week ending Apr 18

New York Fed President Williams worries war will slow growth, aggravate inflation  -New York Fed President John Williams expressed concern Thursday about the Iran war’s impact on the economy, saying it already has shown signs of hiking prices and slowing growth. In a speech delivered to bankers in his home district, Williams noted that the conflict has “intensified the uncertainty” around national and local conditions. While he generally expressed confidence that growth would continue and inflation would ease through the year, he said there are threats to both sides of the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate for stable prices and low unemployment. “Assuming energy supply disruptions ease reasonably soon, energy prices should come down, and these effects should partially reverse later this year,” Williams said. “However, the conflict could also result in a large supply shock with pronounced effects that simultaneously raises inflation — through a surge in intermediate costs and commodity prices — and dampens economic activity. This has begun to play out already.” Such a condition — slow growth and high prices — is commonly referred to as stagflation and presents a toxic mix for central bank policymakers who would be left to choose which side to prioritize. Fed Chair Jerome Powell recently rejected that characterization for the U.S. economy, but Williams’ comments indicate that it remains a concern for policymakers, if in a reduced sense from the severe episode prevalent in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Williams pointed out there have been “increasing disruptions” in supply chains specifically concerning energy and related goods. The New York Fed’s own Global Supply Chain Pressure Index showed that conditions in March were the most strained since early 2023. “Not only are elevated energy prices showing up in the rising cost of fuel, but there are also pass-through costs in the form of higher airfares, groceries, fertilizer, and other consumer products,” he said. Under the current conditions, Williams said monetary policy “is well positioned to balance the risks to our maximum employment and price stability goals.” The Federal Open Market Committee, of which Williams is a permanent voting member, decided in March to stay on hold, with its benchmark rate targeted between 3.5%-3.75%. Markets are pricing in a 100% probability that the committee stays on hold again at its April 28-29 meeting, and in fact do not expect any cuts this year. Williams did not commit to a future policy stance. While he noted that the outlook is “highly uncertain,” he still sees real gross domestic product advancing at a 2%-2.5% clip this year, with inflation around 2.75%-3% before eventually drifting back to the Fed’s 2% target in 2027. Williams noted that longer-term inflation expectations are largely in check.

Fed Governor Waller says Iran war and labor market risks are keeping central bank on hold - Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller on Friday said current economic conditions are complicating the approach to interest rates, with policymakers facing a potentially long-lasting inflation shock and a labor market with no job growth that nonetheless appears stable. Against that backdrop, Waller said the Fed could have to stay on hold for a prolonged period until the economic direction becomes clearer. “High inflation and a weak labor market would be very complicated for a policymaker,” the central banker said for a speech in Alabama. “If I face this situation, I’ll have to balance the risks to the two sides of the Fed’s dual mandate to determine the appropriate path of policy, and that may mean maintaining the policy rate at the current target range if the risks to inflation outweigh those to the labor market.” The speech comes with markets expecting the Fed to stay on hold this year amid the cloudy economic outlook. For Waller, the address marked a departure from his previous assessment of the labor market. In recent months he has expressed concern about the low hiring level, but said Friday that evidence is building that the break-even rate — where the pace of hiring sustains the unemployment rate — may be close to zero. Waller had been a supporter of cutting interest rates, but voted in March to hold the benchmark federal funds level in a range between 3.5%-3.75%. However, he said he still has concern about the labor market. “My sense is that employers are walking a tightrope between their earlier challenges in finding qualified workers and where they think the economy is going, leaving them vulnerable to some economic shock that could tip them over and lead to significant job reductions,” he said. As for inflation — the other side of the Fed’s dual mandate — Waller said he is less sanguine than other policymakers and forecasters who see the Iran war’s impact as temporary. “Beyond the length of these disruptions, with this economic shock coming on the heels of the boost to prices from import tariffs, I believe there is the possibility that this series of price shocks may lead to a more lasting increase in inflation, as we saw with the series of shocks during the pandemic,” he said.

Cleveland Fed President Hammack expects interest rates to stay on hold 'for a good while' - Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack said Wednesday that the central bank is weighing threats to both inflation and employment and should keep interest rates on hold as conditions evolve. In a live CNBC interview, Hammack advocated a patient approach to monetary policy as Fed officials watch incoming data for clues about where the U.S. economy is heading. “My baseline is that we’re going to remain on hold for a good while, but I do think that there’s two-sided risks to rates,” Hammack said during the “Squawk Box” discussion. “I think there’s risks that we might need to be more accommodative or more restrictive, depending on how the data comes out. But that’s why it’s a good time for us to stay patient and wait and see how the data flows through.” Hammack is a voting participant this year at Federal Open Market Committee meetings. After cutting three times in the latter part of 2025, the committee has kept on hold for both of its decisions this year. The benchmark federal funds rate is currently targeted in a range between 3.5%-3.75%, which Hammack said is a “good place” for monetary policy. However, she remains wary of an inflation shock now as prices are pressured by the Iran war and tariffs. “All of these successive supply shocks are hard to think about how we’re supposed to handle those from monetary policy perspective,” she said. “Normally, you like to look through these types of supply shocks, but when it’s coming on the back of already-elevated inflation, it may not be the same as it would be had we been entering this period at low and stable inflation.” On employment, Hammack said the labor market is “roughly in balance” though she called it a “curious balance” considering the low level of job creation along with modest increases on the supply side. Though FOMC officials at the March meeting indicated they still see one rate cut this year, there was considerable disagreement. Markets on Wednesday morning were pricing in about a 1 in 3 chance of a reduction this year, according to the CME Group.

Fed's Miran downplays inflation risks, rethinks rate cuts  —  Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran on Thursday downplayed the impact of tariffs and the Iran war on inflation, while acknowledging he is reconsidering his outlook for rate cuts this year.

• Key takeaway: Fed Gov. Stephen Miran said he could now foresee three short-term interest rate cuts instead of four, citing shifts in the underlying composition of headline inflation. 
• Expert Quote: "What's happened in the last couple of months before the war broke out is that even though headline inflation was going sideways, the underlying composition got a little bit less favorable." — Fed Gov. Stephen Miran
• What's at stake: Expectations are rising that the Fed's rate-setting committee will hold monetary policy steady for the foreseeable future as it assesses how the war could affect the economy and consumer sentiment.

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran Thursday said that the Iran war and tariffs will not have long-term impacts on inflation, but did say he is reconsidering his rate cut outlook for the year.

Fed's Miran says inflation picture has deteriorated — but still favors multiple rate cuts this year -- Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran suggested on Thursday that he’s become slightly more hawkish because inflation looks a bit stickier and he now sees less reason for accommodative monetary policy than he once did. Miran said the inflation picture has worsened since December, though not so much because of the war in Iran. It’s what he’d seen in the few months before the war broke out. Miran said the underlying composition of inflation has become less favorable. “Some other sectors started contributing more, and so that … makes it a little bit more problematic than it was just at the beginning of the year,” Miran said at the Washington Economic Festival in D.C. Miran has been an outlier among his Fed colleagues since President Trump appointed him to the central bank last September to fill a vacancy, consistently favoring bigger and more frequent interest rate cuts. While traders are pricing in no rate cuts in 2026, and the Fed’s own consensus favors one cut, Miran has adjusted his outlook from four rate cuts this year to three. At the same time that inflation data showed deterioration, Miran pointed to some slightly better job market data. The shift in the data has moved him from advocating for interest rates below neutral to neutral, a level meant to neither boost nor slow economic growth. While he still sees the overall direction of the job market continuing to cool, given the inflation picture, he said, “Those two things together would suggest to me that interest rates should probably be slightly below neutral. “But given the risks to both sides, I said, OK, let's just go to neutral instead.” Miran said he thinks the current level of the Fed’s benchmark interest rate of 3.5%-3.75% is a full percentage point above neutral now. Add to that the uncertainty from the Iran war, and Miran said he has “a little bit less confidence” in economic forecasts. “And now we have an energy shock. It runs the risk of making that gradual cooling trend (in the job market) a little bit less gradual,” Miran said. Yet Miran does not see any long-lasting impact on inflation from the spike in energy prices adding to higher inflation risk. “If you thought that price levels were going to be moving higher, not now, not next month, not in June, but 12 to 18 months from now when the monetary policy lags have passed and monetary policy can actually affect the economy, then you have a reason for responding to the energy,” he said. “At this moment, I don't have a reason for thinking that the war has changed the outlook for inflation” 12 to 18 months from now, he continued.

Fed's Waller says policy outlook depends on Strait of Hormuz - Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said Friday that his view on the appropriate path for monetary policy will depend on whether the Strait of Hormuz remains open.

• Key takeaway: Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said he remains concerned about the labor market, but that the Iran war and its impact on energy prices have made the outlook for monetary policy more uncertain going forward. 
• Expert quote: "Beyond the length of these disruptions, with this economic shock coming on the heels of the boost to prices from import tariffs, I believe there is the possibility that this series of price shocks may lead to a more lasting increase in inflation, as we saw with the series of shocks during the pandemic." — Fed Gov. Christopher Waller
• What's at stake: Expectations are building that the Federal Open Market Committee will leave interest rates unchanged at its April 28-29 meeting. The CME FedWatch Tool shows markets are pricing in a 99.5% probability that rates will remain steady after the next meeting.

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said Friday that the length of time the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked will be a key factor in the longer-term inflation outlook — and, by extension, the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

Fed nominee Warsh filings detail vast wealth, far exceeding past chairs - Kevin Warsh’s wealth eclipses that of all recent Federal Reserve chairs, newly released financial disclosure forms show. Warsh is President Donald Trump’s nominee to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. His financial filings show that Warsh and his wife Jane Lauder have holdings of approximately $192 million, and potentially far more. Holdings in Warsh’s name, separate from his spouse, total approximately $135 million to $226 million. Nominees disclose their holdings to the Senate in broad ranges. Warsh’s filings list holdings in two funds that are valued at over $50 million, without specifying an upper limit. Lauder holds several funds listed at over $1 million, with no upper limit. Warsh married Lauder in 2002. She sits on the board of Estee Lauder, the cosmetics firm founded by her grandmother. Forbes estimates her wealth at $1.9 billion. The filings show Warsh is significantly richer than Powell, who, at the time of his 2018 confirmation, was thought to be the wealthiest Fed chair in history. Powell’s most recent filing, for 2025, shows wealth between $19 million and $75 million. Warsh also disclosed $10 million in income from his work as an advisor to investor Stanley Druckenmiller, which Warsh has jokingly called his “day job.” He earned some $3 million over the past year in additional income from work for a handful of Wall Street firms and at Stanford University, where he is a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution. Warsh’s filings detail roughly 1,800 individual assets. Many individual items are identified as being subject to “pre-existing confidentiality obligations” that prevent him from specifying the underlying assets.

Warsh nomination inches forward with financial disclosures — Kevin Warsh's nomination become the next chairman of the Federal Reserve Board edged forward, as the administration filed his ethics paperwork to the Senate Banking Committee.

• Key insight: Kevin Warsh's financial disclosures means that the Senate Banking Committee can hold a hearing next week as planned on his Federal Reserve nomination. 
• Forward look: Until the Department of Justice drops its case against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he won't vote for any Fed nominee, including Warsh, effectively stopping the nomination. 
• What's at stake: Warsh's filing reveals deep wealth that surpasses that of other Fed Board members, just as Republican messaging for the 2026 midterm elections centers around affordability.

Kevin Warsh's financial disclosures show significant wealth, likely well-over $100 million, beyond that of even Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who came from the private equity world.

Exclusive: Warren to probe Warsh on his role in 2008 crisis  — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is pressing the Federal Reserve for records relating to the actions of Kevin Warch, a former Fed governor and current nominee to chair the Fed, during the 2008 financial crisis ahead of his confirmation hearing next week.

• Key insight: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is pressing the Fed for records on Kevin Warsh's actions during the 2008 financial crisis, arguing he downplayed subprime risks and helped funnel taxpayer-funded bailouts to major Wall Street firms.
• Forward look: Warsh's path to confirmation is already complicated, with Democrats uniformly opposed and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis withholding his vote until the DOJ drops an investigation into current Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
• Expert quote: "Since 2008, it has been well-documented that Mr. Warsh, in his role as Fed Governor, failed to take seriously the risks posed by the subprime mortgage market," Warren said.

Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is pushing the Federal Reserve for records related to Fed chair-designate Kevin Warsh's actions as a member of the Fed board during the 2008 financial crisis.

US Prosecutors Make Surprise Visit To Fed HQ Renovation Project - Federal prosecutors on Tuesday made a surprise visit to the Federal Reserve headquarters building that's undergoing a $2.5 billion renovation, as they continue to investigate whether Fed Chair Jerome Powell lied to Congress about the cost and scope of the project. Construction workers told the prosecutors they couldn't come on the site without prior authorization, the Wall Street Journal reported. Instead, they were referred to the Fed's lawyers to coordinate a return visit.  The provocative move is the latest chapter in a months-long legal drama over the enormously expensive renovation of two Fed office buildings built in the 1930s, and whether Powell made false statements about the project in a congressional hearing last June. Specifically, Powell disputed media reports and accusations from administration officials and congressional Republicans that the project had extravagant design features, such as a VIP dining room, premium marble, water features and a rooftop terrace garden. Last year, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought reported that the $2.5 billion cost was $700 million over budget. President Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Powell for not pushing interest even lower than they are, was quick to condemn the Fed director for the steep price of the project. “When you spend $2.5 billion on, really, a renovation, I think it’s really disgraceful,” he said last year. More recently, he said the lead contractor "is probably one of the richest men in the country right now."The ongoing drama had a moment of comic relief in July, when Trump joined Powell in touring the construction site with reporters tagging along: Last month, US District Judge James Boasberg threw out two subpoenas that federal prosecutors had issued to the Fed. “There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will,” wrote Boasberg, an Obama appointee. Tuesday's surprise visit to the construction zone signals the DOJ's dedication to chasing the case.  “Any construction project that has cost overruns of almost 80 percent over the original construction budget deserves some serious review,” US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro told the Journal on Tuesday. “And these people are in charge of monetary policy in the United States?” Pirro, a long-time Trump ally, gave a green light to the investigation in November. Powell’s term as chair will expire on May 15, though his underlying seat on the Fed’s Board of Governors doesn’t end until 2028. In January, Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to replace him, but his Senate confirmation is being held up by Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who said he won't vote to advance Warsh's nomination until the DOJ investigation of Powell and the Fed is complete. Powell has said he'll stay on as chair until his successor is confirmed. Fed chairs usually give up their Board of Governors seat after leaving the top job, but Powell has said he will make a decision on that "based on what I think is best for our institution and the people we serve.”

Trump threatens to fire Fed Chair Powell if he doesn't resign - President Donald Trump threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he remains at the central bank beyond the end of his term in May, escalating the president's yearslong conflict with the central bank.

• Key insight: President Donald Trump says he will remove Fed Chair Jerome Powell from the central bank if he does not leave after his term expires on May 16. Trump also said his administration will not drop its probe into Powell over renovations at the central bank's headquarters.
• Expert quote: "I'll have to fire him if he's not leaving on time. I've held back firing him. I wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial." — President Donald Trump
• What's at stake: President Donald Trump's refusal to drop a criminal probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell could delay the confirmation of Kevin Warsh, Trump's pick to lead the central bank.

President Donald Trump said he would fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he does not resign after his term as head of the central bank ends in May. Trump made a similar threat against Fed Gov. Lisa Cook before attempting to fire her last August.

Beige Book Confirms Uncertainty, Fuel Costs Surged On Iran War As Economy Grew At "Slight To Modest" Pace --  US economic activity continued to increase at a "slight-to-modest" pace across most regions as the war with Iran generated a new wave of uncertainty and higher energy costs, the Federal Reserve said. The just released Beige Book - which featured information compiled by the New York Fed and collected through April 6, capturing the early effects of the war on the US economy - was the first one to discuss the state of the US economy after the Iran war started, and came at time when gas prices sstayed above $4/gal for two weeks after the biggest monthly jump in decades, with March fuel spending up 16% according to Bank of America card spending data.So far, Bank of America said that discretionary spending remains resilient—but risks rise if Hormuz disruptions persist. The Fed agreed, with the Beige Book reporting that overall economic activity increased at a slight to modest pace in eight of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts, while two Districts reported little change (San Francisco and St Louis), and two Districts reported slight to modest declines (Boston and New York).Price growth remained moderate overall, but energy and fuel costs rose “sharply” in all 12 Fed districts, the central bank reported in its Beige Book survey of regional business contacts released Wednesday.“The conflict in the Middle East was cited as a major source of uncertainty that complicated decision-making around hiring, pricing and capital investment, with many firms adopting a wait-and-see posture,” the Fed said.Bloomberg's NLP model that measures net sentiment by evaluating hawkishness (+ score) and dovishness (- score) pictured below. Recent reading comes in at +1.2.  Several policymakers have signaled a preference to keep borrowing costs steady for quite some time while they evaluate the economic data. Officials are expected to leave their benchmark rate unchanged when they meet on April 28-29, according to pricing in futures contracts. A growing number of officials are concerned the war could fuel inflation, and more favored language at their March gathering that would have made it clear the Fed may need to raise interest rates. Taking a closer look at the Beige Book, the conflict in the Middle East was cited as a major source of uncertainty that complicated decision-making around hiring, pricing, and capital investment, with many firms adopting a wait-and-see posture.

• Manufacturing activity rose slightly to moderately in most Districts. Banking sector activity was generally steady with loan demand stable to up moderately.
• On balance, consumer spending increased slightly despite harsh winter weather in some regions and higher fuel prices.
• Many Districts continued to report signs of consumer financial strain, increased price sensitivity, and rising demand at food banks and other social service organizations, while spending among higher-income consumers was resilient.
• Housing market activity softened across several Districts as heightened uncertainty and rising mortgage rates dampened buyer demand.
• Commercial real estate markets improved, with strength in industrial properties, especially data center projects. Office markets saw solid demand for Class A space but weaker demand for lower-tier properties.
• Energy activity was up slightly as oil prices rose, though many producers remained cautious about increasing drilling due to uncertainty about the persistence of higher prices. Agricultural activity was mixed, and several Districts reported that rising crop prices helped offset steep price increases of fertilizer and fuel.
• Business outlooks varied amid widespread uncertainty about future conditions.

IMF Warns US Treasury Market Prone To "Sudden Repricing" Due To Soaring Debt, Overreliance On Bills The International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday that the relentless US debt issuance is undermining the premium Treasuries have commanded from investors, with implications for government securities across the globe. “The increase in the US Treasury security supply is compressing the safety premium that US Treasuries have traditionally commanded — an erosion that pushes up borrowing costs globally,” the Washington-based IMF said in its latest Fiscal Monitor report. The US has been selling large volumes of debt because its budget deficit has averaged roughly 6% of gross domestic product over the past three years, an unprecedented shortfall outside of wartime or recession eras. The gap is expected to stay around those levels throughout the coming decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. In reality, it will only get wider. As Bloomberg reports, the IMF pointed to a narrowing gap between the yields of AAA rated corporate bonds and Treasuries as a sign of reduced appeal for US government securities. While spreads have typically been viewed as a gauge of the risk investors estimate for corporate borrowers, the fund is flipping that analysis on its head to view it as a metric of how much extra buyers are willing to pay for Treasuries. “A narrowing spread implies that the premium investors pay for the safety and liquidity of Treasuries (relative to high-grade corporate debt) is compressing,” the IMF said. The fund showed that AAA corporate spreads have shrunk to roughly 35 basis points from more than 55 basis points at the start of 2019. Besides funding runaway US debt, another danger flagged by the IMF was the increasing reliance of the US Treasury on sales of short-dated debt, a process launched by Janet Yellen and her Activist Treasury Issuance, and maintained ever since. Having initially criticized the Bill buildout, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last year said that it didn’t make sense to expand issuance of longer-dated securities, given that their yield levels were above those of T-Bills, which mature in under a year. “When debt is concentrated at shorter maturities, governments must refinance more frequently, increasing their exposure to abrupt shifts in market conditions or investor sentiment,” the fund said, noting that the US - along with all other "developed" governments - has shifted reliance toward sales of bills. Wednesday’s warnings come three weeks before Bessent’s Treasury sets out its latest plan for US debt issuance, known as the quarterly refunding policy statement. Finally, the IMF also flagged the increasing role that hedge funds are playing in the Treasuries market, via so-called cash-futures basis trades, as a risk. “The liquidity that hedge funds supply through such trades can be prone to flight, as it is backed by more-leveraged investors: a spike in volatility or financing costs can trigger forced unwinding, amplifying price dislocations,” it said. Multiple elements - historically high borrowing needs, the composition of demand for Treasuries tilting toward hedge funds and the increasing reliance on shorter-dated securities - are contributing to increased vulnerability of the market to a “sudden repricing,” according to the IMF. These dynamics can also become self-reinforcing, the fund said. “If investors grow concerned about a country’s rollover capacity, they may demand higher yields or step back from auctions of sovereign bonds altogether, validating the initial concern,” the IMF said, effectively explaining what happens when a Ponzi scheme stops working. “The resulting political pressure to address rising costs of servicing debt may itself become a source of uncertainty that markets price in.”+

House begins releasing fiscal 2027 spending bills - Republican appropriators in the House unveiled their first two fiscal 2027 spending bills Thursday, kicking off a 10-week stretch of bill releases and markups.House Appropriations subcommittees are expected to advance the first two spending proposals — Military Construction-Veterans Affairs and Financial Services-General Government — during a joint markup Friday.The fiscal 2027 appropriations sprint begins less than two weeks after the White House sent its budget request to Congress. That proposal recommends a 10 percent reduction to nondefense discretionary spending, including steep cuts at EPA and other environment and energy agencies.There are major challenges ahead. Republican appropriators are releasing fiscal 2027 bills while House Republican leaders continue to sit on a bipartisan, Senate-passed measure to fund parts of the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal 2026. House GOP leaders say they plan to schedule a vote on the DHS bill once the Senate makes some progress on a separate party-line spending and tax bill.

US and Iran fail to reach deal on ending war after marathon talks -- Negotiations between the United States and Iran aimed at ending six weeks of war ended without an agreement on Sunday morning after more than 21 hours of talks.  Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, said Iran had "chosen not to accept our terms" in brief comments to reporters before departing from Islamabad, Pakistan, for Washington, D.C., just after 7 am. "I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," Vance told reporters after the talks ended. "So we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement.”"We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," Vance added. "That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations."A U.S. official told TIME that talks collapsed after Iran did not agree to several "red lines" set by the Trump Administration, including an end to all uranium enrichment, the dismantling of all major enrichment facilities, and allowing the U.S. to retrieve Iran's highly enriched uranium. The official said Iranian negotiators also did not agree to end funding for allied militant groups across the region, and to fully open the Strait of Hormuz without charging a toll for passage.Iran’s state-run Press TV said the talks had become stalled on the issue of control over the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s right to a peaceful nuclear energy program. The country's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that Iran had raised "forward-looking initiatives, but the opposing side ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations."As the marathon negotiations were just beginning earlier Saturday, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that the U.S. had started “clearing out” the Strait— a key waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil passed before the war began. Reopening the Strait, which Iran has effectively blocked to tanker traffic since the beginning of the war, is a key U.S. demand in negotiations.   The Pentagon said in a statement that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces “began setting conditions for clearing mines” in the Strait on Saturday. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said in a post on X that two warships, the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Michael Murphy, transited the Strait of Hormuz as part of an operation to establish "a new passage” and encourage "the free flow of commerce."A senior Iranian military official claimed the vessel turned back after receiving a warning that it would be attacked if it continued through the Strait, according to Iranian state television. The talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, are the first since the war began with a surprise U.S.-Israeli attack involving hundreds of strikes on Feb. 28. They were also the highest-level in-person negotiations between the U.S. and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Why the Iran-US peace talks failed - The cocoon of Islamabad’s fanciest hotel was not enough to coax the United States and Iran into a historic peace agreement this weekend, but the progress made offered hope that dialogue was not over. It was the highest level meeting between the two sides since the 1979 revolution in Iran, with talks running through the night. The setting was a small purpose-built capital not used to high-stakes global diplomacy. Even many Pakistanis said it was surreal that world peace was to be decided in sleepy Islamabad. Yet, Pakistan, by having good ties with both Tehran and Washington, and playing no part in the war, was able to bring the two adversaries together. On offer from the United States was a grand bargain: the lifting of sanctions on Iran, bringing the country fully into the international community, even a partnership. Washington wanted to test if the Iranian command, after seeing the destruction from six weeks of war and the killing of its Supreme Leader, would now bend to its will, experts said. Yet Iran believed that it made gains from the conflict, including its hold over the Strait of Hormuz, which gave it leverage over the global economy. Tehran was not ready for what it would view as surrender. Pakistani officials were working frantically to salvage the talks, with the Iranian side remaining behind to confer with Pakistani mediators for some hours after U.S. Vice President JD Vance left with the U.S. delegation. For Washington, the deal breaker was nuclear weapons. Iran’s concern was more fundamental: the country's Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf said that the U.S. side “ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations.” Iran was bombed twice in the midst of talks with the United States over the last year. Tehran wanted assurance that the war would really be over this time, that the bombing would not restart once they made concessions. “We will not for a moment cease our efforts to consolidate the achievements of the forty days of Iran’s national defense,” Qalibaf said in a post on X.  A weary Vance said the U.S. had made the “best, final offer” as he left Islamabad. President Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that it was a “really good meeting” – except for one issue: “they want to have nuclear weapons. It's not going to happen.”  A U.S. official told TIME that Iran did not agree to several “red lines” set by the Trump Administration, including an end to all uranium enrichment, the dismantling of all major enrichment facilities, and the removal of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium from the country. The official said Iranian negotiators also did not agree to end funding for allied militant groups across the region, and to fully open the Strait of Hormuz without charging a toll for passage. Kamran Bokhari, senior resident fellow at the Middle East Policy Council, a think tank in Washington, said that U.S. demands on nuclear matters left no face-saving for the Iranian side, which viewed the nuclear program as a matter of pride. He saw the departure of the U.S. team as a “classic walk-out move,” from Trump’s negotiating playbook. “The Iranians can’t look like they’ve capitulated,” said Bokhari. “The credibility of the regime at home and overseas is at stake.” Pakistan’s powerful army chief Asim Munir has been key to his country’s role as mediator. Munir has built a rapport with Donald Trump, who has described him as “his favorite field marshal.” But Munir also knows the leadership of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, since he served as head of military intelligence a decade ago, said Muhammad Saeed, a retired three-star Pakistani general. Saeed said that Pakistan would continue to pass messages between the U.S. and Iran, with the possibility of Iran coming back with a counter-offer once they conferred with the rest of the leadership at home, and look to set up another meeting. “Nobody from the two sides has said that they are done with this process and that it is dead,” said Saeed. The ceasefire, for now, remained in place. But Trump’s announcement on Sunday of a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – to stop Iranian use of the waterway - could reignite the conflict, with the Revolutionary Guards warning that “any miscalculated move will trap the enemy in the deadly whirlpools in the Strait.” Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency quoted an Iranian official saying that the U.S. was making “excessive demands” on the Strait of Hormuz. “It seems that the United States is seeking to achieve through negotiations what it did not achieve during the 40-day war,” the official told Fars. Trump has floated the idea of joint U.S.-Iranian administration of the Strait. Tehran rejected the idea, which surfaced in the talks, saying that it was in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and those two countries should manage it. But even the fact that the two sides sat face-to-face, with Pakistani officials also in the room as mediators, was a breakthrough. Technical negotiations also took place separately. The last negotiation had been indirect talks. Iran’s spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that it was obvious that after a war, and years of mutual suspicion, a single negotiating session was never going to resolve all their differences. He said there was agreement on a range of issues, with two or three sticking points. Texts were exchanged between the two sides, he said. 

Joe Kent Says Demand for Zero Iranian Nuclear Enrichment Is a 'Poison Pill' That Killed Pakistan Talks - - Joe Kent, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned in opposition to the war with Iran, said on Sunday that the demand for Iran to give up all nuclear enrichment was a “poison pill” that appeared to be responsible for the lack of a deal after US-Iran talks in Pakistan.“It appears that the zero enrichment poison pill killed the Islamabad negotiations yesterday. We have 9 more days in this ceasefire to fix this, but we must pursue our goals not Israel’s,” Kent wrote in a post on X.According to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, a former IDF intelligence officer, the US demands for Iran include ending all uranium enrichment, dismantling all major nuclear facilities, and retrieving the uranium enriched at the 60% level, conditions that Tehran has repeatedly rejected.Since his resignation, Kent has pointed out in interviews that the US has adopted the position of conflating any nuclear enrichment with developing a nuclear weapon, even though before the war, Tehran was willing to dilute its uranium enriched at 60% to lower levels and was willing to reduce enrichment levels down far below the 90% needed for weapons-grade. Iran was also reportedly willing to suspend uranium enrichment for three to five years since the June 2025 US airstrikes had paused its enrichment program.The conflation of enrichment with weapons proliferation was demonstrated in Vice President JD Vance’s remarks to the press after the talks he held with Iranian officials in Islamabad. “The simple fact is: We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. It has long been the official policy of the Iranian government that it will not pursue nuclear weapons, something noted by Kent. “Trump’s redline has always been no nuclear weapons for Iran, not zero enrichment. Iran agrees with this and has not sought to develop or obtain a nuke since 2003 but needs to retain the ability to enrich for their “not Saddam but not Qaddafi” policy to work,” he said.Kent said that there was a “workable” deal between the US and Iran, but that such an arrangement was a “threat” to Israel’s desire to get the US to continue waging war with Iran. He also raised the possibility of Israel using a nuclear weapon.“Israel needs us chasing every trace of uranium in Iran because that ensures we stay engaged militarily in Iran, because how do we ever fully make sure Iran can’t enrich without taking out the regime? This is the recipe for an endless bloody war or supporting/turning a blind eye to Israel using a WMD on Iran,” Kent said. “Restrain Israel, get a deal, open the [Strait of Hormuz], focus on saving our Republic, not playing empire.”

Islamabad talks failed because US tried to win at table what it couldn't on battlefield: Ex-diplomat -  The high-stakes negotiations in Islamabad collapsed because Washington attempted to extract at the diplomatic table the concessions it fundamentally failed to secure during its 40-day war against Iran, says an analyst. In an interview with the Press TV website, former Iranian ambassador to Kuwait Reza Mirabian notxxed that during the Saturday talks in the Pakistani capital, the Americans acted contrary to what they initially accepted, referring to a pre-agreed 10-point Iranian proposal. This shift, he asserted, was "because they felt that perhaps they could achieve during the negotiations what they had failed to obtain in the war." The talks followed a devastating US-Israeli military campaign that began on February 28, targeting civilian areas, schools, and hospitals, and assassinating top officials, including the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. In response, Iranian armed forces carried out 100 waves of retaliatory Iranian strikes under Operation True Promise 4, pounding Israeli and American military assets in the region. Having hit a strategic dead end after facing fierce Iranian resistance, Washington was compelled to seek a diplomatic off-ramp. "We did not request negotiations; the Americans did," Mirabian told the Press TV website. "They imposed the war on us, and we resisted. They reached a dead end and requested negotiations, asking other countries to facilitate." The trajectory of shifting regional equations left the US with few alternatives. Had Iran continued its retaliatory attacks on US interests, especially those related to energy, the resulting global energy crisis would have crippled Washington and its close allies. Furthermore, the war imposed unprecedented costs on the US war machinery, exposing deepening divisions with Europe, intensifying distrust among Arab allies, and inflicting a severe reputational defeat on the global stage. Iran entered the Pakistani-mediated talks from a position of undeniable strength. "The Americans' miscalculation was imagining that after 40 days of war, fatigue, and the damage Iran imposed on them, they could extract concessions from Iran at the negotiating table," the former diplomat noted. This miscalculation derailed what Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted was just inches away from becoming the official "Islamabad MoU." Following 21 hours of intense dialogue with a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, Araghchi lamented that Washington offered only maximalism and shifting goalposts, proving that “zero lessons” were learned from past failures. According to Mirabian, the US derailed the agenda by introducing two entirely unapproved topics: the domestic enrichment of nuclear materials and the control of the Strait of Hormuz. The US proposed a joint American-Iranian administration over the strategic waterway, the former ambassador noted. This demand came shortly after a major diplomatic defeat for the US at the United Nations Security Council, where an anti-Iranian resolution pushed by Bahrain to force open the Strait was effectively vetoed by Russia and China. "The United States has no connection to the management of the Strait of Hormuz," Mirabian said. "If there is to be joint management, it would be between Iran and Oman. US proposal was strongly rejected by the Islamic Republic. Management of the Strait of Hormuz is with Iran." Regarding the nuclear issue, the analyst emphasized that Iran had already made its red lines clear. Tehran maintains that uranium enrichment must occur domestically, and its stockpiles will never be transferred abroad. Because Iran recognized that the US came solely to secure wartime prizes, it adamantly refused to yield. "Naturally, it seems they had no success in this regard and left the negotiations empty-handed," Mirabian remarked. The Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad on Friday, viewing diplomacy as the continuation of a war. Their goal was to harvest the fruits of resistance: consolidating authority over the Strait, securing war reparations, unfreezing assets, and lifting illegal sanctions.

US Lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper Drones in Iran War - -The US military has lost around 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28, CBS News has reported, citing unnamed US officials. MQ-9 Reapers cost at least $30 million each, meaning the US has lost at least $720 million worth of drones. Officials told CBS that eight were downed in April alone.The US has frequently used MQ-9s for drone strikes in its terror wars across the region, but they are very vulnerable when dealing with an enemy that has air defenses. During the US bombing campaigns in Yemen in 2024 and 2025, the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, shot down about 20 MQ-9s.During the bombing campaign in Iran, the MQ-9s were used to fire 250-pound small-diameter bombs, which have a longer range than the Hellfire missiles the drones are usually equipped with. US officials previously told The Wall Street Journal that the US military had lost MQ-9s both in the air and on the ground as Iranian missile and drone attacks have struck US bases across the region.The US has also lost multiple manned aircraft, including F-15 fighter jets, C-130 cargo planes, a KC-135 refueling tanker, and at least one A-10 attack plane. While the cost of lost aircraft exceeds $1 billion, it’s just a fraction of the war’s total cost, which is estimated to be at least $49 billion.

US Navy Confirms mishap to $250 million spy drone downed by Iran - The US Navy has confirmed that an MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf region on April 9, with the incident now described as a mishap, although little was revealed regarding the circumstance under which it was lost. After the aircraft had vanished unexpectedly from online flight tracking sites while flying over the Persian Gulf, multiple sources reported that it had been shot down by Iranian air defenses. The MQ-4C is a significantly rarer and higher value aircraft than the F-15E strike fighter, MQ-9 drone, and other aircraft that have been shot down by Iranian forces, with only the US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia being more valuable. Where the E-3 is an ageing aircraft that was scheduled for retirement within the next 15 years, the MQ-4C is a cutting edge platform that is still being produced for the Navy. Each MQ-4C is estimated to have a value of $235-250 million, with its extreme cost meaning only 20 have been brought into service. The destruction of one of the aircraft by Iranian air defenses would not be wholly unprecedented, with the closely related RQ-4A Global Hawk developed for the US Air Force having been shot down by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps on June 20, 2019. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi reported at the time that the aircraft “conducted an overflight through the Strait of Hormuz to Chabahar port in a full stealth mode as it had turned off its identification equipment and engaged in a clear spying operation.. When the [US] aircraft was returning towards the western parts of the region near the Strait of Hormuz, despite repeated radio warnings, it entered into the Iranian airspace.” Iranian forces have more recently from late February shot down an estimated 17 MQ-9 drones, and multiple drones of other types such as the Israeli Heron. The Triton is a derivative of the MQ-4 Global Hawk, and is specialized in maritime surveillance. The aircraft have ranges of over 13,000 kilometers, which are necessary for persistent wide-area surveillance, and have reinforced airframes for harsh ocean weather allowing them to stay on station over oceans in all conditions. Each integrates the AN/ZPY-3 Multi-Function Active Sensor radar, which was designed for 360° maritime surveillance and can track ships over vast areas. They also integrate electro-optical / infrared sensors, as well as electronic support measures for signals detection. Real-time data links via satellite communications allow them to serve as nodes in wider surveillance networks, sharing data with naval, air and ground assets. The aircraft are particularly heavily relied on in the Pacific theatre, although their survivability has repeatedly been questioned. Before its sudden disappearance from flight tracking systems, the Iranian-downed MQ-4C Triton reportedly exhibited a dramatic loss of altitude, plunging from its typical cruising height of around 50,000 feet to below 10,000 feet. At the time, the drone appeared to be returning to its base at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy after completing a surveillance mission in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy said. At the time of its descent, the drone’s transponder was broadcasting a distress signal, commonly known as “squawking.” Initially, it transmitted the code 7400, indicating a loss of communication with ground controllers, and later switched to the emergency code 7700. While the latter is a general declaration of an in-flight emergency, it does not divulge the specifics of the situation.

Report Claims Iran Used Chinese Satellite to Target US Bases; Beijing Denies - Palestine Chronicle China has rejected allegations that it provided military or intelligence support to Iran, as a report by the Financial Times claimed that Tehran used a Chinese-built satellite to monitor and target US military bases across the Middle East during recent hostilities. “The relevant reports are untrue,” China’s Foreign Ministry said, adding that “certain forces have been keen to fabricate rumours and maliciously link them to China,” while also stating that the war itself “should never have happened.” Leaked Iranian military documents claim that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force acquired the satellite, known as TEE-01B, in late 2024 after it was launched from China. The alleged documents include time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery, and orbital analysis indicating that Iranian commanders tasked the system with monitoring key US military installations ahead of missile and drone strikes. Images were captured both before and after attacks, allowing Iranian forces to assess the effectiveness of their operations, the newspaper reported. The satellite was used to monitor multiple US military sites across the region, including Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, where US President Donald Trump confirmed that American aircraft had been hit. According to the alleged documents, it also conducted surveillance of facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Djibouti, and Oman, in addition to tracking civilian infrastructure such as ports and energy facilities in the Gulf. The system represents a significant upgrade over Iran’s domestic satellite capabilities, according to the Financial Times. The TEE-01B is capable of capturing imagery at approximately half-meter resolution, allowing analysts to identify aircraft, vehicles, and changes to infrastructure. By contrast, Iran’s Noor-3 satellite is estimated to capture imagery at around five-meter resolution, limiting its ability to monitor detailed military activity. “This satellite is clearly being used for military purposes,” said Nicole Grajewski, an Iran expert at Sciences Po, noting that it is operated by the IRGC’s Aerospace Force rather than a civilian program. She added that the system allows Iranian forces “to identify targets ahead of time and check the success of its strikes.”

Defeated at war, desperate enemy bombs Iran's century-old biomedical research center - On April 2, American and Israeli warplanes deliberately struck the Pasteur Institute of Iran in central Tehran, a 105-year-old biomedical research center and national heritage site. In moments, laboratories that had produced life-saving vaccines for generations were reduced to rubble. International legal experts have condemned the attack as a war crime and an assault on the very foundations of public health sovereignty.The Pasteur Institute of Iran was established on August 10, 1921, through a formal agreement between the Iranian government and the Institut Pasteur of Paris, following the devastating 1918–19 influenza pandemic that killed hundreds of thousands of Iranians. For more than a century, it served as the bedrock of Iran's public health system, producing vaccines against smallpox, cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, rabies, and hepatitis B, while training generations of Iranian scientists in bacteriology, virology, parasitology, and immunology. The iconic institute's contributions to global health are immeasurable, as acknowledged by medical luminaries across the region and the world. The ongoing US-Israeli aggression against Iran, now in its sixth week, has taken a dark and unmistakable turn lately with targeted attacks on scientific and academic centers. The war – unprovoked and unjustified – has expanded into a systematic campaign against the country's civilian infrastructure – with a particular focus on healthcare, pharmaceutical production, and medical research. The attack on the Pasteur Institute, one of the oldest and most prestigious public health institutions in West Asia, represents an escalation in this war of aggression. As experts assert, this is not merely an attack on a public building. It is an assault on a century of scientific achievement, on the right of a nation to produce its own medicines and vaccines, and on the very principles of international humanitarian law that distinguish civilian from military targets. The World Health Organization has documented more than twenty attacks on Iranian healthcare facilities since March 1, resulting in a number of casualties. The pattern is unmistakable: this is a deliberate strategy to dismantle Iran's public health infrastructure, to deprive its people of essential medicines, and to weaponize disease and suffering in the service of political objectives. The Pasteur Institute, a symbol of Iran's scientific resilience through epidemics, revolutions, and sanctions, now stands as a monument to the brutality of a war that respects no red lines and no international norms.

I Hope The US Loses And The Empire Collapses, And Other Notes - Caitlin Johnstone -- I don’t mind admitting that I hope the US and Israel suffer a crushing, devastating defeat in Iran. I hope this war collapses the entire US empire. My only loyalty is to humanity, and being on Team Human in today’s world means being against the US empire and against Israel. I hope the empire falls. I hope the apartheid state of Israel is dismantled. I hope humanity is able to pry the steering wheel from the fingers of the ghouls who currently rule our world, so that we can create a healthy planet and a harmonious future together. The US and Israel have so normalized the assassination of national leaders that the mainstream press now discuss it as a standard military tactic. The other day The Washington Post ran an article by Marc Thiessen arguing that the US should “carry out a final barrage of leadership strikes, eliminating the Iranian officials who had been spared for the purpose of negotiations.”“Iran’s leaders must be made to understand that their lives literally depend on reaching a negotiated settlement to Trump’s liking. If they refuse to do so, they will be killed,” Thiessen writes.At some point one of America’s enemies is going to assassinate a US official and my replies are going to be full of shrieking, outraged Americans acting like I’m the bad guy when I say Washington had it coming.

Iran taunts Trump, threatens Gulf ports over blockade threat - Iran is taunting the Trump administration over gas prices in the U.S. and threatening ports on the Persian Gulf after President Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, told the U.S. in a post on the social platform X Sunday afternoon to “enjoy the current pump figures.” “With the so-called ‘blockade’, Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas,” Qalibaf added. Qalibaf’s post also featured a screenshot of Google Maps, with “gas station near white house” in the search bar and multiple results coming up in the region with gas prices per gallon around $4 to $5. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. is sitting at $4.13, up from around $3.63 last month at this time. On Sunday, Trump announced the U.S. military would start blockading ships looking to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the oil industry where traffic has been restricted amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict against Iran. “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said on Truth Social. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Sunday said it would begin blockading Iranian ports starting at 10 a.m. EDT Monday, or at 5:30 p.m. Iranian time. Reuters reported a spokesperson for the Iranian military called any limits in international waters from the U.S. on vessels unlawful and “piracy,” according to state media. The spokesperson also said ports in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman faced risks if Tehran’s ports were under threat.

Trump says 34 ships passed through Strait of Hormuz on Sunday - President Trump claimed Monday that 34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, as the U.S. moved to block ships from transiting the critical body of water from Iranian ports. “34 Ships went through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, which is by far the highest number since this foolish closure began,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday. The strait, which normally sees roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil travel through it, has remained mostly closed throughout the war between the U.S. and Iran, which began in late February. The maritime data firm Kpler, however, said that only 14 ships traveled through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. would oversee a blockade of all Iranian ports. Oil prices soared to more than $100 a barrel on Monday amid concerns and uncertainty over the blockade, which Trump confirmed to reporters had taken effect. The development comes after talks between the U.S. and Iran failed in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend. Vice President Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, told reporters in Pakistan that while the 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials were “substantive,” the two sides were unable to reach a peace agreement.

Yemen vows military escalation if US, Israel resume war on Iran - Yemen’s Foreign Ministry says the Arab country’s position remains steadfast in active participation and escalation of military operations if the United States and the Israeli regime resume their war of aggression against Iran and the Axis of Resistance. In a statement on Monday, the ministry warned that any renewal of the US aggression in the region or at the level of naval escalation will cast a negative shadow on supply chains, energy prices, and the entire global economy. The escalation in the rhetoric of the criminal US President Donald Trump -- moving military confrontations to the high seas – proves the failure and futility of the US-Israel military aggression against Iran, it said. It pointed to two rounds of wars against Iran in June 2025 and February 2026 and added that the criminal Trump and his partners aspired to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Now, the US president seeks to open the Strait of Hormuz, but he will fail to achieve such a goal, the ministry emphasized. The statement comes after US President Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social on Sunday, said that American naval forces will impose a full naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. “Effective immediately,” he wrote, adding, the US Navy “will begin the process of blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.” Trump claimed that the US Navy will “begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits, urging Iran to “end this situation.” He once again threatened that the US military is “fully locked and loaded” and “will finish up the little that is left of Iran.” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf responded to Trump’s remarks, saying the language of threats does not work with Iran. He added that Iran had demonstrated since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that it would not yield under military, economic or political pressure. Addressing Trump directly, Qalibaf said, “If you go to war, we will fight you, and if you come forward with logic, we will treat you logically. We will not bow to any threat. Test our resolve once again, so that we will teach (you) a greater lesson.”

‘Turn Back or Be Targeted’: IRGC Video Shows Warning to US Destroyer in Hormuz - -Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released footage on Sunday, showing a direct confrontation with a US Navy destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz. In the video, an IRGC Navy serviceman is heard issuing a warning to the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.: “Navy warship 121. This is Sepah (IRGC) Navy station. You must alter course and go back to the Indian Ocean immediately. If you don’t obey my order, you will be targeted.” The US vessel responded that it was conducting “transit passage in accordance with international law,” adding that it did not intend to challenge Iranian forces and would abide by ceasefire rules. The IRGC serviceman replied with a final warning, stating: “This is the last warning,” and cautioned nearby ships to keep their distance, adding he was “ready to open fire… without any warning.” US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed on Saturday that the two guided-missile destroyers, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Michael Murphy, transited the Strait of Hormuz as part of an operation to clear sea mines. According to CENTCOM, the vessels operated in the Arabian Gulf “as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines” allegedly laid by the IRGC. Commander Adm. Brad Cooper reportedly said: “Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage… to encourage the free flow of commerce.” Despite US claims, the IRGC denied that American warships had successfully passed through the Strait. “The IRGC Navy fully and authoritatively manages the intelligent control of the Strait of Hormuz,” the force said in a statement. It stressed that “permission to pass is granted solely to non-military vessels in accordance with specific regulations,” adding that “any attempt by military vessels to pass will be met with the utmost firmness and resolve.” Iranian officials reiterated that all maritime movement in the strait remains under Iranian oversight.

Iran tells US 'this is the last warning' in radio message amid Strait of Hormuz de-mining push: Report  - After the U.S. military launched operations to demine the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy reportedly warned an American destroyer in the passageway. “This is the last warning. This is the last warning,” the Iranian forces radioed to one of the two U.S. destroyers in the strait, according to The Wall Street Journal. “Passage in accordance with international law. No challenge is intended to you, and I intend to abide by rules of our government’s cease-fire,” the U.S. ship responded, referring to the temporary pause in hostilities between the two sides. The Hill has reached out to U.S. Central Command (Centcom) for comment on the reported radio message. The IRGC navy, meanwhile, denied Saturday that U.S. ships passed through the strait. “The IRGC Navy fully and authoritatively manages the intelligent control of the Strait of Hormuz,” the military branch wrote in Persian on the social platform X. “Permission to pass is granted solely to non-military vessels in accordance with specific regulations.” “Reports published regarding the passage of U.S. vessels through the strait are denied, and any attempt by military vessels to pass will be met with the utmost firmness and resolve.” Centcom wrote Saturday on X that its forces “began setting conditions for clearing mines” in the passageway. The command added that the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Michael Murphy, both guided-missile destroyers, transited the strait and operated in the Arabian Gulf “as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines” that the IRGC previously laid. “Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of Centcom. The IRGC has laid mines in the waterway and threatened vessels against passing through it in response to the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Those threats resulted in vastly reduced shipping through the strait, leading to a spike in oil prices.

The key to Strait of Hormuz is Iranian – US destroyers just learned the hard way -Based on information obtained from military sources, a Press TV investigation on Sunday revealed that two American destroyers came within minutes of total destruction, following a perilous attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Just four days after a ceasefire halted joint US-Israeli aggression against Iran after 40 days, the US military launched a desperate propaganda gambit in the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf, timed with the diplomatic talks in Islamabad. As Iranian and American delegations engaged in delicate, high-stakes talks in the Pakistani capital, two US Navy guided-missile destroyers – the USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and the USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) – quietly and scandalously attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with the Iranian armed forces. What followed was not a display of US naval power, but a humiliating retreat. Iranian cruise missiles locked onto the giant destroyers, and a stark thirty-minute ultimatum forced their immediate withdrawal from the strategic waters. Citing highly placed military and security sources, Press TV's investigation revealed that the American warships were mere minutes from complete annihilation. The failed operation was designed to pressure negotiators in Islamabad and test the readiness of Iran's naval forces – but it achieved neither of the two objectives. Instead, Iran demonstrated with absolute clarity that the Strait of Hormuz remains firmly under its control and that no American vessel will pass without Tehran's express permission. According to the Press TV investigation, the American destroyers and their accompanying fleet attempted to transit the strategic waterway but were intercepted and forced to retreat by Iranian naval forces. When the two destroyers—the USS Michael Murphy and the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.—reached the mouth of the Persian Gulf, Iran's cruise missiles locked onto them, and the vessels were given only thirty minutes to turn back. They immediately complied. The investigation reveals that the destroyers had attempted to use sophisticated electronic warfare tactics, including turning off their position reporting systems and spoofing their identity to present themselves as commercial vessels belonging to Oman, purportedly engaged in coastal transit in the southern part of the Sea of Oman. The destroyers also chose a route very close to the coast and through shallow waters, taking a high risk to pass through this route and enter the Persian Gulf through concealment and deception, expecting that Iranian forces might be negligent during the ceasefire. However, the IRGC naval forces, while patrolling around Fujairah, had already detected the deception and taken swift action.

Exclusive: IRGC locked 16 cruise missiles on US warships in Strait of Hormuz before they retreated - In new details of last week's operation in the Strait of Hormuz, Press TV has learned that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy locked more than a dozen cruise missiles onto aggressive US warships moments before they hastily retreated. Press TV obtained the new information during follow-up investigations of the April 11 confrontation between IRGC naval forces and the US military in the strategic waterway. According to Press TV's findings, after the American warships – the USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and the USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) – failed to heed initial warnings from Iranian naval forces, the IRGC Navy locked 16 cruise missiles onto the vessels. The enemy was then warned that if they did not withdraw from the Strait of Hormuz within minutes, the missiles would be fired. With American forces reportedly certain that an attack was imminent, they requested a 15-minute delay from the IRGC naval forces. According to the new information obtained by Press TV, US military personnel sought to use that time to communicate the dire situation back to their command and receive further orders. The tense back-and-forth lasted less than an hour, largely due to the restraint exercised by Iranian forces. Shortly thereafter, the American destroyers rapidly fled the area. A Press TV investigation on April 12 had revealed that the US military's attempt to sail two destroyers through the Strait of Hormuz ended as a failed propaganda stunt timed to coincide with the talks in Islamabad. Based on information provided by highly placed military-security sources, the report revealed that the US Navy destroyers came within minutes of complete destruction after attempting a high-risk passage through the Strait of Hormuz – a failed propaganda operation aimed at influencing the Iran-US talks in the Pakistani capital.

Trump Declares US Blockade on Strait of Hormuz After No Deal Reached With Iran -   President Trump declared on Sunday that he was ordering the US Navy to impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and the US military announced it would begin blocking all ships leaving or traveling to Iranian ports starting at 10:00 am Eastern Time on Monday morning. Trump’s declaration came after US and Iranian officials held about 20 hours of talks in Pakistan that didn’t result in a deal. He said that the US and Iran were at an impasse on the nuclear issue, as Washington is still demanding that Tehran commit to zero nuclear enrichment. Another major sticking point is the fact that Israel has refused to enact a ceasefire in Lebanon and has continued major airstrikes on the country that have massacred hundreds of civilians since the US-Iran truce started.“So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, ‘There may be a mine out there somewhere,’ that nobody knows about but them. THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted,” he added. US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, as Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for Peace Missions, listen, on Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)Trump also said that he ordered the Navy to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran.” He issued a warning to the Iranian military, saying that any “Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” Later in the day, US Central Command announced that its forces would begin enforcing a blockade of “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” at 10:00 am EST on Monday. The command said the “blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” but that it will not impede “freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”In another post on Truth Social, Trump accused the Iranians of being “dishonorable” for not opening the Strait of Hormuz as part of the ceasefire agreement. But a major part of the deal was also for a ceasefire in Lebanon, something the US officials initially agreed to but later rejected after Israel escalated its bombing campaign in the country.In brief remarks to the press following the negotiations with Iran, Vice President JD Vance also framed the nuclear issue as being the main impediment to a deal, though, since before the US and Israel launched the war, Tehran has been willing to re-commit to never developing a weapon and keeping uranium enrichment at very low levels.“We’ve been at it now for 21 hours. We’ve had a number of discussions with the Iranians, that’s the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it is bad news for the United States of America,” Vance said.“We go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We’ve made it very clear what our redlines are, what we are willing to accommodate them on, and what things we are not willing to accommodate them on. We’ve made that as clear as we possibly could, and they’ve chosen not to accept our terms,” the vice president added.Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said that the US failed to gain Iran’s trust. “Before the negotiations, I emphasized that we have the necessary good faith and will, but due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.  “My colleagues on the Iranian delegation, Minab-168, raised forward-looking initiatives, but the opposing side ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations,” he added.

Why Can't the U.S. Just Take Over the Strait of Hormuz? - The Strait of Hormuz has been shut down for 10 days as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran continues to escalate, causing global unease about an oil crisis. Andrew Chang explains why for the U.S. — despite having the world's most powerful navy — getting oil tanker traffic moving through the vital shipping route again is much harder than it may seem.

JD Vance says 'ball is in the Iranian court' - Vice President Vance said Monday that the “ball is in the Iranian court” regarding the next steps toward reaching an agreement to end hostilities with the U.S. During a roughly 20-minute interview with host Bret Baier on Fox News’s “Special Report,” the vice president said the delegation he led to Islamabad, Pakistan, left without an agreement because Iranian officials were “unable to cut a deal and they had to go back to Tehran, either from [Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei] or somebody else, and actually get approval” to the terms the U.S. side proposed. In addition to Vance, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, were in attendance for negotiations over the weekend. “Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court because we put a lot on the table,” Vance added. “We actually made very clear what our red lines were.” As for those red lines, the vice president said they all “flow” from the “fundamental premise” of preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. One of those red lines, Vance said, is the U.S. taking possession of Iran’s enriched uranium, which the vice president noted is “buried underground” due to U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities last June. Another is ensuring that Iran does not have the “ability to enrich uranium, which is how they got so close to a nuclear weapon before” those strikes, Vance added. “Those are really the two things where frankly, the Iranians, I think, did make some progress,” he said. “They moved in our direction, which is why I think we would say that we had some good signs.” “But they didn’t move far enough, and so what we decided is, ‘You know what? Given that we don’t think this current team and this current timeline is going to be able to make a deal, let them go back to Tehran, we’re going to go back to Washington,’ and that’s where we are today,” Vance said. After negotiations in Islamabad concluded without a deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that his side “engaged in good faith” to end the war. “But when just inches away from ‘Islamabad MoU’, we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade,” he wrote on social platform X, referring to the U.S. “Zero lessons earned. Good will begets goodwill. Enmity begets enmity.”

Netanyahu Says the Trump Administration Gives Him Reports on Iran Talks Every Day  - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he spoke with Vice President JD Vance after the US-Iran talks in Pakistan and described the call as part of a daily report the Trump administration provides him. “I spoke yesterday with Vice President J.D. Vance. He called me from his plane on his way back from Islamabad. He reported to me in detail, as this administration does every day, about the development of the negotiations,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.The comments from Netanyahu highlight the close coordination between the US and Israel on Iran. Ravid reported in early March that US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has known Netanyahu since he was a child, were speaking to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials nearly every day. Witkoff and Kushner led the negotiations with Iran in the lead-up to the war and both attended the Pakistan talks. A March 4 report from Ravid for Axios reads: “A US official said special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner talk almost every day to Netanyahu, to the director of Mossad David Barnea, and to other Israeli officials — and that regardless of ups and downs in the past, the coordination over the last month was very close.”Netanyahu said in his comments on Monday that he and Vance discussed an “explosion” in the US-Iran talks, which he blamed on Iran. The Israeli leader claimed that Tehran had violated its ceasefire agreement with the US by not fully opening the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran didn’t take the step to open the waterway in response to Israel’s escalation of its bombing campaign in Lebanon. The original ceasefire announcement issued by Pakistan’s prime minister, which the US had approved, said that the deal includes a truce in Lebanon, but the US backtracked on that commitment after Israel kept bombing the country.“The explosion came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran’s blatant violation of the agreement to enter the negotiations. The agreement was that they would cease fire, and the Iranians would immediately open the gates. They did not do that. The Americans could not accept that,” Netanyahu said.Netanyahu also said that Vance told him the US priority was related to Iran’s nuclear program. “He also made it clear to me that the main issue on the agenda for President Trump and the United States is the removal of all enriched material, and ensuring that there is no more enrichment in the coming years, and that could be in decades, no enrichment within Iran. That is their focus, and of course it is also important to us,” he said.

U.S. begins blockade in Strait of Hormuz; Trump warns Iran ‘attack ships’ to stay away - The U.S. on Monday said it began blocking ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, attempting to ratchet up pressure on Iran to reopen the key oil route after peace negotiations collapsed. “We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world, because that’s what they’re doing,” President Donald Trump told reporters outside the Oval Office after the blockade took effect at 10 a.m. ET. Asked if the goal of the obstruction is to force Iran to reopen the strait or come to the negotiating table, Trump said, “Both of those things, certainly, and more.” Trump’s impromptu remarks at the White House came after Vice President JD Vance returned from Pakistan without a deal with Iran and with last week’s two-week ceasefire looking shakier amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Trump on Monday claimed Iran wants to make a peace deal “very badly,” despite negotiations in Pakistan over the weekend ending in a stalemate. The sticking point was “over the fact that they will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said of Iran. “We agreed to a lot of things, but they didn’t agree to that, and I think they will agree to it. I’m almost sure of it. In fact, I am sure of it. If they don’t agree, there’s no deal,” he said. As the blockade took effect Monday morning, Trump earlier Monday warned Iran’s “fast attack ships” not to come near the U.S. forces enforcing the closure. “If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is quick and brutal.” A White House official confirmed to CNBC that the blockade has taken effect. Trump had announced the blockade plan Sunday in a social media post accusing Tehran of “WORLD EXTORTION” by continuing to throttle traffic through the strait. The U.S. blockade applies to “any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said. The U.S. Central Command later added the caveat that American forces “will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.” “The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM specified.

Trump Says US Military Has Started Blockade on Iranian Ports as Iran Calls It 'Piracy' - -- Iran’s military released a statement calling the US blockade illegal and warning that if the security of ports in Iran is “threatened,” no port in the region would be safe.“The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy,” said the spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters.In a post on Truth Social, President Trump warned that any Iranian naval vessels that come near the US Navy ships enforcing the blockade would be “eliminated” and referenced the US bombing campaign against small, alleged drug boats in the waters of Latin America.“Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated – 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, “fast attack ships,” because we did not consider them much of a threat,” Trump said.“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal. P.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED!” the president added.In another post, Trump claimed that 34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, but according to ship trackers, only four ships made the transit that day.Trump ordered the blockade after the US and Iran failed to reach a deal during talks in Pakistan. The blockade is seen as a pressure campaign to get Iran to capitulate to US demands, including a commitment to zero nuclear enrichment, but there’s no sign yet that Tehran is backing down. While Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon, a ceasefire between the US and Iran has held for several days.

US Navy Confirms mishap to $250 million spy drone downed by Iran - The US Navy has confirmed that an MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf region on April 9, with the incident now described as a mishap, although little was revealed regarding the circumstance under which it was lost. After the aircraft had vanished unexpectedly from online flight tracking sites while flying over the Persian Gulf, multiple sources reported that it had been shot down by Iranian air defenses. The MQ-4C is a significantly rarer and higher value aircraft than the F-15E strike fighter, MQ-9 drone, and other aircraft that have been shot down by Iranian forces, with only the US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia being more valuable. Where the E-3 is an ageing aircraft that was scheduled for retirement within the next 15 years, the MQ-4C is a cutting edge platform that is still being produced for the Navy. Each MQ-4C is estimated to have a value of $235-250 million, with its extreme cost meaning only 20 have been brought into service. The destruction of one of the aircraft by Iranian air defenses would not be wholly unprecedented, with the closely related RQ-4A Global Hawk developed for the US Air Force having been shot down by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps on June 20, 2019. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi reported at the time that the aircraft “conducted an overflight through the Strait of Hormuz to Chabahar port in a full stealth mode as it had turned off its identification equipment and engaged in a clear spying operation.. When the [US] aircraft was returning towards the western parts of the region near the Strait of Hormuz, despite repeated radio warnings, it entered into the Iranian airspace.” Iranian forces have more recently from late February shot down an estimated 17 MQ-9 drones, and multiple drones of other types such as the Israeli Heron. The Triton is a derivative of the MQ-4 Global Hawk, and is specialized in maritime surveillance. The aircraft have ranges of over 13,000 kilometers, which are necessary for persistent wide-area surveillance, and have reinforced airframes for harsh ocean weather allowing them to stay on station over oceans in all conditions. Each integrates the AN/ZPY-3 Multi-Function Active Sensor radar, which was designed for 360° maritime surveillance and can track ships over vast areas. They also integrate electro-optical / infrared sensors, as well as electronic support measures for signals detection. Real-time data links via satellite communications allow them to serve as nodes in wider surveillance networks, sharing data with naval, air and ground assets. The aircraft are particularly heavily relied on in the Pacific theatre, although their survivability has repeatedly been questioned. Before its sudden disappearance from flight tracking systems, the Iranian-downed MQ-4C Triton reportedly exhibited a dramatic loss of altitude, plunging from its typical cruising height of around 50,000 feet to below 10,000 feet. At the time, the drone appeared to be returning to its base at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy after completing a surveillance mission in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy said. At the time of its descent, the drone’s transponder was broadcasting a distress signal, commonly known as “squawking.” Initially, it transmitted the code 7400, indicating a loss of communication with ground controllers, and later switched to the emergency code 7700. While the latter is a general declaration of an in-flight emergency, it does not divulge the specifics of the situation.

