providing the JASSMs could alter the conflict by putting more Russian territory in range of powerful precision-guided missiles, which they said was a big concern of the Biden administration. The comments suggest the administration is preparing to give Ukraine the greenlight to launch long-range strikes inside Russian territory using US-provided missiles, which would mark another significant escalation of the proxy war and risk a major response from Moscow. Russia has said it’s altering its nuclear doctrine in response to Western escalations in Ukraine.The US is allowing Ukraine to use US armored vehicles, missiles, and bombs in its Kursk offensive but still insists it won’t support long-range strikes, at least for the time being. A congressional staffer told Reutersthat giving Ukraine JASSMs would increase the pressure on the US to lift all restrictions on Ukraine’s use of its weapons.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was asked on Wednesday about the possibility of the US providing Ukraine with the JASSMs and said the US shouldn’t joke about Russia’s red lines.“I won’t be surprised by anything – the Americans have already crossed the threshold they set for themselves. They are being egged on, and Zelenskiy of course sees this and takes advantage of it,” he said. “But they should understand – they are joking about our red lines here. They shouldn’t joke about our red lines.”

Russia says relations with US at all-time low - RT - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia-US relations are at a historic low, dismissing the idea that the two sides could gradually improve them in the foreseeable future. In an interview with national broadcaster, Russia 1, the top official emphasized that Washington has been consistently trampling on Moscow's interests and exerting pressure for several decades.Ties between the two states have reached “a cracking-up point” during Joe Biden’s presidency, according to Peskov, who stressed that the US administration is demonstrating an openly hostile position towards Russia by supporting Ukraine.“Right in the middle of Mr. Biden’s presidency all these processes have culminated […] Bilateral relations are now at probably their historical low point with no prospects for entering a growth trajectory to be seen,” he said.“The US, despite many statements to the contrary, is directly involved in the Ukraine conflict,” Peskov concluded.Bilateral ties between Russia and the US took a nose-dive in 2022 when Washington and its allies attacked Moscow with a barrage of economic sanctions following the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict. Moreover, the White House has been providing Kiev with substantial economic and military aid, drawing reprobation from Russian officials, who have accused Washington of playing a direct role in the conflict.In addition, the US withdrew from two security treaties, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty and the Open Skies treaty, under the administration of Donald Trump. While the White House under President Joe Biden has extended the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) through 2026, last year Moscow suspended its participation, citing the US role in the Ukraine conflict.Peskov also cast doubt on statements made by former US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly pledged to resolve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours if elected a second time. The Republican presidential frontrunner has also claimed that he had an excellent relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin while in office, adding that the conflict would have never started on his watch.“I don’t think there is a magic wand, it is impossible to do anything in a day,” Peskov said. “Although, if we assume that the next US president will make a statement during his inauguration speech that the US stands for peace and is therefore ending its support for Ukraine […], then something in someone’s brain will change.”

‘Getting along with Russia is good’ – Trump — Engaging with Russia and North Korea, and “getting along” with them, would be a “good thing,” former US President Donald Trump has argued.Speaking at an election rally in Pennsylvania on Friday, the Republican nominee touted his diplomatic efforts to fix Washington’s ties with Pyongyang, referring to his 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.“I got along with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Remember I walked over… the first person to ever walk over from this country,” Trump claimed.“We also looked at his nuclear capability. It’s very substantial,” he added.“You know, getting along is a good thing. It’s not a bad thing.”“Getting along” with Moscow is also not “a bad thing,” Trump said. He went on to harshly criticize the incumbent administration, claiming President Joe Biden has a very low IQ “and maybe now it’s nonexistent,”as he has “completely lost his mind.”Getting along with Russia is good, not bad. Remember, getting along with these people is smart.The Republican nominee repeated his claim that “what is happening now in relations with Russia would not have happened” if he were still in office.Trump’s remarks came in response to accusations from his election rival, Vice President Kamala Harris. In her Democratic nomination acceptance speech in Chicago last week, she criticized the former president for his relations with the North Korean leader – claiming she would not “cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong-un who are rooting for Trump.”

US, allied nations accuse Russia of cyberattacks against Ukraine and NATO - The United States and nine allied nations on Thursday formally accused the Russian government of masterminding cyberattacks in 2020 on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, among many other targets.The joint statement was put out the day after the Justice Department took separate steps to call out Russian malicious cyber activity, underlining the ongoing threat posed by Moscow’s hackers to U.S. and allied nation networks. The FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Security Agency — in conjunction with agencies from the Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Australia, Canada and Ukraine — put out a joint alert on the cyberattacks.The countries pinned the attacks, which largely used a type of malware known as “WhisperGate,” on GRU Unit 29155, a Russian military hacking group. Hacking efforts as part of this campaign began in 2020, and included attacks on Ukrainian groups in January 2022 ahead of Russia’s invasion, along with critical infrastructure organizations in government, transportation, financial, health and other sectors in NATO member states. The attack on Ukraine in 2022, which involved wiping out government and private sector systems, was previously blamed on Russia by the U.S. and the European Union. In addition, the Justice Department on Thursday unveiled indictments against five individuals alleged to be GRU officers involved in Unit 29155, along with a sixth Russian civilian alleged to have worked with them. The State Department also took action, offering a $10 million reward per personfor information that could lead to arrests of those indicted.According to the FBI, this hacking activity included more than 14,000 observed instances of scanning networks in more than 20 NATO member states and European nations, along with targeting of groups in Central American and Asian nations. The attacks often involved the defacement of websites or the exfiltration and posting of stolen data online. The agencies assessed that Unit 29155 was under the direction of GRU officers but used cybercriminals to help carry out their operations. The Justice Department accused the group of carrying out attacks, including the probing of an unnamed Maryland-based U.S. government agency between August 2021 and February 2022, and of hacking the transportation infrastructure of an unnamed Central European nation supportive of Ukraine in mid-2022.

US Takes Action Over New Claims of Russian 'Election Interference' - The Biden administration on Wednesday took several actions over new, unsubstantiated claims about Russian “election interference.”Most of the actions targeted employees of RT, a Russian state-funded media outlet. The US has accused RT of interfering in presidential elections since 2016, but what the US has called “interference” has just been the media outlet’s coverage of the election cycle.CNN reported early Wednesday that the administration was preparing to unveil several steps against election interference, and an RTspokesperson told the outlet: “2016 called, and it wants its clichés back.”Later in the day, the State Department announced that it was taking three actions to “hinder malicious actors from using Kremlin-supported media as a cover to conduct covert influence activities that target the US elections in 2024 and undermine our democratic institutions.”The first action was visa restrictions imposed by the Treasury Department. The restrictions targeted 10 Russian individuals, including seven RT employees.The State Department also said it was listing the Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya and its subsidiaries as “foreign missions.” The subsidiaries include RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik.The third action announced by the State Department was offering up to $10 million as a reward for information on a hacking group known as Russian Angry Hackers Did It, or RaHDit. The State Department claimed the group “previously engaged in election influence in other countries and is a threat to the 2024 US elections.”Separately, the US Department of Justice unveiled an indictment against two employees of RT who are accused of funding a Tennessee-based digital media group. The DOJ alleged that the two Russians of “covertly” funded the group to distribute content with “hidden Russian government messaging.” The DOJ didn’t name the group, but the details in the indictment match with Tenet Media.The indictment charges the two Russia with conspiracy to launder money and a conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a law that requires individuals or entities engaging in lobbying or other activity on behalf of a foreign country to register as foreign agents with the DOJ. Since both Russians are based in Russia, the case is not expected to go to trial, making the indictment largely symbolic.The US government is also going after Americans who have worked for or written stories for RT, including former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, who was recently raided by the FBI. Ritter said the raid was over allegations that he violated FARA, which he has denied.

Economist Jeffrey Sachs Reveals How Neocons Subverted Russia's Financial Stabilization In Early 1990s -- In 1989 I served as an advisor to the first post-communist government of Poland, and helped to devise a strategy of financial stabilization and economic transformation. On the basis of Poland’s economic success, I was contacted in 1990 by Mr. Grigory Yavlinsky, economic advisor to President Mikhail Gorbachev, to offer similar advice to the Soviet Union, and in particular to help mobilize financial support for the economic stabilization and transformation of the Soviet Union. We jointly proposed a “Grand Bargain” to the US, G7, and Soviet Union, in which we advocated large-scale financial support by the US and G7 countries for Gorbachev’s ongoing economic and political reforms. The report was published as Window of Opportunity: The Grand Bargain for Democracy in the Soviet Union (1 October 1991). The proposal for large-scale Western support for the Soviet Union was flatly rejected by the Cold Warriors in the White House. Gorbachev came to the G7 Summit in London in July 1991 asking for financial assistance, but left empty-handed. Upon his return to Moscow, he was abducted in the coup attempt of August 1991. At that point, Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation, assumed effective leadership of the crisis-ridden Soviet Union. By December, under the weight of decisions by Russia and other Soviet republics, the Soviet Union was dissolved with the emergence of 15 newly independent nations. In September 1991, I was contacted by Yegor Gaidar, economic advisor to Yeltsin, and soon to be acting Prime Minister of newly independent Russian Federation as of December 1991. I recommended that Russia reiterate the call for large-scale Western financial assistance, including an immediate standstill on debt servicing, longer-term debt relief, a currency stabilization fund for the ruble (as for the Zloty in Poland), large-scale grants of dollars and European currencies to support urgently needed food and medical imports and other essential commodity flows, and immediate financing by the IMF, World Bank, and other institutions to protect Russia’s social services (healthcare, education, and others). In November 1991, Gaidar met with the G7 Deputies (the deputy finance ministers of the G7 countries) and requested a standstill on debt servicing. This request was flatly denied. To the contrary, Gaidar was told that unless Russia continued to service every last dollar as it came due, emergency food aid on the high seas heading to Russia would be immediately turned around and sent back to the home ports. I met with an ashen-faced Gaidar immediately after the G7 Deputies meeting. In December 1991, I met with Yeltsin in the Kremlin to brief him on Russia’s financial crisis and on my continued hope and advocacy for emergency Western assistance, especially as Russia was now emerging as an independent, democratic nation after the end of the Soviet Union. He requested that I serve as an advisor to his economic team, with a focus on attempt to mobilize the needed large-scale financial support. I accepted that challenge and the advisory position on a strictly unpaid basis. Upon returning from Moscow, I went to Washington to reiterate my call for a debt standstill, a currency stabilization fund, and emergency financial support. In my meeting with Mr. Richard Erb, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF in charge of overall relations with Russia, I learned that the US did not support this kind of financial package. I once again pleaded the economic and financial case, and was determined to change US policy. It had been my experience in other advisory contexts that it might require several months to sway Washington on its policy approach. Indeed, during 1991-94 I would advocate non-stop but without success for large-scale Western support for Russia’s crisis-ridden economy, and support for the other 14 newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. I made these appeals in countless speeches, meetings, conferences, op-eds, and academic articles. Mine was a lonely voice in the US in calling for such support. I had learned from economic history — most importantly the crucial writings of John Maynard Keynes (especially Economic Consequences of the Peace, 1919) — and from my own advisory experiences in Latin America and Eastern Europe, that external financial support for Russia could well be the make or break of Russia’s urgently needed stabilization effort. This advice went unheeded, but that did not deter me from continuing my advocacy. In early 1992, I was invited to make the case on the PBS news show The McNeil-Lehrer Report. I was on air with acting Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. After the show, he asked me to ride with him from the PBS studio in Arlington, Virginia back to Washington, D.C. Our conversation was the following. “Jeffrey, please let me explain to you that your request for large-scale aid is not going to happen. Even assuming that I agree with your arguments — and Poland’s finance minister [Leszek Balcerowicz] made the same points to me just last week — it’s not going to happen. Do you want to know why? Do you know what this year is?” “1992,” I answered. “Do you know that this means?” “An election year?” I replied. “Yes, this is an election year. It’s not going to happen.” Russia’s economic crisis worsened rapidly in 1992. Gaidar lifted price controls at the start of 1992, not as some purported miracle cure but because the Soviet-era official fixed prices were irrelevant under the pressures of the black markets, the repressed inflation (that is, rapid inflation in the black-market prices and therefore the rising the gap with the official prices), the complete breakdown of the Soviet-era planning mechanism, and the massive corruption engendered by the few goods still being exchanged at the official prices far below the black-market prices. Russia urgently needed a stabilization plan of the kind that Poland had undertaken, but such a plan was out of reach financially (because of the lack of external support) and politically (because the lack of external support also meant the lack of any internal consensus on what to do). The crisis was compounded by the collapse of trade among the newly independent post-Soviet nations and the collapse of trade between the former Soviet Union and its former satellite nations in Central and Eastern Europe, which were now receiving Western aid and were reorienting trade towards Western Europe and away from the former Soviet Union. During 1992 I continued without any success to try to mobilize the large-scale Western financing that I believed to be ever-more urgent. I pinned my hopes on the newly elected Presidency of Bill Clinton. These hopes too were quickly dashed. Clinton’s key advisor on Russia, Johns Hopkins Professor Michael Mandelbaum, told me privately in November 1992 that the incoming Clinton team had rejected the concept of large-scale assistance for Russia. Mandelbaum soon announced publicly that he would not serve in the new administration. I met with Clinton’s new Russia advisor, Strobe Talbott, but discovered that he was largely unaware of the pressing economic realities. He asked me to send him some materials about hyperinflations, which I duly did. At the end of 1992, after one year of trying to help Russia, I told Gaidar that I would step aside as my recommendations were not heeded in Washington or the European capitals. Yet around Christmas Day I received a phone call from Russia’s incoming financing minister, Mr. Boris Fyodorov. He asked me to meet him in Washington in the very first days of 1993. We met at the World Bank. Fyodorov, a gentleman and highly intelligent expert who tragically died young a few years later, implored me to remain as an advisor to him during 1993. I agreed to do so, and spent one more year attempting to help Russia implement a stabilization plan. I resigned in December 1993, and publicly announced my departure as advisor in the first days of 1994. My continued advocacy in Washington once again fell on deaf ears in the first year of the Clinton Administration, and my own forebodings became greater. I repeatedly invoked the warnings of history in my public speaking and writing, as in this piece in theNew Republic in January 1994, soon after I had stepped aside from the advisory role. The failure of the West to provide large-scale and timely financial support to Russia and the other newly independent nations of the former Soviet Union definitely exacerbated the serious economic and financial crisis that faced those countries in the early 1990s. Inflation remained very high for several years. Trade and hence economic recovery were seriously impeded. Corruption flourished under the policies of parceling out valuable state assets to private hands. All of these dislocations gravely weakened the public trust in the new governments of the region and the West. This collapse in social trust brought to my mind at the time the adage of Keynes in 1919, following the disaster Versailles settlement and the hyperinflations that followed: “There is no subtler, no surer means of over-turning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and it does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose.” During the tumultuous decade of the 1990s, Russia’s social services fell into decline. When this decline was coupled with the greatly increased stresses on society, the result was a sharp rise in Russia’s alcohol-related deaths. Whereas in Poland, the economic reforms were accompanied by a rise in life expectancy and public health, the very opposite occurred in crisis-riven Russia. Even with all of these economic debacles, and with Russia’sdefault in 1998, the grave economic crisis and lack of Western support were not the definitive breaking points of US-Russian relations. In 1999, when Vladimir Putin became Prime Minister and in 2000 when he became President, Putin sought friendly and mutually supportive international relations between Russia and the West. Many European leaders, for example, Italy’s Romano Prodi, have spoken extensively about Putin’s goodwill and positive intentions towards strong Russia-EU relations in the first years of his presidency. Looking back on the events around 1991-93, and to the events that followed, it is clear that the US was determined to say no to Russia’s aspirations for peaceful and mutually respectful integration of Russia and the West. The end of the Soviet period and the beginning of the Yeltsin Presidency occasioned the rise of the neoconservatives (neocons) to power in the United States. The neocons did not and do not want a mutually respectful relationship with Russia. They sought and until today seek a unipolar world led by a hegemonic US, in which Russia and other nations will be subservient. In this US-led world order, the neocons envisioned that the US and the US alone will determine the utilization of the dollar-based banking system, the placement of overseas US military bases, the extent of NATO membership, and the deployment of US missile systems, without any veto or say by other countries, certainly including Russia. That arrogant foreign policy has led to several wars and to a widening rupture of relations between the US-led bloc of nations and the rest of the world. As an advisor to Russia during two years, late-1991 to late-93, I experienced first-hand the early days of neoconservatism applied to Russia, though it would take many years of events afterwards to recognize the full extent of the new and dangerous turn in US foreign policy that began in the early 1990s.

You Can Measure The Health Of A Society By How It Treats Its Warmongers And Its Peacemongers --Caitlin Johnstone - -You can tell a lot about the health of a society by how it treats its warmongers and how it treats its peacemongers.When those who push for war are elevated to positions of prominence in government and media while those who push for peace are smeared as antisemites and Russian agents, you know you are living in a wildly dysfunctional civilization.When politicians who promote the interests of empire managers and war profiteers rocket to the top echelons of government while those who promote the interests of war victims and ordinary people have their homes raided and their devices seized by police under counter-terrorism laws, you know you are living in a profoundly sick society.When those who spend their lives promoting mass military slaughter at every opportunity are rewarded with esteemed and lucrative punditry careers while those who call for an end to mass military slaughter have their influence relegated to increasingly marginalized online platforms, you know you are living in dystopia.War is the most insane thing humans do. The most destructive. The most traumatizing. The most destabilizing. The least sustainable. The least morally defensible. The least conducive to human thriving. It is promoted by the very worst among us, and it is opposed by the very best.In a healthy society, those who dedicated themselves to the task of getting as many human beings ripped apart by military explosives as possible would be reviled as monsters and caged for the health of the collective. In our society this is seen as a perfectly legitimate career path, from which someone can earn a very comfortable living.In a healthy society, only those who promote the interests of ordinary human beings and spurn the influence of malign manipulators would ever be elevated to positions of leadership. In our society, it’s the best way to make sure you spend your life in perpetual obscurity.This is what powerful manipulators have successfully duped us into accepting as normal. This is the insanity that mass media propaganda and mainstream culture-manufacturing have convinced us to regard as okay. But it is not okay. It’s about as far from okay as anything could possibly be.And now here we are, our eyes full of genocide in the foreground and a looming global conflict between nuclear-armed states in the background, with those who decry this being shouted down and silenced while those who support this become millionaires and presidents.There is no part of this that is acceptable. Every aspect of this civilization is a freakish abomination. We’ve got to wake up to what’s going on, and we’ve got to find some way to remove the people who have placed us on this trajectory from power.So long as any part of this nightmare looks fine and normal to most people, we’ve got no chance at a healthy world.

US seizes plane used by Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro - The U.S. government has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after officials determined its purchase violated sanctions and export control laws, the Justice Department (DOJ) announced Monday.The Dassault Falcon 900EX was seized Monday morning in the Dominican Republican and transferred to federal officials in Florida, the DOJ said in a statement.“This morning, the Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote.A U.S. investigation found people affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based shell company to hide their involvement in the illegal purchase of the aircraft from a Florida-based company in late 2022 and early 2023, the DOJ said. This was done to circumvent a 2019 executive order that prohibits U.S. persons from business transactions with the Maduro regime, officials alleged.The plane was then illegally exported to Venezuela in April 2023 and has been used by Maduro and his representatives to and from a military base in Venezuela.“The seizure of this aircraft is another significant action by Homeland Security Investigations working with our domestic and international partners against the illegal activities of the Maduro regime,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury with the Homeland Security Investigations of Miami. CNN first reported the plane seizure.The seized plane was the one to carry several Americans imprisoned for years in Venezuela to the Caribbean Island of Canouan last December, when they were swapped in exchange for Maduro’s ally, businessman Alex Saab, who was jailed in the U.S. on money laundering charges,The Associated Press reported.The plane flew to the Dominican Republic for what was believed to be maintenance but did not leave, the news wire added.The U.S. has sanctioned 55 Venezuelan-registered planes owned by state owned oil company PDVSA, per the AP.The Venezuelan government’s centralized press office did not immediately return the AP’s request for comment Monday.

US Steals Airplane Used by Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro - The US has stolen the official airplane of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro under claims that it was purchased by violating US sanctions, US officials told CNN on Monday.The US officials described the plane as the equivalent of Air Force One and said it was taken by the US from the Dominican Republic and flown to Florida. The Justice Department claimed the plane was purchased in Flordia and exported to Venezuela in April 2023.“This sends a message all the way up to the top,” one of the US officials boasted to CNN. “Seizing the foreign head of state’s plane is unheard-of for criminal matters. We’re sending a clear message here that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of US sanctions.”The Justice Department said in a press release that it “announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolas Maduro and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela.”Attorney General Merrick Garland claimed the aircraft was “illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies.The move marks an escalation in the US campaign against Maduro, who the US has been trying to unseat from power for years. In 2019, the US rejected the result of Venezuela’s 2018 elections and recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as acting president, who led a failed coup attempt against Maduro and eventually fell out of favor of the US-backed opposition. The failed coup attempt came with crippling sanctions that amounted to an economic embargo.Last month, the Biden administration announced it rejected the results of the 2024 election and recognized Edmundo González Urrutia, who was on the ballot for the opposition, as the winner. Venezuela’s election authorities declared Maduro as the winner, but the opposition disputed the results, accused the government of election manipulation, and also claimed victory..

Taiwan to purchase over 1,000 additional Stinger missiles amid increased Chinese threat - The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence plans to buy over 1,000 additional Stinger missiles to boost itsdefence capabilities amid growing concerns about China's military activities. The Army and Navy each ordered 250 Stinger missiles in 2019 and 2015, respectively. However, Taiwanese forces urgently require more effective countermeasures and deterrence, prompting the Army to order 1,985 more Stinger missiles from the US for approximately NT$55.54 billion,Taiwan News reported, citing Liberty Times.The Army will procure 549 launch systems and 549 identification, friend or foe (IFF) systems. The missiles are expected to be delivered by 2031, according to the MND's 2025 budget report.The Navy also plans to buy 45 man-portable Stinger missiles, 15 launch systems, and 15 IFF devices, scheduled for delivery by 2031.However, the military has not commented on whether these purchases are included in the Army's procurement plan.Taiwan's Navy has been pushing the US to speed up the delivery of 250 Stinger missiles, sending 11 letters since March.This is part of a larger issue, as Taiwan has faced delays in receiving arms from the US since 2019, hindering its efforts to boost defences against China.Talks of purchasing additional Stinger missiles from the US first came about under then-President Tsai Ing-wen to meet air defence needs and prepare for more live-fire target practice as conscript service increased to one year.\

US To Set Up Military Repair Hubs in 5 Asia Pacific Nations - The Pentagon plans to establish new military repair hubs in five Asia Pacific nations amid its buildup in the region aimed at China, Nikkei Asiareported on Wednesday.Sources told Nikkei the hubs will be set up in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, and Australia. The project, known as the Regional Sustainment Framework (RSF), envisions a global network of repair facilities for US planes, ships, vehicles, and other warfighting equipment.The idea is to create facilities to repair and maintain equipment closer to its deployment area rather than bringing it back to the US. The Pentagon plans to launch pilot programs in the Asia Pacific and then establish similar hubs in Europe and Latin America.The focus on the Asia Pacific is part of the US military buildup that’s being done explicitly in the name of preparing for a future war with China. US military officials are openly discussing a future direct conflict with the Chinese military despite the risk of it quickly turning nuclear.In July, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.was asked if he believed the US could beat China in a war over Taiwan. “Yes, I’m fully confident in our force. We are the most lethal, most respected combat force in the world,” he said.Brown acknowledged the war would be the largest conflict since World War II and said the US was preparing for it by stockpiling weapons, ammunition, and other types of supplies. “These will be major conflicts akin to what we saw in WWII, and so we’ve got to come to grips with that,” he said.

US Wants To Deploy Controversial Missile System to Japan - The US wants to deploy a previously banned missile system to Japan for military drills, Nikkei Asia reported Thursday.The Typhon missile launcher is a ground-based system that can fire nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of more than 1,000 miles. Ground-based missiles with a range between 310 and 3,400 miles were banned by the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which the US withdrew from in 2019. The Typhon also fires SM-6 missiles, which can hit targets up to 290 miles away.The US deployed a Typhon system to the Philippines for military drills, a move that China viewed as a major provocation. The missile system was sent to the Philippines for several months. It was first deployed for the drills that started in April, and Manila said it would be pulled out in September, meaning it could still be there.The Philippines said China expressed “very dramatic” alarm over the deployment of the Typhon system. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the deployment “put the entire region under the fire of the United States (and) brought huge risks of war into the region.”US Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said on Wednesday that she told Japanese officials the US wanted to deploy the Typhon to Japan next. “We’ve made our interest in this clear with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces,” she said at a Defense News conference in Virginia.Wormuth said the US would also look to keep it in Japan for several months. “Our goal…in the Army has been to really try to have as much combat-credible capability forward” in the Indo-Pacific west of the international dateline, she said, according to Nikkei.Wormuth claimed the deployment “strengthens deterrence” in the region and said the missile system has “gotten the attention of China.” She said there is “a lot of potential” for moving US troops and equipment around Japan’s southwestern islands, which are near Taiwan. US officials say the US is building up its military presence near China in the name of deterrence, but the steps have only escalated tensions in the region, making a conflict more likely. Wormuth and other US officials are also openly planning for a direct confrontation with China despite the obvious risk of nuclear war.Wormuth said last year that the US was preparing to fight and win a war with China. “I personally am not of the view that an amphibious invasion of Taiwan is imminent,” she said. “But we obviously have to prepare, to be prepared to fight and win that war.”

Former New York official accused of acting as a Chinese government agent - — A former New York state official who worked under Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was accused of trading on her connections to act as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, according to a sweeping federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. Linda Sun, 41, was accused of using her influence as a top aide to both governors to shape state policy toward China and Taiwan, federal prosecutors alleged. She was arrested Tuesday morning along with her husband, 40-year-old Chris Hu. The arrest came six weeks after their Long Island home was searched by the FBI. Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty. Sun will be released on a $1.5 million bond and cannot have any contact with the Chinese consulate and mission. Hu will be released on a $500,000 bond. Sun and Hu have also had their travel limited to New York City, Long Island, Maine and New Hampshire. Prosecutors accused Sun of using her position to block Taiwanese government officials from gaining access to the governor’s office, attempting to shape how New York government officials communicated on issues facing China and obtaining official state government proclamations for Chinese government representatives. Sun also attempted to organize a trip to China with an unnamed top politician in New York state, according to the indictment. The indictment, which was unsealed Tuesday after their arrest, laid out a series of allegations in which Sun is accused of attempting to leverage her jobs in state government and access to top elected officials at the behest of the Chinese government. In exchange, Sun and her husband received numerous gifts and benefits, including having a personal chef of a Chinese official prepare “Nanjing-style salted ducks” that were delivered to the home of her parents. Hu’s business also received benefits. The couple were accused of laundering the proceeds and buying a $1.9 million condominium in Hawaii as well as other luxury goods. “As alleged, while appearing to serve the people of New York as Deputy Chief of Staff within the New York State Executive Chamber, the defendant and her husband actually worked to further the interests of the Chinese government and the CCP,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars.” She was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act as well as visa fraud, money laundering and alien smuggling, prosecutors said. Hu was charged with money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and the misuse of means of identification.

Biden preparing to block Nippon takeover of US Steel - President Joe Biden is preparing to announce he will block Nippon Steel’s proposed $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, said three people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss a decision not yet public. However, a White House spokesperson said she could not confirm the decision, which the Washington Post first reported on Wednesday, also citing three people with knowledge of the matter.The White House spokesperson noted that the next step in the decision making process is for Biden to receive recommendations from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, an interagency group led by the Treasury Department. CFIUS examines foreign investments for potential threats to national security. Most cases are resolved before they reach the White House, but occasionally the president makes the final decision. The White House spokesperson could not say when they expect to receive the CFIUS recommendations, and a Treasury spokesperson declined comment. Once Biden receives the recommendations, he has 15 days to announce a decision.Biden has already expressed opposition to Japanese-owned Nippon’s proposed takeover of U.S. Steel, saying the iconic U.S. company should remain American owned.Vice President and Democratic president nominee Kamala Harris echoed that view in a trip with Biden to Pittsburgh earlier this week, even though Japan is one of the U.S.’ closest allies and blocking the deal could hurt relations.“U.S. Steel is an historic American company, and it is vital for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies,” Harris said on Monday. “ And I couldn’t agree more with President Biden, U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated.”Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are expected to make a Thursday visit to Pittsburgh, the location of the headquarters for U.S. Steel and the Steelworkers union, which has strongly opposed the Nippon deal.Former President Donald Trump also has threatened to block the deal if he defeats Harris in November’s election. Blocking the deal before voters go to the polls would allow Harris and Biden to take credit, although Trump could argue he pushed them to do it.

Republicans zero in on planned EV battery plant in Michigan to hit Democrats on China in battleground state — Last fall, voters angry about plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant in their rural community in central Michigan turned their ire on the township board that supported the project, ousting five of the seven board members in a recall election.It could have been all seven, Lori Brock, an area real estate agent who helped lead the effort, said. But two members resigned ahead of time. “They knew they were going to get recalled,” she said.Back then, the political debate over Gotion Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of a Chinese company that acknowledges its association with the Communist Party of China, was parochial, playing out in Green Charter Township and surrounding areas. Now it’s playing out in the race for the White House as a fusion of two issues central to Republican messaging — the rise of China as a geopolitical adversary and the emergence of electric vehicles — in a critical battleground state.“They’re moving up the food chain, and it’s starting from the grassroots level,” Michigan GOP Chairman Pete Hoekstra said, referring to the activists who rallied to oust local officeholders. Former President Donald Trump declared himself “100% OPPOSED” to Gotion in a social media post last month, writing that the company “would put Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.” More recently, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, traveled here last week to deliver a campaign speech on Brock’s horse farm. Vance’s visit was designed to raise awareness, a source familiar with the planning said. In his speech, Vance attempted to link the project to Vice President Kamala Harris, noting how the Democratic presidential nominee cast the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, which makes green energy companies like Gotion eligible for tax credits. A Gotion official told Crain’s Detroit Business last year that the company, “at this time,” was not pursuing the tax credits.“I think the most important thing is we have to stop paying Chinese manufacturers to manufacture, whether it’s here or overseas,” Vance said in a meeting with reporters after the speech last week. “We want to build an American manufacturing industry and an American middle class. If we want to pursue these policies, let’s do them for Americans and American businesses.”

House Republican proposes permitting reform legislation --A key House Republican negotiator has released a draft bill aimed at speeding up approvals for the nation’s energy projects as bipartisan and bicameral talks continue. House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (Ark.) released legislation aimed at speeding up environmental reviews and limiting legal challenges under the nation’s bedrock environmental law. The draft comes as Westerman and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) have been negotiating the issue, known as permitting reform, in the House. On the Senate side, Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) announced a bipartisan compromise earlier this year.While Peters and Westerman have been negotiating a joint bill, Peters’s spokesperson said those talks are still ongoing and confirmed that the newly public draft is from Westerman only. A Westerman spokesperson described the draft as a starting point in bicameral talks. The proposed legislation would limit the use of new science in environmental reviews, as part of an effort to prevent research from stalling a project’s approval. Like the Manchin-Barrasso bill, the Westerman draft would also limit how long opponents of a project have to sue. Westerman’s bill also restricts courts’ ability to block projects just because of insufficient environmental analysis and would only allow them to do so over actual environmental harm. It would also limit the definition of environmental impacts that are “reasonably foreseeable” as a result of a project and therefore subject to review. Critics of this approach have noted that limited definitions could result in the exclusion of climate impacts that occur downstream — if for example a review pertains to fossil fuel production or transport while the bulk of the fuel’s emissions occur later than when the fuel is actually burned. Westerman’s draft will be discussed at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing next week.

Janet Yellen makes case for Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits -Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday touted the successes of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) clean energy tax credits and argued that efforts to roll them back would be a “historic mistake.” “There are some out there who want to eliminate the credits I’ve talked about today,” Yellen said at Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, N.C. “As we see clearly here in North Carolina, this would be a historic mistake.” Yellen pointed to the 90,000 families in the state who have taken advantage of IRA tax credits for their homes, claiming $100 million in residential clean energy credits and $60 million in home energy efficiency credits. “Rolling them back could raise costs for working families at a moment when it’s imperative that we continue to take action to lower prices,” the Treasury secretary said. “It could jeopardize the significant investments in manufacturing we’re seeing here and across the country, along with the jobs that come with them, many of which don’t require a college degree,” she added, referring to the IRA’s clean energy tax incentives for companies. “And it could give a leg up to China and other countries that are also investing to compete in these critical industries,” Yellen continued. While the IRA passed Congress in 2022 without any Republican support, some GOP lawmakers have similarly voiced concerns about axing the law’s clean energy tax credits in recent weeks. A group of 18 House Republicans sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in early August, urging him not to target the credits if the GOP maintains or expands its majority in the lower chamber next year. They suggested that repealing the credits could undermine growth in the energy sector, where companies have already broken ground on investments under the assumption that the credits would remain in place. “Energy tax credits have spurred innovation, incentivized investment, and created good jobs in many parts of the country — including many districts represented by members of our conference,” the GOP lawmakers wrote. “We must reverse the policies which harm American families while protecting and refining those that are making our country more energy independent and Americans more energy secure,” they added.

How Exxon chases billions in US subsidies for a ‘climate solution’ that helps it drill more oil --When the oil giant ExxonMobil sponsored an event at the re-energizing Democratic national convention (DNC) in Chicago last week, it was disrupted by climate activists outraged that big oil was invited on to an influential political platform. “Exxon lies,people die,” protesters shouted before being evicted. The event included a “fireside chat” with Vijay Swarup, the company’s senior climate strategy and technology director. Speaking at the DNC event, Swarup said: “We need new technology and we need policy to support that technology. We need governments working with private industry.” The Exxon executive also praised the Biden administration’s landmark climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, for helping the company pursue new CCS and hydrogen projects. Exxon’s CEO, Darren Woods, said, “I am very supportive of the IRA” and acknowledged the legislation “especially benefited” the company. Exxon is set to receive billions in public subsidies because of the legislation.The US multinational has not always been such a strong advocate for the technology, but now argues that CCS is crucial in the climate fight and works, in theory, by capturing carbon dioxide from hard-to-abate heavy industries, like steel or cement, and pumping it underground to be stored indefinitely. Exxon champions itself as a “global leader” in CCS, maintaining it is driving “meaningful change” in the fight against global heating.But an estimated two-thirds to three-quarters of the carbon currently captured in the US is used to extract hard-to-reach reserves, a practice known as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). And the reputation of CCS has largely been one of “underperformance” and “unmet expectations”, the International Energy Agency said in 2023.“Oil companies that make billions in profits don’t need public subsidies. It’s not a good idea to support companies that are the cause of climate change, but also CCS should not be a priority for funding,” said Catherine Mitchell, professor emerita of energy policy at the University of Exeter and an IPCC expert on climate mitigation.“Increasing renewable energy and requiring improved energy efficiency for buildings or supporting secure supply chains for renewables, energy efficiency and batteries would be a far more important investment,” Mitchell added.For decades, Exxon’s scientists understood the potential of removing CO₂ to assist in the climate fight. However, the technology was dismissed as too expensive, too polluting and because it might increase energy consumption. Until 2018, Exxon’s thinking on carbon and capture still centred around getting more oil out of the ground by injecting CO₂ via EOR. And the company had a team exploring whether “it was even possible to permanently store captured carbon”. Internally, Exxon foresaw CCS having only a limited role, with one ex-company scientist believing “CCS to be a mediocre-at-best contributor to carbon sequestration” That year, though, it appears there were two new tactics in the company’s lobbying and media strategy. First, as the US Congress passed an extension and increase for the 45Q carbon capture tax credit, Exxon officially launched its CCS business and started lobbying Congress for money. The company employed an army of lobbyists to get what it wanted.In 2019, Exxon’s lobbying on CCS intensified. The company pushed for direct government funding for CCS, particularly at the US Department of Energy (DOE). With the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill in November 2021, in which $12bn was allocated for “carbon management research, development, and demonstration” for the oil industry, it appears that Exxon got at least some of what it asked for.Exxon also played a “central role” in drafting a DOE-sponsored report on CCS that determined Congress would need to create an incentive of about $90 to $110 per tonne to support CCS deployment. Parts of the carbon capture bill were eventually included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022. Exxon did not get $100 per tonne, but the rate jumped to $35 to $60 per tonne for EOR and $50 to $85 for permanent storage.In its lobbying reports, the company admits “engaging” Congress on the 45Q and IRA and “advocating for supporting policies” for CCS under the IRA. Again, its strategy paid off. Exxon took advantage of the increased incentives, buying Denbury for $4.9bn, and acquiring its strategic CO₂ pipeline network, enhanced oil recovery assets and storage facilities. This “cemented the supermajor’s lead” in the race to develop CCS.The oil giant now brags about how much money it will make from CCS, even though it acknowledges its plans for carbon capture were economic before the IRA. The head of its Low Carbon Solutions unit, Dan Ammann, says the low-carbon business could eventually be “larger than ExxonMobil’s base business”.

Trump vows to pull back climate law’s unspent dollars - Donald Trump pledged Thursday to rescind any “unspent” funds under theInflation Reduction Act should he be elected in November — potentially upending key parts of the Democrats’ climate law and its benefits to Republican-led communities.“To further defeat inflation, my plan will terminate the Green New Deal, which I call the Green New Scam,” the former president said before the Economic Club of New York in wide-ranging remarks focused on the economy, likening Biden’s agenda to a “waste” of money.“It actually sets us back, as opposed to moves us forward. And [I will] rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act,” Trump added. Trump’s formal threat to the climate law will likely only underscore the urgency for the Biden administration to get money from the law out the door. And it ups the ante in the ongoing debate among Republicans over how to address the law that is already bringing projects and investment dollars to GOP districts, should they gain control of both houses of Congress.Trump did not specify which IRA programs he would target. Some Republicans in Congress have criticized the law’s funding for green banks and other programs while other GOP leaders have expressed support for maintaining some IRA tax credits that support manufacturing. And Trump’s former trade adviser Robert Lighthizer has suggested that some of the law’s provisions, like those that support U.S. factories, could be kept in place under a second Trump administration.The administration has announced billions of dollars in IRA funding to support clean energy projects. But it is unclear exactly how much of that funding has been obligated or spent, which would offer them some legal protection against an effort by Trump to claw it back.POLITICO’s analysis earlier this year showcased the enormity of the challenge for the Biden administration to spend those direct funding programs. The analysis from April found that of the $145 billion in direct spending on energy and climate programs in the IRA, the administration had announced roughly $60 billion in tentative funding decisions. That number has only grown since April, but many of the funding decisions will need to meet certain metrics before the money is formally spent.The former president outlined a plan Thursday to establish a government efficiency commission floated by Tesla’s Elon Musk, who Trump has increasingly embraced and who he suggested could lead the new commission.The former president also said he plans to issue a national emergency declaration to increase domestic energy supply and reiterated arguments that Vice President Kamala Harris is waging a “war” on U.S. energy — despite record U.S. oil production under the Biden administration.The majority of the IRA’s emissions reductions come via a wide swath of new and expanded tax credits for clean energy technologies, which is separate from the direct spending under the law for grant programs and loans and would take congressional action to repeal.The law includes grant programs, including those to reduce methane emissions, increase energy efficiency and create green banks across the country — some of which have already drawn Republicans’ ire. It also boosts funding for a loan office under the Energy Department that has grown under Biden but that slowed down under the previous Trump administration.And the stakes are high for Democrats: Should Trump get elected, his administration would have wide latitude to slow down or reelevate direct spending under the law, as POLITICO has also reported — particularly as the former president has promised to restore a presidential authority to withhold congressionally approved spending that he considers wasteful.

House Republicans unveil funding plan to address VA shortfall - House Republicans rolled out an emergency funding plan Friday to address a roughly $3 billion budget shortfall facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee joined House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Mike Bost (R-Ill.) unveiling the bill, dubbed the Veterans Benefits Continuity and Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act.“My bill is focused on both ensuring our veterans receive the care they’ve earned and demanding accountability from those in charge,” Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Friday. “We need to fix what’s broken, not just fund it, and make sure our heroes are never left behind by the failures of this administration.”His comments come as the VA has faced increased scrutiny, particularly from Republicans, asofficials warn millions of veterans’ benefits are at risk in the coming weeks.The VA is calling on Congress to provide about $3 billion in mandatory benefits funds for fiscal 2024, as well as roughly $12 billion more than what the administration requested in fiscal 2025 for medical care.The VA has cited the PACT Act, a landmark law that passed with bipartisan support in 2022, as the key driver behind the budget shortfall, pointing to increases in enrollment in VA health care, appointments and applications benefits. Officials have also signaled more funding could be needed in recent months as the VA continued to ramp up outreach efforts.“These important results for veterans and survivors exceeded even the most aggressive projections and expectations,” an agency spokesperson said. Veterans’ compensation and pension benefit payments, as well as their readjustment benefits, could be delayed if Congress doesn’t provide additional funding by Sept. 20, the VA told lawmakers earlier this year.

Transportation Department launches probe of airline rewards - The Department of Transportation has launched a probe into the rewards programs at the nation's four biggest airlines, seeking to pull back the curtain on business practices that generate major revenue for the airlines through partnerships with credit card issuers.The Transportation Department said Thursday that it's asking American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines to provide detailed information about their rewards programs within 90 days. Under the microscope: the airlines' use of dynamic pricing, their use of hidden pricing, the steps they have taken to devalue customer rewards and the fees they charge to customers who are seeking to redeem or transfer points.The agency said it's aiming to protect consumers from potentially unfair, deceptive and anticompetitive practices."Our goal is to ensure consumers are getting the value that was promised to them, which means validating that these programs are transparent and fair," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release.The department is launching its inquiry roughly 10 months after Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., urged the agency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to take action regarding what they characterized as unfair and deceptive practices in airline reward programs. The senators' focus on airline rewards came after the CEOs of several airlines expressed opposition to a push by the same two lawmakers to bring down credit card interchange fees, also known as swipe fees.In May, the DOT held a joint hearing with the CFPB on airline rewards programs. It featured criticism of the four big airlines by consumer advocates, executives at smaller air carriers and a representative of a union for flight attendants.On Thursday, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra described the DOT inquiry as "a key step to prevent deceptive devaluation tactics that can plague these alternative currencies held by tens of millions of families.""Airline valuations are increasingly driven by their points programs and lucrative partnerships with credit card companies, and Americans are paying high interest rates and fees to participate in these programs — yet these tempting points and rewards programs are often depreciated or changed with little notice," Chopra said in a written statement. "The CFPB will continue to scrutinize the relationship between big credit card companies and big airlines."

Biden Unveils $7.3 Billion Investment In Rural America’s Electricity -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled $7.3 billion investment in clean and affordable electricity for American rural communities as the president looks to help his Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to win voters in rural battleground states.President Biden’s announcement, made in Wisconsin, pledges the multi-billion investment which will be funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).The investment announced today is the largest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal and is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the White House said.The President is set to announce the first round of rural electric cooperatives selected and the first award for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.On Thursday, USDA announced that 16 rural electric cooperatives are being selected to receive up to $7.3 billion in clean energy financing that will deliver clean, more affordable, and more resilient electricity to approximately 5 million rural co-op members representing 20% of rural households, farms, businesses, and schools. These 16 cooperatives will benefit rural residents across 23 states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.Under the New ERA program, electric cooperatives will build or purchase over 10 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy.National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson commented on the new program that “The New ERA program showcases what is possible when the government prioritizes voluntary, flexible decision-making and allows electric co-ops to take a tailored approach to respond to local needs.” The program “is a transformative opportunity for electric cooperatives,” Matheson added.

Biden’s plan to rip down inner city highways risks ‘epic fail’ - — With President Joe Biden’s time in the White House winding down, one of his boldest transportation priorities is in jeopardy. His administration and Congress have set aside billions of dollars to remove inner-city freeways and reconnect neighborhoods that were sundered by road projects of the 1950s and ’60s. The intent is to create jobs, cut emissions and heal scars left by a highway boom that often rammed roads through Black and impoverished communities. “There is racism physically built into some of our highways,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in 2021. Soon after that declaration, Buttigieg visited Syracuse, New York, where state and local officials have been working for more than a decade to tear down a freeway that divided the city. Upstate New York has been a proving ground for freeway removals, ever since Rochester in 2014 started ripping out a section of its Inner Loop to give residents more living space and a place to ride bikes.For Shawn Dunwoody and Suzanne Mayer, who run the nonprofit Hinge Neighbors group in Rochester, the project and others like it are one way to start correcting mistakes of the past. “These neighborhoods were destroyed,” Dunwoody said. “Everyone got treated the same — poorly.” But city reclamation projects in upstate New York and elsewhere are in danger if Donald Trump takes back the White House, given what the former president and his allies have said about this kind of spending. The highway removal programs are vulnerable too because little of the money has made it out the door — an issue that has beset other major pieces of Biden’s expansive infrastructure, energy and social spending agenda. All told, the Biden administration and Congress have approved $1.1 trillion in spending to fight climate change, boost infrastructure and build a clean energy manufacturing base. As of July, less than 20 percent had been spent, according to an analysis by POLITICO and E&E News. Roughly 30 percent of the $1.1 trillion does not become available until fiscal 2025 or later.Progress appears to be slower on the two grant programs within the Transportation Department to help tear up highways and reconnect communities. Unlike regular highway funds — which are distributed to state agencies using well-established formulas — so-called discretionary grants require local agencies to sign a contract with the federal government, known as a funding agreement. At that point, the money is considered “obligated,” making it difficult to claw back.Government data show the Transportation Department has announced about $3.5 billion in grants for the two programs, most of it in one round of awards that came out in March. The department has fully obligated $130 million so far, or a little less than 4 percent of the announced grants, DOT spokesperson Sean Manning said. It’s normal for the government to take a few months to finalize the agreements with local sponsors. The DOT is working to streamline the paperwork and provide technical assistance to local governments, Manning said in an email. Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic nominee for president, has embraced the program. In April, she visited Atlanta to promote a $158 million grant that will pay to put a paved cap over a freeway in the city’s downtown — reconnecting a historic Black neighborhood to the business district and creating 14 acres of space for new development. Trump hasn’t commented specifically on freeway removal. His campaign didn’t comment specifically on the grants, but a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, Anna Kelly, touted Trump’s efforts to cut red tape and speed up permitting for infrastructure projects during his first term. The ex-president has had a fraught relationship with cities, however. In his first term, DOT shifted some grant funding from city projects to rural roads. More recently, Trump has talked about overriding congressional control of spending. His supporters have argued that the president should be able to unilaterally cancel federal programs. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which isn’t affiliated with the campaign but has described itself as a game plan for a second Trump term, calls for ending discretionary grants such as the freeway removal program. And it dismisses liberal policy ideas like rebuilding neighborhoods. “These policies include a focus on ‘equity,’ a nebulous concept that in practice means awarding grants to favored identity groups,” the plan says. If Trump wins a second term, he’d have the opportunity to redirect any funds that haven’t been spent or fully allocated to state and local governments, although that would be an unusual move and would face procedural hurdles.

Trump pitches sovereign wealth fund for infrastructure -- Speaking Thursday to the Economic Club of New York, former President Donald Trump proposed the creation of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund to pay for infrastructure projects."We'll create America's own sovereign wealth fund to invest in great national endeavors for the benefit of all of the American people," Trump said. "Why don't we have a wealth fund? Other countries have a wealth funds. We have nothing. We have nothing. We're going to have a sovereign wealth fund, or we can name it something different."Trump did not provide specifics on the proposal and added that the name 'sovereign wealth fund' may not be "appropriate." But the idea would be to create a fund, supported with tariffs on certain goods and other revenues, that would be managed by private managers and make strategic investments in U.S. infrastructure."We will build extraordinary national development projects and everything from highways to airports and to transportation, infrastructure, all of the future. We'll be able to invest in state-of-the-art manufacturing hubs, advanced defense capabilities, cutting-edge medical research, and help save billions of dollars in preventing disease in the first place."The idea marks the latest proposal for a national fund or bank that would be used to finance U.S. infrastructure. Supporters of a national infrastructure bank two weeks ago lobbied Democrats at their convention in Chicago to support a bill that would create a $5 trillion bank.Several states, including Alaska, Texas and Montana, have successful sovereign wealth funds and many other countries have national funds, but the U.S. has never had one. For international funds, infrastructure has become an increasingly popular investment over the last several years, according to the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds."In 2018, [funds'] direct investments in infrastructure accounted for $6 billion, representing 13% of the annual total. However, by 2022, this figure had risen to over $17 billion, or 25% of total investments," the IFSWF said in its 2022 review.But most of those investments are in existing, cash-generating assets, and not new projects, said Michael Likosky, partner at strategic advisory firm Results who has worked for years on national, state and international infrastructure banks. "Sovereign funds are not used generally to fund for what Trump's talking about," he said.Trump's sovereign wealth fund proposal, like many of the national infrastructure bank proposals, fail to address the main problem with building big national projects in the U.S., Likosky said."Money is not the problem," Likosky said, noting that the country is already struggling to spend all of the federal infrastructure money in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act."What's preventing our big projects? It's that nobody can handle the political issues of crossing jurisdictions. There's been decades of underinvestment in the country, and the problem is for large projects we handcuff one another," he said. "If people think a Wall Street banker is going to get people on board, best of luck to them."

Trump pledges more regulatory rollbacks, touts potential for crypto — Rolling back regulations was a hallmark of Donald Trump's presidency. He has pledged to up those efforts if he is sent back to the White House next year. During a speech delivered Thursday at an event hosted by the Economic Club of New York, the Republican nominee pledged to cut 10 regulations for every new rule implemented, upping his first-term policy that at least two regulations be removed before another could be added.Noting that his administration actually removed five regulatory requirements for every new one added, Trump said he would be able to ramp up regulatory rollbacks "quite easily." He said the cryptocurrency sector was one area in need of regulatory relief. "Instead of attacking industries of the future, we will embrace them, including making America the world capital for crypto and bitcoin," Trump said. During his time in office, Trump was "not a fan" of the digital asset class, calling it volatile and valued "based on thin air." He has changed his tune in recent months, calling it "the steel industry of 100 years ago" and going so far as to endorse creating a "strategic reserve" of bitcoin.Crypto firms and their allies have accused federal regulators of attempting to "de-bank" the asset class in recent years. While the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have not explicitly banned engagement with the industry, proponents say guidelines and supervisory preferences have made it difficult for banks to do so. Similar concerns are at the heart of the ongoing lawsuit from Custodia Bank — a Wyoming-based digital asset bank — against the Fed over access to the federal payments system.Trump said deregulation would play a key role in addressing the nation's housing supply shortage, estimating that his approach would cut the average construction costs for new homes in half. He said lower interest rates — which he previously said he should have a hand in setting — would also result in significant savings to home buyers. He projects that mortgage rates will fall to around 3% under his administration.Trump also elaborated on his plan to open up federal lands for "large scale housing construction" and other development."These zones will be ultra low-tax and ultra low-regulation. One of the great, really, small business job creation programs, it will be, of all time," he said. "We're going to open up our country to building homes inexpensively so young people and other people can buy homes. You can't buy them anymore. Millions of Americans will take part in settling these safe and beautiful communities, reviving the frontier spirit, and really, as I said, reviving the American dream."The biggest beneficiaries of Trump's push for regulatory relief would be the manufacturing sector, he said, pointing to the automotive industry several times during his hour-long prepared remarks. He also called for growing the steel and aerospace industries, which he said would bolster national defense.Trump also said he would create a "government efficiency commission," which would be tasked with conducting a financial and performance audit of the entire federal government to root out waste, fraud and mismanagement of funds. He said the group would be led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump credits with coming up with the idea for the group.In addition to deregulation, Trump's economic agenda centers on increasing domestic energy production and lowering taxes, including dropping the corporate rate from 21% to 15%, expanding tax credits for research and development, and making bonus pay 100% depreciable. Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly plans to increase the corporate tax rate to 28% and would seek a 28% capital gains tax rate on people earning $1 million or more.Increasing tariffs is also a pillar of Trump's policy agenda. He said the tax on imports could be used to pay for various programs, including child care relief for working families. "When you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I'm talking about by taxing foreign nations at levels that they're not used to … those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we're talking about, including child care," he said. "I look forward to having no deficit within a fairly short time."

Republican-led states sue to end Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness policy -Seven GOP-led states are suing to block President Biden’s policy that would lower or eliminate debt for millions of student loan borrowers.The lawsuit claims the Department of Education is “unlawfully trying to mass cancel hundreds of billions of dollars of loans” before the rule is finalized.The lawsuit, led by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, was joined by Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota, and Ohio.The lawsuit, first reported by The Washington Post, argues that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is secretly, “through cloak and dagger,” trying to forgive student loan debt after courts stopped him twice before.In a statement, Bailey said his latest lawsuit challenges the Biden-Harris administration’s “third and weakest attempt” to cancel loans in mass “in the dark of night” without letting Congress or the public know.“We successfully halted their first two illegal student loan cancellations schemes; I have no doubt we will secure yet another win to block the third one,” Bailey’s statement said. “They may be throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, but my office is meeting them every step of the way.”The new plan to forgive student debt has yet to be finalized and will be some time this fall. No debt can be forgiven before then, but the lawsuit argues the Biden administration is cutting corners to begin canceling debt “potentially this week.”“That is both extraordinarily inequitable and also expressly violates a statute prohibiting the Secretary from implementing rules like this one sooner than 60 days after publication,” the suit said.The lawsuit alleges Cardona knows that student loans that have already been forgiven cannot be turned back by states, and that’s why he is “trying to quietly rush this rule out too quickly for anybody to sue.”

Supreme Court declines to restore Oklahoma federal family planning funds in abortion fight -The Supreme Court has declined to reinstate millions of dollars in federal funding for family planning services that the Biden administration stripped from Oklahoma after officials refused to provide a hotline number for patients to call and receive information on abortion. In an order Tuesday, the court denied Oklahoma’s request for an emergency injunction that would have stopped the administration’s efforts to block about $4.5 million in Title X family planning grants from the state while it continues to fight the decision. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have granted Oklahoma’s request. The Biden administration in 2021 required that state-funded providers who want to receive money from the Title X program give patients “neutral, factual information and nondirective counseling” about all their options, including abortion, followed by facts about where the service could be obtained, if asked. In the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said states such as Oklahoma that banned abortion could comply with the Title X rules by simply ensuring that providers offer the telephone number of a third-party hotline to patients who request pregnancy counseling or a referral. According to a brief from Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, Oklahoma initially agreed to provide the accommodation but then “promptly revered course,” so HHS terminated the grant. HHS said the same conditions Oklahoma initially agreed to are currently in effect for every other Title X grantee in the country. Title X says grants cannot be used “in programs where abortion is a method of family planning,” and a 2004 appropriations rider called the Weldon Amendment bars discrimination against state agencies that decline to provide referrals for abortions. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) said HHS’s actions violated the Weldon Amendment because it punished the state for declining to refer for abortions, even though that wasn’t a condition of the funding. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in July that HHS was allowed to withhold funding because the state did not meet the conditions for participation in the grant program. In a similar ruling, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied Tennessee relief in a dispute over a $7 million grant.

Sanders: Steward bankruptcy Senate hearing will go forward - The hearing will go forward next Thursday even if the CEO defies a congressional subpoena to testify, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Friday. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee “will hear from patients, medical professionals, and community members whose lives have been impacted” by Ralph de la Torre, Sanders said in a statement. The committee in July issued a subpoena to compel de la Torre to testify about the failure of Steward Health Care. Steward filed for bankruptcy in May and has been trying to sell all 30 of its hospitals across eight states. A federal judge earlier this week approved the sale of six of the system’s hospitals in Massachusetts, but two others closed after no buyers were found. The approval marks the end of the saga in Massachusetts, which threatened access to hospital care for patients in the state. Democrats and other critics said the case of Steward and de la Torre is a prime example about the dangers of private equity involvement in health care. De la Torre this week told senators he won’t testify until bankruptcy proceedings are resolved, drawing bipartisan ire and calls to hold him in contempt of Congress. “Dr. de la Torre will be held accountable for his greed and the damage he has caused the American people and our nation’s health care system,” Sanders said. “Is it my hope that Dr. de la Torre will do the right thing, change his mind, and join our hearing to provide testimony? Yes. But let me be clear: With or without him, this hearing is going forward." De la Torre also refused invitations to testify at a Boston field hearing earlier this year.

As COVID-19 infection numbers top 1 million a day, the CDC promotes a campaign against public health - With the toll of new COVID-19 infections regularly topping 1 million a day and weekly deaths creeping toward the 1,000 mark, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a campaign aimed not at protecting the public from this ongoing pandemic, now in its fifth year, but at washing its hands of responsibility. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen held a press conference August 23 to review the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage the public to get their winter COVID-19, RSV and flu vaccines once they are made available. While bluntly acknowledging that “COVID is with us,” she tried unconvincingly to assure reporters and viewers that “we have the tools to protect ourselves.” She then added, as a way of shifting the blame, “We just need to use them!” Dr. Cohen was silent on who was responsible for the failure of most Americans to get booster shots or otherwise protect themselves from a disease, which can be fatal for many and cause lifelong debilitation for many more. She could have named the Democratic administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, which ended the COVID-19 emergency more than a year ago and treats the pandemic as a thing of the past. She could have named Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the promoter of quack remedies like ivermectin and bleach, who recently welcomed into his campaign the anti-vaxxer and enemy of science and public health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And if she had been equipped with a mirror—and a conscience—she could have pointed to herself and other top CDC officials, who have collaborated in the anti-scientific rampage to shut down both mitigation efforts and even elementary data collection on cases of illness, hospitalization and death. Most importantly (and therefore least likely) she could have acknowledged that within the framework of the capitalist system, the profits of giant banks and corporations are far more important than the lives of human beings. That is the meaning of the incessant claims that schools, factories, public transportation and facilities must be kept open, to save “the economy,” despite the inevitable spread of the infection as a result. Dr. Cohen, like her predecessors and colleagues at the top of the public health establishment, puts political pressures above science and medicine. The nearly hour-long briefing was simply political theater, where a panel of experts attempted to place the public health agency in the best light despite acknowledging the monumental number of daily infections that have seen hospitalizations and fatalities climb. Meanwhile, schools across multiple states have announced closures—affecting thousands—just as the new academic year has begun, in response to mass infections among faculty and students. So far this year, more than 26,000 Americans have died from acute COVID-19 complications, and more than 800 per week are being killed by a preventable infection, a figure 20 percent higher than last year this time. At the current rate, it is expected that between 50,000 to 60,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 in 2024, a rate two to three times higher than fatalities from flu. However, these do not take into consideration excess deaths, and given the complete dismantling of the reporting systems, these figures are known undercounts. Such figures could only appear low in comparison to the colossal death toll of the first three years of the pandemic, when 352,000 died in 2020, 464,000 in 2021 and 260,000 in 2022. In 2023, 76,000 COVID-19 deaths were recorded. All these numbers are underestimates, as excess mortality figures are considerably higher. The cumulative death toll from COVID-19 is likely well over 1.4 million in the United States and approaching 30 million worldwide.

RFK Jr: There Has To Be "A Reckoning" For "Immoral, Homicidal" COVID Criminality --Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that individuals who engaged in “criminal” behaviour during the pandemic still need to be held accountable. Kennedy, who is in line for a health related position in Donald Trump’s administration should he be elected, declared recently that there needs to be a “reckoning” brought upon those responsible.Speaking at the Limitless Expo, Kennedy explicitly referenced Anthony Fauci, noting “I wrote a book about Fauci. It’s a great book. There are 2,200 footnotes in the book… I invited people to find problems with the book… And nobody ever told us any factual error in that book.”He charged that Fauci and others used their positions during COVID to enforce “totalitarian controls that were not science-based.”“It’s a story, really, of people involved in really terrible, immoral, homicidal criminal behavior,” Kennedy urged.He noted that effective treatments were repressed, stating “Ivermectin was a very, very devastating cure for COVID. It literally obliterated COVID.”“By depriving people of Ivermectin, many, many people, millions of people around the globe, died, and they didn’t need to,”Kennedy added, charging that Fauci and others pressured the FDA to discourage such treatments in favour of relentlessly pushing unproven and untested vaccines.“There were cures for COVID from day one, very effective cures. But they didn’t want that. They wanted the vaccine only,” Kennedy posited, adding “if they admitted that any of [the treatments] were effective, the whole vaccine project would have fallen apart.”Kennedy added that after the vaccines, myocarditis cases among young people, particularly athletes, exploded.“On average, it was, I think, 29 a month globally, athletes who died on the field. We’re getting down to hundreds a month now,” Kennedy emphasised.He concluded that “the science is out there now, and it’s devastating.”After endorsing Donald Trump last month, RFK Jr. declared that he is ready to help “make America healthy again.”

Harris pushes 28% capital gains tax rate on millionaires - Vice President Kamala Harris called for a 28% capital gains tax rate on people earning $1 million or more, touting it as a measure that would ensure the wealthy paid their fair share as she sought to detail her economic agenda and draw a contrast with Republican rival Donald Trump. "While we ensure that the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, we will tax capital gains at a rate that rewards investment in America's innovators, founders and small businesses," Harris said Wednesday at an event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Democratic presidential nominee's proposal falls short of the 39.6% rate that President Joe Biden has embraced, marking her efforts to chart an economic vision separate from the sitting president in an election in which voters' skepticism of the administration's handling of the economy threatens to weigh down her ticket. The current capital gains tax rate is 20%. The Wall Street Journal previously reported Harris' plan to push for a lower capital gains rate than Biden. Harris in recent weeks has sought to roll out her agenda, seeking to convince voters to trust her on the economy and to assure them that she will work to curb the high prices that have hit US households hard under the current administration. Her proposals have included calls for expanded tax credits for parents and $25,000 down-payment assistance for first-time home buyers. Harris plans to pay for those tax cuts by increasing the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, imposing a minimum income tax on billionaires and quadrupling a levy on stock buybacks, according to a campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail policy discussions. Harris has vowed to pay for all of her spending plans with higher taxes on businesses and wealthy households. Harris on Wednesday detailed plans to expand small business tax relief for entrepreneurs. Her blueprint calls for increasing the small business tax deduction for startup costs tenfold to $50,000 from $5,000. And the vice president is setting a goal of 25 million new small business applications in the first term of a potential Harris administration, a tally that would surpass the record 19 million so far under Biden. She is also proposing measures to cut red tape for startups, such as developing a standard deduction to save business owners time when filing their taxes and easing barriers to occupational licenses to allow workers and businesses to ply their trades across state lines. "As president one of my highest priorities will be to strengthen America's small businesses," Harris said.

