week ending Jun 6

Who really controls the Fed board? - Federal Reserve Board Governor Jerome Powell's decision to remain on the board he once led combined with a lack of explicit rules governing Fed governance could lead to a power struggle that hasn't been seen in a generation.

Rate cuts further dimmed with positive employment report— The Bureau of Labor Statistics' upbeat jobs report Friday will make it harder for the Federal Reserve to justify cutting interest rates, reporting that the economy added 172,000 jobs in May and unemployment stayed steady at 4.3%.

• Key takeaway: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that the U.S. added 172,000 jobs in May, while unemployment held steady at 4.3%.
• Supporting data: Leisure and hospitality added 70,000 jobs, followed by local government with 52,000 and healthcare with 47,000.
• What's at stake: The stronger-than-expected employment figures will likely make it more difficult for Federal Reserve policymakers to make the case for additional interest rate cuts to support the labor market, particularly as inflation edges higher.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday reported that the economy added 172,000 jobs in May and revised March and April's employment upward, making the Federal Reserve less likely to cut interest rates to support the labor market in the near term.

Latest Fed Beige Book Underscores "K-Shaped" Split Of US Economy - Economic activity increased at a "slight to moderate" pace for ten of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts, while one District reported a slight decline and one reported no change, according to the latest Fed Beige Book.The just released Beige Book - prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City based on information collected on or before May 27, 2026, and is the second one to capture the effect of the war on the US economy - found that consumer spending remained mixed across districts and increasingly bifurcated across income groups amid affordability pressures, the latest confirmation of the K-shaped economy.In keeping with an increasingly fractured economy, the anecdotes highlighted moments of weakness that indicated far more weakness that the headline assessment indicated, to wit:

• higher-income households remained resilient and less sensitive to price increase, while middle-income households were described as “squeezing more life out of every dollar before deciding to spend it,” and low-income consumers showed greater financial strain. Said strain led to reports of increased credit card usage, fewer retail visits, and stronger demand for necessities.
• Auto dealers reported softer new vehicle demand tied to affordability and fuel costs, alongside substitution toward used and hybrid vehicles.
• By contrast, manufacturing activity increased at a modest to strong pace for nine of the Districts and only one noted a slight decline from the previous period.
• Banking conditions were stable across most Districts; however, residential mortgages, consumer, and agricultural loan delinquencies were noted as rising in several of the Districts.
• Agriculture conditions were unchanged or declined for most of the Districts, with cost pressures intensifying from fuel and fertilizer spikes.
• Energy activity increased in two of the markets, but Districts reported that the outlook remains highly uncertain leading producers to hold off on materially expanding activity.
• More broadly, business outlooks for the next six months were reported to have little change in anticipated growth, as elevated uncertainty and signs of weakening consumer spending weighed on sentiment.

In terms of labor markets, the Beige Book said the following:

• Employment showed little to no change across eleven Districts, while one District experienced modest growth.
• Manufacturing hiring was the strongest sector in several Districts, supported by defense-related activity and rising data center demand.
• Wage growth generally remained modest to moderate and largely in line with inflation. That said, Districts reported more frequent wage adjustments and cost-of-living increases to manage increasing fuel and other household cost pressures.
• Most Districts described a low-hire, low-fire environment, with workers increasingly reluctant to change jobs because of economic uncertainty.
• Hiring remained selective and primarily focused on critical roles or attrition replacement.
• Professional services occupations had mixed demand conditions, partly reflecting shifts in technological and operational changes.

As for prices, they "increased at a moderate to strong pace" overall, with most Districts reporting higher inflation than the previous report.

• Districts noted that energy-related costs tied to the conflict in the Middle East were the primary driver of inflationary pressures, with spillovers into shipping, packaging, groceries, and fertilizer.
• Non-labor input costs continued to rise faster than selling prices, contributing to broader concerns about margin compression.
• The ability to pass on higher costs remained mixed across sectors, particularly among consumer-facing firms.
• Consumer uncertainty and concerns about fuel prices impacting households were noted by several Districts.
• Several regions highlighted inflation mitigation strategies of firms that ranged from supply-chain optimization, product adjustments, reduced offerings, and temporarily absorbing higher costs to preserve customer demand.

Finally, here are the main highlights by Fed districts:

US Says It Fired Hellfire Missile at Cargo Ship Attempting To Reach Iran - - US Central Command said on Saturday that its forces fired a Hellfire missile at a Gambia-flagged commercial vessel to prevent it from reaching an Iranian port as the US continues to attack civilian ships in its enforcement of a blockade on Iran.“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces observed M/V Lian Star transiting international waters toward an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman and issued more than 20 warnings while informing the vessel it was in violation of the US blockade,” CENTCOM said in a statement.“A US aircraft disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room after Lian Star’s crew failed to comply. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” the command added. Hellfire missiles are typically launched from US military drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper, and helicopters, including the MH-60 Seahawk and the AH-64 Apache.CENTCOM said that its forces have “disabled five commercial vessels and redirected 116 to fully enforce the blockade as a ceasefire with Iran remains in effect.”The command said the attack occurred on Friday, May 29, the same day President Trump suggested in a post on Truth Social that he may lift the blockade on Iran, but US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the blockade is still “very much in place.”On Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that its forces shot down a US MQ-1 Predator drone over Iran’s territorial waters. “An aggressive MQ-1 drone belonging to the US military, which entered Iranian airspace over territorial waters with the aim of carrying out a hostile operation, was identified and destroyed by the IRGC’s modern air defense missiles at dawn today,” the IRGC said.The IRGC also said on Sunday that it allowed 28 ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz over the previous 24-hour period. Iran has been allowing more vessels to transit the strait under its newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which the US targeted with sanctions.