Washington hiding billion-dollar combat losses to Iran’s precision strikes: Report - Following 40 days of unrelenting US-Israeli aggression, mounting evidence reveals that the US Department of War is deliberately concealing catastrophic, billion-dollar military losses inflicted by highly effective Iranian retaliatory strikes, the Daily Mail reports. In the latest episode of the Daily Mail's Photo Evidence, the British paper "scrutinizes new satellite images that reveal how America's Department of War may not be telling the full truth about the scale of its losses during the Iran war," it said. Since the launch of the joint US-Israeli terrorist bombing campaign against Iran, the Islamic Republic has retaliated by targeting American military assets across the Persian Gulf with waves of missile and drone strikes. As the Mail explains, "Iran's war strategy has been anything but conventional. Rather than targeting fighter jets or bombers, the IRGC has systematically attempted to blind and cripple America's command and control layer, launching attacks against radar and air defense systems". "It is these costly losses in strategic equipment that the Department of War is not being fully transparent about," the paper wrote. Its report "is borne out by looking at the latest EU Sentinel satellite images and cross referencing these with open source flight tracking data, ground photography and pictures issued by Iran's state media," the Mail added. The US Department of War has asked Planet Labs, the world's largest commercial satellite imagery provider, to withhold all images of the war region, including the bases of ally nations, indefinitely and the company has submissively complied. According to the Mail, the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia provides an example of this lack of transparency. The Prince Sultan is one of the main bases in West from which America is fighting its war with Iran. The base is where the US keeps its logistics and support planes. "On March 27th, we know Iran managed to effectively destroy an AWACS aircraft during an attack on the base. Looking at before and after satellite images, you can see the black roto dome of the aircraft is completely gone and there's a black scorch mark on the tarmac," the paper said.

NATO Rules Out Role in Strait of Hormuz Blockade, Rebuking Trump - --Members of the North Atlantic Alliance have refused any role in closing the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump announced a complete blockade of the crucial waterway, and that other countries would be assisting the American Navy.After the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Tehran placed restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran limited shipping to vessels from “friendly nations” that paid a toll. Tehran says that Iran will continue to control the Strait after the end of the conflict.For the first six weeks of the conflict, Iran was able to continue to export its oil, and Washington suspended oil sanctions against Tehran to keep energy prices from spiking.On Sunday, Trump changed course and ordered a total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that began on Monday morning. When he announced the closure of the Strait, he wrote on Truth Social, “Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade.”However, America’s closest allies have now ruled out involvement. Reuters reported on Monday that several NATO members have stated they will not take part in Trump’s Middle East war. “We’re not supporting the blockade,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC. “My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there’s been some considerable pressure, we’re not getting dragged into the war.”French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations would be willing to take a role in securing the Strait once the conflict ends. NATO’s refusal to send military assets to the Middle East to support the war against Iran has angered President Trump. Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte traveled to the US in an effort to improve relations with the alliance’s most important member.Before the meeting with Rutter, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted Trump as saying, “They were tested, and they failed. It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defense.”

Saudi Arabia Is Pressing U.S. to Drop Its Naval Blockade – WSJ - Saudi Arabia is pressing the U.S. to drop its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table, fearing President Trump’s move to close it off could lead Iran to escalate and disrupt other important shipping routes, Arab officials said.The blockade is aimed at raising the pressure on Iran’s already crippled economy. But the officials said Saudi Arabia has warned Iran might retaliate by closing the Bab al-Mandeb—a Red Sea chokepoint crucial for the kingdom’s remaining oil exports. The pushback is a sign of the risks and limitations of U.S. efforts to pry open the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran shut early in the war by attacking ships in the waterway, cutting off around 13 million barrels a day in oil exports and sending futures prices above $100 a barrel.The blockade of Iranian ports went into effect Monday after Trump’s threats of bombardments and talks over the weekend failed to persuade Iran to relax its hold on the Strait of Hormuz.“President Trump has been clear that he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be fully open to facilitate the free flow of energy,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. “The administration is in frequent contact with our Gulf allies, who the President is helping by ensuring that Iran cannot extort the United States or any other country.”Saudi Arabia recently has been able to get its oil exports back up to their prewar level of around seven million barrels a day despite the blockage in the strategic strait by piping its crude across the desert to the Red Sea. Those supplies would be at risk if the Red Sea’s exit route were closed as well.Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen control a long stretch of coastline near the Bab al-Mandeb and severely disrupted the waterway for much of the war in the Gaza Strip. Iran is putting pressure on the group to close the chokepoint again, Arab officials said.“If Iran does want to shut down Bab al-Mandeb the Houthis are the obvious partner to do it, and their response to the Gaza conflict demonstrates that they have the capacity to do it,” said Adam Baron, an expert on Yemen and fellow at New America, a policy institute in Washington.Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian paramilitary group that now controls the Strait of Hormuz, said a blockade could lead the country to close the Red Sea gateway.Gulf states don’t want the war to end with Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz, their economic lifeline. But many including Saudi Arabia are pressing the U.S. to resolve the issue at the negotiating table and are scrambling to restart talks, regional officials said. Despite the public hard line from both sides, the two combatants are actively engaging with mediators and open to talks if each shows enough flexibility, the officials said.The Bab al-Mandeb strait is a narrow passage between Yemen and the Horn of Africa that connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. The strait, whose name means Gate of Tears, leads to the Suez Canal and is one of the most important links for ships sailing between Asia and Europe.Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels have proved their ability to severely disrupt shipping through the gateway with attacks on vessels in the waterway. While those missile, drone and small-arms attacks tailed off after the October cease-fire in Gaza, traffic still isn’t fully back to normal.The Houthis have largely stayed out of the current conflict between the U.S. and Iran after being pounded during a 53-day American campaign that ended in a cease-fire a year ago. But they remain an important part of Iran’s wider network of militia groups in the region and a deterrent held in reserve in case Iran needs to raise the pressure on the U.S.The Houthis have said that closing Bab al-Mandeb is also one of their options.

Report: Saudi Arabia Pressing US To End Its Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz - -- Saudi Arabia is pressing the Trump administration to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to negotiations with Iran over fears that the US move could lead to the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.  The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is another vital waterway in the region, as it connects the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and it could be closed by Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, who are allied with Iran and have previously demonstrated their ability to impose a blockade on the waterway.In response to Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, the Houthis effectively shut the strait to Israeli-linked shipping by attacking and boarding several commercial ships. Both President Biden and President Trump attempted to end the blockade by bombing Yemen, but both campaigns failed.Trump’s bombing campaign in Yemen, dubbed “Operation Rough Rider,” was conducted from March 15 to May 6 and ended in a ceasefire between the US and Yemen after the US failed to stop Houthi attacks on Israel. According to Yemeni media reports, the Houthis still view that ceasefire as in effect even after they launched a few missiles at Israel in support of Iran at the end of March.The Saudis, with significant US support, waged a brutal war against the Houthis from 2015 to 2022, which killed at least 377,000 people, but failed to oust Ansar Allah from power in Sanaa, which it first captured in 2014 and still controls today. The Ansar Allah-led Yemeni government controls an area where about 70% to 80% of Yemenis live, most of the territory of what used to be the country of North Yemen.One reason why the Saudis sued for peace with the Houthis was the fact that Ansar Allah was able to strike oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE with its missiles and drones, which could be another potential escalation if no deal is reached between the US and Iran and the region plunges back into full-blown war.

China Calls US Blockade of Iranian Ports 'Dangerous and Irresponsible,' Warns It Jeopardizes Ceasefire -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday strongly condemned the US military blockade on Iranian ports as “dangerous and irresponsible” and warned that it risks the very fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran.“With the temporary ceasefire agreement still in place, the United States ramped up military deployment and resorted to a targeted blockade. This will only aggravate confrontation, escalate tension, undermine the already fragile ceasefire, and further jeopardize safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters.“It is a dangerous and irresponsible move. China believes that only a complete ceasefire can fundamentally create conditions for easing the situation. We urge relevant parties to honor the ceasefire agreement, stick to the direction of peace talks, and take concrete actions to de-escalate the situation so that normal traffic via the Strait will be able to resume as soon as possible,” Guo added.According to Reuters, three ships, including two oil tankers under US sanctions, entered the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, the first full day of the US blockade. The US military has said that it will block any ships traveling to or from Iran, and according to the Reuters report, the three vessels were heading to non-Iranian ports.A Chinese-owned tanker, the Rich Starry, left the Gulf and traveled out of the Strait of Hormuz, but it appears to have turned around, as the latest ship-tracking data shows it heading back into the Gulf near the coast of Iran. The ship’s last port of call was Hamriyah in the UAE, where it loaded 250,000 barrels of methanol. The US military is enforcing the blockade on warships in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.China imports a significant amount of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf, but it is less reliant on the region than key US allies in East Asia, and has so far weathered the crisis caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran better than South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. China also has a major stockpile of Iranian oil, as its imports from Iran increased after the start of the US-Israeli war.The US blockade on Iran comes ahead of a planned summit between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for May 14 and May 15 in Beijing. On Tuesday, Xi hosted Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu ‌Dhabi, and made comments on the situation in the Middle East that were seen as a veiled swipe at the US.“The authority of the international rule of law should be upheld and cannot be used when convenient and discarded when not,” Xi said. “We must not allow the world to revert to the law of the jungle.”

Chinese Tanker Defies US ‘Blockade’ on Hormuz as Trump Floats New Iran Talks - Palestine Chronicle -- A Chinese-owned oil-chemical tanker listed under US sanctions transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, underscoring the limited immediate impact of Washington’s newly announced blockade, even as US President Donald Trump signaled that talks with Iran could resume within days. Shipping data cited by Anadolu Agency showed that the vessel, owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping, crossed the strategic waterway after circling nearby waters late Monday. The tanker has departed from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and is currently sailing toward China. The transit marks the first known passage of a sanctioned vessel through the strait since the US declared a blockade on ships calling at Iranian ports. In a separate incident, another tanker that departed from Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub was also observed in the strait while broadcasting false Automatic Identification System (AIS) data indicating it had originated from Saudi Arabia. The use of manipulated or disabled tracking signals has increased since the escalation of the conflict, as vessels attempt to obscure their routes through the sensitive corridor. Despite US claims of enforcement, early indicators suggest that maritime traffic has not been fully halted. According to Reuters, the first full day of the blockade “made little difference” to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, with “at least eight ships including three Iran-linked tankers” transiting the passage. At the same time, traffic levels remain significantly reduced. Industry sources cited by Reuters said crossings are still “only a fraction of the 130-plus daily crossings” recorded before the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28. The US military, however, presented a more assertive assessment. US Central Command said that “during the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade,” adding that “six vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port.” Yet the continued movement of vessels—including those linked to sanctioned entities—highlights the challenges of enforcing such measures in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. The developments come as Trump indicated that diplomatic contacts with Iran may soon resume.

The Latest: Iran threatens to disrupt Gulf trade in response to US naval blockade - The leader of Iran’s joint military command threatened Wednesday to halt trade in the Gulf region if the U.S. does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Even so, U.S. President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was “very close to over” in an interview that aired Wednesday. Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the U.S. is preparing to ramp up economic pain on Iran by levying secondary sanctions on financial institutions that do business with the Middle Eastern nation. Bessent called the measure the “financial equivalent” of the bombing campaign. Mediators’ efforts to extend a U.S.-Iran ceasefire made progress as the two sides are expected to hold another round of negotiations, regional officials said. But a senior U.S. official said Washington has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire. A Pakistani delegation arrived for talks in Tehran in the latest diplomatic move. Israel, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with its aerial and ground war against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, a day after the two nations held their first direct talks in decades. Trump wrote late Wednesday on Truth Social that leaders from Israel and Lebanon would speak the next day in a renewed effort to broker a ceasefire after the countries’ first direct talks in decades ended the previous day in Washington without a deal. It was not clear what leaders Trump was referring to. The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond for comment, which was posted before dawn in Israel and Lebanon. Leavitt says Interior will submit plans to begin construction of 250ft Trump arch Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was a unanimous demand from the international community. Wang Yi told Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call that Iran’s sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, but freedom of navigation and safety through the strait should be ensured. “Working to resume normal passage of the strait is a unanimous call from the international community,” Wang was quoted as saying in a government statement late Wednesday. Wang noted that the current situation had reached a critical juncture between war and peace and also said that the window of peace was opening .

Live Updates: Iran warns it could sink US ships in Strait of Hormuz as blockade in effect - An Iranian military adviser threatened that Tehran could sink U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz during an ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.  Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed on state TV Wednesday that President Donald Trump wants to be the “police” of the key waterway, according to the AFP. “Is this really your job? Is this the job of a powerful army like the US?” Rezaei reportedly said. “These ships of yours will be sunk by our first missiles and have created a great danger for the U.S. military. They can definitely be exposed to our missiles and we can destroy them.” Rezaei also remarked that it would be “great” if U.S. forces launched a ground invasion of Iran, claiming Tehran “would take thousands of hostages and for each hostage we would get a billion dollars,” reports said.   U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday that “Ten vessels have now been turned around and ZERO ships have broken through since the start of the U.S. blockade on Monday.” “After implementing the blockade on ships entering and departing Iranian ports, American forces halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” it added.

More U.S.-Iran peace deal talks are in discussion, White House says - Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation alongside special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, said Monday that the next diplomatic move is Iran’s to make. “Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table,” Vance told Fox News. Top Iranian officials suggested after the failed talks in Islamabad that the U.S. acted in bad faith. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an X post that Tehran’s team was met with “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade,” while Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the U.S. failed to gain Iran’s trust. Trump responded to the scrapped talks by announcing a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital trade route that normally carries 20% of the world’s oil. U.S. Central Command later specified that the blockade will apply to vessels “entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.” More than 10,000 U.S. sailors, Marines, and airmen are enforcing the blockade, along with over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft, CENTCOM said Tuesday. “During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade and 6 merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said. The blockade further chokes off traffic through the strait, which has been at a trickle despite Trump proclaiming on April 7 that a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran was subject to the route being fully reopened.

US cites optimism over a deal even as Iran threatens to shut down Red Sea shipping The White House on Wednesday dismissed as untrue reports that the US had sought to extend a ceasefire with Iran, while confirming that discussions over a second round of in-person negotiations were under way after marathon talks in Islamabad last week ended without a breakthrough. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that discussions were under way about a further round of talks with Tehran but “nothing is official”, adding that the negotiations would “very likely” be held in Pakistan again.“We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” she said at a press briefing.“It’s obviously in the best interest of Iran to meet the president’s demands. I think he’s made his red lines in these negotiations very clear to the other side. And so we are continuing to see how these conversations go.”A second round of talks has been taking shape as the US continued to blockade the Strait of Hormuz and put pressure on Iran. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that negotiations “could be happening over the next two days” and on Wednesday said the war was “very close to over”.  But even as Trump appeared confident of reaching a deal with Iran, signs of escalation were evident as Iran’s military on Wednesday threatened to shut down Red Sea trade unless Washington lifted its naval blockade on Tehran’s ports.According to Iranian state media, the commander of Iran’s joint military command said Iran would “act with strength to defend its national sovereignty and its interests”, warning it would completely block exports and imports across the Persian Gulf region, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea. The US blockade was a “prelude to violating the ceasefire”, Ali Abdollahi said. The warning came as Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed a Pakistani delegation led by army chief Asim Munir in Tehran that was reportedly there to relay a new message from the US and discuss a second round of talks.The first round of negotiations, held in Islamabad on April 11 and lasting over 21 hours, failed to secure a deal, with US Vice-President J.D. Vance citing Iran’s inability to make a “fundamental commitment of will” not to develop nuclear weapons. Iran said Washington “failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation”.Ratcheting up pressure on Iran, the US Treasury on Tuesday said it would not renew the short-term authorisation for Iranian oil sales when it expires on April 19, adding it was “prepared to deploy secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions that continue to support Iran’s activities”.Asked about the sanctions on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department has informed countries – and companies – “that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money is sitting in your banks, we are now willing to apply secondary sanctions, which is a very stern measure”.“China was purchasing more than 90 per cent of [Iran’s] oil, which is about 8 per cent of China’s energy needs,” he said.“We believe [with] this blockade in the Strait, there will be a pause of Chinese buying. But I will tell you that two Chinese banks received letters from the US Treasury … we told them if we can prove that there is Iranian money flowing through your accounts, then we are willing to put on secondary sanctions.”

Despite Netanyahus scheming, Trump likely to cave to Iran as global crisis looms - Reports from various sources suggest that negotiating teams from the United States and Iran may return to Pakistan in the coming days to resume talks aimed at permanently ending the war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On Wednesday, Pakistani army chief Asim Munir arrived in Tehran for talks with the Iranian leadership on the ongoing fragile ceasefire and the way forward – including the possibility of the next round of talks in the Pakistani capital in the coming days. Though reference is made to the “war in the Persian Gulf’’, it does not adequately describe the reality of the war against Iran, nor why it was launched and by whom it was launched. It is thus crucial to recall that Israel and the US launched the so-called operations “Roaring Lion” and “Epic Fury” on February 28, with the stated aim of obliterating the government of the Islamic Republic and imposing “regime change.” Iran retaliated by firing multiple barrages of missiles at the occupied territories and across the West Asia region at Persian Gulf countries hosting US military bases in the region. While Iranian reports say hundreds of Israeli soldiers were killed in its retaliatory strikes, Israel has downplayed this. According to Zionist media, only 12 Israeli soldiers and 23 settlers were killed, and at least 7,693 more were injured, apart from 11 US soldiers killed. Given the massive censorship of information related to military casualties imposed by the Israeli regime, we may never know the true death toll. While uncertainty about the toll reigns, and a fragile truce mediated by Pakistan hangs by a thread, the US has imposed a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has threatened to sink any ship that dares to defy the blockade, adding that US forces will employ “the same system of kill” used against drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea. Despite Trump’s bravado, we learn that multiple vessels have sneakily skirted around his blockade – with China blasting the siege as “dangerous and irresponsible”. Netanyahu comes unstuck too, with global economic crisis brewing and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) now issuing dire warnings about negative growth rates. As the instigator of the unprovoked and illegal war, Netanyahu is aware that the likelihood of a global recession resulting from his criminal actions and having dragged Trump along, places his regime as the central cause of it. The alarm that’s gripped Western economists points to strain on supply chains. The unwise and foolish military blockade by Trump to ostensibly “punish” Iran for exercising its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz puts the international community at risk of a global food crisis, the chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned on Monday. While Netanyahu exercises his manipulation of US policy against Iran, Saudi Arabia has publicly been pressing the United States to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to negotiations with Iran, according to a The Wall Street Journal report. The report said Riyadh fears the standoff could trigger a broader regional escalation, including threats to Red Sea shipping routes and Saudi oil exports.

Israel-Lebanon Talks Held Without Hezbollah, and Without Ceasefire, in DC - Direct, face-to-face talks were held today between Israeli and Lebanese Ambassadors. The talks are historic, at least in the sense that direct talks between the two nations are exceedingly rare, but little was expected of them, and even less seems to have come out of them.The talks were held in Washington D.C. and conspicuously didn’t include one of the sides involved in the fight, Hezbollah, who made it clear that they wouldn’t consider themselves bound by any deal that the two sides agreed to, though it doesn’t seem any deals were reached at any rate.Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called the talks “futile,” saying that the Lebanese government holds no cards in this situation, and that they should simply insist that the November 2024 ceasefire with Israel finally be implemented. Though that ceasefire was nominally in place from November 2024 until March 3 when Israel formally launched a new invasion, Israel was attacking Lebanon on a near daily basis during the ceasefire, killing hundreds of people, and never actually withdrew ground troops from southern Lebanon, which was required by the ceasefire.The new talks weren’t enough to even halt Israeli strikes for the few hours that the talks were taking place, either, as multiple Israeli airstrikes were reported across southern Lebanon concurrent with today’s talks.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conceded before the talks that no deal was really expected from the talks, but insisted that Hezbollah was to blame for the situation along with “Iranian aggression.” The United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, a war that expanded into Lebanon when Israel invaded it again on March 3.

Trump Rejects Reports That US Proposed Iran Suspend Uranium Enrichment for 20 Years - -- President Trump on Tuesday rejected reports that said the US has proposed to Iran to freeze uranium enrichment for 20 years, suggesting that he wants a permanent end to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.The president made the comments to the New York Post and again conflated the idea of any uranium enrichment with the pursuit of nuclear weapons, even though Tehran has been willing to cap uranium enrichment at very low levels far below the 90% enrichment needed for a weapon. “I’ve been saying they can’t have nuclear weapons, so I don’t like the 20 years,” the president said. When asked whether a 20-year moratorium could work as a deal, since it could allow Iran to sell it as a win, Trump said, “I don’t want them to feel like they have a win.” Before the war, Iran was willing to suspend uranium enrichment for three to five years since its program was already effectively frozen by the June 2025 US airstrikes on its nuclear facilities. The New York Times reported that Iran responded to the US proposal for a 20-year suspension by again offering a five-year pause.Iran is not expected to capitulate to the US demand to never enrich uranium, which Joe Kent, a former senior Trump administration official who resigned over opposition to the Iran war, has described as a “poison pill” meant to serve Israel’s interest in the US continuing the war.“The Israelis push for zero uranium enrichment because they know it’s a poison pill for Iran & will result in the war continuing,” Kent, who stepped down from his role as the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, said in a post on X on Monday. Trump also suggested in his comments to the Post that another round of talks between the US and Iran could take place in Pakistan in “two days,” though the status of the negotiations is unclear. The US military is currently enforcing its own blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and has said that it will block ships that are heading to or departing from Iranian ports.

“Cash for Calm”: A Multi-Billion Dollar US Offer to Dismantle Part of Iran’s Nuclear Program  -- US media outlets have revealed a massive financial offer presented by the US administration, valued at $20 billion, as part of intensive diplomatic efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear program. This unconventional proposal aims to purchase or transfer sensitive nuclear materials from Tehran to mitigate the risks of military escalation in the region. Accordingly, the US offer to Iran marks a shift in strategy, as Washington seeks an exit that ensures the reduction of Iranian nuclear capabilities through direct financial incentives, bypassing stalled traditional negotiation paths. Reports indicated that the US proposal involves complex technical and procedural arrangements designed to ensure these materials are not used for military purposes in the future. Obviously, the plan may include transferring Iranian nuclear materials to a third party or subjecting them to strict and rigorous international supervision, achieving the security guarantees demanded by the United States and its regional allies. As a result, Washington hopes this offer will break the current stalemate and reduce the chances of sliding into an open confrontation that could threaten energy market stability and global security. Despite the magnitude of the financial offer, no official comment has been issued by Tehran yet; however, observers anticipate that the US offer to Iran will face complex conditions or potential rejection. Certainly, Iran’s insistence on its right to develop its nuclear program for peaceful purposes remains the primary obstacle to passing such proposals. Accordingly, this move comes at a time of rising regional tension, as the international community races against time to prevent the situation from exploding, especially with the failure of traditional diplomatic channels and increasing warnings regarding the repercussions of any new nuclear escalation.

Reports Say the US and Israel May Restart Bombing Campaign in Iran - The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump is considering launching “limited” strikes against Iran as part of a pressure campaign that includes a blockade on Iranian ports, though any “limited” attacks will likely lead to a full-blown resumption of the conflict since Iran would almost certainly retaliate.According to The Times of Israel, all three major Hebrew-language TV networks in Israel reported that the IDF is gearing up for a renewed bombing campaign, meaning it was a coordinated leak from Israeli military officials. Israel appears eager to restart the war with Iran, as it has impeded progress toward a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran by escalating its attack on Lebanon with a major bombing campaign. Tehran has insisted that the ceasefire must also include Lebanon, and the US initially agreed on that point, but later backtracked after Israel’s escalation. The Israeli broadcaster Kan cited a senior Israeli military official who said that “Israel is interested in renewing the war against Iran,” after the war ended “too early, without sufficient pressure being applied on Iran regarding the nuclear issue and ballistic missiles.”Talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan failed to make any progress as the US continued to demand that Iran commit to never again enriching uranium on its territory as part of its civilian nuclear program, a condition Iranian officials have made clear is a non-starter.

US Sends Thousands More Troops to Middle East, Considers Ground Ops in Iran -  The US is sending thousands of additional troops to the Middle East and is considering restarting the bombing campaign against Iran or launching ground operations in the country, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed US officials. The report said that the forces include 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush and its accompanying warships. Notably, the Bush traveled around southern Africa on its way to the region instead of going through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, the typical route of US warships, signaling the US is concerned the Houthis in Yemen could close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. About 4,200 other US troops, including thousands of Marines, are heading to the region from the Pacific aboard the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group. The Post said they are expected to reach the Middle East by the end of April. Once both forces arrive, the US will have more than 60,000 troops in the region. The buildup and the US blockade of Iranian ports are framed as an effort to get Iran to agree to US demands for a diplomatic deal. But according to President Trump, the US is continuing to demand that Iran make a commitment to never again enrich uranium for civilian purposes, a condition that’s seen as a non-starter and will likely lead to a renewal of the bombing campaign if the US sticks to it.The current ceasefire between the US and Iran will expire on April 22 if it’s not extended. Other reports have said that President Trump has considered launching “limited” strikes in Iran to get Tehran to capitulate, but any renewed bombing campaign would mean a return to full-blown war.Concerning possible ground operations, the Post report said that Trump administration officials have “discussed everything from launching a complex Special Operations mission to extract Iranian nuclear material, to landing Marines on coastal areas and islands to protect the strait, to seizing Kharg Island, an Iranian export facility in the Persian Gulf.”

House Narrowly Defeats Iran War Powers Resolution as Thousands More US Troops Head to Middle East -   The House on Thursday just barely defeated a War Powers Resolution that would have directed President Trump to end hostilities against Iran that haven’t been authorized by Congress, as the US military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports and is deploying thousands more troops to the region to prepare for potential ground operations.  The bill failed in a vote of 213-214, with just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (ME), joining Republicans to kill the legislation. Only one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), voted in favor, while Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), who supported a previous War Powers Resolution, voted “present.” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who previously suggested she might support the bill, didn’t vote. A day earlier, the Senate voted on a similar War Powers Resolution, which failed 52 to 47, with just one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), supporting it and one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (PA), voting against it.  The failure of Congress to reassert its war powers over President Trump, who launched the war without any congressional authorization, a violation of the Constitution, comes amid a very fragile truce between the US and Iran, and as the Trump administration is threatening to restart the bombing campaign if a deal isn’t reached.

Contradicting Himself: Trump Says War ‘Close to Over’ while Threatening Strikes - Palestine Chronicle - US President Donald Trump used a lengthy interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo to repeatedly claim that the war with Iran is nearing its conclusion. “I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over,” he said. Trump also framed Iran as already defeated, stating: “Iran essentially was wiped out.” Throughout the interview, Trump returned to this theme, claiming that Iran’s military and leadership had been destroyed: “Their army, their whole military is obliterated. The whole place is obliterated.” “Their military is gone. Everything’s gone,” he added, without providing evidence of his claims. However, in a seemingly contradictory statement, Trump explicitly threatened further escalation, including the destruction of Iran’s civilian and economic infrastructure. “I could take out Iran in one day. I could take out in one — in one hour, I could have their entire energy, everything, every one of their plants, their electric-generating plants,” he claimed. “In one half-of-a-day, they wouldn’t have one bridge standing, they wouldn’t have one electric-generating plant standing, and they’re back in the Stone Ages,” he continued. Trump also endorsed his earlier threat regarding Iran’s destruction. “Well, I’m fine with it. Yes, I’m fine with it. That statement brought them to the table.” Trump confirmed that the United States is moving toward imposing a full blockade through the Strait of Hormuz. “Well, we’re going to be blockading. It’ll take a little while, but it’ll be effective pretty soon.” “We’re putting on a complete blockade. We’re not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don’t like,” he later added. The US president described the policy as absolute: “It’s called all in, all out. Yes, it’s called all in and all out. There will be a time when we will have them all come in and all come out. But it won’t be a percentage.” Trump also linked the blockade directly to negotiations. “We had a very intensive negotiation. And toward the end, it got very friendly. And we got just about every point we needed, except for the fact that they refused to give up their nuclear ambition.”

Hegseth Says US 'Locked and Loaded' To Bomb Iran's Power Plants and Energy Industry - US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Thursday started a press briefing by threatening that the US was “locked and loaded” and ready to destroy Iran’s energy infrastructure if the US-Israeli war against Iran restarts. “We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry,” Hegseth said, in an apparent reference to both power plants and oil infrastructure. “We’d rather not have to do it, but we’re ready to go at the command of our president, and at the push of a button.”Before the current ceasefire, President Trump repeatedly threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants and unleash “hell” on the country, and at one point said that an “entire civilization” would “die.” But if the US unleashed on Iran’s energy infrastructure, Iran could do the same in attacks on Israel and the Gulf Arab states, which would greatly exacerbate the global economic crisis caused by the war. Hegseth went on to describe the current US blockade on Iranian ports as a “polite” way that the US is pressuring Iran, though a blockade is considered an act of war. “Your energy is not moving and will not move. And we can do this all day, but it’s not destroyed yet. Your energy industry is not destroyed yet,” he said. Hegseth was joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, who detailed the US blockade, claiming that 13 ships made the “wise decision” to turn around. “As we continue to hold this blockade at the order of the Secretary and the President, any vessel that fails to comply with our instructions will be dealt with accordingly,” he said. Caine also quoted a warning that ships receive when approaching US warships enforcing the blockade, which are operating at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman, where it meets the Arabian Sea. “Do not attempt to breach the blockade. Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure, transiting to or from Iranian ports. Turn around or prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force,” he said. The fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran will expire on April 22 if it’s not extended, and the two sides appear to be negotiating through Pakistan. President Trump announced on Thursday that a ceasefire will be implemented in Lebanon, a key demand of the Iranians, but it remains unclear if Israel will abide by it. During his press briefing, Hegseth also launched a bizarre attack on the press over the coverage of the US-Israeli war against Iran, comparing them to the Pharisees, a Jewish sect that served as religious leaders during the time of Jesus Christ. Hegseth noted how, in the gospels, the Pharisees were critical of Jesus for performing healings on the Sabbath, appearing to compare the US-Israeli war with miracles.

A last-gasp bluff: Trumps naval blockade threat proves US strategic defeat in West Asia - US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a complete "naval blockade" on Iranian ports and control of the Strait of Hormuz is not a strategic military move, but the final attempt of a dying Empire to reformulate the equations of a war it has already lost. The threat, issued after the collapse of ceasefire talks in Pakistan, is in line with the US military might at face value, but in reality has no long-term operational support, rational economic foundation, or international backing. By doing this, the United States will not only be unable to deter Iran but will also severely harm its own strategic ties with other countries, as it will further deteriorate the global energy crisis, push inflation and even cripple its own supply chains. In military terms, Trump's threat of a naval blockade is completely detached from modern asymmetric warfare. Despite the Fifth Fleet of the US in Bahrain having the most modern Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Aegis systems, it is completely susceptible to the hybrid war of Iran and regional resistance allies. The implementation of such a blockade, according to military experts like James Stavridis, the former NATO commander, would necessitate at least two groups of carrier strike, over a dozen destroyers and frigates not within the Persian Gulf, and at least six more warships, as well as the support of the naval forces of the UAE and Saudi Arabia within the Persian Gulf. Even this number of forces would not allow a standing blockade in case of a new round of war due to saturation missiles, drone attacks and unmanned boat attacks. Moreover, the American fleet has not dared to come closer to the Iranian coasts since the start of the Ramadan War until now, not to come within the range of the Iranian ballistic anti-ship and supersonic cruise missiles, which comprise the major and most advanced weapons in the Iranian arsenal in terms of anti-ship weapons. As the experience of the so-called 2023-2024 “Operation Prosperity Guardian” in Yemen demonstrated, despite the large presence of the American and coalition fleet, the Yemeni military managed to decrease Red Sea traffic by up to 70 percent. Iran, also, with its vast web of anti-ship cruise missiles, long-range suicide drones and massive mining capacity, can make any American warship or naval force a target without necessarily engaging them. Even the Pentagon itself has verified in its secret evaluations that the expense of such a blockade, considering the fuel use and crew burnout, and the logistical fragility, would soon become unsustainable. Thus, the threat of Trump becomes more of a psychological and propaganda weapon than an operational one. It is a weapon of diplomatic pressure that will backfire on the battlefield. Just as it did not achieve its goals in the Ramadan War, the naval blockade will also prove futile.

Trump says war in Iran is going ‘swimmingly’ and ‘should be ending pretty soon’ -President Donald Trump on Thursday said that “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly.” “It should be ending pretty soon,” Trump said at an event in Las Vegas, echoing similarly rosy predictions about the end of the war that he has made since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February. “It was perfect. It’s perfect. It was the power we have,” the president said. “We had the most powerful military anywhere in the world.” The president’s appearance was to promote his “no tax on tips” policy, which eliminated the federal income tax on tip-based wages for many workers. Hours earlier, Trump said that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. Iran has complained about Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon during its own two-week ceasefire with the United States. Trump earlier Thursday said that a second round of face-to-face negotiations between Americans and Iranian officials could take place “probably, maybe, next weekend.”

Iranian general warns of Red Sea shipping lane shutdown amid US blockade  -- An Iranian general warned Wednesday that Tehran could shut down traffic in the Red Sea and other regional shipping lanes if the U.S. military’s blockade of Iranian ports continues. The remarks from Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, which is Iran’s top military command, were aired by Iranian state television, according to the Middle East Eye.  Aliabadi said if the U.S. blockade continues, it "creates insecurity for Iran's commercial vessels and oil tankers" and constitutes "a prelude" to violating the ongoing U.S.-Iran ceasefire, the news outlet reported. "The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea," Aliabadi reportedly added. The White House, when asked by Fox News Digital for comment, provided a statement from press secretary Karoline Leavitt that said, "President Trump, Vice President Vance and the negotiating team have made the U.S. redlines very clear.""The Iranians’ desperation for a deal will only increase with President Trump’s highly effective Naval blockade now in effect, which is sending oil tankers towards the big, beautiful Gulf of America," Leavitt said.U.S. Central Command released a statement Wednesday saying the U.S. stopped nine vessels attempting to break the blockade on Iranian ports. Fox News is told all nine were oil tankers.A senior U.S. defense official also confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday a report from Reuters that a U.S. destroyer interdicted two oil tankers that were trying to leave Iran on Tuesday.  A U.S. official told Reuters that the ships left Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman before being contacted by the U.S. warship through radio communication.  "During the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past U.S. forces," U.S. Central Command said Wednesday."Additionally, 9 vessels have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area," it added.

Iran Drives Lebanon Ceasefire Bid as US Channel Opens Through Pakistan - Palestine Chronicle - A high-ranking Iranian political and security source told Al Mayadeen on Wednesday that a ceasefire in Lebanon is expected to be approved starting tonight, following sustained Iranian pressure. The source stated that the proposed ceasefire would last for one week and would extend until the end of the ceasefire period currently in place between Iran and the United States. The same source warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could act to undermine the agreement, adding that Washington is responsible for restraining Israel and ensuring the deal holds. As these developments unfolded, Israeli Channel Kan cited an Israeli source confirming that discussions are underway regarding a potential ceasefire with Lebanon, noting that the Israeli cabinet is expected to review the proposal tonight at the request of the United States. In parallel, Lebanese officials told Reuters that they had been briefed on diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire, indicating that the duration of any truce is likely to remain linked to the broader US-Iran ceasefire framework. Within the same context, Iranian officials have intensified diplomatic efforts with regional and international actors. A member of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc, Ibrahim al-Moussawi, stated that diplomatic efforts led by Iran and other regional parties could result in a ceasefire in Lebanon in the near term, adding that Tehran has opened communication channels with multiple sides to achieve this outcome. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reiterated that Iran “will not abandon Lebanon,” stating that a ceasefire in Lebanon remains part of the negotiations currently underway in Islamabad. As diplomatic contacts intensified, Iranian state television reported that a high-level Pakistani delegation, headed by Army Chief Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran carrying a message from Washington. According to the report, the delegation is expected to discuss the upcoming phase of negotiations between Iran and the United States, including a second round of talks anticipated in Islamabad in the coming days. These developments come as mediation efforts continue to focus on extending the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. At the same time, Iranian officials expanded contacts with major international actors. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held phone calls with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to discuss regional developments and negotiations with the United States. Separately, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held talks with UAE leadership, including Mansour bin Zayed, focusing on regional developments and efforts to reduce escalation.

Iran’s closure of Hormuz forced US, Israel to accept Lebanon ceasefire: Hezbollah chief- Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Qassem thanked Iran for its support in the face of Israeli aggression and said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced the United States and Israel to agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon. In remarks on Saturday, Sheikh Qassem said that “the battlefield has proven it is the final arbiter,” adding that any successful political strategy must draw strength from field achievements to force the Israeli enemy into accepting Lebanon’s rights. “A temporary ceasefire would not have been achieved without the resistance of our fighters on the southern front,” the Hezbollah said. “The enemy failed to reach the Litani River, neither in the first week, as they had planned, nor after 45 days of combat.” The Hezbollah chief thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for its support. “They made the ceasefire in the Pakistan agreement conditional on a halt in Lebanon.” Iran had insisted that the April 8 ceasefire it reached with the United States through Pakistani mediation included a cessation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, saying it was a precondition for further talks with Washington. The US and Israel initially rejected this, but later announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon on Thursday. The Hezbollah leader noted that after the United States violated the ceasefire, Iran responded by refusing to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping chokepoint, making the US accept the terms and forcing Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon. “The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran forced America and the Israeli enemy to stop their aggression against Lebanon,” Sheikh Qassem said. Sheikh Qassem insisted that any ceasefire must involve a halt to all hostilities by the enemy, promising that Hezbollah fighters will keep their fingers “on the trigger” due to a lack of trust in Israel. “We do not accept a unilateral ceasefire from the resistance. A ceasefire must be from both sides of the conflict,” he said. “Enough is said with insulting Lebanon by imposing direct negotiations with the Zionist enemy and accepting the enemy’s dictates,” he added.

US Statement on Lebanon Ceasefire Leaves Major Loophole That Israel May Exploit To Continue Attacks - A statement from the US State Department on the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that went into effect at 5 pm EST on Thursday includes language that Israel will likely exploit to continue attacks on the country.The statement says that Israel “shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” Israel frequently claims its attacks on Lebanon, Gaza, and elsewhere in the region are a response to some sort of threat, even when it’s clear there was none, and the US has historically tolerated major Israeli ceasefire violations.Similar language was included in a side deal between the US and Israel on the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire deal, which Israel went on to constantly violate with strikes, surveillance flights, and ground operations, killing hundreds of people. During that same period, Hezbollah didn’t fire any rockets toward Israel until after the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.Just hours after the new ceasefire was supposed to go into effect, the Lebanese military said in a statement that there had been “a number” of Israeli violations.“The army command renews its call to citizens to exercise caution in returning to the southern villages and towns, amid a number of violations of the agreement, with several Israeli attacks recorded, in addition to intermittent shelling targeting a number of villages,” the Lebanese army said in a post on X early Friday morning, Lebanon time.In the hours leading up to the ceasefire, Israel escalated its airstrikes across Lebanon, and Hezbollah also launched several rocket attacks against Israeli forces in Lebanon and against targets in northern Israel. The IDF also destroyed the last bridge across the Litani River as it wants to prevent displaced Lebanese civilians from returning to southern Lebanon and is planning a long-term occupation in the area.

‘Enough Is Enough’: Trump Tells Israel to Halt Attacks on Lebanon - President Donald Trump instructed Israel to halt its attacks on Lebanon. Iran said the truce with Lebanon was the reason it elected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. He made the statement the day after he announced the US brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. While President Trump claimed that Tehran’s decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was unrelated to Lebanon, Iran said it is allowing traffic through the strait only because of the truce. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. Tehran said that all ships transiting the Strait would need to coordinate with Iran.  The Iranian military said that the Strait is still closed to military vessels. It is unclear if the ceasefire in Lebanon will hold for the next ten days. Since the start of the truce, Israel has already carried out one strike in Lebanon, killing one person. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that he was still in the process of dismantling Hezbollah. “We have not yet finished the job. There are things we plan to do to address the remaining rocket threat and the drone threat,” he said. Trump asserted that Tehran agreed never to close the Strait again, and that the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in effect until a final agreement is reached. “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!” the President posted on Truth Social.

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic following Lebanon ceasefire - Following the implementation of a ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran has announced the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, signaling a successful culmination of its decisive military and diplomatic campaign against US and Israeli aggression. The reopening of the vital waterway was confirmed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who emphasized that maritime operations would safely resume under Iranian oversight. "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran," Araghchi stated. Meanwhile, citing informed officials, Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported that all vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz must coordinate with Iranian forces and follow routes designated by Tehran. Passage is restricted to commercial ships, with military vessels barred, and any ship or cargo linked to hostile states will not be permitted to cross, they added. The Strait had been effectively blocked to vessels affiliated with adversaries and those cooperating with them, a strategic maneuver by Tehran aimed at maintaining security in the waterway during unrelenting US-Israeli aggression that began on February 28. Throughout the 40 days of aggression, Iranian armed forces demonstrated remarkable defensive capabilities, unleashing 100 waves of successful retaliatory strikes against sensitive and strategic American and Israeli targets throughout the region. Friday’s maritime announcement follows a major diplomatic victory for Tehran. On April 8, the United States formally accepted Iran’s 10-point proposal as the foundation for a permanent ceasefire. One of the conditions set by Tehran, and reiterated by mediator Pakistan, was ceasefire in all fronts, including Lebanon. Washington had initially accepted the plan before backtracking following intense lobbying from Israel. On the same day, Israel launched a massacre across Lebanon, killing more than 300 people. Iran maintained a steadfast and uncompromising posture. According to multiple reports, Tehran threatened to boycott the critical Islamabad talks last week if the devastating attacks on Lebanon were not immediately scaled back. This firm ultimatum successfully prompted the US to press Israel into compliance. In response to the US failure to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran had kept the Strait of Hormuz fully closed to vessels affiliated with aggressors and their supporters. Finally, US President Donald Trump publicly announced the Lebanon truce last night during a White House address. The fragile ceasefire in Lebanon took effect at midnight.

Tehran warns US of consequences for broken vows amid Hormuz Strait conditional reopening -- As Iran conditionally reopens the strategic Strait of Hormuz following a decisive diplomatic and military victory, Tehran has issued a warning to the United States that any failure to honor its commitments will be met with severe consequences. The caution from the Iranian presidential office comes in direct response to a series of contradictory social media posts by US President Donald Trump. Mehdi Tabatabaei, Deputy for Communications and Information at the Presidential Office, took to X on Friday to denounce the American rhetoric, which attempts to downplay Iran's recent triumphs against US and Israeli aggression. “The enemy's Twitter rhetoric and baseless statements are aimed at stripping the Iranian nation of its sense of pride for the great victories they have gained in their powerful defense,” Tabatabaei wrote. He emphasized that the “conditional and limited” opening of the waterway is exclusively an Iranian initiative designed to create responsibility and serve as a test of Washington's definitive obligations. Issuing an unequivocal warning, he added, “Bad things will happen to them in case of non-commitment.” Tabatabaei's remarks were triggered by Trump's posts on Truth Social, which signaled potential US backtracking on the negotiated agreements. Despite Iran successfully forcing a halt to the hostilities, Trump attempted to decouple the regional peace efforts, insisting, “This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, either, but the USA will, separately, work with Lebanon, and deal with the Hezboolah situation in an appropriate manner.” He also indicated a reluctance to finalize the lifting of the so-called “naval blockade”, stating that pressure would remain “until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete.” Contrary to the US president's claims, the reopening of the Strait is explicitly tied to the cessation of Israeli aggression on Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the conditional resumption of maritime operations, asserting that traffic would safely resume strictly under Iranian oversight. "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran," Araghchi wrote on X on Friday. Meanwhile, Fars and Tasnim news agencies report that all transiting vessels must coordinate with Iranian forces and adhere to designated routes. Passage is restricted entirely to commercial shipping; military vessels and any cargo linked to hostile states remain barred from crossing. This strict maritime oversight follows a successful blockade strategy. Tehran had previously closed the vital chokepoint to adversaries and their allies as a strategic maneuver during 40 days of unrelenting US-Israeli aggression that began on February 28.

Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open to shipping but Trump says U.S. blockade still active - Iran on Friday declared the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial ships during the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but confusion quickly emerged about whether the sea lane was really open without conditions.“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on social media. However, vessels must transit through a “coordinated route” announced by Iran’s maritime authorities, Araghchi said. It is unclear whether Tehran will force ships to pay a toll to pass the strait.President Donald Trump on Friday thanked Iran for opening the strait in a social media post. But Trump said the U.S. naval blockade of Iran’s ports will stay in effect until an agreement is reached with Tehran.Trump later Friday said that Iran “has just announced that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open and ready for business and full passage,” even as the U.S. blockade remains in “full force.”“This will be a great and brilliant day for the world,” Trump said during a speech at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix.Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, quickly disputed Trump’s claim that Tehran had cleared the strait for transit.“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Ghalibaf wrote in a translated X post.Indeed, video footage from ship tracking firm Kpler shows a number of tankers and cargo ships did try to exit the waterway on Friday, but turned back.“They’ve clearly not been given approval to pass through,” Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler, told CNBC.Iranian media affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard described a limited reopening of the strait. Commercial ships must coordinate with Iranian forces, a source close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council told Tasnim News.Ships are not allowed to pass if they or their cargoes are linked to hostile nations, according to the Tasnim report. The strait will be closed if the U.S. naval blockade continues, according to the report.Oil prices plunged more than 10% on Friday to below $90 per barrel. About a fifth of the world’s crude supplies passed through the strait before the war. The closure of the sea lane, which connects the Persian Gulf to global energy markets, has triggered the biggest oil supply disruption in history.Israel and Lebanon agreed Thursday to a 10-day ceasefire starting at 5 p.m. ET that evening. Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon against the militant group Hezbollah, who are close allies of Iran, has been a sticking point in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7 in exchange for Iran completely opening the strait. But Ghalibaf accused the U.S. of violating the agreement by allowing Israel to continue its campaign in Lebanon.The strait has remained almost completely closed during the U.S.-Iran ceasefire as the two countries disputed the terms of the agreement. Just a few commercial vessels are transiting the waterway daily.Negotiations between Vice President JD Vance and Ghalibaf last weekend in Pakistan failed to produce an agreement to permanently end the U.S. war with Iran. Trump said U.S. and Iranian negotiators could meet again this weekend in Pakistan for a second round of talks.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz will close again amid US blockade -The speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, said Friday that Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz again amid the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, contradicting President Trump, who said the strait was “open for business” earlier in the day. His remarks came as Trump was on stage delivering a speech in Arizona at a Turning Point USA event. “With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Qalibaf wrote in a post on social platform X, adding that passage through the strait will be “conducted based on the ‘designated route’ and with Iranian authorization.” “Whether the strait is open or closed and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not by social media,” he continued. U.S. and Iranian officials have been going at it on social media platforms since the start of the war on everything from making major globally impacting announcements to trolling each other with AI memes. Qalibaf in his Friday evening post said that “media warfare and engineering public opinion are an important part of the war” and that Iran “is not affected by those tricks.” The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. The Iranian official’s comments come as Trump was speaking on stage at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix on Friday after he announced hours earlier that Iran had said the Strait of Hormuz was “open for business” but that the U.S. blockade would remain in effect. Trump’s announcement followed Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announcing that the Strait of Hormuz was open “for all commercial vessels … for the remaining period of ceasefire.” The stock market rallied in response to the news, while oil prices dropped 12 percent following the news. However, the Fars News Agency, an Iranian state news outlet, questioned Araghchi’s post, characterizing it as an “unexpected tweet about the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz, and following Trump’s subsequent nervous saber-rattling, Iranian society has been plunged into an atmosphere of confusion.” Trump made his part of the announcement in a series of posts on Truth Social before doing several phone interviews with reporters. The president said during a phone interview with Bloomberg that Iran agreed to an “unlimited” suspension of its nuclear program, but the Iranians haven’t weighed in on that at all. In one of the Truth Social posts, Trump claimed that Iran has agreed to hand over its “nuclear dust,” an apparent reference to its enriched uranium. Trump said Israel would not be bombing Lebanon going forward, proclaiming: “Enough is enough.”

Tehran Recloses Strait of Hormuz, US Prepared to Seize Iranian Tankers -- Within a day of opening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, Tehran reclosed it due to the US blockade of Iranian ports. President Donald Trump is preparing for the Navy to begin boarding Iranian vessels in international waters. In a statement, the Iranian government explained that it reopened the Strait on Friday due to Israel agreeing to halt attacks against Lebanon. However, the US refused to remove its blockade of vessels leaving Iranian ports, so the Strait was again closed. “As long as the enemy intends to disrupt vessel traffic or impose methods like naval blockades, the Islamic Republic of Iran will consider that a ceasefire violation and prevent the conditional, limited opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said. Additionally, Tehran says that after the Strait is reopened, vessels will still have to coordinate and pay a toll. Before the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, the Strait of Hormuz was an open international waterway. Tehran’s decision to reclose the waterway caused chaos in the Strait on Saturday. Multiple tankers that believed that they had clearance from Tehran to transit the Strait were fired upon by Iranian forces and forced to turn back. India said two tankers flying its flag were targeted, and summoned the Iranian ambassador. Responding to Tehran’s reclosing of the Strait, Trump claimed Iran has closed it multiple times in recent years, and he would not be “blackmailed.”  According to officials speaking with the Wall Street Journal, the US Navy is preparing to board and seize Iranian ships in international waters.  President Trump issued a series of statements on Friday saying that Iran had capitulated to US demands and a deal would be finalized. However, Tehran maintains that it has not agreed to any concessions and the war will only end after the US agrees to Iran’s demands.

Iranian state news outlet questions foreign minister’s ‘unexpected tweet’ on Hormuz Strait - An Iranian state news outlet on Friday questioned the “unexpected tweet” from Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following the start of Israel and Lebanon’s 10-day ceasefire. Araghchi wrote on the social platform X that the Strait of Hormuz was open “for all commercial vessels… for the remaining period of ceasefire,” which Iran’s government announced earlier in the day.The Fars News Agency, reacting to the post, wrote on X that along with Araghchi’s “unexpected tweet about the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz, and following Trump’s subsequent nervous saber-rattling, Iranian society has been plunged into an atmosphere of confusion,” according to X’s translation from Persian.The state-run outlet cited “international analysts” who have assessed that President Trump’s “recent behavior” comes from “desperation in the complex Iran arena.” The Fars News Agency added that Iranians worry about the “absolute and strange silence” from the country’s Supreme National Security Council and its negotiators.“They [Iranians] accept it, but it is expected that at least a clear explanation be provided regarding the ‘reason for silence,'” the agency continued. “Public opinion raises this question: if it is in the country’s interest that the details of the negotiations or recent developments not be publicized, why is this very interest and the reason for avoiding transparency not explained to the people?”The Fars News Agency called on its government to not “allow the enemy’s narrative and hostile media to fill the created narrative vacuum by toying with the spirit and psyche of society.”“These days, Twitter and short, pithy statements are no longer a suitable medium for persuading domestic public opinion; rather, even this very ‘not explaining’ requires explanation,” the agency wrote in its last post in the thread.

Treasury secretary: US will not extend sanctions exemptions period for Russia, Iran oil - Washington does not plan to extend the period for exemptions from sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. According to him, this concerns oil supplies that were already in transport before the sanctions were imposed, and these exemptions were temporary. Bessent stressed that the US administration will not restore the main licenses that allowed trading in Russian and Iranian oil. The current exemptions for Iran expire on Sunday. Earlier it was also reported that the US has extended a separate exemption for foreign filling stations of the Russian company Lukoil, which allows them to continue their work outside Russia until the end of October.

Trump administration extends sanctions exemption on some Russian oil as gas prices continue to skyrocket --The Trump administration extended sanctions exemption Friday on some Russian oil as gas prices continue to skyrocket in the wake of the US-Israeli war against Iran, according to The New York Times (NYT). The move comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US would not extend the exemption on the sale of Russian oil. Gas prices have skyrocketed since the war in the Middle East began in late February, with the average price in the US surging by over 30% to more than $4 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline and more than 40% to surpass $5 for diesel, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). The Trump administration initially loosened restrictions on Russian oil exports that were stranded at sea after the war rattled energy markets, with the goal of lowering oil prices by allowing countries to legally purchase hundreds of millions of barrels of crude that the US had blacklisted, according to the NYT report. As the war has extended into its second month, and with gas prices in the US continuing to surge, the initial sanctions waiver on Russian oil that expired April 11 will now be extended until May 16. The NYT said the last-minute renewal of Russia’s sanctions exemption came as Iran announced Friday that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that carried 20% of the world’s oil, was completely open to all commercial ships. President Donald Trump celebrated the move by claiming in a social media post that the "Hormuz Strait situation is over" and Iran agreed to never close the waterway again. Iran, however, has made no such commitment. Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that the waterway would be open "for the remaining period of cease-fire" between the US and Iran, which is set to expire next week. American and Iranian negotiators are expected to meet for another round of peace talks in Pakistan before the ceasefire ends. Democratic lawmakers in the US Senate condemned Trump's extension of the sanctions exemption, with Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and top Democratic members of the chamber, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, issuing a rebuke. "This decision is shameful and a 180-degree reversal from Secretary Bessent, just two days after he pledged not to extend sanctions relief for Russia," they said in a statement. “This week, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched the largest aerial attack of the year so far on Ukraine, killing 18 and the Administration's response is to relax sanctions on the Kremlin yet again. What kind of message does this move send?”

Vance Says Trump Administration 'Solved' Gaza as the IDF Continues Killing Palestinians -- Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday night that the Trump administration had “solved” the problem in the Gaza Strip and touted the so-called “peace agreement” pushed by President Trump, claims that come as the Israeli military continues its constant ceasefire violations, which have killed more than 750 Palestinians.Vance made the comments while speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia when confronted by hecklers, including one who said “Jesus Christ doesn’t support genocide,” which was yelled out as the vice president was discussing the administration’s disagreements with Pope Leo XIV. “Now, to respond to this guy here, I believe he said the administration supports a genocide in Gaza. And here’s my response to that,” Vance said. “When we came in, the humanitarian situation in Gaza was an absolute catastrophe. You know who’s the person who got a peace agreement in Gaza? Donald J. Trump. So if you want to complain about what happened in Gaza, why don’t you complain about Joe Biden in the last administration? We’re the administration that solved that problem.”On the same day as the TPUSA event, the Israeli military launched heavy attacks across Gaza, killing at least 11 Palestinians, including a three-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy.During his response, another voice could be heard yelling, “You’re killing children,” and Vance went on to claim that more humanitarian aid was entering Gaza than in recent years, though Israel never lived up to its commitment under the ceasefire deal to allow 600 aid trucks to enter per day, and it imposed even more restrictions at the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, causing rising prices and food shortages. “Right now, you see more humanitarian aid coming into Gaza than at any time in the past 5 years because we have taken that situation seriously,” Vance said, comments that drew a response from Hamas.In a statement, Hamas said that Vance’s remarks were “misleading and far from reality” and an “attempt to cover up the sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Strip.”Amid the continued Israeli attacks in Gaza, there’s been no sign of progress in implementing Trump’s Gaza plan. The US and Israel continue to demand Hamas’s disarmament, while Hamas is maintaining that it won’t discuss the issue until the first phase of the ceasefire deal is implemented.

‘Far from Reality’: Hamas Rebukes JD Vance over Gaza Aid Claims - Palestine Chronicle - The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas has rejected statements made by US Vice President J.D. Vance regarding the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, describing them as “misleading and far from reality.” In a statement issued on Wednesday, Hamas said Vance’s claims that aid entering Gaza is at its highest level in five years “reflect an attempt to cover up the sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Strip.” Vance had stated during a public event that “right now, you see more humanitarian aid coming into Gaza than at any time in the past five years because we have taken that situation seriously.” He also said that “the humanitarian situation in Gaza was an absolute catastrophe,” adding, “we’re the administration that solved that problem.” Hamas said that the Gaza Strip continues to experience “ongoing depletion,” pointing to Israel’s failure to adhere to the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. The movement stated that “the sector is still living a state of continuous exhaustion,” citing continued restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and the disruption of basic life necessities. It added that these conditions persist “in light of the occupation’s lack of commitment to the provisions of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement,” alongside “continued strict restrictions on the entry of aid.”  Hamas stressed that living conditions in Gaza have reached “unprecedented catastrophic levels,” pointing to the worsening shortage of essential goods. The movement said there is a “severe and escalating shortage of basic commodities,” including “food, medicine, and fuel,” noting that international and human rights organizations have documented the continued deterioration. It added that these reports confirm the “ongoing and worsening humanitarian collapse” in the Gaza Strip. In its statement, Hamas accused Israel of implementing “systematic starvation policies” against the population of Gaza. The movement said these policies are carried out through “restricting the flow of humanitarian aid and targeting infrastructure,” which it said “increases the suffering of civilians on a daily basis.”

Report: US Has Completed Full Withdrawal from Syria - The US military has completed a full withdrawal from Syria, Syrian officials told Middle East Eye on Thursday, marking the end of a military presence that first began with US special operations troops in 2015. So far, the withdrawal hasn’t been confirmed by the US military, but back in February, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US was beginning a full pullout from the country and that it was expected to take about two months. At the time, US officials said the move wasn’t related to plans for war with Iran, though the US bases in Syria were known for being exposed to drone and missile attacks. Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that it welcomed the handover of all US military installations to the Syrian government, which is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of al-Qaeda that the US and its allies helped take power in Damascus in December 2024. The MEE report said that US forces had left their last base in Syria in the country’s northeastern Hasakah province. Syrian officials said that the Syrian military had entered the base, known as Qasrak, which included an airstrip. When President Trump returned to office in January 2025, the US had about 2,000 troops in Syria. The Trump administration began a drawdown, which was accelerated following the December 2025 attack in Palmyra, Syria, which killed two US National Guard soldiers and an American civilian interpreter. While President Trump blamed the Palmyria attack on ISIS, the gunman was a member of Syria’s security forces, and US officials have acknowledged to the Journal that the new Syrian military is “riddled with jihadist sympathizers, including soldiers with ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS and others who have been involved in alleged war crimes against the Kurds and Druze.”

US Launches Three Airstrikes in Somalia as Bombing Campaign Continues With Virtually No Media Coverage -   US Africa Command said on Friday that its forces launched more airstrikes in Somalia on April 6 and April 7 as the US bombing campaign in the East African country continues with virtually no media coverage.AFRICOM said the strikes targeted the ISIS affiliate based in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region, where the US backs local government forces. The bombings were carried out in a remote mountain region between 35 miles and 45 miles southeast of the Gulf of Aden port city of Bosasso.  The strikes were reported by Garowe Online, a media outlet based in Puntland, but Puntland military officials declined to share any details about the operation.An AFRICOM spokesperson told New America, an organization that tracks the air war, that it conducted one strike on April 6 and two on April 7. The three airstrikes bring the total number of US bombings in the country this year to 52, according to New America’s count.Somalia’s US-backed federal government, which is based in Mogadishu, also announced airstrikes against al-Shabaab in recent days that it said were backed by “international partners,” which usually means they were conducted by the US. AFRICOM typically takes a few days to acknowledge its airstrikes in Somalia.

US Launches Its 53rd Airstrike of the Year in Somalia - --US Africa Command said in a press release on Monday that its forces launched another airstrike in Somalia on April 9, marking at least the 53rd US bombing in the country this year.AFRICOM said the strike targeted al-Shabaab about 80 miles northwest of the southern port city of Kismayo in Lower Juba, Somalia’s southernmost region. The command offered no further details about the attack, as it has stopped sharing information on casualties or assessments of civilian harm since early 2025.“Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM said.The US-backed Somali Defense Ministry said in a statement that it conducted an “air operation” with the support of “international partners” on that same day, but the attack took place in the Mudug region in north-central Somalia, much further to the north than the US bombing.The Somali Defense Ministry claimed that 70 al-Shabaab militants were killed and eight vehicles were destroyed in its operation. It’s possible the US was involved and hasn’t announced it, or the Somali military could have received air support from Turkey, which has deployed Bayraktar TB2 drones and F-16s to Somalia. On top of its bombing campaign against al-Shabaab, the US has also been launching airstrikes against an ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region. President Trump has overseen a dramatic escalation of the US air war, launching 124 airstrikes in Somalia in 2025, nearly double the previous annual record, which he set at 63 during his first term in 2019.Despite the massive escalation, the US war in Somalia receives virtually no media coverage in the US. The US has been involved in Somalia for decades and has been fighting al-Shabaab since the George W. Bush administration backed an Ethiopian invasion in 2006 that ousted the Islamic Courts Union, a Muslim coalition that briefly held power in Mogadishu after taking the city from CIA-backed warlords.

US Bombs Somalia for 54th Time This Year - -The US launched another airstrike in Somalia on April 13, US Africa Command said in a press release on Wednesday, as the bombing campaign continues with virtually no US media coverage. AFRICOM said the strike targeted al-Shabaab in the village of Mido, approximately 55 miles northwest of the southern port city of Kismayo in Somalia’s Lower Juba region. As usual, the command offered no other details about the attack, but the US-backed Somali government has announced military operations in the area.The Somali Defense Ministry said on April 14 that its forces, along with local Jubaland troops, have been conducting operations against al-Shabaab in the Lower Juba and Middle Juba regions in recent days. “During the course of these ground operations, airstrikes supported by international partners were carried out in parallel, effectively intensifying the targeting of Al-Shabaab militants hiding in those areas,” the ministry said.The ministry claimed that the operations “neutralized” 27 al-Shabaab militants and that weapons and other equipment were seized. The ministry also announced airstrikes conducted with “international partners” further north in the Lower Shabbelle region of southern Somalia, which it claimed killed 54 militants.The April 13 US airstrike brings the total number of US bombings in the country this year to at least 54. The rate of US airstrikes slowed somewhat during the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, but it appears to have picked back up amid the very fragile ceasefire.Besides the US airstrikes against al-Shabaab in southern Somalia, the US has also been bombing a small ISIS affiliate based in northeastern Somalia’s Puntland region. President Trump has overseen a dramatic escalation of the US air war, launching 124 airstrikes in Somalia in 2025, nearly double the previous annual record, which he set at 63 during his first term in 2019.The US has been involved in Somalia for decades and has been fighting al-Shabaab since the George W. Bush administration backed an Ethiopian invasion in 2006 that ousted the Islamic Courts Union, a Muslim coalition that briefly held power in Mogadishu after taking the city from CIA-backed warlords.