Kamala Harris to announce new economic plans, focused on small businesses --Vice President Harris is set to propose expanding tax relief for Americans starting a small business as part of her economic plan, a Harris campaign official told The Hill.The proposal would tenfold expand the small business tax deduction for startup expenses from $5,000 to $50,000, with the goal of 25 million new small business applications in Harris’s first term as president if elected.Harris is expected to announce the plans Wednesday during a campaign stop in New Hampshire.The plans would allow new businesses to wait to claim the deduction until they first turn a profit to reduce their taxes. For example, a small business with $15,000 in earnings in its first year can deduct that and then save the rest for future years, the official said.The official said that the average cost of starting a business is $40,000 and noted that the 25-million-businesses goal would be boosted by the 19 million new small business applications during the Biden administration.The vice president is also expected to propose measures that aim to cut red tape to start a small business. Those measures would include developing a standard deduction for small businesses to decrease the amount of time and money it takes to file taxes and reduce barriers to getting occupational licenses for businesses to expand to other states.The proposals also include a small business expansion fund to enable community banks to cover interest costs for small businesses looking to expand and ensuring that one-third of federal contract dollars go to small businesses.Harris last month outlined her economic plan to create an “opportunity economy” with proposals like a federal ban on price gouging, a plan to end the housing shortage through the construction of new units and down-payment support to first-time homebuyers, and a plan to expand the child tax credit.

How Kamala Harris’ platform could differ from Joe Biden’s -- President Joe Biden’s decision to abandon his reelection bid andendorse Vice President Kamala Harris means that Harris could soon become the standard-bearer for the Democratic Party’s biggest priorities — including abortion rights, climate change and student debt relief.Her track record as a California attorney general, a U.S. senator and Biden’s No. 2 provides only so many clues about how she might lead.The former prosecutor often struggled to carve out a niche between centrists and skeptical progressives during her brief presidential run five years ago, proposing a multitrillion-dollar climate agenda and endorsing Bernie Sanders’ free-college plan but drawing criticism for what detractors labeled an unambitious student debt blueprint. She’s notably more comfortable than Biden in championing reproductive rights, and was earlier than he was to express skepticism on trade deals. Being vice president, however, has given her far fewer opportunities to lay out her own ideas of how she would actually govern — or how her policies would compare with Biden’s, which have shifted leftward in significant ways since he became president.Here are some hints about how her agenda and his might compare if she ends up taking the oath in January.

Harris relents on muting debate microphones - Vice President Kamala Harris agreed to ABC News’ rules for next week’s debate with Donald Trump, relenting on her campaign’s demand that both candidates’ microphones be unmuted for all 90 minutes they are on stage. In a letter to the network, Harris’ senior adviser for communications Brian Fallon wrote that he believed the format “fundamentally disadvantaged” the vice president, denying the former prosecutor the opportunity to fully cross-examine the GOP nominee, according to a person familiar with the missive. The muted mic, Fallon wrote, “will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President. We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones.” He continued: “We understand that Donald Trump is a risk to skip the debate altogether, as he has threatened to do previously, if we do not accede to his preferred format. We do not want to jeopardize the debate. For this reason, we accept the full set of rules proposed by ABC, including muted microphones.” In the letter, portions of which were conveyed to POLITICO, Fallon also laid out other verbal agreements about the debate format that were important in getting Harris’ team to sign off on the final rules, the person familiar with the matter said. Those agreed-to stipulations enable the moderators to admonish any candidate who interrupts and urge them to convey anything said into a muted mic to the broader audience. Additionally, the network will have the ability to keep both microphones open during crosstalk or any heated back-and-forth. And, unlike in the June 27 debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, the small pool of journalists traveling with Harris should be in the debate hall and close enough to the stage to be able to hear any remarks that are muted for the wider television audience. While Harris told reporters Wednesday that debate prep was “so far, so good” as she departed New Hampshire after a day of campaigning, the team of aides involved in what will be nearly a week of prep in Pittsburgh have been somewhat flustered about having failed to amend one of the rules Trump and Biden’s teams agreed to months earlier and ensure that Trump’s mic would not be muted. When Harris’ team made its first public push on the matter last week, Fallon suggested that Trump’s team “[doesn’t] think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own.” Trump, perhaps aware of the optics, said he was fine with un-muting the mics. But his team — namely senior adviser Jason Miller, who has been the campaign’s representative in meetings with ABC about the debate — has refused to agree to the rule change, according to a person familiar with the meetings. That’s left Harris’ debate prep team in some upheaval as it decamps for Pittsburgh, where the vice president plans to hunker down until Tuesday night’s main event. Another person familiar with the group’s private conversations described Karen Dunn, the longtime Democratic operative who is overseeing the prep sessions along with policy adviser Rohini Kosoglu, as “morose” over the network’s muting of Trump’s microphone while Harris is speaking. Dunn, not exactly a prolific tweeter, posted POLITICO’s coverage of the microphone negotiations last week. Twice.

Harris campaign, DNC, announce unprecedented down-ballot spending - Kamala Harris’ campaign and the Democratic National Committee said Tuesday they are sending nearly $25 million to support down-ballot Democrats — an earlier investment and far more money than the top of the ticket has sent in past election years. The funding in part reflects the Harris operation’s ability to spread money around after record fundraising over the past six weeks. But it is also a recognition of the importance of this year’s down-ballot races — which overlap with many of the swaths of the country that could decide the presidential election, and whose outcomes will substantially affect how Harris, or former President Donald Trump, will be able to govern next year. The newly announced funds come from both the Harris campaign and the DNC, with a total of $10 million each going to committees supporting Democratic candidates for House and Senate, along with $2.5 million to a national Democratic group supporting state legislative candidates and $1 million each for groups backing Democratic gubernatorial and attorney general candidates. “The vice president believes that this race is about mobilizing the entire country, in races at every level, to fight for our freedoms and our economic opportunity,” Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “That’s why the vice president has made the decision to invest a historic sum into electing Democrats up and down the ballot.” The transfers to support down-ballot races are notable both for their timing and large amounts. In 2020, the DNC transferred $5 million to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1 million to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in mid-October, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Earlier money gives the committees more spending options, as common campaign tactics such as hiring staff, taping ads or printing mailers take time.

Elon Musk shares fake image of Kamala Harris as 'communist dictator' -- Elon Musk, owner of the social platform X, posted what appeared to be a manipulated image ofVice President Harris dressed in red military garb with the communist symbol of the hammer and sickle.“Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit!?” Musk, who has endorsed former President Trump’s 2024 White House bid, wrote in a postSunday on X, along with the fake image.His message was posted in response to an earlier X post from Harris.“Donald Trump vows to be a dictator on day one,” a graphic posted by Harris reads in bold, capital letters, in the foreground. Behind the words is a black-and-white photo of former President Trump, depicting him from midface to midtorso.“We won’t let him,” Harris wrote in the caption of her post. Musk’s post prompted some initial criticism from X users, who noted the company’s own rulesprohibit the sharing of “synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm.”The rules allow for “memes or satire” as long as “these do not cause significant confusion about the authenticity of the media.”

Calling Harris A Communist Is An Insult To Communism - Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix by Caitlin Johnstone -

• Republicans called Obama a communist, when all his worst actions as president were continuations and expansions of Bush’s policies. Democrats called Trump a Nazi when his worst acts were continuations and expansions of Obama’s policies. Now we’re back to calling Harris a communist, while she supports a genocide that Republicans also support. Calling Kamala Harris a communist isn’t wrong because it degrades Harris, it’s wrong because it degrades communism.
• The Biden-Harris administration is knowingly helping the Israeli government wage a campaign of extermination in Gaza that has shocked and horrified the entire world, so obviously the real villain we need to focus on here is Jill Stein.No serious person believes a bunch of socialists and peaceniks are going to vote for a capitalist warmongering party. Democrats don’t bitch about the Green Party because of lost votes, they do it because they hate being reminded that their party’s a lie and their values are fake.Democrats saying the Green Party steals their votes makes as much sense as Republicans saying the Green Party steals their votes. The Democratic Party is not a left wing party. It’s a warmongering capitalist party that is presently engaged in genocide and nuclear brinkmanship.Democrats say the Green Party never gets anything done while the Democratic Party “getting things done” looks like committing genocide in Gaza, facilitating the exploitation and ecocide of capitalism, and promoting nonstop war and militarism. It’s not enough to get things done; the things you get done actually need to be good things.
• All art is political. It either opposes the madness of the status quo, supports it, or distracts from it. Creating vapid diversions for people to sedate themselves with in a genocidal brainwashed dystopia on a dying world is a political act, whether you call it political or not.An artist who says they “avoid politics” while living in the heart of a murderous tyrannical empire is lying. They don’t avoid politics. They are directly participating in politics. And they are participating on the wrong side.All art either helps open people’s eyes or helps close them. Almost all art in mainstream culture helps close them — either by normalizing and celebrating the madness of this civilization, or by numbing people to the discomfort of it. This is not just political, it’s on the front line of politics. Politics are downstream from culture, and if the culture you are helping to create is mindlessly drifting along with the current of oligarchy and empire, then you have responsibility for where that stream ends up carrying us.

The Democrats' Attacks Against Jill Stein Show How Desperate They're Getting - The Democrats have all of a sudden zeroed in on Green Party leader Jill Stein in the latest sign that they’re getting desperate. Most polls had previously claimed that Kamala was leading Trump, but cynics suspected that this was all part of the party’s coronation of their new candidate after Biden dropped out. The truth is now coming out after even pro-Democrat Newsweek felt compelled to headline a recent article about how “Kamala Harris' Lead Over Trump Being 'Steadily Cut'—Poll” so as to retain some credibility.Three factors have worked against her faux lead and inevitably exposed it as fraudulent:

1. Americans haven’t forgotten how Trump miraculously survived an assassination attempt this summer;
2. influential former Democrats RFK and Tulsi Gabbard endorsed him; and
3. Kamala’s CNN interview was disastrous.

The first even inspired lifelong Democrat Mark Zuckerberg to praise Trump as a “badass”; RFK and Tulsi command a lot of sway among dissident Leftists; and Americans remembered how inept Kamala is.The confluence of these aforesaid factors is responsible for the Democrats attacking Stein all of a sudden despite having hitherto held off on doing so out of fear that it would give her free publicity. Trump’s real lead (i.e. not the manipulated polling put out by Democrat cut-outs) might already be “too big to rig” or is rapidly approaching that level. Stein might also once again siphon votes from disgruntled Leftists and thus lead to him winning back the presidency, which is the Democrats’ worst nightmare.They’ve proven themselves unable to effectively counteract the three factors working against Kamala’s faux lead so their backup plan is to attack Stein like AOC and DNC spokesman Matt Corridoni began doing earlier this week. The first claimed that she’s “not serious”, “not authentic”, and “just predatory” in the sense that she could take enough votes from the Democrats to make a difference, while the latter defamed her as “a useful idiot for Russia” whose “spoiler candidacy” can help Trump win.Neither would have crossed the Rubicon, let alone at the same time and not to mention given their influential roles in the party, had they not thought (or perhaps been told by the party elite) that the expected benefits outweigh the predictable detriments. They’re giving her free publicity, which could further amplify her ideas among dissident Leftists and thus lead to her siphoning off more votes from the Democrats, but with the goal in mind of ultimately scaring some of her supporters away too.The fact of the matter though is that those who support Stein are already aware of these two information warfare narratives against her but don’t care since they see their vote for her as a form of protest against the Democrats and the US’ political system more broadly. They’re therefore not going to be scared away like AOC and Corridoni expect, but those two might have an ulterior motive in mind in going on the attack, or at least those who might have told them to do that could have such intentions.

Chinese social media operation pushing divisiveness ahead of US election: Research -- A Chinese state-linked social media influence operation has been pushing divisiveness denigrating candidates from both major political parties in the United States ahead of the November election, according to new research published by Graphika, a social media analytics firm. The researchers connected the effort to Spamouflage, an influence network that has been active since 2017 and is known for pushing propaganda. Spamouflage is present on more than 40 online platforms, where it utilizes fake accounts to spread “pro-China and anti-Western narratives,” according to Graphika. The operation has intensified in the lead-up to Election Day, according to the report, with the accounts stirring up disunity on a variety of issues, including racial inequality, homelessness, gun control and the Israel-Hamas war. The accounts have targeted former President Trump and Vice President Harris. In the report, Graphika said it identified 15 Spamouflage accounts on the social platform X and one account on the video-sharing platform TikTok. All of the accounts posed as either news outlets or U.S. citizens. Graphika also found related accounts on Instagram and YouTube that were already terminated before the report came out Tuesday. “The channel flagged by Graphika was previously identified and terminated as part of our investigations into coordinated influence operations, and had a very small number of views at the time it was removed,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. The Chinese Embassy in Washington refuted the report’s findings and said the country will not meddle in the U.S. election. “The so-called report has no factual basis and is full of prejudice and malicious speculation against China,” said Liu Pengyu, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson, in a statement to The Hill. “China firmly opposes this. On the issue of the US election, China’s position is consistent and clear. China has no intention and will not interfere in it. At the same time, we hope that the US side will not make accusations against China in the election.” Among others, Graphika’s researchers identified a Spamouflage persona, dubbed “Deep Red,” that has rebranded on X to mimic the U.S. user that has been posting content related to the 2024 White House election. Graphika, which says it has monitored the account since 2020, said it was the first time the analysts had seen an established Spamouflage persona turn into an American user. The researchers also observed a persona pretending to be a conservative news outlet named “The Harlan Report.” It has accounts on X and TikTok. It also had accounts on Instagram and YouTube, but those were removed. The accounts spread content supporting former President Trump. On TikTok, the account posted a video mocking Biden that generated 1.5 million views.TikTok spokesperson told Reuters and The Wall Street Journal the account was removed for violating community guidelines. The account was suspended this week on X also, the Journal reported. The new report comes as concerns over foreign actors influencing U.S. elections are spiking. The Trump campaign said in August it was hacked. The FBI and other intelligence agencies found that Iran was behind the effort.

Popular Conservatives Allegedly Tricked Into $10M Russian Influence Campaign: DOJ -- The DOJ has accused several conservative influencers of unwittingly working for a Kremlin-funded media outlet.A federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday alleges that a Tennessee-based media company, later identified as Tenet Media, received nearly $10 million from employees of Russian state-backed media company, Russia Today (RT), as part of "a scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging."The DOJ claims that RT and two of its employees - Kostiantyn “Kostya” Kalashnikov and Elena “Lena” Afanasyeva - worked to funnel money to Tenet Media as part of a series of "covert projects" aimed at shaping narratives within Western audiences.The indictment specifically notes that the influencers - including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin and Lauren Southern - had no idea they were taking Russian money, and were deceived. They were told by Tenet founder Lauren Chen - who allegedly knew the true source of the funds - that the money was from a wealthy private investor named "Eduard Grigoriann."The influencers named appear to have been deceived about funding sources by Lauren Chen, founder Tenet. Secondly, Lauren Chen, the alleged Russian agent receiving millions for propaganda (allegedly) has actively been discouraging votes for Trump and dividing the Right. Read the… pic.twitter.com/2JmVk2iml3— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) September 4, 2024At least one of the influencers asked for a profile on Grigoriann before signing a contract - and was given a fabricated one-page profile.This was apparently sufficient, as two of the commentators (believed to be Tim Pool and Benny Johnson) signed contracts which paid Pool $100,000 per podcast, while Johnson was paid $400,000 per month plus a $100,000 signing bonus for "four weekly videos." While Pool and Johnson have issued statements (below), it's been pointed out that Lauren Chen has recently been trying to divide Donald Trump's base...Interestingly enough, in recent weeks, Lauren has been telling her followers to boycott Trump. It's entirely unclear if she was doing so at the direction of the Russian government. Nonetheless, worth noting.pic.twitter.com/o9mLFw7gMH

RFK Jr.’s name on ballot poses danger for Trump in key states - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name is likely to remain on the ballot in key states in November in what could inadvertently threaten former President Trump despite the independent candidate suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump.Kennedy said he would push to be removed from the ballot in battlegrounds that will help determine who wins the White House, but as of now, officials say voters will see him appear as a candidate in Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina when they head to the polls.Polls had shown Kennedy draining support from Trump before he suspended his bid, raising the likelihood that his presence in certain states could impact the results even where he’s no longer running.“If a candidate is on the ballot, someone will vote for them regardless,” said Christopher Thrasher, a ballot access consultant who analyzes third-party campaigns. “The primaries showed as much this year on both sides. How many votes is anyone’s guess at this point.”Republicans have delighted in Kennedy’s embrace of Trump. Ahead of the endorsement deal, many wanted to make sure he would help Trump defeat Vice President Harris and not the other way around. Kennedy’s decision to remove himself from swing states while staying on solidly blue state ballots was his attempt at showing loyalty to Trump and helping assert his defiance of the Democratic Party. Kennedy and Trump confidants see his decision as a win-win. By technically staying on the ballot in Democratic strongholds, Kennedy leaves open the possibility that some voters who don’t want the Harris-Walz ticket could still vote for him and make liberals sweat.Those allied with Kennedy say he is hoping to put Democrats on defense to have to spend more money in safe blue states, dollars that would otherwise go to battlegrounds.“He will now counter-attack the Democratic Party and force them to spend money on states they weren’t counting in states like New York, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington,” a source familiar with Kennedy’s ballot strategy told The Hill, speaking without attribution to discuss plans that are not yet public. Trump “will spend literally no money at all on it,” the source said. “The Democrats are going to be screwed and have to spend extra money.”On the other hand, Kennedy will remain on the ballot in some swing states and could take away votes from Trump. Prior to offering his endorsement, sources close to Kennedy were aware that he could face complicated ballot challenges in certain states and relayed that to Trump’s camp during negotiations. The environmental attorney’s goal of getting on as many ballots across the country as he could varied widely by each state, and reversing his work now has its own set of challenges. In the Midwest, for example, where Trump and Harris are running competitive ground games, Kennedy’s candidacy could complicate the dynamics of a two-way race.

Anti-Trump GOP group launches $11.5 million ad buy in swing states - Republican Voters Against Trump launched an $11.5 million ad buy in key swing states on Tuesday, marking the group’s largest ad buy so far this cycle. The group is targeting voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona. Additionally, the ad buy will also run in Nebraska’s competitive 2nd Congressional District. $4.5 million of the ad buy will be spent in Pennsylvania, while $3 million will be spent in Michigan and $2.2 million will be spent in Wisconsin. The group will spend $1.5 million in Arizona and $375,000 in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. The effort includes a 30-second ad featuring former President Trump voters who say they plan to support Vice President Harris in November, along with 79 billboards featuring former Trump voters. “We help elevate the voices of these disaffected Republicans and build a permission structure for many other traditional GOP voters to reject Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, even if it means voting for Democrats with whom they might have policy differences,” said Sarah Longwell, the executive director of Republican Voters Against Trump. The ad buy comes as the Harris campaign makes a play toward Republican voters. Last week over 200 former GOP staffers for four past Republican presidential nominees backed Harris, noting that while they share policy disagreements with Harris, Trump is “simply untenable.” In August, the Harris campaign launched “Republican Voters for Harris,” which included more than 25 GOP endorsements, including former secretaries Chuck Hagel and Ray LaHood, as well as former GOP governors and lawmakers. A few Republicans, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R), and former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month. Harris continues to make gains on Trump in national and state level polls. According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling average, Harris leads Trump 49.4 percent to 45.4 percent nationally. In Pennsylvania, the average shows Harris with a 0.7 percent lead, while in Michigan she holds a 1.6 percent lead. In Wisconsin, she leads by 3.4 percent and in Arizona, Harris holds a narrow lead of 0.1 percent over Trump. According to The Hill/Decision Desk analysis of Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, Harris has an 82 percent chance of winning the district.

It's The Trump Party Vs The Cheney Party -- Caitlin Johnstone 00 One of earth’s most evil living beings, Dick “Darth Vader” Cheney, has officially endorsed Kamala Harris for president. His daughter, Liz Cheney, has also endorsed Harris.“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” said the former vice president in a statement, adding, “As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”Cheney was a charter signatory to the notorious neoconservative think tankProject for the New American Century, and as vice president played a leading role in the George W Bush administration’s soaring warmongering, militarism and authoritarianism, including most famously the invasion of Iraq. He has the blood of millions of people on his hands, and he should be living out the rest of his miserable life in a cage.His daughter Liz is an equally bloodthirsty warmonger who has spent her career pushing for mass military slaughter at every opportunity. After the Israeli assault on Gaza began last year she went on CNN to declare that all deaths which occur in the onslaught are “the responsibility of Hamas”, that protests against Israel’s actions are “antisemitic” in nature, and that the US should escalate against Iran and the Houthis because of their oppositional posture toward Israel. The Cheneys join a growing list of formerly Republican warmongers who are migrating to the Democratic Party in droves to support Harris. Last monthhundreds of staffers who served under Republicans George W Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney signed a letter endorsing Harris, saying that “re-electing President Trump would be a disaster for our na“Abroad, democratic movements will be irreparably jeopardized as Trump and his acolyte JD Vance kowtow to dictators like Vladimir Putin while turning their backs on our allies,” the group writes, adding, “We can’t let that happen.”It is here worth noting that contrary to the narratives circulated in both mainstream Democrat-aligned media and mainstream Republican-aligned media, Donald Trump actually spent his entire term ramping up aggressions against Russia and helped pave the way to the war in Ukraine. He also promoted many longstanding warmongering agendas against official enemies of the US empire like Iran, Syria, and Venezuela. But even Trump’s insane hawkishness is insufficient for these freaks.So now we’re seeing two warmongering oligarchic parties shoving the Overton window of acceptable opinion as far in the direction of imperialism, militarism and tyranny as possible under the leadership of some of the very worst people alive. By doing this they ensure that these matters are never on the ballot, and that elections are always about issues the powerful are completely indifferent toward like abortion and trans rights instead.Progressives who want healthcare and a ceasefire in Gaza are being dismissed and ignored while alliances are being made with the world’s most blood-soaked imperialists. Things have been shoved so far to the right that this election is now a showdown between the Trump Party against the Cheney Party, and no matter who wins, the empire wins. A lot of fuss will probably be made about election-rigging after the results are announced in November, with the loser declaring that the results are the result of Russian interference or Deep State vote tampering depending on who that loser happens to be. But remember this: the worst election rigging is happening right out in the open, to ensure that oligarchs and empire managers are happy with either outcome.

Billionaire Kelcy Warren invests in pipelines — and Trump - Kelcy Warren is good at getting a return on his investments. The billionaire pipeline mogul goes big and moves fast — even if it sometimes looks bad from the outside.That’s how his company, Energy Transfer, built the Dakota Access oil pipeline in spite of bitter tribal protests. And that’s how the company made $2.4 billion from buying and selling natural gas during the deadly Texas blackouts in 2021.This year, he’s invested $5 million in the campaign to elect former President Donald Trump to another term in the White House. The potential return on investment is high.A Department of Energy under a second Trump administration could put Energy Transfer’s natural gas export project in Louisiana back on track. If he retakes power, the former Republican president could end talk of “pausing” federal export permits and dial back President Joe Biden’s heightened scrutiny of the types of mergers and acquisitions Warren uses to expand his company. A second Trump term could also put to rest the continued threats to Dakota Access.“He is a very wealthy guy, and he owns a critical element of U.S. energy infrastructure,” said Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University just outside Dallas. “The way he protects it, from his perspective, is to be more of an old-style Republican economic conservative in which he protects his business from over regulation and taxation by face-to-face opportunities to lobby on behalf of his interests.”The oil and gas industry has given Trump more money than all but three other industries, according to the campaign finance tracking site OpenSecrets.org. And Warren is a top giver from the industry, tied with Midland oilman Tim Dunn for first place among oil moguls.The petrodollars oil tycoons are shoveling into Trump’s campaign demonstrate how closely the GOP nominee has aligned himself with an industry respected for its job creation and clout in global energy markets and vilified for its environmental record and its economic power over American consumers.And the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris winning the White House is even more frightening to many oil and gas executives than was four more years of Biden. Warren himself has said he’s “scared to death” when politicians talk about banning fracking, which is exactly what Harris did during her short-lived campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She has since walked that back but hasn’t made clear how she might be different than Biden on energy issues.“There is a strong sense that Biden, and especially Harris, represent an existential threat to the status quo for the oil and natural gas industry,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston.The $5 million Warren sent to Trump ties him with Dunn for seventh place on the list of top Trump donors compiled by OpenSecrets. The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment.According to an analysis of contributions done by OpenSecrets for POLITICO’s E&E News, Warren and his wife, Amy, have contributed nearly $28 million to federal candidates and nearly $7 million to Texas candidates since the end of 2010, almost all of it to Republicans.

Man sentenced to prison for threatening to kill congressional staffers --A New York man was sentenced Tuesday to just over a year in prison for threatening to kill a congressional staff member and making more than 12,000 harassing calls to dozens of members.Ade Salim Lilly, 35, was handed a 13-month prison sentence and 36 months of release in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., federal prosecutors announced.Lilly pled guilty in May to threatening to kidnap or injure someone on interstate commerce and repeated harassing telephone calls.Lilly made more than 12,000 telephone calls to about 54 members of Congress across the nation, both to their state and D.C. offices, from February 2022 to November 2023, according tocourt documents.While on the calls with staff members, Lilly “would become angry and use vulgar and harassing language” toward them, per court filings. Staff repeatedly asked him to refrain from calling, and the U.S. Capitol Police also informed him that his phone calls were unwanted and prohibited by law as they were harassing in nature.In one call in October 2022 to a Maryland congressional office, Lilly allegedly told a staffer, ” “I will kill you, I am going to run you over, I will kill you with a bomb or grenade.”To hide his phone number, Lilly used “*67,” prosecutors said.Following an investigation by Capitol Police and the U.S. Marshall’s Service, Lilly was indicted, and agents were sent to arrest him in Puerto Rico in November 2023.

Jan. 6 sentences under fresh scrutiny as Supreme Court fallout persists -- The resounding impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to neuter an obstruction charge used in Jan. 6 cases will face fresh scrutiny Wednesday when a rioter’s resentencing tests whether prison terms in such cases must be reduced.Since the high court’s June decision, scores of rioters have asked judges to push back or reconsider already-imposed sentences. Prosecutors have said in court filings that a “case-by-case” analysis of the obstruction cases is underway to determine how to move forward and whether harsher sentences can stand.Now, attorneys are preparing to put the litmus test to Thomas Robertson, a former Virginia police officer, who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after a jury in 2022 convicted him of six charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding. Prosecutors said Robertson entered the Capitol with the first wave of rioters and “used his specialized training” in law enforcement to impede officers attempting to push back the mob, using a large wooden stick to strike at least two officers. The rioter’s 87-month sentence was initially vacated and ordered redone in May due to a separate ruling by a federal appeals court that affected the guidelines for his sentencing. But the appeals court also said the rioter’s lower court judge could consider the Supreme Court’s then-pending decision on the obstruction charge when handing down a new sentence. At Robertson’s resentencing, a federal judge will determine how much time – if any – the Supreme Court justices’ ruling should shave off the rioter’s prison term. Prosecutors say that sentence shouldn’t budge. But Robertson’s counsel is seeking a much lower term, suggesting the rioter has been a “model inmate” for the last three years on top of his sentencing guidelines having now dramatically changed. More than 350 rioters were charged with obstruction of an official proceeding after the Capitol attack. The statute, Section 1512(c)(2), makes it a crime to “corruptly” obstruct, impede or interfere with official inquiries and investigations by Congress. The Justice Department initially used it to prosecute rioters who interrupted Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election results, but one rioter, Joseph Fischer, challenged that approach, contending that prosecutors unlawfully retooled a charge that once criminalized document shredding to encompass the conduct of those who stormed the Capitol that day. The Supreme Court sided with 6-3 with Fischer, not along ideological lines, writing that it would be “peculiar” to conclude that Congress “hid away” a catchall provision reaching far beyond the evidence destruction that initially prompted the legislation.“The better conclusion is that subsection (c)(2) was designed by Congress to capture other forms of evidence and other means of impairing its integrity or availability beyond those Congress specified in (c)(1),” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

Donald Trump says he had 'every right' to interfere in election --Former President Trump in an interview broadcast late Sunday argued he had “every right” to interfere with the 2020 election while repeating his claim the criminal election interference cases against him are politically motivated. “It’s so crazy, that my poll numbers go up. Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election, where you have every right to do it, you get indicted, and your poll numbers go up. When people get indicted your poll numbers go down,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’s “Life, Liberty and Levin.” Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, was responding to a suggestion from host and lawyer Mark Levin that President Biden or Vice President Harris could have told the attorney general to “knock it off,” in reference to the federal election interference case. The former president faces federal charges in Washington for his alleged actions to subvert the 2020 election results. He is separately charged in Georgia with racketeering and other state counts over an alleged scheme to overturn the state’s election results. “Well, this is the worst case of election interference that anyone’s ever seen, certainly in our country,” Trump said during the Fox News interview. “They do this in Third World countries, they have some of it in South America, they don’t do it a lot, believe it or not. But they do it.” “And it’s such a bad precedent because people are going to think about it differently, and they’re going to think about it differently. And it’s very sad, actually,” he added. He went on to argue those prosecuting the cases against him are politically biased against him. “They put people in the DA’s office,” Trump said. “This was all coming out of the Department of Justice in order to get their political opponent — me.” Trump also said Fulton County, Ga. District Attorney Fani Willis “came up with this crazy scheme and a lot of people were hurt,” in reference to the co-defendants charged alongside him in Georgia. The remarks come days after special counsel Jack Smith last week filed a superseding indictment in the federal election subversion case in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark immunity ruling in July.The nation’s high court ruled presidents have absolute immunity for actions that fall within the core responsibilities of their office and are “at least presumptively immune” for all other official acts. Trump has repeatedly claimed he should be immune from the charges as a result.The ruling sent the case back to a lower court to reconsider whether Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, merit special protection from criminal prosecution. Smith presented the case to a second grand jury, which had not previously heard the matter. It likewise concluded the charges were warranted against the president.

Raskin launches probe into closed DOJ investigation of Trump-Egypt ties - House Democrats have launched a probe into former President Trump’s alleged acceptance of $10 million from the Egyptian government during his 2016 presidential campaign, as well as whether allies quashed a subsequent investigation into the matter. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, sent a letter following reporting from The Washington Post that found the Egyptian government withdrew $10 million in funds shortly after Trump made a last-minute injection of the same amount of his funds to his campaign in the last few days of the 2016 election. The Post reported that soon after the Justice Department began an investigation into whether Trump may have accepted the funds in violation of laws prohibiting foreign campaign contributions, the probe ground to a halt amid concerns from then-Attorney General William Barr. Raskin wrote that the article “renewed suspicion that you collected a $10 million cash bribe from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This detailed news report has also triggered serious speculation that your handpicked political appointees at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including Attorney General William Barr, subsequently blocked efforts by career prosecutors and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the political and financial corruption that has been described.” “Surely you would agree that the American people deserve to know whether a former president—and a current candidate for president—took an illegal campaign contribution from a brutal foreign dictator,” Raskin wrote. According to the Post, the Justice Department began to investigate the matter after learning of a withdrawal from an organization with ties to the Egyptian intelligence service five days ahead of Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Barr had asked a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney to review classified intelligence collected on the matter, determining there was insufficient evidence to pursue the case. That conclusion followed months of internal disagreement and an apparent ask by Barr for FBI Director Christopher Wray to supervise agents “hell bent” on tracking down Trump records. Raskin is now seeking some of the records investigators likely sought, asking Trump to turn over documentation about the source of his campaign loan and whether it was repaid. He also asks Trump point-blank if he “directly or indirectly received money from the Egyptian President or government.”

Judge denies Donald Trump bid to request move of hush money case to federal court - A federal judge ruled Tuesday that former President Trump may not request to move his hush money criminal case to federal court after failing to show “good cause,” meaning the case will remain in New York state court.U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said in a four-page order that the two reasons Trump offered as to why his case should be removed — that New York courts were biased against him and that his trial judge did not adequately review the issue of presidential immunity — fall short.Hellerstein said that district courts do not have jurisdiction to consider alleged bias against Trump in New York state courts, contending that’s an issue for state appellate courts to consider. That means Trump’s second argument, on presidential immunity, is the only one that “deserves attention,” he said.On that matter, Hellerstein previously ruled that “hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts.”“Nothing in the Supreme Court’s opinion affects my previous conclusion that the hush money payments were private, unofficial acts, outside the bounds of executive authority,” the judge said Tuesday.Trump’s request to move his New York state criminal case to federal court last week suggested that pushing ahead with the “purely political” state prosecution would cause him “direct and irreparable harm” in the 2024 presidential election.He asked Judge Juan Merchan, the trial judge, in a letter Thursday to refrain from ruling on outstanding motions, which include his presidential immunity motion and a motion to push back his Sept. 18 sentencing, until after the removal proceeding concluded.The Manhattan district attorney’s office urged Merchan not to wait on the district court’s ruling on removal to make his own on the other matters, suggesting that Trump’s concerns over timing as November nears are a result of his “own strategic and dilatory litigation tactics.” However, the state prosecutors said they would defer to the judge on whether to delay Trump’s sentencing.

Hunter Biden’s addiction to return to limelight in second criminal trial --Hunter Biden is set to stand trial for a second time this year beginning this week, now on criminal charges he failed to pay more than a million dollars in federal taxes. The president’s embattled son is accused of withholding at least $1.4 million between 2016 to 2019, in the throes of his addiction to crack cocaine following his brother’s death from brain cancer. Biden’s drug addiction was a focal point of his earlier trial on felony gun charges, where a Delaware jury convicted him in June of lying about his use of illicit drugs on a federal gun purchase form. It marked the first criminal conviction of a sitting president’s child. The sordid details of that time in Biden’s life are expected to play a similarly significant role in his tax trial, which a California-based federal judge scheduled to begin with jury selection on Sept. 5 and opening statements on Sept. 9. He’s pleaded not guilty. At a hearing in Los Angeles federal court last month, Biden’s lawyer accused special counsel David Weiss’s team of attempting “character assassination” of the president’s son by seeking to show salacious evidence and testimony to jurors. “They want to slime him because that is the whole purpose,” attorney Mark Geragos said. That evidence could include details about Biden’s “extravagant” lifestyle at the time, from strip clubs and sex workers to alcohol and drug abuse. Prosecutors have argued in court filings that Biden’s personal spending choices lend insight into his state of mind during the period he allegedly failed to file and pay his taxes, which could help jurors assess his culpability. At the hearing, prosecutor Leo Wise pointed to Biden’s payment to a pornographic website as an example of what jurors could use to determine whether he purposefully or unintentionally listed clearly personal items as business expenses. Biden’s playboy lifestyle is also detailed in his memoir, the prosecutor said.“He describes partying in hotels with a cast of strippers,” Wise said. “He chose to pay them, which is fine — it’s America, you can do that. But then he chose to take it as a business deduction.” Biden’s lawyer asked to have any references to his “extravagant” lifestyle barred but said the president’s son would stipulate that he spent on generalized “personal expenses” if the court blocked prosecutors from describing them in lurid detail. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, who is overseeing the case, said that he would reserve a ruling on Biden’s request, instead asking the parties to preview any contentious evidence on an issue-by-issue basis at trial. “The Court generally agrees with the Government that evidence of the precise nature of Mr. Biden’s expenditures is necessary for the jury’s assessment of Mr. Biden’s state of mind at least as to Counts 6 through 8,” Scarsi wrote in an Aug. 27 order on several pretrial motions, following the hearing.

Money, drugs and tax evasion: What to know about the second Hunter Biden trial - A six-year federal investigation into Hunter Biden will culminate this week as the president’s son faces trial for a second time.He was convicted this summer on gun charges. Now he faces allegations of criminal tax evasion — and a judge has excluded one of his key lines of defense.During the trial in Los Angeles — where jury selection is scheduled to start on Thursday — prosecutors plan to tell a story about greed, decadence and entitlement. Biden’s lawyers, meanwhile, will argue it’s actually a tale of addiction and redemption.The political stakes of the trial, expected to last about two weeks, have lessened now that Joe Biden is no longer running for reelection. But evidence in the case is expected to highlight his son’s foreign business dealings — an issue that became a centerpiece of Republican attacks on the Biden family.The trial also will revisit the younger Biden’s past struggles with drug abuse. Prosecutors intend to argue that, while he was dodging his taxes, Biden was spending lavishly on drugs, strip clubs, sports cars and other trappings of a lifestyle filled with partying. Some of the details of his drug addiction emerged during the gun trial three months ago, and reliving them has been a source of pain to the president and the rest of the Biden family. In a 56-page indictment, prosecutors said that he intentionally avoided paying $1.4 million in taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019. During that time, prosecutors say, Biden earned more than $7 million, including for work with the controversial Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings Limited, a now-bankrupt Chinese energy company, and a Romanian oligarch facing bribery allegations.Also during that time, Biden was grappling with addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine and grieving the 2015 death of his brother, Beau. In his memoir, Beautiful Things, Biden described partying with drug dealers and strippers at a series of Los Angeles hotels and Airbnbs in the spring and summer of 2018. But when he worked with an accountant to settle his tax affairs in 2020, he allegedly identified some of those hotel stays as business expenses — resulting in a tax write-off.He also claimed that a $1,248 payment to fly a stripper from LA to New York was a business expense, as was a payment of $3,852 to rent a Lamborghini, according to prosecutors.His lawyers have argued his addiction hamstrung his ability to manage his personal affairs, including his taxes. They wanted to introduce an expert witness to testify about the link between trauma and addiction. But prosecutors asked Scarsi to block that person from testifying, and the judge did so.Prosecutors also retort that Biden’s addiction wasn’t so debilitating as to keep him from earning millions of dollars. And, they argue, if he was capable of making and spending all that money, he was also capable of paying taxes.In the courtroom, Biden’s defense lawyers may face an uphill battle. The judge overseeing the trial, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, has issued a series of pretrial rulings unfavorable to the defense. Perhaps most critically, Biden wanted to tell jurors that, after he got sober, he belatedly paid all the taxes he owed. But Scarsi has blocked the defense team from making that argument.The president said in June that he would not pardon his son or commute an eventual prison sentence. Biden is scheduled to be sentenced in November in the gun case, where federal sentencing guidelines recommend up to 21 months in prison. If he is convicted in the tax case, he could face up to 17 years in prison, according to the Justice Department.

X officially down in Brazil after Elon Musk feud with judge --The blocking of the social platform X began Saturday in the wake of an ongoing feud between X owner Elon Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court that led the court to order an immediate suspension of the site.The shutdown made the platform largely inaccessible on both the web and mobile apps after Musk refused to name a legal representative by the deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The blocking impacts tens of millions of users in Brazil, which has been one of X’s biggest markets, per The Associated Press.It follows a months-long feud between Musk and de Moraes, which escalated earlier this month when X closed its office in Brazil after the judge ordered the platform to remove posts from the site.If X failed to comply, the judge said he would levy a daily fine of $3,650 and an arrest decree against its representative, Rachel Nova Conceicao. The feud came to a head last week amid de Moraes’s threat to shut down the billionaire’s social media platform in the country. Musk hit back, calling de Moraes an “evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.”The next day, de Moraes directed internet service providers and app stores to block X in Brazil within five days and ordered daily fines of 50,000 reais —or nearly $9,000 — for those who use virtual private networks (VPNs) or other methods to access the platform. The order will remain until the company complies with all court orders and pays all fines, the court said in a statement Friday.

Judge Hands Elon Musk’s X A Win In Lawsuit Against California's Content-Moderation Law --A federal appeals court has granted X Corp.’s request to block part of a California state law that requires social media platforms to disclose their content moderation and anti-hate speech policies.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an order on Sept. 4 that grants X Corp.’s request for a preliminary injunction and reverses a district court’s ruling against the Elon Musk-owned social media company in a legal challenge to California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 587.The court said the bill’s content-moderation provisions are not narrowly tailored to serve California’s purported goal of requiring social media companies to be transparent about their content-related practices, and may amount to unconstitutionally compelled speech.“The panel held that X Corp. was likely to succeed on the merits of its claim that the Content Category Report provisions facially violate the First Amendment,” the appeals court judges wrote in their opinion.AB 587 requires large social media companies to post their terms of service and to submit periodic reports to the California Attorney General’s office about their content-moderation practices and policies.A key provision of the bill requires a semiannual report detailing how the platforms define six categories of content: hate speech or racism; extremism or radicalization; disinformation and misinformation; harassment; foreign political interference; and controlled substance distribution.X Corp. argued in its lawsuit, which named California Attorney General Robert Bonta as defendant, that the law intends to pressure social media companies to censor content that the government deems objectionable and improperly compels speech in violation of the First Amendment.“The legislative record is crystal clear that one of the main purposes of AB 587—if not the main purpose—is to pressure social media companies to eliminate or minimize content that the government has deemed objectionable,” X Corp. attorneys argued in their complaint.

Meta Oversight Board Says 'River To The Sea' Not Inherently Hate Speech - In a development that will be cheered by those who promote open discourse on social media platforms and condemned by ardent supporters of the State of Israel, Meta's independent Oversight Board for Instagram and Facebook on Wednesday ruled that the controversial slogan "from the river to the sea" is not inherently hate speech in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and should therefore not be subjected to automatic deletion. "The majority of the Board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions," the board wrote. A minority argued that, since the slogan appears in the 2017 Hamas charter, Meta should automatically consider it to be the "glorification of a designated entity...unless there are clear signs to the contrary." True to its approach that parallels court procedures, the board's decision came in a ruling that spanned a whopping 32 pages. The board's review centered on three cases that arose in November 2023 -- a month after the stunning, violent Hamas invasion of southern Gaza that led to the deaths of at least 1,189 people at the hands of both Hamas militants and Israel's own military. In each Facebook situation at issue, a user included the phrase in a post or comment, and other users reported them to the platform for allegedly violating its rules. In its long form, the slogan is "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Referring to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, it's been used for decades by a variety of people advocating for a change to the political order in the land that is currently controlled by the State of Israel -- which includes not only Israel proper but also the West Bank and Gaza. Notably, a similar phrase has appeared in the platform of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, declaring "between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty."Many proponents of the State of Israel say the phrase is inherently a call for violence, ethnic cleansing and/or genocide. However, some who call for a new order -- among them, prominent Jews like long-time Israel proponent-turned-critic Peter Beinert -- entertain the possibility of a peaceful, one-state solution with equal rights and privileges granted to all 7.5 million Jews and 7.5 million Palestinians who live between the river and and the sea, along with Christians and other minorities. The Anti-Defamation League rejects the Meta oversight board's assertion that the slogan can be used innocently. In a tweet-thread condemning the ruling, the ADL wrote:"'From the river to the sea' is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish people's right to self-determination...Usage of this phrase has the effect of making members of the Jewish and pro-Israel community feel unsafe and ostracized."

Telegram founder Pavel Durov breaks silence, calling charges 'misguided' -- Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov broke his silence eight days after being indicted by French authorities. On his personal Telegram channel, amid thank yous, hearts and thumbs up emojis, Durov defiantly refuted claims that his messaging platform is “an anarchic paradise” and criticized the French charges as 'misguided.'“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself. Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach. “ While the Russian born tech billionaire acknowledged Telegram is “not perfect,” he maintained the company has taken down "millions of posts and channels every day'' and is busy remedying protocols to make the platform “safer and stronger.”Telegram has seen huge growth since its founding in 2013. It now boasts 950 million global users. Durov blamed "growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform." The 39-year old citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates was indicted on Aug. 28 in Paris on multiple charges including complicity to spread child abuse images and traffic drugs, as well as failure to comply with law enforcement. He was ordered to post bail equivalent to about $5.5 million and placed under court monitoring. He is also not permitted to leave the country.In his first public message since being detained, Durov said he was "surprised" and added details of what went down in the days after he was arrested in Paris in late August.“Last month I got interviewed by police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.”Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement last week outlining the wide-ranging charges that Telegram exhibited an “almost total failure to respond to judicial requests.”Durov says he finds this "surprising" writing in his post:“Telegram has an official representative in the EU that accepts and replies to EU requests," and “The French authorities had numerous ways to reach me to request assistance.”

Telegram CEO defends himself against French charges in first public comments (AP) — Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov promised to step up efforts to fight criminality on the messaging app, his first public comments since French authorities handed himpreliminary charges for allegedly allowing the platform’s use for criminal activity.In a Telegram post late Thursday, Durov defended himself against the French judicial investigation, suggesting that he shouldn’t have been targeted personally. “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach,” the post said. “Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools.”While insisting that Telegram is not “some sort of anarchic paradise,” Durov said surging numbers of Telegram users “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”“That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon,” he said.French investigators detained Durov at Le Bourget airport outside Paris in late August and questioned him for four days as part of a sweeping probe opened earlier this year. Released on 5 million euros bail, Durov has to report to a police station twice a week. Russia-born, he has amassed multiple citizenships, including French.French allegations against Durov include that Telegram is used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that the platform refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.In his post, Durov said that while in police detention, “I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.”“This was surprising for several reasons,” he added.He said Telegram has an official representative in the European Union who replies to EU requests, with a public email address.Telegram’s website informs users that they can contact the app through a bot and includes a link to report illegal content. It also includes an email address and phone number for “competent authorities of the EU and EU members” to use. “If you are not a competent EU or EU member authority, your request will not be processed,” it says.In his post, Durov said “French authorities had numerous ways to reach me to request assistance.” He said he also had previously worked with them to “establish a hotline with Telegram to deal with the threat of terrorism in France.”“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself,” he said.

Telegram disables ‘misused’ features as CEO faces criminal charges - In a post on Telegram Friday, founder and CEO Pavel Durov set out a new approach for the app and announced it’s disabled some “outdated” features. The first changes to the app following his arrest in France last month aLJect its built-in blog posts and a “People Nearby” location-based feature. The changes come as Durov aǑempts to reverse Telegram’s reputation as a hotspot for criminal activity that came as a result of lax moderation policies.In late August, French authorities arrested and charged Durov with enabling legal transactions and complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material. Durov’s first post-arrest statement Thursday said, “Telegram’s abrupt increase in user countto 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard.”He also said that during the fourday interview after his arrest, “I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.” Telegram has since reworked some of its language surrounding private chats and moderation and followed up with these new updates.It’s also adding Star giveaways and enabling a reading mode for its in-app browser. “While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime,the 0.001% involved in illicit activities creates a bad image for the entire platform,”Durov’s message says. “That’s why this year we are commiǑed to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise.” Durov says the service has stopped new media uploads to its standalone blogging tool, Telegraph, because it was “misused by anonymous actors.” Launched in 2016, Telegraph lets anyone anonymously create a post, upload media, and then share the webpage on social media or Telegram.However, security researchers reported that bad actors use the tool to carry out phishing scams by creating phony website landing pages or notices thattrick users into divulging personal information. Telegram has also removed its People Nearby feature, which lets you find and message other users in your area. Durov says the feature has “had issues with bots and scammers” and was only used by less than 0.1 percent of users. Telegram will replace this feature with “Businesses Nearby” instead, allowing “legitimate, verified businesses” to display products and accept payments. Here’s Durov’s full message: Telegram has reached 10 million paid subscribers. 10 million people are now enjoying Telegram Premium! Today, we’re introducing new features while phasing out a few outdated ones. We’ve removed the People Nearby feature, which was used by less than 0.1% of Telegram users, but had issues with bots and scammers. In its place, we will be launching “Businesses Nearby”, showcasing legitimate, verified businesses. These businesses will be able to display product catalogs and accept payments seamlessly. We’ve also disabled new media uploads to Telegraph, our standalone blogging tool, which seems to have been misused by anonymous actors. While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk. That’s why this year we are committed to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise.]\

How Might Donald Trump's Crypto Token Fit Into Regulations? - The former president of the United States is launching a crypto yield product, even as he appeals to the crypto industry in his current bid for office. Donald Trump will be the "chief crypto advocate" for World Liberty Financial, a venture that has offered scant hints so far about what it will actually do.There's one pretty interesting question: how should the former president and current Republican nominee think about securities and anti-money laundering laws as he prepares to lend his name to a crypto project? Former President Donald Trump will be the "chief crypto advocate" for World Liberty Financial, a project seemingly based on Dough Finance and featuring his three sons and a host of other individuals in key roles, according to scoops by my colleagues Danny Nelson, Cheyenne Ligon and Sam Kessler this week.A draft white paper seen by CoinDesk suggests that World Liberty Financial will sell 30% of the WLFI tokens generated, with the remaining 70% held by founders, service providers and other team members.I want to focus on this part, as it raises some interesting regulatory questions. Trump, of course, has spent the past few months campaigning to crypto voters, making promises about installing industry-friendly regulators and making the U.S. the "crypto capital of the planet" in various public remarks.This friendly stance, at odds with his opposition to crypto when he was actually in office, may end up benefiting him personally, given the forthcoming World Liberty Financial launch.The major caveat here is that CoinDesk has seen draft documents; the final project may differ from what CoinDesk has reported on.In the document CoinDesk did view, however, one common refrain has been that a 70% allocation toward existing project developers is relatively large, compared to other crypto projects.The white paper also has a non-transferability clause, seemingly to prevent resales or suggest that investors can profit off of the tokens, at least at launch.This alone would not be enough to bypass securities laws, said Dave Rodman, the founder and managing partner at Rodman Law Group."If all that happens is that people buy tokens that are 'locked,' nothing has been done to reduce exposure to US securities laws if Americans purchase the token," he said.It's also unclear, at least so far, who exactly controls the wallets, said Alexandra Damsker, an attorney and consultant.How the 70% retained is broken down is also unclear – whether each developer and project leader will receive an equal allocation or not.WLFI is a governance token. Holders with some yet-to-be-defined minimum number of tokens can propose protocol changes or other suggestions, and all holders can vote using up to 5% of the total number of token supply. While the paper suggests this will "ensure fairness and distributed participation," any aligned group that holds a majority of tokens may be able to influence these proposals.The white paper also included a line about screening purchasers to comply with sanctions regulations.The project will be a key target for attackers. We've already seen this, when X (formerly Twitter) accounts tied to Lara (Eric Trump's wife) and Tiffany Trump (one of Donald Trump's daughters) were hijacked this week to shill random addresses. Eric Trump tweeted that those addresses were a scam, prompting further confusion from people who couldn't tell if this meant that World Liberty Financial itself was not real or just the addresses (to be clear: World Liberty Financial is a real project; those addresses were not part of it).

Trump’s crypto allies cringe over family’s startup: ‘A huge mistake’ - Donald Trump’s sons want to turn their father’s growing bromance with the cryptocurrency industry into the new family business. So far, the project’s troubled rollout has succeeded in creating only one thing: a potential political liability for the former president.Trump’s eldest sons — Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — have been teasing their plans to unveil a crypto startup called World Liberty Financial for weeks. But the launch has been marred in recent days by a series of apparent scams that have redirected fans to fake pages and compromised the social media accounts of other Trump relatives.The incidents have begun to rattle some of Trump’s allies within the crypto world. They’re warning that his family should shelve a project that they say creates unnecessary political risks and reflects poorly on the industry.“This is a huge mistake,” said Nic Carter, a Trump supporter who is a founding partner at the crypto-focused venture capital firm Castle Island Ventures. “It looks like Trump’s inner circle is just cashing in on his recent embrace of crypto in a kind of naive way, and frankly it looks like they’re burning a lot of the good will that’s been built with the industry so far.”The drama illustrates the risks associated with Trump’s growing embrace of the crypto community, which he’s promised to give a sweeping set of supportive policies if elected. Government watchdogs have also warned the intertwining of politics, policy and the Trump family business poses new conflict of interest concerns as Democrats try to paint him as a “con artist” in the home stretch of the presidential campaign. It comes as major crypto firms face ongoing criticism that the market is rife with scams and consumer abuse.While the details of the Trump brothers’ crypto project haven’t yet been announced, Trump began promoting World Liberty Financial’s forthcoming launch on social media last month after it opened an official channel on the messaging platform Telegram.Shortly after, it appeared that fraudsters began to pounce. The X accounts of Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump and Tiffany Trumpwere compromised late Tuesday, when allegedly unauthorized users posted links to a hoax website for the crypto project featuring fake details about it. World Liberty wrote on its official Telegram channel that the accounts were “hacked” and warned against visiting any links from the posts. Tens of thousands of Telegram users have been lured to a separate unofficial channel posing as World Liberty Financial. A representative for World Liberty, Zak Folkman, said in an interview that the group is “building a world-class decentralized finance platform with the absolute best of the best in the industry.” He said the unauthorized X posts and the fake Telegram channel were reported to the two platforms. Folkman confirmed that Lara, who is Eric Trump’s wife, and Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter, are uninvolved in the project.“We take security very seriously and put it first and foremost, above anything,” he said, adding that World Liberty works “with the top auditing firms and security specialists in the world.”But experts say the way the crypto project was rolled out left it susceptible to scams.“It’s a very typical playbook of smaller operators or more amateur operations in the crypto space to try to generate a lot of hype before revealing the details,” said Austin Campbell, an adjunct professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business who previously led the risk and portfolio management operation at the crypto firm Paxos. “That makes them susceptible to all sorts of nonsense.”

Trump’s Idiot Sons’ Crypto Scheme Is a “Huge Mistake” | The New Republic - Donald Trump has completely reversed his opinion on the cryptocurrency industry, moving past calling it a “scam” to becoming a warm ally—but his sons may be screwing up the blossoming alliance. Donald Jr. and Eric Trump’s botched rollout of their own cryptocurrency platform, World Liberty Financial, has been plagued by scams and raised alarm bells from Trump’s allies within the crypto circuit, who fear that the poor handling and bad press could damage the burgeoning sector’s reputation. “This is a huge mistake,” Nic Carter, a Trump supporter and founding partner at the crypto-focused venture capital firm Castle Island Ventures, told Politico. “It looks like Trump’s inner circle is just cashing in on his recent embrace of crypto in a kind of naive way, and frankly it looks like they’re burning a lot of the good will that’s been built with the industry so far.”The project was announced last month under a different name—“The Trump DeFi Project”, short for decentralized finance—as a way to platform cryptocurrencies, but actual details of the proposed platform have been scant.That slow rollout has ushered in an onslaught of misinformation about World Liberty Financial. Fraudsters have relentlessly attacked the project,compromising the social media accounts of Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump and Tiffany Trump, and sending supporters to a fake website with inaccurate details about the platform. False Telegram channels posing as the official World Liberty Financial channel have also drawn thousands of users to a host of misinformation, thwarted only by the Trump brothers’ loose warnings not to click on unaffiliated links and avoid scams.World Liberty representative Zak Folkman told Politico that the group behind the crypto project is “building a world-class decentralized finance platform with the absolute best of the best in the industry.”“We take security very seriously and put it first and foremost, above anything,” Folkman told the outlet, adding that the startup is working “with the top auditing firms and security specialists in the world.”Trump has increasingly tried to frame himself as a pro-crypto candidate in this election cycle. At a Bitcoin conference in Nashville in July, Trump promised to build out a “strategic national bitcoin reserve” if elected, according to CoinDesk. But the former president’s recent investments would show that his change of heart on the digital assets isn’t all an act.Financial disclosures released in August show that Trump has $7.15 million coming from a source labeled NFT INT., likely referring to his NFT series. He’s also kept a stockpile of cash in the new-wave currencies, with the disclosure listing roughly $5 million in crypto.

Bitcoin ATM scammers target senior citizens as overall cases surge tenfold -Bitcoin ATM scammers successfully targeted senior citizens last year, walking away with $110 million in schemes that often start out with a “concerned” customer service phone call. Victims reported the hefty losses to fraud cases involving money sent through bitcoin ATMs — an electronic crypto kiosk where you can buy and sell bitcoin — a nearly tenfold increase from 2020, according to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data provided to NBC News. And Americans over 60 were more than three times as likely to be victimized than younger adults, the data showed. Americans over 60 were more than three times as likely to fall victim to a bitcoin ATM scam than younger adults. “These bitcoin ATMs seem to have opened up sort of a gateway for scammers who are after cryptocurrency to target older adults,” Emma Fletcher, a senior data researcher at the FTC, told NBC News. FTC spokespersons didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for information. The scam typically involves the fraudster contacting a victim and claiming to be a customer service rep or official notifying them about attempted identity theft or an account breach, the FTC found. The perpetrator texts a QR code linked to a digital wallet. Thinking they are protecting their assets, the victim scans the code and deposits money into the bitcoin ATM, which ends up in the perpetrator’s hands.

Bitcoin ATM fraud is soaring, FTC warns. Here's how the scams work. Financial scams take many forms: a prominent technology company purportedly warning you that your online account has been hijacked, or someone impersonating a bank executive claims there have been unauthorized charges on your credit card. More elaborate schemes might involve AI and phony law enforcement officials offering to "help" you with your predicament — all you need to do is hand off stacks of cash to an anonymous driver outside your home. One obvious red flag? Such fraud increasingly involves a so-called bitcoin ATM, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The kiosks, known as bitcoin teller machines (BTM) and often found in places like convenience stores, bars and gas stations, resemble conventional ATMs. But instead of letting you withdraw cash, users can typically buy or sell cryptocurrency using cash as well as debit or credit cards. Another difference is that BTMs are linked to a digital wallet, rather than a bank account. In 2023, consumers reported $114 million in losses from scams involving BTMs — a nearly 900% increase over the preceding three years, the FTC said Tuesday in a report. Losses through June of this year are around $66 million, a sign the trend is only growing, while the median amount people lost was a whopping $10,000. According to the Better Business Bureau, crypto-related fraud is now among the most common financial scams. Criminals often target older consumers, with the FTC noting that people age 60 and over are more than three times as likely as younger folks to get stung by BTM scams. In a typical BTM theft, the fraudster may claim your computer has been hacked, or even that your bank accounts have been linked to drug smuggling or money laundering. They can help — but only if you follow their instructions to the letter. The ruse may also include offering to connect you with a representative from the FTC, IRS or other government agency. At that point, the FTC explains, the scammer will instruct victims to withdraw cash from their bank and direct you to a nearby BTM, where they text you a QR code to scan at the machine. That zips the money directly to the thieves' crypto wallet. The bottom line, according to the FTC: "Don't believe anyone who says you need to use a Bitcoin ATM to protect your money or fix a problem. Real businesses and government agencies will never do that — anyone who does is a scammer."

Ukrainian scam: Fake police officers demand $250K in stablecoin -Criminals impersonating police officers extorted $250,000 in stablecoin from aUkrainian in a scam that involved threats of fabricated criminal charges.According to a Sept. 2 press release from the National Police of Ukraine, in May, a 20-year-old online business owner reported to authorities that he was coerced by men pretending to be police officers. The impostors intimidated him with false accusations of collaborating with Russia and threatened him with lengthy imprisonment on fabricated charges of state treason.The extortionists offered to “resolve” the fake case for $250,000, leading the victim to transfer 250,000 Tether (USDT) to their crypto wallet. Following the extortion, the perpetrators quickly converted the stolen funds through an exchange service.

Inside the 'crypto con' costing victims billions in losses as scam compounds spread globally: ABC News Investigates - Shai Plonski thought he had found the perfect woman. He said he had been messaging the woman named "Sandy" he met on a Facebook dating site, believing she shared his interest in yoga and poetry and that she lived 30 minutes away from his house in Sebastopol, California.The two texted and shared photos for weeks until one day Plonski said he shared that his business was struggling after the COVID-19 pandemic. The woman suggested he should try investing into cryptocurrency, something she said she was an expert on, Plonski told ABC News."Now open your trading account ... and I will guide you step by step into the right position," Plonski said the woman told him via text.At first, Plonski said he invested $200. After he was able to successfully withdraw it with a 10 % return, he continued to invest. Soon, he said he invested everything he had -- his entire life savings. But when Plonski shared the news of his new relationship and of his success in investing with his friends, he didn't get the reaction he was expecting. Plonski said his friends showed him an article about a scam known as "pig butchering," in which scammers groom their victims for months, according to the FBI, and establish a level of trust before enticing the victim into investing in a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. "I read the article, and it essentially described what had been going on," Plonski told ABC News' investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky. "And then, you know, my heart just broke."Plonski attempted to withdraw his life savings but was told he needed to pay a $10,000 deposit by a customer service agent to be able to withdraw his investment. After Sandy said she couldn't help him, Plonski said he reported his loss to the FBI and cut off contact with Sandy.According to the FBI, crypto investment scam losses rose from $3 billion in 2022 to $4.5 billion in 2023. For the first six months of 2024, the agency received over 18,000 complaints reporting crypto-investment scams, with losses of more than $1.9 billion."Pig butchering is one of the world's most dangerous phenomenons that is happening right now," said Erin West, a prosecutor for Santa Clara County, California. "What we're seeing is victims that are coerced into a situation where they end up investing in cryptocurrency and losing all of their money."

