week ending Jun 14

Fed likely to hold steady after muted tariff impact in CPI - The government measure of inflation for May ticked up modestly, adding to the signals that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to move on interest rates when it meets next month.

Fed seeks to preserve COVID lessons in its rates strategy -The long period of low inflation before COVID-19 taught the Federal Reserve not to fear low unemployment. But the shock of the pandemic reminded policymakers how painful high inflation could be. As they rewrite the strategy document that guides their interest-rate decisions, Federal Reserve officials are trying to figure out how to embrace the labor market lessons learned before and during the pandemic.

Bessent emerges as contender to succeed Powell as Fed chair --A chorus of advisers inside and outside the Trump administration is pushing another name to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The Treasury secretary is being touted to lead the central bank after President Donald Trump said he would name Jerome Powell's successor "very soon." Powell's term as Fed chair ends in May 2026.

BankThink What if … the Treasury secretary also ran the Fed? -- I've never read any fan fiction, but it sounds like fun. For the uninitiated, fan fiction is where an author hijacks another author's characters and world and puts them into fun and copyright-defying situations that the original author never would have considered. What if Chewie wasDarth Vader's father? What if Spock and Captain Kirk were twins separated at birth? What if Iron Man and Spock teamed up with Captain Kirk and Chewie to defeat Gandalf — who was actually Voldemort all along? The possibilities are endless. Reports that the White House is considering naming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the next chair of the Federal Reserve have raised eyebrows and speculation in Washington — especially in an administration with a penchant for assigning cabinet secretaries multiple jobs.

Cruz pitches $1.1T cut to Fed bank payments for Trump tax bill -Texas Sen. Ted Cruz pitched Republican senators Wednesday on ending the Federal Reserve's authority to pay interest to banks, claiming it would save $1.1 trillion over a decade, with members of the party's conservative flank lauding the idea. The Texas senator pitched Republican senators on ending the Federal Reserve's authority to pay interest to banks, claiming it would save $1.1 trillion over a decade.

Recession Watch Metrics - by Bill McBride, Calculated Risk -- Early in February, I expressed my "increasing concern" about the negative economic impact of "executive / fiscal policy errors", however, I concluded that post by noting that I was not currently on recession watch. In early April, I went on recession watch, but I'm still not yet predicting a recession for several reasons: the U.S. economy is very resilient and was on solid footing at the beginning of the year, the administration might reverse many of the tariffs (we've seen that before), and Congress might place some checks on the executive branch. Also, perhaps the tariffs are not enough to topple the economy. Last month Warren Buffett said: "We should be looking to trade with the rest of the world, and we should do what we do best, and they should do what they do best ... Trade should not be a weapon.” In the short term, it is mostly trade policy that will negatively impact the economy. However, there other aspects of policy that bear watching. Housing is the basis of one of my favorite models for business cycle forecasting. This graph shows the YoY change in New Home Sales from the Census Bureau. Currently new home sales (based on 3-month average of NSA data) are up 3% year-over-year. Usually when the YoY change in New Home Sales falls about 20%, a recession will follow. An exception for this data series was the mid '60s when the Vietnam buildup kept the economy out of recession. Another exception was in late 2021 - we saw a significant YoY decline in new home sales related to the pandemic and the surge in new home sales in the second half of 2020. I ignored that downturn as a pandemic distortion. Also note that the sharp decline in 2010 was related to the housing tax credit policy in 2009 - and was just a continuation of the housing bust.The YoY change in new home sales in late 2022 and early 2023 suggested a possible recession. But as I noted earlier, I was able to look past the pandemic distortion and was able to predict a pickup in new home sales due to the low level of existing home inventory and because homebuilders could offer mortgage incentives that would somewhat offset the sharp increase in mortgage rates. There are no special circumstances now, and if this measure falls to off 20% a recession seems likely. The yield curve is a commonly used leading indicator. I dismissed it when the yield curve inverted in 2019 and again in 2022. Both times dismissing the yield curve was correct (the recession in 2020 was obviously due to the pandemic, so we will never know if the yield curve failed to predict a recession in 2019).Here is a graph of 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity from FRED since 1976. The yield curve reverted to normal last year and is currently positive at 0.47. If this inverts, this might suggest a recession is coming. Click here for interactive graph at FRED.Heavy Truck (and Vehicle Sales): Another indicator I like to use is heavy truck sales. This graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the May 2025 seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR). Note: "Heavy trucks - trucks more than 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight."Heavy truck sales were at 446 thousand SAAR in May, down from 457 thousand in April, and down 7.9% from 484 thousand SAAR in May 2024. Usually, heavy truck sales decline sharply prior to a recession and sales were OK in May. And light vehicle sales were ok in May after surging in March and April as buyers rushed to beat the tariffs. This graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967. This is more of a concurrent indicator than heavy trucks. Light vehicle sales in May (15.65 million SAAR) were down 9.4% from April, and down 1.1% from May 2024.Unemployment: Two other concurrent indicators are the unemployment rate (using the "Sahm Rule") and weekly unemployment claims. Here is a graph of the Sahm rule from FRED since 1959. The Sahm Rule was at 0.27 in May. If this increases to 0.5 it will suggest a possible recession. And weekly unemployment claims always rise sharply at the beginning of a recession (other events - like hurricane Katrina - can cause a temporary spike in weekly claims). As I noted earlier, I'm not sure how to estimate the economic damage caused by these tariffs. And they might just go away (no one knows). There are also boycotts of U.S. goods and less international tourism based on both the tariffs and the inflammatory rhetoric of the current administration. None of these indicators are suggesting a recession. For now, I'll focus on the leading indicators (especially housing) and I'll update this post monthly while I'm on recession watch.

The ‘big, beautiful’ bill creates a $5 billion tax shelter for private school donors - The budget reconciliation bill passed by the House last month, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ” contains an unconventional provision establishing an unprecedented tax shelter designed to shift resources from public schools to wealthy people and private schools. The provision allocates $5 billion a year in federal tax credits for donors to organizations that provide private and religious school vouchers. While the bill cuts benefits for other charitable donations, it triples the tax benefit for private school voucher donations. This unique dollar-for-dollar rebate is something no other charity has ever gotten from the federal government. Other donors may be taken aback to learn that policymakers have singled out private schools for a reward three times larger than what can be received for gifts to pediatric cancer research, flood clean-up or assisting veterans exposed to chemicals. More alarming still, this provision creates a profitable tax shelter for wealthy people who agree to help funnel public funds into private schools. This is because rich donors will avoid the capital gains tax entirely if they make a gift of stock. Savvy tax advisors will instruct stockholders to avoid selling and to instead donate those holdings, getting a one-for-one return from the federal government — while avoiding hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in capital gains taxes. This is the quintessential definition of a tax shelter, encouraging affluent people with no interest in school vouchers to direct contributions this way, not out of conviction but for profit. Usually, when policymakers do this, it is an inadvertent by-product of hasty legislative decisions, not an intentional giveaway. This, too, is a norm being broken with this bill. The provision expands vouchers nationwide, even in states — such as Kentucky, Nebraska and Colorado — where voters recently rejected vouchers at the ballot box. American voters have actually said no to vouchers in every state where they’ve been put on the ballot, which may be why voucher proponents are sneaking a big expansion into a must-pass federal bill. Vouchers, in addition to being unpopular, expensive. My organization, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, estimates that this provision alone would as drafted reduce federal tax revenue by $23.2 billion over the next 10 years, or by $67 billion if it is extended beyond its four-year expiration date, as Republicans would likely attempt to do. Because state income taxes largely piggyback on federal law, this provision would reduce state revenue by between $459 million and $1.1 billion over the decade, depending on extension. Of the 10-year state and federal tax cuts from this provision, between $2.2 billion and $5.3 billion would be in the form of capital gains tax avoidance, depending on extension. Had this provision been in effect in 2021, for example, Elon Musk could have cut his capital gains tax bill by $690 million.In all, while cutting tax benefits for charities across the board, the reconciliation bill creates an unprecedented giveaway that would enrich the wealthiest Americans, particularly those whose income comes from stock. It would weaken public budgets and public schools, siphoning money to private schools that are allowed to reject many students. Combined with other enormous cuts to public programs and tax cuts for the rich, this is an untenable combination.

Senate Republicans look for reset on Donald Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill’- Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is looking for a reset and to build momentum on President Trump’s big, beautiful bill after it struggled through a tough week on Capitol Hill. Trump’s July 4 deadline for signing the bill is slipping away as GOP senators battle one another over spending cuts and other issues in the House-passed bill. But Thune wants to get the legislation back on track by convening small working groups to hash out key components of the bill, according to Republicans familiar with his plan. Thune is hoping to build enough momentum in the Senate’s various committees that the components of the bill come together in a grand compromise by the end of the month. But rank-and-file senators who have some of the strongest objections to the legislation have yet to see key pieces of text. And Elon Musk’s scathing criticism of the bill as a “mountain of disgusting pork” is creating political headwinds for the legislation. A GOP senator familiar with Thune’s strategy says he will break out portions of the bill to Senate Republican working groups in an effort to make progress on the sections that face the strongest objections — such as nearly $800 billion in spending reductions for Medicaid and $267 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). “Thune’s going to do the same thing he did for other things where folks have deeper issues: He’ll put small groups together. No one is going to be able to say they weren’t listened to,” the GOP senator said. Thune’s plan to involve a broader swath of his caucus in negotiations on a must-pass bill is a departure from former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who tended to keep the details of major deals close to the vest until shortly before he unveiled them, the senator said. Senate Republicans control 53 seats and can afford only three defections and still pass the bill. No Democrat is expected to support it, and it is not subject to a filibuster. Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) told GOP colleagues at a meeting last week the bill already faces two likely Republican “no” votes. Thune told The Hill he wants to inject fresh momentum into the bill next week and move at “full speed” toward Trump’s July 4 deadline, even though he told GOP colleagues privately earlier this year that getting the legislation to Trump’s desk by the August recess is a more realistic target. “We’re continuing to have meetings with groups and committees,” he said. “Full speed ahead, a lot of conversations, getting everybody comfortable.” The biggest obstacle the bill faces is that many Republican senators are demanding more deficit reduction but a group of lawmakers, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), are objecting to the biggest deficit-reduction in the bill currently: hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid spending cuts. This has Republican senators looking for new strategies to further reduce the deficit without cutting more deeply into Medicaid or SNAP.

Senate Republicans tip-toe around 'Medicaid cuts' When is a Medicaid cut not actually a cut? That’s the $800 billion question facing Senate Republicans as they write their own version of the sweeping House-passed tax and spending bill. Administration officials and senators defending against attacks on the bill have coalesced around a message that there will be no cuts to benefits, and the only people who will lose coverage are the ones who never deserved it to begin with: namely immigrants without legal status and “able-bodied” individuals who shouldn’t be on Medicaid. “This bill will preserve and protect the programs, the social safety net, but it will make it much more commonsense,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said during a recent CNN interview. “That’s what this bill does. No one will lose coverage as a result.” Among many provisions, the House bill would require states to deny Medicaid to people who can’t prove they are working, looking for work, in school or volunteering for 80 hours a month. It would prohibit states from using their own money to cover immigrants without legal status and would deny coverage to other lawfully present immigrants who are currently eligible. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the legislation will result in nearly 11 million people losing health insurance coverage over the next decade. The Medicaid provisions alone would result in 7.8 million people losing their insurance. Those coverage losses would equate to hundreds of billions of dollars in savings for the federal government. However, GOP lawmakers and administration officials insist the legislation will protect Medicaid for “deserving” people such as the elderly and disabled, while forcing others to prove they aren’t freeloading. “It’s important for us to provide a nudge to some Americans to remember that they have agency over their future,” Mehmet Oz, the administration’s Medicare and Medicaid chief, told reporters on Wednesday, following a closed-door meeting with GOP senators. Later Wednesday in an interview on Fox Business, Oz elaborated. “Go out there, do entry-level jobs, get into the workforce, prove that you matter. Get agency into your own life,” he said. Republicans are wary about being attacked over health care cuts, and they’re eager to reframe the debate and try to go on offense. Voter backlash over the 2017 ObamaCare repeal effort led to widespread GOP losses and cost them control of the House in the 2018 midterms. “Give me a break, This is just fear-mongering from Democrats,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said in a post on the social platform X. “No one’s losing health care—unless you count the 1.4 million illegal immigrants getting Medicaid on your dime.” Most immigrants without legal status can’t qualify for Medicaid at the federal level, but some blue states have extended health care coverage to them. The legislation would penalize those states if they continued to offer coverage by lowering their federal matching rate.

Top earners to receive lion’s share of income boost from GOP bill: CBO -- The top one-tenth of the U.S. income spectrum is set to receive the biggest annual boost to its wealth as a result of the House-passed Republican tax cut and spending bill, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), while the bottom three deciles are set to lose wealth and the fourth lowest decile will break even. The CBO’s distributional analysis of House-passed tax perks released Thursday sweeps dramatically upward, showing that the wealth benefits of the bill increase as you move up the income scale. Households making up to $107,000 a year will get an average of $1,200 in tax benefits a year through 2034. Those making up to $138,000 will get $1,750 a year; those making up to $178,000 will get $2,400 a year; those making up to $242,000 will get $3,650 a year, and households in the top 10th, making up to $682,000 a year, will get $13,500 in average annual tax benefits. The average annual tax perks for the top decile of earners are larger than the tax perks for the rest of the income spectrum combined, which sum to about $10,800 per year, compared to the $13,500 for the top slice. Income in the U.S. is not distributed evenly, so while there are about 33 million people in each decile, most Americans make something closer to the median national income around $80,000 a year. Tax perks for that group are about $850 a year, though they’ll lose the equivalent of about half of that in transfer reductions for social programs. Tax perks in the House-passed bill are offset through the income spectrum by a reduction to federal and in-state transfers. The net effect of those reductions means people in the bottom three deciles will be financially worse off than they were while people in the fourth-lowest income decile will roughly break even.

Senate proposes alternative to AI moratorium in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ AI -- Senate Commerce Committee Republicans are proposing an alternative to a controversial provision in President Trump’s tax and spending bill about states’ regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) after concerns arose from some GOP members. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee unveiled its proposed text for Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” Thursday. The new text altered the House version’s language surrounding a potential 10-year ban on state regulation of AI, which received pushback from at least two GOP senators and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). The provision in the Senate version requires states to not regulate AI if they want access to federal broadband funding. This differs from the House-passed version, which would establish a blanket 10-year ban on state laws regulating AI models, systems or automated decision systems. This includes enforcement of existing and future laws on the state level. Proponents of the moratorium argue a patchwork of state laws is confusing or burdensome to technology companies trying to innovate in multiple parts of the country. While the provision sailed through the House Commerce Committee last month, it faced an uphill battle in the Senate. Some senators warned the provision may not pass the Byrd Rule, a procedural rule prohibiting “extraneous matters” from being included in reconciliation packages. This includes provisions that do not “change outlays or revenues.”Despite voting for the House version of the “big, beautiful bill,” Greene admitted this week she just learned of the AI provision.“We don’t get the full bill text until very close to the time to vote for it, and so that was one section that was two pages that I didn’t see,” Greene later told NewsNation, adding, “I find it so problematic that I’m willing to come forward and admit there are two pages that I didn’t read, because I never want to see a situation where state rights are stripped away.”Greene said she would vote against the spending bill when it comes back to the House unless the provision is removed. It is not clear whether the Senate version would appease her concerns.

Trump's actions in LA spur debate over deportation funds in his big bill (AP) — President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in Congress includes more than tax breaks and spending cuts — it also seeks to pour billions of dollars into the administration’s mass deportation agenda. Republican leaders capitalized Tuesday on the demonstrations in Los Angeles, where people are protesting Trump’s immigration raids at Home Depot and other places, to make the case for swift passage of their sprawling 1,000-plus-page bill over staunch Democratic opposition.House Speaker Mike Johnson said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers “much-needed reinforcements,” including 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, $45 billion to expand migrant detention facilities and billions more to carry out at least 1 million deportations a year.“All you have to do is look at what’s happening in Los Angeles to realize that our law enforcement needs all the support that we can possibly give them,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.The focus on some $350 billion in national security funding comes as action on the massive package is lumbering along in Congress at a critical moment. Trump wantsthe bill on his desk by the Fourth of July. But Senate Republicans trying to heave it to passage without Democrats are also running up against objections from within their GOP ranks over the details.At the same time, Democrats are warning that Trump’s executive reach into California — sending in the National Guard over the governor’s objections and calling up the Marines — is inflaming tensions in what had been isolated protests in pockets of LA. They warned the president’s heavy-handed approach has the potential to spread, if unchecked, to other communities nationwide.

Rand Paul says Senate panel will trim border security funding in ‘big, beautiful bill’ - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told reporters Tuesday that his panel will unveil changes to the House-passed bill to enact President Trump’s agenda that will be more “conservative” and propose dramatically less money for border security. Paul has argued for weeks that Congress doesn’t need to spend $150 billion to secure the border and beef up immigration enforcement since border crossings plunged after Trump took office in January. “It will actually be the conservative version of how much money we spend” on the border, Paul told reporters. He said the Senate’s text under the jurisdiction of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee would propose about “half as much money” as the $150 billion passed by the House. “The wall, if you look at the [Customs and Border Protection (CBP)] website — until they removed it yesterday — they said it would cost $6.5 million per mile” to build the border wall, Paul said. “If you add that up for about 1,000 miles that’s $6.5 billion. They asked for $46.5 billion, so they got a math problem,” he added. “Instead of addressing the math problem, CBP took that off their website two days ago.” Paul posted on social media Monday that Congress doesn’t need to spend $150 billion to secure the border and enforce immigration law through deportations and other actions, arguing that the Trump administration could get the job done for half the cost. “We don’t need $150 billion to secure the border. We can do it for half that — $75 billion — and still protect the American people,” he wrote. “The math backs it up.” Paul said he would submit the text of his revisions to the House-passed Homeland Security chapter of the bill to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday.

Latest megabill text targets NOAA funds, leaves out EV fee - The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s portion of Republicans’ party-line budget bill would repeal hundreds of millions of dollars for science and climate programs while effectively eliminating a federal fuel efficiency regulation.The text, unveiled Thursday, contains many of the provisions included in both the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce committees’ portions of the GOP’s sweeping reconciliation bill but leaves out a section intended to implement new fees on electric vehicles and hybrids.Senate Republicans’ proposal comes as the upper chamber is racing to tweak and ultimately pass President Donald Trump’s tax, energy and national security package before the end of the month. By combining the administration’s priorities in a budget reconciliation bill for the current fiscal year, lawmakers can get around the Senate’s filibuster rules and pass the package with a simple majority.“The Commerce Committee section invests in bold and transformational policies that will positively impact Americans now and for generations to come,” Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a statement.

Senate Republicans eye public land sales in ‘big, beautiful bill - ’The Senate version of President Trump’s tax and spending bill seeks to sell off more than 2 million acres of federal lands to build affordable housing. A provision in the text released late Wednesday calls for the sales of between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. Lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington state and Wyoming would be eligible. This represents a break with the House, which approved legislation that did not include provisions to sold off public lands, despite a push from some lawmakers to add land sales provisions. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) in particular has opposed the public land sales push. In a videoaccompanying the newly released text on Wednesday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) lamented federal control of public lands — and also stressed that the measure would not apply to national parks or other similar protected lands. “We’re opening underused federal land to expand housing, support local development and get Washington, D.C., out of the way of communities that are just trying to grow,” Lee said.

New reconciliation text spares forest program from cuts - A program that protects privately owned forests for timber and other uses has survived in a megabill being put together in the Senate, after falling victim to House budget cutters in May. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee saved the Forest Legacy Program in its piece of the big tax-cut and spending bill, refusing to cut off $100 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding.“This is a victory not only for forests, but for the families, economies, and ecosystems that depend on them,” said Lesley Kane Szynal, chair of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition, an advocacy group, in a news release Thursday. The Forest Legacy Program pays for conservation easements and land purchases that prevent privately owned forests from being converted to other uses. In many cases, they’ve been used to keep timber operations in business while protecting forest watersheds and allowing for recreational access.

Senate axes regulation-slashing measure from megabill - A major deregulatory proposal that Republican hardliners had hoped to include in their party-line megabill was cut in the Senate. Absent from a new section of the GOP budget reconciliation bill released Thursday is language from the “Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act,” which would have given Congress final approval over certain agency rules and would have expanded Congress’ ability to undo rules already in place.New text for the Republican budget reconciliation bill would also extend a program to compensate victims of nuclear radiation. Other provisions would sell government electric vehicles and fund agency reorganization plans. Initial versions of the House reconciliation bill included parts of the “REINS Act.” But House leadership slashed it at the eleventh hour, replacing it instead with a blanket appropriation for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to conduct deregulatory actions. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s portion of the megabill, released Thursday night, included no mention of “REINS Act,” and also excluded the funding the House wanted for the budget office.

Golden Dome Idiocy - --Lt Col William J. Astore- (USAF,retired)- Donald Trump has a dream: a “golden dome” over America to defend the country against nuclear missiles. It’s a repeat of Ronald Reagan’s dream, the Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed “Star Wars” after the movie. The problem is that the dream represents a nightmare. How so? Golden Dome would be dangerously escalatory, wildly expensive, and unlikely to work as a “shield” to America. It is worse than a mistake: it is a crime. It represents a massive theft from those who hunger and suffer in America. As Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower said in 1953, wasting enormous resources on weapons systems is no way of life at all. It is humanity crucifying itself on a cross of iron. Crucifixion is not made more pleasant when the cross is golden. Put differently, the Golden Dome is a golden idol, a false god, one that by making a massive nuclear strike more likely endangers all of us and God’s creation. Golden Dome is a grotesque example of makework militarism and warfare as welfare for weapons makers. Though it’s unlikely to work, if it did (partially) it would make a massive nuclear strike more likely, not less, endangering the world with the ecocidal terror of nuclear winter. Golden Dome and the so-called investment in America’s nuclear triad are both examples of socio-technological madness – America’s leaders are like the mutants in “Beneath the Planet of the Apes,” worshipping the bombs that twisted them and which can only destroy what’s left of civilization. As Daniel Ellsberg once noted, U.S. nuclear attack plans in the early 1960s envisioned 600 million killed, or 100 Holocausts (before we knew such an attack would lead to nuclear winter). We’re lucky this insanity never came to pass. The only sane policy is to cancel Golden Dome and end “investment” in a new nuclear triad. Disarmament, not rearmament, is what’s needed. The Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space has released a statement against Golden Dome that you can read here. You can add your name to the statement, as I have. Here are some bullet points released along with the statement:

• Golden Dome is financially reckless and unsustainable. Early cost estimates range from $550 billion to several trillion dollars over two decades. This dwarfs even the Pentagon’s annual budget and adds to the US’s $37 trillion national debt – a price tag that makes the project fiscally indefensible.
• Experts overwhelmingly agree that 100% effective missile interception is a fantasy, especially against complex attacks involving decoys, hypersonic missiles, and maneuverable warheads. Even Israel’s Iron Dome has been bypassed by more rudimentary drone and missile attacks.
• Golden Dome includes space-based interceptors – effectively weaponizing the Earth’s orbit and triggering an arms race. This violates the spirit of the Outer Space Treaty and pushes nations like China and Russia to accelerate space weapons development.
• By giving the illusion of first-strike survivability, it runs counter to the Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) doctrine that has prevented so far a nuclear holocaust and incentivizes other powers to retain or expand their nuclear arsenals, blocking disarmament efforts permanently.
• Thousands of rocket launches for satellite interceptors would further damage the ozone layer, could generate dangerous orbital debris (Kessler Syndrome), and will harm our already fragile space environment.
• The only guaranteed winners of Golden Dome are weapons giants like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Palantir, which stand to profit enormously regardless of the system’s effectiveness or risks.
• The trillions funneled into Golden Dome could be used for urgent domestic priorities – such as healthcare, infrastructure, climate action, and education, directly benefiting millions of Americans.

In short, Golden Dome is a massive, dangerous, and futile vanity project, cloaked in patriotism but driven by profit, politics, and illusion.

Panel advances defense budget despite missing details from White House -- House appropriators on Tuesday advanced plans for a $831.5 billion defense budget for next fiscal year over concerns from Democratic lawmakers that the spending package is rushed and incomplete, since the White House still has not unveiled its own detailed funding plans for the military.The appropriations bill topline essentially matches spending levels from the current fiscal year, leaving defense programs without any increase for inflation or cost-of-living hikes in the base budget plan.However, the funding plan is designed to run alongside congressional reconciliation plans, which would add another $150 billion in funds for the Defense Department. Republicans assert the combination could bring total military spending for next year to nearly $1 trillion, even though those funds would be spread out over four years.“[This bill] provides the resources necessary for maintaining American military superiority, leveraging our technological innovation into tactical advantages on the battlefield, and supporting the Defense Department’s most valuable assets: our warfighters,”said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel.“Together, with the significant defense funding advancing through Congress as part of the reconciliation process, the FY26 bill … [represents] a historic commitment to strengthening and modernizing America’s national defense.”The measure calls for a 3.8% pay raise, eliminates 45,000 civilian defense jobs and allocates $13 billion to start the White House’s proposed Golden Dome missile defense program.But Democratic lawmakers said the legislation — which could advance to the full chamber for approval later this month — still has too many gaps to support because the White House is months behind in its promise to provide a detailed budget to Congress.“We have zip, nada, no idea where we are going,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a hearing before Tuesday’s subcommittee vote.“Give us the details … My hope was that we could get to it before a markup.”Hegseth said those details will be sent to lawmakers soon, but he also supported the committee moving ahead with the broad outlines of the defense spending plan.“[The president’s plan] realigns the military to the historic strength that began in President Donald Trump’s first term and makes generational investments in the president’s priorities including developing the Golden Dome, sealing the Southwest Border, investing in the F-47, revitalizing our shipbuilding industry,” he told lawmakers.

Republicans lay groundwork for ‘total tax cliff’ at end of Trump’s term -- Congressional Republicans are laying the groundwork for a tax cliff at the end of President Trump’s term in office. While the conference is pushing to make the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, additional measures geared toward working-class Americans are being slated for expiration at the end of 2028. “It means that’s going to be an issue in the next presidential race,” House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said Tuesday. The major expiring tax breaks in the House-passed version of Republicans’ domestic agenda bill are boosts in the standard deduction, the deduction for seniors, and the child tax credit, along with the cancellation of taxes on tips, overtime pay, and car loan interest. Budget hawks are saying this sets up a “tax cliff” in the legislation similar to the one Republicans are now trying to surmount, since most of the 2017 Trump tax cuts expire at the end of this year. “There’s a total tax cliff in there. There’s about $1.5 trillion worth of taxes that expire in four years, five years, which means what? In five years, they’ll just keep them going. This is why we end up with the same problem,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said last week. “It is 100 percent a gimmick to have tax cuts that you’re putting in place for four or five years,” he added. The legislation is likely to undergo substantial changes in the Senate, including a change in the accounting baseline that will allow trillions of dollars worth of deficit additions coming from the extension of previous tax cuts to be ignored. But senators are sounding open to maintaining the split between making the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) permanent and allowing the additional cuts for workers, families, retirees and consumers to expire.

Pete Hegseth takes fire from Republicans at heated Senate hearing - Republican senators came out firing during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s hearing Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on armed forces. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) immediately pressed Hegseth over the Russia-Ukraine war, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) driving home the point later in the hearing; Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the top Senate appropriator, scolded the Pentagon’s delays with budget information; and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) closed out the hearing by questioning the administration’s focus on Greenland in its Arctic strategy. McConnell, one of three Republicans who opposed Hegseth’s confirmation, gaveled in the hearing by calling out the Trump administration for what he views as a flat baseline defense budget. He then launched into strong warnings against the U.S. cozying up to Russia in its bid to end its war in Ukraine. McConnell said Washington’s allies are “wondering whether we’re in the middle of brokering what appears to be allowing the Russians to define victory. I think victory is defined by the people who have to live there — the Ukrainians.” The former Senate majority leader who now chairs the subcommittee, McConnell asked Hegseth which side he wanted to win the war. The Defense chief said the Trump administration wanted the killing to end but would not choose a side.

Trump Holds Call With Netanyahu, Says Iran Was Discussed - On Monday, President Trump held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said they discussed Iran, among other issues. Trump told reporters after the call that the US and Iran are set to hold a sixth round of negotiations on Thursday, although Iran later said that talks would be held in Oman on Sunday. Tehran is set to present a counter-offer to a recent US proposal. Trump also doubled down on his demand that Iran must eliminate its nuclear enrichment program, an issue Tehran has made clear is a non-starter. “They’re just asking for things that you can’t do,” Trump said.He said that Iran wouldn’t give up its enrichment program, calling the position “unacceptable.” Trump has been warning that he will bomb Iran if a deal isn’t reached, even though his intelligence agencies recently said there’s no evidence Tehran is working toward a nuclear weapon.Netanyahu has also been threatening to bomb Iran, and reports have said that Israel is considering conducting the attack if the US pursues a deal that Israel doesn’t like. Iran has made clear that there will be consequences for any attack, and is now saying that it could hit Israel’s covert nuclear facilities in response.According to a report from Haaretz, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors, which consists of member states, could vote this week to declare that Iran is not complying with the NPT despite its continued cooperation with the IAEA and the lack of evidence that it’s working toward a bomb.If the Board of Governors makes the declaration, it could trigger the snapback mechanism for UN sanctions. Iran could respond by exiting the NPT altogether and moving its nuclear enrichment activity to sites deeper underground.

Israeli Media: Trump Told Netanyahu To 'Permanently End War in Gaza' - Israeli media is reporting that President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Monday that he must “permanently end the war in the Gaza Strip.” According to The Times of Israel, which cited reports from two Israeli TV stations, Trump told Netanyahu that a deal that’s been on the table for a temporary 60-day truce wouldn’t suffice. A source told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Trump told the Israeli leader that the onslaught in Gaza should come to an end “the sooner the better.” But none of the reports indicated that Trump is willing to leverage military aid and threaten to cut it off, which would force Israel to end its genocidal slaughter. Israeli officials have acknowledged that without US military support, Israel wouldn’t be able to sustain operations in Gaza for more than a few months. According to Haaretz, US aid has funded about 70% of Israel’s war-related military spending since October 7, 2023. US military aid has not only fueled the slaughter in Gaza but also Israel’s escalations in the West Bank, its invasion of southern Syria, its constant ceasefire violations in Lebanon, and several rounds of airstrikes on Yemen and Iran. The Israeli reports also said that Trump asked Netanyahu to stop threatening to bomb Iran, saying it wasn’t helpful for US efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Tehran. According to Axios, Trump said that he still wanted to pursue diplomacy with Iran, at least for now. The president has been publicly threatening that if an agreement isn’t reached, the US will bomb Iran despite a lack of evidence that Tehran is seeking a nuclear weapon.

Food used as weapon of war in US-Israeli militarization of aid in Gaza - Gaza is now described by the United Nations as the “hungriest place on Earth,” with its entire population of 2.2 million at risk of famine due to Israel’s ongoing military campaign and systematic use of starvation tactics. The UN’s humanitarian mission to Gaza is considered “the most obstructed in recent history,” with aid convoys blocked or restricted at crossings. Jens Laerke of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated, The aid operation we have prepared is constrained by an operational straitjacket, rendering it one of the most obstructed relief efforts, not just globally today, but in recent times. On the ground, Palestinians describe a life of relentless hunger and deprivation. One resident told Al Jazeera, “I [have] no flour, no oil, no sugar, [no] food. [I] collect moldy bread… I want flour for my children. I want to eat. I’m hungry.” Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, noted that the north, including Gaza City itself, has received no aid in recent days, while those in central and southern areas like Khan Younis and Rafah struggle daily to secure even basic staples such as flour. Aid distribution has become one more means for the slaughter of Palestinians by Israel. Save the Children reports that dozens have been killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at militarized aid sites, where desperate civilians are directed to collect insufficient food parcels, only to be fired upon. Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s regional director, condemned the situation: This is aid to which people are legally entitled—aid that has been systematically denied. This is a blatant and shocking disregard of international humanitarian law. The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is now the main channel for aid into Gaza. The US State Department is considering a $500 million contribution, which would make it the largest donor and thereby effectively “own” the operation. The GHF claims to deliver food and medicine to hundreds of thousands, but its model is widely recognized as deepening the crisis. Humanitarian groups and UN agencies say that the GHF’s approach violates basic humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality, and that it is designed to serve Israeli and US interests in the displacement of Gaza’s civilian population. The World Food Program (WFP) stated, The GHF operation is a violation of humanitarian principles… WFP and its partners must also be allowed to distribute food parcels directly to families—the most effective way to prevent widespread starvation. Instead, the GHF has replaced hundreds of local distribution points with a handful of “secure sites,” forcing Palestinians to cross dangerous terrain and pass through biometric checkpoints just to receive basic rations. These hubs provide only dry goods, with little regard for the lack of clean water or fuel for cooking. The result is a crude dumping of commodities, not a genuine relief effort.

After Denying Massacring Civilians Seeking Aid, Israel Routinely Massacres Civilians Seeking Aid - Caitlin Johnstone - At the beginning of this month, Israel and its apologists ferociously denied claims that IDF troops had fired upon civilians seeking aid at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site, killing 31 people.

• On the second of June, Israeli forces again opened fire on civilians seeking aid in Gaza, killing three people and injuring more than 30.
• On June 3, Israeli forces again opened fire on civilians seeking aid, reportedly killing at least 27 people.
• The US/Israeli-backed GHF temporarily suspended operations after this spate of mass shootings.
• On June 8, Israeli forces again fired upon civilians seeking aid at two separate distribution points in Gaza, killing twelve.
• On June 9, Israel and Israeli-backed forces opened fire on a crowd at an aid site in Gaza, killing 14.
• And on June 10, at least 36 people were reported killed and 208 wounded when Israeli forces again fired on crowds seeking aid in Gaza.

Since May 27, some 160 people have reportedly been killed in massacres at these GHF sites, which people in Gaza are reportedly beginning to refer to as a “death trap”.Think about how desperate and starving you’d have to be before you’d go seek food from people who you know will probably start spraying the crowd with bullets at some point. This really gives you an idea of how badly the people of Gaza have been suffering.But, again, at the beginning of the month, Israel and its spinmeisters were crying antisemitic blood libel at the very suggestion that IDF troops would fire upon people trying to obtain food.The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a deceitful video clip which it falsely claimed showed Hamas members, not the IDF, firing on the crowd.Netanyahu advisor Caroline Glick and Israel’s “Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism” Amichai Chikli both called the reporting on the June 1 massacre a “blood libel”.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt falsely accused the BBC ofpeddling Hamas propaganda for reporting on the June 1 massacre. The Jerusalem Post published an article titled “Media blood libel over alleged Gaza aid shooting will have far-reaching repercussions.” Israel’s official Twitter account called the reporting “Hamas propaganda”. The Washington Post bowed to pressure and retracted its article on the June 1 massacre, saying it didn’t “give proper weight to Israel’s denial and gave improper certitude about what was known about any Israeli role in the shootings.”Then, a few days later, CNN published a report based on extensive video analysis and eyewitness interviews which found that all evidence, contrary to Israel’s claims, “points to the Israeli military opening fire on crowds of Palestinians as they tried to make their way to the fenced enclosure to get food.”Even without the CNN report, Israel’s own actions since June 1 have proved that Israeli forces do indeed deliberately fire upon starving civilians seeking humanitarian aid. Israel lied. Again.Which should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to Israel’s mass atrocities in Gaza. This is after all the same genocidal state whichindignantly objected to claims that it would ever bomb a medical facility after an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in October 2023, only to bomb that exact same hospital many times thereafter while deliberately destroying Gaza’s entire healthcare infrastructure.

Report: Mike Huckabee Working To Keep Netanyahu in Power - US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has been working to help keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power by meeting with members of the coalition in the Knesset who are threatening to dissolve the government, Israeli media have reported. Ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) parties have threatened to bolt the Netanyahu coalition over the lack of a draft exemption law for Israel’s Haredi community. According to Israel’s Channel 13, Huckabee is working to help resolve the coalition crisis and has held recent conversations with Haredi politicians.The report said that during those conversations, Huckabee told them that “government stability is important for addressing the Iranian issue.”Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded to the report, saying it would amount to interference in Israel’s internal politics if it were true. “Since I have no doubt that Ambassador Huckabee respects Israel’s independence and its democracy, I hope and believe that the report that he is interfering in Israel’s internal politics and trying to help Netanyahu [deal with] the ultra-Orthodox in the military draft law crisis are not true. Israel is not a protectorate,” Lapid wrote on X. Huckabee is a Christian Zionist who believes God gave historic Palestine to the modern state of Israel, making him a strong supporter of the Netanyahu government’s priority on expanding illegal settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Since taking his post as the US ambassador in Israel, Huckabee has also provided a strong defense of Israel’s genocidal onslaught and starvation campaign in Gaza.

Mike Huckabee: US No Longer Pursuing Goal of Palestinian State - Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, told Bloomberg in an interview published on Tuesday that he believes the US is no longer pursuing the goal of an independent Palestinian state.“Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there’s no room for it,” the former Arkansas governor told the outlet, adding that he didn’t think those “changes” would happen “in our lifetime.”When asked if the US was still pursuing the goal of a Palestinian state, he said, “I don’t think so.” While the US has been working against a Palestinian state for decades by continuing to back Israel as it expands illegal settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Huckabee’s comments mark one of the most explicit denials of the goal of a Palestinian state from a top US official.Huckabee also suggested that a Palestinian state could be carved out of a Muslim country. “Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?” he said, using the Biblical name for the West Bank.For Huckabee, his opposition to a Palestinian state is ideological and rooted in his religious beliefs. As a Christian Zionist, Huckabee believes that God gave historic Palestine to the modern state of Israel.

Report: US To Formalize Military Presence in Syria in Deal With al-Qaeda-Linked Govt -The US is working to formalize its military presence in Syria by signing a deal with the new al-Qaeda-linked government, according to a report from The New Arab.The report was published Friday and said that a high-level US military delegation was expected to meet with Syrian officials in the coming days with the goal of shifting the US military presence from an illegal occupation to a formalized, legal partnership. The report comes as the US has been drawing down its forces in northeastern Syria and handing over some bases to the Kurdish-led SDF. The US is expected to maintain only one base in Syria, the al-Tanf Garrison in the south, which is situated where the borders of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan converge.From al-Tanf, the US helped its proxy militia, known as the Syrian Free Army (previously known as the Revolutionary Commando Army), join in on the offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024.A formal deal on al-Tanf would signal that the US is planning a long-term or even potentially a permanent military presence in Syria. The Pentagon has said that it’s currently working to reduce its forces in Syria to fewer than 1,000 troops in the country. According to the latest reports, approximately 1,500 US troops are currently stationed in the country. The US has embraced the new Syrian government that’s led by HTS despite the group still being listed by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization due to its al-Qaeda roots. President Trump recently met with HTS’s leader and Syria’s de facto president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and praised him as a “young, attractive guy” with a “very strong past.”

US May Move to Dissolve UN Peacekeeper Mission in Lebanon, Israel Endorses the Idea - US officials have reportedly begun discussing the possibility of seeking the dissolution of the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, a move that comes amid a ceasefire that sees multiple violations on a daily basis.They emphasized that no decision has yet been made. The measure is being countenanced as seeking cost-savings and defunding UNIFIL, but the US is also reported to be demanding “major reforms,” and holding out the possibility of using their veto power at the UN Security Council to forcibly dissolve the mission entirely when it comes up for renewal in August.One country is on board with this idea at least, and that’s Israel. Israel is almost perpetually running afoul of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, what with their constant attacking of southern Lebanon, and having them out of there likely would reduce international attention for their flouting of the ceasefire.IDF troops attacked UNIFIL personnel several times during last year’s Lebanon war. Since the ceasefire went into effect in late November, the attacks haven’t stopped, with Israel firing on UNIFIL troops every timethey think there’s some diplomatic point to prove. Last month, UNIFIL troops discovered an Israeli spying device planted on the Lebanese side of the border, and when they moved closer to investigate, the IDF drove them off by firing at them.France, a substantial contributor to UNIFIL as well, has criticized Israel for its attacks on the peacekeepers, and also suggested bolstering the mission earlier in the ceasefire, though that proposal was shot down by both Israel and the US.When Israel attacks and kills anyone in southern Lebanon, it is pro forma for them to claim the victim was a top-ranking Hezbollah commander of some form or another, even though there is rarely evidence to support that.That tactic is effectively impossible, however, when they attack a group of French or Malaysian peacekeepers wearing UN uniforms. Subsequently, getting UNIFIL out of Lebanon would free up Israel to attack the area even more indiscriminately than they already do.

Iran Says It Will Present a Counter-Proposal to US in Nuclear Talks - The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday said that it will present a counter-proposal to the US’s offer on a potential nuclear deal.“The US proposal is not acceptable to us. It was not the result of previous rounds of negotiations. We will present our own proposal to the other side via Oman after it is finalized. This proposal is reasonable, logical, and balanced,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.The US and Iran have been at odds over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, which President Trump and other US officials have demanded must be eliminated altogether, a condition that’s a non-starter for Tehran.According to media reports, the US’s proposal would allow Iranian uranium enrichment at a low level for only an interim period while separate nuclear facilities involving other countries are established. Some reports say the offer didn’t specify where the new nuclear facilities would be, and that Iran could be open to a nuclear consortium on its own soil, but there has been conflicting information.Iranian officials say another major problem with the US proposal was that it didn’t offer details on sanctions relief. “We must ensure before the lifting of sanctions that Iran will effectively benefit economically and that its banking and trade relations with other countries will return to normal,” Baghaei said. Baghaei also discussed Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program and called for international pressure on Israel to disarm. He said that secret Israeli documents Iran claims it has obtained will show “that parties constantly questioning Iran’s peaceful nuclear program actively work to strengthen Israel’s military nuclear program.” To date, the US and Iran have held five rounds of nuclear talks, and a sixth is expected to take place on Thursday. President Trump has been conducting the negotiations under the threat that if they fail, he will bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, even though his intelligence agencies have said there’s no evidence Tehran is working toward a bomb.

Oil Rises As Trump Says He's 'Less Confident' About Nuclear Talks With Iran The NY Post has published a new Trump interview focused on apparently stalled Iran nuclear deal efforts which resulted in a surge in oil prices. The President said in the interview he's getting "less confident" about ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, soon after which oil rose as well as benchmark treasury yields and gold, as investors weigh the possibility of US-Iran nuclear talks falling apart. Trump was asked whether he thinks the Islamic Republic will agree to shut down its nuclear program. "I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more — less confident about it," he responded. "They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame, but I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago," Trump continued. "Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made." Then the question was raised by the Post, "what happens then?" To which Trump responded: “Well, if they don’t make a deal, they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump answered. “If they do make a deal, they’re not going have a nuclear weapon, too, you know? But they’re not going a have a new nuclear weapon, so it’s not going to matter from that standpoint. “But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it. But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. I think they would make a mistake, but we’ll see. I guess time will tell.” On the question of China's influence on Tehran, Trump described, "I just think maybe they don’t want to make a deal. What can I say?” he said. “And maybe they do. So what does that mean? There’s nothing final."

'All US Bases Within Our Reach': Iran Responds To Threats From Washington -Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said Wednesday that Tehran will strike US military bases in the region if nuclear talks fail and Washington decides to launch an attack on the Islamic Republic. "Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don't come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us... all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries," Nasirzadeh said during a press conference, warning the US to "leave the region" in the "case of any conflict." "We have made very good progress in defense affairs. Our operational forces are fully equipped," the defense minister added, revealing that Iran recently tested a missile with a two-ton warhead. "[If] a conflict is imposed on us, the casualties of the other party will definitely be much heavier than ours," he went on to say. The comments came in response to escalating threats from Washington, coinciding with increased tension in nuclear talks between Iran and the US. When asked at a hearing of the House of Representatives on Tuesday if Washington is prepared to “respond with overwhelming force to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran,” the chief of US Central Command (CENTCOM) said he has “provided the secretary of defense and the president a wide range of options.” US President Donald Trump said on the same day in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier that Iran has become “much more aggressive” in nuclear talks. “They’re just asking for things you can’t do. They don’t want to give up what they have to give up,” adding that it is “disappointing” because “the alternative is a very, very dire one.” Trump said on Monday that he was “less confident” in the ability to reach a deal. Iran has rejected a new US proposal that would significantly constrain its ability to enrich uranium, and has said it will soon put forward a counteroffer. A new round of talks is set to take place in the coming days.

Trump Says Israeli Attack on Iran Could Happen But Insists He Still Wants a Deal - President Trump on Thursday said that an Israeli attack on Iran “could very well happen,” but also insisted that he still wants a diplomatic solution with the Islamic Republic.His comments came amid a series of media reports citing US officials who say Israel is poised to attack Iran. “I don’t want to say imminent, but it’s something that could very well happen,” the president told reporters.While some reports say that the US is expecting Israel to launch an attack on its own without US support, CBS News reported that the Trump administration is weighing options regarding how to support Israeli military action.Trump also explained his decision to order the evacuation of staff from the US embassy in Baghdad and encourage the voluntary departure of non-essential personnel across the region, warning that a “massive conflict could break out.”“We have a lot of American people in this area, and I said, look, we gotta tell them to get out cause something could happen – soon. And I don’t want to be the one that didn’t give any warning and missiles are flying into their buildings. It’s possible. So I had to do it,” Trump said.“So I had to do it. You know, I had the choice – do I do it or not? Doing it has its downside but it also has its upside, like you’re going to save a lot of lives if it should happen. Hopefully that doesn’t happen,” he added.The president also said that he didn’t want Israel to attack Iran as long as he thought there was a chance of a deal. “As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them going in because that would blow it. Might help it, actually, but also could blow it,” he said.Later in the day, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he wanted a deal. “We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran,” he wrote.Trump said in the post that Iran must “give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon,” but there is no evidence that Tehran is trying to obtain nuclear weapons, which has been affirmed by US intelligence agencies. The US and Iran appear to be at an impasse over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Trump has been demanding that it be dismantled altogether, which is a non-starter for Tehran. However, negotiations continue, and another round is scheduled to take place this Sunday, despite the tensions.Trump has been threatening that the US would bomb Iran if a deal isn’t reached, and the threat of an Israeli attack also appears to be part of his pressure campaign. The threats prompted Iran’s defense minister to warn that Iranian missiles would hit US bases in the region if a “conflict is imposed” on Iran.Axios reported that the US believes that if Israel bombs Iranian nuclear facilities, it would likely result in an Iranian attack on Israel that would overwhelm Israeli air defenses and cause mass casualties. Iran also has the ability to inflict mass casualties on American military personnel at the numerous US bases in the region.

US to pull some personnel from the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to U.S. and Iraqi sources. The four U.S. and two Iraqi sources did not say what security risks had prompted the decision and reports of the potential evacuation pushed up oil prices by more than 4%. A U.S. official said the State Department had authorized voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait. The State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory on Wednesday evening to reflect the latest U.S. posture. “On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions,” the advisory said. The decision by the U.S. to evacuate some personnel comes at a volatile moment in the region. Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked and U.S. intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. "They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters. "We've given notice to move out." Asked whether anything can be done to lower the temperature in the region, Trump said: "They can't have a nuclear weapon. Very simple, they can't have a nuclear weapon." Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and in an interview released earlier on Wednesday said he was growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that if Iran was subjected to strikes it would retaliate by hitting U.S. bases in the region. The U.S. embassy in Kuwait said in a statement on Wednesday that it had "not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational." The United States has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, a U.S. official said. Another U.S. official said that was mostly relevant to family members located in Bahrain - where the bulk of them are based. "The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the U.S. military is standing by if help is requested," a third U.S. official said. Iraq's state news agency cited a government source as saying Baghdad had not recorded any security indication that called for an evacuation.

US Anticipating Potential Israeli Attack on Iran - The US is on high alert in the Middle East and is anticipating a potential Israeli attack on Iran, The Washington Post has reported. Amid the anticipation, the US is reducing the presence of non-essential personnel in the region.The report said that “in recent months, US intelligence officials have grown increasingly concerned that Israel may choose to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without the consent of the United States.”US officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the military has authorized the “voluntary departure” of the dependents of US troops from locations across the Middle East.The US is also evacuating personnel from its embassy in Iraq. CBS Newsreported that Israel has informed the US it’s “fully ready to launch an operation into Iran” and that US officials were concerned that Iran could retaliate by hitting US sites in Iraq. The State Department has authorized the departure of non-essential personnel at its embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain, providing them with the option to leave rather than a mandatory evacuation.The news came after Iran’s defense minister warned that Tehran would hit US bases in the region if a “conflict is imposed” on Iran. Iranian officials have previously said that they would hold the US responsible for an Israeli attack due to the US’s significant military support for Israel.Previous reports have said that Israel was considering attacking Iran to disrupt negotiations between the US and Iran. According to The New York Times, Israeli officials close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believe that the “US would have no choice but to assist Israel militarily if Iran counterattacked.”The current tensions come as Netanyahu is facing a political crisis as ultra-Orthodox parties are threatening to dissolve the Knesset over the lack of a draft exemption law for Israel’s Haredi Orthodox Jews, although, according to the latest reports, the crisis may be defused. President Trump has also been threatening to bomb Iran if he fails to reach a nuclear deal, and he continues to publicly demand the elimination of Tehran’s nuclear enrichment program, which is a non-starter for Iranian officials.Trump said in an interview released Wednesday that he was “less confident” that a deal would be reached with Iran. According to a recent report from Axios, Trump gave Iran a deadline of June 12, this Thursday, to reach an agreement.

Israel Starts Bombing Iran, IRGC Chief Reported Killed - The Israeli military has begun bombing Iran, an attack that could provoke a major, catastrophic war in the region involving the US. Heavy airstrikes have hit the Iranian capital of Tehran, and videos show plumes of smoke rising from the city. Photos also show damaged residential buildings, and deaths of women and children have been reported. Strikes have also hit several provinces across Iran.The IDF said that it has launched “dozens” of airstrikes on Iran in an attack it said is targeting the country’s civilian nuclear program. Iran’sPressTV has reported that strikes hit the Natanz nuclear facility.Israel has also targeted senior Iranian military officials, and Iranian reports say Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been killed. The bombing has also killed several other senior IRGC officials and nuclear scientists.The Mossad reportedly launched sabotage attacks against Iranian air defense systems and missile facilities that coincided with the Israeli airstrikes.Israel has dubbed the operation the “Nation of Lions.” The Israeli military is also warning that Iran could launch a major counterattack against Israeli territory and said that its operation against Iran could last several days.“Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that Israel has taken “unliateral action” against Iran and claimed the US wasn’t involved. “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” Rubio said.The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it holds the US responsible for the attack. “The Zionist regime’s aggressive actions against Iran cannot have been carried out without the coordination and authorization of the United States. Accordingly, the United States government, as the main supporter of this regime, will also be responsible for the dangerous effects and consequences of the Zionist regime’s adventure,” the ministry said.Media reports have said that Iran planned to attack without US backing, but CBS News reported that the Trump administration was weighing options regarding how to support Israeli military action. According to Israel’s Channel 12, the US participated in a campaign to lull Iran into thinking an attack was not going to happen immediately. In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuthanked President Trump for his “steadfast stance” on Iran.The bombing began hours after President Trump said that an Israeli attack on Iran could happen soon, although he claimed that he still wanted to pursue a nuclear deal with Tehran despite his repeated demand that Iran must eliminate its nuclear enrichment program, which is a non-starter for Tehran.Previous reports said that Israel was considering bombing Iran to sabotage the diplomacy between the US and Iran. The attacks come as there is no evidence that Tehran is working toward a nuclear weapon, which is the consensus of the US intelligence community.

Trump Praises ‘Excellent’ Israeli Strikes on Iran - President Donald Trump endorsed the massive Israeli strike on Iran early on Friday morning, calling the attack “excellent.” A source explained that the US provided Israel with intelligence for the operation. Speaking with ABC News on the phone following the Israeli strikes across the Islamic Republic, Trump said, “I think it’s been excellent.” He continued, “We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s more to come. A lot more.”Trump refused to provide details about the US role in the attack, saying, “I don’t want to comment on that.”However, elements of Washington’s support for Tel Aviv are becoming public. Israeli officials told the Jerusalem Post and Axios that the White House helped to create the illusion that the US was still seeking a diplomatic settlement with Iran. Israeli officials told the Jerusalem Post and Axios that the White House helped to create the illusion that the US was still seeking a diplomatic settlement with Iran. Just hours before the attack, President Trump declared that he was committed to a “Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue!” But it appears he had already greenlit the Jewish state’s attack on the Islamic Republic. A source provided further details of the US support, telling ABC News that Washington provided Tel Aviv with “exquisite” intelligence. Additionally, the source said the US will help Israel defend against any Iranian response. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it holds the US responsible for the attack. “The Zionist regime’s aggressive actions against Iran cannot have been carried out without the coordination and authorization of the United States. Accordingly, the United States government, as the main supporter of this regime, will also be responsible for the dangerous effects and consequences of the Zionist regime’s adventure,” the ministry said. Since starting the assault early Friday morning, Israeli forces have delivered multiple rounds of strikes targeting Iranian military sites, nuclear facilities, and residential buildings. Top Iranian nuclear scientists and generals have been confirmed killed. Tel Aviv said the operation, dubbed “Nation of Lions,” will last several days.

Official: US-Israeli Deception Gave Iran False Security Ahead of Attack - A senior Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post that Tel Aviv and Washington worked together to convince Tehran that diplomacy was still possible after Israel was ready to attack Iran. Just hours before Israel’s massive assault began, President Donald Trump maintained he was still committed to talks.The Israeli outlet reports, “The round of US-Iranian nuclear negotiations scheduled for Sunday was part of a coordinated US-Israeli deception aimed at lowering Iran’s guard ahead of Friday’s attack.”In a post on Truth Social shortly before the Israeli strikes began, Trump declared that “We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”After the Israeli attack was in progress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that the US was involved. However, American officials have said the White House was aware Israel was set to begin striking Iran, with Trump telling Fox News he was briefed on the operation. Barak Ravid of Axios, moreover, later reported that Tel Aviv was given “a clear US green light” to start bombing, citing two unnamed Israeli officials.Sources speaking with Axios said the perceived split between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was coordinated behind the scenes. “Two Israeli officials claimed to Axios that Trump and his aides were only pretending to oppose an Israeli attack in public — and didn’t express opposition in private,” the report explained. “The goal, they say, was to convince Iran that no attack was imminent and make sure Iranians on Israel’s target list wouldn’t move to new locations.”The sources said that Trump and Netanyahu discussed the attack during a phone call on Monday. After the call, reports said Trump pressed Netanyahu not to attack Iran, but that was another effort to deceive Iran. In a second post following the attack, Trump said he gave Iran the opportunity to make a deal, and suggested that Israel used American weapons in the massive air raid. “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done,” the president wrote.The post continued, “I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it.”

Live updates: Donald Trump warns Iran to make nuclear deal amid Israel-Iran strikes - Hours after Israel landed significant missile strikes against Iran, President Trump chided Tehran for not making a nuclear deal through several rounds of talks, but he held out hope it still could do so. “I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!” Trump wrote Friday morning on Truth Social.Iran said Friday it was pulling out of talks, with the next round originally set for Sunday. Those weeks of talks, however, appear to have given cover to Israel to prepare its attack.The president was set Friday morning to meet with his National Security Council. The Navy has told two of its ships in the Mediterranean to reposition in reaction to the strike.

Tucker Carlson criticizes Donald Trump as 'complicit' in Israel's Iran strikes -Political pundit Tucker Carlson criticized President Trump on Friday, saying he is “complicit” in Israel’s attack on Iran and warning the escalating conflict between the two nations could lead the U.S. into war.Carlson, as part of his morning newsletter, said Trump was “complicit in the act of war,” noting the U.S. long-standing alliance with Israel, which attacked several military targets in Iran overnight Thursday and killed top Iranian military leaders — leading to fears of an all out war between the two nations.“What happens next will define Donald Trump’s presidency,” Carlson wrote in his newsletter, which was highlighted by several media outlets.Carlson has been a longtime media ally of the president, sitting with him at the Republican National Convention last summer and hosting him as part of speaking tour during the 2024 campaign.The former Fox News host is known for his firebrand commentary on politics and culture, and has for years been a vocal critic of so-called neo-cons he argues have dragged the U.S. into unnecessary wars in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Iran pulls out of nuclear talks with US after Israeli strike -Iran no longer plans to engage in nuclear talks with the U.S. that were scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday, Iranian leaders announced Friday after Israel launched deadly airstrikes it said targeted Tehran’s nuclear facilities and military sites.Oman News Agency and Iranian state media reported the talks have been suspended indefinitely.. “Israel’s unilateral attack on Iran is illegal, unjustifiable and a grave threat to regional stability,” Oman Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi posted on the social platform X after the attacks. “I condemn it and urge the global community to come together to reject Israeli aggression and support de-escalation and diplomacy with one voice.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meanwhile, vowed retribution against its long-standing adversary Israel. “With this crime, the Zionist regime has set itself up for a bitter and painful fate, and it will receive it,” he said in remarks released through state media.