US Launches Airstrike in Somalia as US-Backed Government Claims Major Al-Shabaab Casualties - US Africa Command said in a press release on Thursday that its forces launched an airstrike in southern Somalia on April 15, the same day the US-backed Somali government announced major attacks against al-Shabaab that it said involved airstrikes supported by “international partners.”As usual, AFRICOM offered barely any details on the strike, saying only that it targeted al-Shabaab about 46 miles northwest of the southern port city of Kismayo, which puts the attack in Lower Juba, Somalia’s southernmost region.The Somali Defense Ministry said in an April 15 press release that its forces conducted “airstrike operations” against al-Shabaab in Lower Juba and also in the regions of Bay, Hiraan, and Lower Shabelle. The ministry said that a total of six airstrikes supported by “international partners” were launched.“The airstrikes killed 54 Al-Shabaab militants and wounded several others. They also successfully targeted supply stockpiles, significantly weakening the group’s logistical capacity, mobility, and ability to organize attacks against Somali civilians,” the ministry claimed.The numbers are not confirmed, and the US-backed government has an interest in inflating al-Shabaab casualties and has a history of hiding civilian casualties. So far, the US has only acknowledged one airstrike in Lower Juba, and it remains unclear if it also conducted the airstrikes in the other regions. The Somali military could have received air support from Turkey, which has deployed Bayraktar TB2 drones and F-16s to Somalia.The US airstrike brings the total number of US bombings in Somalia this year to at least 55, as the Trump administration continues the record-breaking bombing campaign with virtually no media coverage. Besides the attacks on al-Shabaab, the US has also been bombing an ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region.

US military says 2 killed in Eastern Pacific boat strike --The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out a strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two male “narco-terrorists.”U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) wrote on social platform X that “at the direction” of its commander, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear “conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.”  It is unclear which terrorist organization Southcom was referring to. The command added that intelligence “confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes” in the eastern Pacific and “was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”  No U.S. military forces were harmed in the operation, Southcom added. The command also posted an 18-second unclassified video of the strike, showing the boat in the water before it is hit by a blast, causing smoke to billow from it. The Pentagon launched Operation Southern Spear last year, and has carried out dozens of strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, killing more than 150 people. The strikes were part of a pressure campaign on former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom U.S. forces arrested on drug-trafficking and weapons-related charges in January.Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are on trial in a Manhattan federal court.The Trump administration has provided little public evidence that the boats were carrying illicit drugs, while law-of-war experts have argued that the strikes violate international law.  Southcom wrote on X Sunday that five “narco-terrorists” were killed in two strikes on vessels in the eastern Pacific, with one individual surviving the attack. The status of that survivor is unclear.Earlier Monday, President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that ships that violate the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will be “ELIMINATED” via the “same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea.”

US Southern Command Bombs Two Alleged Drug-Running Boats, Killing at Least Five People -- US Southern Command has announced that its forces bombed two more small boats it accused of carrying drugs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least five people, as the US bombing campaign in the waters of Latin America continues.As usual, the command offered no evidence to back up its claim that the boat was carrying drugs, something the Pentagon hasn’t done for any of the small vessels it has struck since the bombing campaign began in early September. The command said that on one of the boats, at least two people were killed, and there was one survivor, though the status of the survivor two days after the strike is unclear. On the other vessel, SOUTHCOM said three people were killed. Video of the strikes released by SOUTHCOM. SOUTHCOM described the victims of the strikes as “narco-terrorists,” a term employed by the Trump administration to attempt to justify extra-judicial executions at sea for an alleged crime that doesn’t receive the death penalty in the US. According to a count from Airwars, the strike brings the total number of people killed in the bombing campaign since it started in September 2025 to 168. Airwars classifies all the deaths as civilians since they are non-combatants and posed no threat to the US military at the time of the attacks.Last month, the US military escalated its campaign in Latin America by supporting Ecuadorian against alleged drug targets in Ecuador, an effort dubbed “Operation Total Extermination.” According to a report from The New York Times, one of the first operations involved bombing what the US and Ecuador claimed was a drug camp, but turned out to be a dairy farm, raising questions about the credibility of the US military’s intelligence in the region and claims about what it’s targeting.

US Southern Command Kills Six in Latest Boat Strikes in Eastern Pacific Ocean – - US Southern Command announced on Monday that its forces bombed an alleged drug-running boat in the waters of Latin America, and said that the attack killed at least two people. On Tuesday, SOUTHCOM announced an attack on another boat that it said killed four people.SOUTHCOM said both boats were in the Eastern Pacific Ocean when they were hit, and it offered no evidence to back up its claim that either vessel was carrying drugs, something that the Pentagon hasn’t done for any of the boats it has blown up since the bombing campaign started in September 2025. Video of the April 13 strike released by SOUTHCOM. According to numbers from The Intercept, the latest strikes bring the total number of boats that have been destroyed to 52 and the total number of people who’ve been killed in the campaign to 175.All of the people killed have been civilians, as they were not engaged in combat and didn’t pose any threat to the US at the time of the strikes. The Trump administration labels the people it kills as “narco-terrorists,” a term that it uses to justify what are extrajudicial executions at sea for an alleged crime that doesn’t receive the death penalty in the US.Much of the attention on the bombing campaign has focused on a September 2 attack that involved a double-tap strike to kill survivors, which has been widely condemned as a war crime. But many legal experts say that the entire bombing campaign is clearly illegal under US and international law since the US military has no right to bomb civilian vessels. Last month, the US military escalated its campaign in Latin America by supporting Ecuadorian against alleged drug targets in Ecuador, an effort dubbed “Operation Total Extermination.” According to a report from The New York Times, one of the first operations involved bombing what the US and Ecuador claimed was a drug camp, but turned out to be a dairy farm, raising questions about the credibility of the US military’s intelligence in the region and claims about what it’s targeting.

US Dramatically Ramps Up Bombing Campaign Against Small Boats in the Waters of Latin America - -The US military has dramatically ramped up its bombing campaign against small boats in the waters of Latin America in recent days amid the very fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran, and as it prepares for a potential attack on Cuba. According to press releases from US Southern Command, the US has blown up five boats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in five days from April 11 to April 15. In none of the cases has the command offered any evidence to back up its claims that the boats were running drugs, something the Pentagon has never done since the bombing campaign started in September 2025. SOUTHCOM said that the latest strike, launched on April 15, killed three people. It labeled the dead as “narco-terrorists,” a term the Trump administration uses in its attempts to justify what are extra-judicial executions for an alleged crime that doesn’t receive the death penalty in the US. Video of the April 15 strike released by SOUTHCOM. According to numbers from The Intercept, the latest strikes bring the total number of boats that have been destroyed to 53 and the total number of people who’ve been killed in the campaign to 178. “They’re murdering at a relentless pace,” Intercept reporter Nick Turse said in a post on X on Wednesday night.All of the people killed have been civilians since they were operating civilian vessels, were not engaged in combat, and didn’t pose any threat to the US at the time of the strikes.Last month, the US military escalated its campaign in Latin America by supporting Ecuadorian against alleged drug targets in Ecuador, an effort dubbed “Operation Total Extermination.”  According to a report from The New York Times, one of the first operations involved bombing what the US and Ecuador claimed was a drug camp, but turned out to be a dairy farm, raising questions about the credibility of the US military’s intelligence in the region and claims about what it’s targeting.

Pentagon Ramps Up Preparations for Potential Attack on Cuba - The Pentagon has increased its preparations for a possible attack on Cuba, according to media reports, as President Trump has made clear that war against the island nation may be his next military intervention. Zeteo first reported the ramped-up plans for war with Cuba, saying that in recent days, “officials at the Pentagon and elsewhere in the US government were quietly given a new directive that came straight from the Trump White House. The message: ramp up your preparations for possible military operations against Cuba.”  USA Today affirmed the Zeteo scoop, reporting that military planning for war with Cuba has increased in case President Trump orders an attack on the country.Trump may be eyeing an operation similar to the attack on Venezuela that resulted in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as Zeteo reported that the administration is discussing plans to “attack and kidnap Cuban leaders.” Since the attack on Venezuela, which killed at least 83 people, including four civilians, the US has been dealing with Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s vice president, who was sworn in as acting president. The US has eased sanctions on Venezuela in an effort to control its oil industry and oil experts, and has cut off Cuba from Venezuelan oil, part of a ramped-up blockade that’s caused a devastating humanitarian crisis in the country.The US has been engaged in some negotiations with Cuba, but it’s unclear what sort of deal would satisfy the US, as the main driver of the policy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would likely not accept an arrangement that keeps the current government in power.On Monday, President Trump told USA Today that the US “may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this,” referencing the US-Israeli conflict against Iran. The president has previously said that he wants to have the “honor” of “taking Cuba” and that he feels that he “can do anything I want with it.”In the face of the pressure and threats from the US, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has said he will not step down and has vowed that Cuba is ready to fight.“An invasion of Cuba would have costs. … It would affect the security of Cuba, the United States and of the region,” Diaz-Canel told NBC News in a recent interview. “If that happens, there will be fighting, and there will be a struggle, and we will defend ourselves, and if we need to die, we’ll die, because as our national anthem says, ‘Dying for the homeland is to live.'”

Pete Hegseth faces impeachment articles over Iran war, abuse of power --House Democrats will introduce five articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing him of war crimes in connection with the Iran war, abuse of power and mishandling of the Department of Defense (DOD).Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress, will introduce the impeachment resolution, Axios reported after it obtained a copy of the resolution. Eight Democrats are co-sponsoring the long-shot resolution: Reps. Steve Cohen (Tenn.), Jasmine Crockett (Texas), Nikema Williams (Ga.), Sarah McBride (Del.), Brittany Pettersen (Colo.), Dina Titus (Nev.), Dave Min (Calif.) and Shri Thanedar (Mich.). Ansari announced last week that she was filing articles of impeachment, which are almost certain to go nowhere in the GOP-controlled House. She accused Hegseth of being “complicit” in President Trump’s “devastating, illegal war” in Iran. The first article accuses Hegseth of violating his oath of office in overseeing an “unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members.” The resolution goes on to accuse the secretary of war crimes by targeting civilians and breaking the rules of armed conflict, followed by the alleged mishandling of sensitive information. This article refers to the use of the Signal app on his personal cell phone to discuss a pending strike on Houthi targets in Yemen. The incident drew attention after The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to the chat that included Hegseth and other administration officials. The Office of Inspector General determined in a report that Hegseth jeopardized troop safety and violated department policy. The DOD stated the report was a “total exoneration” for Hegseth. Ansari’s resolution also accuses Hegseth of obstructing congressional oversight responsibilities, including the alleged withholding of information regarding military actions in Venezuela and Iran, among other military theaters. It also claims the Defense chief abused his power, “including targeting and launching bogus investigations against specific elected officials for the express purpose of political retribution.” The administration pushed back on the claims made in the resolution. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement to The Hill that it was “just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the President’s objectives in Iran.” “Secretary Hegseth will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength,” Wilson wrote. “This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War.”

Trump posts image of himself as Jesus after attacking Pope Leo -- The pontiff has spoken out after the president shared the AI-generated image of himself on Truth Social and criticised Leo as ‘weak’ on crime.  The Pope says he has “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against the war in Iran despite being denounced by the US president as “weak” and “terrible”. Responding to the extraordinary verbal attack, Leo said he and the Church had “a moral duty” to speak out against war, such as the conflict started by Trump in Iran, and “in favour of peace and reconciliation”. “I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing. I will continue to speak out loudly against war,” the pontiff said after Trump posted an AI-generated picture portraying himself as Jesus Christ. On Monday Trump deleted the image, posted on Truth Social late on Sunday, after devout Christians accused him of blasphemy. Later he admitted posting the deleted image but said it was him as “a doctor making people better and I do make people a lot better”.Advertisement Addressing reporters on Sunday at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump had spoken out against Leo, the first American pope, who has called for peace in the Middle East and criticised the US government’s crackdown on immigrants as “extremely disrespectful”.“I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime,” Trump said. He also accused the Pope of “toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon”.Trump followed that with a post on Truth Social, writing: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” he added.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticizes Trump's remarks on Pope Leo XIV  - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized President Trump’s Sunday rant against Pope Leo XIV  as “unacceptable.” “I find President Trump’s words toward the Holy Father unacceptable,” said Meloni, the head of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, said Monday in a statement. “The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal that he calls for peace and condemns every form of war.” On Sunday night, Trump slammed the first American pope in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The pontiff has voiced concerns over the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants, as well as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote, despite the pope not previously advocating for Tehran to have such a weapon.“And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History,” he later added.  The president also wrote that the pope “should get his act together” and “stop catering to the Radical Left.”Also on Sunday evening, Trump posted a since-deleted AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ healing the sick. The president told reporters Monday that he thought the image depicted him as a doctor. In response to the president, Leo said Monday that he is “not afraid” of speaking out on the Catholic Church’s teachings.   “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for,” the pope said while aboard the papal plane, according to The Associated Press. Trump, meanwhile, said Monday he does not owe the pope an apology for his comments. “Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran,” the president told reporters outside the Oval Office. “Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result.”

‘Unhinged & unchristian’: Global outrage erupts after Trump attacks Pope, poses as Jesus -A massive firestorm of international condemnation erupted on Orthodox Easter Monday after President Donald Trump launched a vicious attack on Pope Leo XIV and shared an image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ. People, cutting across the political and religious spectrum, labeled the remarks as “deranged,” “abhorrent,” and a dangerous display of a “messiah complex.” It came days after Pope Leo XIV strongly criticized Trump’s unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the threat to end the Iranian civilization, which the Pontiff called “truly unacceptable” on moral and international law grounds. In response, Trump lashed out at the spiritual leader of over 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide Political analyst Larry Sabato referred to the US president’s “monumental arrogance,” quoting him as saying, “I don’t want a Pope who…” Sabato recalled a previous incident where Trump tweeted a manipulated image of himself dressed as the Pope, stating, “That’s the Pontiff this vainglorious super-narcissist wants.” The backlash was swift and severe from Catholic elected officials in the US and outside. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who identifies as Catholic, condemned the attack on the Catholic spiritual leader in strong terms. “As a Catholic, I find it abhorrent that the President of the United States would publicly attack the Successor of St. Peter,” Kelly wrote. He linked the attack on the Pope to Trump’s foreign policy, saying his war on Iran “has led to the death and injury of American servicemembers and the death of Iranian children.” US Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) called the remarks “deranged and disgusting,” questioning whether it might finally prompt Vice President JD Vance to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch Trump ally, noted that the attack on Pope occurred on Orthodox Easter. “President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran,” she wrote, adding that Trump then “posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus.This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!! ” Perhaps the most stinging rebukes came from within Christian leadership Rev. James Martin, SJ, a prominent Jesuit priest, wrote that while he doubted Pope Leo XIV would lose sleep over the attack ahead of his pilgrimage to Africa, “the rest of us should. Because it is unhinged, uncharitable and unchristian.” “Is there no bottom to this moral squalor?” he asked.

Donald Trump as Jesus post angers Christian conservatives who say it’s ‘blasphemy’ -- President Trump’s social media post depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure has sparked fierce backlash from factions of his conservative and Christian base, who called the image blasphemous and urged the president to remove it. The president — who ultimately deleted the post Monday amid the scrutiny — posted the image on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, shortly after attacking Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, in what one Republican strategist called a “one-two punch of attacking the Pope and then insulting all Christians.” “If you’re a conservative Christian, you don’t like this,” said Doug Heye, a former Republican National Committee communications director, in an interview with The Hill. “You’ve been fully invested in the Trump presidency for a long time now, but this goes too far for you,” Heye continued. “And we know that he knows that because he deleted it.” The image, which is rendered as a painting, shows Trump in the center, dressed in a long white robe with a red shawl draped over his shoulders. In his left hand, the president holds an orb of light as he looks down at his right hand, which is placed on the forehead of a man whose eyes are closed as he lies down in what appears to be a hospital bed. Light is illuminated around the sick man’s head as it makes contact with the president’s hand. Surrounding the president, and in the background of the painting, are numerous patriotic images: the American flag, two eagles, U.S. troops, and the Statue of Liberty. The post, sent on Orthodox Easter, immediately angered many conservative Christians, who have historically been some of the president’s most loyal followers but who came out in waves to slam the post as blasphemous. “I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” Megan Basham, a prominent conservative Christian journalist, wrote in a post on the social platform X, responding to Trump’s image. “But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God,” she continued. Conservative political commentator Cam Higby said on X, “Blasphemy from the Oval Office is not a funny troll.” “I support Trump, and I spend 8 hours a day defending him. I will not defend blasphemy. Just correct it and move on. You don’t have to defend it. You don’t have to stop supporting him because you call it out,” he added in a subsequent post. “God > politics.” Republican Christian influencer Brilyn Hollyhand said he was “pretty frustrated” by Trump’s image and with the president for “comparing yourself, even jokingly, to Jesus,” saying, “It undermines the very value that many of us hold dear” and “hands easy ammunition to critics.” “Faith is not a prop, and we shouldn’t laugh at it being used as one,” Hollyhand said. “There’s innocent humor, and then there’s this. You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself.” David Brody, chief political analyst for the Christian Broadcast Network, responded to the image by saying on X, “TAKE THIS DOWN, MR. PRESIDENT.” “You’ve been credited with doing tons right since that ride down the golden escalator in 2015—defending Judeo-Christian values and taking hits for it. That’s great,” he continued. “But this isn’t just some meme we laugh off and scroll past. It deserves a response.” “You’re not God. None of us are. This goes too far. It crosses the line. A supporter can back the mission AND reject this simultaneously. Take it down,” he added.

Trump deletes AI image of him as Jesus, says meant to be doctor - President Donald Trump on Monday morning deleted a Truth Social post with an image showing himself appearing like Jesus Christ after it was met with backlash.“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” Trump told reporters at the White House, denying claims he was meant to appear as Jesus.“Only the ‘fake news’ could come up with that one,” Trump added.“It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better,” he said. “And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.” Trump on Sunday night posted the image, which appears to have been generated with artificial intelligence, after he lambasted Pope Leo XIV for criticizing U.S. military actions against Iran and Venezuela. The image depicted Trump, wearing a white robe, laying his right hand on a man who appeared sick or dying, with a bright light emanating from the president’s left hand and the American flag, eagles and military planes flying behind him. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC when asked for comment about the post being deleted.  “I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” wrote Megan Basham, a conservative Christian commentator, in a post about the image on X.“But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God,” Basham wrote.  The post was one of several in a series posted to Trump’s Truth Social account Sunday night. The image stood alone without any accompanying words. Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had been an ally of Trump, in her own post on X wrote, “On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus. “This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!” Greene wrote. Vice President JD Vance, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, said, “I think the President was posting a joke and of course he took it down, because he recognized a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.”In May 2025, Trump posted an image showing himself as a Catholic pope after Pope Francis died. The president was blasted by the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops, for that post. “There is nothing clever or funny about this image,” the conference said in a post on X. “We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”

In Response to Trump, Pope Leo Says He Will Continue Speaking Out Against War - Pope Leo XIV on Monday said he would continue “speaking out” against war in response to President Trump’s scathing attack on the US-born pontiff.Trump attacked Leo in a long post on Truth Social on Sunday night, which came as the pope and other Catholic leaders, including those in the US, had been very critical of the US-Israeli war against Iran.“The message of the gospel. It’s very clear. Blessed are the peacemakers. I will not shy away from announcing the message of the gospel of inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges for peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible,” Leo told reporters while on a flight to Algeria, where he is starting a four-nation tour of Africa.The pope said he didn’t act as a politician and didn’t want to “get into a debate” with President Trump, but that he would continue to push a message of peace.“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote ⁠peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states ⁠to look for just ⁠solutions to problems,” he said. “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to ‌stand ‌up and say there’s a better way.”In his post, Trump accused Leo of being “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy” and pointed to his criticism of the US war against Iran and the attack on Venezuela to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela,” Trump said.  Trump also claimed that Leo wouldn’t have been elected if he weren’t president and criticized the Chicago-born pope for meeting with David Axelrod, a former chief strategist for President Barack Obama. “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” his post concluded. After attacking Leo, Trump posted an AI image that appeared to depict him as Jesus Christ, sparking a strong backlash from American Christians. After the criticism, the post was deleted from his Truth Social feed, and Trump later claimed he thought it depicted him “as a doctor.”

Hillary Clinton says Trump ‘fully unhinged,’ Vance-led Iran talks ‘a joke’ - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took President Trump to task on Monday for a spate of “unhinged” social media posts and slammed his administration’s approach to negotiations with Iran. Speaking to hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” the former first lady and senator said Trump should be held “accountable” for his words, not just his actions. Last week, the president wrote on his Truth Social platform that a “whole civilization will die” in Iran if Tehran did not acceed to his demands. Then, on Orthodox Easter Sunday, he posted a lengthy rant about Pope Leo XIV and shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ — the latter of which appears to have been deleted from his account. “Words, especially from an American president, have real consequences,” Clinton added. “And when you look at the last week of unhinged rants from Trump’s social media accounts, it’s just disgraceful. I mean, threatening civilizational genocide, threatening Pope Leo.” Later Monday, Clinton highlighted her interview on social platform X and wrote, “Trump has become fully unhinged and we should talk about it.” She also said on MS NOW that Trump and Vice President Vance “prattle on and on about Western civilization, [but] I don’t think they’ve ever taken a course” on that subject. “Western civilization has a real meaning. It is a meaning about our values, our institutions,” continued Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election. “This country of ours is a result of the development, over centuries, of Western civilization. It is about how we hold leaders accountable, so they don’t become autocrats and dictators, and how they don’t lead us into reckless wars and really unhinged attacks on the first American pope.” After the president’s threat to Iran — which he defended on Sunday — multiple Democratic lawmakers called for the House to impeach him for a third time and for his cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment. Clinton also said that the country should hold Trump to a “standard” for his conduct. “The standard should be American democracy, our institutions, the rule of law, how we conduct ourselves,” she remarked. “And it’s not just about the laws we pass, but the norms that we follow, all of which have been broken by this president.” Clinton also panned the Trump administration’s approach to negotiations with Iran, after Vance, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, departed Pakistan without having agreed to a deal with their Iranian counterparts. “This is hard work,” Clinton said. “You don’t just show up in Geneva or Islamabad, talk for a bunch of hours, and go away. This is hard, disciplined effort that has to go into diplomacy to reach any results.” “And I don’t see this administration either wanting to do it or, frankly, being capable of doing it because they send the same three people around the world — two of them, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, they’re supposed to solve Ukraine, Iran, Gaza — it’s a joke,” she continued.

Vance tells Pope Leo to ‘be careful’, Homan says ‘leave politics alone’ - Senior Trump administration officials escalated criticism of the Vatican on Tuesday, with Vice President Vance warning Pope Leo XIV to “be careful” when speaking about theology and White House Border Czar Tom Homan telling him to “leave politics alone.”  Vance, a Catholic, issued the warning while addressing the pope’s opposition to the conflict with Iran and his recent comment that Jesus’s followers are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs” during a Turning Point USA event in Athens, Ga. The vice president said that he liked that the pontiff was an “advocate for peace,” but he should be more cautious when invoking “matters of theology.”“I think one of the issues here is that if you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth, and that’s one of the things that I try to do, and it’s certainly something I would expect from the clergy, whether they’re Catholic or Protestant,” he told the crowd. Homan also fired back at the Pope’s criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on Tuesday, saying during an appearance on Newsmax that he was “disappointed” with the Vatican’s focus on political issues rather than internal ones.  “There are enough problems with the Catholic Church, and I know because I’m a member of the Catholic Church, that they need to fix and concentrate on and leave politics alone,” he said.It echoed comments Homan made to reporters earlier in the day, in which he said he wished the Church would “stay out of immigration because they don’t know what they’re talking about.”Vance and Homan’s input comes amid a days-long, highly public clash between President Trump and Pope Leo, after Trump lashed out at the pontiff for opposing U.S. military action abroad and the pope responded with unusually blunt comments.

US Catholic Bishops Clarify Just War Theory After Vance Says Pope Leo Should Be 'Careful' in His Comments -   The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Wednesday released a statement in response to Vice President JD Vance’s reference to the Catholic Church’s just war theory while criticizing Pope Leo XIV’s recent comments on war. Vance made the comments at a Turning Point USA event on Tuesday night, saying that Pope Leo should be “careful” when discussing these matters. “In the same way that it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” said Vance, who has made baseless claims about Iran’s nuclear program to justify the US-Israeli war against the country. The vice president continued, “When the pope says that God is never on the side of people who wield the sword, there is more than a 1,000-year tradition of just war theory. We can, of course, have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just.” Vance was referencing an address Pope Leo recently delivered to a group of members of the Chaldean Church of Baghdad, whose communities were torn apart by the US invasion of Iraq, an excerpt of which was posted to his X account. “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,” Leo said.   The US-born pope made similar remarks in his homily on Palm Sunday. “Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood’ (Is 1:15),” he said. In response to Vance, Bishop James Massa, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, defended Pope Leo and clarified just war theory.“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: ‘He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,'” Massa said. “When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of good will must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars,” the bishop added.  Earlier this week, Vance, a Catholic who has a book coming out about his conversion this year, was asked about President Trump’s attack on Pope Leo and said that it would be better for the Vatican to stick to “matters of morality,” appearing to suggest that the US vice president does not believe war is a moral issue.

Iranian embassy posts AI video of Jesus Christ punching Donald Trump -Iran’s Embassy in Tajikistan on Tuesday posted an AI-generated video of Jesus Christ punching President Trump in the face. The embassy posted the video on its account on the social platform X.Christ is seen emerging from the skies above Trump in an image the president initially posted on his own Truth Social account. The Iranian video includes the top of the Truth Social post page where the initial Trump video was attached.An automated voice says “Your reckoning has come” as Christ approaches Trump before another voice yells “What is this?”Trump is seen screaming “no” before Christ punches the president, causing an audible splatter of blood to burst from Trump’s mouth. Trump’s body turns and plunges down a fiery pit as Christ watches.The video is one of several released by Iranian embassies mocking Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Iran has engaged in a heavy social media battle with the Trump administration amid the U.S.-Israeli war with the regime, seeking to win global favor.Most notable have been AI-generated videos created by the Iranian media company Explosive Media, which depict U.S., Israeli and Iranian leaders as Lego minifigures. The videos lampoon Trump and Netanyahu while promoting Iran’s military capability.

Trump posts AI image of being embraced by Jesus Christ amid criticism for other religious posts -- President Trump shared a post on Truth Social Wednesday that featured an image of him being embraced by Jesus Christ amid the criticism he has received for another image that featured him as Jesus. “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!” Trump wrote. The image was originally posted by an X account with the caption, “I was never a very religious man…but doesn’t it seem, with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters being exposed…that God might be playing his Trump card!” The AI-created image shows Jesus embracing Trump, both with their eyes closed, with an American flag behind them. It comes after Trump was heavily criticized by conservative Christians for posting an AI image that showed him as a Jesus-like figure helping a sick person. Some of his allies were quick to call the post blasphemous and call for it to be removed. Conservative political activist Riley Gaines wrote on X early Monday, “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this?” “Either way, two things are true,” she wrote. “1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.” Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles weighed in saying, “I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and political to delete the picture, no matter the intent.” Trump defended himself later over the post that he ultimately deleted, saying he thought it was depicting him as a doctor. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that he was the one who called Trump and told him he should take it down. “I talked to the president about it as soon as I saw it and told him that I don’t think it was being received in the same way he intended it,” Johnson told reporters. “He agreed and he pulled it down. That was the right thing to do.”

Trump takes aim at Pope Leo again, days after calling him 'weak on crime' -- U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at Pope Leo XIV again, suggesting that he was unaware of Iran’s repressive actions against its own people and building on his criticism of the Catholic pontiff.“Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” Trump said in a Truth Social post just before midnight Tuesday stateside.This comes after Trump lashed out against the pontiff on Sunday, saying that he did not want a pope who was critical of the U.S. president.Pope Leo has called for a ceasefire and urged dialogue to resolve the Iran conflict, while Trump has lambasted him for criticizing U.S. military actions against Iran and Venezuela.“I have no fear of the Trump administration,” Leo told reporters on Monday, “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems.”Trump on Sunday posted an AI-generated image of himself appearing like Jesus Christ on Truth Social that drew swift condemnation from religious leaders and Democratic lawmakers, and prompted a sharp response from the Vatican, which called the imagery “deeply disrespectful.”“I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” wrote Megan Basham, a conservative Christian commentator, in a post about the image on X.Trump later deleted the image, claiming he was meant to depict him as a doctor. “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” he told reporters at the White House.

From Tehran to the Vatican: Iran stands tall with Pope Leo in face of US pressure - Tehran Times --The Pope has criticized US President Donald Trump's policies towards Iran and his warmongering. President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a message addressed to the head of the Catholic Church, condemned what he described as “disrespect” toward both the pope and Jesus, whom he referred to as a prophet of peace and brotherhood. “Desecration of such sacred figures is unacceptable to any freedom-seeking person,” he wrote, adding that he spoke on behalf of the Iranian nation in denouncing the remarks and extending his well wishes to the pontiff. The statement came amid an escalating rhetorical clash after Trump publicly criticized Pope Leo’s stance on the war involving Iran. Writing on his social media platform and later speaking to reporters, Trump accused the pope of “weakness in the face of crime” and suggested that his views were detrimental to US foreign policy, adding that he was “not a fan.” Pope Leo, however, appeared to strike a measured tone. Speaking to journalists aboard a flight to Algeria, he said he had no intention of engaging in a public dispute with Trump but reaffirmed his commitment to advocating for peace. “I have no fear,” he said, reiterating his opposition to the war and calling recent threats against Iran “unacceptable.” The pope has been among the most vocal religious critics of the conflict, urging world leaders to find a path toward de-escalation. In Tehran, expressions of support extended beyond the presidency. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, praised the pope’s stance in a post on X, calling his message an inspiration for those who “refuse to stay silent on the killing of innocents.” Lawmakers representing Iran’s Assyrian, Chaldean and Armenian Christian communities also issued a joint statement condemning the criticism of the pope as “an assault on humanity.” They emphasized that religious leaders and sacred figures serve as symbols of peace and unity, and that insults directed at them undermine those values. The incident highlights the long-standing convergence of positions between Iranian officials and followers of other religions, especially Christianity, which enjoys special respect in the Muslim believes. While tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high, the pope’s intervention, and the reaction it has provoked, highlights the growing role of moral and religious voices in shaping the narrative around the conflict.

POTUS vs Pontiff: Trump feud with Pope Leo marks unprecedented moment -The feud between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV this week marked yet another unprecedented moment in history, with the president becoming the first U.S. leader to publicly lock horns with the head of the Roman Catholic church in modern times. Leo’s status as the first American pope makes the episode even more unique. For weeks the pontiff had voiced veiled criticism of Trump’s immigration policies, but it was the pope’s criticism of the U.S. war in Iran that drew the president’s ire leading to a Truth Social post that criticized Leo for being “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.” But the president ended the week by significantly toning down his rhetoric, saying he wasn’t fighting with Leo and that he has a right to disagree with him, but only after facing criticism from Catholics and world leaders. Political strategists agree Trump’s comments criticizing the pope likely won’t directly impact Republicans running in midterms, but they likely won’t help them either. “Politics is a game of addition, not subtraction,” said T.W. Arrighi, a Republican strategist who is Catholic. “There’s no addition to be gained by attacking the head of the largest Christian denomination in the world.” However, Arrighi added the pope “is not infallible.” “It’s not as though you have to agree with everything he says,” he noted. Trump’s criticism of Leo came minutes after a 60 Minutes segment aired on CBS in which three prominent American cardinals spoke out against the administration’s rhetoric and policy toward the Iran war. Unlike the cardinals’ criticism of Trump in the 60 Minutes interview, Leo’s criticism of the administration was much more veiled. “The pope is so good at staying above the fray. It’s not direct, it’s not personal,” said John McCarthy, a former political adviser to President Biden and liaison to the Catholic Church. “When the American cardinals were able to talk about this more in a context that resonates directly, I think that’s probably what felt different this time,” he continued. Trump’s comments led to criticism from both sides of the aisle, as well as around the world. Bishop Robert Barron, a member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, said the president owed the pope an apology, while Italian Giorgia Meloni, who has been seen as a Trump ally in the past, called the remarks “unacceptable.” Catholic administration officials have defended the president’s comments against the pope. Vice President Vance warned Leo to “be careful” when speaking about theology and White House border czar Tom Homan said the pope should “leave politics alone.” Trump won the religious group handily in 2024. According to ABC News exit polling, 59 percent of Catholics said they voted for Trump in the last presidential election, while only 39 percent said they voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Lawmakers set to return to Washington as TSA paycheck uncertainty looms over partial shutdown negotiations - Lawmakers are set to return to Washington this week as questions over future pay for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees — including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers — loom over efforts to end the partial shutdown. The impasse follows a last-minute split before the Easter recess, when Senate Republicans advanced a measure to fund most of DHS, but House Republicans rejected it, sending lawmakers home without a deal. Pressure to end the record-long department shutdown had been building as the funding lapse strained airport operations nationwide. But President Trump eased that pressure before the break, signing an executive order directing DHS to identify funds to retroactively pay TSA employees for work performed since the shutdown began Feb. 14. He issued a similar directive a week later extending back pay for the rest of the department. The move relieved some political strain on lawmakers, as paychecks resumed for TSA officers and wait times at security checkpoints dropped, with more employees returning to work. But uncertainty about whether Trump’s order will extend to future pay periods — and whether TSA workers could once again be forced to work without pay — could reignite urgency on Capitol Hill as lawmakers try to find a path forward after eight weeks without DHS funding. Before the recess, long lines at security checkpoints and flight delays pushed Senate Republicans to move forward with a deal that Democrats supported, even as the House blocked its passage. Travel disruptions became impossible to ignore as TSA officers, forced to work without pay, stopped showing up at record rates, creating hours-long lines at airports that wrapped around terminals. At the peak of the shutdown, on March 27, the national call-out rate among TSA officers was 12.35 percent, while some airports reported nearly half of their workforce absent on certain days, according to DHS. But the call-out rate dropped significantly after Trump signed an executive order granting back pay. On Easter Sunday, 7.98 percent of TSA employees called out from work nationwide, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reporting the highest rate of 24.6 percent. That reprieve may be short-lived, however, as TSA officers say they don’t know if they will receive future paychecks if Congress does not restore funding. In the presidential directive, Trump ordered DHS to provide TSA employees “with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown,” leaving unanswered the question of future pay for the officers.

DHS orders thousands of employees back to work despite shutdown - The Department of Homeland Security has ordered thousands of furloughed employees back to work, according to internal emails obtained by CBS News, even as most of the agency technically remains shut down and unfunded by Congress. The directive, which was issued to employees at DHS agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, marks a significant shift in how the administration is managing the funding lapse, effectively blurring long-standing distinctions between furloughed employees and those who remain on the job during a government shutdown. "All DHS employees … are being returned to a work and paid status," DHS Chief Human Capital Officer La' Toya Prieur wrote in an April 10 notice to staff, adding that employees are to report "on your next regularly scheduled duty day." A separate internal message to FEMA personnel states more bluntly: "All FEMA employees will be placed in exempt status and are expected to report in person to their normal duty station." Historically, during lapses in federal funding, only "excepted" employees — those deemed necessary for the protection of life and property — continue working, usually without pay. Non-excepted workers are typically furloughed and barred from performing their duties. DHS' move upends that framework. Under the new guidance, the department said it has determined that employees' roles "advance the purpose of available appropriations," which allows them to resume "normal duties" despite the funding gap. DHS acknowledged in its notice to employees that it is relying on limited funding streams. "DHS is using available funds to ensure employees are paid," the notice stated, saying that a new status update will be issued if those funds run out. The directive comes on the heels of a presidential memorandum issued April 3 that directed the department to find a way to provide back pay for DHS workers since the start of the shutdown, which began on Feb. 14. More than 35,000 DHS employees began receiving paychecks last Friday, the first time they had been paid in weeks.As CBS News first reported last week, newly confirmed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that most department employees would see money covering recent missed pay periods in their accounts by Monday."The majority of everybody will be paid by then," Mullin told CBS News while on his first official visit as DHS secretary in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. But the secretary warned that future checks for DHS employees — outside of law enforcement officials — would depend entirely on lawmakers. "Going forward, we've got to wait on Congress. This was kind of a rifle shot," he said, noting the high cost of covering DHS' payroll every two weeks. The department told employees this week that they would not be paid again until the congressional impasse over funding the agency ends. The timeline for a resolution on Capitol Hill is unclear. The Senate struck a deal last month to fund DHS with the exception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. House Republicans initially balked at the plan, but GOP leaders and the president have since coalesced around a strategy that would fund DHS through the normal appropriations process while funding ICE and CBP through budget reconciliation, which would not require Democratic votes. Some House Republicans have said they won't support the broader DHS funding bill until progress is made on passing the reconciliation package. President Trump has stated he wants a reconciliation bill on his desk by June 1. Recalling thousands of furloughed staffers to work despite the ongoing shutdown raises immediate legal and budgetary questions, particularly around the Antideficiency Act, which restricts federal agencies from obligating funds that are not appropriated by Congress. By issuing the return-to-work notice, the Trump administration appears to be invoking emergency authorities or reinterpreting what qualifies as "excepted" work, expanding it to cover a broad category of homeland security operations. The administration has framed the move as necessary to maintain national security and disaster readiness.

Mullin Blasts Biden Admin After DHS Employee Killed By Naturalized Felon - On Monday, Lauren Bullis, a 40-year-old Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee, was "brutally shot and stabbed to death" while walking her dog, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin is blaming the Biden administration for her murder. Bullis, an auditor with the DHS Office of Inspector General, was found on Battle Forest Drive in DeKalb County, Georgia, around 6:50 a.m. Witnesses saw a man standing over her body before he fled. She was not the only victim. According to reports, a neighbor heard the gunfire and ran out of her house to see what was happening. The neighbor told local media that it appeared Adon-Abel was attempting to sexually assault Bullis. Before Bullis died, police discovered another woman had been shot multiple times outside a Checkers & Rally’s restaurant. She later succumbed to her injuries. Then, in Brookhaven, a homeless man was ambushed while sleeping outside a shopping center. He was shot several times and remains in critical condition.That suspect is Olaolukitan Adon-Abel, 26, born in the United Kingdom and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2022 under the Biden administration. Adon-Abel was arrested on Monday and now faces two counts of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As a convicted felon, he not only shouldn’t have had a gun, but according to federal law, he should not have been a citizen either.Adon-Abel had convictions for sexual battery, battery against a police officer, obstruction, assault with a deadly weapon, and vandalism — a trail of violence spanning years. And yet, in 2022, the Biden administration's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted him full citizenship. The legal standard for naturalization, as outlined in 8 U.S.C. § 1427, requires applicants to demonstrate "good moral character." Someone who has assaulted a police officer and committed sexual battery should not clear that bar.   "Yesterday, a DHS employee, Lauren Bullis, was brutally shot and stabbed to death by Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old born in the United Kingdom, who was naturalized by the Biden Administration in 2022," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement to Fox News.  Mullin continued, “He possesses a prior criminal record that includes convictions for sexual battery, battery against a police officer, obstruction, and assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and now stands accused of murdering DHS employee Lauren Bullis by shooting and stabbing her while she walked her dog. He has also been arrested for the murder of an unidentified woman whom he reportedly shot outside a Checkers, before randomly shooting a homeless man multiple times outside a Kroger in Brookhaven."

GOP senator calls on House to impeach Boasberg after contempt hearings halted -  Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling on House Republicans to impeach James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, after a federal appeals court halted Boasberg’s contempt investigation into Trump administration officials. Accusing Boasberg of judicial “abuse,” Schmitt, an outspoken proponent of the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies, is urging House Republicans to impeach Boasberg, even though there’s little chance any effort to remove him from the bench would get the 67 votes needed in the Senate. Schmitt vented his outrage over Boasberg’s efforts to find Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in criminal contempt for flouting his order to stop deportation flights to El Salvador. “The D.C. Circuit ruled Boasberg’s contempt crusade against Trump officials is an ‘improper investigation’ and ‘clear abuse of discretion.’ He tried to imprison Trump officials for deporting Venezuelan gang members. I’m calling on the House: Impeach Rogue Judge Boasberg,” Schmitt posted on X, the social media platform. Schmitt called for Boasberg’s removal after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision Tuesday quashed Boasberg’s investigation into whether Trump administration officials violated his order not to deport immigrants to El Salvador without giving them due process to challenge their removal orders. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Boasberg of targeting Justice Department attorneys. “Today’s decision by the DC Circuit should finally end Judge Boasberg’s year-long campaign against the hardworking department attorneys doing their jobs fighting illegal immigration,” Blanche said in a statement responding to the court’s decision. The federal appeals court ruled Boasberg was conducting an “improper investigation” that Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, warned could become “an open-ended, freewheeling inquiry into executive branch decision-making on matters of national security” that could have broad ramifications for military and diplomatic initiatives. But the decision was accompanied by a fiery dissent from Judge J. Michelle Childs, a Biden appointee, who argued that the ruling could undermine judicial authority. “Contempt of court is a public offense, and the fate of our democratic republic will depend on whether we treat it as such,” Childs wrote. “In the many forms in which it can be committed, contempt degrades the power that the people, through their Constitution and Congress, gave the federal courts. “Without the contempt power, the rule of law is an illusion, a theory that stands upon shifting sands,” she wrote.

Sudden GOP infighting explodes over bipartisan immigration reform bill - Sudden outrage over a long-shot bipartisan immigration reform bill sparked a public battle among House Republicans, fueled by an onslaught of online activists, that’s putting GOP divides over immigration policy squarely into the spotlight. The bill in question, the Dignity Act, is not new and has little chance of getting a vote in this Congress. But pent-up frustration from conservatives over President Trump delivering on mass deportations and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown turned into a pile-on over the bill. It’s also highlighting the division between moderate Republicans aiming to combat a decline in support for the GOP among the Hispanic and Latino voters who helped propel the party to victory in 2024, and hard-liners who argue the bill would be a betrayal of promises made to voters. At the center of the uproar is Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), the bill’s designer who has for years advocated for immigration reform, a position that is often lonely in today’s Republican Party. Her Dignity Act is largely in the vein of compromise immigration policy bills that have come before it. Under Salazar’s plan, those in the country illegally prior to 2021 — and who do not have criminal records — would have to pay $7,000 in restitution and any back taxes owed and would also not be eligible for welfare programs, but they would get a new legal status. The bill itself would not provide them a path to citizenship. Salazar insists the bill would not amount to amnesty because it provides no path to citizenship — but it has been labeled as such by many Republicans and conservatives, who say giving any relief to migrants without legal status amounts to “amnesty.” Furor over the bill reached a fever pitch last week after co-sponsor Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) advocated for it in a weekend Fox News appearance.  Numerous Republican members slammed the bill as “amnesty,” and influential commentators and conservative social media accounts expressed outrage over the bill.  Salazar said in an interview that she thinks the uproar is a sign of the bill “gaining momentum.” “It’s the only immigration reform law in the United States Congress,” Salazar said. “The problem here is that people cannot open their mouth before reading the bill, and that’s what happens, unfortunately, when it comes to immigration.” “What does amnesty mean? … Amnesty is what they have now. The illegals have now free roads, free schools, free hospitals, because they don’t pay for anything,” Salazar said.

Senate GOP losing patience with Speaker Mike Johnson over DHS funding - Senate Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) decision not to put a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the House floor for a vote as they fear the White House could soon run out of money to pay federal workers affected by the partial government shutdown. GOP senators have been careful not to publicly criticize Johnson and House conservatives who are holding up the Senate-passed Homeland Security funding bill so as not to further inflame the situation. But they are warning that the White House will soon be running out of flexibility to keep paying Homeland Security workers — including employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and other critical agencies — if Congress doesn’t act soon. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she wants the House to act immediately on the package the Senate passed by unanimous consent before Easter that would fund much of the DHS but not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Border Patrol. “I think that makes more sense in trying to move things quickly,” she said. Murkowski acknowledged there’s mounting frustration among GOP senators over the failure of the House to vote on the Senate-passed package, which senators had hoped would provide a quick solution to the two-month-long impasse over Homeland Security funding. “I think we viewed it as this would be the simple, quickest, most targeted way” to end the partial government shutdown, she said. A Republican senator who requested anonymity said GOP senators most blame Democrats for repeatedly blocking a Homeland Security appropriations bill that includes funding for ICE. But the senator said Johnson’s refusal to move quickly on the Senate-passed compromise is making a bad situation worse. The senator said Johnson backed out of a deal that GOP senators thought the Speaker had agreed to with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) before the Easter recess to take up the Senate-passed funding bill. “We have agreements at the top levels with our leadership in a lot of ways — or at least conceptual agreements — I don’t know why we can’t stand by them. That is frustrating,” the senator said.

GOP Sen. Katie Britt: House-passed bill to extend Haitian refugee status DOA in Senate - Sen. Katie Britt (Ala.), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee and a leading GOP voice on immigration issues, says a House-passed bill to extend legal protections for Haitian refugees is “dead on arrival” in the Senate. Britt offered a stinging rebuke to 10 moderate House Republicans who voted with Democrats Thursday to defy Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and pass a bill extending temporary protected status for Haitian migrants through 2029. “This is dead on arrival in the Senate,” Britt posted on social platform X in response to Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who celebrated passage of the bill after leading a discharge petition to force it to the House floor. Britt argued that temporary protected status isn’t supposed to last for years and that many of the Haitian migrants facing deportation entered the country illegally. “Temporary Protected Status is just that: temporary. Beyond that, 91 percent of all Haitian TPS holders entered the country illegally,” Britt wrote. “In the last election, the American people rejected mass migration policies that effectively grant amnesty to illegal aliens. It’s past time to put our own citizens FIRST.” The House voted 224-204 to pass the legislation Thursday after 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting yes. Those Republicans were Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), Rich McCormick (Ga.), Mike Turner (Ohio), Mike Carey (Ohio) and Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.). Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.), an independent who caucuses with Republicans, also voted for it. Temporary protected status is granted by the Department of Homeland Security to refugees from counties facing crises such as ongoing armed conflicts, natural disasters or other hardships. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the termination of the status for Haitian migrants in June. The decision affects more than 350,000 Haitians who have been allowed to live and work legally in the United States.

More than half of Americans say Trump immigration agenda ‘too aggressive’: Survey - A new poll shows that more than half of Americans say they think President Trump’s immigration agenda is “too aggressive.”Politico’s poll released on Saturday found that 51 percent of Americans hold this view, with 26 percent saying they think his immigration agenda is “about right” and 11 percent saying it’s “not aggressive enough.”The first result is a 2-point increase from answers given to the same question in January. The number of those who said it was “about right” dropped 4 percentage points, while the percentage of those who said it’s “not aggressive enough” remained the same.A quarter of Trump voters told Politico that they think his immigration policies are “too aggressive,” an increase from the 21 percent who said the same in January. There was also an increase among voters for former Vice President Kamala Harris, from 77 percent in January to 80 percent as of April.Most self-identified MAGA voters told Politico they think Trump’s deportations are “about right” and “not aggressive enough,” at 54 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Only 15 percent said the deportations are “too aggressive.”Fewer non-MAGA voters said they think the deportations are “too aggressive,” at 38 percent, compared to the 42 percent who said they are “about right.” Sixteen percent said the deportations are “not aggressive enough.”Fifty-one percent said they think the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers makes cities more dangerous, according to the poll.

Tariff refunds unlikely to benefit consumers: CNBC CFO Council survey -- Even though the Supreme Court struck down a large portion of President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda — with a judge later ordering the government to prepare to potentially pay billions of dollars in refunds to importers who paid the tariffs — consumers shouldn’t expect to see any money back. That’s according to the latest CNBC CFO Council quarterly survey. While 12 of the 25 chief financial officers said their company plans to apply for tariff refunds, none said they intend to directly share that money with customers. Six of those polled said they did not plan to pass on any portion of the tariff refunds they might receive, seven were not sure and 12 answered “not applicable.” Ten of the executives in the C-suite said they think it could take a year or longer to receive repayment, and only three of the CFOs expected repayment this year. The other 12 CFOs said they do not plan to apply for tariff refunds. The CFO Council survey is a sampling of views from chief financial officers at large organizations across sectors of the U.S. economy. CFO Council members took the survey between March 23 and April 2. Meanwhile, the legal battle over Trump’s tariffs is far from over. The same day the Supreme Court ruled in February that “reciprocal tariffs” were illegal, Trump announced a new “global tariff” rate of 10% under a separate statute, Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, for a period of 150 days. He later said he would increase global tariffs to 15%.

Majority of America’s farmers say they can’t afford fertilizer in new survey A new survey revealed that a majority of U.S. farmworkers say they cannot afford fertilizer due to rising costs caused by the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran. The survey released by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) on Tuesday shows that 70 percent say fertilizer is too expensive and has left them unable to purchase the fertilizer they need. The AFBF also found that 94 percent of respondents say their financial situation has worsened or remained the same, compared to 6 percent who say their financial situations improved.“Spring planting decisions depend heavily on access to fertilizer and diesel fuel, both of which have been impacted by geopolitical risks that have disrupted global markets,” the AFBF’s economic analysis team, Market Intel, stated. Nitrogen fertilizer prices have gone up more than 30 percent since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28, according to Market Intel. Combined fuel and fertilizer costs have also risen between 20 and 40 percent, with urea prices jumping 47 percent since late February.  The AFBF cited the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as the key factor affecting the crop production systems and fertilizer needs. Over one-third of globally traded fertilizer passes through the strait, but the conflict disrupted shipments intended for farmers just ahead of planting in the spring, The Washington Times previously reported.Midwestern producers reported the highest fertilizer pre-booking rates at 67 percent. Pre-booking is more common in the Midwest, “where fertilizer needs are typically larger and purchasing decisions are often made well ahead of planting,” AFBF stated. The West saw the second highest pre-booking rate at 31 percent, followed by the Northeast at 30 percent. The South saw a 19 percent pre-booking rate. The AFBF evaluated that the fertilizer market is the most volatile since Russia started its military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Disruption in the Middle East has affected around 49 percent of global urea exports needed for crop production.

House takes up disaster bill for farmers, forest landowners - The House is set to vote this week on legislation that would expand two financial support programs for farm and nonindustrial forest land owners impacted by natural disasters. The “Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act,” H.R.1101, from Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), would widen eligibility under the Emergency Forest Restoration Program and Emergency Conservation Program, specifically through advances on cost-sharing payments to fix disaster damage. For the Emergency Conservation Program, the bill would also increase financial support for producers impacted by human-caused wildfires that spread uncontrollably. “Recent natural disasters have had a profound effect on Louisiana’s timber and agricultural economy, making it essential that we guard against the consequences of extreme weather events before they happen,” Letlow said in a release. “My legislation would ensure that help is available for farmers and landowners as soon as disaster strikes, so they don’t have to wait months for support as they try to rebuild their lives.”

EPA sets ‘no surprises’ science policy, reassigns researchers -  The Trump administration is tightening its grip over EPA’s scientific enterprise as it prepares to relocate employees from its once esteemed research arm. The agency’s new, smaller science office has laid out its policies on how EPA will approve new research and publish its work for the public, according to internal memos obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. Further, EPA’s remaining scientists from the now-dissolved Office of Research and Development received reassignments earlier this week, including many who will have to move if they want to continue working at the agency. The agency’s nonstop swirl of change has suffocated agency scientists, said Chris Frey, who led EPA’s research office during the Biden administration. “The deck is stacked against scientists who want to do good-faith science,” Frey said. Darya Minovi, a manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy, said, “We’ve seen the Trump administration be very clear that they’re unwilling to regulate pollutants.” Minovi added, “But the thing that scares me most about these policies is that these are systemic changes that go beyond willingness and move into ability.” Eight EPA employees, granted anonymity because they fear retaliation, spoke with E&E News about the changes afoot with the agency’s scientific work, including reassignments of the last ORD staff. They expressed frustration with how the agency is handling the transfers, which are perceived as yet another measure to traumatize the EPA workforce. “It definitely feels punitive, especially as we were told no one would have to move,” said one agency employee. “Unfortunately, I have no idea if my expertise is a good fit. … The lack of information/clarity seems like a deliberate choice on their part.” Earlier this week, EPA employees received an email from an anonymous address, Notice5, with their reassignments to head elsewhere in the agency as part of “a strategic restructuring effort.” “At the core of this restructuring is the integration of scientific and related administrative expertise directly into EPA’s offices,” said the email, which was viewed by E&E News. “The effective date of your reassignment will be communicated at a later date.” Staffers, puzzled by the emails, turned to their immediate supervisors but found they were not substantively involved in choosing who was being reassigned and why. Some were demoted or placed into positions where their skills weren’t relevant while others were told to relocate. “There are concerns that some people are deliberately being given geographic reassignments as a pretext to force them out of the agency,” said a second EPA employee. “I feel like there are unidentified sinister forces at work here.”

Why energy earmarks are going away - The Senate’s recent decision to end earmarks for projects funded by the Department of Energy followed years of declining demand from lawmakers and nonprofits, who have experienced delays and other bureaucratic challenges in getting the money members of Congress worked to secure. The difficulties ultimately tainted the DOE account among lawmakers and prospective recipients, according to current and former congressional aides. Senator requests for DOE-funded earmarks dropped 55 percent over the past four years, prompting top appropriators to scrap them altogether. People who have handled DOE-earmarked projects describe delays of months or even years in getting the funding lawmakers secured in recent Energy-Water spending bills. Stringent cost-sharing requirements and long-running negotiations over the scope of awarded projects have sometimes exacerbated those delays. “It’s a really difficult account to make work,” said a former Senate aide familiar with the dynamics, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “The committee was hesitant to pull it down,” the former aide said. “But it’s been under discussion for years.” Last month, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) removed DOE’s “Energy Projects” account from the list of available funding buckets for fiscal 2027. The House had already barred members from earmarking DOE funds. The bipartisan move to remove DOE earmarks from eligibility in the next Energy-Water spending bill underscores the severity of the problems plaguing the department’s execution of congressionally directed spending requests, and it effectively eliminates a relatively small — but not inconsequential — source of federal funding that has supported a range of energy projects in recent years. The failure of the “Energy Projects” earmarks account means dozens of nonprofits and universities across the country are no longer eligible for the tens of millions of dollars a year that would otherwise go toward projects ranging from fossil energy and carbon dioxide management initiatives to renewable energy development and cybersecurity. Appropriators and other senators on both sides of the aisle enjoyed being able to request DOE funds for energy projects in their home states. But the challenges associated with actually getting the money from the agency were at times too burdensome. Of the 259 projects across the country that won DOE earmarks between fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2024, about 25 percent still have not received the money, according to a current Senate aide with knowledge of the account. Those delays, cost-sharing rules and disputes over the nature of certain projects have led 10 percent of would-be recipients to ultimately decline the funding their senators had secured. The issues with DOE earmarks have persisted since Congress reinstated the practice of earmarking in 2021. The departure of some of the department’s workforce in the past year, the agency’s recent reorganization, and the shift in priorities between the Biden and Trump administrations may also be playing a role in the holdups.

Trump administration holds up NOAA grant funding - The Trump administration is holding up some National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant funding. Earlier this month, the University of Colorado released a statement saying that a federal pause on grant funding has put scientists who collect data about the atmosphere “at risk for elimination.” It specifically pointed to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), saying it “has not released these funds.” Waleed Abdalati, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), told The Hill that about 30 days before the institute was slated to run out of funds to pay the scientists in question, “we were informed that NOAA has put a pause on all grant actions.” “We are all told to assume no funding is moving through the grants management division until a spend plan has been approved,” he said. NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster referred budget-related questions to OMB. Rachel Cauley, an OMB spokesperson, did not respond to questions from The Hill. Nature reported in February that other agencies that award research grants, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), were also experiencing delays in getting their grant funding approved. Emily Hilliard, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses NIH, said that last year’s government shutdown delayed NIH’s ability to issue grants at the start of the fiscal year, but that timelines have returned to normal. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which funds NOAA, said that holding up the money violates the law. He pointed the finger at OMB Director Russell Vought. “On a bipartisan basis, we rejected Trump’s attempt last year to slash NOAA’s budget — making clear that the Administration must continue programs to predict and track extreme weather, support the fishing industry, boost the resilience of our coastal communities, and more,” Van Hollen said in a statement to The Hill. “But Russ Vought is ignoring these directives from Congress by preventing the obligation of funds, a clear violation of the law. It’s time for Vought to follow the law and release the funds as Congress intended for the public services that NOAA provides, which are vital to our economy,” he added. A spokesperson for Van Hollen’s office said it’s their understanding that OMB is holding up money laid out for NOAA operations, research, and facilities, which prevents the agency from issuing new awards and funding opportunities across nearly all of its programs and allows it to plan for only 15 days at a time. In the case of CIRES, the funding holdup could mean the lab isn’t able to pay scientists working at the Global Monitoring Lab. “We’ve had to notify our people that … should funds not become available by May 15, they will be on furlough,” Abdalati said. CIRES has had to give furlough notifications to 42 of its employees at the lab, while some other people were reassigned to other work. The lab also has federal employees whose pay is not directly affected by the grant funding issue. CIRES studies Earth system science, including weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles, atmospheric chemistry and water resources. The Global Monitoring Lab studies greenhouse gases, ozone recovery and more. Abdalati said that if the funds don’t come through, in the short term, “we lose observations and data that … help us understand the condition of our atmosphere, the content and makeup of our atmosphere, how much carbon dioxide is in it, how much is the ozone hole recovering, what other constituents are in the atmosphere.” “In the longer term, it’s the loss of capability, the ability to make these observations, because, like many things, it’s much easier to break than it is to reconstitute,” he said, noting that some work is already stopping.

White House, FBI looking into case of missing scientists: ‘No stone will be unturned’ - White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that the Trump administration is looking into whether there may be a link among nearly a dozen American scientists who have reportedly died or gone missing in the past almost three years. Leavitt wrote in a post on social platform X that the White House is working with the FBI and other relevant agencies “to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist.” “No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,” she added. A string of at least 10 mysterious deaths and disappearances of U.S. experts in space, defense and nuclear topics has raised concern in the scientific community since the unconfirmed reports surfaced this month. Authorities have not confirmed an official connection among the cases, which date back to the July 2023 death of Michael David Hicks, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory physicist who specialized in comets and asteroids. No cause of death has been disclosed, according to NewsNation. NewsNation has also reported several cases this year, including the fatal shooting of California Institute of Technology astrophysicist Carl Grillmair in February; the disappearance of retired Air Force Gen. William Neil McCasland in New Mexico in February; and Novartis researcher Jason Thomas, whose body was recovered from a Massachusetts lake roughly three months after he went missing. The other cases involved people who vanished from their homes, on a hiking trail, and on a highway. At least one other person was shot to death in their home, and no cause of death was publicly provided for the remaining few.

Trump signs order to speed review of psychedelics, including the controversial drug ibogaine - President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks. Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said were already designated as potential breakthroughs by federal regulators. “Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life,” Trump said as he signed an executive order on the drugs. The Republican president said his directive will help “dramatically accelerate” access to research and treatments on psychedelic drugs. “If these turn out to be as good as people are saying, it’s going to have a tremendous impact,” he said. Veteran organizations and psychedelic advocates have long contended that ibogaine, which is made from a shrub native to West Africa, has great promise for hard-to-treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction. Trump’s announcement follows pledges by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other administration officials to ease access to psychedelics for medical use, an issue that has won rare bipartisan support.

Trump says 4,500-seat arena will be built for UFC fight at White House - President Trump detailed new plans for a UFC fight the league is planning on the White House grounds in June.“I’ve been involved in a lot of big events, I have never had an event that has had more interest than the UFC fight we have right at the front door,” Trump told reporters gathered outside the Oval Office on Monday.“Right there,” the president said, pointing to the South Lawn, “they’re going to start building a 4,500 seat arena.”And then in the back at the Ellipse, we’re going to have 100,000, maybe 50 [50,000] to 100,000 people, I guess,” he continued. “They’re building tremendous stages, and we’re going to have massive screens of the fight. It’s a very popular sport.” UFC, headed by Trump ally Dana White, in March announced its full card of bouts for “UFC Freedom 250,” an event timed to coincide with President Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14.

Trump administration set to present construction plans for 250-foot-tall Triumphal Arch -  White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that plans for President Trump’s Triumphal Arch will be submitted Thursday.Leavitt, during a press briefing, told reporters the Trump administration and the Interior Department will be submitting the plans for the arch will stand 250-feet high to honor the U.S.’s 250th birthday later this year.She added that it will be an “architectural masterpiece to celebrate our history.”The arch is set to stand in Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, which the press secretary said is a man-made island in the Potomac River that is managed by the National Park Service. It’s across from the Lincoln Memorial. “The United States triumphal arch will be outfitted with beautiful artwork and depictions celebrating the success of the American people over our 250-year history and the enduring triumph of the American spirit,” Leavitt said. “Great nations build beautiful structures that cultivate national pride and love of country, and this triumphal arch should be a project that all Americans, all political persuasions, can support,” she added.Leavitt also noted that more announcements will be coming about the planned 250th celebration in July in the coming months.Trump said in January that the arch’s construction would start “sometime in the next two months,” but construction has not yet begun.He detailed plans for the arch in October, telling White House ballroom donors at a dinner that he was deciding between sizes. The monument is reminiscent of France’s Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and a rendering held up by Leavitt at the briefing showed a large white arch with a golden winged angel atop it along with golden eagles. There are also golden lions at the base and other gold appliques. It’s just one of the projects Trump has undertaken throughout Washington, along with the new White House ballroom and renovations at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, among others.