Pig butchering scam: Woman describes being kidnapped, forced to work as cryptocurrency scammer abroad - -- Bay Area victims of a cryptocurrency scam, often referred to as "pig butchering," are bravely sharing their stories in an effort to warn others. The name "pig butchering" comes from an analogy comparing the initial phase of gaining the victims' trust to the fattening of pigs before slaughtering them. The victims are often highly educated and trusting. The latter can cost them their life savings in a matter of days. Some perpetrators of the crypto con are victims too, kidnapped and forced to participate. Warren Dang was dancing his way through retirement until he got duped out of his life savings. "I was angry. I was angry for the last two years," Dang said. Warren was previously a 30-year scientist in big pharma. He has a master's degree. In spite of his education, he says he trusted people who contacted him on LinkedIn with different enticing investments."'Hey, I've got this great investment, here's some numbers, look at the statistics on these,'" Dang said."And so you dive in a little bit, maybe $5,000 or $10,000 at a time and your return was like 20%. Then they entice you to give more and more money invested until they pulled out my 401. One week after another, each of those platforms disintegrated. One was my account got dissolved, the second the scammer just took off, and the third I couldn't even get my money out," he said. The FBI tells ABC News that losses from investment scams rose from $3 billion in 2022 to $4.5 billion in 2023. "Fraudsters are going to fatten up the victims by enticing the victims to put more money into an investment, and then they're going to slaughter them by walking away and stealing their money," Single dad and Thai massage therapist Shai Plonski met "Sandy" online, who he says broke the bank and his heart. "She spoke in a very kind of poetic way that spoke to me and that's how we got started talking to each other," Plonski said. It was Plonski who ultimately asked "Sandy" for investment advice. His initial investment was $2,000. "I made about $300 in a few minutes. We did probably three or four trades that first night," Plonski said.He was even able to take out some money at "Sandy's" suggestion to celebrate. There were no problems until... "I made a decision to essentially put in my life savings," Plonski said. Soon after, scammers told him his account was flagged and that he'd have to pay a $10,000 refundable deposit to take out his money again."I certainly thought that that was bologna," Plonski said.Friends helped Plonski realize he was a scam victim."You know, my heart just broke," Plonski said. The people who lose their life savings aren't the only victims. Some people are being kidnapped and forced to scam others.It happened to "Sara," who agreed to speak with ABC News, using a pseudonym and with her voice and face disguised.She was living in South Africa when she applied for a new job she believed would be in Bangkok."Well, I was expecting to be a customer service consultant," said "Sara."Instead, "Sara" was kidnapped and brought to a compound in Myanmar where her passport was taken and her cell phone SIM card destroyed."When I got there, the first three days they couldn't tell me what I was doing. All I could see were people that were stressed. They were not happy, and they just had their eyes glued on the computer," she said."Sara" said she was instructed to play a part."So I had to, to actually, I need to learn to be Asian woman," "Sara" said."I used to work for like 20 hours. I wanted to make an honest living be an honest citizen and here I am now. I'm a prisoner forced to do things that I don't want to do," she said."I feel for the people who are being trafficked in that way and who are being conned on the other side," Plonski said.The crypto con has law enforcement and prosecutors working overtime."This is so pervasive and is happening to so many people," West said."It's very difficult on the backend when money goes to China and foreign countries, for us to recover the money and for us to necessarily work with the different law enforcement agencies in some countries that maybe the United States doesn't have the best diplomatic relations with," Barnacle said."I've come to the realization I'm never going to get that $2.5 million back, so that's why I went back to work, as a consultant," Dang said. "And I owe $600,000 in back taxes to the state and feds.""No, I definitely was not able to get it back," Plonski said."Sara" said the compound she worked at is still operating with increased security and worsened conditions.

Attorney General Bonta Secures $3.9 Million Settlement with Cryptocurrency Company Robinhood | State of California - Office of the Attorney General — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced a $3.9 million settlement with cryptocurrency trading platform Robinhood Crypto, LLC (Robinhood), for failing to allow customers to withdraw their cryptocurrency from their Robinhood accounts from 2018 to 2022, and for failing to fully disclose aspects of its trading and order handling arrangements. The settlement resolves the investigation into Robinhood’s violation of the California Commodities Law (CCL) and includes a $3.9 million penalty and strong conduct requirements. “While cryptocurrency is fairly new, California has strong and enduring consumer protection laws that protect Californians against misrepresentation, including by cryptocurrency companies,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Our investigation and settlement with Robinhood should send a strong message: Whether you're a brick-and-mortar store or a cryptocurrency company, you must adhere to California's consumer and investor protection laws. I am dedicated to using all the tools available to my office to protect California consumers in the face of advancing technology in the marketplace.”Robinhood operates a popular trading platform to buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency recorded on a blockchain, an electronic ledger of transactions that is updated through a process of multiple, independent computers agreeing that each transaction is legitimate. In recent years, cryptocurrency has risen in popularity as a form of digital investment, and it is important to remember that the cryptocurrency market is highly volatile and there is no government guarantee or insurance for crypto assets. The investigation into Robinhood resulted from consumer complaints of questionable behavior in the cryptocurrency industry. The investigation by the California Department of Justice concluded that Robinhood sold commodities contracts in violation of the CCL by allowing customers, who hoped their investment would become more valuable shortly, to buy cryptocurrencies without actually delivering these assets to customers. During that period, customers could not withdraw their cryptocurrency and were forced to sell it back to Robinhood to exit the trading platform. Robinhood misled customers by advertising it would connect to multiple trading venues, to ensure customers receive the most competitive prices between the venues, which was not always true. Robinhood also represented to its customers that Robinhood itself held all its customers’ cryptocurrencies purchased through Robinhood’s platform. Despite these assurances, Robinhood did not tell customers that there were instances in which it arranged for trading venues to hold customer assets for extended periods.In addition to the $3.9 million penalty, under the settlement today Robinhood must:

• Permit customers to withdraw their cryptocurrency assets from Robinhood to their own cryptocurrency wallets.
• Ensure that its written representations to customers about its trading and order handling practices materially comport with such practices, including the routing of orders to trading venues, and cryptocurrency purchase and sale prices.
• Make clear to customers that Robinhood will custody cryptocurrency that customers own, update its Customer Agreement to disclose that it may delay settlement with trading venues in the event of an incident that raises concerns about a cryptocurrency asset’s network security, and disclose to our office any incident that results in delayed settlement for longer than one week.

Coinbase, Marathon Digital, Riot Platforms lead drop in crypto stocks - Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase just wrapped up its worst week of the year. Bitcoin miner Marathon Digital tumbled 20%. A basket of crypto-related equities tracked by Schwabfell to its lowest level since February. The industrywide selloff reflected growing concerns about the health of the U.S. economy and tracked a broader decline in prices of bitcoin, ether and risky assets in general. The tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 5.8% for the week, its worst performance since January 2022.In addition to macro pressures, the calendar is doing crypto no favors. According to CoinGlass, September is historically a difficult trading month for crypto assets, with bitcoin notching an average loss of 4.8%. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, a gauge of crypto market sentiment, is firmly in the "Extreme Fear" zone, indicating that investors are worried about price moves.Bitcoin slipped to its lowest level since February, falling 4% in the last 24 hours to around $54,000.In a week shortened by the Labor Day holiday, Tuesday saw the steepest selloff in the broader market after weak manufacturing data stoked fears of an economic slowdown. The 11 U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds had their worst day in over four months after the report, as more than $287 million was collectively withdrawn from the ETFs.The data was bad through the end of the week. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a cooldown in the labor market with August payrolls falling short of expectations.

‘Extreme Fear’ And Fed Panic Sparks Sudden $2 Trillion Crypto Price Crash—Hitting Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, Solana, XRP And Dogecoin -- Bitcoin and crypto—including top ten coins ethereum, BNBBNB, solana, XRPXRP and dogecoin—have crashed after a serious Goldman Sachs warning. The bitcoin price has dropped towards $50,000 per bitcoin, with the combined crypto market plunging under the $2 trillion level as fears swirl the U.S. dollar is on "the verge of a total collapse." Now, after Coinbase's chief executive last week revealed an AI game-changer, bitcoin and crypto market sentiment has swung to "extreme fear" as the market digests the latest U.S. jobs data that missed expectations, driving the bitcoin price below a key resistance level. "A key technical support level for the bitcoin price remains just above $54,000, but slippage in the event of a volatility spike could see the price briefly drop below $53,000, Alex Kuptsikevich, FxPro senior market analyst, said in emailed comments.Earlier this week, legendary bitcoin trader Arthur Hayes and analysts with Bitfinex predicted the bitcoin price could fall much further in the short term.The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, a measure of crypto market sentiment, has sunk to a one-month low of 22, a sign of "extreme fear" and a level last seen during the August market meltdown.The bitcoin price fell to just over $52,000 before rebounding back above $53,000. The rest of the crypto top ten has crashed back along side the bitcoin price, with ethereum, BNB, solana, XRP and dogecoin each losing between 5% and 10% over the last 24 hours.The bitcoin price crash comes as U.S. jobs data showed the economy added 142,000 new jobs in August, short on economists forecasts of around 161,000. The slowing jobs market has fueled fears the Federal Reserve has waited too long to cut interest rates, with the economy at risk of falling into recession.

FedNow advances toward making real-time payments mainstream --- Real-time payments are moving beyond early adopters to a new phase as a number of banksand credit unions take up the government-backed FedNow network as it enters its second year. There are now more than 900 financial institutions offering FedNow, the Federal Reserve said in August. That's up from 450 in February and 35 at the real-time payment network's launch in July 2023. While that's a large jump, it also leaves as many as 8,000 eligible banks and credit unions in the U.S. that have not signed up. And the U.S. lags countries with government mandates to use real-time payments, or transactions that settle in a few seconds instead of on the same day or in two to three days. Brazil and India far outpace the U.S. About 95% of digital payments in Brazil process through that country's network, compared with the projected 4% real-time payments share in the U.S. by 2026, according to Statista. "The volumes will come in the U.S., but it takes time," said Erika Baumann, director of commercial banking & payments and health care payments at Datos Insights. "Everything that is market-driven moves slow in this space, and FedNow is no different."

Massachusetts fines Morgan Stanley over trades by ex-First Republic CEO — Massachusetts regulators fined Morgan Stanley $2 million Friday for failing to flag certain trades by the former CEO of First Republic Bank, who offloaded shares in the regional bank during the lead-up to its 2023 collapse."Morgan Stanley's own compliance manual prohibits its agents from buying or selling securities if they believe their client is trading while in possession of material non-public information," a release from Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin's office stated. "Nonetheless, its employees failed to confirm the executive was not trading on the basis of inside information and also dismissed a series of red flags concerning the sale of more than $6.8 million in FRB stock by the insider."The Massachusetts office — which opened an investigation into potential insider trading at First Republic after the stock sales — stated that Morgan Stanley employees failed to identify the executive's relationship with First Republic."When employees did review trades, they did not conduct meaningful reviews," the release stated. "In reviewing potential insider trading alerts, monitoring officers incorrectly concluded, after only one minute, that there was no relationship between the customer and First Republic, the complaint states — something that could have been easily identified through a straightforward internet search."The former First Republic executive — which the Wall Street Journal identified as James Herbert II by matching trading data with information cited by the Massachusetts regulators — offloaded millions of dollars in First Republic shares between February 2022 and March 2023, with the last sale occurring just days before the bank's stock dropped, helping the executive avoid substantial losses.The Massachusetts Securities Division did not name Herbert, instead referring only to a former First Republic CEO. It said the penalties against Morgan Stanley stemmed from an investigation into trading by a First Republic executive but did not indicate whether the executive is currently under investigation.Herbert's spokesperson declined to comment on the settlement.

TD CEO says the bank's size helps explain risk management failures --TD Bank Group is still in the thick of overhauling its anti-money-laundering program, but CEO Bharat Masrani said Wednesday that he can see the "light at the end" of the tunnel.The bank's massive size — 2 trillion Canadian dollars of assets — acted as a bottleneck to its risk management, Masrani said during a fireside chat at the Scotiabank Financials Summit. He said TD is enhancing cross-company communication systems as part of the efforts to turn around its AML program.TD has already invested over $500 million into the program, and it expects to spend hundreds of millions more."We had a situation here where some bad actors were able to exploit the bank," Masrani said. "It's easy in a bank of our size to sometimes not look at accountabilities as clearly as we should. …There's lots of information available. It's important to coordinate and make sure the right information is available to the right individuals in the right areas of the bank on a real-time basis."The Toronto-based bank said last month that it estimates monetary penalties from U.S. regulators would total more than $3 billion, which would mark one of the country's most expensive AML infractions.Masrani has said that TD can't share details of its missteps until it has closed the book with the Department of Justice and other federal agencies, though he expects to have a "global resolution" by the end of the year. The Wall Street Journal has reported that TD is being investigated for its use by Chinese crime groups to launder drug money.One of the "key lessons" of the risk management failure is that TD must "deepen accountabilities" across its front lines and control functions, Masrani said, ensuring that employees can recognize risk and "act with urgency." TD is not the first big bank to cite the perils of siloed corporate structures after running into regulatory troubles.Amid a series of scandals at Wells Fargo, an internal company report in 2017 pointed to "serious issues" related to the bank's decentralized structure, as different business units housed their own risk management operations. Wells ultimately centralized many of its functions in the wake of the scandals.TD hasn't disclosed the total price tag of its efforts to remedy the AML pitfalls but has repeatedly said it is investing in upgrading technology, talent and training.Last month, TD said its risk and control infrastructure expenses for the year would be greater than previously forecast, increasing its expense growth guidance from the mid-single digits to the high single digits. Masrani said Wednesday that the bank's 2024 expenses include a number of one-time costs that range from CA$200 million to CA$250 million. Those expenses include litigation costs and compensation related to certain businesses that are performing well.TD has also terminated some employees after determining through an internal investigation that they violated the bank's code of conduct. Other staff members were hit with disciplinary actions, including impacts to their compensation. A TD spokesperson declined to provide additional details about the number of employees affected.

Fed hits two community banks with enforcement actions - The Federal Reserve joined state regulators in issuing enforcement orders against two community banks on Wednesday. The central bank fined Billings, Montana-based First Interstate Bank $70,000 for repeated violations of the National Flood Insurance Act. It also joined the Texas Department of Banking to issue a cease-and-desist order against Dallas-based United Texas Bank over money-laundering concerns. Neither order detailed the specific infractions of the bank in question, as is customary for public enforcement actions. The order against First Interstate noted that the bank could be fined up to $2,000 per violation of the law, which requires properties in designated flood zones to have flood insurance and calls on banks to ensure the properties they lend against are properly protected. First Interstate must submit its payment directly to the National Flood Insurance Program. United Texas was cited for deficiencies related to Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering requirements related to its correspondent banking and virtual currency businesses. As a result of the order, the $1 billion-asset bank has agreed to revamp its anti-money laundering compliance oversight, its customer due diligence practices, and its suspicious activity monitoring and reporting. United Texas Bank's board of directors will also have to improve their oversight. The bank must submit a report detailing its compliance with sanctions policies set out by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control, or OFAC. On its website, United Texas promotes its correspondent banking platform as providing "frictionless" banking to foreign customers looking to access the U.S. market and customers. Services include domestic payments processing through the Fed's automated clearinghouse, or ACH, international wires through the Society for Worldwide International Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, and instant settlements through the big bank-owned Real Time Payments network. The bank has two months to submit plans for remedying its shortcomings to its supervisors. It will then have to issue progress reports at regular intervals.

Fed seeks input on discount window reforms - The Federal Reserve is gathering public input on how to improve its last-resort lending facility.The central bank launched a request for information on Thursday, asking the public to weigh in on how its discount window and the processes around accessing it might be improved. Specifically, the Fed is seeking input on operational practices such as the collection of legal documents, pledging — and withdrawing — collateral, and requesting, receiving and repaying loans from the facility. It has also invited commentary about its intraday credit program and related communications.Banks and members of the public have 90 days to respond to the request for information.The Fed has been under pressure to modernize the discount window since the failures of three large regional banks last year. According to post-failure reports, staffers from both Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank struggled to pledge appropriate collateral to the facility in a timely manner while facing significant deposit outflows in March 2023. The employees had difficulties moving assets that were prepositioned with the Federal Home Loan Banks — a more frequent source of liquidity for banks — and even attempted to post ineligible loans. While smoother experiences at the discount window would not have helped the banks stave off failure, government examiners concluded, they might have allowed for more orderly liquidations of the institutions.

OCC's Hsu makes case for targeted, agile bank supervision — Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu called on bank supervisors to zero in on the most pressing banking issues, rather than trying to cover every possible issue, which he says can dilute their efforts and effectiveness. "Supervisors are fond of process and have a by-the-book orientation … however, [this] can morph from being a tool to being a cage," Hsu said Tuesday. "We supervisors are just as prone to falling into that trap, especially after facing public criticism, when fear of making mistakes is highest." In remarks before the Joint European Banking Authority and European Central Bank International Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, he emphasized the need for supervisors to shift toward a robust risk-based approach, moving beyond the rigid, checklist-driven mindset that he says can limit supervisory effectiveness. Effective "risk-based supervision," according to Hsu, requires prioritizing the most significant risks and maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. Hsu also noted that the biggest challenge in risk-based supervision is dealing with areas that are not prioritized. While supervisors shouldn't be held accountable for issues in deprioritized areas, he argued they're often expected to be aware of every detail in every bank. This unrealistic expectation can lead to a checkbox mentality rather than true risk-based oversight. Hsu suggested a distinction between supervisory lapses in less critical areas versus those related to more dire supervisory issues. "The problem with check-the-box supervision is that there are a lot of boxes to check, and each box is given equal weight. This ensures comprehensiveness, but artificially limits our ability to focus supervisory attention where it is needed most," he said. "Risk-based supervision shifts accountability for outcomes from individual on-site supervisory teams and their managers to the agency's most senior executives responsible for prioritization, collaboration, resource allocation, and quality control." Hsu described supervision as an unsung craft, rarely making headlines except for when things go terribly wrong, like the public scrutiny placed on Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank's examiners after the firms' historic failures. When the banking system navigates significant events smoothly, he argued, supervision often can be taken for granted. For example, in 2022, despite a $2 trillion collapse in the crypto market and numerous crypto platform bankruptcies, the banking system remained stable. The acting comptroller said this imbalance — between the often invisibility of successes and significant visibility of failures in supervision — can significantly influence how supervisors operate."When there is a headline-grabbing negative incident — such as a bank failure, compliance or operational breakdown, or violation of law — supervisors understand they may be subject to intense criticism," he said. "This can cause them to become unnecessarily cautious, defensive, or to second-guess themselves … [and] result in supervisors seeking safety in closely adhering to pre approved checklists and processes rather than exercising judgment and discretion." The acting comptroller said complicating the role of supervisors is the significant growth and increased complexity of large banks over the past 30 years. Thirty years ago, only five U.S. banks had assets exceeding $100 billion, with a combined total of $800 billion of assets. Today, he noted that number has expanded to 32 large banks with a collective total of over $17 trillion of assets.The regulator emphasized that given the growth and increasing complexity of firms, prioritizing agility and credibility are also crucial for effective supervision. To achieve this, he noted the OCC has established an Office of Financial Technology, strengthened collaboration with both its domestic and international partners and launched agencywide initiatives, such as one focused on understanding the increasing number of generative AI pilots being used at banks the OCC supervises. These efforts aim to create a more flexible and proactive supervisory framework.Hsu emphasized that bank supervision relies heavily on building close relationships between banks and their supervisors through ongoing dialogue, alongside formal examinations and other monitoring activities. He compared supervision to exercise because its effects accumulate over time, even if the immediate impacts are not always noticeable. This continuous monitoring, Hsu explained, helped banks endure recent systemwide disruptions that severely affected other industries, such as airlines. This summer's CrowdStrike incident, for example, involved a faulty software update that crashed about 8.5 million Microsoft Windows systems globally, causing widespread service disruptions and an estimated $10 billion in financial damage. "OCC supervisors have been examining and pushing banks to improve their cyber, operational, and IT risk management capabilities for years because of the prevalence of legacy systems, deferred maintenance, and underinvestment," he said. "Banks' relative resilience in the face of the CrowdStrike disruption was due in part to those supervisory efforts."

Banks hint at legal challenge to new interagency security tracking rule -— The American Bankers Association has raised concerns over a proposal by nine federal agencies to replace an industry-owned, widely used labeling standard for identifying and tracking financial securities as part of regulators' implementation of the Financial Data Transparency Act. ABA said the agencies' proposal to compel financial markets to use a new open-source tracking system — Bloomberg's Financial Instrument Global Identifier, or FIGI — for financial reporting purposes arbitrarily exceeds statutory authority. Regulators currently mandate that firms use an alphanumeric identification system run by ABA's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures. CUSIP numbers are used by regulators to identify financial securities, including stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. Accessing CUSIP data requires a subscription, and the fees ABA charges for access vary based on the data's scope and type."The Agencies have acted both outside the FDTA's statutory mandate and arbitrarily and capriciously under the APA," the bankers group wrote in a letter dated Tuesday. "CUSIPs are the required means of identifying financial instruments for nearly every financial reporting form collected by the agencies, as well as the underlying identifier for a myriad of agency operations including Treasury issuances, Treasury Auctions, and MBS CUSIP Aggregation."The issue at question is whether the FDTA's requirement of a nonproprietary legal entity identifier to be available under an open license extends to all common identifiers, including financial instrument identifiers. ABA said the proposal incorrectly applies the open license requirement to financial instrument identifiers and that the FDTA only requires a "common nonproprietary legal entity identifier" to be available under an open license, rather than mandating that all identifiers must be non proprietary and open.The law requires agencies to create data standards that establish common identifiers for legal entities available under an open license. The agencies proposed using the FIGI instead of CUSIP and the International Securities Identification Number systems because the latter two are proprietary and not open license. The rulemaking comes amid an emphasis by the Biden administration on non-proprietary and open-license identifiers to promote transparency, reduce costs and avoid monopolistic practices in the financial data industry."The FIGI provides free and open access and coverage across all global asset classes, real-time availability, and flexibility for use in multiple functions [and] also can be used for asset classes that do not normally have a global identifier, including loans," the agencies wrote in the proposal. "The Agencies also considered CUSIP and the ISIN … [but] while these identifiers are widely used, they are proprietary and not available under an open license in the United States."ABA contends that the proposal to adopt the FIGI arbitrarily exceeds the FDTA's mandate, lacks a proper cost-benefit analysis and would cause significant market disruption due to the FIGI's non-fungibility and limited data accessibility compared with CUSIP.

BankThink: Federal overreach in loan servicing enforcement will hurt consumers | American Banker --From the Financial Stability Oversight Council to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Ginnie Mae and now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, discussions of the role of third-party loan servicers in our country's lending ecosystem have continued to grow in recent months. The CFPB has led much of the charge, and it is clearly on a mission to improve the baseline standards for servicers in all asset classes of consumer finance. Protecting borrowers from poor servicing is a laudable goal, but the method of doing so matters. Unfortunately, in a little-noticed enforcement action against something called The National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts, or NCSLT, the CFPB enforcement actions targeted not just servicers but investors. The potential precedent could risk capital flight from consumer lending at a large scale. A much better approach would be for the CFPB to rightly see the securitization industry as its partners, and work with it to properly police bad servicing practices before they fester. The CFPB's latest legal actions are a very big deal, but they haven't generated much reaction … yet. One reason is that some view these actions as an idiosyncratic student loan securitization issue from deals structured decades ago. But there is no certainty that the CFPB couldn't strike again, in any type of securitization. Trillions of dollars in consumer finance could be disrupted if investors are forced to pay for the mistakes of a bad servicer in other consumer asset classes going forward.Retirees could be harmed, and the legal costs of lending will go up. Retirement funds keep asset-backed securities in their portfolios because they are solid, predictable investments. If securitization trusts are forced to pay damages or compensation for misbehavior by their third-party vendors, the result will be lower returns for these savers. Average consumers will also be the ones paying the price for the actions of a bad servicer in the form of substantial additional legal costs.The CFPB might have the misconception that securitization adds to the complexities of resolving bad servicing practices. This premise is untrue. In a case that helped instigate the complaint brought against NCSLT, a servicer was alleged to have intentionally given borrowers misleading information. The CFPB is right that this servicer attempted to shield itself from responsibility using an absurd excuse. But the reality of most securitizations is very different. When securitization deals are put together, a substantial amount of work goes into servicer selection. Once that choice is subject to due diligence, the servicer is charged with performing its duties in full compliance with the law. That responsibility rests with the servicers, not the investors or trustees.In fact, the investors' interests are very much aligned with the stated aims of the CFPB. No one wins with bad loan servicers. Investors want borrower outcomes that are best for the long-term value of their asset, and that absolutely requires effectively working with consumers who need temporary assistance. Market participants and the CFPB should work together to proactively identify servicers that the CFPB has issues with so they can be excluded from playing a role in these important consumer finance markets. A cooperative and transparent dialogue between the CFPB and the industry would help root out bad actors before wrongdoing grows into a problem for everyone.Consumers need to be able to speak to someone who can offer the help they need if they face unforeseen financial hardship. Poor servicing is a problem for the entire ecosystem of consumer finance. The CFPB has made it abundantly clear that loan servicing is an area of focus. That focus is commendable, so long as its investigations are undertaken and performed in a smart way. Suing securitization trusts and taking money from investors to punish servicers is not a wise approach.

BankThink: Regulators' safety and soundness judgments face questions | American Banker -- The concept of safety and soundness is under threat. Courts have traditionally respected regulators' determinations of whether activities are unsafe or unsound, but changes in judicial temperament portend the end to that respect. The federal banking agencies should be worried and must act accordingly.Safety and soundness is core to the federal banking laws. The prohibition against unsafe or unsound practices was used to fine Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Citibank a collective $950 million in 2014 for manipulating foreign exchange rates; Wells Fargo $185 million in 2016 for engaging in systemic illegal account sales practices; and Silvergate $43 million earlier this year for failing to conduct adequate anti-money-laundering checks on its crypto customers.Indeed, practically all enforcement actions the federal banking agencies take allege some unsafe or unsound practice. If banks are found to have engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, the irregulators may impose cease-and-desist orders, collect civil money penalties, remove banks' officers and directors and the FDIC may revoke deposit insurance coverage — which effectively requires banks to cease operation.Today, most courts hold that activities are "unsafe or unsound" if they are "contrary to accepted standards of banking operations which might result in abnormal risk or loss" or pose "a reasonably foreseeable undue risk." As these standards require simply the risk of loss and notactual losses, courts have appropriately respected examiners' judgments about whether banks' practices are so egregiously risky as to declare them unlawful.The Supreme Court has recently shown a willingness to upend black letter law in ways that hamstring regulators, and although its opinions need not necessarily affect safety and soundness, the minimization of the concept is a likely outcome.For example, the Supreme Court ruled in Loper Bright v. Raimondo that courts are not to defer to agencies' reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes; although bank regulators rarely claim Chevron deference, judges may assert that whether an action is unsafe or unsound is a question for courts alone to decide. In SEC v. Jarkesy, the Court held that agency actions similar to those at common law must be brought before juries, which may prevent bank regulators from imposing civil money penalties. And in the major questions doctrine cases, the Court held that regulators cannot address issues of "vast economic and political significance" without clear statutory authorization from Congress; although prohibitions against unsafe or unsound practices are clearly written into statute, regulators may be prohibited from using that authority to address macroprudential or not obviously financial concerns. This is all to say nothing of the case law coming out of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.The Federal Reserve's independence in setting monetary policy is critical to global confidence in U.S. markets and the dollar's status as reserve currency of choice. Making those functions constitutionally separate from the executive branch is the best way to ensure that independence. With this change in judicial temperament, banks' trade associations are taking the opportunity to push for fundamental changes to safety and soundness. In a recent note, the Bank Policy Institute appears to reject the notion that the concept of safety and soundness allows regulators to examine banks' information technology practices or relationships with third-party service providers, and criticizes regulators' evaluation of management as a stand-alone component in assigning supervisory ratings.

Banks' Q2 profits rise to $71.5 billion despite lending headwinds — U.S. banks' net income increased to $71.5 billion in the second quarter, despite higher provision expenses and deteriorating office markets, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s quarterly report on the health of the banking industry. Second-quarter net income in the industry rose more than 11% from the first quarter of 2024, according to the FDIC report released Thursday. "The banking industry continued to show resilience in the second quarter. Net income increased and asset quality metrics remained generally favorable," FDIC Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg said. "However, the banking industry still faces significant downside risks from uncertainty in the economic outlook [and]…weakness in certain loan portfolios, particularly office properties, credit cards, and multifamily loans, continues to warrant monitoring." In the agency's previous quarterly report, banks showed a significant increase in net income despite declining net interest margins and stress in certain loan portfolios such as commercial real estate and credit cards. While many of the same issues persisted in the second quarter, banks' interest spreads varied based on firm size. Compared with the first quarter, net interest margins widened for most banks except the largest ones — those with $250 billion of assets — where margins fell slightly. The industry's overall net interest margin eased 1 basis point to reach 3.16% in the second quarter, remaining lower than the pre-pandemic average of 3.25%. This quarter, FDIC-insured institutions benefited from a reduction in noninterest expenses, including an estimated $4 billion decrease in the agency's special assessment expense. The FDIC had ordered the special assessment on insured banks to recover a roughly $19.2 billion loss to the Deposit Insurance Fund due to the protection of uninsured depositors following the systemic risk determination for Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. This represents the agency's most recent estimate for losses incurred following the March 2023 bank failures. Alongside cost reductions, the quarter also featured substantial one-time gains, including about $10 billion from equity security transactions and an after-tax gain of $4.9 billion from the sale of an insurance division. These gains, however, were partly offset by a $2.7 billion increase in provision expenses at mostly large banks, bringing the industry total to $23.3 billion in the second quarter. Banks with more than $250 billion in assets saw the biggest jump in provision expenses, with costs up $3.3 billion — or about 30% — from the previous quarter. Provision expenses, which banks set aside to cover potential credit losses, have been higher than the pre-pandemic average for eight straight quarters. The quarterly increase was mainly due to loan growth, worsening conditions in office real estate markets, and a rise in credit card charge-offs.

Survey: SMB lending fraud on the rise - Lenders reported a greater amount of fraud against their products for small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) in 2023 compared to 2022, according to survey results released Thursday by data and analytics firm LexisNexis Risk Solutions.In the survey of 135 banks, credit unions, digital lenders and payments processors, 82% of respondents said the level of SMB fraud had increased over the past 12 months. The survey was conducted during October and November 2023, though the data was published this week.The rate of increase is on par with previous years. In a 2022 survey by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, 84% of respondents reported an increase in SMB fraud. The previous year, it was 73%.LexisNexis Risk Solutions retained market research firm KS&R to conduct the research. The firm asked financial services firms surveyed simply whether "SMB lending fraud targeting the firm increased or decreased and by how much," according to the report. The question did not specify whether the amount was the number of attempted fraud incidents, the amount of money lost to fraud, or any other metrics.Compared to 2022, respondents in 2023 reported a statistically significant increase in the amount of SMB lending fraud they detected within the first month of the customer relationship, from 41% to 59%. These respondents detected the fraud after account origination but before the account had been charged off.The majority of respondents (56%) said they suspect between 6% and 10% of their company's overall losses were because of SMB lending fraud.The broader picture of fraud against U.S. lenders has indeed worsened in recent years.The number of suspicious activity reports (SAR) filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) by depository institutions and finance companies increased by just under 10% from 2022 to 2023.

Check fraud against Chase goes viral on TikTok -- A form of check fraud known as check-kiting went viral on TikTok over the weekend, with JPMorgan Chase customers recording themselves writing a bad check, depositing it at an ATM, then withdrawing cash before the bank could bounce the check. The scheme was portrayed as a glitch rather than a crime, creating the misunderstanding through seconds-long video clips that customers engaging in the practice would get to keep the money. Other videos showed lines at Chase ATMs of people supposedly looking to try the viral trend themselves. "Let's go to the ATM, let's go to the ATM, let's go to the ATM," one person said to his friend in a TikTok video reacting to the trend. Within hours of the videos going up, some of these customers posted videos reacting to negative balances on their accounts, sometimes for tens of thousands of dollars. While many of the original videos have been taken down by either the posters or the platform, reaction videosshow some Chase customers with red dollar amounts as large as $30,000 on their account pages. "They really told me to tap in, next day it was supposed to clear," said one TikTok user who showed a screenshot of his Chase accounts, depicting over $38,000 in negative adjustments. "Look at my account, yo."A spokesperson for Chase said the bank is "aware of this incident, and it has been addressed." The spokesperson did not elaborate on why some customers were able to withdraw or transfer funds from large checks.When a customer deposits a check, the first $225 must generally be available to them the day after they make the deposit, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The next $5,300 must typically be available the second day, and if the check is larger than $5,525, the bank can hold the rest, often for up to five days."Regardless of what you see online, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds from your account is fraud, plain and simple," the Chase spokesperson said.The episode served as a teachable moment for some influencers whose content revolves around financial advice. Jim Wang, who is a personal finance blogger and @bestwallethacks on TikTok, told viewers that errors that appear to be in their favor almost never are."Just because money appears in your account doesn't mean it's literally yours," he said. "It's known as unjust enrichment."Others emphasized the long-term damage that the fraud scheme can have on people who attempt it. @Seansvv on TikTok, whose content often involves reading the terms of service of various companies, emphasized the data that banks including Chase collect on customers, often to comply with legal obligations to do so. The influencer stressed that banks can share this data with authorities and each other to identify and avoid high-risk customers."The debt is going to follow you, especially the people with upwards of $10,000 of debt," he said. "There's basically no way you're going to escape this; you're going to have to figure a way to make that money back."

JPMorgan Chase said to be investigating TikTok check fraudsters - JPMorgan Chase suggested Friday that it would refer cases of check fraud, which recently went viral on TikTok, to law enforcement. "As with any fraud-related issue, we review internally and refer to law enforcement as appropriate," said a spokesperson for the bank in response to a response for comment on the TikTok trend. "Regardless of what you see online, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds from your account is fraud, plain and simple."The Wall Street Journal first reported that the bank plans to report information to law enforcement about customers who exploited a supposed glitch that allowed these customers to withdraw, in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars off of bad checks. The scheme, called check-kiting, exploits regulations that require banks to make some of the funds from deposited checks available the business day after a customer deposits the check. When a customer deposits a check, the first $225 must generally be available to them the day after they make the deposit, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The next $5,300 must typically be available the second day, and if the check is larger than $5,525, the bank can hold the rest, often for up to five days. According to the Wall Street Journal, the bank estimates that "thousands" of people took advantage of the so-called glitch, citing "people familiar with the matter." The publication did not explain why it did not name the people. It is a common practice for news outlets to grant anonymity to sources willing to discuss pending legal matters."Chase has frozen some accounts already and could continue doing so as it finds more instances of fraud," according to the Wall Street Journal. "The bank also plans to share surveillance footage and other information related to individuals who allegedly committed the fraud with authorities." Earlier in the week, Chase said about the TikTok trend that it was "aware of this incident, and it has been addressed." The bank has not elaborated on how it addressed the matter.

Former Discover executive says she was 'scapegoat' for legal troubles -A former top executive at Discover Financial Services alleges in a new lawsuit that she was a "convenient scapegoat" after major errors in charges to merchants came to light.Lawyers for Diane Offereins, who headed Discover's payments division before retiring last year, say in the suit that the company canceled $7 million in unvested stock that she had earned.The dispute follows Discover's admission last year that a classification error prompted the Riverwoods, Illinois-based firm to overcharge some merchants for nearly 16 years. The company's former CEO resigned, and the hobbled bank, which is anticipating regulatory penalties, became the target of a pending acquisition deal by its credit card competitor Capital One Financial.The initial misclassification that led to the merchant overcharging occurred "around mid-2007," according to Discover's initial disclosure of the error. Offereins, 66, had led Discover's payments arm since 2009."She was not responsible for the classification of cards; she had repeatedly raised concerns about the classification issues; and she had advocated for ways to change it," her lawsuit says.The complaint also alleges that Offereins was the victim of gender and age discrimination, stating that she "was the only woman and the only retired Discover executive committee member" to lose stock in connection with the problems.Discover did not immediately respond to a request for comment.In the lawsuit, Offereins says the merchant charging issue was "well-known within all divisions of the company for years" and that she "fully cooperated" with an internal investigation. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Illinois.Days before she retired, Offereins spent three hours with outside lawyers who were leading the internal investigation. The lawsuit says she did not get "any follow-up inquiries" after the interview, nor any suggestions that she was suspected of improprieties. Months later, Discover cited "misconduct" and the investigation's findings in canceling Offereins' stock awards — which ere due to vest the next day. "In reality, this was a convenient, pretextual excuse," the lawsuit states.

CFPB faults non-profit hospitals, landlords in report on consumer debt -The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found that low-income consumers are being pursued for medical debts that should have been paid for by financial assistance programs at non-profit hospitals. Rather than provide the so-called charity care that is required for hospitals to maintain their non-profit status, the medical facilities are partnering with financial institutions to offer payment products that can be pursued by debt collectors, the CFPB said.On Thursday, the CFPB released its annual report to Congress on debt-collection practices, focused in part on complaints about those being collected on behalf of non-profit hospitals. Medical debt has become a campaign issue for Vice President Kamala Harris, who joined CFPB Director Rohit Chopra in June to announce from the White House a proposed rule to ban medical debt from credit reports. Under the plan, consumers would still owe medical debts, but the debts wouldn't appear on credit reports, and lenders would be prohibited from using medical billing information in underwriting decisions. The CFPB said it has received many complaints from consumers being pursued for debts that should have been paid by non-profit hospitals. To maintain their tax-exempt status, non-profit community hospitals are required under federal law to offer financial assistance to patients who may not be able to afford medical care. The criteria for financial assistance are largely determined by hospital policies with minimum requirements set by the Internal Revenue Service and state laws. The CFPB said some hospitals' policies exclude patients from getting assistance. "Many hospitals place restrictions so that patients are ineligible if they don't have a large enough medical bill, if they have insurance, if they have already paid, if they have signed up for a medical credit card, or if they're not a resident of the area where they happen to have received emergency care," the report stated.The CFPB said IRS rules prohibit non-profit hospitals from engaging in some of the collections activities that consumers have complained about."When a non-profit hospital partners with a financial institution in the offering of a medical payment product, the patient is set up to be pursued by debt collectors in ways that those hospitals are themselves prohibited from doing," the CFPB said in the 54-page report.The CFPB cited one study that estimated non-profit hospitals' tax exemptions were worth $28 billion in 2020. Yet it found that nearly 80% of non-profit hospitals spent less on charity care and community investment than the value of their tax exemption. Some consumer advocates and policymakers have raised concerns that consumers who should be eligible for free or reduced costs are not receiving it, the bureau said.The report to Congress also addressed complaints about rental debt, collection fees charged by landlords, and the infusion of consumer financial products into the rental market. Debt collectors often furnish rental debt to credit-reporting companies as a means of "collecting debt through coercion," the report stated.The CFPB said some real estate companies are engaging in illegal price-fixing and are inflating rental debt by using revenue management software.Renters and some landlords have complained to the CFPB about fees that rental payment processing companies add on as a condition for paying rent. "It is often not clear whether these fees are allowed under the lease agreement or local law, and, thus, able to be targeted by debt collectors," the CFPB said.Landlords and debt collectors also may be improperly charging tenants for basic repairs and routine upkeep that should be the landlord's financial responsibility and typically are not allowed under state laws. If rental bills including the unowed amounts end up in debt collection, debt collectors may be violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the CFPB said.

A non-alarmist guide to the risks in commercial real estate --Roll the dice. Buy a property. Collect rent. Pass Go.The rules of Monopoly are much like the rules of commercial real estate — which will either fatally wound dozens of banks across the country or merely muddle their balance sheets for years, depending on who you believe.After three large regional banks collapsed last spring, the industry has been moving around and around the board. There have been temper tantrums, as investors suddenly call it quits on bank stocks they owned for years, and CEOs defend the health of their CRE loans. There's been yawning, since doomsdayer predictions of an imminent collapse haven't yet panned out.There have been bankruptcies, as the owners of empty office buildings and struggling apartment buildings hand over the keys to banks. If enough of them do so, banks that made far too many real estate loans may crumble and sit out the rest of the game.And there will be the real-life equivalent of Monopoly's jail cell, as regulators and investors dole out punishments for excessive risk-taking. Some observers are predicting the failures of small banks that can't tourniquet their CRE losses. Pierre Buhler, a managing director at the consulting firm SSA, said he's recently changed his outlook on the odds of a banking apocalypse as he continues helping financial institutions resolve their troubled building portfolios. While the hit to CRE may handicap lenders, it won't "destroy everything," Buhler said."The size of the problem is huge, but it will not materialize all at once," Buhler said. "I always predicted a tsunami. In some ways, I was doom and gloom. Today I'm in a slightly different set of shoes."Bankers seem encouraged that the narrative is turning in their favor. There's been a broader recognition that not every player has the same strategy. Those lenders that are in bigger trouble are the ones that took bigger risks.But the game is still in its early stages, and some commentators believe we're facing a slow-moving train wreck. (For its part, Parker Bros. says Reading Railroad is still worth $200 on the Monopoly board.)When asked how much distress the CRE sector is facing, experts are often equivocal. It depends, they say, on geography, the borrower, the sector, the building's square footage and the size of the loan. Plus, there's the roller coaster of interest rate hikes since 2022, the pandemic shift in work-from-home practices and, in some previously hot markets, an overbuilding of apartments.In the hotly contested debate about the scale of doom, those nuances are everything."The No. 1 thing to understand is that commercial real estate is a really big, heterogeneous market," said Jamie Woodwell, who heads CRE research at the Mortgage Bankers Association. "Each and every property and loan is really unique. What you see often is folks painting commercial real estate — and commercial real estate's impact on banks — with very broad brushstrokes. Now of all times is not the time to do that."Still, hundreds of small banks are far more concentrated in commercial real estate than regulators say is safe, and the properties they're exposed to are built on question marks. In other words, there's no reason to think that many banks are ready to pass Go and collect $200.

HUD official declares 'job well done' on appraisal bias task force | American Banker - In 2021, the Biden administration convened a group of 13 federal agencies and tasked it with investigating racial bias in a key part of the mortgage lending process: property appraisal. More than three years later, Melody Taylor, the executive director of the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity, or PAVE, task force, said the group has far exceeded the expectations assigned to it. "When the PAVE task force was introduced by President Biden, one of the things he asked us to do was to look at the causes and consequences of appraisal bias and discrimination, and I think we took it at least 100 feet further," Taylor said. "We consulted with over 150 stakeholders and individuals to put forth an action plan consisting of 21 concrete actions."But the task force's efforts and output were not without controversy. Many in the appraisal profession felt the emphasis on personal bias — which they say has little effect on their valuation reports — was misguided, while the structural reforms within the industry were lackluster. Taylor, who also serves as regional director for the Mid-Atlantic Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, addressed these and other topics in an exclusive interview with American Banker. The following conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Construction Spending Squeaks to Record amid Eyepopping Boom in Spending on Factories while Residential Construction Tries to Dig Out of Last Year’s Slump - Wolf Richter Total construction spending ticked up to a record of $199 billion in July, up by 7.5% from a year ago, driven by record spending in both residential and nonresidential construction, according to data released by the Census Bureau today.But there had been a pronounced slump in residential construction spending from mid-2022 through mid-2023, and the sector is now trying to dig out of it.The seasonally adjusted annual rate in July, at $2.16 trillion, was up by 6.7% year-over-year, and down a hair from the records in the prior three months that had topped off a massive construction spending boom starting in 2021.Note the 35% plunge in construction spending from 2007 into 2011, mostly driven by the collapse in spending for residential construction during the Housing Bust, and to a lesser extent by the drop in nonresidential construction during that time.Nonresidential construction spending, which accounts for the majority (56%) of total construction spending, ticked up to a record $109 billion in July, up by 6.1% from a year ago.The seasonally adjusted annual rate of nonresidential construction spending in July, at $1.21 trillion, was down a hair from the records in the prior three months, and up by 5.9% year-over-year.The 45% two-year spike in 2022 and 2023 was in part a result of the eyepopping boom in spending on manufacturing plants, by far the largest segment of nonresidential construction (more in a moment); and in part the result of inflation (more in a moment).On the basis of the seasonally adjusted annual rate, spending rose to a record of $237 billion in July, up by 20.4% year-over-year.The eyepopping boom of 230% since early 2021 was driven by the investments in semiconductor plants, EV plants, battery plants, and many other high-value products. We’ve discussed this phenomenon in detail, including causes, for over a year, most recently a month ago:The share of spending on factories rose to a record of 19.6% of nonresidential construction spending, having doubled over the past four years. This is now by far the biggest segment of nonresidential construction:The top 10 segments of nonresidential construction, in seasonally adjusted annual rates, with year-over-year growth rates:

1. Manufacturing: $237 billion (+20.4%)
2. Power: $143 billion (+10.0%)
3. Highway and street: $141 billion (+3.6%)
4. Commercial (warehouses, auto dealers & service, supermarkets, malls, restaurants, farm buildings): $125 billion (-13.3%)
5. Office (incl. data centers of which construction is booming, while office building construction has hit the skids): $100 billion (+3.0%)
6. Transportation (airports, rail, marine terminals, docks): $69 billion (+7.1%)
7. Healthcare: $66 billion (+1.9%)
8. Sewage and waste disposal: $46 billion (+10.7%)
9. Amusement & recreation: $40 billion (+8.5%)
10. Water supply: $32 billion (+16.5%)

The role of inflation in this boom in nonresidential construction spending essentially ended in early 2023, according to the Producer Price Index for construction costs of nonresidential buildings, after the two-year 35% spike from early 2021 through early 2023 (red).Residential construction spending has been recovering from the slump in mid-2022 through April 2023. That slump had come off the spike in prior years.In July, residential construction spending edged up to a record $90 billion, from the record in June, and both squeaked past the prior record of June 2022 ($89 billion). Year-over-year, spending was up 9.1%:The seasonally adjusted annual rate of residential construction spending in July ticked down to $952 billion.The record occurred in May 2022 ($990 billion), driven by a boom in multifamily construction, with annual multifamily construction starts (in the number of housing units) hitting multi-decade highs in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Vehicles Sales Decrease to 15.13 million SAAR in August -Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for August: August U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Rise 4%, Ending Two Straight Declines (pay site). Growth was solid in August despite the period’s results equaling a 7-month-low SAAR. However, after rising 3.4% year-over-year in the first five months of 2024, demand over the three months since then has been nearly flat. Calendar-year 2024 sales through August totaled 10.5 million units, 2.2% above like-2023’s 10.3 million.This graph shows light vehicle sales since 2006 from the BEA (blue) and Wards' estimate for Augus (red). Sales in August (15.13 million SAAR) were down 4.3% from July, and down 1.1% from August 2023.Sales in August were below the consensus forecast of 15.4 million. The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967.

ISM® Services Index Increases to 51.5% in August -- The ISM® Services index was at 51.5%, up from 51.4% last month. The employment index decreased to 50.2%, from 51.1%. Note: Above 50 indicates expansion, below 50 in contraction. From the Institute for Supply Management: Services PMI® at 51.5% August 2024 Services ISM® Report On Business® The Services PMI® registered 51.5 percent, indicating sector expansion in six of eight months in 2024. This month’s reading indicates sector expansion for the 48th time in 51 months. “In August, the Services PMI® registered 51.5 percent, 0.1 percentage point higher than July’s figure of 51.4 percent. The reading in August marked the sixth time the composite index has been in expansion territory in 2024. The Business Activity Index registered 53.3 percent in August, which is 1.2 percentage points lower than the 54.5 percent recorded in July and indicated continuing expansion after one month of contraction in June. The New Orders Index expanded to 53 percent in August, 0.6 percentage point higher than July’s figure of 52.4 percent. The Employment Index expanded for the third time in 2024; the reading of 50.2 percent is a 0.9-percentage point decrease compared to the 51.1 percent recorded in July. The PMI was slightly above expectations.

Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease to 227,000 -- The DOL reported: In the week ending August 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 227,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 231,000 to 232,000. The 4-week moving average was 230,000, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 231,500 to 231,750.The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971. The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased to 230,000. The previous week was revised up. Weekly claims were lower than the consensus forecast.

ADP: Private Employment Increased 99,000 in August -From ADP: ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by 99,000 Jobs in August; Annual Pay was Up 4.8% - Private sector employment increased by 99,000 jobs in August and annual pay was up 4.8 percent year-over-year, according to the July ADP® National Employment ReportTM produced by the ADP Research Institute® in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab (“Stanford Lab”). ...“The job market's downward drift brought us to slower-than-normal hiring after two years of outsized growth,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “The next indicator to watch is wage growth, which is stabilizing after a dramatic post-pandemic slowdown.”This was below the consensus forecast of 144,000. The BLS report will be released Friday, and the consensus is for 164,000 non-farm payroll jobs added in August.

Is the Labor Market “Normalizing?” What Even Is “Normal?” By Wolf Richter (graphs) Not seasonally adjusted, the number of job openings in July jumped by 720,000 to 8.34 million, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job openings typically jump in July: Last year, they jumped by 750,000; in July 2019, they jumped by only 250,000; in July 2018, they jumped by only 414,000. So the July jump this year was fairly hefty compared to the last two prepandemic years (blue line in the chart below).But seasonal adjustments that attempt to iron out this seasonality slashed the seasonally adjusted job openings by 668,000 to 7.67 million (red). The insert shows the details back to April 2023.Beyond the month-to-month seasonality, we can see the trend: Job openings have come down from the crazy period of the labor shortages but remain well above the prepandemic levels in the data going back to 2001. So are job openings now normalizing? What even is normal? We’ll look at those questions in a moment. This data is based on surveys of about 21,000 work sites, released today by the BLS as part of its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).The ratio of job openings to nonfarm employment takes into account the growth of employment over the years. As the population, the labor force, and employment grow over the years, job openings should also grow with them. The ratio of job openings to nonfarm employment shows this relationship.On a seasonally adjusted basis, job openings as a percentage of nonfarm employment dipped to 4.9%, which still higher than the highest point during the strong labor market in late 2018, and far higher than any period beyond that going back to 2001.The three-month average, which irons out some of the month-to-month squiggles, dipped to 5.0%, well above all prepandemic levels. This perspective shows that the labor shortages are mostly gone, but that the labor market remains relatively tight compared to prepandemic normal:The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio that Powell mentions a lot in his press conferences as one of the indicators of labor market tightness, meaning the supply of labor in relationship to jobs.The number of unemployed persons includes the portion of the well over 6 million immigrants that came to the US in 2022 through 2024 (Congressional Budget Office data) that are looking for work but haven’t found work yet, and therefore count as unemployed.This massive influx of immigrants has caused the number of unemployed to increase though layoffs and discharges remain historically low, as we’ll see in a moment.In the jobs report for July, there were 7.16 million unemployed looking for work, while in today’s JOLTS data, there were 7.67 million job openings in July (both seasonally adjusted), so 0.93 unemployed persons looking for a job for each job opening.From this perspective, which includes the large number of immigrants still looking for work, the labor market is looser (bigger supply of labor) than it had been during the relatively tight labor market in 2018 and 2019:Layoffs and discharges jumped to 1.76 million in July after having dropped sharply in June. This is very volatile data with big month-to-month squiggles. The three-month average irons out some of the squiggles. It rose to 1.67 million, still in the same range it has been in since early 2023, and below the low points of the prepandemic years.The initial unemployment insurance claims reported by the Labor Department have shown a similar situation: Despite some breathless headlines about layoff announcements globally, there have been fewer layoffs and discharges than during the Good Times before the pandemic.Layoffs and discharges in relationship to nonfarm employment is a ratio that accounts for growing employment over the years.From that perspective, layoffs and discharges are still far below normal (to iron out some of the big month-to-month squiggles, we use the three-month average of layoffs and discharges)This is a sign that employers are hanging on to their workers. Some economists have speculated that employers are “hoarding” workers because they got burned with the labor shortages after their mass-layoffs during the pandemic when they couldn’t rehire the people that they’d let go. If true, that would be a good thing. Maybe employers learned something. And workers quit quitting. Voluntary quits ticked up to 3.28 million in July. The three-month average dipped to 3.30 million, well below the levels of 2018 and 2019.After the huge churn during the pandemic, when workers jumped jobs and industries to improve their pay and working conditions, it seems they have settled in.Fewer voluntary quits and historically low layoffs and discharges mean fewer job openings to fill, which means less hiring, and less competition for labor. The massive churn during the pandemic is over, that’s for sure.Hires jumped to 5.52 million in July, seasonally adjusted, after the drop in June. The three-month average inched down to 5.47 million.So let’s repeat: Fewer voluntary quits and historically low layoffs and discharges – as employers cling to their workers – mean fewer job openings to fill, which means less hiring. And that’s part of what we’re seeing here.The other part we’re seeing here is that the economy now creates jobs at a slower rate than in heady days of 2022 and 2023, and there are fewer new jobs to fill.Hires in relationship to nonfarm payrolls has declined below 2018-2019 levels, which were considered tight labor market conditions, but remain well above nearly all months in the prior period going back to 2001. Is this level of hiring in relationship to payrolls historically “normal?” Maybe.

August Employment Report: 142 thousand Jobs, 4.2% Unemployment Rate -- From the BLS: Employment Situation: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 142,000 in August, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in construction and health care.... The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised down by 61,000, from +179,000 to +118,000, and the change for July was revised down by 25,000, from +114,000 to +89,000. With these revisions, employment in June and July combined is 86,000 lower than previously reported.The first graph shows the jobs added per month since January 2021.Total payrolls increased by 142 thousand in August. Private payrolls increased by 118 thousand, and public payrolls increased 24 thousand.Payrolls for June and July were revised down 86 thousand, combined.The second graph shows the year-over-year change in total non-farm employment since 1968.In August, the year-over-year change was 2.36 million jobs. Employment was up solidly year-over-year (Although the annual benchmark revision will lower the year-over-year change).The third graph shows the employment population ratio and the participation rate.The Labor Force Participation Rate was unchanged at 62.7% in August, from 62.7% in July. This is the percentage of the working age population in the labor force. The Employment-Population ratio was unchanged at 60.0% from 60.0% in July (blue line). The fourth graph shows the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate decreased to 4.2% in August from 4.3% in July. This was below consensus expectations, and June and July payrolls were revised down by 82,000 combined.

Comments on August Employment Report – McBride - The headline jobs number in the August employment report was below expectations, and June and July payrolls were revised down by 82,000 combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio were unchanged, and the unemployment rate decreased to 4.2%. Construction employment increased 34 thousand and is now 665 thousand above the pre-pandemic level. Manufacturing employment decreased 24 thousand and is now 147 thousand above the pre-pandemic level.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 decreased in August to 83.9% from 84.0% in July.The 25 to 54 employment population ratio was unchanged at 80.9% from 80.9% the previous month.Both are above pre-pandemic levels and near the highest level this millennium.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 3.8% YoY in August. From the BLS report: "The number of people employed part time for economic reasons was little changed at 4.8 million in August. This measure is up from 4.2 million a year earlier. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but 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 increased in August to 4.83 million from 4.57 million in July. This is above the pre-pandemic levels. These workers are included in the alternate measure of labor underutilization (U-6) that increased to 7.9% from 7.8% 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 above 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 1.533 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks and still want a job, essentially unchanged from 1.535 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 above pre-pandemic levels. Through August 2024, the employment report indicated positive job growth for 44 consecutive months, putting the current streak in 5th place of the longest job streaks in US history (since 1939). It appears this streak will survive the annual benchmark revision (that will revise down job growth). Summary: The headline jobs number in the August employment report was below expectations, and June and July payrolls were revised down by 82,000 combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio were unchanged, and the unemployment rate decreased to 4.2%. A weaker than expected report, and the three-month average employment growth has slowed to 116 per month. The unemployment rate is up from a low of 3.4% in early 2023 to 4.2% in August (although down slightly from July).

10,000 hotel workers go on strike --Thousands of hotel workers went on strike across eight cities ahead of the Labor Day holiday to demand higher wages and fair staffing and workloads.The union representing the hotel workers, UNITE HERE, said about 10,000 workers across 24 hotels in Boston; Greenwich, Conn.; Honolulu; Kauai, Hawaii; San Diego; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; and Seattle will strike starting Sunday. Each of the strikes will last two to three days,according to the union.The union noted strikes have been authorized in Baltimore; New Haven, Conn.; Oakland, Calif.; and Providence, R.I., as well, meaning they could begin at any time.The union said it is calling for better wages, fair staffing and an end to COVID-19 pandemic cuts. The union said as a result of staffing cuts and offering fewer guest services, many workers lost jobs while the remaining workers have increased workload and have “painful working conditions.”“Ten thousand hotel workers across the U.S. are on strike because the hotel industry has gotten off track,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE, in a statement. “During COVID, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Too many hotels still haven’t restored standard services that guests deserve, like automatic daily housekeeping and room service.”“Workers aren’t making enough to support their families. Many can no longer afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to, and painful workloads are breaking their bodies. We won’t accept a ‘new normal’ where hotel companies profit by cutting their offerings to guests and abandoning their commitments to workers,” Mills continued.The union is asking guests “not to eat, sleep, or meet at any hotel that is on strike or where workers have been on strike until they secure a new contract.”

Labor Day hotel strikes reflect the frustrations of a workforce largely made up of women of color - More than 10,000 workers at 25 U.S. hotels were on strike Monday after choosing Labor Day weekend to amplify their demands for higher pay, fairer workloads and the reversal of COVID-era cuts.The UNITE HERE union, which represents the striking housekeepers and other hospitality workers, said 200 workers at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor were the latest to walk off the job.Nearly half of the striking workers — or 5,000 — are in Honolulu. Thousands of workers are also on strike in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and San Jose, California. The strikes targeting Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt hotels were set to last one to three days.UNITE HERE said a total of 15,000 workers have voted to authorize strikes, which could soon spread to other cities, including New Haven, Connecticut; Oakland, California; and Providence, Rhode Island. Union President Gwen Mills says the strikes are part of long-standing battleto secure family-sustaining compensation for service workers on par with more traditionally male-dominated industries.“Hospitality work overall is undervalued, and it’s not a coincidence that it’s disproportionately women and people of color doing the work,” Mills said. Unionized housekeepers want to reinstate automatic daily room cleaning at major hotel chains, saying they have been saddled with unmanageable workloads, or in many cases, fewer hours and a decline in income. Many hotels cut services during the Covid-19 pandemic and never restored them. But hotels say guests are no longer asking for daily room cleaning and some other services. Michael D’Angelo, the head of labor relations for Hyatt in the Americas, said in a statement Monday that the chain has contingency plans in place to minimize the impact of the strikes on hotel operations. “We are disappointed that UNITE HERE has chosen to strike while Hyatt remains willing to negotiate,” D’Angelo said. “We look forward to continuing to negotiate fair contracts and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees.”

Shooter kills 4 at a Georgia high school; a 14-year-old is in custody – — A 14-year-old student opened fire at a Georgia high school and killed four people on Wednesday, authorities said, sending students scrambling for shelter in their classrooms — and eventually to the football stadium — as officers swarmed the campus and parents raced to find out if their children were safe. The dead were identified as two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, about an hour’s drive from Atlanta. At least nine other people were taken to hospitals with injuries. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said two school resource officers encountered the shooter within minutes after a report of shots fired went out. The suspect, a student at the school, immediately surrendered and was taken into custody. He is being charged as an adult with murder. Authorities were still looking into how the suspect obtained the gun used in the shooting and got it into the school. The investigation was still “very active,” Hosey said, with lots of interviews and crime scene work yet to be done. Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith choked up as he began to speak during the news conference. He said he was born and raised in the community and his kids are in the school system. Superintendent Dallas LeDuff said county schools will be closed for the rest of the week as they cooperate with the investigation, but grief counseling will be available. The school shooting was just the latest among dozens across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas. The classroom killings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to active shooter drills in classrooms. But they have done little to move the needle on national gun laws.

What is revealed in the school massacre in Winder, Georgia --Once again, as has been the case for the past 25 years, a mass shooting at a school has provided a demonstration of the savage violence lying just underneath the surface of American society. The alleged shooter, Colt Gray, only 14 years old, brought a semi-automatic weapon to school on his second day at Apalachee High School, where he was just starting as a freshman. The victims were two other 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two math teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, who was also an assistant football coach, and Christina Irimie, 53, a Romanian immigrant who moved to the US in the 1990s. Seven other students and two teachers were wounded, but their injuries are not life-threatening. On Thursday evening, only hours before his son was to be arraigned on four counts of felony murder—for which the 14-year-old will be tried as an adult—Colin Gray, the 54-year-old father, was arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. His arrest came after Gray reportedly told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that he had purchased the AR-15-type semi-automatic rifle used at the high school and given it to his son as a Christmas present last December. Police had visited Colin and Colt Gray at their home in May 2023 in response to anonymous tips to the FBI that a student at the school Colt was then attending, Jefferson Middle School, was threatening an armed attack. Colt was living with his father after his recent divorce from the boy’s mother. The threats posted on social media had been traced to an account opened by Colt Gray, but he claimed to have closed the account because it had been hacked and denied he had made the threats. His father told police that Colt did not have “unsupervised” access to the hunting rifles he possessed. Coming only two months before the US presidential election, the massacre in Georgia has become fodder for both major capitalist parties, which went through the motions of deploring the loss of life, while combining sanctimony with their standard political rhetoric. Contrary to the fascistic anti-immigrant propaganda spread by Donald Trump, it was not an “illegal alien” who carried out the murders at Apalachee High. It was a 14-year-old child born in Georgia. Trump denounced the boy as “a sick and deranged monster.” Perhaps he was looking in the mirror. But that description no more explains the terrible event in Georgia than it does the danger posed by Trump’s fascistic bid for power. As for the Democrats, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris trundled out the time-worn prayers and appeals to curb the availability of semi-automatic weapons. Harris said, “We’ve got to stop it. It doesn’t have to be this way.” In other settings, she has declared that school shootings are “not what this country is about.” But there is nothing more “American” than a massacre of students and teachers with a firearm. There have been 416 such attacks over the past 25 years, according to a database maintained by the Washington Post, going back to the Columbine High School mass killings in Littleton, Colorado.

Book Publishers Sue Florida Over Law Banning Sexually Explicit Books From Schools A coalition of book publishers and individual authors have filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida over its law banning sexually explicit books from school libraries in the state.As the Daily Caller reports, the lawsuit was filed in the Orlando Federal Court on Thursday by a group of over a dozen publishers and authors, claiming that the bill signed into law in May of 2023 by Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) is a violation of both the First and 14th Amendments. The law, the plaintiffs claim, “interferes” with their ability to produce and distribute “constitutionally protected” books, insisting that the law is too vague in its description of “sexual conduct.”Among the publishers involved in the lawsuit are Simon and Schuster, Penguin Random House, MacMillan Publishing Group, and Hachette Book Group.“Books that are required to be removed under the prohibitions on content that describes sexual conduct or content that is ‘pornographic’ as construed by the State Board are stigmatized, without regard for their value as a whole or their literary, artistic, historical, medical, or educational value as the Supreme Court requires,” the complaint claims.The plaintiffs demand that the court rule certain parts of the law as unconstitutional, while failing to list any specific examples of books that they believe should be allowed despite the law.“Educators who are already afraid of official state action or action by vigilante members of the public fear the loss of their credentials and livelihood and even threats to their safety,” the lawsuit adds, without citing any evidence.The law in question is House Bill 1069, which was first implemented on July 1st, 2023. The law bans all materials that are considered either sexually explicit or outright pornographic. Parents and conservative activists supported such a bill after it was discovered that numerous novels were in public school libraries featuring explicit descriptions of sexual intercourse, particularly between homosexual couples. One such book was a graphic novel with X-rated visual depictions of homosexual sex.“Over the past year, parents have used their rights to object to pornographic and sexually explicit material they found in school libraries,” said DeSantis in a February statement. “We also know that some people have abused this process in an effort to score cheap political points. Today, I am calling on the Legislature to make necessary adjustments so that we can prevent abuses in the objection process and ensure that districts aren’t overwhelmed by frivolous challenges.”