Iran Strikes Israel, Ends Nuclear Talks With US - On Friday, Iran began its response to an Israeli war launched on the Islamic Republic last night. Additionally, Tehran said it would withdraw from talks with Washington on establishing a new nuclear safeguards agreement.Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced that Tehran would retaliate to Israel’s aggressive war in a statement on Friday afternoon. “The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, a grave error, and committed a reckless act. By God’s grace, the consequences of this will bring that regime to ruin.” He added, “The Iranian nation won’t permit the blood of its valued martyrs to go unavenged, nor will it ignore the violation of its airspace.”Iranian missiles were reported to have hit targets in Israel, with some videos showing impacts in Tel Aviv. At the time of this writing, the extent of the Iranian attack and the damage in Israel is unclear.Tehran says some of the missiles were fired at Israel from a submarine.According to Reuters Pentagon correspondent Idrees Ali, two US officials confirmed that American forces helped to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel. The US has also deployed additional military assets to the region to help intercept Iranian missiles and drones.Moreover, Tehran canceled talks with Washington that were scheduled to take place Sunday in Oman. Earlier in the day, Trump urged Iran to agree to a deal with the US, and American officials said the White House was still open to meeting with Iranians.“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”

US aiding Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles The U.S. is assisting Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles launched Friday, a U.S. official confirmed to The Hill. President Trump has also spoken to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a White House official confirmed. Trump had spent Friday in the Situation Room huddled with several national security advisers. Israel came under heavy bombardment from Iran less than 24 hours after Israeli forces launched its own attacks on Thursday night that targeted Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and killed multiple top military officials. Dozens of ballistic missiles have been fired on Tel Aviv, Israeli officials said Friday amid Iran’s counterattack. The Trump administration said late Thursday it was not involved in Israel’s offensive strikes inside Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the time said Israel had advised the U.S. that its action was “necessary for its self-defense.” Even after Israel’s strikes, Trump on Friday urged Iran to agree to a deal to limit its nuclear program or face dire consequences. He also acknowledged that some of the negotiators had been killed in the Israeli strikes. “There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.”

Refresher On The Rules For Discussing Israeli Wars -- Caitlin Johnstone - Okay it’s been a few months since the last war Israel started, so now that Iran’s on the chopping block let’s go over the rules once again.

• Rule 1: Israel is never the aggressor. If Israel attacks someone it’s either a response to an aggression that happened in the past, or a preemptive attack to thwart an imminent aggression in the future.
• Rule 2: History automatically restarts at the date of the last act of aggression against Israel. If someone attacks Israel it was completely unprovoked, because nothing happened before the attack on Israel.
• Rule 3: Anything bad that Israel does is justified by Rule 2. This is true even if it does things that would be considered completely unjustifiable if it were done by a nation like Russia or China.
• Rule 4: Israel has a right to defend itself, but nobody else does.
• Rule 5: Israel never bombs civilians, it bombs Bad Guys. If shocking numbers of civilians die it’s because they were actually Bad Guys, or because Bad Guys killed them, or because a Bad Guy stood too close to them. If none of those reasons apply then it’s for some other mysterious reason we are still waiting for the IDF to investigate.
• Rule 6: Criticizing anything Israel does means you hate Jewish people. There is no other possible reason for anyone to oppose acts of mass military slaughter besides a seething, obsessive hatred for a small Abrahamic faith.
• Rule 7: Nothing Israel does is ever as bad as the hateful criticisms described in Rule 6. Criticisms of Israel’s actions are always worse than Israel’s actions themselves, because those critics hate Jews and wish to commit another Holocaust. Preventing this must consume 100 percent of our political energy and attention.
• Rule 8: Israelis are only ever the victims and never the victimizers. If Israelis kill Iranians, it’s because the Iranians hate Jews. If Iranians kill Israelis, it’s because the Iranians hate Jews. Israel is an innocent little lamb that just wants to mind its own business in peace.
• Rule 9: The fact that Israel is literally always in a state of war with its neighbors and with displaced indigenous populations must be interpreted as proof that Rule 8 is true instead of proof that Rule 8 is ridiculous nonsense.
• Rule 10: The lives of people in Muslim nations are much, much less important to us than western lives or Israeli lives. Nobody is allowed to think too hard about why this might be.
• Rule 11: The media always tell the truth about Israel and its various conflicts. If you doubt this then you are likely in violation of Rule 6.
• Rule 12: Unsubstantiated claims which portray Israel’s enemies in a negative light may be reported as factual news stories without any fact checking or qualifications, while extensively evidenced records of Israeli criminality must be reported on with extreme skepticism and doubtful qualifiers like “Iran claims”, “Hezbollah says” or “according to the Hamas-run health ministry”. This is important to do because otherwise you might get accused of being a propagandist.
• Rule 13: Israel must continue to exist in its current iteration no matter what it costs or how many people need to die. There is no need to present any logically or morally grounded reasons why this is the case. If you dispute this then you are likely in violation of Rule 6.
• Rule 14: The US government has never lied about anything ever, and is always on the right side of every conflict.
• Rule 15: Israel is the last bastion of freedom and democracy in the middle east and therefore must be defended, no matter how many journalists it has to assassinate, no matter how many press institutions it needs to shut down, no matter how many protests its supporters need to dismantle, no matter how much free speech it needs to eliminate, no matter how many civil rights its western backers need to erase, and no matter how many elections its lobbyists need to buy.

We Are, Of Course, Being Lied To About Iran - Caitlin Johnstone - The western political/media class have been dutifully promoting this line and uncritically parroting Israel’s claim that its unprovoked attack on Iran was “preemptive”, but there is absolutely no evidence that any of this is true.bBenjamin Netanyahu has spent literally decades falsely claiming that Iran was a year or two away from developing a nuke, only to have the calendar prove him wrong with the passage of time over and over again. US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard testified just weeks ago that “The IC [Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.” As journalist Séamus Malekafzali recently noted on Twitter, one of the strongest arguments that Iran had not reversed its decision to refrain from obtaining nuclear weapons is that Iranian nuclear scientists have been publicly expressing frustration about the fact that their government won’t allow them to construct a nuke. They want to do it, but Tehran won’t let them.US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth helped pave the way for Netanyahu’s claims this past Wednesday when he told the Senate that “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”This claim by Hegseth was swiftly scooped up and promoted by warmongers like Tom Cotton who said that Hegseth had “confirmed that Iran’s terrorist regime is actively working towards a nuclear weapon.”Cotton’s claim was then picked up by war pundit Mark Levin, who has beenpersonally lobbying Trump to green light an attack on Iran, sarcastically quipping on Twitter, “So, SecDef Hegseth must by lying, too. Everyone’s lying except the isolationists, Koch-heads, Islamists, Chatsworth Qatarlson and their media propagandists.”But let’s back up and look at what Hegseth actually said. He did not say “Iran is building a nuclear weapon.” He said “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”If the US had intelligence that Iran was building a nuke, Hegseth would have just said so. But instead he performed this freakish verbal gymnastics stunt muttering about indications of something that might kinda sorta look like a nuclear weapon, which his fellow Iran hawks then falsely took and ran with as a positive assertion that Iran was building a nuke.There are other lies being circulated to help market this war as well. As Moon of Alabama notes, the Washington Post’s odious war propagandist David Ignatius is pushing the narrative that Iran has been cultivating a relationship with de-facto al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel. The lie that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda was used two decades ago to sell the invasion of Iraq. At the same time, Trumpian pundits are currently circulating the narrative that the United States is full of Iranian “sleeper cells” who could activate at any moment and begin attacking Americans. The most egregious of these is Laura Loomer’s repeated claims that there are “millions” of such cells awaiting Iran’s orders to strike — possibly the single most bat shit insane claim I have ever seen anyone with any major platform make, since it would mean a very sizable percentage of the US population is actually a secret Iranian proxy army. The fountain of lies is just getting started. There will be more. Believe nothing unless it is substantiated by mountains of evidence. These freaks have been caught lying to sell wars to the public far too many times for any of their claims to be taken on faith.

US Launches Airstrike in Somalia's Puntland Region, Says ISIS Targeted - US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release on Tuesday that its forces launched an airstrike in northeast Somalia’s Puntland region on June 4 as the Trump administration continues to bomb the country at a record pace.As usual, AFRICOM offered no details about the strike, only saying that it targeted Somalia’s ISIS affiliate and that it was launched to the southeast of the port city of Bossaso. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” the command said.AFRICOM claimed the strike was launched “in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia,” but the US-backed government, which is based in Mogadishu, does not control Puntland. The US has been backing local forces in the fight against ISIS in the region. Garowe Online, a media outlet based in Puntland, reported on June 7that local forces had killed 35 ISIS militants in recent operations and said the ground forces were “working closely with US Africa Command.”Based on AFRICOM press releases, the June 4 attack brings the total number of US airstrikes in Somalia in 2025 to 32. According to numbers from New America, an organization that tracks the US war in Somalia, Monday’s airstrike brings the yearly total to 38.Besides the air war against ISIS in Puntland, the US has also been bombing al-Shabaab, which is on the offensive against the US-backed government in southern and central Somalia.

US Launches Airstrike in Somalia's Puntland Region - US Africa Command said in a press release on Thursday that its forces launched yet another airstrike in Somalia’s Puntland region on June 10 as the Trump administration continues to bomb the country at a record pace.AFRICOM said the strike was launched southeast of the port city of Bossaso and claimed that it targeted ISIS. The command offered no other details, which has become the norm under the second Trump administration. ““Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM said.The US has been backing local forces in Puntland, who announced on June 8 that they were launching a major operation against ISIS that’s being supported by the US and the UAE. “The current operation specifically targets pockets where surviving militants are believed to be regrouping,” a Puntland security official told Garowe Online.Based on the number of press releases put out by AFRICOM, the June 10 airstrike brought the total number of US strikes in Somalia to 33 this year. However, AFRICOM told New America, an organization that tracks the US air war, that it has launched a total of 38 strikes in Somalia in 2025.The press releases do not always specify if AFRICOM launched a single airstrike or multiple strikes. New America has said that it has recorded a total of 39 US strikes this year, explaining that it includes “alleged strikes that AFRICOM has not confirmed where reporting alleges the US was responsible.”The US has also been launching airstrikes against al-Shabaab, which has been on the offensive against the US-backed government in southern and central Somalia. Heavy clashes between al-Shabaab and US-backed forces have been reported in recent days.

Hegseth questions Air Force plan to buy E-7, touts space-based recon - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday cast doubt on the future utility of airborne battle management aircraft, particularly the E-7 Wedgetail, and said space-based capabilities represent the future of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.Hegseth’s skepticism of the E-7 and touting of space intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, may presage a split between the Pentagon’s top leadership and Air Force leaders and some lawmakers who feel that airborne assets are still the best option for managing battlefields.The Air Force wants to buy 26 Boeing-made E-7s, which have been flown for years by Australia and are being bought by other nations such as the United Kingdom, to replace its fleet of aging E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, planes. The AWACS, with its unmistakable massive radar dome high atop its fuselage, has been in service since the late 1970s, but is approaching the end of its life, and its capabilities are falling short in many ways.But while Air Force leaders often speak about the E-7’s importance for the service’s future battlefield needs, reports have swirled in recent months that the White House is seriously considering scrapping the Air Force’s plans to buy the planes in favor of a space-based option.The Pentagon is researching shifting moving target indication — the use of radar or other technology to identify and track targets and tell them apart from friendly or civilian assets — to satellites instead of aircraft, but top officials have said those demonstrations have not yet shown enough data to draw conclusions and that both air- and space-based systems will be needed.In Tuesday’s House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing, Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole — whose district includes Tinker Air Force Base, where most of the service’s 16 remaining E-3s are stationed — stressed the importance of bringing on the E-7 to replace the AWACS. While space-based ISR shows promise, Cole said, aircraft like the E-7 bring capabilities that will still be needed even when those satellites are operational.“It’s not a new technology,” Cole said of the E-7. “Our friends in Australia use it. Our friends in the United Kingdom use it. It’s much superior to what we have.”

Reagan National Airport will close during Army's June 14 party - - Reagan Washington National Airport will close during the U.S. Army’s June 14 celebration, which will feature a large-scale military parade. “To accommodate aircraft flyovers along the parade route, followed by a fireworks display, the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to suspend airline operations at DCA — affecting scheduled flights,” an alert on the airport’s website reads. “Customers with flight reservations for the evening of June 14 should check the status of their flights directly with their airline,” the alert continues. The Army is set to celebrate 250 years of service on June 14 with an expansive military parade through Washington, D.C. The festivities have been planned for years, but they are set to include much more and didn’t originally include the parade. June 14 is also President Trump’s 79th birthday, and the president had hoped for a grand military parade during his first four years in office; however, the plan was put aside due to high costs. Next week’s parade is expected to cost between $25 million and $45 million. The parade, featuring an array of military equipment, is set to begin at the Pentagon at 6 p.m. Steven Warren, deputy chief from the Army’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, said previously that “an extensive flyover” will also occur during the parade. “More than 50 helicopters will participate, including 64 Apaches, 60 Black Hawks and 47 Chinooks,” Warren said previously.

Army restores the names of seven bases that were changed under Biden (AP) — Seven Army bases whose names were changed in 2023 because they honored Confederate leaders are all reverting back to their original names, the Army said Tuesday.The announcement came just hours after President Donald Trump previewed the decision, telling troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that he was changing the names back. Fort Bragg, which was changed to Fort Liberty by the Biden administration, was the first to have its original name restored after the Army found another person with the same last name. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was with Trump at Fort Bragg, signed an order restoring the name in February.“Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?” Trump said. “We’ll forget all about that.”In March, Hegseth reversed the decision changing Fort Benning in Georgia to Fort Moore.To restore the original names of the additional seven bases, the Army once again found service members with the same last names to honor. Those bases are Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett and Fort Robert E. Lee in Virginia, Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Rucker in Alabama.The decision strips names chosen in 2023 to honor top leaders, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as Black soldiers and women. No women are included in the new Army list.

GOP Rep Introduces Resolution Labeling ‘Free Palestine’ Slogan as 'Anti-Semitism' - Colorado GOP Congressman Gabe Evans introduced a non-binding resolution on Friday that labels ‘Free Palestine’ as “an antisemitic slogan.” The bill seeks to limit immigration of people who oppose Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and Tel Aviv’s genocidal onslaught in the besieged Gaza Strip. The bill is expected to be voted onsome time next week. The bill reads, “Whereas, while shouting ‘Free Palestine,’ an antisemitic slogan that calls for the destruction of the state of Israel and Jewish people, Mohammed Sabry Soliman attacked the peaceful demonstrators with homemade Molotov cocktails.” The term “Free Palestine” refers to the desire to end the nearly 60 -years-long brutal Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, illegal per international law. It also implies support for ending Israel’s apartheid regime, replacing it with either a two-state solution or a single state with equal rights, including the right to vote, for all citizens currently living under the rule of the Israeli government. The introduction of the bill follows a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado by 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national who was living in the United States on an expired nonimmigrant visa. He had applied for asylum subsequent to his visa’s expiration. Over a dozen people were injured after the assailant threw Molotov cocktails at attendees at a small pro-Israel demonstration.

US-China officials meet in London to bolster trade truce - Top U.S. and Chinese officials are meeting in London on Monday to try to fortify the countries’ temporary trade truce, which is currently on track to expire in August. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer are in the U.K. for the talks with Chinese Vice President He Lifeng. It’s unclear how long negotiations could last, but Chinese officials have predicted they could extend several days. “The two sides need to make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, and seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other’s concerns,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian wrote in a post on X ahead of the meeting. “The Chinese side is sincere about this, and at the same time has its principles.” President Trump confirmed plans for the London confab last week after a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who the president has described as “extremely hard to make a deal with.” “The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries,” Trump wrote in a social media post Thursday.

US, China "Agree In Principle On Framework For Implementing Geneva Consensus" - After a full second day of discussion on the US-China trade deal, we finally have... something. As Bloomberg reports, just before midnight London time, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and China’s Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang both said they have agreed in principle on "a framework for implementing the Geneva consensus" combined with the outcome of the leaders June 5th call. “Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it,” Lutnick added. If it sounds confusing, it is: the parties said they will implement a framework which was already agreed upon weeks ago... so what exactly were the talks for? Shouldn't there have been at least some token progress beyond what was already agreed upon, hence "consensus." Lutnick adding that “We absolutely expect that the topic of rare earth minerals and magnets… will be resolved in this framework implementation," does not make it any clearer if there is any actual deal on rare earths and/or chips... or just an agreement to continue talks? Lutnick continued: “Also, there were a number of measures the US put on when those rare earths were not coming… You should expect those to come off — sort of, as President Trump said, in a balanced way. When they approve the licenses, then you should expect that our export implementation will come down as well” which suggests that nothing has been resolved at this stage, and instead we just wait for China to start exporting rare earth minerals? And yes, for all the pomp and circumstance, it appears that all that took place in the past 48 hours was some meetings over coffee and KFC, because as Lutnick also said, the "framework is a first step, we had to get the negativity out." Well, the negativity may be out, but no actual deals or agreements are in; instead agreement was reached to implement the implementation of an already agreed upon consensus. Finally, the Commerce secretary said that the idea behind the framework is to increase trade with China, which is great but wasn't the whole point of the negotiation to rebalance trade, not merely increase it? After all, it's very easy to receive even more Chinese exports and "increase trade."

Trump Says China Deal "Done" With 55% Tariffs On Beijing; Will Work With Xi To Open Up China To US Trade --China and the US have agreed to “a done deal” that includes rare earth exports from China and Chinese students attending colleges in the US, President Trump said on Wednesday, pointing to a potential breakthrough aimed at cooling trade tensions that had been reignited by mutual accusations of deal violations.“Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me,” Trump posted on Truth Social, as the negotiating teams from the two countries concluded talks in London from the past two days.“Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!).“We are getting a total of 55 per cent tariffs, China is getting 10 per cent. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!”Trump’s comments on Wednesday come a day after the US and China reached an agreement in London on implementing the terms of their tariff truce. But, as Bloomberg notes, Trump's remarks included terms negotiators did not lay out, such as the immediate supply of critical minerals by China. He also said the US tariff rate would be a “total” of 55% — though the precise rate was not clear. That figure includes a 10% baseline duty, a 20% charge tied to fentanyl trafficking and roughly 25% from preexisting levies from Trump’s first term as well as most favored nation rates, according to a White House official. In a follow up post, Trump added to the readout, saying that "President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!"

US Collected A Record $22BN In Tariffs In May... Which Was Just 3% Of Total Government Spending -One month after April recorded the second biggest budget surplus on record(at $258BN), a total which was boosted by generous customs duties collected as a result of Trump's aggressive tariff and trade war escalation, in May the amount of tariff receipts was off the charts, soaring to a record $22.2 billion... ... or more than triple the amount of customs duties collected during any month of the Trump 1.0 trade war. As for the bad news... well, you probably know where we're going with this. Unfortunately, that record $22.2 Billion in tariffs is a drop in the pool compared to all the US government spending, which there was a lot of in May, $687.2 Billion to be precise (up 2.5% from a year ago) so the tariffs covered precisely... 3% of US government spending. To smooth out the chart, here is the same spending data on a 6 month moving average basis. With the exception of the covid panic, the US government has never spent more! Of course, it wasn't just tariffs, and in May total government tax receipts rose 15% to $371.2 Billion (which includes the surge in tariffs) from $323.6 Billion last year. Not bad, until one realizes that total monthly tax revenue is basically flat for the past 4 years, while spending has continued to grow exponentially higher.

US will skip a global oceans summit as Trump expands mining, drilling - The Trump administration is skipping a global ocean summit next week while it pursues efforts to mine the seas for valuable resources.The summit aims to promote enduring uses of ocean resources — one of 17 sustainable development goals by the United Nations — as climate change is having widespread repercussions on marine habitats, including record-breaking temperatures near U.S. coasts. But the Trump administration has rejected those goals, calling them “inconsistent with U.S. sovereignty.” A State Department spokesperson said the ocean conference is “at odds” with U.S. positions. Those include an order by President Donald Trump to mine the ocean floor for critical minerals and plans to expand offshore drilling in the Arctic. “Those are two areas where it appears that the U.S. government is starting to say that we’re going to take action unilaterally,” said Jeff Watters, vice president of external affairs at the environmental nonprofit Ocean Conservancy. “And if nations start pursuing unilateral action on the high seas, that’s a very dangerous place to be.”

Rubio orders firings of all USAID staffers overseas to move forward (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered U.S. embassies around the world Tuesday to move ahead with a directive to fire all remaining staffers with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He said the State Department will take over USAID’s foreign assistance programs by Monday.A federal judge had temporarily blocked an executive order by President Donald Trump for mass firings at multiple federal agencies, including the State Department, and plaintiffs say Rubio’s reorganization plan appears to violate that court injunction.The Trump administration says the plan was already underway when the president issued the order, so there’s no possible violation. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston has yet to make a determination.State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday that Rubio’s directive “wasn’t a surprise.”“So this was a cable, telling our posts exactly what they were expecting to be told, which is that those positions were being eliminated. So it wasn’t a surprise. It’s nothing new,” she said. “And, it is exactly what we previewed, in February and March of this year.”

Tulsi Gabbard says AI is speeding up US intelligence work (AP) — Artificial intelligence is speeding up the work of America’s intelligence services, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Tuesday. Speaking to a technology conference, Gabbard said AI programs, when used responsibly, can save money and free up intelligence officers to focus on gathering and analyzing information. The sometimes slow pace of intelligence work frustrated her as a member of Congress, Gabbard said, and continues to be a challenge.AI can run human resource programs, for instance, or scan sensitive documents ahead of potential declassification, Gabbard said. Her office has released tens of thousands of pages of material related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, on the orders of President Donald Trump.Experts had predicted the process could take many months or even years, but AI accelerated the work by scanning the documents to see if they contained any material that should remain classified, Gabbard said during her remarks at the Amazon Web Services Summit in Washington.“We have been able to do that through the use of AI tools far more quickly than what was done previously — which was to have humans go through and look at every single one of these pages,” Gabbard said.

New Trump travel ban takes effect - President Trump’s travel ban targeting a dozen countries went into effect on Monday, the latest step by the White House to crack down on the number of individuals entering the U.S. The new policy fully restricts the entry into the United States of nationals from Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also partially restricts entry into the U.S. for nationals coming from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The policy makes exceptions for nationals from all 19 of those countries who are lawful permanent residents of the United States or existing visa holders and individuals “whose entry serves U.S. national interests.” The travel ban is taking effect amid rising tensions in Los Angeles around immigration raids in the city. Trump and White House officials have argued the travel restrictions are based on national security concerns, specifically with vetting procedures involving the listed countries. Trump’s attempts to restrict entry into the United States from certain Muslim-majority countries in his first term drew legal challenges and protests at airports across the country. This time around, experts have suggested he is likely on firmer legal footing in part because of a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the third version of his first-term ban and in part because the administration laid the groundwork with an executive order focused on enhanced vetting.

Mexico says drug cartels are recruiting former Colombian soldiers (AP) — Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels are recruiting former Colombian soldiers, prompting Mexican authorities to turn away dozens of Colombians trying to enter the country in recent weeks, Mexico’s security chief said Tuesday.Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch’s comments followed the arrest last week of 12 Colombians in the western state of Michoacan in connection with a mine attack that killed eight Mexican soldiers.Through contact with Colombian authorities, García Harfuch said that nine of the 12 individuals were former soldiers and the remaining three were civilians with weapons training.Close underworld ties have long existed between organized crime groups in Mexico and Colombia. For many years, Colombian drug traffickers produced cocaine and heroin and moved it themselves by boat or plane to the United States. Later, as U.S. authorities cracked down on trafficking in the Caribbean, Mexican cartels’ power grew as they moved Colombian drugs over land and via small plane to the U.S. border and smuggled them across.Decades of internal conflict in Colombia have produced tens of thousands of former soldiers, paramilitaries and guerrillas with weapons training and combat experience.Colombians have been hired guns in the 2021 assassination of Haiti PresidentJovenel Moïse and in the ongoing war in Ukraine. In recent weeks, Mexican immigration authorities rejected 69 Colombians trying to enter Mexico, some of whom in interviews said “they had been coopted by some criminal group.” García Harfuch said Tuesday that both the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels were recruiting Colombians.Colombia’s ambassador to Mexico, Fernando García, said last week that he feared the arrests would negatively impact ongoing negotiations with Mexico to reduce the number of Colombians prevented from entering the country at Mexican airports.In March, the Colombian government had said that talks with Mexico were progressing with mechanisms for Mexico and Colombia to verify information about those seeking to enter Mexico.In October 2023, Mexican authorities arrested eight Colombians also in Michoacan state, who allegedly were helping to make explosives dropped by cartel drones.

California to sue Donald Trump over National Guard deployment in LA - California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said California will sue the Trump administration Monday over its deployment of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids. In an interview Sunday evening on MSNBC, Newsom said the lawsuit would challenge Trump’s federalizing of the California National Guard without the state’s consent, a move with little precedent in U.S. history. “Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He’s exacerbated the conditions. He’s, you know, lit the proverbial match. He’s putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,” Newsom said on MSNBC. “And we’re going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow,” he added. Asked to elaborate on the lawsuit, Newsom said that under Trump’s executive order, “it specifically notes — and under what the [Department of Defense] did — is they had to coordinate with the governor of the state. They never coordinated with the governor of the state.” Newsom noted he has deployed the National Guard before to respond to various emergencies. “We have no problem, working collaboratively in a mutual aid system with local law enforcement. But there’s a protocol, there’s a process. He didn’t care about that. And the worst part, he completely lied,” he said.

Trump vs. L.A. and California is the fight the White House wants President Trump is getting the fight with California that he wants, as Democrats in the state criticize his decision to send the National Guard to Los Angeles without local approval to deal with protests surrounding raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The unfolding events hit at the heart of key issues that Trump basks in: Immigration and fighting liberal California Democrats. You can also add in law-and-order, as Trump and his team accuses California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local officials of being too soft on demonstrators destroying property and setting cars on fire. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Sunday reposted several images meant to convey the chaos in L.A., including one showing huge plumes of smoke billowing from a burning vehicle as demonstrators watched, one with a Mexican flag. The caption to the tweet read “Let’s check in on how LAPD’s management of the ‘protests’ is going,” and criticized Newsom’s slamming of Trump’s decision to send the guard. A second Miller retweet was from his White House colleague Taylor Budowich, who sent out a similar video of a masked protestor on a car surrounded by other burning cars and demonstrators in the streets. “Democrat management,” the tweet said. Newsom has said California will sue the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard, while the White House maintains that Trump intervened at the right time to restore law and order and that the violent attacks had already escalated before he stepped in. “Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He’s exacerbated the conditions. He’s, you know, lit the proverbial match. He’s putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,” Newsom said on MSNBC. Just a few days ago, Trump was battling negative coverage of his public feud with erstwhile ally Elon Musk. The violence in L.A. allowed him to rapidly shift gears, and put much of the focus on immigration even as his team pushed Congress to pass his signature legislation – which had triggered the battle with Musk. “The riots in Los Angeles prove that we desperately need more immigration enforcement personnel and resources. America must reverse the invasion unleashed by Joe Biden of millions of unvetted illegal aliens into our country,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X, calling for Senate passage of the House-passed “one, big beautiful bill” with its funding measures for border security.

Trump supports Tom Homan arresting Newsom over California protests -- President Trump on Monday said he would support arresting California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) after Newsom dared the White House’s border czar to do so amid a clash over protests in Los Angeles that center on immigration. Upon returning from Camp David to the White House on Monday, Trump was asked if his border czar Tom Homan should arrest Newsom in the wake of suggestions to do so over the weekend as protests erupted over immigration raids. “I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump responded. “I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing,” Trump said. “Look, I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy. But he’s grossly incompetent.” Newsom responded swiftly on social media, calling the threat an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.” “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America,” Newsom posted on X. “I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.” The Trump administration has sparred with Newsom and other California officials over the response to demonstrations in Los Angeles in response to immigration raids there. Protests have intensified in recent days, devolving at times into violence. White House officials have highlighted images of burning vehicles and clashes with law enforcement to make the case that the situation had gotten out of control.

500 Marines 'prepared to deploy' to LA: Northern Command -- Approximately 500 U.S. Marines are “prepared to deploy” to Los Angeles amid rising tensions between protesters and law enforcement over President Trump’s immigration policies, according to a statement from U.S. Northern Command.The Marines are “in a prepared to deploy status should they be necessary to augment and support the [Defense Department’s] protection of federal property and personnel efforts,” reads the statement released Sunday.The notice came a day after Trump announced he had authorized the deployment of approximately 2,000 California Army National Guard troops, 300 of whom were deployed Sunday at three locations in the Los Angeles area: Los Angeles, Paramount and Compton. The federalization of the California National Guard represents a rare and legally murky step that bypassed the consent of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who said Sunday evening that he plans to bring a lawsuit against the Trump administration for bypassing him.The last time the federal government mobilized National Guard members without the consent of a governor was in 1965, when former President Lyndon Johnson sent Guard members to Selma, Ala., to protect civil rights protesters there.The National Guard is relatively limited in its scope, since members are deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, which includes the downtown Los Angeles detention center where much of the unrest centered.The military is generally barred from carrying out domestic law enforcement duties. Declaring the Insurrection Act is seen as a potential path around those restrictions.

Trump critics see 'run around' of Insurrection Act - President Trump’s use of the National Guard to respond to protests in California is raising questions about how far he’ll go to respond to scrutiny of his immigration policies, including whether he may invoke the Insurrection Act. It’s normally the governor who calls in the National Guard, but Trump bypassed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in sending troops to the streets of Los Angeles. Protests erupted over the weekend as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted workplace raids in search of those suspected of being unlawfully present. Neither the state nor city officials have requested federal assistance, sparking criticism of Trump when on Saturday he signed an order authorizing the use of 2,000 National Guard troops, though only 300 have arrived in the city so far. Elizabeth Goitein, a national security law expert at the Brennan Center for Justice, called the move “a huge red flag for democracy.” “There’s an even bigger problem with Trump’s order. He isn’t just deploying Guard forces to Los Angeles. In fact, his memorandum doesn’t even mention LA. It authorizes deployment ‘at locations where protests against [ICE] functions are occurring or are likely to occur,’” she wrote on the social platform X, noting that protests of Trump’s immigration policies have been happening across the country. “No president has ever federalized the National Guard for purposes of responding to potential future civil unrest anywhere in the country. ‘Preemptive’ deployment is literally the opposite of deployment as a last resort. It would be a shocking abuse of power and the law,” she added.m

Judge blocks Donald Trump’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles --A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Trump must return control of California’s National Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) by Friday afternoon, prompting a lightning-fast appeal that began within minutes. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, an appointee of former President Clinton, temporarily blocked the president from deploying thousands of Guard members to Los Angeles, where protests over his immigration agenda have sometimes turned violent. But the judge paused his order until Friday at noon PDT, giving the administration a quick window to try to fast-track an emergency appeal.“At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions,” wrote Breyer, who is also the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. “He did not. “His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the judge continued. “He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.”

Appeals court temporarily lifts judge’s block on Trump’s National Guard usage -A federal appeals court panel late Thursday temporarily lifted a judge’s order ruling President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard illegal, enabling the troops to remain assisting with immigration raids in Los Angeles, for now. The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals landed mere hours after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ordered the president to return control of the troops to California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) by Friday afternoon. The three-judge appeals panel comprises two Trump-nominated judges, Mark Bennett and Eric Miller, and Judge Jennifer Sung, an appointee of former President Biden. Their one-page order contained little explanation but suggests it is not a decision on the merits of the case in any way. Breyer, an appointee of former President Clinton who serves in San Francisco, said Trump failed to issue his order “through” Newsom as required by law, and the situation on the ground didn’t present the prerequisites required for Trump to federalize the National Guard. “The protests in Los Angeles fall far short of ‘rebellion,’” Breyer wrote.

Seven Days in June: Trump’s unfolding coup d’état -The deployment of the military onto the streets of Los Angeles—the second-largest city in the United States—marks a qualitative escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing, well-prepared coup d’état. While troops patrol the streets of Los Angeles under the pretext of responding to protests, the true epicenter of this operation is the White House. The historical parallels are to the brutal military dictatorships imposed across Latin America in the 1970s—in Chile, Brazil, Argentina and elsewhere—where capitalist governments, unable to rule through existing institutions, responded to social crises with mass repression, disappearances and terror. What is involved, however, is not the military overthrowing the president, but the sitting president overthrowing the Constitution. This is the situation as of Sunday night:

• On Saturday night, Trump gave the order to federalize the California National Guard, an action opposed by the state’s governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom. By Sunday, approximately 2,000 troops from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the largest combat unit in the California Army National Guard, had been dispatched to the city.
• The US Northern Command is saying that approximately 500 active duty Marines are prepared to deploy in Los Angeles, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened on social media to send in “active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton.” Trump has repeatedly signaled plans to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, which grants the president sweeping powers to deploy the military and effectively institute martial law.
• Stephen Miller, the architect of the administration’s fascistic agenda, has labeled the spontaneous, localized and largely peaceful demonstrations as a “violent insurrection,” in a clear indication of the preparation to invoke the Insurrection Act. Just last month, Miller declared that the administration is “actively looking at” suspending the writ of habeas corpus—a move that would effectively nullify core constitutional protections.
• The administration is preparing violent repression, which will go far beyond the brutal crackdown and arrests that have already taken place. In remarks to NBC News on Saturday, “border czar” Tom Homan declared: “If this violence isn’t tamped down, someone’s gonna die, and that’s just a cold fact of life.”
• David Huerta, president of SEIU California, was arrested, beaten and jailed during protests. SEIU California represents 700,000 workers across the state. This is an indication of the massive repression targeting the entire working class.
• Trump and his allies are using language that is ever more violent and incendiary. On social media, Trump published a fascistic screed targeting “radical left” protesters as “instigators and often paid troublemakers,” who “WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.” Trump has referred to California Governor Gavin Newsom as “Newscum,” and Trump officials have threatened to arrest any government officials who obstruct ICE operations.

What is taking place is not confined to Los Angeles. An editorial in the New York Times cites the comments of Liza Goitein, the senior director at the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice, who noted that Trump’s order activating the National Guard authorizes the deployment of troops “anywhere in the country where protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement are occurring or are likely to occur, even if they are entirely peaceful.” That is, it is a preparation for martial law throughout the country.The 1964 film Seven Days in May depicted the conspiracy of a military-political cabal to take over the government of the United States. Changing what needs to be changed, a similar process is now under way.The deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles on June 7 will be followed seven days later by a massive military spectacle in Washington D.C., scheduled for June 14—Trump’s birthday. The event will bring more than 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles and 50 helicopters into the capital. It is dangerously naive to believe that once deployed these forces will depart the nation’s capital. A militarized parade is being organized at the seat of government by a president who is openly carrying out a coup. On Sunday, as troops rolled into Los Angeles, Trump went to Camp David in Maryland for what was described as a “retreat of principals.” Behind closed doors, in what now functions as a secure command post, he consulted with his top lieutenants and prepared the next stages of his offensive.

Latinas for Trump co-founder blasts ‘inhumane’ immigrant arrests -Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia (R), co-founder of Latinas for Trump, issued a sharp rebuke of President Trump on Sunday as his administration seeks to ramp up deportations and other actions against migrants without legal status. Garcia took particular issue with reported tactics in southern Florida, where immigration officials have allegedly been making arrests in immigration courts and taking other steps to target individuals otherwise in compliance with legal orders. “This is not what we voted for,” Garcia wrote in a post on the social platform X. “I have always supported Trump, @realDonaldTrump, through thick and thin. However, this is unacceptable and inhumane.” “I understand the importance of deporting criminal aliens, but what we are witnessing are arbitrary measures to hunt down people who are complying with their immigration hearings—in many cases, with credible fear of persecution claims—all driven by a Miller-like desire to satisfy a self-fabricated deportation goal,” she continued in her post, referring to White House homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. “This undermines the sense of fairness and justice that the American people value,” Garcia added. In a statement to The Hill, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stressed that deported individuals are granted due process and cited pre-election polling showing broad support among Hispanic voters for deportations. “Any illegal alien who is deported from the United States receives due process, and if they have pending asylum claims they are adjudicated by USCIS prior to any removal,” Jackson said. “President Trump was the first Republican Presidential candidate in nearly 40 years to win Miami-Dade county, and polling ahead of the election showed massive support among Hispanic voters for deportations,” she added. “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to deport illegal aliens and the American people are grateful.” Garcia’s comments followed criticism from Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), who issued a statement saying she’s “fully aware” of and “heartbroken … because of the recent immigration actions of the administration.” She said the administration’s actions have “left thousands exposed to deportation” and jeopardized “our duty to due process that every democracy must guarantee.” Salazar said anyone with a pending asylum claim “deserves to go through the legal process,” noting that “it is an indisputable fact” that most of these claims come from people who fled Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, which Salazar noted are “the three most brutal regimes in our hemisphere and sworn enemies of the United States.”

Mexican President Sheinbaum condemns violence in LA protests Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the use of violence in immigration protests in Los Angeles, as she urged the Mexican community abroad to remain peaceful. “We do not agree with violent actions as a form of protest. Burning police cars appears to be more an act of provocation than of resistance. We condemn violence, no matter where it comes from,” Sheinbaum said in a prepared statement at her daily news briefing on Monday. “We call on the Mexican community to act pacifically and not allow itself to be provoked,” she added. But the Mexican president made clear that her government has an “unwavering commitment to the protection and defense of the human rights of Mexicans, regardless of their immigration status” — and called for due process in U.S. immigration proceedings. “In this sense, we make a respectful but firm call to United States authorities for all immigration procedures to be carried out with adherence to due process, within a framework of respect for human dignity and the rule of law,” Sheinbaum said in her statement. Up Next - Trump on Newsom: "I like Gavin Newsom - he's a nice guy but he's grossly incompetent" Sheinbaum pledged her government would continue using “all diplomatic and legal channels available” to make clear to the Trump administration that they oppose “practices that criminalize immigration and put at risk the safety and well-being of our communities in the United States.” The statement comes amid rising tensions between immigration enforcement protesters and law enforcement in Los Angeles. Federal authorities said the weeklong immigration arrest tally in the L.A. area climbed to over 100, not including arrests of protesters over the weekend.

Texas Republican says LA is ‘tip of the iceberg’ as deportations nationwide ‘about to go way up’ Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who represents a southern border district, praised President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and said he thinks activity in Los Angeles is just “the tip of the iceberg” as the Trump administration ramps up deportations. In an interview Sunday on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Gonzales called the protests in LA “tragic” and said, “Yes, I am comfortable with it,” when asked about the president’s deployment of the National Guard. “It’s tragic to see what’s happening in LA. I spent 20 years in the military. I fought in two wars. I fought to give people the freedom to protest whatever the hell they want to,” Gonzales said in the interview. “But what we’re seeing in LA are not advocates,” he continued. “We’re seeing anarchists, and the president of the United States should absolutely put down the mob as soon as possible. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.” Gonzales said he thinks protests against immigration raids will continue throughout the country as the Trump administration continues to do what it can to deport people quickly. “I want to see safety. I want to see safety and security [in] all places, to include LA. But once again, this is the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking about, you know, 100,000 people … that have been deported. The numbers are about to go way up.” Gonzales was asked whether he’s seeing the Trump administration also target red cities — or whether he thinks the administration is focused on blue-leaning areas, like LA. “I think what they’re targeting is they’re trying to deport people as fast as they possibly can. What’s going to happen is … it’s going to be across the country. And once again, this is the tip of the iceberg,” he said. Gonzales said that, under the Biden administration, more than 400,000 asylum-seekers had their cases closed without being able to present their case before a judge. “So, one could argue that these 400,000 people are in this country illegally and should be deported immediately. One could also argue that these 400,000 people did not get proper, you know, an opportunity to state their case, and they didn’t have that ability,” Gonzales said. “What I’m worried about is this thing’s going to escalate. It’s not going to be just LA, it’ll be cities all over the country, as we continue to deport people,” he added.

Newsom accuses Pentagon of lying about LA protests - California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday accused the Defense Department of “lying to the American people” in justifying deploying National Guard troops to the state to quell Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids, asserting that the situation intensified only when the Pentagon deployed troops. “The situation became escalated when THEY deployed troops,” Newsom posted to X, referring to the Pentagon. “Donald Trump has manufactured a crisis and is inflaming conditions. He clearly can’t solve this, so California will.” Newsom was responding to a post from DOD Rapid Response on X, a Pentagon-run account, which claimed that “Los Angeles is burning, and local leaders are refusing to respond.” President Trump on Saturday deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area amid the ICE protests, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the decision was made due to “violent mobs” attacking “Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations.” While protests have intensified in recent days, devolving at times into violence, the majority of gatherings have been largely peaceful. Still, California National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday morning, with some 300 deployed on the ground later that day at three locations: Los Angeles proper, Paramount and Compton. White House officials have sought to highlight images of burning vehicles and clashes with law enforcement to make the case that the situation had gotten out of control. “The people that are causing the problem are professional agitators. They’re insurrectionists. They’re bad people. They should be in jail,” Trump told reporters on Monday.

Stephen Miller targets Rand Paul on immigration bill during LA unrest A top aide to President Trump took aim at Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Monday over Paul’s objections to the president’s agenda-setting tax and spending measure while protests are underway in Los Angeles over the administration’s immigration crackdown.“While ICE officers are battling violent mobs in Los Angeles, Rand Paul is trying to cut funding for deportations and border security,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote in a post on the social platform X.Paul has emerged as one of the most vocal Republican opponents of Trump’s megabill because of its price tag and increase to the federal debt.Paul and other GOP senators vowed to vote against the bill after narrowly passed the Republican-controlled House last month unless additional spending cuts are made.“Congress is like drunken teenagers, they’re terrible with money,” Paul said during an appearance this weekend on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “This is literally out of control.” He reiterated his position on X after Miller’s rebuke Monday. “Don’t fall for the Swamp’s version of reality, where they claim we either borrow against our future to secure our border now, or we have wide-open borders,” he wrote. “We can have BOTH border security AND fiscal responsibility; $75 billion is more than enough to accomplish both.”

California Senator Alex Padilla violently assaulted by federal agents during Kristi Noem press conference - During a press conference at the FBI’s Los Angeles headquarters on Thursday, California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, was violently assaulted by federal agents after attempting to question Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. Padilla, a duly elected US senator born and raised in Southern California, was manhandled by federal agents, forced to his knees, and shoved face-first onto the floor before being handcuffed—for the “crime” of interrupting during Noem’s press conference. Padilla attempted to question Noem as she delivered fascistic remarks defending the ongoing mass deportations and military occupation of Los Angeles. The senator explained that he had been in the building receiving a briefing from US Northern Command’s General Gregory Guillot, who has operational command over Joint Task Force 51 (JTF-51), currently led by Major General Scott Sherman. Under the banner of Joint Task Force 51, some 4,700 National Guard troops and Marines have been deployed or are en route to the Los Angeles area. At least 2,800 are currently engaged in “security operations,” with an estimated 500 National Guard soldiers directly embedded in ICE kidnapping squads targeting the community. Padilla stated that after receiving his briefing from General Guillot, he learned that Noem was holding a press conference just a few doors down. During her remarks, Noem praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the FBI, and “the Army, the Marines, the National Guard, our soldiers … who have shown up here to help make sure that we have security.” Justifying the domestic use of military force, Noem falsely declared that the US armed forces “not only protect our country around the world, but they’re doing it every single day here, uh, in the United States of America too.” Noem threatened that the ongoing militarized occupation, masked immigration raids, and the usurpation of state and local authority in California and Los Angeles County by the Trump administration would be replicated in other states and cities across the country. She said, They are setting an example for what is happening across the country in other cities and putting together a model and a blueprint for how we can continue to work to make every single community great again and safe again—for our kids and for our grandkids far into the future... Turning to the Democrats—who have bent over backwards to accommodate and protect the immigration Gestapo as they disappear workers and students from schools, car washes, churches and hospitals—Noem threatened to “liberate” the state from its elected officials, Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Noem said: The Department of Homeland Security and the officers and the agencies and the departments and the military people that [are] working on this operation will continue to sustain and increase our operations in this city. We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the uh socialist and the um burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country. Shortly after Noem’s statement, Senator Padilla attempted to speak. As he began to address the room, he was violently shoved and dragged out of the press conference by federal agents. Before being forced out, Padilla managed to say: “I am Senator Alex Padilla, and I have questions for the Secretary—because the fact of the matter is, a half a dozen violent criminals that you…” At this point, Padilla was pushed entirely out of the room and into the hallway, where several FBI agents in body armor were waiting. Although Padilla had his hands raised and was no longer speaking, the agents continued to manhandle him—shoving him forcefully and slamming him onto the floor. While Padilla was on his knees, FBI agents flanked him on either side, each holding one of his arms. An agent standing in front of him ordered the senator to “put his hands behind his back”—a command he was physically incapable of complying with. Immediately afterward, the agent on Padilla’s right applied pressure to his shoulder while yanking his wrist, violently forcing the senator face-first onto the floor. While lying face-down on the ground, Padilla stated, “If you let my hands go, I can put them behind my back.” Despite not having broken any law, video footage shows the senator being placed in handcuffs. A member of Padilla’s staff, who was filming the arrest, is confronted at the end of the video by a DHS agent who blocks the remainder of the detainment and declares, “No recording on the premises.”

Newsom becomes a fighter, and Democrats beyond California are cheering - California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is meeting the moment, Democrats say. Amid the growing storm over the Trump administration’s response to protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which hit a new crescendo Thursday when officials put Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) in handcuffs, Newsom is doing what his party wants. He’s punching back, and he’s going on offense. “While it’s been a horrible week for the country, Gov. Newsom has been a credible voice of so many people’s discontent and anxiety about Trump’s America,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. “Democrats want people who can take on Donald Trump, and he is seen as someone who has been taking him on.” The ICE raids in Los Angeles, the biggest city in Newsom’s state, had the possibility of becoming political quicksand for the California governor. Trump on Saturday sent in the National Guard without Newsom’s consent, amid images of burning cars and masked protesters. Trump justified the decision by arguing that things were going out of control on Newsom’s watch; Newsom and Democrats argued he deliberately provoked a larger confrontation and escalated the situation. There was some risk to Newsom’s decision to fight Trump, who maintains a number of protesters were breaking the law and sees both immigration and law and order as strong issues on which to batter Democrats. But so far, it has been far from a disaster for Newsom, who seems to be winning more support. And the video of Padilla being forced to the ground and handcuffed by officers after seeking to ask a question to Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem gives he and other Democrats new images to use against the White House. It feeds into the argument that Trump is going too far.

Noem attends ICE raid at California home — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined federal immigration agents Thursday on a raid targeting a man with a criminal record at a Huntington Park, California, home, the agency said. The raid occurred Thursday morning when about a half-dozen vehicles carrying heavily armed, masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents converged on a home occupied by a 28-year-old pregnant mother of four. Sabrina Medina said she was in the shower at around 6 a.m. when her brother-in-law first saw the menacing presence in front of the family’s home. “I was just terrified, I’m not going to lie to you,” Medina told Nexstar’s KTLA. “I was shaking. I was scared. I’ve never gone through anything like this.” Medina, a U.S. citizen, said she looked out the window and saw 10 men dressed in tactical military gear, all of them carrying rifles. “I was like, ‘Am I dreaming or is this real?’” she said. According to Medina, the agents told her to exit her home with her children. Standing in the driveway, they showed her a warrant for her husband, with his name listed as David Garcia. As she explained that her husband’s name is Jorge and that he was not at the house, one of the agents is captured on an outdoor home surveillance camera turning the device away from what was transpiring. Cameras inside the home captured the heavily armed ICE agents going through the residence room by room, all while Noem, donning a bulletproof vest and ballcap, watched from the street. The Homeland Security chief would later mention the Huntington Park raid at the press conference where Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was roughly shoved out of the room, pushed to the ground, cuffed and briefly detained. Four months pregnant with her fifth child, the Huntington Park mother said if her husband is deported, the family’s future is bleak. “I’m not going to be able to pay my rent when I have to pay it,” she explained. ICE agents, along with Noem, eventually left the home empty-handed, and the children were allowed back inside. For now, the family is unsure what the coming days will bring, but Medina said if her husband is deported, she and her children will likely follow him back to Mexico.

Immigration officials raid Omaha meat plant (AP) — Immigration authorities raided an Omaha meat production plant Tuesday morning and took dozens of workers away in buses, leaving company officials bewildered because they said they had followed the law. The raid happened around 9 a.m. at Glenn Valley Foods in south Omaha, an area where nearly a quarter of residents were foreign born according to the 2020 census. A small group of people came out to protest the raid, and some of them even jumped on the front bumper of a vehicle to try to stop officers in one location while others threw rocks at officials’ vehicles as a white bus carrying workers pulled away from a plant. Chad Hartmann, president of the food packaging company, said the front office was stunned by the aggressive nature of federal officials’ raid and confused by why the company was targeted. “My biggest issue is: why us?” Hartmann said. “We do everything by the book.” The plant uses E-Verify, the federal database used to check the immigration status of employees. When he said as much to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who carried out the raid, they told him the E-Verify system “is broken.”

ICE arrests top 100K under Trump -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have topped 100,000 under President Trump this year, according to a White House spokesperson. The new figures from White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, and would mark a big jump from the last year.In fiscal year 2024, ICE arrested 113,000 people, according to government statistics. Jackson said the administration has reached 100,000 arrests in less than half a year.The ICE numbers come amid recent tension between the Trump administration and California officials over ICE raids in Los Angeles, and subsequent protests.Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area on Saturday amid anti-ICE protests. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other officials have leaned into the administration’s immigration enforcement in their response to the unrest.“These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States. In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens,” Leavitt said.

Immigrant Medicaid enrollees’ personal data given to immigration officials The Trump administration has reportedly given the personal data of millions of Medicaid enrollees to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as part of President Trump’s sweeping deportation agenda. Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) handed over a dataset on Medicaid enrollees in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., according to The Associated Press. All these states allow non-U.S. citizens to receive Medicaid benefits. The AP obtained an internal memo and emails showing that two top advisers to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the data sharing and gave the CMS 45 minutes to comply. The data includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers and immigration status. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), in a statement to the AP, said the “potential data transfer” was “extremely concerning, and if true, potentially unlawful, particularly given numerous headlines highlighting potential improper federal use of personal information and federal actions to target the personal information of Americans.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is aiming to deport 3,000 immigrants lacking permanent legal status per day, according to White House aide Stephen Miller.The administration has frequently threatened states that don’t cooperate with Trump’s immigration policies. Trump this week suggested he’d like to see Newsom arrested over his response to protests in Los Angeles against federal workplace immigration sweeps. The CMS announced May 27 that it was “increasing federal oversight to stop states from misusing federal Medicaid dollars to cover health care for individuals who are in the country illegally,” in line with Trump’s executive order “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” signed Feb. 19.

Missouri governor activates National Guard, declares state of emergency— Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) on Thursday declared a state of emergency and activated the state’s National Guard in anticipation of protests across the state — and in response to “civil unrest” across the country.Missouri Executive Order 25-25 declares a State of Emergency and allows the Adjutant General to order service members to aid state officials.The order comes after the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri National Guard and Missouri Department of Public Safety established a Unified Command to monitor situations across the state and prepare local law enforcement.Additionally, the order also declares that the Adjutant General may employ necessary equipment to support authorities and provide assistance.While nationwide protests continue to flare up in response to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, Kehoe said his order is purely precautionary.“We respect, and will defend, the right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in our state,” the governor said.“While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities,” he added.

Trump pauses ICE arrests at farms, hotels and other key industries (AP) — The Trump administration directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels, after President Donald Trump expressed alarm about the impact of aggressive enforcement, an official said Saturday.The move follows weeks of increased enforcement since Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and main architect of Trump’s immigration policies, saidU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump’s second term.Tatum King, an official with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, wrote regional leaders on Thursday to halt investigations of the agricultural industry, including meatpackers, restaurants and hotels, according to The New York Times.A U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to The Associated Press the contents of the directive. The Homeland Security Department did not dispute it.“We will follow the President’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokesperson, said when asked to confirm the directive.The shift suggests Trump’s promise of mass deportations has limits if it threatens industries that rely on workers in the country illegally. Trump posted on his Truth Social site Thursday that he disapproved of how farmers and hotels were being affected.“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” he wrote. “In many cases the Criminals allowed into our Country by the VERY Stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs. This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”

Democrats clash with Hegseth over Guard deployment, shipbuilding - House Democratic appropriators and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traded barbs Tuesday over the deployment of U.S. military forces to California in an often contentious hearing that ultimately yielded few new details about what lawmakers were ostensibly present to discuss: the fiscal 2026 budget request. While the hearing was technically labeled as an oversight meeting, it came just hours before the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee was slated to mark up Republicans’ $831.5 billion bill to fund the Pentagon next year — legislation that was drafted without customary access to extensive programmatic details lawmakers typically rely on to craft their plans. Though Hegseth and other DOD officials did disclose information about some planned investments, it was often unclear whether the figures being referenced were associated with numbers in the military’s base budget request or a House-passed reconciliation package that the Trump administration is relying on to boost topline national security spending in fiscal 2026. And funding questions often went unanswered as Democratic frustration with Hegseth repeatedly boiled over on topics ranging from the mobilization of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to planned investments in shipyards. The hearing, which kicks off days of testimony top Pentagon officials will provide to lawmakers surrounding next year’s national security spending plan, marked Hegseth’s first public appearance on Capitol Hill since his mid-January confirmation hearing. While Democrats repeatedly took issue with Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon, Republican members of the subcommittee largely steered clear of chastising DOD leadership — despite bipartisan irritation over the tardiness of the Trump administration’s complete fiscal 2026 budget request. Due to the delay, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said lawmakers are “forced” to move on a “rushed” spending bill — with only “a very rough draft” from the White House to go off of. “How can I work with this administration in good faith when we don’t have a full blueprint of the president’s priorities?” she said. Meanwhile, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert, R-Calif., underscored the need for members to have access to so-called justification books, or J-books, that provide line-by-line insight on the Pentagon’s spending plans. “We don’t have the luxury of time,” he said. “It’s hard for us to do our jobs without the J-books, without the detailed information.” For his part, Hegseth sought to defend the administration’s timeline, referring to last month’s release of what’s known as the “skinny” budget request: “I would just take issue with the characterization that we have not delivered a budget and don’t have details and we’re not delivering on it.” Marines to LA The hearing was marked by a couple of testy exchanges between Hegseth and Democratic lawmakers over President Donald Trump’s decision to place under federal control some 4,000 National Guard troops and then deploy hundreds of active-duty Marines to California in response to protests against the administration’s crackdown on immigrants. Deploying forces to Los Angeles is expected to cost $134 million in temporary duty expenses, which includes travel, housing and food, acting DOD comptroller Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell said Tuesday. The money is coming from the Pentagon’s Operations and Maintenance account, and specifically the Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization program, but MacDonnell said officials are planning to backfill the funding in the fiscal 2026 budget cycle.

‘Cognitive dissonance’: Trump’s science policy at odds with MAHA goals - The White House’s inaugural “Make America Healthy Again” report decried industry influence over environmental regulations. President Donald Trump’s scientific integrity order, signed one day later, doesn’t even refer to political interference. The May 23 executive order spelling out the standards for top-tier science “doesn’t mention the elephant in the room, which is political interference,” said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, who recently retired as EPA’s head of its research office after nearly 40 years with the agency. “In fact, they almost seem to be encouraging it,” she continued. Absent from the order are any mentions about independence to ensure federal researchers can do their work without political influence. That could be crucial for EPA, where Trump administration officials are planning to dissolve the agency’s only office dedicated to independent research.

RFK Jr. fires CDC’s independent vaccine advisors - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he is removing every member of the independent panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines, an unprecedented escalation in his quest to reshape the agency. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed released Monday, Kennedy said the move was necessary to restore faith in vaccines. “A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy wrote. “The public must know that unbiased science—evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest—guides the recommendations of our health agencies,” Kennedy said in a subsequent statement. Kennedy said removing every member of the panel will give the Trump administration an opportunity to appoint its own members. Kennedy has long accused ACIP members of having conflicts of interest, sparking concern among vaccine advocates that he would seek to install members who are far more skeptical of approving new vaccines. “The prior administration made a concerted effort to lock in public health ideology and limit the incoming administration’s ability to take the proper actions to restore public trust in vaccines,” Kennedy said. The panelists are not political appointees. The ACIP meets three times a year to review data on vaccines and recommend how they should be used. It is comprised of independent medical and public health experts who do not work for CDC. Members are appointed to four-year terms.

Kennedy removes all ACIP members, eyes replacements - In a stunning move, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced plans to reconstitute the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), firing 17 current members and replacing them with people under current consideration. The move comes just ahead of ACIP’s next regularly scheduled meeting from June 25 to June 27, during which the group is slated to take up COVID-19 vaccine matters, as well as those for several other vaccines. Also, the announcement comes in the wake of a recent top-down decision about COVID vaccine recommendations, which deemphasized recommended use in children, pregnant women, and other groups.Typically, ACIP makes vaccine recommendations following robust public deliberations. HHS did not detail the scientific basis of its new recommendations. In a statement, the HHS Secretary Robert F. Kenney Jr. said the step is needed to restore public trust, and to remove conflicts of interests. The statement did not detail any conflicts seen in the current members. HHS said the Biden administration appointed all 17 members, including 13 in 2024, and the Trump administration would have been prevented from choosing a majority of the committee until 2028. "A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science," Kennedy said. "ACIP's new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine."Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), called the move dangerous. “This is one of the darkest days in modern public health history," he said. "Science does not matter to Mr. Kennedy.” In a statement emailed to reporters, Infectious Diseases Society of America President Tina Tan, MD, said the move will have a negative impact on Americans of all ages. “Unilaterally removing an entire panel of experts is reckless, shortsighted and severely harmful," Tan said.