Appeals court green lights Trump’s White House ballroom construction through June A three-judge federal appeals panel on Friday allowed construction on President Trump’s White House ballroom to go forward into June, a move that came one day after a federal judge limited the project to “below-ground construction.” The panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the Trump administration a stay of U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s order from Thursday. The panel scheduled arguments for June 5 to reconsider if all construction should be blocked. Leon first halted construction of the ballroom in March, citing a lack of congressional approval. He reiterated that decision on Thursday but limited the project to “below-ground construction,” rejecting the administration’s claims that the entire project must proceed for security reasons. The order referred to underground construction of bunkers, bomb shelters, military installations or medical facilities. The administration has argued that construction on the $400 million project was vital to the safety of Trump and his family. The ballroom will be made with missile-resistant steel columns; drone-proof roofing materials; and bullet-, ballistic- and blast-proof glass, according to court filings. It will also house top-secret military installations, medical facilities and bomb shelters. Trump slammed Leon and accused him of “illegal overreach” and “costing our Nation greatly.” “This is a mockery to our Court System! The Ballroom is deeply important to our National Security, and no Judge can be allowed to stop this Historic and Militarily Imperative Project,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. The Department of Justice filed an appeal that same day, suggesting that the ruling “would imperil the President and national security and indefinitely leave a large hole beside the Executive Residence.”

Swalwell to resign from Congress amid allegations of sexual assault, misconduct - Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) announced Monday he is resigning from Congress as he faces allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, a stunning fall for a prominent Democrat with gubernatorial ambitions — and a demonstration of a rare resurgence of the #MeToo movement that’s faded under the return of President Trump. Swalwell, in his seventh term in the House, was leading the Democratic primary field in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) — a position that put him at good odds of winning the general contest to lead the most populous, and most wealthy, state in the country. But his campaign imploded Friday, when the San Francisco Chronicle published accusations from a former aide that Swalwell sexually assaulted her on two occasions. Shortly afterward, CNN went live with its own report featuring three other women making separate allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell had denied the allegations. But the damning reports prompted a number of Democrats to drop their support for his run at the California governor’s mansion — and forced him to quit the race on Sunday night. The explosive developments were also threatening to carry over to Capitol Hill, where a growing chorus of lawmakers in both parties were calling on Swalwell to resign from Congress. If not, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) was prepared to file a motion this week to expel him. Supporters of Luna’s gambit were reaching for a high bar: Expulsion resolutions require two-thirds of the House to pass. But in a forecast that life in the Capitol was about to get very tough for Swalwell, even a number of Democrats were going public in recent days to support the idea of ejecting their colleague. The list included fellow Californians, like Rep. Jared Huffman (D), as well as close friends, like Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who was well known as a bar-hopping partner of Swalwell’s around Washington. Gallego on Monday took the extraordinary step to say Swalwell “is no longer fit to be a Member of Congress.” “I trusted someone who I believed was a friend, but it is now clear that he is not the person I thought I knew,” Gallego posted on the social platform X. “The women who have come forward have shown courage. They deserve to be believed, to be supported, and to see justice served.”

Tony Gonzales says he’ll ‘file my retirement,’ following Swalwell announcing resignation from House - Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said Monday that he will “file my retirement from office” when the House is back in session Tuesday, an announcement that came just an hour after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said he would resign from Congress. Both congressmen were facing growing calls for resignation or expulsion based on allegations of sexual misconduct. “There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas,” Gonzales said on social media. It was not immediately clear whether Gonzales would resign from Congress.  He had already announced he would end his bid for reelection last month after he admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. Furor over Gonzales had died down after he ended his reelection campaign but bubbled back up in wake of sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell that were reported in multiple news outlets Friday. The San Francisco Chronicle published accusations from an unnamed former aide who said Swalwell sexually assaulted her on two occasions. Shortly afterward, CNN reported three other women making separate allegations of sexual misconduct.  Multiple members in both parties said they would vote in favor of expelling both men. After he ended his reelection bid, new allegations that Gonzales had sent sexually explicit text messages to a campaign staffer had emerged last week in a San Antonio Express-News report. Earlier this year, the Express-News reported that Gonzales had an affair with his district director, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide. Text messages said to be extracted from Santos-Aviles’s phone and provided by her widower to media outlets, including The Hill, appeared to show Gonzales soliciting sexual material from Santos-Aviles as she said he was going too far. Gonzales admitted to the affair, which sparked an Ethics Committee investigation in the House and led to him effectively ending his reelection bid, but he had said he would stay in Congress through the end of his term.

Eric Swalwell accuser Lonna Drewes: 'He raped me' - A new accuser of Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday tearfully said she believed the fallen Democratic lawmaker from California had drugged her before choking and raping her in a hotel room in that state in 2018. The woman, Lonna Drewes, spoke at a press conference in Los Angeles, where her high-powered attorney, Lisa Bloom, said she would be filing a police report detailing her allegations against Swalwell, a 2020 presidential contender who has been accused of sexual misconduct by several other women. “He invited me to two public events. I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant,” Drewes told reporters. “He was my friend. On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine.” “We were supposed to go to a political event, and he [Swalwell] said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room,” Drewes said. “When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated, and I couldn’t move my arms or my body,” Drewes said of the incident in West Hollywood. “He raped me.” And he choked me, and while he was choking me, I lost consciousness, and I thought I died,” Drewes said. “I did not consent to any sexual activity.” The press conference came several hours before Swalwell’s resignation from Congress, which he had announced on Monday, became effective. Swalwell, 45, is already under criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York City in connection with another alleged assault there. Swalwell, in recent public statements, has denied any criminal wrongdoing, even after copping to unspecified “mistakes” he said he had made. But the congressman, who has three children with his wife, on Sunday suspended his campaign for California governor, and a day later said he would give up his seat in the House of Representatives.

Greene: ‘More members’ of Congress guilty of conduct ‘similar’ to allegations against Swalwell, Gonzales  -- Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Monday that she believes more members of Congress are guilty of conduct “similar” to what Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell  (D-Calif.) have been accused. “Congress is no place for that type of behavior. But I have to tell you, it’s a lot more prevalent. I think there’s more members of Congress that are guilty of things similar to Congressman Swalwell and Congressman Gonzales, and we just haven’t seen them, basically, get caught,” Greene, who left Congress in January, told host Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s “The Source.” Gonzales and Swalwell said Monday they will resign from the House amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which sparked separate investigations by the House Ethics Committee.On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle detailed accusations of sexual assault levied by a former aide against Swalwell, who was running for governor of California until he ended his campaign Sunday. CNN also reported on three women who accused the California lawmaker of separate instances of sexual misconduct, including unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.As for Gonzales, the San-Antonio Express News reported earlier this year that he had an affair with his district director, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide. Text messages said to be extracted from her phone and provided by her widower to media outlets, including The Hill, appeared to show Gonzales soliciting sexual material from Santos-Aviles as she said he was going too far.  Gonzales admitted to the affair last month. Swalwell, meanwhile, said he will fight the “false allegations” made against him but admitted to prior “mistakes in judgment” in announcing his resignation.  Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who joined Greene on CNN, said the two outgoing lawmakers “did despicable things” and noted he would have voted to expel both if given the opportunity.“What Representative Swalwell did and what Representative Gonzales did is disgusting,” the California Democrat added. Greene also said that the resignations may have been the result of “conversations” between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on a “one-for-one resignation.”

Watch: Vance Pledges Probe Into Epstein 'Pizza' And 'Grape Soda' References -- Vice President JD Vance has publicly committed to investigating references in the Jeffrey Epstein files that he says evoked the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, citing emails mentioning “pizzas or grape sodas” in odd contexts.His remarks come as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche doubled down on the Department of Justice’s position that every relevant document has already been released, leaving critics to question whether the full truth about Epstein’s network will ever see daylight.In remarks at a Turning Point USA event, Vance described reviewing the files and encountering an email that stood out. JD Vance says he is in the process of opening an investigation into the "Pizzagate conspiracy theory" after he read strange words involving pizza and grape soda in the Epstein files.Vance has now publicly pledged to follow up on this matter."I remember it sounding like the… pic.twitter.com/eu122DyAhw  “One person sent an e-mail to Jeffrey Epstein saying oh they were some really nice like pizzas or grape sodas or something like that,” he recalled. “And I remember it sounding like the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.”His reaction was direct: “We should absolutely investigate.”Vance added that he plans to follow up “to see whether we’ve investigated that person because we should. We absolutely should when you see evidence of sexual assault sexual misconduct regardless of who the powerful not fact.”The comments have reignited scrutiny over language in the Epstein files that some have long argued resembles coded references first highlighted in 2016. Those earlier claims, known as Pizzagate, originated from WikiLeaks releases of John Podesta’s emails that contained repeated, seemingly out-of-context mentions of pizza alongside other odd terms. Recent Epstein document dumps have revived the debate, with analysts pointing to hundreds of “pizza” references that do not appear to describe food. New Jeffery Epstein documents have emails consistently use one very familiar word. The word Pizza. The emails they write when referring to pizza don’t make any sense if they were talking about the food…. Pizzagate was 100% real. Where are the arrests pic.twitter.com/KqkmsHk4c6  Mike Benz, in analysis of the newer files, noted: “In these new files, you’ll see a lot of people talking about PIZZA in a way that (seems like a code), it’s kind of impossible.  In these new files, you’ll see a lot of people talking about PIZZA in a way that (seems like a code), it’s kind of impossible.Drop a ? if you’ve been vindicated Clip https://t.co/M6YlH9oRMY  Full Interviewhttps://t.co/03XLFBWHQm pic.twitter.com/tSXCvFBOa5   A separate development underscores the tension. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on Fox News and doubled down on declaring the Epstein files exhausted. “We have released everything. We reviewed six million pieces of paper!” Blanche stated, adding “We are not sitting on a single piece of paper to be released.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tells Americans he will cover up the child trafficking network of Jeffrey Epstein by not releasing the rest of the Epstein files.He says people should trust him when he says there is not a single document that the government has that should pic.twitter.com/Hi52DfzKxM  He insisted that if anything new surfaces it would be made public, but emphasized the DOJ’s review covered millions of pages unrelated to Epstein and that Congress could access unredacted materials if lawmakers chose to examine them.The Pizzagate theory first gained traction in late 2016 after WikiLeaks published thousands of emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta. Researchers flagged phrases like “pizza” and “hot dogs” appearing in contexts that seemed unrelated to meals—patterns that echoed an FBI intelligence bulletin on pedophile code words, where “pizza” was listed as slang for girl and “hot dog” for boy. Comet Ping Pong, a Washington, D.C. pizzeria, became the focal point after its owner’s Instagram posts and the restaurant’s alleged basement (which does not exist) fueled speculation of a child-sex ring operating out of the basement.While mainstream outlets quickly labeled the theory a hoax, the Epstein files have now surfaced hundreds of similar “pizza” mentions. Multiple reports note exchanges involving Epstein’s urologist, Dr. Harry Fisch, that pair “pizza and grape soda” with references to erectile-dysfunction medication in ways that read as cryptic to outsiders. One 2018 message reads: “lets go for pizza and grape soda again. No one else can understand. Go kno.” Another simply states “Pizza and grape soda[.] Nough said.”

Report: Cellular modules from Chinese companies in smart home devices are national security risk - A new report is warning that Chinese-produced cellular modules, tiny components that are inside smart home devices, present a significant national security risk for the United States. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) report, first shared with The Hill, found that two Chinese firms, Quectel and Fibocom, control nearly half the global market for cellular modules. This creates both espionage and sabotage risks, the report said, as it could provide a backdoor for China to deactivate the modules, which are used in households and businesses. Ports, hospitals, power grids, cranes and transportation networks rely on cellular modules. Theoretically, these modules can shut down their host devices and also collect large amounts of data since their manufacturers maintain remote access to provide firmware and software updates, the report said. The modules are found in doorbells, refrigerators and thermostats, among other devices. “If Beijing consolidated control of U.S.-based modules, it could disrupt an American military mobilization in response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Or, amid a crisis, Beijing could hold Washington hostage by threatening to cause massive economic disruption,” FDD’s Mark Montgomery, the senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and Jack Burnham wrote in the 6-page report. “Dispensing with cellular modules is not an option. They are essential to automation and will be critical to integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into real-world environments, bridging the gap between frontier models and the factory floor,” the authors wrote. “The challenge ahead for the United States is how to stop and reverse the proliferation of Chinese modules. These risks are hypothetical so far, but their cumulative effects could be catastrophic.” Cellular modules may pose cybersecurity risks as they are a necessary part of router systems that connect to a 4G or 5G network in case WI-FI goes out. Because China’s national security law permits the government to have access to firms’ data to aid its surveillance efforts, China could theoretically have access to large portion of Americans’ information while “positioning Beijing along key connectivity nodes that may be used to track specific individuals or identify broad patterns,” the report said. “The first concern is that cellular modules embedded in Wi Fi modems could have access to the information that’s passing through that modem, and then once they have that information, because cellular modules are connected back to the manufacturer in China, that information that is collected by that cellular module could then be accessed by the CCP,” Burnham, a senior research analyst at FDD’s China Program, said in an interview with The Hill on Wednesday. Quectel and Fibocom, while they face competition from Western companies, still control almost 45 percent of the market, according to FDD.

Jamie Dimon: Anthropic Mythos reveals 'more vulnerabilities' for cyberattacks        JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Tuesday that while artificial intelligence tools could eventually help companies defend themselves from cyberattacks, they are first making them more vulnerable. Dimon said that JPMorgan was testing Anthropic’s latest model — the Mythos preview announced by the AI firm last week — as part of its broader effort to reap the benefits of AI while protecting against bad actors wielding the same technology. “AI’s made it worse, it’s made it harder,” Dimon told analysts on the bank’s earnings call Tuesday morning. “It does create additional vulnerabilities, and maybe down the road, better ways to strengthen yourself too.” When asked by a reporter about Mythos, Dimon seemed to refer to Anthropic’s warning that the model had already found thousands of vulnerabilities in corporate software. “I think you read exactly what is it,” Dimon said. “It shows a lot more vulnerabilities need to be fixed.” The remarks reveal how artificial intelligence, a technology welcomed by corporations as a productivity boon, has also morphed into a serious threat by giving bad actors new ways to hack into technology systems. Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent summoned bank CEOs to a meeting to discuss the risks posed by Mythos. JPMorgan, the world’s largest bank by market cap, has for years invested heavily to stay ahead of threats, with dedicated teams and constant coordination with government agencies, Dimon said. “We spend a lot of money. We’ve got top experts. We’re in constant contact with the government,” he said. “It’s a full-time job, and we’re doing it all the time.” Still, the CEO warned that risks extend beyond any single institution, given the interconnected nature of the financial system. “That doesn’t mean everything that banks rely on is that well protected,” Dimon said. “Banks… are attached to exchanges and all these other things that create other layers of risk.” JPMorgan Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Barnum said the industry has long been aware that AI cuts both ways in cybersecurity. “These tools can make it easier to find vulnerabilities, but then also potentially be deployed by bad actors in attack mode,” Barnum said on the earnings call. Recent advances from Anthropic and others have simply intensified an existing trend, he said. Dimon also said that while advanced AI tools are important, old-school cybersecurity practices remain essential. “A lot of it is hygiene… how do you protect your data? How do you protect your networks, your routers, your hardware, changing your passcode?” he said. “Doing all those things right dramatically reduces the risk.”

Global regulators weigh cybersecurity reality of Mythos - Anthropic's new AI model can autonomously exploit software flaws, prompting urgent security meetings among U.S. and U.K. financial regulators.

• Key insight: Anthropic's Mythos model has demonstrated the ability to autonomously identify and exploit software vulnerabilities, raising alarms among global banking regulators.
• What's at stake: Capable AI agents could weaponize flaws across consolidated cloud service providers, potentially triggering catastrophic breaches in the banking system.
• What's at stake: Tech leaders warn that restricting access to top AI cybersecurity tools could give threat actors an early advantage during a dangerous transition period.

Overview bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Anthropic’s Mythos puts DC, Wall Street on high alert -The limited release of Anthropic’s new Mythos model is putting Washington officials on high alert after the AI firm’s warning about the model’s security risks sent shockwaves through and sparked debate in the tech industry. Within days of being informed of Anthropic’s new technology, the White House ratcheted up a multipronged response involving Trump administration leaders across agencies to evaluate just how powerful AI is becoming. Anthropic’s announcement follows years of AI warnings, but last week it seemingly landed differently, upping pressure on Washington to stay ahead even as some question the extent of the latest threat. “A bunch of people in the [Trump] administration are coming to the realization” AI development has not plateaued as some officials predicted last summer, Dean Ball, the co-author of the Trump White House AI Action plan, told The Hill in an interview Monday. “They are realizing, ‘My goodness, I’m going to have to jump in here and get involved and get my hands dirty’ because this is not being handled,'” said Ball, adding, “The administration was not prepared to deal with this, that’s just the frank reality.” Anthropic announced last week it will hold back the full release of Claude Mythos Preview, claiming the model is too dangerous for the public at this stage. The model was released to a small group of technology firms and critical software builders, which will use the model in their defensive security work and share their findings with Anthropic under a new initiative called Project Glasswing. Partners including Cisco, Google, and Palo Alto Networks came out in support of the project, with the latter company calling it a “game changer” for finding hidden vulnerabilities. Mythos has already found thousands of high-security vulnerabilities, some of which date back more than two decades, according to Anthropic. While the tool can help governments find these vulnerabilities, it also makes it much easier for hackers to exploit these security gaps. “This time, the threat is not hypothetical,” Anthropic’s researchers wrote in a Mythos assessment. “Advanced language models are here.” Prior to external release, Anthropic briefed senior officials across the U.S. government on Mythos’s offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, an Anthropic official confirmed to The Hill on Monday. This includes conversations with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, the official said. On the same day Project Glasswing was announced, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened a group of Wall Street executives to discuss the cybersecurity concerns, multiple people familiar with the meeting told The Hill. Executives, including Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, attended the meeting, Bloomberg first reported. The Hill’s sources said several of the executives were already in Washington for the Financial Services Forum, an advocacy organization of the country’s eight largest banks. Ahead of Anthropic’s announcement, Bessent also joined Vice President Vance on a call with a group of technology leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, xAI CEO and former Trump adviser Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, to discuss the security of xAI models, CNBC reported. “There’s definitely a sense of urgency, it’s something that is relatively new. The AI has developed a way to find hacks in other software,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox News on Friday. And later last week, The Wall Street Journal reported National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross will lead a group of federal officials to identify security vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and strengthen government systems against AI exploitation. When asked about this project, an official with the White House said it is “proactively engaging across government and industry, and that the federal government continues to “work with AI companies to ensure their models help secure critical software vulnerabilities.” Some in the cybersecurity space welcome the efforts from Washington, saying the model is a “long time coming” as AI rapidly advances. “I don’t think anyone can solve this alone,” Brad Medairy, the executive vice president of integrated cyber business at Booz Allen Hamilton, told The Hill. “I’m really encouraged, the federal government is being proactive and engaging and taking this seriously.” “Our senior-most leaders in government are like, ‘let’s get after this,’” Medairy added. “Cybersecurity has been top of mind for governments all over the world for many years,” said Gil Messing, chief of staff at Check Point, a cybersecurity vendor and government contractor. “But when you add such a powerful toolkit that in the past was either imaginary or only being used by superpowers [and] now it’s being commoditized … the threat is real.” Wall Street was similarly receptive to warnings. Solomon told investors on Monday’s earnings call that the bank has access to Mythos and is working with Anthropic and other security vendors to bolster security. “Cybersecurity has long been at the core of our business,” Solomon said. “This is part of our ongoing capabilities that we have been investing in and are accelerating our investment in. We’re aware of Mythos and its capabilities. We have the model. We’re working closely with Anthropic and all of our security vendors.” Although CEO Jamie Dimon could not attend last week’s meeting with Bessent and Powell, JPMorgan Chase was also publicly listed as a partner for Project Glasswing. While players in Washington and on Wall Street were quick to react, some in the Trump administration’s orbit remain skeptical over Anthropic’s claims. David Sacks, who recently ended his role as the White House’s AI and cryptocurrency czar, posted numerous times over the weekend about his hesitations. “Anthropic has proven it’s very good at two things. One is product releases, the second is scaring people,” Sacks said on the “All-In” podcast last week. “We’ve seen a pattern in their previous releases … at the same time they roll out a new model or new model [system] card, they also roll out some study showing the worst possible implication where the technology could lead.” In a post on the social platform X, Sacks wrote, “The world has no choice but to take the cyber threat associated with Mythos seriously. But it’s hard to ignore that Anthropic has a history of scare tactics.” He attached a screenshot of what appears to be an AI-generated list of links where Amodei highlighted “alarming AI risk narratives frequently tied to model launches.” Katie Miller, a previous employee of Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency and the wife of top White House aide Stephen Miller, added on X, “It sounds like Anthropic is running a giant public relations scheme to manipulate industry fears. A playbook Dario has used in the past.” Ball, who left the White House last August, said there is a “real dissonance” in the administration over AI’s capabilities. Even as it continues to release some of the most-used AI products, Anthropic has tried to set itself apart in the AI space, often discussing safety and the risks of the technology on national security and the workforce. This mission has put Anthropic at odds with the Trump administration, which is forging ahead with a pro-innovation and light-regulation agenda for the technology. Tensions reached a boiling point earlier this year, when the Pentagon cut ties with the AI firm after the company requested certain assurances over how the government and military can use AI. Looking forward, tech industry observers predict other companies could soon follow Anthropic’s suit and release similar types of products. “You see coalescence around these new technology trends …there’s safety in numbers,” said David Menninger, the executive director of software research for ISG, an AI-centered tech research and IT advisory firm. “You rarely want to be the only one consuming a certain type of technology. Do other large language model providers start to provide similar types of capabilities that would compete with some of these things that Mythos is offering?” he added.

Why Anthropic met with bank CEOs about AI security risks | American Banker -Are the warnings about Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI model real or overblown? Bank CEOs met this week with Anthropic executives, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the White House to discuss the risks Anthropic's Claude Mythos presents to the financial system, a meeting first reported by Bloomberg.

• Key insight: Anthropic's newest AI vulnerability hunting model, Mythos, compresses discovery-to-exploit timelines, altering cyber risk economics.
• What's at stake: Undetected flaws could precipitate operational outages, reputational damage and regulatory intervention.
• Forward look: Expect broader proliferation of attack-capable models; prioritize independent verification over vendor assurances.
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Meta commits to 1 gigawatt of custom chips with Broadcom as Hock Tan decides to leave board -- Meta and Broadcom on Tuesday announced a sweeping deal that extends an existing partnership between the two companies for the design of Meta’s custom in-house AI accelerators through 2029.At the same time, Meta said Broadcom’s CEO, Hock Tan, told Meta last week that he has decided not to stand for reelection to Meta’s board, according to a filing. Tan joined Meta’s board in 2024.Meta has committed to an initial deployment of 1 gigawatt of its Training and Inference Accelerators according to a statement. The deal will eventually see Meta deploying multiple gigawatts of chips based on Broadcom technology.The MTIA chips will be the first AI silicon to use a 2 nanometer process, Broadcom said in its own statement.  “Meta is partnering with Broadcom across chip design, packaging, and networking to build out the massive computing foundation we need to deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people,” Meta’s co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was quoted as saying in the statement.“Now, contrary to recent analyst reports, Meta’s custom accelerator, MTIA roadmap is alive and well. We’re shipping now and, in fact, for the next generation XPUs, we will scale to multiple gigawatts in 2027 and beyond,” Tan said on Broadcom’s March earnings call. Meta unveiled four new versions of its in-house MTIA chips in March. It first unveiled the custom silicon in 2023, following on the heels of similar chip programs at Google and Amazon. Hyperscalers are seeking alternatives to the costly, constrained graphics processing units from Nvidia and AMD, as they hustle to power AI data centers. They’re making GPU alternatives called application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, that are smaller and cheaper than the general-purpose AI workhorse GPUs, but are limited to performing a narrower set of tasks.

AI chatbots provide poor answers to medical questions half the time, study finds -- A study published in BMJ Open suggests that half of answers provided by five publicly available artificial intelligence (AI)–driven chatbots in response to medically related questions are inaccurate and incomplete. Led by a researcher from the University of California at Los Angeles, the study involved an audit of the chatbots Gemini (Google), DeepSeek (High-Flyer), Meta AI (Meta), ChatGPT (OpenAI), and Grok (xAI). In February 2025, the team asked 10 questions of each chatbot in five categories: cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition, and athletic performance. Researchers also prompted the chatbots to produce scientific references. They asked 10 open- and closed-ended questions designed to resemble common information-seeking medical and health questions and information tropes found online and in academic discussion. The probes were also developed to point models toward misinformation or advice counter to medical standards, a method increasingly used to “stress test” AI chatbots and detect behavioral vulnerabilities. The chatbots had to provide pre-defined responses, often with only one correct answer, that agreed with scientific consensus, while open-ended questions usually required them to generate several responses in list form.Two experts from each category rated the chatbot responses as non-, somewhat, or highly problematic, or potentially harmful. Citations were scored for accuracy and completeness, and each response was given a Flesch Reading Ease score.The chatbots “have been rapidly adopted across research, education, business, marketing and medicine,” the authors wrote. “Most interactions, however, come from non-experts using chatbots like search engines, including for everyday health and medical queries.”About half (49.6%) of responses were problematic, with 30% considered somewhat problematic and 19.6% deemed highly problematic. Response quality didn’t differ significantly by chatbot, but Grok generated significantly more highly problematic responses than would be expected under a random distribution. Gemini, on the other hand, produced the fewest highly problematic responses and the most non-problematic ones.

What a 'moral architecture' for AI in banking would look like | American Banker (29:39 podcast and transcript ) Welcome to the American Banker Podcast. I'm Penny Crosman. In a recent opinion column, Surjit Chana, a board member of Beneficial State Bank, a Harvard Fellow and a tech committee member of the Global Alliance for Banking Values, explained why there's a need for what he calls a moral architecture for AI. "AI is already learning finance, absorbing decades of data shaped by traditional market priorities and increasingly teaching finance through automated decisions, chatbots, and risk models that reinforce those priorities, he wrote. But it's replicating outdated modes of banking. Many models are trained to optimize risk-adjusted return using historical data that embeds decades of structural bias. We shouldn't be surprised when the output mirrors the past. What we need instead is a moral architecture for financial AI, a framework that governs how algorithms are designed, trained, and deployed, grounded in the idea that finance as a social contract as well as a business."

AI debate turns violent as attacks on leaders escalate --Two violent attacks against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and a city council member are prompting new fears over whether the debate around the technology has turned dangerous. Tensions reached a new high this week as technology leaders in Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley quickly blamed the anti-AI rhetoric for the recent violence, while AI opposition groups condemned the attacks. The violence and subsequent debate is the latest example of the country’s growing divide over AI, especially regarding its impact on the workforce, economy and environment, and how the government should regulate its development. “AI and related topics — specifically data centers, how they are approved, and their impacts on communities — are emerging as an increasingly contentious issue,” said Shannon Hiller, the executive director of Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative, a research initiative tracking political violence. “By itself, this doesn’t mean the issue will necessarily lead to more violence.” ”But in the current climate of hostility in our politics, and the speed at which decisions are moving on AI and data centers, we’re seeing an uptick in cases of harassment and threats around this issue, even at the local level,” Hiller added. Altman’s San Francisco home was targeted in an attack last Friday when a 20-year-old Texas man allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the house, setting a gate on fire before fleeing, according to authorities. The suspect, Daniel Moreno-Gama, then went to OpenAI’s headquarters about an hour later and threatened to burn down the building, authorities said. Moreno-Gama was charged with attempted murder and attempted arson in a California state court and is also facing federal charges. In a manifesto recovered by officials, Moreno-Gama threatened Altman and other AI leaders, writing, “If I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message.” Three days earlier, Indianapolis City-County Council member Rob Gibson said his home was shot at 13 times and a note reading “No Data Centers” was left on his doorstep. A week earlier, Gibson supported a local commission’s approval of a rezoning petition for a data center project,  The Associated Press reported.  Altman, in a blog post following the attack, said he “underestimated the power of words and narratives” and pointed to a recent “incendiary article” about him published days earlier. He did not list the article, though several online users speculated it was a New Yorker investigative piece on Altman released days earlier.“A lot of the criticism of our industry comes from sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology. This is quite valid, and we welcome good-faith criticism and debate. I empathize with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone,” Altman said. “While we have that debate, we should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”

OpenAI acquires personal finance startup Hiro - OpenAI has acquired the AI-powered personal finance startup Hiro Finance.

• Key insight: OpenAI acquired a second PFM app as it builds personal financial advice capabilities into ChatGPT.
• What's at stake: Banks and fintechs are at risk of becoming disintermediated from their customers if they go to ChatGPT for finance advice instead of bank-embedded PFM tools.
• Expert quote: "The deal is less about OpenAI entering banking and more about what industry will own financial advice and engagement." - Javelin analyst Dylan Lerner

CEOs are betting AI will augment work rather than displace all workers - The effect artificial intelligence will have on the labor market has left workers and job seekers alike worried about their future. Top executives, however, are optimistic that the technology can continue to augment workloads rather than entirely displace human employees. The debate over the future of work even extends inside the corridors of a major AI provider. Speaking Monday at the Semafor World Economy conference in Washington, D.C., Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark dismissed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s argument that AI could drive the unemployment rate as high as 20% in the next five years. Clark has previously said that accepting such high joblessness is almost a policy “choice,” given that any potential collapse in the job market would take time to play out and is a challenge that can be met by society. “I think that the aspect of this, which is a choice is, if we’re correct, this technology really is going to change the world in a vast way,” Clark said on stage at the conference. “It will change how business is done, ... aspects of national security, how we even relate to one another as people. And it’s impossible to reconcile that with a world where the economy doesn’t change in substantial ways as well.” Anthropic has been at the center of AI disruption fears in the stock market, resulting in a bloodbath for software companies, which investors suddenly see as vulnerable to technological obsolescence in a world moving toward agentic systems that take actions with minimal human oversight. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) is in a bear market, after plunging more than 30% from its high last September. Those changes will force a reworking in how employees meet the labor market, with Clark noting that he sees some weakness in early graduate employment in some industries. Clark leads The Anthropic Institute, a 30-person think tank studying AI’s effects on the workplace. Clark said college students entering the job market today have to understand how to analyze and connect information across many disparate disciplines. He is less enthusiastic about students building what he called rote programming skills. “What AI allows us to do is it allows you to have access to sort of an arbitrary amount of subject matter experts in different domains,” Clark said. “But the really important thing is knowing the right questions to ask and having intuitions about what would be interesting if you collided different insights from many different disciplines.” Here is how some of the other Semafor panelists are thinking through the implications of AI in business:

Exclusive research: Banks are increasing hiring in age of AI | American Banker -Despite the stigma that artificial intelligence is leading to mass layoffs across the banking industry, data from American Banker finds that more bankers are thinking about increasing headcount than reducing it. American Banker’s 2026 AI Talent Shift survey was fielded online during March of 2026 among 206 banking professionals who occupy a variety of positions across banks, credit unions, neobanks and payments firms.Top findings from the report:

• By and large, respondents said they are adding sales, software engineering and AI engineering roles.
• A third of big banks are forecasting layoffs ahead, while credit unions appear to be approaching a hiring frenzy.
• Payments departments are most likely to see headcount boosts, while risk and compliance units are looking at moderate layoffs.
• Despite popular belief, organizations investing in AI are seeking to hire employeesmore than they are to fire them.

Results from the report are highlighted below using interactive charts. Mouse over each section for more detail, click on the chart labels to show or hide sections and use the arrows to cycle between chart views. This item is part of a series diving into new research from American Banker. Click the links below to read the other parts of the overall research.

• Part one: More than half of US bankers say AI is a priority
• Part two: Big AI spenders are reaping large productivity gains
• Part four: Coming soon

'AI is our friend': Bank CEOs weigh the tech's risks, rewards | American Banker - From left, Ted Pick, Jamie Dimon and Brian Moynihan

Shoe Brand Allbirds Pivots To AI, Changes Name To NewBird AI, Stock Rips More Than 360% - Just when you thought you’d seen the last of the AI pivot idiocy… Allbirds (yes, the wool sneaker people) is mooning—up as much as 360%—after announcing it’s ditching shoes and pivoting to, of course, AI. This comes just weeks after agreeing to sell off its brand and footwear business for $39 million, according to Sherwood News. The plan? Rebrand as “NewBird AI,” raise $50 million, and reinvent itself as a GPU-as-a-Service / AI cloud company. Translation: buy a bunch of high-powered GPUs and rent them out to companies desperate for AI compute. The company's press release out Wednesday morning said: "Following its prior announcement that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Allbirds brand and footwear assets to American Exchange Group, which intends to continue to build on Allbirds’ legacy and deliver compelling products to Allbirds’ customers, Allbirds, Inc. today announced the execution of a definitive agreement with an institutional investor for a $50 million convertible financing facility."It continues: "The Facility, which is expected to close during the second quarter of 2026, will enable the Company to pivot its business to AI compute infrastructure, with a long-term vision to become a fully integrated GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) and AI-native cloud solutions provider. In connection with this pivot, the Company anticipates changing its name to “NewBird AI.”""NewBird AI expects to use initial capital from the Facility to acquire high-performance GPU assets, which will be deployed to serve customers requiring dedicated access to AI compute capacity. NewBird AI’s long-term vision is to become a fully integrated GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) and AI-native cloud solutions provider. Over time, the Company intends to grow its neocloud platform by expanding its compute and service offerings, deepening partnerships with operators and customers, and evaluating strategic M&A opportunities," the release continues.It adds: The rise of AI development and adoption has created unprecedented structural demand for specialized, high-performance compute that the market is struggling to meet. Global enterprise spending on AI services and data center investment are on the rise. At the same time, GPU procurement lead times are increasing for high-end hardware, North American data center vacancy rates have reached historic lows, and market-wide compute capacity coming online through mid-2026 is already fully committed. The result is a market where enterprises, AI developers, and research organizations are unable to secure the compute resources they need to build, train and run AI at scale.NewBird AI is being built to help close that gap. The Company will initially seek to acquire high-performance, low-latency AI compute hardware and provide access under long-term lease arrangements, meeting customer demand that spot markets and hyperscalers are unable to reliably service. In the process, we're guessing they’ll also scrub references to their environmental mission—because nothing says sustainability like a rack of energy-hungry GPUs. The pitch is that insatiable AI demand will carry them back toward their former $4 billion valuation.At this rate, we'll be back to Chamath SPACs and gamma squeezes just like the good ole' days of Covid in just weeks. Who knew that apparently, selling compute to tech execs is the new, more durable version of selling them “eco-friendly” sneakers

Whitehouse probes xAI data center pollution - A senior Democratic senator is investigating Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company over long-running accusations that it operated data centers without proper energy permits.Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called on EPA this week to investigate xAI’s Memphis-area data center complex. xAI, which is behind the chatbot and meme machine Grok, has faced litigation for setting up high-polluting gas turbines in the area without undergoing the necessary permitting process. Whitehouse asked EPA on Wednesday to take enforcement action should xAI continue to circumvent permitting processes as they expand their Tennessee and Mississippi data center complex. He also requested information about any collaboration between EPA and xAI. “xAI’s strategy of installing turbines first and seeking permits after the fact is clearly illegal,” Whitehouse wrote. “Although the state of Mississippi is primarily responsible for issuing (or denying) the permits required under federal law, EPA retains enforcement authority, and a responsibility to act where the state fails to do.”

Kraken faces extortion threat over rogue employee breach - The crypto exchange is refusing to pay criminals who accessed internal systems through rogue employees, sparking concerns over its new Fed master account.

• Key insight: Hackers are weaponizing rogue employees at Kraken to bypass traditional security measures and extort the cryptocurrency exchange.
• What's at stake: The security incident validates traditional banks' fears that granting Federal Reserve master accounts to uninsured crypto institutions could introduce vulnerabilities to the nation's financial networks.
• Supporting data: Rogue employees potentially viewed roughly 2,000 client accounts, which represents 0.02% of the exchange's total user base.

Overview bullets generated by AI with editorial review

Picasso, Dali and Van Gogh Used in Houston Crypto Scam That Promised Billions in False Backing - A Houston man has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for operating a cryptocurrency investment scheme that prosecutors say defrauded nearly 1,000 people. Robert Dunlap, 55, was convicted last year by a federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois on mail fraud charges, according to reporting by DallasExpress. He ran an investment program called the “Meta-1 Coin Trust.” Between 2018 and 2023, Dunlap told investors that the digital asset was backed by large reserves of gold and high-value artwork. He claimed the backing included up to $1 billion in art and $44 billion in gold. He also said the holdings included works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Vincent Van Gogh. Prosecutors said these claims were false. They said Dunlap also told investors that an accounting firm had audited the gold holdings. Authorities said he created fake legal documents to support the claims and to conceal that he did not own the assets. The scheme caused losses of more than $20 million. Many investors lost their savings. U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt ordered Dunlap to pay restitution along with the prison sentence. In a sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Paige Nutini said Dunlap misled investors over several years. They wrote that “Defendant lied to investors for years, telling them that he had created a safe investment for them,”. They also wrote that “Over the years, defendant was unrepentant, and his lies became bigger.” They added that future offenders should expect “a serious repercussion that includes loss of one’s liberty for an extended period of time.” IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes said the fraud extended beyond financial losses. No further details of his statement were included in the release.

World’s Oldest Living Land Animal Center of Crypto Scam - The world’s oldest living land animal, a giant tortoise named Jonathan, has become the unlikely centre of a viral crypto scam after a fake social media post falsely claimed he had died. The post spread rapidly across X on April 1, prompting an outpouring of grief before being exposed as a calculated attempt to solicit cryptocurrency donations. Jonathan is alive and well on the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise believed to be around 193 years old, has lived at the governor’s residence on Saint Helena since the late 1800s. He is officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living land animal and has become a symbol of longevity and resilience, having lived through world wars, multiple monarchs and vast technological change. The hoax began when an account on X impersonating Jonathan’s long‑time veterinarian posted an emotional tribute claiming the tortoise had “passed away peacefully”. The message quickly went viral, clocking millions of views and being picked up by major international media outlets before basic checks were carried out. While many assumed the timing pointed to an April Fool’s prank, the real motive soon became clear. The fake account included requests for cryptocurrency donations, turning the false death announcement into a financial scam. Jonathan’s actual vet later confirmed he does not use X and described the post as a con rather than a joke. As concern spread globally, Saint Helena’s governor personally went out late at night to check on Jonathan, confirming the tortoise was asleep under a tree and very much alive. Official photos were later released to reassure the public and debunk the hoax once and for all. The bizarre episode has become a cautionary tale about how quickly misinformation can spread online, particularly when emotional storytelling and trusted identities are exploited. It also highlights how crypto scams are evolving beyond finance‑focused targets, using viral moments and even beloved animals to try to extract money before the truth catches up.

BankThink Mastercard's $1.8 billion bet heralds the collapse of financial silos - When Mastercard recently announced it would acquire stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, it wasn't just another banking headline. It was a massive, flashing signal. One of the most entrenched players in global payments is preparing for a world where money doesn't move through traditional rails at all.  The credit card giant's BVNK acquisition wasn't a bet on crypto hype. It was a hedge against irrelevance. It suggests that the companies that defined the last era of finance are now preparing for a very different future, writes Zach Lindquist, of Pure Crypto.

• Key insight: Mastercard's acquisition of BVNK was a hedge against irrelevance. It suggests that the companies that defined the last era of finance are now preparing for a very different future.
• What's at stake: Many of today's financial institutions will not survive in their current form.
• Forward look: Banks, brokerages and payment firms still possess enormous advantages in customer trust, regulatory expertise and distribution. The question is whether they transform quickly enough to remain central to the financial system, or end up on the outside looking in.

Treasury Secretary Says Order On Citizenship Proof For Banking Is 'In Process' “It’s in process. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable, because, why don’t we have information on who’s in our banking system?” he told Semafor in an April 13 interview, responding to whether the Trump administration was working on the banking order. “I have a place in the UK; they want to know who lives in every apartment—and how do we know that it’s not part of a foreign terrorist organization?” he added. At least one Republican lawmaker has asked the Trump administration to implement such an order, and The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources, that banks could be tasked with requiring people to submit passports under the policy. In a post issued on X in October 2025, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) included a letter he sent to Bessent urging the secretary to carry out a “comprehensive review of current rules that allow illegal aliens to obtain financial services and access to the U.S. banking system.” “Access to the American banking system is a privilege that should be reserved for those who respect our laws and sovereignty,” Cotton wrote in the letter. “When individuals are allowed to open accounts without verifying legal status, we are permitting illegal aliens to establish financial roots and integrate economically, all while bypassing the legal channels that millions use properly.” Cotton asked whether the administration could implement the order under the USA PATRIOT Act, a Bush administration-era law enacted in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, or the Bank Secrecy Act, a 1970 anti-money laundering law. The Trump administration has prioritized cracking down on illegal immigration as well as entitlement fraud. Since he took office in January 2025, President Donald Trump has issued multiple executive orders and memoranda to boost the deportation of illegal immigrants and end temporary deportation protection programs for certain countries. Trump has also called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which has stalled in the Senate, to require photo IDs for voting and proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. In a post last month, the president said that there would be no deal to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unless some Democrats join Republicans to pass the measure. The bill must include “their approval of Voter I.D., (with picture!), Citizenship to Vote, No Mail-In Voting (with exceptions), All Paper Ballots, No Men In Women’s Sports, and No Transgender MUTILIZATION of our precious children,” he wrote in a Truth Social post on March 22. He also called on congressional lawmakers to stay in Washington during the Easter recess, although the lawmakers ultimately went on their break.

BankThink The local bank branch is not quite dead - JPMorganChase, Bank of America and PNC are all investing money into new branches; actual, physical branches. Not many, but they are doing it.

House Dem Sam Liccardo probes suspicious oil trades during Iran war  Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., is probing whether the nation’s top financial regulators are examining a number of trades placed moments before President Donald Trump provided a major update on the Iran war. In a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins and Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig being sent Friday and shared exclusively with CNBC, Liccardo said he wrote to “express alarm over recent reporting that indicates large trades were made on crude oil prices and S&P 500 E-mini Futures right before the President announced action, or lack thereof, in Iran.” “The timing indicates bets were placed by those with advance knowledge of the President’s action, strongly suggesting illicit trading on insider information, in violation of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, and the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012,” Liccardo wrote. A Reuters report on April 8 said that a major bet on oil was placed just hours before a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, resulting in a lucrative payout. “This activity marks the latest in a series of well-timed, large-volume trades made right before the President announced the next actions of the United States in the Iran war,” said Liccardo, a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, which oversees securities and exchanges. Several other trades amid the Iran war effort have prompted scrutiny. On March 23, a flurry of activity in S&P 500 e-Mini futures on CME recorded a sharp and isolated jump in volume. A similar trend emerged in oil markets. The trades came about 15 minutes before Trump posted to Truth Social that the U.S. and Iran had held talks and that he was postponing expected attacks on civilian infrastructure. The market rallied after that and oil futures tumbled.U.S. regulators are now reportedly probing the trades, with the CFTC leading the effort. Liccardo, in the letter, urged the SEC to also open an investigation.

CFPB hiring litigation attorneys while cutting enforcement -  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has dismissed scores of enforcement attorneys early in President Donald Trump's second term, is staffing up its litigation arm in anticipation of defending its rules in court.

OMB's Vought: CDFIs funded 'woke' programs — Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought outlined his opposition to the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund in a House Budget meeting on Wednesday.

• Key insight: The White House budget would cut funding from the Community Development Financial Institution Fund, as Vought outlined in a House Budget hearing. 
• Forward look: The program historically has broad bipartisan support in Congress, including a large number of Republicans, but OMB can cause delays in disbursing CDFI funding, even if Congress fully funds the programs again. 
• What's at stake: The debate over the fund has been a rare example of public intraparty disagreement between congressional Republicans and the Trump administration.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told the House Budget Committee Wednesday that the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund is still a target for elimination by the administration because it promotes "woke" ideology.

FBI: Real estate cyberfraud rises with more AI, crypto scams - Losses from real estate cybercrimes soared last year as criminals utilized more artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency scams, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported.The industry reported $275 million in losses from internet crimes last year, a 59% annual increase as losses nationwide surpassed $20 billion.

Lawmakers spar over GSE credit score modernization plans - Government-sponsored enterprise plans for legislatively-mandated credit score modernization drew mixed opinions Thursday as lawmakers held a House Financial Services Committee hearing on broader consumer data rules. Questions about the single-report option and whether VantageScore should be introduced before FICO 10T arose during a hearing on broader legislative proposals.

Consumer sentiment hits record low, inflation fears rise amid Iran war -- Consumer confidence plunged to a record low in April as fears mounted over rising energy prices and the broader impact of the Iran war, according to a University of Michigan survey Friday. The university’s headline index of consumer sentiment tumbled to 47.6, down 10.7% from the March survey to its lowest on record. Current conditions and expectations indexes also saw double-digit monthly declines. The drop in sentiment coincided with a sharp spike in inflation expectations, with respondents seeing prices up 4.8% in a year from now, a full percentage point rise from the March reading to its highest since August 2025. The one-year outlook in April 2025 was 6.5% following President Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariff announcement. Survey comments “show that many consumers blame the Iran conflict for unfavorable changes to the economy,” said the survey’s director, Joanne Hsu. However, Hsu also noted that most of the interviews were completed before the April 7 ceasefire. The survey, then, primarily reflects conditions from March. “Economic expectations will likely improve after consumers gain confidence that the supply disruptions stemming from the Iran conflict have ended and gas prices have moderated,” she said. The survey release came shortly after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that its all-items consumer price index rose 0.9% in March, pushing the 12-month inflation rate to 3.3%. BLS officials said most of the increase in the headline number came from the surge in energy prices, with food inflation little changed. Inflation expectations at the five-year window in the University of Michigan survey moved higher as well, to 3.4%, a 0.2 percentage point monthly increase though a percentage point below the level of a year ago.

BofA Sees Customer Gas Spending Jump 16%, But Discretionary Spending Holds Up  - BofA has joined a number of other firms, including Chime Financial, in disclosing gas-cost impacts on their customers. Chime's CFO warned earlier this month that clients spent 25% more on fuel in March compared with the prior month.Ally Financial, Capital One Financial, and American Express are set to report this week and will likely provide more color on fuel-shock impacts on their customers. AAA data showed that the national average for 87-octane gasoline has hovered above the politically sensitive $4-a-gallon level for the last two weeks. On the economy, Goldman analyst Jessica Rindels told clients on Sunday how the U.S.-Iran conflict, now in its seventh week, is set to produce a mild stagflation shock, though not on the scale of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In our latest U.S.-Iran conflict report (read here), President Trump stated the war is "very close to over," with another round of peace talks scheduled for this week. A Wall Street report cited U.S. officials overnight as saying that more than 20 vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.

Wholesale prices rose 0.5% in March, much less than expected despite war impact Producer prices rose in March but considerably less than expected as the Iran war’s push on energy prices rekindled fears of another inflation burst. The producer price index, a gauge of pipeline costs for final demand goods and services, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for the month, well below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 1.1%, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Tuesday. Excluding food and energy, core PPI was up just 0.1% against the forecast for 0.5%. The services side of inflation — a key focus for Federal Reserve policymakers — was flat on the month. On an annual basis, the all-items PPI accelerated 4%, the biggest 12-month gain since February 2023. Core PPI posted a 3.8% annual gain. Excluding food, energy and trade services, PPI increased 0.2% monthly and 3.6% annually. Trade services slipped 0.3% for the month, an indicator that businesses are absorbing tariff costs. The increase on the producer end of prices was less than the 0.9% gain in prices consumers actually paid for the month. Core consumer prices also were soft, rising just 0.2%. Still, components of the report that feed directly into the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index, showed more firmness. Portfolio management fees rose another 1%, while health care-related services also increased. Putting together the consumer and producer price indexes and how they feed into the PCE inflation reading, Bank of America estimated that March will be around 3.1% annually for headline and 3.5% for core. That compares with respective levels of 2.8% and 3% in February. The trends “should keep the Fed firmly on hold in the near-term,” wrote BofA economist Stephen Juneau. As expected, energy was the primary culprit in the PPI gain. The gasoline index surged 15.7%, accounting for about half the gain in the PPI, according to the BLS. Diesel prices alone soared 42% while jet fuel was up 30.7%. As a result, goods prices increased 1.6%, though that was offset by flat services costs, which Fed officials view as a key gauge being that it excludes tariff and war impacts. Portfolio management costs, which had pushed producer prices earlier in the year, rose 1% for the month and were up 10.8% annually. Markets showed little reaction to the report, with stock market futures on course for modest gains at the open. Treasury yields were little changed. Though some inflation indicators for March pointed to renewed pricing pressures, Fed policymakers likely will look through the readings if the underlying picture looks benign and, equally important, the ceasefire with Iran holds. Since the announcement of the halt in fighting, energy prices have eased somewhat. U.S. light, sweet crude has come off nearly 15% over the past week though it is up nearly 70% year to date. Fed officials have expressed some caution about the war’s impact but generally see inflation continuing to ease through the year on its way back to the central bank’s 2% target. Still, markets expect the Fed to stay on hold through the year, pricing in about a 1 in 4 chance for a cut through December.

Title IX agreements on shaky ground after Education Department rescinds gender-identity deals - The Education Department took an unprecedented step this week to nullify Title IX agreements previous administrations had made with school districts over gender identity, laying the groundwork for an environment that turns such settlements into political ping-pong. The department rescinded six agreements made during the Obama and Biden administrations that required districts to implement policies such as gender discrimination trainings or instructions on preferred names and pronoun usage for transgender students. The Trump administration said Title IX is based on sex, therefore the enforcement by past administrations was “illegal and burdensome.” “Prior Administrations regularly misinterpreted Title IX to pander to political ideology and police ‘misgendering’ despite not having sound legal grounds. With yesterday’s actions, the Trump Administration is upholding the law and righting years of wrongs,” Amelia Joy, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said Tuesday. Experts don’t recall a time when agreements were canceled by a new administration. “This is very rare, bizarre,” said Nikhil Vashee, director of education law and policy at Family Equality, adding, “I think it’s going to cause a lot of confusion.” The Obama administration issued guidance in 2016 that federal sex discrimination law protected transgender students. That guidance was rescinded in 2017 by the first Trump administration. The Biden administration attempted to make significant changes to Title IX by formally expanding nondiscrimination protections to LBGTQ students, putting gender identity and sexuality under the definition of sex discrimination. A federal judge struck down the changes early 2025. The Trump administration has not indicated if any more Title IX agreements would be rescinded. The action could cause districts that enter Title IX agreements to “slow roll their compliance” if they think a future administration could change or rescind the deal, Vashee said. Those impacted by the canceled agreements include Cape Henlopen School District in Delaware; Delaware Valley School District in Pennsylvania; Fife School District in Washington; and La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, Sacramento City Unified School District and Taft College, all in California.

As AI pushes students to reconsider majors, universities struggle to adapt -  A recent poll shows AI’s increasing role in how students decide on college majors, creating a rapidly developing situation for universities that are still struggling to determine how the technology will shape higher education. The Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2026 State of Higher Education survey found 47 percent of currently enrolled college students have thought about switching majors “a great deal” or a “fair amount” over AI concerns.  Around 16 percent pointed to AI as the reason they changed their field of study.  “We’re getting to a point where it’s almost unacceptable, right, that we’re having all of these conferences and all of these roundtable discussions, and we are failing to provide students with some just meaningful advice and helping them to feel like they’re prepared,” said Alex Kotran, CEO of the AI Education Project.  “If students were adequately prepared, you wouldn’t see as many of them change their major, or you would see that happening in a way that schools are driving, but they’re not doing that,” he added.  The survey found men and those going for associate degrees were more likely to consider a field change due to AI, along with those in technology, vocational and humanities majors. Those least likely to have considered switching majors include students in fields such as health care and natural sciences.  The fright of how AI will impact jobs students are looking for is not unfounded as messages of job declines due to the technology have only ramped up since its increased use in the past few years. In February, the AI chief for Microsoft told the Financial Times he believes AI will take over all white-collar work in the next 18 months.  Researchers at Tufts University predict over the next two to five years, 6 percent of jobs will be at risk from AI, with the highest concerns in sectors such as information at 18 percent; finance and insurance at 16 percent; and professional, scientific and technical services at 16 percent.  Forty percent of the AI job losses will occur in Texas, California, New York, Florida and Illinois, the researchers predict.  And young people are predicted to take the biggest hits from AI since experts say it could largely take over entry-level work. “One recent piece of research suggests that in jobs that are considered highly exposed to AI, employment for 22- to 25-year-old workers suffered relative declines of about 16% between 2022 and 2025 compared with their older peers in those same jobs,” the Gallup poll noted.  Some contend the hit entry-level jobs could take from AI may cause a change in conversations between young people and potential employers. “Have conversations with folks who are more senior to you, five, 10, 15 years, and sort of ask the question, ‘What is it that humans can do and need to be here for, and how do I sort of fill that role?’” said Stephen Aguilar, director of the University of Southern California’s Center for Generative AI and Society. “There are some baseline tasks that can be offloaded, but we can’t just, you know, undercut all of the entry-level positions, because then there won’t be people who develop the experience to really understand what happens when AI fails,” he added. While students are recognizing how AI is changing the job market, universities are struggling to keep up with the rapid changes and challenges AI presents.   “Every occupation that and every field of inquiry that a student is preparing for is going to be shaped and altered by AI. So, I think it’s quite important for not just students, but professors and educational institutions to keep an eye on what AI is doing to the knowledge industry,” said Roosevelt Montás, a professor in liberal education and civic life at Bard College. The poll found 57 percent of students use AI weekly for coursework and that 1 in 5 use it daily, while 42 percent said their universities are discouraging AI use and 11 percent banned the technology altogether. Thirty-two percent of those with bachelor’s degrees say universities do not give enough instructions around AI while 56 percent said it is the right amount.  “Schools are simultaneously telling students AI is going to reshape your career, but they’re also saying, don’t use any AI, and that’s incoherent,” Kotran said.

A new Social Security COLA projection may be cause for ‘worry,’ senior group says – If their current projections are right, next year’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for senior citizens receiving Social Security benefits could be cause for “worry,” according to The Senior Citizens League.The Senior Citizen’s League (TSCL), a nonpartisan organization aiming to educate older Americans about laws, rights and financial issues facing their demographic, predicted this week that 2027’s COLA would amount to a 2.8% increase — the same as 2026’s, which TSCL had called “meager” upon its announcement in November 2026.“Americans are right to worry about our current COLA projection. The fact is that most senior households already get by on only about 58% as much income as their working-age counterparts, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a middle-class or working-class American who thinks the economy is doing well right now, especially as oil prices rise,” Shannon Benton, the executive director of TSCL, was quoted as saying in a recent press release.  TSCL bases its projections on the same metrics used by the Social Security Administration to calculate the annual COLA for retired beneficiaries. But the group has long argued that this data (i.e., the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners, which itself is a measure of the change in prices for common consumer goods and services) does not take into account the costs that elderly Americans are paying for things like medicine, housing and groceries. In November 2026, when the current year’s COLA was announced, TSCL pointed to a survey of seniors that found only 10% to be satisfied with their monthly benefits, “with many citing COLAs that lag inflation as a problem.”The group has also pushed for Congress to overhaul its method for calculating COLAs, favoring a system based not on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners, but the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) — which is “specifically based on the spending patterns of Americans 62 years of age and older,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. Alternately, the group has voiced interest in a system they call “CPI Best,” which means basing each year’s COLA increase on the highest of three options: the CPI-W, the CPI-E, or a minimum increase of 3%.  TSCL fears seniors may soon be contending with another benefit limit, too: a proposed “cap” on the benefit amount that retirees are able to collect.In March, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonprofit think-tank in D.C., proposed the idea of a “six figure limit” for couples receiving SSA retirement benefits. And while that limit would only affect the “very highest income couples” as of 2026, an increasing percentage of retirees would be limited by the cap in future years.“One issue with the Six Figure Limit plan is that it does not guarantee that its new cap on Social Security benefits would increase over time as the economy grows or might freeze the cap for up to 30 years before allowing it to grow,” TSCL wrote in its release. Instead, TSCL says a large chunk of its survey respondents believe the Social Security Administration should find ways to avoid insolvency, like removing a cap on contributions from the country’s wealthiest earners.“Rather than taking away benefits from people who have paid into the system their entire working lives, we should focus on strengthening America’s pension system,” Benton said. “Seniors tell us over and over that their benefits don’t go as far as they used to, and many younger people worry if the program will have atrophied to a shadow of its former self by the time they reach retirement age, even as taxes on their wages cover today’s benefits.”

Tylenol during pregnancy not tied to increased risk of autism in children - Danish researchers find no link between maternal use of acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy and excess risk of autism in children, adding to mounting evidence that the drug is safe to use in pregnancy. For the nationwide study, published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics, Copenhagen University Hospital investigators linked prospective individual-level data from national demographic and health care registers on singletons born in Denmark from January 1997 to July 2022 who were alive at one year old. Follow-up was one year or until emigration or autism diagnosis. Exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy was identified by maternal fulfillment of a prescription for the drug in the National Prescription Register. Another analysis compared sibling groups with discordant acetaminophen exposure in pregnancy. “Evidence regarding the association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and risk of autism in offspring remains inconsistent,” the study authors wrote. “One large Swedish cohort study reported a small but statistically significant increase in autism risk among children in a population-level analysis; however, the association was not observed in a sibling matched analysis, raising questions about residual confounding.”   The researchers initiated the study after US President Donald Trump’s September 2025 remarks discouraging pregnant women from using acetaminophen because of a purported link to autism. He also claimed, without evidence, that leucovorin (folinic acid) can help autistic children.  An umbrella review of nine systematic reviews published in BMJ in November 2025 found no association between maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the development of autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. But despite this evidence, US acetaminophen use in pregnancy has fallen since Trump’s statements, and leucovorin prescriptions have surged. Experts cite multiple potential consequences from falling acetaminophen use in pregnancy, including higher rates of untreated maternal fevers (a risk factor for neurologic disorders) and the use of fever-reducing or pain-relieving drugs that are less safe in pregnancy than acetaminophen, which is safe.Of more than 1.5 million children in the study, 2.1% were exposed to acetaminophen in utero, of whom 1.8% were later diagnosed as having autism, compared with 3.0% of nearly 1.5 million children in the unexposed group. Women prescribed acetaminophen during pregnancy were generally older (median age, 31.2 vs 30.5 years); had more pregnancies, a higher body mass index, and more underlying illnesses; and used more prescription medicine than unexposed women. After adjusting for confounding factors and use of other pain relievers, the adjusted hazard ratio of autism after exposure to acetaminophen in utero was 1.03 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95-1.12) in the population analysis and 1.09 (95% CI, 0.91 to 1.27) in the sibling analysis, indicating no statistically significant increased risk. Likewise, the team found no evidence of a significant tie between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and the development of autism in stratified analyses of dose-response patterns, exposure in different trimesters, and analyses restricted to pregnancies occurring after 2013.

AI chatbots provide poor answers to medical questions half the time, study finds -- A study published in BMJ Open suggests that half of answers provided by five publicly available artificial intelligence (AI)–driven chatbots in response to medically related questions are inaccurate and incomplete. Led by a researcher from the University of California at Los Angeles, the study involved an audit of the chatbots Gemini (Google), DeepSeek (High-Flyer), Meta AI (Meta), ChatGPT (OpenAI), and Grok (xAI). In February 2025, the team asked 10 questions of each chatbot in five categories: cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition, and athletic performance. Researchers also prompted the chatbots to produce scientific references. They asked 10 open- and closed-ended questions designed to resemble common information-seeking medical and health questions and information tropes found online and in academic discussion. The probes were also developed to point models toward misinformation or advice counter to medical standards, a method increasingly used to “stress test” AI chatbots and detect behavioral vulnerabilities. The chatbots had to provide pre-defined responses, often with only one correct answer, that agreed with scientific consensus, while open-ended questions usually required them to generate several responses in list form. Two experts from each category rated the chatbot responses as non-, somewhat, or highly problematic, or potentially harmful. Citations were scored for accuracy and completeness, and each response was given a Flesch Reading Ease score.The chatbots “have been rapidly adopted across research, education, business, marketing and medicine,” the authors wrote. “Most interactions, however, come from non-experts using chatbots like search engines, including for everyday health and medical queries.”About half (49.6%) of responses were problematic, with 30% considered somewhat problematic and 19.6% deemed highly problematic. Response quality didn’t differ significantly by chatbot, but Grok generated significantly more highly problematic responses than would be expected under a random distribution. Gemini, on the other hand, produced the fewest highly problematic responses and the most non-problematic ones.

HPV vaccination cuts cancer risk in men by about half, study suggests -Cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) affect both men and women in large numbers, but prevention efforts initially focused on women (see related CIDRAP News story today). A retrospective cohort study published last week in JAMA Oncology suggests that vaccinating boys and young men with the nine-valent (nine-strain) HPV vaccine can meaningfully reduce their risk of related cancers, supporting the case for sex-neutral vaccination programs.HPV vaccination has long been framed as a way to prevent cervical cancer in women, but the virus causes a range of cancers that affect men, including head and neck, anal, and penile cancers. In the study, researchers from the Nara Prefecture General Medical Center in Nara, Japan, looked at large-scale population data to evaluate the effectiveness of the nine-valent HPV vaccine in preventing these cancers in men. By examining health data from 510,260 vaccinated males and the same number of unvaccinated males ages nine to 26 years over as many as 10 years of follow-up, the researchers found that receipt of at least one dose of the vaccine was associated with a significantly lower risk of related cancers.Overall, vaccinated boys and men had about half the risk of HPV-related cancers than that of unvaccinated peers (hazard ratio [HR], 0.54). Protection was consistent across both age-groups the researchers looked at—males vaccinated from ages 9 to 14 years had a 42% lower risk (HR, 0.58), and those vaccinated from ages 15 to 26 had a 50% lower risk (HR, 0.50).The authors note that most previous research on the link between HPV vaccination in men and HPV-related cancers has focused on adults, who may have been previously exposed to HPV, potentially reducing the observed effect. The current findings suggest that vaccination confers benefits for men when administered later in adolescence or young adulthood.  “Currently, many countries still implement HPV vaccination only for females,” write the researchers, noting that males account for approximately 10% to 15% of the vaccinated cohort outside the United States. (In 2024, approximately 77% of boys ages 13 to 17 in the United States had received one or more doses of the HPV vaccine.) “Our study provides evidence that HPV vaccination should be accessible irrespective of sex.”The study has several limitations, including misclassified or unconfirmed diagnoses due to reliance on standardized medical diagnosis codes, vaccination outside of participating health care systems, and an inability to adjust for high-risk sexual behaviors.