Republicans pushing Christianity into public schools are hitting resistance — even in red states - orida now allows chaplains in public schools. Oklahoma and Texas are looking to infuse Bible lessons into curricula. And Louisiana wants to set up Ten Commandments displays in classrooms. But these efforts to push Christianity into public schools are hitting a wall of hostility in conservative-led states, including lawsuits, protests and resistance from local officials. The clash of religion, politics and local control represents an unusual challenge for a spreading education policy model led by influential conservative leaders. And it’s sparking a legal fight over the separation of church and state that could end up before the conservative-controlled Supreme Court. Republican officials including Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Oklahoma state school Superintendent Ryan Walters are welcoming legal challenges, defending their policies and demanding local schools fall in line. Even former President Donald Trump has offered support for posting the Ten Commandments in public schools. But a diverse range of opponents — including local school officials, civil rights organizations and the Satanic Temple — hope to stymie these initiatives. “What we’re trying to do, honestly, is protect the religious freedoms of all of our students … from being improperly indoctrinated by teachers or by schools,” said Rob Miller, superintendent of the Bixby Public Schools district near Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is defying orders from Walters to incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandments into school curriculum. “There’s enough court precedent and historical evidence to show that the separation of church and state has worked well for quite a long time.” State lawmakers from both major parties introduced more than 650 bills tied to religion in education this year, according to a report by Quorum, a software company that tracks legislation. But the movement for religious instruction in public schools is overwhelmingly driven by conservative Republicans. They argue kids can’t understand Western civilization without learning about Christianity and benefit from the lessons of biblical teachings. “If we start from a moral perspective, then maybe we’d have a little bit more peace in our society and in this country,” Landry told reporters in August while defending his state’s embattled Ten Commandments law. “Many religions share and recognize the Ten Commandments as a whole. So, really and truly, I don’t see what the whole big fuss is about.” DeSantis has championed a new Florida law that allows religious chaplains in schools, saying that a bit of “soulcraft” could “make all the difference in the world” to some students. But, so far, school boards are not creating chaplain programs, citing fears of possible religious freedom lawsuits if they restrict access to organizations like the Satanic Temple. Recognized by the IRS as a religious group, the Satanic Temple has been loudly declaring its intent to flood Florida with chaplains against the wishes of DeSantis, who has vowed to keep them out.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson demands “sacrifices” to pay for $1.2 billion school budget gap - Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson announced last week that the city’s public school system faces a $982 million budget deficit in 2025, on top of a shortfall of $222.9 million for 2024. The mayor, a former lobbyist for the Chicago Teachers Union promoted by the CTU and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) as “one of us,” made it clear that educators, parents and students would have to accept savage austerity measures to pay for the budget gap. “The size of the budget gap is significant,” Brandon told reporters. “It’s going to require decisions that will speak to our overall collective desire to build an economy that works for working people. There are sacrifices that will be made.” The mayor who was promoted as a “progressive” by the union bureaucracy and the Democratic Socialists of America did not bother to square his rhetoric about “building a economy that works for working people” with budget cuts that would inevitably involve mass layoffs, school closures and other attacks on the right to public education. The mayor’s office did not provide specifics to the Chicago Tribune detailing the nearly $1 billion deficit, but officials said state revenues declined, a “one-time budget surplus” expired, and pension and personnel costs rose. The financial crisis in America’s third largest school district is part of nationwide trend. School districts across the US are facing a “fiscal cliff” because the Biden-Harris administration has allowed its $121 billion federal pandemic emergency program to expire, though COVID-19 is still spreading in the schools. Chicago Public Schools have already spent 88 percent of the $1.8 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding it received, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The drying up of these funds, which public school districts needed to plug gaps caused by decades of underfunding, along with rising costs, could lead to the elimination of the jobs of 384,000 teachers and other school staff over the next two years. The governor of Illinois, billionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker, made it clear that the district would not be bailed out by the state. “I don’t think that that’s the job of Springfield to rescue the school districts that might have been irresponsible with the one-time money they received,” Pritzker told the Chicago Sun-Times. At the end of the last school year, 600 paraprofessionals were laid off, with fewer than half reportedly hired back for the new year. The labor agreement covering 30,000 Chicago Teacher Union members expired on June 30, and school workers have returned to the classrooms without a new contract. As usual, the CTU bureaucracy is using various “social justice” demands to cover up its plans to accept draconian attacks on educators and schools.

Who Are the Global Super-Rich of Tomorrow? We Interviewed Teens at One of the World’s Most Expensive Schools to Find Out - While super-rich kids make for great TV subjects, their real lives, perspectives and ambitions are often shielded from the public. To learn more about them, we interviewed students at one of the most expensive secondary schools in the world, where fees come to 120,000 Swiss Francs (around €125,000) per year – and followed up with them five years later.We started our research when these young people were studying together in the Swiss Alps, observing and interviewing them over 15 months. We asked about their backgrounds, thoughts on their school environment, and plans for the future. Five years later we asked them about what had happened since they graduated, their daily lives, and their ambitions. At that point, most had finished their university studies and were starting their careers.Our findings, which we discuss here, have been published over several articles.Certain features were universal – these young people came from extremely wealthy families in their own countries, and their parents had pushed them to study abroad, learn English and live a global lifestyle. However, their paths to joining the ranks of the global super-rich varied depending on where they were from and what they wanted to do with their lives.Their exclusive Swiss school promised to turn its students into “citizens of the world”, but these Gen Zers’ friendship groups were in fact usually determined by their national background or language – partly because they shared cultural references and values, and partly because of pressure to conform. As one student told us, “If I wanted to sit with other friends, [my national group] would be like, ‘Are you mad at us?’”Even when starting careers abroad, these wealthy young people did not entirely break their ties to their home countries. Living abroad could “feel lonely”, they told us, while home offered “more resources and more support … family and also friends”.However, these young people were also aware that meeting wealthy peers from around the world at school could lead to international business opportunities down the line. As one explained, “There’s definitely benefits of making friends from all over the world, no doubt. The general profile of students here is that of upper-class to high-class families so, regardless, you’d be making powerful and wealthy friends and that’s a plus.”As teenagers, these Gen Zers embraced conspicuous consumption. They stayed at five-star hotels and shopped for luxury brands, and one even donated a lightly used Louis Vuitton backpack to local refugees. They did not, in the words of one student, “fly commercial”.Their families’ financial resources made these habits possible, but the habits themselves were a product of boredom: “I’m going after something when I want that thing, you know? I look forward to it. I need it. Like, I’ll move mountains to have it. But when I actually have it … it’s just meaningless to me,” one young woman told us. Buying items and experiences provided short-term relief from boredom, but the ease with which things could be bought just made these young people more bored.As young adults, however, they found meaning in taking on jobs and living within their income, though often with family money and connections to fall back on if needed. Still, these young people took pride in self-sufficiency, which they connected to “growth”, “character”, and “self-respect”.Though one of our interview subjects still drove an Aston Martin, the luxurious, stereotypical super-rich lifestyles from their younger years seemed to matter less as they got older.One question for these young people was what they wanted to be. Some knew – artist, entrepreneur or, most often, owner of their family’s business – while others were figuring it out.Another question was where they wanted to be. These young people were weighing going home versus staying abroad, and whether they would put down roots or keep moving.Some of these wealthy Gen Zers were aiming to join the global super-rich, while others wanted to remain part of the wealthy in their countries of origin. Some embraced the adventure of the unknown. Others felt anxious about the uncertainty. Despite similar starting points and opportunities, their paths and goals hugely varied.

My university is targeting students like me for protesting against Israel --As students across the United States return to college campuses this fall, many face renewed restrictions when it comes to their right to assemble, peacefully protest and express their discontent with their universities' support of Israel.In the heart of Washington, DC, my own university has been busy betraying the basic principles of free speech that it has always professed to uphold.Under the leadership of President Ellen Granberg, George Washington University (GWU) has engaged in a targeted campaign against its Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students. This university, which claims to be a beacon of academic freedom, has instead become an institution that systematically vilifies those who dare to protest against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.GWU's actions have so far included mass arrests; the suspension of campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP); and ongoing disciplinary action against students including myself. Through these actions, my university has shown where it stands on the daily murder, starvation, and humiliation of Palestinians by the Zionist Israeli state. GWU's refusal to divest from companies complicit in funding and arming this genocide further underscores its support. In recent months, the university's reputation for cultivating an environment that is not just hostile but actively discriminatory against my community has gained some infamy.Earlier this month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)designated GWU as an "institution of particular concern" for its targeted harassment of "Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other students, faculty, and staff" who have been opposing the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.In this report, CAIR detailed widespread free speech violations and the rise of anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia across over 30 US colleges, with GWU ranking among the top three for "most egregious incidents of violence" alongside Emory and UCLA. The situation at GWU was so severe that CAIR's Research & Advocacy Director, Corey Saylor, urged prospective students to consider other institutions where free speech and academic freedom are genuinely respected, rather than being empty promises.

JD Vance condemns student protestors for turning campuses into 'garbage dumps’ -Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) condemned pro-Palestinian protesters for turning college campuses into “garbage dumps” and calling demonstrators “crazy.” Vance joined Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on Tuesday to discuss the start of the school year at Columbia University, where earlier this year, a pro-Palestine encampment became violent and sparked a nationwide movement to call on the U.S. to stop sending arms to Israel in its war with Hamas. If elected, Vance said he and former President Trump will “enforce the law.” “Nobody gets the right to harass their fellow students. Nobody gets a right to set up 10 encampments and turn their college campuses into garbage dumps. And nobody gets the right to block their fellow students from attending class,” Vance said. “This isn’t rocket science.” After encampments began late in the spring semester at Columbia, students across the country at more than 400 higher education establishments began their own encampments. The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, but a few became violent as police and students clashed over First Amendment rights and the ongoing war in Gaza. Vance reiterated that the law needed to be enforced. “Whether it’s anti-Jewish bigotry or any other form of bigotry, just enforce the law,” he said. “Make the crazy people protest within the First Amendment and within the legal frameworks that are appropriate, and so, as long as you do that, these college campuses are going to be fine,” Vance continued. The Ohio senator criticized university administrators for allowing students to break the law, harass other students and turn campuses into “dumps.” “Just stop it. Enforce the law,” he said. “Let everybody speak their mind, but do it without harassing your fellow students. It’s not hard.”

California College of the Arts faces deep crisis: “The ultimate judgment upon the quality of a civilization”Various media reports indicate that the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco is the latest art school in the US to face severe financial difficulties. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported on the crisis August 23. Other accounts have followed. The school, founded in 1907 in Berkeley, California, faces a $20 million budget deficit amid a sharp decline in student enrollment. According to one report, the institution is “now reevaluating its course offerings, contemplating layoffs, and even considering a potential merger with another school to ensure its survival.” (ArtNews) CCA president David Howse, writes Art Forum, “informed staff and faculty of the deficit in a meeting earlier this month. In a memo sent to staffers on August 23, he mentioned that CCA might look to layoffs as one way to deal with the gap.” The San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) closed permanently in July 2022 and filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in April 2023. Two years ago, we pointed out that not only was the SFAI one of the oldest art academies in the US, and the oldest in its Western half, it was located in one of the most dynamic cultural centers in the country historically, the Bay Area. In fact, the institute was a focal point of various artistic trends and movements in the 20th century. Now it has disappeared, without substantial outcry or protest, certainly not from the city’s affluent upper echelons. At the time, various smug commentators pointed to fiscal mismanagement at SFAI and the fact that the school offered “only fine-art degrees and no (generally more lucrative) design and architecture programs.” Now, the “more pragmatic” CCA is threatened with encountering the same fate, although unlike its rival SFAI, which prided itself on offering no commercial programs, CCA has always offered a practical arts education. It was founded in 1907 as California College of Arts and Crafts and has evolved into a multifaceted institution with degrees in architecture and design, animation, critical and ethnic studies, and general humanities among its 22 undergraduate and 10 graduate departments. (San Francisco Chronicle) Enrollment at CCA is projected “to be down by about 30 percent compared to 2019, when CCA had approximately 1,800 full-time students. The current estimate for this fall is between 1,250 and 1,300, down from 1,400 last year.” (ArtNews) The situation at CCA is in part a commentary on the general disregard with which capitalist America, philistine, backward and criminal to its core, holds art and the artist. There has not been a precipitous decline over the past decade in the social need for art or even the attractiveness of the artist’s life in the eyes of many young people. However, the prospect of owing hundreds of thousands of dollars after graduating from a four-year program (tuition for undergraduates at CCA costs some $60,000 per year; graduate tuition ranges by degree program, from $43,170 to $75,096), in a society that makes it difficult for more than a relative handful of artists to earn a decent living, is not a happy one.

Faculty at 2 Michigan universities set for potential strike as fall classes start -- Over 680 faculty members at Oakland University (OU) in Detroit’s northern suburbs could strike Tuesday, following a unanimous strike vote over the weekend. Classes are scheduled to start September 4. The last pay offer by the OU administration was an insulting 16 percent increase over five years. The OU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is publicly calling for a 30 percent package. Talks began in June, and the previous contract expired August 14 but was extended to September 3. Oakland University faculty may soon be joined on the picket lines by 900 faculty at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo who are starting the school year without a contract. The instructors want raises of 8.5 percent and 8.75 percent over the next two years. The school administration has offered 3 percent or a $2,500 base salary increase, whichever is greater. WMU instructors last staged a strike in 1977. Staff at both universities are seeking to offset the sharp rise in the cost of living by asking for significant pay increases. Faculty at Oakland University, an independent public university that receives state funding, earn about 25 percent less than college staff at other universities nationwide, according to the AAUP-AFT. Local AAUP officials have made it clear they are seeking to lower faculty expectations in the talks. Michael Latcha, an OU associate professor and president of the AAUP at OU, told WXYZ news: “The sides are really not all that far apart. We are confident and hopeful that the university can put something on the table we can agree to and we can be in class Wednesday morning when students show up.” An AAUP press spokesman said, “What’s at stake isn’t about getting faculty large gains. At this point it’s about trying to make sure we don’t fall any further behind.” Another union spokesman, Jeff Youngquist, said in a statement quoted in the Detroit News, “For the last decade or more, we’ve taken raises so low that they’ve actually been real world pay cuts.” At Western Michigan University, the AAUP has accused the administration of using the campus email system to promote its bargaining stance and stoke hostility against faculty. It blamed the university for inciting recent vandalism at the union’s offices, where flyers and placards were torn up and strewn around, as well as anonymous threatening e-mails to AAUP officials. WMU faculty are seeking to recover from real pay cuts suffered in recent years due to inadequate 2 percent wage increases in the face of more than 20 percent overall cost-of-living rises since 2020. In 2021 the union at Oakland agreed to a miserable 3.5 percent pay raise over the term of a three-year agreement after a two-day strike. The deal also included lower employer contributions to healthcare and retirement. OU administrators used pandemic funding to increase their own salaries while attacking faculty. As of 2024 Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz earned $517,673 per year. Other administrators earn in excess of $200,000. By contrast under terms of the current agreement faculty base salary starts at just $45,000 a year, about the current starting pay now at many auto factories.

The Democrat Plan To Restore The Higher Education Indoctrination Industrial Complex - The Democrat party’s craving for power is insatiable so nothing is ever enough. How else can you explain their infatuation with open borders with quick paths to citizenship, undermining the electoral process with mail-in voting or schemes to re-write the Constitution? Consider the party’s 2024 party platform. The section “Making Higher Education Accessible and Affordable” advances two aims central to the party’s very existence: promoting political indoctrination and rewarding one of the party’s most crucial allies, college professors. Today’s college campus is, with scant exception, a key instrument for pushing youngsters leftward so even physics majors must take course in the humanities and social sciences where they will learn how America was built on slavery with land stolen from the noble indigenous people while women continue to be oppressed by the white patriarchy.Campus propaganda works.In the 2020 presidential election college graduates favored Biden over Trump 56% to 42% while those with high school or less favored Trump 56% to 41%. Given that historically Republicans did better among college graduates, this reversal is a remarkable event in American electoral history, and it can only be attributed to professors indoctrinating their students. The Democrat party is obviously heavily indebted to college professors. Unfortunately for Democrats, this pool of supporters may decline since higher education itself is shrinking, and the decline seems inescapable. Between 2010 and 2021 college enrollment dropped by 15%. A report from the National Center for Educational Statistics found that ninety-nine colleges have closed their doors.Meanwhile, as the population shifted from the Northeast to the South, many small colleges can no longer survive on nearby populations, Americans also increasingly question the value of a college degree. Higher education is an industry in decline.This decline has been partially mitigated by cutting programs and administrative overheads. Particularly hard hit are Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs due to recent court cases. Downsizing is not always obvious since colleges can replace tenured faculty with lowly paid part-time untenured adjuncts who teach multiple courses.Shifting popularity of college majors may also be hurting Democrats. A recent Forbes study found a sharp increase in practical majors such as computer technology at the expense of majors heavy on PC indoctrination, notably English, the social sciences and history, ethnic studies and philosophy. The sociology professor who insists that sex is not biological may soon be fired for lack of acolytes. All and all, bad news for Democrats.Fortunately for all those colleges facing bankruptcy and professors pontificating to near empty classrooms, the Democrats promise help to restore the higher education indoctrination industrial complex. As expressed in their 2024 party platform, the vision is truly lofty: “it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that every child, everywhere, is able to receive a world-class education that enables them to lead meaningful lives, no matter their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability status, language status, immigration or citizenship status, household income or ZIP code.”The platform insists that everyone (emphasis added) should earn a degree beyond high school and be tuition-free for families earning less than $125,000 yearly (over 80% of the American public). This includes trade schools and community colleges, but singled out for extra federal government financial help are the 107 HBCUs that largely serve black students.If these enrollment-boosting measures fail to revitalize struggling colleges, “Democrats are committed to policies that make the United States welcoming to the more than one million international students, [who will contribute] to our higher education sector and to our nation’s intellectual and cultural vibrancy.”To ensure that students stay around for as long as possible, there will be funding for child care, buying textbooks and for low-income students programs to combat “food insecurity” since you can’t learn on an empty stomach. Tellingly, federal generosity will reflect a school’s proportion of low-income students,

Republican-led states sue to end Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness policy -Seven GOP-led states are suing to block President Biden’s policy that would lower or eliminate debt for millions of student loan borrowers.The lawsuit claims the Department of Education is “unlawfully trying to mass cancel hundreds of billions of dollars of loans” before the rule is finalized.The lawsuit, led by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, was joined by Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota, and Ohio.The lawsuit, first reported by The Washington Post, argues that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is secretly, “through cloak and dagger,” trying to forgive student loan debt after courts stopped him twice before.In a statement, Bailey said his latest lawsuit challenges the Biden-Harris administration’s “third and weakest attempt” to cancel loans in mass “in the dark of night” without letting Congress or the public know.“We successfully halted their first two illegal student loan cancellations schemes; I have no doubt we will secure yet another win to block the third one,” Bailey’s statement said. “They may be throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, but my office is meeting them every step of the way.”The new plan to forgive student debt has yet to be finalized and will be some time this fall. No debt can be forgiven before then, but the lawsuit argues the Biden administration is cutting corners to begin canceling debt “potentially this week.”“That is both extraordinarily inequitable and also expressly violates a statute prohibiting the Secretary from implementing rules like this one sooner than 60 days after publication,” the suit said.The lawsuit alleges Cardona knows that student loans that have already been forgiven cannot be turned back by states, and that’s why he is “trying to quietly rush this rule out too quickly for anybody to sue.”

Republicans pushing Christianity into public schools are hitting resistance — even in red states - orida now allows chaplains in public schools. Oklahoma and Texas are looking to infuse Bible lessons into curricula. And Louisiana wants to set up Ten Commandments displays in classrooms. But these efforts to push Christianity into public schools are hitting a wall of hostility in conservative-led states, including lawsuits, protests and resistance from local officials. The clash of religion, politics and local control represents an unusual challenge for a spreading education policy model led by influential conservative leaders. And it’s sparking a legal fight over the separation of church and state that could end up before the conservative-controlled Supreme Court. Republican officials including Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Oklahoma state school Superintendent Ryan Walters are welcoming legal challenges, defending their policies and demanding local schools fall in line. Even former President Donald Trump has offered support for posting the Ten Commandments in public schools. But a diverse range of opponents — including local school officials, civil rights organizations and the Satanic Temple — hope to stymie these initiatives. “What we’re trying to do, honestly, is protect the religious freedoms of all of our students … from being improperly indoctrinated by teachers or by schools,” said Rob Miller, superintendent of the Bixby Public Schools district near Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is defying orders from Walters to incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandments into school curriculum. “There’s enough court precedent and historical evidence to show that the separation of church and state has worked well for quite a long time.” State lawmakers from both major parties introduced more than 650 bills tied to religion in education this year, according to a report by Quorum, a software company that tracks legislation. But the movement for religious instruction in public schools is overwhelmingly driven by conservative Republicans. They argue kids can’t understand Western civilization without learning about Christianity and benefit from the lessons of biblical teachings. “If we start from a moral perspective, then maybe we’d have a little bit more peace in our society and in this country,” Landry told reporters in August while defending his state’s embattled Ten Commandments law. “Many religions share and recognize the Ten Commandments as a whole. So, really and truly, I don’t see what the whole big fuss is about.” DeSantis has championed a new Florida law that allows religious chaplains in schools, saying that a bit of “soulcraft” could “make all the difference in the world” to some students. But, so far, school boards are not creating chaplain programs, citing fears of possible religious freedom lawsuits if they restrict access to organizations like the Satanic Temple. Recognized by the IRS as a religious group, the Satanic Temple has been loudly declaring its intent to flood Florida with chaplains against the wishes of DeSantis, who has vowed to keep them out.

COVID Map Shows 'Very High' Viral Activity In Wastewater - Coronavirus detection in U.S. wastewater continues to surge, with "very high" levels reported in the majority of states, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals. As of August 29, "very high" levels of activity have been detected in 31 states, up from 27 states on August 8and just seven states in mid-July. Some areas have been more affected than others, with the highest levels seen in the Southern states. This is in contrast to data collected earlier in August, when Western states showed a significant spike in wastewater detections. The map below shows how wastewater detections vary across the U.S. A rise in viral levels in wastewater is often an indicator that more people are getting infected. A wave of COVID-19 infections has been seen across the U.S. this summer, driven largely by a new group of subvariants nicknamed FLiRT. The name derives from the position of the mutations in their spike proteins — projections on the virus surface that allow them to enter our cells. These proteins are also used as targets by immune systems and vaccinations, so changes in their structure can allow the virus to bypass the body's defenses more easily. As of August 31, the now dominant subvariant, KP.3.1.1, accounted for more than 40 percent of all U.S. COVID-19 cases over the previous two weeks, according to the CDC, with the FLiRT variants accounting for more than 80 percent of cases in total. Meanwhile, a total of 17 percent of all COVID tests conducted in the U.S. in the week leading to August 30 (excluding at-home testing) also returned positive results. However, the figures were slightly lower than the positive test data from the previous week, suggesting that this summer's infection wave could finally be slowing down. While the U.S. has seen a steady rise in infections over the summer, hospitalizations have remained relatively low. The new FLiRT variants, while more infectious, do not generally cause as severe symptoms. The symptoms include the following, according to the CDC:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

More vulnerable individuals may still be at risk of severe illness, so it is important to self-isolate if you receive a positive COVID test.

As COVID-19 infection numbers top 1 million a day, the CDC promotes a campaign against public health - With the toll of new COVID-19 infections regularly topping 1 million a day and weekly deaths creeping toward the 1,000 mark, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a campaign aimed not at protecting the public from this ongoing pandemic, now in its fifth year, but at washing its hands of responsibility. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen held a press conference August 23 to review the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage the public to get their winter COVID-19, RSV and flu vaccines once they are made available. While bluntly acknowledging that “COVID is with us,” she tried unconvincingly to assure reporters and viewers that “we have the tools to protect ourselves.” She then added, as a way of shifting the blame, “We just need to use them!” Dr. Cohen was silent on who was responsible for the failure of most Americans to get booster shots or otherwise protect themselves from a disease, which can be fatal for many and cause lifelong debilitation for many more. She could have named the Democratic administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, which ended the COVID-19 emergency more than a year ago and treats the pandemic as a thing of the past. She could have named Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the promoter of quack remedies like ivermectin and bleach, who recently welcomed into his campaign the anti-vaxxer and enemy of science and public health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And if she had been equipped with a mirror—and a conscience—she could have pointed to herself and other top CDC officials, who have collaborated in the anti-scientific rampage to shut down both mitigation efforts and even elementary data collection on cases of illness, hospitalization and death. Most importantly (and therefore least likely) she could have acknowledged that within the framework of the capitalist system, the profits of giant banks and corporations are far more important than the lives of human beings. That is the meaning of the incessant claims that schools, factories, public transportation and facilities must be kept open, to save “the economy,” despite the inevitable spread of the infection as a result. Dr. Cohen, like her predecessors and colleagues at the top of the public health establishment, puts political pressures above science and medicine. The nearly hour-long briefing was simply political theater, where a panel of experts attempted to place the public health agency in the best light despite acknowledging the monumental number of daily infections that have seen hospitalizations and fatalities climb. Meanwhile, schools across multiple states have announced closures—affecting thousands—just as the new academic year has begun, in response to mass infections among faculty and students. So far this year, more than 26,000 Americans have died from acute COVID-19 complications, and more than 800 per week are being killed by a preventable infection, a figure 20 percent higher than last year this time. At the current rate, it is expected that between 50,000 to 60,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 in 2024, a rate two to three times higher than fatalities from flu. However, these do not take into consideration excess deaths, and given the complete dismantling of the reporting systems, these figures are known undercounts. Such figures could only appear low in comparison to the colossal death toll of the first three years of the pandemic, when 352,000 died in 2020, 464,000 in 2021 and 260,000 in 2022. In 2023, 76,000 COVID-19 deaths were recorded. All these numbers are underestimates, as excess mortality figures are considerably higher. The cumulative death toll from COVID-19 is likely well over 1.4 million in the United States and approaching 30 million worldwide.

Offices, long-distance shared transport, some activities tied to COVID spread - In the first 2 years or more of the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of infection was higher in open-space offices, long-distance trains, convenience stores, taxis, airplanes, and nightclubs and during take-away food delivery, carpooling with relatives, and attending concerts, suggests a case-control study of various work, leisure, and other spaces in France.A team led by Institut Pasteur researchers in Paris matched 175,688 adults who had a recent COVID-19 infection with 43,922 uninfected controls during nine periods from October 2020 to October 2022, a range spanning the wild-type to Omicron-variant eras. Participants completed an online questionnaire about sociodemographic information, health status, household, and recent exposures during the 10 days before symptom onset or diagnosis.The results were published this week in BMC Public Health."As the impact of the pandemic recedes in most countries, knowledge on the settings of transmission can help guide improvement in air quality and individual protection approaches, particularly for elderly or immunocompromised people," the researchers wrote.Spaces associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 infection were open-space offices (odds ratio [OR] range across the nine periods, 1.12 to 1.57) and long-distance trains (OR range, 1.25 to 1.88) and during most of the study period for convenience stores (OR range in periods of increased risk, 1.15 to 1.44), taxis (OR range, 1.08 to 1.89), airplanes (OR range, 1.20 to 1.78), and nightclubs (OR range, 1.45 to 2.95)."The contrast we found between short- and long-distance shared transport supports the importance of the duration spent onboard," the researchers wrote. "Long-distance bus travels were inconsistently at increased risk, which might result from better air renewal during the mandatory driving breaks compared to other shared transport."A higher likelihood of infection was also observed during take-away delivery (OR range, 1.07 to 1.28), carpools with family members (OR range, 1.09 to 1.68), and concerts (OR range, 1.31 to 2.09).The researchers found no increased risk during short-distance shared transport or carpooling booked over platforms or in venues such as markets, supermarkets, malls, hairdressers, museums, movie theaters, outdoor sports events, or swimming pools. "The absence of increased risk for retail facilities, as well as hairdressers and beauty salons, also reported by others, suggests that these facilities had low enough density and stringent enough measures to effectively limit transmission," the authors wrote. After an initial period of increased risk (OR, 1.97), bars and restaurants were no longer tied to an increased risk of transmission after reopening in 2021, except in bar patrons younger than 40 years. "All settings associated with an increased risk of infection in our study are characterized by varying degrees of common characteristics: mostly indoor settings with little air renewal, where contacts are close, numerous, often maskless, sometimes including singing or shouting, and usually last more than a mere few minutes," the researchers wrote.

Weight-loss drug tied to lower risk of death from COVID, heart disease, all causes - The anti-obesity drug semaglutide may lower the risk of death from COVID-19, cardiovascular disease, and all causes, according to a randomized controlled trial published late last week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).Researchers with the ongoing, multinational Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Overweight or Obesity (SELECT) trial randomly assigned 17,604 participants aged 45 years or older who were overweight or obese and had cardiovascular disease but not diabetes to receive a weekly injection of 2.4 milligrams of semaglutide or a placebo. The study period was October 2018 to March 2023, average follow-up was 3.3 years, and all participants had a body mass index of at least 27 kilograms per square meter [kg/m²]). "Patients with overweight and obesity are at increased risk of death from multiple causes, including cardiovascular (CV) death, with few therapies proven to reduce the risk," the researchers wrote.The study was funded by semaglutide maker Novo Nordisk. Semaglutide is sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.In total, 833 participants died (58% from CV disease and 42% from non-CV conditions). Participants in the semaglutide group had lower rates of all-cause death (19% reduction), CV death (15%), and non-CV death (23%) than placebo recipients. The most common causes of CV death among semaglutide (versus placebo) recipients were sudden cardiac death (98 vs 109; 11% reduction in semaglutide recipients) and undetermined causes (77 vs 90; 15%). Infection was the most common cause of non-CV death and occurred at a lower rate among semaglutide than placebo recipients (62 vs 87; 29%). A total of 24.2% of participants tested positive for COVID-19. Semaglutide wasn't linked to a lower rate of COVID-19 infection, but fewer infected participants who received semaglutide had COVID-related serious adverse events (2.6% vs 3.1%) or died (43 vs 65; 44% reduction). Patients diagnosed as having COVID-19 were more likely to die of a non-CV cause than a CV cause (74.5% vs 25.5%), while the relationship was the inverse in patients without COVID-19 (32.5% non-CV vs 67.5% CV deaths).The change in weight between randomization and COVID-19 infection in participants who died of their infections was −6.4 kg (14.1 pounds) in the semaglutide group, compared with −0.9 kg (2 pounds) in the placebo group and −8.4 kg (18.5 pounds) vs −1.25 kg (2.8 pounds), respectively, in participants who survived.

Late start of COVID treatment may still benefit immunocompromised patients --Starting antiviral treatment as late as 14 days after infection with SARS-CoV-2 may still be beneficial in hosts with compromised immune systems, who are at greatest risk of developing severe COVID-19, according to researchers in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at Georgia State University's Institute for Biomedical Sciences.While it's best to begin treatment earlier, in immunocompromised hosts, drugs like paxlovid and molnupiravir appear to inhibit replication of the virus even if they are initiated up to 14 days after infection.The study, published in the Journal of Virology, offers new information about late-onset treatment introduced 14 days after infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The findings demonstrate that antiviral therapeutics could have valuable clinical use in late-onset management of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunocompromised patients, in addition to reducing the risk of progression to severe disease.The researchers sought to offer specific SARS-CoV-2 treatment plans to the immunocompromised and tested late-onset therapeutic options with standard-of-care paxlovid and molnupiravir and experimental therapeutic 4'-Fluorouridine (4'-FlU) in a T-cell depleted immunocompromised mouse model of SARS-CoV-2.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals with impaired immune functions use antivirals and immunomodulatory drugs at doses and durations similar to the general patient population, but this new study indicates benefits of late treatments to mitigate persistent viral replication, the authors explained."Paxlovid, molnupiravir and pre-clinical candidate 4'-FlU significantly lowered virus loads in turbinates (bony structures in the nose that regulate airflow and warm and humidify air that is inhaled) when treatment was initiated 14 days after the infection for seven days," said Dr. Carolin M. Lieber, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at Georgia State."We demonstrated that late-onset antiviral treatment can provide major therapeutic benefit to an immunocompromised host infected with SARS-CoV-2," said Dr. Richard K. Plemper, senior author of the study, Regents' Professor and Director of the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at Georgia State. "This study highlights that appropriately powered clinical trials are urgently needed to best serve the specific needs of a patient population at high risk to develop severe COVID-19."

Monoclonal antibody neutralizes numerous COVID-19 variants --A monoclonal antibody appears effective at neutralizing the numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2, as well as related viruses in animals that could pose a threat if they were to begin spreading in people. The antibody, called SC27, was recently described in an article published in Cell Reports Medicine. The finding opens the possibility of broader, more effective treatments to work against current and future COVID variants. "Other COVID-19 antibodies have been rendered ineffective as SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over the past several years," says Dr. Greg Ippolito, an Associate Professor. "Our new study suggests the virus is less likely to escape this treatment because SC27 targets and attaches to multiple parts of the virus's spike protein, including sections that are not mutating as frequently." SC27 appears to work in two ways: it blocks the ACE2 binding site, which the virus uses to bind to, enter and infect cells. It also binds to a hidden or "cryptic" site on the underside of the spike protein that is largely unchanged or "conserved" between variants, which means SC27 can broadly recognize variants and related viruses. This is critical because if an antibody's shape does not match enough with a virus—like two puzzle pieces that don't quite fit—the antibody can't effectively neutralize the virus and the virus sneaks by the body's immune defense system. The researchers tested SC27 against 12 viruses, from the original SARS-CoV-2 to currently circulating variants, as well as related SARS-1 and several other coronaviruses found in bats and pangolins. The antibody was effective against all of them in a petri dish and protected mice against both variants tested. "This makes it broader and more effective than any other monoclonal antibody reported in scientific literature to date and the former FDA-approved cocktails," says Dr. Ippolito, adding the caveat that SC27 still needs to be tested in human clinical trials. The team is looking to collaborate with industry to further develop the SC27 monoclonal antibody treatment, which could potentially benefit immunocompromised patients who are unable to get vaccines. It also could serve as an emergency treatment during future outbreaks of new variants or coronaviruses.

Kids on long-term home ventilation largely not getting COVID boosters, study finds -A study of children who receive a tracheostomy and long-term home ventilation (HV) reveals that 75% get vaccinated against influenza, but of the 53% who complete their initial COVID-19 vaccine series, only 23% receive the recommended boosters. A Boston Children's Hospital–led research team collected tracheal aspirates from 193 children on long-term HV and eligible for vaccination and conducted caregiver interviews to determine the cause of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and to document flu and COVID-19 vaccination status from March 2022 to October 2023. The children were seen at 13 centers in 12 states and Washington, DC, participating in the Multicenter Tracheostomy Collaboration. The median patient age was 10.5 years, the median age at tracheostomy was 6.0 months, and 63% were boys.The authors noted that children receiving HV are at high risk for ARI infection and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all children aged 6 months and older receive annual flu and COVID-19 vaccines."Concern, however, exists that growing antivaccination sentiments, emerging 'medical freedom movements,' and specific mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines may negatively affect rates of vaccination among children at high risk," they wrote."Compared with immunization status overall among US children aged younger than 18 years, our cohort had higher adherence to influenza vaccination (75% vs 50%), similar rates of initial COVID-19 vaccination (53% vs 50%), and much lower rates of receiving a COVID-19 booster (23% vs 50%)," the researchers wrote. Of participants given an annual flu vaccine, 61% also received a COVID vaccine. Among the 18% of patients never given a flu vaccine, 17% received a COVID vaccine.The authors said that families' engagement with the healthcare system suggests that they had access to screening, education, and vaccination, highlighting the need for qualitative studies on COVID vaccine resistance.

Long-COVID rates in kids fell from 23% after 3 months to 7% after 2 years, data reveal --A study today of 1,296 pediatric Italian COVID-19 patients who underwent multiple follow-ups over 2 years shows decreasing rates of long COVID over time. The study is published in eClinicalMedicine and is one of the longest studies conducted on kids with long COVID.The findings are based on outcomes seen at a single clinic in Rome from January 2020 through February 2024. During follow-up appointments at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after a confirmed COVID-19 infection, 23.2%, 13.2%, 7.9%, 6.1%, and 7.1%, were diagnosed as having long COVID, respectively.During initial COVID infection, 8.6% (114) were asymptomatic and 88.6% (1,169) had mild, 2.2% (29) had moderate, and 0.2% (2) had severe COVID-19. Most children were diagnosed as having COVID-19 when the Omicron variant was prevalent (939, 71.2%). More than three fourths of children (79.6%) were not vaccinated before the infection, while, respectively, 6.2%, 12.6%, and 5.2% of children had received one, two, and three doses of COVID-19 vaccine.Two factors were associated with increased risk of long COVID diagnosis through 18 months: age of 12 years or older (odds ratio [OR], 9.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58 to 8.64) and being infected with the original strain of the virus (OR, 3.52; 95% CI, 1.32 to 8.64) or the Alpha strain (OR, 4.09; 95% CI, 2.01 to 8.30).Older age and original and Alpha infection were associated with long COVID at 3 months, as was female sex and comorbidities.Long-COVID diagnosis was considered after continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection."COVID-19 vaccines were associated with a lower risk of developing Long Covid particularly in adolescents, while re-infections had a minimal burden on most patients, although one case of Long Covid following re-infection was identified," the authors wrote.

Study puts understanding of long COVID and vaccination into question - A new study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggests that being vaccinated against COVID-19 does little to prevent long COVID.The findings contradict what has become conventional wisdom in the last 3 years—that vaccines offer achance to significantly reduce the risk of long COVID, or new or persistent symptoms 3 months or more after infection, most likely by reducing the severity of infection. Melanie Swift, MD, MPH, was the lead author of the study, which was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. She said despite the current thinking that vaccines reduce the risk of developing long COVID, she wasn’t surprised she found no association."A lot of the early literature on long COVID was really defining long COVID through patient surveys," Swift told CIDRAP News. Swift’s study instead relied on participants having received a long-COVID diagnosis from a physician after having a documented case of post-vaccination COVID-19 infection.The study was based on the electronic records of 41,652 people aged 5 years or older with SARS-CoV-2–positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests between February 2021 and December 2022 and a diagnosis of long COVID 30 days to 6 months following infection.The average age of patients was 41 years, 55.2% were female, and 90.7% were White. At the time of initial infection, 9,744 (23.4 %) were vaccinated with two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and 7,658 (18.4 %) had received more than two mRNA doses.A total of 8.2% of patients required hospitalization for COVID-19, and most infections occurred during the Delta and Omicron eras (39.8% and 47.1%, respectively).In total, 6.9% of patients were diagnosed as having long COVID, with no observed difference between unvaccinated patients, those vaccinated with two doses of an mRNA vaccine, and those with more than two doses.Long COVID was associated with older age, female sex, and hospitalization for the initial infection. It was inversely associated with infection during the Omicron period, the authors wrote.Swift said that vaccines still play a role in preventing long COVID. "If you don't get COVID, you don't get long COVID," she said. "It remains the most important medical tools in our arsenal by virtue of not getting COVID and severe COVID, but we can’t stop there and say 'if you were vaccinated, you don’t have to worry about long COVID.' "Clifford Rosen, MD, a senior scientist at the MaineHealth Institute for Research, has reviewed studies on long COVID and vaccines. He said the current study may be skewed because of its sample size."It's a small cohort that is relatively homogeneous and likely has different healthcare behavior than other EHR [electronic health record] studies," Rosen said. Instead, he said long COVID studies done based on Veterans Affairs (VA) data offer a more heterogenous cohort.Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, chief of research and development at the VA St Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University, has been behind most VA studies on long COVID.He just published a review of evidence showing that vaccination reduces the risk of long COVID. While the effect size varies by 15% to 70%, there is an estimated average reduction of 40% to 50%, almost universally.He said he found Swift’s study surprising and said it likely suffers from one main confounding factor: The type of patient who seeks out a long-COVID diagnosis likely uses healthcare and is vaccinated.Al-Aly said vaccination may help reduce some clusters of long-COVID symptoms better than others. For example, his work has shown a "profound effect in pulmonary symptoms of COVID, and less on metabolic effects on long COVID."Though more research needs be done on long COVID and vaccination, Al-Aly remains confident that vaccines play an important role in reducing the risk of long COVID.

US COVID activity remains elevated as some indicators decline - The nation's COVID activity remains high, but there are more signs of decline in many areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest updates. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 detections are still high, especially in the West, but are dropping in all regions except for the Midwest, according to the CDC's latest tracking. Test positivity showed another small decline and is at 16.4% nationally, but is higher in the Midwest and Middle Atlantic. Emergency department visits declined 10.2% from the previous week, but are still at the moderate level in some of the southeastern states.Hospitalizations are still elevated, especially in seniors and children younger than 2 years old, but are also showing downward trends. One metric that rose last week was deaths, which were up 18.2% compared to the previous week, with COVID making up 2.6% of US deaths. For the week ending August 31, 663 people died from COVID-19, according to the CDC's provisional data. During August, COVID deaths averaged roughly 900 per week, the highest since March.In a recent seasonal outlook, the CDC said it expects that the upcoming fall and winter virus season will have similar or lower peak numbers of hospitalization from COVID, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as last year. However, it noted that peak will likely be higher than the years before COVID emerged, the group said in its update that covers the main three respiratory viruses. "COVID-19 activity this fall and winter will be dependent on the progression of the ongoing summer COVID-19 wave."

Study: COVID increased gender mortality gaps in wealthy countries - A new study in the International Journal of Infectious Diseasesanalyzed World Health Organization (WHO) data and found COVID-19 increased existing gender mortality gaps in high-income countries until 2021, when COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out.The findings are based on excess mortality estimates for 75 countries in 2020 and 62 countries in 2021. Middle-income countries did not see the same gender mortality gap issues during the first years of the pandemic.After age 45, men die at higher rates in nearly all places and at all ages, the authors wrote. While previous studies have shown men die at higher rates than women from COVID-19, the excess mortality gap has not yet been fully described based on the economic status of countries. The authors compared deaths in 2020 and 2021 to expected all-cause deaths using historic country-level monthly mortality data prior to the pandemic. Only countries with age- and sex-specific information were included in the final analysis. They found that high-income countries saw the most significant increase in gender mortality gaps, but the curve remained relatively flat in middle- and low-income countries.Overall, in 2020, the average ratio of male-to-female mortality was higher for excess deaths (2.21) than for expected all-cause deaths (1.69), the authors found. "COVID-19 amplified the gender mortality gap, at least at the age point of 65, in 2020. By 2021, the sex-ratio of excess deaths has fallen (to 1.84) but is still above the sex ratio for expected all-cause mortality in 2020 (1.69)," they wrote.But by 2021, country income levels of countries had significant variations in mortality, largely due to the COVID vaccine rollout in wealthy nations, including European countries and the United States.

Drought fueling spread of fungus that’s making people sick across California: Study -Climate changed-induced drought conditions have been driving the dispersal of a dangerous airborne fungus across California in recent years, a new study has found.Cases of the flu-like disease coccidioidomycosis — also known as “Valley fever” — have risen dramatically over the past two decades, tripling from 2014 to 2018 and again from 2018 to 2022, according to the study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.While the disease can cause grave or even deadly complications, the authors said they have identified certain seasonal patterns that could help public health officials prepare for future surges.Valley fever spreads via a soil-dwelling organism called coccidioides, which was previously concentrated in parts of Arizona and California’s lower San Joaquin Valley. Rather than passing from person to person, the disease develops from the direct inhalation of these fungal spores.Those most likely to breathe in the fungus are farmers, field workers, construction crews or anyone who is in close interaction with soil outdoors.Collaborating with the California Department of Health, a University of California-led research team analyzed all California cases of Valley fever reported from 2000 to 2021. Via these two decades of data, the researchers were able to determine how Valley fever noticed that variances in the disease’s emergence patterns were often driven by drought. Although most cases tended to occur between September and November, seasonal behavior and timing showed marked differences among counties and years, they found. “We were surprised to see that there were certain years during which few or no counties had a seasonal peak in Valley fever cases,” lead author Alexandra Heaney, an assistant professor in climate and health epidemiology at the University of California San Diego, said in a statement.. “Based on the timing we observed, we hypothesized that drought might be playing a role.” Heaney and her colleagues found that on average, counties in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions exhibited the most pronounced seasonal peaks. Those peaks arrived earlier, however, in the former region, which is California’s agricultural hub. During the drought periods themselves, the scientists found that seasonal peaks in Valley fever cases were less severe. Yet once the rains returned, cases skyrocketed — particularly in the year or two after a drought ended. One hypothesis for this pattern, according to the study, is that heat-resistant coccidioides spores may be able to outlast their less hardy competitors. This would mean that with the resumption of rains, the fungus could proliferate with widely available moisture and nutrients, the authors explained. Another hypothesis the researchers considered is the possibility drought is increasing the deaths of rodents, whose bodies in turn provide critical nutrients for the fungus — strengthening its survival. “Even though droughts appear to decrease Valley fever cases in the short term, the net effect is an increase in cases over time, particularly as we experience more frequent and severe droughts due to climate change,” Heaney said. Despite the dangers of the disease — which can severely infect not only the respiratory system but also the skin, bones and brain — the researchers identified proactive ways that workers can protect themselves, such as minimizing time outdoors during dusty periods and wearing face coverings.

Fungal spores of the mold Aspergillus fumigatus produce an enzyme that weakens the immune system -- Aspergillus fumigatus is a mold that is found all over the world. Unlike closely related species, it can cause serious, often fatal infections in humans. What makes A. fumigatus so dangerous? An international research team led by Gustavo Goldman from the University of São Paulo in Brazil has found clues to the cause.A special enzyme on the surface of the fungal spores—glycosylasparaginase—apparently suppresses the release of pro-inflammatory substances by immune cells, making it easier for the pathogen to spread unhindered in the tissue. The findings are published in the journalNature Microbiology."Gustavo Goldman's group was particularly interested in the surface proteins on the spores, as these are the first to come into contact with the immune system—usually through inhalation," reports Olaf Kniemeyer from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), the German partner of the study.Kniemeyer is a proteomics expert. Together with his team, he analyzes all the proteins in a cell and assigns functions to them. This is how he finds potential targets for new active substances. The researchers from Jena also specialize in phagocytosis, a defense mechanism in which immune cells devour foreign invaders. This also enabled the international research team to study the interaction of the fungus with immune cells.

CDC: Overall teen vaccine uptake plateaus, but up-to-date HPV coverage drops - A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis finds that overall US teen vaccination uptake was similar in 2022 and 2023, with a decline in up-to-date human papillomavirus (HPV UTD) vaccination by age 13 among adolescents born in 2010 versus 2007. CDC investigators used the 2015 to 2023 iterations of the National Immunization Survey-Teen of 16,658 participants aged 13 to 17 years (born from January 2005 to December 2010) to estimate 2023 coverage, recent patterns by birth year, and trends by eligibility for the no-cost Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. The results were published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In 2023, 89.0%, 88.4%, 76.8%, and 61.4% of 13- to 17-year-olds had received one or more doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap), quadrivalent (four-strain) meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY), HPV, and HPV UTD vaccines, respectively. From 2022 to 2023, receipt of the serogroup B meningococcal and hepatitis A vaccines rose 3.0 and 1.9 percentage points, respectively. Receipt of at least one vaccine dose against Tdap, MenACWY, and HPV by age 13 among VFC-eligible teens born from 2008 to 2010 was comparable to that of those born in 2007. But the proportions of VFC-eligible and -ineligible adolescents current with HPV vaccination were 10.3 and 7.1 percentage points lower, respectively, among those born in 2010 than those born in 2007. Of teens born from 2003 to 2008, uptake of at least one dose of the Tdap and MenACWY vaccines by age 13 was lower among VFC-eligible than -ineligible adolescents, while coverage was similar for both groups born in 2009 and 2010."Health care providers should make strong recommendations for all routine vaccines and verify if adolescents, particularly those eligible for the VFC program, are up to date with all recommended vaccines," the authors wrote.

New data: HPV cancer rates highest in counties with low vaccination rates - A study today in JAMA Network Open reveals that several counties in north Texas have a higher incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers and lower HPV vaccination rates than elsewhere in the state.And a second study published earlier this week in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology shows that men infected with the strains of HPV associated with cervical cancer have evidence of sperm death and lower rates of fertility.In the first study, authors compared HPV vaccination initiation and up-to-date status rates with HPV-related cancer incidence. Southern states, including Texas, have lower rates of HPV vaccine uptake, despite higher rates of cervical cancer. In Texas, an estimated 83% of HPV-related cancers are attributable to HPV infection, but the state ranks 48th in HPV vaccine series completion and 44th in HPV vaccine series initiation.To assess the impact of these gaps in coverage, the authors compared the vaccination status of 32.3 million children and teenagers ages 9 to 17 (65.8% girls and 34.2% boys) with cancer rates in 22.5 million people aged 20 years and older (50.7% women and 49.3% men) from 2006 to 2022.The mean 2021 to 2022 county-level HPV vaccination series initiation estimates ranged from 6.3% to 69.1% for female and from 7.0% to 77.6% for male children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 years, the authors said. In 2022, only 16.6% of boys and 17.1% of girls aged 9 to 17 years were up to date with their HPV vaccine series.The yearly mean age-adjusted HPV-related cancer incidence rate (IR) for 2016 to 2020 was 22.1 per 100,000 women and 14.3 per 100,000 men. Across 254 counties in the state, those in North Texas had the highest rates of cervical cancer."Specifically, 29 counties had high HPV-related cancer IRs [incidence rates] for both male (16.4-64.9 per 100 ,000) and female (23.8 to154.2 per 100, 000) individuals simultaneously," the authors said.They said counties in Northern Texas are more rural and populated by anti-vaccination groups such as Texans for Vaccine Choice, which block legislation that limits vaccine exemptions."Additionally, in North Texas, anti-vaccination legislature is being proposed and promoted by local politicians, which has been shown to decrease the willingness of parents to have their children vaccinated against HPV,” the authors concluded.Childhood vaccination against HPV is recommended for both boys and girls, but boys have much lower uptake than girls. Infections caused by high-risk HPV genotypes responsible for cervical cancer, however, have detrimental effects on male fertility, according to Argentinian researchers.In a study based on samples collected from 205 adult male volunteers who attended a single clinic for an initial fertility assessment or problems of the urinary tract between 2018 and 2021, 19% tested positive for HPV. None of the men had been vaccinated against the virus.Among the men with HPV, those infected with high-risk (HR) strains responsible for cervical cancers had evidence of sperm death and elevated production of reactive oxygen species, which is caused by oxidative stress.

UNICEF announces emergency tender to buy mpox vaccines -- UNICEF recently announced an emergency tender to secure doses of mpox vaccine for the hardest-hit countries, part of a collaboration of global health groups including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC); Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the World Health Organization (WHO). In other developments, the European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shared its latest epidemiologic update on clade 1 mpox spread in Africa, and the WHO weighed in on Sweden’s imported clade 1b case, the first outside of Africa. In a joint announcement, UNICEF and its partners said they will work together to facilitate donations from existing stockpiles in high-income countries. The tender will allow UNICEF to set up supply agreements with vaccine makers, paving the way for purchase and shipments once countries and their partners have secured financing, confirmed demand and readiness, and have regulatory requirements in place for accepting the vaccines.The WHO is reviewing emergency use listing submissions from vaccine manufacturers and expects to complete the process by the middle of September. The agency, however, has signaled that groups can go ahead and buy vaccine. UNICEF said the tender is designed not only to secure immediate access to vaccines, but also to expand production. It estimates that agreements of up to 12 million doses through 2025 can be put in place, depending on demand, production capacity, and funding. Meanwhile, the ECDC yesterday published an epidemiologic update on clade 1 mpox, based on the updates from Africa CDC and the WHO's African regional office. Cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are nearing 20,000, which includes suspected and confirmed cases. Most of the country's cases have been reported in people younger than 15 years old, with males accounting for 73% of cases.In an August 30 notification, the WHO shared more details about an imported clade 1b case in Sweden, which, along with Thailand, have reported the first confirmations of the clade outside of Africa.The patient is an adult between the ages of 30 and 40 who arrived on August 12 with mild symptoms from an mpox-affected country in Africa. The patient sought care the next day, during which samples were obtained. The patient is receiving care in isolation.Close contacts include one travel companion who is being monitored. The person had a sore throat but tested negative for mpox on August 16.The WHO said the risk of further spread in Sweden is very low, because appropriate response measures were in place. However, it warned that the patient's travel history is still under investigation and he or she was likely infectious during travel.

Mpox escalates in Africa as officials launch response plan -- Mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have now topped 20,000 for the year, and Guinea has confirmed its first case, raising the number of affected countries to 14, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said at a briefing today.Meanwhile, Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a joint regional mpox preparedness and response plan, which coordinates actions based on countries most at risk. As the virus triggers outbreaks in more African countries, posing a risk of exported cases in other parts of the world, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report findings from airline contact tracing that indicate the risk of disease spread in that setting is very low.At today’s Africa CDC briefing, Director-General Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, said the rate of Africa's cases has climbed since May, but the case-fatality rate is going down owing to earlier recognition and care. African countries reported 5,466 cases, 252 of them confirmed, from 14 member states over the past week, and 26 more people died from their infections. Of 24,851 cases reported in the African region this year, 22,091 were in Central Africa, which includes the outbreak's DRC epicenter.The DRC had 2,662 cases over the past week, 25 of them fatal. Of cases this year, 58% occurred in children younger than 15, Kaseya said, noting the presence of numerous risk factors, including poor sanitation, insecurity and population mobility, malnutrition, interaction with wildlife, low public risk perception, unsafe sexual practices, and viral mutation. Kaseya noted that Burundi, facing a new and escalating outbreak linked to the 1b mpox clade, is also seeing a shift in age distribution, with children younger than 15 now the most affected age-group. In both countries, the percentage of infections is slightly higher in males than in females. Health officials also noted the first case in Guinea, which involves a 7-year-old girl from Macenta prefecture. He said genetic sequencing is under way, and if clade 1b is confirmed, it will be the first of that type reported from West Africa. In other outbreak developments today, Kenya's health ministry reported the country's fifth case, involving a 29-year-old woman from Mombasa whose spouse is the country's fourth confirmed mpox patient. She has no recent travel history, but her spouse had recently traveled to Rwanda, another outbreak country.At today's briefing, Africa CDC and WHO officials unveiled an mpox preparedness and response plan, which the agencies said marks a significant step to strengthen and speed up actions targeting the mpox threat in the region. In a WHO statement, Kaseya said, "This unified strategy ensures that all partners are aligned on common objectives, eliminating duplication and maximizing impact." As complex as the outbreak is, the response is equally complex, as epidemiologists sort out outbreak dynamics in different countries and gauge the impact of different clades. Also, vaccine donations are arriving in the region amid diverse regulatory situations and varied capacities to receive and deploy doses.The plan covers the next 6 months and has a budget of nearly $600 million, with 55% targeted for the response in 14 affected countries and 45% for operational and technical support through partners. Matshidiso Moeti, MD, who directs the WHO's African regional office, said the plan represents an important milestone between Africa CDC and the WHO. "By coming together, we can achieve more, and our collective strength will carry us further, ensuring that communities and individuals are protected from the threat of this virus."In other mpox developments, traveling on a flight with a person with mpox doesn't appear to be an exposure risk, researchers from the CDC reported yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.They described contact tracing findings from 2021 through 2022 of 113 people who traveled on commercial flights while they were infectious with clade 2 mpox, the type involved in the global outbreak that peaked in 2022.Of 1,046 traveler contacts who were identified by US public health agencies, no secondary cases were found. Investigators said the findings were similar to a 2022 study of airline exposure by Australian scientists.

Polio vaccination well under way in Gaza --Today marks the third day of a widespread polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said the campaign was ahead of targets, with roughly 25% of children under 10 in the war-torn region now vaccinated.According to Reuters, the mass campaign occurs during daily 8-hour pauses in fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in specific areas of Gaza.In total 161,000 children have been inoculated since September 1, exceeding the goal of 150,000.Another 340,000 children in southern Gaza will be inoculated at the end of this week, and the 10-day campaign will conclude in northern Gaza. By the end of the campaign, approximately 640,000 children under 10 years old will be vaccinated.The efforts to launch a mass vaccination campaign were made after a 10-month-old baby in Gaza was diagnosed as having polio at the end of August, the first case in the region in 25 years. Several other suspected cases have been reported, according to Doctors Without Border, and positive environmental samples have been collected in at least two districts in Gaza."Day three of the campaign is ongoing and the majority of the remaining children in central Gaza should be vaccinated by the end of the day," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, on X. "Our teams are committed to making sure no child is missed, despite ongoing displacement. We call on all parties to continue respecting the humanitarian pauses."

Quick takes: Minnesota measles outbreak hits 40 cases, more polio in 5 countries | CIDRAP

• Over the past week the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 10 more measles cases, raising the state's outbreak total to 40. The outbreak is concentrated in unvaccinated children in the Twin Cities, largely in the Somali community. Eleven people were hospitalized. Of the cases, 23 involved children younger than 5 years old, and 16 occurred in those ages 5 to 19. One patient is an adult age 20 or older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its latest two weekly updates has reported 20 more measles cases, raising the total for the year to 247 in 29 jurisdictions, of which 70% (173) were part of 13 outbreaks. Cases are tracking well above the 2023 total and are part of a global rise in measles infections.
• Five countries reported more polio cases this week, including Afghanistan, with another wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case, and Indonesia, with three circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Afghanistan’s WPV1 case is in Hilmand province and raises the country's total to 18 for the year. Indonesia's cVDPV2 cases were in three provinces and put the country's number at seven for 2024. Elsewhere, three African countries reported more cases, all involving cVDPV2. They are the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Niger, and Nigeria. The DRC's 2 cases add to its 2023 total, which has reached 120. Niger had 2 new cases, lifting its total to 9 for the year, and Nigeria reported 7 more cases in five locations, putting its 2024 total at 49.

Global cholera deaths rise sharply - Cholera deaths rose sharply last year, with multiple countries reporting deaths in the community, which highlight serious gaps in treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an overview of activity in 2023. Forty-five countries reported cases last year, one more than in 2022. Though cases were up 13%, deaths rose 71% compared to the previous year. More than 4,000 people died from their infections from a disease that is preventable and treatable, the WHO said.Several factors have led to a bigger impact from cholera, including conflict, climate change, and inadequate safe water and sanitation. The WHO also noted a geographic shift from 2022 to 2023, with 32% less cases reported in the Middle East and Asia and a 125% increase in Africa.Top hot spots last year included Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Somalia.The WHO said many African countries reported a high proportion of community deaths, those that occurred outside hospitals, which is a new metric for monitoring the disease. In 5 of 13 reporting countries, more than a third of deaths occurred in the community.Despite a shortage of oral cholera vaccine, a record 35 million doses were shipped last year, with a one-dose strategy to stretch supply still in place.Early data from 2024 show that the number of cases reported at this point in the year is lower than 2023, with 22 countries reporting active cases. The WHO said the global risk from cholera is still very high.

Vietnam reports its first fatal variant H1N1 flu case -- Vietnam has reported its first variant H1N1 (H1N1v) flu case, which involves a 70-year-old woman who died from her illness, according to an update from the World Health Organization (WHO). The laboratory-confirmed case of swine-origin influenza was reported in the province of Son La, on August 19, and marks the first ever variant H1N1 case in Vietnam. The source of the woman's infection isn't known. According to the WHO, the patient developed fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite 1 week after returning from spending a month in her home village in Hung Yen province. She died on June 11 after seeking treatment for pneumonia and being admitted to a hospital on June 1. "Epidemiological investigations revealed that the patient lived alone and had limited contact with a few villagers and caregivers during her illness in Son La province," the WHO said. "There have been no reports of respiratory symptoms among contacts, including healthcare workers of the case, or outbreaks in the community in Son La where the patient lived." There have also been no disease outbreaks in animals, including livestock, near the case-patient's residence in Son La. The WHO said risk of spread from this case is currently low, and it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions to Vietnam at this time.

Cambodia's recent H5N1 case involved novel reassortant - The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday shared more details from Cambodia about its latest fatal H5N1 avian flu case, including that it involves the older 2.3.2.1c clade but noting that the virus that infected the girl is a novel reassortant that include internal genes from the newer 2.3.4.4b clade. Investigators found that poultry died in the girl's Prey Vent province village and that her family was given some of them to eat and that the girl was exposed to the chicken while preparing food. Her symptoms began on August 11, and, when her condition worsened, she was hospitalized about a week later in Phnom Penh and treated with oseltamivir (Tamiflu). She died on August 20. Sequencing of the patient's virus sample at the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia found that the hemagglutinin gene from the 2.3.2.1c clade that has been circulating in Cambodia and Southeast Asia since 2013. The internal genes, however, belonged to the newer 2.3.4.4b, which is circulating globally. "This novel reassortant influenza A(H5N1) virus has been detected in human cases reported in Cambodia since late 2023," the WHO said. Cambodian health officials have tracked and monitored the girl's contacts, and no related cases have been found. The country has reported an uptick in human H5N1 infections since 2023, reporting 6 cases last year and 10 this year, of which 2 were fatal. In April, animal health officials in Vietnam and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)warned of the new reassortant circulating in chickens and muscovy ducks. The scientists said the virus has been circulating in the Greater Mekong subregion since 2022. Also, they noted that the reassortant had been linked to recent human cases and that the development shows the adaptive capacity of the virus and the risk of new, potentially more virulent strains.

H5N1 avian flu confirmed in outbreaks at California dairy farms -- Following suspected outbreaks at three Central Valley dairy farms, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) on August 30 announced that the herds in preliminary tests were positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, and that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the findings.The herd started showing clinical signs consistent with H5N1 on August 25, and the dairy owners worked with veterinarians and the CDFA to submit samples for state lab testing. The CDFA added that no human cases have been detected and that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is working with the CDFA to monitor people who were exposed to the sick cows.The CDFA said it and the CDFA have been preparing for possible outbreaks and that, earlier this summer, the CDPH supported the distribution of personal protective equipment to dairy farms, workers who handle raw milk, slaughterhouse workers, and those working on poultry farms.The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) yesterday added the three herds to its list of confirmed H5N1 outbreaks in dairy cows, lifting the nation's total to 197 in 14 states.