RFK Jr. guts the U.S. vaccine policy committee by Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist - Well. He did it. In an unprecedented and deeply alarming move, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed every single member of the nation’s vaccine policy committee—the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—and announced plans to handpick their replacements. In other words, someone with an established track record of ignoring reality made the unilateral, ideological decision to gut one of the most trusted and effective pillars of America’s vaccine infrastructure. A system that helped eliminate smallpox, drastically reduce childhood diseases, safeguard schools, expand insurance coverage, and save millions of lives. A system that empowered 90% of Americans to protect their children and families confidently. It’s now becoming unrecognizable. Unfortunately, I’m not surprised, but I’m deflated and deeply concerned. Not just about what this means for the future, but what it signals right now. For 64 years, ACIP has been the backbone of vaccine policy in the U.S., guided by scientific processes, transparency, and collaboration. Its members are independent experts in pediatrics, immunology, vaccinology, and epidemiology who review the evidence to recommend who should receive which vaccines and when. It’s a critical step in ensuring vaccines are safe and effective. ACIP appointments have always been somewhat opaque, but each member is rigorously vetted for conflicts of interest. Once appointed, members participate in a remarkably open process. Meetings are live-streamed, presentations and data are posted online, conflicts of interest are disclosed, and public comment isn’t just accepted, it’s required by law. Historically, this process has been grounded in the nonpartisan belief that vaccine policy should be shaped by science, experience, and diverse perspectives—not ideology. The Secretary of Health (a man named one of the Disinformation Dozen by the Center for Countering Digital Hate) now controls the levers of federal vaccine policy and is pulling them fast based on his decades of false beliefs about vaccines. It doesn’t take much to counter his talking points yesterday:

• No, ACIP doesn’t have undisclosed conflicts of interest. RFK Jr. reaffirmed this process himself after he called for a full review of the current committee’s disclosures. Nothing was found.
• No, ACIP isn’t paid by big pharma. An investigation in March 2025 found no systemic evidence of undue pharmaceutical company influence on the members.
• Yes, ACIP has voted against a vaccine. Some examples include RotaShield (1999), nasal influenza vaccines (2016-2017), Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine (2021).

This move is the latest in a broader arc of undermining the long-standing process for assessing and approving vaccines in the United States: rolling back Covid-19 vaccine eligibility, bypassing FDA processes, imposing impossible standards, and pushing cherry-picked, incomplete, AI-generated policy statements. These moves have already prompted the resignations of senior vaccine officials at the CDC and FDA, citing misinformation and the abandonment of science. There’s no new committee yet, no timeline, no public process. Just a Wall Street Journal op-ed and a power vacuum. How this will affect you, your family, or your community isn’t clear yet. We’re at the mercy of what comes next. There is a spectrum of scenarios that could play out:

• Best-case: RFK Jr. appoints qualified, independent experts committed to the science. The committee resumes its work. Vaccine guidance remains credible and intact.
• Worst-case: He fills ACIP with anti-vaccine ideologues. Recommendations are completely removed, and so is your access to vaccines.
• Most likely: Somewhere in between. But given his history, the tilt is obvious.

There’s also a real possibility Kennedy overplayed his hand. Many Americans—across the political spectrum—value vaccines, access, and the ability to protect their children, families, and communities. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician, cast the deciding vote to confirm Kennedy based on personal assurances that ACIP would remain untouched. That promise is now broken. A lot of this is on him. Will he respond? And if this becomes a political liability for Trump, does it suddenly become not worth the fight?

NIH scientists air deep concerns about agency policies and cuts -National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists from all 27 of its institutes and centers sent the NIH’s new leader Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, a letter today that said newly introduced policies undermine the agency’s mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and others across the globe.The 4-page document is titled the Bethesda Declaration, modeled after Bhattacharya’s Great Barrington Declaration, which in 2020 spelled out views from scientists who believed the COVID-19 lockdowns and other measures were excessive. The group sent the letter to Bhattacharya, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and certain members of Congress and posted it publicly on the Stand Up for Science website.The document was signed by name by 92 NIH researchers, program directors, branch chiefs, and scientific review officers. Another 250 signed the letter anonymously, according to the Associated Press (AP). Letter signatories said they appreciated the commitments Bhattacharya made to academic freedom and support for dissent at his confirmation hearing and in other forums since then. Then they detailed their concerns about the Trump administration’s actions under his leadership, which they said have politicized research, scrapping nearly finished studies and interrupting study participant treatment. Also, the group objected to interruptions in global collaboration, undermining of peer review, a blanket 15% limit on indirect research costs, and the firing of essential NIH staff. In response, Bhattacharya said on X today that dissent in science is productive, but he said the Bethesda Declaration has fundamental misconceptions about recent NIH policy decisions, some of which he said are designed to remove ideological narratives that he says clouds the science. He also said global partnerships require more transparency about who is doing the work and that the peer review directives are misunderstood. He also added that staffing levels will evolve with changes in NIH priorities.

Organizations, lawmakers voice concern over Kennedy’s ACIP move -One day after the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to restructure the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) by firing the 17 experts who currently sit on the committee, professional organizations and lawmakers are issuing statements of fear, disagreement, and deep concern for the future of vaccine use and safety in the United States. “We are witnessing an escalating effort by the Administration to silence independent medical expertise and stoke distrust in lifesaving vaccines. Creating confusion around proven vaccines endangers families' health and contributes to the spread of preventable diseases,” said Susan Kressly, MD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics in a statement. The American College of Physicians (ACP) called for an about face in a statement released last night. “Today’s announcement will seriously erode public confidence in our government’s ability to ensure the health of the American public and it will endanger the safety, welfare and lives of our patients. We call on the administration to immediately reverse course,” the ACP wrote. In a post on X, the American Public Health Association called the move a “coup.” Jerome Adams, MD, who served as the US Surgeon General during the first Trump administration, voiced distress about Kennedy’s move. “For decades, ACIP’s independent, evidence-based recommendations have saved countless lives by guiding vaccine policy with transparency and scientific rigor,” he wrote. “Our children and communities deserve policies grounded in science, not politics and populism.” Kennedy said the decision was made to make a “clean sweep” and reestablish trust in public health in the country. He announced the changes in an opinion piece yesterday afternoon in the Wall Street Journal. “ACIP's new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine,” Kennedy said in aHHS statement. “The Committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas.”Earlier this year, during his contentious Senate confirmation hearing, Kennedy promised Bill Cassidy, MD, a physician and Republican Senator from Louisiana, that he would not touch ACIP if confirmed. At the time Cassidy felt confident in Kennedy’s promise, he said, and was the deciding vote to confirm Kennedy. On February 4, Cassidy addressed the Senate and gave a speech about why he was voting to confirm Kennedy, a lawyer with extreme anti-vaccine views.“If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes,” Cassidy said.Yesterday Cassidy took to X to share Kennedy’s Wall Street Journal piece. “Now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion. I’ve just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I’ll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case,” he wrote. Another physician-lawmaker, Representative Kim Schrier, MD, a Democrat from Washington, wrote on X, “Today, RFK Jr. fired all committee members, paving the way to make up his own recommendations or fill those positions with conspiracy theorists and social media influencers.” Schrier, a pediatrician, said doctors in her field have trusted the ACIP for 61 years to make recommendations about vaccine use and childhood vaccine schedule. Last week Schrier, with Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Rep Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), introduced the Family Vaccine Protection Act, which seeks to legally protect the current childhood vaccine schedule in the United States. In describing the bill, Pallone wrote, “Dr. Schrier and I are introducing this legislation to keep Secretary Kennedy’s conspiracy theories out of the doctor’s office and to protect moms and their kids.”The bill proposed the HHS Secretary to adopt the official vaccine decision as set by ACIP. If changes are made, it required Kennedy to publish the basis for the agency action, including an explanation as to how the action is supported by the best available, peer-reviewed scientific evidence.Yesterday in a press release Pallone said, “It’s clear that Secretary Kennedy does not intend to uphold the commitments he made during Senate confirmation to not take away people’s access to vaccines. Instead, he intends to use his position to advance his dangerous pseudo-science agenda.”HHS said ACIP will continue to have a meeting June 25 through June 27 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. It’s unclear who will be serving on the committee at that time.

Viewpoint: RFK's reckless firing of CDC vaccine advisors not supported by evidence | CIDRAP by Vaccine Integrity Project Staff and Advisors --Yesterday, US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the firing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This independent group of experts makes recommendations to the CDC on the use of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved vaccines to control vaccine-preventable diseases and protect our health. It's important to note that ACIP recommendations adopted by the CDC director must be covered by applicable health plans and are therefore the link to affordable access to vaccines for most Americans.Kennedy's rationale, laid out in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, was based on a series of inaccuracies, calling the ACIP "little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine," and made accusations with little actual evidence, claiming it is "plagued by persistent conflicts of interest." In reality, ACIP frequently makes adjustments to vaccine recommendations based on its regular review of new safety, efficacy, and epidemiologic data. And federal advisory committees are required to deliberate in a public forum for all to see. As standard protocol, members must declare conflicts at the start of every meeting and must recuse themselves from matters in which a conflict could influence their actions. The only "proof" Kennedy offered on conflicts of interest were oversight reports that investigated activities that occurred at least 18 years ago. Yesterday's announcement follows a pattern for Kennedy and the agency that he oversees: With no transparency, the little evidence provided in support of policy changes is selective, and data are retrofitted to support decisions that dovetail with Kennedy’s personal views. HHS has given a document to Congressional committees to justify the change—the first glimpse of how Kennedy's decision was rendered. Unfortunately, once again, politics and ideology appear to have shaped the document.Titled "COVID Recommendation FAQ," it alternates between flat-out falsehoods and misleading claims from fewer than a dozen references. Similar to the MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] report, we see the inclusion of footnotes to support the appearance of a well-researched, evidence-based document. For example, the FAQ document claims, "A number of studies in pregnant women showed higher rates of fetal loss if vaccination was received before 20 weeks of pregnancy." The first study, published in in 2023 in BJOG, An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, provides data from nearly a quarter of a million pregnant women, over a third of whom were vaccinated. The study concludes, "This population-based cohort study observed no relation between first SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and miscarriage, specifically while accounting for the competing risk of induced abortion. This study reiterates the importance of including pregnant women in new vaccine clinical trials and registries, and the rapid dissemination of vaccine safety data."The second study, published in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2022, says, "Administration of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines was not associated with an adverse effect on stimulation or early pregnancy outcomes after IVF [in vitro fertilization]. Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in women who are trying to conceive."The FAQ also claims that a study shows "statistically significant increases in preterm birth." But the study, published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, which included more than 2,300 women vaccinated during pregnancy (and more than 3,300 who were not), actually says, "SARS-CoV-2 vaccine appears to be safe during pregnancy with no increase in incidence of preterm labor and small for gestational age compared to unvaccinated women." The FAQ overstates the prevalence of and current concerns related to myocarditis. It quotes statistics from the previously cited study about myocarditis reports, noting they were "223 times higher than the average of all vaccines combined for the past 30 years—representing a 2,500% increase." Of course, an increase in reports would be expected in the context of more than 700 million COVID-19 vaccine doses given. In fact, the COVID-19 vaccination effort easily dwarfs 30 years of vaccinations, with more than 241 million people in the United States receiving at least one dose by the end of 2021. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country was averaging 4 million doses per day. Reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) during this period should, by definition, far exceed reports during any previous period. While vaccination, "compared with placebo, was associated with higher incidences of adverse events, the overall frequency of severe adverse events, including myocarditis, was low." The paper concludes, "These data support the safety and efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines among children aged 5 to 11 years and endorse the universal age-based recommendations." And studies like this one have repeatedly found that the risk of myocarditis to the general population from COVID-19 infection is much higher than that from vaccination. In fact, myocarditis risk for young men after vaccination is well-known to be rare and was of the greatest concern after the second dose of the primary series when the doses were spaced close together. Risk-benefit analyses can, of course, evolve with the availability of new data to inform a policy. Until now, Americans have counted on independent experts to make recommendations after public, fact-based deliberations. Based on what we have all now witnessed, we can no longer rely on our government to do that. Instead, Kennedy is substituting his own uninformed judgment. He is willing to jettison the open, deliberative process we have used to maintain Americans' access to vaccines that help keep our communities safe and keep us out of the hospital. And he is showing little regard for evidence, independent expertise, or transparency.Kennedy's actions since his confirmation underscore the urgent need for those who care about protecting lives from vaccine-preventable diseases to come together now to create an alternative process to maintain vaccine access and ensure that vaccine recommendations are evidence-based and not driven by one individual's personal ideology. The Vaccine Integrity Project is fully committed to advancing this effort.

Kennedy appoints vaccine skeptics and anti-science zealots after purge of immunization advisory panel - In a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from the scientific and medical communities, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly dismissed all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Monday. He swiftly replaced them with eight new appointees—many of whom are known for their criticism of vaccines and for promoting misinformation. This sweeping overhaul has raised alarm among public health experts, who warn that the nation’s vaccine policy infrastructure is now under direct attack. Kennedy appears to be acting with breakneck speed to consolidate control and institutionalize his public health agenda before meaningful resistance can be mounted against what many are calling a scientific counter-revolution. Kennedy announced the dismissal of the ACIP members in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on June 9, 2025, with formal termination notices sent by email approximately two hours later. The abrupt move caught even members of Congress off guard, many of whom learned about it only after the fact. Justifying the purge, Kennedy claimed the committee was “plagued with persistent conflicts of interest” and had become “little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.” He concluded his op-ed with a sweeping promise: “In the 1960s, the world sought guidance from America’s health regulators, who had a reputation for integrity, scientific impartiality and zealous defense of patient welfare. Public trust has since collapsed, but we will earn it back.” But beneath the rhetoric lies a radical repudiation of the very foundation of modern public health. Framed as a restoration, Kennedy’s vision is in fact a dismantling of decades of life-saving vaccination programs—the cornerstone of infectious disease prevention in the 20th and 21st centuries. This repudiation of public health principles, cloaked in populist language, threatens to result in catastrophic consequences, including preventable illness and mass death. Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden (2009–2017) forcefully rejected Kennedy’s interpretation of a 2009 report from the Office of Inspector General for HHS, calling it “a total misrepresentation” and “classic misinformation.” The report, which Kennedy cited to justify his ACIP purge, primarily identified administrative shortcomings—namely paperwork errors and omissions in financial disclosure forms—across all 17 CDC advisory committees. It did not uncover widespread or serious conflicts of interest. In fact, only 7 out of 246 committee members were found to have voted on matters from which they should have recused themselves, representing just 3 percent of cases. Public health experts stress that ACIP members are thoroughly vetted, required to disclose potential conflicts, and routinely recuse themselves from votes when appropriate. Moreover, they argue that past affiliations with the pharmaceutical industry—when transparently disclosed—can offer valuable expertise rather than compromise. Kennedy’s framing, they warn, distorts a system designed to balance scientific rigor with transparency, in service of a narrative that undermines public trust in vaccines and health governance.

RFK announces new ACIP members, including vaccine critics -Coming just 2 days after US Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., removed all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, yesterday he announced a group of eight new members, some of whom are vaccine skeptics. On X, he said the appointments were designed to restore public trust in vaccines, and the eight members will attend the next scheduled meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on June 25. According to the Federal Register, the group is slated to discuss several vaccine topics during the 3-day meeting, with recommendation votes scheduled for COVID-19 vaccines, human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, influenza vaccines, meningococcal vaccine, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines for adults, and RSV vaccine for maternal and pediatric populations. The group is also slated to vote on Vaccines for Children (VFC) program vaccines for COVID-19, HPV, influenza, and RSV. The CDC has always had a rigorous vetting process for ACIP members who apply to the committee as seats become vacant when members rotate off the committee. The application process known to take as long as 2 years. “These positions are held by technically qualified people trained in a clinical medical field and possessing in-depth knowledge of vaccines and immunization,” CDC background information says. Members are also required to declare potential conflicts of interest. Applications are typically done by the CDC’s ACIP steering committee, with final selection by the HHS secretary. It’s not clear how the eight members were vetted and if the ACIP steering committee was involved. CBS News reported that career CDC employees who oversee ACIP have been removed from their roles. The team was led by Melinda Wharton, MD, MPH, the CDC’s associate director for vaccine policy. Though Kennedy had said earlier this week that none of the new ACIP picks would be “ideological anti-vaxxers,” the group includes multiple vaccine skeptics. The eight ACIP appointees are:

• Joseph Hibbeln, MD, is a psychiatrist and nutritional neuroscientist who worked at Barton Health in South Lake Tahoe, California, nearly 3 years ago. . Known for his work on the role of omega-3 fatty acids in depressive and aggressive disorders and fish consumption during pregnancy in promoting higher intelligence and better social behaviors in children, he serves on the advisory council for the Seafood Nutrition Partnership, a nonprofit US organization focused on "building awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of seafood." A PubMed search for studies Hibbeln coauthored turned up research on topics such as the link between nutrition and behavioral disorders, the potential correlation of omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies and increased risk of homicide and suicide, and vegetarian diets and depression in men but only one vaccine-related study concluding that pregnant women's mercury levels weren't tied to increased autism cases in those who ate fish.
• Martin Kulldorff, PhD, is a Swedish biostatistician who earned his doctorate in operations research from Cornell University in 1989. A professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2003 until he was fired in 2024 for what he says was refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. He was a member of the US Food and Drug Administration's Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and the ACIP's Vaccine Safety Subgroup. Today, Reuters reported that Kulldorff served as an expert witness against Merck's Gardasil human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. CDC rules prohibit vaccine advisors working in this role.
• Retsef Levi, PhD, a professor of operations management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, earned his doctorate in operations research at Cornell University in 2005, according to his MIT faculty profile. His research has focused on healthcare management and supply chain and logistics. His stance on COVID-19 vaccines is clear. During the pandemic, Levi and colleagues published studies suggesting increased rates of cardiac events and myocarditis associated with the vaccine rollout in Israel. In January 2023, Levi wrote on X, "The evidence is mounting and indisputable that MRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death, especially among young people. We have to stop giving them immediately!" In a 2023 podcast, Levi said he had little vaccine expertise but had studied safety and quality issues in drug production and had expertise in advanced analytics and data.
• Robert W. Malone, MD, is a physician and infectious-disease researcher who earned his medical degree at Northwestern University in 1991. He takes partial credit for inventing mRNA vaccine technology (he did some early research) yet has incorrectly suggested that the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could worsen infections. He is known for his podcast appearances in which he criticized the pandemic response and questioned COVID-19 vaccine safety, including a 2021 appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast in which he spread misinformation on the vaccines.
• H. Cody Meissner, MD, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, earned his medical degree from Tufts University in 1973, completing a residency at New England Medical Center. According to his CV, he is a vaccine subject matter expert and has served the Advanced Strategic Planning and Research (ASPR), the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and HHS. In previous conflict-of-interest disclosures, Meisser reported having received money from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Roche, and other pharmaceutical companies for clinical trials.
• James Pagano, MD, a retired emergency medicine physician and emergency room medical director at Emergent Medical Associates in Santa Monica, California, earned his medical degree at Rush University in 1978, his LinkedIn profile states. On X, Kennedy said Pagano completed a residency at UCLA, has more than 40 years of clinical experience, and has served on "multiple hospital committees, including utilization review, critical care, and medical executive boards. He is strong advocate for evidence-based medicine." Little other information on Pagano is available.
• Vicky Pebsworth, PhD, RN, a regional director for the National Association of Catholic Nurses, received her doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1999. She is a board member of the Virginia-based National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC; formerly known as Dissatisified Parents Together), which repeatedly asked for the HHS to be relieved of its role as legal respondent and administrator of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The NVIC also worked with Congress on the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which allows a registry of vaccine injury reports and compensation.The NVIC's website says is "dedicated to preventing vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and advocating for informed consent protections in medical policies and public health laws. NVIC defends the human right to freedom of thought and conscience and supports the inclusion of flexible medical, religious and conscientious belief exemptions in vaccine policies and laws." Her Chiropractic Society profile says, "Her son—her only child—experienced serious, long-term health problems following receipt of seven live virus and killed bacterial vaccines administered during his 15-month well-baby visit which sparked her interest in vaccine safety research and policymaking and chronic illness and disability in children."
• Michael A. Ross, MD, a physician in Virginia and a former professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Virginia Commonwealth University and a pediatrics professor at George Washington University (GWU), earned his medical degree at GWU. His only publication in a scientific journal was a coauthored open letter to JAMA flagging a study published in the journal that found that the drug ivermectin didn't speed time to symptom resolution in patients with mild COVID-19 as "fatally flawed."

Rep Kim Schrier, MD, (D-Wash.), said on X yesterday that some of the newly appointed ACIP replacements are anti-vaccine activists, including one who serves on the board of an organization that has widely been criticized as a source of vaccine misinformation. Former CDC director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, said on X today that given recent ACIP changes, he worries about what advice doctors will get from the federal government to share with their patients. “We’re all less safe if we can’t get fact-based information about vaccines,” said Frieden, who is currently president and chief executive officer of Resolve to Save Lives, a global health group centered on battling chronic diseases and infectious disease epidemics. Following Kennedy’s announcement yesterday, Lawrence Gostin, JD, who codirects Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute National and Global Health Law, said on X that the inclusion of vaccine skeptics and political agendas put lives at risk. “Vaccine access will be significantly reduced and lives will be lost. I don’t know how it’ll be possible to trust CDC’s vaccine recommendations.”

NIH Director Gives More Details On New Government Medical Journal - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will start a new journal that will help change the culture of science, the agency’s director said in a newly released interview. “The NIH can stand up and will stand up a journal where these replication results can be published and made searchable in an easy way,” Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a four-hour podcast interview with Andrew Huberman, a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, released on June 9. Bhattacharya said he envisions people being able to see summaries of similar papers that looked at the same questions. “A scientific journal put out by the NIH, a high-profile journal will then make publishing replication work a high-profile scientific, high-prestige scientific activity,” he added later. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in May that federal scientists would likely be told to stop publishing in medical journals and, if that happened, the NIH would launch journals that would publish the scientists’ research. Kennedy said that the existing journals have problems such as not publishing all of the data that underpins studies, while Bhattacharya said the journals will not publish replication research. Both officials have said they want the government to devote resources to replication, with Kennedy estimating that 20 percent of the NIH budget be designated for that purpose. Replication is the process of taking a study, repeating it, and seeing if the results are the same. While some scientists conduct meta-analyses, or studies that sum up existing literature on a topic—which could be considered a form of replication—“it’s really difficult to make a career out of doing replication work as a general matter,” Bhattacharya said in the podcast.

NIH Nixes Fauci Pet Project As Scripps' Kristian Andersen Fixes To Flee The Country -Senior officials inside the NIH are working to shut down a Tony Fauci initiative launched in 2020 called the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases or “CREID.” Meanwhile, attorneys inside the Justice Department have launched initial inquiries into one of the CREID grants awarded to Scripps Research Institute researcher Kristian Andersen, who is now in the process of fleeing the United States for a position being created for him at the University of Oslo. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but an NIH spokesperson confirmed the agency is shutting down the CREID grants. “Though the grants have been properly terminated, money will be released to the grantees to assure safe shutdown of these programs in terms of biosafety and security,” said an NIH spokesperson, adding that pandemic preparedness remains important but the dangers of health comorbidities in infectious disease outbreaks was further underlined during COVID. “Strengthening overall health through proactive disease prevention offers a more resilient foundation for responding to future health threats—beyond reliance on vaccines or treatments for yet-unknown pathogens.”Tony Fauci announced the formation of CREIDs in 2020, awarding 11 grants worth around $17 million, with $82 million in expected funding in succeeding years. NIH did not explain how much of the $82 million slated for CREID had already been spent. Two CREID grantees have been the focus of intense scrutiny since Fauci’s announcement: Peter Daszak of the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance and Kristian Andersen of Scripps.Daszak was later discovered to have undisclosed ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), having provided an NIH subaward to WIV researcher Shi Zhengli. At the close of the Biden Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finally debarred EcoHealth Alliance and Peter Daszak from receiving federal funds, in part because “in response to NIH’s multiple safety-related requests” EcoHealth Alliance had not provided WIV records. Andersen also faced close inspection for his CREID grant. Some months before Fauci gave final sign off on Andersen’s CREID award, Andersen and other researchers published a paper in Nature Medicine titled, “Proximal Origin” that dismissed the possibility of a Wuhan lab accident. Andersen’s paper was widely hailed by scientists as proof, at the time, that discussions of a COVID lab accident was a conspiracy.

GOP braces for first ‘test run’ on codifying DOGE cuts Congressional Republicans are gearing up for a major test of how easily they can lock in cuts sought by President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he aims to have the House act swiftly on approving Trump’s request for more than $9 billion in cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funding. That package is expected to hit the floor this week. “We haven’t done anything like this in a while, so this is probably, in some ways, a test run,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told reporters. Trump last week sent Congress a request for $8.3 billion in cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and foreign aid, and more than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides some funding to NPR and PBS. The request kick-starts a process that would allow Republicans to claw back funds for a list of programs on the administration’s chopping block with just a simple majority in both chambers. That means Republicans wouldn’t require Democratic votes in the Senate if they can stay mostly unified in greenlighting what’s known as a rescissions package.

Judge rules Trump’s firings at federal product safety agency illegal -A federal judge ruled Friday that President Trump’s firings of three former President Biden-nominated Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) members were illegal, enabling them to return to their posts. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox, a Biden appointee who serves in Maryland, ordered the administration restore the commissioners’ pay as well as their access to office spaces, computers and email accounts.The three commissioners — Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Richard Trumka Jr. — sued the administration after Trump fired them last month. Maddox is the latest district judge to block Trump’s efforts to fire Democratic appointees at independent agencies across the federal bureaucracy despite federal law providing them with for-cause removal protections. The president did not purport to have cause in firing the CPSC members or those at other agencies. His administration seeks to invalidate the protections as unconstitutional by intruding on the president’s authority to oversee the executive branch.

Trump’s watered-down wildfire order skirts fight with Congress - President Donald Trump’s plan to revamp the federal response to wildfire fell short of expectations about reorganizing agencies without help from Congress.But the executive order Trump signed Wednesday still faces political headwinds.Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley called the president’s order “hasty” and “poorly planned” as wildfire season begins.Forest Service retirees, among others, are organizing around opposition to the idea of lessening the service’s role in wildfire suppression. But supporters of the effort say it could help the government better organize around fighting fires and appears to avoid confronting Congress about a wholesale reshuffling of agencies.

Trump and Noem detail planned FEMA changes: ‘We’re going to give out less money’ -- President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem detailed changes they hope to make to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), indicating they intend to eliminate the agency “as it exists today” and to dole out less money to states that are hit by disasters. “We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level. … We’re moving it back to the states,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “We’re going to give out less money. … It’s going to be from the president’s office,” he said. “As an example, I just gave out $71 million to a certain state. They were looking to do about $120 [million] — they were very happy with the $71 million.” Trump also indicated that changes could come after the current hurricane season, which lasts from June through November. Both Trump and Noem have called for axing the disaster agency, which helps coordinate responses to hurricanes, wildfires and more. Noem reiterated those calls on Tuesday, telling Trump, “You’ve been very clear that you want to see FEMA eliminated as it exists today, so I’m preparing all of these governors that they will have more control over the decisions on how they respond to their communities so that it can happen faster.” She added that the administration was “building communication and mutual aid agreements among states to respond to each other so that they can stand on their own two feet with the federal government coming in in catastrophic circumstances with funding.” Republicans have, in recent months, become increasingly critical of the disaster agency after reporting emerged that an employee advised her survivor assistance team not to visit homes with Trump signs. However, experts have raised concerns about the administration’s calls to gut the agency, noting that it could leave vulnerable communities without adequate resources or coordination after a disaster.

Trump foes press Supreme Court to reject bid to restart layoffs - Unions and other groups challenging the Trump administration’s plans for large-scale layoffs are urging the Supreme Court to reject the administration’s latest bid to let those layoffs proceed. The Supreme Court should refuse the Trump administration’s request to intervene, challengers said in a motion filed Monday. Their response comes after the Trump administration last week asked the justices to block a lower court’s ruling that has paused layoffs across much of the government. “If the breakneck reorganization of the federal government ordered by the President is implemented before the merits of this case may be decided based on a full record, then statutorily required and authorized programs, offices, and functions across the federal government will be abolished, agencies will be radically downsized from what Congress authorized, critical government services will be lost, and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will lose their jobs,” says the response filed by unions, conservation groups and other organizations fighting the layoffs in court. “There will be no way to unscramble that egg,” they added. “If the courts ultimately deem the President to have overstepped his authority and intruded upon that of Congress, as a practical matter there will be no way to go back in time to restore those agencies, functions, and services.”

Walmart heiress funds anti-Trump ad --A billionaire Walmart heiress has again taken aim at President Trump — this time encouraging people to participate in protests against his second presidency while Trump holds a military parade in Washington on Saturday.Christy Walton, who is the widow of one of the Walmart founder’s sons, paid for a full-page ad in The New York Times on Sunday calling for people to “defend against aggression by dictators” by participating in “No Kings” demonstrations planned this weekend.Trump’s parade is scheduled to take place on the president’s 79th birthday, which is also the 250th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Army.A spokesperson for Walton, 76, told The Hill on Thursday that the ad “focuses on encouraging people to engage peacefully and civically in next weekend’s events” and stressed that her support is not related to protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.“Christy has provided no funding to organizations or individuals involved in the demonstrations in Los Angeles or other cities, nor has she provided any funding to those organizing the upcoming events,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Her interest is simply in encouraging people to listen to one another, participate in their communities, and productively engage on the issues they care about.”

GOP pushes back on Donald Trump's plans to slash National Park Service funding -President Trump’s proposed cuts to the National Park Service (NPS) are troubling some Republicans. The Trump administration has proposed a 30 percent cut to the park service’s operations and staffing budgets. In addition, the administration’s budget calls for transferring some park service sites to the states — a provision that is sparking particular ire from the GOP. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) told The Hill the administration’s proposed cuts were “concerning.” “We want to have some discussions on it and exactly how it’s going to affect the park service and exactly what units the states are going to take over management. … We need more information,” added Simpson, who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee in charge of funding the NPS. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who described himself as a “strong supporter” of national parks, said he wants “to make sure they’re adequately funded.” The lawmaker, who faces reelection next year, hails from a state with two major national parks in Glacier and Yellowstone, as well as a number of other NPS sites. During a recent Senate hearing, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also expressed concerns about the administration’s “skinny budget” where some of the NPS cuts and the plan to move some parks to the states were floated. “It’s hard to square it with the claims that DOI [the Interior Department] is focused on fostering the American economy,” Murkowski said. The NPS is part of Interior. Murkowski chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the agency.

Judge declines to block Trump’s Corporation for Public Broadcasting firings but allows board members to stay - A federal judge on Sunday declined to block President Trump’s removal of three board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), ruling the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a strong likelihood the firings were unlawful or that they would suffer irreparable harm. But CPB officials celebrated the ruling as a win, pointing to part of the ruling that acknowledges that “Congress intended to preclude the President (or any subordinate officials acting at his direction) from directing, supervising, or controlling the Corporation.” Following the ruling, CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison signed a document affirming that the three members remain on the board, according a source familiar. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, D.C., rejected a request for a preliminary injunction filed by the three board members — Laura Ross, Diane Kaplan and Thomas Rothman — who sued the Trump administration after receiving termination notices via email on April 28. In the lawsuit, the CPB board members argued the president lacked the authority to remove them from their position and noted that the corporation, which was created by Congress in 1967, was designed to be protected from political interference. It is the largest single source of funding for public news outlets, including PBS and NPR. “The credible and urgent threats facing CPB, as a result of the Correspondence are not speculative or theoretical. To the contrary, such threats are well-grounded in the administration’s recent terminations of board members at other congressionally-created organizations,” they argued in the lawsuit. Moss was not convinced Trump’s move would bring about any immediate, irreparable harm, and he indicated Trump may indeed have the authority to remove them. “For present purposes and on the present record, it is enough to conclude that Plaintiffs have failed to carry their burden of demonstrating that they are likely to prevail on the merits of their claim for injunctive relief or that Plaintiffs are likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief,” the judge’s opinion reads. The suit comes as Trump has urged Congress to defund public broadcasters and his Federal Communications Commission chair has vowed to investigate outlets like NPR and PBS over their donation models and perceived editorial bias. Trump and his allies have long said public broadcasters are biased against conservatives and that taxpayers should not have to underwrite their operations.

Donald Trump applauds court ruling allowing White House to restrict AP access --President Trump celebrated a federal appeals court’s ruling that allows the White House, for now, to restrict The Associated Press (AP) from the Oval Office and other limited spaces when reporting on the commander-in-chief. “Big WIN over AP today,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “They refused to state the facts or the Truth on the GULF OF AMERICA. FAKE NEWS!!!” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia temporarily blocked, in a 2-1 decision on Friday, an early April order from a district court judge that allowed the AP to regain its access to key White House spaces. The ruling blocked an April 8 order by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden that found that the news wire’s exclusion from the press pool, a small cadre of reporters reporting on the president’s whereabouts, was unlawful. “The White House is likely to succeed on the merits because these restricted presidential spaces are not First Amendment fora opened for private speech and discussion,” Judge Neomi Rao said in the Friday opinion, joined by Judge Gregory Katsas. AP’s spokesperson Patrick Maks said the organization is “disappointed in the court’s decision and are reviewing our options.” The White House’s decision to exclude the AP originated from the news wire not wanting to use Gulf of America in its industry stylebook. The three-judge panel did not halt the part of McFadden’s April order that provides AP access to the East Room. Judge Cornelia Pillard said in her dissent that being able to be in the press pool never relied on the news outlet’s viewpoint until this year. “The panel’s stay of the preliminary injunction cannot be squared with longstanding First Amendment precedent, multiple generations of White House practice and tradition, or any sensible understanding of the role of a free press in our constitutional democracy,” Pillard wrote. Days after McFadden ruled in favor of AP in April, the White House removed a spot in the press pool normally occupied by wire services.

Scott Pelley: Settlement between CBS, Trump would be 'very damaging' “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley said a potential settlement between Paramount, CBS’s parent company, and President Trump in the wake of his lawsuit against the media company would have a negative impact on the news organization’s reputation. “It will be very damaging to CBS, to Paramount, to the reputation of those companies,” Pelley said during an appearance on CNN. “I think many of the law firms that made deals with the White House are at this very moment regretting it. That doesn’t look like their finest hour.” Pelley had been asked about Trump’s suit against “60 Minutes,” which stems from an interview it aired with former Vice President Kamala Harris last fall, a conversation Trump and his attorneys argue was intentionally edited to cast his challenger in a positive light. Paramount has contended the suit is without merit and vowed to fight Trump’s allegations in court, though rumors of a potential settlement between the two sides have grown in recent weeks. Speculation that Paramount might eventually settle with Trump has led to the ouster of two of CBS’s top news executives and sparked widespread frustration at the outlet. Paramount is at the same time trying to push through a mega merger with fellow media giant Skydance, a deal that will need approval from the Trump administration. Pelley, during a recent “60 Minutes” broadcast, called out the network’s parent company over the apparent ouster of the two executives and said Paramount had begun to monitor the Sunday evening news program’s coverage of the Trump administration “in new ways.” During his weekend interview with CNN, Pelley said Trump’s lawsuit targeting CBS and other media outlets is making it harder for them to do their reporting work. “What has surprised me the most …. is how pervasive the fear is that when we at 60 Minutes call people and say, hey, will you do an interview with us,” he said. “They’re telling us ‘no.’ ”

Mark Green to resign from House after final vote on ‘big, beautiful bill’ --Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) on Monday said he plans to resign from Congress after the House holds a final vote on the party’s “big, beautiful bill,” giving up his seat as well as his leadership post on the House Homeland Security Committee. Green said he has already lined up a job outside of Congress. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package,” Green said in a statement. “Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump’s border security measures and priorities make it through Congress. By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me.” His decision to stay until the House gives the GOP’s tax cuts and spending package a final stamp of approval is a relief for Republican leadership, who are contending with a razor-thin majority and passed the same bill by a single vote last month. Senate Republicans are planning to make a host of changes to the legislation and the House is expected to hold a vote this summer on approving the revised bill. It’s the second time Green has said he plans to resign.

DNC Chair Ken Martin criticizes David Hogg in leaked audio - Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said in a recent party meeting that Vice Chair David Hogg has “essentially destroyed” his chances of leading the DNC successfully, according to leaked audio obtained by Politico. Martin seemed to get choked up as he addressed Hogg, who rose to national prominence as a gun control activist and has pledged to primary Democrats he sees as ineffective in pushing back against President Trump and the GOP. “No one knows who the hell I am, right? I’m trying to get my sea legs underneath of me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job I need to, to put ourselves in a position to win,” Martin told other DNC leaders on the call. “And again, I don’t think you intended this, but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership what I need to. It’s really frustrating,” Martin said. Politico reported that the conversation took place on a Zoom meeting of DNC officers on May 15, a few days after the DNC recommended new elections on procedural grounds for seats held by Hogg and one other vice chair. Members will decide on Monday whether to hold new elections. In the recording, Martin told Hogg that he respected the progressive activist but said the intraparty drama has led him to question whether it’s worth continuing in the post. “I’ll say, look, it has plenty of warts, and we’re all trying to change those, for sure, but the longer we continue this fight, the harder it is for us to actually do what we all want to do, which is make a difference in this country again,” Martin said in the meeting. “So I deeply respect you, David. I, too, was looking forward to working with you, but this has created a situation, and I’ll be very honest with you, for the first time in my 100 days on this job … the other night, I said to myself, for the first time, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”

Appeals court rejects Donald Trump’s bid to overturn E. Jean Carroll verdict - A federal appeals court in an 8-2 vote Friday declined President Trump’s bid to rehear his appeal of a jury verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, leaving the Supreme Court as Trump’s only remaining pathway. A three-judge panel on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the verdict late last year. On Friday, the full active 2nd Circuit bench declined to disturb that decision, over the dissent of two judges. “Simply re-litigating a case is not an appropriate use of the en banc procedure,” U.S. Circuit Judge Myrna Pérez wrote, joined by three of her colleagues, all of whom were appointed by former President Biden. “In those rare instances in which a case warrants our collective consideration, it is almost always because it involves a question of exceptional importance or a conflict between the panel’s opinion and appellate precedent,” Pérez added. In 2023, the New York jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and defaming her by denying her story when she came forward during Trump’s first presidency. The jury ordered Trump to pay $5 million.

Musk rebukes Grok for verifying fabricated X post of him vs Miller - Elon Musk rebuked his own artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok on Sunday, after it incorrectly verified a false X post purporting to show the tech billionaire taking a swipe at White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. The fabricated post, which has since been deleted, took advantage of the explosive rift between Musk and President Trump last week, the fallout of which has caught Miller and his wife Katie Miller in the crosshairs. Katie Miller, who served as an adviser and spokesperson for Musk at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was among those who left the White House alongside the Tesla CEO late last month. The X post on Sunday reportedly showed a fake screenshot in which Musk appeared to reply to Stephen Miller, saying, “Just like I took your wife,” according to Grok’s summary. When asked by an X user to verify the post, the AI chatbot responded that it “likely existed and was deleted.” “The screenshot’s engagement metrics and context align with Musk’s behavior, but its deletion means direct verification is unavailable,” Grok noted. “While a fabricated screenshot is possible, the evidence leans toward the post being real but removed, consistent with Musk’s pattern of deleting controversial posts.” Musk responded with some exasperation to his own chatbot, underscoring that the post was fake.

Amazon to invest $20 billion in Pennsylvania data centers Amazon plans to invest at least $20 billion to build out two data centers in Pennsylvania, the e-commerce and cloud computing giant announced Monday alongside Keystone State leaders. The new data centers will be located in Salem Township alongside the Susquehanna nuclear power plant and in Falls Township on the site of a former steel mill, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said. “Pennsylvania workers, over decades, over centuries, have made our Commonwealth and our country safer and freer, and what we are talking about here today is yet another national security issue that Pennsylvania can lead on,” Shapiro said Monday. “See right now, there is a battle for supremacy when it comes to AI, a battle that will be won by either the United States or China,” he continued. “I’m comforted by the fact that thanks to Amazon, the future of AI is going to run right here through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” The latest Amazon data centers come as tech companies race to develop AI, competing with fellow U.S. firms, as well as Chinese companies like Deep Seek. This has spurred new interest in data center construction that extends all the way to the White House. President Trump announced the Stargate project in January, with the goal of investing $500 billion in AI infrastructure over the next four years. However, rapid AI development has also expanded energy demands, leading major tech firms to increasingly seek out additional capacity, including in the form of nuclear energy. Amazon has run into roadblocks from federal regulators as it has attempted to increase the power flowing to its new data center co-located with the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in November rejected the company’s request to alter an existing agreement with the power plant to boost its capacity by 180 megawatts. The regulator upheld its decision in April.

Senate proposes alternative to AI moratorium in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ AI -- Senate Commerce Committee Republicans are proposing an alternative to a controversial provision in President Trump’s tax and spending bill about states’ regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) after concerns arose from some GOP members. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee unveiled its proposed text for Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” Thursday. The new text altered the House version’s language surrounding a potential 10-year ban on state regulation of AI, which received pushback from at least two GOP senators and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). The provision in the Senate version requires states to not regulate AI if they want access to federal broadband funding. This differs from the House-passed version, which would establish a blanket 10-year ban on state laws regulating AI models, systems or automated decision systems. This includes enforcement of existing and future laws on the state level. Proponents of the moratorium argue a patchwork of state laws is confusing or burdensome to technology companies trying to innovate in multiple parts of the country. While the provision sailed through the House Commerce Committee last month, it faced an uphill battle in the Senate. Some senators warned the provision may not pass the Byrd Rule, a procedural rule prohibiting “extraneous matters” from being included in reconciliation packages. This includes provisions that do not “change outlays or revenues.”Despite voting for the House version of the “big, beautiful bill,” Greene admitted this week she just learned of the AI provision.“We don’t get the full bill text until very close to the time to vote for it, and so that was one section that was two pages that I didn’t see,” Greene later told NewsNation, adding, “I find it so problematic that I’m willing to come forward and admit there are two pages that I didn’t read, because I never want to see a situation where state rights are stripped away.”Greene said she would vote against the spending bill when it comes back to the House unless the provision is removed. It is not clear whether the Senate version would appease her concerns.

Senate curtails path for swipe fee bill addition to stablecoin legislation— Efforts to advance a major credit card reform through the Senate's stablecoin legislation were derailed Monday after Senate Republican Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed for cloture and filled the amendment tree on the bill, foreclosing attempts to attach additional measures such as the Credit Card Competition Act. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., filed for cloture and filled the amendment tree on the stablecoin bill, effectively closing the path for the credit card legislation offered by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., that would address credit card swipe fees.

"Temporary Disruptions": Cyberattack On Whole Foods Supplier Sparks Store Shortages - North American grocery wholesaler United Natural Foods (UNFI), the primary distributor for Whole Foods Market, has been hit by a cyberattack that temporarily paralyzed U.S. operations. The company is working to restore systems by the weekend. The disruption has already led to reports of empty shelves at some Whole Foods locations due to delayed shipments.Last Thursday, UNFI revealed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it "activated its incident response plan and implemented containment measures, including proactively taking certain systems offline," after uncovering unauthorized network activity on its systems. "The incident has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, temporary disruptions to the Company's business operations," the Form 8-K continued, adding, "The Company is working actively to assess, mitigate, and remediate the incident with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity professionals and has notified law enforcement." Fast forward to Monday, UNFI told customers in an email obtained by Bloomberg that it was "working toward the goal of returning to full operational capacity by Sunday or sooner," while apologizing for the disruption.

Crypto scam in Georgia | Couple loses retirement fund. -— A Gwinnett County couple is trying to find a way forward after they said they lost $800,000 from their retirement fund after falling victim to a cryptocurrency scam. Now, they're working to prevent others from suffering the same fate.Jerry and Mindy Dunaway built a life they could be proud of. They were determined to spend retirement playing golf, going on vacations and watching their grandkids grow up. But now, they feel the future is uncertain after a scam involving cryptocurrency. A couple of months ago, Jerry said he was contacted through WhatsApp about a cryptocurrency investment opportunity. What started out as a low-risk venture brought high returns. It eventually turned into bigger investments until Jerry said he tried to access his money earlier this month. That's when he found that more than $800,000 was gone, and he was scammed."You swear to God you're talking to that person," Jerry said. "It's that sophisticated now, and that's dangerous, very dangerous." The FBI's 2024 Internet Crime Report showed that internet-related complaints and crimes continued to increase significantly in Georgia and nationwide. In 2024, the FBI said it received nearly 860,000 complaints with related losses topping $16.6 billion. That's an increase of 33 percent in losses.bIn that same report, Georgia ranked 11th in complaints filed by state, with reported losses around $420 million. The bulk of those losses stemmed from crypto scams. The FBI said the top three cybercrimes involved phishing or spoofing, extortion and personal data breaches. The FBI noted a rise in complaints from seniors. From 2023 to 2024, seniors filed 71 percent more complaints and reported an increase of 89 percent in losses in Georgia. Reports of cryptocurrency-related crimes leaped in Georgia by 122 percent from 2023 to 2024. Estimated losses from crypto-related scams during that same timeframe increased by 66 percent.Emory University professor Rajiv Garg said crypto isn't as regulated as traditional cash. So, one can take money anywhere and access it without as many restrictions. However, that freedom can come at a cost, Garg said, and a big risk, especially when scammers get involved.c“The scammers are utilizing capitalizing on this by generating trust from these investors," Garg said. “The scams are very easy, because there's no oversight. You cannot go to a bank and said, 'Look, my money is stolen. Can you give it back?' Because the bank wasn't even involved in those scenarios.”

Boomers are getting scammed for billions online — how to break the cycle - Last year, Americans over the age of 60 lost nearly $5 billion to online scams. This is an all-time high and a 43 percent jump from 2023, according to the FBI. Those over 60 suffer the largest financial losses of any age group, and the number of complaints is growing. This is not a temporary issue, but a persistent national crisis.The scale is vast, with more than 147,000 victims in 2024 alone, averaging $83,000 in losses per victim. Yet elder fraud rarely receives the national coverage it deserves. While headlines follow ransomware attacks on corporations, the daily, grinding exploitation of our parents and grandparents unfolds largely in silence.In the workplace, we reinforce cybersecurity through mandatory training, simulated phishing tests and modern technical controls. Cognitive defense, the ability to spot and resist manipulation, is cultivated in corporate environments.But what happens after retirement? That cognitive defense fades. At home, there are no IT teams, no robust security processes, no strong authentication, no role separation, no 24/7 monitoring tools. And malicious actors know this.Scam methods are rapidly evolving, especially as AI and deepfake technology become tools for fraudsters. Investment scams cost older Americans $1.8 billion in 2024, often fueled by crypto frauds initiated on social media or dating sites.Tech support scams resulted in almost $1 billion in losses, with new “Phantom Hacker” schemes where criminals impersonate support staff, government officials and bankers in a single, multi-stage operation. Government impersonation scams extracted over $200 million, often convincing victims to move cash, buy gold, or use crypto kiosks, sometimes with AI-powered voice calls and couriers sent to their homes.The most vulnerable among us — the very people who built the country — are now the most targeted. And as a nation, we aren’t talking about it enough.At home, seniors don’t have access to security experts, but they have you. What actually works? Not more gadgets or apps, but human connection.You can help by staying in touch. Regularly check in with the older adults in your life. Listen to their stories and concerns. If something about their financial activity or technology use feels “off”, gently ask questions.Spend time — and even just 15 minutes can help. The awareness campaigns we run in workplaces also work at home. Sit down and talk with your parents or older neighbors about the latest scams.Most elder scams today involve government impersonation, tech support fraud and investment fraud. Point out the red flags and remind your older loved ones never to rush a financial decision based on a call, text or email. Trusted resources such as the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI provide free and useful resources. Take time to visit these websites and discuss the content with them.America’s silent cyber crisis will not resolve itself. We cannot leave the protection of our seniors to chance or to technology alone. It is up to all of us (families, communities, lawmakers and industry) to care, connect and empower our older adults with the knowledge and support they need to stay safe.Solving this crisis primarily requires more than just new laws or better software. It demands human attention, compassion and community action. The solution starts with a simple question: When will you spend 15 minutes this month talking with a senior about online scams? Our parents and grandparents built the America we defend digitally every day. Now it’s time to defend them.

Anatomy of a $39.5 million pig butchering scam - Five men have pleaded guilty for their roles in a global conspiracy to launder more than $36.9 million derived from international digital asset investment scams, using a method known as pig butchering, according to court documents and a Department of Justice announcement. Shell companies, stablecoin and a Bahaman bank that took orders from a gang of fraudsters all took part in a scheme that bilked U.S. victims of millions

Former FDIC chair fears deregulation could spur new crisis - Shelia Bair, who chaired the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. from 2006 to 2011, said that while post-crisis reforms may have overregulated banks, the current deregulatory swing could undermine important protections and lead to another banking crisis.

OCC denies state supervisors' request to restrict preemption -Acting Comptroller of the Currency Rodney Hood responded to a letter from the Conference of State Bank Supervisors regarding federal preemption of state banking laws by saying that the agency's standards comply with the law, court precedent and White House policy.

Cruz pitches $1.1T cut to Fed bank payments for Trump tax bill -Texas Sen. Ted Cruz pitched Republican senators Wednesday on ending the Federal Reserve's authority to pay interest to banks, claiming it would save $1.1 trillion over a decade, with members of the party's conservative flank lauding the idea. The Texas senator pitched Republican senators on ending the Federal Reserve's authority to pay interest to banks, claiming it would save $1.1 trillion over a decade.

US to stop making pennies — here's what it means for banks -How much are pennies worth to banks? As the U.S. government stops minting the one-cent coins, experts say the industry could feel the impact in a number of ways. The Trump administration plans to stop minting the one-cent coins early next year. Here are the potential consequences that banks and credit unions should prepare for.

Midsize companies see opportunities amid tariff chaos -Where others see uncertainty, middle-market businesses also see opportunity. The impact of President Trump's tariffs is the top concern for most middle-market American businesses, a new KeyBank survey found. But these firms also view the scrambled landscape as a chance to innovate and restructure.

Demand for SBA loans rises, main program may reach ceiling - Activity in the Small Business Administration's flagship loan guarantee program continues to increase, and loan volumes are expected to approach the program's $35 billion annual ceiling this year. But the Trump administration appears set to maintain the existing limit for at least one more year.The Trump administration's fiscal 2026 budget carries over 7(a)'s $35 billion funding authority for a fourth consecutive year, even though lending has grown significantly

CFPB's top enforcement official, Cara Petersen, resigns - Cara Petersen, the principal deputy enforcement director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has resigned from the agency, stating in an email to staff that the bureau's leadership under the Trump administration has "no intention to enforce the law in any meaningful way." Petersen, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's top enforcement official, said the Trump administration has "no intention to enforce the law in any meaningful way."

CFPB lawsuit hinges on Trump's 'faithful' execution of laws -- President Trump's efforts to unilaterally and radically reduce the workforce at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is teeing up a rarely-considered constitutional question: if Congress makes the laws and the president enforces them, can the courts intervene if they think those laws are not being enforced "faithfully?" The Trump administration's plan to fire 90% of the staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has raised constitutional questions about whether courts can decide whether a president is taking "care that the Laws be faithfully executed."

Exclusive: Sens. Banks, Cortez Masto to offer FHLB pay bill -- A forthcoming bill from Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., would allow the Federal Housing Finance Agency director to set limits on executive pay at the Federal Home Loan banks. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., joined Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., in sponsoring a forthcoming bill that would allow the Federal Housing Finance Agency to set executive compensation rules for leaders at the Federal Home Loan banks.

What's Brewing In Mid-Atlantic Housing Market? Canceled Listings Erupt To Five-Year High -With active listings across the Mid-Atlantic region sitting at multi-year highs, the spotlight now turns to a sharp spike in canceled home listings, potentially signaling early signs of stress beneath the surface.According to the latest data from Bright MLS, the leading Multiple Listing Service firm in the Mid-Atlantic area, 481 listings were canceled during the week ending June 8—the highest weekly total in five years. That figure represents a 39.8% increase from the same period last year and is up 32.9% from the previous week."Canceled listings see a five-year record high. There were 481 canceled listings in the service area for the week, which is a 39.8% surge over last year and is up 32.9% from last week. Canceled listings were most common in the Philadelphia metro area, where canceled listings were up 60.5% compared to the same week in 2024," MLS wrote in the weekly report.

MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey --From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey ==Mortgage applications increased 12.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 6, 2025. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the Memorial Day holiday. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 12.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 23 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 16 percent from the previous week and was 28 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 10 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 20 percent compared with the previous week and was 20 percent higher than the same week one year ago. “Coming out of the Memorial Day holiday, mortgage applications increased to the highest level in over a month, driven by growth in both purchase and refinance applications. Treasury rates saw some movement during the week, which resulted in additional opportunities for borrowers,” . “The rate for 15-year fixed rate loans and FHA loans saw declines last week, while the 30-year fixed rate was largely unchanged. Purchase applications were 20 percent ahead of last year’s pace, continuing to show strength compared to a year ago. Despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding the economy, homebuyers seem to be taking advantage of loosening housing inventory in certain markets.” ...The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) increased to 6.93 percent from 6.92 percent, with points decreasing to 0.64 from 0.66 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index. According to the MBA, purchase activity is up 20% year-over-year unadjusted.

Housing June 9th Weekly Update: Inventory up 0.6% Week-over-week, Up 32.2% Year-over-year --Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 0.6% week-over-week. Inventory is now up 29.5% from the seasonal bottom in January and is increasing. Usually, inventory is up about 17% from the seasonal low by this week in the year. So, 2025 is seeing a larger than normal pickup in inventory.The first graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.The red line is for 2025. The black line is for 2019. Inventory was up 32.2% compared to the same week in 2024 (last week it was up 32.8%), and down 13.0% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 14.6%). This is the highest level since 2019. It now appears inventory will be close to 2019 levels towards the end of 2025. This second inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of June 6th, inventory was at 809 thousand (7-day average), compared to 804 thousand the prior week. Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube

Intercontinental Exchange: House Prices growth slows to 1.4% YoY in May --The ICE Home Price Index (HPI) is a repeat sales index. ICE reports the median price change of the repeat sales. From ICE (Intercontinental Exchange):
• Recent data shows home price growth continued to cool, dropping to an annual growth rate of +1.4%, down from an already low +1.6% mid-month.
• On a seasonally adjusted basis, prices fell by -0.01% in the month – the first decline in this metric since 2022.
• In fact, if you back out outliers, such as the Fed rate hikes in 2022 and the COVID shutdown in 2020, this is the first time we’ve seen home prices decline, on an adjusted basis, in any month since 2012.
• Condos were the first to turn, with condo prices now down nearly a full percentage point from the same time last year. Single family residences, on the other hand, are still up a modest +1.7%.
Almost a third (30%) of all major home sales markets have seen prices fall by at least a full percentage point, with 20% falling by 2% and seven markets (Austin, Cape Coral, North Port, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Boise City) falling by more than 5%. The largest drops from the peak in 2022 have been in Austin (-19.2%), Cape Coral (-12.1%), North Port, Fla. (-10.2%) and San Francisco (-8.3%)
Why is this happening? Mortgage rates have ticked higher in the wake of recent tariff and government spending announcements, which increased inflationary concerns and decreased the number of Fed rate cuts expected by the market in 2025. Higher rates and moderated demand are allowing inventory levels to build, especially in the western U.S. with 40% of markets now seeing more homes for sale than they averaged from 2017-2019 and another 10% on pace for inventory to ‘normalize’ by the end of the year. Denver now has twice as many homes for sale as it did in the years leading up to the pandemic, with California’s 10 largest markets seeing 40-75% more homes available for sale than at the same time last year. Andy Walden, head of mortgage and housing market research for ICE, says: “We continue to see an inflection in the housing market as home-price softening expands beyond the Sunbelt into the West. With inventory levels beginning to normalize across much of the country, prospective homebuyers are finally beginning to see some long-anticipated price relief.”As ICE mentioned, cities in the South have been leading the way in inventory increases and price declines (especially Florida and Texas). Now the West Coast markets are following.