COVID revaccination early in pregnancy not linked to higher risk of major birth defects In a study published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection, researchers in Singapore uncover no tie between repeated mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in the first trimester of pregnancy and a significantly increased risk of major structural birth defects. Led by investigators with the Communicable Diseases Agency, the team used data from the national immunization registry and healthcare claims to assess rates of major structural birth defects among all 47,665 infants born to mothers in Singapore who had previously received one or more doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. All infants were tracked for at least one year or until October 6, 2025. Major structural birth defects are physical abnormalities caused by improper development in the womb. Examples include heart defects, spina bifida, and cleft lip and palate. “Substantial evidence supports maternal COVID-19 vaccination during endemicity [continued presence of a disease], including decreased risk of severe COVID-19 in pregnancy, maternal long COVID-19, and adverse neonatal outcomes,” the researchers wrote. “However, decreasing rates of COVID-19 vaccination amongst pregnant women during endemicity remains of concern.” In total, 11.2% of mothers had repeated maternal mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations in the first trimester, of which 9.9% received the bivalent (two-strain) vaccine, 6.8% were booster doses (total of at least three doses), and 23.2% were second doses. Major structural birth defects were reported in 1.1% of live births to mothers repeatedly vaccinated in their first trimester, compared with 1.2% of those born to mothers not revaccinated. Limb abnormalities were the most common type of birth defect, followed by congenital heart disease. Relative to no vaccination, the risk of a major structural birth defect was not significantly elevated after repeated vaccination (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 0.97). Nor was there a significantly higher risk of such birth defects after revaccination with bivalent formulations (aPR, 0.45) or ancestral vaccines (aPR, 1.04), although confidence intervals were wide due to the relatively small number of mothers revaccinated with updated vaccines. There was no significantly greater risk of major structural birth defects after revaccination in either COVID-infected (aPR, 1.02) or uninfected (aPR, 0.97) mothers. Sensitivity analyses showed that the risk of birth defects after COVID-19 revaccination up to 20 weeks’ gestation didn’t differ significantly (aPR, 1.09), compared with the risk among unvaccinated mothers. The risk of major structural birth defects after booster vaccination in the first trimester (aPR, 1.01) or up to 20 weeks of gestation (aPR, 1.13) wasn’t significantly higher than those noted in infants of fully vaccinated mothers who didn’t receive a booster in either period. After quantifying the potential effect of missing pregnancies ending in stillbirth, the corrected PR for major structural birth defects shifted from 0.97 to 1.14 for the most extreme scenario modelled (probability of live birth, 55% and 80% for unexposed fetuses with and without a defect, respectively, and a 20% absolute decrease in the probability of live birth among mothers receiving mRNA COVID vaccination). When stillbirth was directly evaluated as a separate outcome, the risk of stillbirth was not significantly elevated (aPR, 0.64) after repeated vaccination with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose in the first trimester. “Our findings underline safety of repeat maternal vaccination with seasonally updated COVID-19 booster doses during endemicity,” the study authors concluded.

Study links long COVID in kids to worse grades, attention, and social life Children and adolescents with long COVID are significantly more likely to experience worsening grades, difficulty concentrating, and having limited fun with friends, according to a new study published in Academic Pediatrics. The findings, drawn from the National Institutes of Health–funded Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) observational pediatric cohort, suggest that the impacts of long COVID in kids and adolescents extend beyond physical symptoms and may disrupt key aspects of learning and social development. Researchers led by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed data from 1,976 participants ages six to 17 years, including 406 school-aged children (ages six to 11) and 1,570 adolescents (12 to 17), comparing school and social outcomes for those with and without long COVID. Among school-aged children, 18% of those with long COVID had worse grades than before the pandemic, compared with 7% of those without—more than double the risk of decreased academic performance (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 2.18). The difference in pre- and post-pandemic grades was even more striking in adolescents: 29% of those with long COVID experienced worse grades post-pandemic, versus 11% without long COVID (aRR, 2.39). Both school-aged children and adolescents with long COVID reported more difficulty paying attention in class. Moderate or severe problems concentrating were reported in 38% of younger children with long COVID, versus 14% without (aRR, 2.52). Among adolescents, 37% of those with long COVID reported trouble focusing, versus 11% of those without (aRR, 3.26). Children and adolescents with long COVID were also more likely to seek out individualized education programs (IEPs)—35% of affected school-aged children were in the process of obtaining an IEP, compared with 22% in the control group (RR, 1.30). Among teens with the condition, 27% with long COVID were seeking an IEP, versus 15% without (aRR, 1.66). Long COVID appeared to have social consequences, too—28% of elementary school children with long COVID reported “sometimes, rarely, or never having fun with peers,” compared with 9% without (aRR, 2.77), while 43% of teens with long COVID said the same thing, compared with 21% in the control group (aRR, 1.95). Social interactions may suffer a variety of reasons, write the researchers, including “symptoms preventing typical interactions, such as shared experiences on the playground, or even the cafeteria (e.g., due to change in smell or taste), or withdrawal due to a changed sense of self.” The researchers emphasize that disruptions in school performance, attention, and peer relationships may have long-term consequences. “Given that both educational performance and positive peer interactions are key developmental tasks among both school-age children and adolescents, our findings demonstrate important functional impairments that extend beyond the clinical symptomatology that has been described to date,” the researchers write. “Such impairments of desirable child developmental experiences may have long-term implications well into adulthood.”

Long COVID costs world’s economy billions: analysis -  Severe illness due to COVID-19 peaked around the start of 2021. But as many as 400 million people worldwide, at some point, have experienced a condition known as "long COVID," which is when symptoms persist for two to three months after an initial COVID-19 infection.Some people with long COVID improve with time, while others have experienced lingering, debilitating symptoms with the chronic illness. A report last week by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projects that long COVID’s significant social and financial costs will continue well into the next decade.  The OECD is a forum of 38 democracies with market-based economies, including the United States, Japan, and most of the European Union. The U.S. Department of State notes that OECD countries account for three-fifths of world gross domestic product (GDP).Among the report's most striking findings is that over the next decade, long COVID could cost OECD health systems up to $11 billion annually. The indirect economic costs stemming from reduced workforce productivity are even greater. Factors include people with long COVID leaving the workforce, illness-related absenteeism, and a decline in overall productivity due to people working while sick. If assuming low or moderate ongoing transmission of the virus, the report estimates the loss in GDP across OECD countries at 0.1 to 0.2%, or $135 billion per year.The sustained economic costs underscore the potential that long COVID is a “lasting structural change to labour markets and economic productivity,” according to the report. Despite these sobering findings, the report notes that few countries have a national plan or strategy in place to address long COVID. The report says that overall management of long COVID has been hindered, “First by a lack of recognition of its existence by the medical community, and subsequently by underestimation of its prevalence and impact across all sectors of society.”The US government recognizes long COVID, and Congress has allocated more than $1.8 billion to the Researching COVID-19 to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) program to advance the prevention and treatment of the condition. But grants for some research projects were canceled last spring. Around that time, the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice was closed.The report's findings don’t surprise Meighan Stone, founder and executive director of the DC-based Long COVID Campaign.“Patients already knew this crisis is enormous and it isn’t over,” said Stone, adding that the United States urgently needs national strategies, funding, and care to match the global evidence highlighted in the report.

Six symptoms/conditions more common in long COVID, suggesting overlap with other post-viral infections - Only some post-acute conditions often attributed to long COVID truly occur more often after SARS-CoV-2 infection than after other viral respiratory diseases, according to a non–peer-reviewed meta-analysis published this week on the preprint server medRxiv. From June 2024 to April 2025, an international roster of researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 multicenter cohort studies comparing 24 lingering conditions or symptoms in adults after SARS-CoV-2 infection with those occurring after other acute respiratory viral infections. The included studies were conducted in North America, Asia, Europe, or on multiple continents, and comparator groups most often involved influenza-like illness (ILI), influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. Increased post-COVID risk was noted for pulmonary embolism (relative risk [RR], 1.77), abnormal breathing (RR, 1.59), fatigue or malaise (RR, 1.39), hemorrhagic stroke (RR, 1.23), memory loss/brain fog (RR, 1.34), and palpitations (RR, 1.23); heart rate abnormalities were of borderline significance (RR, 1.24). Pooled estimates of most other outcomes were inconclusive. No increased risk was seen for anxiety or depression, acute coronary syndrome, cerebrovascular disorders, headache, loss of smell or taste, or sleep problems, which the authors said suggests substantial overlap between long COVID symptom and conditions and those occurring after other respiratory virus infections. “These findings suggest that post-acute infection syndromes may occur after non-COVID respiratory infections and share many clinical features with post-COVID condition (PCC), whereas SARS-CoV-2 infection may increase the risk of specific thrombotic, autonomic, and neurocognitive outcomes,” the researchers concluded. “Distinguishing pathogen-specific sequelae from common post-viral syndromes has important implications for patient counselling, risk stratification, health-care planning, and the design of post-infectious surveillance and rehabilitation strategies,” they added.

CDC reports 4 flu deaths in kids as flu activity ebbs, but rotavirus levels high across US  Flu activity continues to decline across the country, but the season remains classified as high-severity for children, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting four new deaths in children in today’s FluView update, down from 12 the week before. Flu has claimed a total of 143 child deaths this season, compared with 296 for all of last season. Roughly 85% of pediatric deaths this season have occurred in children not fully vaccinated against flu.In contrast, across all age-groups, the CDC continues to classify the 2025-26 season as moderate overall, with activity trending downward for the ninth straight week. Influenza A(H3N2) activity across the country is currently considered low, and influenza B activity continues to ebb, despite it being more frequently reported than influenza A in recent weeks. Flu-related hospitalizations fell from 2,589 last week to 1,893 this week. Most flu cases this season have been caused by the H3N2 strain. Of the 2,210 virus samples the CDC has tested since September 28, 2025, 92.8% were caused by the H3N2 subclade K variant, which emerged after the current season’s vaccine was developed. So far this season, the CDC estimates that there have been 31 million illnesses, 380,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths from flu. Data from WastewaterScan, an online tool that tracks infectious pathogen levels in wastewater, shows that rotavirus activity is high across the country and that levels have been rising since January. Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that can cause severe illness in children under age 5 years, including diarrhea, vomiting, and fever, and can be fatal in some cases. In adults, rotavirus causes mild or no symptoms. In the United States, two rotavirus vaccines are approved for use in children. The CDC estimates that, during an infant's first year, the vaccine provides 85% to 98% protection against severe illness and hospitalization and 74% to 87% protection against rotavirus illness of any severity.

RSV tied to high complication, death rates in hospitalized older adults  -- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is associated with high rates of complications and death among older adults hospitalized with the condition, and older RSV patients may have worse health outcomes than older adults hospitalized for influenza, according to a new study published in Infectious Diseases and Therapy. For the analysis, researchers from Tel Aviv University examined data from adults aged 60 years and older hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RSV or flu at a large medical center in Isreal from 2016 through 2023. The study included 817 RSV-positive patients and 2,113 influenza-positive patients. Among patients hospitalized with RSV, serious outcomes were common. Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) was required for 10.6% of patients, vasopressor support (using medication to raise blood pressure when it drops dangerously low) for 6.5%, and mechanical ventilation for 6.4%. Tachyarrhythmia (abnormally fast heart rate) occurred in 17.7% of RSV patients, and 9.9% experienced ischemia. The 30-day mortality rate for patients with RSV was 11.9%, and the 90-day mortality rate was 18.8%. Several factors were linked to worse outcomes in those hospitalized with RSV, including chronic pulmonary disease, lower respiratory tract infection, hypothermia (low body temperature), elevated pulse, and increased creatine levels, which might signal impaired kidney function. Compared with flu, RSV was associated with a slightly higher risk of severe outcomes. RSV patients had a roughly 3% higher risk of adverse outcomes compared with flu patients and about a 2% higher risk of dying within 90 days.In the study, older adults hospitalized with RSV initially tended to be in worse health than those with flu. “They were generally older, more frequently immunocompromised, had a history of prior hospitalizations, and exhibited higher Charlson comorbidity scores,” the authors write. “These findings align with previous studies, which have similarly reported that older adults with RSV are more likely to be immunocompromised, have elevated comorbidity burdens, and experience higher rates of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions than their counterparts hospitalized with influenza,” they added.

Extensively drug-resistant Shigella on the rise in US, CDC warns -  Historically, shigellosis cases in the United States have primarily been seen in young children in daycare settings and in people who’ve traveled to countries with poor sanitation. Infections with Shigella, a gut pathogen that causes diarrhea and vomiting, have also been fairly easy to treat. But the profile of who’s most at risk of shigellosis is changing, and the infections is becoming much harder to treat, according to a report published last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the flagship publication of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the report, researchers from the CDC and health departments across the country revealed that the vast majority of US Shigella infections from 2011 through 2023 were in adult men, a high proportion of whom (47%) had HIV. Analysis of nearly 17,000 Shigella isolates found that the proportion of isolates considered extensively drug-resistant (XDR) rose from 0% during 2011-2015 to 8.5% in 2023. Approximately one-third of patients were hospitalized. And among patients with travel history, more than 80% reported no recent international travel. The report’s corresponding author said the findings reflect changes in epidemiology and resistance that are transforming Shigella from a primarily self-limiting infection that rarely required antibiotics into an emerging public health threat with limited treatment options. “Together, it’s a very concerning pattern of XDR Shigella strains that are being seen among vulnerable populations,” Naeemah Logan, MD, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, told CIDRAP News. And it’s a pattern that is increasingly being seen by US clinicians and researchers. Shangxin Yang, PhD, who directs the Molecular Microbiology and Pathogen Genomics Laboratory at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Health, said clinicians at the hospital identified one local case of XDR Shigella in 2022. Since then they’ve seen roughly one case a month. “It's almost like an explosion of this pathogen in the community,” Yang said.  According to the CDC, an estimated 450,000 Americans get shigellosis each year. And while most people with the disease usually get better with fluids and rest, some cases are more severe, Fang said. “About 15% or 20% of our patients who present with Shigella end up admitted to the hospital. They're dehydrated. They have dysentery,” said Fang, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and director of the Harborview Medical Center’s Clinical Microbiological Laboratory. And there are few options to treat the patients infected with XDR strains. The isolates tested by the CDC were resistant to five oral antibiotics.

Researchers identify higher risk of heart disease in syphilis patients as US infections climb -US adults diagnosed as having late-stage syphilis are at higher risk for major cardiovascular conditions such as stroke and heart attack, as well as death, than those without the infection, per a study published this week in JAMA Network Open. Researchers from Tulane University and the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System used hospital electronic health records to retrospectively assess whether syphilis infection is independently tied to an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in adults served by a New Orleans health care system from January 2011 to July 2025. Participants included 1,469 patients with any stage of syphilis and 7,345 uninfected controls matched on demographic factors and underlying illnesses. The average participant age was 50 years, and 53.9% were women. Assessed outcomes were heart attack, heart failure (HF), aortic regurgitation (AR; heart valve disease), atrial fibrillation (AF), aortic aneurysm (AA) or dissection (AD), ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, peripheral artery disease (PAD), venous thromboembolism (VTE), and death. “To date, no US cohort studies, to our knowledge, have used matched controls to evaluate the independent association between syphilis and incident cardiovascular outcomes, resulting in a critical gap in this patient population,” the investigators wrote. “With syphilis resurging across the US and an increase of more than 50% in reported cases from 2018 to 2023, an investigation of the potential morbid effects of syphilis is important.” Heart attack occurred in 6.9% of syphilis patients, compared with 4.2% of controls, while ischemic stroke was documented in 10.3% and 5.7%, respectively. Hemorrhagic stroke was also more common in syphilis patients (2.0% vs 0.8%). With syphilis resurging across the US and an increase of more than 50% in reported cases from 2018 to 2023, an investigation of the potential morbid effects of syphilis is important. Vascular complications such as AA or AD occurred in 3.3% of syphilis patients, compared with 1.3% of controls, and 62% of syphilis patients developed PAD, versus 4.1% of controls. AR was also more common in the syphilis group (1.0% vs 0.5%). Rates of HF (11.2% vs 9.6%), VTE (0.8% vs 0.4%), and AF (5.4% in both groups) weren’t significantly different. Adjusted analyses linked syphilis with an increased risk of AA or AD (hazard ratio [HR], 2.08), ischemic stroke (HR, 1.53), hemorrhagic stroke (HR, 1.92), PAD (HR, 1.28), death (HR, 5.80), and heart attack (HR, 1.33). No associations were found for HF (HR, 0.98), atrial fibrillation (HR, 0.85), AR (HR, 1.58), or VTE (HR, 1.47). No associations were noted between primary or secondary syphilis and any primary cardiovascular outcome. In contrast, tertiary syphilis—the final, latest stage of the disease—showed higher rates of death (HR, 6.93), AA or AD (HR, 5.57), ischemic stroke (HR, 3.23), hemorrhagic stroke (HR, 2.62), MI (HR, 2.15), PAD (HR, 2.45), HF (HR, 2.01), and AF (HR, 2.19). Rates of AR (HR, 2.20) and VTE (HR, 0.84) didn’t show statistically significant increases. In patients with latent syphilis (an absence of symptoms), diagnoses of early latent syphilis occurred less often and demonstrated no links to any evaluated outcome, with several outcomes not estimable due to too few events. But patients with late latent syphilis had significantly higher rates of death (HR, 4.08), AA or AD (HR, 2.41), and ischemic stroke (HR, 1.82). No associations were noted for hemorrhagic stroke, MI, PAD, HF, AF, VTE, or AR.

Papers spotlight rise of Valley fever in kids in California, lengthy treatment --Coccidioidomycosis, or Valley fever, is increasingly prevalent in California, but cases in children are not as well described as those in adults. Two recent studies describe the clinical features of the disease in pediatric patients and the clinical picture of treatment.  In the first study, from the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, investigators from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) say pediatric coccidioidomycosis cases have skyrocketed in California in the past three years. The endemic fungal infection is typically found in the southwestern United States, especially in California and Arizona..“In California the incidence of coccidioidomycosis among children and adolescents has dramatically increased from 1.8/100,000 [children] in 2001 to 10.9/100,000 in 2024,” the authors wrote.For more than 60% of pediatric patients, the fungus will cause no symptoms or very mild respiratory symptoms that may go unnoticed and will clear on their own. More moderate illness typically involves fever, cough, night sweats, and headaches.  Rarely, severe cases can disseminate, and cause serious inflammation of the joints, bones, and central nervous system. The authors said that, from 2000 to 2025, UCLA clinicians treated 81 pediatric patients who had Valley fever. Of those, 72% had primary coccidioidomycosis and 28% (23 patients) had disseminated coccidioidomycosis, with 10 of the disseminated cases (43%) occurring from 2023 to 2025. Overall, patients with disseminated disease were older, less likely to have a cough, and more likely to present with central nervous system symptoms. All patients were treated with first-line antifungals, but patients with dissemination were significantly more likely to require multiple medications (83% versus 21%) than those with primary disease.Patients with disseminated disease were also significantly more likely than those with primary coccidioidomycosis to undergo surgical intervention as part of disease management (74% versus 26%).“Pediatric coccidioidomycosis at our institution has become increasingly common and increasingly severe, with a substantial rise in disseminated disease in recent years,” the authors concluded. “These trends emphasize the need for heightened clinical vigilance, early recognition of extrapulmonary disease, incorporation of a standardized classification system to guide evaluation, and proactive multidisciplinary management.”In a study in Pediatrics, the authors used electronic health data from the Kaiser Permanente Southern California system to describe demographic characteristics, symptoms, diagnostic testing, and details of patient management in patients under 17.Coccidioidomycosis was identified in 209 children from 2015 to 2021, with an incidence of 3.3 cases per 100,000 children. Only 10 patients (5%) had disseminated coccidioidomycosis.Of the 199 patients without disseminated infections, 57 were observed without antifungal medical treatment, and 142 patients were treated with antifungals, with a median duration of 150 days (range, less than three months to more than two years).After stopping treatment, three patients had recurrence of Valley fever.

Report spotlights invasive Hib disease outbreaks among homeless - Since the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines in the United States in 1987, invasive outbreaks of Hib have become rare, but a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published today describes two recent clusters among homeless adults who would not have been eligible for vaccination.The two clusters of cases were genetically distinct and sickened 44 individuals from 2023 through 2025. One cluster occurred in Alaska (14 cases), and a second occurred in Washington (23) and Oregon (7).Overall, 40 (91%) of the 44 patients did not have documentation of receipt of Hib vaccination, and 35 (88%) would not have been eligible for routine vaccination as children because they would have been older than the recommended age range in 1987. The average patient age was 53.5 years.Sixty-eight percent of the patients were homeless at the time of infection, and 77% said the used illicit substances. Forty-three (98%) patients had bacteremia and 42 (95%) had pneumonia.

Report details tetanus in 4 unvaccinated US kids, including refusal of post-exposure prevention None of four US children diagnosed as having tetanus in 2024 had completed a recommended primary tetanus toxoid–containing vaccine (TTCV) series, and none received TTCV or preventive tetanus immunoglobulin (TIG) between their exposure and symptom onset. And despite all four children requiring hospitalizations of eight to 45 days and two needing additional inpatient rehabilitation, only one completed the TTCV series after his or her illness, according to the findings of an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health departments in four states. The study, published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, describes the four cases, which included the first pediatric tetanus infection in Idaho in more than 30 years, as well as one case each in Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The cases were identified through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Tetanus is a neuromuscular infection mediated by a toxin produced by Clostridium tetani bacteria. C tetani spores are ubiquitous in the environment, being present in soil, dust, and manure, and often enter the body through wounds. In the body, the spores germinate and produce tetanospasmin, a potent neurotoxin that can cause a severe, even fatal, illness featuring lockjaw, muscle spasms, problems swallowing, fever, and stiffness in the abdomen, chest, and neck. “Because of high coverage with recommended tetanus toxoid–containing vaccine (TTCV), pediatric tetanus is rare in the United States; approximately four cases are reported annually,” the authors noted. But “a recent surveillance summary reported that among persons with tetanus whose vaccination history was known, 44% had not received a TTCV dose” (see April 15 CIDRAP News story). Two of the tetanus patients were in the 10- to 15-year age-group, and one each were in the one- to four-year and five- to nine-year groups. Two lived in metropolitan areas, and two were from non-metro areas. In one case, the likely exposure route was unknown, while one each were likely related to a compound ankle fracture from an electric-scooter accident, a knee puncture from an animal bone, and a crushing foot injury from a horse hoof while barefoot. The three patients with a known interval between the injury and illness sought care after seven to 10 days. Two patients didn’t seek medical care before illness onset, and the parents of two declined TTCV and TIG prophylaxis before symptom onset. All four patients experienced generalized tetanus with symptoms such as back, neck, and jaw pain; muscle spasms and rigidity; and problems walking. All patients were hospitalized (average stay, 25 days) and were given TIG for treatment and an initial TTCV dose for prevention of future disease. Serious health consequences, costly care Two patients had documented receipt of a second TTCV dose, but only one later completed the recommended vaccine series. At least two children received follow-up care, including readmission for inpatient rehabilitation. None of the four died.

Quick takes: Tick-borne allergy alert, deadly Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria | CIDRAP

• Massachusetts health officials are warning residents of increased activity of the Lone Star tick and subsequent increased cases of alpha-gal syndrome, a sometimes severe allergy to dairy and meat that can be fatal. The tick's saliva can trigger the allergy, which is now a reportable condition in Massachusetts. In 2024, at least 500 cases were reported on Martha’s Vineyard, and health officials say more and more clinicians are reporting patients with the allergy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 450,000 Americans are affected by the condition.
• The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is warning about the rising fatality rate of Lassa fever, despite a decrease in new infections. So far in 2026, the death toll is 167, pushing the case-fatality rate to 25.2%, compared to 18.5% reported during the same period in 2025. In the last week of March, NCDC said confirmed cases dropped significantly to 26 from 51 recorded in the previous week. Twenty-two states have reported at least one confirmed case across 93 local government areas this year. Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic illness, is transmitted to humans primarily through contact with the urine or feces of infected rats.

Hearing loss affects 1 in 5 Lassa fever survivors, review suggests Survivors of Lassa fever may experience a range of post-infection complications, including hearing loss, according to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Infection. For the analysis, researchers at Imperial College London analyzed data from six studies on post-acute sequelae (lingering health effects in the weeks and months after initial infection) among 559 people who had recovered from Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic illness endemic to parts of West Africa. They found that Lassa fever survivors reported an array of post-infection complications, including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, ocular, and psychiatric symptoms. The most common post-infection complaint was hearing loss, with a pooled prevalence of 18%. Across five of the six studies included in the review, roughly half of survivors who had hearing loss developed it in both ears (though the exact percentage varied quite a bit between the studies). In 42 survivors across four of the studies, the severity of hearing loss varied widely, with most experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss and a minority experiencing complete deafness. Only one of the six studies examined risk factors for post-infection hearing loss. The findings showed no meaningful differences in terms of age, sex, or treatment with antiviral therapy between those who did and did not develop hearing loss. Survivors reported several other symptoms related to the audiovestibular system, including tinnitus (ringing in the ears), balance disorders, vertigo, and lightheadedness. While some hearing loss is likely to be permanent, note the researchers, the combined evidence suggests that Lassa fever–related hearing loss improves over time in most patients and that some patients may recover completely.

At least 5 dead in Burundi from a mystery illness: Africa CDC -An outbreak of a mystery illness in Burundi, a landlocked country located in Africa’s Great Lakes Region, has killed at least five people and sickened 35 others since March 30—a case-fatality rate of 14%.  Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and dark urine, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In severe cases, people may display neurologic symptoms, anemia (low red blood cells), jaundice, and difficulty breathing. Testing showed that samples from patients tested negative for more than 200 pathogens, said Yap Boum, PhD, MPH, deputy head of the Africa CDC Mpox Response. This includes Ebola and Marburg virus diseases, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Boum said public health workers are also doing animal testing, including on pigs and cattle, to determine if a pathogen has potentially jumped from an animal to a human. “All the necessary measures are being taken to safeguard public health and prevent potential spread of infection,” said Dr Lydwine Badarahana, Burundi’s Minister of Health, in an April 11 press release posted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Two new H9N2 avian flu cases reported on mainland China -Today’s Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) recorded two new H9N2 human avian influenza cases with symptom onsets in January and February.The H9N2 cases include a 3-year-old boy from Guangdong province who got sick on January 20 and a 63-year-old man from Guangxi Zhuang whose symptoms began on February 5. No details were given on where they contracted the virus or their symptoms or recovery timeline. Per the CHP, there have been 22 H9N2 cases reported in China in the past six months. In 2025, there were 29 H9N2 cases reported from mainland China. In 2024, the country reported 11 total cases. About 90% of human H9N2 avian flu cases have been reported in China, with detections in Cambodia, Vietnam, and India as well. A recent case in Italy was confirmed in a man who had recently been in Senegal.

Avian flu detected in Idaho dairy cows as study explores role of virus RNA detection in bovine semen -  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported new detections of H5N1 avian flu, with positive tests revealing the virus in five Idaho dairy herds. The milking cows were the first avian flu detections in cattle since a Wisconsin report in December 2025. The new detection comes almost exactly two years since US officials first recorded avian influenza in dairy cattle. In related news in Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers examined bovine semen to determine if shedding of the virus in semen could result in silent viral spread within herds and across geographic regions through artificial insemination.The study, published yesterday, was based on observations of natural breeding bulls on an H5N1-affected dairy farm in California, and was inconclusive in determining if semen was a good conduit for the virus, with limited evidence of seroconversion. The investigators found the RNA (genetic material) of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus but not live virus in semen from a bull that was displaying no flu symptoms.“Further research and risk assessments are needed to determine tissue tropism of HPAI H5N1 in reproductive organs and whether naturally infected bulls shed virus in semen, and, if so, evaluate the risk for disease spread on dairy farms and with artificial insemination programs,” the authors wrote.In other avian flu news, APHIS reported outbreaks on three commercial poultry operations this week, including two in South Dakota and one in Arkansas. In Charles Mix and Edmunds counties in South Dakota, commercial turkey facilities reported outbreaks affecting 46,300 and 13,800 birds, respectively. And in Clay County, Arkansas, a large outbreak affected 191,200 birds at a commercial broiler production.In the past 30 days, there have been 41 confirmed avian flu outbreaks including 27 commercial flocks and 14 backyard flocks, affecting 1.6 million birds.

Scattered insects offer practical boost to poultry welfare, new research shows -- Modern broiler chicken strains have been selectively bred for rapid growth, increased meat yield and feed efficiency, making poultry meat affordable and widely available. But this has led to reduced movement and natural behaviors, such as foraging, and increased susceptibility to conditions linked to inactivity such as poor leg health and skin lesions. These welfare issues can in turn cause significant economic losses in the broiler industry.The Nottingham study—which emerged through a partnership with agri-tech company Flybox—aimed to understand if activity and behavior could be stimulated without compromising growth performance or gut development, particularly in fast-growing broilers. The paper is published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.Gut development is important because it is this which drives the broilers' growth and health.The research involved fast and slower-growing broilers, with birds allocated to pens with dead black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) either offered in the trough—the standard method for feeding—or scattered directly onto the litter surface.The researchers found that scattering BSFL significantly increased total active behaviors in the fast-growing broiler strain by more than 11%, which included running, walking, preening, stretching, dustbathing. Foraging behavior, meanwhile, increased by almost a third (32%) compared to when BSFL was offered in the trough. It was found that this increased activity did not negatively affect growth performance or gut development, suggesting that enrichment did not compromise production efficiency. In the slower-growing broiler strain—which is generally more behaviorally active but less economically efficient—there was no significant difference in total activity or foraging behavior regardless of feeding method.  Producers face increasing pressure from regulators, retailers and consumers to improve welfare standards and natural behavior.Studies have shown that broiler activity and behavior can be improved by providing a stimulating, enriched environment, but most have not been nutritionally-integrated, so do not contribute to the bird's dietary intake.The poultry sector has been exploring sustainable alternative protein sources for feed, including insect-derived ingredients, as part of a broader shift toward circular agriculture.BSFL are rich in high-quality protein and lipid, making them a valuable feed ingredient, including as a natural feed for birds in the wild. They are also highly palatable and behaviorally engaging for poultry, as well as a sustainable food source.Nottingham Trent University's partnership with Flybox has been pivotal to the university's research into the role of BSFL in sustainable poultry production, with on-campus facilities enabling the rearing of larvae."Scattering larvae onto the litter required birds to actively forage to consume them, thereby engaging natural ground-pecking behavior and increased activity,"

The longer a wild mammal is traded, the greater the risk to public health, analysis finds Wild mammals that are traded are 50% more likely to share pathogens with humans when compared with mammals that are not traded, according to a new study in Science. ​Using data from 1980 to 2019, researchers in Switzerland and the United States looked at the length of time an animal had been traded. They found that, on average, a wild mammal species shares one additional pathogen with humans for every 10 years it is present in the global wildlife trade. “This finding implies that pathogens hosted by traded species that currently do not infect humans are more likely to do so in the near future compared with those hosted by nontraded species,” write the authors. Pathogen transmission occurs through so-called spillover events. This is when a virus, bacterium, fungus, or parasite jumps from its host to a brand-new species. Within the context of the wildlife trade, the study explains that human exposure to a zoonotic pathogen might occur through hunting, or breeding, or during transport, stockpiling, warehousing, retail, consumption, or keeping a wild animal as a pet.

Another green group steps into ‘God Squad’ fight - - Defenders of Wildlife sued the Trump administration Tuesday about its use of a seldom-used committee of federal officials to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from endangered species concerns.The legal action in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is the fifth in a march of lawsuits from environmental advocates trying to counter the move by Trump officials to issue a sweeping exemption that could jeopardize the survival of endangered whales, sea turtles and other animals. Late last month, the Endangered Species Committee met for the first time in more than three decades to issue an exemption for oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump refers to as the Gulf of America. Nicknamed the “God Squad” for its potential powers to extinguish endangered species, the group of six Cabinet-level officials chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum acted on a never-before-invoked national security provision in the Endangered Species Act.

Flies found to be effective pollinators of berry crops - Researchers at the University of New England have identified two fly species as promising pollinators for berry crops, offering a vital alternative to European honey bees in protected cropping systems. The results of their study are published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. Lead researcher, Dr. Abby Davis, used in-field cages to study the pollination capabilities of two Australian fly species, the brown blow fly (Calliphora stygia) and the drone fly (Eristalis tenax) in commercial blackberry and raspberry production. "We found both species were able to successfully pollinate berry crops," says Dr. Davis. "However, the drone fly consistently produced higher-quality fruit, particularly in blackberry, and there was no impact on the size or quality of fly-pollinated berries when compared to bee-pollinated berries under natural field conditions. "The brown blow fly was less effective on its own, sometimes producing lower-quality fruit, but as a flower visitor, it still has potential to complement more effective pollinators such as honey bees, stingless bees, and now drone flies." To build on these findings, the research was scaled up to full-sized commercial polytunnels, looking at the drone fly's capabilities across both winter and spring production seasons. These trials revealed that drone flies can maintain higher levels of foraging activity on blackberry flowers, deliver effective pollination, and produce high-quality fruits within enclosed commercial farm polytunnels. "The drone fly pollinates commercial blackberry at a level comparable to managed honey bees, and in some cases can even outperform them under protected cropping conditions," says Dr. Davis. "The flies were also more active on flowers during cooler temperatures when honey bee activity is often reduced, which could improve pollination reliability in colder areas and bolster crops facing unusual weather conditions."

Human urine could help tackle global fertilizer and wastewater challenges, study finds --  Human urine—often flushed away without thought—could be key to making agriculture and wastewater treatment more sustainable and energy efficient, according to new research from the University of Surrey. Although urine only makes up around 1% of wastewater, it contains the majority of essential nutrients for plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.In a study published in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, researchers looked into how these nutrients can be recovered and reused by concentrating urine into a fertilizer-rich stream. Using a low-energy process known as forward osmosis, the team were able to remove water and retain high levels of nutrients without the energy demands of conventional wastewater treatment technologies. The approach could reduce the burden on treatment plants while supporting more sustainable fertilizer production.   "It is strange to say, but it has the added benefit of being true—our pee is an underutilized resource. Even though it contains the key nutrients we need for agriculture, we currently treat it as waste. "Our research shows that with the right treatment approach, we can recover these nutrients efficiently while reducing the energy demands of wastewater treatment."  A major challenge for membrane-based systems is membrane fouling—where biological and organic material builds up on the surface over time and reduces performance. The study provides one of the first detailed insights into how human urine behaves under repeated operation, showing how different conditions affect fouling, system efficiency and cleaning. The research team found that simple pre-treatment steps, such as filtration, can significantly improve performance, while most fouling can be reversed through cleaning—making the system more viable for long-term use.

America's sewage and manure hold a $5.7 billion key to breaking synthetic fertilizer dependence - Nutrients recovered from animal and human waste could drastically reduce synthetic fertilizer use in the U.S., according to a new Cornell University study that takes into account real-world implementation challenges like processing and transport. In the study in Nature Sustainability, researchers found that animal and human waste in the U.S. could theoretically meet 102% of nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus needs for the nation's agriculture, a value of more than $5.7 billion annually. But they also identified a major hurdle: a frequent mismatch between the location of the waste—often in areas densely populated with people or livestock—and agricultural regions with the highest fertilizer needs. Still, by mapping and analyzing the sources of waste and of agricultural need, the research team found that large percentages of recoverable nutrients—37% of nitrogen and 46% of phosphorus—can be used locally, and more than half of the surplus nutrients can be redistributed to nearby regions with low economic and environmental costs. "This is a coordination problem, not a resource problem," said corresponding author and assistant professor Chuan Liao. "Even considering the real-world constraints, there's still a substantial amount of nutrients that can be economically redistributed to meet crop needs." The research provides a blueprint for harnessing the vast, untapped potential of animal and human waste to reduce the U.S.'s reliance on synthetic fertilizers, which are energy-intensive to produce, harmful to the environment and often made overseas.

How hidden soil fungi 'steal' bacterial DNA to control the rain -Tiny organisms on the ground—bacteria and fungi—have a "superpower" that allows them to reach up into the atmosphere and pull down the rain, according to a recent study. To understand how a microbe can control a storm, we first have to look at how clouds become rain. High up in the atmosphere, water doesn't always freeze at 0°C. Temperatures are normally much lower at cloud level but pure water can stay liquid down to a bone-chilling -40°C.  Most rain starts as ice. In the atmosphere, clouds are full of "supercooled" water—liquid that is colder than freezing but hasn't turned to ice yet because it has nothing to hold onto.For a cloud to turn into rain or snow, it needs a "seed"– a tiny particle for water molecules to grab onto so they can crystallize into ice, then fall from the clouds as rain. Dust, soot and salt—swept into the clouds by wind—can do this, but they aren't very good at it. They usually require the temperature to drop significantly before they start working. This is where biology enters the frame.For decades, scientists have known about ice-nucleating proteins (INpros) found in certain bacteria like Pseudomonas syringae. Bacteria travel from plant leaves into the clouds to trigger rain. They use special proteins to force water to freeze at temperatures as high as -2°C. However, the recent discovery published in the journal Science Advances has revealed a new player in the climate game: fungal INpros. While bacteria keep their ice-making proteins tucked away on their "skin", fungi (mainly Fusarium and Mortierella) secrete these proteins into the soil around them. Their structure makes these fungal proteins water soluble and smaller than the bacterial ones, and with a high ice seeding activity, which makes them more effective cloud seeds.This leads us to the bio-precipitation cycle. Imagine a forest floor covered in these fungi. As the wind kicks up, their microscopic ice-making proteins are launched into the clouds. Once there, they act as powerful "seeds".Even in relatively warm clouds (above -5°C), these fungal proteins can force water to crystallize into ice. As these ice crystals grow, they become heavy and fall. As they drop through warmer air, they melt and turn into rain.This creates a loop:

• fungi grow in the damp soil of a forest
• proteins from the fungi are swept into the sky
• rain is triggered by these proteins, watering the forest below
• growth of more fungi is triggered by the rain, starting the cycle over again.

Unlike the Pseudomonas bacteria, which use ice to "attack" and damage crops to access their nutrients, these Mortierella fungi are peaceful plant partners. They aren't looking to destroy. Instead, they secrete their ice-making proteins into the surrounding soil, which seems to create a protective shield from harsh conditions and a nutrient-rich environment that helps both the fungus and the plant flourish.

Picky methane-consuming microorganisms prefer carbon monoxide, opening the door to more greenhouse gas release --Research by microbiologists Reinier Egas and Cornelia Welte of Radboud University shows that many methane-consuming microorganisms actually prefer carbon monoxide over methane. When carbon monoxide is present, they consume far less methane. This suggests that in carbon monoxide–rich environments, more methane may be released from the soil into the atmosphere. The paper is published in the journal Nature Communications.  Soils contain methanotrophs—microorganisms that consume methane. This is beneficial, as it prevents the harmful greenhouse gas from escaping into the air. Egas researched what happens when these microorganisms are exposed to substances other than methane. "It turned out that certain methanotrophs strongly prefer carbon monoxide. In carbon monoxide–rich environments, they are therefore likely to consume much less methane." This preference is understandable, as carbon monoxide yields much more energy than methane. The microorganisms were also significantly more active when consuming carbon monoxide. Egas explains, "We observed in their DNA that these microorganisms are actually better adapted to using carbon monoxide than methane. There wasn't just one gene involved in carbon monoxide consumption, but eight—an exceptionally high number. Methane consumers are a bit like pandas eating bamboo: they need to consume large amounts to obtain very little energy. It's highly inefficient."As a result, these so-called methane consumers may be misnamed—they behave more like carbon monoxide consumers. In areas where both gases are abundant in the soil, these microorganisms may no longer function effectively as a methane filter, allowing more methane to escape into the atmosphere. "We still know very little about where carbon monoxide occurs in high concentrations and how this influences methane emissions. We know it is present in the soil, but how much and where exactly still needs further investigation," the microbiologist explains.

Logged forests burn more severely than old growth, Tasmanian study finds - Tasmania's logged forests burn significantly more severely in a bushfire than old growth, University of Tasmania scientists have found in a study that provides the strongest evidence yet on a question with real consequences for how the state manages its forests. The research team, led by Professor David Bowman from the University of Tasmania's Fire Center, seized on a natural experiment when the 2019 Riveaux Road fire swept through the Huon Valley. The blaze burned across both old growth forest and younger regrowth that had been clearfelled in the 1990s, giving scientists a rare chance to compare the two side by side under identical fire conditions. The numbers told a clear story. When the fire hit old growth, it burned itself out 32 times. In logged regrowth, more than half the area burned at high or extreme severity. The paper is published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. "This was a natural experiment of a kind we rarely get in fire science. The same fire, the same weather, two different forests side by side. The results were unambiguous," Professor Bowman said. The reason lies in how the two forests are structured. Logged regrowth is made up of younger, shorter, denser trees whose canopies sit close to the ground, creating what fire scientists call ladder fuels, a continuous path that allows fire to climb from the forest floor straight into the treetops. Old growth forests have tall canopies well above a relatively open forest floor, making it much harder for fire to spread upwards. Regrowth forests also run hotter during fire season because thinner canopies let in more sunlight, drying out the leaves and bark that ignite first. The study found that under normal fire conditions, old growth forest helped slow and contain fires burning in neighboring regrowth. The researchers are careful to note, however, that during extreme fire weather all forests can burn severely regardless of their age or structure.That matters because about one-fifth of Tasmania's tall wet forests are currently regrowth younger than 40 years old, much of it the result of forestry activity since the 1980s. As the climate warms, Professor Bowman said finding ways to manage fire risk in these forests was becoming increasingly urgent.

Baltimore cuts flouride levels amid shortage caused by Iran war - The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) announced Monday that it will be temporarily reducing the amount of fluoride in its municipal water beginning this week due to national supply disruptions brought on by the war in Iran. “Fluoride levels will be lowered from approximately 0.7 milligrams per liter to 0.4 milligrams per liter at its Ashburton and Montebello filtration plants. There are no required minimum fluoride levels. Drinking water will remain safe and meet all federal and state water quality standards. This reduction does not affect the overall safety or quality of the water as fluoride is not regulatory required additive,” the DPW said in a statement. The department cited “broader national supply chain disruptions, driven in part by ongoing conflict in the Middle East” as reason for this measure. “This is an adjustment driven solely by supply availability,” DPW Director Matthew Garbark said in a statement. “We remain committed to providing safe, high-quality drinking water.” Fluoride is added to municipal water systems to help prevent tooth decay. About three quarters of the U.S. population lives in areas where the water supply is fluoridated. As the Associated Press reported, Israel is a top exporter of fluorosilicic acid, the additive commonly used for municipal water fluoridation in the U.S. There is no federal requirement regarding water fluoridation though the U.S. Public Health Service makes recommendation on what concentration municipalities should aim for. The current recommendation is 0.7 mg/L. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken out against water fluoridation, telling reporters last year that he would be directing the Centers for DIsease Control and Prevention to stop recommending it.

Iran War Leads To Fluoride Shortages For Some US Water Utilities - Multiple water providers have lowered the amount of fluoride they add to water for millions of Americans, amid shortages stemming from the U.S.–Iran war. The Baltimore City Department of Public Works said on April 13 that it is reducing the level of fluoride from 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to 0.4 mg/L. The move, officials said, was driven by disruptions to the supply chain caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. A key Israeli supplier, specifically, has been struggling to meet demand. “This is an adjustment driven solely by supply availability,” Matthew Garbark, director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, said in a statement. “We remain committed to providing safe, high-quality drinking water.” Some 1.8 million people in and around Baltimore, the most populous city in Maryland, are served water by the city of Baltimore utility. Fluoride, a mineral, is put in water as a preventative for tooth decay and cavities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adding 0.7 mg/L. WSSC Water, which serves 1.9 million people in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, said earlier in April it would be adding only 0.4 mg/L because of “nationwide supply chain disruptions.” Hydrofluorosilicic acid, an important compound for water fluoridation, has been hard to source amid the war, including from a supplier in Israel, the utility said. Israel is one of the world’s top exporters of fluorosilicic acid, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States is among the world’s top five importers of the product. “This is a temporary adjustment driven solely by supply availability,” Ben Thompson, WSSC Water’s director of production, said in a statement. “We remain committed to maintaining safe, high-quality drinking water and will restore optimal fluoride levels as soon as supply conditions stabilize.” In Pennsylvania, the borough of Lititz told its water customers in March that it had to halt fluoridation for a couple of weeks because of supply issues. As the conflict continues, “there will likely be additional stressors placed on the supply chain, leading to shortages in additional communities,” said Dan Hartnett, chief policy officer for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. A few months’ drop in fluoride levels is probably not a cause for concern for most people, said Dr. Scott Tomar, an American Dental Association community water fluoridation expert. Lower levels can have an impact over the span of years, he said. Tomar said younger children would be the first to experience tooth decay, because the fluoride strengthens enamel as their teeth are developing and once they have grown in. Some states and municipalities have in recent months completely stopped water fluoridation, as officials have pointed to emerging data such as a 2024 report from the National Institutes of Health that concluded with moderate confidence that higher levels of fluoride exposure were linked to decreases in children’s IQ scores. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that fluoride from toothpaste is sufficient to keep teeth strong.

Interior unveils emergency plans for Colorado River - The Interior Department announced Friday that it is preparing to take a pair of drastic actions in an effort to head off a water and power crisis along the drought-stricken Colorado River. Interior said it will cut releases out of one of the river’s two main reservoirs, Lake Powell, to the minimum amount legally allowed — 6 million acre-feet — between now and October. At the same time, it said, it will release as much as a third of the water currently stored in Flaming Gorge Reservoir upstream of Lake Powell over the next year. The department said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met with the governors of the seven Western states that share the waterway for a second time Friday to discuss the decision. “I am grateful for the Governors and their teams working diligently to find a solution to the complex challenges created by these unprecedented drought conditions which require immediate action,” Burgum said in a statement. The move underscores the dire conditions facing the West’s most important river as a hot, dry winter has shriveled the region’s snowpack just as the current rules governing water-sharing among the states are set to expire. Interior’s announcement came in tandem with the department’s latest projections for water levels at the river’s main reservoirs, which are also crucial for hydropower generation. The “most probable” projections show that levels at Lake Powell would fall below the critical 3,500-foot elevation by August, while the “minimum probable” projections show it dipping below that level by July. Interior has said it will not allow Powell water levels to fall below that threshold since hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam would cut off at an elevation of 3,490 feet. The Bureau of Reclamation fears that could cause damage to the infrastructure and threaten the ability to make deliveries downstream to Lake Mead, which supplies Arizona, California and Nevada. The department said in the statement that it expects the emergency actions to increase Powell’s elevation by approximately 54 feet, keeping it above a 3,500-foot elevation through April 2027 — although that will depend on the weather. But reducing releases out of Powell to prop up its water levels stands to instead send water levels at Lake Mead spiraling. In its statement, Interior acknowledged that the decline at Lake Mead will affect hydropower production there. “Reclamation acknowledges that the proposed reduced releases from Lake Powell will accelerate the downstream decline of Lake Mead, with the potential for up to an additional 40 percent reduction to Hoover Dam’s hydropower generating capacity as early as this fall,” it states. At the same time, Reclamation acknowledged the releases from Flaming Gorge will affect recreational interests in the upstream states. It said it expects the releases to reduce water levels there by 35 feet over the next year, taking it from 83 percent full now down to 59 percent full.

Saltwater is closing in on coastal groundwater, putting billions and food supplies at risk -Coastal groundwater is a key source of drinking water in many regions of the world. However, it is threatened by overabstraction and the potential for salinization. Rising sea levels are further exacerbating the situation. This is demonstrated by a recent study published in Nature Water by a research team led by Professor Robert Reinecke from the Institute of Geography at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. "Between 1990 and 2024, more than 20% of the coastal areas we studied showed significant changes in the groundwater level. In some cases, levels have dropped by more than 50 centimeters per year. This points to overabstraction and, consequently, the potential intrusion of seawater and associated salinization," explained Professor Robert Reinecke. The interaction between overabstraction and rising global sea levels due to global warming is particularly critical: "If groundwater levels drop, seawater can intrude more easily." The study is based on data from approximately 480,000 wells across different countries, compiled by the researchers, making it the largest global dataset of coastal groundwater measurements to date. "Our study makes three key contributions. First, it translates available measurement data from different locations into globally comparable metrics, enabling large-scale assessment for the first time. Second, it identifies areas at particular risk and highlights the changes occurring there. Third, it provides indicators that can be used to model developments along previously unmonitored coastlines," said Reinecke.Changes in groundwater levels in the affected areas vary considerably: levels have risen in some locations, while in others they have declined. However, since 2016, researchers have observed an overall increase in declining groundwater levels."The extent of groundwater-level change varies significantly, even on a small scale within many regions," said Reinecke. Falling levels have been observed primarily along the coasts of the United States and Central America, the Mediterranean region, South Africa, India, and southern Australia.The study also examined where coastal groundwater is particularly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. "Coastal areas where the groundwater table is close to sea level are especially at risk, as are arid regions where populations rely heavily on groundwater. Our study provides global evidence that coastal groundwater is threatened by salinization and must be prioritized for monitoring and management," emphasized Reinecke. "Over the next 50 years, drinking water shortages could arise in all coastal areas of the world." This poses risks not only to the water supply of coastal populations—accounting for more than 30% of the world's population—but also to local food production and ecosystems.

Trump fires Presidio Trust board, leaving SF park in limbo - The Trump administration has dismissed all six members of the Presidio Trust board, the governing body that oversees a unique national park site near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Trump previously identified the Presidio Trust as “unnecessary” in an executive order issued last year aimed at shrinking the federal bureaucracy. Congressional appropriators have cut off its access to federal loans, but the park is largely self-sufficient. The six members — Mark W. Buell, Charles M. Collins, Lenore Eccles, Patsy Ishiyama, Bonnie LePard and Nicola Miner — were all appointed by former President Joe Biden. A seventh seat on the board is reserved for the Interior secretary or his designee. Three of the members had terms set to expire in May 2027, while the other three had terms that expired last year.

Of gray whales that enter San Francisco Bay, nearly 18% die there, scientists find --Gray whales migrate from Arctic waters full of food to the lagoons of Baja Mexico—but as the climate crisis gathers pace, they have been sighted foraging in unexpected places. Recently, some have begun to explore the dangerously busy waters of San Francisco Bay. Scientists at the Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences investigating an unexpectedly high death toll among gray whales have found that almost 20% of individuals seen entering the Bay died there, in large part due to boat strikes. The team's study appears in Frontiers in Marine Science."Gray whales have a low profile on the water when they surface, and this makes them difficult to see in conditions like fog, which are common in San Francisco Bay," explained Josephine Slaathaug of Sonoma State University, lead author of the study. "Additionally, San Francisco Bay is a highly trafficked waterway, and the Golden Gate Strait serves as a bottleneck through which all traffic and whales must enter and exit."Because it's considered unusual for gray whales to eat during their migrations to and from tropical lagoons, they are heavily dependent on the prey in their Arctic feeding grounds. But the impact of the climate crisis on their preferred prey means that gray whales are increasingly vulnerable. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, their population has dropped by more than 50% since 2016. Very few calves are being spotted.Formerly, gray whales' migration pathways didn't include San Francisco Bay, but since 2018, scientists have spotted gray whales appearing there—and dying there. The scientists set out to determine what was happening to these "Bay Grays," and whether they were regular visitors.They developed a catalog of visiting whales using opportunistic surveys and citizen science photographs from 2018–2023, supplemented by systematic surveys from 2023–2025.  The surveys identified 114 individual whales spotted in the bay between 2018 and 2025. It seems that most whales don't return to the bay: Only four have been seen in multiple years. More research is needed, but this could mean San Francisco Bay serves as a sort of emergency pitstop for particularly hungry whales, as very thin whales have been seen elsewhere stopping to forage in habitats they don't usually use.However, it seems that many visiting whales don't survive to return to the Bay. Between 2018 and 2025, 70 gray whales were found dead in the local area. Thirty of these were hit by boats, while many of the other whales for which a cause of death could be identified died of malnutrition. Out of 45 potentially identifiable dead whales, the scientists matched 21 to their catalog."At least 18% of the individuals identified in San Francisco Bay later died in the area," said Bekah Lane of the Center for Coastal Studies, co-author. "Our broader analysis of local strandings both inside and outside San Francisco Bay found that over 40% of these whales died of trauma from vessels."

Multiple tornadoes hit Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin during April 13 severe weather outbreak - The Watchers - 5 YouTube videos - A severe weather outbreak on April 13, 2026, produced at least 14 preliminary tornado reports across Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with the most serious reported damage in and near Ottawa. No fatalities were immediately reported, but storm surveys were still underway as forecasters warned of additional rounds of severe weather through at least April 16. The outbreak developed during the evening after a daytime atmospheric cap weakened, allowing supercells to form along a warm front draped across the Upper Midwest and ahead of a dryline extending through the central Plains. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) received at least 14 preliminary tornado reports between 23:17 UTC on April 13 and 01:30 UTC on April 14, spanning four states and multiple National Weather Service (NWS) forecast areas. Kansas recorded the most significant reported impacts, with preliminary tornado reports logged near Quenemo, Pomona, Ottawa, Blue Mound, Spring Hill, Hillsdale, and near Pleasanton. Three tornado reports were logged in southern Minnesota near Amboy, Truman, and Matawan, while three more were received in northwestern Iowa near Emmetsburg, Graettinger, and Webb. One additional preliminary tornado report came from near Hannibal in Taylor County, Wisconsin. A delayed storm chaser report from southwest of Quenemo said a brief tornado damaged a sheet metal shed. Near Ottawa, multiple field reports described structural damage, snapped power poles, and power outages affecting parts of the city and the surrounding area, although final damage totals and tornado rating were still pending survey confirmation. The Ottawa tornado appeared to be the most damaging event of the outbreak based on available field reports. Video from eastern Kansas showed a tornado moving near populated areas south of the city, while local damage accounts pointed to impacts on buildings and utility infrastructure. No injuries or fatalities had been confirmed as of early April 14. The most notable tornado in Minnesota was filmed near Truman, where live weather coverage captured a tornado crossing farmland. Additional tornado reports were received near Amboy, west of Elmore, and near Matawan. A farm outbuilding was reported damaged west of Amboy. Large hail accompanied the storms in Minnesota, with hailstones up to at least tennis-ball size reported in parts of the southern state. No injuries were immediately reported. In Iowa, tornado reports were logged north of Emmetsburg, near Graettinger, and near Webb. Storm chasers and emergency management officials provided visual confirmation and photographs of tornadoes in Palo Alto, Emmet, and Clay counties. Preliminary data suggests the tornadoes mainly affected rural or open areas. A tornado report was also received near Hannibal in Taylor County, Wisconsin, as intermittently lifting and touching down. Damage information from that area remained limited early April 14. The April 13 outbreak marks the opening phase of a broader multi-day severe weather pattern expected to affect much of the central United States. The SPC placed parts of eastern Iowa, northern Illinois, and southern Wisconsin under an Enhanced Risk for severe thunderstorms on April 14, warning of very large hail up to 5-7.5 cm (2-3 inches), damaging wind gusts, and a few tornadoes, some of them potentially strong. “Severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon through tonight from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes,” SPC forecasters Moore and Wendt noted. “Large to very large hail, a few tornadoes (some strong), and damaging wind gusts will be possible, particularly across parts of eastern Iowa, northern Illinois, and southern Wisconsin. Additional severe storms, mainly producing strong wind gusts, will be possible across parts of the Northeast this afternoon.” spc categorical outlook valid 12z april 14 to 12z april 15 2026 SPC Categorical Outlook valid 12:00 UTC on April 14 to 12:00 UTC on April 15, 2026. Credit: NWS/SPC NWS Weather Prediction Center (WPC) warned that repeated rounds of severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall could affect the southern and central Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes through April 16 as multiple low-pressure waves track along a frontal boundary.

NWS confirms EF-2 tornado hit Ottawa, Kansas, injuring 3 on April 13 - YouTube video - An EF-2 tornado struck Ottawa in Franklin County, Kansas, between 19:23 and 19:48 CDT on April 13, 2026, damaging homes, businesses, and power infrastructure while injuring three people. The National Weather Service (NWS) determined the tornado reached estimated peak winds of 201 km/h (125 mph). It remained on the ground for 11.75 km (7.3 miles) and reached a maximum width of 91 m (100 yards), producing a concentrated damage corridor across the southern side of Ottawa and injuring 3 people. The tornado developed a few miles west of Ottawa before moving into the southern side of the city, where much of the damage occurred in residential and commercial areas. Survey findings documented damage to buildings, trees, and power infrastructure consistent with EF-2 intensity. Multiple utility poles were snapped or damaged between 15th and 17th Streets, causing power outages in parts of the city. Municipal crews and utility providers began restoration work overnight, while debris removal operations continued on April 14. The tornado formed as severe thunderstorms moved across east-central Kansas Monday evening, also producing very large hail. Hail up to 7 cm (2.75 inches) in diameter was reported in Franklin, Osage, and Lyon counties. The same storm system also produced a brief EF-0 tornado near Quenemo in Osage County earlier in the evening, but Ottawa sustained the most significant damage. NWS Storm Prediction Center received 14 tornado reports on April 13 from Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Kansas recorded the most significant reported impacts, with preliminary tornado reports logged near Quenemo, Pomona, Ottawa, Blue Mound, Spring Hill, Hillsdale, and near Pleasanton. Three tornado reports were logged in southern Minnesota near Amboy, Truman, and Matawan, while three more were received in northwestern Iowa near Emmetsburg, Graettinger, and Webb. One additional preliminary tornado report came from near Hannibal in Taylor County, Wisconsin.

Cheboygan Dam nears overtopping as spring flooding worsens across northern Michigan - YouTube video - Cheboygan Dam in northern Michigan rose to within 20 cm (8 inches) of overtopping by early April 14, 2026, despite emergency pumping, gate removals, and efforts to restore a shuttered hydroelectric station to increase discharge. The National Weather Service said Flood Watches remained in effect across much of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula as heavy rain, melting snow, and saturated ground continued to drive runoff into rivers, streams, and low-lying areas. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency on April 10 at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex after rising water levels raised concerns about overtopping and downstream flooding. By Monday, April 13, water behind the dam had risen 15 cm (6 inches) in one day despite five large pumps already operating and crews using cranes to remove dam gates to improve flow. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said more pumps were being added and crews were working with utility teams to restore a hydroelectric station that has been offline since 2023. Officials said temporarily returning the plant to service could increase water flow through the complex by about 30 percent, helping stabilize or reduce water levels upstream. The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office urged residents living between the dam and Lake Huron to prepare go-bags, monitor official updates, and be ready to act if conditions worsen. “This is a prolonged flooding event in the affected areas,” meteorologists at the NWS Gaylord said. “Be prepared for impacts from high water to last through the week, and potentially longer. Ice on area lakes will slow the flow of water and may prolong the timeframe of this event. Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law enforcement and request they pass this information to the National Weather Service when you can do so safely.” Flood Warning for the areas in Emmet and Cheboygan counties within the Cheboygan River basin, upstream of the Cheboygan Dam, is in effect through at least 18:30 EDT on Sunday, April 19, or when waters recede. This includes the Maple River, Crooked Lake, Crooked River, Burt Lake, Indian River, Mullet Lake, Black Lake, the Black River, and the Sturgeon River. Flood concerns were also increasing elsewhere in northern Michigan. Water at Bellaire Dam was reported to be about 46 cm (18 inches) below overtopping after rising 15 cm (6 inches) overnight, prompting sandbagging operations. Authorities there advised nearby residents to prepare in case evacuations became necessary. Flood Warnings remained active along the Cheboygan River basin, the Au Sable River near Mio and downstream areas, and the Manistee River, where high releases from Mio Dam and Tippy Dam were adding to elevated flows. Flooding and storm-related impacts were already affecting transportation and infrastructure. A washout was reported on M-119 Tunnel of Trees after a culvert failure, and flights were canceled at Pellston Regional Airport because of water on the runway. “Due to the continued flow of water onto the airfield, both runways and infield runway safety areas now have standing water covering a larger amount of surface area than yesterday’s post showed,” Pellston airport officials said April 13. “The airport has now closed both runways but will remain open for rotary wing traffic (helicopters) if needed. The airlines have been working hard to assist affected passengers with their travel plans, and we continue to monitor the situation as we see more and more areas affected by this year’s thaw. Again, we apologize to all of those in our community who have been or will be impacted by our closure, but safe aircraft operations in and out of Pellston will always be our top priority.”

Flooding triggers evacuations in Michigan as rivers surge and dam pressure increases - YouTube video - Flooding across Michigan forced evacuations on April 16, 2026, as multiple rivers reached major flood stage following heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt. Authorities issued emergency declarations in several counties, with evacuations ordered downstream of dams under increased hydrological stress. Flooding across multiple regions of Michigan intensified in mid-April, as a combination of heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt drove rivers to major flood stage across several basins. The event affected large parts of the Lower Peninsula, with emergency declarations issued at both state and county levels and evacuations ordered in areas exposed to rising water levels. Rivers, including the Muskegon, Manistee, and Boardman, exceeded or approached major flood thresholds, with some locations reported near historical crest levels. Rapid hydrological response followed locally reported rainfall totals reaching approximately 150-200 mm (6-8 inches) in the most affected areas, compounded by saturated ground conditions that limited infiltration and accelerated runoff into river systems. Evacuations were ordered in multiple counties, including areas downstream of the Croton Dam along the Muskegon River basin. Additional evacuation preparedness measures were activated near the Cheboygan Dam, where water levels approached operational limits. Local authorities issued staged evacuation alerts, instructing residents in flood-prone zones to prepare for immediate departure if conditions deteriorate. County-level emergency declarations were issued in several jurisdictions, including Mecosta, Newaygo, and Lake counties, where flooding inundated residential areas, disrupted transportation networks, and rendered multiple roads impassable. State emergency operations were activated to coordinate response efforts, including resource deployment and continuous monitoring of hydrological conditions. Dam infrastructure across affected basins remained under sustained pressure due to elevated inflow volumes. The Croton and Cheboygan dams were among the structures under close observation, with operators managing discharge rates to balance reservoir levels and downstream flood risk. Emergency reinforcement measures were reported at the Homestead Dam, which remained stable following intervention efforts.