Anthrax outbreak kills 50 cattle and a moose in Wyoming, officials say -- Dozens of cattle and a moose dropped dead amid an anthrax outbreak in southeastern Wyoming, officials say. The bacterial disease was detected in multiple beef herds for the first time since the 1970s and in a moose for the first time since 1956, state livestock and wildlife officials said in news releases. The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory confirmed the disease in several cattle herds near Elk Mountain in Carbon County on Aug. 31, the Wyoming Livestock Board said in a Sept. 3 release. "We have approximately 50 to 60 head that have died at this time due to anthrax," Wyoming State Veterinarian Dr. Hallie Hasel told Cowboy State Daily. "It's in a localized region at this time, but we are still investigating, and there could be other losses that we don't know of quite yet." The laboratory then confirmed a case of a dead moose in the area on Sept. 3, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said in a release. The spore-forming bacteria occurs naturally worldwide and can survive underground for decades until the soil is disturbed by heavy rains or flooding, "resulting in sporadic outbreaks," the Wyoming Livestock Board said. Outbreaks can be more common during the summer "when conditions may alternate between rain and hot, dry weather, allowing spores to be released from contaminated soil and ingested by livestock or wildlife," the Wyoming Fish and Game Department said. Domestic and wild animals can become infected when they ingest or breathe in spores from contaminated soil, plants or water, the livestock board said. Signs livestock have been infected include "sudden death, weakness, staggering, difficulty breathing, fever, and blood diarrhea." It can be "transmitted between livestock, wildlife and humans," and is "most commonly seen in herbivores, including cattle, deer and bison (elk, moose and pronghorn are also susceptible)," the fish and game department said. "Carnivores tend to be less at risk and may display higher resilience to the disease," the department said. The case in the dead moose is the only known one documented in wildlife, the department said. The last case in 1956 was in Sublette County, about a 240-mile drive northwest of Carbon County. Because it's a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted between animals and people, anyone who has been around animals that could have been infected should be cautious, including hunters, livestock producers and private veterinarians, the agencies said. "Anthrax vaccine is approved for multiple livestock species and (is) highly effective," the livestock board said. And although "human cases are rare," hunters, livestock producers and the public should avoid dead cattle or wildlife and should not approach, handle or move carcasses, the fish and game department said. Hunters should take extra care not to harvest an animal that looks like it might be sick, the department said. Early signs of anthrax might show up as respiratory or breathing difficulty and disorientation. Infected animals will bloat very quickly after death, and black, tarry blood may ooze from "natural body openings (e.g., nose, mouth, anus)," the department said. Hunters should wear gloves while field dressing or handling their kill, and no one should pick up roadkill or "fresh deadheads"—big game skulls with antlers still attached—in the Elk Mountain area, the department said. Hunters who encounter dead wildlife should note the location or record a GPS pin and report it to the game and fish department by calling its health laboratory at 307-745-5865 or submitting a wildlife disease incident online. People should keep dogs, horses, and other pets away from animal carcasses, the department said. Anyone who thinks they might have come in contact with an infected animal should notify the Wyoming Department of Health and seek medical attention.

Study of fur-farmed animals nets 125 viruses, including novel species and those with spillover potential - Animals raised for their fur, such as raccoon dogs, fox, mink, and muskrats, may be an important reservoir and transmission hub for emerging viruses, including those at high risk for spillover into people, wild animals, and livestock, Chinese researchers reported yesterday in Nature. Researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity led the analysis of metagenomic mRNA in 697 intestinal, lung, and liver samples from 461 animals (412 from fur and/or livestock farms and 49 from wild settings) found dead, likely due to infectious diseases, across China. "The cross-species transmission of viruses from animals to humans drives infectious disease emergence, occasionally resulting in global pandemics," the study authors wrote. "As there is often limited overlap between wildlife and humans, secondary contact with farmed animals may constitute a probable route through which zoonotic viruses are transmitted to humans." Current viral research, however, focuses disproportionately on livestock such as pigs. "Importantly, fur animals such as foxes, civets and mink have been suggested to be the potential hosts for a variety of human viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV), SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-220–23, and outbreaks of H5N1 IAV have recently been reported in farmed European mink," the researchers added. The team identified 125 viral species, including 36 novel viruses (those not previously characterized) and 39 at potentially high risk for cross-species transmission, including spillover into people. Most fur-farmed animals hosted 2 to 23 vertebrate-linked viral species. Sixty percent of viruses led to an expansion in known host range, including seven species of coronaviruses found in 66 fur-farmed animals. The team noted the transmission of a novel canine respiratory coronavirus to raccoon dogs and the spread of bat HKU5-like coronaviruses to mink, which they harbored in abundance in the lungs. Three subtypes of IAV (H1N2, H5N6 and H6N2) were detected in the lungs of guinea pigs, minks, and muskrats, respectively. Guinea pigs also carried multiple zoonotic viruses—those capable of spread between animals and people—such as Japanese encephalitis virus and mammalian orthoreovirus. "Most (n = 29) potentially high-risk viruses were sampled from east China, with a detection rate of 40.5%," the researchers wrote. "Notably, 19 potentially high-risk viruses were detected in Shandong province, which contains many fur animal farms." Viruses that showed evidence of frequent host-jumping included 11 viruses already seen in people, 15 viruses not seen in people but observed in at least two mammalian orders, and 13 potentially novel high-risk viruses. Of all studied animals, raccoon dogs and mink carried the most potentially high-risk viruses, followed by guinea pigs, rabbits and Arctic foxes. Multiple animal species were commonly infected with Coronaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, and Sedoreoviridae viruses. "Of particular concern was the identification of Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5-like viruses (subgenus Merbecovirus) in the lungs and intestines of two farmed mink," on a single farm tied to an outbreak of pneumonia, the authors wrote. "The mink HKU5-like CoVs [coronaviruses] form a lineage that is relatively closely related to viruses that were thus far reported only in bats, in which they have a history of recombination." Paramyxoviridae, Coronaviridae, and Caliciviridae viruses were the most abundant in lung samples, while Coronaviridae, Sedoreoviridae, and Astroviridae viruses were the most abundant in the intestines. "These data also reveal potential virus transmission between farmed animals and wild animals, and from humans to farmed animals, indicating that fur farming represents an important transmission hub for viral zoonoses," the researchers wrote.

Scientists discover novel orthonairovirus in man bitten by tick in China -- A case report yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine describes a previously unidentified orthonairovirus, dubbed Wetland virus (WELV), in a man bitten by a tick at a wetland park in Inner Mongolia, China, in 2019. After isolating the virus from the index patient, a team led by Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology researchers conducted surveillance to determine the prevalence of WELV infection among hospitalized patients with fever and a history of a tick bite. The index patient was a 61-year-old man hospitalized in June 2019 after developing a fever and multiple organ dysfunction following a tick bite 5 days earlier and investigated its ability to cause disease in mice. WELV, a member of the orthonairovirus genus in the Nairoviridae family, is most closely related to the tickborne Hazara orthonairovirus genogroup, which includes the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, the authors noted. Seventeen patients from four areas in China had nonspecific symptoms such as fever, dizziness, headache, malaise, muscle pain, arthritis, and back pain and sometimes, with petechiae (spots on the skin or mucous membranes due to bleeding from capillaries), localized lymph-node swelling, and neurologic symptoms. The patients were diagnosed as having WELV through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Common lab results were leukopenia (low levels of white blood cells), thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count), and higher levels of d-dimer (indicating blood clots) and lactate dehydrogenase (indicating tissue or organ damage). Testing of serum from eight recovered patients revealed a fourfold higher concentration of WELV-specific antibodies than those seen in samples collected during acute infection. A field investigation found WELV RNA in five tick species, as well as in sheep, horses, pigs, and Transbaikal zokors (a type of rodent) sampled in northeastern China. WELV isolated from the index patient and ticks showed cytopathic (causing structural changes in cells) effects in the cells lining the human umbilical vein. Injection of the virus into the abdomens of mice and hamsters resulted in infection, brain damage, and death. The researchers said the Haemaphysalis concinna tick may transmit WELV to an animal, which then passes it to its offspring through the ovaries. "Initial symptoms of WELV infection manifest as nonspecific illness, thereby necessitating a differential diagnosis from other tickborne diseases," the researchers wrote. "Improving surveillance and detection for emerging orthonairoviruses will allow a better understanding of the effect that these viruses have on human health."

WHO issues global guidance to limit antibiotic pollution from manufacturing The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidance on what it calls an "important but neglected challenge" in efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).The guidance, released yesterday, provides targets aimed at limiting the emergence and spread of AMR from antibiotic manufacturing plants, which are a documented source of antibiotic pollution but remain largely unregulated. Developed in collaboration with international experts, the document also includes risk management plans to help antibiotic manufacturers ensure that they meet the established targets, engage with independent auditors, and are transparent.The guidance addresses the growing concern that the unregulated release of antibiotic residues from manufacturing sites into local waterways is promoting the development of resistant pathogens and helping undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally."Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health," Yukiko Nakatani, MD, PhD, the WHO's interim assistant director-general for AMR, said in a WHO press release. "Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone."The aim of the guidance, which covers all steps from the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to formulation into finished products, is to establish an "independent and scientifically derived framework" for applying targets for managing both liquid and solid wastes from antibiotic manufacturing facilities. The targets, expressed as PNECs (predicted no-effect concentrations), are for concentrations of antibiotics that are not likely to select for resistance (PNECres) or disturb the ecosystem (PNECeco).Targets are needed because liquid effluent and solid waste from antibiotic manufacturing sites, as well as the downstream water bodies that receive that effluent and waste, can contain very high concentrations of antibiotic residues, even higher than those found in wastewater containing excreta from people and animals being treated with antibiotics. The concern is that those residues interact with bacteria in the environment and create selection pressure for the development of resistance. While resistance may develop first in non-pathogenic bacteria, it could spread to pathogenic bacteria through the transfer of AMR genes.Although it's unclear how much this pollution contributes to the emergence and spread of resistant pathogens that threaten human and animal health, the WHO and the experts who contributed to the guidance believe that setting PNEC targets for antibiotic manufacturing can help reduce unnecessary risk."There's potential to make a very serious problem even worse," One Health Trust Director Ramanan Laxminarayan, PhD, MPH, who was among the experts who reviewed the guidance, said today in a WHO webinar. "These pockets of high concentrations are something that could get us into a lot of trouble." Laxminarayan added that setting PNEC targets for antibiotic manufacturing is necessary because more local antibiotic manufacturing sites are needed to address the lack of access to antibiotics in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)."The ability to make antibiotics in LMICs is critical, but we need to make sure that we don't do it in ways that endanger local populations," he said. The guidance is not the first attempt to regulate pollution from antibiotic manufacturing. In 2022, the AMR Industry Alliance and the British Standards Institute (BSI) collaborated on a voluntary standard that requires antibiotic manufacturers to have an effective environmental management and wastewater treatment system that minimizes API discharges in wastewater. In 2023, the groups created a verification scheme, managed by BSI, that provides certification for manufacturing sites that meet the standard.Steve Brooks of the AMR Industry Alliance, who also provided input on the report, said the targets in the WHO guidance are similar to those created by the alliance. And while there are some differences, he believes the groups can work together to promote responsible antibiotic manufacturing. Although the guidance isn't binding, the hope is that national or regional regulatory bodies, wastewater management services, antibiotic procurers, and third-party auditors will adopt the targets and create mechanisms that either require or incentivize antibiotic manufacturers to meet them.

Study suggests unnecessary antibiotics contribute to greenhouse gas emissions - A new study by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine highlights the environmental impact of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing. In the study, which was published yesterday in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Hospital Epidemiology, the researchers used the weight of sample waste from an outpatient antibiotic prescription (a paper bag, paper leaflet insert, and plastic prescription bottle), US Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas emission factors, and the estimated percentage of unnecessary outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in 2014 and 2015 (28%) multiplied by the total number of antibiotic prescriptions in 2022 to calculate the amount of waste emissions produced by unnecessary outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. They then used the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator to convert emissions into concrete greenhouse gas equivalents. The researchers estimated that, of the more than 236 million outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in 2022, roughly 66 million were likely unnecessary, resulting in 1,887.374 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent—the same as driving 4,838,375 miles, or 194.3 times around the equatorial circumference of the earth, in an average gas-powered car. The study authors argue that quantifying antibiotic-associated greenhouse gas emissions can be another tool for promoting more judicious antibiotic prescribing. "Traditional stewardship strategies have limited impact on certain providers and patients, and we believe incorporating data on environmental waste and contributions to greenhouse gas emissions from unnecessary antibiotics could only strengthen antibiotic stewardship efforts and inform public health policy," they concluded.

CDC issues warning over recalled eggs sold in three states --The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning over recalled eggs sold in three states on Friday. In a “Food Safety Alert,” the agency said 24 hospitalizations had occurred due to a “Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs.” The agency told people to “not eat any recalled eggs” and noted that “Milo’s Poultry Farms LLC recalled eggs” the same day that were bought by “stores and restaurants in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.”Milo’s Poultry Farms said in a Friday announcement on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website that it “is recalling all ‘Milo’s Poultry Farms’ and ‘Tony’s Fresh Market’ branded eggs because these eggs have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.”“Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain,” the announcement continued. “In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.”The CDC also recommended that people contact “your healthcare provider if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms,” listing symptoms like long-lasting diarrhea and intense vomiting.

UK officials: Floods likely swept E coli–tainted sheep feces to lettuce crops, sparking outbreak --UK public health officials have determined that the likely source of a 2022 outbreak of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 was lettuce contaminated by sheep feces washed to the field by heavy rainfall and flooding related to climate change.The investigation findings, published yesterday inEurosurveillance, detail how consumption of the tainted lettuce sickened 259 people, 75 of them requiring hospitalization, in August and September 2022. No deaths were reported.The UK Health Security Agency–led research team conducted whole-genome sequencing, interviewed patients, analyzed patient questionnaires, traced the lettuce back through the supply chain, and used new methods to determine rainfall and temperature before the outbreak, how the affected land was used, and the location of the sheep suspected to be the source of the feces. "The gastrointestinal tract of ruminants is the ecological niche of STEC, with cattle and sheep being the main animal reservoirs," the investigators wrote. "Food items frequently associated with food-borne outbreaks of STEC O157 include raw or undercooked beef or lamb meat products, unpasteurised dairy products, and fresh produce exposed to rainwater run-off, floodwater, or irrigation water containing animal faeces." The 19 patients interviewed reported exposures such as restaurant dining and eating chicken, salad, or beef. A frequency-matched study involving 41 patients and 206 controls linked the illness to consumption of chicken or salad. Loyalty-card data and supply-chain investigations tied a single lettuce grower to all food service establishments or retailers of interest. The investigators identified no failures by the lettuce grower, but a geospatial analysis independently identified the grower as the probable outbreak source. An analysis of epidemiologic factors, the food chain, and weather data suggested that floodwater carried STEC-contaminated sheep feces to the lettuce crops.

Tests show high levels of fecal matter in Manatee River - Suncoast Waterkeeper's recent tests show some places have 1000x the maximum allowable fecal bacteria for swimming and fishing. — Our recent rains have been too much for Bradenton’s Water Reclamation Plant. Millions of gallons of partially treated wastewater have poured into the Manatee River and it's still flowing right now. Suncoast Waterkeeper executive director Dr. Abbey Tyrna says it was only told about the failure at the plant because of the city’s Clean Water Act settlement with the EPA over past failures.“I wouldn't go into the Manatee River right now,” she says. "[Bradenton has] the money, the resources, they have the political will. Unfortunately, right now, it's just a matter of time.”Part of the settlement caused the city to invest nearly $50 million into the facility, but it won’t be done until next year. Monday afternoon the city issued new reports saying discharges continue — all told more than 20 million gallons of wastewater dumped so far.“That's a lot of sewage that has gone into the Manatee River and out into [Sarasota] Bay, and we're going to feel the impacts of that for years.” Suncoast Waterkeeper confirmed fecal matter in the river by testing it in several locations including at Emerson Point Preserve at the northern end of the river and at Longboat Key in the bay; both places had bacteria levels a thousand times higher than what’s safe to swim in. “I was not aware of it,” Manuel Mendoza, who was fishing on Coquina Beach said. “We’re going to stop coming here. Just yesterday we all came to swim in this water, the whole family.”Beaches in Manatee County weren’t packed on Labor Day but those in the water hadn’t heard there was that much enterococci bacteria in the water, which can cause infections in open cuts and scrapes.“I guess I have to be more careful,” Jeffrey Flores, who was swimming with his wife and two small children said. “What can you do when you don’t have the right information.” While Suncoast Waterkeeper posts the bacteria tests on its Facebook page, the city posts incident information on its website. They are required to report discharges to the county health department and the state; the latest report was filed Monday afternoon.

SF Bay area study reveals chemical levels in bottled, tap and household-treated tap water -A team of water technicians at water testing company SimpleLab has tested chemical levels in hundreds of water samples collected from bottles, household taps and treated tap water in the San Francisco Bay area. Their paper is published in the journal PLOS Water. For many years, tap water in the average American home was consumed without hesitation, considered to be absolutely safe. Such beliefs have been tested in recent years, however, with reporting about lead in drinking water consumed by children in Flint, Michigan. In response, many consumers have stopped drinking tap water and have turned instead to filters or even commercially sold bottled water. In this new effort, the team at SimpleLab tested drinking water from the three main sources available to people living in the San Francisco Bay area to see how they compared. The work involved analyses of 100 samples of bottled water, 603 samples of tap water samples and 111 samples of household tap water that had been filtered using a Brita filter. They found that almost all the water samples they tested met federal drinking water health standards. But they also found that chemical levels in filtered and bottled water were nearly equal, while water straight from the tap had much higher levels. The most common chemicals of concern, they note, were trihalomethanes, released when chlorine is used to disinfect the water. All three sources contained some amount of the chemicals. Trihalomethanes have been linked to several health problems including liver damage, developmental delays and an increased risk of some types of cancers. They also note that their findings are not meant to alarm consumers—consumption of small amounts of trihalomethanes or the other chemicals that they found in the water is not likely to cause harm. They conclude that most consumers would likely benefit from the use of a filter when drinking tap water. Doing so, they note, also makes water taste better.

State looks to limit ‘forever chemicals’ in wastewater from 3M’s Cottage Grove plant - State regulators have proposed a new pollution permit for 3M’s Cottage Grove facility that requires the removal of “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, from wastewater that ends up in the Mississippi River. It will be the first time Minnesota has required an industry to limit PFAS, or per- and polyíluoroalkyl substances, in its wastewater. 3M’s Cottage Grove plant, the epicenter of the global PFAS problem, has been operating under a permit issued more than 20 years ago. Carly Griffith, water program director with the nonprofit Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, called the draft permit “a very important milestone and step forward” that will set a precedent statewide for other industrial and municipal wastewater permits. In a news release earlier this month, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency called the 400-page draft permit “one of the most rigorous in state history.” It requires the removal of certain PFAS to levels so low they can’t be detected by current technology. 3M is currently building an advanced treatment system to remove the chemicals. Forever chemicals “have no place in any lake or river,” said MPCA commissioner Katrina Kessler in a news release. “This permit is an opportunity to leverage the latest science, technology and regulations on PFAS to require 3M do even more to keep PFAS out of the Mississippi River,” Kessler said. The draft permit also requires 3M to expand its efforts to monitor contamination in groundwater, upstream and downstream waters and in fish, and make the results public. 3M has manufactured PFAS at its Cottage Grove facility since the 1950s. They were used in a variety of consumer and industrial products, including furniture, 3M has manufactured PFAS at its Cottage Grove facility since the 1950s. They were used in a variety of consumer and industrial products, including furniture, cookware, carpet and water-resistant clothing. Some of the compounds have been linked to human health impacts, including kidney and thyroid problems, birth defects and cancer

Curbing toxic metals in spinach and rice crops grown for baby food --Rice and spinach are staples for babies' and young children's diets, but toxic metals and metalloids found in those foods can cause severe health impacts.In particular, heavy metals such ascadmium, lead, mercury, and metalloid arsenic could delay brain development in babies and young children.In new research published in the academic journal Environmental Geochemistry and Health, University of Delaware scientists have found that flooded rice fields tend to contain higher amounts of arsenic and lower amounts of cadmium. The drier those rice fields are, the lower the amounts of arsenic and the higher the amounts of cadmium. However, the higher cadmium is lower than the existing threshold for adverse health effects.The findings could help establish a course of action for decreasing the levels of these contaminants in foods typically eaten by infants and children. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued draft guidance for the amount of lead allowed in baby foods. It's on the verge of setting new regulations for the threshold of arsenic, cadmium and mercury that can be allowed in infant food as part of its Closer to Zero Action Plan. Crops such as corn, soybeans and wheat are grown in soils that are not very wet. So farmers water them to make sure the plants get the nutrients they need to grow, but never enough to fully flood them.In contrast, rice is often grown in very wet, flooded soils. Oxygen that would normally reside in tiny pores in the soil gets lost very quickly and is replaced by water. The limited oxygen shifts the microorganisms in the soil, and those microorganisms start breathing with iron oxide minerals that give the soil a rusty orange color. "Arsenic likes to stick really tightly onto those iron oxides," said Angelia Seyfferth, a UD soil biogeochemist and professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and a co-author of the research. "When the iron oxides are used by these organisms to breathe, they go from a solid mineral to a solution phase. You essentially dissolve them, and when you dissolve them, the arsenic that's stuck onto them goes into the water."Seyfferth said that once the arsenic is in the water, it can easily be absorbed by the rice roots and transported into the grain.Seyfferth and research associate Matt Limmer grew rice in 18 small fields on the UD Newark Farm, exposing the rice paddies to different flooded and wet conditions. Once they harvested the grain and analyzed the amount of arsenic and cadmium in it, the researchers instead found that the more flooded the field, the more arsenic and less cadmium accumulated in the rice. By contrast, the drier the field, the more cadmium and less arsenic accumulated. "But, even under those drier conditions when there was more cadmium, the concentrations of cadmium in the grain were not of concern for human health," Seyfferth said.

Bat population collapse linked to increased pesticide use and more than 1,000 infant deaths -Bats are considered a natural pesticide, widely relied on by farmers as an alternative to chemical pesticides to protect their crops from insects. But since 2006, many bat populations have collapsed in counties in North America due to an invasive fungus found in the caves bats use during the day and throughout winter that causes what is known as White-Nose Syndrome. A study in Science uses their sudden collapse to explore whether farmers turned to chemical pesticides, and whether doing so impacts human health. It finds that farmers did increase their pesticide use, leading to more than 1,000 infant deaths. "Bats have gained a bad reputation as being something to fear, especially after reports of a possible linkage with the origins [of] COVID-19," says study author Eyal Frank, an assistant professor at the Harris School of Public Policy. "But bats do add value to society in their role as natural pesticides, and this study shows that their decline can be harmful to humans."Frank compared the effect of bat die-offs on pesticide use in counties that experienced those bat population declines to counties that were likely unaffected by the wildlife disease.He found that when the bat populations declined, farmers increased their use of pesticides by about 31%. Because pesticides have been linked to negative health impacts, Frank next tested to see if the increased use of pesticides corresponded with an increase in infant mortality—a common marker to study the health impacts of environmental pollution.Indeed, when farmers increased their use of pesticides, the infant mortality rate rose by almost 8%. This corresponds to an additional 1,334 infant deaths. Or, for every 1% increase in pesticides, there was a 0.25% increase in the infant mortality rate. The study also found that pesticides aren't as good at preventing pests as bats. The quality of the crops likely declined, as farmers' revenue from crop sales decreased by nearly 29%. Combining this revenue loss with the expense of the pesticides, farmers in communities that experienced the bat die-offs lost $26.9 billion dollars between 2006 and 2017. Adding to those losses, the $12.4 billion in damages from infant mortality, the total societal cost from the bat die-offs in these communities amounted to $39.6 billion.

Calling for further study, California lawmakers table ban on toxic herbicide paraquat --California lawmakers have approved a bill that could help strengthen regulations around the use of paraquat, a powerful weedkiller associated with Parkinson's disease and other serious health issues.Assembly Bill 1963 was introduced in January by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, and originally sought to sunset the use of paraquat in California beginning in January 2026.However, the final legislation has been amended so that it now will require the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to complete a reevaluation of the herbicide by Jan. 1, 2029, and determine whether to retain, cancel or suspend its registration, or to create new restrictions. The bill passed the Senate 23 to 8 and now awaits a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom.Paraquat is banned in more than 60 countries. Many environmental andadvocacy groups had been hoping for an outright ban in California, but said the bill still marks a step forward by fast-tracking its safety review—a process that can sometimes take decades."We are encouraged by the progress being made in California setting the example for other states to act when it comes to evaluating the safety and toxicity of chemicals with long term neurological and other health implications," read a statement from Julia Pitcher, director of state government relations for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. "We strongly urge the passage of this legislation and look forward to Governor Newsom signing it into law soon."The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes paraquat as highly toxic— noting that "one sip can kill"—yet California remains one of the nation's top users of the chemical. The state sprays millions of pounds annually on crops such as almonds, grapes and cotton.An Environmental Working Group report published earlier this year found that the state's farmworkers and low-income Latino people, in particular, are disproportionately exposed to paraquat in their communities, with more than 5.3 million pounds sprayed in Kern County alone between 2017 and 2021.The bill faced opposition from a coalition of opponents including pesticide manufacturers, chemical industry trade associations and agriculture trade organizations.

Replacement crop treatment not safe for important pollinator, experts say --A novel pesticide thought to be a potential successor to banned neonicotinoids caused 100% mortality in mason bees in a recent test. The novel pesticide, flupyradifurone, is thought to pose less risk to pollinators and, consequently, has been licensed globally for use on bee-visited crops.However, research by scientists at the University of Bristol and the University of Texas at Austin, discovered, contrary to their expectations, that the chemical was lethal in the bees Osmia lignaria exposed to pesticide-treated wildflowers.They also found a number of sublethal effects. Seven days post-application, bees released into the pesticide-treated plants were less likely to start nesting, had lower survival rates, and were less efficient foragers, taking 12.78% longer on average to collect pollen and nectar than control bees.The work is published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.Lead author Harry Siviter from Bristol's School of Biological Sciences explained, "These results demonstrate that exposure to flupyradifurone poses a significant risk to important pollinators and can have negative impacts on wild bees at field-realistic concentrations."Bees are vital pollinators of crops and wildflowers. Neonicotinoid pesticides can have significant negative impacts on pollinators, which have led to high profile restrictions in their use in the EU and other regions, which has increased the demand for "novel" insecticides."Due to limitations in formal ecotoxicology assessments, there is an urgent need to evaluate potential replacement crop treatments," added Siviter."These results caution against the use of novel insecticides as a direct replacement for neonicotinoids."Our findings add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that pesticide risk assessments do not sufficiently protect wild bees from the negative consequences of pesticide use.""Restricting the use of commercial pesticides containing flupyradifurone to non-flowering crops would be sensible while more research is conducted. "In the long-term, as we are already seeing in the EU, a move towards a more holistic approach to risk assessment that considers the biology of non-Apis bees is required to better protect pollinators from the unintended negative impacts of pesticides."

Biden administration partially restores air pollution standards weakened by Trump - The Biden administration has tightened standards for polluters that were rolled back under the Trump administration — but did not fully return them to their pre-Trump strength.The policy in question concerns facilities that were once considered “major” emitters of hazardous pollution but have since taken steps to reduce their emissions. Prior to the Trump administration, facilities that had at one point been considered “major” pollution sources would still have to meet stringent pollution requirements even if they reduced their emissions. This policy was known as “once in, always in.”However, in 2020, the Trump administration allowed polluters that had cut their emissions toreclassify as smaller “area” polluters and follow less stringent pollution control and reporting requirements. The Biden administration’s actions restored the pre-Trump requirements for facilities that are significant sources of seven types of harmful and persistent pollution. It tackles pollutants such as mercury, which is a neurotoxin, as well as cancer-causing PCBs and dioxins. But it leaves in place the Trump-era flexibility for other types of facilities. Environmental and health advocates described the Biden administration’s action as a positive step, but many also called for a return to pre-Trump regulations. “Overall, we think this is a really important step, and undoes some of the damage done by the previous administration,” said Noha Haggag, senior attorney at the Environmental Defense Fund. “Even though this is an important step, we would like EPA to eventually take more action,” Haggag added. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan signed the final rule Friday, and it was posted to the agency’s website Wednesday without fanfare. Reached for comment, an EPA spokesperson told The Hill that the rule will “ensure that sources of seven key hazardous air pollutants will continue to comply with major source emission standards, even if the source reclassifies as an area source.”When it rolled back the protections, the Trump administration argued that it was incentivizing polluting companies to invest in better emissions-control technology and ending regulations that discourage such investments. Environmental advocates disagreed, saying the actions would likely result in more pollution.“Without the ‘once in, always in’ policy, a major source could reduce their emissions below the threshold and then legally increase their emission to just below the threshold, or even go beyond without the rigorous monitoring requirements to catch them,” Haggag said Wednesday.

One of the last California condors in Zion National Park dies from lead poisoning --Zion National Park is home to a California condor, an endangered bird with a wingspan of more than 9 feet, that soars the same skies she shared with her brother before he died. Both sibling birds had fallen victim to lead poisoning. But while the sister, known as 1111, survived her ordeal, the brother, known as "1K," did not, according to a joint statement by federal officials and wildlife advocates last month. Now those who want to see the condorthrive are reminding the public of the dangers that lead-based ammunition—used by hunters to kill animals—can pose to the giant birds, who feed on animal carcasses."1K's death is a tragedy because it was premature and preventable," said Shawn Farry, California Condor Program Manager for the Peregrine Fund. "He had a wonderful way of endearing staff and visitors to the condor and its story, and for that, he will be missed by so many who were lucky to catch a glimpse of 1K soaring through Zion Canyon." 1K was the first-ever condor to successfully fledge, or develop wing feathers large enough for flight, at Zion National Park, according to the Peregrine Fund, a raptor conservation organization. But when a radio tag that biologists used to track 1K stopped moving, the scientists were "devastated to find him dead," the fund's statement said. "Necropsy results confirmed what the team had suspected as the cause of death: lead poisoning. 1K died just short of his fifth birthday."According to the Peregrine Fund, California Condors are "particularly vulnerable" to lead poisoning because, as scavengers, they feed on animal remains. If an animal is shot with a lead bullet, scavengers who feed from the carcass may consume lead.1K's sister 1111, who was the second wild-fledged condor in Zion National Park, was trapped and tested in January 2024, the fund said.The team found high levels of lead present and 1111 was transferred to Liberty Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Phoenix, Arizona, for treatment."When a lead-based bullet hits an animal, it often fragments into hundreds to thousands of small, little pieces of lead," said Tim Hauck, Peregrine Fund's California Condor Program Director.Those fragments of lead then get eaten by condors, Hauck said.When condors eat, they store food in storage areas in their body called crops, Hauck explained. Hauck continued, saying that their crops allow condors to keep food over a long period of time because they never know when their next meal is."That allows those little lead fragments to slowly break down in those really strong stomach acids, and then it gets absorbed into the blood, and it gets absorbed into tissue," Hauck explained.The Peregrine Fund said 1111 was released back into the wild on May 17. Her brother 1K had died during her absence, with field tracking efforts locating his body in early March.Hauck warned that the California condor is an indicator species."They're called obligate scavengers, because that's all they do, is eat things that are dead. And so they play this vital function of cleaning up the environment and helping to stop the spread of disease," Hauck said.Without scavengers like condors, Hauck said, diseases like rabies could run rampant in wildlife populations.

Wildlife trafficking ring killed at least 118 eagles, prosecutors say -- A man helped kill at least 118 eagles to sell their feathers and body parts on the black market as part of a long-running wildlife trafficking ring in the western U.S. that authorities allege killed thousands of birds, court filings show.Travis John Branson is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Sept. 18 for his role in the trafficking ring that operated on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana and elsewhere.Prosecutors say the Cusick, Washington man made between $180,000 and $360,000 from 2009 to 2021 selling bald and golden eagle parts illegally."It was not uncommon for Branson to take upwards of nine eagles at a time," prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana wrote in a Tuesday court filing. "Not only did Branson kill eagles, but he hacked them into pieces to sell for future profits."Eagle wings, tails, feathers and other parts are highly sought after by Native Americans who use them in ceremonies.Prosecutors asked Judge Dana Christensen to sentence Branson to "significant imprisonment" and restitution totaling $777,250. That includes $5,000 for every dead eagle and $1,750 for each of 107 hawks that investigators said he and his co-conspirators killed.Branson's attorney disputed the prosecutors' claims and said they overstated the number of birds killed. The prosecution's allegation that as many as 3,600 birds died came from a co-defendant, Simon Paul, who remains at large. Branson's attorney suggested in court filings that the stated death toll has fueled public outcry over the case. "It is notable that Mr. Paul himself went from a 3,600 to 1,000 bird estimate," Federal Defender Andrew Nelson wrote in a Tuesday filing, referring to a statement Paul made to authorities in a March 13, 2021, traffic stop.Nelson also said restitution for the hawks was not warranted since those killings were not included in last year's grand jury indictment. He said Branson had no prior criminal history and asked for a sentence of probation.Branson and Paul grew up in the Flathead Reservation area. Since their indictment, Paul has been hiding in Canada to evade justice, according to Nelson.Paul's defense attorney did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment.Investigators documented the minimum number of eagles and hawks killed through Branson's text messages, prosecutors said. Two years of his messages were not recovered, leading prosecutors to say the "full scope of Branson's killings is not captured."Government officials have not revealed any other species of birds killed.Bald and golden eagles are sacred to many Native Americans. U.S. law prohibits anyone without a permit from killing, wounding or disturbing eagles, or taking their nests or eggs.Illegal shootings are a leading cause of golden eagle deaths, according to a recent government study.Members of federally recognized tribes can get feathers and other bird parts legally through from the National Eagle Repository in Colorado and non-government repositories in Oklahoma and Phoenix. There's a yearslong backlog of requests at the national repository.Branson pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of trafficking federally protected bald and golden eagles. He faced a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the most serious charge, conspiracy. Under a plea deal, prosecutors said they would seek to dismiss additional trafficking charges.Federal guidelines call for a sentence of roughly three to four years in prison for Branson, they said.

Researchers say 40% of UK seabird species are in trouble—bird flu, climate change, overfishing to blame - A visit to a seabird colony in summer is an assault on the senses. First there's the noise, then the overwhelming ammonia smell that stains the memory, and then the swirl of color and activity on the white-washed cliffs. When you're standing hundreds of meters above the crashing sea, there can be hundreds or thousands of breeding seabirds in the air or on the sea below, or precariously perched on poorly made nests or ridiculously narrow ledges. This string of islands in the North Atlantic is home to nearly 30 species of seabird and hosts large portions of their total populations. Most of the world's Manx shearwaters (90%), northern gannets (70%) and great skuas (60%) nest here, as do more than 20% of the European population of nine seabird species.Sadly, a new scientific assessment has reported alarming declines over the last 25 years in the UK's seabird populations. Five new species have joined the "red list," which denotes the highest category of conservation concern: Leach's storm-petrels, common gulls, great black-backed gulls, Arctic terns and great skuas. These join the already listed kittiwakes, herring gulls, roseate terns, Arctic skuas and puffins, which are all highly threatened.Seabirds face many threats. Among the gravest are changes to their food supply linked to overfishing and climate change. Ocean warming disrupts and shifts the life cycles of seabird prey, such as sandeels, and the resulting scarcity can cause populations to collapse. Increasingly severe winter storms and summer heat waves also kill seabirds.The broader effects of climate change and the warming of the ocean are difficult to predict, but the associated increase in acidification and lower oxygen levels are certain to upset food webs.Entanglement in fishing gear, invasive predators and collisions with offshore turbines present yet more challenges.On top of all this came the highly pathogenic HPAI H5N1, a new strain of the avian influenza virus that was first detected in the UK in 2021 and has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of seabirds and affected almost every seabird species.HPAI H5N1 was first identified in domestic waterfowl in southern China in 1996 and rapidly spread into their wild relatives. Migratory species carried the virus around the world, and still do. Thankfully, human deaths remain extremely rare. The jump into seabirds was unexpected as, until then, it was found mostly in wild waterfowl and domestic poultry.Seabirds such as terns, gulls, auks and northern gannets were hit hard but the impact on great skuas was most striking. Their numbers are down by over 70% from the last census, which was taken between 2015 and 2021.Seabird lifestyles predispose them to infectious diseases and make it hard for them to recover. Seabirds typically produce just a few young (often only one) in a single brood each year. At least these birds are long-lived and can continue to breed throughout their lives. But living in dense, crowded colonies at a few sites that they can fly between means diseases can easily spread and take hold.

Beluga whale alleged to be Russian ‘spy’ found dead in Norway -- A beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir, first spotted in Norway not far from Russian waters while wearing a harness that prompted rumours he might be a spy for Moscow, has been found dead. The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that the whale’s body was found floating in the Risavika Bay in southern Norway on Saturday by a father and son who were fishing. The beluga, whose nickname was a combination of the Norwegian word for whale – hval – and the first name of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was lifted out of the water by crane and taken to a nearby harbour, where experts will examine it. The marine biologist Sebastian Strand told NRK: “Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has passed away, but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is.” He added that no major external injuries were visible on the animal. Strand, who has monitored Hvaldimir’s adventures for the past three years on behalf of the Norway-based non-profit organisation Marine Mind, said he was deeply affected by the whale’s sudden death. “It’s absolutely horrible,” Strand said. “He was apparently in good condition as of [Friday], so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.” The 4.2-metre (14ft), 1,225kg (2,700lb) whale was first spotted in April 2019 by fishers near the northern island of Ingøya, not far from the Arctic city of Hammerfest. He was wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked with the words “Equipment St Petersburg”. That sparked allegations the beluga was a “spy whale”. Experts have said the Russian navy is known to have trained whales for military purposes. Over the years, the beluga was seen in the waters off several Norwegian coastal towns and it quickly became clear that he was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, NRK said. Marine Mind said on its site that Hvaldimir was very interested in people and responded to hand signals. “Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,” it said. Because of this behaviour, Norwegian media have also speculated that Hvaldimir may have been used as “a therapy whale” of some sort in Russia.

Large sharks may be hunting each other—and scientists know because of a swallowed tracking tag - Who killed the pregnant porbeagle? In a marine science version of the game Cluedo, researchers from the US have now accused a larger shark, with its deciduous triangular teeth, in the open sea southwest of Bermuda. This scientific whodunnit is published in Frontiers in Marine Science."This is the first documented predation event of a porbeagle shark anywhere in the world," said lead author Dr. Brooke Anderson, a former graduate student at Arizona State University."In one event, the population not only lost a reproductive female that could contribute to population growth, but it also lost all her developing babies. If predation is more widespread than previously thought, there could be major impacts for the porbeagle shark population that is already suffering due to historic overfishing."Porbeagles are sharks from the Atlantic and South Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean. They are large, active, powerfully built—up to 3.7 meters long and weighing up to 230kg—and long-lived, living up to 30 or even 65 years. Females don't reproduce until they are about 13 years old, and then give birth to an average of four pups every one or two years, born live after a gestation period between eight and nine months. Because of their slow reproductive cycle, porbeagle populations cannot recover quickly from persecution, recreational fishing, bycatch, and habitat loss and degradation to which they are currently exposed. Indeed, Northwest Atlantic porbeagles are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, while the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean populations are critically endangered. Among the tagged porbeagles was a pregnant female, 2.2 meters long. Anderson and colleagues hoped to obtain data from this female to help identify important habitats for porbeagle mothers and their newborns. Data transmitted showed that this female had been cruising for five months at a depth between 100 and 200 meters at night and between 600 and 800 meters during the day, in waters with a temperature between 6.4 and 23.5 °C. During this time, the fin-mount tag had transmitted only once, confirming that she remained underwater most of the time. But suddenly, from 24 March 2021 onwards over the period of four days, the temperature as measured by the PSAT remained at an approximately constant 22 °C, at a depth between 150 and 600 meters. Only one explanation was possible: that day, the unfortunate porbeagle had been hunted and eaten by a larger predator. "Two endothermic predator candidates large enough to predate upon mature porbeagles and located within the vicinity and at the time of year of the predation event include the white shark Carcharodon carcharias and shortfin mako Isurus oxyrhinchus," wrote the authors.Shortfin mako sharks are known to feed on cephalopods, bony fish, small sharks, porpoises, sea turtles, and seabirds, while great whites also feast on whales, dolphins, seals, and rays. Of the two candidates, a great white sharkwas the more likely culprit, as shortfin mako typically make rapid oscillatory dives between the sea surface and deeper depths during the day while in the open ocean—a behavior not registered by the PSAT. “The predation of one of our pregnant porbeagles was an unexpected discovery. We often think of large sharks as being apex predators. But with technological advancements, we have started to discover that large predator interactions could be even more complex than previously thought," said Anderson.

Fish kill results in about 24,000 dead fish in Baltimore's Inner Harbor - Maryland officials investigated a fish kill on Sept 04 in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, after about 24,000 dead fish were observed between the Rusty Scupper and the Maryland Science Center, as well as near Piers 5 and 6. The dead were almost exclusively Atlantic menhaden, though Maryland Department of the Environment investigators also observed several catfish, white perch and a few blue crabs, wrote agency spokesman Jay Apperson in a statement. MDE investigators do not believe that a particular pollution incident is to blame, Apperson said. Instead, they believe the die-off can be explained by a natural phenomenon known as a turnover event. Turnover events tend to occur in the Baltimore Harbor near Memorial Day and Labor Day, when warm days quickly give way to cool nights, said Alice Volpitta, Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper for the nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore. When night falls, bringing far colder temperatures, the top layer of water in the harbor rapidly cools off and becomes denser, causing it to sink toward the bottom. That brings the water formerly on the bottom of the harbor to the top. That's a problem because the water near the harbor bottom is depleted of oxygen. Fish trapped in the low-oxygen water will perish, causing large-scale fish kills, Volpitta said. Though the turnover event was caused by a natural process, the existence of that low-oxygen water, often called a dead zone, isn't natural. It is the result of pollution, including from fertilizers, wastewater and other sources of nutrients, flowing into the water. "The issue is exacerbated by the fact that we have this dead zone at the bottom of our harbor to begin with," Volpitta said. "While this is a natural turnover event caused by dropping temperatures as we approach the fall, the problem is exacerbated by pollution that's flowing off of the land into the water."

Thailand nets 1.3 million kilograms of invasive fish -- Thailand has netted more than 1.3 million kilograms of highly destructive blackchin tilapia fish, the government said Tuesday, as it battles to stamp out the invasive species. Shoals of blackchin tilapia, which can produce up to 500 young at a time, have been found in 19 Thai provinces, damaging ecosystems in rivers, swamps and canals by preying on small fish, shrimp and snail larvae. As well as the ecological impact, the government is worried about the effect on the kingdom's crucial fish-farming industry. Fishing authorities caught 1,332,000 kilograms of blackchin tilapia between February and August 28, according to Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat, the vice-president of a parliamentary committee set up to tackle the spread of the fish. "We talked to local residents and found out that the spread of tilapia has got worse—they found them in small canals, which was not the case before," he told AFP. The outbreak of tilapia will cost the Thai economy at least 10 billion baht ($293 million), Nattacha said. The fish, native to West Africa, were first discovered in Thailand's rivers in 2010 before spreading rapidly in 2018, and are now also found in the US state of Florida and in the Philippines. In July, the Thai government declared the eradication of the species a national priority and began encouraging people to consume the fish. Promotional activities in central Phetchaburi province advertised tilapia-based fish sauces and sausages. Restaurants have also increasingly used the fish in cuisine, fried with garlic or sun-dried. It remains unclear how the fish arrived in Thailand, but local media reports have said they could have been imported by a company from Ghana in 2010. A parliamentary investigation is under way to determine the cause of the infestation, Nattacha said. The Thai government has encouraged locals to catch the fish, offering to pay people 15 baht ($0.42) per kilogram. It has also designated 75 vending areas around the country where the fish can be sold. Authorities have released predator species to hunt down the tilapia and are also developing genetically modified blackchin tilapia to produce sterile offspring. A UN science panel warned last year that the tilapia are spreading faster than ever, wrecking crops, distributing disease and upending ecosystems. More than 37,000 alien species have taken hold far from their places of origin, costing upwards of $400 billion a year in damages and lost income, the UN panel said.

Aquatic invasive species are more widespread in Wisconsin than previously thought --A report on more than 40 years of research on Wisconsin lakes is highlighting some of the lessons scientists have learned about aquatic invasive species, including that far more ecosystems are playing host to non-native species than previously thought. However, the researchers note, those species aren't necessarily detrimental to their new habitat and, in some cases, the negative "impacts of invasive species control may be greater than the impacts of the invasive species" themselves. That doesn't mean scientists aren't concerned about different species moving into new ecosystems, says Jake Vander Zanden, director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Center for Limnology and lead author on the report. "There are many examples where an invasive species has remarkable ecosystem impacts. They can result in fisheries decline, water quality decrease and more, which negatively impacts humans and the environment," Vander Zanden says. But ecological destruction is far from a foregone conclusion in invasive species stories. The researchers, who recently published their analysis in the journal BioScience, highlight several lessons learned through four decades of data collection, research and experiments conducted by the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research program. Research grants typically fund a few years of work, Vander Zanden explains, "But that would never allow you to detect these types of changes. It's only through long-term research that we can get insights into these big questions like where invasive species are, how they are changing our ecosystems and how it all connects to things like climate change." One such insight is that the presence of non-native aquatic species in Wisconsin lakes is more widespread than scientists and resource managers initially thought. The long-term research program has helped inform Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources maps and datasets on six target species since the 1990s: Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels, spiny water fleas, rusty crayfish, Chinese mystery snail and the banded mystery snail. Combining long-term monitoring records on its 11 core study lakes with field-based research and community-based science on dozens of other water bodies, researchers revealed that existing estimates of about 8% of Wisconsin lakes containing one or more of the six species was way off. In fact, the number is closer to 39%. Additionally, certain invasive populations have been in waters much longer than initially thought. For example, researchers detected spiny water fleas in Lake Mendota in 2009, but scientists combing through sediment cores and old samples discovered that the disruptive invasive species had been present in the lake at least a decade sooner, with populations only erupting due to favorable changes in climate that summer. These findings suggest that invasive species are often simply present in an ecosystem without triggering negative impacts. What's more, when invasive species do result in negative impacts, those impacts are often tied to existing problems, according to Jake Walsh, a co-author of the new paper and postdoctoral associate in the University of Minnesota's Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. "Lake Mendota was especially primed for large, costly effects from spiny water flea," says Walsh. "They worsened water quality problems that were already present and tied to excess nutrients in the lake." Seeing this fuller picture was only possible through long-term research, Walsh adds. "As long as we have this long-range program, invasions are experiments that can teach us about how ecosystems work and how we can best manage them," he says. This has given us a deep understanding of the water quality issues facing Lake Mendota and a 'road map' to follow for offsetting spiny water flea's impact."

Thousands of jellyfish clones are multiplying in British Columbia lakes - An invasive, freshwater jellyfish is popping up in B.C. waters in the thousands and future sightings could increase rapidly, according to UBC research.The peach blossom jellyfish clones have been spotted in 34 places in B.C., its furthest northern range in North America, and a recent paper predicts sightings and the number of locations will increase by the end of the decade as climate change extends this range. The paper is published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology. This is an introduced jellyfish species from China which has spread around the world. We know very little about how they affect ecosystems and biodiversity of these systems in Canada, because the research hasn't been done yet. The worry is that they harm indigenous species by outcompeting them. We're the only researchers in Canada investigating these jellyfish, with help from citizen scientists around B.C. Peach blossom jellyfish have been reported in B.C. since 1990, mainly in the Lower Mainland, on Vancouver Island, around the Sunshine Coast and more recently, as far inland as Osoyoos Lake. Between 1990 and 2023, a 34 year span, there have been 85 sightings, counted once per location per year, where each sighting could be one or thousands of jellyfish. But in this decade alone, we are predicting about 80 sightings, and likely in more than the 34 locations currently observed.We know that of the 100 jellyfish examined so far, each has been male comprised of the same genetic material, which means these thousands of jellyfish are effectively clones and originated from the same polyp or a small cluster of polyps—the stage of a jellyfish which lives at the bottom of a body of water. Polyps are very small, usually around a millimeter in size, and it is challenging to locate them. They inhabit shallow areas and can be found on rocks and submerged wood debris. Hence, we usually know about jellyfish introduction when we see the floating medusa form produced by polyps appear in the water, which appear only when water temperature is higher than 21 degrees Celsius —so polyps could be in many more lakes without us knowing about it. We do not know how and when introduction of the species occurred, but it was likely through medusa-producing polyps carried on recreational boats or on the bills or feet of birds when feeding. We found medusae in ponds, quarries and lakes, but never in creeks or rivers. And, we know that the jellyfish aren't harmful to humans, because their stings can't pierce human skin. B.C. is the northernmost point in this continent for the peach blossom jellyfish's range. It relies on mild winters and high summer temperatures to reproduce, so we wouldn't see them in the Prairies because the winters are too cold. If climate change leads to freshwater temperature increases across B.C., we will likely see wider spread. Modeling indicates that even Alaskan reservoirs may potentially see invasion. However, there is a silver lining: So far only males, which are genetically identical, have been observed. This means that the jellyfish cannot complete their sexual reproduction and thus its adaptation to new environments will be limited. This would curtail their spread.

Namibia's drought cull of more than 700 wildlife under way -- A Namibian government cull of more than 700 wildlife to cope with its worst drought in decades is under way, with nearly 160 animals already killed, the environment ministry said Tuesday. The government announced the cull last week to relieve pressure on grazing and water supplies, and to provide meat for programs to support the thousands of people going hungry because of the drought. Carried out by professional hunters, it targets 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 83 elephants, 100 blue wildebeest, 100 elands and 300 zebras. Most of the animals are in the country's protected national parks. At least 157 of the 723 animals designated for culling have been killed so far, environment ministry spokesman Romeo Muyunda told AFP. "Our goal is to carry out this operation sustainably while minimizing trauma as much as possible. We must separate those animals to be hunted from those that are not," . In compliance with the international ban on the sale of ivory, the tusks from the culled elephants would be stored in government warehouses. "To date 157 animals comprising of different species were hunted... delivering 56,875 kilograms of meat," a ministry statement said. Namibia declared a state of emergency in May because of the drought, which is gripping a swathe of countries across southern Africa. The World Food Program said in August that about 1.4 million Namibians, nearly half the population, are experiencing acute food insecurity, with cereal production plummeting by 53 percent and dam water levels dropping by 70 percent compared with last year. The wildlife cull has been criticized by animal rights group PETA as short-sighted, cruel and ineffective. "We urge Namibia to reconsider these actions," PETA senior vice president Jason Baker said in a letter to Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila posted on the group's website. "The plan is not only cruel but also dangerously short-sighted and will have no long-term impact on these complex problems." The cull could lead to imbalances in ecosystems, Baker said. "The killing of even a few elephants could devastate entire herds, leading to increased mortality among survivors and more frequent and dangerous human-animal conflicts," he said in the letter. A group of African conservationists said in a joint statement that the mass cull sets a dangerous precedent of enabling governments "to exploit protected wildlife and national parks under the guise of humanitarian needs." The statement questioned whether there had been environmental impact assessments or game counts and food insecurity evaluations to inform the culling plan. It noted that the scheme comes ahead of November elections in Namibia and claimed the meat was intended to be distributed in areas where the ruling SWAPO party faces strong opposition.

Colombian court orders Escobar's hippos to be hunted --A Colombian court on Friday called for the hunting of hippos, introduced to the country in the 1980s by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. The Administrative Court of Cundinamarca set a three-month deadline for the Ministry of Environment to issue "a regulation that contemplates measures for the eradication of the species," which is affecting the area's "ecological balance." In their homeland in Africa, the animals are responsible for more human deaths than almost any other animal, but in Colombia, the hippopotami have become loved members of the local community and a tourist attraction. They've also been increasingly posing problems for the local community near Escobar's old ranch in Antioquia state—one that experts worry may soon turn deadly. After Escobar's death, hippos from his private zoo made their way into nature, in an area of abundant vegetation and where there are no predators. There are now some 166 of the two-ton beasts wandering freely. Attacks on fishermen have been reported on the Magdalena River, and experts argue manatee populations could be threatened—though animal rights activists and tourism workers oppose hippopotamus hunting. The court specified that measures to eliminate the hippos should include "controlled hunting and sterilization." The environmental ministry had already announced last year plans to sterilize part of the population, while euthanizing others, as part of an effort to contain the growing number of hippos. The sterilizations have proceeded slowly while no cases of euthanasia have been carried out. Plans to move the animals to Mexico, India or the Philippines have also floundered.

New knowledge about a fungus that turns 60–80% of the flies in your home into zombies --What can we learn from a fungus that eats most of the flies in your home from the inside, turns them into zombies and then lures other flies to necrophilic intercourse? Possibly quite a lot, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen.Henrik De Fine Licht has been researching this very special fungus for years, a fly fungus—Entomophthora muscae—that takes over the behavior offlies before killing them.Most recently, he and a group of American research colleagues have succeeded in mapping the fungus' genome, an achievement in itself because the massive genome is roughly 25 times larger than that of most other fungi. The goal is to find out how the fungus manipulates fly behavior."The genome is a catalogue of all the genes found in the fungus, which tells us something about the the organism's capabilities. Such a catalogue can better equip us to look at which genes are active in a fly's brain at the point when the fungus transforms it into this zombie-like state. And in this way, we hope to understand how it can do such a wild thing," says Associate Professor De Fine Licht of the University of Copenhagen's Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences.The new study has been published in the scientific journal eLife. Fly mold grows exclusively in flies. One subspecies of the fungus specializes in houseflies, while another uses fruit flies as hosts. The fruit fly-infecting subspecies was the one that the researchers sequenced the genome of in this study."Research has shown that up to 60–80% of the flies that fly around in a given room or cattle barn can be infected with this fungus. Zombie flies are typically found when one comes across a dead fly sitting on a window surrounded by a white ring of spores," says De Fine Licht.Once the fungus has infected a fly, it eats the fly from the inside over the course of a week or so while the fly is alive. When nearly all of the fly's nutrients have been consumed, the fungus starts to manipulate the brain and begins to take over the fly's behavior. It causes the fly to stick to a plant or window, as high up as possible."At this point, almost the entire body consists of fungal mass, and eventually all of the fly's normal processes stop. Over the course of a few hours, the fungus begins to shoot fungal spores out of the hind of the fly's body. In the process, it also secretes chemical fragrances that attract healthy flies. Once close, they try to mate with the dead flies, which allows the spores to grow into the healthy fly and repeat the process," explains the researcher.

Natural disaster declared in 22 counties due to prolonged drought, Ohio - Twenty-two counties in Ohio have been officially designated as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, due to prolonged drought conditions, allowing farmers to seek emergency loans for recovery efforts. Twenty-two counties in Ohio have been designated as a primary natural disaster area due to prolonged drought on Tuesday, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). This designation was made in response to worsening drought conditions, particularly in the southeastern parts of the state. The affected counties include Athens, Belmont, Fairfield, Fayette, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Vinton, and Washington. The USDA’s decision allows farmers in these counties, as well as those in 18 neighboring counties, to apply for emergency loans. The contiguous eligible counties in Ohio include Adams, Brown, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Franklin, Greene, Lawrence, Licking, Meigs, Scioto, Tuscarawas, and Union. In addition, West Virginia counties such as Brooke, Cabell, Hancock, Marshall, Mason, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel, and Wood are also eligible for assistance. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties experienced severe drought (D2) for eight or more consecutive weeks, with some areas facing extreme (D3) or exceptional (D4) drought conditions. Highland, Pike, and Ross counties are under extreme drought, while Athens and Meigs counties have experienced exceptional drought. As of September 3, only 4.57% of the state remains unaffected by dry conditions (classified as “None”). A significant 95.43% of Ohio falls into categories ranging from abnormally dry to exceptional drought (D0-D4). Of particular concern is that 31.49% of the state is now classified under severe drought or worse (D2-D4), and 22.21% is enduring extreme drought (D3-D4). Notably, 7.35% of Ohio is suffering from exceptional drought (D4), the most severe category. These conditions represent a sharp increase in drought intensity from just a week earlier when only 1.32% of the state was under exceptional drought, and 74.70% was experiencing drought conditions overall.

Ohio's drought has become more severe with little rain in the forecast -- Ohio's prolonged drought is forcing premature harvest of withered crops and depleting hay and feed reserves that had been stored for winter. "The effect will be long lasting," said Ty Higgins, director of communications for the Ohio Farm Bureau. Of the Buckeye State's 88 counties, 87 were highlighted as parched when the U.S. Drought Monitor released its updated map Thursday.With only modest rain forecast this weekend, the dry conditions will remain unquenched, according to Robert LaPlante, a meteorologist with the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service."It may stay about the same, would be my guess," LaPlante said. This year, abundant April showers misled May's ploughers. "From May 1 onward we had spells of some rain in different parts of the state, but overall it's just been persistently below normal for rainfall," LaPlante said. "It's been such a struggle to grow things."LaPlante said he has experienced the drought firsthand."My vegetable garden doesn't look good," he said. "I've been giving it a relentless watering, but I'm just kind of worn out now."Farmers statewide feel the same frustration, only a thousand times harder."All the crops across Ohio could use some rain," Higgins said. "It's been a challenge." 16 Ohio counties touched by worst intensity on drought scaleThe U.S. Drought Monitor breaks counties into one of five intensity rankings, from D0 Abnormally Dry to D4 Exceptional Drought.The southeastern third of the state was listed Thursday as being under a D2 Severe Drought, or worse. Of that area, portions of 16 counties are under a D4 Exceptional Drought, the most severe designation possible. The Columbus Dispatch reports the USDA Farm Service Agency declared 22 Ohio counties natural disaster areas because of drought, allowing farmers to apply for emergency loans from the federal government.

Phoenix sets new heat record with above 37.8 °C (100 °F) for 100 days, Arizona - On September 3, 2024, Phoenix shattered its previous heat record after enduring 100 consecutive days of temperatures above 37.8 °C (100 °F). The relentless heat, which began on May 27, continues to wreak havoc across the region, contributing to a surge in heat-related deaths and posing significant risks to vulnerable populations. “That is definitely an eye-catching number,” remarked NWS meteorologist Sean Benedict. The streak began on May 27 when temperatures hit 38.9 °C (102 °F) and has continued uninterrupted ever since. The intense heat has shown no signs of abating. “Unfortunately, there’s no end in sight,” weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said. Highs could exceed 43.3 °C (110 °F) well into next week. This summer has already set several records, including 37 nights where temperatures did not drop below 32.2 °C (90 °F) and 54 days with temperatures reaching 43.3 °C (110 °F), just one day short of breaking the previous record set last year. NWS Phoenix has issued an excessive heat warning for the region till the end of this this week forecasting temperatures 10 degrees above the norm. Public health concerns are mounting in Arizona, particularly in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located. As of August 24, there have been 150 confirmed heat-related deaths, with another 443 under investigation. Last year, 645 people died from heat-related causes in the county. “Heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the U.S.,” Erdman noted, emphasizing the dangers posed by high nighttime temperatures, which prevent the body from cooling down. The impact of the heat has been particularly severe on the homeless population. Nearly half of last year’s heat-related deaths were among homeless individuals. Non-profit organizations like Circle the City have implemented programs such as IV rehydration to assist those most at risk.

Record-breaking temperatures in the West, heavy rains with flash flooding along the Gulf Coast, U.S. - A dangerous heatwave is set to intensify across the Southwest and Western Coast of the United States starting September 5, 2024, with forecasts predicting temperatures soaring as high as 48.9 °C (115 °F) in some areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued multiple warnings for heat-related illnesses as record-breaking highs are expected in the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, heavy rain and flash flooding remain in the forecast along the Gulf Coast. According to the National Weather Service, a dangerous heatwave will intensify over the Southwest and Western Coast of the United States starting on September 5. With a strong upper-level ridge now settled over the region, forecast high temperatures on Thursday and Friday range from 43 – 46 °C (110 – 115 °F) for the Desert Southwest, 37 – 43 °C (100 – 110 °F) for southern California, 38 – 43 °C (100 – 110 °F) for the central California Valleys, and 32 – 38 °C (90 – 100 °F) for central/northern California and into the Pacific Northwest. High temperatures ranging from 43.3 °C – 48.9 °C (110 °F – 115 °F) are forecast for the Desert Southwest and low 37.8 °C – 43.3 °C (100 °F – 110 °F) for Southern California. The hottest desert locations in the Southwest will experience multiple days of temperatures between 43.3 °C – 46.1 °C (110 °F – 115 °F). There is a possibility that the Pacific Northwest will experience several record-breaking highs between September 5 and 7. Multiple heat-related warnings and advisories have been issued due to the risk of heat-related illnesses. The heat will weaken into the weekend as low pressure moves over the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. However, the upper-level ridge and high temperatures will persist in the Southwest, maintaining above-normal but still dangerous temperatures into the following week. Meanwhile, heavy rain and flash flooding remain in the forecast along the Gulf Coast as a stationary front and coastal low pressure system drive multiple days of widespread showers and thunderstorms across the region. The elongated area of low pressure and front from the north-central to western Gulf will keep the greatest focus on repeated rounds of storms moving onshore over the central Gulf Coast and upper Texas Gulf Coast today, September 5, with the potential to spread further northward into the Lower Mississippi Valley. Very moist Gulf air continues to contribute to intense downpours with these storms, with rainfall rates approaching 50 – 75 mm (2 – 3 inches) per hour in some cases, exacerbating the threat of heavy rainfall totals and flash flooding. There is now a Moderate Risk (level 3/4) of Excessive Rainfall for southeastern Louisiana, where prior days’ rainfall has led to very wet antecedent conditions, bringing a locally greater threat of scattered to numerous instances of flash flooding, particularly in urban areas around greater New Orleans.