Leading Index for Commercial Real Estate Increased 4% in May -- From Dodge Data Analytics: Dodge Momentum Index Increases 4% in May The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, grew 3.7% in May to 211.2 (2000=100) from the downwardly revised April reading of 203.5. Over the month, commercial planning grew 0.8% while institutional planning improved 10.5%. “Nonresidential planning continued to accelerate in May, primarily driven by strong project activity on the institutional side of the DMI,” stated Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network. “Planning momentum moderately improved on the commercial side as well, following subdued growth in that sector over the last few months – outside of data centers. Increased economic and policy uncertainty will continue to contribute to heightened volatility in the project data - but in aggregate, planning activity is on steady footing.” After a very strong April, data center projects returned to more typical levels in May and constrained overall commercial planning. Without data center projects, the commercial portion of the DMI would have improved 5% and the entire DMI would have grown 7% over the month. Accelerated warehouse and hotel planning drove the commercial portion of the Index, while office and retail planning remained flat. On the institutional side, a strong uptick in education and recreational projects drove this month’s gains, partially offset by a mild slowdown in healthcare planning. In May, the DMI was up 24% when compared to year-ago levels. The commercial segment was up 15% from May 2024, and the institutional segment was up 47% after a weak May last year. If all data center projects between 2023 and 2025 are excluded, commercial planning would be up 4% from year-ago levels and the entire DMI would be up 17%. ... The DMI is a monthly measure of the value of nonresidential building projects going into planning, shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. This graph shows the Dodge Momentum Index since 2002. The index was at 211.2 in May, up from 203.5 the previous month. According to Dodge, this index leads "construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year". This index suggests a pickup in mid-2025, however, uncertainty might impact these projects. Commercial construction is typically a lagging economic indicator.

Amazon To Invest $20 Billion In Pennsylvania For AI Infrastructure - In the largest private-sector investment in Pennsylvania history, Amazon is plowing $20 billion into two data center campuses to boost its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing capabilities, as the company looks to help solidify America's technological edge over competitors in China and elsewhere.The investment by Amazon Web Services (AWS) will create 1,250 high-skilled jobs spanning engineering, cybersecurity and network operations, the company said in a Monday announcement. It will also lead to thousands of construction jobs, and spur broader economic growth through demand for services and suppliers within the data center industry.One campus will be located next to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Salem Township, Luzerne County, while the other will be located in Falls Township, Bucks County, where a US Steel facility was formerly located."Amazon’s multi-billion-dollar investment in Pennsylvania reinforces our dedication to advancing AI innovation while creating lasting economic opportunities in the state," according to the company's chief global affairs and legal officer, David Zapolsky. As the Epoch Times notes further, to help meet the demand for skilled workers, Pennsylvania will allocate $10 million toward workforce development programs tailored to data center construction and operations, including vocational training and community college partnerships, Shapiro’s office said in an announcement.Speaking at a press conference in Berwick on Monday, Shapiro said the investment is a generational opportunity to transform Pennsylvania’s economic future, adding that Amazon’s announcement is “just the beginning,” with additional data center projects under consideration in the state.“From coal and steel, to server farms and fiber optic cables, Pennsylvania is poised to power our future,” Shapiro said. “A future where America dominates the next frontier of AI and doesn’t cede this ground to China or any other nation.”The announcement comes as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to counter China’s push for global tech supremacy. CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis recently said that President Donald Trump’s intelligence team is prioritizing the denial of any strategic advantage to China—particularly in advanced technologies AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing. Calling China an “existential threat,” Ellis said the CIA is focusing increasingly on the tech race. He said that a decisive technological advantage is essential to confronting the Chinese Communist Party’s malign actions against the United States.

BLS: CPI Increased 0.1% in May; Core CPI increased 0.1% - From the BLS: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in May, after rising 0.2 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.4 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for shelter rose 0.3 percent in May and was the primary factor in the all items monthly increase. The food index increased 0.3 percent as both of its major components, the index for food at home and the index for food away from home also rose 0.3 percent in May. In contrast, the energy index declined 1.0 percent in May as the gasoline index fell over the month. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in May, following a 0.2-percent increase in April. Indexes that increased over the month include medical care, motor vehicle insurance, household furnishings and operations, personal care, and education. The indexes for airline fares, used cars and trucks, new vehicles, and apparel were among the major indexes that decreased in May. The all items index rose 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending May, after rising 2.3 percent over the 12 months ending April. The all items less food and energy index rose 2.8 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index decreased 3.5 percent for the 12 months ending May. The food index increased 2.9 percent over the last year. The change in CPI was slightly below expectations.

YoY Measures of Inflation: Services, Goods and Shelter -- Here are a few measures of inflation: The first graph is the one Fed Chair Powell had mentioned two years ago when services less rent of shelter was up around 8% year-over-year. This declined and is now up 3.5% YoY..This graph shows the YoY price change for Services and Services less rent of shelter through May 2025.Services were up 3.7% YoY as of May 2025, unchanged from 3.7% YoY in April. Services less rent of shelter was up 3.5% YoY in May, up from 3.3% YoY in April. The second graph shows that goods prices started to increase year-over-year (YoY) in 2020 and accelerated in 2021 due to both strong demand and supply chain disruptions. Durables were unchanged YoY as of May 2025, up from -0.4% YoY in April. Commodities less food and energy commodities were at 0.3% YoY in May, up from 0.2% YoY in April. Here is a graph of the year-over-year change in shelter from the CPI report (through May) and housing from the PCE report (through April)Shelter was up 3.9% year-over-year in May, down from 4.0% in April. Housing (PCE) was up 4.2% YoY in April, down from 4.3% in March.This is still catching up with private new lease data (this includes renewals whereas private data is mostly for new leases). Core CPI ex-shelter was up 1.9% YoY in May. This key measure has been at or below the Fed's target for 9 of the last 13 months.

Cleveland Fed: Median CPI increased 0.2% and Trimmed-mean CPI increased 0.2% in May -The Cleveland Fed released the median CPI and the trimmed-mean CPI.According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the median Consumer Price Index rose 0.2% in May. The 16% trimmed-mean Consumer Price Index increased 0.2%. "The median CPI and 16% trimmed-mean CPI are measures of core inflation calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland based on data released in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) monthly CPI report".This graph shows the year-over-year change for these four key measures of inflation. On a year-over-year basis, the median CPI rose 3.5% (unchanged from 3.5% YoY in April), the trimmed-mean CPI rose 3.0% (unchanged from 3.0%), and the CPI less food and energy rose 2.8% (unchanged from 2.8%). Core PCE is for April was up 2.5% YoY, down from 2.7% in March.

Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims at 248,000 -The DOL reported: In the week ending June 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 248,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 247,000 to 248,000. The 4-week moving average was 240,250, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's revised average. This is the highest level for this average since August 26, 2023 when it was 245,000. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 235,000 to 235,250. The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

CIA Democrat wins New Jersey nomination for governor - Representative Mikie Sherrill won the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor Tuesday, defeating five rivals thanks to heavy fundraising and political support from the bulk of the party establishment. She will face Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former state legislator who narrowly lost a previous gubernatorial race in 2021. Sherrill’s victory means that in the two main statewide elections of 2025, for the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia, the Democratic Party is nominating candidates drawn directly from the military-intelligence apparatus—what the WSWS has characterized as the “CIA Democrats.” Sherrill was a helicopter pilot in the course of a decade in the Navy, and photos of herself in military uniform dominated her campaign website. Based at the Navy’s European headquarters at Naples, Sherrill flew commanders and other top officials, and also served as a “Russian Policy Officer,” maintaining relations with the Russian Navy. After winning an open congressional seat in 2018, a year in which she was one of more than 60 military-intelligence veterans to seek Democratic congressional nominations, Sherrill has been principally involved in national-security issues. She is a member of the Armed Services Committee, and was selected by the Democratic leadership to serve on the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. This committee was created with bipartisan backing to foment anti-Chinese war propaganda. The primary campaigns set a new record for money raised and spent, and demonstrated the dominating role of Wall Street in the affairs of both capitalist parties. The outgoing two-term governor, Phil Murphy, is a multi-millionaire and former Goldman Sachs banker, who bought the nomination in 2017 with an outlay of $21 million from his personal wealth. This year the candidates have already spent $88 million, the bulk of it in the Democratic contest.

Satanic Temple accuses Iowa officials of religious discrimination - (AP) — The Satanic Temple Iowa on Tuesday filed a complaint accusing state officials of discriminating against the group because of its members’ religion, having denied them access to the state Capitol building for a December holiday display and event.The group’s holiday observances garnered national attention in 2023 after aMississippi man destroyed their Iowa Statehouse display depicting the horned deity Baphomet, which was permitted in the rotunda along with a Christmas tree and other religious holiday installations. The Satanic Temple Iowa’s application for a display and event in December 2024 was denied, a decision that the organization says violated its members’ constitutional rights and Iowa civil rights law.Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that state Capitol policies reflect the potential impact on children and families, given that they routinely visit the public building and spaces around it.“This satanic event, which specifically targeted children, would have been harmful to minors and so it was denied,” Reynolds said. A message seeking comment was left with the state’s Department of Administrative Services, which oversees the use of public space in the Iowa Capitol, and whose director, Adam Steen, is named on the complaint.The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the complaint with Iowa’s civil rights office Tuesday on behalf of Mortimer Adramelech, minister of Satan for the Iowa Satanic Temple congregation. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU Iowa’s legal director, said the complaint with the civil rights office is the first step required before a legal claim of discrimination under Iowa civil rights law can be filed in court. The state’s ACLU chapter hopes the complaint will be enough for state officials to reverse course.

Arizona governor vetoes bill banning teaching of antisemitism (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a proposal that would have banned teaching antisemitism at the state’s public K-12 schools, universities and colleges and exposed educators who violate the new rules to discipline and lawsuits. The proposal would have prohibited teachers and administrators from teaching or promoting antisemitism or antisemitic actions that create a hostile environment, calling for the genocide of any group or requiring students to advocate for an antisemitic point of view. It also would have barred public schools from using public money to support the teaching of antisemitism. Educators would have personally been responsible for covering the costs of damages in lawsuits for violating the rules. Hobbs, a Democrat, said Tuesday that the bill was not about antisemitism but rather about attacking teachers. “It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits,” she said in a statement. “Additionally, it sets a dangerous precedent that unfairly targets public school teachers while shielding private school staff.” Hobbs described antisemitism as a very troubling issue in the U.S., but said students and parents can go through the state’s Board of Education to report antisemitism. The measure cleared the Legislature last week on a 33-20 vote by the House, including a few Democrats who crossed party lines to support it. It’s one of a few proposals to combat antisemitism across the country.

From classroom to war economy: Trump’s youth workforce agenda - The Trump administration is imposing crippling cuts to all aspects of public education, measures which are affecting the lives of nearly every family in the US. But, alongside redirecting millions of dollars from education into tax cuts for the rich and various privatization measures, there is another agenda at work. Trump’s sweeping reorganization of schooling is being expressly directed at readying the US for war with China. Trump’s recent budget proposal slashes an estimated $15 billion from the Department of Education, with plans to eliminate more than 40 federal K-12 programs. This is part of a broader drive to break up the federal education infrastructure, shift funding away from public schools, and accelerate privatization, under the banner of “school choice.” Little attention is being paid by the media to the plans for the parallel process of re-prioritizing education towards “workforce outcomes,” e.g., getting working class young people trained early and on the job.The measures being implemented are wide-ranging, including the systematic loosening of child labor laws, creating business-led training of students in high schools and community colleges, and a whole series of cuts aimed at ending college accessibility for low and middle-income students. Tragic cases like Derrik, who lost both legs at 16 in a school-based construction program, and the deaths of Duvan Tomas Perez, Michael Schuls, and Will Hampton in 2023—each just 16 years old, killed in hazardous workplaces—offer a grim preview of what awaits a new generation of youth pushed into the war economy pipeline.The lack of publicity on this issue is no accident, as the Democrats are in agreement on prioritizing war readiness. Support for the US proxy war in Ukraine against Russia was the central focus of the Biden-Harris government. It allowed the ending of ESSER Covid relief funds, plunging schools into fiscal crisis across the US, while providing nearly $1 trillion to the military budget. Kamala Harris, in the final days of her campaign, toured a semiconductor plant in Michigan, touting the same school-to-workplace pipeline now championed by Trump.Despite their ceremonial “opposition” to the closure of the Department of Education, the Democratic Party-aligned teachers’ unions have likewise welcomed Trump’s workforce initiatives. American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten specifically defended education-axe-wielder-in-chief Linda McMahon for her support to apprenticeship programs.Trump’s April 23 executive order, “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” calls for “reindustrialization” and the “reshoring” of manufacturing, with a target of creating over 1 million new apprenticeships annually in sectors like construction, manufacturing and technology.K-12 and higher education is to be transformed into a pipeline for the military-industrial base and the broader war economy. Curricula are being refocused on technical and vocational skills, specifically to compete with China. This dovetails with the administration’s industrial policy, including tariffs, supply chain “onshoring,” and a campaign to rebuild domestic military manufacturing.A critical aspect of workforce development is a focus on the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The alarm of the American oligarchy over the rise of China turned to near-panic after the unexpected release of China’s revolutionary AI program DeepSeek. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, a close Trump adviser, called it America’s “Sputnik moment.”Trump issued two executive orders stressing the urgency of AI education as a matter of “global dominance.” On January 23, he signed the executive order “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” and a follow-up, “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.” Trump directed federal agencies to remove any regulatory barriers in order to prioritize AI development to outpace China. The Heritage Foundation’s chilling report, “A Strategy to Revitalize the Defense Industrial Base for the 21st Century,” lays out part of the playbook. The report calls for “increasing the size of the relevant labor pool” by expanding access to business-friendly re-skilling by taking grants previously tied to higher education, such as Pell, and redefining them for vocational education and apprenticeships. It would further allocate public funding to schools based on their “returned-value,” defined by producing graduates in targeted sectors for the “defense industrial base.” It advocates improving military-to-civilian transition programs like SkillBridge. The goal outlined in the report is to turn the education system into a feeder for the broader war economy.

Controversial artwork being demolished — An art installation that has been a source of controversy for several years in the Wellsville community is currently being demolished. Gigi Janko constructed the art piece she previously described as a longitudinal structure from structures destroyed by fire at 103 11th St. and 1021 Riverside Ave. She also owns the former Immaculate Conception Church which she used as her personal studio space. The structure has been a source of contention for many Wellsville residents who have voiced their concerns over its aesthetics and safety risks multiple times during Wellsville Village Council meetings. Mayor Bob Boley and council members have been working for some time to find a way to have the structure removed and threatened legal action against Janko — who relocated to Rhode Island to attend college — if she did not tear down the structure viewed by many as a hazardous eyesore. Janko arrived back in Wellsville and started working to demolish the structure last week. She is doing the work on her own and plans to have it leveled by the time she returns to Rhode Island in September. Boley, who said he has no comment at the current time regarding the matter, did note that the only agreement was that if she tore it down, the village wouldn’t take legal action against her. Janko said as far as future plans for the property, she doesn’t know what will happen with it beyond it being leveled. She said the former church is still a studio. “I would love to keep art in the area and bring in other forms of public art,” Janko said. “The reception for this has been very mixed, but I hope that maybe if other artists have a chance to put work up or other types of art, maybe different pieces will have different responses. So, I’m hoping to keep an art presence here no matter what.” Janko said that while the former church is currently her studio space, she is considering starting a residency program of some sort that will allow other artists to come in. She is slowly building a network of connections at school and believes a residency would be a great opportunity for artists and the village.

Professor Sends Email Encouraging Campus To Join LA Protests Against ICE -An English instructor at Glendale Community College recently sent an email encouraging the campus community to join in protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The call came as riotous demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles have included destruction of property, looting, arson incidents, and the injury of at least five police officers. On Sunday, Julie Gamberg, a faculty member at Glendale Community College, sent an email promoting anti-ICE demonstrations organized by the Democratic Socialists of America’s Los Angeles chapter, according to screenshots of the note circulated on X. “Citizens who know their rights can disrupt and slow ICE incursions,” states a DSA flier Gamberg embedded in her email. “I wanted to share that Glendale has a contract to hold ICE detainees and there is some mobilizing around Tuesday’s city council meeting,” Gamberg stated in her memo to the community college’s “Issues” email listserv. She included a link to a Los Angeles Times article headlined: “LA suburb is holding ICE detainees in its jail, sidelining sanctuary rules.” The email touted plans to fight law enforcement efforts on both Monday and Tuesday of this week, one being a rally in Grand Park in LA against the detainment of a local union leader, and the second targeting the Glendale council meeting. Faculty at Glendale Community College and other institutions have been advised by their respective administrations NOT TO interfere with DHS or ICE activities. Julie Gamberg is a full-time English teacher at GCC, California. She is encouraging her students via email to attend… pic.twitter.com/t2CwnoqIoy

Wuhan Researcher Charged With Smuggling Biological Materials Into US Lab - Han Chengxuan, a PhD candidate from Wuhan in central China, was arrested upon landing at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8. An FBI agent said authorities had intercepted four packages of biological materials that Han allegedly sent to members of a University of Michigan laboratory.She was the third Chinese national charged in a week for smuggling materials for biological research. The previous two, accused of smuggling a crop-killing fungus, include a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan’s Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction. The criminal complaint said Han was a Chinese Communist Party member who has shown loyalty to the Party.The complaint said Han admitted to shipping an estimated five to 10 packages, but several were lost in transit. She said that her professors at both the Chinese and U.S. universities, as well as the recipients, had no knowledge of what she sent, characterizing them as a “surprises,” according to the FBI agent.The packages contain neither the correct documentation nor the permit required for importing roundworm-related materials, the complaint noted.The shipments allegedly went to two recipients: one active member of the lab and another among the faculty and staff at the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan.Han initially lied to the customs agents at the airport about the content of the packages, claiming they were plastic cups and a book, according to a court filing. Pressed, she admitted that the packages contained petri dishes of nematode growth medium for growing roundworms, as well as small circular DNA molecules called plasmids in an envelope, the FBI agent said. Han, who is studying at the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, arrived on an exchange visitor visa; she has an offer letter presenting her as a visiting scholar to the Michigan lab, according to prosecutors. Han told the FBI that she was coming to the University of Michigan for one year for her research on roundworms.She stated that she had produced the desired plasmids using E. coli, isolated and injected them into roundworms as a primary method for her research, according to the filing. The FBI agent noted that plasmids are often used as a vehicle for introducing genetic modifications in organisms like roundworms.

The food affordability crisis is one reason governments need to step up for school food --Despite the hard work and dedication of hundreds of local grassroots organizations across the country to deliver student nutrition programs, there are, too often, not enough funds to purchase the food to meet student needs.As described in a study of elementary school parents' and teachers' perspectives on school food in southern Ontario, in the city of Hamilton and Peel Region, far too many school food programs cannot adequately meet the existing nutritional needs of hungry students. Some teachers described how students, as young as four years old, come to school without enough nutritious food to fuel them through the day.As a researcher who examines biological and cultural determinants of human nutrition and food security, I conducted this study with academic colleagues in partnership with theCoalition for Healthy School Food.In our study we asked parents through an online survey and focus group discussions in Hamilton and Peel Region to tell us what they envision for a future national school food program.Eighty-three percent of the respondents were women; respondents self-identified as South Asian (eight percent), Black (five percent), Indigenous (four percent), Middle Eastern (four percent), Southeast Asian (three percent), Latino (three percent), East Asian (three percent) and white (70%).Forty-three percent of households were classified as experiencing some level of food insecurity, with 41% having an annual household income of less than $69,999. Ninety-six percent of survey respondents said they want their child to participate in a school food program, and 77% said they would be willing to pay some amount for it. In parent focus groups and teacher interviews, participants cited such benefits as:

• Improving the nutritional quality of what students eat;
• Reducing the consumption of highly processed foods;
• Improving behavior, learning, mental health and energy levels;
• And connections to curriculum like nutrition and food literacy education.

Participants saw affordability as one of the major barriers to an accessible program. Suggestions for funding models ranged from universal free programs to government-funded programs subsidized by optional parent contributions, and corporate donor funding. Most parents and teachers were adamant that programs be universally accessible with nutritious and diverse food options for all students regardless of ability to pay. Federal funding of $79 million flowed to the provinces and programs in the first year of the government's National School Food Program, but those funds were quickly used up. As noted by the Coalition for Healthy School Food, not all provinces are contributing in the same way towards school food programs to date. In Saskatchewan and Ontario, school food is severely underfunded relative to other provinces and territories. Saskatchewan and Ontario's per capita investments are four times lower than the national median of 63 cents per student per day: Nova Scotia contributes $3.30 whereas Saskatchewan and Ontario are at the bottom of the pack at three and nine cents per student per day respectively. That's based on an annual average of 190 school days per year across Canada.Without significant funding increases from those provincial governments, none of the hopes and dreams for a National School Food Program in Saskatchewan and Ontario will come to fruition.

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere—and they're quietly raising health risks - It's not exactly news that junk food isn't healthy. What may be surprising is exactly how pervasive ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become and what harm they're doing. This includes some foods that are specifically labeled and marketed as having nutritional value. We are the authors of a new study that identifies some of the specific negative effects of ultra-processed foods that are readily available, very popular and often hard to resist, especially when people are feeling pressed for time. Our research group leads population-based studies that integrate nutrition epidemiology, food policy, and dietary assessment to better understand how modern food environments and dietary patterns influence chronic disease risk. While ultra-processed foods include obvious culprits like potato chips, candy and frozen pizza, there are also some that people may believe are good for them, such as packaged granola bars, sports drinks and fruit-filled yogurt. Our study used the Nova classification system to define UPFs, which are industrial formulations made mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods, derived from food constituents with little if any intact whole food remaining. Our research, based on diet questionnaires and personal medical data that Health Canada and Statistics Canada collected from more than 6,000 Canadians, shows that the effects of UPFs can pile up over time, adding to the risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious health issues by raising blood pressure and blood sugar levels, for example. Even a person who is thin, active and free from illness might be accumulating risk by consuming UPFs that may seem innocuous or even healthy. The ways ultra-processed foods harm our health aren't just about calories or individual nutrients like salt, sugar and fat, though those aren't making things better. It's also in the way they're made. Take that seemingly healthy tub of yogurt. On its own, yogurt is indeed very healthy. The problem is when things like jam-like fruit with preservatives or artificial vanilla flavoring are added. They make yogurt taste better but can push it into unhealthy territory. Even after we eliminated the impacts of influences such as the survey respondents' body mass index, age, exercise and smoking habits, the numbers showed a specific risk that may be related to the additives that give ultra-processed foods longer shelf life, brighter colors and enhanced flavors. Some products are so heavily processed that it appears our bodies may not respond to them as they would to more natural foods. UPFs trigger inflammatory responses that suggest the body regards them as stressors, rather than nutrition. We learned from survey respondents that consumers are increasingly using UPFs as substitutes for healthy staples such as vegetables and fruit. This is not surprising when the wrapper on a granola bar proclaims its contents to be a good source of fiber, or when a sports drink label says it's a good source of electrolytes, Vitamin D or some other single nutrient. While these claims are factual, they don't represent the entire or even most significant effects of the products inside. For a long time, food policies have been very focused on single nutrients rather than thinking about the totality of our food supply. Our complex food supply has come to be heavily influenced by huge multinational companies and their need for sales instead of our need for health, to the point where marketing and packaging have made it challenging to understand exactly what we are eating or drinking.

The virus that won't quit: New research reveals how SARS-CoV-2 evolves -Researchers have tracked how the COVID-19 virus mutates long term, revealing patterns that could help predict the emergence of future variants. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world scrambled to understand the fast-moving virus, a team of Australian researchers set out to study how the virus would evolve long term. With millions of infections unfolding globally and new variants rapidly emerging, they wanted to learn how SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—would evolve in a controlled lab setting, and if it would weaken over time. Fast-forward more than five years and their findings, published in the Journal of Virology, confirm the remarkable adaptability of the virus, shedding light on common mutations which emerge repeatedly and independently in different strains. The research, which is the most extensive of its kind to date, could help predict the emergence of future variants and inform treatment and prevention design, said first author Dr. Charles Foster, from UNSW's School of Biomedical Sciences. "This work could help us anticipate how the virus might evolve next. If we can identify mutations that arise repeatedly —even in a lab setting—it gives us a chance to predict which changes could emerge in the real world, so we can prepare for them," In this multi-year study, researchers examined how 11 virus samples from nine different COVID-19 variants, including alpha, delta, and omicron, mutated over time. The samples were grown in Vero E6 cells—monkey kidney cells commonly used in virus research which lack a strong immune response. "By growing the virus over many generations in a controlled lab environment, we can observe how it evolves without the influence of the immune system or treatments. That gives us a clearer picture of its natural evolutionary pathways." The researchers tracked how the virus's genetic code changed during passage, specifically, how many mutations appeared and whether they stuck around or disappeared. "One goal of this was to see if mutations would develop that mirrored what's going on in the real world. But on the flip side, we also wanted to see if new mutations would arise that haven't been seen yet and what impact they might have," Dr. Foster said. The viruses continually evolved, even the sample which was put through 100 passages. "We gave the virus optimal conditions to keep developing and wanted to see whether it would eventually attenuate—basically weaken—over time. It didn't," Dr. Foster said. "In all cases, by the time we stopped, the viruses were still growing happily and picking up mutations." There were new mutations which popped up repeatedly in different strains—a phenomenon known as convergent evolution—as well as changes which mirrored those seen in real world outbreaks. The similarities suggest the virus may be naturally inclined to develop certain changes, regardless of the environment and external pressures, Some mutations which help the virus adapt may be driven by the makeup of the virus itself, rather than a bid to evade immunity, he said. "Some of the changes we saw in humans were also happening in vitro, which suggests it's not just about transmissibility or immune evasion—it's also about the structure and function of the virus itself," Prof. Rawlinson said. "They could develop these important mutations even in the absence of a catalyst." While many of the changes occurred in the spike protein—the part of the virus that helps it enter human cells—other parts of the virus also mutated, in some cases at even higher rates. Several of the mutations are already known to reduce the effectiveness of certain vaccines.

Study suggests kids with severe COVID-19 have lasting metabolic changes -A new study based on blood samples from 147 children with or without COVID-19 shows severe COVID infections may cause lasting metabolic changes in children that could impact heart health. The study was published yesterday in the Journal of Proteome Research.The blood samples included serum taken from children who were hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital for severe COVID infections, including MIS-C (multiple inflammatory syndrome in children), a rare but serious complication that can follow mild to moderate COVID cases.Researchers from Harvard University and Murdoch University in Australia collected pediatric serum samples from 66 healthy controls with confirmatory absence of COVID antibodies, 55 participants with positive COVID-19 tests, and 26 participants who had MIS-C following COVID-19 infections.Of the 55 children with COVID-19, 32 (58%) were hospitalized during their infection; however, only 14 (25%) presented with severe COVID-19 requiring supplemental oxygen. Of the kids with MIS-C, 13 (50%) required intensive care unit-level care, seven (24%) required vasopressors for cardiovascular dysfunction, and two (8%) required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).Samples collected from the children with MIS-C showed marked blood metabolic disruptions, including increased triglycerides and altered lipoprotein composition. Those alterations were also seen to a lesser extent in children with acute COVID-19, but not in the healthy controls.Unlike adults, the authors wrote, severe COVID infections led to less lung and respiratory damage among children. But like adults, cardiac and metabolic disturbances suggest the potential for long-term problems, such as long COVID.“Despite milder clinical respiratory symptoms, children’s metabolic disturbances mirrored those seen in severe adult COVID-19 patients, indicating a shared inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2,” the authors wrote. “This unfavorable shift toward hypertriglyceridemia during an inflammatory state has previously been reported for both acute COVID-19 infection in adults and children as well as those children diagnosed with MIS-C.”

SARS-CoV-2 protein found to spread between cells, triggering immune attack on healthy cells -A new study uncovers a surprising mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, might cause immune-mediated tissue damage by targeting cells it has never infected. Published in Cell Reports, the study demonstrates that the virus's nucleocapsid protein (NP), best known for its role in packaging viral RNA inside infected cells, is transferred to neighboring uninfected epithelial cells and attaches to their surfaces.Once present on these otherwise healthy cells, NP is recognized by the immune system and is targeted by anti-NP antibodies, which mistakenly label the cells for destruction. This process activates the classical complement pathway, leading to inflammation and cellular damage that might contribute to severe COVID-19 outcomes and complications such as long COVID.This research uncovers a surprising way in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus can misdirect the immune system, causing the attack of healthy cells, simply because they have been marked by a viral protein. Understanding this mechanism opens the door to new strategies for preventing immune-driven damage in COVID-19 and possibly other viral infections, which are a subject of the ongoing studies in the laboratories leading this research.The researchers used laboratory grown cells, sophisticated imaging techniques, and samples from COVID-19 patients to understand how a specific viral protein, called the nucleocapsid protein attaches to healthy cells. They discovered that this protein sticks to certain sugar-like molecules found on the surface of many cells, called Heparan Sulfate proteoglycans. When this happens, clumps of the viral protein form on these healthy cells. The immune system then mistakenly attacks these clumps using antibodies, which sets off a chain reaction that might damage the cells, both infected and healthy cells in the infected organism. The researchers also found that the drug enoxaparin, a commonly used blood thinner, can block the viral protein from sticking to healthy cells. It does this by taking over the spots the protein would normally bind to, being a heparin analog. In both lab experiments and when samples obtained from patients were tested in the lab, enoxaparin stopped the protein from attaching to cells and helped prevent the immune system from mistakenly attacking them.

Red blood cell rupture, not clotting, drives vessel blockage in COVID-19, study finds -A team led by the University of Sydney has identified red blood cell rupture at dying endothelial sites as a primary driver of microvascular obstruction in COVID-19, bypassing the expected role of fibrin and platelet clots. Cases of severe injury to the body's smallest blood vessels emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, implicated in both sudden organ failure and persistent symptoms that span months. Tissue from affected patients reveals extensive endothelial damage across lung, heart, kidney and liver vasculature. Standard models of thrombosis, microvascular clots formed by fibrin and platelets, have struggled to account for the extent of capillary dysfunction. Anticoagulant therapies have shown only modest benefit, raising the possibility that COVID-19 microangiopathy follows a different mechanism. In the study, "Ischaemic endothelial necroptosis induces haemolysis and COVID-19 angiopathy," published in Nature, researchers designed multimodal imaging and genetic models to determine whether red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis, rather than thrombosis, accounts for microvascular obstruction. Autopsy tissue from COVID-19 patients was used to assess over 1,000 vessels from the lungs, heart, kidneys and liver. Samples showing post-mortem degradation were excluded. Imaging revealed widespread loss of endothelial surface markers and cellular integrity. Cell death appeared most frequent in organs with severe tissue injury, particularly the heart, liver and kidneys. Up to 50% of vessels showed signs of endothelial detachment. Histological and electron microscopy detected an acellular, protein-rich material deposited along vessel walls. This material stained strongly for CD235, an RBC membrane marker, but not for fibrin, platelets or DNA. Membranes from lysed RBCs accumulated around necrotic endothelium and wedged between intact RBCs. In the lungs, this pattern was sparse. In the liver, kidney and heart, membrane deposition appeared in 27–30% of vessels. COVID-19 tissues showed more frequent RBC lysis than matched controls with non-COVID acute respiratory distress syndrome. Autopsy samples from non-COVID patients with myocardial infarction, stroke and gut ischemia showed the same pattern of endothelial necrosis to the COVID cohort, RBC membrane deposition and microvascular obstruction. RBC hemolysis appeared in up to 45% of microvessels in the kidneys, livers and hearts, with minimal involvement in the lungs. Correlative imaging and intensity mapping confirmed a spatial association between endothelial injury and membrane fragments from ruptured red cells. In tissues from non-COVID-19 patients with myocardial infarction, stroke and gut ischemia, a similar pattern of endothelial death and RBC lysis was observed. In mouse models, ischemia alone triggered endothelial necroptosis, marked by phosphorylated MLKL and RIPK3, along with complement-mediated RBC lysis. SARS-CoV-2 infection produced minimal hemolysis in organs beyond the lung. Genetic deletion of Mlkl in endothelial cells reduced RBC fragmentation, microvascular obstruction and organ damage. In C9-deficient mice, red cell lysis was also suppressed, confirming a requirement for complement activation. Real-time intravital microscopy revealed that hemolyzed red cell membranes adhered to necrotic endothelium, layering into physical obstructions that blocked perfusion. These endovascular deposits formed independently of platelets or fibrin. In mice lacking MLKL or complement function, localized bleeding increased, implicating red cell membrane deposition as a structural hemostatic barrier. Aggregation of intact red cells was induced by lysed membranes and occurred exclusively under low shear conditions. In vitro, RBC fragments alone were sufficient to trigger adhesion and aggregation in the absence of platelets, leukocytes or plasma. Perfusion was improved and tissue injury reduced in mice lacking endothelial MLKL, consistent with a role for necroptosis-driven hemolysis in promoting vascular blockage. Researchers conclude that endothelial necroptosis initiates a cascade in which complement activation ruptures nearby red blood cells. Fragments from these lysed cells form a physical seal across injured vessel walls, preventing interstitial bleeding under conditions where platelets and fibrin are impaired. Yet when this response is exaggerated, the same material accumulates into obstructive aggregates that block blood flow. The findings suggest that necroptosis and complement together shape a red cell–based mechanism of microvascular control, one that operates independently of classical clotting pathways. Inhibition of MLKL or complement reduced vascular blockage and improved tissue perfusion, yet also increased bleeding risk, revealing a trade-off between protection and hemostasis. By identifying a process outside of platelet-driven thrombosis, the study may explain why anticoagulants often fail to restore microvascular flow in COVID-19. Potential therapeutic approaches could include blocking necroptosis, inhibiting terminal complement, or scavenging free heme—though the authors note that disrupting this system may also impair its protective function.

Many COVID patients needed 9 months to regain baseline well-being, study suggests - It took many US COVID-19 survivors who sought treatment for their infection up to 9 months post-infection to return to their baseline sense of mental well-being, while 1 in 5 still had suboptimal quality of life at 1 year, the INSPIRE (Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry) Group reported yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.For the prospective, multicenter registry study, the US investigators used Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29 and PROMIS SF-8a questionnaire responses to compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among 1,096 adult COVID-19 survivors and 371 uninfected controls enrolled from December 2020 through August 2022 and followed every 3 months for 1 year.Participants (68.5% women) answered questions on physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, social participation, sleep problems, pain interference, and cognitive function.COVID-positive participants reported compromised mental well-being for up to 9 months after infection. Physical well-being returned after 3 months, but up to 20% of patients continued experiencing suboptimal overall HRQoL 1 year post-infection.Four distinct well-being classes emerged at all study timepoints: optimal overall, poor mental, poor physical, and poor overall HRQoL. COVID-19 patients were more likely to return to the optimal HRQoL class than COVID-negative respondents. Notably, participants in the poor physical HRQoL and poor overall HRQoL classes had much more severe acute COVID-19 symptoms, higher rates of underlying conditions, and more symptoms at baseline.Among those in the poor overall HRQoL category, 42.4% reported that they had long COVID at final follow-up, versus 24.2% among those in the poor physical HRQoL class, 17.8% in the poor mental HRQoL class, and 9.7% in the optimal class.The odds of moving from poor to optimal overall well-being was comparable between COVID-positive and COVID-negative groups and remained low over time (range, 1.4% to 5.2%). The most substantial shift from poor physical to optimal HRQoL occurred by 3 months, while a transition from poor mental to optimal HRQoL occurred by 9 months.

Groups call for continued insurance coverage for COVID vaccines in pregnancy -Dozens of medical and public health organizations have signed a letter urging insurers to continue covering COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant patients.The letter from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is in response to the recent move by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to no longer recommend COVID-19 shots for healthy pregnant women."Our organizations call upon payers and insurers to continue making the COVID-19 vaccine available to pregnant people without undue utilization management or cost-sharing requirements," the letter states. "As organizations dedicated to public health and evidence-based health care for pregnant patients, we are particularly passionate about ensuring equitable and free access to these critical vaccines."HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the COVID vaccine recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women was being dropped in a brief video on the social media site X on May 27. While HHS said pregnant women are still free to consult their doctor about vaccination, removal of the recommendation from the CDC's adult immunization schedule has raised concerns that insurers won't cover COVID shots."When these vaccines aren't supported in this way, often insurers and other payers decide not to cover these medications, which creates additional barriers," John Lynch, MD, MPH, associate director of the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, explained at a media briefing held last week by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (one of the groups that have signed the ACOG letter). ACOG is still recommending the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant and lactating individuals. In letter, the group said COVID vaccination in healthy pregnant women is supported by research showing pregnant women who have COVID-19 are more likely to be admitted to intensive care or die from the illness, that infants born following a COVID-19 infection during pregnancy are at increased risk of low birth weight and stillbirth, and that COVID vaccination during pregnancy is safe and protective for both women and their infants after birth."The science around the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy has not changed; therefore, we maintain our position and strong recommendation that all pregnant patients should continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccine," ACOG said. "As such, payers should be fully reimbursing for the cost of providing immunization counseling and administration services for all evidence-based vaccinations without utilization management practices or cost-sharing requirements for all patients, including pregnant patients."

Studies show safety, low side-effect profile of COVID vaccines in pregnancy - Two recent studies from Europe show mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were not linked to birth defects if administered in the first trimester, nor were they associated with perceived increases in adverse effects. In the first study, published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection, German researchers compared congenital birth defects among 1,828 pregnant women who were vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine in the first trimester (before 13 weeks' gestation), and 1,955 pregnant women who were not vaccinated.All information on outcomes and participants came from the German Embryotox Centre of Clinical Teratology and Drug Safety in Pregnancy, a national center that provides advice and risk assessment on drug use in pregnancy.In total, 68 major congenital malformations were observed in the vaccinated and 53 in the unexposed cohort (3.9% vs 3.1%). The adjusted odds ratio for major birth defects in the exposed group was 1.30 (95% confidence interval, 0.90 to 1.86). All analyses were statistically not significant, the authors wrote: “Our study results showed no statistically significant increase in the overall rate of major birth defects after maternal vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in the first trimester." In a second study published in Birth Defects Research, Dutch researchers compared adverse events (AEs) after maternal vaccination with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and determined whether rates were comparable to those in non-pregnant populations. Overall, both pregnant and non-pregnant women were captured in the Dutch Pregnancy Drug Register and the cohort event monitoring study on COVID-19 vaccines.The pattern of AEs was similar between pregnant (2,204) and non-pregnant (2,684) women, the authors found. The four most frequently reported AEs were injection site reactions, myalgia (muscle pain), fatigue, and headache. Pregnant women were less likely to report at least one AE than non-pregnant women (65.9% vs 72.3%). They were also less likely to report nausea, chills, fever, and joint pain.

Small vessel disease found in long-term follow-up of severe COVID-19 patients -Patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19 exhibit cardiac systolic dysfunction and small vessel disease at long-term follow-up. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet examined about 40 patients recruited from the post-COVID outpatient clinic. The patients were examined with advanced cardiac imaging to investigate the blood flow through the heart muscle and the heart's pumping function. Both the blood flow and pump-function were reduced compared to age and sex-matched controls. "It is important to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms behind remaining symptoms after severe COVID-19 to identify possible targets for treatment," says Jannike Nickander, Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet and Resident physician at Karolinska University Hospital. "Our findings support that small vessel disease could play a role in pathophysiology and could thereby be a possible target for treatment." "My current research focus is small vessel disease, which my team and I now have charted in several different diseases," says Jannike Nickander. "We are now launching a study to understand the molecular mechanisms behind small vessel disease. Furthermore, to understand the interplay between the heart and lungs in patients with severe COVID-19 we are currently running a study on the pressure in the pulmonary artery."

People with COVID-like symptoms may take up to nine months post-infection to regain mental well-being - New research finds that people with COVID-like symptoms returned to optimal physical well-being an average of three months after infection, but took up to nine months to return to top mental well-being. Even one year after infection, about 20% of study participants continued to experience overall suboptimal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The study, published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, compared people who sought treatment for COVID-like symptoms, 75% of whom tested positive for the virus and the rest testing negative. The COVID-positive participants were statistically likelier to return to optimal health-related quality-of-life than their COVID-negative counterparts across up to a year post-infection, said Lauren Wisk, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study's co-lead author. This suggests that health authorities may have previously underestimated the long-term effects of other, non-COVID infections on one's well-being. The researchers examined responses from 1,096 COVID-positive and 317 COVID-negative participants to questions regarding physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, social participation, sleep disturbance, pain interference and cognitive function. Four well-being categories emerged from their responses, the researchers write: optimal overall, poor mental, poor physical and poor overall health-related quality-of-life. "In this large, geographically diverse study of individuals with 12 months of follow-up after COVID-19-like illness, a substantial proportion of participants continued to report poor HRQoL, whether or not the inciting acute symptoms were due to SARS-CoV-2 or another illness," the researchers write. "The majority of the recovery in physical HRQoL was observed within three months after acute illness, whereas recovery in mental well-being appeared to be more gradual, with significant improvements manifesting more profoundly between six and nine months after infection. "Importantly for patient prognostics, we found somewhat more pronounced recovery (ie, return to the optimal HRQoL) for those in the COVID+ group compared to the COVID- groups, after adjustment. "Regardless, approximately one in five respondents remained in the poor overall HRQoL group with a high likelihood of self-reporting long COVID up to 12 months after initial infection," they write.

1 in 5 COVID survivors still have symptoms 3 years after severe infection, analysis estimates A meta-analysis of 11 studies suggests that 20% of patients, most with severe COVID-19, had at least one symptom 3 years after infection, primarily fatigue, sleep disturbances, and shortness of breath.Researchers in Europe, Asia, and Australia assessed the pooled prevalence of persistent COVID-19 symptoms 3 years after infection in observational studies published in 2023 and 2024. The studies, which reported data from 142,171 long-COVID patients aged 36 to 86 years (87% men), were conducted in Bulgaria, China, Japan, Italy, Romania, and the United States. All but one study focused on COVID-19 patients hospitalized in 2020; the other involved non-hospitalized patients. The authors reported the findings late last week in the Journal of Medical Virology.The proportion of COVID-19 survivors reporting one or more persistent symptoms at 3 years was 20% (shortness of breath, 12%; fatigue, 11%; insomnia, 11%; loss of smell or taste, 7% each; and anxiety, 6%). Lingering signs of impaired lung function included poor diffusion capacity (42%) and low forced expiratory volume in 1 second (10%). Hospitalized COVID-19 patients were at increased risk for death at 3 years (incidence rate ratio, 1.29; excess burden per 1,000 persons: 8.16). Death rates were also higher in those with and without neurologic signs at 3 years (58 of 414 [14.0%] and 94/1,196 [7.8%], respectively).Among both nonhospitalized and hospitalized patients, long COVID contributed 9.6 and 90.0 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 1,000 people in the third year post-infection, respectively. Although long-COVID symptoms in general waned among hospitalized patients over time, a substantial burden of new or persistent symptoms remained at 3 years. Of the eight major observed physiologic clusters (neurologic, mental, pulmonary, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, kidney, gastrointestinal, and metabolic), neurologic, pulmonary, and cardiovascular symptoms were the most prevalent. Neurologic symptoms such as impaired memory, dizziness, and peripheral neuropathy were common, along with fatigue, mental conditions such as anxiety and depression, lung signs and symptoms such as shortness of breath and reduced lung function, and cardiovascular complications such as heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. Risk factors for long-term symptoms included older age, more severe COVID-19 and hospitalization, female sex, smoking, substance use, allergy, and underlying medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. "Overall, these findings highlight the lasting impact of COVID-19 on mortality and disability up to 3 years after infection, particularly among individuals who required hospitalization and those who experienced neurological complications," the study authors wrote. "The evidence underscores the need for ongoing monitoring, support, and targeted interventions for affected individuals, especially those with severe or complex post-acute presentations."

New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1 Spreads in the U.S., Foreshadowing a Likely Summer Surge -A new COVID variant known as NB.1.8.1 is on the rise in the U.S. and beyond, landing on the radar of health officials. The variant, first identified in January 2025, is now being closely monitored, with cases already popping up across several states. A report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group states that the global public health risk posed by NB.1.8.1 is currently low; it also says, however, that the variant’s mutations may increase its ability to be transmitted. Learn how you can stay vigilant in case of potential COVID surges this summer. NB.1.8.1 is an Omicron descendant lineage of SARS-CoV-2; having already spread rapidly in Asia, the variant has made its way into the U.S., Europe, and Australia. The WHO report confirms that as of May 18, 2025, NB.1.8.1 has appeared in 22 countries.Cases in the U.S. have entered through airports, caught during screenings of international travelers in California, Virginia, New York, and Washington State. In early June 2025, 14 detections of the variant were confirmed in Washington State. The variant has also been reported in other states like Ohio, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. According to the WHO report, NB.1.8.1 represented 10.7 percent of all COVID sequences submitted to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) in epidemiological week 17 (April 21 to 27). This rose from 2.5 percent a month earlier in epidemiological week 14 (March 31 to April 6). Health officials have suggested that the effects of NB.1.8.1 won’t be any more severe than other variants. The symptoms include fever, sore throat, congestion, body aches, and fatigue. What may set NB.1.8.1 apart is its likelihood of exhibiting increased transmissibility, meaning mutations would allow it to evade antibodies produced by vaccinated or previously infected people. As a result, the variant could be passed on to others more easily, but the WHO is saying that more data is needed to determine the true risk regarding antibody escape.The WHO report says that “current vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a COVID-19 vaccine for most individuals 18 and older, and advises parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years to discuss the benefits of a vaccination with a healthcare provider.Health officials are now keeping a close eye on NB.1.8.1, classifying it as a variant under monitoring (VUM). Other variants that are currently in this category include KP.3, KP.3.1.1., LB.1, XEC, and LP.8.1. Among these variants, LP.8.1 had begun to gain ground earlier in 2025, but the WHO report says that it is now starting to decline (although it is still the dominant variant in the U.S.) In addition to the VUMs, there is also one variant of interest (VOI): JN.1, which was first identified in August 2023. This variant has been noted for its high transmissibility, especially in cold, dry climates. While VUMs require more testing to establish their true risks to public health, VOIs are explicitly confirmed to have genetic changes that affect virus characteristics like transmissibility and virulence. Surges of COVID tend to strike during the summer, and NB.1.8.1 may be a driving force this time around. A potential surge is not yet in full force, though; current CDC data shows that as of June 3, 2025, COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 6 states, but declining or likely declining in 14 states (and not changing in 25 states).

CDC estimates show jump in NB.1.8.1 COVID variant proportions - In its latest update on variant proportion estimates, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the level of NB.1.8.1 viruses, recently added as a variant under monitoring (VUM) by the World Health Organization (WHO), has grown from 15% to 37% since late May, bringing it nearly even with LP.8.1, which has been dominant over the last few months. NB.1.8.1 has been fueling rises in cases and hospitalizations in some countries in Asia. When the WHO advisory group added it as a VUM in late May, they said though proportions are growing rapidly, the virus seems to be only minimally more immune-evasive than the dominant LP.8.1 subvariant. The CDC also reported a rise in XFG variant proportions, which rose from 6% to 8% over the same period. Both viruses are descendants of the JN.1 Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant.The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) today said it is monitoring slowly increasing COVID activity, which is up from low baselines. Doctors’ visits for the illness are still at or below levels seen for this period in past seasons. The group hasn’t noted any rise in severe disease indicators, such as hospitalizations or intensive care unit admissions.Eduardo Colzani, MD, MPH, PhD, ECDC’s head of respiratory viruses, said in a statement that NB.1.8.1 doesn’t appear to pose a greater threat than other Omicron descendants, and officials don’t expect an impact on vaccine effectiveness or severe disease. However, he noted that since SARS-CoV-2 activity was low over the winter, population immunity may have waned, especially in older adults and those who have underlying health conditions.In the United States, COVID activity remains low based on the latest CDC data, which show wastewater SARS-CoV-2 detections still at the low level, with higher levels in the west compared to other regions.

Covid still quiet, measles, ticks, smoke, EMTALA, and seed oil confusion - Your Local Epidemiologist | Katelyn Jetelina - Covid-19 remains mostly quiet (for now), but measles, ticks, and wildfire smoke are ramping up quickly. At the same time, falsehoods are clouding the facts on abortion care and infant formula. Calling this information landscape “confusing” doesn’t quite do it justice. Let’s break it down.Emergency room visits for Covid-19 are starting to tick up in Hawaii and, if you squint, in places like Florida. YLE has also heard more anecdotal reports lately (sometimes an early signal of a wave), but wastewater levels remain low across most of the country. That said, the U.S. has had a summer wave every year for the past five years, and other countries are seeing upticks, so we still think one is coming. A newer variant, NB.1.1, was recently detected. Time will tell if it has enough “oomph” to create a wave. Those over age 65 are still eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine every 6 months. Sticking to that schedule is still a good idea. Measles cases continue to pop up:

• The outbreaks in Montana (19 cases and two hospitalizations) and North Dakota (34 total cases and two hospitalizations) continue to grow. Almost all cases are unvaccinated, school-aged children.
• With an uptick in travel during summer, more measles cases will come. In Colorado, an infected person on a Turkish Airlines flight is now linked to 7 cases, all in unvaccinated individuals. Four people were passengers on the May 13 flight, and three were infected at the airport. The incubation period for that flight is now over, so hopefully we don’t see many more cases.
• The Southwest outbreak has dramatically slowed down, with fewer and fewer cases in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Below is a “bell-shaped curve” showing the deceleration nicely. Measles is likely running out of infection pathways (due to vaccination efforts or people getting infected.)
• The U.S. is on track (1,173 cases today) to exceed its 30-year high for measles cases (1,274) within two to three weeks.

It's the dead middle of tick season. Emergency visits for tick bites have reached 107 per 100,000 weekly, but trends are coming down, hopefully for the year. Not every tick you encounter will give you a disease (depends on several factors), but the highest risk of Lyme disease is in the Northeast and Midwest. To protect against ticks, cover up with light clothing, use an EPA-registered insect repellent, and remember to do a tick check. Smoke from Canadian wildfires (over 200) has reached the Upper Midwest and Northeast, including New York.

• The heaviest smoke was in northern areas closest to Canada, but extended to Kansas, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
• Air quality alerts range daily, but last week, “unhealthy” or “very unhealthy” levels reached Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Omaha.

Recent research showed that exposure to lingering wildfire particles, even three months after a fire, can increase cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalization risks. Check your local air quality index here. It’s also on your phone’s weather app.

• If you’re high risk (pregnant, older, immunocompromised, or have chronic conditions), take precautions when the AQI is yellow.
• If you’re not high risk, start acting when it’s red.

Stay indoors, drive with windows closed, and wear an N95 or P100 mask outside (surgical masks won’t help here). Afterwards, be sure to replace your house’s air conditioning filter.

RSV, flu linked to 6% and 3% of kids' antibiotic prescriptions -- A study of US pediatric outpatient prescriptions over a 10-year period found that flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are associated with meaningful proportions of pediatric antibiotic prescribing, researchers reported last week in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.In an analysis of data from a large commercial insurance database, researchers from the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined medical visits and outpatient pharmacy prescriptions in children aged 0 to 17 years from 2008 and 2018. The primary outcome was the incidence and attributable fractions of antibiotic prescriptions associated with RSV and influenza. While both viruses are known to be common causes of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in children, data on their role in outpatient pediatric antibiotic prescribing are limited.During the study period, more than 21.5 million outpatient antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed, two-thirds (66.8%) of which were associated with an ARI diagnosis. Using negative binomial regression models, the researchers estimated that 6.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2% to 7.3%) of all antibiotic prescriptions were associated with RSV and 3.4% (95% CI, 3.1% to 3.8%) were associated with flu. These estimates translated to 72.6 RSV-associated and 40.0 flu-associated antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 children annually. Both estimates varied widely across study years, with RSV-associated antibiotic prescribing exceeding 10% in peak RSV years and flu-associated prescribing exceeding 20% in peak flu years. RSV-associated antibiotic prescription incidence was highest among children aged 5 years and under and linked to pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and acute otitis media (ear infection) diagnoses, while flu-associated antibiotic prescriptions were highest among children over 5 years and more commonly linked with viral upper respiratory infection and bronchitis diagnoses.The study authors say the findings support vaccination and other measures to reduce RSV and influenza in children."Beyond disease burden reductions, immunization against these pathogens may reduce antibiotic use, an important step in mitigating antibiotic resistance," they wrote.

California and Michigan announce more measles cases - States continue to report a flurry of new measles cases, with the nation on track to reach a new record number of cases since the disease was eliminated in the United States in 2000. In California, health officials in Yolo County on June 6 confirmed a measles case in a resident of West Sacramento, marking California’s 13th case of the year. The patient is an adult with an unknown vaccination status whose source of infection is still under investigation. The patient had not traveled internationally but may have been exposed during air travel to a state without a known outbreak or may have contracted measles locally. Officials noted that measles was recently detected in Sacramento wastewater, once in May and once in June. “An investigation into the source of the earlier detections is ongoing and it remains possible that another unknown individual with measles was present in the area,” Yolo County said in its statement.On June 7, the Los Angeles County Department of Health said it is investigating a measles case in a resident who had recently traveled internationally. The case was linked to multiple exposure sites, which include Costco and Walmart stores.Elsewhere, two counties in Michigan reported measles cases, including an Allegan County resident linked to exposure sites in Kent County as well as a Macomb County resident who is linked to exposures at multiple medical offices in Rochester Hills, according to a local media report.The Alabama Department of Public Health said it is investigating a suspected measles case in an unvaccinated person who is not yet eligible for vaccination. In a statement, it said the investigation is underway in Lee County, located in the east central part of the state. In other developments, the Oklahoma State Department of Health on June 6 reported one more measles case, raising the state’s total to 19, which include 16 confirmed illnesses and 3 suspected infections.

US measles total approaches 1,200 mark - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today in its weekly measles update reported 29 more cases, bringing the national total to 1,197 cases and coming within 77 cases of matching the total from 2019, which was the most since the disease was eliminated from the country in 2000. So far, 35 states have reported cases, one more than a week ago, which likely reflects Arizona’s first cases of the year. Four more outbreaks were reported, bringing the national total to 21. For comparison, the CDC recorded 16 outbreaks for all of 2024. Of measles cases reported this year, 90% have been part of outbreaks. Last year, 69% of the illnesses were related to outbreaks. School-aged children are the most affected group (37%), followed closely by adults ages 20 and older (33%), and children younger than 5 years old (29%). Activity in the West Texas outbreak continues to trend downward, and today there weren’t any new cases related to the event outbreak from Texas, New Mexico, or Oklahoma. However, Dallas County yesterday reported its first case of the year, a woman in her 20s who is fully vaccinated and doesn’t have a travel history, according to the Dallas Morning News, which cited the county health department. The case marks Dallas County’s first since 2019. Elsewhere, the Alabama Department of Public Health said follow-up testing on a patient from Lee County with a suspected measles infection was negative, based on a PCR test at a reference lab. Officials noted that they typically launch preliminary investigations while testing is underway to make sure vulnerable people are informed and protected.

Kentucky announces two pertussis deaths in infants this year On Friday, Kentucky announced two pertussis deaths in infants over the past 6 months, and neither the infants nor their mothers had been vaccinated against the highly contagious bacterial infection also known as whooping cough.According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH), these are the first whooping cough deaths in the state since 2018.“Anyone can get whooping cough, but infants are at greatest risk for life-threatening illness,” said KDPH Commissioner Steven Stack, MD, in a press statement. “Fortunately, when vaccinations are administered to pregnant women, it provides protection to both the mother and the baby." All infants are recommended to get the pertussis vaccine series starting at 2 months of age, and pregnant women should receive it in every pregnancy. Children receive another immunization before kindergarten, at age 12, and every 10 years in adulthood.According to Kentucky officials, whopping cough is on the rise in the state, with 543 cases reported in in 2024, the highest number of cases since 2012. So far this year, 247 cases of whooping cough have been reported. Data from a survey of Kentucky school children doing the 2024-25 school year shows that 86% of kindergarteners and 85% of seventh graders are up to date on their required pertussis immunizations.

More cucumber products recalled as salmonella outbreak expands — Additional cucumber products have been recalled over concerns of potential salmonella contamination as a multistate outbreak expands.On Wednesday, Maryland-based TGD Cuts, LLC, issued a voluntary recall of sliced cucumber trays and salsa tubs over concerns that the cucumbers may be from Bedner Growers Inc. Cucumbers from the Florida-based grower have been linked to 45 cases of salmonella across 18 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike previous recalls, Wednesday’s may not impact the items in your refrigerator. The recalled products, listed below, were distributed to retail and foodservice locations in Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the Food and Drug Administration notice reads. The salsas and trays are beyond their shelf dates, which ranged from May 20 to May 28, 2025. According to officials, no illnesses have been reported in connection with these items.

Multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to brown eggs - Federal and state health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella linked to brown eggs from a distributor in California. In an update published late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that as June 5, 79 people in 7 states had been infected with Salmonella Enteritidis, with 21 people hospitalized and no fatalities. The age of the case-patients ranges from 1 to 90 years, and illness onset dates range from February 24 to May 17. The affected states are Arizona, California, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, and Washington. Of the 30 people who've been interviewed, 27 reported eating eggs, and state health officials have identified illness sub-clusters at two restaurants where eggs were served. Six of the case-patients reported traveling to California or Nevada in the week before they got sick. The CDC says the true number of sick people in the outbreak is likely much larger, since most people with Salmonella infections recover without medical care.A traceback investigation, conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and based on where sick people reported shopping for or eating eggs, has linked the outbreak to brown cage free and brown certified organic eggs distributed by August Egg Company in Hillmar, California, from February 3 through May 15, with sell by dates from March 4 to June 4. Whole genome sequencing of environmental samples collected during an inspection of the company's processing facility identified two samples that matched the outbreak strain of Salmonella. "Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve recalled brown cage free and brown certified organic eggs by August Egg Company," the FDA said. The eggs were sold under several brands, including Clover, First Street, Nulaid, O Organics, Martketside, Raleys, Simple Truth, Sun Harvest, and Sunnyside. They were sold to retailers in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming. The FDA said the company diverted all eggs to an egg-breaking facility in May, and has agreed to recall 1.7 million cartons of brown cage free and brown certified organic eggs that could potentially be in people's homes. The investigation is ongoing. The CDC noted that the Salmonella strain implicated in this outbreak is resistant to nalidixic acid and nonsusceptible to ciprofloxacin and is related to a strain that's been isolated from chicken, eggs, and backyard poultry. One clinical sample also predicted additional resistance to ampicillin and streptomycin."Most people with Salmonella illness recover without antibiotics," the CDC said. "However, if antibiotics are needed, some illnesses in this outbreak may not be treatable with some commonly recommended antibiotics and may require a different antibiotic choice."

Brown eggs sold at Walmart, other grocers in 9 states recalled amid salmonella outbreak — Millions of eggs sold at Walmart stores and other grocers across nine states have been recalled amid a salmonella outbreak that has sickened dozens. August Egg Company of Hilmar, California, has recalled 1.7 million cartons of brown cage free and brown certified organic eggs due to potential salmonella contamination, the Food and Drug Administration announced Friday.The FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local health officials have linked the eggs, sold under multiple brand names, to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 79 people across seven states. Of those, 21 required hospitalization, the CDC reports.The eggs were distributed to retailers in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming between early February and early to mid-May of this year.Impacted eggs sold at Save Mart, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Smart & Final, Safeway, Raleys, Food 4 Less and Ralphs locations have sell by dates between March 4, 2025, to June 4, 2025, within California and Nevada, according to the FDA. Eggs distributed to Walmart locations in all nine states have sell by dates from March 4, 2025, to June 19, 2025. The FDA notice notes all recalled eggs will have a plant code of P-6562 or CA5330 with the Julian Dates between 32 to 126 printed on the carton or package, which will be either fiber or plastic. You can see the full list of recalled eggs below:

2 items added to ‘Dirty Dozen’ list of most pesticide-contaminated produce - The Environmental Working Group (EWG) added blackberries and potatoes to its “Dirty Dozen” list of produce containing the most residue of potentially harmful pesticides. Blackberries and potatoes landed in spots No. 10 and No. 12, respectively, on the updated list released Wednesday. They were added based on new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which tested blackberries for the first time in 2023. The USDA data found that 93 percent of blackberry samples had pesticide residues, with an average of four different pesticides per sample. More than half of blackberry samples contained residue of the pesticide cypermethrin — which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies as a possible human carcinogen. Potatoes landed on the list after USDA released new data showing 90 percent of samples contained chlorpropham, a chemical banned in the European Union because of health concerns. Bell and hot peppers as well as green beans, which ranked No. 9 and No. 12, respectively, last year are not included on the latest list. Spinach ranked No. 1, with more pesticide residue by weight than any other type of produce, and strawberries followed at No. 2.

WHO extends mpox emergency for African surge - Following a meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency committee on the mpox upsurge in Africa last week, the group’s director-general today accepted the committee’s recommendation that the situation still warrants a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under International Health Regulations. The WHO first declared the PHEIC for the escalating situation in Africa in August 2024, and its meeting last week was the fourth to discuss the latest developments in the outbreaks, which now affect 25 countries in Africa, with recent outbreaks in West Africa, including a large one in Sierra Leone.The emergency committee also tweaked its temporary recommendations that apply to, but are not limited to, countries experiencing sustained transmission and those with clusters of cases or sporadic clade 1b travel-related cases.The Africa Centres for Disease Prevention and Control in August 2024 also declared the region’s first public health emergency of continental concern, and its emergency committee has also been reviewing the latest developments and possible new response recommendations.

Quick takes: New polio cases in 3 countries, chikungunya in France, cholera vaccine campaign in Sudan | CIDRAP

• Three African countries reported new vaccine-derived polio cases this week, according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Angola reported a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case from Benguela, with paralysis onset on April 16, bringing its total number of cVDPV2 cases for 2025 to three. Benin reported its first cVDPV2 case of 2025, while Niger reported its third.
• France has reported its first mainland chikungunya case of the year, according to French media reports. The case was detected in La Crau in Var, which is in southeastern France. The French overseas territory Reunion, located in the Indian Ocean, has reported a large outbreak this year, and earlier mainland cases involved people who had recently travelled abroad. A chikungunya case not linked to travel suggests mosquitoes that carry the virus are in the country. Health authorities in the area are conducting a door-to-door survey to see if other individuals are showing symptoms of the virus.
• The World Health Organization said this week that it's helping the government of Sudan launch a 10-day cholera vaccination program in Khartoum State to protect 2.6 people million from infection, interrupt transmission, and help contain an outbreak that began in May. Sudan has been in a civil war since 2023, and Khartoum State is one of the hot spots. The WHO said the outbreak of the acute diarrheal infection, which has resulted in 16,000 cumulative cases and 239 deaths since May, has been fueled by a shortage of safe water following attacks on power plants and water sources, and compounded by mass displacement and the breakdown of the health system.

WHO Oropouche virus risk assessment details two lineages -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) yesterday published adetailed risk assessment for Oropouche virus, typically spread by certain midge species, noting that two lineages circulated during outbreaks in 2024 and that for regions where the midge vector circulates, the risk is moderate.In 2024, Oropouche virus outbreaks increased markedly, with spread beyond endemic areas of the Amazon and expanding for the first time to Cuba, where illnesses were reported throughout the whole country. The outbreaks also spawned several travel-related cases, including in the United States and Europe. As the outbreaks gained steam, more reports of poor fetal outcomes came from Brazil, the most affected country.TAG-VE’s analysis of circulating Oropouche viruses identified two main reassortant lineages, one circulating in Brazil and Cuba and the other in Peru and Ecuador. Colombia reported both lineages. The team noted that the spread of the Brazilian lineage in Cuba likely resulted from a single introduction in Acre in early February 2024 and probably circulated undetected until May. Within 2 to 3 months, the virus expanded nationwide, which scientists said underscores the lineage’s capacity to spread and sustain transmission. Cocirculation of the two lineages in Colombia raises concerns about the evolving nature of orthobunyaviruses and about future reassortant events, along with the potential for more severe phenotypes and enhanced vector competence, the group wrote.Despite barge traffic on the Amazon between Brazil and Peru, sequencing of samples from Peru revealed only the lineage that circulates in Peru and Ecuador. Scientists said the epidemiology of the disease on the Peruvian side of the river is understudied, but serology studies from rural communities in the region suggest that transmission is intense and continuous. Though the Culicoides paraensis midge species most associated with Oropouche virus spread thrives in hot, humid conditions, and rising temperatures could expand its range, so far researchers haven’t seen any dramatic shifts. Changes in land use could also play a role, bringing the vectors closer to humans. C paraensis was only found in Cuba in 2024 after the country’s outbreak, though pools from another midge species and that of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were positive for Oropouche virus RNA in the past. “To date, it remains unclear which is the main vector for OROV transmission in Cuba, but investigations and training on the identification of C. paraensis are ongoing in the country,” they wrote.Clinically, symptoms resemble dengue fever and Zika virus infection, with meningitis or encephalitis reported in rare cases. During Cuba’s outbreak, 119 cases of neurologic complications, including Guillain-Barre syndrome, were reported from the nearly 24,300 suspected cases, of which 626 were lab confirmed. Deaths in people infected with Oropouche virus remain low, with five reported in the Americas since 2024.

Research highlights high risk of multi-organ complications, death after dengue infection - Dengue survivors are at increased risk for post-infection multi-organ complications, all-cause hospitalization, and death, suggests a study by researchers in Singapore. For the study, published yesterday in Clinical Microbiology and Infection, the investigators used national dengue registries and healthcare claims databases in Singapore on 55,870 adults infected from January 2017 through June 2023 and 3.1 million uninfected controls. The aim was to estimate the risk of multi-organ complications, all-cause hospitalization, and death from the mosquito-borne viral illness. Follow-up was 31 to 300 days. "Dengue has one of the highest global burdens of disease amongst all vector-borne diseases," the study authors noted. "Population-based cohort studies on long-term sequelae post-dengue are lacking, given dengue’s disproportionate burden in tropical low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited access to diagnostic testing and follow-up." Most patients had mild infections and didn't require hospitalization. The probability of all-cause hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.22) and death (aHR, 2.08) was elevated in dengue survivors. The cumulative number of new-onset conditions in dengue patients rose over the follow-up period relative to controls. The odds of multi-system complications were greater in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized dengue patients. Older age-groups (61 years and older), patients with underlying medical conditions, men, and those infected with the DENV-2 and DENV-3 serotypes were also more vulnerable.Post-infection, the risk of any complication was 19% (aHR, 1.19), with a 46.0% higher risk of cardiovascular complications (aHR, 1.46) and a 29.0% higher risk of neuropsychiatric complications (aHR, 1.29). The excess burden of any incident complication was 2.07 per 100,000 dengue person-days. Specific cardiovascular risks among dengue survivors were major acute cardiovascular events (aHR, 1.31), abnormal heart rhythms (aHR, 1.46), and ischemic heart disease (aHR, 1.254). Neuropsychiatric risks included impaired cognition (aHR, 1.66), other neurologic disorders (aHR, 1.32), and stress and/or anxiety (aHR, 1.57), and gastrointestinal risks were gastritis (aHR, 1.48) and non-infectious hepatitis/cirrhosis (aHR, 3.66).Dengue patients were at a 37.0% higher risk for autoimmune disorders (aHR, 1.37), a 19% greater risk for endocrine disorders (aHR, 1.19), a 42.0% higher risk for gastrointestinal complications (aHR, 1.42), and a 230.0% higher risk for renal complications (aHR, 2.30). Autoimmune disorders included higher risks among dengue patients were connective-tissue-disorders (aHR, 2.43). The risk of endocrine disorders (aHR, 1.19) and abnormal cholesterol levels (aHR, 1.19) was also elevated.

Dehorning of rhinos drastically reduces poaching, study finds - An international study published in Science found that dehorning rhinos resulted in a drastic reduction in poaching of these endangered animals. This is based on the analysis of data across 11 reserves in the Greater Kruger region of South Africa between 2017 and 2023. Poaching for their horn is a major threat to the world's five rhino species.The project was a collaboration between reserve managers under the banner of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation (GKEPF) and scientists from the University of Cape Town (UCT), Nelson Mandela University, University of Stellenbosch and the University of Oxford. Other partners include South African National Parks, the World Wildlife Fund South Africa, and the Rhino Recovery Fund.Lead author, Dr. Tim Kuiper of Nelson Mandela University (George campus) said, "We documented the poaching of 1,985 rhinos (about 6.5% of the population annually) across 11 Greater Kruger reserves over seven years. This landscape is a critical global stronghold that conserves around 25% of all Africa's rhinos."Dr. Kuiper added, "Dehorning rhinos to reduce incentives for poaching (2,284 rhinos were dehorned across eight reserves) was found to achieve a 78% reduction in poaching using just 1.2% of the overall rhino protection budget." This was based on comparison between sites with and without dehorning as well as changes in poaching before and after dehorning. The study did show, however, that some poaching of dehorned rhinos for horn stumps and regrowth continued, while more recent evidence (2024–2025) since the conclusion of the study in 2023 suggests this is a growing challenge. Dehorning may also shift the focus of poachers to horned populations elsewhere.

Tiny and toxic: Researchers track smaller air pollution particles across US skies Air pollution causes health problems and is attributable to some 50,000 annual deaths in the United States, but not all air pollutants pack the same punch.Scientists have tracked the scope of "PM 2.5" pollution over decades. PM 2.5 is a size of "particulate matter" that is less than 2.5 microns in diameter. But less information was available about its even tinier cousin, described as "submicron" or "PM 1" particulate matter, which is less than 1 micron in diameter. Why does that matter? Because the "little guys" might be the source of worse health effects.With a study now published in The Lancet Planetary Health, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have quantified the amount of PM 1 over the United States from the past 25 years."This measurement serves as a starting point to understand which pollutants regulators could target to make the most effective health impact," said Randall Martin, the Raymond R. Tucker Distinguished Professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering. "This effort builds upon WashU's strengths in satellite remote sensing and modeling atmospheric aerosols that were leveraged in this study," he added.Chi Li, research assistant professor in Martin's atmospheric composition analysis group, is the first author of the work. Li said these estimates will enable further investigation into both the health and environmental effects of submicron particles.Li said the very small particles quantified in this study generally come from direct air emissions, such as the black carbon particles released by diesel engines or the smoke from wildfires. Sometimes PM 1 can also form through secondary processes when sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides are spit out through fuel combustion and burning coal. It makes intuitive sense that smaller particles of air pollution could do more damage to the human body because they are able to slip past the body's innate defenses. These submicron particles are at least 6 times smaller than blood cells.

Emerging pollutants are aggravating water crisis in developing countries, say researchers - As the population grows and urbanization and agro-industrial activity increase, the demand for freshwater is expected to rise by 55% by 2050. Experts project that this increase in demand will strongly impact a scenario already characterized by scarce and unequally distributed water resources, the privatization of an essential public asset, and deteriorating water quality, especially in developing countries.Forced migration, social tensions, and military conflicts caused by the water deficit are making this situation even worse. This is not a possible future scenario, but something that is already happening now. From 1970 to 2000, there was a 10% increase in global migration related to water shortages.According to a 2024 report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water at that time. Since 2022, approximately half of the world's population has experienced severe water scarcity for at least part of the year, and a quarter has faced "extremely high" levels of water stress.In this context, the journal Frontiers in Water published a dossier entitled "Emerging Water Contaminants in Developing Countries: Detection, Monitoring, and Impact of Xenobiotics," In addition to conventional contaminants, such as fecal coliforms, the presence of which is linked to low levels of sewage treatment, the freshwater in developing countries is increasingly being impacted by a new category of pollutants: emerging contaminants. These include agricultural pesticides, fuel additives, plasticizers or nonstick materials, medicines [such as antibiotics, painkillers, and hormones], hygiene products, and cosmetics," says Disner.Although they are not necessarily new, these compounds have been detected in concentrations and environments that were previously unrecorded, generating growing concern. This is the case with the herbicides diuron (used mainly on sugarcane and cotton crops), glyphosate (used mainly on soybean and corn crops), atrazine (used mainly on corn and sorghum crops), and 2,4D (used to control broadleaf plants on pastures and crops). "Because they aren't removed by conventional water treatment methods, these pollutants accumulate in aquatic ecosystems and can cause toxic effects, even at extremely low concentrations. Many act as endocrine disruptors, impacting the reproduction and development of organisms—effects that can extend tohuman health. Exposure is generally chronic, continuous, and silent. And many of these compounds bioaccumulate along the food chain, further increasing the health risks," says Disner.

Open dumping in Ghana contributes to flood risk and urban vulnerability -A study in the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management has found a direct link between Ghana's mounting urban flooding challenges and unregulated waste disposal practices. The findings have significant consequences for public health, the real estate market, and broader urban development.The researchers focused on the cities of Kumasi and Tamale and found that open dumping—fly-tipping, as it is known in some parts of the world, where households discard waste indiscriminately in streets, drains, and vacant lots—has become a serious problem associated with urban vulnerability. Four out of five households surveyed admitted to open dumping.The research used waste management theory alongside statistical regression modeling to look at the prevalence of waste mismanagement and showed that it is a central factor in recurring flood events. The number of households engaging in open dumping is surprising, as the infrastructure for waste management does exist in many of the areas where this occurs. The behavior is perhaps rooted more in public attitudes and a lack of civic awareness than problems with waste management systems. Increased flood risk associated with waste mismanagement has led to a reduction in residential property values. Moreover, the researchers found that tenants are reluctant to pay higher rents in areas that are vulnerable to floods, even when the architectural standards of the buildings are high. The team quantified this market reaction using statistical analysis and found a consistent downward pressure on rental prices in flood-prone zones.Falling property values are important economically to landlords and developers, but also to the financial viability of investing in urban housing, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods. The researchers warn that this downward pressure on prices might threaten the health of mortgage markets and reduce local government revenues that depend on property-related taxes—creating a cycle of underinvestment and further degradation.

Mercury from centuries-old pollution still circulating in oceans, study finds -Toxins released by long-extinguished fossil fuel fires and gold smelters are showing up in the bodies of Arctic wildlife, according to new research pointing to mercury released by pollution hundreds of years ago still circulating in ocean currents. A paper published Thursday in Nature Communications sought to untangle a paradox: why levels of the potent neurotoxin mercury in Arctic whales and polar bears are increasing — despite steps the world has taken to curb mercury pollution.Those levels are now 20 to 30 times higher in Arctic wildlife than they were before the industrial era began, even as global mercury pollution has fallen since the 1970s.“We’ve monitored mercury in Arctic animals for over 40 years. Despite declining global emissions since the 1970s, we see no corresponding decrease in Arctic concentrations — on the contrary,” coauthor Rune Dietz of Aarhus University, said in a statement.The researchers’ conclusion: mercury released by pollution hundreds of years ago is still circulating in ocean currents, which convey it up to the Arctic.The findings come amid reports that the Trump administration is seeking to overturn rules limiting the release of mercury from U.S. power plants — a step that reverses a long campaign to slow its accumulation in the atmosphere.If these U.S. changes take place, the findings suggest, they will continue to contaminate the environment well into the 2300s.

Two fatalities reported in Mississippi and Georgia as storms cause 150 000 power outages across southern U.S. (2 video clips) At least two fatalities were reported in Georgia and Mississippi during severe storms on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Over 150 000 customers in the southern states from Texas to the Carolinas were without power on Sunday morning, June 8. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves confirmed one fatality in Lafayette County due to a tree falling on a vehicle near Delay Road on Saturday, June 7. At least 23 000 people were without power in Mississippi during the storms through Saturday. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said one person was killed in Georgia on Saturday night. A spokesperson for the Georgia Emergency Management said the fatality occurred in Banks County when a tree fell on a vehicle. The storms downed trees and power lines, and brought heavy rainfall, hail, and gusty winds as they pushed through the region. Nearly 150 000 people across southern states from Texas to South Carolina were without power Sunday morning, according to poweroutage.us. The storms also spawned multiple tornadoes in the southern U.S. An EF-1 tornado was confirmed in the City of Van Buren on Friday, June 6. The twister destroyed multiple homes and injured one person in the area. The tornado was part of a broader severe weather system, with a second tornado forming one to two minutes later east of Van Buren. Survey teams are investigating potential additional tornado activity near the Port of Van Buren. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) the findings remain preliminary, and could change after complete assessment.

Tornado damages over 50 structures in De Soto, Missouri – (two videos) A tornado damaged at least 53 structures near De Soto County on Saturday evening, June 7, as severe storms moved through Missouri. The twister was on the ground for about 11 km (7 miles), with the hardest-hit areas being Big River Heights Road off Highway 21 and Wilson Hollow Road. Both are around 6.5 km (4 miles) south of De Soto. A Tornado Warning was issued for parts of Jefferson, St. François, and Washington counties at around 19:00 local time (LT) on Saturday. A specific Tornado Warning was also issued for De Soto. “Preliminary mapping data shows the tornado significantly damaged 12 structures and passed through an estimated 53 properties along its path. It’s not immediately clear how many of those are homes,” said Chief of the De Soto Fire Protection District, Tom Fitzgerald. A full assessment of the event is yet to be completed, and more details are expected as authorities continue to survey the area.

EF-2 tornado confirmed in eastern Erie County, Pennsylvania on June 9 – An EF-2 tornado touched down in eastern Erie County, Pennsylvania, at 17:49 LT (21:49 UTC) on June 9, 2025, producing estimated peak winds of 185 km/h (115 mph), a maximum width of 137 m (150 yards), and a path length of 1.7 km (1.06 miles). The tornado caused structural damage to two barns, killed livestock, and moderately damaged a nearby home before dissipating in a wooded area. No human injuries or fatalities were reported. The tornado touched down northwest of the intersection of Plum Road and Page Road, where visible ground swirls were observed. Moving northeast, it toppled a large tree and destroyed a barn near Knoyle Road. It continued across Knoyle Road, directly striking a second barn that housed multiple vehicles and trailers. This structure was destroyed, with vehicles heavily damaged and a trailer overturned. Debris from the barn was scattered into a nearby field and adjacent woods. Several animals, including two horses and multiple cows, were killed in the event. A nearby house sustained moderate structural damage, including torn siding on the west side, broken windows, and a blown-out side door. The tornado then moved through open terrain, damaging several trees in a wooded area before dissipating at approximately 17:52 LT. This tornado occurred as part of a regional severe weather outbreak associated with a potent shortwave trough moving northeast across the Ohio Valley. The synoptic setup featured high vertical wind shear values between 40–50 knots and modest instability with MLCAPE values ranging from 500 to 1 000 J/kg, characteristic of a high-shear, low-CAPE (HSLC) environment. Two additional tornadoes were confirmed during the same event. One, an EF-1 tornado, touched down near Lake Buckhorn in Holmes County, Ohio, between 17:28 and 17:31 LT. It produced peak winds of 170 km/h (105 mph), damaged multiple trees, lifted a pontoon boat and dock, and caused structural damage to several homes. No injuries were reported. Another tornado, rated EF-0, moved ashore from Lake Canadohta as a waterspout in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, at approximately 15:45 LT. It traveled 0.7 km (0.45 miles) with peak winds of 113 km/h (70 mph), damaging tree limbs, rooftops, and power infrastructure before lifting at 15:47 LT. There were no casualties associated with this tornado either.

Hurricane Barbara forms in Eastern Pacific becoming first of 2025 season - Hurricane Barbara formed southwest of Mexico in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday morning, making it the first hurricane of the 2025 season.The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Barbara's maximum sustained winds reached 75 mph, officially designating it as a hurricane.) Once a tropical storm's winds reach 74 mph, it's called a hurricane and maintains the same name it had when it was a tropical storm. Hurricane Barbara is currently located about 155 miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is being monitored by the NHC. The NHC said rainfall totals of 2-4 inches, with locally higher amounts, are forecast for the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco through Monday, raising concerns of flooding and mudslides. In addition, large waves at local beaches are expected to cause life-threatening rip currents. A few hundred miles to the west of Barbara, Tropical Storm Cosme is forecast to intensify into a hurricane later Monday.Cosme is moving toward the west-northwest near 6 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue through Monday, the NHC said. A turn toward the north with a decrease in forward speed is expected Monday night, followed by a faster north-northeastward motion from Tuesday through Wednesday.Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 65 mph with higher gusts, the NHC said in its latest advisory. Rapid weakening is expected Tuesday night and Wednesday. Another area to watch could develop by the end of this week. An area of low pressure is forecast to develop later this week south of southern Mexico. The NHC said environmental conditions appear conducive for some gradual development of this future low-pressure system, and a tropical depression could form late this week or over the weekend.According to the NHC, it has a medium chance of development over the next seven days.

Barbara becomes the first hurricane of the 2025 eastern Pacific season - Hurricane Barbara formed at 15:00 UTC on June 9, 2025, becoming the first hurricane of the 2025 eastern Pacific hurricane season. At the time, the system was located approximately 245 km (155 miles) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. The system had 10-minute maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph), and was moving northwestward at 16 km/h (10 mph). It had an estimated minimum central pressure of 991 hPa. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 16 km (10 miles) from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 129 km (80 miles). Hurricane Barbara forecast track. Credit NHC Satellite image of Hurricane Barbara at 16:50 UTC on June 9, 2025. Credit: NOAA/GOES-East, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers Barbara is expected to continue moving northwestward for the next couple of days. While the hurricane could strengthen slightly on Monday, it is forecast to begin weakening on Tuesday. Outer bands of Barbara may bring rainfall of 50 to 100 mm (2 to 4 inches) to coastal portions of the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco through Monday, leading to localized flooding and mudslides. Swells generated by Barbara will affect portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next few days, causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Gusty winds are likely along coastal areas of southwestern Mexico through Tuesday.

FEMA staff baffled after head said he was unaware of US hurricane season, sources say (Reuters) - Staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency were left baffled on Monday after the head of the U.S. disaster agency said he had not been aware the country has a hurricane season, according to four sources familiar with the situation.The remark was made during a briefing by David Richardson, who has led FEMA since early May. It was not clear to staff whether he meant it literally, as a joke, or in some other context.The U.S. hurricane season officially began on Sunday and lasts through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast last week that this year's season is expected to bring as many as 10 hurricanes.A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA's parent agency, said the comment was a joke and that FEMA is prepared for hurricane season.The spokesperson said under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Richardson "FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens."Richardson said during the briefing that there would be no changes to the agency's disaster response plans despite having told staff to expect a new plan in May, the ources told Reuters.Richardson's comments come amid widespread concern that the departures of a raft of top FEMA officials, staff cuts and reductions in hurricane preparations will leave the agency ill-prepared for a storm season forecast to be above normal.

With hurricane season underway, Gulf Coast worries FEMA, Weather Service aren’t ready -With hurricane season officially underway, worries are mounting around whether President Trump’s cuts to the federal government have endangered the nation’s disaster response.The concern is particularly pronounced on the Gulf Coast, where ominous storm systems are already beginning to form and the area’s critical weather stations face widespread staffing shortages.The anxiety found a new focus this week after David Richardson, the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), reportedly told employees that he wasn’t aware the U.S. even had a hurricane season. The Department of Homeland Security promptly dismissed those reported comments, which came at the eve of a season forecast to be above average, as a “joke.” But the job cuts at federal agencies that both warn the public of impending storms and move in after to help them recover are very real, and have left current and former disaster management officials sounding the alarm.When disaster strikes, “will they come? Will they not come?” asked Harris County, Texas, Commissioner Lesley Briones. “If they do, at what level will they be responding?”Her flood-prone Houston-area district — home to two of the country’s most dangerous dams — sits on the front lines of the region’s hurricane exposure.The departures and firings at FEMA and the National Weather Service (NWS) have left the nation’s forecasting system “at the snapping point,” Tom Fahy, head of the NWS union, said Monday.The former head of the National Oceanographic and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), meanwhile, warned of “degraded” forecasts that would mean communities face more uncertainty about impending dangers.This week, a former FEMA chief compared the current state of the agency to what it looked like before the deadly debacles of 2005, when hurricanes Katrina and Rita killed more than 2,000 people.

Chesapeake Bay health grade dips after hottest year on record and extreme rainfall patterns -The health of the Chesapeake Bay declined in an annual report card on the nation's largest estuary released Tuesday, with scientists noting the effect of extreme rainfall patterns during the hottest year on record.The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the bay a C grade in its report card. That compares to a C-plus grade the bay received last year, which was the highest grade it had received since 2002. "There was a substantial upturn in the overall Bay Health score in 2024, and it came down a little this year," said Heath Kelsey, director of UMCES Integration and Application Network. "Over the long term, though, there is still an improving trend from the 1980s until now. We think extreme weather may have had some impact on the scores this year."The report noted that last year was the hottest year on record, with extreme rainfall patterns."While parts of the watershed experienced drought, brief but intense downpours can cause water to flow over the ground rather than soak into it, increasing the fertilizer, dirt, and debris carried into waterways," the report said. "One of the things that we saw in Maryland, in particular, was a prolonged summer drought—not so much spring, but a summer drought—punctuated by these extreme runoff events," Dennison said. "So what was happening was that the crops didn't have enough water, so they're not soaking up the nutrients." As a result, when it did rain, there were excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, that were flowing into the bay, Dennison said. "Now sadly, this is kind of our future," Dennison said at a news conference at the Annapolis Maritime Museum near the bay. "This is the kind of weather patterns that are starting to become more common, which is drought punctuated by extreme events.Warmer weather winters and higher temperatures mean less oxygen in the water for aquatic life, stressing fish and shellfish, Dennison added."So these are some of the things that we have to overcome and build more resilience into our system," Dennison said.

Kelp forest collapse alters food web and energy dynamics in the Gulf of Maine -- While kelp forests persist along northern Maine's rocky coast, kelp abundance has declined by as much as 80% on the southern coast in recent decades. In its stead, carpet-like turf algae have moved in.A team, led by scientists at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, are examining the broad consequences of this shift. Their research, appearing in Science Advances, shows that predator-prey interactions and the flow of energy are fundamentally different on turf-dominated reefs compared to the remaining kelp forests.Using visual dive surveys and cutting-edge stable isotope methods, they found that dominant predatory fish species acquired the majority of their energy from kelp. Meanwhile, the same fish species on turf-dominated reefs have compensated for the loss of kelp by turning to phytoplankton for energy. The turf algae, while abundant, was not a significant source of energy.The study is the first to quantify the importance of kelp-derived carbon to thefood web in the Gulf of Maine, highlighting how kelp forest collapse is reshaping energy dynamics in this rapidly warming ecosystem. It's also the first to trace the flow of carbon in this region using a novel amino acid-based stable isotope technique, which could prove useful for differentiating energy sources in farmed kelp environments and other ecosystems. "People have studied the importance of kelp forests for habitat and food around the world, but we never knew that providing energy was such a critical function of kelp forests in the Gulf of Maine," . "So, when we lose kelp forests, it's fundamentally changing the energy sources that are supporting the food web."

New reconciliation text spares forest program from cuts - A program that protects privately owned forests for timber and other uses has survived in a megabill being put together in the Senate, after falling victim to House budget cutters in May. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee saved the Forest Legacy Program in its piece of the big tax-cut and spending bill, refusing to cut off $100 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding.“This is a victory not only for forests, but for the families, economies, and ecosystems that depend on them,” said Lesley Kane Szynal, chair of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition, an advocacy group, in a news release Thursday. The Forest Legacy Program pays for conservation easements and land purchases that prevent privately owned forests from being converted to other uses. In many cases, they’ve been used to keep timber operations in business while protecting forest watersheds and allowing for recreational access.

Trump pulls out of Biden-era agreement on Pacific Northwest salmon restoration - President Trump pulled the U.S. out of a Biden-era agreement with several tribes that aimed to restore salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Trump, in a late Thursday memo, described the Biden administration’s agreement as an example of “radical environmentalism” and said his administration would instead prioritize power generation from hydroelectric dams in the region. The Biden-era agreement came after decades of litigation related to the federal government’s use of hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin. It included funding to help restore salmon populations as well as support for renewables to replace power from the dams if they are removed. Environmentalists have said four dams in Washington state, in particular, have blocked off salmon from important habitats where they lay and fertilize eggs. Tribes in the region have historically relied on these fish. The Biden administration had said its agreement would “prioritize” restoring native salmon, steelhead and other fish. It added that the fish are being “severely depleted” and that they are “essential to the culture, economy, religion, and way of life” of Indigenous people. But, Trump, in his latest memo, argued that the Biden administration’s agreement would endanger a key source of baseload power, which can be deployed at any time. “The negative impacts from these reckless acts, if completed, would be devastating for the region, and there would be no viable approach to replace the low-cost, baseload energy supplied; the critical shipping channels lost; the vital water supply for local farmers reduced; or the recreational opportunities that would no longer be possible as a result of these acts,” he said in the memo.

Trump ends Columbia River deal years in the making - President Donald Trump’s decision to exit a major settlement agreement in the legal battle over Pacific Northwest hydropower facilities and their impacts on endangered fish populations — and upend efforts to breach several dams in the region — drew praise from GOP lawmakers, but environmental groups, state officials and Democrats on Capitol Hill vowed not to abandon the deal’s ambitions.Trump signed a memorandum Thursday ordering his administration to withdraw from the $1 billion “Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement” reached in late 2023 with the Nez Perce, Yakama, Warm Springs and Umatilla tribal nations, as well as the states of Oregon and Washington.“It is essential to protect Americans’ ability to take full advantage of our vast natural resources to ensure human flourishing across our country,” Trump wrote in the memo titled “Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Generate Power for the Columbia River Basin.” The legal agreement adopted by the Biden administration halted a long-running legal battle over 14 dams in the Pacific Northwest, putting the lawsuit on hold for up to a decade while the federal government and plaintiffs weighed options for boosting imperiled salmon and steelhead trout populations, potentially including the removal of some dams.

Interior advances first offshore mineral lease in decades - The Interior Department on Thursday took a step toward launching what could be the first mineral lease in U.S. waters in more than 30 years.The department announced it plans to publish a request for information and interest in the coming days to mine the deep seas off of American Samoa, a U.S. territory in the Polynesia region of the South Pacific. Upon publication in the Federal Register, the agency will take public comment for 30 days.Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a statement said the administration is putting “America first” and moving to unlock vast stores of offshore minerals and ease the nation’s reliance on countries like China.President Donald Trump in April inked an executive order to boost deep-sea mining, part of a broader push to open the nation’s land and waters to more mining and production of minerals.

Deep oceans have breached critical "safe" acidity levels - The deep oceans have crossed a crucial boundary that threatens their ability to provide the surface with food and oxygen, a new study finds. Nearly two-thirds of the ocean below 200 meters, or 656 feet, as well as nearly half of that above, have breached “safe” levels of acidity, according to findings published on Monday in Global Change Biology.The fall in ocean pH is “a ticking time bomb for marine ecosystems and coastal economies,” Steve Widdicombe, director of science at the United Kingdom’s Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), said in a statement.The study was funded in part by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency that has been targeted for steep cuts by the Trump White House, in large part because of its role in investigating climate change.Some of the biggest changes in deep water are happening off the coast of western North America, home to extensive crab and salmon fisheries, the study found.The core problem is one scientists have warned about for a long time: the continued global burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide — an acid when dissolved in water — is making the seas and oceans more acidic.Or, technically, it’s making them less basic, which is to say: Less hospitable to species such as corals and clams that form the foundation of the ocean’s ecosystem. “Most ocean life doesn’t just live at the surface — the waters below are home to many more different types of plants and animals,” lead author Helen Findlay of PML. “Since these deeper waters are changing so much, the impacts of ocean acidification could be far worse than we thought.” As of five years ago, Findlay’s study noted, the oceans may have crossed a critical threshold in which oceanic levels of calcium carbonate — the main ingredient in limestones, and also the shells of those animals — fell to more than 20 percent below pre-industrial levels.If true, that shift would mean the Earth has passed seven out of nine of the critical “planetary boundaries” needed to maintain its ecosystem, as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found last year.That shift, Widdicombe of the Marine Lab said, means “we’re witnessing the loss of critical habitats that countless marine species depend on.”“From the coral reefs that support tourism to the shellfish industries that sustain coastal communities,” he added, “we’re gambling with both biodiversity and billions in economic value every day that action is delayed.”The further implications are even more serious. The reasons for the ocean’s rise in acid, or fall in base, is that its waters have absorbed about one-third of all the carbon dioxide released by surface burning of coal, oil and gas.But the more carbon dioxide it absorbs, the lower its ability to absorb more — meaning faster warming on the surface.

Increased forest fires due to climate change could alter oceanic CO2 absorption --Forest fires are a fundamental force in Earth's dynamics with a direct impact on human health, food security, and biodiversity. From air quality to landscape configuration and resource availability, the consequences of fire have influenced the development of society throughout history. Their effects on the oceans, though less known, are equally significant.Fires release particles and nutrients into the atmosphere that travel long distances and are deposited in ocean waters, influencing the development of phytoplankton, aquatic photosynthetic microorganisms that absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere. This phenomenon, similar to when agricultural land is fertilized to increase production, influences Earth's carbon cycle and, therefore, has consequences for global climate balance.A new study led by researchers from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center—Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and ICREA, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, provides new information on the link betweenforest fires and marine ecosystems. The work shows that climate change could significantly increase fires, especially in boreal areas, and, therefore, associated iron emissions, as well as the supply of this micronutrient to the ocean, boosting phytoplankton productivity."Climate-driven fires arise from more favorable weather conditions for fire, such as low humidity and high temperatures, which in turn are influenced byanthropogenic climate change. Understanding these fires and their impact on the fertilization of key ocean regions like the North Atlantic is essential for more accurately predicting future atmospheric CO2 levels," states ICREA and AXA Professor Carlos Pérez García-Pando, co-leader of the BSC's Atmospheric Composition group and senior co-author of the study.Researchers have used advanced climate models to project the increase in iron emissions from fires, especially at high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. In areas of the North Atlantic characterized by iron scarcity, the deposition of these nutrients could increase the productivity of phytoplankton, which is not only the base of the marine food chain but also fundamental in the carbon cycle, as these microorganisms absorb large amounts of CO2from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.The study concludes that this increase in iron emissions from climate-driven fires, projected to be between 1.7 and 1.8 times higher than current projections that only consider the direct effect of human activity on their future evolution, could increase marine productivity in the North Atlantic due to atmospheric deposition by up to 40% in the summer months by the end of the 21st century.However, the research also considers the projected decrease in other essential nutrients in vast oceanic areas due to climate change, which could diminish the ocean's capacity to absorb CO2 and attenuate the positive effects of increased iron deposition. CO2

Scientists discover 230 new giant viruses that shape ocean life and health - Giant viruses play a role in the survival of single-celled marine organisms called protists. These include algae, amoeba, and flagellates, that form the base of ocean food webs. And since these protists form an important part of the food chain, these large DNA viruses are often responsible for various public health hazards, including harmful algal blooms. A new study from scientists at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science may help unravel the many types of viruses present in our waterways and oceans. This knowledge could help local leaders better prepare for when a harmful algal bloom may be impacting their coastline or if any other viruses are present in local bays, rivers or lakes. Using high-performance computing methods, researchers identified 230 novel giant viruses in publicly available marine metagenomic datasets and characterized their functions. Published in the journal Nature npj Viruses, their findings include the discovery of new giant virus genomes previously unknown in literature. Within these genomes, 530 new functional proteins were characterized, including nine proteins involved in photosynthesis. This indicates that these viruses may be able to manipulate their host and the photosynthesis process during infection. "Giant viruses are often the main cause of death for many phytoplankton, which serve as the base of the food web supporting ocean ecosystems and food sources. The novel functions found in giant viruses could have biotechnological potential, as some of these functions might represent novel enzymes." "We discovered that giant viruses possess genes involved in cellular functions such as carbon metabolism and photosynthesis—traditionally found only in cellular organisms, said Benjamin Minch, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology at the Rosenstiel School. "This suggests that giant viruses play an outsized role in manipulating their host's metabolism during infection and influencing marine biogeochemistry."

US will skip a global oceans summit as Trump expands mining, drilling - The Trump administration is skipping a global ocean summit next week while it pursues efforts to mine the seas for valuable resources.The summit aims to promote enduring uses of ocean resources — one of 17 sustainable development goals by the United Nations — as climate change is having widespread repercussions on marine habitats, including record-breaking temperatures near U.S. coasts. But the Trump administration has rejected those goals, calling them “inconsistent with U.S. sovereignty.” A State Department spokesperson said the ocean conference is “at odds” with U.S. positions. Those include an order by President Donald Trump to mine the ocean floor for critical minerals and plans to expand offshore drilling in the Arctic. “Those are two areas where it appears that the U.S. government is starting to say that we’re going to take action unilaterally,” said Jeff Watters, vice president of external affairs at the environmental nonprofit Ocean Conservancy. “And if nations start pursuing unilateral action on the high seas, that’s a very dangerous place to be.”

Leaders warn race for minerals could turn seabed into 'wild west' - World leaders on Monday called for strict rules to govern deep-sea mining and warned against racing to exploit the ocean floor in a thinly veiled rebuke of US President Donald Trump. Growing anxiety over Trump's unilateral push to fast-track deep-sea mining in international waters shot to the surface at the opening of the UN Ocean Conference in southern France. "I think it's madness to launch predatory economic action that will disrupt the deep seabed, disrupt biodiversity, destroy it and release irrecoverable carbon sinks—when we know nothing about it," said French President Emmanuel Macron. Imposing a moratorium on seabed mining was "an international necessity", said Macron. The number of countries opposed to seabed mining rose to 36 on Monday, according to a tally kept by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, an umbrella group of non-governmental organizations. Trump was not among the roughly 60 heads of state and government in the seaside town of Nice but his specter loomed large as leaders defended the global multilateralism he has spurned. Of particular concern is his move to sidestep the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and issue permits directly to companies wanting to extract nickel and other metals from waters beyond US jurisdiction. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for "clear action" from the seabed authority to end a "predatory race" for deep-ocean minerals. "We now see the threat of unilateralism looming over the ocean. We cannot allow what happened to international trade to happen to the sea," he said. The deep sea, Greenland and Antarctica were "not for sale", Macron said in further remarks directed clearly at Trump's expansionist claims. The ISA, which has jurisdiction over the ocean floor outside national waters, is meeting in July to discuss a global mining code to regulate mining in the ocean depths. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he supported these negotiations and urged caution as countries navigate these "new waters on seabed mining". "The deep sea cannot become the wild west," he said, to applause from the plenary floor.

High Seas Treaty gains momentum as 18 new countries ratify (AP) — Eighteen countries ratified the High Seas Treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49 — just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support, occurring during the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, France, adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean.“The entry into force is within our sight, and I call on all remaining nations to join swiftly,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters Tuesday. “We do not have a moment to lose.” Formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, the High Seas Treaty is the first legally binding agreement focused on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. These waters, which are beyond the jurisdiction of any single country, make up nearly two-thirds of the ocean and almost half the surface of the planet. Until now, there has been no comprehensive legal framework to create marine protected areas or enforce conservation on the high seas.Despite their remoteness, the high seas are under growing pressure from overfishing,climate change and the threat of deep-sea mining. Environmental advocates warn that without proper protections, marine ecosystems in international waters face irreversible harm. “Until now, it has been the wild west on the high seas,” said Megan Randles, global political lead for oceans at Greenpeace. “Now we have a chance to properly put protections in place.”The treaty creates a legal process for countries to establish marine protected areas in the high seas, including rules for destructive activities like deep-sea mining and geo-engineering. It also establishes a framework for technology-sharing, funding mechanisms and scientific collaboration among countries. Crucially, decisions under the treaty will be made multilaterally through conferences of parties (COPs) rather than by individual countries acting alone. Once 60 countries ratify the treaty, a 120-day countdown begins before it officially enters into force. That would unlock the ability to begin designating protected areas in the high seas and put oversight mechanisms into motion. As of Monday evening, 49 countries and the EU had ratified, meaning 11 more are needed to trigger that countdown. Guterres called the pace of progress “a record,” noting that the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea took 12 years to reach entry into force, while the BBNJ treaty appears poised to do so in just over two. “I see a momentum and an enthusiasm that was difficult to find in the past,” he said.The first Conference of the Parties (COP1) must take place within one year of the treaty’s entry into force. That meeting will lay the groundwork for implementation, including decisions on governance, financing and the creation of key bodies to evaluate marine protection proposals.Environmental groups are pushing to surpass the required 60 ratifications, and to do so quickly – the more countries that ratify, the stronger and more representative the treaty’s implementation will be. There’s also a deadline: only countries that ratify by COP1 will be eligible to vote on critical decisions that determine how the treaty will operate.“To reach 60 ratifications would be an absolutely enormous achievement, but for the treaty to be as effective as possible, we need countries from all over the world to engage in its implementation,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. “So the next step will be to go from 60 to global.”

AMOC decline linked to increased dry season rainfall in parts of the Amazon rainforest - New research led by IIASA reveals a surprising link between two major climate-tipping elements: the Southern Amazon rainforest and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). While the study finds that a weakening AMOC may buffer dry season rainfall loss in the Amazon, it also highlights the urgent need to reduce emissions as broader climate risks continue to escalate. The Southern Amazon rainforest, one of Earth's most vital ecosystems, faces intensifying threats from climate change and deforestation. Meanwhile, the AMOC—a system of ocean currents crucial for regulating global climate—is weakening. Both are considered climate tipping elements, which may undergo abrupt and potentially irreversible shifts in response to global warming, with potentially devastating consequences. A new study led by IIASA researcher Annika Högner has now identified a link between them. Published in Environmental Research Letters, the study is the first to identify a causal pathway from the AMOC to the Southern Amazon from reanalysis and observational data. A weakening AMOC leads to a cooling of North Atlantic Sea surface temperatures, and this causes increased rainfall in the Southern Amazon during the dry season. Using advanced causal analysis methods spanning 1982 to 2022, the researchers show that for every 1 million cubic meters per second of AMOC weakening, annual dry season rainfall in the Southern Amazon increases by roughly 4.8%. "The dry season is the most vulnerable time for the Amazon rainforest," explains Högner. "Our findings reveal that a weakening AMOC contributes to increased rainfall in the Southern Amazon during this time." According to the analysis, this previously unknown climate teleconnection may have offset up to 17% of the dry season rainfall decline in the Southern Amazon since 1982. While this sounds like good news, the authors urge caution. The Amazon is still receiving less rainfall, with dry seasons becoming longer and more intense—and although buffering this drying trend, further AMOC weakening would have severe adverse impacts across the globe. "The Amazon is still drying," "The stabilizing interaction we found from the AMOC onto the Southern Amazon competes with other effects like those arising from deforestation and increasing temperatures, which would cause continued Amazon drying that the interaction will not be able to compensate for long-term. The authors emphasize that this discovery reinforces the importance of integrating tipping element interactions into climate risk assessments. It also underlines the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to prevent pushing vulnerable systems past critical thresholds.

Rare snowfall disrupts South Africa, five dead as cut-off low sweeps country - A powerful cut-off low pressure system brought rare snowfall, strong winds, and heavy rain to South Africa between June 7 and 10, 2025, killing five people and disrupting transport across several provinces. Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal reported the worst impacts, including snow-related road closures, flooding, and power outages. Snowfall began intensifying on Monday, June 9, and affected multiple provinces, with the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal worst hit. Several segments of the N2 and N9 highways were closed due to snow accumulation and hazardous conditions. A fatal traffic accident occurred on the N2, where a tree felled by the weather system killed five occupants of a passing vehicle. Road closures and delays were reported across numerous snow-affected regions, with authorities urging the public to avoid travel. The snowfall disrupted electricity supply in various areas and was notable for occurring in low-elevation zones rarely affected by snow. Wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h (62 mph) were recorded in Durban on June 10, where sustained winds reached over 50 km/h (32 mph). The winds caused tree falls and localized structural damage. In the Eastern Cape, torrential rainfall associated with the COL system triggered widespread flooding in Mthatha, Mqanduli, and Elliotdale. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued an orange level 9 warning for the region. KwaZulu-Natal was under a level 4 alert for damaging winds, compounding hazards in the coastal and inland districts. The cut-off low, first detected and warned about by SAWS on June 5, led to a sharp drop in temperatures across the country. Authorities emphasized the need for thermal preparedness and urged residents to avoid travel in snow-struck areas.

At least 7 dead and children missing as floods and snow hit South Africa (AP) — At least seven people have died in flooding in South Africa after a weather front bringing heavy rain and snow hit eastern and southern provinces, officials said Tuesday. A bus carrying high school students was swept away in the floods in the Eastern Cape province and an unknown number of children were missing, the provincial government said in a statement. Three children were rescued after they clung onto trees, according to the South African National Taxi Council, which said the bus was operated by one of its members. Six people died in flooding in the Eastern Cape city of Mthatha, where houses and cars were left submerged. A seventh body was recovered near the town of Tsolo, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Mthatha, the provincial government said.It said a search was underway for the minibus carrying schoolchildren that was swept away on Tuesday morning. SANTACO, the taxi council, said it was unclear how many children there were on the 22-seater bus when it was swept away by floodwater at a bridge near Mthatha.“Eyewitnesses at the scene reported seeing at least three (children) clinging to trees and calling for help,” SANTACO said. “The three have since been rescued.”Another five people were killed in a car crash in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday when a minibus taxi overturned, according to provincial transport department spokesperson Unathi Binqose. He said the driver of the minibus was attempting to avoid a tree that had fallen onto the road.The South African Weather Service has forecast several days of disruptive rain and snow for the Eastern Cape and the neighboring KwaZulu-Natal province along the east coast. Part of a major highway connecting the two provinces was closed because of snow and disaster response teams were also activated in KwaZulu-Natal.South Africa occasionally experiences snow in some parts, but authorities had warned for days that a particularly strong cold front was about to hit the country.

At least 49 people dead after strong cold front and floods in Eastern Cape, South Africa - 2 YouTube videos- At least 49 people have died in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa due to the effects of a strong winter storm system that brought heavy rainfall, localized flooding, snowfall, and high winds between June 7 and 10. Provincial authorities confirmed the revised death toll on June 11. Among the deceased were eight individuals involved in a school bus incident near the town of Mthatha, where the vehicle was swept away while attempting to cross a flooded bridge. The victims included six high school students, a driver, and a conductor. Another four students remain missing as of June 11, while three were rescued after clinging to trees. The vehicle was later recovered, but rescue operations continue with limited aerial support. The hardest-hit regions include the OR Tambo and Amathole districts. In Mthatha and surrounding areas, homes were submerged, roads damaged, and vehicles carried away. At least 58 shools and 20 hospitals suffered extensive damage while many roads and bridges collapsed or were submerged. Entire neighborhoods, especially in informal settlements, were inundated, leaving hundreds of families homeless. Critical facilities, such as the Butterworth Water Treatment Works, were rendered inoperative, cutting water supply to large areas and forcing over 500 residents into temporary shelters. Power outages disrupted electricity for approximately 300 000 to 500 000 homes, according to Eskom and provincial officials. Severe damage was also reported to key mountain passes, including Barkly Pass, Wapadsberg Pass, and sections of the N2 and R61, hampering rescue operations and isolating remote communities. YouTube videoThe system brought widespread snowfall, rain exceeding 100 mm (3.9 inches) in some areas, and wind gusts nearing 100 km/h (62 mph). Locations such as Barkly East, Rhodes, and Elliot recorded over 50 cm (20 inches) of snow between June 7 and 10, while mid-altitude mountain passes, including Barkly Pass, received between 25 cm and 50 cm (10–20 inches). Multiple roadways, including sections of the N2 and R61 as well as Barkly Pass and Wapadsberg Pass, were closed due to flooding and snow.

Death toll in the Eastern Cape rises to 78 after record-breaking rain, South Africa - YouTube video -At least 78 people have died in severe flooding across South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, following a cold front that struck the region on June 7, 2025. Emergency crews remain active as of June 13, with the death toll expected to rise. The death toll from severe flooding in South Africa’s Eastern Cape has climbed to 78, following an extreme weather front that hit the region on June 7. Emergency crews are still searching for survivors as of Friday, June 13, and authorities say the number could grow as rescue operations continue. Flooding began on June 10 following intense rainfall that started the previous day. Mthatha, the hardest-hit area in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, recorded 129 mm (5.1 inches) of rain between June 9 and 10. At the Elliot weather station in the same province, 160 mm (6.3 inches) of rain was measured over the same 24-hour period, which is more than quadruple the previous local record set in 1994. Rescue efforts in the Eastern Cape faced major delays in the initial hours after the floods, largely due to the lack of specialized teams on the ground. The province, among South Africa’s poorest and home to about 7.2 million people, had no immediate access to trained divers or K-9 units. Officials say the only available rescue helicopter had to be dispatched from over 500 km (310 miles) away. The floods have damaged over 3 000 homes so far, along with 127 schools and 20 health facilities. More than 1 000 people are displaced and are now in ad-hoc shelters and community halls. With the rain easing and floodwaters receding, officials say the worst-hit areas were low-lying riverbanks where many poor communities lived in informal housing.

Severe Tropical Storm Wutip makes landfall near Dongfang City, Hainan, China - The first named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, Wutip, made landfall along the coast of Dongfang City at around 23:00 local time (LT) on June 13, 2025. Heavy rains of over 300 mm (12 inches) are forecast for the affected regions as the storm makes its way for a second landfall over Guangdong. The system had weakened into a severe tropical storm at the time of landfall, with 10-minute maximum sustained winds reaching 108 km/h (67 mph) and an estimated minimum central pressure of 980 hPa. Guangdong elevated its emergency response to Level III at 21:00 LT ahead of landfall on June 13, and raised its water conservancy and typhoon response measures to Level III simultaneously. Guangxi also upgraded its response to Level III at 17:00 LT on June 13. Wutip is expected to move north-northeast at around 15 km/h (9 mph), making a second landfall in the coastal area between Xuwen in Guangdong and Beihai in Guangxi during the afternoon of June 14. Forecast calls for a severe tropical storm with winds ranging from 90 to 108 km/h (56 to 67 mph) at landfall. Wutip will turn northeast following landfall and move quickly inland, gradually weakening. Severe Tropical Storm Wutip forecast track. Credit: CMA Heavy to torrential rain is expected over most of Hainan Island, southeastern Guangxi, central and southern Guangdong, eastern and southern Fujian, and southern Taiwan Island. About 100–200 mm (4–8 inches) is forecast for parts of western Hainan, southeastern Guangxi, and southwestern Guangdong through June 14. Localized totals of over 250 to 300 mm (10–12 inches) could occur in parts of western Hainan.

Satellites capture wildfire smoke as Toronto records the worst air quality in the world, Canada – (video) Toronto recorded the worst air quality in the world on Friday, June 6, 2025, as wildfire smoke blanketed the city, prompting health warnings and disrupting daily life. Toronto briefly recorded the worst air quality in the world on Friday, June 6, as wildfire smoke spread across Ontario. The city’s air quality health index (AQHI) reached 9, which is high risk, on Friday afternoon. Earlier in the afternoon, Toronto’s air quality was ranked second worst in the world, according to data from Swiss air quality tracker IQAir. At around 16:15 local time (LT), the city’s AQHI reached 10 — marking the worst air quality worldwide. The wildfire smoke prompted Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), much of southern Ontario, as well as five other provinces. Smoke rises from wildfire WE024 which has prompted a pre-evacuation notice in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada May 27, 2025 Smoke rises from wildfire WE024, which has prompted a pre-evacuation notice in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada, May 27, 2025. Credit: Manitoba Government Environment Canada urged residents in areas where the air quality statement was in effect to limit their time spent outdoors. Environment Canada’s David Phillips said that air quality is deteriorating as wildfires ramp up across the country. Since the beginning of the month, 15 new out-of-control wildfires have been burning in northern Ontario and Western Canada. Smoke rises from wildfire WE023 near Wanless, Manitoba, Canada May 27, 2025. Smoke rises from the wildfire WE023 near Wanless, Manitoba, Canada, on May 27, 2025. Credit: Manitoba Government Friday’s heavy smoke prompted not just health concerns but also disrupted daily routines, as visibility dropped across Toronto. The Lung Health Foundation also issued statements cautioning the public about the harmful effects of prolonged exposure to smoke particles, especially for those already living with asthma or other lung conditions. As of Friday, the air quality is expected to improve to moderate levels through the weekend, although it may fluctuate.

Wildfire smoke returns with vengeance, impacting air quality across northern US – Wildfires burning in western Canada continue to impact the U.S., as another round of smoke blows south and affects air quality. This week, the smoke made its way back into the northern tier of the U.S., prompting air quality alerts in North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana on Wednesday and Thursday. The air quality is worst in central North Dakota, where levels are very unhealthy in and around cities such as Bismarck. Unhealthy air quality levels stretch into Montana and South Dakota, while parts of northwestern Minnesota can expect unhealthy levels for sensitive groups. Levels in Minnesota continue to be a problem on Thursday, with orange levels expected throughout most of the state. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an Air Quality Alert for central and southern Minnesota until 11 p.m. CST Thursday. Smoke could drift eastward this week, impacting the northeast and mid-Atlantic as well.

Canadian wildfire smoke may be even more toxic than usual - More than 200 wildfires are blazing across central and western Canada, half of which are out of control because they’re so hard for crews to access, forcing 27,000 people to evacuate. Even those nowhere near the wildfires are suffering as smoke swirls around Canada and wafts south,creating hazardous air quality all over the midwestern and eastern parts of the United States. The smoke is evenreaching Europe.As the climate changes, the far north is drying and warming, which means wildfires are getting bigger and more intense. The area burned in Canada is now the second largest on record for this time of year, trailing behind the brutal wildfire season of 2023. That year, the amount of carbon blazed into the atmosphere was about three times the country’s fossil fuel emissions. And the more carbon that’s emitted from wildfires — in Canada and elsewhere — the faster the planetary warming, and the worse the fires. “There’s obviously the climate feedback concern,” said Mike Waddington, an environmental scientist at McMaster University in Ontario who studies Canada’s forests. “But increasingly we’re also concerned about the smoke.”That’s because there’s much more to wildfire smoke than charred sticks and leaves, especially where these blazes are burning in Canada. The country’s forests have long been mined, operations that loaded soils and waterways with toxic metals like lead and mercury, especially before clean-air standards kicked in 50 years ago. Now everyone downwind of these wildfires may have to contend with that legacy and those pollutants, in addition to all the other nasties inherent in wildfire smoke, which are known to exacerbate respiratory and cardiac problems. “You have there the burning of these organic soils resulting in a lot of carbon and a lot of particulate matter,” said Waddington. “Now you have this triple whammy, where you have the metals remobilized in addition to that.”What exactly is lurking in the smoke from Canadian wildfires will require further testing by scientists. But an area of particular concern is around the mining city of Flin Flon, in Manitoba, which is known to have elevated levels of toxic metals in the landscape, said Colin McCarter, an environmental scientist who studies pollutants at Ontario’s Nipissing University. Flin Flon’s 5,000 residents have been evacuated as a wildfire approaches, though so far no structures have been destroyed. But a fire doesn’t need to directly burn mining operations to mobilize toxicants. For example, in Yellowknife, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, gold mining operations between 1934 and 2004 spread arsenic as far as 18 miles away, adding to a landscape with an already high concentration of naturally occurring arsenic. In a paper published last year, Waddington and McCarter estimated that between 1972 and 2023, wildfires around Yellowknife fired up to 840,000 pounds of arsenic into the atmosphere. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and developmental problems, according to the World Health Organization. (After the 2023 Lahaina fire in Maui, officials reported elevated levels of arsenic, lead, and other toxic substances in ash samples. California officials also found lots of lead in smoke from 2018’s Camp Fire.)