Early-season EF-3 tornado damages home and multiple outbuildings near Union Center, Wisconsin - YouTube video - An EF-3 tornado struck rural areas west-northwest of Union Center, Wisconsin, between 17:33 and 17:52 CDT (22:33-22:52 UTC) on April 14, 2026, damaging a family home, destroying numerous outbuildings, and downing many trees along a 14.1 km (8.78-mile) path. The National Weather Service in La Crosse confirmed peak winds of 225 km/h (140 mph) in its preliminary damage survey. Multiple supercell thunderstorms developed across northeast Iowa and west-central and southwestern Wisconsin during the afternoon of Tuesday, April 14, producing at least one tornado near Union Center, Wisconsin, and multiple reports of hail up to 8.89 cm (3.5 inches) in diameter across the region. Wind-driven hail up to baseball size damaged property in Westby, Cashton, and other parts of Vernon County. An EF-3 tornado then tracked across rural parts of Vernon and Juneau counties, causing significant structural damage near Union Center during this early-season Upper Midwest severe weather outbreak. The National Weather Service office in La Crosse said the tornado was on the ground from 17:33 to 17:52 CDT (22:33–22:52 UTC), traveled 14.1 km (8.78 miles), and reached peak winds of 225 km/h (140 mph). The tornado began about 2 km (1.2 miles) north-northeast of Hillsboro in Vernon County and moved northeast, ending about 8 km (5 miles) east of Elroy in Juneau County. The most severe damage occurred near Raese Road, where a family home sustained damage consistent with lower-end EF-3 intensity. Survey teams found that the remainder of the path was mostly in the EF-1 range, with estimated winds of about 160-170 km/h (100-105 mph). Damage became more intermittent over the final 3.2-4.8 km (2-3 miles) of the tornado’s path. Even so, the storm destroyed numerous outbuildings and downed many trees across the affected rural corridor. The National Weather Service said the survey remains preliminary and may be updated in the final Storm Data. The tornado formed within a broader severe weather outbreak that affected parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and neighboring states on April 13-14. The same regional setup produced multiple tornado reports and very large hail, including hailstones larger than 7.5 cm (3 inches) in parts of southern Minnesota. Although April marks the start of the Upper Midwest severe weather season, stronger tornadoes are less common in Wisconsin this early in the year than during the late spring peak. The April 14 event developed in an environment characterized by strong vertical wind shear, sufficient instability, and northward transport of Gulf moisture, supporting supercells capable of producing significant tornadoes.

Tornadoes damage homes and infrastructure across multiple Midwest states on April 17 - 7 YouTube videos - A severe weather outbreak produced multiple tornadoes across the Midwestern United States on April 17, 2026, resulting in structural damage to residential buildings and infrastructure in several states. Preliminary National Weather Service data indicates more than 20 tornado reports, with impacts concentrated in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota and extending into Missouri, and at least one reported injury. A severe convective system moved across the Midwest on April 17, producing multiple tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds as it interacted with a warm, moist air mass ahead of an advancing cold front. The environment supported supercell thunderstorm development, allowing discrete storms to produce tornadoes before evolving into broader storm clusters. Preliminary Local Storm Reports from National Weather Service (NWS) offices indicate more than 20 tornado reports across several states. The most significant impacts were reported in parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, where tornadoes caused structural damage to residential buildings and infrastructure. Satellite image acquired at 23:10 UTC on April 17, 2026. In Marathon County, Wisconsin, approximately 75 homes in the town of Ringle (population 1 711) sustained damage after a tornado moved through the area, according to local officials. The tornado reportedly started in Kronenwetter and moved north into Ringle. Ringle Fire Chief Chris Kielman said some people were trapped in their basements, but no one was injured, and no one died. “Crews double-checked each affected property to make sure no one was inside. Several homes have been demolished.” According to WSAW, displaced residents were taken to the D.C. Everest Middle School. Additional damage was reported in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, where a confirmed tornado caused damage to multiple homes. Photographic evidence from the area showed structural damage consistent with tornadic winds, although detailed assessments of intensity and path length remain pending.

At least 45 killed as floods and landslides hit Luanda and Benguela, Angola - YouTube video -- Deadly floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain from April 4 to 6, 2026, hit western Angola, killing at least 45 people and affecting more than 51 000 across several provinces. The worst impacts were reported in Benguela and Luanda, where homes were destroyed, roads cut off, and critical infrastructure damaged. The death toll stood at 45 as of April 8, including 26 deaths in Benguela, 13 in Luanda, four in Cuanza Sul, and two in Malanje. Authorities also reported several people missing and injuries in the hardest-hit provinces. Flooding destroyed 607 homes and inundated 9 511 others, affecting a total of 51 275 people. Authorities said floodwaters also damaged schools, health facilities, power infrastructure, and roads, while landslides were reported in multiple areas. Flooding caused extensive disruption to transport and access routes in Benguela Province, according to local authorities and media. Road links were cut in several areas, while flood damage also affected rail operations and delayed the movement of goods and people. In Luanda, some of the worst flooding was reported in districts including Cazenga, Viana, and Kilamba Kiaxi, where intense short-duration rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems and caused rapid urban flooding.

At least 12 killed as floods cut off communities in northwestern Haiti - Heavy rainfall caused floods, river overflows, and landslides across northwestern Haiti from April 11 to 13, 2026, killing at least 12 people and flooding hundreds of homes. The hardest-hit municipalities were Saint-Louis-du-Nord, Port-de-Paix, and Anse-à-Foleur, where damaged roads and bridges left several communities cut off. Heavy rainfall across northwestern Haiti from April 11 to 13 caused floods, river overflows, and landslides, killing at least 12 people and flooding hundreds of homes. The hardest-hit municipalities were Saint-Louis-du-Nord, Port-de-Paix, and Anse-à-Foleur, where damaged roads and bridges left several communities cut off. The deadliest impacts were reported in Saint-Louis-du-Nord, where residents were swept away by floodwaters or killed in landslides after intense rainfall saturated slopes and river catchments. Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency reported that the fatalities were concentrated in several rural sections of the commune, while additional people were reported missing in coastal and riverside communities. Floodwaters inundated hundreds of homes across the affected municipalities, with housing totals varying between more than 900 and around 1 200 flooded homes. Around 2 500 residents were reported affected in the northwest. Haitian outlets reported severe damage along the road linking Port-de-Paix and Saint-Louis-du-Nord, while the Ti Rivyè bridge was reported destroyed, resulting in limited access to some communities and complicating the delivery of food and basic supplies.

Severe flash flooding disrupts Riyadh and eastern Saudi Arabia, prompting widespread school closures - (videos) Torrential storms swept across much of Saudi Arabia between April 11 and April 13, 2026, bringing heavy rain, flash flooding, hail, and strong winds that disrupted transport and forced schools and universities to suspend in-person classes across multiple regions. Capital Riyadh and Al Ahsa were among the most visibly affected areas, while flood warnings remained active across much of the Kingdom into Tuesday, April 14. According to the National Center for Meteorology (NCM), Abhia Airport station in the Asir region recorded 65.6 mm (2.58 inches) of rainfall — the highest total for this storm, followed by 42.2 mm (1.66 inches) at King Khalid Reserve in Riyadh. 20.6 mm (0.81 inches) were reported in the Al-Qadisiyah district of Dammam in the Eastern Province, while Al-Darb in Jazan saw 11.2 mm (0.44 inches). Flooding was reported on major roads and low-lying corridors in Riyadh, where heavy rain caused widespread standing water and traffic disruption. The Saudi Red Crescent Authority said it deployed 143 ambulances and 25 rapid response teams to support flood-related incidents in Riyadh. Education authorities in several regions suspended classroom teaching and shifted students to the Madrasati remote learning platform as conditions deteriorated. Closures were confirmed in parts of the Eastern Province, Asir, and Al Baha. Al Baha University, King Khalid University, and King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences also moved to online learning in affected campuses.

Floods and landslides leave 15 dead and damage over 28 000 homes in Ecuador - YouTube video -- Floods and landslides triggered by persistent heavy rainfall have left 15 people dead and affected 110 875 others across Ecuador since the start of the rainy season in January 2026, according to Ecuador’s National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR). Authorities reported widespread damage to homes, bridges, and transport infrastructure as rainfall continued to affect most of the country. SNGR has recorded 2 308 weather-related adverse events across all 24 provinces, affecting 196 cantons and 698 parishes. Flooding and landslides accounted for most incidents, with 877 floods and 825 landslides reported nationwide. The provinces with the highest number of affected people remain Guayas, Los Ríos, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Manabí, Loja, Santa Elena, and Chimborazo, where repeated rainfall episodes have caused river overflows, flash flooding, and slope failures. SNGR reported that 245 houses were destroyed and 28 633 were damaged. 61 km (38 miles) of roads were damaged, and a total of 41 bridges were affected, including 33 destroyed, disrupting road access and transport links in several affected areas. The latest figures show a clear increase in cumulative impacts compared with late March, when authorities reported 82 941 affected people, 137 destroyed houses, 20 685 damaged homes, and 32 destroyed bridges. Coastal and western provinces remain the most exposed because prolonged rainfall since January has increased soil saturation, reduced slope stability, and raised the likelihood of renewed flooding in low-lying communities and river basins. Ecuador’s National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI) forecast further moderate to heavy rainfall, with localized thunderstorms, across most of the country through the next 48 hours. The forecast maintains a high likelihood of additional localized flooding, river rises, and landslides, especially in areas that have already experienced repeated impacts.

Tropical Cyclone Maila triggers deadly landslides and severe flooding in Bougainville and eastern Papua New Guinea - Tropical Cyclone Maila left at least 11 people dead in Bougainville and eastern Papua New Guinea by April 13, 2026, after days of heavy rain, landslides, flooding, and coastal impacts. Eight people were killed when a landslide buried a house in Asiko Village in Central Bougainville, the deadliest single incident reported during the storm. Local media are reporting that entire coastal villages were destroyed during the passage of the cyclone. Tropical Cyclone Maila formed as Tropical Low 37U in the northeastern Coral Sea on April 2, between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The system crossed 155°E into the area of responsibility of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC) Port Moresby on April 4 and was named Maila, making it the first tropical cyclone named by TCWC Port Moresby since Cyclone Guba in 2007. Maila intensified rapidly after naming while moving slowly through the Solomon Sea under weak steering conditions. By April 5, the system reached Category 3 strength on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reporting sustained winds near the center of 130 km/h (81 mph) and wind gusts to 185 km/h (115 mph) as it affected the Solomon Islands’ Western Province. Maila then stalled over the Solomon Sea for several days as competing ridges limited its movement. Its slow forward speed prolonged exposure to heavy rain, rough seas, and storm surge across the Solomon Islands and nearby island communities in Papua New Guinea. The system intensified further on April 7, reaching Category 4 strength before peaking at Category 5 on April 8, with sustained winds near the center of 215 km/h (134 mph) and gusts to 295 km/h (183 mph). TCWC Port Moresby issued a Tropical Cyclone Advisory at 15:00 local time on April 3, followed by a Tropical Cyclone Warning at 00:00 local time on April 5 as Maila approached populated island areas. Forecast agencies warned of dangerous marine conditions, prolonged heavy rain, flooding, and damaging winds across the Solomon Sea region. The storm’s slow movement and prolonged rainfall had severe consequences in Bougainville and other parts of eastern Papua New Guinea, where at least 11 people had been confirmed dead by April 13, with the highest toll reported in Bougainville. The Star is reporting that entire villages were destroyed in the storm. Satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Maila at 06:10 UTC on April 8, 2026. Credit: JMA/Himawari-9, Zoom Earth, The Watchers Eight people were killed when a night-time landslide buried a house in Asiko Village in Central Bougainville, making it the deadliest single incident linked to the cyclone. Two women were also killed by falling trees in Bougainville, and around 12 other people were being treated in hospital for storm-related injuries. Roads and bridges were damaged in several parts of Bougainville, disrupting food supply routes and delaying access to remote communities as authorities worked to assess the full extent of the damage. In Milne Bay Province, including affected islands identified by Australian officials, authorities were still working on April 13 to determine the scale of storm damage in remote island communities. The country’s public broadcaster reported on April 13 that initial estimates suggest more than 10 000 people were affected and nearly 20 000 are in need of immediate assistance across Bougainville. Local media reported that many residents have been left homeless, while roads and bridges have been destroyed, disrupting food supplies. Additionally, schools are expected to remain closed for the week. Although Maila weakened as it interacted with southeastern Papua New Guinea and moved toward the Coral Sea, flood, landslide, and access risks remained elevated in saturated areas.

Monster typhoon bears down on US-controlled islands --A dangerous typhoon bore down on two U.S. territories in the western Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, bringing strong winds and life-threatening flooding.Typhoon Sinlaku was downgraded from a super typhoon early Wednesday local time as it battered the Northern Mariana Islands, according to the latest advisory from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Guam.  The center of the powerful storm was pulling away from Tinian and Saipan, moving northwest at 5 mph. Forecasters said it is expected to pass just west of the islands of Almagan, Pagan and Agrihan in the latter half of the week.As of the latest advisory, maximum sustained winds had decreased to 145 mph, with typhoon-force winds extending up to 75 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 265 miles.The Weather Channel reported that Sinlaku is the strongest tropical cyclone so far in 2026, rapidly strengthening from a Category 1 storm to a peak intensity of 185 mph maximum sustained winds.The slow-moving storm lashed Guam and the Northern Marianas with fierce winds and torrential rain, with forecasts calling for up to 15 to 20 inches of precipitation for Tinian and Saipan and 6 to 12 inches for Rota, according to NWS.Flash flood warnings were in effect across the remote U.S. islands, with an estimated storm surge of at least 5-8 feet above ground level expected in the Northern Marianas. NWS said wind-and-wave-driven surf could result in even higher storm surge along windward-facing beaches and reefs.Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Jose Blas Camacho told the The Associated Press late Tuesday that Sinlaku was “hitting us hard.”“It’s so difficult for us to respond with this heavy rain, heavy wind to rescue people. Objects are just flying left and right,” he said.The NWS in Guam also issued an extreme wind warning for Saipan and Tinian until 5 a.m. ChST, or 3 p.m. EDT, amid typhoon-force winds.“Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to an interior room or shelter NOW!” the agency warned.

Super Typhoon Sinlaku nears Saipan and Tinian with destructive winds, flooding and dangerous surf - Super Typhoon Sinlaku approached Saipan and Tinian on April 14, 2026, with destructive typhoon-force winds, life-threatening coastal flooding and torrential rain expected through Wednesday. The National Weather Service said the storm’s center was just southeast of the islands Tuesday afternoon local time, with the eyewall nearing both islands and dangerous conditions already affecting parts of the Marianas.   Key highlights:

• Sinlaku’s eyewall nears Saipan and Tinian with sustained winds of 250 km/h (155 mph).
• Life-threatening coastal flooding of 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 feet), locally up to 3–4.5 m (10–15 feet), is possible along exposed shores.
• Torrential rain and flash flooding are expected through Wednesday, with up to 380–635 mm (15–25 inches) near the storm’s center.

At 13:00 ChST (03:00 UTC) on April 14, the center of Sinlaku was located about 72 km (45 miles) southeast of Tinian and 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Saipan. The storm was moving northwest at 14 km/h (9 mph) with maximum sustained winds of 250 km/h (155 mph), according to the National Weather Service (NWS) and Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), who described Sinlaku as an extremely dangerous super typhoon undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle. Forecasters said Sinlaku’s track continued to favor a passage over or very near Tinian and Saipan Tuesday night local time. Typhoon warnings remained in effect for Saipan, Tinian, Rota, Alamagan, Pagan, and Agrihan. A Tropical Storm Warning and Typhoon Watch remained in effect for Guam. NWS warned typhoon-force winds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph) were expected to develop over Tinian and Saipan Tuesday afternoon and evening. Given Sinlaku’s intensity and core structure, destructive wind damage to roofs, power infrastructure, and exposed buildings is possible, along with prolonged utility outages and dangerous airborne debris. A Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect until 05:00 ChST Thursday for Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan, while a High Surf Warning remains in effect until 18:00 ChST Thursday. Breaking waves are forecast to reach 6-9 m (20-30 feet) at Tinian and Saipan, with significant coastal flooding of 1.5-2.4 m (5-8 feet) likely. NWS meteorologists warned wave and wind-driven surf could locally push water 3-4.5 m (10-15 feet) above normal water levels along windward shores. The warning said numerous roads could be closed and low-lying homes, businesses and some critical infrastructure could be inundated. Shoreline erosion and dangerous surf conditions were expected across north-, east-, west- and south-facing reefs and shorelines. Heavy rain and flash flooding are expected across the Marianas through Wednesday, April 15, with rainfall totals of 380-635 mm (15-25 inches) possible near Sinlaku’s center. Tinian and Saipan are expected to receive the heaviest rain, while Rota could see 250-510 mm (10-20 inches). Guam was forecast to receive 150-300 mm (6-12 inches), with locally higher totals. A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect there after radar indicated 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) of rain had already fallen, with rainfall rates of 25-50 mm (1–2 inches) per hour and an additional 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) possible. Flooding of roads, streams, urban areas, and low-lying locations is possible in multiple villages, including Dededo, Tamuning, Yigo, and Mangilao.

Northern Marianas brace for weeks without power after super typhoon Sinlaku  -Some hard hit areas of the Northern Marianas could be without power and water for weeks after the Pacific Ocean islands were battered by a super typhoon, an official has said.The only hospital on Saipan, a US territory that is the largest of the Mariana Islands, experienced severe flooding and on Thursday there had been reports of big resorts losing backup generators, said Ed Propst, a former lawmaker who works in the governor’s office.“It’s pretty bad conditions right now,” he said, adding that people were bracing for a long stretch without electricity and water. Super Typhoon Sinlaku first hit the islands on Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday, with a barrage of fierce winds and relentless rains that flipped over cars, toppled utility poles and ripped away tin roofs. Authorities were just beginning to assess the damage left behind by the storm.Power and water were out and many of the roads impassable across Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands, home to about 45,000 people, according to officials.In a text to the Associated Press, Bernard Villagomez, a public information officer for the territory, said: “We still have a shelter in place so first responders have not been able to do a full damage assessment.”The storm also battered Guam, another US territory and the site of several American military bases, with tropical force winds.The typhoon had sustained winds of up to 150mph (241km/h) when it made landfall, the national weather service said, and on Wednesday, was packing winds of 125mph as it pulled away to the north from the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota. Sinlaku is expected to start curving toward sparsely populated volcanic islands in the far northern Marianas.The storm was about 170 miles north-west of Saipan on Thursday, the weather service said. Many sensors on the island were down, but it estimated that winds were about 60 to 70mph.

Why the phrase 'Super El Niño' makes Australian climate scientists roll their eyes - Frightening headlines predicting a Super El Niño or even a Godzilla El Niño amp up anxiety levels for farmers and residents of bushfire-prone regions. But these phrases are not particularly accurate. The phrase "Super El Niño" makes climate scientists like me roll our eyes. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation is a natural and reoccurring climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean which can influence the chance of different weather affecting Australia. When sea surface temperatures near the Americas are warmer than usual and the trade winds blowing from east to west across the equator weaken, climatologists call this pattern an El Niño. El Niño events typically ramp up in winter and spring, and decay towards the end of summer and start of autumn. [NB: he is speaking of Australian seasons] During El Niño, we tend to experience warmer than usual temperatures and reduced winter-spring rainfall in Australia's east. We pay attention to El Niño and its opposite, La Niña, because this climate pattern has the biggest influence on year-to-year rainfall and temperature differences in eastern Australia. Drought is a key concern for farmers and rural residents, and some of the largest droughts of the past 40 years took place during El Niño years. But problems can arise if we expect El Niño to be the only factor dictating our weather. One El Niño can be stronger or weaker than others. Scientists monitor El Niño using the Nino3.4 index, a measure of how much warmer (or cooler) than usual the ocean is in a region in the east Pacific. This region is the best at representing changes in the Pacific which can indicate El Niño. When ocean temperatures are 0.8°C warmer than usual in that region, and the trade winds have sufficiently weakened, the Bureau of Meteorology can declare an El Niño has arrived. (The United States uses 0.5°C as the figure.)A "Super El Niño" is when the region's ocean temperatures rise 2°C, roughly two standard deviations above normal (about a 2.5% chance of happening). While scientists first coined the term, the evocative phrase has become a favorite of media commentators.But Australian forecasters don't use these terms, as it doesn't matter that much for our weather if the index goes over 2°C. What matters much more is whether an El Niño is present or not.Why? When we measure the strength of the El Niño, we are really only referring to ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific. But this figure is not very well correlated with less rain in eastern Australia. It also only captures ocean changes and doesn't reflect the El Niño atmospheric changes which influence the weather systems that actually bring rain to Australia.That's not all. The Niño3.4 Index is just one of many indications of how Australia's upcoming weather is likely to look. One index can't tell the whole story. Relying on it is like looking at the BMI of a bodybuilder and declaring them obese.Readers may wonder how scientists can define El Niño using an ocean temperature threshold when oceans are getting steadily warmer under climate change. Won't we end up with constant El Niño?This is a good question. It's why the Bureau of Meteorology last year introduced a relative Niño index, to give scientists a way to account for warming due to climate change. Over autumn, the Pacific Ocean is noncommittal. It can indicate future outcomes that don't always happen. Meteorologists have a term for this. It's called the Autumn Predictability Barrier. What it means is that El Niño forecasts are the least reliable during autumn.So while forecasts of the Pacific Ocean might be pointing towards an El Niño, history warns us to take forecasts made in autumn for later in the year with a big lump of salt. At present, the European, US and Australian model forecasts of Niño3.4 indicate a strong El Niño might develop. But this isn't conclusive.As a scientist who has researched seasonal forecasts of Australian rainfall, my advice is to ignore autumn headlines warning of a potentially catastrophic "Super El Niño."These get more clicks than more accurate headlines pointing out that long-term forecasts at this time of year are uncertain. It's worth waiting until the end of autumn or early winter before taking El Niño forecasts too seriously. Will we get an El Niño this year? The only scientifically accurate answer as of April 9, 2026, is "maybe." It's way too early to say anything other than that an El Niño is more likely to form this year than a La Niña.

Worsening ocean heat waves are 'supercharging' hurricane damage, study finds -Marine heat waves are supercharging damage caused by hurricanes and tropical cyclones across the globe, a new study found. Researchers looked at 1,600 tropical cyclones—the broader category of storms that includes hurricanes—that made landfall since 1981 and found those that went over the extra-hot water were more likely to intensify rapidly, a problem that's becoming more frequent. This resulted in 60% more disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage—adjusted for inflation—when they hit land, according to a study in Friday's journal Science Advances. A better understanding of how marine heat waves amplify hurricanes could help forecasters, emergency officials and long-term planners prepare for future storms. The study defined marine heat waves as long-lasting, large areas of water in the top 10% of historical heat. They are becoming more of a danger with climate change and ever hotter oceans, study authors said. Warm water is fuel for hurricanes. "These marine heat waves affect more than half of landfalling tropical cyclones,'' said study co-author Gregory Foltz, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "They're happening closer to land and more frequently, so I think people need to pay attention and know that these are more likely to result in extreme damages when they make landfall." It's important for meteorologists forecasting the storm track to see if these hurricanes go over a marine heat wave because it is more likely to intensify rapidly which "can potentially have a bigger impact on landfall," Foltz said. Just look at damaging hurricanes that smacked the United States in 2023. "The story of Helene and Milton is that if you've got a warmer ocean, you've got the fuel to supercharge tropical cyclones even in a cascade. So within a few weeks you could get two rapidly intensified hurricanes making landfall in the west coast of Florida," Moftakhari said. "This is shocking but should also be alarming for people." The study also points to October 2023's Hurricane Otis, which rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a top level Category 5 hurricane in one day, then caused about $16 billion in damage and 52 deaths when it made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, with 165 mph (265 kph) winds. Researchers said the higher damage, compared with storms that didn't cross marine heat waves, wasn't driven by increased coastal development. Storms that crossed hot water and hit developed coasts were contrasted with other storms that hit similarly urbanized areas but without crossing hot water, Science has long known that warm water fuels and often strengthens tropical cyclones, providing more of a link on causation. That means the future looks more dangerous, Radfar said. "All these pieces of the puzzle are going to be really challenging for the coastal environment in the next four decades when you have more rapid intensification, more marine heat waves," Radfar said. This "is going to be really costly and frightening for the coastline environment, and it's going to cause more billion-dollar disasters in the future."

Why warmer Caribbean waters could mean slower hurricanes and worse flooding --Rapid ocean warming is likely to make tropical cyclone rainfall more intense and longer lasting, increasing flood risks in parts of the North Atlantic region. A new study led by Newcastle University using satellite data shows that tropical cyclones and their post-tropical cyclone counterparts are responding quite differently to surface warming. The findings reveal that during the tropical cyclone phase, warmer and more humid conditions are causing storm slowdown and strongly increasing rainfall intensity.Tropical cyclones are a major driver of very heavy rainfall in warm parts of the world. They can bring huge downpours that not only significantly add to total seasonal rainfall but also increase the risk of flash flooding. In the North Atlantic, these storms are especially important during the peak hurricane season (Aug–Oct), with tropical cyclones producing as much as 30–40% of all rainfall in some regions during that season.Published in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, the study shows that storm precipitation is rising rapidly with temperature, with median increases of about 21% per degree increase in local dewpoint temperature, while the area of heavy rainfall expands by roughly 12.5% per degree of warming.At the same time, the overall size of the cyclone tends to shrink slightly with warming, although this process becomes weaker and can even reverse, causing larger tropical cyclones, when sea surface temperatures are very high, particularly in the Caribbean. In these warmer regions, tropical cyclones often move more slowly and last longer, producing more rainfall in one place, especially near to the center of the storm, causing damaging floods.In contrast, once storms transition into the post-tropical phase, losing their tropical characteristics as they move across the Atlantic toward Europe, they tend to expand in size but are less strongly affected by temperature changes. Rainfall concentrates to the northeast of the storm center and over a wider area, often because the storm is moving faster and is driven by different (baroclinic) weather systems.Study lead author, Dr. Haider Ali, Senior Research Associate at Newcastle University's School of Engineering, said, "The findings show that global warming is increasing both the intensity and area of rainfall from tropical cyclones, especially in warm, low-latitude regions. Because some storms may also move more slowly, this could greatly increase the risk of flooding in parts of the North Atlantic. This trend will likely continue with increased warming."Previously, storm size was typically treated as a fixed radius around the storm center. In contrast, this study adopts a dynamic definition, allowing storm size to vary along the cyclone's lifetime. Using observational data from satellites, the team examined how storm size, heavy precipitation metrics, and translation speed change with warming for North Atlantic tropical cyclones from 2001 to 2024. This approach provides a consistent framework for analyzing storm evolution and assessing how heavy precipitation responds to a warming climate. Professor Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University, and one of the study authors, said, "Tropical cyclones appear to be causing increasing damages from widespread damaging floods from persistent extreme rainfall events, such as in Hurricane Helene. Our study shows that this increase in extreme rainfall is directly linked to our warming climate, caused by our continued societal reliance on fossil fuels. These storms will continue to get wetter, producing more persistent and more intense rainfall and consequent flooding, until we reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."Looking ahead, the next step is to shift the research focus from storms in the atmosphere to floods on the ground. The goal is to understand whether the most intense rainfall events lead to the most damaging river flooding. This causal link isn't straightforward, since flood impacts depend on where rain falls, how long it lasts, and how wet catchments are prior to the rainfall event. By combining climate data with hydrological models, we can follow the full pathway from storm structure to rainfall to river flow. This helps identify not just heavy rain events, but the storms that truly translate into real flood risk for people and infrastructure.

Glaciers rapidly declining, with extreme losses in 2025 -  Earth's glaciers are continuing to shrink at alarming rates, with new international research revealing that 2025 was among the worst years on record for global ice loss. Published in the Climate Chronicles collection of Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, the study provides the latest global assessment of glacier mass change, showing an accelerating trend driven by rising temperatures. The findings reveal that glaciers worldwide lost an estimated 408 gigatonnes of ice in 2025, marking the sixth most negative year since records began in 1975. The past decade has seen a dramatic acceleration in ice loss, with annual losses nearly four times higher than those observed in the late 20th century. Monash University Research Fellow, Dr. Levan Tielidze, from the Monash School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment and Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF), is the only Australian-based co-author of the study. Dr. Tielidze said the results underscore the scale and urgency of ongoing glacier decline. "Glaciers are among the clearest indicators of climate change, and we are now witnessing unprecedented global ice loss," Dr. Tielidze said. "The fact that six of the most extreme loss years have all occurred within the past seven years highlights just how rapidly the system is changing." "These changes are not only reshaping mountain landscapes, but are also contributing significantly to global sea-level rise and affecting water resources for millions of people." The study shows that glacier mass loss has accelerated from less than 100 gigatonnes per year in the late 20th century to around 390 gigatonnes per year over the past decade. In 2025, all 19 major glacier regions across the globe experienced net mass loss for the fourth consecutive year, with the largest regional losses recorded in areas including Western North America and Central Europe. Over the longer term, glaciers have lost nearly 10,000 gigatonnes of ice since 1975, with almost 80% of that loss occurring since 2000.

Satellites reveal city methane emissions are rising faster than official estimates -- Urban emissions of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—are rising faster than bottom-up accounting estimates anticipated, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering. The discrepancy was found with satellite measurements of methane over 92 major cities around the world. For 72 of the cities, there were sufficient data to track changes in methane emissions between 2019 and 2023. Overall, global urban methane emissions in 2023 were 6% higher than 2019 levels and 10% higher than 2020 levels, although they tended to decrease in European cities.  In contrast, accounting methods—which tally emission estimates of individual methane sources—suggest that urban methane emissions have only risen between 1.7% and 3.7% since 2020. The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study included over half of the C40 network, a group of 97 cities around the world aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Total methane emissions across all the studied C40 cities in 2023 were also 10% higher than 2020 levels, and the cities will have to contend with an extra two teragrams of methane emissions per year, which is about 30% of their emission reduction target. The gap between official estimates and satellite measurements warns that city policies designed with accounting estimates may not reduce methane emissions as desired. "In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set a good emissions policy, cities need to know how much they are emitting and what those sources are. But there is quite a bit of uncertainty with that for methane," said Eric Kort, corresponding author of the study. He advised the study's lead author as a U-M professor of climate and space sciences and engineering, and is now director of the Atmospheric Chemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. The study continues Kort's work identifying gaps in accounting of methane, which can enter the atmosphere from old or leaky natural gas infrastructure, landfills and wastewater treatment plants, and is 80 times more potent at warming the planet than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.With measurements from airplane surveys, Kort's research group has shown that flaring at oil and gas production sites leaks 5 times more methane than previously estimated, and that the true climate impact of offshore oil and gas production is double the official estimates. The findings helped make flares an emissions-reduction target in the Inflation Reduction Act, leading to a $30 million Department of Energy call for new technology to reduce leaks from gas flaring.In 2019, similar aerial measurements suggested that several large cities across the U.S. were also emitting more methane than previously thought. The new study showed that this is a global problem. "Cities have the motivation and power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and therefore, present significant opportunities for impactful emissions reduction," said Erica Whiting, U-M doctoral student in climate and space sciences and engineering and the study's first author. "However, there was not previously a method to quantify and monitor urban methane emissions around the globe, and therefore, no observation-based method to evaluate emission reduction strategies."

G2 - Moderate geomagnetic storm watch in effect for April 17 and 18 - A G2 – Moderate geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for April 17 and 18, 2026, due to an incoming coronal hole high-speed stream expected to enhance solar wind conditions by late April 17. The event could cause minor operational impacts on high-latitude power systems, satellites, and HF radio communications, while increasing the chance of aurora sightings across northern U.S. states. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a G2 – Moderate geomagnetic storm watch for April 17 and 18, due to an approaching negative polarity coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS) expected to disturb Earth’s magnetic field late on April 17 and through April 18. The highest expected storm level is below G1 – Minor on April 16, rising to G2 – Moderate on both April 17 and April 18. G2 storms can produce voltage alarms in high-latitude power systems and may affect transformer operations during prolonged disturbances. Satellite operators can experience orientation irregularities and increased drag on low Earth orbit spacecraft, while high-frequency radio communications may degrade at higher latitudes. The primary impact area under G2 storms is poleward of 55° geomagnetic latitude, placing the highest infrastructure and communications sensitivity across northern Canada, Alaska, and other high-latitude regions. Aurora may become visible as far as New York, Wisconsin, and Washington state, depending on local weather, cloud cover, light pollution, and whether geomagnetic activity reaches forecast peak levels during nighttime hours. The strongest geomagnetic response often depends on how efficiently the solar wind couples with Earth’s magnetosphere, including the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field. A sustained southward Bz component can increase storm intensity, while weaker coupling can keep activity below forecast thresholds.

Trump administration holds up NOAA grant funding - The Trump administration is holding up some National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant funding. Earlier this month, the University of Colorado released a statement saying that a federal pause on grant funding has put scientists who collect data about the atmosphere “at risk for elimination.” It specifically pointed to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), saying it “has not released these funds.” Waleed Abdalati, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), told The Hill that about 30 days before the institute was slated to run out of funds to pay the scientists in question, “we were informed that NOAA has put a pause on all grant actions.” “We are all told to assume no funding is moving through the grants management division until a spend plan has been approved,” he said. NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster referred budget-related questions to OMB. Rachel Cauley, an OMB spokesperson, did not respond to questions from The Hill. Nature reported in February that other agencies that award research grants, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), were also experiencing delays in getting their grant funding approved. Emily Hilliard, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses NIH, said that last year’s government shutdown delayed NIH’s ability to issue grants at the start of the fiscal year, but that timelines have returned to normal. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which funds NOAA, said that holding up the money violates the law. He pointed the finger at OMB Director Russell Vought. “On a bipartisan basis, we rejected Trump’s attempt last year to slash NOAA’s budget — making clear that the Administration must continue programs to predict and track extreme weather, support the fishing industry, boost the resilience of our coastal communities, and more,” Van Hollen said in a statement to The Hill. “But Russ Vought is ignoring these directives from Congress by preventing the obligation of funds, a clear violation of the law. It’s time for Vought to follow the law and release the funds as Congress intended for the public services that NOAA provides, which are vital to our economy,” he added. A spokesperson for Van Hollen’s office said it’s their understanding that OMB is holding up money laid out for NOAA operations, research, and facilities, which prevents the agency from issuing new awards and funding opportunities across nearly all of its programs and allows it to plan for only 15 days at a time. In the case of CIRES, the funding holdup could mean the lab isn’t able to pay scientists working at the Global Monitoring Lab. “We’ve had to notify our people that … should funds not become available by May 15, they will be on furlough,” Abdalati said. CIRES has had to give furlough notifications to 42 of its employees at the lab, while some other people were reassigned to other work. The lab also has federal employees whose pay is not directly affected by the grant funding issue. CIRES studies Earth system science, including weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles, atmospheric chemistry and water resources. The Global Monitoring Lab studies greenhouse gases, ozone recovery and more. Abdalati said that if the funds don’t come through, in the short term, “we lose observations and data that … help us understand the condition of our atmosphere, the content and makeup of our atmosphere, how much carbon dioxide is in it, how much is the ozone hole recovering, what other constituents are in the atmosphere.” “In the longer term, it’s the loss of capability, the ability to make these observations, because, like many things, it’s much easier to break than it is to reconstitute,” he said, noting that some work is already stopping.

EPA sets ‘no surprises’ science policy, reassigns researchers -  The Trump administration is tightening its grip over EPA’s scientific enterprise as it prepares to relocate employees from its once esteemed research arm. The agency’s new, smaller science office has laid out its policies on how EPA will approve new research and publish its work for the public, according to internal memos obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. Further, EPA’s remaining scientists from the now-dissolved Office of Research and Development received reassignments earlier this week, including many who will have to move if they want to continue working at the agency. The agency’s nonstop swirl of change has suffocated agency scientists, said Chris Frey, who led EPA’s research office during the Biden administration. “The deck is stacked against scientists who want to do good-faith science,” Frey said. Darya Minovi, a manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy, said, “We’ve seen the Trump administration be very clear that they’re unwilling to regulate pollutants.” Minovi added, “But the thing that scares me most about these policies is that these are systemic changes that go beyond willingness and move into ability.” Eight EPA employees, granted anonymity because they fear retaliation, spoke with E&E News about the changes afoot with the agency’s scientific work, including reassignments of the last ORD staff. They expressed frustration with how the agency is handling the transfers, which are perceived as yet another measure to traumatize the EPA workforce. “It definitely feels punitive, especially as we were told no one would have to move,” said one agency employee. “Unfortunately, I have no idea if my expertise is a good fit. … The lack of information/clarity seems like a deliberate choice on their part.” Earlier this week, EPA employees received an email from an anonymous address, Notice5, with their reassignments to head elsewhere in the agency as part of “a strategic restructuring effort.” “At the core of this restructuring is the integration of scientific and related administrative expertise directly into EPA’s offices,” said the email, which was viewed by E&E News. “The effective date of your reassignment will be communicated at a later date.” Staffers, puzzled by the emails, turned to their immediate supervisors but found they were not substantively involved in choosing who was being reassigned and why. Some were demoted or placed into positions where their skills weren’t relevant while others were told to relocate. “There are concerns that some people are deliberately being given geographic reassignments as a pretext to force them out of the agency,” said a second EPA employee. “I feel like there are unidentified sinister forces at work here.”

EPA stopped tracking emissions. So this university stepped in. – The University of Maryland published an inventory of U.S. greenhouse gases Wednesday, filling a hole created when EPA abandoned the process last year. The report by the school’s Center for Global Sustainability was released on the same day EPA used to publish its tally of planet-warming gases in compliance with a 1992 climate treaty — April 15. The agency stopped making the inventory public last year for the first time since 1997. It never explained why it made the change, but the move came as President Donald Trump shuttered climate programs and withdrew from global pacts to address the problem. Trump announced in January that the U.S. would leave the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which had obligated the government to compile the annual inventory. The UMD inventory uses the same methodologies that were used by EPA in its recent greenhouse gas inventories, the report states.

Judges skeptical of youth fight against Trump energy orders - Federal appellate judges on Monday seemed unconvinced that young climate activists had the power to sue over President Donald Trump’s directives to unleash fossil fuel energy. During oral arguments, an attorney for the youth faced questions from three judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about her clients’ standing to bring their case and whether Trump’s executive orders were specific enough to trigger legal claims that a court could address.“If there’s no agency action, what is the injury?” Judge Jennifer Sung asked Julia Olson, executive director Our Children’s Trust, a public interest law firm that has represented young people in various climate lawsuits against both Democratic and Republican administrations. Throughout the argument, Olson compared the case to Trump’s Supreme Court defeat on executive orders that directed tariffs on imported goods.

US DOE awards $14 million to enhanced geothermal pilot project in Pennsylvania  -- The US Department of Energy will be funding an enhanced geothermal pilot project in Pennsylvania, a first in the eastern United States.  The U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) has announced a $14 million project that will assess the efficacy and scalability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) in Pennsylvania. Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, this will be the first EGS project to be implemented in the eastern United States.The Pennsylvania EGS project activities will include converting a horizontal shale gas well to geothermal, specifically targeting the Appalachian Utica Shale formation.The effort will assess optimal well orientations and placements, as well as test various techniques to create the fractures necessary for an enhanced geothermal system. If successful, the project will offer a replicable model that could expand the use of EGS in more locations nationwide.“The Department of Energy’s investments in enhanced geothermal systems represent a key advancement in our national energy strategy as we explore innovative ways to reach and use geothermal resources beyond what is currently possible,” said Kyle Haustveit, Assistant Secretary of the HGEO. This follows the second round of funding opportunity for EGS pilot projects, specifically targeting the eastern US, as announced by the US DOE in 2024. Prior to that, the agency had already selected three EGS projects to receive up to $60 million in funding. Source: US Department of Energy. 

FERC slaps energy efficiency company with record $1.1B fine - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered an energy efficiency company Wednesday to pay a $1.1 billion penalty as it moves to close the books on an alleged decadelong fraud scheme across multiple regional power markets. FERC concluded that Durham, North Carolina-based American Efficient had orchestrated a scheme to claim credit for fake energy efficiency resources in federally regulated capacity markets. The commission issued an order that seeks a $722 million civil penalty and requires American Efficient to disgorge $410 million in illegitimate profits. American Efficient has denied wrongdoing. In 2024, FERC brought enforcement actions against American Efficient for market manipulation after the agency and Eastern grid operators investigated the company’s operations. American Efficient had challenged FERC’s original enforcement action on constitutional grounds. A federal court in North Carolina rejected the arguments last December. “American Efficient invited us to terminate this proceeding because it is supposedly a paradigmatic example of ‘bureaucratic overreach’ by ‘rogue’ civil servants,” FERC Chair Laura Swett wrote in a concurrence. “Given the staggering scope of American Efficient’s own energy efficiency scam, the suggestion that FERC’s actions in this case amount to bureaucratic overreach is absurd.” The commission determined that American Efficient committed fraud by purchasing sales data from retailers and manufacturers for tiny payments, claiming ownership of the energy reductions and collecting payments from eastern grid operators PJM and MISO. Using this deceptive “paper-shuffling” scheme, the commission said, the company collected hundreds of millions for “fake capacity” associated with products they did not incentivize, while actively concealing their misconduct from regulators. “The basic story here is, in fact, quite simple,” Swett said. “American Efficient ‘stole half a billion dollars from hard-working Americans.’ American Efficient siphoned that money out of the pockets of electric utility ratepayers and into its own coffers.” American Efficient argues that FERC’s fraud case is based on a distorted reading of its business model and the auction rules, saying grid operators repeatedly approved its plans and that investigators relied on bad math, cherry-picked facts and ignored key evidence. It says FERC is improperly trying to punish conduct long allowed in organized power markets and to use an enforcement case to resolve a broader policy fight over energy-efficiency participation in capacity auctions. “This is not a ‘money for nothing’ case,” the attorneys from the company told Inside Climate News last year. “[The grid operators] received what they paid for.” The company is still able to appeal FERC’s fraud case in court.

Ohio waved through a massive gas plant in 90 days — nobody asked the people who live next to it — The Ohio Power Siting Board approved construction of a 350-megawatt natural gas power plant in Wood County on February 3 — with no public hearing — and most people who live nearby are only finding out now. The Apollo Power Generation Facility is being built by Will-Power OH, LLC, a subsidiary of The Williams Companies, near the intersection of Mercer Road and Middleton Pike in Middleton Township. The plant will operate entirely off the public electric grid — behind-the-meter — generating power exclusively for one customer: Liames, LLC, a shell company currently constructing a data center campus directly adjacent to the Apollo site.Local officials and regional economic development partners have publicly identified the Liames data center as a Meta project.The facility will include approximately 120 megawatts of additional battery energy storage capacity.  The Apollo facility was filed with the OPSB on November 5, 2025, under an accelerated Letter of Notification process — a fast-track review available for power plants serving a single customer on industrial property. The OPSB issued its staff report recommending approval on January 27, 2026. Final approval came on February 3. Construction began days later.  From first filing to construction: roughly 90 days. No public hearing was held at any point in that process.The plant will be fed by two 16-inch natural gas pipelines. Those pipelines are not part of the current OPSB approval and will require separate filings — filings that have not yet been made and whose routes remain unknown to residents.The full cumulative air pollution picture — combining Apollo’s projected 2.4 million-plus tons of annual CO2 emissions with the diesel generators operating at the adjacent Liames data center, permitted separately — has not been publicly calculated or disclosed.Two residences sit within 1,000 feet of the generating equipment.On Sunday night, approximately 100 residents attended an Ohio EPA public hearing in Bowling Green on Apollo’s draft air permit — the first real opportunity the public has had to formally respond to a project already well under construction.The two speakers who testified in favor had direct industry ties. Every other speaker opposed the project. Petitions calling for a statewide ban on data centers exceeding 25 megawatts were circulated before and after testimony.Public comments on the draft air permit remain open through Tuesday, April 15, 2026, at ohioepa.commentinput.com or by mail to Clint Reed, Ohio EPA DAPC, 347 N. Dunbridge Rd., Bowling Green, OH 43402 — referencing Will-Power, Apollo.  The full OPSB approval and project maps are available at OPSB.ohio.gov under case number 25-973-EL-BGN.

EdgeConneX affiliate proposes 430MW natural gas plant to power data center campus in New Albany, Ohio -EdgeConneX’s power solutions affiliate, PowerConneX, has proposed a third on-site natural gas plant to power a planned data center in New Albany, Ohio. As AI drives increasing energy consumption in the US, natural gas looks set to fill the gapFirst reported by Bizjournals, the firm submitted a pre-application notification letter with the Ohio Power Siting Board, setting out plans for a 430MW natural gas-fired facility expected to be located on a 30-acre plot adjacent to a planned data center site.Construction of the plant could commence as early as next year, with commercial operations slated for Q4 2027.EdgeConneX plans to build 1,225,000 sq ft (113,805 sqm) of data centers across several buildings on the property. The initial phase will see the company convert the 524,525 sq ft (48,730 sqm) building, at 9850 Innovation Campus Way, into a data center. The first phase of that project is set to be completed in April 2026.Phase II will see the construction of a new two-story 700,000 sq ft (65,030 sqm) building, as well as a separate 80,000 sq ft (7,430 sqm) energy center building housing gas-fired generators. That phase will be substantially complete by Q3 2027.EdgeConneX acquired the warehouse and property totaling 270 acres from VanTrust Real Estate last year for a total of $137.2 million.The company filed for permission to build its first on-site natural gas facility last February. The plant is expected to have a capacity of 120MW and directly power the data center. According to recent reports, the facility is currently under construction and is expected to come online in early 2027.The second gas power plant is expected to have a capacity of 216MW and will power the company’s second 700,000 sq ft (65,030 sqm) facility on the site. As of yet, it is unclear what the latest gas plant will power.New Albany is becoming a hotbed of data center activity, with many operators looking towards on-site generation as a means to expedite their route to market. In June of last year, a 200MW natural gas power plant set to provide behind-the-meter power to a Meta data center in New Albany was approved for construction.

PJM Looking for 15 GW of New Power Supplies for AI Data Centers -Marcellus Drilling News -- PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest electric grid system serving 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C., is pursuing an emergency plan to secure 15 gigawatts (GW) of new power supply to avert electricity shortages driven by surging data center demand tied to artificial intelligence (AI). The grid operator looks to pair proposed data centers with new generation through bilateral negotiations running from September to March 2027. Let’s make a deal!

Pittsburgh Battery Co. & Houston Turbine Maker Team to Power AI - Marcellus Drilling News -- AI data centers are in the news every single day. We don’t think it’s melodramatic to say that AI is changing the world right now. We also believe it’s accurate to say that everyone (yes, you reading this) will use AI at some level (if you don’t already) within the next year or two. AI, or artificial intelligence, requires, in the aggregate, millions of computers. All of those computers need a place to live (i.e., data centers). And those data centers need electricity to run. Tapping into the local electric grid is not a good option because it takes the grid years to plan, build, and add new sources of power. “Hyperscalers” (massive cloud service providers like Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft’s Azure, or Google’s Cloud, offering scalable, on-demand computing, storage, and networking resources) need to build data centers to house the computers that power AI today. Not years from now. This is a conundrum. A Pittsburgh battery company has partnered with a Houston, Texas, turbine maker to provide a natural gas-based solution ready in months, not years.

States respond to data center growth: Leaders take separate paths in the Appalachian Basin -Data centers are in the news across the country, with regular announcements and updates on projects, policy debates, and citizens both advocating for and opposing potential development. The recent intensive growth in data center facilities may be just the front of a rising wave, with predictions of over a trillion dollars of U.S. investment by 2030 and construction in data center-related projects jumping 200% from 2022 to 2024. In the Appalachian Basin, we have a front-row seat to see how three states with similar infrastructure, markets and natural resources are reacting to the dynamic opportunities and potential challenges presented by data center development projects. Political leaders in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania have charted separate paths to respond to the rapid growth in data center projects in our region. Each state boasts impressive availability of energy supplies, in particular the rich natural gas shale plays, plentiful water, and mature networks of utility electric transmission and natural gas pipelines. Ohio has generally taken a free market approach to data center and AI investment, without enacting significant legislation specifically designed to promote or limit data center growth. The state highlights its location, existing infrastructure, reliable and scalable power supply, and competitive tax environment. A 2024 report concluded that electricity demand in central Ohio, driven largely by data centers, was expected to more than double by 2030. In 2025, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio directed the filing of tariffs by electric utilities applicable to large data center customers within its service territory. This action, while responsive to infrastructure strain, does not alter Ohio’s overall posture of relying on market fundamentals rather than sector specific legislation to guide data center development. While some residents and lawmakers have called for the rollback of certain tax incentives and the implementation of additional regulations governing the construction of new data centers, so far Ohio appears content with the status quo. West Virginia’s governor and Legislature have enacted policies to encourage and support developers that locate data centers in the state, with legislation specifically drafted to identify and fast-track “high impact” data center (HIDC) projects. Multiple bills relating to data centers have been proposed in West Virginia legislative sessions over the past several years. Most notable was the 2025 passage of the Power Generation and Consumption Act (HB 2014), which relates to HIDCs and the creation of microgrids. HB 2014 exempts HIDCs from certain local and state regulations and streamlines HIDC construction and operation. West Virginia has also enacted legislation (Senate Bill 123) providing favorable tax treatment of data centers and tax incentives for qualifying coal-fired electric utilities that power data centers. While some West Virginia residents and communities continue to express concerns over data centers, it appears that the state’s leadership remains committed to growing its data center footprint. Pennsylvania has taken a middle-ground approach to the development of data centers, implementing policies that attempt to balance data center investment and residents ‘concerns. In 2025, a historic investment of $90 billion was pledged for data center development in Pennsylvania, and corporations targeting Pennsylvania pledged to create thousands of new jobs. Although projects will enjoy tax benefits, they are projected to bring in billions of dollars in economic activity. One significant incentive for projects in Pennsylvania is the Computer Data Center Equipment Exemption Program, which exempts computer data center equipment from Pennsylvania sales and use tax when equipment is sold to or used by a certified data center. These tax incentives for data center developers are opposed by some Pennsylvanians, who want the additional revenue to expand the tax base for schools and other government programs. While the precise revenue reduction from these incentives is unknown, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026-2027 budget proposal estimated incentives resulted in reduced tax revenue in the upcoming fiscal year of $188 million. Two pieces of targeted legislation were introduced in the Senate in 2025 but so far have not gained enough support to make it to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 939 would create a fast-track permitting process for data centers and Senate Bill 991 would preapprove certain designated data center locations, providing developers with records of previous work performed on the sites to assist with research and permitting. At the end of this past March, the House narrowly passed Bill 1834, a series of reforms for data centers that includes ratepayer protections and mandating a portion of electricity be from “green” generation. As data center investment continues to accelerate, the divergent approaches taken by Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania underscore the policy choices facing energy-rich states in the Appalachian Basin. Ohio’s market-driven posture, West Virginia’s targeted incentives, and Pennsylvania’s measured legislative framework reflect distinct priorities that will shape investment patterns. It will be interesting to see the success of these strategies and the evolution of each state’s policy in the years ahead.

Anderson County Settles Tax Break for Duke Energy Gas-Fired Plant -Marcellus Drilling News --   In March, South Carolina regulators approved Duke Energy’s proposal to build a 1.4-gigawatt (GW) natural gas-fired power plant in Anderson County, marking the utility’s first new generation project in the state in a decade (see SC PSC Approves Duke Energy 1.4-GW Gas-Fired Plant in Anderson Co.). Scheduled for construction in 2027 and operational by 2031, the facility aims to address surging energy demands driven by population growth and economic expansion, though critics (falsely) attribute the need primarily to AI-driven data centers. Anderson County Council voted in December to give the Duke project a tax break to ensure it is built in their county rather than elsewhere (see Anderson County, SC Offers Duke Energy Tax Break for Gas-Fired Plant). The Council voted to offer a “fee-in-lieu of taxes” agreement (FILOT, sometimes called a PILOT, or payment-in-lieu of taxes), although specifics were not determined at the time.

Whitehouse probes xAI data center pollution - A senior Democratic senator is investigating Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company over long-running accusations that it operated data centers without proper energy permits.Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called on EPA this week to investigate xAI’s Memphis-area data center complex. xAI, which is behind the chatbot and meme machine Grok, has faced litigation for setting up high-polluting gas turbines in the area without undergoing the necessary permitting process. Whitehouse asked EPA on Wednesday to take enforcement action should xAI continue to circumvent permitting processes as they expand their Tennessee and Mississippi data center complex. He also requested information about any collaboration between EPA and xAI. “xAI’s strategy of installing turbines first and seeking permits after the fact is clearly illegal,” Whitehouse wrote. “Although the state of Mississippi is primarily responsible for issuing (or denying) the permits required under federal law, EPA retains enforcement authority, and a responsibility to act where the state fails to do.”

FERC presses on with closely watched data center rulemaking - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Thursday it would not meet Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s April 30 deadline to initiate a rulemaking aimed at accelerating data center connections to U.S. power grids. “By taking this decisive step today, we’re reaffirming our commitment to meaningful progress and demonstrating that we are fully engaged in delivering real solutions to this historic issue facing our country,” said FERC Chair Laura Swett. The commission pledged to take action on Wright’s rulemaking proposal by June, a move that Deputy Energy Secretary and former FERC Chair James Danly commended. “I expect that the Commission will act quickly and decisively to improve interconnection processes, support the co-location of load and generation, and accelerate the addition of new generation to ensure that supply is built alongside demand — delivering affordable, reliable, and secure energy for all Americans,” Danly said in a statement. Nationwide electricity forecasts are skyrocketing, driven by the popularity of AI models that need power-hungry server farms to operate. Traditionally, state regulators have handled how such facilities interconnect to the grid while FERC oversees interstate transmission of electricity. But Wright and the White House are asking the commission to develop national standards. Commissioners on Thursday also strongly criticized PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator. PJM faces political pressure from the Trump administration and bipartisan governors in the East to hold an emergency auction for power supply to serve data centers, as utilities and other power industry players raise concerns about its feasibility. Last week, PJM released a plan for just that: a one-time “reliability backstop procurement” to serve the AI industry’s voracious appetite for electricity. But Swett said PJM’s plan for an auction next year “does not fit” what the governors and the White House pushed for in January. While the governors asked PJM to conduct a backstop auction to get new capacity and prevent a shortfall in electricity supply by September 2026, PJM is eyeing March 2027. “I personally am a bit perplexed,” Swett said. “We are in a make-it-or-break-it year for the market. We expect that the board and stakeholders will do the right thing on this topic.” In an order, the commission also sent PJM back to the drawing board on developing a framework for co-locating power plants with data centers and other large loads. In December, FERC issued a landmark order outlining guidelines for how the grid operator should build a responsible system. Co-location supporters argue it cuts down on complex transmission and distribution wires, but some worry it would give the co-located customer priority over others on the grid. PJM has submitted two compliance filings in response to FERC’s December order, but the commission was not wholly satisfied with the first filing. The commission found, among other things, that PJM did not properly adopt FERC’s definition of “co-located load.” PJM was trying to use ownership of facilities, rather than the commission’s physical-location test, to decide which side of the line a co-located customer sat on and what transmission service obligations would follow. FERC partially accepted and partially rejected PJM’s compliance filing for FERC Order 2023. The order directs grid operators to reform their queue in which proposed power plants are connected to the electrical grid. PJM’s queue has a yearslong backlog, and the grid operator temporarily closed it to new entrants in 2022. “Connecting new generation to the grid is the primary pathway to get prices down,” Democratic Commissioner David Rosner said. “We have some more changes that PJM needs to undertake to fully comply with Order 2023. In my opinion, these are very long past due, but they’re going to make the interconnection faster and more predictable.” Republican FERC Commissioner David LaCerte expressed deep frustration with PJM during the April meeting. “The situation is dire. It’s growingly dire,” LaCerte said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s serious conversation about one or more major utilities or transmission companies talking about maybe joining a different RTO or going it alone.”

AI Energy Conference 3 on May 14 – Data Center Questions Answered --Marcellus Drilling News --- The Appalachian Basin has rapidly emerged as a critical hub for AI data center development. Why? It has a unique combination of abundant natural gas energy, ample water supply, and sites, all in a (mostly) friendly permitting environment. This has led to major projects such as the Youngstown Ohio 7 GW Stargate project, 4.5 GW Homer City and 3.2 GW TECfusion and many more. Currently, the basin has a surprising number of data centers: OH 192, PA 98, WV 7. Who are the EPCs involved in building these facilities? Who are the producers that will be supplying natural gas to them? Find the answers to these questions and more at AI Energy Conference 3, being held on May 14 at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe.

AI Data Centers Can Win Over Skeptics. But It Must Learn From Fracking - AI doomsayers proclaim the sky is falling, with each new data center taxing the electricity grid, sucking up scarce water, and immiserating local residents. It all seems quite dire—and it reminds me of the last time a massively beneficial technology was almost stopped in its tracks by misplaced NIMBYism: fracking. Just like fracking, the fears fomented by data center opponents are overblown. And, again just like fracking, the benefits of the AI revolution will be manifold. Skip Ad The video player is currently playing an ad. Back when fracking was still new on the scene, I attended many town meetings in my native Ohio debating drilling leases and pipeline mineral rights. There, alarmists poured panic into an information vacuum. Agitators hawked worst case scenarios about earthquakes and flammable drinking water. Activists spent years blocking not just regional pipelines through Ohio and Pennsylvania, but the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines nationally. Everyone was afraid.Shale advocates had to break out of the doom loop and avoid being smothered to death by bureaucracy. But after they did, nobody can deny the results. The U.S. produces more crude oil than any country, ever, and we are the global leader in lower-emissions natural gas. Our energy revolution increased our national security, lowered prices, and helped reduce carbon emissions.  The anti-shale brushfire burned itself out as energy abundance became a reality and prosperity scaled. The AI buildout has even more potential to benefit America than fracking, but it must first overcome the same obstacles that constrained shale. Once again opponents are catastrophizing growing pains, drawing developers into a quagmire of process and oversight, and spreading fear in the place of reasonable dialogue. Discrete projects have become national proxy battles over the technology itself. Declinists are developing clear lines of attack against data centers, arguing that they will exhaust precious water reserves and tax energy grids to the point of failure. While these sound like valid concerns, they are sensationalized into broad, unresolvable claims. Even if data centers didn’t use a single electron or drop of water, opponents would criticize them merely for occupying empty land—just like the natural gas pipelines before them. The endless controversy is intentional. As with fracking, declinists want to bog builders down in endless debates over edge cases or hypotheticals. They take a kernel of truth—that fracking creates wastewater or AI is energy intensive—and then amplify their critique into giant, generalized claims. All the while, developers waste valuable time, and public opinion hardens against new technology every time innovators get bogged down debating such edge cases. Shale overcame these obstacles by rising above apocalyptic hypotheticals and leading with confidence and clarity. They centered attention on jobs, rising incomes, and boosting economic activity. In time, people saw the results and real-world benefits overcame manufactured skepticism. A 2023 PwC study assessed that shale accounts for 10.8 million direct or induced jobs, while incomes and state and local tax revenues climbed alongside. Meanwhile, groundwater is still clean and city-destroying earthquakes never came. Fracking’s victory was so absolute that former vice president Kamala Harris had to embarrassingly reverse course, switching from opposing fracking as a presidential candidate in 2020 to swearing up and down she would protect the industry in 2024. Data centers should follow the same playbook. This means leading with tangible benefits for communities, validated by workers and utilities. They should address legitimate challenges briefly and directly while avoiding forums designed to air grievances. Then, as they build, they should ensure people see the results. They should show how operators have learned to optimize cooling systems, recirculate water in closed loops, and draw from non-potable sources—all methods to drastically reduce water usage. They should tout tangible local benefits like jobs, rising incomes, increased economic activity, and growing local tax revenues. They should proudly highlight the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, where AI companies vowed to build, bring, or buy the energy their data centers require. As I’ve argued before, this pledge is on course to create a positive energy feedback loop, as tech companies surge investments to increase energy supply, driving down electricity rates as they deploy advanced nuclear, solar, wind, and their own natural gas turbines. Over time, those who opposed data centers will be like those who opposed fracking, desperately trying to explain away their past opinions. Shale won the day by barreling through the fearmongering, sticking to a simple message, and delivering real results. Now, AI should operate with the same confidence as shale, winning people over with growth and prosperity that can’t be denied. Innovators have long struggled against fearmongers. But AI has an ace up its sleeve. Fear can’t beat success.

Data centers and gas demand make boring pipelines great again - New pipeline construction is almost as hard to find in New York and New England as the Loch Ness Monster is in Scotland. But there’s now a NESE (pronounced “Nessie”) sighting in Brooklyn. Oklahoma-based Williams Companies will break ground April 14 on the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline that expands its Transco natural gas network in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. “That’s the first pipe in New York in over a decade,” Williams CEO Chad Zamarin told Fortune. “What you’re seeing now is very broad [growth] across the U.S. footprint.” Courtesy of a convergence of the AI data-center power wave, rapidly growing export facilities, and population growth, the nation’s natural gas pipeline build-out is looking at its biggest growth surge in nearly 20 years—since the beginning of the shale gas boom.  While massive, long-haul pipelines are underway to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export hubs in Texas and Louisiana, a huge backlog of smaller gas pipelines or expansions is rising throughout the country from the Pacific Northwest to the Rockies and mid-continent to the Southeast to connect data centers with gas-fired power. “We’re trying to bring our capabilities to places where American companies and hyperscalers can’t get access to power and otherwise wouldn’t be able to build,” Zamarin said. U.S. natural gas production was largely flat from 1970 to 2010, and then volumes spiked nearly 70% in a decade to about 100 billion cubic feet per day by 2020. Already having risen another 20% since then, production is projected to keep surging to about 160 billion cubic feet daily by 2040, driven by data centers and exports. The ample domestic supply is why the war in Iran hasn’t affected natural gas prices in the U.S., even while oil and fuel prices have spiked. And in order to keep the gas flowing and the data center dots connected, more and more pipe must plow into the ground. “A few years ago, people were saying, ‘We don’t need more gas—ever,’” said Hinds Howard, energy analyst for CBRE Investment Management, citing the pivot to renewable energy. “Now, technology companies that were the most net-zero people are clamoring for any power they can get, no matter if it’s gas or not.” There are the obvious environmental concerns, but the overall demand surge and the need for power as soon as possible mean that both natural gas and renewable energy will continue to grow quickly. The energy infrastructure analytics firm Arbo is tracking more than 150 gas pipeline projects nationwide that would provide about 150 billion cubic feet daily of gas supplies. “I’d say there’s a far greater number of projects that are smaller in this build-out,” said Arbo CEO Chip Moldenhauer. “But we’re sort of in the early innings when you look at the number of projects and the stages in which those projects are at right now. There’s a significant number … still in the very early stages. A lot more of this game has to be played.” There’s still a big unknown about how large the AI boom will ultimately grow, and many more pipelines could still be built as new data center campuses commence construction, he said. For now, the new pipeline construction isn’t close to meeting the projected demand, said Williams’s Zamarin. And the historical goals for a “boring, but very profitable” industry now has the potential for pipelines to take center stage. “This is definitely an upcycle,” he added. “To get low-cost, abundant natural gas supplies to demand markets that really, really need it and want it—it’s all about the infrastructure in between, not just for the next five to 10 years, but for a very long time for our country. It’s going to be exciting; it’s not going to be boring.”