Grand Canyon hiker deaths rise amid intense heat, flash floods -Multiple hikers have died this summer in the Grand Canyon National Park — a U.S. West landscape known not only for its rugged beauty, but also for its perilous weather extremes. Within the past week, National Park Service (NPS) officials have reported three fatalities in a region plagued by both excessive, dry heat and flood-fueled river rapids. Rescue personnel on Wednesday located the body of a 60-year-old man who had lost contact with family on a solo, multiday trip on Thunder River Trail in the park’s north. Although a Thursday report did not elaborate on the cause of death, NPS materials describe Thunder River access as “difficult, sometimes impossible,” but with a promise of “something close to canyon perfection.”The backpacker’s body was found during an already deadly week. On Sunday morning, the officials announced they had found the body of a 33-year-old woman, Chenoa Nickerson, above the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River. A multiday search-and-rescue mission took place after Nickerson disappeared in a torrential rainstorm.The same day Nickerson went missing, the resident Havasupai Tribe likewise reported devastating flash floods, which damaged “the main trail to Supai Village, trails within the village, tribal member homes, public utility systems and the campgrounds.” It is unclear whether climate change-induced weather conditions have contributed to the onslaught of Grand Canyon deaths this year. Heather Klein Olson, executive director of the American Hiking Society, said she believes the fatalities stem from a combination of factors, including a climate-driven increase in intense and more frequent rainfall events, as well as land use changes that have altered water flow. In addition to such shifts, which include both park-adjacent development and deforestation, Klein Olson pointed to “increased foot traffic over the past couple years, especially since COVID.” That pandemic-linked influx of visitors to park lands has effectively exposed a greater pool of people to flood-related risks, she explained. “Everyone is interested and wants to get outside, and it’s beautiful, and we love our outdoors,” Klein Olson continued. “But there’s also a variety of factors that have to be considered when we get outside.” There have been 14 fatalities at Grand Canyon National Park this season, just below than the annual average of about 15 deaths, NPS spokesperson Rebecca Roland told The Hill. With the monsoon period — July to September — still underway, she stressed that hikers should remain aware of flash floods and excessive heat.

June-August 2024 were hottest ever recorded: EU monitor --The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures on record, beating 2023's high and making this year likely Earth's hottest ever recorded, the EU's climate monitor said Friday. The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service followed a season of heat waves around the world that scientists said were intensified by human-driven climate change. Extreme weather struck around the globe—with some 1,300 dead during extreme heat at the hajj in Mecca, intense heat testing India's economy and electric system, and wildfire raging in parts of the western United States. "During the past three months of 2024, the globe has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on record, and the hottest boreal summer on record," Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, said in a report. "This string of record temperatures is increasing the likelihood of 2024 being the hottest year on record." The average global temperature at the Earth's surface was 16.82C in August, according to Copernicus, which draws on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations. The June and August global temperature broke through the level of 1.5C above the pre-industrial average—a key threshold for limiting the worst effects of climate change. Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet, raising the likelihood and intensity of climate disasters such as droughts, fires and floods. Heat was exacerbated in 2023 and early 2024 by the cyclical weather phenomenon El Niño, though Copernicus scientist Julien Nicolas told AFP its effects were not as strong as they sometimes are. Meanwhile the contrary cyclical cooling phenomenon, known as La Niña, has not yet started, he said. A complete assessment of the impact of the temperature extremes will take time, but a study published in mid-August estimated that 30,000-65,000 people in Europe died from heat-related illnesses in 2023, mainly among the elderly. Against the global trend, regions such as Alaska, the eastern United States, parts of South America, Pakistan and the Sahel desert zone in northern Africa had lower than average temperatures in August, the report said. But others such as Australia—where it was winter—Japan and Spain experienced record warmth in August. China logged its hottest August in more than six decades last month, its national weather service said, after the country endured a summer of extreme weather and heat waves across much of its north and west. Globally, August 2024 matched that month's previous global temperature record from one year earlier, while this June was hotter than last, Copernicus data in the report showed. July was slightly hotter in 2023 than this year, but on average the three-month period broke the record in 2024. Copernicus said the 1.5C level has been passed in 13 of the past 14 months. The oceans are also heating to record levels, raising the risk of more intense storms. Copernicus said that outside of the poles, the average sea surface temperature in August was just under 21C, the second-highest level on record for that month. It said August "was drier than average over most of continental Europe"—noting the wildfires that struck countries such as Greece. But places such as western Russia and Turkey were wetter than normal, with floods in some places.

Intense hailstorm hits Mexico City, Mexico - (twitter video) An intense hailstorm swept through Mexico City on Friday, August 30, 2024, producing huge hail accumulations and stranding drivers. The intensity of the rain and hail caused significant flooding in areas such as Calzada de Las Águilas and Cerrada Barranca de Tarango, in the Las Haciendas neighborhood, with some reports on social media mentioning that the hail accumulation reached over 1 m (3 feet) in height in certain places. Parts of the area saw flood depth up to 50 cm (19.6 inches). Emergency response teams from Mexico City Water System (Sacmex) said they attented to 17 flooding cases in the of Tlalpan, Gustavo A. Madero, Cuauhtémoc, Venustiano Carranza, Miguel Hidalgo, Azcapotzalco and Magdalena de las Contreras.

Record Rainfall Spoils Crops in China, Rattling Its Leaders New York Times -After weeks of drought, farmers in the typically arid agricultural belt in northern China were ill prepared for the torrential rain that inundated fields earlier this summer and decimated their crops of eggplant, cucumbers and cabbage.Farmers in the city of Shijiazhuang, 180 miles from Beijing, showed in a video posted to social media in late August how days of downpours and an overflowing reservoir had turned soil into sludge unfit for growing plants. Across the country, a shift in weather patterns has caught people off guard, with floods arriving two months earlier than usual in the south and then extending to northern and eastern provinces that are more accustomed to summer drought.The prices of many vegetables nationwide rocketed, some by up to 40 percent, reaching their highest level in five years and hitting the pocketbooks of consumers who already face hard spending choices as China’s economy has slowed.The extreme weather is a challenge not only for China’s people: The country’s leaders attach great importance to ensuring they can feed its 1.4 billion-person population, seen as necessary for ensuring social stability. They also want people to spend more on consumer goods to boost the sluggish broader economy, rather than paying higher prices for staples such as food.China’s leader, Xi Jinping, held an emergency meeting of his cabinet in late July to discuss the flooding and its toll on the people. He had a clear message, state media reported: Keep agricultural losses to a minimum and ensure food security. Other senior leaders, including the premier Li Qiang, who is more often photographed in factories and halls of power, made rare visits to shelters and inspected flood-control projects, calling on local officials to step up.While climate change is upending food supply chains everywhere, it is a particularly sensitive issue in China, where famines have historically led to unrest, and leaders have long made food security a policy priority. China is already the world’s largest food importer and needs to feed almost one-sixth of the world’s population with less than one-tenth of the world’s arable land, which has shrunk and degraded with heavy fertilizer use and pollution. The ranks of farmers have thinned out, with generations of people moving into towns and cities in pursuit of better wages.Add extreme weather to the list of challenges. More rivers flooded this year than any other since records in China began in 1998, the Ministry of Water Resources said in August. The country this year also recorded its hottest July since at least 1961.Weather phenomena are expected to become more frequent. While China has made huge investments in updating dams and putting in place warning systems for impending weather events, that money has mostly gone into areas where such events are predictable. Officials now need to be more nimble to keep pace with weather changes in other areas.

6 months’ worth of rain hits the Black Sea coast of eastern Romania, causing severe flooding - (video) 6 months' worth of rain hits the Black Sea coast of eastern Romania, causing severe flooding august 2024 Torrential rains caused intense flooding in eastern Romania on Friday, August 30, 2024, and Saturday, August 31, causing significant property damage in multiple towns. Agigea, Tuzla, Costinesti, Eforie, Mangalia, and Vama Veche were the worst-hit towns. An orange rain warning was in effect till Sunday, September 1. A stationary low-pressure area over the Black Sea led to intense rainfall across parts of eastern Romania on August 30 and 31. Some areas recorded precipitation totals of 200 mm (7.8 inches), equivalent to the region’s average rainfall over six months. Local meteorologists described the storm as a rare phenomenon that generally only happens once or twice a year. The cyclone is expected to move south to Greece and Turkey in the coming days. No casualties have been reported but there has been extensive property damage, according to local authorities. Agigea, Tuzla, Costinesti, Eforie, Mangalia, and Vama Veche were the worst hit as floodwaters entered homes and submerged streets. In Venus, tourists staying at one hotel found their cars full of water on the morning of Saturday. A popular tourist resort of Vama Veche was left without electricity, as flood water tore through a beach overturning a beach and destroying the outdoor restaurant. An extensive cleanup operation is underway to repair the beach. In Mangalia, floodwaters were high enough to reach car windows. Firefighters in Dobruja received over 800 calls for help and rescued 61 people since Friday night. They were on the ground in 15 districts hardest hit by flooding.

Severe storm hits Mallorca, leaving one person dead and another missing, Spain - Heavy rains hit Mallorca on September 3, 2024, resulting in devastating flash floods in the Torrent de Pareis Canyon. The sudden storm caused widespread flooding, trapping hikers and requiring a large-scale rescue operation. A 26-year-old British woman was discovered dead, while a 32-year-old British male remains missing. The two were part of a group of British tourists hiking in Mallorca. The Spanish Civil Guard and the Guardia Civil’s Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (GREIM) oversee the search and rescue operations. Local emergency services, as well as the government’s Department of Emergencies, are involved. The flash flood struck the Torrent de Pareis canyon in the Tramuntana mountain range in Mallorca, Spain. This area is known for its challenging hiking routes and susceptibility to flash floods, especially during intense storms. The flood erupted while the group was hiking along a trail that connects the canyon to the Mediterranean Sea, leaving one woman dead and a man missing. The woman’s body was recovered on September 4 but the man has not yet been located as inclement weather hampered search efforts. In addition, 10 hikers, who were relatives of the couple, were rescued from the flood waters with hypothermia symptoms. The hikers’ lack of suitable equipment and clothes, such as warm and waterproof gear, made them vulnerable throughout the storm.

Violent storms hit southeast France, Marseille endures worst storm in 3 years - Severe storms swept across southeastern France on the night of September 4, 2024, bringing heavy rainfall, flooding, and powerful winds that disrupted transportation and caused evacuations in parts of the Alpes-Maritimes. Marseille, in particular, experienced its strongest storm in three years, with rain totals reaching nearly 150 mm (5.9 inches) in some areas. Severe storms hit the southeast of France overnight on September 4, particularly affecting the Mediterranean coastline. Parts of the Alpes-Maritimes department saw nearly 150 mm (5.9 inches) of rainfall within 24 hours. The storms, which impacted areas from Nice to Marseille, caused significant flooding, especially in Marseille, which experienced its most powerful storm in at least three years. In Marseille, the floods severely disrupted the transport network, submerging several roads. In other areas, such as Mandelieu-la-Napoule in the Alpes-Maritimes, rainfall continued until early on September 5. The storms moved across the southeastern coastline, though cities like Nice and Toulon avoided major damage. Nearly 100 mm (4 inches) of rainfall has been recorded between La Cayolle and Sormiou. 50 to 70 mm ( 1.9 to 2.7 inches) in the city center in 1 hour and 30 minutes. For Marseille, this is the biggest storm since 2021.

Floods and landslides claim 9 lives in Andhra Pradesh amid record rainfall, India - Heavy rains caused by a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal have been battering Andhra Pradesh since Friday, August 30, 2024, causing severe flooding and landslides that have claimed at least 9 lives so far. Several regions in the state, especially the districts of Guntur and Krishna, experienced over 200 mm (7.8 inches) of rain within 12 hours. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) issued flash alerts to residents across the state on their mobile phones on Saturday, August 31, due to heavy rains. The sudden flood of alert messages caused panic among residents, particularly in areas expecting severe rainfall. Vijayawada experienced severe flooding after approximately 170 mm (6.7 inches) of rain fell, leading to waterlogging in low-lying areas on Saturday. Mangalagiri in Guntur district recorded 280 mm (11 inches) of rainfall, causing significant disruption. A boulder crashed into a house in the Sunnappubattila Centre in Vijayawada, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and injuring three others. In Uppalapadu, Guntur district, a teacher and two students were swept away by floodwaters along with their car. In Gandallayapeta, Mangalagiri district, a woman was killed by another landslide. K. Praneeth, a weather expert in Andhra Pradesh, reported that the eastern side of Vijayawada city recorded 161 mm (6.3 inches) of rainfall at Benz Circle and 123 mm (4.8 inches) at the airport within 24 hours—the highest precipitation recorded in August in the last 200 years. The government advised people to stay indoors for 24 hours due to heavy waterlogging across several regions. Several roads and national highways were inundated, and the Vijayawada bus stand went underwater for the first time.

Death toll rises to 28 as heaviest rains in 50 years batter Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India -- At least 28 fatalities have been reported across the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, India, due to very heavy rains that have been battering the states since August 30, 2024. Floods and other rain-related incidents have claimed 16 lives in Telangana and 12 in Andhra Pradesh so far. 31 238 people have been evacuated and 450 000 people have been affected due to the downpours across both the states, rescue and relief operations are underway.Rains triggered by a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal have been battering the region since August 30 bringing in record rains and floods in which at least 28 people have lost their lives in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.At least 16 people died in Telangana and 12 in Andhra Pradesh as of September 2, due to floods and other rain-related incidents. Roughly 31 238 people have been evacuated from various regions to 166 relief camps across both states due to intense downpours.In Vijayawada, over 370 mm (14.5 inches) of rain fell just on August 30, this was the heaviest rainfall seen by the city in 50 years, flooding nearly 40% of the city. Over 276 000 people have been affected by the flooding in Vijayawada and 450 000 people have been affected in total across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.VIDEO: Torrential floods kill at least 25 in southern IndiaIntense monsoon rains and floods in the southern states of Telangana and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have killed at least 25 people, with thousands rescued and taken to relief camps #AFPVertical pic.twitter.com/Qeu8kXUC9hAccording to the Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS), between August 30 and September 1, the following amounts of rainfall were recorded across the state:

• Kakarvai in Khammam district: 521 mm (20.5 inches)
• Inugurthy in Mahabubabad: 456 mm (17.91 inches)
• Redlawada of Warangal: 454 mm (17.91 inches)
• Chinna Gudur of Mahabubabad: 452 mm (17.80 inches)
• Mukundapuram of Suryapet: 443 mm (17.44 inches)
• Nellikudur of Mahabubabad: 435 mm (17.13 inches)
• Pedda Nagaram of Mahabubabad: 411 mm (16.18 inches)
• Kommulavancha of Mahabubabad: 400 mm (15.75 inches)
• Malyala of Mahabubabad: 371 mm (14.61 inches)
• Danthalapally of Mahabubabad: 347 mm (13.66 inches)
• Maripeda of Mahabubabad: 336 mm (13.23 inches)
• Bachodu of Khammam: 336 mm (13.23 inches)
• Ayyagari Palle of Mahabubabad: 319 mm (12.59 inches)
• Lakkavaram Road of Suryapet: 311 mm (12.24 inches)
• Kalleda of Warangal: 301 mm (11.85 inches)

The map below shows rainfall distribution in 24 hours to 08:30 LT on September 2:

Yagi intensifies into a super typhoon as it heads toward south China and Vietnam - Yagi intensified into a super typhoon on September 4, 2024, becoming the second-most powerful storm in 2024. The system has since weakened but it remains a very dangerous typhoon as it continues its track toward south China and Vietnam where landfall is expected on September 6 and 7, respectively. After an impressive period of extremely rapid intensification, Yagi peaked at about 250 – 260 km/h (155 – 160 miles) around 21:00 UTC on September 4 but has since weakened while undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle (ERC). At 09:00 UTC on September 5, Yagi had maximum sustained winds near 230 km/h (143 mph), according to the JTWC. It was located about 357 km (222 miles) SSE of Hong Kong and was moving WNW at 13 km/h (8 mph). While environmental conditions remain favorable over the next 12 hours, some re-intensification is possible after the ERC is completed. By 21:00 UTC on September 5, the system will track westward approaching Hainan Island, China, with a more pronounced weakening trend due to interaction with land. By 09:00 UTC on September 6, rapid weakening will occur as the system tracks over southern China and northern Vietnam, with landfall expected around 09:00 UTC on September 7. As the system tracks into the rugged terrain of northern Vietnam, it will dissipate by 09:00 UTC on September 8.

Extremely dangerous Typhoon “Yagi” makes a direct hit on Haikou, China - (2 videos) Extremely dangerous Typhoon “Yagi” made landfall in Hainan, China just before 07:00 UTC on September 6, 2024, with maximum sustained winds of 234 km/h (145 mph). Yagi reached Wenchang City (population 575 000) in Hainan at 08:00 UTC and Haikou (population 3 million) by around 10:00 UTC. The Baojin Primary School Station in Wenchang City recorded a minimum air pressure of 921.7 hPa, breaking the record for the lowest sea level pressure measured on land in China. The lowest sea level pressure measured at Haikou Meteorological Station was 931.5 hPa — making it the lowest measured pressure in any major Chinese city. The maximum gust measured in the city was 210 km/h (131 mph). Ahead of the landfall, Chinese authorities shut down schools, businesses, and transport in regions affected by Yagi, and urged over 10 million people not to venture out until the threat passes. At least 420 000 people in Hainan were evacuated before landfall. About an hour before landfall, Hainan officials reported more than 830 000 homes lost power, and organized a team of 7 000 to start repairs as soon as conditions improve. Incredible scenes in Hainan Province, China, as winds likely exceeding 130 mph tear through a city of 3 million people. #Yagi strengthened when it should have weakened, leading to a severe, and potentially devastating, impact. pic.twitter.com/YdM4nZHsX4 After moving over Hainan, Yagi crossed Qiongzhou Strait and made its second landfall in China’s Guangdong with winds still exceeding 200 km/h (125 mph). In Guangdong, more than 574 500 people had been evacuated from areas at risk. Most of them from the city of Zhanjiang. After an impressive period of extremely rapid intensification, Yagi peaked at about 250 – 260 km/h (155 – 160 miles) around 21:00 UTC on September 4 — making it a super typhoon, the strongest typhoon of the year in West Pacific and the second strongest storm globally in 2024. It has since weakened while undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle (ERC) and then slightly intensified again. This is the strongest typhoon to hit Hainan since Typhoon “Rammasun” in 2014. Ramasun resulted in the deaths of 88 people in Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan.

New report reveals 1 500 dead or missing in North Korean floods - Floods that struck North Korea on July 27, 2024, have reportedly left around 1 500 people dead or missing, displaced 15 000, and damaged 2 800 ha (7 000 acres) of agricultural land. Record rainfall caused severe flooding in North Korea on July 27, causing the water levels in the Amnok River to rise above danger levels. Initial reports stated that the floods had isolated 5 000 people, all of whom were successfully rescued according to the state-run news agency KCNA. However, there was no mention of any casualties or injuries. According to reports from the South Korean Intelligence Agency, at least 1 500 people were either dead or missing. Flooding and landslides caused by the rain displaced roughly 15 000 people, who received shelter in Pyongyang provided by the government. Heavy rains had flooded 4 100 houses, more than 2 800 ha (7 000 acres) of agricultural land, and public property in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and the neighboring Uiju, according to North Korean media. South Korean TV channel Chosun reported that 20 to 30 officials from the flood-affected area were executed simultaneously in late August for failing to prevent the disaster. South Korea’s spy agency stated that it had “detected signs” of the executions but did not provide details. These claims are yet to be confirmed.

Floods in Niger claim 217 lives and displace 353 000 - (2 videos) Floods caused by heavy rainfall have displaced 353 000 people Niger over the past 3 months. At least 217 people have lost their lives and more than 3 000 ha (7 413 acres) of crops were destroyed. The ongoing rainy season in Niger has caused widespread devastation, severely affecting the population. The floods have resulted in the loss of 217 lives and injuries to 200 others. The regions of Maradi, Zinder, and Tahoua are the worst affected. Over 16 900 livestock have perished, and more than 3 000 ha (7 413 acres) of crops have been destroyed. Additionally, 21.5 tons of food have been lost, compounding the challenges of food security in the region. The floods have also raised concerns about increased risks of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and malaria, which could further exacerbate the situation. The rainy season in Niger typically lasts until the end of September, and more rainfall is expected in the coming weeks. In response to the flooding, CARE teams in Niger, in collaboration with local partners, have been mobilizing relief efforts. Their response includes providing food, cash, non-food items, shelter kits, and support for water, sanitation, and hygiene. This week, CARE teams distributed cash transfers to affected families in Maradi. “Niger is a nation already facing a convergence of climate change, conflict, political instability, and hunger. As a result of these factors, more than 4.3 million Nigeriens rely on humanitarian aid to survive, 404 000 of whom are internally displaced. 3.7 million in Niger face severe food insecurity,” said Yawo Douvon, CARE Niger-Burkina Faso Country Director.

Heavy rains soak Sahara Desert as northward ITCZ shift alters African weather patterns - Heavy rainfall across the Sahara Desert, linked to a shift in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), is leading to extraordinary weather patterns across Africa. Forecast models suggest that the region may see several years’ worth of rain over the coming weeks making 2024 the wettest year for the Sahara Desert, with Mauritania and Mali among the hardest-hit areas. The Sahara Desert has been experiencing unusually heavy rains this year, which have been linked to the northward shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The tropical wave is forecast to move across northern Mauritania and curve into western and northern Algeria. Forecast models, such as those from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), had shown significant precipitation anomalies over the Sahara, while Global Forecast System (GFS) models in August 2024 suggested that some regions could receive several years’ worth of rainfall between August 27 and September 11. The ECMWF extended precipitation anomaly for early September also showed a large portion of the Sahara Desert under significant rainfall anomalies, forecasting 2024 to be the wettest year for the Sahara Desert since 1994. The shift in the ITCZ could also be impacting the Atlantic hurricane season. The northward shift could cause strong thunderstorm systems to move into the Atlantic Ocean at higher latitudes over colder waters, which might explain why fewer tropical systems are intensifying as they move out of Africa. The ITCZ shift, along with the record-positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), has altered weather patterns across the Atlantic and Africa. This shift has led to increased rainfall in regions such as the Sahel and the Sahara Desert, where Mali and Mauritania are located, and has resulted in fewer hurricanes. If the ITCZ shifts back to its normal position, there could be an increase in tropical wave activity and more storm formation.

State of emergency declared as large slow-moving landslide reshapes Rancho Palos Verdes landscape, California - California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Rancho Palos Verdes on September 3, 2024, where a massive slow-moving landslide created a big crisis and forced widespread power outages. The landslide, part of the Greater Portuguese Landslide Complex first identified in 1956, has been exacerbated by intense storm activity in the last 2 years, putting the community at significant risk. The landslide complex is now sliding at an alarming rate of 229 – 305 mm (9 – 12 inches) per week, significantly faster than its historical average of several inches per year. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on September 3, in Rancho Palos Verdes following a slow-moving landslide that forced power shutoffs for hundreds of homes and businesses. The landslide, part of the Greater Portuguese Landslide Complex, first discovered in 1956, has been accelerating due to intense storm activity over the past two years. The increased movement caused a utility line to start a small brush fire on the Southern California Edison (SCE) Shoreline Circuit on August 29, according to the state of emergency declaration. In response, SCE shut off power to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend Community Association neighborhood on September 1, extending the outages to another 105 homes in the Seaview neighborhood on September 2. City officials stated that while 47 homes in Seaview would regain power by the evening of September 3, 38 properties would remain without power for 1 – 3 weeks, and 20 homes would be without power indefinitely. The landslide complex is now sliding at an alarming rate of 229 – 305 mm (9 – 12 inches) per week, significantly faster than its historical average of several inches per year. This sudden acceleration has overwhelmed local government and utility companies, who were unprepared for the impact of such rapid movement. Newsom’s emergency proclamation aims to allocate more state resources to address the crisis. City officials in Rancho Palos Verdes have been in close contact with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for nearly a year to manage the ongoing land movement.

Massive earth crack opens in Yemen’s Al-Zaidiyah district - Massive earth crack in Yemen's Al-Zaidiyah district september 2024 On Sunday, September 1, 2024, a massive earth crack appeared in the Al-Zaidiyah district in Yemen’s Al-Hodeidah governorate. A massive fissure appeared in Yemen’s Al-Zaidiyah district, part of the Al-Hodeidah governorate, following a period of heavy rains and floods. This region has been severely affected by ongoing torrential downpours, which have caused widespread destruction. The exact details surrounding the formation of the fissure are still unclear, but local reports indicate significant damage to infrastructure, including homes and agricultural lands. The heavy rains and resulting floods have already claimed many lives and displaced thousands. In August, 183 people died in Hodeidah and nearby areas due to the floods, which have also caused road closures, isolated communities, and destroyed essential infrastructure. Relief efforts are ongoing, but access has been difficult due to damaged roads and flooded areas

Tropical forests face increased soil carbon loss due to climate change - Tropical forests account for more than 50% of the global terrestrial carbon sink, but climate change threatens to alter the carbon balance of these ecosystems. New research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and colleagues from Colorado State University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has found that warming and drying of tropical forest soils may increase soil carbon vulnerability, by increasing degradation of older carbon. The research appears in Nature. "These findings imply that both warming and drying, by accelerating the loss of older soil carbon or reducing the incorporation of fresh carbon inputs, will intensify soil carbon losses and negatively impact carbon storage in tropical forests under climate change," said LLNL scientist Karis McFarlane, lead author of the paper. Tropical forests exchange more CO2 with the atmosphere than any other terrestrial biome and store nearly one-third of global soil carbon stocks. Tropical terrestrial ecosystems also have the shortest mean residence time for carbon on Earth, as short as 6-15 years, meaning that any change in carbon inputs or outputs (including CO2 emitted by soil) could have large and relatively rapid consequences for tropical ecosystem carbon balance and carbon-climate feedbacks. Climate projections suggest a future that will be both warmer and drier for much of the tropics with increasing drought intensity and dry season length for the Neotropics (a region extending from southern Mexico through Central America and northern South America, including the vast Amazon rainforest). The research, conducted during climate manipulation experiments in tropical forests in Panama, shows that both whole-profile in situ heating of soil by 4 °C and exclusion of 50% of rainfall increased carbon-14 in the CO2 released by the soil, increasing the average age of the carbon by the equivalent of ~2–3 years. Importantly, the mechanisms underlying this shift differed between warming and drying. Warming accelerated decomposition of older carbon as increased CO2 emissions depleted newer carbon. Drying suppressed decomposition of newer carbon inputs and decreased soil CO2 emissions, thereby increasing the contributions of older carbon to CO2 release. "Field and laboratory experiments suggest that climate warming will stimulate a net loss of global soil carbon to the atmosphere, but how climate warming and drying will interact to influence carbon balance in forests and other ecosystems is less clear," McFarlane said. Most of the previous work in tropical forests only considered total CO2 flux rates, which are important for determining the overall carbon balance of tropical forests, but are limited in their ability to uncover mechanisms behind observed change. Those mechanisms can be revealed by carbon-14 values, which indicate the average age of the carbon sources being metabolized and released as CO2. "New" or "young" carbon has been fixed from the atmosphere in the last few years while older "decadal aged" carbon is enriched in carbon-14 relative to the current atmosphere. Even older "century" or "millennial-aged" is depleted in carbon-14 relative to the current atmosphere.

Destructive wind storm causes mass power outages in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia - A powerful cold front produced destructive winds across Victoria and Tasmania, Australia on September 1 and 2, 2024, causing widespread chaos and mass power outages. One fatality was reported. Victoria experienced ferocious winds that swept through the region from the night of September 1 into the morning of September 2. The extreme weather was triggered by a powerful cold front embedded in an unusually strong pressure gradient. Sorry, the video player failed to load.(Error Code: 101102) Wind gusts ranging from 100 to 150 km/h (62 to 93 mph) were recorded across a vast area, extending from Portland in the west to Gabo Island in the east, and as far north as Eildon and Falls Creek. Some of the most significant wind gusts included: 146 km/h (90.7 mph) at Wilsons Promontory 141 km/h (87.6 mph) at Mount Hotham 141 km/h (87.6 mph) at Fawkner Beacon 133 km/h (82.6 mph) at Mount Gellibrand 132 km/h (82.0 mph) at Falls Creek 124 km/h (77.1 mph) at South Channel Island 120 km/h (74.6 mph) at Portland Airport 115 km/h (71.5 mph) at Gabo Island 113 km/h (70.2 mph) at St Kilda Harbour 113 km/h (70.2 mph) at Cape Otway 113 km/h (70.2 mph) at Aireys Inlet 109 km/h (67.7 mph) at Port Fairy 106 km/h (65.9 mph) at Port Wilson 104 km/h (64.6 mph) at Eildon Fire Tower 102 km/h (63.4 mph) at Essendon These severe winds led to widespread power outages as trees and branches fell onto power poles, wires, and other infrastructure. Powercor reported that over 34 000 customers in western Victoria were without power on the morning of September 2, while AusNet said more than 90 000 customers were affected in the state’s east. In total, approximately 130 000 homes and businesses were left without power — approximately 350 000 people.

Tropical Storm “Yagi” (Enteng) strikes Philippines, floods and landslides claim 11 lives – (4 news videos) Tropical Storm “Yagi” struck Luzon Island, Philippines on Monday, September 2, 2024. It brought heavy rainfall across the country that led to floods and landslides causing 11 casualties so far. Schools and government offices were shut down and 29 domestic flights were canceled due to the severe weather conditions. After moving over the Philippines, Yagi is expected to rapidly intensify into a typhoon and head toward Hainan Island, China. Tropical Storm “Yagi” — known as Enteng in the Philippines, formed on September 1 as the 11th named storm of the 2024 Pacific typhoon season. Yagi made its first landfall on September 2 in the eastern province of Aurora on the island of Luzon in the Philippines on Monday, after passing through the Bicol region southeast of Manila overnight on Sunday, September 1. The storm brought heavy rainfall, which has led to widespread flooding and landslides, particularly in the northern parts of the country, claiming 11 lives so far. The state weather service has warned of continued heavy rain, which could lead to more floods and landslides in the affected areas. As a precaution, authorities in the capital city of Manila ordered the closure of schools and government offices. Ferry services in some regions were also suspended, and 29 domestic flights were canceled due to the severe weather conditions. In the Manila suburb of Antipolo, a landslide on Monday resulted in the deaths of three people, including a pregnant woman. According to the city’s information officer, Relly Bonifacio, the bodies of four other individuals were found in separate locations within the same hilly community after creeks overflowed during the night. The Bicol region, specifically the city of Naga, was among the hardest-hit areas. Rescue workers reported the deaths of a man who was electrocuted and a baby girl who drowned as floodwaters rose in the area. Joshua Tuazon, a representative from the city’s public safety office, said that the floods reached above head height in some places, and hundreds of residents were rescued. More than 300 people were staying in evacuation camps on Monday, with local officials saying the floodwaters were slow to recede. In the central city of Cebu, two landslides on Sunday killed two people and damaged five houses, according to reports from the local disaster office. In Manila Bay, the storm unleashed powerful currents and large waves, causing significant disruption. The coast guard reported that a barge and an oil tanker were hurled onto the seawall, while another barge ran adrift. Additionally, a tugboat and a small passenger ship collided while anchored, resulting in a fire on the passenger vessel. All 18 crew members aboard the ship were rescued, and the Coast Guard arrived to extinguish the fire. Yagi struck in Casiguran at 14:00 local time (LT), a municipality northeast of Manila, on Monday. The storm brought sustained winds of 85 km/h (53 mph) with wind gusts reaching 105 km/h (65 mph) and was expected to move across northern Luzon overnight before heading out over the South China Sea by early Tuesday, September 2. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the center of Tropical Storm “Yagi” (Enteng) was located in the vicinity of Rinzal, Kalinga at 15:00 UTC on September 2. The system had maximum sustained winds near 85 km/h (52.8 mph) and gusts to 105 km/h (65.2 mph). It was moving NW at 15 km/h (9.3 mph). Yagi is forecast to continue moving northwestward over northern Cordillera Administrative Region tonight (LT) and is expected to emerge over the northwestern portion of Ilocos Region by Tuesday morning (LT). From tomorrow afternoon to Thursday, the system will move generally westward over the West Philippine Sea. On the track forecast, this tropical cyclone may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday, September 4. The system is forecast to maintain tropical storm category during its traverse of mainland Northern Luzon. Further intensification is forecast to occur from tomorrow afternoon onwards, with Yagi becoming a severe tropical storm by tomorrow afternoon or evening (at the earliest), and typhoon category by Thursday, September 5. tropical storm yagi enteng pagasa forecast track september 2 2024 PAGASA forecast predicts accumulated rainfall of 100 – 200 mm (3.9 – 7.9 inches) in the Ilocos Region, Apayao, Abra, and Benguet on September 3. Meanwhile, Cagayan Valley and the rest of the Cordillera Administrative Region are expected to receive 50 – 100 mm (2.0 – 3.9 inches) of rainfall. By September 4, the Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur regions will likely experience 50 – 100 mm (2.0 – 3.9 inches) of accumulated rainfall. Rainfall is generally expected to be higher in elevated or mountainous areas, which may lead to flooding and rain-induced landslides, especially in regions identified as highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards. Localities that have already experienced considerable rainfall in recent days are particularly at risk. Additionally, the enhanced Southwest Monsoon will bring moderate to intense rainfall to other areas in Luzon, particularly along the western portions, over the next three days. Wind signals have been issued to warn the public about the general wind threats posed by the tropical storm. In coastal and upland areas exposed to winds, local winds may be slightly stronger or enhanced, while sheltered areas may experience less strong winds. Areas under Wind Signal No. 2 should expect minor to moderate impacts from strong winds, while those under Wind Signal No. 1 could experience minimal to minor impacts. The highest possible wind signal during the passage of “Yagi” is Wind Signal No. 3. The enhanced Southwest Monsoon will also bring strong to gale-force gusts in several regions, particularly in coastal and upland areas.

Very bright fireball over Tennessee and North Carolina produces energy of 10 tons of TNT upon breakup –( videos) A very bright fireball was sighted over multiple U.S. states, including North Carolina and Tennessee, at around 05:15 UTC (00:15 LT) on Friday, August 30, 2024. The object broke up above the town of Altapass, North Carolina, producing energy equivalent to 10 tons of TNT. It is likely that meteorites have fallen in the Spruce Pine, Ingalls, and Altapass area. The object was identified as a fragment of an asteroid and was sighted over Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. It was recorded by multiple cameras in the region as well as the Geostationary Lightning Mapper aboard the GOES-16 spacecraft. Data analysis by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) indicates that the fireball was initially observed at an altitude of 72 km (45 miles) above the Piney Flats, Tennessee, as it moved east of south at the speed of about 50 400 km/h (31 300 mph). The asteroidal fragment weighed nearly 450 kg (1 000 pounds) and was just over 0.6 m (2 feet) in diameter. The fireball had descended to an altitude of 32 km (20 miles) above the town of Altapass, North Carolina, before disintegrating. It produced energy equivalent to 10 tons of TNT upon breakup, generating a pressure wave that propagated to the ground, causing the booms heard by many of the eyewitnesses. According to MEO, it is likely that meteorites have fallen in the Spruce Pine, Ingalls, and Altapass area.

Asteroid 2024 RW1 impacts Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines - 9th predicted Earth impactor in history - A small asteroid detected by the Mt. Lemmon Survey in Arizona, U.S. at 05:43 UTC today, September 4, 2024, is expected to harmlessly impact Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines at around 16:39 UTC. The object is designated as asteroid 2024 RW1. A newly discovered asteroid designated 2024 RW1 (previously CAQTDL2) is expected to impact Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines at 16:39 UTC on September 4, 2024. This is the only 9th time in history that an asteroid has been discovered before impacting Earth. The asteroid has a diameter of just around 1 m (3.3 feet) so most if not all of it will burn in the atmosphere before reaching Earth’s surface, creating a very bright fireball. If current calculations are correct, the asteroid will impact the atmosphere at around 16:39 UTC over Luzon, Northern Philippines. In the Philippines, the entry time will be 00:39 LT on September 5. Very small pieces of this object may survive the entry providing a rare opportunity for meteorite hunting.

Asteroid 2024 RL3 flew past Earth at just 0.1 LD - A newly discovered asteroid designated 2024 RL3 flew past Earth at a distance of just 0.106 LD or 0.0027 AU (40 835 km / 25 373 miles) from the center of our planet at 17:15 UTC on September 4, 2024. 2024 RL3 was first observed at Catalina Sky Survey, Arizona at 09:44 UTC on September 5 — 16 hours after it made a close approach. The object belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 4.2 to 9.4 m (13.8 – 30.8 feet). This is the 58th known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the second so far this month.

Chinese researchers advocate for nuclear weapon use against asteroid threats - Chinese experts propose using nuclear weapons as a last resort to protect Earth from potential asteroid crashes. The team, led by Zhang He of the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering, stressed that current planetary defense technologies, including NASA’s DART mission, may be insufficient against larger asteroids. The report, published in Scientia Sinica Technologica, brought to light that over 2 400 near-Earth asteroids represent severe hazards to human civilization. The report called for further developments in nuclear technologies for planetary defense, arguing that asteroids could cause catastrophic consequences, and nuclear solutions may be the only viable option against larger space objects. A group of Chinese scientists from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering have pushed for more research and development of nuclear weapons for planetary defense. The team was led by Zhang He of the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering and is concerned with the potential threats of asteroids colliding with Earth. Zhang’s team stressed that nuclear technology might be a last-resort defense strategy to prevent catastrophic asteroid collisions. “Near-Earth asteroids refer to asteroids that are less than 45 million km (27 million miles) from the Earth’s orbit and may intersect with the Earth in the future. Currently, more than 30 000 asteroids have been cataloged, of which more than 2 400 are potential threats, posing a potential security threat to human civilization on Earth. Against this background, asteroid defense has received widespread attention from the international community,” the team outlined in a peer-reviewed report published in August in the Chinese academic journal Scientia Sinica Technologica. The study supported the use of nuclear weapons to keep massive asteroids from hitting Earth. It cautioned that planetary defense techniques, such as kinetic impactors like NASA’s DART mission, may be ineffective against larger asteroids. According to Chinese researchers, the hazard of undetected near-Earth asteroids is far more significant than previously thought. They advocate nuclear techniques for diverting or destroying hazardous asteroids before approaching Earth’s atmosphere, cautioning that other methods may fail against larger space objects.

Long-duration M5.5 solar flare erupts from southeast limb, producing large CME - video - A long-duration solar flare measuring M5.5 erupted from an emerging region on the southeast limb of the Sun at 13:22 UTC on September 1, 2024. The region was numbered 3813 on September 2. While a large coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced, the location of this region does not favor Earth-directed CMEs. The model runs show bulk of the CME is not Earth-directed, however, slight enhancements may be experienced due to shock wave effects on September 2 and 3. This was quite possibly a much larger eruption, maybe even an X-class, but because it was on the far side of the Sun, behind the limb, instruments were unable to record the full extent of its intensity.

US court nixes EPA retroactive emissions standards for boilers (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Tuesday said a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule went too far by retroactively tightening emissions standards for industrial boilers, siding with industry groups that had challenged the regulation. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled, opens new tab in favor of U.S. Sugar Corp and groups representing other industrial boiler operators and set aside the EPA's rule to the extent it regulated boilers constructed before August 2020. The rule was adopted in 2022 by the EPA pursuant to the Clean Air Act, which directs the agency to establish emissions standards for new and existing sources of hazardous air pollutants. The agency through the rule classified some industrial boilers as "new" sources of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act even though they were built before the rule was first proposed in 2020, the three-judge panel said. As a result, the rule misinterpreted the definition of “new source" under the Clean Air Act, according to the panel, which included U.S. Circuit Judges Robert Wilkins, Gregory Katsas and Justin Walker. U.S. Sugar in a statement said it was pleased with the ruling. The privately-owned Clewiston, Florida-based agriculture business said it was "proud of our record as good stewards of our air resources." The EPA in a statement said it was reviewing the decision. The case marked the latest in decades of litigation over the EPA's attempts to regulate industrial boilers. The D.C. Circuit in 2016 largely upheld EPA standards crafted during Democratic former President Barack Obama's tenure but concluded the EPA would need to revise 34 of 202 standards, leading to the new standards finalized in 2022. U.S. Sugar and industry groups including the American Forest and Paper Association, the American Wood Council and the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners sued, arguing the new standards ran afoul of the Clean Air Act. They had argued that requiring owners of already existing boilers to meet the revised standards would unfairly force them to retrofit them with better technology. Environmental groups including the Sierra Club had countered that the real unfairness was exposing Americans to toxic metals like mercury and hazardous air pollutants emitted from such boilers. They argued the EPA relied on outdated data and should be required by the court to make the rule even more strict. But the D.C. Circuit said the EPA's decision to not use more recent data did not violate the Clean Air Act. "Today's decision will allow yet more toxic pollution to be emitted into communities that are already overburdened by their harmful effects,” said James Pew, the director of Earthjustice's clean air practice.

Carbon Credit Scam Alert: One-Third of All Credits Fail Standard -Marcellus Drilling News - In August 2023, MDN told you about a Cambridge University study published in the journal Science exposing the sale of carbon credits as a scam (see Cambridge Study Finds Carbon Offsets Using Trees is a Scam). With the carbon credit scam exposed, big companies like Shell, Nestle, and Gucci exited the market, refusing to spend money on pretend solutions to global warming (see With Carbon Credits Scam Exposed, Big Names (Like Shell) Exit Market). Now comes more bad news for the carbon credit market: The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) said eight renewable power methodologies, which cover around 236 million unretired or unused carbon credits making up 32% of the market, had failed to meet the requirements of its standard on additionality grounds.

Exclusive: Over $12bn in subsidies awarded for technologies like carbon capture experts call ‘colossal waste of money’ - US leads wealthy countries spending billions of public money on unproven ‘climate solutions’ -A handful of wealthy polluting countries led by the US are spending billions of dollars of public money on unproven climate solutions technologies that risk further delaying the transition away from fossil fuels, new analysis suggests.These governments have handed out almost $30bn in subsidies for carbon capture and fossil hydrogen over the past 40 years, with hundreds of billions potentially up for grabs through new incentives, according to a new report by Oil Change International (OCI), a non-profit tracking the cost of fossil fuels.To date, the European Union (EU) plus just four countries – the US, Norway, Canada and the Netherlands – account for 95% of the public handouts on CCS and hydrogen.The US has spent the most taxpayer money, some $12bn in direct subsidies, according to OCI, with fossil fuel giants like Exxon hoping to secure billions more in future years.The industry-preferred solutions could play a limited role in curtailing global heating, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and are being increasingly pushed by wealthy nations at the annual UN climate summit.But carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects consistently fail, overspend or underperform, according to previous studies. CCS – and blue hydrogen projects – rely on fossil fuels and can lead to a myriad of environmental harms including a rise in greenhouse gases and air pollution.“The United States and other governments have little to show for these massive investments in carbon capture – none of the demonstration projects have lived up to their initial hype,” said Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University. “It is instructive that industry itself invests very little in carbon capture. This whole enterprise is dependent on government handouts.”With time running out to curtail climate catastrophe, critics of CCS and hydrogen say public money should be focused on proven, less risky solutions such as plugging leaky oil wells, energy efficiency for buildings, transport electrification and renewables that will speed up the green transition.The subsidies are a “colossal waste of money”, according to Harjeet Singh, global engagement director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. “It is nothing short of a travesty that funds meant to combat climate change are instead bolstering the very industries driving it.”The US and Canada have spent more than $4bn to subsidize the capture of CO₂that is then used to extract hard to reach oil reserves, a process known as enhanced oil recovery (EOR), according to the OCI report shared exclusively with the Guardian. However, proponents argue that more investment is needed in developing CCS and hydrogen technologies, so they can help achieve global climate goals agreed under the Paris accords.“Governments are pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into technologies that have consistently failed to deliver on their promises … allowing fossil fuel companies to continue business,” said Lorne Stockman, research director at OCI.Subsidies from the US, the world’s biggest oil and gas producer where an estimated three-quarters of the CO₂currently captured is used for EOR, could top $100bn, according to OCI analysis.This is thanks to new policies from the Biden administration, particularly the landmark climate and infrastructure legislation – the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – which after intense industry lobbying expanded tax benefits for both CCS and hydrogen with few checks and balances.

Carbon projects are projects of death -World Rainforest Management -From 9 to 11 July, 2024, members of Indigenous, peasant, traditional and Afro-descendent peoples from the Amazon region and Central America came together in the Alto-Turiaçu indigenous territory, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. This meeting was hosted and organized by the Ka'apor People through their ancestral organizational system, called Tuxa Ta Pame. Their objective was to share experiences and discuss forest carbon projects, often referred to as REDD projects (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). The number of these kinds of projects has dramatically increased in recent years, not just in Latin America and the Amazon, but also in Africa and Asia. This meeting in Ka’apor territory differed from other meetings that have taken place on the same issue. It was a space by and for community activists and groups where they shared experiences, priorities, concerns and resistance struggles, without having carbon project promoters present. The participants at the meeting also decided to make a collective declaration. In their declaration, they first clarify that when they talk about REDD, they are also including projects “created following the same logic as REDD (for example, forest carbon projects, nature-based solutions projects, jurisdictional REDD programs implemented by state or national governments, and others)”. They go on to analyse how promoters of forest carbon projects and programmes are no different from other companies and actors who promote extractivism. REDD is actually part of the same model that has been appropriating their territories and destroying their livelihoods, with State support, for a long time. REDD promoters use the same tactics as promoters of other kinds of extractivism, and they have the same objective: to profit. In this case, their 'commodity' is ‘carbon credits’. 'Carbon credits', in turn, fuel the perpetuation of the extractivist model, so it is more accurate to call them 'pollution credits'. According to the declaration, REDD projects – which include jurisdictional REDD' or 'governmental REDD' programmes funded by Northern governments like Norway, Germany, the UK and the USA – “seek greater economic benefit for their [REDD] business and incentivize deforestation, because more deforestation means more business for companies that sell carbon credits.” The declaration goes on to say that REDD “is a greenwash. Like other false solutions to the climate catastrophe, such as ‘unconventional oil exploration’, ‘biofuels’, ‘responsible mining or green gold’, or the ‘energy transition’, REDD allows companies to continue with their business whilst polluting.” Due to this situation, participants at the gathering called forest carbon projects and programmes a “project of death,” in contrast to the “project of life that we the peoples and communities are promoting through the respect and care for our territories.” The articles in this bulletin highlight several regions where the expansion of carbon projects has become an integral part of the extractivist model. Since this model has been destroying people’s livelihoods and territories for a long time, we share articles on both old and new forms of extractivism in communities' territories. For example, in the department of Vichada, Colombia, the impacts of mining, monocultures and other forms of extraction are being compounded by the introduction of carbon projects, including carbon plantations. In Corrientes, Argentina, the community is fighting against the impacts of the sawmills that surround their homes, the result of thousands of hectares of eucalyptus and pine monoculture in the region. A survey carried out by the community on the impacts of these sawmills on their health shows that they should not continue near to their homes. Besides, the survey itself once more denounces the very model of tree monoculture, imposed on the region by the companies with the full support of the state. Another article reports on the important victory of the communities in Edéa, Cameroon, that mobilised to prevent the SOCAPALM company, which promotes monoculture oil palm plantations in the region, from replanting the areas surrounding the communities. In a statement, a women's association from Edéa said: “we will not accept spending the next 50 years in this misery. We are determined to fight to free our lands and obtain living spaces for our children, who are the current and future generations.” The land of Papua is currently a major global frontier for industrial oil palm expansion and deforestation. But it is also the territory of hundreds of different Indigenous Peoples. An article in this bulletin describes the resistance of one of these groups. It also describes how the Indonesian government is not only allowing the expansion of large-scale oil palm, but also letting companies use part of their concession area for the sale of carbon credits. Another article reports on a peasant struggle in Pará, Brazil, where the 2025 annual UN climate conference will take place. The state government of Pará is using this stage to promote the idea of a 'bioeconomy' or 'economy of life' as the solution to the climate and deforestation crises. However, this 'bioeconomy' – which is based on industrial oil palm plantations to produce biodiesel and other products – is actually destroying peasant communities' territories and livelihoods. And this is occurring in collusion with the Pará government. This last example epitomizes the final words of the aforementioned Declaration, which we highlight here: “They have been killing us since colonization. Currently, it is oil, mining, and agribusiness companies; dams and other infrastructure projects; carbon offset projects like REDD; and State policies which continue with the ethnocide of our peoples – killing our cultures, languages, identities, knowledge and wisdom. Enough is enough! We say No to REDD!”

How Exxon chases billions in US subsidies for a ‘climate solution’ that helps it drill more oil --When the oil giant ExxonMobil sponsored an event at the re-energizing Democratic national convention (DNC) in Chicago last week, it was disrupted by climate activists outraged that big oil was invited on to an influential political platform. “Exxon lies,people die,” protesters shouted before being evicted. The event included a “fireside chat” with Vijay Swarup, the company’s senior climate strategy and technology director. Speaking at the DNC event, Swarup said: “We need new technology and we need policy to support that technology. We need governments working with private industry.” The Exxon executive also praised the Biden administration’s landmark climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, for helping the company pursue new CCS and hydrogen projects. Exxon’s CEO, Darren Woods, said, “I am very supportive of the IRA” and acknowledged the legislation “especially benefited” the company. Exxon is set to receive billions in public subsidies because of the legislation.The US multinational has not always been such a strong advocate for the technology, but now argues that CCS is crucial in the climate fight and works, in theory, by capturing carbon dioxide from hard-to-abate heavy industries, like steel or cement, and pumping it underground to be stored indefinitely. Exxon champions itself as a “global leader” in CCS, maintaining it is driving “meaningful change” in the fight against global heating.But an estimated two-thirds to three-quarters of the carbon currently captured in the US is used to extract hard-to-reach reserves, a practice known as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). And the reputation of CCS has largely been one of “underperformance” and “unmet expectations”, the International Energy Agency said in 2023.“Oil companies that make billions in profits don’t need public subsidies. It’s not a good idea to support companies that are the cause of climate change, but also CCS should not be a priority for funding,” said Catherine Mitchell, professor emerita of energy policy at the University of Exeter and an IPCC expert on climate mitigation.“Increasing renewable energy and requiring improved energy efficiency for buildings or supporting secure supply chains for renewables, energy efficiency and batteries would be a far more important investment,” Mitchell added.For decades, Exxon’s scientists understood the potential of removing CO₂ to assist in the climate fight. However, the technology was dismissed as too expensive, too polluting and because it might increase energy consumption. Until 2018, Exxon’s thinking on carbon and capture still centred around getting more oil out of the ground by injecting CO₂ via EOR. And the company had a team exploring whether “it was even possible to permanently store captured carbon”. Internally, Exxon foresaw CCS having only a limited role, with one ex-company scientist believing “CCS to be a mediocre-at-best contributor to carbon sequestration” That year, though, it appears there were two new tactics in the company’s lobbying and media strategy. First, as the US Congress passed an extension and increase for the 45Q carbon capture tax credit, Exxon officially launched its CCS business and started lobbying Congress for money. The company employed an army of lobbyists to get what it wanted.In 2019, Exxon’s lobbying on CCS intensified. The company pushed for direct government funding for CCS, particularly at the US Department of Energy (DOE). With the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill in November 2021, in which $12bn was allocated for “carbon management research, development, and demonstration” for the oil industry, it appears that Exxon got at least some of what it asked for.Exxon also played a “central role” in drafting a DOE-sponsored report on CCS that determined Congress would need to create an incentive of about $90 to $110 per tonne to support CCS deployment. Parts of the carbon capture bill were eventually included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022. Exxon did not get $100 per tonne, but the rate jumped to $35 to $60 per tonne for EOR and $50 to $85 for permanent storage.In its lobbying reports, the company admits “engaging” Congress on the 45Q and IRA and “advocating for supporting policies” for CCS under the IRA. Again, its strategy paid off. Exxon took advantage of the increased incentives, buying Denbury for $4.9bn, and acquiring its strategic CO₂ pipeline network, enhanced oil recovery assets and storage facilities. This “cemented the supermajor’s lead” in the race to develop CCS.The oil giant now brags about how much money it will make from CCS, even though it acknowledges its plans for carbon capture were economic before the IRA. The head of its Low Carbon Solutions unit, Dan Ammann, says the low-carbon business could eventually be “larger than ExxonMobil’s base business”.

Giant Wyoming Carbon Capture Project Pulls Plug For Lack Of Clean Power -- CarbonCapture Inc., which had wanted to build one of the world’s largest direct air capture of carbon dioxide and storage projects in southwestern Wyoming, is pulling the plug on development of the complex in the Cowboy State. “We’ve been seeing growing competition for clean power amongst industries that are emerging much faster than anybody would have ever predicted,” said Adrian Corless, CEO of CarbonCapture, a Los Angeles-based clean technology company. CarbonCapture cited “intense competition from data centers” in the region for electricity as partially the reason why it is moving from Wyoming. “This has acutely affected our efforts in Wyoming, and as a result, we’ve decided to pause our development of Project Bison and to relocate the deployment of our first-of-a-kind project outside the state,” Corless said. A new location will be announced in coming months, Corless said. The clean power requirements for Project Bison were said to be a main reason for the move, possibly requiring as much as three times what could be generated by the 345-megawatt Natrium nuclear reactor being built in Kemmerer, Wyoming, by the billionaire Bill Gates-backed TerraPower LLC. A CarbonCapture spokeswoman declined to respond to questions regarding the project. Other than wind or solar forms of generation — which are severely limited — geothermal energy was an option. However, that energy is off-limits in Wyoming because of its concentration on federally owned park land where most of these deposits are located. The only other major direct air capture project underway in the world is Orca, located in Iceland. This facility is powered with geothermal energy and can capture about 500 tons of carbon dioxide annually. To make the business model work, CarbonCapture needs to sell carbon credits at a premium to offset a company’s emissions — think Google or Meta, parent of Facebook. Based on the huge power demands for Project Bison, the supply-and-demand market for selling carbon credits wasn’t looking appealing in Wyoming with the scarcity of clean power resources to buy. “Despite the progress we’ve experienced in materials science and our manufacturing breakthroughs, we've been finding it difficult to deal with some of the challenges around deployment,” Corless wrote in a statement. “We have no doubt that Wyoming will continue to build out clean energy infrastructure, but to reduce our short-term risks, we need to focus on a site where we can more quickly deploy our technology alongside robust shared infrastructure,” he added.

WV Chips in $10M to Attract $125M Hydrogen Project to Mason County -- Marcellus Drilling News -- Last Friday, the West Virginia Economic Development Authority (EDA) approved spending up to $10 million in an economic incentive package for a project that Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) has proposed. B&W plans to invest $125 million in WV’s Mason County to build a hydrogen production facility. One of the inputs (feedstock) for the facility will be natural gas. Another is coal. The EDA said the project could potentially expand into a $1 billion investment employing 200 people. Exciting stuff!

Invasion Of The Water Snatchers - Drought has hit Schleicher County hard. Lots of the stock tanks are dry. The only plants that appear to be thriving on this part of the Edwards Plateau are scrawny mesquite trees and the ever-present prickly pear cactus. Sandra wanted me to meet the nuns at the monastery because, like the Pfeuffers and many others in Schleicher County, they were dead set against a “green” hydrogen project called Tierra Alta, that has been proposed for their neighborhood by ET Fuels, an Irish corporation that’s backed by private equity firms based in Zurich and Paris. Sister Mary Michael, who relied on a wheelchair, spoke softly but cut right to the chase: “We’re in a drought, and they want to take more water,” she said. “It’s a ridiculous amount of water.” “Ridiculous” is the right word. But the water needs of the proposed “green” hydrogen-to-methanol projects are only one absurdity in a corral-full of absurdities propelled by the outrageous amount of federal money available to corporate subsidy miners under the Inflation Reduction Act. (That legislation, you may recall, became law by a single vote, cast by Kamala Harris.) And those subsidy miners are eagerly aiming to feed at the trough. However, to collect the maximum amount of federal money under the IRA for “green” hydrogen, they will have to pave dozens, or even hundreds, of square miles of ranchland from San Angelo to Fort Stockton with wind turbines and solar panels. As I explained here on Substack last month, the subsidies for “green” hydrogen are 1,900 times larger than what’s given to nuclear. In that piece, I quoted the late Charlie Munger, who famously said, “Show me the incentives, and I’ll show you the outcome.” I wrote, “Under rules published earlier this year by the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, hydrogen producers can collect $3 per kilogram of hydrogen under the production tax credit if they use electricity from low- or no-carbon sources.” As I noted, the energy content of hydrogen is about 120 megajoules (MJ) per kilogram. When converted into Btu, that works out to a subsidy of roughly $25 per million Btu. As seen above, that means that the subsidy for green hydrogen is 11 times the current market price for natural gas. In addition, the companies that produce “green” hydrogen may — repeat, may — also be able to collect tax credits for the energy they produce from the sun and the wind. The result, as seen in the slide above, is that for a project costing $800 million, which is the estimated cost of ET Fuels’ Tierra Alta project, the developer could collect more than half of that sum courtesy of federal taxpayers. Note that I’m hedging my statement here because the rules on the tax credits are hazy. That said, it’s clear that the 45V tax credit alone for green hydrogen could provide more than a third of the project’s cost in the first year alone. That gobsmacking level of subsidy explains why ET Fuels, NextEra Energy, and Apex Clean Energy, are trying to develop massive “green” hydrogen projects on the Edwards Plateau. ET Fuels plans to cover 30,000 acres of ranchland in Schleicher County with 300 megawatts of wind energy capacity, 300 megawatts of solar capacity, and an unspecified amount of battery storage. That capacity will fuel a bank of electrolyzers to produce enough hydrogen for a 100,000-ton-per-year “green” methanol plant. Meanwhile, NextEra and Apex are planning projects that could dwarf what ET Fuels is proposing. The ET Fuels project alone could require some 485 acre-feet of water per year or roughly 433,000 gallons per day. For perspective, that volume of water would be enough to fill more than four Olympic-size swimming pools every week. “Our aquifer can’t sustain” that much demand Ray explained. When local ranchers irrigate with center-pivot sprinkler systems, they only run their irrigation pumps for a day or two. And even that demand draws down local water wells by 15 or 20 feet until the pumping stops. The hydrogen projects will put continuous demands on the aquifer, which would be ruinous for the region’s ranchers. But that hasn’t stopped the subsidy miners. Last month, Bloomberg ran a piece headlined, “Why almost nobody is buying green hydrogen.” It explained that while some 1,600 projects are on the drawing boards, “the vast majority of those projects don’t have a single customer stepping up to buy the fuel. Among the handful with some kind of fuel purchase agreement, most have vague, nonbinding arrangements that can be quietly discarded if the potential buyers back out. As a result, many of the projects...will likely never get built.” In addition, the projects are a long distance from potential markets. Apex may want to ship its fuel to maritime customers. But Fort Stockton is 456 miles from the beaches at Corpus Christi. Finally, it’s evident that hydrogen production is, as I explained in May, “a thermodynamic obscenity.” I wrote:Hydrogen is insanely expensive, in energy terms, to manufacture. It takes about three units of energy, in the form of electricity, to produce two units of hydrogen energy. In other words, the hydrogen economy requires scads of electricity (a high quality form of energy) to make a tiny molecule that’s hard to handle, difficult to store, and expensive to use. The thermodynamic obscenity of making hydrogen, combined with the need to mix it with carbon dioxide (produced from somewhere else) to manufacture methanol, means that companies will encounter friction throughout the production process. As I explained to about 200 local ranchers and citizens at a free lecture I gave in Eldorado on August 15 at the Schleicher County Civic Center, the final energy output of ET Fuels’ proposed Tierra Alta project (100,000 tons of methanol per year) will be relatively small, only about 985 barrels of oil equivalent per day. In the big picture, particularly in Texas — which produces more oil and gas than all but two or three countries — that’s a minuscule amount of energy. As seen above, the latest data from the Energy Information Administration shows that new oil wells in the Permian Basin, which is located about 150 northwest of Eldorado, are now producing about 1,300 barrels per day. And remember, that output doesn’t include the energy in the associated gas coming out of that well. And remember, the ET Fuels project will require covering some 47 square miles of ranch land with alt-energy stuff, and all of that alt-energy stuff will require using untold tons of steel, copper, concrete, wire, and untold tons of gravel for untold miles of new roads. And remember, in the Permian, a dozen or more wells are often drilled on a single multi-acre pad. Thus, while the surface footprint of the oil and gas industry is getting drastically smaller, the alt-energy sector is hoping to cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles of rural America with wind turbines and solar panels in its never-ending quest for ever-larger government handouts. The punchline here is obvious: everything about the “green” hydrogen push is ridiculous. But billions in federal tax dollars are at stake. That much cash can purchase a heap of ridiculousness.

Trump vows to pull back climate law’s unspent dollars - Donald Trump pledged Thursday to rescind any “unspent” funds under theInflation Reduction Act should he be elected in November — potentially upending key parts of the Democrats’ climate law and its benefits to Republican-led communities.“To further defeat inflation, my plan will terminate the Green New Deal, which I call the Green New Scam,” the former president said before the Economic Club of New York in wide-ranging remarks focused on the economy, likening Biden’s agenda to a “waste” of money.“It actually sets us back, as opposed to moves us forward. And [I will] rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act,” Trump added. Trump’s formal threat to the climate law will likely only underscore the urgency for the Biden administration to get money from the law out the door. And it ups the ante in the ongoing debate among Republicans over how to address the law that is already bringing projects and investment dollars to GOP districts, should they gain control of both houses of Congress.Trump did not specify which IRA programs he would target. Some Republicans in Congress have criticized the law’s funding for green banks and other programs while other GOP leaders have expressed support for maintaining some IRA tax credits that support manufacturing. And Trump’s former trade adviser Robert Lighthizer has suggested that some of the law’s provisions, like those that support U.S. factories, could be kept in place under a second Trump administration.The administration has announced billions of dollars in IRA funding to support clean energy projects. But it is unclear exactly how much of that funding has been obligated or spent, which would offer them some legal protection against an effort by Trump to claw it back.POLITICO’s analysis earlier this year showcased the enormity of the challenge for the Biden administration to spend those direct funding programs. The analysis from April found that of the $145 billion in direct spending on energy and climate programs in the IRA, the administration had announced roughly $60 billion in tentative funding decisions. That number has only grown since April, but many of the funding decisions will need to meet certain metrics before the money is formally spent.The former president outlined a plan Thursday to establish a government efficiency commission floated by Tesla’s Elon Musk, who Trump has increasingly embraced and who he suggested could lead the new commission.The former president also said he plans to issue a national emergency declaration to increase domestic energy supply and reiterated arguments that Vice President Kamala Harris is waging a “war” on U.S. energy — despite record U.S. oil production under the Biden administration.The majority of the IRA’s emissions reductions come via a wide swath of new and expanded tax credits for clean energy technologies, which is separate from the direct spending under the law for grant programs and loans and would take congressional action to repeal.The law includes grant programs, including those to reduce methane emissions, increase energy efficiency and create green banks across the country — some of which have already drawn Republicans’ ire. It also boosts funding for a loan office under the Energy Department that has grown under Biden but that slowed down under the previous Trump administration.And the stakes are high for Democrats: Should Trump get elected, his administration would have wide latitude to slow down or reelevate direct spending under the law, as POLITICO has also reported — particularly as the former president has promised to restore a presidential authority to withhold congressionally approved spending that he considers wasteful.