Iran halts ceasefire talks with US, says it will keep Strait of Hormuz closed -Iran has accused the Trump administration of ceasefire violations and will move to close the Strait of Hormuz and stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries, Iran’s state-affiliated outlet Tasnim News Agency reported Monday. The report, translated from a post on the messaging app Telegram, pointed to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah as a violation of the ceasefire with the U.S. The report said an Israeli ceasefire in Lebanon is a precondition for the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. and that the ceasefire “has now been violated on all fronts.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on the social platform X that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire with the U.S. and that any violation on one front “shall be considered a violation of it across all fronts. “The United States and Israel bear responsibility for the consequences of any breach of the truce,” it said. Israel announced Sunday it had captured Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle, a 900-year-old fortress located north of the Litani River that carries strategic military value and stands as a symbol of Israel’s occupation of the south of the country between 1982 and 2000. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered attacks on Hezbollah-controlled neighborhoods in southern Beirut. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire over the course of the weekend. U.S. Central Command said it struck Iranian air defenses, two drones that were threatening ships and a ground control station in response to “aggressive Iranian actions,” including the shooting down of a U.S. MQ-1 “Predator” drone that was operating over international water. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment. Trump at 1:00 a.m. Monday posted on his social media site Truth Social that Iran “really wants to make a deal,” and he accused critics of the negotiations of jeopardizing an agreement. “Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end – It always does! President DJT,” he wrote. The pullback by Iran comes as President Trump over the weekend considered a preliminary deal to end the war that was negotiated by Washington and Tehran. Axios reported Trump on Friday added amendments to the deal and transmitted it back to Iranian negotiators. Trump announced in a Truth Social post Friday he was ending the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and that ships “caught in the Strait … may start the process of ‘heading home!’” The U.S. blockade was initiated to block Iranian ships and ships carrying Iranian oil from transiting the narrow maritime passageway.

Senators still hope for details on a deal to pause the war in Iran as talks falter -- Senate Democrats and Republicans alike have high hopes for a deal to end the Iran War and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, a proxy of Iran, is complicating Trump’s negotiations with Tehran, leaving lawmakers hungry for more information as they return to Washington. Trump last week indicated a deal was close to being inked. But over the weekend, Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia in Lebanon, threw those talks into uncertain territory as Tehran raged over what they said was a breach of their broader agreement with the U.S. The president on Monday announced on Truth Social that Israeli troops would retreat from Beirut following a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though Netanyahu in his own statement said Israel’s stance “remains unchanged.” The uncertainty comes as Trump’s Iran strategy faces multiple tests in front of Congress this week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be on Capitol Hill for regularly scheduled budget hearings Tuesday and Wednesday where lawmakers are likely to grill him on the state of play in the Middle East. At the same time, both chambers will again consider twin resolutions intended to curb Trump’s ability to continue the military action in Iran without congressional approval. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and key backer of the resolution, told reporters Monday evening that the ceasefire is still doing its job to curb the all-out war between Iran’s military and those of Israel and the U.S. He suggested a deal could still be in progress. “Even though the ceasefire isn’t bomb-proof, we’re not in the just mass bombing that we were in, so extending the cease fire to talk and find an off ramp to a war that never should have been started is what we need to be doing,” Kaine said. The Senate version of the war powers resolution was discharged from a committee with a handful of Republican votes last month. A House equivalent will be up for a vote Wednesday after Republican leadership, fearing a similar defection, cancelled a vote on it. Kaine said Senate Democrats will likely determine their next steps based on how the House vote goes. In the meantime, senators are clamoring for more information about the potential deal, and both parties want some of the same provisions in it. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters Monday that she’s confident in Trump’s handling of the negotiation, but that “Iran has to be brought to its knees.” “Absolutely Iran can’t be funding terrorist proxies,” Ernst said. “They cannot remain with their hands on the enriched uranium, that has got to go, and we just really want to see a more stable presence in the Middle East.” Ernst added that opening the Strait of Hormuz, an essential global shipping lane, would be an essential first step and that Iran should not be able to control or extort any of the ships going through it, as Iran has threatened to do. The closure of the waterway has caused gas prices to spike, causing consternation among Republicans in a midterm election cycle focused heavily on issues of affordability. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, told The Hill she doesn’t know any details yet about the potential deal. Asked what she wants to know specifically, she cited several of the same issues as Ernst. “Is the Strait going to be open? Is it going to be open without charge for commerce indefinitely, as it was before President Trump took us, started a war in Iran?” Shaheen said. “What’s going to happen with the enriched uranium and with the nuclear program? How is that going to be resolved? What’s going to happen with the continued funding of terrorist activities like Hezbollah? We don’t have any of those details.” Shaheen said she was hoping to get more answers at Tuesday’s hearing with Rubio. There are plenty of voices within Congress who support wrapping up hostilities as soon as possible, but defense hawks in Trump’s party are skeptical of any deal to do so that, in their view, lets Iran off too easy. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a strong Trump ally, came out against earlier stages of a rumored deal that would have, in his view, been too weak on Iran. Over the weekend, he posted to the social platform X that he now supported the deal Trump was considering to open up the Strait and continue talks about Iran’s nuclear program. But he drew a line at supporting a deal that required Israel to cease hostilities against Hezbollah. “Any ceasefire with Hezbollah would allow them to re-arm and become stronger. In my view, there must not be any linkage between an Iran deal and Israel’s ability to fight back against Hezbollah’s unceasing aggression in Lebanon,” Graham said.

Optimism over US-Iran deal fades; Trump scrambles to secure Lebanon truce -  The optimism that President Trump projected last week toward securing a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has quickly faded, with Tehran on Monday suspending talks in protest of Israel’s punishing strikes on Lebanon. Trump sent varying messages as he scrambled Monday to secure a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-linked proxy group that controls much of southern Lebanon. The president declared in a TruthSocial post that talks with Iran are continuing at “at a rapid pace,” while also telling CNBC in an interview that he didn’t care if negotiations ended and was becoming bored by efforts to end the three-month war in the Middle East. He told NBC News that he had not been informed of reports that Iran had paused ceasefire talks, but wasn’t surprised because “they’re better negotiators than they are fighters.” “It doesn’t mean we’re going to go and start dropping bombs all over there,” he said. “We’ll keep the blockade.” Iran said it would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed with negotiations stalled, promising to prolong a global energy crisis that has spiked gas prices in the United States. The cost of oil jumped again on Monday after Iran halted talks. Middle East experts said the setback underlined how far apart the two sides remain on key issues like reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the future of its nuclear program. “This latest episode raises more doubts about whether the conditions are ripe for a diplomatic settlement — but both Iran and the United States seem intent for now [on not] returning to all-out war,”

Report: Trump upbraids Netanyahu over Lebanon, asking, ‘What the f— are you doing?’- President Trump reportedly took Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to task during a Monday phone call over the latter’s military campaign in Lebanon. Axios reported, citing two U.S. officials and a third source briefed on the call, that Trump called Netanyahu “crazy” and accused him of ingratitude. At one point, Trump reportedly yelled at Netanyahu, “What the f— are you doing?” Earlier Monday, Netanyahu ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to strike Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut. Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in fighting since October 2023, despite a ceasefire that began in November 2024. Officials in Iran, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, have said that Israeli strikes in Lebanon constitute a violation of the ceasefire that Washington and Tehran agreed to on April 7. Trump said Monday that talks between his administration and the Islamic Republic on a lasting peace are ongoing. “The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Araghchi wrote Monday on the social platform X. “Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation.” After the phone call with Netanyahu, which he touted as “productive,” Trump said that no Israeli troops will head to Beirut. “I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi!” Trump added, “I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!” Later Monday, Netanyahu wrote on X that he told Trump, “that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens—Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut.” Netanyahu added that the IDF “will continue to operate as planned” in southern Lebanon. Beirut, the capital, is on the eastern coast of Lebanon — in line with the center of the country.