3 coal turbines ordered to stay open by DOE have not run -  Three coal turbines whose retirements were delayed by the Trump administration did not generate electricity in January, one month after the Department of Energy directed the plants to stay open in the name of preventing a grid emergency.Turbines at Centralia power plant in Washington state, Craig power plant in Colorado and R.M. Schahfer in Indiana did not make power during the first month of the year, according to preliminary U.S. Energy Information Administration data.DOE ordered all three to stay open past their retirement dates in December, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to aid the coal industry and bolster the electric grid. Altogether, the department has ordered five coal plants, an oil facility and a gas plant to stay open, arguing that they are needed to ensure the reliability of the electric grid in the face of mounting power demand. When DOE ordered two Indiana coal plants to stay online in December, Energy Secretary Chris Wright asserted they had “the potential to save lives.” Environmental groups and state officials in Colorado and Washington have challenged the orders, arguing they are unnecessary and expensive.Two of the three turbines that did not generate power in January were struggling with maintenance issues at the time they received a DOE order. In Indiana, one of two coal turbines at R.M. Schahfer had been offline since July due to mechanical problems. At Colorado’s Craig station, a valve broke on Unit 1 on Dec. 19 — 11 days before the turbine was slated to shut down for good.

US coal companies could get a boost from Iran war - The U.S. war with Iran has slowed coal’s global decline, and U.S. mining companies are positioning themselves for a windfall if the conflict continues to derail oil and gas shipments to Asia. Coal demand — and prices — spiked most significantly in Asian economies that are heavily reliant on liquefied natural gas, an energy source that’s been constrained during the almost two-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels. Japan and South Korea are running existing coal fleets harder, Taiwan is considering restarting mothballed plants, Japan is running lower-efficiency coal plants, and Europe is extending retirement of their coal fleet, said Anthony Knutson, the global head of thermal coal markets research for Wood Mackenzie, an energy analytics firm. While Australia and Russia companies are poised to fill much of that growing demand, Knutson said the U.S. industry also stands to benefit if the crisis drags on and countries start looking for more and more coal.

‘We are not going back’: Iran war forces global energy shift - This week’s gathering of financial heavyweights in Washington made one thing clear: The Iran war is setting the world on a new energy path. But which one is a source of sharp disagreement among nations. Many of the countries that are most severely affected by the war say they recognize the benefits of transitioning faster to renewable energy to avoid future shocks related to oil disruptions. Others remain bullish on fossil fuels, including the United States — whose Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, applauded America’s rising oil and gas production, and called for fewer climate policies. The U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran and subsequent stifling of oil supplies from the Middle East “will redraw the global energy map,” Fatih Birol, chief of the International Energy Agency, said at an event Tuesday. Then he delivered a word of caution: “We are not going back to where we were.” The question of what comes next has dominated the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington this week. Officials from the U.S. and other nations spoke vaguely of diversifying energy sources as a likely result of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and one-third of its fertilizer travels. To some, that meant switching shipping routes away from the Persian Gulf. To others, it meant finding oil and gas outside the Middle East. Or harvesting local coal reserves. Or perhaps restarting mothballed nuclear power plants. In many cases, it means expanding renewable energy to curb reliance on other nations in an increasingly fractured, volatile world. “History shows us that a crisis of this magnitude is also a catalyst,” Masato Kanda, president of the Asian Development Bank, told a gathering at the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday. It comes amid bleak economic forecasts. The IMF is projecting slower growth and higher inflation, even if the war comes to a relatively quick conclusion, an outcome that is highly uncertain. The impacts will be felt unevenly, with low-income, import-dependent countries bearing much of the pain. In a severe scenario, where energy supply disruptions extend into next year, global growth could fall to just 2 percent, the IMF said. It’s a message that has echoed through the halls of this week’s meetings. How the world energy map is redrawn stands to have deep implications for supply and demand and for how new infrastructure related to both fossil fuels and clean energy is financed. The meetings come as the economic impacts of the war start to bite pocketbooks worldwide, with countries often girding for worse case scenarios. While the globe is less oil intensive than it was during the oil crises of the 1970s, the IEA says the size of this shock is far greater. “Intuitively, you would imagine that this would encourage diversification away from the fuels that are in short supply now,”

'High-pressure gas leak' leads to evacuation in Sebring, Ohio - (WKBN) — Twenty houses in Sebring, between Pennsylvania and Oregon Avenues, and 13th and 14th streets, were evacuated after a crew installing fiber optic cable hit a gas line, resulting in two leaks which could be seen, heard, and smelled. Conner O’Halloran of the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency was also concerned that a strong thunderstorm was approaching Sebring, which could ignite an explosion. “We knew it had a high degree of lighting, which added to the evacuation emphasis because we knew where there was a lot of electricity in the air, we had to get out and away from this hazard,” O’ Halloran said. Chris Frazer is Sebring’s incoming city manager.. “We just came down here because we do live in the neighborhood,” Frazer said. Not only were they dealing with the gas leak, but all of Sebring lost power after the storm moved through. “Yeah, unfortunately, that was the case. What can I say, it was an unforgiving Thursday,” Frazer said. “This quite literally has been the perfect storm of events all happening at the same exact time,” O’Halloran said. There were no injuries, and the evacuation was issued out of an abundance of caution. The crew installing the fiber optic cable could be seen throughout the neighborhood, at times talking with the safety forces on the scene. Some people were checking out the situation from their porches. “It was just a freak accident where a contractor was digging, and they hit a gas line in one of the alleys,” Frazer said.

Business leaders encourage shale academy students  — Students at Utica Shale Academy were encouraged to pursue the skills and knowledge required of the fields that interest them during the second annual Career Day event on April 9. Mark Lamoncha, president and chief executive officer of Humtown Products of Columbiana; Terry Loveland, founder and owner of B&B Energy Services of Chester; and former Ohio Rep. Jay Edwards (R-94th District) spoke to students during the activity, for which several area businesses also sent representatives to meet with the teens one to one. Lamoncha’s visit came soon after the announcement that he has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Owner of the Year, an honor for which business owners throughout the U.S. and its territories are considered. In addressing the students, he noted his father started Humtown more than 60 years ago, producing patterns for the foundry industry. Under Mark’s leadership, it has branched out to 3D printing, with the largest number of 3D sand printers under one roof in North America and possibly the world. Lamoncha said Humtown has facilities in Columbiana, Boardman, Los Angeles and Germany, with the latter providing parts for American manufacturers of electric vehicles. “My advice (to teens) is to read about four or five careers that are really interesting to them and call someone in that field and ask to talk to them,” he said. He noted the practice of seeking a mentor for advice and instruction in one’s career goes back thousands of years. Aided by his wife, Sheri, a teacher who also has served as sales coordinator for Humtown; and staff member Zach Johnson, he showed students the traditional approach to producing molds for parts using heated sand. Johnson said as coach of new products for the company, he’s working with others to explore materials other than plastic that may be used in 3D printing. A former member of the Ohio board of education, Lamoncha said he would like to see students exposed to potential careers at an early age, noting he has welcomed youth as young as second-graders to tour his company’s facilities. Loveland said after working as a welder and in other positions for a number of years, he started his business in a garage behind his home in 2008. With the exception of his wife, who helped him prepare bid proposals, he worked alone initially, serving primarily dumpster companies and scrapyards. Today, it has about 100 employees, a fleet of 70 trucks and other equipment providing major companies in the oil and gas industry with various types of fabricated pipe, hydraulic torquing, hot tap welding, concrete piers and foundations and excavation, coating and painting and other services. “We’re pushing $50 million in business each year,” he said, adding that he employs people with welding and many other skills. Loveland said as a teen, he didn’t expect to one day oversee his own company, and he offered the USA students before him encouragement. “You can do it. I did it. You just have to push yourself,” he advised, adding, “Learn as much as you can. You’ll get a good job if you push yourself.”

37 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 6 – 12 --Marcellus Drilling News --  Last week was a good week for new drilling permits. The Marcellus/Utica region received 37 new drilling permits last week, Apr. 6 – 12, up 15 from the 22 issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 23 of the permits. Ohio issued 8 new permits. And West Virginia issued 6 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits last week included: Antero Resources, Ascent Resources, Blackhill Energy, Clean Energy Exploration, EOG Resources, EQT, JKLM Energy, Laurel Mountain Energy, PennEnergy Resources, Repsol, and Snyder Brothers.  Antero Resources | Armstrong County | Ascent Resources | Blackhill Energy | Bradford County | Butler County | Carroll County | Clean Energy E&P  | EOG Resources | EQT Corp | Fayette County | Jefferson County (OH) | JKLM Energy | Laurel Mountain Energy | PennEnergy | Repsol | Snyder Brothers | Tioga County (PA) |  Wetzel County

Repsol Wastewater Spill in Bradford County Draws DEP Violations --Marcellus Drilling News --   On March 24, Repsol Oil and Gas reported a wastewater spill at its Ugliuzza shale gas well pad in Bradford County, PA, initially estimated at 630 gallons but later revised to about 18,900 gallons. The release was traced to an improperly connected hose hanging over secondary containment, allowing wastewater to flow 1,143 feet through drainage features into Rockwell Creek. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) inspected the site on March 25 and cited multiple violations. Repsol and its contractor began recovery and containment efforts immediately, installing sumps and lining the basin. By April 6, the company reported recovering 166,729 gallons of contaminated fluid.

Big Green Attacks Pennsylvania Democrats Who Support Natural Gas - Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future is a 501(c)(4) advocacy group launched in August 2020 to promote natural gas as the best solution to support unreliable renewable energy and the best solution to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The companies behind Natural Allies include Marcellus/Utica heavy hitters, such as EQT, National Fuel Gas Company, Williams, Kinder Morgan, TC Energy, and Enbridge. A number of labor unions and gas groups are also financial backers of Natural Allies. The interesting thing about the group is that its leaders are liberal Democrats. The group exists to woo and attract other liberal Democrats in blue and purple states (like Pennsylvania) to support natural gas. Big Green is not happy with the effort.

PA DEP Scores $14M Federal Grant to Test Geothermal in Utica Well - Marcellus Drilling News -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) announced a $14 million project to test enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) in Pennsylvania. Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the initiative will leverage existing oil and gas infrastructure, specifically the Appalachian Utica Shale, to explore the efficacy and scalability of EGS in the eastern U.S. This project aims to convert a horizontal shale gas well for geothermal use, assessing optimal well placements and fracturing techniques. If successful, it could provide a replicable model for expanding reliable, cost-effective geothermal electricity nationwide, utilizing abundant underground heat resources.

PA’s Act 13 Shale Law has Led to Huge Investments in the State  -Marcellus Drilling News -- - The Marcellus Shale Coalition, in a recent blog post, highlights Pennsylvania’s Act 13 of 2012 as a landmark energy law demonstrating how a comprehensive regulatory framework can guide natural gas development and investment while delivering tangible community benefits. We were there to chronicle the debate and passage of this critically important law 14 years ago (see Gov. Corbett Signs New Marcellus Drilling Law). Central to the success of Act 13 is the Impact Fee, a unique production tax (rather than a severance tax) that has generated over $3 billion statewide, providing hundreds of millions annually to local governments. These funds support diverse projects, including road improvements, water infrastructure upgrades, emergency services, and economic development, particularly crucial for rural areas.

Drought Conditions Stop Frac Water Withdrawals at 15 NEPA Locations -Marcellus Drilling News -- The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC also tells shale drillers when to stop withdrawing if low water flow (i.e., drought) conditions exist. That’s what the SRBC did yesterday. The agency, via its Hydrologic Conditions Monitor, warned shale drillers that, at 15 listed locations (all in Pennsylvania), they must stop water withdrawals until streamflow reaches a specific “trigger flow” target (different for each location). Another 9 locations are approaching restrictions.

Philadelphia Gas Works’ Proposed LNG Plant Replacement in Limbo - Marcellus Drilling News -- The Philadelphia Gas Commission postponed a vote on Philadelphia Gas Works’ (PGW) $182 million proposal to replace and expand its natural gas liquefier (LNG plant) in Port Richmond. The commission’s staff and the Public Advocate recommended rejecting the project, arguing it was oversized and could burden customers with unnecessary debt. They also cited incomplete plant and project designs. PGW argued the upgrade is crucial for safety and affordability, preventing potential harm to customers during cold winters and avoiding the need to truck in liquefied natural gas.

Antis Hold Out Hope to Block NESE Pipe Via Obscure NJ State Agency -Marcellus Drilling News -- -As we reported last week, anti-fossil fuel fanatics haven’t given up on trying to block construction of the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline, a $1 billion+ project designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets (see Zombie Antis Fight to Block Williams NESE Pipeline in NY, NJ). Even though ground will break on construction *today* at a ceremony at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field in New York City, antis are still doing their best to block this project. Their latest angle of attack is to demand (antis always demand) that a relatively obscure state agency in New Jersey reject issuing a license for the project.

EOG Using Advanced Completion Techniques to Boost Production - Marcellus Drilling News --EOG Resources, one of the largest crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the U.S., is shifting its focus from simply drilling more wells to improving well completion techniques to boost recovery rates in U.S. shale assets such as the Eagle Ford, Delaware Basin, and Utica. The company anticipates achieving reductions in average well costs and enhanced recovery through longer laterals and refined completion methods, such as higher-density fracture stages and optimized fracture spacing. This strategy, developed initially in South Texas, enables EOG to increase production while controlling costs, aiming for incremental yet significant productivity gains across its projects, including gas-focused opportunities in the Utica shale.

EOG Resources implements advanced well completion techniques to boost recovery rates across U.S. shale assets -- Shale development typically appears as an exercise in scale — more wells, more rigs, more money. However, beneath the surface activity that defines the visible component of shale development, the largest increases have been achieved through significantly less publicized decisions regarding the wellbore. At EOG Resources, recent growth plans suggest that the next generation of shale development may be less focused on expanding the number of wells drilled and more focused on improving the way each individual well is “finished.” After experiencing stronger-than-expected operational performance in the second half of 2025, EOG Resources is planning increased levels of activity in several of the company’s core U.S. shale areas, which include the Eagle Ford, Delaware Basin, and Utica. Even though headlines will indicate hundreds of additional wells being drilled, the company believes that much of its expected improvement will derive from operational efficiencies associated with well design and completion techniques rather than a rapid expansion of drilling activity. In fact, according to management projections, the company’s 2026 program anticipates achieving reductions in average well costs in the range of low single-digit percentages, despite continued increases in lateral length. Through longer laterals (and) refined completion techniques, EOG intends to improve recovery from each well bore without necessarily increasing spending. Unlike in their earlier days, today, the most productive shale basins, such as the Eagle Ford, do not present as many geological uncertainties. As a result, what currently differentiates among shale producers is the effectiveness and advanced nature of stimulation techniques used. With more effective stimulation techniques such as higher-density fracture stages, optimized fracture spacing, and customized fluid designs, producers can achieve greater contact with rock formations and maintain stable flow rates for longer durations.For example, EOG has developed and honed many of these advanced completion techniques during the last few years, specifically, in South Texas, where a significant portion of its 2026 planned activities will occur within the company’s core Eagle Ford acreage. To further enhance recovery, EOG has paired long lateral lengths with specialized completion techniques designed to address specific reservoir zones.This process is intended to allow EOG to increase recovery while controlling costs. Overall, the company’s 2026 drilling program may appear conservative in terms of scope but aggressive in terms of performance. These stimulation techniques can also be applied in other shale plays beyond the Eagle Ford. According to information tracked by Industrial Info, there is approximately $1.66 billion in both current and proposed EOG projects, representing more than 40 percent of which are viewed as high-confidence opportunities to advance as originally scheduled. Therefore, these developments represent a wide array of projects located in various Texas shale areas as well as gas-focused opportunities in the Utica shale area, where similar stimulation techniques will be adapted for use in different reservoirs. In Webb County, Texas, EOG plans to drill numerous new oil/gas/liquids wells connected to existing gathering and processing infrastructure. Improved stimulation results in shorter times from spud to sale through enhanced early-time production stabilization and reduced amounts of remediation necessary later in the life of a well.Ultimately, EOG’s strategy implies that the next productivity gains in U.S. shale will be incremental but important. Rather than dramatic changes, incremental improvements in recovery will be generated through repetition, data analysis, and continuous refinement in how wells are completed. For larger operators possessing extensive inventory positions, relatively small percentage improvements in recovery can generate substantial increases in recoverable reserves over time. With maturing shale plays continuing to become increasingly prolific in terms of development potential, this emphasis on completion quality versus simply completing more wells could ultimately influence how future U.S. production growth is defined.

Volatility Ramps Up in Southeast Natural Gas Prices as LNG Reshapes Flows -- Southeast natural gas markets are tightening as rising LNG demand along the Gulf Coast collides with growing regional consumption, forcing buyers to compete more aggressively for supply. Line chart of NGI Southeast regional natural gas forward basis curves for Cove Point, Transco Zone 4, Transco Zone 5 and Florida Gas Zone 3, showing sharp winter spikes above $6/MMBtu and lower, stable pricing through summer months into 2028. At A Glance:
Volatility persists despite seasonal demand lull
Florida markets show persistent premium
Infrastructure lagging behind demand growth

Venture Global Secures Pre-Filing Waiver for CP2 Phase 3 Buildout - FERC agreed to waive the pre-filing requirement for a third phase of Venture Global Inc.’s proposed CP2 LNG expansion, indicating regulators could be more open to streamlining processes for large-scale brownfield export projects. At A Glance:

• FERC waiver could accelerate LNG timelines
• Phased expansion strategy advancing
• Global demand incentivizes U.S. exports

What’s Happening with Golden Pass LNG? Pipeline Data Points to Lower Demand - A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers.

• 0.14 Bcf/d: Golden Pass LNG may be having operational issues or a slow down in commissioning ahead of the first export of LNG from Train 1, according to pipeline data and Wood Mackenzie. The firm reported that imagery of the southeast Texas facility shows that all engines have likely been off for several days. Feed gas nominations to Golden Pass have averaged around 0.3 Bcf/d since first LNG production was announced in late March. However, flows dipped over the weekend and have been revised down to 0.14 Bcf/d as of Wednesday.
• 1 cargo/week: U.S. LNG exports are consistently flowing through the Panama Canal for the first time in five months as Asia seeks more spot cargoes. Since early March, at least 1 U.S. cargo a week has been shipped through the route, according to Kpler data. The canal’s use as a door for U.S. LNG to Asia has collapsed since 2021, falling from 17.61 million tons (Mt) to 2.03 Mt last year. Persistent droughts in the region and the pull of U.S. gas to Europe have accelerated the decline.
• 24 Mt/y: Cheniere Energy Inc. has filed a request with the U.S. Department of Energy to approve the export of up to 1,200 Bcf/y from its planned fourth expansion at Corpus Christi LNG (CCL). Designed to add an additional 24 Mt/y at the South Texas terminal by the early 2030s, the Stage 4 expansion would add four large-scale trains to the facility. It would also include building a 42-inch diameter, 26-mile pipeline to increase feed gas deliveries to the CCL terminal by 2.75 Bcf/d. In February, the firm officially started the permitting process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
• 19.4 Bcf/d: U.S. LNG feed gas demand is stepping into the lead position in driving Lower 48 gas markets in the near term as production remains high and the shoulder season takes full effect. After averaging around 22.3 Bcf/d since mid-March, residential and commercial natural gas demand is expected to fall to 16.8 Bcf/d in the coming seven days, according to Wood Mackenzie. Demand has been trending below last year’s levels since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, LNG feed gas demand has recovered from slight dips at the end of March and is seen averaging 19.4 Bcf/d during the next week, according to the firm. Feed gas nominations are around 3.4 Bcf/d higher than during the same period in 2025.

Natural Gas Winter Strip Retreats to Pre-War Levels, but Is 2027 Still Too Cheap? -- The natural gas forward curve has erased nearly all of the premium built during January’s cold and the Iran war, with the Henry Hub winter 2026/27 strip dropping more than 80 cents from its highs to reach its lowest level since before the freeze.  Henry Hub natural gas forward fixed price seasonal strips for summer 2026, summer 2027, winter 2026/2027, and winter 2027/2028, showing winter premiums above $4.00/MMBtu and softer summer pricing near $3.00-$3.50/MMBtu.   At A Glance:
Winter strip at pre-cold snap lows
Analyst eyes 2027 prices above $5
Global NatGas tightness lingers into 2027

US natgas prices sink to 17-month low as supply surges, demand declines (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures eased to a fresh 17-month low on Monday on near-record production so far this month, ample supplies of gas in storage and forecasts for milder weather and less demand next week than previously expected. Front-month gas futures for May delivery NGc1 on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 2.1 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $2.627 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their lowest since October 29, 2024 for a second day in a row. That kept the contract in oversold territory for a third day in a row for the first time since December 2025. In the cash market, average prices at the Waha Hub in West Texas remained in negative territory for a record 46 straight days as pipeline constraints continued to trap gas in the Permian region, the nation's biggest oil-producing shale basin. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states rose to 111.1 billion cubic feet per day so far in April, up from 110.4 bcfd in March. That compares with a monthly record high of 110.7 bcfd in December 2025. Analysts projected that mostly mild spring weather has allowed energy firms to inject more gas into storage than usual, boosting inventories to a forecast 5.3% above normal levels during the week ended April 10, up from 4.8% above normal during the week ended April 3. Meteorologists forecast the weather will remain mostly warmer than normal through April 28, keeping both heating and cooling demand low. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would rise from 100.6 bcfd this week to 101.1 bcfd next week. The forecast for this week was higher than LSEG's outlook on Friday, while its forecast for next week was lower. Average gas flows to the nine big U.S. LNG export plants rose to 18.9 bcfd so far in April, up from 18.6 bcfd in March. That reading compares with a monthly record high of 18.7 bcfd in February. Global gas prices have spiked in recent years due primarily to supply disruptions linked to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the 2026 war in Iran. Gas prices in the U.S., however, have not reacted to the Iran war as elsewhere. That is because the U.S. produces all the gas it needs domestically and U.S. LNG plants were already operating at maximum capacity. So, no matter how high global gas prices go, the U.S. cannot export much more LNG. Since the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28, U.S. gas NGc1 prices are down about 5% versus massive increases of 45% in Europe and 81% in Asia.

California Natural Gas Prices Collapse to Historic Lows Amid ‘Perfect Storm’ of Oversupply -- PG&E Citygate cash prices broke through a quarter-century floor this month, dropping as low as $1.165/MMBtu Tuesday and Wednesday as a three-basin supply glut overwhelms Golden State demand amid mild shoulder season weather and competing generation. Chart of NGI’s Daily Natural Gas Prices showing PG&E Citygate, SoCal Border Avg., and SoCal Citygate from February to April 2026, with California gas prices trending lower, SoCal Border falling below $1.00/MMBtu and SoCal Citygate remaining above $2.00/MMBtu. At A Glance:

• PG&E Citygate drops to record low
• Permian, Rockies, Canada supply crush prices
• Aliso Canyon storage out through April

US natgas futures edge up, cash prices in Texas and California at record lows (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures edged up on Thursday following a drop in output over the past few days and forecasts for more demand than previously expected over the next two weeks. Front-month gas futures for May delivery NGc1 on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 3.7 cents, or 1.4%, to settle at $2.647 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said energy firms added 59 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas into storage during the week ended April 10. That was bigger than the 51-bcf build analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and compares with increases of 22 bcf during the same week last year and a five-year (2021 to 2025) average increase of 38 bcf for the period. Analysts said they expected a bigger-than-normal build because mild weather last week kept heating demand low. In the cash market, spot power and gas prices in parts of Texas and California traded in negative or record-low territory this week as mild weather kept both heating and cooling use low, allowing ample amounts of hydro and other renewable sources of energy to meet more demand. Next-day gas prices fell to record lows of negative $9.56 per mmBtu at the Waha Hub in West Texas and positive $1.16 at the PG&E Citygate in Northern California. For PG&E, that was the fourth daily record low in a row. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states rose to 110.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in April, up from 110.4 bcfd in March. That compares with a monthly record high of 110.7 bcfd in December 2025. On a daily basis, output was on track to drop by 3.2 bcfd over the past four days to a preliminary 10-week low of 108.0 bcfd on Thursday due mostly to declines in Louisiana and Ohio. Meteorologists forecast the weather will remain mostly warmer than normal through May 1, keeping both heating and cooling demand low. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would slide from 101.3 bcfd this week to 100.8 bcfd next week. Those forecasts were higher than LSEG's outlook on Wednesday. Average gas flows to the nine big U.S. LNG export plants rose to 18.9 bcfd so far in April, up from 18.6 bcfd in March. That reading compares with a monthly record high of 18.7 bcfd in February.

Supreme Court sides with oil industry in Louisiana coastal erosion fight - The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the oil and gas industry’s efforts to move a long-standing legal battle over Louisiana’s eroding coastline out of the Bayou State’s courts.In a 8-0 decision issued Friday, the justices were persuaded by industry lawyers’ position that a raft of lawsuits against oil and gas producers should be heard in federal court because the companies were doing the bidding of the federal government by providing petroleum products to fill World War II-era federal contracts for aviation gas, or avgas.The oil industry’s win could make it easier for federal contractors and other private parties to move lawsuits against them to federal court, delaying proceedings and securing venues they see as more favorable to their arguments. During oral arguments in January, the justices appeared wary of making it too easy for companies facing legal action in state court to drag lawsuits into federal courts by relying on the federal officer removal statute.The Trump administration sided with the oil industry in the case, arguing that the statute protects the federal government from interference by state courts.The case landed at the Supreme Court after more than a decade of wrangling over which court should decide whether oil majors owe Louisiana damages for not obtaining permits for drilling activities after the state’s Coastal Resources Management Act was enacted in 1980.Half-a-dozen parishes, led by Plaquemines Parish in southeast Louisiana, have filed 42 lawsuits against the oil industry in state court. The outcome of the Supreme Court case could affect more than a dozen of the suits that remain pending and have not been settled. All damages would go into a fund for coastal restoration efforts, according to attorneys for the challengers.Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito had recused himself from the case, citing financial interest in ConocoPhillips, the parent company of Burlington Resources Oil & Gas. The subsidiary withdrew from the dispute before the justices last June agreed to take up the case, but the Supreme Court noted the company remains a defendant in the district court.

Chevron’s Supreme Court win offers oil industry easier path to friendlier courts - - A Supreme Court ruling Friday could make it easier for federal contractors and other private parties to move lawsuits against them to federal court, delaying proceedings and securing venues they see as more favorable to their arguments. In an 8-0 decision, the justices found that Chevron U.S.A. met legal requirements to transfer a yearslong dispute over its responsibility for Louisiana’s eroding coastline from state to federal court under the federal officer removal statute. The law allows private entities like Chevron that are acting under the direction of the federal government to be heard before a federal bench.The decision in Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish reverses rulings from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a federal district court.“Chevron’s case fits comfortably within the ordinary meaning of a suit ‘relating to’ the performance of federal duties,” said Justice Clarence Thomas, who penned the majority opinion. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson concurred with the judgment in the case but did not sign on to Thomas’ opinion.“Chevron has plausibly alleged a close relationship between its challenged conduct and the performance of its federal duties —not a tenuous, remote, or peripheral one,” Thomas continued.The dispute reached the Supreme Court after Louisiana parishes and the state sued the oil major for allegedly failing to obtain a state permit for oil drilling after the 1980 enactment of Louisiana’s State and Local Coastal Resources Management Act. The law prohibited certain uses of Louisiana’s coastal zone, including oil production, without a permit. They claimed the case belonged before a state bench, because the case involved issues of state law.Chevron applauded the finding that the lawsuits belong in federal court.“As the court recognized, the plaintiffs’ claims are related to activities that Chevron and other energy companies performed under federal supervision during World War II,” said spokesperson Bill Turenne. “Those claims are flawed as a matter of both state law and federal law, and Chevron looks forward to litigating these cases in federal court, where they belong.”Attorneys for the parishes could not be immediately reached for comment on the decision.Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill expressed confidence the state would ultimately prevail in its challenge.“A jury in one of the most conservative, pro-oil and gas communities in the country found that Chevron was liable for billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped into the Louisiana marsh,” she said in an emailed statement, referencing a state court ruling in 2025 awarding parishes $744 million in damages.“It doesn’t matter whether this case is in state court or federal court—I am confident the outcome will be the same.”

Interior sets oil lease sale in Arctic National Wildife Refuge - The Interior Department unveiled plans Friday to hold an oil lease sale this June in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an untouched expanse of public land in the far northeast corner of Alaska.The auction will be the first lease sale in ANWR’s coastal plain under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 law championed by the Trump administration that requires four sales in the 1.5-million-acre section of the refuge by 2035.Trump administration officials have touted the upcoming sale as helping unlock Alaskan energy. President Donald Trump has “long supported Alaska’s important contribution to American energy dominance and Interior is proud to take the necessary and durable steps to unleash these important resources on behalf of the American people,” said Kate MacGregor, deputy Interior secretary, in a statement.Environmental groups have noted that a January 2025 oil lease sale for ANWR yielded no bids — something that a top Biden administration official cheered at the time. Drilling in the refuge would mar a wild landscape, drilling opponents said.

Frozen Fuel: Alaska Eyes Another Epic Pipeline - Underneath the glaciers polar bears patrol along Alaska’s North Slope, the decayed bodies of their ancestors who trod there eons ago have left trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, an energy bonanza for the modern world. That jackpot reservoir has left present-day Alaskans puzzling over how to divide the booty: How much do we need to keep for ourselves, and how much can we export? The answers lie hundreds or even thousands of miles away, among lawmakers in Juneau, in oil and gas company executive suites in New York and Texas, and in capitals of potential buyers spread across the Asian rim. The solutions are being sought while warfare has erupted against Iran, which makes Alaska’s supply even more attractive, and the pockets of natural gas that state residents currently draw on are dwindling. “Yet again, Alaskans are wondering why, with a huge amount of North Slope natural gas, we are going to increase our dependence on some of the world’s most unstable regions,” Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and former Sen. Mark Begich wrote in the Juneau Empire on March 30. “The answer, in part, is that we have failed to develop our own energy resources.” Dunleavy’s pitch, which he has been making for more than a year, is for the construction of a natural gas pipeline that would run nearly 800 miles, from the frozen edge of Prudhoe Bay to new processing and shipping facilities on the Kenai Peninsula. At a time when energy demand is growing and energy markets are roiled by instability on several fronts, the pipeline, whose notable backers include President Trump, would seem to come at an ideal moment. Instead, it faces multiple hurdles that illustrate how complex it has become to pull gas from the ground, and how expensive it will be to get it out of such a remote spot and across such a formidable landscape. “Alaska does need it,” state senator Robert Myers told RealClearInvestigations. “It’s not a done deal yet, but we are definitely seeing some progress.” Alaska has done it before. When the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System (TAPS) opened in 1977, it was an engineering marvel and an important source of oil. At a cost of $9 billion, it stood then as the most expensive private construction project in American history. Running atop tundra, under mountains, through snow in winter and clouds of mosquitoes in summer, the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline pumped more than 2 million barrels of oil a day at its peak, an output that has fallen below 500,000 barrels a day as the rich pots of black gold have been sucked out. Both the famous TAPS and the proposed natural gas pipeline also fall under Alaska’s unique constitution, which essentially gives residents an ownership stake. Initially, the gas pipeline was under the aegis of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation. Last year, however, the state struck a deal with Glenfarne Group, making the multinational energy firm a majority owner and lead developer of the project, with the state retaining a 25% stake. Glenfarne, a privately held company with an executive board dominated by Australians, is headquartered in New York and Houston, but most of its energy portfolio, aside from one LNG operation in Louisiana, is based in Latin America. Now, Glenfarne and Alaska are seeking to replicate, with methane, what’s already been accomplished with oil. Like TAPS, its pipes would also begin along Alaska’s North Slope, with the gas line tapping one of the world’s great stranded reserves. “There are 35 trillion cubic feet there and that’s just the proven reserves, there’s probably more than that,” state senator Jesse Kiehl said. Indeed, some estimates have put the potential total as high as 200 trillion cubic feet. That’s a considerable field, although the U.S. currently produces around 118 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. “Will Alaska change the world – no,” said David Victor, a professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego and fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Thirty-five trillion cubic feet is a huge amount of gas, but there’s a lot of gas in lots of places. What is needed is the mix of gas below ground and the investment environment above ground.” Unlike the TAPS system, which green groups continue to attack in courts, the natural gas line is not facing serious environmental opposition. While a fossil fuel, natural gas is cleaner than oil, and there won’t be any Exxon Valdez if something goes wrong – the methane is simply lost in the atmosphere. The engineering challenges are largely solved already because the new pipe would closely follow the path of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline for much of its length. Yet challenges remain. Because oil is warmer than natural gas, parts of the TAPS Pipeline were built above ground to prevent melting the tundra and destabilizing the tube. The proposed gas pipeline, on the other hand, will run entirely underground. Builders can simply go around deep water, which adds miles but is cheaper, faster, and safer, according to lawmakers and energy experts. At some point, however, the pipe will have to run beneath the Yukon River, a mighty glacial drain that is a mile wide in places. That will be a monumental piece of construction. While most of the river is quite shallow, its deepest point measures 130 feet by Rampart, Alaska, right by the pipe’s path. Wherever they cross, builders must have a launch point and a receiving pit on each riverbank, then use a remote-controlled tunneling head to drill a path under the river, dragging the attached pipe with it. And unlike oil, which can be pumped directly into tankers and moved across the oceans, the methane gas must be cooled to -260 Fahrenheit to become liquid – the “L” in LNG – and transported. Consequently, an expensive liquification plant will have to be built at the pipeline’s terminus, in Alaska’s Nikiski area. The facilities at LNG ports typically consist of 2 or more trains, the high-tech units that perform the supercooling liquefaction. Each train can cost anywhere from $5 to $10 billion to construct. Then, only specialized ships can handle cargoes of super-cooled liquid gas. In fact, there are currently no big tankers meeting the strict requirements of the Jones Act, a law passed in 1920 that requires ships moving between U.S. ports to be built in America and crewed by the U.S. Merchant Marine. That means the biggest markets for Alaskan gas will be exclusively foreign ports. And of those, destinations in Asia, where industrial countries like Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan must import most of their energy, are the most attractive. On a trip to the Asian rim last year, Gov. Dunleavy pitched potential buyers on the benefits of linking with Alaska: shorter distances and crossing routes not subject to the vicissitudes of war and instability that can impact operations and prices of energy from the Middle East. Tokyo, for example, is 1,200 miles closer to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula than it is to the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel are thus seen as potential game-changers for Alaskans. On March 13, Dunleavy declared the action in Iran “a strategic master stroke” in the Wall Street Journal, and supporters like Kiehl noted that “the instability in the Middle East might juice this project.”

Imperial Oil pipeline spills 843,000 litres northwest of Cold Lake, Alta. | CBC News An Imperial Oil pipeline spilled 843,000 litres of bitumen emulsion northwest of Cold Lake, Alta., last week. In a statement to CBC News, Imperial Oil spokesperson Lisa Schmidt said teams responded immediately. The release, which occurred April 9, has been stopped and contained, and cleanup and remediation are underway. “We are sorry this incident occurred," Schmidt wrote. An Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) spokesperson confirmed the agency sent inspectors to the site of the spill — about 30 kilometres northwest of Cold Lake, a city near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. The AER incident report says the emergency phase is over. The report and Imperial Oil say no impacts to wildlife or waterbodies have been identified so far. Although, Kevin Timoney, ecologist with Treeline Ecological Research, has studied thousands of spills and believes wildlife and waterbodies could be affected. “There are always impacts and I know that, in the vast majority of cases, those impacts are not adequately reported,” Timoney said. Schmidt said the cause of the spill is undetermined at this point, but it’s being investigated. Cold Lake First Nations Chief Kelsey Jacko said he also sent officials to the site to assess the impact and come up with a plan to move forward. When he spoke with CBC News, he said he was still waiting to hear more details about the incident. "Spills happen every year," Jacko said, adding that they impact the nation's treaty rights. “How do you build up trust when spills keep happening?”

Cedar LNG Construction Advances With FLNG Vessel Nearing Completion Midpoint  - One of the next generation of Canadian LNG export projects is pushing forward to generate more demand for natural gas from the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), according to project partner Pembina Pipeline Corp.  Map of Western Canada natural gas pipelines and LNG facilities, highlighting Montney and Duvernay basins, major hubs like NOVA/AECO and Empress, and existing, under-construction and proposed LNG export projects along the British Columbia coast.  At A Glance:
Adds 400 MMcf/d incremental WCSB demand
Global LNG tightness supports Canadian economics
Coastal GasLink key to feed gas flows

Canada Natural Gas Output Hits Historic High as Exports Reshape Market - Canada’s natural gas sector reached a milestone in 2025, hitting record production levels as the country pivoted toward global export markets and continued its transition from coal.  Bar chart of Canada natural gas exports from 2016 to 2025 showing volumes rising to nearly 10 Bcf/d, with the majority flowing to the United States and smaller volumes exported to other countries. At A Glance:
BC drives another production surge
LNG Canada opens new export path
U.S. still takes most volumes

LNG Canada Expansion Gains Momentum Amid Iranian War, Middle East Supply Outages  -- LNG Canada’s second phase now appears more likely to advance with structural supply shortfalls expected to persist if it takes years to repair Qatari liquefaction equipment damaged in Iranian attacks last month. Map Comparing LNG Canada Export Routes to Asia Versus U.S. Gulf Coast Shipments, Showing Shorter 10-Day Pacific Route From British Columbia to Asia Compared to 24-Day Gulf Coast Voyage via Panama Canal, With Global Liquefaction Plants and LNG Trade Flows Highlighted.  At A Glance:
Pipeline expansion agreement reached
Permits filed for expansion work
Rising costs could impact FID

U.S. Natural Gas Exports Surge as LNG Buildout, Mexico Pipeline Demand Grow -  U.S. natural gas exports are expected to continue rising in the coming years, driven not just by rapid LNG expansion but also pipeline exports to Mexico, where demand for the fuel keeps growing. U.S. natural gas trade trends from 2023 to 2027, showing rising LNG exports driving net exports higher, while pipeline imports remain steady, according to EIA forecasts. At A Glance:
Exports seen reaching 20.5 Bcf/d by 2027
LNG capacity expansions drive bulk of growth
NatGas-fired power lifts Mexico demand

Chile Weighs LNG Export Hub Role for Argentine Natural Gas -- Chile’s newly instated Energy Minister Ximena Rincón said that the country was considering developing plans to ship bountiful Argentine LNG to Asian and global markets. Argentina natural gas production climbs steadily from 2020 to 2025, driven by strong output growth in the Neuquén basin and Vaca Muerta shale, with additional contributions from Austral, Noroeste, San Jorge, and Cuyana regions.  At A Glance:
Argentine shale keeps export hopes alive
Chile pitches Pacific Coast gateway
Regional ties gain strategic urgency

Global Natural Gas Prices Surge as U.S. Blockade Casts Uncertainty Over Control of Hormuz Strait -- Global natural gas prices resumed a climb upward, following oil higher after peace talks between the United States and Iran failed over the weekend, again clouding the outlook for global energy flows.  Map of the Persian Gulf highlighting LNG import and export terminals, including QatarEnergy, Das Island, Bahrain LNG and Jebel Ali, with the Strait of Hormuz marked as a key global natural gas shipping chokepoint.  At A Glance:
U.S.-Iran truce ‘fragile’
Hormuz disruption driving volatility
Shoulder season limiting some of impact

Spot LNG Demand Slumps as Warm Weather Dominates Global Forecasts -- Unseasonably warm weather across Europe and Asia, combined with an early burst of near-record heat in the United States, are set to suppress global natural gas demand in the coming weeks. NGI charts of trailing 365-day mean temperatures for Northwest Europe, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo, comparing daily averages to normal levels and showing seasonal temperature trends from April 2025 to April 2026.  At A Glance:

• U.S. warmth limits late-season demand
• Dry weather boosts Nordic power risks
• Volatility rises despite weak demand backdrop

How Much More Can U.S. LNG Exporters Ship in 2026? Summer Heat May Dictate - With the Iran war knocking roughly one-fifth of the world’s LNG supply offline, buyers in Europe and Asia are leaning on the United States to fill the gap. However, additional LNG output from U.S. terminals faces headwinds from summer heat, maintenance and the slow ramp-up of new capacity.  At A Glance:

• Feed gas averaging about 18.9 Bcf/d YTD
• EIA boosts 2026 export forecast
• Hot weather, maintenance cap near-term upside

Qatar LNG Damage Tightens Global Natural Gas Markets as Majors Warn of Lasting Impact -- Global energy majors are warning that damage to Qatar’s LNG assets is squeezing global natural gas markets and pushing prices higher, raising further concerns that a drawn-out war in Iran could create lasting impacts. At A Glance:

• Exxon flags production hit from attacks
• Chevron eyes upside from higher prices
• Golden Pass ramp offers limited relief

European Utility Expects New U.S. LNG Supply to Soften Blow of Qatari Outage --
Italian utility Edison SpA said this week it was able to procure LNG cargoes from the United States to meet an expected shortfall after Qatar shuttered production of the super-chilled fuel and declared force majeure on deliveries to customers amid conflict in the Middle East.Edison was able to obtain seven U.S. cargoes after QatarEnergy cancelled plans to lift them, CEO Nicola Monti and Edison’s natural gas portfolio manager Fabio Dubini told reporters during a briefing earlier this week. Monti said he expects new facilities that have come online in the United States such as Plaquemines and Golden Pass LNG to limit the impacts of Middle East LNG outages. (Europe LNG imports by region of origin from 2020 to 2025, showing the United States as the largest supplier, followed by Russia and Qatar, with smaller volumes from Africa, the Middle East, and other regions.)

Ukraine Natural Gas Development Gains Momentum as Europe Seeks Alternative Supplies  - Ukraine’s largest natural gas producer is collaborating with Baker Hughes Co. to explore ways to tap the country’s massive reserve of supply as it works to recover from the war with Russia and create stronger ties with Europe.  European Union natural gas storage levels at 334 TWh as of April 13, 2026, 29.6% full, tracking below the five-year average and prior year, with charts showing seasonal storage trends and year/year deficits.  At A Glance:
DTEK-Baker Hughes to boost domestic output
Ukraine rebuild may curb future LNG needs
Strikes continue hitting gas infrastructure

Treasury secretary: US will not extend sanctions exemptions period for Russia, Iran oil - Washington does not plan to extend the period for exemptions from sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. According to him, this concerns oil supplies that were already in transport before the sanctions were imposed, and these exemptions were temporary. Bessent stressed that the US administration will not restore the main licenses that allowed trading in Russian and Iranian oil. The current exemptions for Iran expire on Sunday. Earlier it was also reported that the US has extended a separate exemption for foreign filling stations of the Russian company Lukoil, which allows them to continue their work outside Russia until the end of October.

Trump administration extends sanctions exemption on some Russian oil as gas prices continue to skyrocket --The Trump administration extended sanctions exemption Friday on some Russian oil as gas prices continue to skyrocket in the wake of the US-Israeli war against Iran, according to The New York Times (NYT). The move comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US would not extend the exemption on the sale of Russian oil. Gas prices have skyrocketed since the war in the Middle East began in late February, with the average price in the US surging by over 30% to more than $4 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline and more than 40% to surpass $5 for diesel, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). The Trump administration initially loosened restrictions on Russian oil exports that were stranded at sea after the war rattled energy markets, with the goal of lowering oil prices by allowing countries to legally purchase hundreds of millions of barrels of crude that the US had blacklisted, according to the NYT report. As the war has extended into its second month, and with gas prices in the US continuing to surge, the initial sanctions waiver on Russian oil that expired April 11 will now be extended until May 16. The NYT said the last-minute renewal of Russia’s sanctions exemption came as Iran announced Friday that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that carried 20% of the world’s oil, was completely open to all commercial ships. President Donald Trump celebrated the move by claiming in a social media post that the "Hormuz Strait situation is over" and Iran agreed to never close the waterway again. Iran, however, has made no such commitment. Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that the waterway would be open "for the remaining period of cease-fire" between the US and Iran, which is set to expire next week. American and Iranian negotiators are expected to meet for another round of peace talks in Pakistan before the ceasefire ends. Democratic lawmakers in the US Senate condemned Trump's extension of the sanctions exemption, with Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and top Democratic members of the chamber, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, issuing a rebuke. "This decision is shameful and a 180-degree reversal from Secretary Bessent, just two days after he pledged not to extend sanctions relief for Russia," they said in a statement. “This week, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched the largest aerial attack of the year so far on Ukraine, killing 18 and the Administration's response is to relax sanctions on the Kremlin yet again. What kind of message does this move send?”

Oil spill in Port of Antwerp under investigation as clean-up continues An investigation has been launched into an oil spill in the Port of Antwerp, after a container ship leaked a significant amount of oil during refuelling last week. Terminal operators MSC and PSA have begun a joint inquiry. In addition, the Nautical Commission has opened an investigation at the request of the court in Ghent. The spill occurred on Thursday at the Deurganck Dock, one of the port’s largest container terminals, when the vessel MSC Denmark VI began leaking oil during bunkering operations. Initial hopes that the situation would be resolved within 24 hours proved too optimistic. Clean-up efforts are now said to be “under control”, according to nature organisation Natuurpunt. Around 40 people, including volunteers and civil protection staff, are currently working to remove the oil from affected areas, including port infrastructure, ships and nearby riverbanks. Some progress has been made. Key locks, including Kieldrecht and Zandvliet-Berendrecht, have partially or fully reopened, allowing shipping traffic to resume. However, delays continue due to earlier closures and limited capacity. Several contaminated vessels are still being cleaned, and authorities expect disruption to last for several more days. Part of the Scheldt river has reopened to shipping traffic following last night’s oil spill in the Port of Antwerp. b Environmental concerns remain. Dozens of birds have already been found covered in oil, and conservationists warn that the full impact on local wildlife is still unclear. Members of the public have been urged not to assist in the clean-up. There is cautious optimism that the situation will not worsen. Spring tide, which could spread the pollution further into protected natural areas along the River Scheldt, is now expected later this week, giving crews more time to contain the spill. A crisis meeting is taking place on Monday, with further updates expected from port authorities once it concludes.

Diesel spillage as barge sinks on lake in Mol    - Diesel has spilled into the Kanaalplas, a lake near to the Zilvermeer, a beauty spot at Mol in Antwerp Province. The Mayor of Mol Wim Caeyers (Christian democrat) told VRT News that it is still unclear how much damage has been done to the environment. However, “It is always serious when oil spills into the water”. There is a stench of diesel in the area around the spill. The hold of vessel was loaded with sand from Sibelco in Mol. No one was on board the barge when it sank. However, as the barge has a diesel generator, some diesel leaked into the lake. The emergency services were at the scene quickly and did their best to contain the spill. “The priority was to ensure that the oil did not drift into the Dessel-Kwaadmechelen Canal. That is why our first task was to set up a dam between the lake and the canal. There are also diesel tanks on board the ship which are, as far as we know, intact. A specialist firm is expected to arrive on site shortly to secure them underwater”, Mr Caeyers explained. What caused the barged to sink is still unclear. The clean-up operation will continue to today.

Geelong fire: Blaze at Australian oil refinery to impact petrol supplies - A major fire at one of Australia's two oil refineries has been extinguished, but the damage has deepened fears over the nation's petrol supplies amid a global fuel crunch. Emergency crews rushed to Viva's Corio oil refinery in Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, just before midnight local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday, after reports of explosions and flames. The blaze was put out on Thursday after burning for 13 hours. No one was injured, with dozens of workers on site when it broke out evacuated safely. The refinery - which produces 50% of Victoria's fuel and 10% of the nation's - is still partially operational but the government has warned of impacts to petrol production. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the fire was "not great timing" with Australia's fuel supplies under pressure since war broke out in Iran, creating a global oil crisis. The price of diesel in Australia has doubled in recent weeks, with fuel stations reporting shortages amid reports of panic buying, while airlines are cutting back some services as jet fuel costs rise. "This is not a positive development, but obviously there's a long way to go in terms of working out just what the impact is," Bowen told Nine's Today show on Thursday, adding that he was working closely with the company. The cause of the fire was due to "equipment failure", Fire Rescue Victoria said, adding that there will be an investigation. The refinery processes about 120,000 barrels of oil per day and employs over 1,100 people. Viva Energy chief executive Scott Wyatt said earlier on Thursday that the fire had affected two petrol production units, though others were undamaged. "But naturally petrol will be one of the products that are potentially impacted," he said. Jet fuel and diesel were also being made at reduced levels as a safety precaution. "We'll only start increasing production again once we're confident we can do that safely," Wyatt said. Australia relies heavily on imported refined fuels - primarily from countries like Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia - which should mean any impact the fire has on domestic fuel availability is limited, experts say. "This diversified supply chain provides a degree of resilience against short-term domestic disruptions,"

Iran's oil production reaches 3.06m bpd in March: OPEC - Tehran Times --The OPEC Secretariat announced that Saudi Arabia, with a daily production of 7,799,000 barrels, and Iran, with 3,060,000 barrels, were the top producers among major OPEC members in March. According to a report by Mehr News Agency citing the OPEC Secretariat, the oil production of the organization's 12 member countries, based on the latest report (April 2026), totaled 20,788,000 barrels per day in March 2026, which represents a decrease of 7,878,000 barrels per day compared to February. Iran's oil production in March decreased by 182,000 barrels per day, reaching 3,060,000 barrels per day. Iran's average daily oil production in 2025 was 3,263,000 barrels, and in 2024 it was 3,257,000 barrels. Saudi Arabia, with a daily production of 7,799,000 barrels, and Iran, with 3,060,000 barrels, were the largest OPEC producers in March. OPEC+ members produced 14,267,000 barrels per day in March, an increase of 176,000 barrels compared to February's production of 14,092,000 barrels. Among them, Kazakhstan experienced the largest production increase in March, with 251,000 barrels per day. Overall, the total daily crude oil production of OPEC and its allies reached 35,055,000 barrels in March, a decrease of 7,702,000 barrels compared to February (42,757,000 barrels). According to OPEC's latest monthly report, the price of Iran's heavy crude oil in March increased by $57.51 compared to February. The price of Iran's heavy crude oil was recorded at $124.10 per barrel in March, whereas in February it was $66.59 per barrel. The average price of Iran's heavy crude oil in 2025 was $77.31. The OPEC basket price also reached $116.36 per barrel in March, which is $48.46 higher than in February. According to the OPEC Secretariat's latest monthly report (April), global crude oil demand for 2027 is expected to increase by 1,340,000 barrels per day. Total world oil demand for 2027 is forecast at 107,870,000 barrels per day.

Crude oil demand to see biggest quarterly plunge since Covid: IEA - The Hindu --Demand for crude oil will likely see the biggest slump in the second quarter since the Covid pandemic slammed the global economy in 2020, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday (April 14, 2026).  Surging prices caused by the war in the West Asia will force many countries and industries to curb oil use, and “demand destruction will spread as scarcity and higher prices persist”, the agency said in its monthly report.

Saudi Arabia hikes Arab Light crude prices for Asia to record-high premium -  Saudi Arabia has set the official selling price of May Arab Light crude oil to Asia at a record premium of $19.50 a barrel above the Oman/Dubai average, an increase of $17 from the previous month, a pricing document reviewed by Reuters showed on Monday.The sharp jump comes at a time when Middle East oil has become the world’s most expensive as the US-Israel war on Iran limited shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil supplies. It remains unclear when a ceasefire will be reached or when oil exports from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain can resume through the Strait. Last month, Middle East high-sulphur crude benchmark Dubai rose to nearly $170 a barrel during trading in the S&P Global Platts Market on Close process.Meanwhile, OPEC+ agreed on Sunday to raise its oil output quotas by 206,000 barrels per day for May, a modest rise that will largely exist on paper as its key members are unable to raise production due to the war.

Oil prices surge on blockade vow, failed U.S.-Iran talks -- Oil prices jumped over 7% to well over $100 per barrel when markets opened Sunday evening and remained high into Monday. The latest surge shows that traders don't see last week's U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal reviving large-scale tanker transit through the Strait of Hormuz — and it undoes a large amount of the price drop that followed the pause in hostilities. Continued high prices will delay major relief at U.S. gasoline pumps, where regular gasoline prices dipped slightly in recent days and currently average $4.13-per-gallon, per AAA.  The global benchmark Brent crude was up by over $7 per barrel to $102.29 Sunday evening, while WTI, the main U.S. price, was up by roughly $8 to $104.56. Oil remained around these prices overnight and into Monday.President Trump on Sunday morning said the U.S. will impose a naval blockade on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, several hours after peace talks in Pakistan ended in failure. Iran has effectively held the strait hostage, imposing a toll and limiting oil exports. Trump's blockade aims to flip that dynamic by denying Iran the leverage it's using as a bargaining chip and preventing it from exporting its oil, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. "Given the continued threat of Iranian attack against any ships that don't pay the toll, the US blockade announcement will further discourage shipping through the strait, keeping volumes below 10% of the prewar level and putting continued pressure on oil prices," analysts with the Eurasia Group, a political risk analysis and consultancy, said in a note Sunday. "In pursuing this strategy, President Trump may be calculating that China will become more active in negotiations if it faces a cutoff of Iranian cargoes to its refineries," RBC Capital Markets Helima Croft said in a note Sunday before markets opened.: Tehran may increase attacks on regional energy facilities if Trump backs up his blockade threat with action, writes Croft, who analyzes markets for an arm of the Royal Bank of Canada.

Oil prices surge after U.S.-Iran talks collapse - Following the collapse of negotiations between the United States and Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a blockade of Iranian ports, oil prices surged sharply, while stock markets declined. On the morning of April 13, the price of North Sea Brent crude rose by 8% to reach $102.80 per barrel. Before the start of U.S.-Iran talks on April 11, it stood at $95.20. A similar increase was recorded for U.S. WTI crude, which also surpassed the $100 threshold, Deutsche Welle reports. At the same time, stock markets saw declines: major indices in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul dropped by at least 1%. Other Asian exchanges also recorded downturns in key indicators. Trump acknowledged that oil and gasoline prices could remain elevated until the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November. On April 12, Donald Trump announced a blockade of Iran’s maritime ports following the failed round of negotiations in Islamabad. The move aims to prevent Tehran from collecting fees from shipping companies passing through the Strait of Hormuz and to cut off Iran’s oil revenues. Subsequently, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that starting April 13 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (17:00 Moscow time), it began monitoring all vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas. The blockade applies to ships of all countries and covers all Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. At the same time, CENTCOM emphasized that it does not restrict freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or in non-Iranian ports. The April 11 talks in Islamabad collapsed due to disagreements over nuclear weapons and the Strait of Hormuz. Iran insisted on maintaining control over the strait and collecting fees from passing vessels, rejecting U.S. proposals for joint control, according to the Financial Times.

Oil prices jump 6% to above $100 a barrel on US blockade of Iran -  Oil prices jumped about 6% to more than $100 a barrel on Monday after the U.S. military said it will blockade ships leaving Iran’s ports, while Tehran threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours’ ports, raising fears of more energy supply disruptions after weekend peace talks broke down. Brent futures were up $5.76, or 6.1%, to $100.96 a barrel at 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $5.69, or 5.9%, to $102.26. Prices for physical crude barrels for immediate delivery to Europe were trading even higher, with some grades already at record highs of about $150 a barrel. If U.S. President Donald Trump “does indeed back his blockade threat with actual boats, a convergence between the paper and physical markets may soon come,” said Helima Croft, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.Two Iranian-linked tankers exited the Gulf on Monday as other vessels began avoiding the Strait of Hormuz. The strait handles about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Saudi Arabia said it restored full oil pumping capacity through the East-West pipeline to about 7 million barrels per day (bpd) after damage from Iranian attacks. The kingdom, however, said crude oil sales to China are set to fall in May as the war drives up prices and disrupts shipping.. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) lowered its forecast for world oil demand in the second quarter by 500,000 barrels per day, helping to pare earlier crude futures price gains. Earlier in the trading session, Brent futures were up more than $8 a barrel and WTI was up more than $9. India said it was likely to see below-average monsoon rains for the first time in three years in 2026, stoking concerns about farm output and growth in Asia’s third-largest economy as it battles inflation driven by the war. Inflation is also a concern in Europe where European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said any ECB interest rate rise will depend on how a war-fuelled surge in the cost of crude oil and some chemicals impacts other prices. Central banks like the ECB use interest rates to control inflation. Higher rates boost consumer costs and can slow economic growth and demand for oil. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said member states must coordinate on energy prices amid a 22 billion euro ($25.70 billion) increase in fossil fuel bills since the start of the war. The head of Italian energy group Eni suggested the EU reconsider its plans to progressively ban imports of Russian gas from the start of next year. US negotiators leaving without a peace deal with Iran In Germany, the coalition government agreed to give consumers and businesses about 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion) of fuel price relief, ending a dispute over how to respond to the recent oil price surge. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said uncertainty over the Middle East conflict was keeping markets unstable and could hurt factory output, signalling the central bank’s escalating alarm over the economic hit from the war.

Oil Market Reverses After Surge Above $100 on Iran Tensions -The oil market rallied back over the $100 level on Monday but gave up its sharp gains by the end of the day. The market was well supported as the U.S. began a naval blockade of Iranian ports on Monday morning after Washington and Tehran failed on Saturday to reach a deal to end the war. Meanwhile, Iran threatened retaliation against Gulf infrastructure and warned U.S. military vessels near the Strait of Hormuz would be considered in breach of the ceasefire, escalating concerns that the truce may not hold through its remaining nine days. The crude market gapped higher from $100.42 to $102.00 and rallied to a high of $105.63 in overnight trading. The market later erased some of its gains and settled in a sideways trading range in overnight trading before it sold off further in afternoon trading after President Trump said Iran wanted to make a deal and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement between the U.S. and Iran and forward motion on trying to get an agreement. Also, the head of the IEA, Fatih Birol, said he hopes another oil stockpile release is not needed but added that the IEA was ready to tap oil reserves, if needed. The crude market erased all of its overnight gains and posted a low of $97.03 ahead of the close. The May WTI contract ended the session up $2.51 at $99.08 and the June Brent contract ended the day up $4.16 at $99.36. The product markets settled higher, with the heating oil market settling up 7.25 cents at $3.8341 and the RB market settling up 7.87 cents at $3.1160. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump and his advisers are looking at resuming limited military strikes in Iran in addition to the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a way to break a stalemate in peace talks. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the price of oil and gasoline may remain high through November’s midterm elections. According to data from GasBuddy, the average price for regular gas at U.S. service stations has exceeded $4/gallon for most of April. OPEC lowered its forecast for world oil demand in the second quarter by 500,000 bpd, citing the impact of the war in the Middle East. OPEC’s report said global oil demand is projected to average 105.07 million bpd in the second quarter, down from the 105.57 million bpd forecast in last month’s report. However, this weakness is expected to be offset in the second half of the year. OPEC also said that for the full year, global demand growth is unchanged from its previous estimate of 1.38 million bpd. OPEC said OPEC+ crude output averaged 35.06 million bpd in March, down 7.7 million bpd on the month as the Iran war prompted Middle East members to cut their output. UBS raised its Brent oil price forecasts for the remaining quarters of 2026 and first quarter of 2027 as flows through the Strait of Hormuz continue to be restricted. It raised its Brent forecast to $100/barrel by the end of June 2026, $95/barrel by the end of September and $90/barrel by the end of December. It also expects Brent to trade at $85/barrel by the end of March 2027. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 818,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending April 17th, decreasing available refining capacity by 29,000 bpd from the previous week. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 513,000 bpd in the week through April 24th.

Oil prices fall as supply concerns ease on hopes for US-Iran talks – CNA -  Oil prices fell on Tuesday (Apr 14) as signs of possible talks to end the US-Israeli war on Iran eased supply risks stemming from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent futures edged 62 cents lower, or around 0.6 per cent, to US$98.74 at 8.28am GMT (4.28pm Singapore time), while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell US$2.30, or 2.3 per cent, to US$96.78. Both benchmarks rose in the previous session, with Brent climbing more than 4 per cent and WTI nearly 3 per cent, after the US military began a blockade of Iran's ports. Oil prices rose 50 per cent last month, a record. While talk about the resumption of US-Iran talks put downward pressure on prices, the move lower ignores the loss of physical barrels of oil that are not moving, PVM Oil Associates' analyst Tamas Varga said. Attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East and Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have led to the largest oil supply disruption in history, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report, with 10.1 million barrels per day (bpd) lost in March. The US military on Monday said its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would extend east to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, while ship-tracking data showed two ships turned around in the strait as the blockade started. NATO allies, including Britain and France, refrained from joining the blockade, calling instead for the waterway to reopen. In response, Iran threatened to target ports in nations bordering the Gulf, following the collapse of weekend talks in Islamabad aimed at resolving the crisis over the strait, which in normal times is a passageway for about a fifth of global oil and gas supplies. However, three Iran-linked tankers entered the Gulf and were allowed to pass since their destinations were not Iranian ports, shipping data showed. Negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Islamabad later this week, five sources told Reuters. A US official also said there was continued engagement on trying to get to an agreement while Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said efforts were still underway. "In case talks between the adversaries fail to bear fruit, even revisiting the March highs cannot be ruled out as the decline in global oil inventories might spill into the third quarter and beyond," Varga added. The IEA said in its monthly report on Tuesday that demand for crude oil will likely see the biggest slump in the second quarter since the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the global economy in 2020. Surging prices caused by the war in the Middle East will force many countries and industries to curb oil use, and "demand destruction will spread as scarcity and higher prices persist", the agency said. It noted that its forecasts assume a "base case" of oil shipments resuming in May through the Strait of Hormuz. This would lead to a decline in demand of 1.5 million bpd in the second quarter, "the sharpest since COVID-19 slashed fuel consumption", the IEA said. Overall demand is forecast to have contracted by 800,000 bpd in March and is seen dropping by 2.3 million bpd in April. But a "protracted case" if the strait remains closed could see oil demand plunge even further, the IEA said. "In this case, energy markets and economies around the world need to brace for significant disruptions in the months to come," it warned.