Wildfire totals in Canada quickly surpass yearly average - It’s still early in the traditional fire season and wildfires in Canada are burning across the land faster than any other year except for 2023.So far this year, more than 7.8 million acres have burned, which is close to the size of the state of Maryland. This season has already passed the annual average.The 25-year average of land burned in Canada in a season is 7.3 million acres, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. In 2023, a record was set with over 40 million acres burned and this year’s total is set to be well above normal.It’s not just the fires themselves that are causing issues, but the smoke has reached into the U.S. causing air quality issues and has even made its way across the Atlantic.There are currently 225 active fires burning across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.Most of the fires are out of control.Of the 225 active wildfires in Canada, 116 are out of control, 27 are being held and 82 are under control.Canada currently has multiple massive active fires greater than 250,000 acres burning in five provinces.The country’s largest fire is the Shoe Fire, burning in central Saskatchewan 100 miles north of Saskatoon, The Washington Post reported. That fire is now over 1.2 million acres in size and has prompted evacuations in 33 rural communities.British Columbia currently has two massive out-of-control fires among the 86 active fires within the province, per The Washington Post. One of the fires in the far north part of the province is getting close to reaching 500,000 acres. Another rapidly growing fire has led to evacuations for rural Indigenous First Nations regions.In Alberta, there are 60 active fires and five of them are over 120,000 acres. The province’s largest fire was started by lightning north of Edmonton and had grown past 320,000 acres earlier this week.There are five fires in Manitoba that are greater than 120,000 acres and are out of control, and the largest is over 740,000 acres. Because of increased moisture, the growth of the larger fires has slowed significantly.Ontario’s largest fire is over 370,000 acres and there are multiple wildfires burning in the southwest area of the province. The region’s fires have also been subdued by wetter conditions recently, per The Washington Post.

Europe Air Quality Alert: Canadian Wildfire Smoke - Extensive, widespread wildfires have been burning across the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan since May 2025. At the start of June, a large plume of Canadian wildfire smoke drifted across the North Atlantic and reddened European skies (1). Initially, most of the wildfire smoke reaching Europe was found at a high altitude, around 9,000 meters (29,528 feet), and was not strongly impacting air quality. However, on Tuesday, June 10, smoke began descending to lower altitudes and impacting air quality across much of the continent. As of June 11, 2025, there is widespread moderate air quality affecting European countries. Air quality ranges from “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” to “Very unhealthy” in many communities across Central Europe. Air pollution is impacting several European cities, including:

• Avignon, France
• Bern, Switzerland
• Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• Geneva, Switzerland
• Genoa, Italy
• Grenoble, France
• Innsbruck, Austria
• Linz, Austria
• Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Maribor, Slovenia
• Marseille, France
• Milano, Italy
• Munich, Germany
• Zagreb, Croatia
• Zurich, Switzerland

On Wednesday morning June 11, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Milano, and Bern were among the most polluted major city in the world, when ranked with 124 other major cities.Zagreb, Ljubljana, Milano, and Bern ranked among the most polluted major cities on Wednesday morning. Canadian wildfire smoke is strongly affecting poor air quality in Central Europe on June 11, especially in France, Germany, and Switzerland.A plume of smoke initially crossed the Mediterranean to reach Greece on May 18 and 19 (2)(3). The second plume arrived in northwestern Europe on June 1.Poor air quality in Spain and Portugal is also being affected by Saharan dust (4). It is anticipated that dust will have a greater impact on Western European air quality as the week progresses. As dust moves north and west, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, western Germany, and the British Isles will be particularly impacted by dust (5).

Ranch Fire explodes to over 1 700 ha (4 200 acres), forces evacuations in San Bernardino County, California – videos The Ranch Fire ignited near Apple Valley, California at 14:33 LT on June 10, 2025, consuming 1 702 ha (4 205 acres) in a matter of hours. Evacuation orders and shelter activations are in place as strong winds and low humidity continue to fuel the fire’s rapid spread. The Ranch Fire began at 14:33 LT on June 10, near Bowen Ranch Road and Coxey Truck Trail, approximately 97 km (60 miles) northeast of Los Angeles. As of the latest update, the fire has scorched 1 702 ha (4 205 acres) and remains at 0% containment. Favorable conditions for fire growth, sustained winds up to 30 km/h (19 mph), and low relative humidity have driven the rapid expansion of the fire front. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation orders at 16:30 LT for residents from Milpas Drive to High Road, south of Highway 18. A Reverse 9-1-1 emergency alert was sent to notify residents of the immediate threat. Shelters have been established at Sitting Bull Academy, 19445 Sitting Bull Road, for displaced individuals. Victorville Fairgrounds, located at 14800 7th Street, is accepting evacuated animals. The fire is under Unified Command involving CAL FIRE, San Bernardino County Fire Department, Apple Valley Fire Protection District, Bureau of Land Management, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Aerial firefighting resources are on “No Divert” status, meaning they are prioritized exclusively for this incident to protect threatened structures. YouTube video A Damage Inspection Team is currently assessing structural impacts in and around the affected areas of Apple Valley. The cause of the Ranch Fire remains under investigation.

Rapidly spreading wildfire in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, Israel, contained after evacuations - (video clips) A rapidly spreading wildfire broke out in Carmit Forest near Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood on June 9, 2025, prompting the evacuation of a special needs center and nearby residents. A rapidly spreading wildfire broke out in the Carmit Forest, adjacent to Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood, on June 9, prompting authorities to declare a high-alert emergency response. Fire and Rescue Services deployed between 35 and 50 firefighting teams to contain the blaze, which threatened nearby residential areas and facilities. A special needs center near Swedish village and nearby residents were forced to evacuate. Nearby roads, including Carmit Road, were closed to traffic to ensure safety and support firefighting operations. Medical teams from Magen David Adom were on standby with ambulances and rapid-response vehicles. Aerial support played a key role, with eight firefighting planes and a helicopter from the Israel Police Air Unit deployed. Firefighters operated on multiple fronts, successfully protecting the first line of houses in Ein Kerem. By late afternoon, the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority announced the fire was under control. The response involved significant resources, with 26 additional firefighting teams en route as reinforcements. The fire’s proximity to residential buildings heightened concerns, but no injuries or structural damage were reported. Local authorities maintained road closures and evacuation measures as a precaution.

Antarctic atmospheric rivers, supercharged by climate change, expected to double by 2100 - Antarctica could see a doubling of extreme weather events—such as atmospheric rivers—by 2100, with implications for future sea level rise. A study published in Nature Communications reveals that rising levels of atmospheric moisture caused by climate change are expected to dramatically increase the frequency and intensity of "atmospheric rivers" over Antarctica—long, narrow plumes of warm, moist air that can travel thousands of kilometers and deliver intense precipitation. Using a high-resolution climate model and future greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, the international research team analyzed how atmospheric rivers might change over Antarctica in the coming decades. They predict that by the end of the century, these atmospheric rivers could double in number and increase atmospheric river precipitation by 2.5 times under a high-emission scenario, where there are limited or no efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This intensification adds a new level of uncertainty to the stability of Antarctic ice sheets and could significantly impact global sea-level rise. Atmospheric rivers are like aerial conveyor belts of water vapor, forming over oceans and transporting heat and moisture toward the poles. Their impact is complex and contradictory; they can deliver both rainfall and snow, depending on the local conditions. In warmer temperatures, these systems can cause rainfall and surface melting, which can destabilize ice shelves and potentially accelerate ice sheet collapse—including the rapid break up and loss of large sections of floating ice that break off and melt into the ocean. However, when they deliver snowfall, they can replenish ice lost to the ocean. The researchers found that while rainfall will increase, the dominant impact of atmospheric rivers this century will be to bring more snowfall to the ice sheet, temporarily helping mitigate Antarctica's contribution to sea level rise.

CH HSS sparks G2 - Moderate geomagnetic storm - Elevated geomagnetic activity was recorded on Earth on June 13, 2025, due to the waning effects of a negative polarity coronal hole high-speed stream and possible transient effects. Waning effects of a negative polarity coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS), coupled with possible transient effects, have caused elevated geomagnetic activity on our planet on June 13. A G1 – Minor geomagnetic storm threshold at 20:34 UTC on June 12, followed by G2 – Moderate at 00:29 UTC on June 13. The primary area of impact under G2 – Moderate geomagnetic storms is primarily poleward of 55 degrees geomagnetic latitude. Power grid fluctuations may occur, with high-latitude power systems potentially experiencing voltage alarms. Satellite operators may observe orientation irregularities or increased drag on low Earth orbit satellites. High-frequency (HF) radio propagation could experience fading at higher latitudes, while auroras may become visible as far south as New York, Wisconsin, and Washington state.

Luxury cruise giant emits 10 times more air pollution (SOx) than all of Europe’s cars – study -Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest luxury cruise operator, emitted nearly 10 times more sulphur oxide (SOX) around European coasts than did all 260 million European cars in 2017, a new analysis by sustainable transport group Transport & Environment reveals.[1] Royal Caribbean Cruises, the world’s second largest, is second, yet four times worse than the European car fleet. SOX emissions form sulphate (SO4) aerosols that increase human health risks and contribute to acidification in terrestrial and aquatic environments.[2] These countries are so exposed because they are major tourist destinations, but also because they have less stringent marine sulphur fuel standards which allows cruise ships to burn the dirtiest most sulphurous fuel all along their coastlines Faig Abbasov, shipping policy manager at T&E, said: “Luxury cruise ships are floating cities powered by some of the dirtiest fuel possible. Cities are rightly banning dirty diesel cars but they’re giving a free pass to cruise companies that spew out toxic fumes that do immeasurable harm both to those on board and on nearby shores. This is unacceptable.“ NOX emissions from cruise ships in Europe also heavily impact some cities, equivalent to about 15% of the nitrogen oxides (NOX) emitted by Europe’s passenger car fleet in a year, the report finds. In Marseille, for example, 57 cruise ships emitted in 2017 almost as much NOX as one-quarter of the city’s 340,000 passenger cars. Along the coasts of countries such as Norway, Denmark, Greece, Croatia and Malta a handful of cruise ships are also responsible for more NOX than the majority of their domestic car fleet. Europe should implement a zero-emission port standard as soon as possible, this could then be extended to other ship types. The report also recommends extending emission control areas (ECAs), currently in place only in the North and Baltic Seas and English Channel, to the rest of the European seas. Furthermore, the report recommends regulating NOX emissions from existing ships, which are currently exempt from NOx standards applying in emission control areas. Faig Abbasov concluded: “There are enough mature technologies to clean up cruise ships. Shore-side electricity can help cut in-port emissions, batteries are a solution for shorter distances and hydrogen technology can power even the biggest cruise ships. The cruise sector are apparently not willing to make the shift voluntarily, so we need governments to step in and mandate zero emission standards.”

Environmental groups file petition against IDEM, Cleveland-Cliffs -Two Northwest Indiana activism groups joined other environmental groups in sending a petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in objection to an air monitoring permit recently approved for Cleveland-Cliffs’ Indiana Harbor facility. The petition alleges that a permit recently issued to Cleveland-Cliffs from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management falls “significantly short of basic provisions, including failure to include monitoring, testing and recordkeeping” to ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act. “If this permit is approved as is, the Cleveland-Cliffs facilities (at Indiana Harbor in East Chicago) will likely release harmful emissions into the air…” Ellis Walton, associate attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said in a Monday news release. “The communities of East Chicago and Gary suffer many environmental injustices already and shouldn’t be forced to bear even more harms from local industry.” Cleveland-Cliffs did not respond to a request for comment about the petition. Walton alleges that emissions released would include PM10 ultrafine particulate matter and nitrous oxide above limitations in the Clean Air Act, according to a news release. The petition asks IDEM to redo its permit for PM10 emission limits applicable to Baghouses #187 and #188 at Indiana Harbor East; NOx emission limits at No. 6 Batch Anneal facilities at Indiana Harbor East; and NESHAP Subpart DDDDD requirements for Boilers No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 at Indiana Harbor West. IDEM said permitting decisions are made based on an applicant’s ability to demonstrate compliance with all applicable state and federal requirements, pursuant to the Clean Air Act. “The Cleveland Cliffs Indiana Harbor Part 70 Operating Permits were issued following an EPA review and comment period,” IDEM wrote in an emailed statement. “Specific questions about the petition and next steps should be directed to the U.S. EPA.” Draft renewal permits were posted for public comment on Nov. 3, 2023, according to the petition. Public comment periods are 30 days. ELPC requested a public comment extension and a public hearing on Nov. 13, 2023, but IDEM did not respond prior to the end of the comment period. On Dec. 20, 2023, IDEM announced a Jan. 10, 2024 public hearing and said the public notice period would end on Jan. 16, 2024. EPA Region 5 also submitted two comment letters addressing the renewal permits on Dec. 4, 2023. IDEM submitted renewal permits for EPA review on Feb. 17, 2025, and the agency’s review period ended without an agency objection. However, the petition alleges that IDEM disregarded concerns made by the EPA during the public comment period. “IDEM’s renewal of the Cleveland-Cliffs air permit fails to protect the residents of surrounding communities from decades-long and ongoing exposure to health-harming air pollutants that are the proven cause of significant increases in respiratory diseases (like asthma), cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks), cancers at numerous sites, and premature deaths,” said Gary Advocates for Responsible Development President Dorreen Carey. “The current outmoded and insufficient methods of emission monitoring in the Cleveland-Cliffs air permit renewal cannot assure continuous compliance and enforcement of the Clean Air Act. EPA must act to object to this permit renewal and meet its obligation to protect human health and the environment.” An October report from Industrious Labs found that most residents in Gary are in the top 10% of U.S. residents most at-risk for developing asthma and low life expectancy. In 2020, Indiana had a lung cancer rate of 72.5 per 100,000 people, with Lake County as one of the state’s counties with the highest cancer mortality rates, according to the American Lung Association.

Chemical leak at Ohio explosives plant triggers evacuations and flight restrictions – video - A chemical leak at an explosives plant in Vinton County, Ohio, on the morning of June 11, 2025, released a large nitrogen oxide gas cloud into the air. The incident led to temporary evacuations, a flight restriction, and a public health advisory, though no injuries or contamination have been reported so far. A chemical leak at the Austin Powder Company’s Red Diamond explosives plant in Vinton County, Ohio, sent a large yellow-brown cloud of nitrogen oxide gas into the air on Wednesday, June 11, prompting a temporary evacuation of nearby residents. No injuries or illnesses from the incident have been reported so far. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the incident was caused by a chemical reaction in a 5 000 gallon tank filled with nitric acid from an unknown pollutant. The gas leak happened on Wednesday morning, which led to evacuations of nearby areas within a 5 km (3 mile) radius. While the Vinton County High School was set up as a temporary shelter for residents who had to leave their homes, the residents were allowed to return home by evening. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also put a temporary flight ban in place within 55 km (35 miles) of the plant, affecting flights from Rickenbacker International Airport. The restriction was lifted in a few hours. Exposure to nitrogen oxide gas can lead to symptoms such as eye, nose, skin, and throat irritation, along with coughing, trouble breathing, and drowsiness. High or repeated exposure may cause fluid build-up in the lungs and irreversible respiratory damage. Vinton County Health Department advised anyone who may have been exposed to rinse off thoroughly and flush their eyes with clean water, and see a doctor if any symptoms continue. The Ohio EPA said air monitoring had not detected any nitrogen oxides, and there’s no indication that groundwater or drinking water has been affected. Because the area includes a lot of farmland, officials asked residents to keep a close watch on their livestock for any signs of possible exposure as well.

Trump: ‘We're not going to approve windmills’ President Trump said Thursday that his administration would not approve wind energy except in cases of emergency. Trump made the comment during a speech ahead of his move to overturn California’s phaseout of gas-powered car sales.“We’re not going to let windmills get built because we’re not going to destroy our country any further than it’s already been destroyed,” Trump said.“You go and look at these beautiful plains and valleys, and they’re loaded up with this garbage that gets worse and worse looking with time,” Trump added, in a reference to windmills.“We’re not going to approve windmills unless something happens that’s an emergency. I guess it could happen, but we’re not doing any of them.”The president has long scorned wind energy, and his comments this week are not the first in opposition to new wind power. Shortly before taking office, Trump said, “We’re going to try and have a policy where no windmills are being built.”However, his latest remarks appear to go further than the policies signaled by his administration. The president has issued an executive order halting approvals for new wind projects, but that blockage was described as “temporary.” The order stated that onshore wind would only be paused until the government completes an assessment of wind permitting practices.

GM slow-rolls its all-EV aspirations - General Motors quietly closed the door this week on a goal to make only electric vehicles by 2035. The automaker announced Tuesday that it would spend $4 billion on mostly gasoline-powered vehicles. While GM is not retreating from EVs, the investment means the company is “giving up any hope of achieving that [2035] goal,” said Sam Abuelsamid, an auto analyst at Telemetry, a Detroit-area research firm. Asked Wednesday whether the goal still exists, GM said in a statement, “We still believe in an all-EV future.” GM’s move away from the 2035 goal is less a singular failure and more a symptom of flagging support among many actors, including government, other automakers, charging companies and car buyers, analysts said. Much has changed since GM set the EV target, just after President Joe Biden took office and amid a surge of confidence in the auto industry about widespread EV adoption. Four years later, the Trump administration is dismantling Biden-era federal support for EVs and implementing high tariffs, upsetting automakers’ production plans. Those federal moves, combined with a cooling desire for EVs among car buyers, has moved the sunset date for the internal combustion engine to a vague someday. GM is still ramping up EV production. Earlier this week, it trumpeted the fact that it sold 37,000 EVs in the first quarter of the year, making it the number two EV maker in the U.S. behind Tesla. The company’s 2035 goal “was aspirational. It was more an idea than a strategy,” said Alan Baum, an independent Detroit auto analyst. “GM’s doing a better job than many of their competitors, but there’s obviously a relatively low ceiling because of the lack of supportive policy.”

House to vote on TVA transparency, gas cylinder bills - The House is slated to vote this week on one bill to require the Tennessee Valley Authority to open its meetings to the public and another to strengthen safety standards for certain imported gas cylinders.Both bills advanced out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with bipartisan votes in recent months. This week’s votes are set to happen under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority. H.R. 1373, the “Tennessee Valley Authority Transparency Act,” would require the board of the federally owned Appalachian electric utility to meet at least four times a year, in gatherings that are open to the public and preceded by formal public notices.The legislation, spearheaded by Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), is part of an increase in legislative scrutiny of TVA. Earlier this year, the House passed legislation to increase financial reporting requirements for the authority.

New 200-MW Gas-Fired Plant in Ohio Will Power Meta Data Center -Ohio regulators have approved construction of a 200-MW natural gas-fired power plant in Licking County, a project designed to provide electricity for an affiliate of tech company Meta.The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) on June 9 gave the go-ahead for the Socrates South Power Generation Project in New Albany, in the heart of the state’s growing data center industry. Will-Power OH, a subsidiary of The Willliams Companies, will build and operate the plant. The facility will supply energy exclusively to Sidecat, part of Meta Platforms. Sidecat owns a 740-acre industrial campus in the New Albany Business Park. New Albany is home to a number of major data center developments, including facilities operated by Google, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft. Sidecat has developed several data centers located in the New Albany complex. The new power plant, with a 20-acre footprint, will be built adjacent to a Sidecat data center currently under construction at the site. The OPSB in a news release said the Socrates station “will operate ‘behind-the-meter’ to serve the electric load of an adjacent data center and will not be physically connected to the electric power grid.” The agency said the “natural gas supply for the generation facility will come from two 24-inch diameter gas pipelines that will be the subject of future applications with the OPSB.” “Dispatchable behind-the-meter generation is becoming essential for data centers to ensure reliability and meet the accelerated timelines driven by AI and cloud growth,” Pete DiSanto, EVP of Data Center Development at Enchanted Rock, told POWER. “But when that capacity operates in isolation, it represents a missed opportunity to strengthen the grid, accelerate renewable adoption and provide greater overall system flexibility. Purpose-built, dual-purpose solutions can deliver both critical resilience for data center operations and valuable grid services during peak demand and times of need.”Officials on Monday said the plant is expected to cost about $1.6 billion to build, and eventually will include two power stations, each with 200 MW of generation capacity. Williams also plans to build a substation at the site. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with an estimated completion date in the third quarter of next year.Meta has had a presence at the New Albany Business Park since 2017 and began operating a data center campus there in 2020. The company announced an expansion at the site in April 2022.EdgeConneX, another data center developer, earlier this year said it start construction of a 120-MW gas-fired power plant to provide energy for a planned data center at the New Albany complex. The company said that power station could begin operating as soon as early next year.Jim McMahon, Energy Practice Leader at Charles River Associates, a global research and consulting firm, toldPOWER the Ohio project “is another good example of how hyperscalers are no longer relying on the grid to meet their energy needs. The shift toward BTM [behind the meter] development is a fundamental change in how energy infrastructure is being developed. It’s faster, more self-contained, and increasingly disconnected from RTO planning processes.“Second, the project demonstrates how hyperscalers like Meta are effectively creating their own vertically integrated utility footprints, which raises some really interesting questions about how the role of traditional utilities and centralized planning will evolve.”

EPA proposes slashing power plant carbon, mercury emission limits -The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed eliminating greenhouse gas emissions limits for power plants as well as repealing a toughening of the mercury and air toxics standard for coal- and oil-fired generators.“These Biden-era regulations have imposed massive costs on coal-, oil-, and gas-fired power plants, raising the cost of living for American families, imperiling the reliability of our electric grid, and limiting American energy prosperity,” the EPA said in a press release.The EPA estimates that its proposal to repeal Obama and Biden era GHG rules would save the power sector $19 billion over 20 years and reverting to the 2012 MATS rule would save $1.2 billion over a decade.Cooperative utilities, independent power producers, the National Mining Association and others praised the EPA’s decision.“Besides being illegal, this Biden-era [GHG] rule would have shut down the nation’s fleet of coal power plants despite warnings from experts and officials that more than half of the U.S. is at risk of electricity shortages,” said Michelle Bloodworth, CEO of America’s Power, a trade group for coal-fired power plant owners.In part, opponents of the EPA’s GHG rule argued that it relied on carbon capture and sequestration technology that isn’t commercially available.“EEI appreciates EPA’s acknowledgement that carbon capture and storage technologies are not yet viable for widespread deployment,” said Alex Bond, executive director of legal and clean energy policy at the Edison Electric Institute, a trade group for investor-owned utilities. “Electric companies need standards for natural gas facilities that are attainable to plan and permit new facilities, along with flexible regulatory approaches that help maintain dispatchable generation.”EEI continues to support the EPA’s authority to regulate GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act, according to Bond.Power plants account for about a quarter of U.S. carbon emissions, making them the second largest source of GHG emissions behind the transportation sector, according to the EPA. If the U.S. power sector were a country, it would have been the sixth largest source of emissions worldwide in 2022, according to a paper released on May 30 by the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law.

Iran To Launch New Enrichment Site in Response to IAEA Board Vote - Iranian officials have slammed a resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors and have vowed that Tehran will now establish a new uranium enrichment site in response.The resolution, introduced by the US, France, the UK, and Germany, declared that Iran was no longer complying with the safeguards agreement under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The accusation is mainly based on traces of uranium that the IAEA found at three undeclared sites in Iran in 2019. The IAEA said in a recent report that Iran hasn’t provided satisfactory answers for uranium traces. Iran said in response that it had found evidence suggesting “sabotage” was responsible for the uranium traces. Israeli intelligence has a history of penetrating Iran’s nuclear program and carrying out attacks and assassinations of nuclear scientists. Iranian media is claiming that Tehran has obtained secret documents that reveal IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi has cooperated closely with Israel and that Iranian nuclear scientists were killed after the IAEA disclosed their names.Regardless of how the uranium traces ended up at the undeclared sites, the issue is not relevant to the threat of nuclear proliferation today. Grossi has said that the agency believes that the traces may have been left over from undeclared Iranian nuclear activity in the early 2000s.The other main issue the resolution raised was the enrichment of uranium at the 60% level. “Iran is the only State in the world without nuclear weapons that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60%,” the resolution states.In 2021, Iran began enriching some uranium at 60%, which is below the 90% needed for weapons-grade, in response to an Israeli sabotage attack on its Natanz nuclear facility. Tehran has made clear that it’s willing to reduce its enrichment levels as part of a deal for sanctions relief from the US. Tehran has also made it clear that there will be consequences for further sanctions, US or Israeli military action, and other forms of pressure in the form of advancements in its nuclear program. The resolution sets the stage for the snapback mechanism to be triggered, potentially leading to the imposition of UN sanctions on Iran.In a joint statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said the resolution was “politically motivated” and that it was based on “allegations dating back more than 25 years.” It said Tehran would take action in response, which includes establishing a new enrichment facility and upgrading centrifuges at an existing one.“Accordingly, the President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has issued necessary directives for launching a new enrichment facility in a secure location, and replacing first-generation centrifuges at the Martyr Ali Mohammadi (Fordo) enrichment center with advanced sixth-generation machines,” the statement said.The state also called out the Western countries for their lack of concern for Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program, which is not under any inspection regime. “The actions by the four countries come while the same countries remain silent on the Zionist regime’s exclusion from the NPT and its development of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. Moreover, they have taken no action against the regime’s threats to attack the peaceful nuclear facilities of NPT member states,” it said.The IAEA resolution comes amid reports that the US is expecting Israel to attack Iran, which could lead to a full-blown war between Washington and Tehran. Amid the tensions, US and Iranian negotiators are still expected to meet this weekend.

UK Announces $19.3 Billion Funding For New Nuclear Power Project --Weeks after Germany decided to reverse course and 're-embrace' nuclear power following their supreme idiocy on the matter, the UK government announced on Tuesday that it would invest 14.2 billion pounds (US$19.3 billion) to build a new nuclear plant in the southeast of England. The move was revealed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as part of its broader spending review, which will lay out priorities for the next four years.The new plant, named Sizewell C, will be located in Suffolk county, and is predicted to create around 10,000 jobs during construction, according to a government statement. Once operational, it will create enough electricity power roughly 6 million homes. “We need new nuclear to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance, because that is the only way to protect family finances, take back control of our energy, and tackle the climate crisis," said Energy Minister Ed Miliband. "This is the government’s clean energy mission in action, investing in lower bills and good jobs for energy security."As the Epoch Times notes further, the UK has also been tapping up new investors to fund the construction of Sizewell C, but no new partners were mentioned in the announcement.Neither the total cost of construction nor a date for expected completion has been announced.Sizewell C was originally an EDF Energy project but is now majority-owned by the British government, with EDF Energy a minority shareholder.EDF Energy is the British arm of Électricité de France (EDF), which is wholly owned by the French state.The UK government’s stake was 83.8 percent and EDF’s stake was 16.2 percent at the end of December, EDF’s financial resultsshowed in February.

New Columbiana County Wells Boost Oil Production –Youngstown Business Journal– Two horizontal wells that began production in March helped boost oil production in Columbiana County to more than 300,000 barrels during the first quarter of 2025, according to data from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The most recent production figures from ODNR show that Columbiana County’s 187 wells exploring the Utica/Point Pleasant shale formation in eastern Ohio produced a total of 327,137 barrels of oil during the quarter ended March 31. EAP Ohio, a subsidiary of Houston-based Encino Energy and Encino Acquisition Partners, placed two wells into production in early March at the Kitzmiller well pad in Knox Township. The Kitzmiller 10H well yielded 67,646 barrels in just 29 days, while a second well at the pad produced 60,961 barrels within the same period. All of Columbiana County’s oil-producing wells are owned and operated by EAP Ohio, data show. The company operates 87 wells in the county and recently drilled its first well in Mahoning County. Oil production in Columbiana County during the first three months of 2025 was down 28% compared with same period in 2024, records show. However, production increased 19.2% compared with the previous quarter. Mahoning County produced just 1,022 barrels during the period from four wells owned by Pin Oak Energy Partners and Northwood Energy Corp. Trumbull County wells – all owned by Pin Oak – yielded 339 barrels. Last year, Encino’s wells produced nearly 1.5 million barrels of oil in Columbiana County, a segment of the Utica/Point Pleasant that was historically known for its rich natural gas reserves. Encino has emerged as the single-largest oil producer in Ohio, accounting for nearly half of all oil produced from the Utica/Point Pleasant in the first quarter. According to ODNR, Encino’s wells yielded 5.3 million barrels across the state, or 48%, of the total 11 million barrels pumped in Ohio during the period. The largest oil well in Ohio was EAP’s Akers well in Harrison County, which produced 154,985 barrels over a 90-day period. Last week, EOG Resources announced it had reached a deal to acquire Encino Acquisition Partners’ assets in the Utica/Point Pleasant for $5.6 billion. The transaction is expected to close sometime in the second half of this year.

OH Approves Williams Gas-Fired Plant to Power Facebook Data Center - -Marcellus Drilling News -In early April, MDN brought you the exciting news that pipeline giant Williams, via its subsidiary, Will-Power, is planning to build two Utica/Marcellus gas-fired power plants in the New Albany International Business Park in Licking County, Ohio (see Williams Subsidiary Unveils Plans for Gas-Fired Power Plant in Ohio). The two projects are called the Socrates North and Socrates South power plants. Our previous post focused on Socrates North, as that seemed to be the one closest to construction. However, yesterday, the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) authorized and approved construction for the Socrates South project.

Ohio regulators approve construction of 200MW gas power plant to serve Meta data center - A natural gas power plant set to provide behind-the-meter power to a Meta data center in New Albany, Ohio, has been approved for construction. The 200MW Socrates South Power Generation Project was approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) on Monday (June 9).Midstream natural gas firm, Williams & Co. subsidiary Will-Power, will construct and operate the plant.The power plant will be located along the north side of Morse Road in the Licking County portion of New Albany and will be directly supplied by two 24-inch pipelines, which will be detailed in separate applications to the OPSB.The plant is expected to cost approximately $1.6 billion to construct and, at full build-out, will comprise two generation sites, each with a capacity of 200MW. In addition to the power plant, Williams also plans to construct an electrical substation to power the adjacent data center. Construction on the power plant is slated to commence in Q3 2025, with an estimated completion date in Q3 2026.The power generated will directly supply a data center under construction on a 740-acre industrial campus within the New Albany International Business Park. According to the filing, the facility is being constructed by Sidecat LLC, an affiliate of Meta.Meta has had a presence at the business park since 2017 and launched a data center campus there in 2020. In April 2022, the company reported that it was set to expand the site, adding two buildings totalling around 1 million sq ft (92,900 sqm)Further details on the data center were not immediately available. DCD has reached out to Meta for further information.New Albany is home to several major data center developments, with Microsoft, AWS, and Google all with a presence.Earlier this year, EdgeConneX submitted a proposal to construct a 120MW natural gas power plant to serve a planned data center at the state's New Albany International Business Park. The plant is expected to power the data center behind-the-meter.

Ohio Utica 1Q25 Production – Top O&G Wells, Drillers, Counties -Marcellus Drilling News -The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently released production numbers for the first quarter of 2025. The top natural gas producer in the state, by far, was Ascent Resources, with 195,139,574 Mcf (or 195.14 Bcf) of production during the quarter, which works out to an average of 2.17 Bcf/d. Ascent’s production accounted for 40% of the state’s natural gas production. The top oil producer in the state, by far, was Encino Energy, with 5,360,199 barrels of oil during the quarter, which works out to an average of 59,557 barrels per day. Encino’s oil production was 49% (nearly half!) of Ohio’s entire oil production during 1Q25. Of course, Encino’s days as a standalone producer are numbered as EOG Resources is buying the company.

Encino Led Ohio's 11% Utica Oil Output Growth in 1Q25 | Hart Energy - Ohio’s oil producers surfaced 122,518 bbl/d in the first quarter, up 10.6% from fourth-quarter 2024 output, according to a Hart Energy analysis of newly released Ohio state data.The bulk of the growth was from Encino Energy, posting nearly 60,000 bbl/d, up from 52,000 bbl/d, according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ONDR) files.Encino’s output going forward will join EOG Resources’ 14,000 bbl/d from the state upon EOG closing its $5.6 billion acquisition of the No. 1 producer.Their combined roughly 73,500 bbl/d will leave privately held Ascent Resources’ 29,000 bbl/d in the No. 2 position, while newly public Infinity Natural Resources advances to the No. 3 position EOG currently holds, producing some 11,000 bbl/d.The EOG-Encino deal’s read-through is positive on Infinity’s valuation, reported John Raymond, an analyst with Raymond James.Freeman raised his target on the stock to $28 June 11 and reiterated his “strong buy” recommendation on the shares, which closed June 10 at $17.17.“The transaction multiple implies that Infinity’s valuation is nearly 50% higher than current levels,” Freeman wrote before markets opened.Encino’s production and operations in the Utica are larger, but Infinity “is growing more rapidly than Encino and maintains virtually zero debt,” he wrote.Also, EOG taking Encino out of play among competitors for leasehold in the area means “the path for Infinity to improve their scale got much easier.”EOG’s deal to buy Encino will consolidate 60% of Ohio’s daily horizontal oil output, leaving another 49,062 bbl/d up for grabs in continued M&A among Utica operators, according to ONDR data.Also up for grabs are 4.4 Bcf/d of gas and NGLs as EOG-Encino holds 1 Bcf/d of the state’s output.EOG’s bid for Encino backs up its May 2024 statement that the Utica oil play “can compete with the best plays in America.”Ascent, the state’s No. 1 gas producer in addition to being its No. 2 oil producer, told public debt-holders in a call in March that it is considering an IPO.Publicly held Gulfport Energy, which focuses on the Utica’s wet-gas phase along the eastern side of the oil window, signaled to investors last month that M&A might be in its own plans this year.Zack Arnold, Infinity president and CEO, told Hart Energy before the EOG-Encino deal announcement, “It would be really interesting to see if something breaks free.”A deal among any of the top Utica producers would “start driving some of the efficiencies that a larger-scale company could have in developing the play.”The ONDR data is for Ohio operators’ horizontal wells’ production only. The ONDR did not release a summary of 2024 vertical production from vintage wells yet. But a report on 2023 vertical output shows non-horizontal production from the state was 6,060 bbl/d oil and 85 MMcf/d gas and NGL that year.

EOG Resources doubles fracking holdings with purchase of Encino - The Times Leader - — EOG Resources announced it will buy Encino Acquisition Partners for $5.6 billion.Encino Acquisition Partners is a joint venture between the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Encino Energy of Houston, one of the largest oil and gas producers in Ohio with operations focused on the Utica Shale. CPP Investments is 98% owner of EAP. EAP has obtained bids to frack several Ohio public lands, including:∫ Valley Run Wildlife Area in Carroll County

• ∫ Zepernick Wildlife Area in Columbiana County
• ∫ Leesville Wildlife Area in Carroll County (along with other bids for fracking near Leesville Lake in the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District)
• ∫ Ohio Department of Transportation land on Ohio 151 in Harrison County.
• EAP also bid on fracking thousands of acres of Salt Fork State Park in 2023, but withdrew those bids after the Ohio Department of Natural Resources placed additional conditions on the leases.

The acquisition of EAP’s 675,000 acres in Ohio will significantly increase EOG Resources’ Utica holdings to 1.1 million acres, representing 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, EOG said.“This acquisition combines large, premier acreage positions in the Utica, creating a third foundational play for EOG alongside our Delaware Basin and Eagle Ford assets,” said Ezra Y. Yacob, chairman and CEO of EOG. “Encino’s acreage improves the quality and depth of our Utica position, expanding EOG’s multi-basin portfolio to more than 12 billion barrels of oil equivalent net resource.According to a release by EOG, the transaction transforms EOG into a leading Utica producer. The acquisition expands EOG’s core acreage in the volatile oil window, which averages 65% liquids production, by 235,000 net acres for a combined contiguous position of 485,000 net acres. In the natural gas window, the acquisition adds 330,000 net acres along with existing natural gas production with firm transportation exposed to premium end markets. In the northern acreage, where the company has delivered outstanding well results, EOG increases its existing average working interest by more than 20%.“This is a great development for Canadian pensioners, who do not want their retirement savings based on making Ohio a fracking sacrifice zone,” said Cathy Cowan Becker, board president of Save Ohio Parks, a statewide citizens group whose mission is to educate Ohioans about the harms of fracking public lands.“Unfortunately for Ohioans, it means more of the same: fracking that threatens our health, pollution that harms our wildlife and protected lands, carbon emissions that worsen the climate crisis, and billions of gallons of our fresh water turned into toxic and radioactive waste,” Cowan Becker said.Save Ohio Parks and allied organizations collected signatures of over 1,300 Ohioans and others opposed to CPP Investments’ ownership of EAP operations that frack public lands. Save Ohio Parks asked to meet with the CPP Investment Board about the petition in September 2024 but did not receive a response. Meanwhile, Canadian organizations such as Environmental Defence and Shift Action had also pressured CPP Investments to divest from its 98% stake in Encino Acquisition Partners.CPP Investments and Encino formed Encino Acquisition Partners in 2017 with a $1 billion investment from CPPIB. In 2018, EAP bought all of Chesapeake Energy’s Utica shale assets in Ohio. CPP Investments announced it was selling its entire stake in Encino Acquisition Partners to EOG Resources on May 30. Encino Energy will also be exiting from EAP, representing a full sale to EOG, CPP Investments said.EAP’s holdings in Ohio, including EAP’s leases and permits to frack public lands, will be transferred to EOG Resources. Leases may be transferred from one lessee to another, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ standard lease form. Permits can also be reissued to a new owner through an application process with ODNR.EAP’s leases and permits to frack public land will be added to EOG Resources’ own awarded bids, including Keen Wildlife Area in Harrison County and the Ohio Department of Transportation Malvern Outpost in Carroll County Houston-based EOG Resources was formed in 1999 when it declared independence from Enron Corp, where it had been known as Enron Oil and Gas. Over time the company obtained oil and gas holdings in the Delaware Basin, Eagle Ford, Bakken, Powder River Basin, DJ Basin and Eastern Anadarko Basin. EOG moved into the Utica shale of Ohio in 2022.

Might as Well Jump! - EOG Resources, Upbeat on Utica Condensate, Doubles Down with Encino Deal - RBN Energy -- There’s been a surge in E&P interest in the Utica Shale’s volatile oil window the past couple of years, and EOG Resources has been particularly optimistic about its potential for producing large volumes of condensate, the lightest of superlight crude oils. A few days ago, EOG — known for growing its business organically, not via M&A — announced one of the largest acquisitions of the year so far: the planned purchase of Encino Acquisition Partners (EAP), the Utica’s #1 condensate producer by far, for $5.6 billion, including the assumption of EAP’s debt. As we discuss in today’s RBN blog, the deal will give EOG its third “foundational” focus area (the others are the Eagle Ford and the Permian's Delaware Basin) and supports the view that the Utica really is an up-and-comer. In our three-part Hit the Lights blog series a few months ago, we took an in-depth look at condensate production growth across a swath of eastern Ohio, as well as the leading E&Ps in the play and the pipelines and other infrastructure on which they depend. In Part 1, we said that while the broader “wet Marcellus/Utica” is famous for producing vast quantities of natural gas and NGLs, a handful of dogged, innovative E&Ps have concentrated primarily on producing fast-rising amounts of superlight crude — better described as condensate (condy or conde for short) — in the Utica Shale’s volatile oil window, focusing primarily on Ohio’s Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison and Noble counties. Most of the condensate has an API gravity of 55 to 59 degrees, but an increasing share is “heavy condensate” with an API closer to 50. We noted that after ups and downs through the 2010s, Ohio’s crude oil production — almost all of it condy — is up nearly 3X from July 2022, when it averaged only 48 Mb/d; the state produced 136 Mb/d in March, Admittedly that’s only a small fraction of what the Permian is churning out (about 6.5 MMb/d lately, according to RBN’s weekly Crude Oil Permian report) and barely one-tenth of Bakken production. But EOG has said the eastern Ohio wells it’s drilled over the past couple of years have IP30 (initial production over 30 days) rates that compare favorably with the best wells in the Permian: 1,425 b/d to 3,250 boe/d, with crude oil/condensate’s share of the Utica wells’ production ranging as high as 70% on a boe/d (barrels of oil equivalent per day) basis.In Part 2, we discussed the six largest condensate producers in eastern Ohio, starting with #1 EAP and followed by #2 Ascent Resources, #3 EOG, #4 Infinity Natural Resources (which launched a well-received initial public offering, or IPO, in January), #5 Expand Energy (the recently merged Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy) and #6 GulfPort Resources. Part 3 focused on the uses for condensate produced in eastern Ohio and other parts of the Marcellus/Utica and how the condy is transported from wellsites to refineries and other end users. Long story short (see Part 3 for details), Utica condensate is in demand — it can either be run as a feedstock at refineries, condensate splitters or petchem plants, blended into heavier crude or (in a pinch) used as diluent. As for infrastructure, a couple of things are worth pointing out. First, a good bit of the condensate emerging from eastern Ohio wells needs to have its light ends (propane/butanes) removed; some producers do this themselves at the well pad with heater treaters and some turn to centralized condensate stabilizer sites in Ohio (like MPLX’s at Cadiz, Williams Companies’ at Scio and Ergon Inc.’s at Marietta). Second, there are no condy gathering pipelines in the Utica — the volumes are too small (at least so far) to justify investments in them. Instead, condensate is stored at or near the wellhead in tank batteries, then loaded onto tanker trucks and driven either to the end user (typically a refinery or condensate splitter) or, more frequently, to the next mode of transport (a rail terminal, a marine terminal or a pipeline intake point). Part 3 discusses these takeaway options in depth.Which brings us to EOG’s landmark announcement on May 30 that it has reached a definitive agreement with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CCPIB) and Encino Energy under which EOG will acquire their jointly owned EAP for $5.6 billion, inclusive of EAP’s debt. EOG said it plans to fund the purchase through $3.5 billion of debt and $2.1 billion of cash on hand. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2025.EAP is an eight-year-old joint venture (JV) of CPPIB and privately held Encino Energy, formed to pursue oil and gas development opportunities. In 2018, EAP purchased then-Chesapeake Energy’s Utica Shale assets in Ohio for $2 billion. The JV subsequently added more acreage in the play and worked to perfect its well designs and completion techniques to maximize production. In April 2024, CPPIB announced a follow-on equity investment of $300 million to “support EAP’s accelerated development of the Utica oil play.” As for EOG, it’s been around since 1999, and for the most part it’s grown organically rather than through big-dollar M&A, the obvious exception (until now) being its $2.5 billion acquisition of Yates Petroleum in 2016, which more than doubled the company’s holdings in the Delaware Basin and expanded its position in the Powder River Basin (PRB). While EOG is still active in the PRB, the vast majority of its production is in two plays: the Delaware (310 Mb/d of crude oil production, 185 Mb/d of NGLs and 1.04 Bcf/d of natural gas in 2024) and the Eagle Ford (134 Mb/d of crude, 31 Mb/d of NGLs and 448 MMcf/d of gas). The Utica Shale is now poised to become EOG’s “third foundational play,” Chairman and CEO Ezra Yacob said during the company’s call announcing the EAP deal a few days ago. EOG’s first big push in the Utica occurred in the fall of 2022 (see Searchin’), when the E&P announced it had acquired 395,000 net acres in the play, mainly in the volatile oil and black oil windows (light- and dark-green-shaded areas, respectively, in Figure 1 above), and had completed four delineation wells that confirmed its model and the economic viability of the area. By late last year, EOG executives were detailing the stellar IP30 results from six multi-well developments and one single-well development in 2023-24 (noted above) and touting the significant gains the company had been making in its drilling-and-completion productivity. In buying EAP, EOG went counter to its nearly decade-old focus on organic development because the eastern Ohio assets were so darn tempting. And — a major factor — EOG was sitting on $6.5 billion in cash, which enabled it to make the Utica the E&P’s third foundational play overnight without diluting shareholder value or denting its fortress balance sheet. It would have taken EOG many years to scale the Utica play organically or via small bolt-on deals. So, what is EOG buying? As shown in the left column in Figure 1 above, the E&P already controls 460,000 net acres in eastern Ohio and is producing 40 Mboe/d, with 40% (or ~16 Mb/d) of that output in the form of crude oil/condensate, 35% natural gas and 25% NGLs. EAP, in turn, has 675,000 net acres and a whopping 235 Mboe/d of production — nearly 6X EOG’s output in the play — with 20% (or ~47 Mb/d) of that production crude oil/condensate, 50% gas and 30% NGLs. Each company estimates its undeveloped net resource in the Utica at more than 1 billion boe, suggesting the possibility of nearly 20 years of inventory at current production levels.Notably for EOG, the EAP deal won’t just double its net acreage in the Utica’s volatile oil window (light-green area outlined by dashed black line in left map in Figure 2), it also will add 330,000 net acres in the wet gas and dry gas windows to the east (yellow and pink areas outlined by dashed black line in right map). During their May 30 call, EOG executives noted that the company is acquiring EAP’s gas-focused assets just as gas demand is picking up within the Marcellus/Utica region and along the Gulf Coast (see Don’t Stop Believin’ for more on that), and pointed out that EAP has about 800 MMcf/d of firm gas transportation locked up, three-quarters of it to premium-price markets.They also said that EOG and EAP have a lot of overlapping acreage in the Utica Shale’s volatile oil window (yellow-and-gray striped areas in maps), which will enable EOG to reap savings by sharing pad locations and running longer laterals. Economies of scale, in turn, will help to reduce equipment, frac sand and other costs, and EOG’s lower average total well cost ($650/ft compared to EAP’s ~$750/ft) and 10% edge over EAP in cumulative condensate production per foot will provide additional benefits. EOG noted, finally, that it expects EAP will continue running three to four rigs and two completion crews on its acreage through the rest of 2025 and that EOG will increase the number of rigs on its acreage to two from the current one while continuing to run a single completion crew.The pace at which EOG will increase its Utica condy production beyond the pro forma ~63 Mb/d (47 Mb/d from EAP plus 16 Mb/d from EOG) remains to be seen, of course. But given that EOG is talking up the Utica and adjoining Marcellus as its third big focus area, we expect to see a lot more production growth — and maybe even more consolidation — in eastern Ohio through the rest of the 2020s.

Utica Shale Academy Gets $250K Grant for Interior Welding Lab - Youngstown Business Journal– The Utica Shale Academy was awarded $250,000 to complete an interior welding lab at its newest facility. Construction is underway on a second building next to the current exterior welding lab at 83 E. Main St., and the grant will finance the interior welding site. The 5,000-square-foot structure will feature 40 welding labs, a CNC plasma cutter and classroom. PDDM Solutions of Canonsburg, Pa., was awarded the initial $907,000 bid, with FMD Architects Inc. of Fairlawn performing the work, but the extra welding labs increased costs to nearly $1.5 million. Most of the construction funding – roughly $1.3 million – came through an Appalachian Community Grant, and the latest funding will come from the Appalachian Regional Commission and Governor’s Office of Appalachia. “The welding lab we’re building is in two phases,” said Bill Watson, Utica Shale Academy superintendent. “The first phase is the building itself, and the second phase is the welding lab inside. We applied several months ago, and there are multiple stages to it. We have a project with one-time funds, and the daily budgets are tough to keep up with. So we were pleased when this funding came through.” Ground was broken in March for the site, while the foundation and roofing were completed with plumbing and other utility lines being placed. Watson said the project is expected to be completed by mid-August, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony possibly on Oct. 3. “We plan on pushing [the project completion] towards the end of July and hope to be up and running in September when the students return to school,” he said. Utica Shale Academy became the first recipient of Gov. Mike DeWine’s $500 million ARC grant to expand the welding, heavy equipment and robotics programs and provide modern, state-of-the-art opportunities for its students.

Ohio GOP Bait-and-Switch on Revenue from Fracking Under State Parks --Republicans in the Buckeye State (Ohio) are treading on thin ice with a proposed change in the upcoming state budget. When GOP members began advocating for drilling under (not on) state-owned land and state parks in 2011, one of the arguments was that the revenue it would generate would improve state parks. A change in plans is underway with the latest two-year state budget, which would shift those revenues from park improvements to general operations instead. Is this a bait-and-switch?’

Marcellus/Utica Set to Grow Thanks to LNG, Data Centers, Southeast -Marcellus Drilling News-It’s been no secret that natural gas production in the Marcellus/Utica has stalled over the past few years. Since 2021, the M-U has been rangebound in producing somewhere between 34 and 37 Bcf/d (see the chart). The main reason we haven’t expanded our production is the lack of transportation (pipelines) to move our molecules to the markets that can use them. However, the ceiling for M-U production appears to be shattering. New pipeline projects to move more of our molecules are one, but not the only, factor in what may be another growth spurt in M-U production. Another factor is a growing market adjacent to the M-U (the Southeastern U.S.) with extra volumes needed for utility companies to distribute to new customers.

Stalling Pipelines Threatens Natural Gas Supply for Data Center Surge, Execs Say - A decade ago, the natural gas market likened the LNG buildout to a gold rush. Today, the same is being said for data centers. Line chart showing NGI’s Northeast Regional Key Forward Basis Curves as of June 10, 2025, comparing natural gas forward prices for Algonquin Citygate, Iroquois Zone 2, and Transco Zone 6 NY. The chart highlights sharp winter price spikes for Algonquin and Iroquois peaking near $10/MMBtu in early 2026 and 2027, indicating strong seasonal demand and infrastructure constraints in the Northeast U.S. gas market. Source: NGI’s Forward Look. There is a wide range of estimates regarding the amount of natural gas required for power generation to fuel these massive facilities. Projections as high as 20 Bcf/d by 2030 have been touted, according to NRG Energy Inc.’s Rock Graham, manager of origination for the power generation company.

21 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 2 – 8 - Marcellus Drilling News -- For the week of Jun 2 – 8, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica fell from the previous week. There were 21 new permits issued across the three M-U states last week, down 14 from 35 issued two weeks ago. The Keystone State (PA) issued 11—half—of the new permits. Seneca Resources scored six permits for a single pad in Tioga County. EQT (under the name Rice Drilling) received four permits for two pads in Greene County. Sabre Energy received a single permit in Sullivan County. ARSENAL RESOURCES | ASCENT RESOURCES | BELMONT COUNTY | EQT CORP | GREENE COUNTY (PA) | GULFPORT ENERGY | HARRISON COUNTY | HARRISON COUNTY | MARION COUNTY | MARION NATURAL ENERGY | MONROE COUNTY | SENECA RESOURCES | SULLIVAN COUNTY | TIOGA COUNTY (PA)

Court Ruling Allows MVP’s $500 Million Southgate Pipeline Extension to Proceed A U.S. federal appeals court has rejected a legal bid to block the Southgate Extension, a proposed 31-mile addition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) that would expand the natural gas network from Virginia into North Carolina, according to WV Public Broadcasting. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling June 6 denying a petition brought by environmental and community groups seeking to overturn a three-year extension of the project’s federal authorization. The extension was granted in 2023 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), allowing the MVP Southgate project to move forward after years of delays. The court’s decision marks the latest chapter in the long-running saga of the Mountain Valley Pipeline — a 303-mile natural gas line stretching from West Virginia to southern Virginia. Although the mainline was completed last year after years of regulatory and legal hurdles, the Southgate segment remains under development and is projected to cost up to $500 million. That’s in addition to the $10 billion already spent on the original project. EQT Corporation, the largest natural gas producer in the Appalachian region, acquired MVP in 2023. EQT CEO Toby Rice has since indicated that more infrastructure will be needed to support rising regional energy demand driven by data center growth and electricity needs. Environmental groups have long opposed the Southgate expansion. Peter Anderson, director of state energy policy at Appalachian Voices — one of the organizations behind the court challenge — criticized the ruling, citing continued concerns over potential harm to land, waterways, and communities along the pipeline route, WV Public Broadcasting reported.

Cheniere Seeks FERC Approval to Expand Sabine Pass LNG Facility (Reuters) — Cheniere Energy, the largest liquefied natural gas exporter in the U.S., has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permission to expand its Sabine Pass plant, according to a FERC document. Cheniere filed a joint application, dated June 6, to FERC for authorization to construct and operate the Sabine Pass Stage 5 Expansion Project, which would grow the existing Sabine Pass LNG facility in Louisiana. The Sabine Pass terminal, with an annual capacity of 30 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa), is the largest LNG terminal in the U.S. with six liquefaction trains in service. The proposed expansion will include an addition of three natural gas liquefaction trains, each with a maximum LNG production capacity of about 300 billion cubic feet per year, the FERC document showed. Cheniere Chief Executive Officer Jack Fusco said in February that the company plans to aggressively pursue new regulatory permits to expand capacity now that U.S. President Donald Trump is in office. On Trump's first day in office, he declared an energy emergency and restarted approvals for LNG export permits to countries without a free trade agreement with the U.S.

Natural Gas Demand Seen Surging as Plaquemines LNG Development Accelerates -- Venture Global LNG Inc. last week clinched two key approvals from federal regulators for its Plaquemines export facility, meaning another boost in Gulf Coast feed gas demand is imminent this summer. FERC staff on Wednesday (June 4) authorized Venture to begin introducing natural gas to its 12th liquefaction block, marking 26 trains that have entered the commissioning phase. It could also be the final block of the first phase of construction at Plaquemines LNG, depending on Venture’s commissioning process. At the beginning of May, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a request to introduce natural gas to Block 13, the first pair of trains in the second phase of commissioning. Feed gas nominations to the facility on the Gator Express pipeline increased in mid-May, according to Wood Mackenzie pipeline data, indicating the trains began processing gas consistently.

NextDecade Locks in $9 Billion EPC Deals with Bechtel for Rio Grande LNG Trains (P&GJ) — NextDecade Corp. has finalized a refreshed construction contract with Bechtel Energy for Train 4 and signed a new engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement for Train 5 at its Rio Grande LNG facility in Brownsville, Texas, the company announced on June 12. The company said Bechtel will construct Train 4 for approximately $4.77 billion and Train 5 for about $4.32 billion. The fixed-price contracts remain valid through September 15, 2025. In addition to EPC costs, NextDecade expects to incur up to $2 billion in additional expenses per train, including owner’s costs, contingencies, financing fees, and interest during construction. The Train 4 project is fully commercialized, and financing efforts are underway. The company said it aims to reach a final investment decision (FID) before the pricing window expires. For Train 5, NextDecade recently secured a 20-year, 2 million tonnes per annum LNG offtake agreement with Japan’s JERA and is in talks to commercialize another 2.5 MTPA. Financing for Train 5 has also begun, and the company is targeting FID within the same timeframe as Train 4. Both trains are part of the broader expansion of the Rio Grande LNG facility, which began construction on its first three trains in 2023.

Jera Goes Big on U.S. LNG as Tokyo Works Toward Trade Deal with Trump -- Jera Co. Inc., Japan’s largest power generator, announced a series of deals to buy 5.5 million tons/year of U.S. LNG during an event in Washington, DC, late Wednesday. The agreements include two that are nonbinding and one that was disclosed last month. The company said it would buy 1 Mt/year from the Commonwealth LNG plant proposed for Louisiana over a 20-year term. The Commonwealth deal was first announced Wednesday at the U.S. Department of Energy as the Trump administration continues to promote efforts to expand American energy dominance across the globe.

Maintenance Curbs Global Natural Gas Supplies, Pressures Prices — LNG Recap -Global natural gas supplies remain tight heading into the week, with seasonal maintenance underway across all major markets in Asia, Europe and North America. Chart and map of Lower 48 LNG export facilities tracking daily natural gas feedstock flows to sites for market intelligence. The prompt Title Transfer Facility (TTF) contract in Europe slipped by 2% on Monday to close at $11.91/MMBtu after gaining 3% last week. The decline is likely to be short-lived. Planned maintenance at U.S. LNG terminals and seasonal work offshore Norway is cutting into supplies.