Iranian Media: Iran Suspends Exchange of Messages With US Due to Israel's War and Escalations in Lebanon -   Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that Tehran has suspended the exchange of messages with the US that was being done through Pakistan due to Israel’s continued war and its escalations in Lebanon.“Given the continuing crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team is suspending dialogues and exchange of texts through mediators,” the Tasnim report said.Later in the day, Trump insisted that negotiations with Iran continue. “Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote on Truth Social.  When the initial ceasefire was announced by Pakistan, a statement that was reviewed by the US, it included an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, which never happened despite a nominal ceasefire being declared last month. The Tasnim report said that Iran was ready to fully close the Strait of Hormuz and take action in cooperation with its allies in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq in response to Israel’s continued attacks and ground invasion in Lebanon.Iranian officials also released public statements warning that the US and Israel would be responsible for any escalations. “For immediate attention: The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X. “Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” Araghchi added.Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has been involved in the negotiations with the US, also issued a post on X where he said Israel’s war in Lebanon, as well as the US blockade of Iranian ports, were a violation of the ceasefire.“The naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon by the genocidal Zionist regime are clear evidence of US noncompliance with the ceasefire,” Ghalibaf said. “Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due. It will all fall into place.”

June 1: Trump announces Israel’s retreat from Beirut attack after Irans stern warning  --Iran on Monday said Israel's attacks on Lebanon violate the ceasefire and warned of intervention, which was followed by US President Donald Trump announcing that the Tel Aviv regime had backed down from a planned aggression against Beirut. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced a retaliatory strike on a US air base used to launch an attack on a telecommunications tower in southern Iran.Iranian officials issued new warnings over the illegal US blockade of Iranian ports and escalating attacks on Lebanon.The Islamic Republic also reaffirmed its authority over maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, coordinating the transit of 15 more vessels through the waterwayKey developments on day 94 of the war, the fifty-fourth day of the ceasefire:

• The Israeli regime backed down from a planned military assault on Beirut, US President Donald Trump announced, after Iran warned it would not tolerate a new wave of aggression against Lebanon's capital in breach of a ceasefire between Tehran and Washington. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier ordered military strikes on Beirut's Dahiyeh district.
• The IRGC said it carried out a retaliatory strike against a US air base in the region used by the American military to launch a military attack on a telecommunications tower in southern Iran.
• Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports and Israel’s growing war crimes in Lebanon will come at a price for Washington and Tel Aviv.
• Mohsen Rezaei, senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, warned Israel and the United States over escalating aggression against Lebanon and the American blockade of Iranian ports, saying Tehran’s patience has a threshold.
• Iran warned the United States that Israel's ongoing attacks on Lebanon constitute a clear violation of the April 8 ceasefire with Tehran, and that it holds Washington responsible for the breaches.
• Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters issued an evacuation notice for settlers in northern occupied territories, should Israel carry out threats to bomb southern Beirut under the pretext of targeting the Lebanese resistance.
• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US covers “all fronts, including Lebanon,” warning that any violation on one front will constitute a breach of the broader ceasefire arrangement.
• Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior military spokesman, warned Israel and its allies that they will not tolerate the occupying regime’s ongoing atrocities in Lebanon.
• Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, stated that a ceasefire in Lebanon is inseparable from any final agreement to end the war, as the Israeli regime escalates assaults on Lebanon in violation of an earlier truce.
• Baghaei also condemned the European Union’s reaction to Iran’s legitimate retaliation against recent US military actions, describing it as a “masterclass in selective outrage.”
• Senior adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Akbar Velayati, warned that Iran and the Resistance Axis will mark the end of what Israel has started in Lebanon.
• The IRGC announced that it coordinated the transit of 15 more ships through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.
• President Masoud Pezeshkian told the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that Iran would work to allow more ships linked to Japan to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway in the Persian Gulf that Iran has tightly controlled since the early days of the US-Israeli aggression.
• Pezeshkian said he will continue his path with strength, in direct response to baseless resignation rumours spread by an Israeli-backed media outlet.
• Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said the new regulations devised by the Islamic Republic govern maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the country brooks no foreign interference in this regard.
• Iranian retaliatory attacks have left at least 20 US military sites damaged since the start of the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic, an analysis of satellite images and videos has shown, indicating the strikes were more extensive than publicly acknowledged.
• A series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon claimed the lives of at least 12 individuals, with at least one medic sustaining injuries.
• A massive wave of displacement unfolded in Beirut’s southern suburbs following Israeli threats to bomb the Lebanese capital amid widespread ceasefire violations by the occupying entity.
• Hezbollah resistance fighters targeted several Israeli military installations. They managed to intercept and shoot down two intruding Hermes 450 multi-role tactical drones in the skies near the border between Lebanon and the occupied territories.
• Fighters from the Hezbollah resistance movement targeted and destroyed an Israeli Iron Dome launcher deep inside the occupied territories, in response to Israel's ceasefire violations and attacks on southern Lebanese villages.
• The price of oil has risen in world trading markets as the Israeli regime forces move deeper into southern Lebanon in violation of a ceasefire that has been in place for more than six weeks.
• French President Emmanuel Macron urged a swift agreement between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, stressing that the current opportunity for de-escalation must be seized immediately.
• British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged that Israel’s escalating military aggression in Lebanon has “eroded space for diplomacy,” marking a rare Western admission of the Zionist regime’s destabilising actions in the West Asian region.