Oil Market Drops Sharply as Renewed U.S.–Iran Talks Ease Supply Fears - The crude market on Tuesday traded lower amid the possibility that the U.S. and Iran will resume talks to end the war. There were reports that negotiating teams from the U.S. and Iran could return to Islamabad this week to resume talks to end the war, after the collapse of weekend negotiations prompted the U.S. to impose a blockade on Iranian ports. While the U.S. blockade drew condemning rhetoric from Iran, signs that diplomatic engagement might continue helped ease supply concerns stemming from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The oil market posted a high of $98.00 on the opening and continued to erase its recent gains, posting a low of $91.06 ahead of the close. The May WTI contract settled down $7.80 at $91.28 and the June Brent contract settled down $4.57 at $94.79. The product markets ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 20.98 cents at $3.6243 and the RB market settling down 7.65 cents at $3.0395. The International Energy Agency sharply cut its forecasts for global oil supply and demand growth, saying both are now expected to fall from 2025 levels as the war in the Middle East disrupts oil flows and weighs on the global economy. The IEA now sees global oil demand falling by 80,000 bpd in 2026, compared with a projected year-on-year increase of 640,000 bpd in its previous monthly report. The IEA forecast global oil supply to fall by 1.5 million bpd this year, down from a 1.1 million bpd projected increase last month and 2.5 million bpd at the start of the year. The IEA said that attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East and Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have led to the largest oil supply disruption in history, with 10.1 million bpd lost in March. Overall, the IEA forecasts imply that supply will be higher than demand by just 410,000 bpd in 2026, in contrast to a 2.46 million bpd surplus projected in last month’s report. The IEA said the flow of crude oil, refined fuels and natural gas liquids through Hormuz was just 3.8 million bpd in early April, down from more than 20 million bpd in February before the U.S. and Israel launched their initial strikes on Iran. The IEA’s base case forecast is for regular deliveries of oil and gas from the Middle East to international markets to resume by mid-year, although below pre-conflict levels. Bloomberg reported that Iranian crude on tankers at sea and strong onshore stockpiles in China will provide a cushion for the country’s independent refiners should U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shut in flows. According to Kpler data, there are about 38 million barrels of Iranian oil on vessels in Asia, with more than a third of the ships anchored in the Yellow Sea off the Chinese coast. OilChem said overall crude inventories in Shandong province have also increased and are near the highest level this year. Gasoline and diesel prices in the U.S. are at their highest seasonal levels ever. While fuel costs have eased slightly in recent days as oil markets weigh the possibility of a U.S.-Iran deal to end the war, retail prices are still high. According to the AAA, gasoline prices averaged $4.12/gallon on Monday. That compares with a previous high of $4.07 on the same day in 2022 following the price spike driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, national average diesel prices stood at $5.65/gallon, more than 60 cents above their previous high for this time, set in 2022. The price of both fuels are expected to remain elevated.

Oil Tumbles 8% on Fresh US-Iran Peace Initiative -- Oil futures fell as much as 8% Tuesday after the United States and Iran signaled there could be another round of talks in Islamabad this week, raising fresh hopes for a solution to the Middle East conflict. NYMEX WTI crude for May delivery settled down $7.80, or 8%, at $91.28 bbl. The crude U.S. benchmark has fallen in three of the past five sessions, losing about 20%, on signs that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire announced a week ago might be replaced by a permanent peace deal. ICE Brent for June delivery, however, closed down by a more modest $4.57, or 5%, at $94.79 bbl after reports that the U.S. Navy had interdicted six merchant ships to and from Iranian ports, while allowing unhindered passage to a Chinese tanker carrying Iranian oil. The mixed actions raised caution about the difficulty of restoring safe passage for oil tankers in Middle East waters, particularly the Strait of Hormuz. Among refined products, NYMEX RBOB futures for May delivery closed down $0.0765 at $3.0395 gallon, while front-month ULSD futures finished $0.2098 lower at $ 3.6243 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index softened by 0.263 points to 97.9 against a basket of foreign currencies by 2:30 p.m. EDT. Through March, WTI rose more than 50% and Brent gained over 60% after a blockade by Iran of the Hormuz, which serves as transit point for some 140 vessels carrying about 20 million bpd of petroleum liquids that make up a fifth of global supply. With the start of April, however, there were signs that the blockade could ease as U.S. and Israel agreed to halt airstrikes against Iran that began on Feb. 27. Tehran also paused its counterfire at the oil and gas facilities of Gulf nations deemed as U.S. allies. Peace talks held in the Pakistan capital at the weekend failed, but observers said U.S. and Iranian officials could meet again this week. "Indications we have are that it is highly probable that Iran talks will restart," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. U.S. President Donald Trump, however, stressed on Tuesday that the United States will not budge from its position that Iran abandons all nuclear ambitions. Media reports said Washington had sought a 20-year guarantee from Iran that it would not enrich uranium, versus the five-year compromise offered by Tehran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, warned on Tuesday that the U.S. blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports would be a deal breaker to any talks. The International Energy Agency, in its monthly report released Tuesday, said the Iran war is likely to cost some 1.5 million bpd in global oil demand for the second quarter -- the sharpest decline since the 2020 pandemic.

Oil Prices Fall For 2nd Day As Donald Trump Signals Possible US-Iran Talks - Global oil prices declined for a second straight day on Wednesday as optimism grew over a possible resumption of negotiations between the United States and Iran, raising hopes of easing supply disruptions in the Middle East. Investor sentiment improved after US President Donald Trump indicated that talks to end the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran could resume within the next two days, potentially in Pakistan. The development follows a breakdown in negotiations over the weekend, which had prompted Washington to impose a blockade on Iranian ports, fuelling concerns over supply constraints after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As expectations of renewed dialogue gained traction, crude oil prices in the global market slipped below the $95 per barrel mark. The global benchmark Brent crude fell to a low of $94.42 per barrel during Tuesday's session, after witnessing sharp volatility with an intraday high of $99.45 per barrel. The contract had opened around the $97 per barrel level. Similarly, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also recorded a decline. Prices dropped to $87.08 per barrel during the session after opening near $98 per barrel. Despite hitting higher levels at the start of trading, WTI cooled significantly to close around the $90 per barrel range. The downward trend in oil prices had begun earlier as reports suggested that Israel and Lebanon were open to further negotiations amid the ongoing West Asia tensions. Additional cues came after Trump hinted that“something could be happening” in the next few days, reinforcing expectations of diplomatic progress. In early trade on Wednesday, Brent crude was hovering at $94.66 per barrel, down from the previous close of $95.13 per barrel. Meanwhile, WTI crude was trading at around $90.65 per barrel, compared to its last close of $91.28 per barrel.

WTI Rises After Big Inventory Drawdowns Across Energy Complex, Huge SPR Drop, Record Exports Oil largely held onto a sharp drop from this week’s highs as the US and Iran seek further talks to end a war that has brought the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway to a near-halt. President Trump told a Fox Business anchor he sees the war “very close to over” and told ABC “you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead.” The global oil market has been jolted by the conflict, which triggered an unprecedented supply shock, and while week to week shifts in domestic inventory and supply may not be the crucial market-movers they were before the war (and headline roulette), they remain key in seeing how the US energy market is 'coping' with the new demand from overseas... and if there is any domestic demand destruction from soaring gas prices... API:

• Crude +6.1mm
• Cushing
• Gasoline +626k
• Distillates -3.36mm

DOE

• Crude -913k (+900k exp) - first draw in 8 weeks
• Cushing -1.73mm - biggest draw since Jan 3rd
• Gasoline -6.33mm - biggest draw since Mar 2023
• Distillates -3.12mm

Inventories across the entire oil energy complex saw unexpected drawdowns last week with crude's first decline in stocks since Feb 13. Gasoline stocks plunged by the most since March 2023... (Graphics Source: Bloomberg) The SPR saw its biggest drawdown since Dec 2022... Crude production actually declined last week... as Refineries trimmed crude processing for the third straight week. With that, intake has been curtailed by a little over half a million barrels a day since the end of March. Crude exports jumped over 1 million barrels a day to the highest level since September 2025 as the world continues to draw on US oil as the Iran war disrupts global flows. That oil export jump pushed total oil and fuel exports to the highest level ever. Most of the gains came as crude shipments jumped above the key 5 million barrels a day mark to the highest since September 2025, according to data from the US government. In aggregate it meant the US sent almost 13 million barrels per day overseas last week, when also adding refined fuels. WTI Crude prices rallied on the report... Finally, despite chatter of energy independence and no need for Hormuz flows, the real constraint on Trump is domestic gas and diesel prices (as its a global energy complex), which are looking set to fall from near record-highs as WTI and RBOB prices have eased...

WTI Clings to $91 on New US-Iran Talks Effort, EIA Data -- Oil futures settled steady in choppy trading Wednesday as diplomats from Washington to Islamabad and Tehran worked on scheduling a new round of peace talks in the Pakistani capital aimed at ending the Middle East conflict. Also supporting energy markets were weekly declines across the board in U.S. crude, gasoline, and distillate inventories as reported by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). NYMEX WTI crude for May delivery settled up $0.01 at $91.29 bbl. The ICE Brent contract for June settled up $0.14 at $94.93 bbl. Downstream, diesel proxy NYMEX ULSD ended trading for the May contract up $0.1289 at $3.7532 gallon. In gasoline, NYMEX RBOB futures for May closed up $0.0297 at $3.0692 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index inched down 0.068 points to 97.84 against a basket of foreign currencies. A stream of both positive and negative headlines on the Middle East conflict led to choppy price moves throughout the day in energy markets. U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the war with Iran could end within the week. Media reports said the president could be in Islamabad for the signing of a peace deal if an agreement is reached between White House and Iranian negotiators, after Sunday's failure of the first round of discussions. Yet talk earlier in the day of a potential extension to the ceasefire on Iran that ends April 21 suggested the timeline for an agreement could drag. Energy risk premiums have softened since the ceasefire announced April 7, yet the physical movement of Middle Eastern crude remains severely restricted. A potential peace agreement holds the promise of fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained largely shuttered since hostilities erupted 45 days ago. Normalizing transit for approximately 20 million bpd of petroleum liquids typically flowing through the waterway could significantly depress global energy prices. While Tehran has permitted selective tanker traffic through the Hormuz, a U.S. naval blockade initiated Monday, April 13, tightened the noose on Iranian maritime trade. The U.S. Navy interdicted two tankers attempting to depart Iran on Tuesday, April 14, and the Treasury Department said it will not extend sanctions waiver on Iranian oil expire this weekend. Iran, on its part, said Wednesday it intends to maintain control over its waters in the Hormuz and neighboring Oman. Market participants also remain wary of renewed fighting if the two-week ceasefire expires without a formal extension. Israel, the U.S. partner in the Middle East conflict, said Wednesday it was ready to resume attacks if needed. In the U.S., the EIA said crude stocks fell by 900,000 bbl to 463.8 million bbl last week, after a prior seven-week build left inventories at a more than three-year high of 464.7 million. Gasoline inventories fell by 6.4 million bbl to 232.9 million bbl during the week ended April 10, the EIA said. Distillate fuel balances fell by 3.1 million bbl to 111.6 million bbl.

Oil prices little changed - Oil prices were little changed on Thursday, reversing earlier declines, on scepticism that peace talks between ‌the US and Iran will reach a deal to end the war that has bottled up oil output from the key Middle East producing region. Brent crude futures were down 26 cents to $94.67 a barrel at 0611 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 14 cents to $91.43 a ​barrel. Both benchmarks settled little changed on Wednesday but traded in a wide range. Google News LinkFor all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The US-Israeli war on Iran has resulted ​in the largest-ever disruption of global oil and gas supplies due to Iran’s interruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas ​flows. “While there are hopes for de-escalation, many investors remain sceptical, given that US-Iran talks have repeatedly broken down even ​after appearing to make progress,” said Toshitaka Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi Securities. “Until a peace deal is reached and free navigation through the strait is restored, WTI prices are expected to continue fluctuating between $80 and $100,” he added. Analysts from ING estimate that roughly 13 million barrels ​per day of oil flow has been disrupted by the closure of the strait, after taking into consideration pipeline ​diversions and the trickle of tankers that have passed through the gateway, they said in a note on Thursday. With the US blockade ‌on Iranian ⁠ports announced after the collapse of peace talks over the weekend, the disruption could increase. “The physical market is becoming tighter every day that passes without a restart of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz,” the ING analysts said. A source briefed by Tehran told Reuters that Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of ​the Strait of Hormuz if ​a deal was reached ⁠to prevent renewed conflict after a two-week ceasefire started on April 8. US and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend. ​Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran on Wednesday as a mediator to try to ​prevent a renewal ⁠of the conflict. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that Washington will not be renewing the waivers that allowed the purchase of some Iranian and Russian oil without facing US sanctions. Underscoring the tightness of global crude and oil product ⁠supply, US ​inventories of oil, gasoline and distillate fuels fell last week, the Energy ​Information Administration said on Wednesday, as imports declined and exports jumped to meet the needs of countries searching for barrels to replace the disrupted ​flows.

Oil prices hold steady as investors watch for second-round peace talk updates --  Oil prices ticked up slightly through Thursday morning, holding largely steady over the past two days as investors digest a bevy of headlines about potential second-round peace talks. Future on Brent crude (BZ=F), the international pricing benchmark, gained roughly 0.8% Thursday morning to hold above $95 per barrel, while those on US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CL=F) ticked up a slightly slimmer 0.6% to trade above $88 per barrel.Both products opened the week Sunday evening above $100 per barrel.Investors' Middle East focus this week has been squarely on whether second-round negotiations will resume this week. Initial attempts at a peace deal fell apart last weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan, after a marathon 21-hour session between Washington and Tehran representatives.The US and Iran are reportedly in indirect discussions to extend the two-week ceasefire set to expire on April 22. The US is still “very much engaged in these negotiations,” White House press secretary Karoline Levitt said on Wednesday. In an interview with the New York Post earlier in the week, Trump said news media "should ​stay there [in Pakistan], really, because something could be happening over the ​next two days, ​and we're more inclined to ‌go ⁠there." The president then told Fox Business he believes the war is "very close to being over."  No date has yet been set for a second round of talks, Pakistan's foreign minister said Thursday morning. The key sticking points of negotiations — Iran's nuclear enrichment program, control over the Strait of Hormuz, economic sanctions on Tehran, and Israel's war in Lebanon — all remain in place head of the weekend.Announcements from Washington and Tehran have sent signals of potential progress on control of the strait and the Israeli campaign.In a Truth Social post overnight on Wednesday, President Trump said Israel and Lebanon would be speaking on Thursday, writing that he is "trying to get a little breathing room" between the two nations. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker, said in a post on X a few hours earlier the US "must commit" to the "completion and consolidation of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon.Even as Iran has insisted a cessation of Israeli military action in Lebanon must be part of any ceasefire, Israel has continued a widespread air and ground campaign within the country against the terrorist proxy force Hezbollah through the US-Iran ceasefire, set to expire on Tuesday.Pakistan, which has been mediating talks between Washington and Tehran, has reportedly said a ceasefire in Lebanon is essential to any US-Iran dealmaking, Reuters reported Thursday.In the Strait of Hormuz, traffic has continued to hold near zero as the US Navy continues its blockade of ships moving to and from Iranian ports or shores, cutting off the flow of roughly 1.5 million barrels per day of Iranian crude oil that was flowing through the strait. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said in a media briefing Thursday morning that 13 ships had so far turned around instead of attempting to cross the US blockade. The navy on Thursday morning expanded its operations to include subjecting to boarding, search, and seizure of any Iranian-linked vessel; any vessel under sanctions from the Office of Foreign Assets Control; and any vessel suspected of carrying contraband including weapons or military electronics.Iran appears to have roughly 90 million barrels' worth of available onshore crude oil storage capacity, or enough room to withstand a complete stoppage of exports for roughly two months before it would have to begin shutting in production, according to the energy and chemicals consultancy FGE NextantECA. Even so, there are signs Tehran is moving toward some form of negotiations. On Wednesday, Iran said it would be willing to allow ships to sail freely and unencumbered through Omanian waters on the eastern side of the strait, provided a firm ceasefire agreement is reached that satisfies Tehran's demands, according to Reuters.Throughout the conflict, Iran has made multiple demands over the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical shipping lane for oil and gas, including a tolling scheme and full sovereignty over the waterway, the eastern half of which falls within Omani national waters.

Oil prices rise amid doubts about US-Iran talks – Reuters - Oil prices rose on Thursday as the market doubted that peace talks between the US and Iran could resolve the Middle East energy supply disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN. Details Brent crude futures rose $3.48, or 3.7%, to $98.41 a barrel as of 12:01 p.m. ET (16:01 GMT). US WTI crude futures rose $2.22, or 2.4%, to $93.51 a barrel. Talks between the US and Iran have narrowed from aiming for a full peace deal to discussing an interim memorandum that would prevent a resumption of hostilities, two Iranian sources told Reuters on Thursday. We remain skeptical of any quick resolution to this war. Whatever news you take, there is always an opposing view. - said PVM oil market analyst John Evans. There was almost no reaction in the oil market after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day truce in a related conflict. The US-Israel war against Iran has been described as the largest disruption to global oil and gas supplies in history due to restrictions on movement in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows normally pass. Supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz have already begun to put pressure on global oil inventories. There are no bombings at the moment, but the number of ships passing through the strait is no better than before the US blockade, which only exacerbates the reduction in global inventories, which has already been reflected in US data this week. According to government data, US crude oil inventories decreased by 913,000 barrels last week, while analysts expected an increase of 154,000. Gasoline and distillate inventories also decreased as countries seeking alternative supplies increased purchases from the US. US and Iranian officials were considering a return to talks in Pakistan as early as this weekend. The Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army arrived in Tehran on Wednesday as a mediator. A source briefed by Tehran told Reuters that Iran could consider allowing free passage of ships through the Omani part of the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a deal that would prevent a new conflict after a two-week truce that began on April 8. ING analysts estimate that approximately 13 million barrels per day of oil flows have been disrupted due to restrictions on movement in the strait, taking into account alternative routes and partial transit of tankers. After the US announced a blockade of Iranian ports, which happened after the breakdown of peace talks, disruptions could intensify further, although some sanctioned tankers were still able to pass.

Oil Up 4% on Mideast Blockade, Caution of Iran Deal Drag-- Crude futures jumped as much as 4% Thursday, driving product prices up too, as a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports added to the squeeze on Middle East oil supplies, already impacted by the Strait of Hormuz shutdown. The bullish tone across energy markets was heightened by an assessment by Gulf and European officials that it could take up to six months to enforce a U.S.-Iran peace deal. U.S. President Donald Trump is counting on a quick resolution to the Iran war from a second of talks in Islamabad, due to be announced soon, between White House and Tehran negotiators. But Gulf and European officials have reportedly said achieving this might be difficult given U.S. demands that Iran completely abandon its nuclear program. The tit-for-tat in U.S.-Iran blockades of Middle East oil, which supply at least 20% of world needs, had also made energy a weapon both sides appeared willing to use, observers said. At Thursday's close, WTI crude for May delivery settled up $3.40, or 3.7%, at $94.69 bbl, while ICE Brent for June delivery finished up $4.46, or 4.7%, at $99.39 bbl. Among refined products, diesel proxy ULSD ended May futures trading on NYMEX closed up $0.0797 at $3.8329 gallon. On the gasoline front, NYMEX RBOB for May ended up $0.1089 at $3.1637 gallon. The across-the-board rally in energy came despite the U.S. Dollar Index strengthening by 0.164 points to 98.015 against a basket of foreign currencies. Crude futures remained elevated through the day, with WTI holding above $93 bbl and Brent over $98 bbl, as markets balanced fresh ceasefire optimism against new logistical threats in the Middle East. President Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire effective at 5 p.m. EDT today, though underlying tensions remain high. While the president signaled a potential White House meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that the Israeli military will occupy a 10-kilometer security zone reaching the Syrian border. The fragile truce also faces opposition from Hezbollah, which asserted its right to resist the continued presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese soil. On the Iranian front, energy prices gained support from Tehran's plan to collect transit tolls for the Strait of Hormuz exclusively through domestic Iranian banks. This move effectively weaponizes the waterway by forcing shippers to bypass Western sanctions or face restricted passage, complicating the flow of 20 million bpd of petroleum liquids. U.S. energy industry executives have reportedly urged Trump to reject the Iran toll plans. Despite that, President Trump expressed confidence in a broader deal with Iran, claiming Tehran has agreed to return "nuclear dust" and commit to a 20-year non-nuclear pledge. Iran has reportedly agreed to only five years of non-nuclear enrichment.

Crude oil price decline as Trump declares Israel-Lebanon truce-  Crude oil prices, which had caused major uncertainty in the Asian markets due to the recently halted war with Iran, started to come down on Friday with hopes of US-Iran peace talks putting a permanent end to the hostilities. Oil prices fell shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. According to latest market data, Brent crude futures declined more than 1 per cent to $98.05 per barrel as of 00:21 GMT. While West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped to $94 per barrel. Since March, crude oil prices had climbed a record 50 per cent due to fighting between the US-Israel alliance and Iran. The prices fell below the $100-per-barrel mark after the US and Iran decided to halt hostilities in a temporary ceasefire, though they have stayed above the $90 range for the week. Besides, investors’ attention was also caught by comments from Trump administration officials that US and Iranian delegations may meet again in Islamabad for peace talks. While prices have declined on Friday, President Trump on Thursday mocked consultants who had cautioned him against the rising costs of crude and energy supplies. During an event in Las Vegas earlier, Trump said, “We have consultants – they’re very talented – they say, ‘Sir, if you do this, fuel is going to go to $300 a barrel.’ “But I said, 'I don’t think so.' I think we’re going to be good. We always find a way,” Trump said. “Well, that is not going to happen, because we just hit a brand-new all-time high [on the stock market],” he said. Countries around Iran, especially those in Asia, have been badly hit by the oil prices due to the constant US-Israel war on Iran.

Oil Prices Soften on Iran Deal Hopes, Lebanon Ceasefire -- Oil futures slumped as much as 4% Friday morning as more signs of a diplomatic resolution to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran emerged, raising hopes of supply disruptions easing in the coming weeks. Near 8:00 a.m. EDT, NYMEX WTI crude for May delivery was down $3.89, or 4.1%, to $90.8 bbl. ICE Brent for June slumped $3.49, or 3.5%, to $95.9 bbl. Downstream, NYMEX ULSD futures for May delivery fell $0.2222 to $3.6104 gallon, while front-month NYMEX RBOB futures retreated $0.07 to $3.0937 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index softened by 0.105 points to 97.92 against a basket of foreign currencies. Energy futures slid in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement late Thursday, April 16, of a 10-day ceasefire starting immediately between Israel and Hezbollah. The cessation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon was a key demand of Tehran and raises the odds of a permanent ceasefire between the warring parties. The President also told reporters on Thursday that the U.S. and Iran were close to a deal and claimed that Tehran had made key concessions pertaining to its nuclear ambitions and to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian government has not yet commented on these claims. Tehran has previously stated that it could respond to the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian maritime trade, in place since Monday, with a full blockade of all ships traversing the waterway and extended this threat to Bab-el-Mandeb, the naval chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa in which commercial ships have for a two-year period experienced attacks from Iran-aligned Houthi militias. A reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could see most oil exports from the Persian Gulf return within a few weeks, which have been cut off the global market for the last 47 days. Given the prolonged downtime of shut-in wells and the scale of energy infrastructure destruction, oil production will likely take months and gas production years to be restored to antebellum levels. Part of that gap can, however, be bridged by drawing from regional crude inventories, filled to the brim during the first weeks of the blockade.

Oil prices crash nearly 10% after Iran says Strait of Hormuz completely open during ceasefire -  Oil prices tumbled sharply on Friday after Iran signalled that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to global shipping, easing fears of supply disruption during the ongoing US-Iran ceasefire. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the key maritime route was completely open for commercial tankers and cargo vessels.  Brent crude dropped nearly 10% to $89.11 a barrel, extending earlier losses of about 5% driven by optimism around a potential US-Iran agreement. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell even more sharply, sliding 11% to $84.11 a barrel. Sentiment was also influenced by remarks from former US President Donald Trump, who said Iran had indicated it would refrain from pursuing nuclear weapons for over two decades. "We’re very close to making a deal with Iran," he had earlier said. Geopolitical developments in the Middle East have further shaped market expectations. A temporary easing of tensions between Israel and Lebanon, including a 10-day ceasefire that came into effect at midnight Friday, has reduced immediate risks to regional stability. The truce pauses clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah and removes a key hurdle in broader diplomatic efforts involving the US and Iran. The situation in Lebanon had earlier complicated negotiations, with Iran insisting that any agreement must account for ongoing hostilities involving Israel and Hezbollah. The latest ceasefire, confirmed by officials on both sides and backed by US diplomatic efforts, is now seen as a step toward stabilising the region. Despite the sharp correction, analysts caution that oil prices are unlikely to stabilise quickly. Market participants expect continued volatility, with WTI likely to trade in a broad range of $80 to $100 until a formal agreement is reached and shipping activity fully normalises.Brokerage firm Macquarie noted that even with easing tensions, crude prices may remain supported in the $85 to $90 range in the near term, with a potential upside toward $110 as flows through the Strait of Hormuz stabilise. However, it warned that prolonged disruptions could still push Brent prices as high as $150 per barrel. Analysts broadly believe that crude markets may be transitioning into a structurally higher price phase. While the ceasefire offers temporary relief, a return to pre-conflict price levels of $70 to $75 could take time.

Oil prices plunge after Iran foreign minister says Strait of Hormuz is 'completely open,' Trump says regime has agreed to indefinitely suspend nuclear program --Oil prices plunged on Friday after Iran's foreign minister said the Strait of Hormuz was fully open to commercial traffic for the remainder of the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and President Trump said Iran had agreed to indefinitely suspend its nuclear program. Futures on Brent crude,  the international pricing benchmark, fell as much as 11% to trade below $89 per barrel before paring losses, while those on US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell by as much as 11.1% to trade at $81 before regaining. Both products opened the week above $100. "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire," Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X. He added that vessels will be allowed to use the "coordinated route as already announced" by the regime.  Several hours later, President Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News that Iran has agreed to suspend its nuclear program with no timeline for a restart, and that "most of the main points are finalized" for a deal to end the war. The president told CBS News that the US would be meeting with Iran this weekend to resume talks. President Trump added that Iran would not be receiving any frozen funds in return. Axios reported previously that the US is reportedly considering a deal to release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in exchange for the regime surrendering its stockpile of enriched uranium. In comments to Reuters, President Trump said the US would be working with Iran to recover the regime's uranium stockpile, saying, "We're going ​to go in with Iran, ​at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating ​with big machinery." Iran has not yet confirmed any of Trump's points about the regime's nuclear program. In posts on X Friday afternoon, an account known to be close to parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a regime hardliner, said Araghchi's statement had been inaccurate and understated.All ships will be required to pass only through Iranian national waters, and all commercial vessels passing through will be required to pay a toll, the regime-affiliated account said. The regime also reserves the right to decide what vessels it classifies as "commercial," the account said, referencing Araghchi's statement that the strait is open to commercial traffic.State-affiliated media agency Tasnim said on Friday that Araghchi's X post had been "bad and incomplete." The Strait of Hormuz "will never return to its pre-war status," the agency said. Tasnim also quoted a spokesperson for the foreign ministry as saying, "Enriched uranium is as sacred to us as Iran's soil and will by no means be transferred anywhere."No date has yet been set for a second round of talks, Pakistan's foreign minister said Thursday morning. Senior Gulf and European leaders have said in private that they believe a deal could take six months to reach, Bloomberg reported.The announcement from the Iranian foreign minister on Friday morning that the strait would be open comes after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a temporary 10-day ceasefire that began at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, taking some pressure off one of the key sticking points in negotiations between the US and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.

Video shows ships turning away from the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran declaring it open -- Oil tankers are remaining cautious about sailing through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran declared Friday that the sea lane is open to commercial ships, video footage shows. Oil futures contracts tumbled Friday as the market interpreted the announcement from Tehran as a major breakthrough that will ease the massive disruption to global energy supplies. The U.S. benchmark, West Texas Intermediate crude settled down 12% Friday at $83.85 per barrel, while Brent crude futures finished the day down 9%. But statements from Iranian officials and President Donald Trump have caused confusion about whether the strait is really open or not. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi initially said the strait was “completely open” for the remainder of the ceasefire with the U.S. and Israel. But Iranian media aligned with the Revolutionary Guard issued conditions for safe passage that resemble the rules which Tehran has imposed for weeks now.A number of tankers and cargo ships did try to exit the strait Friday via the route designated by Iran around Larak Island but they suddenly turned back, said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler.“They’ve clearly not been given approval to pass through,” Smith said. Commercial ships must follow a route designated by Tehran and coordinate with its military, a source close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council told Tasnim News. Ships are not allowed to pass if they or their cargoes are linked to hostile nations, according to the Tasnim report. It is “unclear whether there’s a dramatic change here,” said Tomer Raanan, a maritime risk analyst at Lloyd’s List Intelligence. “Iran still wants ships to transit through its territorial waters.” Trump, meanwhile, said the U.S. naval blockade of Iran remains in place. Tehran threatened to close the strait if the blockade is not lifted. This all means that the strait remains functionally closed, said Matthew Wright, senior freight analyst at Kpler. “It is a false dawn,” Wright said. The world’s largest shipping association BIMCO advised vessels Friday to avoid the strait due to the threat of mines. The area is “not declared safe for transit at this point,” said Jakob Larsen, BIMCO’s chief security officer. The diplomatic overtures between the U.S. and Iran can soothe the oil futures market, but they cannot solve the physical disruption of energy supplies. The disruption will only grow worse every day that the strait remains closed. The final oil and product tankers, which departed the Persian Gulf before the strait closed, have completed their weekslong journey to their destinations in Asia, Europe and North America. One of the final shipments is a tanker of Iraqi crude that will arrive in Long Beach, California, next week, said Wright, the freight analyst at Kpler. The dominoes will now start to fall with oil no longer arriving from the strait, said Smith. Refineries in Asia, which are heavily dependent on Mideast oil, will have to cut their output, he said. This means countries that import products like jet fuel from Asian refineries will potentially face supply shortfalls, he said. “The supply crunch in Asia is bigger than anywhere else,” Wright said. “They’ve already significantly drawn down on their onshore inventories.” It will take months for traffic through the strait to return to normal, Wright said. The large shipping companies will likely sit on the sidelines and observe the first movers before they dip their toes in, he said. 

NATO Rules Out Role in Strait of Hormuz Blockade, Rebuking Trump - --Members of the North Atlantic Alliance have refused any role in closing the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump announced a complete blockade of the crucial waterway, and that other countries would be assisting the American Navy.After the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Tehran placed restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran limited shipping to vessels from “friendly nations” that paid a toll. Tehran says that Iran will continue to control the Strait after the end of the conflict.For the first six weeks of the conflict, Iran was able to continue to export its oil, and Washington suspended oil sanctions against Tehran to keep energy prices from spiking.On Sunday, Trump changed course and ordered a total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that began on Monday morning. When he announced the closure of the Strait, he wrote on Truth Social, “Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade.”However, America’s closest allies have now ruled out involvement. Reuters reported on Monday that several NATO members have stated they will not take part in Trump’s Middle East war. “We’re not supporting the blockade,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC. “My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there’s been some considerable pressure, we’re not getting dragged into the war.”French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations would be willing to take a role in securing the Strait once the conflict ends. NATO’s refusal to send military assets to the Middle East to support the war against Iran has angered President Trump. Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte traveled to the US in an effort to improve relations with the alliance’s most important member.Before the meeting with Rutter, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted Trump as saying, “They were tested, and they failed. It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defense.”

Saudi Arabia Is Pressing U.S. to Drop Its Naval Blockade – WSJ - Saudi Arabia is pressing the U.S. to drop its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table, fearing President Trump’s move to close it off could lead Iran to escalate and disrupt other important shipping routes, Arab officials said.The blockade is aimed at raising the pressure on Iran’s already crippled economy. But the officials said Saudi Arabia has warned Iran might retaliate by closing the Bab al-Mandeb—a Red Sea chokepoint crucial for the kingdom’s remaining oil exports. The pushback is a sign of the risks and limitations of U.S. efforts to pry open the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran shut early in the war by attacking ships in the waterway, cutting off around 13 million barrels a day in oil exports and sending futures prices above $100 a barrel.The blockade of Iranian ports went into effect Monday after Trump’s threats of bombardments and talks over the weekend failed to persuade Iran to relax its hold on the Strait of Hormuz.“President Trump has been clear that he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be fully open to facilitate the free flow of energy,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. “The administration is in frequent contact with our Gulf allies, who the President is helping by ensuring that Iran cannot extort the United States or any other country.”Saudi Arabia recently has been able to get its oil exports back up to their prewar level of around seven million barrels a day despite the blockage in the strategic strait by piping its crude across the desert to the Red Sea. Those supplies would be at risk if the Red Sea’s exit route were closed as well.Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen control a long stretch of coastline near the Bab al-Mandeb and severely disrupted the waterway for much of the war in the Gaza Strip. Iran is putting pressure on the group to close the chokepoint again, Arab officials said.“If Iran does want to shut down Bab al-Mandeb the Houthis are the obvious partner to do it, and their response to the Gaza conflict demonstrates that they have the capacity to do it,” said Adam Baron, an expert on Yemen and fellow at New America, a policy institute in Washington.Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian paramilitary group that now controls the Strait of Hormuz, said a blockade could lead the country to close the Red Sea gateway.Gulf states don’t want the war to end with Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz, their economic lifeline. But many including Saudi Arabia are pressing the U.S. to resolve the issue at the negotiating table and are scrambling to restart talks, regional officials said. Despite the public hard line from both sides, the two combatants are actively engaging with mediators and open to talks if each shows enough flexibility, the officials said.The Bab al-Mandeb strait is a narrow passage between Yemen and the Horn of Africa that connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. The strait, whose name means Gate of Tears, leads to the Suez Canal and is one of the most important links for ships sailing between Asia and Europe.Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels have proved their ability to severely disrupt shipping through the gateway with attacks on vessels in the waterway. While those missile, drone and small-arms attacks tailed off after the October cease-fire in Gaza, traffic still isn’t fully back to normal.The Houthis have largely stayed out of the current conflict between the U.S. and Iran after being pounded during a 53-day American campaign that ended in a cease-fire a year ago. But they remain an important part of Iran’s wider network of militia groups in the region and a deterrent held in reserve in case Iran needs to raise the pressure on the U.S.The Houthis have said that closing Bab al-Mandeb is also one of their options.

China Calls US Blockade of Iranian Ports 'Dangerous and Irresponsible,' Warns It Jeopardizes Ceasefire -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday strongly condemned the US military blockade on Iranian ports as “dangerous and irresponsible” and warned that it risks the very fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran.“With the temporary ceasefire agreement still in place, the United States ramped up military deployment and resorted to a targeted blockade. This will only aggravate confrontation, escalate tension, undermine the already fragile ceasefire, and further jeopardize safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters.“It is a dangerous and irresponsible move. China believes that only a complete ceasefire can fundamentally create conditions for easing the situation. We urge relevant parties to honor the ceasefire agreement, stick to the direction of peace talks, and take concrete actions to de-escalate the situation so that normal traffic via the Strait will be able to resume as soon as possible,” Guo added.According to Reuters, three ships, including two oil tankers under US sanctions, entered the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, the first full day of the US blockade. The US military has said that it will block any ships traveling to or from Iran, and according to the Reuters report, the three vessels were heading to non-Iranian ports.A Chinese-owned tanker, the Rich Starry, left the Gulf and traveled out of the Strait of Hormuz, but it appears to have turned around, as the latest ship-tracking data shows it heading back into the Gulf near the coast of Iran. The ship’s last port of call was Hamriyah in the UAE, where it loaded 250,000 barrels of methanol. The US military is enforcing the blockade on warships in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.China imports a significant amount of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf, but it is less reliant on the region than key US allies in East Asia, and has so far weathered the crisis caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran better than South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. China also has a major stockpile of Iranian oil, as its imports from Iran increased after the start of the US-Israeli war.The US blockade on Iran comes ahead of a planned summit between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for May 14 and May 15 in Beijing. On Tuesday, Xi hosted Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu ‌Dhabi, and made comments on the situation in the Middle East that were seen as a veiled swipe at the US.“The authority of the international rule of law should be upheld and cannot be used when convenient and discarded when not,” Xi said. “We must not allow the world to revert to the law of the jungle.”

‘No Port Will Be Safe’ – Iran Condemns ‘Maritime Piracy’ as Pakistan Pushes New Talks - Palestine Chronicle - Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said a new round of talks between Iran and the United States is expected to begin soon, expressing optimism following discussions held in Islamabad. Asif stated that there were no negative developments during the recent talks, adding that “what emerged were only positive matters.” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also confirmed continued efforts to resolve the conflict between Washington and Tehran, stressing ongoing diplomatic engagement. According to the Wall Street Journal, regional officials said efforts are intensifying to bring both sides back to the negotiating table, noting that diplomacy remains possible despite hardened rhetoric from both parties. Iranian officials reportedly showed flexibility during negotiations in Islamabad, with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ali Nikzad stating that Tehran had been prepared to demonstrate goodwill by diluting 450 kilograms of enriched uranium rather than handing it over. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the current ceasefire between the United States and Iran as “extremely fragile,” urging the international community to strengthen diplomatic efforts and oppose any actions that could undermine the truce. During a phone call with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Wang emphasized that preventing a return to hostilities remains the top priority and called for maintaining the momentum of the ceasefire “which was achieved with great difficulty.” China also expressed support for Pakistan playing a larger role in mediation, with Beijing indicating its readiness to contribute to efforts aimed at resolving the conflict. In a separate statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that the start of negotiations represents a step toward de-escalation and urged all parties to commit to the temporary ceasefire and pursue political and diplomatic solutions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a series of calls with regional and international counterparts, including French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, to discuss developments in the negotiations. Araghchi stated that Iran entered the talks with a “responsible approach and goodwill,” despite what he described as a complete lack of trust in the United States. He said that Washington prevented an agreement due to “its approach based on ambitions and constantly changing demands, despite progress in negotiations.” In calls with officials from Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, Araghchi reiterated that Iran had engaged seriously in the diplomatic process while warning of risks stemming from what he described as “provocative US actions.” Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan expressed support for diplomatic efforts, while Qatar reaffirmed its backing for continued mediation aimed at ending the conflict. The negotiations in Islamabad ended without an agreement, with Iranian officials attributing the outcome to what they described as excessive and unrealistic US demands.

Iran warns any attack on its ports will make every Persian Gulf port insecure - Iran's military has warned that any threat to the country's ports would trigger a broader regional response, declaring that no port in the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman would remain secure if Iranian ports are targeted. Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaqari said in a statement on Monday that ensuring security in the two strategic water bodies is a collective matter, emphasizing that such security must either apply to all parties or to none. He underscored that the Iranian Armed Forces consider the defense of the country's national rights a natural and lawful obligation, including the exercise of sovereignty in the country's territorial waters. Zolfaqari went on to highlight that protection of maritime security in Iranian waters will continue decisively. "Enemy-affiliated vessels do not and will not have the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," he said. "Other vessels will be allowed to transit the strait in compliance with the regulations of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the senior Iranian military official stated. He noted that Iran, in light of the ongoing threats, will implement a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz even after the resolution of the current crisis. He described restrictions imposed by the United States on maritime transit in international waters as illegal, and tantamount to acts of piracy. "If the security of ports of the Islamic Republic of Iran is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman will remain safe," Zolfaqari added. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US Navy would enforce a "naval blockade" on the Strait of Hormuz. The measure is scheduled to begin Monday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (14:00 GMT). Iran’s Navy commander has dismissed Trump’s threats as “very ridiculous and laughable,” saying the Iranian military is closely monitoring every move of the US fleet in the region. Iran has placed restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israeli war of aggression began on February 28. Tehran has allowed vessels serving friendly nations to pass while barring ships affiliated with aggressor countries and their supporters. The Iranian parliament has advanced draft legislation to impose transit fees in national currency and explicitly ban US and Israeli vessels.

Respect for Iran’s rights key to sustainable stability in Hormuz Strait: Envoy - The Iranian ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations says sustainable stability in the Strait of Hormuz is only possible through full respect for Iran’s inalienable rights and interests. Amir-Saeid Iravani made the remarks in a statement delivered during a UN General Assembly meeting on Thursday, three days after the US said that it had imposed a “naval blockade” on the Strait of Hormuz aimed at forcing Iran to reopen the strategic waterway that has been shut down to the country’s enemies following the launch of the illegal US-Israeli aggression. “The realization of the principles of freedom of navigation and maritime safety in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman—particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, which lies within the territorial seas of its coastal States—is only possible through full respect for the sovereignty and sovereign rights of those coastal States,” he said. “As such, sustainable stability in the Strait of Hormuz and in the region can only be achieved through the cessation of aggression and the full respect for Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.” Iravani also warned that the United States’ unlawful actions in the region escalate tensions and threaten both maritime security and international trade. He further stressed that the imposition of a maritime blockade announced by the United States constitutes a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “This unlawful action is a flagrant breach of the prohibition on the threat or use of force enshrined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and constitutes a clear act of aggression under international law,” he added. “By seeking to obstruct maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports, the United States unlawfully interferes with the exercise of the sovereign rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran and infringes upon the rights of third States and lawful maritime commerce under international law.” Meanwhile, the envoy emphasized that the Islamic Republic has consistently upheld freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. For decades, he said, Iran has fulfilled its responsibilities in good faith as a coastal state of the Strait of Hormuz and ensured security and freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway. Iran’s precautionary measures in the Strait of Hormuz are meant to facilitate the continuous and safe passage of vessels, while preventing the exploitation of this waterway for hostile or military purposes by aggressors and their affiliates, according to Iravani.

Iran War Inflicts $58B Toll on Middle East Energy Infrastructure, Complicating Global LNG Buildout - It could cost up to $58 billion to repair and restore energy infrastructure in the Middle East damaged by war in a process that could lead to higher costs and delays for projects well beyond the region, according to an analysis by Rystad Energy. At A Glance:

• $34 billion to $58 billion of estimated damage
• Iran, Qatar hardest hit
• Recovery expected to take months

Iran estimates US‑Israeli war damages at $270 billion: Spox - Tehran Times  The spokeswoman for the Iranian administration has estimated that the damages caused by the recent US‑Israeli war of aggression against Iran amount to approximately $270 billion. "These are preliminary and very rough figures, but the damage so far stands at $270 billion," Fatemeh Mohajerani said. She noted that the administration’s economic authorities will determine more precise figures through a multi‑stage process. The first stage will assess damage to buildings, she explained. The second will analyze budget revenue losses and the impact of industrial shutdowns. War reparations were among the issues the Iranian negotiating team pursued during the Islamabad talks, she said, adding that such damages usually need to be examined in several layers. "We will certainly defend our people's rights through legal means, including compensation for the bloodshed of our loved ones at the Minab school," Mohajerani added, referring to the horrific US‑Israeli military strike on an elementary school in Iran’s southern city of Minab on February 28, which claimed around 170 lives.

Iran Halts All Petrochem Exports While Official Signals Compromise Strait Passage Opening, As Negotiators Cite 'Progress'  - Summary

• The Iran war is "very close to over" with authorities in Tehran eager to agree a peace deal, Trump says, adding: "We've beaten them militarily." Axios cites 'progress' toward framework to end war. Iran state media says halt to all petrochemical exports, RTRS cites possible compromise on strait passage.
• AP/Bloomberg reporting the two sides have an "in principle agreement" to pursue further diplomacy; however, this is batted down as 'unconfirmed' by Tehran & a US official.
• The Pentagon is sending thousands of additional troops into the Middle East in coming days: WaPo
• Trump claims China "very happy" the US is permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz, also Xi told him Beijing was not sending weapons/defense items to Tehran.
• Significant Lebanon fighting continues: Israel issues more evacuation orders, moving into south; Tehran outraged, threatens Red Sea shipping. Unconfirmed reports of one-week Lebanon ceasefire about to take effect.

A status quo compromise emerging? The latest to hit the newswires:  Iran has just signaled willingness to allow strait traffic pass unconditionally on the Oman side of the strait, perhaps as a face-saving measure, amid talk of a 2nd Pakistan peace summit being put together, as a potential uneasy status quo emerges. CNBC also in a breaking headline writes:  Iran halts all petrochemical exports ‘until further notice,’ Iranian state media reports. This comes after a new Pentagon warning to all vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.  CENTCOM provides a Wednesday update: "During the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past U.S. forces. Additionally, 9 vessels have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area." A big question remains: will Iran confront the US blockade militarily?... or will an uneasy status quo of limited vessel traffic continue to make it through Hormuz amid a potentially extended ceasefire that goes beyond the 2-week window?

China Presses Iran to Reopen Strait of Hormuz - China's top diplomat Wang Yi stressed the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart.The strait is a conduit for about one-quarter of the world's crude oil and 20 percent of its liquefied natural gas. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28, and the Islamic Republic's retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf region, have left hundreds of vessels stranded in nearby waters and driven up oil prices.An April 8 ceasefire agreement would have seen shipping resume under a Tehran-run vetting system in Iranian waters.However, after a weekend U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan stalled, Washington further choked off the strait by imposing a blockade on ships leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, with several tankers—including Chinese-owned ones— being turned back in the Gulf of Oman.The U.S military's Central Command says no ships have breached the blockade since it entered effect Monday. In their phone call, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi updated Wang on the latest developments in negotiations with the United States and Tehran's intended next steps, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry readout.Wang said China supports Iranian sovereignty, security, and national dignity, and was willing to continue promoting de-escalation and ultimately a lasting peace, in line with a four-point proposal put forward by President Xi Jinping on Tuesday Iran's rights as a coastal state bordering the Strait of Hormuz should be safeguarded, he added. At the same time, freedom and security of navigation through the waterway should be ensured, in line with calls from the international community. Iran greatly appreciates China's longstanding efforts to ease tensions and hopes Beijing will continue to promote a peaceful resolution, Araghchi was cited as saying.Newsweek reached out to the White House and Iran's Foreign Ministry by email with requests for comment.The call between the Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers took place as Pakistan officials headed to Tehran to broker a second round of talks with the U.S."China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also - And the World. This situation will never happen again," President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday.

Russia Vows To 'Fill China's Energy Resource Gap' Amid Hormuz Crisis In Lavrov-Xi Meeting - At a moment it remains a serious open question over just how vulnerable China is to the Hormuz Strait crisis, and now with the US-imposed US naval blockade of the vital oil transit waterway, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Beijing pledging energy support to China. Lavrov met with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, during which Xi urged China and Russia to "give full play to the advantages of geographic proximity and complementarity, deepen all-round cooperation and raise the resilience of each other's development." Russia remains China's top energy supplier. "Both sides should maintain strategic focus, trust each other, support each other, develop together," Xi continued, according to a Chinese state media readout. Lavrov in turn told Xi that Chinese-Russian relations play a "stabilizing role in world affairs" at a time of global "chaos and turmoil." This has been a consistent theme on which relations and trust have been built between Beijing and Moscow going back to the start of the Ukraine war over four years ago. Importantly, after the meeting the Russian foreign minister announced to a press conference that Moscow stands ready to increase energy supplies to China. "Russia can certainly fill the resource gap that has arisen in China and other countries interested in working with us on an equal and mutually beneficial basis," Lavrov stated. The two-day Lavrov visit is toward laying the groundwork for an upcoming summit between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It's expected for the first half of this year, but likely after Trump's upcoming May 14-15 summit with the Chinese leader. The Hormuz crisis is a threat to Chinese energy given Asia's largest power still depends heavily on global supply routes it does not fully control. While Beijing has for many years sought to diversify through pipelines from Russia and Central Asia, the reality is that those projects take years to build and remain far too limited to replace the volume of oil moving through Hormuz.

Ukraine secures oil lifeline from Gulf states in exchange for military aid - Ukraine will receive much-needed fossil fuels from Gulf countries in exchange for the defense assistance it is providing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.Kyiv made defense pacts with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in March, but further details of those agreements were not revealed then. At the time, Iran’s drone swarms were battering the region in response to American and Israeli attacks.Middle Eastern allies of Washington looked to Kyiv for help — they wanted Ukraine’s drone combat expertise, accrued over four years of war with Russia. Last month, Zelenskyy sent more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers from his anti-drone units to the Middle East to help those countries fend off Iran’s low-cost Shahed drones — a variant of what Ukraine has faced from Russia.

Italy's Meloni Halts Renewal of Military MoU With Israel - Italian ‌Prime Minister Giorgia ‌Meloni said on Tuesday that her government has halted the automatic renewal of a military Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel, as Italy has become increasingly critical of Israel’s wars and killing of civilians.“In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the ⁠defense agreement with Israel,” Meloni said.According to Haaretz, the MoU includes the exchange of military equipment and cooperation on military research, though an Italian source told the Israeli newspaper that Meloni’s announcement reflected a policy already in place. The source said that Italy halted military cooperation with Israel shortly after October 7, 2023, though according to reports from last year, Italy suspended weapons exports to Israel but was still fulfilling previous arms deals. Meloni has been under significant pressure from her opposition and from Italian citizens to cut ties with Israel. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Lebanon on Monday, where he slammed Israel’s “unacceptable attacks by Israel against the civilian population” and said it called for the avoidance of “another escalation like the one in Gaza.”When asked if Italy would take a similar step toward the US, the source speaking to Haaretz said that Italy was still assessing the impact on Iranian civilians in the US bombing campaign in Iran, which started with the bombing of an elementary school, which slaughtered more than 100 children.Also on Tuesday, President Trump attacked Meloni, saying he was “shocked” that her government didn’t support the US-Israeli war against Iran. His comments came after Meloni denounced his attack on Pope Leo XIV over the US-born pontiff’s stance on the conflict.“I find President Trump’s remarks about the Holy Father unacceptable,” Meloni said in a statement. “The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and proper that he call for peace and condemn all forms of war.”In response, Trump said, “She is the one who is unacceptable because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance,” though there was no evidence either before this year’s war or the June 2025 US-Israeli war against Iran that Tehran was seeking a nuclear bomb. Trump also accused the Italian leader of lacking “courage.”

'Complete Collapse' Looms – Gaza’s Bread System on the Brink as Flour Vanishes - Palestine Chronicle - Gaza’s Government Media Office warned on Sunday of a worsening food crisis in the besieged enclave, citing a sharp decline in flour supplies and continued restrictions on the entry of essential goods. In a statement, the office said the situation now threatens the food security of more than 2.4 million Palestinians, as bakeries struggle to maintain production amid severe shortages. Bread production has declined significantly in recent months due to the lack of flour, the statement said, with humanitarian aid entering the Strip reaching only 38 percent of pre-war levels. This comes despite prior understandings that approximately 600 aid trucks would be allowed into Gaza daily. The crisis has intensified following reductions in support from international organizations. According to the statement, the World Central Kitchen, which had been supplying between 20 and 30 tons of flour per day, has halted its contributions. At the same time, the World Food Programme reduced its daily flour deliveries from 300 tons to 200 tons. Officials said Gaza requires approximately 450 tons of flour per day to meet basic needs, but only about 200 tons are currently available, creating a significant shortfall. Around 30 bakeries are currently operating across Gaza, producing approximately 133,000 bundles of bread per day. Of these, about 48,000 are distributed free of charge, while 85,000 are sold at subsidized prices. Authorities said these quantities are insufficient to meet the growing demand, as more families rely on subsidized bread amid deteriorating economic conditions. The Government Media Office warned that the continued decline in humanitarian support could lead to a “complete collapse” of the bread production system. Such a collapse, it said, would significantly worsen already dire living conditions across the Strip. Urgent Action The statement also addressed recent international claims regarding aid entry into Gaza, saying that reports of hundreds of trucks entering daily do not reflect the reality on the ground. It called on the international community and relevant authorities to take urgent action to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and the full reopening of crossings. Officials warned of “serious humanitarian consequences” if the current situation continues.

Mass Destruction in Southern Lebanon as Israeli Forces Use ‘Gaza Tactics,’ Level Villages -   Israeli officials have been saying they intended to apply a Gaza Strip model to the invasion of Lebanon, but the extent of the destruction inflicted on the southern part of Lebanon in the first month and a half of the war is even bigger than initially feared.  New reports from the BBC are that they’ve visually confirmed more than 1,400 buildings destroyed in the course of the Israeli offensive using satellite imagery and that, given the limited access on the ground, the true number is potentially far higher. Images show that villages like Taybeh have been effectively erased, and while it’s being done concurrently with an invasion and occupation, much of the actual destruction is being inflicted by Israeli military bulldozers and demolition crews, explicitly destroying the buildings. That’s illegal under international law, though the IDF maintains they do “not allow the destruction of property unless there is an imperative military necessity.” In as much as Israel is wiping entire villages off the map systematically and demolishing civilian residences, it would be a real legal challenge to argue that was actually a military necessity above and beyond territorial ambitions on the Israeli far-right It’s not only the villages. Part of a UNESCO-listed historical site in Shamaa, the shrine of Prophet Shimon al-Safa, was bulldozed by Israeli forces before its ruins were further leveled by artillery fire. It’s a religious site that includes a Shi’ite mosque.  Here again, the destruction of a shrine with aspects dating back to the 11th century is going to fuel long-term resentment about the Israeli offensive, but importantly, it would also be difficult to argue that such an ancient shrine had any specific, immediate military requirement to be destroyed.  Israel’s promise of Gaza tactics seems definitely to have come to pass, but beyond Israeli military intentions to install more permanent military bases on Lebanese soil, practical policy has been forced mass displacement and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure, both war crimes under international law.

Israel Destroys Last Bridge to Southern Lebanon Ahead of Ceasefire - Thursday’s announcement of the ceasefire in Lebanon brought some relief to the 20% of Lebanon’s population that is currently displaced by the conflict. Whether or not they’ll actually be able to return home is another matter entirely.In the hours leading up to President Trump’s declaring a ceasefire would start at 5 pm EST on Thursday, Israeli strikes destroyed the last of the bridges spanning the Litani River, completing a project of bridge destruction that began early in the conflict, when Israel first ordered the evacuation of the entire population south of the river to the north, later announcing their intention to occupy the entire region militarily.The ceasefire may come into effect, but Israeli officials say the occupying troops aren’t going anywhere, and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is urging people not to try to return home until the situation becomes clearer, a recognition of how often these announced ceasefires don’t pan out.Even if the ceasefire does hold, however, it’s not clear how easily the hundreds of thousands of people who fled north will actually be able to physically get back to southern Lebanon without bridges across the river, let alone whether their homes in the south will still be there after systematic demolition of villages by the Israeli military.Israel’s stated policy of occupation, destruction, and not allowing at least the Shi’ite residents of the south to return home has been advanced in a month and a half of aggressive warfare, but where it stands is an open question. Much destruction has been done, some of the occupation has already happened, but whether Israel intends to limit returnees during the ceasefire, and if those returnees are even possible without bridges, remains unclear.What is clear is that in the days to come, Lebanon’s focus will be on picking up the pieces after nationwide attacks that left over 2,100 people dead, many thousand more wounded, and well over a million people displaced, with only some notion that some of them might be able to return home soon.

Israeli Attacks on Lebanon Kill Large Number of Children and Healthcare Workers - While the military offensives against Lebanon continue apace, Israeli officials are claiming large but increasingly non-credible numbers of Hezbollah among the slain in their war, with officials saying 200 Hezbollah targets were hit in the past 24 hours, and Army Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir claiming “over 1,700” Hezbollah slain in the current war. The IDF has a documented history of claiming slain Lebanese were secretly Hezbollah and providing no evidence to support those claims, but suggesting that out of 2,167 people killed, over 1,700 were Hezbollah is highly unlikely, given the number of well-documented deaths of plainly non-Hezbollah targets. Children are a well-documented portion of the slain, with the Lebanese Health Ministry reporting at least 172 children killed in Israeli strikes during the war. This has become a growing problem as Israel strikes ever deeper into Lebanon at seemingly random residential targets, and as the daily toll rises, there are fewer and fewer efforts by the IDF to even try to offer a plausible justification for such targetings. Paramedics are another increasingly common target for the IDF, with three more killed and six wounded in the town of Mayfadoun, in Lebanon’s Nabatieh District, as they tried to rescue people wounded in previous Israeli strikes and were themselves targeted by Israeli fire.Lebanon’s Health Ministry condemned the attacks as a “flagrant crime” meant to prevent healthcare workers from saving lives. 91 healthcare workers have been killed since the war escalated on March 3, as Israel regularly targets ambulances and hospitals.For the past few days, Israel’s offensive has focused on the border town of Bint Jbeil. Before the war, it was sometimes called a village, sometimes a town. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now presented the tiny municipality as the “capital” of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and claimed that after several days of fighting, they are on the verge of taking it. Earlier this week, Israeli officials made much of their forces capturing and destroying a “stadium” in Bint Jbeil at which Hezbollah’s founder Hassan Nasrallah once gave a speech. The images of the destroyed “stadium,” however, showed it as little more than a small football pitch with a few grandstands along the sides.

Growing Anger in Lebanon as Israel Continues Strikes, Attacks on Civilians After Talks - Tuesday’s direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were held with a lot more fanfare than they had consequence, and ended without a meaningful deal being agreed, and with Israel not even really slowing their attacks while the conversations were ongoing, let alone after. Continuing Israeli attacks deep into Lebanese territory, inflicting civilian casualties, are fueling a lot of resentment among the Lebanese population, and while officials seemingly hoped that anger would be directed at Hezbollah, who is participating in the war albeit not the talks, many are angry at the government itself for engaging in talks with another nation that is directly attacking them without getting them to cease fire first, or indeed at all.Which isn’t to say that there’s no hope for cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. There’s a report circulating that Iran is pressing for a ceasefire, and that it could have be declared sometime Wednesday night. Whether Israel actually respects that ceasefire, however, is an open question.Israeli officials have told the media that a ceasefire is at least going to be discussed by the Israeli Security Cabinet, which is scheduled to meet this evening as well. Reportedly, the US had been pressuring them to agree to this, but it’s not clear if the cabinet is supportive of that idea.IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, by contrast, suggests that the plan is to continue pressing forward with the war, saying plans have been approved for both continuing the Lebanon and the Iran wars, and that southern Lebanon south of the Litani River will become a “killing zone” for Hezbollah.

Final Hours before Ceasefire: Israel Bombed over 100 Sites as Hezbollah Escalated - Palestine Chronicle -Hours before US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire, Israeli occupation forces launched one of the most intense waves of attacks on Lebanon since the escalation began. According to available data, Israeli airstrikes targeted 101 locations across the country in a single day, killing at least 35 people and injuring 106 others. Israeli warplanes and artillery targeted dozens of towns across southern Lebanon, including Nabatieh, Tyre, Tebnine, Kfarshouba, Sarafand, Adloun, and multiple villages across the Litani region. In Nabatieh, airstrikes struck several neighborhoods in what was described as a concentrated “fire belt,” causing extensive destruction to residential areas. Simultaneous air and artillery bombardment hit towns including Khiam, Mansouri, Qleileh, and Bazouriyeh, while additional shelling targeted roads, agricultural land, and civilian infrastructure. The Qasmiyeh Bridge was rendered inoperable after being struck, effectively severing movement between areas north and south of the Litani River. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported multiple mass-casualty incidents across different regions. At least seven people were killed and dozens injured in strikes on Ghaziyeh, while additional fatalities were reported in Siksikieh, Zrarieh, Adloun, Shahabiya, and Nabatieh. Civilian vehicles, homes, and even medical services were targeted, with paramedics wounded and ambulances hit in several incidents. The attacks also caused widespread material damage, including hospitals, schools, residential buildings, and power infrastructure.

Food Insecurity Growing as Lebanon War Death Toll Passes 2,000 -  The Lebanese Health Ministry has reported this weekend that the death toll in the escalation of Israel’s war on Lebanon has passed 2,000 killed. The latest figure was that the war has killed 2,020 Lebanese, including 248 women, 165 children, and at least 85 civilian medical personnel. 6,436 others were documented as wounded in the attacks.These tolls are huge for a country the size of Lebanon, and it mustn’t be forgotten that the toll only spans around 40 days of war, which began in early March when Israel extended the US-Israel war on Iran into an attack on Lebanon as well. The single deadliest day was Wednesday of last week, the first day of the US-Iran ceasefire, when Israel announced that the ceasefire “didn’t include Lebanon” and subsequently launched massive attacks, killing over 250 people, and by some estimates over 300, in a single day.There are plans for “peace talks” this week brokered by the US, but once again, Israeli officials insist that the talks don’t mean a cessation of fire on Lebanon, and more people continue to be killed in Israeli strikes.Israel’s narrative doesn’t suggest that there’s a serious consideration to end the fighting here, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits troops in southern Lebanon and talks up the idea they’re fighting an “axis of evil” that is “fighting for their own survival.”The crisis within Lebanon is likely to get a lot worse going forward, according to the World Food Program (WFP), which noted over the weekend that there is a growing food crisis across different areas of Lebanon, where the war has led to rising prices and collapsing markets.The crisis is drastically worse for the internally displaced population, which, as Israeli evacuation orders continue to expand, amounts to an estimated fifth of the entire population of Lebanon, who have lost their homes, their income, and their general sense of security. From a food perspective, that displacement makes matters much worse, not just for the displaced, but for everyone, because Lebanon’s main agricultural region, the south of the country, is now occupied militarily by Israel, and effectively everyone in that region is now displaced, with Israeli officials bragging that the Lebanese won’t be allowed to return to the area.Food insecurity and mass displacement have been among the defining crises in the Gaza Strip in recent years, and Israeli officials are notably citing Gaza as a model for their ongoing invasion of Lebanon.