US natgas prices drop 4% to 1-week low on rising output, lower flows to LNG plants — U.S. natural gas futures fell about 4% to a one-week low on Monday on an increase in output in recent days and a drop in the amount of gas flowing to liquefied natural gas export plants due to ongoing spring maintenance at several facilities. Gas futures for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 14.9 cents, or 3.9%, to settle at $3.635 per million British thermal units, their lowest close since May 30. Fast-growing volumes of gas in storage have also helped keep futures prices in check in recent weeks. Gas stockpiles are about 5% above normal for this time of year and analysts forecast energy firms made a record-tying, seventh triple-digit injection during the week ended June 6. The last time energy firms added 100 bcf or more of gas into storage for seven weeks in a row was in June 2014, according to federal energy data going back to 2010. Another factor keeping pressure on futures prices over the past month or so has been low cash prices. Next-day gas prices at the U.S. Henry Hub benchmark (in Louisiana were trading around $2.68 per mmBtu, a six-month low, keeping spot contracts below front-month futures every day since late April. Analysts have said that so long as spot prices remain far enough below front-month futures to cover margin and storage costs, traders should be able to lock in arbitrage profits by buying spot gas, storing it and selling a futures contract. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states has held at 105.2 billion cubic feet per day so far in June, the same as in May. That is down from a monthly record high of 106.3 bcfd in March due primarily to normal spring maintenance. Output so far this month is higher than LSEG projected on Friday when the average was just 104.8 bcfd in June. Energy firms usually work on gas pipes and other equipment in the spring and autumn when demand for the fuel for heating and cooling is low. Meteorologists project weather across the Lower 48 states will remain mostly warmer than normal through June 24. LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 98.6 bcfd this week to 100.7 bcfd next week. The forecast for this week was higher than LSEG's outlook on Friday. The average amount of gas flowing to the eight big U.S. LNG export plants fell to 13.8 bcfd so far in June, down from 15.0 bcfd in May and a monthly record high of 16.0 bcfd in April. Traders said LNG feedgas reductions since April were primarily due to spring maintenance, including work at Cameron LNG's 2.0-bcfd plant in Louisiana and Cheniere Energy's LNG 4.5-bcfd Sabine Pass in Louisiana. Energy traders have noted that LNG maintenance would likely continue through mid-June at Cameron and late-June at Sabine.

US natgas prices ease to one-week low on lower demand, big storage builds — -- U.S. natural gas futures eased to a one-week low on forecasts for lower demand this week, a slight increase in daily output and a record-tying seventh triple-digit injection of gas into storage last week. That small decline came despite expectations gas flows to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants will rise now that Cameron LNG's plant in Louisiana was set to take in more fuel as it exits a maintenance reduction. Gas futures for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 1.5 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $3.492 per million British thermal units, their lowest close since May 30 for a fourth day in a row. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said energy firms added 109 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas into storage during the week ended June 6. That was in line with the 108-bcf injection analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and compared with an increase of 77 bcf during the same week last year and a five-year average build of 87 bcf for this time of year. The last time energy firms added 100 bcf or more of gas into storage for seven weeks in a row was in June 2014, according to EIA data going back to 2010. So far this year, energy firms have pulled a monthly record high of 1.013 bcf of gas out of storage during a brutally cold January and added a monthly record high of 497 bcf into storage in May when mild weather kept both heating and cooling demand low, according to federal energy data. The prior all-time monthly injection high was 494 bcf in May 2015. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states eased to 105.1 billion cubic feet per day so far in June, down from 105.2 bcfd in May and a monthly record high of 106.3 bcfd in March due primarily to normal spring maintenance. Output so far this month, however, was higher than the 105.0 bcfd projected on Wednesday. Meteorologists forecast weather across the Lower 48 states will remain mostly warmer than normal through June 27. LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 98.1 bcfd this week to 99.9 bcfd next week. The forecast for this week was lower than LSEG's outlook on Wednesday. The average amount of gas flowing to the eight big U.S. LNG export plants fell to 14.0 bcfd so far in June, down from 15.0 bcfd in May and a monthly record high of 16.0 bcfd in April. Traders said LNG feedgas reductions since April were primarily due to spring maintenance, including work at Cameron LNG's 2.0-bcfd plant in Louisiana and Cheniere Energy's LNG 4.5-bcfd Sabine Pass in Louisiana and 3.9-bcfd Corpus Christi in Texas, and short, unplanned unit outages at Freeport LNG's 2.1-bcfd plant in Texas on May 6, May 23, May 28 and June 3.

US natgas prices climb 3% on soaring oil futures after Israel strikes Iran (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures climbed about 3% on Friday, tracking gains in oil prices after Israel launched strikes against Iran, raising worries the conflict could disrupt Middle Eastern oil and gas supplies. U.S. crude futures jumped $4.94, or 7.3%, to settle at $72.98 a barrel, their highest close since February. Gas futures for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 8.9 cents, or 2.5%, to settle at $3.581 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Thursday, the contract closed at its lowest level since May 30 for a fourth day in a row. For the week, the front-month was down about 5% after gaining about 13% over the prior two weeks. So far this year, energy firms have pulled a monthly record high of 1.013 trillion cubic feet of gas out of storage during a brutally cold January and added a monthly record high of 497 billion cubic feet into storage in May when mild weather kept both heating and cooling demand low, according to federal energy data. The prior all-time monthly injection high was 494 bcf in May 2015. Analysts expect energy firms will set another storage record this week with an eighth triple-digit injection. The U.S. Energy Information Administration will release the June 13 storage report a day ahead of usual on Wednesday, June 18, due to the U.S. Juneteenth holiday on June 19. During the week ended June 6, energy firms added 100 bcf or more of gas into storage for seven weeks in a row, tying the seven-week triple-digit injection record set in June 2014, according to federal energy data going back to 2010. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states eased to 105.1 billion cubic feet per day so far in June, down from 105.2 bcfd in May and a monthly record high of 106.3 bcfd in March due primarily to normal spring maintenance. Meteorologists forecast weather across the Lower 48 states will remain mostly warmer than normal through June 28. With hotter summer weather coming, LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 98.5 bcfd this week to 98.8 bcfd next week and 102.1 bcfd in two weeks. The forecast for this week was higher than LSEG's outlook on Thursday, while its forecast for next week was lower.

Specter of Broader Middle East War, LNG Supply Disruptions Push Global Natural Gas Prices Higher --Global natural gas prices surged on Friday after Israel launched an attack against Iran, threatening a broader conflict in the Middle East that could disrupt energy flows in the region. Map showing key maritime chokepoints around the Arabian Peninsula, including the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal. Also highlighted are the SUMED pipeline, the East-West crude oil pipeline, and regional nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, and Qatar. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Optimized for understanding global energy transport risks. Israel targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure and top military officials in a marked escalation of a conflict between the two nations that has simmered in recent years. Iran responded by launching missile and drone attacks, while the United States positioned war ships to defend Israel and American assets in the region. “What makes this situation different is that, unlike the previous incidents where Iran struck first and Israel responded, this time Israel launched the initial attack,” said Rystad Energy analyst Jorge León. “This reversal could have a significant impact on how markets assess the risk of further escalation.”

Natural Gas Prices to Rally on LNG Demand Momentum in Back Half of 2025, EIA Forecasts -- Natural gas spot prices are expected to rise amid summer cooling demand and continue to advance through the balance of 2025 as export activity ramps up, according to an updated federal forecast. Line chart titled "US Natural Gas Prices" showing Henry Hub bidweek prices, residential prices, and forward-looking forecasts from 2020 through 2026. The graphic highlights seasonal volatility in residential prices and projected increases in Henry Hub forward prices through mid-2025, based on data from NGI and the U.S. Energy Information Administration's June 2025 Short-Term Energy Outlook. In the June release of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), published Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected that Henry Hub spot prices would average $4.00/MMBtu for all of this year and $4.90 in 2026. The estimates compare with an actual average of $2.20 in 2024 and shoulder season prices this year that hovered around $3.00. “We expect natural gas prices will rise in the coming months as the United States exports more LNG and demand for natural gas from the electric power sector increases seasonally,” EIA researchers said in the latest STEO.

Cleanup continues into the weekend after 5,000 gallon diesel fuel spill — Crews returned to Harbor East Saturday to continue cleaning up lingering fuel that spilled into the harbor Wednesday. What was initially thought to be a 2,000-gallon spill is actually a 5,000-gallon spill, according to Johns Hopkins on Friday evening. The red tint seen across the harbor earlier this week is now hard to spot after crews spent the last few days cleaning up the harbor. Though streaks of fuel in the water could still be seen on Saturday. “I was just walking around. I heard about the oil spill,” said Baltimore resident Matthew Aubourg. “Just wanted to check it out for myself and see what some of the impacts might be in the area.” Aubourg said he’s thinking ahead, hoping Johns Hopkins does everything to make things right. “That they also pay for and account for the externalities of the impacts,” he said. “So, not just the cleanup but the things that the spill has impacted, and putting in the necessary precautions so that this doesn’t happen again.” On Friday, Governor Wes Moore and Mayor Brandon Scott wrote in a joint statement that there continues to be no impact on drinking water or air quality in the area. They said the operation is transitioning from an emergency response to a remediation response. “Contractors hired by Johns Hopkins will continue work to clean the remaining spill onsite,” the statement reads. “As the scope of the cleanup remains fluid, the scene is expected to remain active over the weekend.” The Baltimore Water Taxi did not operate on Saturday due to the containment boom at multiple locations. That includes harbor trolley services and harbor cruises. The water taxi service said it did not include any private charter bookings, as that vessel was out of the area of containment prior to the boom being placed. Service along the Harbor Connector Route 1 Line from Maritime Park to Locust Point is suspended until further notice. Harbor Connector Routes 2 and 3 will continue to operate. The Charm City Circulator is starting to run a shuttle service from Fleet and Caroline to Key Hwy and Hull Street for Harbor Connector passengers in need of transport. All watercraft should avoid the area between Harbor Point and Henderson’s Wharf until further notice. The Central Avenue roadway will remain closed between Lancaster and Point Street as operations continue. These closures include pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Aging caverns imperil Trump push to refill petroleum reserve - President Donald Trump pledged to replenish the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve after the Biden administration sold nearly 200 million barrels of its stock — but that won’t be as simple as buying more oil. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy this week that SPR drawdowns under former President Joe Biden resulted in structural damage to facilities. More than $100 million of repairs are needed to bring the storage facilities back to full capacity, Wright said. And nearly filling it back up could cost billions of dollars. “The immediate thing we need to do is finish the repairs on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It was drawn down so quickly, and that causes some damage to the infrastructure itself,” Wright said in testimony. “Those repairs are ongoing, and it costs a nontrivial amount of money to repair the SPR.” Wright did not specify what was damaged or what repairs were being made. Neither the White House nor the Department of Energy responded to questions from POLITICO’s E&E News about the damage. But maintenance issues with the SPR began long before the 2022 drawdowns, records show. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, established because of the 1970s energy crisis, was created to ensure that the U.S. had emergency fuel if global or domestic fuel supplies were disrupted. Fears of possible new disruptions sent crude prices higher Thursday night as Israel launched an attack against Iran’s nuclear program. The Biden administration released nearly 200 million barrels of oil from the reserves in 2022, when oil prices spiked globally after Russia invaded Ukraine. That decision provoked fierce criticism from Republicans, who said Biden was trying to keep fuel prices low in efforts to be reelected in 2024. Trump returned to the White House this year after winning the 2024 election, in part based on his pledge to lower the cost of energy and other goods.The SPR is made up of four geologic sites, two along the Texas Gulf Coast and two in Louisiana. The four sites have 60 salt caverns combined — each of which is large enough to hold Chicago’s Willis Tower. Together, they had a storage capacity of up to 713.5 million barrels as of August 2024, according to the Department of Energy The reserves stood at 401.8 million barrels on May 30 of this year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wright said he would seek $20 billion in funding to pump reserves up to about 700 million barrels, according to an interview with Bloomberg in March.

U.S. Pipeline Expansion to Add 99 Bcf/d, Mostly for LNG Export, Report Finds | Pipeline and Gas Journal — A new report by the Center for Energy & Environmental Analysis (CEEA) highlights a dramatic surge in U.S. natural gas pipeline construction, with more than 100 projects either planned or under development. The report finds that the vast majority of this infrastructure—roughly 80% of activepipeline capacity—is intended to support liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, not U.S. energy independence.According to the data, 104 natural gas transmission pipeline projects are in the works, totaling 99 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in potential new capacity. That figure nearly matches the total U.S. gas production in 2024, estimated at 103 Bcf/d. Of the 99 Bcf/d, about 67 Bcf/d is expected to be added between 2025 and 2027—more than double the capacity added in the last three years.CEEA's analysis shows that nine of the ten largest projects in development run through Texas and Louisiana, positioning them to feed LNG export terminals located in those states. These projects are driving what the report describes as a “tidal wave” of capacity intended for international markets—particularly in Asia and Europe—rather than meeting domestic heating, manufacturing, or power generation needs. The report argues this export-driven buildout could raise natural gas prices for U.S. consumers and businesses while locking in long-term fossil fuel emissions, particularly from methane leaks and flaring. Although only a small percentage of methane emissions occur during transmission, the report warns that pipeline expansions will increase upstream production, where the bulk of methane leakage happens.Communities along the Gulf Coast—especially in Louisiana and Texas—are expected to bear the brunt of this buildout, with added emissions from construction, flaring, and operations compounding existing environmental and public health concerns. CEEA cites studies showing these areas are already overburdened by petrochemical infrastructure and pollution. The report also flags concern that such large-scale buildouts are incompatible with U.S. climate goals and net-zero pledges. Despite permitting challenges and market uncertainty, the current regulatory environment could accelerate pipeline approvals, especially under deregulatory policies.

Glenfarne Advances to Next Phase of Search for Alaska LNG Partners More than 50 companies from North America, Asia and Europe have expressed interest in partnering to advance the long-delayed Alaska LNG project, according to lead developer Glenfarne Group LLC. The company launched a strategic partner selection process for the 20 million ton/year project in May. It said after completing the first round of the process that companies in Japan, the European Union, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States have formally expressed interest. The companies are interested in supplying equipment, material, services, investment and signing offtake agreements, among other things, Glenfarne said.

Coast Guard responds to waste oil spill at Tinian harbor THE U.S. Coast Guard responded to a 30-gallon waste oil spill from the 145-foot U.S.-flagged freight ship Mariana at the Tinian Harbor on Friday, June 6, 2025. The USCG is the lead federal agency for oil spills in coastal waters. According to USCG Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam Public Affairs Officer Sarah Muir, “The responsible party took immediate action on detection of the spill from the vessel’s waste oil containment and notified the U.S. Coast Guard on the morning of June 6. The operator of the Mariana reported the source secure, no additional leak or discharge, and an estimate around 30 gallons of waste oil. The response team is working diligently to contain and clean up the waste oil.” The Mariana, she said, is carrying general cargo, and holds a valid Certificate of Inspection issued in March 2024. “An investigation into the cause of the spill is underway, led by the U.S. Coast Guard, given the commercial nature of the vessel. The U.S. Coast Guard is collaborating with local agencies, including the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, to monitor environmental impacts and ensure a thorough response. There are no immediate reports of wildlife or shoreline impacts, but monitoring continues,” Muir added. The waste oil spill was contained by Friday afternoon, Variety learned A Tinian resident, who requested anonymity, said: “Top notch response. For many locals, the biggest concern is the impact on marine life. We feed our families fishing these waters.” The Coast Guard responders deployed containment and sorbent booms to prevent the spread of oil in accordance with the vessel’s approved response plan, prioritizing the protection of Tinian’s marine ecosystems. Additional response supplies arrived on Tinian from Saipan. A marine science technician from U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Saipan oversaw operations, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and effective containment strategies, the Coast Guard said.

Clean up complete for oil spill in Tinian Harbor - Responders completed the cleanup of a waste oil spill from the 145-foot U.S.-flagged freight ship Mariana in Tinian Harbor, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The U.S. Coast Guard monitored the response, ensuring swift action to protect Tinian’s marine ecosystems with no recoverable oil product remaining. The U.S. Coast Guard’s role focused on oversight, not a federalized response, with Marine Safety Unit Saipan personnel ensuring compliance and an effective response. “The rapid response by the Mariana’s operator and responders demonstrates the actions we expect from vessel operators,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Jon Kramer, Marine Safety Unit Saipan. “Our commitment to the public and Tinian’s environment drives us to ensure thorough, effective spill response.” The U.S. Coast Guard collaborated with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality and CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife, confirming no significant wildlife or shoreline impacts. An initial investigation into the cause of the spill was conducted, given the Mariana’s commercial status. The team determined this incident did not meet the established criteria to classify it as a serious marine incident requiring further investigation. The operator of the Mariana acted promptly upon detecting the spill on June 6, securing the source and notifying the U.S. Coast Guard. Responders, including personnel from the Mariana and motor vessel Galide, deployed containment and sorbent boom following the vessel’s approved response plan. The spill, estimated at 30 gallons of waste oil, was initially addressed with booms and sorbent material. The wind pushed the remaining waste oil to the harbor’s corner before it evaporated or responders removed it. Cleanup concluded ahead of schedule, with Cabras Marine Corporation resupplying Tinian and the Mariana’s response equipment before departure.

Alberta Proposes New Oil Pipeline to BC’s Prince Rupert Port (Reuters) — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on June 11 the province is working to present Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a proponent and route for a potential new crude pipeline from Alberta to the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia. Smith told reporters at an energy conference in Calgary that her government is in talks with Canada's major pipeline companies in the hope that a private sector proponent will take the lead on Alberta's vision of a new, 1-million-barrel-per-day crude oil conduit to B.C.'s northwest coast. She said Alberta aims to gauge private companies' interest in coming together as a consortium to build the pipeline. "Or if one (company) emerges as being a principal proponent, then we'll be interested in talking to them too," Smith said. Canada currently sends approximately 90 per cent of its oil exports to the U.S., but has been seeking to diversify due to trade tensions and tariff threats from President Donald Trump. Alberta, Canada's main oil-producing province, is keen to see construction of a new export pipeline, to give Canada's oil industry the ability to boost production long-term. No private company has publicly expressed interest in building such a project. Smith said she hopes Carney, who won a minority government in April, will make good on his pledge to speed permitting times for major infrastructure projects. Companies will not commit to building a pipeline, Smith said, without confidence in the federal government's intent to bring about regulatory reform. Alberta is proposing that a new oil pipeline be built in tandem with the Pathways Alliance's carbon capture and storage project, which has been proposed by a consortium of oil sands companies to reduce emissions from Canada's energy sector. The companies have not been successful in negotiating an agreement with both levels of government over funding support for the project. Smith said the Pathways project, which could cost between $10 billion and $20 billion to build, would be more likely to be green-lit by oil companies if they had the assurance of revenue growth that a new crude export pipeline would bring. Canada is the world's fourth-largest oil producer. The country achieved record oil production last year as the opening of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in May 2024 tripled the country's oil export capacity off the B.C. west coast to 890,000 barrels per day. However, construction of that project was marred by regulatory delays and costs soaring to more than four times the pipeline's original budget.

Methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells in Canada are seven times worse than thought, study suggests --Methane emissions from Canada's non-producing oil and gas wells appear to be seven times higher than government estimates, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill University. The findings spotlight a major gap in the country's official greenhouse gas inventory and raise urgent questions about how methane leaks are monitored, reported and managed."Non-producing wells are one of the most uncertain sources of methane emissions in Canada," said Mary Kang, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at McGill and senior author on the paper. "We measured the highest methane emission rate from a non-producing oil and gas well ever reported in Canada."Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Over a 20-year period, it traps about 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than the same amount of carbon dioxide. It's also associated with air pollution and health risks. Kang's team directly measured methane emissions from 494 wells across five provinces using a chamber-based method and analyzed well-level data such as age, depth and plugging status.The national emissions estimate they arrived at—230 kilotonnes per year—is sevenfold higher than the 34 kilotonnes reported in Canada's National Inventory Report. The study was published in Environmental Science & Technology.There are more than 425,000 inactive oil and gas wells across Canada, most of which are in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This means that the number of measured wells is very small, at only 0.1 percent."One surprising finding was just how much the drivers of emissions varied between provinces," said Kang. "We thought geological differences within provinces would matter more, but the dominant factors appear to be at the provincial scale, likely due to variations in policy and operational practices." (a) Non-producing well distribution across Canada with two pie charts for each province/territory (left pie chart shows well status, right pie chart shows well type). The size of the pie chart is indicative of well counts in each province/territory (Table S5). (b) Undocumented well count estimates for each province/territory in Canada The results reveal that a small fraction of wells—especially unplugged gas wells—are responsible for the vast majority of non-producing well methane emissions. Kang says targeting these high emitters would be an efficient way to reduce emissions."Rather than just measuring more wells at random, we can use well attributes to identify where emissions are likely to be highest, and focus monitoring and mitigation efforts there," she said.The study serves as a reminder of the need to rethink how old wells are managed.

Argentina, Brazil LNG Imports Drop as Market Fundamentals Offset Demand — LatAm Recap =LNG prices in Latin America have remained in check in early June, but that has not led to a spot market buying spree. Chart showing delivered ex-ship LNG prices specific to the Latin American LNG market. July delivered ex-ship (DES) prices to the Bahia Blanca terminal in Argentina were $11.81/MMBtu on Monday (June 9), up slightly on the day. August DES prices at Argentina's sole import terminal dropped 29 cents to $11.20. DES prices at the Pecém terminal in Brazil were $11.62, while in Colombia they were $11.47.

The Rosebank oilfield: Why more UK oil means more global emissions -The UK government will soon face a momentous decision over whether to approve production in the Rosebank oilfield off the coast of Shetland. Rosebank is the UK's biggest undeveloped field. Its proponents—the largest of which is the Norwegian state-owned petroleum company Equinor—estimate that it will produce the equivalent of up to 500 million barrels of oil between 2026 and 2051. When burned, this oil will generate up to 200 million tons of carbon dioxide, which is more than the combined annual emissions of 28 low-income countries. Thanks to recent court cases, the climateeffects of those "combustion emissions" will need to be taken into account by the government when it decides whether to approve production at Rosebank. In a new report, two colleagues and I reviewed the evidence concerning the implications of new oil and gas fields in the UK. There is a rapidly dwindling global carbon budget for holding temperature increases to below 1.5°C of warming (the more conservative end of the Paris agreement's temperature goal). Globally, the emissions from burning the fossil fuels in oil and gas fields and coalmines that are already operating or under development far exceed that budget. In this context, Rosebank's combustion emissions are highly significant, as they add considerably to that excess. We also found that the projected production from existing fields is sufficient to meet or exceed global oil and gas demand in modeled economic scenarios in which climate warming is restrained to within 1.5°C. This is further evidence that new fields are not consistent with achieving globally agreed temperature goals.However, it is often asserted by supporters of new fields that keeping UK oil in the ground won't reduce global emissions, because another producer will supply the demand and reap the benefits. This is a gross and dangerous oversimplification, which—according to the United Nations Environment Programme—"defies the basic economics of supply and demand". Allowing a new field like Rosebank would increase the supply of oil globally, resulting in a fall in its price, which—though small—would cause more oil to be consumed. As UK government advisers at the Climate Change Committee haveacknowledged, new petroleum projects "support a larger global market overall" for petroleum. Stopping Rosebank would have the opposite effect, and lead to less oil consumed.

New oil and gas fields incompatible with Paris climate goals --Opening any new North Sea oil and gas fields is incompatible with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement goals of limiting warming to 1.5°C or holding warming to "well below 2°C" relative to preindustrial levels, finds a new report published by UCL academics.Researchers behind the study, based at the UCL Energy Institute, UCL Department of Political Science and UCL Policy Lab, are now calling on the UK Government to stop licensing new oil and gas exploration, and refuse development consent for already-licensed fields.On a practical level, this would mean an end to issuing new licenses to explore for oil and gas. The researchers also urge the Government to decide against allowing the development of already-licensed North Sea oilfields. This includes the controversial Rosebank and Jackdaw oilfields, whose previous approvals were deemed unlawful by a Scottish court in January this year. "Climate impacts are already threatening people's homes, our farming and our economy, so reducing emissions is now urgent. We've brought together the peer-reviewed scientific literature on oil and gas, which sends a clear message: there's no room for new fields to be opened. When you're in a hole, you have to stop digging."For the report, the researchers analyzed the latest scientific evidence and literature on the climate implications of new oil and gas extraction projects.The report draws on the authors' recent peer-reviewed research papers published in journals, including Science and Nature, as well as hundreds of other peer-reviewed studies, reports and datasets.They found that if the world burns all the oil and gas in existing fields, the resulting carbon dioxide emissions would warm the planet in excess of the 1.5°C limit established by the Paris Climate Agreement. Any new oil and gas fields would further exacerbate that excess.The latest estimate of the world's "committed emissions"—the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions created by burning the fossil fuels to be extracted from oil and gas fields that are currently operating or under development—would amount to 469 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. This is approximately three times the amount of carbon dioxide needed to push the planet past 1.5°C of warming.Researchers say the timing of the study is important because the UK Government is facing at least two significant decisions about new oil and gas fields in the North Sea. First, how to implement its policy of ending new exploration licensing. Second, whether to re-approve development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.In the UK, there's typically a two-stage process for the full development of a new oil field. Companies first receive an award of a license that gives them the right to explore for oil and gas in an area. Upon the discovery of a field, the company can then apply for a development consent to begin to extract oil and gas from the field.In the report, the UCL researchers recommend stopping all future licenses to explore, and not granting new development consents to fields that have been explored but not yet tapped.

Equinor Signs $27 Billion Natural Gas Supply Agreement with Centrica to Bolster UK Energy Security - Equinor has entered into a landmark agreement with UK-based energy company Centrica to supply natural gas to the United Kingdom over the next decade. The deal, valued at approximately £20 billion ($27.11 billion), will deliver 55 terawatt-hours (TWh) of natural gas annually—equivalent to around five billion cubic meters (bcm)—beginning Oct. 1, 2025. The gas will be priced according to market conditions at the time of delivery. This new contract reinforces a long-standing relationship between Equinor and the UK that began in 2005. It also significantly enhances the UK’s energy security by securing stable supplies from Norway, one of the country’s key energy partners. According to Equinor, the volume covered by the agreement will account for nearly 10% of the UK’s total natural gas demand each year. “I am very pleased to strengthen the energy partnership with the UK and our long-standing partner and customer Centrica,” said Anders Opedal, Equinor’s president and CEO. “This agreement will continue to support the UK’s energy security with reliable gas supplies from the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The flexibility that natural gas offers will play a key role in enabling further development of renewable power and decarbonization in the UK.” The UK remains heavily dependent on imported gas to meet its energy needs. In 2024, 66.2% of the country's gas requirements were met through imports, with Norway providing approximately 50.2% of those imports. This marks a notable increase from 2022, when around one-third of UK gas imports originated from Norway. The latest agreement not only cements Norway's role as a principal gas supplier but also supports the UK’s broader energy resilience goals. In a forward-looking component, the contract includes a provision for transitioning from natural gas to hydrogen as market conditions and infrastructure evolve. This supports both countries’ ambitions to advance the development of hydrogen as a clean energy source and aligns with the UK’s net-zero targets. “The UK and the North Sea is a core area in our long-term ambitions to remain a supplier of reliable energy and to help decarbonize societies and industries,” said Alex Grant, Equinor’s UK country manager. “The new gas sales agreement with Centrica will be a key element in this. Energy security and decarbonization must go hand in hand, and I am proud that Equinor is actively delivering both.” The deal comes as Equinor continues to expand its upstream activities in the region. In March, the company began production at the Halten East field in the Norwegian Sea. Operated by Equinor Energy, which holds a 69.5% interest, the project is developed in partnership with Vår Energi (24.6%) and Petoro (5.9%). 10:23 PM

Egypt Signs LNG Supply Deals Worth $8 Billion Through 2026 (Reuters) — Egypt has reached agreements with several energy firms and trading houses to buy between 150-160 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to cover power demand from now until the end of 2026, industry sources aware of the matter told Reuters. The gas purchases, costing over $8 billion based on current prices, will add more pressure on government coffers which are already under strain to keep the lights on amid falling gas production and a cost of living crisis. Egypt’s hard currency crunch has delayed payments to international oil firms, curbing exploration and slowing oil and gas output. Agreements have been reached with global energy companies and trading houses including Saudi Aramco, Shell, Vitol, Trafigura, BGN, SOCAR, and PetroChina, the sources said. Between 50-60 cargoes will be used to cover this year's demand. This is on top of 75 cargoes the country has already purchased earlier this year. The rest will be for deliveries through end-2026. The cargoes were priced at a premium of $0.70-$0.75 above the gas price at the Dutch TTF hub, with a nine-month deferred payment. Cairo has the flexibility to defer cargoes and some of the companies have the option to provide Cairo with additional LNG cargoes if needed. Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) did not immediately respond to Reuters' quest for comment. Over the past two years, Egypt has endured rolling blackouts as natural gas supply fell short of demand. Egypt's own gas output in February hit its lowest level in nine years. The world's most populous Arab country returned to being a net importer of gas last year, buying dozens of cargoes and abandoning plans to become a supplier to Europe as its production tumbled. Egypt has bought 1.84 million tons (mt) of LNG this year, data from S&P Global Commodity Insights shows. That's almost 75% of its total for 2024.

Iraq's oil export volume to US falls by 21,000 bpd - Iraq’s crude oil exports to the United States dropped last week, according to data released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Sunday.The EIA reported that total US crude imports from nine major suppliers averaged 5.491M barrels per day (bpd) during the past week—down by 309,000 bpd from the previous week’s 5.800M bpd.Iraqi oil exports to the US averaged 214,000 bpd, a decline of 21,000 bpd compared to the 235,000 bpd recorded the previous week.Canada remained the top exporter to the US, shipping an average of 3.519M bpd, followed by Saudi Arabia (578,000 bpd), Brazil (409,000 bpd), and Mexico (387,000 bpd). Both Colombia and Iraq each contributed 214,000 bpd.Other import sources included Venezuela at 107,000 bpd, Nigeria at 59,000 bpd, and Ecuador at just 4,000 bpd.

Kenya Plans to Launch Crude Oil Exports in 2026 --Kenya hopes it will begin commercial crude oil production and exports next year, Opiyo Wandayi, Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, said on Monday, as companies are finalizing an asset sale and development project plans for an onshore resource basin.The East African country has oil and gas resources, but development has stalled after UK-listed Tullow Oil failed to secure investor partners for a major oil project that has been years in the making.Tullow Oil and its minority partners sought to develop the South Lokichar project for years. However, French supermajor TotalEnergies and London-listed Africa Oil decided two years ago to withdraw from the project in Kenya, leaving Tullow Oil the sole owner of the blocks and further complicating Kenya’s oil dream.Plans have been made for the development of the oil fields discovered in the South–Lokichar Basin in Kenya’s north. The partners had sought to secure financing for a pipeline to ship the crude out of the landlocked northern region.Earlier this year, Tullow Oil plc said it had signed a heads of terms agreement with Gulf Energy Ltd to sell all its working interests in Kenya for at least $120 million.Currently, Gulf Energy is finalizing the acquisition of Tullow Oil’s assets, while the Field Development Plan (FDP) for the South Lokichar basin is pending approval, Kenyan media reported on Monday.The project is expected to produce between 60,000 and 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) initially, with an estimated 560 million barrels recoverable over 25 years.This could position Kenya as a player in the global oil market, Wandayi said today.The cabinet secretary said in March that Kenya expects to launch an oil and gas exploration round for 10 blocks in September.The Kenyan government has renewed its efforts to launch an oil and gas industry and is offering tax incentives, among other incentives.

Pipeline rupture causes oil spill in Thailand - On the night of June 5, a crude oil spill occurred off the coast of Sriracha in Thailand’s Chonburi Province due to a raptured pipeline. The incident happened at the SBM-2 (Single Buoy Mooring) terminal while the Phoenix Jamnagar, a Singapore-registered supertanker, was offloading oil during severe weather. High waves and strong winds caused the ship’s emergency breakaway system to activate, leading to a rupture in the pipeline and a leak of approximately 10,000 to 20,000 litres of crude oil over a 30-minute period. Thai Oil Public Company Limited, which operates the terminal, immediately halted the transfer and enacted its emergency response plan. The company deployed three containment booms and dispersant chemicals, and dispatched the clean-up vessel Chonthara Anurak to the spill site. By 6:05 a.m. on June 6, Thai Oil had alerted the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center (ThaiMECC) to the incident. A coordinated multi-agency response followed, involving the Royal Thai Navy, the Marine Department, the Pollution Control Department, and aerial surveillance units using UAVs, helicopters, and a Dornier 228 aircraft. Despite rough sea conditions, the leak was contained and no further oil was visible on the evening of June 6. No injuries or environmental damage to marine life have been reported so far, though monitoring continues.

Saudi, Russia, Iraq, UAE boost oil supply to India, capture 78% market share - India’s top four oil suppliers Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, and the UAE all key OPEC+ members, have sharply increased crude shipments to India, collectively supplying an additional 375,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May compared to April. Their combined market share in India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, has now reached about 78%. According to energy tracker Vortexa, these four nations exceeded their OPEC+ commitment of 359,000 bpd production increase under the alliance’s expansion plan of 409,000 bpd. Russia remained India’s largest crude supplier, benefiting from ongoing barrel discounts. In May, Saudi Arabia boosted output by 166,000 bpd and increased exports to India by 135,673 bpd, raising its market share to 13.1%. Russia, Iraq, and the UAE raised output by 79,000 bpd, 37,000 bpd, and 77,000 bpd respectively, exporting 114,016 bpd, 66,642 bpd, and 58,365 bpd to India. Their combined share climbed 8.1 percentage points to 77.5%. Conversely, African suppliers’ share dropped from 11.8% to 4.9%, and US crude exports to India declined to 5.7% from 7%. Saudi Arabia’s increased supply to India came with significant price cuts to Asian buyers, with Saudi Aramco lowering the May official selling price for Arab Light crude by $2.30 per barrel — its lowest in nearly four years. This pricing strategy has made Middle Eastern crude more competitive versus Brent-linked grades, analysts say. Looking ahead, eight OPEC+ countries plan to increase output by an additional 411,000 bpd in June and July, keeping crude prices steady between $60-$65 per barrel, well below the 2024 average of $80. An Indian refinery executive said, “Saudi is offering attractive prices to gain share in India,” underscoring the growing competition for India’s expanding crude market.

OPEC oil output in May rises less than planned, Reuters survey finds - OPEC oil output rose in May by less than the volume planned, a Reuters survey found, as Iraq made further cuts to compensate for earlier pumping above target and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates made smaller hikes than allowed. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 26.75 million barrels per day last month, up 150,000 bpd from April's total, the survey showed on Monday, with Saudi Arabia making the largest increase. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 26.75 million barrels per day last month, up 150,000 bpd from April's total, the survey showed on Monday, with Saudi Arabia making the largest increase. OPEC+, which comprises OPEC and its allies, including Russia, is accelerating its plan to unwind its most recent layer of output cuts. At the same time, some members are required to make extra cuts to compensate for earlier overproduction, in theory limiting the impact of the hikes. Under an agreement by eight OPEC+ members covering May output, the five of them that are OPEC members - Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - were to raise output by 310,000 bpd. According to the survey, the actual increase by the five was 180,000 bpd, as compensation cuts by Iraq and lower exports by Saudi Arabia limited the increase. The biggest hike of 130,000 bpd came from Saudi Arabia, the survey found.

IEA Ready to Tap Oil Reserves After Israel-Iran Strikes; OPEC Pushes Back (Reuters) — The West's energy watchdog said on June 13 it was ready to release oil stocks should the market experience shortages following Israel's attack on Iran, drawing criticism from rival OPEC which said the statement would only create fear in the market. The International Energy Agency, representing oil consumers, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, representing some of the world's top oil producers, have in recent years clashed on global oil demand trajectories and the pace of the energy transition. The IEA's head Fatih Birol said that while the oil market was well supplied, the agency would be ready to act if needed, adding that the agency's oil security system held 1.2 billion barrels of oil in strategic and emergency reserves. OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais criticized Birol's statement, saying it "raises false alarms and projects a sense of market fear through repeating the unnecessary need to potentially use oil emergency stocks". He said there were no developments in supply or market dynamics that "warrant unnecessary measures". Oil prices jumped sharply after Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed a swathe of military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon. Oil prices were trading 7% higher, their biggest daily spike since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. The United States and its allies, in coordination with the IEA, last tapped emergency oil stocks in early 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a decision that OPEC heavily criticized at the time. While Israel has stopped short of targeting Iran's energy facilities, market participants are wary the situation may escalate further leading to damage to energy infrastructure in Iran or its neighbors, as well as a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In September 2019, Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen launched a drone attack on Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing plant, knocking 5.7 million bpd of Saudi oil production offline and sending the oil market into a frenzy. Iran's diplomatic relations with its Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have improved significantly since that attack, though there are still some concerns in the region of a repeat of the Abqaiq scenario. "Oil has already spiked ... and its ultimate landing point will likely hinge on whether Iran revives the 2019 playbook and targets tankers, pipelines, and key energy facilities across the region," RBC Capital Markets analyst Helima Croft said in a note following the Israeli attack.

China's Export Growth in May Slowed to a Three-Month Low - The oil market traded higher on Monday as U.S.-China trade talks resumed after U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation on Thursday. The market traded lower in overnight trading on news that China’s export growth in May slowed to a three-month low as U.S. tariffs cut shipments while factory gate deflation deepened to its worst level in two years. The crude market posted a low of $64.20 before it retraced its losses. The crude market extended its gains to $65.27 by mid-day. The market later gave up some of its gains and traded sideways before it rallied to a high of $65.38 ahead of the close. The July WTI contract settled up 71 cents at $65.29 and continued to trend higher in the post settlement period to a high of $65.43. The August Brent contract settled up 57 cents at $67.04. The product markets ended the session higher, with the heating oil market settling up 2.11 cents at $2.1464 and the RB market settling up 1.84 cents at $2.0952.Top U.S. and Chinese officials were meeting in London on Monday to try to defuse a high-stakes trade dispute that has widened beyond tit-for-tat tariffs to restrictions over rare earths. Officials from the two superpowers were meeting to try to get back on track with a preliminary agreement struck last month in Geneva that had briefly lowered the temperature between Washington and Beijing. Attending the talks in London are U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and a Chinese contingent headed by Vice Premier He Lifeng. The second round of meetings comes four days after U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping spoke by phone, their first direct interaction since President Trump’s inauguration. Earlier, White House economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, said the three top U.S. trade negotiators are seeking a handshake in London to seal the agreement on rare earths agreed to by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. He said the expectation is that immediately after the handshake, export controls will be eased and rare earths will be released in volume.ING analysts said WTI’s discount to Brent has been narrowing on a combination of increased OPEC+ output, modest U.S. crude oil supply growth and the potential for output declines next year.According to a new projection by S&P Global Commodity Insights, oil prices could fall below $50/barrel this year as new supply from OPEC and its allies comes onto the market in the coming months. However, global head of crude oil research at S&P Global Commodity Insights, Jim Burkhard, said don’t expect the momentum to last. According to a Reuters survey, OPEC oil output increased in May by less than the volume planned, as Iraq made further cuts to compensate for earlier pumping above target and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates made smaller increases than allowed. OPEC produced 26.75 million bpd in May, up 150,000 bpd from April’s total, with Saudi Arabia making the largest increase.

Oil prices hit multi-week highs amid US-China trade talks (Reuters) - Oil prices hit multi-week highs on Monday, buoyed by a weaker U.S. dollar, while investors awaited news from U.S.-China trade talks in London in hopes a deal could boost the global economic outlook and subsequently fuel demand. Brent crude futures settled 57 cents higher, or 0.9%, to $67.04 a barrel. During the session, the benchmark rose to $67.19 a barrel, the highest since April 28. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 71 cents, or 1.1%, to $65.29. The contract reached $65.38 a barrel during the session, the highest since April 4. A weaker U.S. dollar gave some support to oil prices, as the dollar index dropped 0.3%, making oil cheaper for holders of other currencies. Last week, Brent rose 4% and WTI gained 6.2% as the prospect of a U.S.-China trade deal boosted risk appetite for some investors. "Much of this advance appears technically driven and such rallies can easily subside without new bullish headlines," a"Much attention will be given to the ongoing U.S.-China trade talks." U.S. President Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping spoke by telephone on Thursday before U.S. and Chinese officials met in London on Monday to calm trade tensions between the two nations. A trade deal between the United States and China could support the global economic outlook and in turn boost demand for commodities including oil. Monday's talks could dampen the impact on prices of Chinese data releases, Chinese export growth slowed to a three-month low in May as U.S. tariffs curbed shipments while factory gate deflation deepened to its worst in two years, heaping pressure on the world's second-largest economy at home and abroad. "Bad timing for crude oil, which was testing the top of the range and knocking on the door of a technical break above $65," referring to WTI prices. The data also showed that China's crude oil imports declined in May to the lowest daily rate in four months as state-owned and independent refiners began planned maintenance. The prospect of a potential China-U.S. trade deal outweighed concern over the price impact from increased output by the OPEC+ group of oil producers next month. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' oil output rose in May by less than the volume planned, a Reuters survey found, as Iraq made further cuts to compensate for earlier pumping above target and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates made smaller hikes than allowed. OPEC pumped 26.75 million barrels per day last month, up 150,000 bpd from April's total, the survey showed on Monday, with Saudi Arabia making the largest increase.

Oil up 1% at 7-week high on hopes of positive US-China trade talks - Oil prices edged up 1% to a seven-week high on Tuesday on hopes trade talks between the U.S. and China - the world’s two biggest economies - will result in a deal that could support global economic growth and boost oil demand. Brent crude futures rose 81 cents, or 1.2%, to $67.85 a barrel by 11:22 a.m. EDT (1522 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 83 cents, or 1.3%, to $66.12. Those gains pushed both crude benchmarks into technically overbought territory for the first time since early April and put Brent on track for its highest close since April 17 and WTI on track for its highest close since April 3. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said trade talks with China were going well as the two sides met for a second day in London, seeking a breakthrough on export controls that have threatened a fresh rupture between the superpowers. “There’s a sense of optimism around these trade talks; the market is waiting to see what this will produce, and that is supporting prices,” s On the supply side, allocations to Chinese refiners showed that Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Saudi Aramco will ship about 47 million barrels of oil to China in July, 1 million barrels less than June’s allotted volume, Reuters reported. The Saudi allocations could be an early sign that the unwinding of OPEC+ production cuts might not result in much additional supply, Tchilinguirian said. OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world’s oil and includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies like Russia, put forward plans for an output increase of 411,000 barrels per day (bpd) for July as it looks to unwind production cuts for a fourth straight month. A Reuters survey found that OPEC’s May increase to oil output was limited, with Iraq, the second biggest OPEC producer behind Saudi Arabia, pumping below target to compensate for earlier overproduction, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates making smaller increases than agreed. Elsewhere, Iran said it would soon make a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal in response to a U.S. offer that Tehran deems “unacceptable”, while U.S. President Donald Trump made clear that the two sides remained at odds over whether Tehran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium on Iranian soil. Iran is the third-largest OPEC producer and any easing of U.S. sanctions on Tehran should allow Iran to export more oil, which should reduce crude prices. In Europe, meanwhile, the European Commission proposed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow’s energy revenues, banks and military industry. Russia was the world’s second biggest crude producer in 2024 behind the U.S., and any increase in sanctions will likely keep more of that oil out of global markets, which could support oil prices. US oil inventories and exports The American Petroleum Institute (API) trade group and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) are due to release U.S. oil inventory data on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Analysts forecast energy firms added about 0.1 million barrels of oil to U.S. stockpiles during the week ended June 6. If correct that would be the first storage increase in three weeks and compares with an increase of 3.7 million barrels during the same week last year and an average increase of 2.8 million barrels over the past five years (2020-2024).

Hopes Continuing U.S. and China Talks Will Result in a Deal Supporting Global Economic Growth - The crude oil market on Tuesday traded lower after it weighed the hopes that the continuing talks between the U.S. and China will result in a deal that could support global economic growth against the World Bank cutting its global growth forecast for 2025 by 0.4 percentage point to 2.3%. Early in the session, the crude market traded higher as the U.S.-China trade talks were continuing for a second day in London. U.S. President Donald Trump, on Monday, said the talks with China were going well. The market was also supported by allocations to Chinese refiners that showed Saudi Aramco will ship about 47 million barrels of oil to China in July, 1 million barrels less than June’s volume. The oil market extended its gains to almost $1 as it posted a high of $66.28 by mid-day. However, the market later retraced its gains and sold off to a low of $64.57. The July WTI contract settled down 31 cents at $64.98 and the Brent contract settled down 17 cents at $66.87. The product markets ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 48 points at $2.1416 and the RB market settling down 72 points at $2.0880. The EIA said in its monthly Short Term Energy Outlook report that U.S. crude oil production will fall next year to about 13.37 million bpd from about 13.42 million bpd this year. The forecast marks the first time that the U.S. Department of Energy’s statistical arm has predicted a decline in U.S. crude oil output by next year, having previously forecast record output in both 2025 and 2026. Its output estimate for 2025 was unchanged from a previous forecast, while its forecast for 2026 was cut by 0.89% from a previous forecast. The EIA forecast 2025 U.S. oil demand at 20.4 million bpd, down from a previous forecast of 20.5 million bpd, while output in 2026 is expected to remain unchanged at 20.4 million bpd, which was unchanged from a previous estimate. The EIA also reported that world oil output in 2025 is estimated at 104.4 million bpd, up 0.29% from a previous forecast, while output in 2026 is expected to increase by 0.67% to 105.1 million bpd, which is down 0.28% from a previous estimate. World oil demand in 2025 is forecast at 103.5 million bpd, down 0.2% from a previous forecast, while demand in 2026 is expected to increase by 1.06% to 104.6 million bpd, which is unchanged from a previous estimate. The EIA forecast 2025 WTI will average $62.33/barrel, up from a previous forecast of $61.81/barrel, while the 2026 price is forecast at $55.58/barrel, up from a previous forecast of $55.24/barrel. The price of Brent crude in 2025 is forecast at $65.97/barrel, up from a previous forecast of $65.85/barrel, while Brent crude is expected to fall to $59.24/barrel in 2026, unchanged from a previous forecast. Trade sources said Saudi Arabia’s crude oil supply to China is set to fall slightly in July but remain strong for a third consecutive month as the country regains its market share supplying the world’s top crude importer. Saudi Aramco will ship about 47 million barrels to China in July, 1 million barrels less than June’s allotted volume. Iranian lawmakers said the United States and Israel are seeking to turn nuclear talks into a “strategic trap” for Iran, days before a planned sixth round of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted that the two sides remained at odds on the issue of uranium enrichment in Iran, which Iranian lawmakers say is a non-negotiable part of the country’s nuclear program. While President Trump said the next round of talks would take place on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said it was planned to take place on Sunday in Oman.

Oil falls as investors monitor U.S.-China trade talks -Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday as traders monitored trade talks between the U.S. and China. Brent crude futures fell 17 cents, or 0.25%, to close at $66.87 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 31 cents, or 0.47%, to $64.98. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said trade talks with China were going well as the two sides met for a second day in London, seeking a breakthrough on export controls that have threatened a fresh rupture between the superpowers. "There's a sense of optimism around these trade talks; the market is waiting to see what this will produce, and that is supporting prices," said Harry Tchilinguirian, group head of research at Onyx Capital. On the supply side, allocations to Chinese refiners showed that Saudi Arabia's state oil company Saudi Aramco will ship about 47 million barrels of oil to China in July, 1 million barrels less than June's allotted volume, Reuters reported. The Saudi allocations could be an early sign that the unwinding of OPEC+ production cuts might not result in much additional supply, Tchilinguirian said. OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil and includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies like Russia, put forward plans for an output increase of 411,000 barrels per day (bpd) for July as it looks to unwind production cuts for a fourth straight month. A Reuters survey found that OPEC's May increase to oil output was limited, with Iraq, the second biggest OPEC producer behind Saudi Arabia, pumping below target to compensate for earlier overproduction, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates making smaller increases than agreed. Elsewhere, Iran said it would soon make a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal in response to a U.S. offer that Tehran deems "unacceptable", while U.S. President Donald Trump made clear that the two sides remained at odds over whether Tehran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium on Iranian soil. Iran is the third-largest OPEC producer and any easing of U.S. sanctions on Tehran should allow Iran to export more oil, which should reduce crude prices. In Europe, meanwhile, the European Commission proposed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenues, banks and military industry. Russia was the world's second biggest crude producer in 2024 behind the U.S., and any increase in sanctions will likely keep more of that oil out of global markets, which could support oil prices. The American Petroleum Institute (API) trade group and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) are due to release U.S. oil inventory data on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. , Analysts forecast energy firms added about 0.1 million barrels of oil to U.S. stockpiles during the week ended June 6. If correct that would be the first storage increase in three weeks and compares with an increase of 3.7 million barrels during the same week last year and an average increase of 2.8 million barrels over the past five years (2020-2024).

Oil Prices Edge Down Slightly; Brent at $66.60 per Barrel...Oil prices slipped in early trading on Wednesday amid ongoing assessments of U.S.-China trade talks and concerns over weak crude demand from China, coupled with increased output from OPEC and its allies. As of 01:19 GMT, Brent crude futures fell by 24 cents, or 0.36%, to $66.63 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped by 21 cents, or 0.32%, to $64.77 per barrel. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday, following two days of intensive negotiations in London, that American and Chinese officials had agreed on a framework to halt mutual trade measures and address China’s export restrictions on rare earth elements and magnets. Lutnick added that the outcome would be presented to President Trump for approval. Earlier this week, weak Chinese oil import data and the continued rise in output from the OPEC+ group—which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia—put downward pressure on prices. OPEC+ plans to increase oil production by 411,000 barrels per day in July.

Oil Jumps on US-China Trade Deal -- Oil futures rallied to a two-month high Wednesday morning after U.S. President Trump announced a trade deal between the United States and China. While details remained sparse, the agreement reached after two days of negotiations in London signaled a significant de-escalation in current trade tensions. NYMEX-traded WTI for July delivery was up $1.53 bbl to trade near $66.51 bbl, and ICE Brent for August delivery rose $1.31 bbl to $68.18 bbl. July RBOB gasoline futures jumped $0.0342 to $2.1222 gallon, and the front-month ULSD futures contract gained $0.0214 to trade near $2.1630 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index softened by 0.345 points to 98.725. The trade deal will likely freeze tariffs at current lower rates, formalizing the 90-day pause implemented last month, and include provisions on rare earth shipments from China to the United States. Oil prices also experienced tailwinds on the geopolitical front. The President uttered fresh skepticism overreaching an agreement with Iran in ongoing nuclear talks, easing oversupply concerns which were fueled by slowed demand growth and OPEC ramping up production. At the same time, the EU Commission proposed fresh sanctions on Russia, including lowering the oil price cap to $45 bbl and banning additional so-called "shadow vessels" which participate in illicit oil trade.

Oil prices jumps 4% to 2-month high as tensions rise in Middle East (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 4% on Wednesday, to their highest in more than two months, after sources said the U.S. was preparing to evacuate its Iraqi embassy due to heightened security concerns in the Middle East. Brent crude futures settled $2.90, or 4.34%, higher to $69.77 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $3.17, or 4.88%, to $68.15. Both Brent and WTI reached their highest since early April. Surprised traders bought crude futures on reports the U.S. was preparing to evacuate its embassy in Iraq, OPEC's No. 2 crude producer after Saudi Arabia. A U.S. official said military dependents could also leave Bahrain. Earlier, Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh Tehran will strike U.S. bases in the region if nuclear talks fail and conflict arises with Washington. Trump said he was less confident that Iran would agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday. Ongoing tension with Iran means its oil supplies are likely to remain curtailed by sanctions. Supplies will still increase, as OPEC+ plans to boost oil production by 411,000 barrels per day in July as it looks to unwind production cuts for a fourth straight month. "Greater oil demand within OPEC+ economies – most notably Saudi Arabia – could offset additional supply from the group over the coming months and support oil prices," said Capital Economics' analyst Hamad Hussain in a note. Also keeping prices elevated was news of a trade deal between the U.S. and China, which could boost energy demand in the world's two biggest economies. Trump said Beijing would supply magnets and rare earth minerals and the U.S. will allow Chinese students in its colleges and universities. Trump added the deal is subject to final approval by him and President Xi Jinping. The trade-related downside risk in oil has been temporarily removed, although the market reaction has been tepid as it is not clear how economic growth and global oil demand will be affected, PVM analyst Tamas Varga said. In the U.S., crude inventories fell by 3.6 million barrels to 432.4 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a draw of 2 million barrels. Product supplied for motor gasoline, a proxy for demand, rose by about 907,000 barrels per day last week, to 9.17 million bpd. U.S. consumer prices increased only marginally in May, deepening the conviction in financial markets that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates by September. Lower interest rates can spur economic growth and demand for oil.

Global Oil Prices Drop Amid Middle East Tensions and Pre-Iran Talks -Oil prices fell on Thursday, giving up some of the gains made earlier in the Asian trading session as markets digested the U.S. decision to withdraw some personnel from the Middle East ahead of planned talks with Iran over its nuclear activities. Brent crude futures dropped by 49 cents (0.7%) to $69.28 per barrel as of 06:30 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 41 cents (0.6%) to $67.74 per barrel. Both benchmarks had risen over 4% in the previous session, reaching their highest levels since early April. U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. is relocating staff because the Middle East "could be a dangerous place," affirming that Washington would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran, however, insists its nuclear activities are peaceful. The heightened tensions have increased fears of potential oil supply disruptions, especially with upcoming U.S.-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday. Vivek Dhar, Director of Mining and Energy Research at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, noted: “Some of the rally that pushed Brent above $70 was likely overdone. The U.S. hasn’t identified any direct Iranian threat.” He added that Iran’s response would depend on any U.S. escalation, stating: “The price correction makes sense, but a geopolitical risk premium is likely to keep Brent above $65 until the outcome of the talks becomes clear.” U.S. and Iraqi sources told Reuters that Washington is preparing for a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq, and will allow families of U.S. military personnel to leave various sites in the Middle East, including Bahrain, due to rising security concerns. Iraq is OPEC's second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia. Kelvin Wong, Chief Market Analyst at OANDA, said the price pullback followed a technical resistance level hit on Wednesday, with some traders speculating that Sunday’s U.S.-Iran meeting might ease tensions. President Trump reiterated that if negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program fail, particularly regarding uranium enrichment, the U.S. may launch military strikes. Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned on Wednesday that Iran would retaliate against U.S. bases in the region if talks collapse and conflict ensues. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Amman on Sunday to discuss Iran’s response to a proposed U.S. agreement. Separately, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a 3.6 million barrel drop in U.S. crude inventories last week, to 432.4 million barrels, surpassing analysts’ expectations of a 2 million barrel decline.

Oil settles lower as traders gauge Middle East tensions (Reuters) - Oil prices settled slightly lower on Thursday as traders booked profits from a 4% rally in the prior session, driven by concerns that worsening tensions in the Middle East could cause supply disruptions. Brent crude futures settled down 41 cents, or 0.6%, at $69.36 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 11 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $67.97 a barrel. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen," but added that he would not call it imminent and prefers to avoid conflict. The U.S. had earlier decided to move personnel out of the Middle East, sending both crude oil benchmarks up more than 4% to their highest since early April on Wednesday. The surge put the market in overbought territory based on several technical indicators, so it was likely due for a brief correction, StoneX Energy analyst Alex Hodes said. U.S. and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday, according to officials from both countries and their Omani mediators. Trump has repeatedly threatened strikes against Iran if the nuclear talks fail to reach an agreement. Tehran, which asserts its nuclear activity is for peaceful purposes, has said it would retaliate against strikes by hitting U.S. bases in the region. Rising tensions in the region have oil traders worried about possible supply disruptions. Britain's maritime agency warned on Wednesday that increased tensions in the Middle East may escalate military activity and impact shipping in critical waterways. "For the oil market, the absolute nightmare is a closure of the Strait of Hormuz," "If Iran blocks this narrow chokepoint, it could affect up to 20% of global oil flows," he added. JPMorgan said oil prices could surge to $120-$130 a barrel if the Strait of Hormuz were to be shut, a scenario the bank considered to be severe but a low risk. Still, oil traders were growing cautious. "We are still higher than two days ago as some short investors prefer to stay on the sidelines amid the uncertainty," said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oman on Sunday to discuss Iran's response to a U.S. proposal for a deal. The U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations on Thursday for the first time in almost 20 years, raising the prospect of reporting it to the U.N. Security Council.