Trump says ‘I don’t care’ if Iran talks over: ‘They started to get very boring’ - President Trump on Monday expressed ambivalence about the status of peace talks with Iran, after he said earlier in the day that the Islamic Republic “really wants to make a deal” with his administration. “I don’t care if they’re over, honestly. I really don’t care,” Trump told CNBC’s Eamon Javers. “I couldn’t care less. If they’re over, they’re over. If they’re not… I think [Iran] took too much time.”“Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring,” he added, referring to the talks. “They were giving us what we needed, but I think… they handled the negotiations poorly. It took too long. I thought they were tapping us along, that’s all.”The president on Friday met with administration officials in the White House Situation Room to discuss an agreement to extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and establish a basis for future talks on Tehran’s nuclear program. However, Trump left that meeting without making a decision. Earlier Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his country’s armed forces to strike Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut.  Officials in Tehran, including Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the Israeli military campaign in Lebanon constitutes a violation of the ceasefire — which the Trump administration and Iranian government agreed to in early April. “Any violation of this ceasefire on one front shall be considered a violation of it across all fronts,” Araghchi wrote on social media. “The United States and Israel bear responsibility for the consequences of any breach of the truce.”After his interview with CNBC, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he spoke with Netanyahu, along with “highly placed Representatives” from Hezbollah, and claimed that Israel would not send troops to Beirut.  But Netanyahu wrote on social media later in the afternoon that “if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens—Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut.”He added, “This stance of ours remains unchanged. In parallel, the [Israeli Defense Forces] will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.” Despite his remarks to CNBC, Trump on Monday also insisted that talks with Iran are ongoing. He wrote on Truth Social early in the morning that the “regime really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us.”

Donald Trump denies US-Iran negotiations breakdown -- President Trump on Tuesday denied reports that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to end the war have broken down. The president called reports that the two sides broke off contact recently “false and erroneous” on Truth Social. “The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today,” the president wrote in a post on Tuesday afternoon. “Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!’ he continued. The president’s statement follows reporting from Iranian state media on Monday that Tehran was accusing the Trump administration of violating a ceasefire agreement between the two sides and would stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries. Tasnim News Agency cited Israeli military operations against Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon as a violation of the ceasefire. Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a Monday social media post that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is “unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” “Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts,” he continued. “The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation.” Trump responded to the news on Monday, telling NBC News that it’s “OK with me” if Iran wants to suspend talks. “It’s an appropriate thing to say, because they’re better negotiators than they are fighters,” he told the outlet. “But they haven’t informed us of that.” The president said later that day in a Truth Social post that talks were proceeding “at a rapid pace” and that he had a “very productive” phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his military’s operations in Lebanon. The two sides are continuing to negotiate a deal to end a monthslong dispute over reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a new Iranian nuclear deal.

GOP lawmaker: Clinching Iran deal could take ‘very long time’ -- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Sunday said it could take a “very long time” for the U.S. to secure a deal to end the war in Iran. Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked Issa on “The Sunday Briefing” about when the conflict will be “officially, officially over,” after joking that the ceasefire in place between the U.S. and Iran is a “ceasefire in name only.” Issa added with his own quip that “it’s a ceasefire, but people are still dying.” “It could be a very long time,” Issa said. “But you know, when somebody can’t breathe and they want to slow down how fast they make a deal, the person who’s breathing just fine says, ‘OK, I’ll keep you dunked underwater until you’re ready. If you want to last longer, great.’ That’s what President Trump is doing as we speak.” The California Republican added that Trump is “taking advantage of the fact that they’re suffering, we’re not.” “They’re dealing with significant problems, we only have to boost our oil and natural gases to help the Europeans,” Issa continued. “By comparison, we’re dealing only with higher prices for a time. They’re dealing with an existential threat to their regime.” Issa told Doocy that Trump’s leverage in negotiating with Iran is “taking advantage of the fact that they’re suffering –– we’re not.” “They’re dealing with significant problems, we only have to try to boost our oil and natural gas to help the Europeans,” Issa continued. “By comparison, we’re dealing only with higher prices for a time. They’re dealing with an existential threat to their regime.” In recent days, Trump was reviewing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran. The two parties had reached a tentative deal to extend the ceasefire for another 60 days. But Iran on Monday halted ceasefire talks after it accused the Trump administration of violating the pause and announced that it will move to close the Strait of Hormuz and no longer speak with the U.S. through intermediaries, according to Iran’s state-affiliated outlet Tasnim News Agency.Trump later told NBC News that he was not informed that the peace talks had been suspended.Iran pointed to Israel’s resumption of strikes on Lebanon. A ceasefire between both countries was a precondition of Iran’s ceasefire with the U.S., but Tasnim News Agency stated that the ceasefire “has now been violated on all fronts.”Israel first captured Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle north of the Litani River, which holds its own strategic value, on Sunday, followed by its attacks on Hezbollah-controlled neighborhoods in southern Beirut.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on the social platform X that a violation on any front must be considered a violation of the fragile truce “across all fronts.” He cast blame at the U.S. and Israel, saying they “bear responsibility for the consequences of any breach of the truce.”

US sanctions Iran's top crypto exchange accused of moving funds for central bank, IRGC -- The Washington on Tuesday expanded its sanctions regime against Iran’s financial networks, targeting the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange over allegations it was being used to move funds for state-linked entities and bypass Western restrictions. The new sanctions follow a Reuters investigation published on May 1, which showed how Nobitex had become a central node in a parallel financial system used to process hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran’s central bank and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The report also revealed how Nobitex continued operating even after the government-imposed internet shutdown, processing millions of dollars of transactions. “While Iran’s economy is in free fall, the regime has chosen to co-opt digital asset technologies for its own corrupt agenda, including evading sanctions and transferring wealth out of the country,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. The Reuters investigation showed how Nobitex is controlled by two brothers from one of Iran’s most powerful families, with close ties to the new supreme leader. The two are members of the Kharrazi family, one of the most influential dynasties in the Islamic Republic. Corporate records show that when the exchange started, the brothers were listed under a surname rarely used by members of the family. The US Treasury announced Tuesday that the two brothers, Seyed Mohammad Ali Aghamir Mohammad Ali and Seyed Mohammad Aghamir Mohammad Ali, had also been individually sanctioned, along with the exchange’s chief executive officer, Amir Hossein Rad. Nobitex had provided “significant support” to the Iranian government and facilitated a “significant number” of digital transactions linked to the IRGC and Iran’s central bank, the US Treasury said in the statement. “Following the commencement of US combat operations in Iran, Nobitex played a role in protecting and moving assets and funds out of Iran to shield regime wealth despite internet blackouts.” Nobitex could not be reached for comment on the sanctions, which were announced after normal business hours in Iran. In an emailed statement to Reuters in April, Nobitex said it had no direct government connections and denied assisting the state. It said that any illicit funds moving through Nobitex did so without management approval or awareness. The company also said that the two brothers had never used an alternative identity or changed their identity.