Pilot plant demonstrates iron-based hydrogen storage feasibility -- Photovoltaics are set to meet over 40% of Switzerland's electricity needs by 2050. But solar power isn't always available when it's needed: there's too much of it in summer and too little in winter, when the sun shines less often and heat pumps are running at full tilt. According to the Swiss federal government's Energy Strategy, Switzerland wants to close the winter electricity gap with a combination of imports, wind and hydropower as well as alpine solar plants and gas-fired power plants. One way to minimize the need for imports and gas-fired power plants in winter is to produce hydrogen from cheap solar power in summer, which could then be converted into electricity in winter. However, hydrogen is highly flammable, extremely volatile and makes many materials brittle. Storing the gas from summer until winter calls for special pressurized containers and cooling technology. These require a lot ofenergy, while the many safety precautions that must be followed make building such storage facilities very expensive. What's more, hydrogen tanks are never completely leak-proof, which harms the environment and adds to the costs.Now researchers at ETH Zurich led by Wendelin Stark, Professor of Functional Materials at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, have developed a new technology for the seasonal storage of hydrogen that is much safer and cheaper than existing solutions. The researchers are using a well-known technology and the fourth most abundant element on Earth: iron. The findings are published in the journal Sustainable Energy & Fuels. To store hydrogen better, Stark and his team are relying on the steam-iron process, which has been understood since the 19th century. If there is a surplus of solar power available in the summer months, it can be used to split water to produce hydrogen. This hydrogen is then fed into a stainless steel reactor filled with natural iron ore at 400 degrees Celsius. There, the hydrogen extracts the oxygen from the iron ore—which in chemical terms is simply iron oxide—resulting in elemental iron and water."This chemical process is similar to charging a battery. It means that the energy in the hydrogen can be stored as iron and water for long periods with almost no losses," Stark says.When the energy is needed again in winter, the researchers reverse the process: they feed hot steam into the reactor to turn the iron and water back into iron oxide and hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be converted into electricity or heat in a gas turbine or fuel cell. To keep the energy required for the discharging process to a minimum, the steam is generated using waste heat from the discharging reaction.

Republicans zero in on planned EV battery plant in Michigan to hit Democrats on China in battleground state — Last fall, voters angry about plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant in their rural community in central Michigan turned their ire on the township board that supported the project, ousting five of the seven board members in a recall election.It could have been all seven, Lori Brock, an area real estate agent who helped lead the effort, said. But two members resigned ahead of time. “They knew they were going to get recalled,” she said.Back then, the political debate over Gotion Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of a Chinese company that acknowledges its association with the Communist Party of China, was parochial, playing out in Green Charter Township and surrounding areas. Now it’s playing out in the race for the White House as a fusion of two issues central to Republican messaging — the rise of China as a geopolitical adversary and the emergence of electric vehicles — in a critical battleground state.“They’re moving up the food chain, and it’s starting from the grassroots level,” Michigan GOP Chairman Pete Hoekstra said, referring to the activists who rallied to oust local officeholders. Former President Donald Trump declared himself “100% OPPOSED” to Gotion in a social media post last month, writing that the company “would put Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.” More recently, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, traveled here last week to deliver a campaign speech on Brock’s horse farm. Vance’s visit was designed to raise awareness, a source familiar with the planning said. In his speech, Vance attempted to link the project to Vice President Kamala Harris, noting how the Democratic presidential nominee cast the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, which makes green energy companies like Gotion eligible for tax credits. A Gotion official told Crain’s Detroit Business last year that the company, “at this time,” was not pursuing the tax credits.“I think the most important thing is we have to stop paying Chinese manufacturers to manufacture, whether it’s here or overseas,” Vance said in a meeting with reporters after the speech last week. “We want to build an American manufacturing industry and an American middle class. If we want to pursue these policies, let’s do them for Americans and American businesses.”

EV sales are growing. So why are automakers getting cold feet? -- There’s a bit of a disturbing trend in the automotive world right now. Several traditional automakers are suddenly easing off the electrification accelerator in response to a perceived slowdown in EV interest and sales. Whether that slowdown is real or just growing pains, the result is the same: Automakers are reacting. Major manufacturers are backsliding on their once-aggressive timelines for full electrification, and what was shaping up to be a largely electrified transportation landscape by the end of the decade is now looking like more of the same. To be clear, progress is still being made. EV sales are up overall, and the transition away from internal combustion and its associated carbon dioxide emissions is happening, just with a little less momentum than once predicted. Ford, the best-selling automaker in the U.S., is among the most recent and most notable players to shift its electrification plans. The Blue Oval stated in 2021 that it would have an all-electric option for all of its models by 2026 and an entirely electric portfolio by 2030 — at least in Europe. An electric three-row SUV was due in 2025. The deadline for that SUV shifted to 2027 earlier this year, with Ford president and CEO Jim Farley noting that the firm is ​“committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid, and fully electric vehicles at the right time.” But in late August, plans changed again. That three-row SUV was put on indefinite hold, delivery dates for a pair of electric trucks slipped, and Ford slashed its EV development budget by roughly $12 billion.The main reason for the scaleback cited by manufacturers is the perception that people are a little slower on the EV uptake than anticipated. This one’s a little hard to parse, owing to some conflicting numbers. On the one hand, you see U.S. figures like Ford EV sales up by 61 percent this past quarter compared with sales the year before, and BMW EV sales are up by almost 25 percent. But the outlook for other brands isn’t so rosy. Mercedes-Benz EV sales in Q2, for example, were down by 25 percent over the previous year, while Volkswagen’s EV sales were basically flat. Overall, though, Q2 2024 U.S. EV sales were up by over 11 percent compared with sales the prior year, and by 23 percent over the prior quarter, per Cox Automotive. According to New AutoMotive’s Global Electric Vehicle Tracker, the U.S. market outpaced the global EV market, which was up by 19 percent over the first quarter. With the perception that EVs are too big a leap for U.S. consumers, hybrids — particularly those of the plug-in variety — are again being seen by manufacturers as a gateway to full electrification. Whether this is a valid decarbonization strategy is debatable. Hybrids add even more complexity and weight to an already complex internal combustion car. The promise, of course, is increased efficiency. However, the International Council on Clean Transportation found that since most people don’t plug in their PHEVs, their overall emissions are significantly higher than the EPA estimates would imply—upwards of 67 percent worse.

Biden Unveils $7.3 Billion Investment In Rural America’s Electricity -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled $7.3 billion investment in clean and affordable electricity for American rural communities as the president looks to help his Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to win voters in rural battleground states.President Biden’s announcement, made in Wisconsin, pledges the multi-billion investment which will be funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).The investment announced today is the largest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal and is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the White House said.The President is set to announce the first round of rural electric cooperatives selected and the first award for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.On Thursday, USDA announced that 16 rural electric cooperatives are being selected to receive up to $7.3 billion in clean energy financing that will deliver clean, more affordable, and more resilient electricity to approximately 5 million rural co-op members representing 20% of rural households, farms, businesses, and schools. These 16 cooperatives will benefit rural residents across 23 states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.Under the New ERA program, electric cooperatives will build or purchase over 10 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy.National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson commented on the new program that “The New ERA program showcases what is possible when the government prioritizes voluntary, flexible decision-making and allows electric co-ops to take a tailored approach to respond to local needs.” The program “is a transformative opportunity for electric cooperatives,” Matheson added.

EOG Resources Eyes Expansion in Ohio's Utica Shale Activity - EOG Resources, Inc. EOG, a leading Houston, TX-based shale producer, is set to significantly expand its activities in the Utica shale play in Ohio, per a Reuters report. Speaking at the Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference in New York, chief operating officer Jeff Leitzell announced that the company has doubled its activity in Utica over the past year, marking a significant growth in its presence in the region. EOG Resources now operates on 445,000 acres, with an average entry cost of approximately $600 per acre. Leitzell highlighted the strategic significance of the Utica shale for EOG's future growth, noting its potential to become a major asset in the company's portfolio. He indicated that if the company's current success in the region continues, EOG Resources plans to increase its capital investments there. This expansion reflects the company’s confidence in the Utica play as a long-term contributor to its oil and gas production. In addition to its Ohio operations, EOG Resources is making significant strides in the development of its Dorado natural gas play in the Eagle Ford region of southeast Texas. The company has been navigating a period of record-low natural gas prices, choosing to delay several completions until the second half of the year. According to Leitzell, this approach allows EOG to better manage market fluctuations while maintaining profitability. EOG Resources anticipates extended periods of low gas prices with occasional short-term spikes. To navigate these fluctuations and maintain profitability, the company plans to defer completions and allocate resources strategically to maximize returns despite market volatility. With a clear focus on growing its operations in Ohio and Texas, EOG Resources is positioning itself to capitalize on evolving market dynamics, reinforcing its long-term strength in the U.S. shale industry.

EOG to ramp up activity in Utica shale play in Ohio, company says (Reuters) - Houston-based shale producer EOG Resources expects to ramp up operations in the Utica shale play in Ohio, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Leitzell told attendees at the Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference in New York on Tuesday. EOG Resources has doubled its activity in the Utica year-on-year, operating on 445,000 acres with an average entry cost of around $600 per acre, Leitzell said. "The Utica absolutely has the opportunity to be a foundational play," Leitzell said. "If we continue to have the success that we expect to, you can expect us to go ahead now and put more capital there." EOG is also developing its Dorado natural gas play in the Eagle Ford in southeast Texas. The company has managed record low gas prices in part by deferring a handful of completions to the second half of the year. "There's going to be long periods of low pricing with short duration periods of high pricing, and you've got to be able to make returns and margins all the way through those periods on the gas side," Leitzell said.

EOG set to add to Ohio Utica spending | Oil & Gas Journal - EOG Resources Inc’s budding Ohio Utica shale operation is—barring an ugly surprise in the coming months—in line to get more capital in 2025, one of the company’s top executives told an investor gathering Sept. 3. Speaking to the Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference, chief operating officer Jeff Leitzell said Houston-based EOG is “seeing outstanding results both through delineation and with our spacing tests in all three areas” of its Utica holdings, which tally 445,000 net acres in the east of the Buckeye State. The company’s early work has focused on about 225,000 net acres that are producing volatile oil. “Everything so far has basically met type curve or exceeded type curve,” Leitzell said. “On that 225,000 acres, we’re just about there […] Everything kind of came in the way we want without any misses.” If development work continues to progress as it has, Leitzell added, EOG’s Utica teams will get more funding in 2025 to add to this year’s 20 net wells, a figure more than triple 2023’s total. And while he didn’t specify dollar details relative to EOG’s total 2024 capex budget of $6.2 billion, it appears likely that Ohio spending will soon be a material part of the company’s outlays. “It absolutely has the opportunity to be a foundational play” on a level with EOG’s core Delaware basin and Eagle Ford assets, Leitzell said. “And it’s on the pathway to be there.” Leitzell’s bullish comments echo those of EOG leaders on the company’s second-quarter earnings call roughly a month ago. (OGJ Online, Aug. 2, 2024) At the time, chief executive officer Ezra Yacob and others praised the consistent production from the company’s delineation work in the Utica and noted its potential to be cost-competitive with parts of the Permian basin. At the Barclays gathering, Leitzell also placed EOG’s Utica work inside its broader strategy, specifically its focus on incrementally amassing acreage to develop rather than following other exploration and production companies into the market for big M&A. Typically, he said, once the EOG team looks at whether the acreage is operated or not, the various contracts that come with a potential target, and the depletion rates at fields in question, it sees more potential value in an organic growth model. “The goal is for it not just to be financially accretive but also accretive on a portfolio level,” Leitzell said. “So when we look at it all, we compare it to our exploration opportunities and we just see a lot more value right now in our exploration opportunities.”

Conservancy district curtails water sales from Atwood Lake to energy company -- Drought conditions have lowered the level of the lake from its normal summer pool level by a foot and a half. Due to significant drought conditions in much of Ohio and the Tuscarawas Valley, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is curtailing water sales from Atwood Lake to Encino Energy for oil and gas well operations. As of Wednesday, the conservancy district is reducing water sales to Encino by 75% because Atwood Lake is a foot and a half below its normal summer pool, according to Craig Butler, MWCD executive director. The MWCD had an agreement to sell the company a maximum of 2 million gallons a day from Atwood for a couple of pad operations. Until lake levels stabilize, that number has been reduce to 500,000 gallons per day. Atwood has a storage capacity of 7 billion gallons. "We think it's the right thing to do," he said. The conservancy district receives significant revenue from bonuses and royalties from oil and gas wells around the district. The MWCD has about 100 wells on its property, generating around $200 million in revenue in the past decade or so.

Cecil Twp Proposes Ban on New Shale Drilling via 2500-Ft Setback -- Marcellus Drilling News - The Board of Supervisors for Cecil Township in Washington County, PA, has caved to pressure from radical leftists and is floating a plan to effectively ban all new shale drilling in the township by increasing setbacks from "protected structures" from 500 feet to 2,500 feet (a half a mile!).The supervisors will hold a special meeting tonight to discuss this lunacy. We strongly recommend you attend and voice your opposition.

Pennsylvania Dropped 3 Rigs Last Week, Lowest Count in 2.5 Years - Marcellus Drilling News - The big news (for us) with the weekly Baker Hughes rig count is that last week, Pennsylvania laid down its use of three active drilling rigs, resulting in the lowest rig count in the state in 2 1/2 years. PA now operates 18 active rigs, down from 21 the week prior. The last time PA operated only 18 rigs was, according to our records, in November 2021. Fortunately, West Virginia picked up one of those rigs and improved its count from five to six. Ohio remained the same with nine active rigs. So, the Marcellus/Utica, in total, went from 35 active rigs two weeks ago to 33 active rigs last week. The national rig count (for both oil and gas rigs) dropped by two, now with 583 active rigs.

Biden-Harris Bribe Pa. with Check for $76 Million to Plug Old Wells - Marcellus Drilling News - - What’s your price, Pennsylvania oil and gas industry? Are you willing to sell yourselves to the Democrats for $152 million (revised down to $114 million) in bribes? How about if Biden-Harris sweetens the pot and rushes a check for $76 million to the state, as they did yesterday? Can you not see through this sleazy attempt to unduly influence the election? In August, Biden-Harris promised (but hasn’t yet delivered a dime of) up to $152 million in “Phase 2” federal money, i.e., your taxpayer dollars, to help plug old conventional oil and gas wells in the Keystone State (see Convenient Timing: Biden-Harris Promise Pa. Another $152 Million). Yesterday, the administration said a check is in the mail for $76 million for “Phase 1” of the same thing. It is grotesquely CORRUPT. It is vote-buying.

Pennsylvania Drillers Defeat Landowner Lawsuit After 9 Years - Marcellus Drilling News - In 2015, a group of nearly 60 landowners in northeastern Pennsylvania who had leased their land for fracking filed a lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy, Anadarko, Statoil (now Equinor), Mitsui E&P, and Access Midstream (later bought by Williams), alleging the companies had improperly deducted post-production costs (e.g., gas gathering and transportation expenses) from royalties owed to the landowners in breach of their respective leases. The lawsuit also alleged collusion and conspiracy to defraud the landowners. The lawsuit was on hold for many years while other lawsuits played out. Earlier this year, a federal court in Scranton unpaused this lawsuit, and yesterday, the judge ruled, tossing out the landowners’ claims.

UGI Seeks to Store LNG in Trailers in Scranton Suburb During Winter --Marcellus Drilling News --UGI, a diversified energy company with midstream (pipeline) operations in the Marcellus and one of PA’s largest utility companies, wants to store trailers of LNG in the parking lot of a storage facility near Scranton, PA, and is seeking a zoning variance to do so. UGI needs extra supplies of natural gas to inject into its utility system during peak periods in the winter months. The company says it will be a temporary situation.

32 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Aug 26 – Sep 1 - Marcellus Drilling News - - For the week of Aug. 26 – Sept. 1, a total of 32 permits were issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica, nearly matching the previous week's 34. It's nice to see the numbers returning to higher levels. The Keystone State (PA) had 18 new permits. PA’s top recipient was EQT (and its subsidiary Rice Drilling), with ten permits in Greene County. Seneca Resources was second, with five new permits issued in Lycoming County. Olympus Energy received three permits in Westmoreland County. Antero Resources | Carroll County | Encino Energy | EOG Resources | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Guernsey County | Lycoming County | Marshall County | Ohio County | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Seneca Resources | Southwestern Energy | Westmoreland County | Wetzel County

DC Court Vacates LNG Approval at Port of Brownsville --The D.C. Circuit Court on Tuesday ruled against approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal and related pipeline projects at the Port of Brownsville, effectively canceling prior approval of three such projects by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.The Sierra Club, in announcing the ruling, said this is the first time a court has vacated FERC approval of an LNG terminal.FERC approved Rio Grande LNG, Texas LNG and the Rio Bravo Pipeline “despite widespread concerns for the harm the projects would cause to the surrounding communities and the climate.”A lawsuit was filed against FERC by the Sierra Club, the city of Port Isabel, Vecinos para el Bienestar de la Comunidad Costera and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, a Floreville-based nonprofit organization, claiming that FERC failed to “adequately consider the environmental justice impacts and greenhouse gas emissions of the three projects, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act and the Natural Gas Act.“The D.C. court upheld the petitioners’ arguments, vacating FERC’s approvals, meaning the agency now has to reconsider the impacts of the three projects. This will require a new draft supplemental Environmental Impact Statements and public comment period before FERC decides whether to issue new project permits.The court’s ruling follows two other rulings in July that “call into question the adequacy of FERC reviews,” according to the Sierra Club, which noted that last week the D.C. Circuit Court ruled FERC had failed to consider greenhouse gas emissions as well as market need for expansion of Real Energy Access, a Williams company pipeline project in the Northeast.Also last month, the same court ruled that FERC failed to adequately assess Commonwealth LNG’s air pollution impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, the Sierra Club said, adding that “it is unacceptable for FERC to conduct insufficient environmental justice analysis and to decline to make determinations on the significance of climate-warming emissions.”

US approves gas exports from New Fortress Energy -- The Biden administration on Tuesday granted a gas export terminal the authority to ship fuel abroad after a court blocked its efforts to delay such permissions. The Energy Department approved shipments from a New Fortress Energy facility in Mexico to countries with which the U.S. does not have a free-trade agreement.The gas in question is originally sourced from the U.S.; it then will be transported to Mexico and later to other countries.The administration announced earlier this year that it would pause new approvals for liquified natural gas (LNG) exports like the one it approved on Tuesday, but that pause was halted in court in July. Nevertheless, environmental advocates expressed disappointment in the administration, as some hoped it simply wouldn’t approve major gas projects even without a formal pause in place. “The Department of Energy’s decision to approve the New Fortress LNG Terminal is deeply concerning,” said Allie Rosenbluth, U.S. program manager at advocacy group Oil Change International, in a written statement. “By doing so, it has broken its own commitment to pause LNG export authorizations— a commitment made out of recognition that its current guidance doesn’t adequately consider the risks LNG exports pose to the climate, environment, and public health and safety,” Rosenbluth said. The pause on new LNG export approvals was widely seen as an overture toward the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. And the new export approval comes as Vice President Harris, in her presidential campaign, hasshifted toward the center on other issues, including fracking. A spokesperson for the Energy Department noted that the facility is already constructed and operational. The official added that it does not increase “the total volume of LNG” that the facility can export, but does increase exports to countries without U.S. free trade agreements by about 3 percent. The department’s pause announced earlier this year came in conjunction with a review of its approval practices, including the extent to which factors like climate change are considered. The spokesperson said that the department is continuing to update how it evaluates these projects moving forward. Under the new approval issued on Monday, New Fortress Energy will be allowed to export about 1.4 million tonnes per year of gas for five years.

Venture Global seeks OK to unload first LNG commissioning cargo at Louisiana plant - U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Venture Global LNG sought authorization on Thursday from U.S. energy regulators by Aug. 30 to unload the first LNG commissioning cargo at the Plaquemines export plant under construction in Louisiana. About a week ago, a tanker (the Qogir) full of LNG docked at Plaquemines, according to Venture Global and data from financial firm LSEG. The tanker came from Norway. Energy analysts and traders said Venture Global would use that LNG to cool down parts of the Plaquemines facility as part of the plant's testing and commissioning process. Earlier in the week, Venture Global said the Qogir docked at Plaquemines but did not provide other information. On Thursday, Venture Global filed with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for authorization no later than Aug. 30 to unload the first LNG commissioning cargo on or after Aug. 30. LNG plants under construction, like Plaquemines, use super-cooled fuel to test and cool equipment in preparation for startup. In addition to the Qogir, another LNG vessel, the Venture Gator, which was not fully loaded with LNG, according to data from LSEG, was anchored in the Mississippi River near Plaquemines. Analysts said it was likely the vessel, which was listed as available for orders, would go to Plaquemines. Plaquemines started pulling in small amounts of natural gas from U.S. pipelines in late June, analysts have said the plant could start turning gas into small amounts of LNG in test mode in coming months. Venture Global has said that building the two phases at Plaquemines would entail an investment of about $21 B. Analysts have said they expect Venture Global to complete work on the first 1.8-Bft3d phase of Plaquemines from 2024 to 2026 and the second 1.2- Bft3d phase from 2025 to 2026. The U.S. is already the world's biggest LNG exporter with seven export plants able to turn about 13.8 Bft3d of gas into about 104.6 metric MMtpy of LNG. One Bft3 is enough gas to supply about 5 MM U.S. homes for a day.

NGPL Expansion Could Move Ahead Without Delfin as Delays Continue for LNG Project -Delfin LNG may not be able to accept natural gas supplies on a pipeline expansion that’s expected to enter service in July 2026 as the offshore export project continues working through delays, a Kinder Morgan Inc. subsidiary told federal regulators. Delfin warned Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America LLC (NGPL) that it might not be able to adhere to the schedule outlined in its long-term transportation agreement for 80 MMcf/d on the Texas-Louisiana Expansion Project, NGPL said in a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Delfin has asked the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for an extension to place its first phase online in June 2029. The company cited energy market impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic and global conflicts that made it impossible to reach previous deadlines under its permits.

Harris defends fracking reversal --Vice President Harris in an interview Thursday addressed her reversal on a fracking ban, which she supported during the 2020 Democratic primary but has since come out against. “As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking,” Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash in a joint interview with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).Bash followed up by citing Harris’s comments at a 2019 town hall in which she said “there’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” and asked why she had since changed her position.“My values have not changed. I believe it is very important that we take seriously what we must do to guard against what is a clear crisis in terms of the climate. And to do that, we can do what we have accomplished thus far,” Harris answered.She went on to cite the recent boom in renewable energy jobs in the U.S., much of it in the wake of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, for which she cast the tiebreaking Senate vote.“That tells me, from my experience as vice president, we can do it without banning fracking,” she said. “What I have seen is that we can grow and we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.”Fracking, the process of extracting natural gas from bedrock by injecting pressurizing fluids, is a major employer in the southwest of Pennsylvania, which is likely to be a pivotal state in the November election.

NFE’s Altamira LNG Granted First Natural Gas Export Permit Since Biden Administration Paused Approvals --The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is allowing New Fortress Energy Inc. to export up to 1.4 million metric tons/year of LNG to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries from its recently commissioned Fast LNG facility in Mexico, marking the first non-FTA permit granted this year. Graph of Commercially Advanced North American LNG Projects impacted by DOE Review. In an order issued over the U.S. Labor Day weekend, DOE staff noted ongoing concerns about U.S. liquefied natural gas development, including an ongoing study into the impacts of gas exports, but ultimately concluded Fast LNG’s shipments to the international market were in the public interest. “DOE is continuing to monitor market developments closely as the impact of successive authorizations of LNG exports and re-exports unfolds,” agency staff wrote in the order. “DOE also acknowledges that proposals to re-export U.S.-sourced natural gas in the form of LNG from Mexico or Canada to non-FTA countries raise public interest considerations that are not present for domestic exports of LNG.”

Three Things to Know About the LNG Market - The Southern Environmental Law Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council have filed a court challenge against FERC’s authorization of the proposed CP2 LNG export project in Cameron Parish, LA. The groups filed the petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit) on behalf of local fishermen and landowners. They allege the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s June approval of the 20 million metric tons/year liquefied natural gas project violates the Natural Gas Act and “illustrates FERC’s failure” to review projects in the public interest. The DC Circuit vacated FERC authorizations for the Rio Grande and Texas LNG projects after challenges from other environmental groups.

EOG’s Gassy Dorado Play in South Texas Opening Doors for Multi-Linked LNG Export Pricing, Says COO --Houston-based EOG Resources Inc. has for years remained a top dog among Lower 48 explorers, with a cache of gassy and oily targets from which to pick and choose. The diversified portfolio has provided assurance when prices are high or low, a top executive said. COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell discussed the independent’s marketing strategy Tuesday at the Barclays 38th Annual CEO Energy-Power Conference. The multi-basin explorer has accumulated assets in the Anadarko, Appalachia, Denver-Julesburg, Permian, Powder River and Williston basins, and in the Barnett, Eagle Ford and Utica shales. It also has gas-heavy assets offshore Trinidad and Tobago.'

Texas Waha Hub Gas Prices Plunge to Record Lows, Hit Negative Territory (Reuters) — Natural gas prices in the Permian shale basin in West Texas have turned negative a record number of times in 2024, including an all-time low on Aug. 30, as pipeline and other constraints trap gas in the nation's biggest oil-producing basin. Spot gas prices for Friday at the Waha hub NG-WAH-WTX-SNL in West Texas fell by about 120% to a record low of minus $4.80 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). That was the 21st time Waha prices averaged below zero in August and was lower than the prior record low of minus $4.76 on Aug. 9. Waha prices first averaged below zero in 2019. It happened 17 times in 2019, six times in 2020 and once in 2023. So far in 2024, Waha prices have averaged below zero 32 times. Analysts have said that is a sure sign the region needs more gas pipes, which prompted a coalition of energy firms including privately-held WhiteWater to move forward in July with the Blackcomb pipeline. Other energy firms, including Kinder Morgan and Energy Transfer, have also proposed new projects. There is, however, only one big gas project under construction in Texas that could relieve the severe pipeline constraints in the Permian region this year, the Matterhorn Express Pipeline. In the past, Matterhorn Express projected the 490-mile (789-kilometer) pipe capable of moving up to 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of gas from the Permian to the Gulf Coast, could enter service in the third quarter of 2024, but most analysts now expect the project to start in the fourth quarter. Matterhorn Express is a joint venture between units of WhiteWater, EnLink Midstream, Devon Energy and MPLX, according to WhiteWater's website.

US natgas prices climb 4% to 2-week high on lower output, higher LNG feedgas (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas futures climbed about 4% to a two-week high on Tuesday after the long U.S. Labor Day holiday weekend on a decline in output and increase in gas flows to liquefied natural gas export terminals. That price increase came despite bearish forecasts for less hot weather than previously expected, which should reduce the amount of gas power generators burn to keep air conditioners humming. Front-month gas futures for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 7.6 cents, or 3.6%, to settle at $2.203 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their highest close since Aug. 19. Financial firm LSEG said gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states slid to an average of 102.3 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in September, down from 103.2 bcfd in August. Meteorologists forecast weather across the country would remain mostly near normal through Sept. 11 before turning warmer than normal from Sept 12-18. Energy traders, however, noted that warmer-than-normal weather in mid-September would only average around 75 degrees F (23.9 degrees Celsius), down from an average of 79 F (26.1 C) in mid-August. LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, will fall from 102.8 bcfd this week to 101.1 bcfd next week. The forecast for next week was lower than LSEG's outlook on Friday. Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants rose to an average of 13.1 bcfd so far in September, up from 12.9 bcfd in August. That compares with a monthly record high of 14.7 bcfd in December 2023. In Mexico, New Fortress Energy's NFE.O Fast LNG export plant in Altamira received authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy to export LNG to non-free trade agreement countries. That should allow the plant, which turns U.S. gas into LNG, to increase exports. Gas prices were trading around $12 per mmBtu at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark in Europe and $14 at the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) benchmark in Asia.

US natural gas prices fall 3% on forecasts for less demand, ample stockpiles (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas futures slid about 3% on Wednesday on bearish forecasts for less demand this week than previously expected. Another factor that has weighed on gas prices for much of this year is the oversupply of fuel left in storage after a mild winter. There was still about 12% more gas in storage than normal, even though injections have been smaller than usual in 15 of the last 16 weeks after low prices early in the year prompted several producers to cut output. Front-month gas futures NGc1 for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 5.8 cents, or 2.6%, to settle at $2.145 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Tuesday, the contract closed at its highest price since Aug. 19. The market has seen a drop in output so far this month and forecasts for warmer weather next week than previously expected, which should boost the amount of gas power generators burn to keep air conditioners humming. In the spot market, pipeline constraints caused next-day gas prices at the Waha hub in the Permian Shale in West Texas to fall to an all-time low and average in negative territory for a record 33rd time this year. Waha prices first averaged below zero in 2019. It happened 17 times in 2019, six times in 2020 and once in 2023. In the Atlantic basin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said there was a 30% chance that atropical disturbance in the Caribbean Sea could strengthen into a cyclone as it move into the southern Gulf of Mexico over the next week.

US natgas prices jump 5% to 7-week high on small storage build, rising LNG feedgas (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas futures jumped about 5% to a seven-week high on Thursday on a smaller-than-expected storage build, rising gas flows to liquefied natural gas export plants and a continued decline in output so far this month. That price spike came despite forecasts for less hot weather over the next two weeks than previously expected, which should reduce the amount of gas power generators burn to keep air conditioners humming. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said utilities added 13 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas into storage during the week ended Aug. 30. That was well below the 27-bcf build analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and compares with an increase of 33 bcf in the same week last year and a five-year (2019-2023) average rise of 51 bcf for this time of year. Even though last week's build was smaller than normal for the 16th time in 17 weeks, there was still about 11% more gas in storage than is normal for this time of year. Analysts have said that oversupply of gas left in storage after a mild winter has helped keep prices depressed all year, prompting several producers to cut output. Those output cuts were the reason for the smaller than normal weekly builds seen in recent months. Spot gas prices at the U.S. Henry Hub benchmark NG-W-HH-SNL fell to a 25-year low earlier this year. Front-month gas futures NGc1 for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 10.9 cents, or 5.1%, to settle at $2.254 per million British thermal units, their highest close since July 12. In the spot market, a heat wave in the U.S. West caused power prices to soar over 400% to their highest levels since August 2023 to around $160 per megawatt hour (MWh) at the Palo Verde hub EL-PK-PLVD-SNL in Arizona and $150 at South Path 15 (SP-15) EL-PK-SP15-SNL in Southern California as homes and businesses cranked up their air conditioners. In Texas, the Matterhorn gas pipeline was moving small amounts of gas from the Permian basin in West Texas toward the Gulf Coast, which should relieve the negative prices in the Waha market. Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants have risen to an average of 13.2 bcfd so far in September, up from 12.9 bcfd in August. That compares with a monthly record high of 14.7 bcfd in December 2023. On a daily basis, LNG feedgas was on track to rise to a three-month high of 13.3 bcfd on Thursday. Looking ahead, Berkshire Hathaway Energy's 0.8-bcfd Cove Point LNG export plant in Maryland will likely shut for about three weeks of routine annual maintenance around Sept. 20, according to the plant's history and notices to customers.

US natural gas prices rise 1% to 8-week high on higher LNG feedgas, lower output - U.S. natural gas futures edged up about 1% to an eight-week high on Friday as the amount of gas flowing to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants rises and producers continue to curtail output. That small price gain occurred despite bearish forecasts for cooler weather over the next two weeks than previously expected, which should reduce the amount of gas power generators burn to keep air conditioners humming. There is still about 10% more gas in storage than normal for this time of year even though injections have been smaller than usual in 16 of the last 17 weeks. Analysts said those small builds happened mostly because several producers cut output this year after spot prices at the U.S. Henry Hub benchmark fell to a 25-year low in the spring and have remained relatively low since. Front-month gas futures for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 2.1 cents, or 0.9%, to settle at $2.275 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their highest close since July 12 for a second day in a row. For the week, the front-month was up about 7% after gaining about 5% last week. Financial firm LSEG said gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states has slid to an average of 102.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in September, down from 103.2 bcfd in August. On a daily basis, output was on track to drop by 2.1 bcfd over the last six days to a preliminary 11-week low of 101.7 bcfd on Friday. Analysts, however, noted that preliminary data was often revised later in the day. Meteorologists forecast weather across the U.S. would remain mostly near normal through Sept. 9 before turning warmer than normal in the Sept. 10-21 period. Energy traders, however, noted that warmer-than-normal weather in mid-September would only average around 74 degrees Fahrenheit (23.3 degrees Celsius), down from an average of 79 F (26 C) in mid-August. LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, will fall from 102.5 bcfd this week to 100.5 bcfd for the next two weeks. The forecasts for this week and next were similar to LSEG’s outlook on Thursday. Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants have risen to an average of 13.2 bcfd so far in September, up from 12.9 bcfd in August. That compares with a monthly record high of 14.7 bcfd in December 2023. On a daily basis, LNG feedgas was on track to reach a three-month high of 13.4 bcfd on Friday.29dk2902l Gas prices were trading around $12 per mmBtu at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark in Europe and $14 at the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) benchmark in Asia.

‘Molecule-Agnostic’ Equipment Opening Doors Beyond Natural Gas, Says Baker Hughes CEO -Baker Hughes Co. in only a few years has navigated a brief merger with General Electric, an energy-demand-crushing pandemic and an exit from Russia, but it continues to deliver solid results. The secret, said CEO Lorenzo Simonelli, is the oilfield service company’s “differentiated” technology strategy. Pie chart showing 2023 industrial and energy technology revenue. The CEO offered his “roller coaster perspective” on Wednesday at the Barclays 38th Annual CEO Energy-Power Conference. Simonelli took the helm in 2017, shortly after a blockbuster tie-up with General Electric. The deal had soured by 2018, though, and in 2019, it was becoming a standalone company once again.

​​​​​​​It's Spreading: America's Top Oil Field Terrorized By Armed Venezuelan Gangs --It's only going to get worse from here, as the Biden-Harris administration's disastrous open border policies have now come to a 'neighborhood near you' (for some of you). In the past week, we saw armed Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua members terrorize the northern Denver suburb of Aurora and other sanctuary cities run by far-left Democrats. New concerns out Thursday afternoon indicate critical infrastructure is now under threat from migrant cartel members. According to Libs of TikTok, a Texas-based oil/gas company issued a memo to employees informing them that police and the FBI havewarned armed Cuba and Venezuela migrant gangs are committing thefts in the Permian Basin (America's highest producing oil field). Here's the memo:Industry peers and law enforcement in West Texas (WTX) are aware of a recent increase in organized criminal activity inclusive of violent crimes, gang activity and oil field thefts in and around WTX operational areas. Specifically, regional law enforcement and the FBI advised that gang members emanating from Cuba and Venezuela are organizing and working in concert to commit thefts within the Permian Basin. These individuals and groups are armed, violent in nature and will not hesitate to use force.Crimes associated with these groups include the theft of oil, diesel fuel, copper wire, and catalyst elements. Recent incidents have also included two assaults by water haulers who were attempting to steal oil from WTX oilfield sites. After the thieves were observed by witnesses who drove up to investigate, the thieves attempted to use their vehicles to run the witnesses off the road. In another incident, a thief, acting as a spotter and following a water hauler who had stolen oil, also attempted to run a witness off the road. There have been numerous reports of second vehicles acting as spotters for water haulers committing oil thefts.An industry peer provided the below snapshot of a video surveillance of an armed thief checking out an area before stealing diesel from the location We highlighted earlier this week that law-abiding Americans must be made well aware of the cities, counties, and states that have laws, ordinances, and policies that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield illegal alien criminals from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This is because these areas are increasingly becoming dangerous, with migrant criminals running amok. Aurora is a prime example. It will not matter who wins the election. The flood of illegals have a purpose in the overall plan that has been unfolding. Chaos as far and wide as possible. Massive spread across the nation! https://t.co/qFhElt4NtW

Billionaire Kelcy Warren invests in pipelines — and Trump - Kelcy Warren is good at getting a return on his investments. The billionaire pipeline mogul goes big and moves fast — even if it sometimes looks bad from the outside.That’s how his company, Energy Transfer, built the Dakota Access oil pipeline in spite of bitter tribal protests. And that’s how the company made $2.4 billion from buying and selling natural gas during the deadly Texas blackouts in 2021.This year, he’s invested $5 million in the campaign to elect former President Donald Trump to another term in the White House. The potential return on investment is high.A Department of Energy under a second Trump administration could put Energy Transfer’s natural gas export project in Louisiana back on track. If he retakes power, the former Republican president could end talk of “pausing” federal export permits and dial back President Joe Biden’s heightened scrutiny of the types of mergers and acquisitions Warren uses to expand his company. A second Trump term could also put to rest the continued threats to Dakota Access.“He is a very wealthy guy, and he owns a critical element of U.S. energy infrastructure,” said Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University just outside Dallas. “The way he protects it, from his perspective, is to be more of an old-style Republican economic conservative in which he protects his business from over regulation and taxation by face-to-face opportunities to lobby on behalf of his interests.”The oil and gas industry has given Trump more money than all but three other industries, according to the campaign finance tracking site OpenSecrets.org. And Warren is a top giver from the industry, tied with Midland oilman Tim Dunn for first place among oil moguls.The petrodollars oil tycoons are shoveling into Trump’s campaign demonstrate how closely the GOP nominee has aligned himself with an industry respected for its job creation and clout in global energy markets and vilified for its environmental record and its economic power over American consumers.And the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris winning the White House is even more frightening to many oil and gas executives than was four more years of Biden. Warren himself has said he’s “scared to death” when politicians talk about banning fracking, which is exactly what Harris did during her short-lived campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She has since walked that back but hasn’t made clear how she might be different than Biden on energy issues.“There is a strong sense that Biden, and especially Harris, represent an existential threat to the status quo for the oil and natural gas industry,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston.The $5 million Warren sent to Trump ties him with Dunn for seventh place on the list of top Trump donors compiled by OpenSecrets. The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment.According to an analysis of contributions done by OpenSecrets for POLITICO’s E&E News, Warren and his wife, Amy, have contributed nearly $28 million to federal candidates and nearly $7 million to Texas candidates since the end of 2010, almost all of it to Republicans.

North American LNG capacity to more than double by 2028 | Gas Processing & LNG - North America’s LNG export capacity is on track to more than double between 2024 and 2028, from 11.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) in 2023 to 24.4 Bcfd in 2028, if projects currently under construction begin operations as planned. During this time, we expect developers in Mexico and Canada to place their first LNG export terminals into service and in the United States to add to existing LNG capacity. By the end of 2028, we estimate LNG export capacity will grow by 0.8 Bcfd in Mexico, 2.5 Bcfd in Canada, and 9.7 Bcfd in the United States from a total of 10 new projects that are currently under construction in the three countries.

• Mexico: Developers are currently constructing two projects with a combined LNG export capacity of 0.6 Bcf/d—Fast LNG Altamira offshore on Mexico's east coast and Energía Costa Azul on Mexico's west coast.
  • Fast LNG Altamira consists of two Floating LNG production units (FLNG), each with a capacity to liquefy up to 0.199 Bcfd of natural gas, located off the coast of Altamira, in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Natural gas from the United States delivered via the Sur de Texas-Tuxpan pipeline will supply these units. The first LNG cargo from this facility was shipped in August 2024.
  • The Energia Costa Azul LNG export terminal (0.4 Bcf/d export capacity) is located at the site of the existing LNG regasification (import) terminal in Baja California in western Mexico. Developers proposed an expansion of this project in Phase 2 by 1.6 Bcf/d. This project will be supplied with natural gas from the Permian Basin in the United States.
  Developers have proposed other LNG export projects, all for Mexico’s west coast, including Saguaro Energia LNG (2 Bcfd capacity), Amigo LNG (1 Bcf/d capacity), Gato Negro LNG (0.6 Bcfd capacity), Salina Cruz LNG (0.4 Bcfd capacity), and Vista Pacifico LNG (0.5 Bcfd capacity), with a combined capacity of 4.5 Bcfd; however, none of these projects have reached a final investment decision or started construction.
• Canada: Currently, three LNG export projects with a combined capacity of 2.5 Bcfd are under construction in British Columbia on Canada’s west coast. Developers of LNG Canada (1.8 Bcfd export capacity) plan to start LNG exports from Train 1 in the summer of 2025. Woodfibre LNG (export capacity 0.3 Bcfd) targets the startup of LNG exports in 2027. Cedar LNG—an FLNG project with capacity to liquefy up to 0.4 Bcfd—made a final investment decision in June 2024 and expects to start LNG exports in 2028. These projects will be supplied with natural gas from western Canada. In addition, the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has authorized four LNG export projects, including an expansion of LNG Canada, with a combined proposed LNG export capacity of 4.1 Bcfd.
• United States: Five LNG export projects are currently under construction with a combined export capacity of 9.7 Bcfd—Plaquemines (Phase I and Phase II), Corpus Christi Stage III, Golden Pass, Rio Grande (Phase I), and Port Arthur (Phase I). Developers expect to produce the first LNG from Plaquemines LNG and Corpus Christi LNG Stage III and ship first cargoes from these projects by the end of 2024.

U.S. LNG export dominance tested as Europe's demand wilts - The United States has remained the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) so far in 2024, but a steep drop in selling prices and a sharp swing in export volumes to key markets is likely testing exporter appetite to stay on top. The U.S. shipped a record 56.9 metric MMt of LNG during the first eight months of 2024, according to Kpler. That surpassed the 54.3 MMt from Australia and 53.7 MMt from Qatar during that period, and marks only the second straight year that U.S. exporters have topped global export rankings. However, a more than 25% drop in average LNG export prices during the first half of 2024 from the first half of 2023 dealt a heavy blow to export revenues, which dropped by $4 B from the opening half of 2023 to $13.2 B, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows. That was the lowest half-year revenue total since the first half of 2021, and marks a more than $12-B fall from the second half of 2022 when U.S. export earnings from LNG peaked. U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export volumes, prices and revenues since 2010. The challenge of sharply falling revenues was compounded by a sharp reconfiguration in export volumes to key markets, which saw shipments to relatively close markets in Europe drop by more than 20% while sales to more distant Asia rose by over 40%. Continued muted LNG demand in Europe and further growth in Asia may test the resolve of U.S. exporters to remain the world's largest LNG sellers, as several far-flung Asian markets can be more cheaply supplied by other sellers. Europe's sudden jump in demand for LNG since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 snarled natural gas pipeline flows to the region has been the main catalyst behind the ascendancy of the U.S. LNG export industry. From 2018 through 2021, U.S. LNG exports to Europe averaged around 15 MMtpy, according to Kpler, but jumped to around 55 MMtpy in 2022 and 2023 as Europe's power firms scrambled to replace lost Russian gas by whatever means necessary. U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by continent since 2018. U.S. exporters were happy to help fill the gas gap, lifting total export volumes by 95% from 2019's total by the end of 2022. Europe's share of the total U.S. LNG traffic also roughly doubled, from around 37% from 2019–2021 to nearly 70% in 2022. A roughly 44% drop in shipments to Asia during 2022 from the year before also allowed U.S. LNG sellers to prioritize Europe over all other customers, and capitalize on the unprecedented supply shock that roiled global gas markets during that period. U.S. LNG shipments to Europe scaled even greater heights in 2023, but the tone has changed in 2024, with shipments from January through August dropping by 22% from the same months in 2023. A key driver behind that slowdown has been a sharp climb in European power generation from renewable energy sources, which remain a priority for Europe's power firms going forward. Solar and wind power's share of electricity generation in Europe jumped from around 16.4% in 2022 to 20.5% so far in 2024, according to Ember. To make way for the higher renewables generation, fossil fuel generation's share dropped from around 44.6% in 2022 to 36.6% so far this year. Coal-fired power has been the main fossil fuel source that has been cut in Europe, but natural gas generation's share has also declined, from around 26% in 2022 to 22% so far this year. Lower gas reliance across Europe is bad news for U.S. LNG exporters. To make up for lower sales into Europe, U.S. exporters may attempt to grow share in Asia, which is a clear bright spot for global gas sellers. However, other major exporters including Qatar and Australia boast far lower shipping distances to key Asian markets, on top of competitive gas liquefaction charges. Shipments to India, for example, can take five times longer from Cove Point in the U.S. than from Ras Laffan in Qatar, LSEG data shows. And Australia can ship LNG to southern China in under nine days, compared to 35 days from the U.S. East Coast.

Mexico Arising as Potential Ally in Southeast Asian Energy Security — Energy demand in Southeast Asia is on a strong upward trajectory, driven by urbanization, industrial growth and the changing energy matrix in the region. Energy policy priorities for governments in the region are to maintain energy security, affordability and sustainability, but their infrastructure gaps make it difficult for them to achieve full connectivity. In this context, liquefied natural gas has emerged as one of the energy sources with the greatest potential. Indonesia and Malaysia play a dual role in both receiving and sending out LNG.

Vista Energy to pump more than $1 billion into growing Argentina shale (Reuters) - In a push to unlock more of the oil riches buried in a massive shale deposit in Argentina, Vista Energy will invest about $1.1 billion this year as it also aims to cut costs there by double digits, the firm's chief executive told Reuters. Miguel Galuccio, Vista Energy's founder and CEO, offered the near-term development plan for the Vaca Muerta shale formation in a Zoom interview from New York , where he was celebrating the company's five-year anniversary on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares have surged more than 460% since the company's initial public offering. The company also trades on the main stock index in Mexico, where it operates an onshore field. But Vaca Muerta, the world's largest shale project in development outside the United States, is by far the company's top project. It is also the Argentine government's main hope for reversing a longstanding energy deficit that has forced it to finance costly imports over decades. Galuccio noted how the project has taken off in just over a decade. "In 2012, Vaca Muerta was for believers. Today Vaca Muerta is for engineers," he said, touting expected production gains. Since last year, output from the deposit has more than doubled to reach 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in this year's second quarter. The breakneck growth will likely continue as output in the fourth quarter is seen hitting 85,000 boepd, on its way to reaching 100,000 boepd in 2026 and 150,000 boepd by the end of the decade, said Galuccio. To prime the expansion, Vista will invest in more wells and related transport infrastructure in the area, located in Argentina's western Neuquen province, where it already has 1,150 new well locations identified across more than 200,000 acres, according to company data. The former chief executive of state-owned oil producer YPF, Galuccio said Vista added its third drilling rig to its Vaca Muerta operations earlier this year and will bring on a second fracking crew in the fourth quarter. The technique requires blasting sand, toxic chemicals and large quantities of water into wells, which environmentalists criticize as harmful to aquifers and likely linked to a rise in earthquakes. While Vaca Muerta's lifting costs settled at $4.50 per barrel in the second quarter, the executive sees the extraction costs dipping around 11% to $4 by 2026. He described the expected cost at near the technical limit, from about $18 per barrel when production began. Galuccio flagged that insufficient pipeline capacity was the local industry's biggest bottleneck last year, but pointed to plans to address that by doubling capacity on midstream operator Oldelval's pipeline network, as well as separate expansions on the Vaca Muerta Sur and Norte pipelines. He also stressed that Argentina could use more help developing the massive shale formation, which is about the size of Belgium. "Vaca Muerta needs more Vistas and more investment," he said..

LNG tankers line up at Malaysia's Bintulu complex after maintenance -A backlog of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers is waiting to load at Malaysia's Bintulu terminal this week after outages and maintenance work disrupted production, according to industry sources and shiptracking data. The Bintulu facility in Sarawak, controlled by state-owned Petronas, consists of nine LNG production trains run by four different operators with total capacity of nearly 30 metric MMtpy, making it the largest LNG-exporting complex in Asia. Petronas' MLNG joint venture completed planned maintenance on its train 7 in August, while Train 4 had issues that required unplanned maintenance, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. One of the sources said that Trains 8 and 9 had also undergone unplanned maintenance in August. All four of the affected trains are now back up, the source said, declining to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to media. Petronas had previously requested that buyers defer some LNG loadings from its Bintulu complex due to operational issues at one production train, Reuters reported in August. A Rystad Energy report on Friday said that Trains 7 and 8 at Bintulu, operated by Petronas' Tiga joint venture, were facing issues. "The Petronas-operated Tiga project in Bintulu, Malaysia, is ... facing reduced capacity due to upstream gas issues for Train 7 and a glitch in the heat exchanger for Train 8, likely resulting in delivery delays for the fourth quarter of 2024," analyst Masanori Odaka wrote. At least seven LNG tankers were waiting to load at the Bintulu terminal as of Tuesday, with loading dates for some of them pushed back slightly, shiptracking data showed. Kpler analyst Go Katayama said that typically there would be two to three LNG vessels waiting to load at Bintulu. The LNG tanker Dukhan was scheduled to load on Tuesday, Kpler data showed, but the ship was still waiting off Bintulu as of Tuesday afternoon. LSEG data on Tuesday showed that the loading dates for Dukhan and another tanker, Oceanic Breeze, were pushed back by a day to Sept. 7. Asian spot LNG prices increased last week amid the production issues at Bintulu and an unplanned outage at Australia's Ichthys LNG, rising 20 cents to $14.00/MMBtu on Friday.

Supply Disruptions, Maintenance Not Enough to Sustain Global Natural Gas Price Gains — European and Asian natural gas prices fell again on Tuesday amid weak demand, but the losses could be shortlived as concerns over potential supply disruptions persist. NGI's LNG export flow tracker chart. In Europe, the prompt Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) contract fell 4% Tuesday to finish slightly above $12/MMBtu. It was the second straight session of declines following a period of strong gains in August, when the contract increased by 10% during the month. LNG plant outages, heavy Norwegian maintenance, ongoing geopolitical tensions in Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as hotter weather, all combined to push prices higher.

Egypt counts on foreign funds to buy gas as power crisis worsens --Saudi Arabia and Libya have financed the purchase of gas cargoes worth at least $200 MM to help Egypt ease its energy crisis this summer amid a steep decline in domestic gas output, two industry sources familiar with the matter said. Egypt needs some $2 B worth of gas to cover summer demand through October, according to one of the two sources familiar with the government's plan, but a hard currency crisis means it lacks funds to fully cover imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). "Without support from our friends in the Gulf, we won't be able to pay for these shipments," one of the sources said. He added officials were looking to raise more money from allies. The two sources said Saudi Arabia had financed three of the 32 LNG cargoes Cairo has bought so far this year, which according to Reuters calculations are worth around $150 MM at current prices. Libya bought one cargo in July worth around $50 MM with funds of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, the sources added. Egypt’s gas bill and funding from Saudi Arabia and Libya have not been previously reported. A spokesperson for Egypt's petroleum ministry said gas tender details were confidential. The Saudi government, Saudi Arabia's central bank and Libya's state energy firm NOC did not respond to requests for comment. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have poured tens of billions of dollars into Egypt to support President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who they view as an important ally. Egypt has had to resort to load-shedding in the last year to keep its grid functioning amid a lack of gas supply and rising demand, and the deepening energy crisis is straining Cairo's budget as it grapples with a heavy subsidies bill. Sisi's government has boosted fuel and food subsidies this summer, but those increases do not offset a 60% devaluation in the Egyptian pound since March 2024, leaving Egypt's growing population struggling with the rising costs of living. Egypt’s foreign debt reached $154 B in May, close to end-2023's all-time high of $168 B. "This financial burden (of the gas bill) comes at a critical time for Egypt as it faces troubles reining in its subsidy bill, which could have an impact on social security and overall stability,"

Russia's Gazprom says H1 net income more than tripled to $10.9 B --Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday its first-half net income more than tripled from a year earlier to more than 1 T roubles ($10.9 B), thanks to rising gas exports and cost controls. Gazprom plunged to a net loss of around $7 B in 2023, its first year in the red since 1999, as its gas trade with Europe, once its main sales market, dwindled due to the military conflict in Ukraine. Deputy CEO Famil Sadygov also said on Gazprom's Telegram channel that core earnings in the January to June period rose 19% year on year to 1.459 T roubles due to an improving oil trade and a rise in gas exports, including to China. He added that a rise in Gazprom's stake in the Sakhalin Energy oil and gas project in Russia's Pacific also boosted its financials, while adjusted net profit, the base for the dividend payment, reached 779 B roubles for six months. Gazprom said it swung to a second-quarter net income of 389.7 B roubles from a loss of 18.6 B roubles a year before. Russia has continued to diversify its trade away from the West, which has imposed numerous unprecedented sanctions against Russian business and individuals over the conflict with Ukraine, and cemented its ties with Asia, notably China. Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller said earlier on Thursday that the group increased natural gas exports to China by 37% in the first eight months of the year.

U.S. Again Sanctions Russia’s LNG Shadow Fleet to Stymie Operations -The U.S. government has imposed additional sanctions to hinder operations at Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 by further targeting a shadow fleet of tankers assembled to move cargoes from the facility. None The United States added the New Energy and Mulan vessels to a list of seven others that were sanctioned late last month. The State Department also sanctioned the vessels’ owner, Gotik Energy Shipping Co., and commercial manager Pilo Energy Cargo Shipping OPC PVT Ltd. Both companies are based in India. The sanctions are part of a broader package first rolled out by U.S. officials last year against the 19.8 million metric tons/year Arctic LNG 2 facility.

LNG entities under U.S. sanctions to curb Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project - The U.S. has imposed sanctions on hundreds of entities and individuals for supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine, including companies supporting the development of Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project and its shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as other future energy projects. The Arctic LNG 2 project by Russia's Novatek is subject to Western sanctions over Russia's conflict with Ukraine. The project had been due to become Russia's largest LNG plant with eventual output of 19.8 million metric tons per year of LNG from three trains. Below are the companies designated by the U.S. state department, as well as the vessels they own or manage, according to data from Equasis and Kpler: The U.S. state department said on Aug. 24 the Pioneer and Asya Energy vessels had entered Russian waters in late July, and had shut off and manipulated their automatic identification system (AIS) to broadcast false locations. While producing a false AIS signature, Pioneer and Asya Energy loaded LNG from the Arctic LNG 2 facility on Aug. 1-3 and 9-11 respectively, said the state department, citing commercial satellite imagery. Ocean Speedstar Solutions and Zara Shipholding did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In another round of sanctions on Sept. 5, the U.S. state department said New Energy used deceptive shipping practices, including shutting off its AIS, to load cargo from Arctic LNG 2 via a ship-to-ship transfer with the Pioneer vessel on Aug. 25. The four vessels have transshipped LNG from Russia's Yamal LNG project despite being originally intended for Arctic LNG 2 use, said the U.S. state department, adding that it is committed to blocking the expansion of Russia's existing LNG fleet. "Further, this transshipment of LNG by vessels with obfuscated ownership could eventually help Russia circumvent EU restrictions prohibiting the transshipment of Russian-origin LNG through European ports," it said. The state department also targeted Novatek China Holdings Co Ltd, a China-based firm established in August 2023 to market LNG from Arctic LNG 2. It also designated Russian construction firm Limited Liability Company Ekropromstroy used as a special purpose vehicle to sell equity stakes in Arctic LNG 2, and UAE-based Waterfall Engineering that provided parts to Arctic LNG 2 in 2023. The United States in addition designated several Russian-based companies involved in the development of the future Yakutia LNG project, one of the largest prospective LNG production projects in Russia. They include LLC Power of Yakutia, LLC Yakutstroiproekt and LLC Liquefied Natural Gas Yakutia.

Turkey Inks 10-Year, 4 Bcm Agreement to Buy U.S. LNG from Shell -Turkey’s state-owned Botaş Petroleum Pipeline Corp. is growing its LNG portfolio and the country’s potential as a natural gas hub with another long-term supply deal with a global market giant. A graph showing the amount of yearly LNG imports to Turkey from 2020 to September 2024. The firm, which controls Turkey’s extensive natural gas and oil pipelines and terminals, inked a 10-year agreement with Shell plc’s Middle East marketing arm for 4 Bcm, or around 2.9 million metric tons/year (mmty). Deliveries of liquefied natural gas from Shell’s U.S. portfolio are expected to begin in 2027.

Brent crude oil fell to 76.3 dollars per barrel - Oil prices fell on Monday on statistical data from China, which showed an increase in the decline in activity in the country's industrial sector, Azernews reports. The purchasing managers' Index (PMI) in the processing industry of the People's Republic of China in August fell to 49.1 points compared with 49.4 points a month earlier, the index value below 50 points indicates a decline in activity in the sector. The industrial PMI has been below this level for the fourth month. The price of November Brent futures on the London ICE Futures exchange was $76.33 per barrel, which is $ 0.6 (0.78%) lower than at the close of previous trading. WTI crude futures for October on the electronic trading of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) fell in price by $ 0.53 (0.72%) to $ 73.02 per barrel. Last week, Brent fell by 0.3%, WTI - by 1.7%. In August, prices decreased by 2.4% and 5.6%, respectively, according to Dow Jones. Signals of a decline in activity in the industrial sector of the People's Republic of China reinforce expectations of weakening energy demand in the country, while OPEC+ countries are preparing to partially abandon voluntary production restrictions from October. According to Bloomberg, the countries of the alliance still intend to increase production by 180 thousand barrels per day from next month. At the moment, there is no evidence that this decision can be postponed, the agency's sources say.

The Oil Market Sold Off Sharply Following the Long Labor Day Holiday -- The oil market sold off sharply on Tuesday, following the long Labor Day holiday on Monday, after reports that a deal was imminent to resolve a dispute that has halted Libyan production and exports. During Monday’s holiday shortened session, the crude market traded higher and posted a high of $74.41, recovering some losses from late last week, as Libya’s oil exports remained halted and Libya’s National Oil Corp declared force majeure on its El Feel oilfield. However, the oil market erased Monday’s gains and sold off as sluggish economic growth in China increased demand concerns. Weaker than expected Chinese manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index over the weekend exacerbated concerns about China’s economy. The market was further pressured by the reports that a deal to resolve a dispute that halted Libya’s oil production and exports was imminent. The crude market extended its losses to $3.45 as it posted a low of $70.10 ahead of the close. The October WTI contract settled down $3.21 at $70.34, the lowest settlement since December 12th. The November Brent contract settled down $3.77 at $73.75. The product markets also ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 4.55 cents at $2.206 and the RB market settling down 2.34 cents at $1.9777. The legislative bodies representing Libya’s two regions agreed on Tuesday to appoint jointly a central bank governor, potentially defusing a battle over control of the country’s oil revenue that has cut output. The House of Representatives in Benghazi and the High State Council signed a joint statement after two days of talks hosted by the U.N. Support Mission in Libya. They agreed to appoint a central bank governor and board of directors within 30 days. Two engineers said Libya’s 70,000 bpd El Feel oilfield is “now undergoing major maintenance that will take time”, following the country’s National Oil Corporation’s declaration of force majeure on the field as of Monday, September 2nd. Several engineers said oil exports at major Libyan ports were halted on Monday and production curtailed across the country, amid a standoff between rival political factions over control of the central bank and oil revenue. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 263,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending September 6th, increasing available refining capacity by 162,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 559,000 bpd in the week ending September 13th. Saudi shipping firm Bahri said its tanker Amjad was not targeted in a Red Sea attack, and that it had been spared any damage from the incident that hit another tanker that was sailing nearby. The U.S. Central Command said Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked two crude oil tankers, the Saudi-flagged Amjad and the Panama-flagged Blue Lagoon I, in the Red Sea on Monday with two ballistic missiles and a one-way attack uncrewed aerial system, hitting both vessels. According to a Reuters survey, OPEC oil output fell in August to its lowest since January as unrest that disrupted Libyan supply added to the impact of ongoing voluntary supply cuts by other members and the wider OPEC+ alliance. OPEC produced 26.36 million bpd last month, down 340,000 bpd from July.

Oil slumps about 5% as end to Libyan dispute in sight (Reuters) - Oil prices settled nearly 5% down on Tuesday at their lowest levels in nearly nine months on signs of a deal to resolve a dispute that has halted Libyan crude production and exports. Brent crude futures closed down $3.77, or 4.9%, at $73.75 a barrel, their lowest level since Dec. 12. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) , which did not settle on Monday because of the U.S. Labor Day holiday, fell $3.21, or 4.4%, to $70.34 - also their lowest since December. Brent closed down 0.3% last week, while WTI settled 1.7% lower. Libya's legislative bodies have agreed to appoint a new central bank governor within 30 days after U.N.-sponsored talks, a statement signed by representatives of those bodies said on Tuesday. Libyan oil exports at major ports were halted on Monday and production curtailed across the country, six engineers told Reuters, continuing a standoff between rival political factions over control of the central bank and oil revenue. The speculation about a deal was triggering momentum selling, said Ole Hansen, an analyst at Saxo Bank. Libya's National Oil Corp (NOC) declared force majeure on its El Feel oilfield from Sept. 2. Total production had plunged to little more than 591,000 barrels per day (bpd) as of Aug. 28 from nearly 959,000 bpd on Aug. 26, NOC said. Production was at about 1.28 million bpd on July 20, the company said. Ahead of the news of more Libyan supply possibly returning to the market, prices had fallen on the belief that demand was being undercut because of sluggish economic growth in China, the world's biggest crude importer. "The weaker-than-expected Chinese manufacturing PMI over the weekend likely exacerbated concerns about the Chinese economy's performance," China reported on Monday that new export orders fell for the first time in eight months in July and that prices of new homes rose in August at their weakest pace this year. Hopes that the U.S. driving season would propel prices to new 2024 highs this summer have also failed to materialize, U.S. gasoline futures fell nearly 6% to their lowest since December 2021, as the end of the summer driving season weighed on demand for the motor fuel. "The fact that recent data shows no signs of any acceleration in import demand in China, Europe or North America points to a situation where the oil market is not going to be as tight as expected a few months ago," Some supply is set to return to the market as eight members of OPEC and affiliates, together known as OPEC+, are scheduled to boost output by 180,000 bpd in October. The plan is likely to go ahead regardless of demand worries, industry sources said. Disruptions to supply flows from the Middle East after two oil tankers were attacked on Monday in the Red Sea off Yemen were not enough to buoy prices. The tankers did not sustain major damage.