The Oil Market Erased Its Sharp Gains Following a Geopolitical Risk Fueled Rally - The oil market erased its sharp gains on Thursday following a geopolitical risk fueled rally on Wednesday. The crude market gapped higher on the opening from $68.37 to $69.03 and quickly posted a high of $69.29 following the U.S. decision to move personnel from the Middle East ahead of talks with Iran over the country’s nuclear program. The market was well supported amid the news of a potential military strike against Iran by Israel. However, the oil market backfilled its opening gap and retraced more than 50% of its move from Wednesday’s low of $64.60 to its high of $69.29 as it posted a low of $66.72 early on Thursday morning. The market later retraced some of its losses and traded back towards the $68.50 level, where it held resistance during the remainder of the session. The July WTI contract settled down 11 cents at $68.04 and the August Brent contract settled down 41 cents at $69.36. The product markets also ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 1.66 cents at $2.1887 and the RB market settling down 2.39 cents at $2.1429. The Omani Foreign Minister said the sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks will be held on Sunday in Muscat, after U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. On Wednesday, President Trump said U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because “it could be a dangerous place”. Reuters reported that the U.S. was preparing an evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and would allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region. U.S. and Iraqi sources did not say what security risks had prompted the decision. A U.S. official said the State Department had authorized voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait. On Wednesday evening, the State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory to reflect the latest U.S. posture. On Thursday, a senior Iraqi official overseeing operations in southern oilfields, said foreign energy companies were continuing their operations as usual. U.S. President Donald Trump said that an Israeli strike on Iran “could very well happen” but he would not call it imminent and that he would prefer to avoid conflict with Tehran and reach a peaceful solution over its nuclear program. A senior Iranian official said Iran will not abandon its right to uranium enrichment because of mounting frictions in the region, adding that a “friendly” regional country had alerted Tehran over a potential military strike by Israel. The official said the tensions were intended to “influence Tehran to change its position about its nuclear rights” during talks with the United States on Sunday. He did not disclose the name of the regional country that warned Iran about the Israeli attack. Meanwhile, a senior Iranian security official said U.S. military dependents leaving the region does not constitute a threat, amid concerns that evacuation of non-essential personnel may be the preamble to regional escalation. During Sunday’s meeting in Oman’s capital, Iran is expected to share a counterproposal to a U.S. offer to bridge the gaps. Israel launched large scale strikes against Iran early Friday, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iran promised a harsh response.

J.P. Morgan predicts oil price on potential attack on Iran --An attack on Iran could send oil prices soaring to $120 a barrel, according to J.P. Morgan, and reignite US inflation pressures. As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the bank warned that a military strike on Iran would likely trigger a spike in crude prices and push US consumer inflation back toward 5%. “An attack on Iran could spike oil prices to $120, driving US CPI inflation to 5%,” J.P. Morgan analysts wrote. Such a scenario would directly undercut one of the top policy goals of the Trump administration. President Trump has repeatedly prioritized lowering energy prices as a key lever to contain inflation. A renewed oil shock would complicate that mission and could even force the Federal Reserve to reconsider its current stance on interest rates. Oil markets are already on edge. After falling sharply earlier this year, prices have started to rebound amid growing geopolitical risks. WTI crude is currently trading near $66.50, with downside looking increasingly limited as Middle East tensions flare. Brent crude has also climbed back toward $69 a barrel, its highest level since March 2025. The looming threat of military action is keeping traders on high alert and could drive further volatility in global energy markets. Adding to the bullish case for oil, optimism is growing around energy demand as US-China trade tensions appear to be easing. Any resolution in global trade disputes would likely improve the outlook for global growth, and in turn, boost demand for oil. For now, markets are caught between opposing forces. Recent weakness in crude prices has been driven by demand concerns, but the risk of a sudden supply shock is rising fast. Should Israel proceed with an attack on Iran, supply fears would likely dominate market sentiment , potentially sending oil prices sharply higher in a matter of days. With inflation still elevated and the Federal Reserve watching oil markets closely, a surge toward $120 would dramatically alter the policy landscape and could force central banks to reassess their path forward.

Oil Prices Surge 8.8% After Israel’s Attack on Iran -Oil prices spiked on Friday, June 13, by 8.8% after Israel launched strikes on Iran, escalating tensions in the Middle East and raising concerns over potential oil supply disruptions. Oil prices hit their highest point since January, according to data from Bloomberg Terminal at 1:42 p.m. Kyiv time. Brent crude futures jumped more than 8%, rising to $75.21 per barrel, the data showed. Brent price was at the same level in January this year. US crude West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surged to $73.91. The jump marked the biggest single-day move for both benchmarks since the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the data from Bloomberg Terminal. However, there’s still room for a price increase. Brent crude futures reached $83 per barrel in June 2022, five months after Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. WTI futures reached $78.48 back then, according to Bloomberg Terminal. On Friday, Israel’s strike damaged parts of Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz. According to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, radioactive or chemical contamination has been reported outside the site, Reuters wrote.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also confirmed on platform X the Israeli strike on the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. “The Agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country”, the IAEA said. Israel said it hit Iranian nuclear facilities, missile sites, military leaders, and nuclear scientists. It described the attack as the start of a longer campaign to block Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed “harsh punishment.” He said the strike killed several military commanders.Oil analysts and traders are watching for Iran’s response, Reuters wrote. A key concern is whether Iran will retaliate only against Israel or widen the conflict. Traders in Singapore said the strike has not yet affected oil shipments. But they warned that closure of the Strait of Hormuz could change that. Around 20% of global oil flows through the strait – nearly 19 million barrels per day.However, shipping companies have already reacted to the attack. Two maritime security firms warned vessels to avoid waters near Israel, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, and the Suez Canal, Bloomberg reported.They advised crews to run emergency drills, stay in contact with authorities, and change routes if connected to Israeli interests, due to the risk of Iranian retaliation.Prices might surge more if the attacks impact oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb strait, Bloomberg wrote. Barclays analyst Amarpreet Singh said oil markets are alarmed, but fundamentals remain unchanged. The price surge hasn’t reflected any drop in Iranian production so far, Reuters wrote. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the strike a “unilateral action” and said Washington was not involved. He urged Iran not to target US interests or personnel in the region.

Oil prices: Oil jumps more than 12% as Israel strikes Iran, rattling investors - Oil prices surged more than 12 percent Friday after Israel said it carried out strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, fuelling fears of war in the crude-rich Middle East.West Texas Intermediate, the main US oil contract, soared 12.6 percent to $76.61 per barrel, while Brent North Sea crude jumped 12.2 percent at $77.77.Israel said early on Friday that it struck Iran, and Iranian media said explosions were heard in Tehran as tensions mounted over U.S. efforts to win Iran's agreement to halt production of material for an atomic bomb. "The Israeli attack on Iran has heightened the risk premium further," MST Marquee senior energy analyst Saul Kavonic said. "The conflict would need to escalate to the point of Iranian retaliation on oil infrastructure in the region before oil supply is actually materially impacted," he said, adding that Iran could hinder up to 20 million barrels per day of oil supply via attacks on infrastructure or limiting passage through the Strait of Hormuz in an extreme scenario. Israel's strikes on Iran are aimed at hurting its nuclear infrastructure, its ballistic missile factories and many of its military capabilities, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday called Israel's strikes against Iran a "unilateral action" and said Washington was not involved while also urging Tehran not to target U.S. interests or personnel in the region. "Iran has announced an emergency and is preparing to retaliate, which raises the risk of not just disruptions but of contagion in other neighbouring oil producing nations too," "Although Trump has shown reluctance to participate, U.S. involvement could further raise concerns."

Oil settles up 7% as Israel, Iran trade air strikes (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped on Friday and settled 7% higher as Israel and Iran traded air strikes, feeding investor worries that the combat could widely disrupt oil exports from the Middle East. Brent crude futures settled at $74.23 a barrel, up $4.87, or 7.02%, after earlier soaring over 13% to an intraday high of $78.50, the strongest level since January 27. Brent was 12.5% higher than a week ago. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $72.98 a barrel, up $4.94, or 7.62%. During the session, WTI jumped over 14% to its highest since January 21 at $77.62. WTI climbed 13% to its level a week ago. Both benchmarks had their largest intraday moves since 2022 when Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a spike in energy prices. Israel said it had targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders on Friday at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iran has promised a harsh response. Shortly after trading ended on Friday, Iranian missiles hit buildings in Tel Aviv, Israel, according to multiple media reports. Explosions were also heard in southern Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program to put an end to the "next already planned attacks." The National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said oil refining and storage facilities had not been damaged and continued to operate. Iran, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), currently produces around 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd), and exports over 2 million bpd of oil and fuel. Spare capacity among OPEC and its allies, including Russia, to pump more oil to offset any disruption is roughly equivalent to Iran's output, according to analysts and OPEC watchers. The latest developments have also stoked concerns about disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping passage. "Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran are wholly locked into one tiny passage for exports," said Rabobank in a note, regarding the Strait. About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the strait, or some 18 to 19 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, condensate and fuel. "Israeli action has so far avoided Iranian energy infrastructure, including Kharg Island, the terminal responsible for an estimated 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports," "This raises the possibility that any further escalation could follow an 'energy-for-energy' logic where an attack on one side’s oil infrastructure might invite a retaliatory strike on the other’s," Hoff said. Iran could pay a heavy price for blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, analysts said on Friday. "Iran's economy heavily relies on the free passage of goods and vessels through the seaway, as its oil exports are entirely sea-based. Finally, cutting off the Strait of Hormuz would be counterproductive to Iran's relationship with its sole oil customer, China, said analysts with JP Morgan. Money managers raised their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week to June 10, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday. The speculator group raise its combined futures and options position in New York and London by 15,157 contracts to 121,911 during the period. Baker Hughes said the number of U.S. oil and natural gas rigs fell for seventh week in a row with the total count down by 35 rigs or 6% below this time last year. The oil rig count fell by three to 439 this week, its lowest since October 2021, while gas rigs slipped by one to 113.

Iran Says It Obtained Trove of Israeli Nuclear Documents - Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib said on Sunday that Tehran had obtained a “treasure trove” of sensitive Israeli documents related to Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program and its relations with the US and Europe.“The transfer of this treasure trove was time-consuming and required security measures. Naturally, the transfer methods will remain confidential, but the documents should be unveiled soon,” Khatib said.The intelligence minister was responding to a question about a Saturday report from Iranian media that first alleged Iran had obtained a significant number of Israeli documents. So far, there’s been no official response from Israel about the Iranian claims. Khatib said that members of Iranian intelligence had “achieved an important treasury of strategic, operational and scientific intelligence of the Zionist regime and it was transferred into the country with God’s help.”The claim from Iran comes as Tehran’s nuclear program is under intense scrutiny from Israel and the West despite a recent US intelligence report that said there’s no evidence Iran is working toward a bomb. In contrast, Israel’s nuclear program gets virtually no attention, even though it’s an open secret that Israel has a stockpile of nuclear weapons, and the program operates with no oversight.Israel is estimated to have somewhere between 90 and 300 warheads. Neither Israel nor the US acknowledges the existence of the arsenal, and Israel is under no pressure to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty and bring its nuclear program under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Ukraine Says Russia Launched Biggest Drone Attack of the War - Ukrainian officials have said that Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the war on Monday, firing 479 kamikaze drones and 20 missiles at targets across the country. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that 460 of the drones were intercepted and that it recorded a total of 10 successful strikes. According to the Kyiv Post, one of the targets appeared to be an airfield in northwestern Ukraine’s Rivne Oblast, which is believed to be housing US-made F-16 fighter jets.The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged a strike on an airfield in Rivne, saying its strikes were part of its response to Ukraine’s recent drone attack that targeted airfields deep inside Russia.Military situation in Ukraine on June 9, 2025 (Southfront.press map)“Last night, the Russian forces carried out a massive strike with high-accuracy long-range air-based weapons on one of the airfields where Ukrainian tactical aircraft are based in the area of Dubno, the Rovno Region,” the Defense Ministry said.One person was reported killed in Rivne, according to The New York Times. Ukraine also launched a significant attack on Russian territory on Monday, as the Russian Defense Ministry said it downed 49 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions. In Russia’s Kursk Oblast, the governor said a Ukrainian strike hit a cultural center, killing a 64-year-old man and injuring five other people. On top of the drone attacks, fighting raged along the frontlines, with Russia claiming that its forces inflicted huge casualties on Ukrainian forces. “The Ukrainian army lost up to 1,350 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours,” Russia’s TASS news agency reported, citing Defense Ministry numbers.The Russian Defense Ministry also said that it expanded the territory it controls in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, an area Russia first said it pushed into on Sunday.The massive military operations follow the pattern of escalating strikes in recent weeks as ceasefire negotiations have appeared to make no progress. One result of the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine has been prisoner swaps, and another one was conducted on Monday amid the heavy fighting.

Russia Says It's Advancing Into Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast - The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its troops are pushing into Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast as Russian troops continue to make gains amid faltering ceasefire negotiations. “Units of the 90th Tank Division of the Battlegroup Center have reached the western border of the Donetsk People’s Republic and continue developing their offensive on the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk Region,” the ministry said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. It’s unclear at this point if Russian troops have broken through into Dnipropetrovsk or if they’re still fighting on the border. Russian forces have also been making gains in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast as Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a “buffer zone” along the Russia-Ukraine border. Military situation in Ukraine on June 8, 2025 (SouthFront.press map)Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday that Ukraine would face new “realities on the ground” due to its failure to recognize the realities of the war at the negotiating table.“Those who do not want to recognize the war realities at the negotiations will get new realities on the ground. Our Armed Forces have begun an offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk Region,” said Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy of Russia’s security council.

Russia's Arrival In Dnipropetrovsk Puts Ukraine In A Dilemma It’s very difficult to imagine how Ukraine can prevent any further Russian advances after this... The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that their forces had entered Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Region, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed is part of Putin’s buffer zone plan. This was foreseen as early as late August once the Battle of Pokrovsk began but has been achieved even without capturing that strategic fortress town. Russian forces simply went around it after breaking through the southern Donbass front. This development puts Ukraine in a dilemma.It’ll now have to simultaneously fortify the Dnipropetrovsk front together with the southern Kharkov and northern Zaporozhye ones in case Russia uses its new position to launch offensives into any of those three. This could put serious strain on the Ukrainian Armed Forces as they’re already struggling to prevent a major breakthrough in Sumy Region from Kursk. Coupled with depleting manpower and questions about continued US military-intelligence aid, this might be enough to collapse the frontlines.To be sure, that scenario has been bandied about many times over the past more than 1,200 days, but it nowadays appears tantalizingly closer than ever. Observers also shouldn’t forget that Putin told Trump that he’ll respond to Ukraine’s strategic drone strikes earlier this month, which could combine with the abovementioned two factors to achieve this long-desired breakthrough. Of course, it might just be a symbolic demonstration of force, but it could also be something more significant as well.Ukraine’s best chances of preventing this are for the US to either get Russia to agree to freeze the frontlines or to go on another offensive.The first possibility could be advanced by the carrot-and-stick approach of proposing a better resource-centric strategic partnership than has already been offered in exchange on pain of imposing crippling secondary sanctions on its energy clients (specifically China and India with likely waivers for the EU) and/or doubling down on military-intelligence aid if it still refuses.As for the second, the 120,000 troops that Ukraine has assembled along the Belarusian border according to President Alexander Lukashenko last summer could either cross that frontier and/or one of Russia’s internationally recognized frontiers. Objectively speaking, however, both possibilities only stand a slim chance of success: Russia has made it clear that it must achieve more of its goals in the conflict before agreeing to any ceasefire while its success in pushing Ukraine out of Kursk bodes ill for other invasions.The likelihood of Ukraine cutting its losses by agreeing to more of Russia’s demands for peace is nil. Therefore, it might inevitably opt, whether in lieu of the aforesaid scenarios or in parallel with one or both of them, to intensify its “unconventional operations” against Russia. This refers to assassinations, strategic drone strikes, and terrorism. All that will do, however, is provoke more (probably outsized) conventional retaliation from Russia and thus painfully delay Ukraine’s seemingly inevitable defeat.

Israeli military intercepts aid ship with Thunberg on board - Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 22, and several allies were taken into Israeli custody in international waters early Monday while attempting to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, which faces a food crisis amid Hamas’s ongoing war with Israel.“The ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,” the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) wrote in a post on the social platform X. “The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.” Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, also was among the passengers on the aid ship taken into custody.The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the Madleen ship to bring supplies to Gaza with Thunberg and others, said in a news release that the vessel was “attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military” and that “its unarmed civilian crew [was] abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated.”“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg said in a pre-recorded video the FFC released. But the MFA also posted video and photos on social media of Israeli soldiers handing out sandwiches and bottles of water to Thunberg and other flotilla riders. Israel had vowed to stop the vessel from reaching Gaza, frequently dismissing Madleen as being a “selfie yacht” for “celebrities,” and posted video online of a warning signal that it said was issued to the flotilla before Monday’s interception. The MFA said it had legal authority to capture the Madleen because the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade. “All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed,” the MFA wrote in an update Monday, accusing Thunberg and others of staging a publicity stunt. “Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits,” the administration added. The FFC, Thunberg and others have argued that Israeli forces were not allowing enough humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, prompting their mission. The International Food Policy Research Institute reported two weeks ago that the 2 million residents of the Gaza Strip are facing a severe food crisis as the war stretches more than a year and a half after Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada released a joint statement last month that deemed the “level of human suffering” in Gaza “intolerable.”The Israeli government in an update on the Madleen’s capture wrote that the “tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.” “While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza,” the MFA wrote. “There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies.”

Israel Says Captured Gaza Aid Flotilla Activists Taken to Ashdod Port - Israeli officials say that the 12 activists who were onboard the Gaza aid flotilla vessel that was seized by the Israeli military as it was trying to break Israel’s starvation blockade have been taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the group behind the humanitarian effort to break Israel’s starvation blockade on Gaza, said earlier in the day that it hasn’t heard from the crew since the Israeli military boarded the Madleen. “It’s been 15 hours since we last saw or heard from our friends and comrades. We have not been allowed any contact,” the FFC wrote on Telegram. “Of course, Israeli media allege that no volunteers have been harmed. But the psychological impact of being forcibly abducted by a military force that is conducting a genocide in Gaza and other war crimes across the world, as well as being cut off from friends, family, and FFC colleagues, is illegal, beyond distressing and an attack on solidarity,” the FFC added.According to Haaretz, the Israeli Prison Service is preparing to transport the activists to a jail, where they will wait for a government decision on whether to expel them immediately or face a judge instead.Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel tried to make the 12 crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, watch footage of the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, but they refused. Katz has labeled Thunberg and the other activists “antisemitic” due to their opposition to Israel’s genocidal war. “Greta and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival for a screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre, and when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching,” Katz said. “The antisemitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth.”The FFC has been releasing pre-recorded videos from the activists who were onboard the Madleen. “My name is Greta Thunberg and I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg said in one video.

Israel Deports Greta Thunberg, Eight Gaza Aid Flotilla Activists Remain Detained - Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday after she was captured by Israeli forces while onboard the Madleen, a boat trying to break the starvation blockade on Gaza.“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X in a post that included pictures of Thunberg on a plane.Three other activists were also deported, while eight remain in an Israeli prison. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the eight activists refuse to sign deportation papers and will be brought before a judge.“We were illegally attacked and kidnapped by Israel and taken against our will to Israel, where we were detained,” Thunberg told reporters when she arrived at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. “Some of us were deported, some are still there.”When asked what conditions were like for her in Israeli detention, Thunberg said, “They were absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine, especially Gaza right now.”She added that the seizure of the Madleen was “yet another violation of international rights” committed by Israel. The Madleen was captured by Israeli forces early Monday morning while it was off the coast of Egypt and approaching Gaza.The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the group behind the humanitarian effort, said on Telegram that it confirmed “that four of the 12 abducted from international waters have been deported, while eight remain unjustly detained.”“Those who did not consent to leave remain in detention and will appear before a tribunal. But we know Israel’s so-called ‘justice system’ exists to uphold apartheid, occupation and colonization—not deliver justice, and that they will ultimately order a forced expulsion,” the FFC added. The Conscience, another boat involved with the FFC, was hit by Israeli drones off the coast of Malta in early May, causing a fire and preventing the vessel from making the trip toward Gaza. Back in 2010, Israeli commandos raided six Freedom Flotilla boats and killed 10 Turkish activists.

Houthis Fire Missile at Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Yemen - On Tuesday, Yemen’s Houthis announced a missile attack on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport following Israeli strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Yemeni forces fired two missiles and claimed that one struck the airport. But according to The Times of Israel, the Israeli military shot down one missile, causing it to break apart into multiple fragments, and the other missile didn’t reach Israeli territory.Yemeni missile attacks have been a near-daily occurrence in Israel as the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have vowed the operations won’t stop until there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli siege. “Let the criminal enemy expect from us more and more support and assistance for our people of truth and loyalty in Gaza, the pride, dignity, sacrifice, and redemption. We will continue to support and stand by thier side until the aggression against them stops and the siege is lifted,” Saree said in a statement on the attack.The missile attack came hours after Israeli warships launched strikes against Yemeni ports. Israel has conducted multiple rounds of airstrikes on Yemen, but the strikes marked the first time the Israeli Navy was involved in bombing the country. Recent US and Israeli airstrikes on Yemeni civilian infrastructure and new US sanctions on the Houthis, who govern an area where 70% to 80% of Yemenis live, have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis in the country.

Israel Refused Lebanese Request to Inspect Alleged Hezbollah Site Before Thursday’s Attack - On Thursday evening, Israel issued an evacuation order for the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, and after causing a panicked evacuation, itcarried out airstrikes hitting eight buildings. At the time, we had reports of Lebanese soldiers being deployed to inspect the buildings, which Israel claimed were the targets, before the attack was carried out. It wasn’t clear at the time what happened with those troops, though Israel alleged there was an underground Hezbollah drone factory under the residential neighborhood. The Lebanese Army is now detailing the situation, saying they never actually entered the buildings they wanted to inspect because Israel refused to hold off the strikes to let that happen. So the Lebanese troops who were sent to inspect were never actually in danger because they never entered the struck sites, but on the other hand, no inspection to verify Israeli allegations was ever allowed, and after the strike, presumably any evidence would have been destroyed. The ceasefire deal, initially signed in November, involves a mechanism whereby Israel is meant to report Hezbollah violations to the monitoring committee, headed by the US and France, and Israeli officials bragged that they retained the right to attack if the Lebanese Armed Forces didn’t address the matter they reported. The problem here is not only that it’s not clear they directly informed the committee of the putative drone factory, but that by all indications, the Lebanese military found out about it when the IDF issued an evacuation notice, and then actively tried to address the matter, but was rebuffed by Israel, who attacked anyway.

Israeli Minister Calls for Israeli Control Over Syria and Lebanon - Unusually far-right even in the generally far-right Israeli cabinet, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has sparked some new controversy today in a speech to an ultra-nationalist youth conference, where hecalled for Israel to have full control over both Syria and Lebanon, on top of annexing Gaza and the West Bank.Eliyahu asked the crowd “Do we want Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]? Do we want Syria? Do we want Lebanon? Do we want Gaza?” leading to thunderous cheers and him admonishing that the crowd needs to “shout it out.”The comments take on more relevance as Israel is already actively occupying parts of southern Lebanon and southwestern Syria, and the far-right is increasingly advocating for an expansion of that.Israeli Heritage Minister Avichai Eliyahu | Image from WikimediaThe conference was by the youth organization of the Ribonutorganization, which advocates the extension of “sovereignty” over the West Bank and argues that it is immoral to even contemplate a two-state solution. They have called the Gaza War as an “opportunity” for their goals, though they did not previously go so far as to advocate taking Syria and Lebanon as well.Minister Eliyahu, the grandson of a former Sephardi Chief Rabbi, has made the news several times lately. Last month he said in an interview that he sees no problem with Israel bombing food supplies in the Gaza Strip because “they need to starve.”That statement didn’t lead to any repercussions politically for Eliyahu, and there hasn’t been any suggestion today’s comments will be any different.

Israeli Forces Kill 106 More Palestinians in Gaza, Including Aid Seekers - Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Sunday that Israeli attacks killed at least 106 Palestinians and wounded 393 as Israeli forces continue to pound the Strip with airstrikes and shoot desperate Palestinians seeking aid. The Health Ministry said that at least five Palestinians were killed and 123 were injured while seeking aid at distribution points run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). According to The Cradle, at least one Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire at a distribution site at the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip. Four were reported killed when Israeli tanks, gunboats, and snipers opened fire near a site in the southern city of Rafah. Other reports said the death toll in Rafah rose to 13. According to Reuters, the Israeli military acknowledged that it opened fire on Palestinians near the site in Rafah, claiming its forces “had directed warning shots at a group that was moving towards soldiers and deemed a threat to them.” The Health Ministry said that the total number of Palestinians killed en route to aid sites since the GHF began operating has reached 115, and another 1,100 have been injured. Heavy Israeli airstrikes and shelling were also reported across Gaza. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, at least 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes, mainly in the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, and in Gaza City and Jabalia in the north.Also on Sunday, the Israeli military claimed that it had found and identified the body of Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, who it alleges was killed in a May 13 bombing outside the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Israel alleged that tunnels were underneath the facility, which Hamas has previously denied. Sinwar took over as Hamas’s leader following the killing of his brother, Yahya Sinwar, in October 2024.

Food used as weapon of war in US-Israeli militarization of aid in Gaza - Gaza is now described by the United Nations as the “hungriest place on Earth,” with its entire population of 2.2 million at risk of famine due to Israel’s ongoing military campaign and systematic use of starvation tactics. The UN’s humanitarian mission to Gaza is considered “the most obstructed in recent history,” with aid convoys blocked or restricted at crossings. Jens Laerke of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated, The aid operation we have prepared is constrained by an operational straitjacket, rendering it one of the most obstructed relief efforts, not just globally today, but in recent times. On the ground, Palestinians describe a life of relentless hunger and deprivation. One resident told Al Jazeera, “I [have] no flour, no oil, no sugar, [no] food. [I] collect moldy bread… I want flour for my children. I want to eat. I’m hungry.” Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, noted that the north, including Gaza City itself, has received no aid in recent days, while those in central and southern areas like Khan Younis and Rafah struggle daily to secure even basic staples such as flour. Aid distribution has become one more means for the slaughter of Palestinians by Israel. Save the Children reports that dozens have been killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at militarized aid sites, where desperate civilians are directed to collect insufficient food parcels, only to be fired upon. Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s regional director, condemned the situation: This is aid to which people are legally entitled—aid that has been systematically denied. This is a blatant and shocking disregard of international humanitarian law. The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is now the main channel for aid into Gaza. The US State Department is considering a $500 million contribution, which would make it the largest donor and thereby effectively “own” the operation. The GHF claims to deliver food and medicine to hundreds of thousands, but its model is widely recognized as deepening the crisis. Humanitarian groups and UN agencies say that the GHF’s approach violates basic humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality, and that it is designed to serve Israeli and US interests in the displacement of Gaza’s civilian population. The World Food Program (WFP) stated, The GHF operation is a violation of humanitarian principles… WFP and its partners must also be allowed to distribute food parcels directly to families—the most effective way to prevent widespread starvation. Instead, the GHF has replaced hundreds of local distribution points with a handful of “secure sites,” forcing Palestinians to cross dangerous terrain and pass through biometric checkpoints just to receive basic rations. These hubs provide only dry goods, with little regard for the lack of clean water or fuel for cooking. The result is a crude dumping of commodities, not a genuine relief effort.

UNGA Condemns Israel’s Weaponization of Starvation | Massacre in Deir al-Balah - Day 615 - The United Nations General Assembly approved a Spanish-drafted resolution on Gaza condemning the use of starvation as a weapon and the unlawful denial of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, several Palestinians were killed and wounded when Israeli occupation aircraft shelled a group of civilians east of the Mills area, south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 55,207 and injured 127,891 others, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Diplomats told Reuters that the UN Security Council will hold a meeting today, Friday, to discuss the recent Israeli strikes on Iran, amid escalating regional tensions and the repercussions of the attack on Tehran.

After Denying Massacring Civilians Seeking Aid, Israel Routinely Massacres Civilians Seeking Aid - Caitlin Johnstone - At the beginning of this month, Israel and its apologists ferociously denied claims that IDF troops had fired upon civilians seeking aid at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site, killing 31 people.

• On the second of June, Israeli forces again opened fire on civilians seeking aid in Gaza, killing three people and injuring more than 30.
• On June 3, Israeli forces again opened fire on civilians seeking aid, reportedly killing at least 27 people.
• The US/Israeli-backed GHF temporarily suspended operations after this spate of mass shootings.
• On June 8, Israeli forces again fired upon civilians seeking aid at two separate distribution points in Gaza, killing twelve.
• On June 9, Israel and Israeli-backed forces opened fire on a crowd at an aid site in Gaza, killing 14.
• And on June 10, at least 36 people were reported killed and 208 wounded when Israeli forces again fired on crowds seeking aid in Gaza.

Since May 27, some 160 people have reportedly been killed in massacres at these GHF sites, which people in Gaza are reportedly beginning to refer to as a “death trap”.Think about how desperate and starving you’d have to be before you’d go seek food from people who you know will probably start spraying the crowd with bullets at some point. This really gives you an idea of how badly the people of Gaza have been suffering.But, again, at the beginning of the month, Israel and its spinmeisters were crying antisemitic blood libel at the very suggestion that IDF troops would fire upon people trying to obtain food.The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a deceitful video clip which it falsely claimed showed Hamas members, not the IDF, firing on the crowd.Netanyahu advisor Caroline Glick and Israel’s “Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism” Amichai Chikli both called the reporting on the June 1 massacre a “blood libel”.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt falsely accused the BBC ofpeddling Hamas propaganda for reporting on the June 1 massacre. The Jerusalem Post published an article titled “Media blood libel over alleged Gaza aid shooting will have far-reaching repercussions.” Israel’s official Twitter account called the reporting “Hamas propaganda”. The Washington Post bowed to pressure and retracted its article on the June 1 massacre, saying it didn’t “give proper weight to Israel’s denial and gave improper certitude about what was known about any Israeli role in the shootings.”Then, a few days later, CNN published a report based on extensive video analysis and eyewitness interviews which found that all evidence, contrary to Israel’s claims, “points to the Israeli military opening fire on crowds of Palestinians as they tried to make their way to the fenced enclosure to get food.”Even without the CNN report, Israel’s own actions since June 1 have proved that Israeli forces do indeed deliberately fire upon starving civilians seeking humanitarian aid. Israel lied. Again.Which should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to Israel’s mass atrocities in Gaza. This is after all the same genocidal state whichindignantly objected to claims that it would ever bomb a medical facility after an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in October 2023, only to bomb that exact same hospital many times thereafter while deliberately destroying Gaza’s entire healthcare infrastructure.

Israeli Forces Slaughter 120 Palestinians in Gaza, Including Dozens Near Aid Site - Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli forces slaughtered 120 Palestinians and injured 474 over the previous 24-hour period as IDF troops continued to shoot aid seekers and Israeli strikes continued to pound targets across the Strip. The Health Ministry said that a total of 57 Palestinian aid seekers were killed on Wednesday morning, and 363 were injured. Massacres of Palestinians on their way to US and Israeli-backed aid distribution sites have become a daily occurrence in Gaza. Medical officials at two hospitals in Gaza City told Reuters that 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops while they were attempting to travel to an aid site near the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip. The Israeli military acknowledged it opened fire at a crowd in the area,claiming that it fired “warning shots.” Medical officials at the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza also told Reuters that at least 14 Palestinians were killed while approaching an aid site in Rafah.The Health Ministry said that since the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating at the end of May, 224 Palestinians seeking aid have been killed, and 1,858 have been wounded. Footage in recent days has shown desperate Palestinians overrunning the aid sites, which are run by American contractors, as supplies usually quickly run out.Despite the daily massacres near the aid site, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the operation has been a “dramatic success.”Gaza’s Health Ministry said that the latest violence has brought its death toll since October 7, 2023, to 55,104 and the number of wounded to 127,394. The figures are considered a significant undercount and don’t account for thousands missing and presumed dead under the rubble or indirect deaths caused by the Israeli siege.

Israeli Forces Kill 103 Palestinians in Gaza, Including 21 Aid Seekers - Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that Israeli forces killed 103 Palestinians and wounded 427 over the previous 24-hour period as Israeli troops continued to shoot people seeking aid, and airstrikes and artillery pounded the Strip.Details about Israeli strikes, photos, and videos were not as widely available as usual on Thursday, as Palestinian authorities reported a total internet blackout due to an Israeli attack on the last remaining main fiber optic cable connecting Gaza. The UN said that the blackout had hampered its aid operations inside the besieged enclave.“Lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian coordination, and critical information for civilians have all been cut. There is a full internet blackout, and mobile networks are barely functioning,” said deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq.The Health Ministry said that 21 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid on Thursday morning, and another 294 were injured. Massacres of Palestinians seeking aid at distribution sites operated by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) have become a daily occurrence.Zeteo has published an account of an American contractor working at one of the sites in Gaza who harshly criticized the operation, saying it was “directly leading to more pain, suffering, and death for the Palestinians in Gaza.”The contractor said that Israeli “tanks fire all day long near these aid sites. Snipers fire from what used to be a hospital. Bombs and bullets fly all day long in one direction – toward Palestinians.”Most of the aid massacres typically happen early in the morning as desperate Palestinians try to reach the aid sites early before supplies run out. “We know the Israeli military has been enforcing curfews in some parts of Gaza,” the contractor said.“I would not be surprised if the aid was delivered at night deliberately, given it would then draw people out, at which point they could be fired on as combatants, even though they weren’t. It’s very clear that the Israeli military will take any opportunity available to fire,” the contractor added.

Israel Cuts Gaza's Internet Amid Soaring IDF Atrocities --- Caitlin Johnstone - The Palestinian Authority said on Thursday that internet and fixed-line services are down throughout the entire Gaza Strip following an Israeli attack on the last fiber-optic line in the enclave, AFP reports. Communications had already been cut off from northern Gaza the previous day.“The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Israeli forces are preventing repair teams from reaching the site of the attack.“Only people who have e-sims have access to the internet across Gaza,” Gaza journalist Hind Khoudary said on Twitter. “It takes you more than an hour to connect, and another hour to post. But why did Israel bomb the main internet fiber route? Why is Israel insisting on isolating Gaza from the world? So we are now deprived from food, water, electricity, and internet.”“Think of all the horrific images you’ve seen from Gaza. Now think of what worse carnage and murderous depravity Israel must be inflicting now to cut off the internet,” tweeted journalist Sam Husseini of the news.Indeed, this latest move comes amid a particularly egregious spike in mass atrocities from the Zionist entity. Israeli forces just killed 120 people in a single 24-hour period and injured hundreds more, with scores massacred while seeking food from Israel’s notorious “death trap” aid distribution sites. Israel has been massacring starving civilians desperately seeking aid on a near-daily basis in Gaza over the past two weeks. Israel is continually seeking out new ways to obstruct the world’s visibility into what’s happening with Gaza. That’s why they’ve been assassinating journalists who live in Gaza at a historically unprecedented rate while banning journalists outside Gaza from entering. It’s a nonstop war against visibility and truth, because Israel thrives on lies and darkness.It has driven the Israelis mad that their global support is being eroded by Palestinians recording their own genocide and broadcasting the footage to the world. If they think they can get away with keeping Gaza in the dark they absolutely will do so, while continuing to seek out further ways to hide the truth from the world.

UN General Assembly Overwhelmingly Votes in Favor of Immediate Gaza Ceasefire - On Thursday, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favorof a resolution that called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade on the besieged Palestinian territory.The resolution, drafted by Spain, also condemns the “use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and calls for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli captives.The resolution passed with a vote of 149-12 and 19 abstentions. The vote came about a week after the US used its veto power on the UN Security Council to block a Gaza ceasefire resolution.Ahead of the UN General Assembly vote, both the US and Israel argued against the resolution. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the line about Israel using starvation as a weapon of war was a “blood libel.”Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shay said the resolution was “one-sided” because it didn’t condemn Hamas and said it “sends an unacceptable message to Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist proxies, and that message is, you will be rewarded for taking hostages, diverting aid, and launching attacks from civilian areas.”Shay provided the “no” vote at the UN Security Council last week to veto the Gaza ceasefire resolution. The Biden administration vetoed several Gaza-related resolutions at the Security Council, but Wednesday’s vote marked the first time the new Trump administration used its veto power to block a Gaza ceasefire resolution on behalf of Israel.

Israel Strikes Iran's Nuclear Program, Killing Top Military Officials: Live Updates - Israel launched a stunning series of strikes Friday morning on Iranian nuclear sites and killed several of the nation’s security chiefs, in a remarkable coup of intelligence and military force that decapitated Tehran’s chain of command. President Trump warned that further attacks would be “even more brutal” and redoubled pressure on Iran to reach a new deal to curb its nuclear program. The Israeli military said that its strikes were continuing on Friday afternoon, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the assault as a last resort to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, which Israel views as an existential threat. The attacks also killed top Iranian officials and nuclear scientists and hit Tehran’s long-range missile facilities and aerial defenses. For years, Israel fought Iran’s proxy forces across the Middle East and more recently it has exchanged previous volleys of strikes with Iran. Yet Friday’s strikes were the first time it successfully hit Tehran’s nuclear facilities, including Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, which a military spokesman said had suffered “significant damage.” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Israel “should anticipate a harsh punishment.” Later on Friday morning, the Israeli military announced that Iranian forces had fired about 100 drones at Israel, as Mr. Netanyahu vowed the fighting would last “as many days as it takes.” The Israeli military said it was working to intercept the Iranian attack, and there were no immediate indications of significant damage caused by the drones. Mohammad Bagheri, the commander in chief of the military and the second-highest commander after the supreme leader, was killed, according to the Israeli military and Iranian media, as well as other top security officials. Ali Shamkhani, a leading politician who was overseeing the nuclear talks with the United States, was also killed, officials said. Mr. Khamenei moved quickly to appoint replacements, aiming to avoid the appearance of a leadership vacuum. In targeting the Natanz nuclear site, Israel struck at the beating heart of the Iranian nuclear program. The Israeli military said it had “caused significant damage” at Natanz and hit an underground compound housing centrifuges. Rafael Grossi, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that there were no indications of attacks at two other major Iranian nuclear sites, the deep-underground uranium enrichment center at Fordow or the Isfahan nuclear fuel site. Residents of Tehran, the Iranian capital, reported hearing huge explosions, and Iranian state television broadcast images of smoke and fire billowing from buildings. Long lines were forming at gas stations and grocery stores. The Iranian government said that a number of civilians had been killed, including children, and dozens injured. Footage shared by Iranian news agency WANA showed crowds of student-led protesters rallying in Tehran on Friday, calling for retaliation for the Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel’s wide-ranging strike against Iran on Friday was years in the making, the result of extensive intelligence gathering on the country’s nuclear sites as well as on top military officials and scientists, according to three Israeli officials with knowledge of the operations. To pull it off, Israel, in part, would have needed detailed information about the whereabouts and the movements of the officials and scientists, at least four of whom were at the upper levels of the military command. It was a joint effort between Israeli military intelligence and the Mossad, code named “With the Strength of a Lion,” one of the officials said. In the attack on Friday, Israel targeted nuclear sites in Iran along with air defense as well as missile systems and storage facilities. The extent of the damage was unclear, but the Israeli military said it had struck Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz. Roughly 140 miles south of Tehran, Natanz is considered Iran’s main center for uranium enrichment, and it was a prime target of the Israeli strikes. The damage to it appeared to be severe. It is only partially underground and was recently reinforced. It contains a range of sophisticated centrifuges, including the most advanced models, for enriching uranium to high levels. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, says there are nearly 14,000 centrifuges at work there, with thousands more in place but inactive. Uranium enriched at low levels can be used as fuel for civilian uses, such as producing energy. Highly enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons. Natanz has been targeted in the past, with a computer virus, Stuxnet, some 15 years ago, and with sabotage and explosions as recently as 2021. Iran has always in the past repaired the damage and increased the sophistication of its centrifuges. Rafael Grossi, the head of the I.A.E.A., confirmed on Friday that Natanz had been hit but said that no radiation leak had been detected so far. He condemned attacks on nuclear facilities in general, as he has done in Ukraine, as very dangerous. “Any military action that jeopardizes the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region and beyond,” Mr. Grossi told the agency’s board of governors in Vienna. Iran’s best-protected nuclear site, Fordow, near the city of Qom, is deep inside a mountain, estimated to be about half a mile below ground to protect it from bombing. Israel did not appear to have attacked it. To do so would require repeated use of huge “bunker buster” bombs, and most experts think that cannot be done by Israel alone, without American help. President Trump, in his first public comments on the Israeli strike against Iran, said that Tehran had brought the destruction on itself by failing to accept an offer that he and his envoy Steve Witkoff had put on the table about two weeks ago in nuclear talks. The proposal would have eventually forced Iran to give up all uranium enrichment. “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal,” he wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, on Friday morning. “I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done.” The negotiations had lasted only two months, and in recent weeks Mr. Trump had told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to hold off on any attack in order to let diplomacy play out. On Thursday afternoon, as Israel’s final attack preparations were underway, Mr. Trump told reporters, “I don’t want them going in” because “I think it would blow it” with the talks. In his post, Mr. Trump suggested that some Iranian leaders who were opposed to a deal had been targeted in the Israeli attack, which killed several top Iranian military officials and at least two prominent nuclear scientists. “Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!” Mr. Trump wrote.

IRGC commander, 2 nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes: Iran state TV | Arab News - Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei confirmed on Friday that several military commanders and scientists were “martyred” in Israeli strikes on Tehran. In a statement carried on state television, Khamenei warned that Israel will not go unpunished for its attacks. State television earlier said that Hossein Salami, the chief of the Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was among those killed, along with another top Guard official and two nuclear scientists. An anchor read a statement saying: “The news of assassination and martyrdom of Gen. Hossein Salami was confirmed.” The anchor did not elaborate. “The martyrdom of... Major General Gholam Ali Rashid is confirmed,” state television said. A major power center within Iran’s theocracy, with vast business interests and oversees the nation’s ballistic missile arsenal, the IRGC had been accused by Iran's neighbors of maintaining proxy militias such as the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi of Iraq. Iran’s Nournews also reported that Ali Shamkhani, a rear admiral who serves as adviser to Khamenei, was “critically injured.” State television and local media also reported the death of two scientists working on Iran's nuclear program. They were identified as Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. Several children were also reportedly killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital. Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes. In a recorded video message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel targeted Iranian scientists working on a nuclear bomb, its ballistic missile program and its Natanz uranium enrichment facility, in an operation that he said would continue "for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.” “We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Netanyahu said, adding that the targeted military operation was meant to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. An Israeli military official said Israel was striking “dozens” of nuclear and military targets including the facility at Natanz in central Iran. The official said Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days. Alongside extensive air strikes, Israel’s Mossad spy agency led a series of covert sabotage operations inside Iran, Axios reported, citing a senior Israeli official. These operations were aimed at damaging Iran’s strategic missile sites and its air defense capabilities. Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defense units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran. “Following the pre-emptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone) attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate time frame,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

What do we know about Israel's strikes on Iran and what might happen next? - Israel has launched strikes on dozens of targets in Iran, killing members of the country's elite paramilitary unit and nuclear scientists. It comes after days of tit-for-tat between the two countries over what Israel claims are plans by Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Israel attacks Iran live updates: Tehran vows to retaliate over strikes on nuclear and military targets Israel has confirmed it targeted military and nuclear sites in Iran's capital, Tehran, and vowed to continue action "for as many days as it takes to remove this threat". In the hours since, Iraq said more than 100 Iranian drones had crossed its airspace, with Jordan also confirming its air force had intercepted several missiles and drones. In a letter to the United Nations, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Israel's attack as a "declaration of war" and "called on the Security Council to immediately address this issue". Iranian state media confirmed top military leaders Hossein Salami and Mohammad Bagheri were among those killed in the strikes. It says children were also killed in residential areas across the capital. The escalation has prompted concerns from world leaders that already inflamed tensions could devolve into a broader conflict in the Middle East. The Israel Defence Force issued a statement late on Thursday, local time (Friday morning AEST) saying it had struck "dozens of military targets" related to Iran's nuclear program. Tehran is about 1,560km east of Israel's capital, Jerusalem. The two countries do not share a border and are separated by the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iran's nuclear program is spread across the country, including at several underground sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Natanz complex, south of Tehran, was one of the sites targeted in Israel's strikes. The International Atomic Energy Agency later confirmed Natanz had been struck. It houses facilities including two enrichment plants — one underground and one above. According to the Associated Press, insiders describe the underground facility as being about three floors below ground. The facility has been targeted in the past, including an explosion and power cut in April 2021. Iranian media is also reporting a strike hit military sites in Tabriz, in the country's north-west. Footage from Iranian state television showed smoke billowing out of the Natanz facility after the strikes, and the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards ablaze in Tehran. Video broadcast on Iranian news channels and social media in the minutes and hours after the strikes appeared to show residential buildings in Tehran had also been hit.

Israel comes under heavy fire from Iran - Israel is coming under a heavy bombardment Friday from Iran after the massive attacks overnight on Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. Dozens of ballistic missiles have been fired on Tel Aviv, Israeli officials said Friday amid Iran’s counterattack.Explosions could be heard throughout Tel Aviv. There have been at least seven hits on the ground in the city, a source told The Hill’s sister network NewsNation.Millions of Israelis rushed into bomb shelters as missiles targeted multiple cities. “We will take every measure necessary to protect the people of Israel,” Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs said Friday on social platform X.A US official confirmed the US is assisting in shooting down Iranian missiles targeting Israel.The retaliatory strikes come hours after the Israeli military took out Tehran’s top military leaders and targeted key nuclear facilities in a surprise strike Thursday.The U.S. was not involved in the strike and has distanced itself from Israel’s decision, while offering support for Jerusalem.Nuclear talks aimed at curtailing Iran’s ambitions were scheduled for this weekend, but Iran said it was withdrawing given the Israeli attack.The attacks seem aimed at making sure Iran does not have the capability to hit Israel with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, though it is unclear if that objective has been met despite the notable successes of the mission.Israel has killed key figures in Iran’s political and military establishment as well as nuclear scientists. Some of the strikes came from within Iran.

The Ayatollah’s survival was no accident — it was Israel’s choice, and a wise one Israel just executed the most far-reaching decapitation strike in the history of Iran. Within hours, targeted airstrikes had eliminated Iran’s top military planners — General Mohammad Bagheri, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and General Ali Rashid. Simultaneously, missile development facilities and key military coordination nodes were targeted, severing some of Iran’s communication links with proxy networks in Syria and Iraq. And yet the man at the apex of the system, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not targeted. To some observers, this omission may seem inexplicable. But martyring Khamenei would have produced explosive consequences far beyond the battlefield. Under Iran’s constitution, the death of the Supreme Leader triggers an emergency succession process managed by the Assembly of Experts. Since the March 2024 elections, this body has been dominated by clerics aligned with the hardline factions. Their candidate would likely be Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader’s son and behind-the-scenes enforcer. But Mojtaba faces a problem: He lacks the religious credentials necessary for the role. He has never issued a formal legal opinion, never taught in the traditional seminaries of Qom or Najaf and has never been accepted as a senior clerical authority. In Shi’a Islam, legitimacy must be earned through decades of scholarship and peer recognition — it is not inherited as with a monarchy. Had Israel killed Khamenei, this would likely have fast-tracked and legitimized Mojtaba’s rise. Absent that, it would be very controversial. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Iraq, for example, has long rejected Iran’s system of having a cleric as a political ruler. As long as the Ayatollah lives to a ripe old age, Mojtaba is both too illegitimate to unify the system and too protected to be sidelined. Thus, he may stall Iran’s succession process into a doctrinal stalemate — one that Israel has now made more likely by weakening his military protectors while leaving his father alive. Shi’a political theology is structured around martyrdom. The Seventh Century deaths of Ali and Hussein form the religious foundation of resistance and sacrifice. Had Khamenei been killed by an Israeli missile, it would not have been processed politically but mythologically. His death would have been viewed as a reenactment of the Karbala tragedy. That would have sanctified his son, unified Iran’s factions, and legitimized violent escalation from Iran’s regional proxies.

Asian Leaders Condemn Israeli Strikes on Iran - Top officials from countries across Asia have denounced Israel’s attack on Iran – among them Russia, China, Japan, Iraq, Oman, and Saudi Arabia – with many slamming the assault as an act of aggression and a severe breach of international law.During a regular press briefing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned that the Israeli strikes could have “grave consequences” for the region, adding that Beijing “opposes actions that violate Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” as well as “moves that escalate tensions and enlarge conflicts.”Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli attack in even harsher terms, deeming it a “violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.”“Unprovoked military strikes against a sovereign UN member state, its citizens, sleeping peaceful cities, [and] nuclear energy infrastructure facilities are categorically unacceptable. The international community cannot afford to be indifferent to such atrocities that destroy peace and damage regional and international security,” the ministry said in a statement.Moscow went on to accuse Western powers of stoking “anti-Iranian hysteria” within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, and said Tel Aviv’s actions were “particularly cynical” given recent nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.Iranian and American delegations were set to meet again in Oman on Sunday to continue those negotiations, but the talks appear to have been postponed indefinitely, according to Iranian and Omani state media.Oman’s top diplomat also slammed the Israeli strikes as “illegal, unjustifiable and a grave threat to regional stability,” urging other nations to “reject Israeli aggression and support de-escalation.”Saudi Arabia, a longtime rival of Tehran, said much the same early on Friday morning, voicing “strong condemnation” of “blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran.”Riyadh’s neighbor to the north, Iraq, later filed a complaint with the United Nations and accused Israel of violating Iraqi airspace during the strikes. Baghdad called on the Security Council to “uphold its legal and moral responsibilities” and “use its authority to deter the Israeli entity from repeating such violations.”Beyond the Middle East, the Japanese government “strongly” condemned the Israeli air raids as “totally intolerable,” while South Korea expressed similar concerns.

Netanyahu: Israeli Jets Will Hit Every Target, Every Site in Tehran - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tel Aviv will bomb “every target of the ayatollah regime,” The Jerusalem Post reports. The Israeli leader vowed Israeli Air Force jets will be seen over the skies of the Iranian capital, Tehran. According to Al Jazeera, Iranian state TV reports “heavy and destructive” retaliatory attacks on Israel will occur within hours.In the same statement, Netanyahu boasted that, since the launch of his aggressive war and surprise attack against the Islamic Republic, his forces have caused “real damage” to the Iranian nuclear energy program. “In the very near future, you will see Israeli Air Force warplanes above the skies of Tehran,” Netanyahu threatened. He emphasized “we will strike every site and every target of the ayatollah regime.”The Israeli leader described the “two-pronged threat to Israel,” which his war is intended to eliminate, as Tehran’s “ballistic missiles and [their] nuclear program.” Moreover, Netanyahu attempted to rebuke Iranian claims that the damage sustained so far to parts of their nuclear energy program was limited. “Iran’s nuclear teams were racing to build nuclear warheads. I heard there were those who claim we had no accomplishments in this regard, that is wrong,” Netanyahu stated. On Friday, Behrouz Kamalvandi, an Iranian Atomic Energy Organization spokesman, said “the damage was limited to areas that did not cause any urban damage in the case of Fordo… In Isfahan, there were also attacks on several points, which were related to warehouses that caught fire.” Kamalvandi added, “the damage was not extensive and there is no cause for concern in terms of contamination.”Whereas, Netanyahu proclaimed that there have been several strikes which caused “real damage to the [nuclear] program,” adding his attacks have killed top nuclear scientists. Israel’s multi faceted assault has targeted residential areas, nuclear facilities, and military sites, reportedly killing at least 80 people including 20 children. Hundreds more have been wounded. Top military figures, diplomats, and nuclear scientists have been reported among the slain.During the last 24 hours, Iran has been targeting Israel in retaliation with successive waves of drones and ballistic missiles. The extent of the damage done in Israel is less clear, explosions have been heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel claims three people have been killed and nearly 200 more have been injured. US officials have told the media that Washington is assisting Tel Aviv in its efforts to shoot down incoming missiles amidst the Islamic Republic’s counter attacks.President Donald Trump participated with Israel in an elaborate deception operation, insisting that Washington was still seeking a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue with Iran earlier this week as preparations for the war were being finalized. Trump has threatened that the “slaughter” in Iran will continue unless Tehran returns to the negotiation table and surrenders to his maximalist demands. He is publicly characterizing the Israeli strikes as “excellent.”

Refresher On The Rules For Discussing Israeli Wars -- Caitlin Johnstone - Okay it’s been a few months since the last war Israel started, so now that Iran’s on the chopping block let’s go over the rules once again.

• Rule 1: Israel is never the aggressor. If Israel attacks someone it’s either a response to an aggression that happened in the past, or a preemptive attack to thwart an imminent aggression in the future.
• Rule 2: History automatically restarts at the date of the last act of aggression against Israel. If someone attacks Israel it was completely unprovoked, because nothing happened before the attack on Israel.
• Rule 3: Anything bad that Israel does is justified by Rule 2. This is true even if it does things that would be considered completely unjustifiable if it were done by a nation like Russia or China.
• Rule 4: Israel has a right to defend itself, but nobody else does.
• Rule 5: Israel never bombs civilians, it bombs Bad Guys. If shocking numbers of civilians die it’s because they were actually Bad Guys, or because Bad Guys killed them, or because a Bad Guy stood too close to them. If none of those reasons apply then it’s for some other mysterious reason we are still waiting for the IDF to investigate.
• Rule 6: Criticizing anything Israel does means you hate Jewish people. There is no other possible reason for anyone to oppose acts of mass military slaughter besides a seething, obsessive hatred for a small Abrahamic faith.
• Rule 7: Nothing Israel does is ever as bad as the hateful criticisms described in Rule 6. Criticisms of Israel’s actions are always worse than Israel’s actions themselves, because those critics hate Jews and wish to commit another Holocaust. Preventing this must consume 100 percent of our political energy and attention.
• Rule 8: Israelis are only ever the victims and never the victimizers. If Israelis kill Iranians, it’s because the Iranians hate Jews. If Iranians kill Israelis, it’s because the Iranians hate Jews. Israel is an innocent little lamb that just wants to mind its own business in peace.
• Rule 9: The fact that Israel is literally always in a state of war with its neighbors and with displaced indigenous populations must be interpreted as proof that Rule 8 is true instead of proof that Rule 8 is ridiculous nonsense.
• Rule 10: The lives of people in Muslim nations are much, much less important to us than western lives or Israeli lives. Nobody is allowed to think too hard about why this might be.
• Rule 11: The media always tell the truth about Israel and its various conflicts. If you doubt this then you are likely in violation of Rule 6.
• Rule 12: Unsubstantiated claims which portray Israel’s enemies in a negative light may be reported as factual news stories without any fact checking or qualifications, while extensively evidenced records of Israeli criminality must be reported on with extreme skepticism and doubtful qualifiers like “Iran claims”, “Hezbollah says” or “according to the Hamas-run health ministry”. This is important to do because otherwise you might get accused of being a propagandist.
• Rule 13: Israel must continue to exist in its current iteration no matter what it costs or how many people need to die. There is no need to present any logically or morally grounded reasons why this is the case. If you dispute this then you are likely in violation of Rule 6.
• Rule 14: The US government has never lied about anything ever, and is always on the right side of every conflict.
• Rule 15: Israel is the last bastion of freedom and democracy in the middle east and therefore must be defended, no matter how many journalists it has to assassinate, no matter how many press institutions it needs to shut down, no matter how many protests its supporters need to dismantle, no matter how much free speech it needs to eliminate, no matter how many civil rights its western backers need to erase, and no matter how many elections its lobbyists need to buy.

We Are, Of Course, Being Lied To About Iran - Caitlin Johnstone - The western political/media class have been dutifully promoting this line and uncritically parroting Israel’s claim that its unprovoked attack on Iran was “preemptive”, but there is absolutely no evidence that any of this is true.bBenjamin Netanyahu has spent literally decades falsely claiming that Iran was a year or two away from developing a nuke, only to have the calendar prove him wrong with the passage of time over and over again. US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard testified just weeks ago that “The IC [Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.” As journalist Séamus Malekafzali recently noted on Twitter, one of the strongest arguments that Iran had not reversed its decision to refrain from obtaining nuclear weapons is that Iranian nuclear scientists have been publicly expressing frustration about the fact that their government won’t allow them to construct a nuke. They want to do it, but Tehran won’t let them.US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth helped pave the way for Netanyahu’s claims this past Wednesday when he told the Senate that “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”This claim by Hegseth was swiftly scooped up and promoted by warmongers like Tom Cotton who said that Hegseth had “confirmed that Iran’s terrorist regime is actively working towards a nuclear weapon.”Cotton’s claim was then picked up by war pundit Mark Levin, who has beenpersonally lobbying Trump to green light an attack on Iran, sarcastically quipping on Twitter, “So, SecDef Hegseth must by lying, too. Everyone’s lying except the isolationists, Koch-heads, Islamists, Chatsworth Qatarlson and their media propagandists.”But let’s back up and look at what Hegseth actually said. He did not say “Iran is building a nuclear weapon.” He said “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”If the US had intelligence that Iran was building a nuke, Hegseth would have just said so. But instead he performed this freakish verbal gymnastics stunt muttering about indications of something that might kinda sorta look like a nuclear weapon, which his fellow Iran hawks then falsely took and ran with as a positive assertion that Iran was building a nuke.There are other lies being circulated to help market this war as well. As Moon of Alabama notes, the Washington Post’s odious war propagandist David Ignatius is pushing the narrative that Iran has been cultivating a relationship with de-facto al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel. The lie that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda was used two decades ago to sell the invasion of Iraq. At the same time, Trumpian pundits are currently circulating the narrative that the United States is full of Iranian “sleeper cells” who could activate at any moment and begin attacking Americans. The most egregious of these is Laura Loomer’s repeated claims that there are “millions” of such cells awaiting Iran’s orders to strike — possibly the single most bat shit insane claim I have ever seen anyone with any major platform make, since it would mean a very sizable percentage of the US population is actually a secret Iranian proxy army. The fountain of lies is just getting started. There will be more. Believe nothing unless it is substantiated by mountains of evidence. These freaks have been caught lying to sell wars to the public far too many times for any of their claims to be taken on faith.