Iran attacks damage 20 US military sites since start of war, satellite images show - Iran has damaged 20 US military sites since the start of the war, satellite images and videos analysed by BBC Verify show, suggesting the attacks are more extensive than publicly acknowledged. Iran has targeted key facilities across eight countries in the Middle East since the end of February, causing millions of dollars of damage to state-of the-art air defence systems, refuelling aircraft and radars. Tehran has targeted both US bases and shared military facilities in retaliation to the US-Israeli strikes across Iran and Lebanon over the past three months. The Pentagon says it has hit more than 13,000 targets in Iran since the start of Operation Epic Fury.Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has sought to highlight his military's success in striking US facilities. In a statement on Tuesday he claimed the Middle East was no longer a "safe place" for American bases.While the White House has repeatedly claimed that Iran's military has been almost wiped out, analysts said that the damage seen at US facilities suggests that Tehran's counter-attacks have been more precise and extensive than American officials have previously acknowledged.A US defence official declined to comment on BBC Verify's findings, citing "operational security reasons".The US has sought to limit satellite analysis of the conflict by requesting Planet, a major provider, to impose an "indefinite" restriction on new images of Iran and most of the Middle East. The company justified the move, saying that it wanted to ensure its images were not used "by adversarial actors to target allied and Nato-partner personnel and civilians".BBC Verify has used satellite imagery from other international providers combined with older images from Planet to track the damage caused by Iranian attacks. The facilities are in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman. The actual figure could be higher, with some analysts placing the number of bases hit as high as 28. Among the valuable hardware damaged were three state-of-the-art anti-ballistic missile batteries systems at the Al Ruwais and Al Sader airbases in the UAE and Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Jordan. The US is only known to operate eight of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, which are deployed at bases around the globe and cost around $1bn (£766m) to manufacture. Each battery needs a crew of about 100 troops to operate it while the interceptors it fires cost around $12.7m per round. Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, the ex-head of the Irish Defence Forces, told BBC Verify that the batteries are at the core of a "highly complex" regional defence network that cannot be "quickly or easily replaced". Iranian strikes have also heavily hit US refuelling and surveillance aircraft at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia, expert analysis of satellite images show, with damaged aircraft and smoking craters clearly visible.One aircraft was identified by a MAIAR analyst as an E-3 Sentry surveillance plane. US media reported that it could cost up to $700m to replace. Elsewhere, Iranian attacks have also targeted Ali Al Salem Airbase and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. Analysts at MAIAR identified destroyed fuel storage bunkers, aircraft hangars and troop accommodation in satellite images of the base, which was hit multiple times over the course of the conflict.And at Camp Arifjan the defence intelligence company Janes identified extensive damage to satellite communications hardware. The extent of damage caused to US facilities is difficult to quantify, but a May estimate by the Pentagon put the total cost of Operation Epic Fury at $29bn - with much of that likely to be spent on "repair or replacement costs for equipment" destroyed in the conflict. Democrats say this is likely an underestimate.The report also found that at least 42 aircraft - including F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and an A-10 attack plane - have been destroyed or damaged since February. By comparison to the expensive hardware used by the US military, Iran has reportedly made use of cheap, easily replaceable drones in its attacks on targets across the Middle East. Experts who spoke to BBC Verify said that Iranian tactics had evolved over the course of the war, moving from sprawling barrages of missiles which targeted cities and bases across the Middle East, to more precise, directed attacks."[Iran's] opening salvos were optimised for volume—mass waves designed to overwhelm air and missile defences through sheer numbers," said Dr Kelly Grieco, an analyst with the US-based Stimson Centre think tank."Within days, however, Iran had shifted to smaller, more precisely targeted salvos, conserving remaining missiles and drones for specific high-value targets and concentrating fire where even near-misses cause significant damage."An analyst at MAIAR told BBC Verify that the US military "appears to have been guilty of a degree of early-war complacency" in failing to move aircraft out of the range of Iranian drones and missiles as Tehran's tactics evolved.They said that in the case of Prince Sultan airbase the facility had previously come under fire before the aircraft were destroyed.Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed that "the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases," adding: "America will no longer have a safe place in the region for mischief and the establishment of military bases, and day by day it will drift further from its former position." His comments just days before the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain again. On Thursday Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it targeted an American base in the region, after fresh US strikes on southern Iran. Dr Grieco warned that should the fragile US-Iranian ceasefire breakdown and fighting resume, the existing damage to US bases suggests that facilities across the Gulf could be vulnerable. "The current conflict has consumed US and partner air defence stocks at a significant rate," she said."There is no rapid path to replenishment, meaning any renewed Iranian assault would be met a fraction of the interceptors available when the conflict stated."

US shoots down drones, missiles in response to ‘attempted attack by Iran' - The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday said it shot down multiple Iranian drones launched in an “attempted attack” on its regional neighbors. CENTCOM said all of the Iranian ballistic missiles “failed to hit their intended targets.” “Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces,” it wrote in a post on X. Before intercepting the missiles, CENTCOM said the U.S. had launched self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island. American forces also responded to three one-way attack drones directed at civilian mariners. “No U.S. personnel were harmed. CENTCOM forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire,” their post on X says. Over the weekend, the U.S. also launched self-defense strikes in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island. News of Iran’s attempted attacks comes as the Trump administration navigates negotiations with Iran geared towards extending the current ceasefire. Iranian state media reported that Tehran pulled out of talks due to Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which it considers a violation of the current ceasefire agreement. President Trump said Tuesday that those reports are “false.” Talks have focused on Iran relinquishing its nuclear program and enriched uranium in addition to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. naval blockade of the critical waterway remains in place. On Tuesday, a U.S. fighter jet disabled an oil tanker heading for the Iranian port of Kharg Island after the vessel “ignored repeated warnings.” U.S. forces have disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 since April 13.