The Parties Vying for Control in Libya Reached an Agreement -- The crude market continued to trend lower on Wednesday as bearish sentiment seems to be dominating the narrative. While the market fell sharply on Tuesday following reports that the parties vying for control in Libya reached an agreement that may lead to the resumption of the country’s crude exports, the market seemed to discount the fact that Libya’s output remains shut. In overnight trading, the oil market continued to trade lower in follow through selling. The market later traded back above the $71.00 level to a high of $71.46 amid the news that OPEC delegates are discussing whether they should delay an oil output increase of 180,000 bpd starting in October due to the recent decline in prices. However, the market once again erased its gains and sold off to a low of $69.11 ahead of the close. The October WTI contract settled down $1.07 at $68.52 continued to sell off in the post settlement period to a low of $68.90. Meanwhile, the October Brent contract settled down $1.05 at $72.70. The product markets also ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 4.85 cents at $2.1575 and the RB market settling down 1.59 cents at $1.9618. UBS believes the oil market is undersupplied despite weak Chinese oil demand as demand remains strong in other countries, supply growth disappointed in some non-OPEC+ states. It said oil prices are likely to remain volatile in the near term. It maintains a positive outlook and expects oil prices to recover from current levels over the coming months. It expects prices to recover, with Brent prices moving back up above $80/barrel over the coming months. Citi said that if OPEC+ doesn’t reduce production further, the average price of oil could fall to $60/barrel in 2025 due to reduced demand and increased supply from non-OPEC countries. Citi said that while a technical rebound was possible, the market could lose confidence in OPEC+ defending the $70/barrel level if the group does not commit to extending current output cuts indefinitely. Citi analysts said that if Brent prices fall into the $60s, financial flows could drive them down further, possibly to $50/barrel before a potential rebound. Citi recommends selling into rallies when Brent approaches $80, given the current market dynamics. Bloomberg is reporting that OPEC+ is discussing a possible delay to an oil output increase planned for October, which is scheduled to increase the group’s production quotas by 180,000 b/d. Last week, the group looked set to proceed with a 180,000 bpd increase in October, but market volatility from oil facility shutdowns in Libya and a weak demand outlook have raised concern within the group. Eight OPEC+ members are scheduled to raise output by 180,000 bpd in October as part of a plan to begin unwinding their most recent layer of output cuts of 2.2 million bpd while keeping other cuts in place until the end of next year. A 600,000 barrel oil tanker Front Jaguar was loading at Libya’s Brega port on Wednesday, despite a blockade that has halted other exports. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 529,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending September 6th, cutting available refining capacity by 104,000 bpd. Teamsters members working at Marathon Petroleum’s 140,000 bpd Detroit refinery will go on a strike starting Wednesday after months of pay and safety related negotiations with the company did not yield results. Marathon said it does not expect the strike to impact operations at the facility.

Crude futures settle down by more than $1/bbl on demand fears (Reuters) - Crude futures fell by more than $1 a barrel on Wednesday in see-saw trading, with traders worried about demand in coming months as crude producers offered mixed signals about supply increases. Brent crude futures settled down $1.05, or 1.42%, to $72.70 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled down $1.14, or 1.62%, at $69.20. During the session, both benchmarks swung from $1 down to $1 up following news OPEC+ was discussing delaying a possible output increase because Libyan production is expected to rise. In a broader sell-off, Brent crude futures tumbled as much as 11%, or about $9, in a little over a week, hitting a low of $72.63 on Wednesday. Lackluster data from the U.S. and China reinforced expectations of a weaker global economy and oil demand, helping set off a broader decline in world markets. "It's definitely worries about a slowdown in manufacturing," "That's the only negative we're seeing." Meanwhile, traders believed there could be an end in sight to a dispute halting Libyan oil exports, which would bring more crude supply back online. "This sell off moved the attention to what OPEC+’s response would be, which last week looked set to start the planned output hikes in October," . "The group is now concerned about pricing and sources say that a delay to the hikes is now being discussed." Recent data releases fed concerns of weak demand from China, the world's biggest crude importer, and U.S. consumption taking a hit. On Saturday, Chinese data showed manufacturing activity sank to a six-month low in August, when growth in new home prices slowed. On Tuesday in the U.S., the Institute for Supply Management data showed manufacturing remained subdued. Weekly U.S. oil inventory data was delayed by Monday's Labor Day holiday. The report from the American Petroleum Institute is due at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) on Wednesday and data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration will be published at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday. U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have fallen last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed. While traders were pessimistic on demand fears, changes in supply could easily change sentiments, . "We could flip on a dime," "It could very easily turn positive. We could see a pretty decent crude draw later today."

US oil futures higher after US inventories draw; sentiment fragile -- U.S. crude oil futures edged higher Thursday, helped by a larger-than-expected decline in weekly US domestic crude stocks as well a possible delay to the arrival of additional supply to the market. At 07:55 ET (11:55 GMT), Crude Oil WTI Futures traded 0.4% higher at $69.48 a barrel, while Brentfutures gained 0.6% to $73.12 a barrel.U.S. crude inventories decreased by about 7.4 million barrels for the week ended Aug. 30, according to data from the American Petroleum Institute released on Wednesday, compared with a decline of 3.4M barrels the previous week. Economists were expecting a decline of just 900,000 barrels.Gasoline stockpiles fell by about 300,000 barrels, while distillate inventories -- the class of fuels that includes diesel and heating oil -- fell by 400,000 barrels.The official government inventory report is due later in the session.Also helping the tone were reports that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, next month was considering delaying oil output hikes, which had been planned for next month.Eight OPEC+ members are scheduled to boost output by 180,000 barrels per day in October, as part of a plan to begin unwinding their most recent layer of supply cuts of 2.2 million barrels per day. "If these reports turn out to be correct, the next key question is how long the group will delay their supply increases. The oil balance is in surplus through 2025 (assuming OPEC+ increases supply) and so continuing cuts into 2025 might make sense," said analysts at ING, in a note.However, gains are still limited Thursday amid concerns about global demand with a number of important economies showing signs of stress.A official survey released over the weekend indicated that China's manufacturing activity sank to a six-month low in August, raising doubts about future consumption from this key market.European economies are also struggling, while all eyes will be on further U.S. macroeconomic indicators later Thursday, including jobs data, to see how the world's largest economy is proceeding.

Oil Slides Despite Huge Draw Sending Total US Crude Inventories To 2024 Low With oil trading at 2024 lows, despite a report earlier denying last week's Reuters fake news that OPEC+ would hike output in October which sent oil prices tumbling, and despite last night's API report that a whopping 7.4 million in crude oil were drawn in the past week with draws also in all other categories, moments ago the DOE confirmed what we warned recently, namely that as CTAs - and the Kamala/Biden oil trading desk - are aggressively shorting oil into oblivion, oil demand remains resilient and very soon we may hit tank bottoms... ... when it reported another huge draw in the last week. Here is what API reported yesterday, and what the DOE said this morning: API ":

• Crude -7.4mm (exp. -1mm)
• Gasoline -0.3mm
• Distillates -0.4mm
• Cushing -0.8mm

DOE

• Crude -6.873k (exp. -0.3mm)
• Gasoline +848k
• Distillates -371k
• Cushing -1.142mm

Of note, US Crude stocks declined for the 9th week in the past 10 (my much more than expected) as Gasoline inventories rose fractionally reversing 3 weeks of draws while distillates were flat. But what is perhaps most interesting is the continued drain of Cushing, where a few more weeks of this decline and everyone will be talking about tank bottoms. One reason for the large oil draw is that in the past week, the Biden admin added a notable 1.8mm barrels to the SPR, the largest increase since June 2020. That pushed the total US Crude stockpile down to its lowest since January...... with Cushing stocks rapidly approaching the 20MM level many consider tank bottoms.The collapse in US inventories takes place as US crude production remained at an all time record high (and despite a continued decline in oil rigs).

Implications of OPEC+ Decision on the Oil Market - Discussions Between OPEC+ Producers on Delaying the Output Increases Scheduled for October - The oil market continued on its downward trend despite some supportive news that initially limited the market’s losses. The market held support in overnight trading following reports of discussions between OPEC+ producers on Wednesday about delaying the output increases that are scheduled to begin in October. The market retraced some of its losses and traded in a sideways trading range from $69.15 to $70.15. The crude market later rallied higher to a high of $70.82 on the announcement by OPEC that eight members of OPEC+ will extend their voluntary output cuts by two months until the end of November. The market was further supported by the larger than expected draw in crude stocks reported by the EIA. The weekly petroleum stocks report showed a draw of over 6.8 million barrels on the week. However, as bearish sentiment once again overshadowed any supportive news, the market erased its gains and sold off to a low of $68.75 ahead of the close. The October WTI contract settled down 5 cents at $69.15 while the October Brent contract settled down 1 cent at $72.69. The product markets ended the session mixed with the heating oil market settling up 1.14 cents at $2.1689 and the RB market settling down 3.6 cents at $1.9258.The EIA reported that U.S. crude oil inventories fell to their lowest since September 2023 as imports fell, while gasoline stockpiles increased with the end of the summer driving season. Crude inventories fell by 6.9 million barrels to 418.3 million barrels in the week ending August 30^th. Net U.S. crude imports fell last week by 853,000 bpd to 2.0 million bpd, while exports increased by 85,000 bpd to 3.8 million bpd. Crude stocks in Cushing, Oklahoma fell by 1.1 million barrels.OPEC said eight members of OPEC+, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, will extend their voluntary output cuts by two months until the end of November. It said the participating countries agreed to extend their additional voluntary production cuts of 2.2 million bpd.HSBC said in a report that any decision by OPEC+ might be taken negatively by the market. Holding off its output increase may be interpreted as a belated admission by OPEC that oil demand is weak. It said increasing production would tip the oil market into a meaningful surplus from the first quarter of 2025 onwards. HSBC said its Brent price forecasts remain at $80/barrel for the second half of 2024 and $76.50/barrel for 2025. However, it stated that downside risks are increasing.RBC Capital analyst, Helima Croft, said that it may be prudent for OPEC+ to wait until December before returning extra barrels.Shipping data showed that Libyan oil exports remained mostly halted on Thursday, but some tankers were being allowed to load crude from storage, with output still curtailed amid a political standoff over the central bank and oil revenue. Engineers said an oil tanker, Kriti Samaria, has been approved for entry into Libya’s Zueitina port on Thursday evening or Friday to load 600,000 barrels of crude oil and will head to Italy. The tanker will be permitted to load oil from storage. Another tanker, the Front Jaguar, was loading crude from storage at Libya’s Brega port.

WTI hovers around $68.50 close to nine-month lows -West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Oil price trades around $68.60 during the Asian hours on Friday, hovering around 68.37 lowest since December 2023, which was recorded on Thursday. Crude Oil prices depreciate due to concerns over demand in both the United States (US) and China. The US ISM Manufacturing PMI indicated that factory activity contracted for the fifth consecutive month, with the pace of decline slightly exceeding expectations. Additionally, the world's biggest crude importer China showed that manufacturing activity fell to a six-month low in August, with factory gate prices dropping significantly. On Thursday, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a Crude Oil Stocks Change, which reduced by 6.873 million barrels of crude Oil inventory for the week ending August 30. This was significantly larger than the market's expectation of a 0.9 million-barrel decrease, following the prior reduction of 0.846 million barrels. The downside of the Oil prices would be restrained due to ongoing discussions between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies led by Russia (OPEC+), regarding a delay in planned output increases set to begin in October. According to Reuters, OPEC+ decided to postpone the scheduled Oil output increase for October and November and indicated that further delays or reversals of the hikes could be considered if necessary. WTI prices may find support from the dovish comments made by Federal Reserve (Fed) officials, which enhance the chances of an aggressive rate cut by the Fed in September. Lower borrowing costs could stimulate economic activity in the United States, potentially boosting Oil demand. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said on Friday that the longer-run trend of the labor market and inflation data justify the Fed easing interest-rate policy soon and then steadily over the next year. FXStreet’s FedTracker, which gauges the tone of Fed officials’ speeches on a dovish-to-hawkish scale from 0 to 10 using a custom AI model, rated Goolsbee’s words as neutral with a score of 3.8. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, markets are fully anticipating at least a 25 basis point (bps) rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its September meeting. The likelihood of a 50 bps rate cut has risen to 41.0%, up from 30.0% a week ago.

Oil settles down 2%, big weekly drop after US jobs data (Reuters) - Oil prices settled 2% lower on Friday, with a big weekly loss after data U.S. jobs data was weaker than expected in August, which outweighed price support from a delay to supply increases by OPEC+ producers. Brent crude futures were down $1.63, or 2.24%, to $71.06 a barrel, their lowest level since Dec. 2021. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.48, or 2.14%, to$67.67, their lowest since June 2023. For the week, Brent declined 10%, while WTI dropped around 8%. U.S. government data showed employment increased less than expected in August, but a drop in the jobless rate to 4.2% suggested an orderly labor market slowdown that may not warrant a big interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve this month. "The jobs report was a little soft and implied that the economy in the U.S. is on the slide," Concerns around Chinese demand also kept pressuring oil prices. On Thursday, Brent settled at its lowest since June 2023 despite a withdrawal from U.S. oil inventories and a decision by OPEC+ to delay planned oil output increases. U.S. crude stockpiles fell by 6.9 million barrels to 418.3 million barrels last week, compared with a projected decline of 993,000 barrels in a Reuters poll of analysts. Signals that Libya's rival factions could be closer to an agreement to end the dispute that has halted the country's crude exports also pressured oil prices this week. Exports remained mostly shut in but some loadings have been permitted from storage. Bank of America lowered its Brent price forecast for the second half of 2024 to $75 a barrel from almost $90 previously, it said in a note on Friday, citing building global inventories, weaker demand growth and OPEC+ spare production capacity. The U.S. active oil rig count, an early indicator of future output, remained unchanged at 483 this week, energy services firm Baker Hughes reported on Friday. Money managers cut their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week to Sept. 3, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday.

Oil prices drop 8% for the week, pressured by prospects of a slowdown in demand Oil futures fell sharply on Friday to post a weekly drop of about 8%, with global benchmark prices settling at their lowest since 2021, driven by worries over a slowdown in demand. Weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data on Friday raised concerns over the economy, but also fueled expectations that the Federal Reserve will soon reduce interest rates to avoid a recession. An agreement by major oil producers on Thursday to postpone plans to increase oil production ultimately failed to provide any support the crude market. November Brent crude, the global benchmark, declined by $1.63, or 2.2%, to end at $71.06 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe - the lowest front-month finish since Dec. 3, 2021. It posted a weekly decline of 7.6%.West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery fell $1.48, or 2.1%, to settle at $67.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest finish since June 12, 2023, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Prices lost 8% for the week.October gasoline RBV24 shed nearly 1.6% to $1.90 a gallon, ending 9.4% lower for the week, while October heating oil HOV24 lost 2.5% to $2.12 a gallon, for a weekly loss of 7.2%.Natural gas for October delivery NGV24 settled at $2.28 per million British thermal units, up 0.9% for the week to log a weekly rise of 7%. Prices for oil had moved up shortly after the disappointing U.S. jobs data, which lifted prospects for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut that is likely to stimulate economic growth, and oil demand along with it. But the weaker jobs report also intensified concerns over oil demand, Traders will continue to pay attention to economic data, especially the U.S. consumer price index reading Wednesday, he said. That's the last major U.S. data release before the Federal Open Market Committee's two-day policy meeting starts on Sept. 17. The U.S. economy created 142,000 new jobs in August data on Friday showed, below the 161,000 forecast by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal. The unemployment rate fell to 4.2% from 4.3%, declining for the first time in five months. The smaller-than-expected gain was "probably just enough to tip the Fed in favour of a measured 25 [basis point] rate cut this month, rather than a more dramatic move," said Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, in a note. "But the labour market is clearly experiencing a marked slowdown." WTI and Brent wiped out 2024 gains this week with analysts citing fears over a global economic slowdown. With oil slumping, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies said on Thursday they would extend voluntary oil production cuts of 2.2 million barrels a day for two months to the end of November. The reductions will be "gradually phased out on a monthly basis starting Dec. 1, 2024." The cuts had previously been scheduled to be phased out beginning in October. OPEC+ has been "backed into a corner; they can't unwind production cuts without pushing prices further [down] into the $60s," "The bigger challenge comes for them given seasonality - supply is going to outpace demand over October and November, as long as Libyan supply issues are resolved," he said. In a note, Barbara Lambrecht, commodity analyst at Commerzbank, said "the final agreement on a postponement of two months has so far only helped the oil price to a limited extent - after all, 'postponed is not canceled,' but it shows that OPEC+ is continuing its efforts to stabilize prices." Meanwhile, traders keeping an eye on weather systems forming in the Atlantic, with more than two months left in the Atlantic hurricane season. "The Atlantic Hurricane Map has splotches all over it," with forecasters at the National Hurricane Center keeping an eye on weather disturbances swirling in the Atlantic Basin. "It is so difficult to predict what is going to happen to those potential storms," said Kpler's Smith. "If one makes landfall on the western side of the U.S. Gulf, then it would likely lean bearish crude and bullish products because of an impact to refinery operations," he said. "If a storm makes landfall further east in the U.S. Gulf towards Louisiana, then it would lean morre bullish for crude because of likely production shut-ins in Gulf of Mexico.".

Saudi Economy Chalks Up 'Robust' Growth As MbS Sits Out Of Regional Conflicts -Saudi Arabia’s economy has powered ahead despite Israel’s war in Gaza and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, suggesting that the kingdom’s efforts to distance itself from regional tensions are paying off, literally. "Geopolitical events in the Middle East have not had any major impact on the Saudi economy so far," the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its latest report published on the kingdom’s economy.The report says that Saudi oil exports are not dependent on the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthis have targeted commercial ships, in what they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Likewise, Saudi Arabia’s tourism numbers "remain strong". In general, the IMF painted a rosy picture of Saudi Arabia’s economy, with a strong banking system, growing home ownership and "robust" non-oil economic growth. The report underscores the divergence between Gulf economies and those of poorer states like Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, whose already weak economies have been battered by Israel’s war.Saudi Arabia will take the IMF report as affirmation that it has successfully maneuvered to avoid getting sucked into the Gaza war. Saudi Arabia has become more vocal in calling for Israel to take steps towards a Palestinian state and has frozen talks to normalise ties with Israel, but it has held off on any further measures in solidarity with the Palestinians.Saudi Arabia has also avoided joining the US’s military campaign against its one-time foe, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. As the group wages a war on commercial shipping, Saudi Arabia has relaxed banking restrictions on them and resumed flights to Yemen.Despite tensions over Gaza that have raised concerns about a regional conflict, Saudi Arabia has been focused on economic growth as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 program, designed to wean the Saudi economy off of petrodollars.The program is bearing fruit. At the end of 2023, Saudi Arabia’s unemployment rate reached a historic low, mainly because of a growth in private sector jobs, the IMF said. Saudi Arabia’s non-oil GDP hit 3.8 percent in 2023, marking a slowdown from 2022 when it reached 5.3 percent, but was still “robust” thanks to strong investment and private consumption. However, the IMF also noted that Saudi Arabia has "recalibrated" some of its more ambitious mega-projects. The kingdom has had to scale back Neom, a $1.5 trillion megacity project which organizers claim will eventually be 33 times the size of New York City and include a 170km straight-line city. Instead of 1.5 million people living in the city by 2030, Saudi officials now anticipate fewer than 300,000 residents. Meanwhile, only 2.4km of the city is set to be completed by 2030.The crown prince's program is dependent on oil revenue. The IMF estimates that Saudi Arabia needs oil prices at $96 per barrel to balance its budget, roughly $20 less than they are now. The kingdom has tried to balance its efforts to support oil prices by cutting output and pumping crude before global energy demand peaks.The IMF’s assessment that Saudi Arabia's oil revenue is likely to decline quicker than previously estimated will raise concerns among Saudi officials. Revenue is expected to rise to $209bn in 2026, roughly 26 percent of GDP, before declining faster in 2029 to 4.1 percent less than expected earlier.

Cabinet underscores Saudi efforts to end Israeli aggression on Palestinians - Saudi Gazette — The session of the Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday, underscored Saudi Arabia's relentless efforts to put an end to Israel's aggression on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and other occupied territories. In this context, the Cabinet was briefed on the phone calls made by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt. During the phone calls, the Crown Prince had emphasized the Kingdom's keenness on unifying Arab and Islamic efforts to support the Palestinian people, and stressed the need to exert all efforts to halt the Israeli escalation and violations. The Crown Prince also briefed the Cabinet on the message sent to the prime minister of Tonga as well as on his meeting with the president of the European Council. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the several international meetings in which the Kingdom attended as part of its commitment to increasing cooperation and coordination with friendly nations, and advancing multilateral endeavors to attain progress and prosperity. The Council commended the recent meeting of the Executive Committee of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council, which demonstrated the two countries' commitment to strengthening relations and pursuing shared goals in various sectors, to the benefit of the people of the two countries. The Cabinet also reviewed regional and international developments, and reaffirmed the Kingdom's unwavering support for initiatives aimed at promoting security, stability, and sustainable development regionally and globally.

UK Announces Partial Ban On Arms Exports To Israel - The United Kingdom has announced it will suspend a portion of its current arms and defense sales to Israel, citing a "clear risk" to civilians and that they could be used to violate international humanitarian law.Foreign Secretary David Lammy informed parliament Monday that the suspension will impact of 30 of 350 arms export licenses to Israel. The partial ban covers supplies "which could be used in the current conflict in Gaza" against Hamas. However, parts for F-35 fighter jets are exempt from the ban. He emphasized that the country still backs Israel's right to self-defense, and thus the UK is not enacting a blanket ban on all items."It is with regret that I inform the House [of Commons] today the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law," Lammy said, after conducing a review of shipments to Israel. "We recognize, of course, Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods that Israel’s employed, and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure particularly," he continued. The Gaza Health Ministry has said that over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in over ten months of war. Israel says a large percentage of the deceased are Hamas militants, while Palestinian sources assert the majority are women and children. Analysts say this is not expected to have much of an impact on Israel's operations given that British exports only make up less than one percent of total external arms sales Israel receives.Israel reacted with disappointment, anger, dismay. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz lashed out Monday in wake of the UK decision, saying it "sends a very problematic message" to terrorist groups like Hamas and its supporters in Iran.But Lammy had sought to emphasize in his comments it doesn't mean he believes Israel is guilty of war crimes or human rights abuses per se. "This is a forward looking evaluation, not a determination of innocence or guilt, and it does not prejudge any future determinations by the competent courts," he said. Meanwhile, pressure from Washington to wrap up Gaza operations also could be growing... Large and growing pro-Palestine protests which have gripped parts of London over the last weeks and months have been increasing in size and intensity, and are perhaps having an impact on Labour politicians.

UK Suspends Some Arms Exports to Israel Over Gaza War Crimes - The UK announced Monday that it has suspended some arms export licenses to Israel over concerns the weapons are being used to violate international law in Gaza.Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the decision, which suspends 30 out of 355 export licenses for Israel and covers components for military aircraft, including fighter jets, drones, and helicopters. The export bans do not apply to components for the F-35 fighter jets, which the UK exports as part of a multinational program, unless it is known that the components will be shipped directly to Israel. Activists who have pressured the British government to suspend arms exports to Israel criticized the exemption for F-35s, which are a critical part of the Israeli Air Force. “The suspension of export licenses took far long and didn’t go far enough,” said Yasmine Ahmed, director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, according to Middle East Eye. “That the UK government chose to exempt components for the F-35, a workhorse of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign, shows either a miscomprehension of the law or a wilful disregard.” Lammy said a British government review concluded that there is a “clear risk” that British weapons might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. He also claimed that it hasn’t been verified that Israel has violated international law despite the mountain of evidence of Israeli war crimes that has emerged over nearly 11 months of the genocidal slaughter in Gaza. The US has similar foreign assistance laws that prohibit military aid to countries that will use it to violate US or international law. After a review, the State Department concluded that Israel was likely breaking the law but claimed there wasn’t evidence, allowing the military shipments to continue to flow.

Israel fuming over ‘shameful’ UK ban on some Israel arms exports - Israeli officials are furious over the United Kingdom’s decision to immediately halt some of its arms exports to Israel, a move that was made because they could be used for a “serious violation” of international humanitarian law in the country’s war in Gaza. U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy said Monday that the government will stop 30 of the 350 arms export licenses with Israel due to a “clear risk” some weapons might be used to “commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law” in the embattled enclave. The suspended export licenses are for equipment such as military fighter jet, helicopter and drone parts, along with other items used for ground targeting, Lammy told U.K. lawmakers. He stressed the decision was “not a determination of innocence or guilt” over whether Israel had broken international law, and it also wasn’t an arms embargo. “We recognize, of course, Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods that Israel’s employed, and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure particularly,” Lammy told Parliament. But the move — while not a serious development as U.K. exports make up less than 1 percent of arms Israel receives from other countries — is nonetheless a clear move to pressure Israel to end its conflict against Hamas in Gaza. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey stood by the decision when he said his country had a duty “to tell the hardest truths” to its “closest friends.” Israeli officials, however, were not pleased, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant writing on the social platform X on Monday that he was “deeply disheartened” to learn of the sanctions. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday called Britain’s decision “shameful.” The U.K.’s “shameful decision will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that savagely murdered 1200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens,” he said in the statement.

Protests roil Israel for second day over hostage deaths --Protests roiled Israel for a second day and a general strike caused disruptions across the country after the military recovered the bodies of six hostages over the weekend.Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday night to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire and hostage release deal with the militant group Hamas after nearly 11 months of conflict. A general strike was held Monday, The Associated Press reported, called by Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut. Street protests also resumed across the country.Late Monday, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside Netanyahu’s private home, chanting, “Deal. Now,” according to the AP.The families of the deceased hostages have blamed Netanyahu, contending they could have been saved through a deal with Hamas, according to the AP. President Biden also said Monday that Netanyahu isn’t doing enough to secure a hostage deal.Netanyahu pushed back against the pressure for a cease-fire, saying he’ll continue to insist on Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt. He also sought forgiveness for the hostage deaths and vowed consequences for Hamas.“I told the families, and I repeat and say this evening: I am asking for your forgiveness that we didn’t manage to bring them back alive. We were very close, but we couldn’t make it,” Netanyahu said during a Monday press conference, per a CNN translation.Hamas’s surprise assault last year left more than 1,100 people dead, and roughly 250 hostageswere taken captive, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since early October, according to local health officials.

Live blog: Deadly Israeli strike hits Gaza college sheltering displaced — At least seven Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a college building housing displaced people in Gaza City, a medical source has said.The attack targeted the Namaa College building, where hundreds of displaced Palestinians have taken shelter northwest of Gaza City, the source added."There is a threat from the Israeli army to strike the college again," the Palestinian Civil Defense Agency warned in a statement. According to witnesses, one of the college buildings was destroyed in the Israeli attack."The targeted area was crowded with residents and displaced people," an eyewitness told Anadolu. The head of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said that a recent announcement by the United Kingdom that it will suspend 30 of 350 export licences in arms sales to Israel is a "small but important step" toward ensuring adherence to international law.Zara Mohammed emphasised the devastating effect of the Israeli bombardment on civilian lives in Gaza and argued that the UK’s decision, while her group welcomed, falls far short of what is needed."It comes at a time when the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 40,000; too many lives have been lost and injured due to Israeli bombardment," said Mohammed.The UK government announced a restriction on arms sales to Israel in a significant yet limited policy shift. The move, which represents 1 percent of the UK's arms trade with Israel, comes amid growing international concern about the escalating conflict in Gaza.Despite the move, Mohammed expressed deep concern about the continuing flow of arms from the UK to Israel, noting that the restricted licenses represent a fraction of the total arms trade.

Israeli Labor Court Ends Strike Meant To Pressure Netanyahu on Hostage Deal - Israel’s Labor Court ruled on Monday to end a general strike that was called to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas.The court ordered the strike to be lifted at 2:30 p.m. local time, three and a half hours before its scheduled end. Israel’s largest labor union, the Histadrut, which called the strike, said it would comply with the order.The partial strike still disrupted services across Israel for the first half of the day. According to The Washington Post, the strike closed or delayed schools and universities, delayed departure flights for at least two hours, and closed some banks and malls. Doctors and nurses also walked off their jobs, restricting hospitals to emergency services only.By ruling to shut the strike down, the court accepted the government’s argument that the strike was political and not about the economy. The Histadrut’s stance was that the government was damaging the economy by not accepting a hostage deal with Hamas.The court’s decision was a major victory for Netanyahu, who reportedly accused the workers participating in the strike of supporting Hamas. According to Israeli media outlets, Netanyahu told his security cabinet that the strike was a “disgrace. It’s telling [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar — you murdered six people. Here, we support you.”The strike was declared after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages in Gaza. The Hostage Families and Missing Forum said Netanyahu was to blame for their deaths since he’s been doing everything he can to sabotage the chances of a ceasefire deal. “A deal for the return of the abductees has been on the table for over two months. If it weren’t for the thwarting [of the deal], the excuses, and the spins, the abductees whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably be alive,” the forum said.

Israel Kills 47 More Palestinians in Gaza, Recorded Death Toll Passes 40,700 - Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that Israeli forces killed at least 47 Palestinians in Gaza in the previous 24 hours, bringing the recorded death toll to 40,738.“Israeli forces killed 47 people and injured 94 others in three ‘massacres’ of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said, according to Turkey’sAnadolu Agency. “Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them.”One of the strikes targeted a school in Gaza City that was sheltering displaced civilians. According to AFP, Gaza health officials said the strike targeted policemen and killed a total of 11 people.“Eleven people, including a woman and girl, were killed when an Israeli air strike struck the Safad school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people,” said Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal. Also on Sunday, an effort to vaccinate children for polio began in central Gaza. The drive will last three days in central Gaza before moving to the north and then the south. The World Health Organization said Israel has agreed to pause military operations in those areas while the vaccines are being administered. But Israeli strikes were reported in central Gaza on Sunday, including one on a vehicle that killed four people.

Israel Kills Another 48 Palestinians in Gaza - Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday that Israeli forces killed at least 48 Palestinians in Gaza, bringing the recorded death toll to 40,786.“Israeli forces killed 48 people and injured 70 others in three ‘massacres’ of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said, according to Turkey’sAnadolu Agency. “Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them.”The ministry said that the 70 Palestinians who were injured bring the total number of wounded since October 7 to 94,224.Israeli strikes were reported across the Gaza Strip, including in Gaza City,where seven Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes. Two Palestinians, including a child, were reported killed in the Nuiserat camp in central Gaza.

Israeli Forces Kill 42 More Palestinians in the Gaza Strip -Gaza’s Health Ministry said Wednesday that 42 more Palestinians were killed by Israel’s assault on the besieged territory in the previous 24-hour period, and another 107 were wounded.The new casualties bring the total recorded death toll to 40,861 and the number of wounded to 94,398. The Health Ministry’s numbers do not include Palestinians who are missing and presumed dead under the rubble, which has previously been estimated to be about 10,000 people.It’s also unclear how many people have died in Gaza due to indirect causes. A letter written by a group of experts recently published in the British medical journal The Lancet estimated the total number of deaths in Gaza, including those killed by the Israeli military and indirect causes, could reach 186,000. They reached the numbers by using the death toll from the end of June, which was 37,396.Israeli strikes were reported in Gaza on Wednesday across the territory, including in the southern city of Khan Younis, the central Nuseirat camp, and in northern areas, including Gaza City.

'Jenin Is Just the Beginning': Israel Planning More Escalations in West Bank - Israel is planning more significant escalations in the West Bank, and the Israeli military now considers the occupied territory the second most critical front, immediately after Gaza, Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday.Israeli security officials told the outlet that while the directive for the West Bank is in its initial stages and that changes on the ground will take time, a new series of operations across the territory are imminent.Last week, Israel launched its largest attack on the West Bank since 2002, with raids focused on Jenin and Tulkarm in the north. “The Jenin operation is just the beginning,” a security official told Israel Hayom.The Israeli assault on Jenin continued for the seventh day on Tuesday as the city remains under siege. According to the Jenin municipality, the Israeli military has destroyed 70% of the roads and infrastructure in the city, and about 80% of the water has been cut off to residents.According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed and 130 others were injured in the West Bank since Israel launched the assault last week. The total deaths include six children and two elderly people. Since October 7, 680 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank.The Israel Hayom report said that the Israeli military aims to have a calmer West Bank by October, but the escalations will likely lead to more armed resistance from Palestinians.As Israel began the assault last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the West Bank should be dealt with the same as Gaza and called for the evacuation of Palestinians. Some Palestinians have been forced out of their homes in the territory, similar to the forced displacements in Gaza.Many members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have been outspoken about their desire to annex the West Bank and take over more land. When the coalition was formed in 2022, it agreed to prioritize the expansion of West Bank settlements with the ultimate goal of annexing the territory.

Gallant Says Israel 'Mowing the Lawn' in the West Bank But Will Need to 'Pull Out the Roots' - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that the Israeli military was “mowing the lawn” in the Israeli-occupied West Bank but will eventually need to “pull out the roots.”“Mowing the lawn” is a term the Israeli military used for its bombing campaigns in Gaza pre-October 7. The idea is that the raids would reduce Hamas’s military capability but not eliminate it, and it would eventually grow back, requiring another bombing campaign.“The process is an attack to prevent terror. We are mowing the lawn, [but] the moment will also come when we will pull out the roots, that must be done,” Gallant said.Israeli settler and military violence surged in the West Bank amid Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. The Israeli government has also approved new major land grabs in the occupied territory, and settlers have been taking over Palestinian homes. The Israeli actions have naturally led to an increase in armed Palestinian resistance. “These terror organizations that call themselves by all kinds of names, in Nur Shams, or Tulkarm, or Far’a, or Jenin — they should be wiped out. Every such terrorist should be eliminated, [or] if they surrender, arrest them. There is no other option, use all the forces, everyone who is needed, with full strength,” Gallant said.Last week, Israel launched its largest assault on the West Bank since 2002, which is still underway in the northern areas of Jenin and Tulkarm.Israel Hayom reported that Israel is planning more escalations in the West Bank and now considers the territory the second most critical front, immediately after Gaza.According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 33 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s operation in the West Bank since it was launched last Tuesday. A total of 685 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since October 7.

Amnesty International Calls for War Crimes Probe Into Israel's 'Buffer Zone' - On Thursday, Amnesty International said Israel’s creation of a “buffer zone” in Gaza should be investigated as war crimes since it has involved the “wanton destruction” of all buildings and agricultural land in those areas.“Using bulldozers and manually laid explosives, the Israeli military has unlawfully destroyed agricultural land and civilian buildings, razing entire neighborhoods, including homes, schools and mosques,” Amnesty said.“By analyzing satellite imagery and videos posted by Israeli soldiers on social media between October 2023 and May 2024, Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab identified newly cleared land along Gaza’s eastern boundary, ranging from approximately 1km to 1.8km wide. In some videos, Israeli soldiers are seen posing for pictures or toasting in celebration as buildings are demolished in the background,” the group added.Amnesty also said the destruction should be investigated for the war crime of collective punishment. “Systematically destroying civilian objects in retaliation for actions by armed groups may constitute collective punishment and should be investigated as a war crime,” the group said.Israel’s “buffer zone,” which runs along Gaza’s border with Israel,accounts for 16% of the besieged enclave’s territory. The Israeli military has carried out a similar campaign of destruction in the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip. Combining the two areas accounts for about 26% of the Strip.Many Israeli ministers and lawmakers have called for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Settlements used to be located in the Netzarim Corridor, including where the Turkish hospital now stands, which has been taken over by Israeli forces and is now used as a military base.

ISIS Suicide Bombing Kills At Least Six in Kabul - On Monday, a suicide bombing was carried out on the southern outskirts of the Afghan capital city of Kabul. The attack killed at least six people and wounded 13 others, according to Afghan police.The strike was in the Qala Bakhtiar neighborhood. ISIS-K, the local ISIS affiliate which US officials repeatedly claimed was totally destroyed during the Afghan War, has taken credit for the attack, and put the total number of deaths much higher at “more than 45” killed.ISIS said that the strike was meant to “avenge Muslims held in Taliban prisons.” Though violence in Afghanistan is generally down since the end of the US-led occupation, ISIS-K remains an active force in the country, carrying out attacks of opportunity as they are able.The Taliban has sought to downplay the seriousness of the ISIS-K threat just as much as the US-backed government did, saying last month that ISIS-K only existed in the country before the Taliban “suppressed them very hard.” Government spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid added at the time that “no groups exist” which pose any threat to the country.ISIS-K has been blamed for several high-profile attacks in recent years,including the 2021 attack outside the Kabul airport, and the 2022 attack targeting students at a school, both of which left high casualties.The most recent ISIS-K attack in Afghanistan came in March, and was detonated in front of a bank in the city of Kandahar. Three people were reported killed and 12 others were wounded.

New Great Game: Why Central Asian countries are pivoting towards Taliban - News published in the Afghan press in recent weeks suggests that some Central Asian countries have taken significant steps towards recognising the Taliban administration in Afghanistan. According to these reports, three major Central Asian nations—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan—have already undertaken concrete steps to recognise the Taliban administration and signed important agreements with Kabul. An August 31 statement quoting Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev said the country had approved Taliban’s representative as chargé d'affaires of Afghanistan in Astana, while Turkmenistan took a similar step in July. Earlier in June, Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev said he had removed the Taliban from the list of terrorist organisations to enhance economic relations with Afghanistan. Similar developments are evident in Uzbekistan-Afghanistan relations, with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov meeting Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir on August 18. “Uzbekistan was the first country to establish official relations with the Islamic Emirate, and these relations are currently being maintained on the basis of goodwill and cooperation. Soon, the ambassador of the Islamic Emirate will be received in Tashkent,” Aripov was quoted as saying by Afghanistan’s national TV, emphasising the development of bilateral ties. Meanwhile, on August 21, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov told Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi that Turkmenistan was ready to support Afghanistan on the TAPI project, a natural gas pipeline connecting Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. These developments collectively indicate that Central Asian countries are preparing to officially recognise the Taliban administration and establish normalised relations. In the three years since the Taliban reassumed power in Afghanistan, world politics has experienced numerous crises.However, Afghanistan seems to have experienced relative calm in the absence of any serious opposition, allowing the Taliban the space to institutionalise its grip on power.According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)'s June 2024 assessment report, “although two anti-Taliban resistance groups…have carried out confirmed attacks in the capital, armed opposition in the capital and northern provinces has not posed a significant challenge to the Taliban's territorial control since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021”.

Putin arrives in Mongolia, key link in planned gas pipeline to China -The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had arrived for a state visit in Mongolia, which lies on the route of a planned new gas pipeline connecting Russia and China. Russia has been in talks for years about building the pipeline to carry 50 Bm3y of natural gas from its Yamal region to China via Mongolia. The project, Power of Siberia 2, is part of Russia's strategy to compensate for the loss of most of its gas sales in Europe since the start of the Ukraine war. It is the planned successor to an existing pipeline of the same name which already supplies Russian gas to China and is due to reach its planned capacity of 38 Bm3y in 2025. The new venture has long been bogged down over key issues such as the pricing of the gas. However, Putin said on the eve of his visit that preparatory work, including feasibility and engineering studies, were proceeding as scheduled. He is due to hold talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Tuesday. Ukraine urged Mongolia last week to arrest Putin on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court warrant last year, when it accused him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation, saying it is politically motivated, and has said it has no worries about Putin making the trip. The warrant obliges the court's 124 member states, including Mongolia, to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory. Asked whether there had been discussions with Mongolian authorities about the ICC warrant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that "all of the aspects of the visit have been thoroughly discussed."

Putin visits Mongolia, in defiance of arrest order from international court - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Monday in Mongolia, a member of the international court that has issued an arrest warrant against him. It’s Putin’s first visit to a member country of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since it issued an arrest warrant in March 2023. Ukraine is calling on Mongolia to arrest Putin and hand him over to ICC. Last week, a spokesperson for the Russian President said the Kremlin was not worried about the visit. While ICC member countries are bound to detain suspects if there is an arrest warrant out against them, there is no enforcement mechanism, The Associated Press reported. ICC issued the arrest warrant more than a year ago over allegations of war crimes and the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. It was largely viewed as a way for the international community to hold Putin responsible for the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in Feb. 2022. Putin is expected to meet with Mongolian leader Ukhnaa Khurelsukh Tuesday and attend a ceremony marking the 1939 victory of Soviet and Mongolian troops over the Japanese army. Mongolia is heavily dependent on both Russia and China for resources, The AP reported.

Putin Declares Kursk Gambit Failed As Ukraine's Army Steamrolled In East --Russian President Vladimir Putin has used his visit to the allied country of Mongolia to thumb his nose at the West. Firstly, Mongolia is a signatory to the Rome Statutes of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has pleaded for its member state to arrest him, which Mongolia will of course not do.But Russian media on Monday has quoted some new wide-ranging remarks by Putin on the status of Ukraine's Kursk incursion and efforts to force the invaders back across the border. He gave the remarks to a group of students just before traveling to Mongolia. The offensive is nearing one month and clearly dealt a surprise blow, but without changing anything fundamental concerning frontlines in Ukraine's east (the Donbass).Putin in the fresh remarks focused on progress in the Donbass, stating "The Russian armed forces are taking control of territories not by 200, 300 meters at a time, but by square kilometers." He emphasized this is a rapid pace not seen in a "long time".The Kremlin has pointed out that the Kursk incursion is happening more out of desperation than anything strategically impacting the battle space.Putin said that Kiev is inevitably doomed to failure in its cross-border attacks, and that Russian forces will "deal with the Ukrainian bandits" who have breached the border in order in efforts to destabilize the nation's security.Putin also described his view that once Kursk fails for Ukraine, and as its forces are getting beaten back in Donbass at a rapid pace, Kiev will soon realize it must negotiate - something Putin said Moscow has never refused to do. But he noted the Zelensky has declared martial law and refused to hold a national election. But it remains that—"The current authorities are clearly not ready for this, they have little chance of being re-elected," Putin said."That is why they are not interested in ending the fighting, that is why they tried to carry out this provocation in Kursk Region, and before when they tried to carry out the same operation in Belgorod Region."He stressed that regardless Russia will continue to protect its people in Donbass as "our common future, the future of Russia. He explained that Russia "cannot allow hostile structures to be created right next to us that hatch aggressive plans against our country and constantly try to destabilize the Russian Federation."

Ukrainian troops filmed torturing Russian soldier (GRAPHIC VIDEO) — Ukrainian troops can be seen filming the brutal torture of a defiant Russian prisoner of war (POW) who refused to disparage his country and hail Kiev’s military, in a highly disturbing video circulating on social media.The 90-second undated clip depicting the mistreatment of a POW was filmed by an unidentified Ukrainian soldier stationed in occupied Russian territory, apparently in Kursk Region, and shared by several Russian Telegram channels on Tuesday.The video shows the interior of an apartment where three handcuffed and blindfolded Russian prisoners are lying or sitting on the floor, while a fourth has been placed in a humiliating position. A fifth soldier, blindfolded, gagged, and stripped of his shirt, boots, and socks, is tied to an upside-down desk in the other room.Mockingly referring to the prisoners as “Ivans,” one Ukrainian captor asks them why they are silent, before approaching the one tied to the desk. He then removes the gag and asks what unit he belongs to. When he gets no answer, the Ukrainian hits him in the face. WARNING! GRAPHIC VIDEO. Seconds later, a second Ukrainian soldier, whose face is not shown, starts torturing the Russian POW by apparently electrocuting his feet, as he screams and twitches in agonizing pain. The Ukrainian interrogator then tries to force the POW to say “Glory to the Ukrainian Army” and to disparage Russian President Vladimir Putin.When the Russian refuses to talk, he is apparently electrocuted and beaten a second time. “F*****g awesome,” the Ukrainian quips. It is unclear whether the rest of the prisoners were subjected to the same treatment.

Dozens killed, scores wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Poltava: Kiev --Two ballistic missiles blasted a military training facility and a nearby hospital in Ukraine, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 200 others, Ukrainian officials have said, in one of the deadliest Russian strikes since the war began. The strike hit the central-eastern city of Poltava, the capital of the region of the same name, partially destroying a building used by the Poltava Military Institute of Communications, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "People found themselves under the rubble. Many were saved," Zelenskyy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel. He said he ordered “a full and prompt investigation." Earlier, Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the strikes partially destroyed one of the institute's buildings. "The time interval between the alarm and the arrival of the deadly missiles was so short that it caught people in the middle of evacuating to the bomb shelter," the ministry said. Rescuers were still at work after saving 25 people, including 11 trapped under the rubble, according to the ministry. Russian military bloggers had said that the strike targeted an outdoor ceremony. Ukrainian MP Maria Bezugla, who regularly criticises Ukraine's military leadership, blamed high-ranking officials for endangering soldiers by allowing such events. "These tragedies keep repeating themselves. When will it stop?" she posted on Telegram. Zelenskyy ordered a prompt investigation into the circumstances of the strike and called for more air defence equipment from Ukraine's Western partners.

At Least 51 Killed in Russian Missile Strike on Ukrainian Military School - Two Russian ballistic missiles hit a Ukrainian military institute in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, killing at least 51 and wounding 235, Reuters reported on Tuesday.The attack is being reported as the single deadliest strike in Ukraine of the year. Russia has stepped up its missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in response to the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk, which is being carried out with US weapons and Western intelligence.Ukrainian officials told AP that the strike on the military institute also hit a nearby hospital. So far, Russia has not commented on the attack, but it has been reported by Russian media.Vladimir Rogov, chairman of a pro-Russia movement in Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia, said Russian forces delivered the missile strike.“It was this manpower [of the military school] that was hit by a missile strike. It happened at the moment when they all gathered for their daily routine, when initially there were over half a thousand servicemen. The enemy’s losses amount to hundreds of people,” Rogov said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

Volodymyr Zelensky: Ukraine will hold seized Russia land indefinitely - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Kyiv intends to indefinitely hold theRussian land it seized in its surprise incursion last month.“We don’t need their land. We don’t want to bring our Ukrainian way of life there,” he told NBC News in a translated interview.The Ukrainian leader said “hold[ing]” the territory is vital to his “victory plan” to end the war, which has stretched more than 2-and-a-half years since Russia invaded Ukraine, per NBC News’s translation.It has been nearly a month since Ukrainian troops launched a surprise attack into the western Kursk region in Russia on Aug. 6. Since then, an estimated 180,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk region, and Ukraine has captured about 450 square miles of Russian territory, marking the first time the nation’s sovereignty has been violated since World War II.More than 100 Russian soldiers were captured as prisoners of war, some of whom were later swapped with Russia for Ukranian prisoners, the Associated Press reported.Zelensky told NBC News the Aug. 6 mission was a “pre-emptive strike” to prevent Russian forces from establishing a buffer zone along Ukraine’s border. He declined to say whether Ukraine is planning to attempt to take more Russian land.“I will not tell, I’m sorry,” he said, per NBC. “With all respect, I can’t speak about it. I think the success is very close to surprise.”The incursion forced Russia to divert some troops from parts of eastern Ukraine to the Kursk region, according to Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief. He claimed an estimated 30,000 Russian troops were moved to the Kursk area, though The Hill cannot independently verify that number.Zelensky last week said he is planning to eventually present a peace plan to President Biden and current White House candidates, Vice President Harris and former President Trump. This plan is four stages, he said, with the first being the incursion into the Kursk region.Zelensky said he plans to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, during which he plans to meet with Biden and present the plan. He will also share with Harris and Trump, given the uncertainty of who will win the 2024 election, he added.

Putin says Ukraine’s incursion failed; claims he supports Harris in U.S. election, citing her ‘infectious’ laugh - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Ukraine’s gamble to seize his country's territory has backfired by boosting his own military's advance, a boast he paired with a teasing claim of support for Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming U.S. election. Speaking at an economic forum in the far-eastern city of Vladivostok on Thursday, he said it was the “sacred duty” of the Russian army to do everything to “throw the enemy out” of the border region of Kursk and protect its citizens after last month's stunning assault.Yet, Putin also said that Moscow's main goal remained capturing the Donbas region, Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland where Russian troops have been pushing forward for months. The goal of the Kursk operation was to make Russia “nervous and fidgety,” Putin said, forcing Moscow to transfer troops from key areas of the battlefield and stop its advance, particularly in the Donbas — composed of the neighboring Donetsk and Luhansk regions.“Were they successful?” Putin asked rhetorically about Ukraine's offensive. “No. The enemy has failed.”In fact, the Russian army had “stabilized the situation” and started to gradually “squeeze out” the Ukrainians from border areas, he said, while his troops in the Donbas were now advancing not by hundreds of meters but “square kilometers.”Putin's ebullient mood matched Ukraine's own confidence with developments on the battlefield, after a cross-border assault that turned the tables on the Kremlin.Kyiv claims it’s very much still in control of the nearly 500 square miles of Russian territory and 100 settlements it has seized there. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC News in an exclusive interview earlier this week that he plans to hold this land for as long as needed to end the war.But Putin suggested he was comfortable with the events of the past month.“Having transferred into our border regions its rather large and well-prepared units, the enemy has weakened itself in the key areas and our troops have accelerated our offensive operations,” he said.Ukraine's manpower struggles mean it will soon have to resort to recruiting young people, he claimed — like Nazi Germany did during World War II with its youth force, known as Hitlerjugend.“I sometimes get the impression that those who lead Ukraine are some kind of aliens or foreigners,” Putin added. “The next step is to call on students and so on, to completely bleed the country out,” he said. “I repeat once again, it seems that these are not their people.”Asked about the upcoming U.S. election, Putin said it was ultimately “the choice of the American people” but claimed that Russia backed Harris, the Democratic nominee.His tongue-in-cheek intervention comes less than 24 hours after the Justice, State and Treasury departments announced sanctions and criminal charges in what the Biden administration said were Russian government-sponsored attempts to manipulate U.S. public opinion ahead of the November vote.“I told you, our favorite, if I may say so, was the current president, Mr. Biden,” Putin said with a smirk on his face. “He was removed from the race, but he advised all his supporters to support Ms. Harris. So we will do it as well, we will root for her,” he said, to applause from the audience. “Secondly, she has such an expressive and infectious laugh that it means she is doing well,” Putin said, speaking of Harris.“And if she is doing well, then … Trump introduced so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia, like no other president had ever introduced before him. And if Ms. Harris is doing well, perhaps she will refrain from doing anything like that,” he said.

Ukraine’s gamble against Russia risks becoming blunder - The Ukrainian advance into Russia’s Kursk region has so far failed to achieve one of its main objectives: diverting Russian troops from the front lines of eastern Ukraine in a bid to reshape the battlefield. Ukraine’s surprise August incursion has achieved other goals, including dealing a blow to Russia’s image of strength, destroying military assets and taking territory and prisoners for negotiating leverage. But the failure of the more crucial goal to divert troops has opened the door to criticism of Kyiv’s military gamble, especially as Russia makes advances along the war’s 600-mile eastern front line. Russian forces have continued pounding away in Ukraine, taking vast swaths of territory in the past month and closing in on the key rail junction town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who just weeks ago was expressing frustration with the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, touted his military’s progress while visiting a school. “The enemy did not achieve the main task that they set themselves: to stop our offensive in the Donbas,” he said. “We have not had such a pace of offensive in the Donbas for a long time.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has argued the Kursk offensive is a key part of Kyiv’s strategy and would be included in a proposal for winning the war that he plans to present to the United States this month. Zelensky said in a Sunday video address that repeated Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine has “proved the correctness of our tactics, particularly in Kursk.” “We must push the war back to where it came from, into Russia,” he said. “And not just in the border areas. The terrorist state must feel what war truly is.” But some Ukrainian civilians and soldiers have publicly questioned the Kursk offensive at a time when Russia’s army is using its mass to press forward across the front lines, and particularly in Donetsk. Moscow is aiming to take the rest of the region, along with the neighboring Luhansk province, to cement control in the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland. Mariana Bezuhla, a Ukrainian member of Parliament, said Ukrainian commanders have placed “zombie squads” and inexperienced troops to defend Pokrovsk. “Now we have further consequences,” she wrote last week on Facebook. “Human lives and territories.” Capturing Pokrovsk would help Russian forces by severing a crucial supply line that Ukraine uses to defend its troops on the front line. It would also help them advance further into Donetsk and threaten Ukrainian positions in southeastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have ordered mass evacuations in recent days from Pokrovsk, which had a prewar population of some 60,000, with Russian forces just a few miles from the town. George Beebe, director of grand strategy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said the Kursk operation was still in its early stages but “looks like it’s heading toward a failure.” “The Russians have not diverted significant numbers of forces from the front lines in Ukraine. If anything, they’ve stepped on the accelerator pedal,” he said. “There seems to be a great deal of skepticism about what this incursion is going to accomplish, and I think growing concerns that it was a blunder.”

Chinese, Philippine Vessels Collide Near Sabina Shoal for Third Time - Chinese and Philippine vessels collided near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea on August 31st, marking at least the third collision between the two coast guards near the disputed reef in recent weeks.Sabina Shoal is about 80 miles west of the Philippine island province of Palawan and is claimed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan.As usual, the two sides trade blame for the latest incident. Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun said a Philippine vessel “deliberately collided” with a Chinese Coast Guard ship “in an unprofessional and dangerous manner.”The Philippine side said that the Chinese ship intentionally rammed the Philippine vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, three times. Tensions have been high near Sabina Shoal since Manila anchored the Teresa Magbanua in the area over claims that China was planning to build a permanent structure on the shoal to assert its claims.The Philippine Coast Guard said it would not move the vessel “despite the harassment, the bullying activities and escalatory action of the Chinese Coast Guard.”In response to the collision, the US reaffirmed its commitment to defend the Philippines in the South China Sea. “The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea,” the State Department said.

China Faces Fierce Online Backlash in Myanmar After Threat Against Ethnic Army Irriwaddy --The Chinese government has found itself on the receiving end of a torrent of condemnation from Myanmar people over a threat it reportedly made against the ethnic Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) for fighting the regime.The warning issued by the Ruili Town Security Committee on Thursday told the TNLA to “immediately stop fighting and cooperate with China in maintaining peace and stability in northern Shan State and along the China-Myanmar border or face more deterrent and disciplinary actions.” Despite arguments over the authenticity of the warning, the TNLA confirmed that it had received the warning in the form of a letter.When asked by AFP about the letter during a press conference in Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson replied, “China is closely following the situation in Myanmar and the developments of the conflict in northern Myanmar, and has been working to promote peace talks and ceasefire.“China will continue to play a constructive role for Myanmar’s peace and reconciliation process and promote the de-escalation in northern Myanmar.”Since the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar shared the ministry’s reply on its Facebook on Saturday, thousands of netizens in Myanmar have responded to the post, slamming Beijing for interfering in Myanmar’s domestic affairs while expressing their support for the TNLA.Netizens said they understand China’s concerns over border stability and its interests in Myanmar, but added that China should not put pressure on Myanmar’s popular revolt against the regime.The post had attracted 6.3k comments as of noon Monday, most of them criticizing China for its threat against the TNLA.Octopus, an anti-regime group waging guerrilla warfare in Yangon, commented under the post: “We are revolutionaries. We listen to the voices of our people. The comments you see are the testimony to the voices of our people. If you listen to the voices of the people, people’s government, and ethnic forces, and stand by the side of the truth, you will gain huge benefits as a good neighbor.”Other netizens called on China to support revolutionary forces including the civilian National Unity Government instead of the “fascist” military if it really wants to see peace and stability in Myanmar.

China’s bulging commodity stockpiles show depth of economic woes Inventories of key raw materials are piling up in China, evidence that economic activity remains too feeble to clear a surplus that’s crushing prices from steel to soybeans. The government’s growth target for the year looks increasingly out of reach, an unwelcome development for the drillers, miners and farmers that supply the world’s biggest importer of commodities. The blowout in stockpiles might suggest that some traders were caught out by the economy’s poor performance since the end of the pandemic. Others may have underestimated the extent of China’s pivot from the old economy to the new. But the stockpiling is also testimony to the premium placed by Beijing on making sure its factories and citizens never run short. Even when its economy is hot, China houses outsized quantities of raw materials. It holds more than 90% of the world’s visible copper inventories, nearly a quarter of the world’s crude oil, and over half of staple crops like corn and wheat, according to research from JPMorgan Chase & Co. So, while consumption and industrial activity are surely weak, China’s state-owned importers may be not be too fussed if they’ve mistimed their purchases, given their mission to guarantee that the country’s reserves are sufficient come what may. The power-shortage scares of 2021 and 2022 drew renewed scrutiny of China’s energy security, especially around the availability of its mainstay fuel — coal. Beijing’s response was to lift production and imports to record levels. But those efforts have coincided with subdued industrial demand, and a dramatic surge in clean energy generation that now meets almost all of the country’s growth in consumption. The upshot is that coal inventories rose to a unprecedented 635 million tons at the end of June, from less than 90 million in late 2021, according to an estimate from data provider China Coal Resource. China’s oil market is facing similar issues with a weak economy, rising domestic production, and a long-term decline in demand as decarbonization gathers pace. Refiners have been forced to cut their cloth accordingly by reducing operating rates. Imports have dwindled. Although onshore crude inventories swelled to a 10-month high of more than 1 billion barrels in July, they’re still below last year’s summer peak, according to Vortexa Ltd. That could signal even fewer imports if firms are taking a cautious approach by drawing on ample supplies to meet any seasonal upturn in demand in the fall. “Given the uncertain demand outlook, refineries may choose to destock commercial tanks rather than increase buying, if they need to raise runs as demand picks up seasonally,” said Jianan Sun, an analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd. China’s steel industry is in crisis as the country’s moribund property sector drags on construction demand. Port inventories of its key raw material, iron ore, have ballooned to their highest ever for the time of year. Margins on fashioning hot-rolled coil, used for car bodies and appliances, are near a record low, although there are tentative signs the market is recovering from its summer slump. But for mills to weather the downturn, they’ll probably have to keep cutting production, and that’ll mean even less demand for the steel-making ingredient.

Far-right party in Germany wins first state election since World War IIA far-right party in Germany won a state election Sunday for the first time since World War II, dealing a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.The party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), won a majority of the vote in Thuringia, coming in ahead of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and becoming the first far-right party to win a state election after the second World War.In Thuringia, the AfD earned 32.8 percent of the vote compared to CDU’s 23.6 percent.Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) party earned only 6.1 percent of the vote, according to pollsterForschungsgruppe Wahlen.“This is a historic success for us,” said Alice Weidel, a national co-leader of the AfD.Other parties say they won’t join the AfD, but the party’s strength, as seen in this election, will make it difficult to form new state governments and force other parties to join coalitions, The Associated Press reported.The results sound alarm bells for Scholz with just a year to go before Germany’s national election. He may have to be tougher on immigration and talk more about the Russia-Ukraine war, issues that were dominant in this campaign, according to Reuters.The SPD’s general secretary, Kevin Kuehnert, said the results show they will have to be “asserting ourselves more strongly” and “not letting ourselves be led by the nose by parties that have just been kicked out of a state parliament,” the news service reported.The AfD did not perform as well in elections in Saxony, where it earned about 30.6 percent support compared to CDU’s 31.9 percent, the AP noted.There is another state election on Sept. 22 in eastern Brandenburg. Scholz’s party leads there, but if the AfD wins again, it could pile on the embarrassment.

At least 12 people killed after boat capsizes in English Channel -At least 12 people have died and dozens have been rescued after the boat they were travelling in capsized during an attempted crossing of the English Channel, authorities say. Rescuers pulled a total of 65 people from the English Channel on Tuesday in a search that lasted more than four hours, according to Etienne Baggio, a spokesman for the French agency that oversees the stretch of sea where the boat ripped apart. Doctors confirmed 12 died, he said. Another 12 people were admitted to hospital, and two were in very serious conditions, authorities said. “Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open,” said Olivier Barbarin, mayor of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Baggio described it as the deadliest migrant boat tragedy in the English Channel this year. Many of those on board didn’t have life vests, he said. It was not immediately clear how the boat ripped open or what kind of boat it was. Some attempt the crossing in rubber dinghies. The maritime prefecture said the boat got into difficulty off Gris-Nez point between Boulogne-sur-Mer and the port of Calais farther north. Sea temperatures off northern France were about 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the boat was frail and small – less than 7 metres (23 feet) long – and that smugglers are packing more and more people aboard such vessels. Most of the people on the boat were believed to be from Eritrea, and most of the victims were women, he said.

At least 18 students die in Kenya school dormitory fire : NPR — A fire in a school dormitory in Kenya has killed 18 students and 27 others have been hospitalized, with 70 children unaccounted for, the country’s deputy president said Friday. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said only 86 out of more than 150 children had been accounted for, and urged community members who may have sheltered some of the children to help account for them. The cause of the fire Thursday night at Hillside Endarasha Primary school in Nyeri County was being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango said. The school serves children up to the age of 14. Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu and the education ministry reported that the dormitory that caught fire housed more than 150 boys between age 10 and 14. Since most of the buildings are made from wooden planks, the fire spread quickly. The mixed day and boarding private school, which has 824 students, is located 125 miles north of the capital, Nairobi, in the country’s central highlands, where wooden structures are common. Nyeri County Gov. Mutahi Kahiga told journalists that rescue efforts were hampered by muddy roads caused by rains in the area. Anxious parents who had been unable to find their children among the survivors waited at the school, engulfed with grief. John Rukwaro told journalists that his 11-year-old grandson was missing and he had checked with area hospitals without success. The education ministry's permanent secretary, Belio Kipsang, said the government was working with the school administration to account for all the children in the boarding section. “We are asking the parents who picked up their children and the community to support us as we consolidate the numbers to ensure that we account for every child who was boarding in this school,” he said. President William Ruto called the news “devastating.” “I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account,” he wrote on the social media platform X.