Iran vows to use ‘all capabilities’ to confront any new US aggression -Iran's Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned overnight US attacks against an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and a telecommunications tower on Qeshm Island, vowing that Tehran will use "all its capabilities" to confront acts of aggression, including by striking their origin and source. In a statement issued Wednesday, the ministry said the "aggressive actions" were launched in the early hours of Wednesday from "two countries in the region," which it later identified as Kuwait and Bahrain. "These aggressive actions not only violate the ceasefire understanding of April 9 but also constitute a flagrant violation of the fundamental principle prohibiting the use of force under Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter and international law," the ministry said. The statement hit out at Washington’s "colonial use of the territory and facilities of regional countries to advance its aggressive plans against Iran" and noted the "direct and clear responsibility of the rulers of Kuwait and Bahrain in relation to last night's aggressive actions." "The action of any country in allowing aggressor parties to use its land, sea, or air territory or facilities and bases located within their territory to carry out or support military aggression against Iran constitutes a clear violation of fundamental rules of international law and the principle of good neighborliness," the ministry said. It added that under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, such conduct is "tantamount to committing an act of aggression against Iran". The Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized that it holds the "American-Zionist aggressors and all parties that assist them in committing acts of aggression against Iran by placing their territory and facilities at their disposal" fully responsible for the consequences of the current situation. "The Islamic Republic of Iran, in exercising its inherent right to defend its territorial integrity and national sovereignty, will use all its capabilities to confront aggressive actions, including through targeting the origin and source of aggressive attacks," the statement said. The United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, unlawfully seizing Iranian commercial vessels and detaining their crews. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations warned in April that continued US military operations in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz risk "catastrophic consequences" that could spread far beyond the region and threaten international peace and security.

Iran suspends talks with US, hails dialogue with Oman despite Trump threat -- Talks between Iran and Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz are ongoing, according to Tehran, after President Donald Trump threatened to “blow up” the United States ally if traffic cannot pass freely through the vital waterway. Tehran and Muscat have met repeatedly, and discussions are “well underway” on control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s IRNA state news agency reported on Monday, citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei. The U.S. says the strait, which has been effectively blockaded by Tehran for three months, must be open to all international shipping and not subject to Iranian control. Washington has rejected the idea of a toll system that would benefit Iran, slapping sanctions on Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Tehran said would control shipping in the strait. It has also threatened sanctions on those paying Iran for safe travel through the waterway. Trump on Wednesday said Oman “will behave like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up,” while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said over the weekend he had been assured by an Omani official that Muscat would not collect fees from ships in the waterway. Oman, which says it is committed to safe passage and freedom for vessels to travel through the strait, is a longstanding U.S. ally that allows American troops to use its military bases. Iran targeted the Gulf state in the early stages of the war between Iran, the U.S. and Israel from February 28. But the U.S. is under increasing pressure to reopen the strait and get maritime traffic moving after months of yo-yoing fuel prices, supply chain pressures and concerns about food access for millions of people. A fifth of the world’s oil and gas usually travels through the strait, along with a third of global seaborne fertilizer supplies, which are key to ensuring enough crops can be grown to feed famine-vulnerable areas, including the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. The long weeks of blockages left more than 1,500 ships stranded and sent fuel prices soaring. Traffic is still far below prewar levels, and Iran has resisted loosening its grip on the strait, despite the U.S.’s own competing blockade on Iranian ports. Iran’s negotiating team has paused indirect talks with the United States, citing Israel’s continued military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon and what Tehran describes as broader breaches of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, according to the Tasnim news agency. Tasnim, which maintains close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Tehran would stop negotiations and message exchanges through intermediaries over what it called the “continuation of the Zionist regime’s crimes in Lebanon.” Iranian officials have previously said the ceasefire framework covers developments in Lebanon and that the agreement is under strain “on all fronts” due to Israel’s actions. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Monday that only Iran and Oman had the right to “exercise sovereignty” in the strait, adding that Muscat should “not give in” to U.S. threats. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi hosted Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, in the Omani capital last week. Muscat said the delegations discussed restoring ship traffic in the strait in “a safe and sustainable manner” and considered “a set of principles.” But progress toward a deal to resume normal traffic levels in the Strait of Hormuz is still slow, and Iran’s military said on Monday that 15 ships had passed through the strait with Iranian permission in the previous 24 hours. This falls far short of the more than 130 vessels that would travel through the waterway each day before the war.

Report: US Pressuring Neutral Oman To Cut Ties With Iran - The US has been pressuring Oman to pick a side in its war against Iran and to sever ties with Tehran, despite Muscat’s history of acting as a neutral mediator in the region, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Sources told the Journal that at the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, Oman’s neutrality allowed it to open a backchannel with Iran that allowed Gulf states to reopen flight corridors, but that now, Washington views Muscat’s neutrality as being hostile toward the US.President Trump recently threatened to “blow up” Oman if the country didn’t “behave,” comments he made when asked if the US would accept a short-term deal that involved Iran and Oman jointly controlling the Strait of Hormuz. His threat was followed by a threat of sanctions from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said that Oman would be “aggressively” targeted if it “facilitated” a tolling system for the strait.The Journal report said the threats followed a US intelligence assessment that concluded Oman was planning to join Iran in implementing a new tolling system for the Strait of Hormuz. While Iranian officials have said they held talks with their Omani counterparts about such a system, Oman has denied any plans to participate.Oman has brokered negotiations between the US and Iran in the lead-up to the war, and on the eve of the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi traveled to the US for talks with Vice President JD Vance and said in an interview on CBS News that a deal was “within our reach, if we just allow diplomacy the space it needs to get there.” The Journal report said that since Albusaidi’s comments about a potential deal, the US has tried to sideline Oman in any diplomatic process.

Iran has not revealed all its ‘winning cards’ yet, top general warns amid US-Israeli escalations - Iran has not yet revealed all of its “winning cards” and is ready for a potential confrontation with its enemies, a high-ranking military official has warned. Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters’ Deputy Inspector Brigadier General Mohammad Jafar Asadi made the remarks in an interview responding to recent claims by Western media circles and American officials regarding the vulnerability of Iran’s defense capabilities. “We have said many times that we have not yet revealed all our winning cards, and there are many cards we will use if needed,” he said. Explaining the status of the country’s defense industry, General Asadi said, “The facilities we now use to manufacture military equipment and support the Armed Forces are completely hidden from the enemy’s view. They have no knowledge of their locations. Therefore, our situation in defense production is acceptable.” Asadi described the people as the most important support base for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. “Our Armed Forces do not need atomic bombs. Our ultimate weapon and atomic bomb is the people themselves — people who have shown up in streets and public squares for over ninety nights,” he noted. Referring to threats from NATO and Western allies, he stated that since the glorious victory of the Islamic Revolution until the present day, America and its allies, including NATO, have been engaged in confronting the revolution. “But even during the eight-year war, when the former Soviet Union was also involved, they could not achieve anything. Now, if they take any action against the Islamic Republic of Iran, they will face defeat,” he said. Recalling US President Donald Trump’s threat to take Iran back to the Stone Age, General Asadi declared, “Even if we have nothing, we will fight America with stones. Because we do not surrender to America.” He warned against miscalculations by the US, Israel and their allies, saying, “America only wants our complete surrender, and the Iranian nation will never surrender.” He also pointed to negotiations with the United States, noting that the talks will not solve economic and livelihood problems. “When surrender is out of the question, war lies ahead. So we are ready and have no issue with war. Even if NATO joins this battlefield, we have no concerns whatsoever,” he said further. On February 28, the United States launched its latest bout of unprovoked aggression against Iran together with the Israeli regime, but was forced to announce a two-week lull in attacks 40 days later following at least 100 waves of decisive and successful Iranian retaliation. Washington then extended the ceasefire, but has been trying to impose a naval blockade on the Islamic Republic in order to force the country to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz that Tehran has shut down in retaliation.

Marco Rubio: Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei 'increasingly engaging' in talks -Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “increasingly engaging” in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran amidst continual efforts to end the war. “We haven’t seen him publicly. And I would imagine given what’s happened to multiple leaders in that system, being very public is probably not something that’s recommended for them internally,” Rubio told senators on the Foreign Relations Committee. “But that said, I think there are indications out there that he is increasingly engaging at some level. Although all of his communications have been in writing and through intermediaries,” he added in his first public testimony since the beginning of the Iran war. Rubio’s comments come amid reports that Iran pulled out of talks to extend the current ceasefire after Tehran accused the US of violating the conditions of the agreement due to Israel’s offensive campaign in Lebanon. The secretary of State said it takes “days” to get a response from Iran on conditions in a proposed agreement as both sides work to communicate through intermediaries. However, Rubio lauded recent progress in regard to Iran’s willingness to discuss their nuclear program. “They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention,” Rubio said but noted there’s no guarantee “it will lead to a deal that’s acceptable.” The Trump administration has pushed for concessions to Iran’s enriched uranium and has maintained a hardline stance that the country cannot have a nuclear weapon now or in the future. As the outcome of talks remains uncertain, international leaders are urging both the U.S. and Iran to reach an agreement in the short term to reopen the Strait of Hormuz leading to global market stability. On Monday, Trump told detractors to stop “chirping” and rushing him into a deal. “Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end – It always does!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Iran has mined 'large segments' of Hormuz Strait, Secretary of State Rubio says -Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Iran has mined “large segments” of the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that explosives in the strategic sea lane are more widespread than previoulsy acknowledged. “They’re firing on commercial ships and they’ve mined large segments of Hormuz — international waters,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in his first appearance before Congress since the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran must agree in any deal with the U.S. that it will not charge a toll to transit Hormuz, will not fire on commercial ships and will help remove any mines it has laid in the strait, the Secretary of State said. “What they’re doing is unlawful and illegal,” Rubio told the Senate. Hormuz is a crucial chokepoint for the global energy market, with about 20% of global oil supplies passing through the sea lane before war. Oil tanker traffic through the strait has plunged due to threats from Iran, triggering the the largest supply disruption in history. President Donald Trump cast doubt early in the war that Iran was deploying mines. In a Truth Social post on March 10, Trump warned Tehran that if it has deployed mines in Hormuz, they were to be removed immediately. The president said the following day that he didn’t think Iran had mined the strait when asked by a reporter outside the White House. Trump said on April 23 that he ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill” any boat that was deploying mines in the strait. He said U.S. mine sweepers were “clearing the Strait” at an accelerated tempo. But Iran’s mines still pose a major challenge to the resumption of large scale commercial traffic more than a month after Trump said the US. was clearing the explosives. The president demanded Friday that Iran “complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines” that the U.S. has not already removed. It is still unclear how many mines are in Hormuz and where they are located in the sea lane, said Jack Kennedy, head of Middle East country risk at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Traffic through Hormuz is unlikely to return to prewar levels until a solid demining effort has taken place, Kennedy said. The White House did not respond to a question about how many mines are believed to remain in Hormuz. The Pentagon has destroyed numerous mines and over 40 minelaying vessels, a White House official told CNBC. “The President has been clear that these are short-term, temporary disruptions,” the official said.

US fires Hellfire missile at tanker heading toward Iran --The US military fired a Hellfire missile at a tanker heading toward Iran on Tuesday as part of a blockade being imposed by president Donald Trump, who is pressing Tehran to negotiate a peace agreement on his terms. The US military’s Central Command posted a video showing the missile strike the tanker and said it targeted the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie’s engine room, disabling it. “The ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from US forces multiple times over a 24-hour period,” Central Command said in a statement.“A US aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran.” The Lexie is the sixth ship that the US military has disabled since it started its blockade of Iran on April 13. The US military says it has also redirected 122 vessels that were seeking to enter or exit Iranian ports so far.

Irans armed forces: Enemy forced to accept new Iranian rules -Iran's armed forces say the enemy has been forced to accept new rules imposed by Tehran on the battlefield, particularly regarding the smart management and control of the Strait of Hormuz, as the country marked the anniversary of the passing of Imam Khomeini and the 1963 uprising against the Shah. In a statement carried by Iranian news agencies on Wednesday, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said the Iranian nation and armed forces have imposed new realities on the battlefield that Washington and its allies must now accept. "The enemy is forced to accept the new rules that the Iranian nation and armed forces have imposed on the battlefield, especially in the realm of smart management and control of the Strait of Hormuz," the IRGC said. The statement came as Iran faces continued US military intransigence in the Persian Gulf, including late Tuesday American strikes on an Iranian oil tanker and a telecommunications tower on Qeshm Island, as well as an ongoing US naval blockade on Iranian ports. The Armed Forces General Staff and the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters issued a joint statement vowing that resistance will continue until the "complete destruction" of the conspiracies of arrogant powers, the expulsion of foreign forces from West Asia, and the liberation of al-Quds through the destruction of the Israeli regime. "The presence of people in the streets remains the backbone of the battlefield, the stronghold of diplomacy, and an essential factor in achieving complete and final victory," the IRGC said, referring to more than 90 consecutive nights of rallies across the country to support the Iranian leadership and armed forces.

Trump Insists Negotiations Between the US and Iran Haven't Stopped - -- President Trump insisted on Tuesday that the negotiations between the US and Iran have continued despite Iranian media reporting that Iranian officials have cut off the talks, which were being mediated by Pakistan.“Fake News Reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the USA, stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.“The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today. Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!'” the president added.According to the latest Iranian media reports, Iran is still reviewing the latest US proposal, but the messages over the potential deal had stopped a few days ago, and the last thing Tehran had relayed to the US was a “stern” warning over Israel’s war and escalations in Lebanon. When the initial ceasefire was announced by Pakistan, a statement that was reviewed by the US, it included an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, which never happened despite a nominal ceasefire being declared last month. Iranian officials have made clear in recent days that they view the continued war as a violation of the ceasefire deal.While Israel has appeared to have backed down on threats to bomb Beirut, its war in southern Lebanon continues, with heavy strikes occurring on Tuesday despite statements from President Trump suggesting that some sort of ceasefire was agreed to. The US and Israel have been seeking an arrangement where Hezbollah would refrain from targeting northern Israel in exchange for Israel not bombing Beirut, but a Hezbollah official said Tuesday that the group wouldn’t accept a “partial ceasefire.”

Iran fires missiles, US strikes Iran facility after reports of faltering peace talks -The U.S. military said Tuesday that Iran fired missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain that failed or were shot down and that the U.S. launched strikes on an Iranian facility in response. Iran fired missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain but failed to hit the targets, the U.S. said. The two fired at Kuwait fell apart en route, while U.S. and Bahraini forces intercepted the missiles aimed at Bahrain, the U.S. said. U.S. Central Command said it responded with strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain and another country in its attack, without naming Kuwait. It said it launched its attack in response to the U.S. firing a missile into the engine room of another oil tanker trying to reach Iran amid the U.S. blockade. “We had previously warned that in case of aggression, the response would be different and more severe, and we acted accordingly,” the Revolutionary Guard said in its statement. Central Command also said it “downed multiple drones” launched by Iran targeting American forces in Kuwait. The attacks happened after Iran stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the U.S. and Israel, according to reports Tuesday from two semiofficial Iranian news agencies. President Trump disputed the claim and said talks were continuing. The reports by the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, came as tensions flared in Israel’s related fight against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. A regional official involved in the mediation, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, told the Associated Press that Iran had not communicated at all on Tuesday after saying that a ceasefire needed to be enforced in Lebanon for negotiations to continue. “The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago and today,” Trump said in a social media post. “Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal.’” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not address the reported cutoff in communications as he testified at a congressional hearing in Washington. Instead, he sounded an optimistic note about the nuclear dimension of the negotiations, while cautioning that there’s no guarantee of reaching “a deal that’s acceptable.” Iran has been trying to increase pressure on Trump over negotiations on the Iran war ceasefire and loosening the Islamic Republic’s choke hold on the Strait of Hormuz and the oil, gas and other commodities that normally pass through it. Trump could potentially push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt or slow the advance of his forces, which have moved deeper into Lebanon than at any time in more than a quarter of a century. The conflicts have increasingly become conjoined, as Iran insists that any potential truce in the war there must also quell the fighting in Lebanon.

Iran Sends Missiles, Drones Targeting Airbases Across Gulf After US Nighttime Attack On Qeshm Island  - In the overnight hours local time, Kuwait is reporting inbound missiles and drones, with Fars reporting that two American bases were targeted. Explosions and air raid sirens also being reported in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain. It seems that war is popping off once again.Per a breaking Reuters report: Kuwait’s army says that air defenses are intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks and urges the public to follow security and safety instructions issued by the relevant authorities. Any sounds of explosions heard are the result of interceptions, the army adds. Tasnim: "Blasts reported at Kuwait's Ali al-Salem US airbase" after three missiles were fired. And the latest from CNN: Kuwait says it is intercepting enemy missile and drone attacks. While it has not yet identified who it believes is behind the attack, the news comes shortly after Iranian media reported “explosion-like sounds” near Iran’s Qeshm island. Meanwhile, the US military said it “disabled” an oil tanker heading for an Iranian port by striking it with a Hellfire missile.   Unconfirmed emerging footage:Sirens have also been activated in Bahrain, for unknown cause. New IRGC statement: In fresh action CENTCOM has announced it has fired on another vessel which was non-compliant to the US blockade: President Trump in a fresh Truth Social post has again insisted that Washington and Tehran are talking again. "The conversations between us have been going on continuously... where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, 'It's time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal.'" Throughout the morning Secretary of State Marco Rubio was fielding questions on Capitol Hill. He too insisted that talks are ongoing, despite a Tuesday Iranian denial. He claimed the regime is 'fragmented' and because of this, back-and-forth messaging is extremely slow-going. "Iranian people would make a deal tomorrow if it were up to them," Rubio said. "The Supreme Leader and the IRGC are a bit more immune to pressures."

Iran Targets US Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain After US Bombs Oil Tanker and Qeshm Island -   The Iranian military has announced attacks on the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a US air base in Kuwait after the US struck a tanker attempting to reach Iran’s Kharg Island, as the region is again on the brink of plunging back into full-scale war. Iran also said that its attacks came after the US bombed a telecommunications antenna, and Iranian media reported blasts on Iran’s Qeshm Island. “Following the US attack on a telecommunications antenna and an Iranian oil tanker, we targeted the United States Fifth Fleet and a US air base in the region,” the Iranian Armed Forces said in a statement, according to Iran’s IRIB broadcaster.  US Central Command had announced the strike on the tanker hours earlier and later put out a statement on the Iranian attacks, claiming the drones and missiles Iran launched were defeated. CENTCOM also confirmed that it bombed Qeshm Island, framing the attack as “self-defense” despite engaging in a blockade against Iran, a continuation of the war of aggression the US and Israel launched on February 28.“Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defense forces,” CENTCOM said.“Moments earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters. American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island,” the command added.Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, cited an Iranian source who told him Iran’s attacks were part of a new strategy to respond more strongly to US strikes. “Iranian source tells me Iran has stopped playing the tit-for-tat game. Instead, it’s now striking back ‘at least 1.5x as hard’ for every attack the US against Iran,” Parsi wrote on X. Video of the Hellfire missile strike released by CENTCOM.  In its statement on its attack on the tanker, US Central Command said that its forces fired a Hellfire missile into the ship, marking at least the sixth time the US has attacked and “disabled” a civilian vessel while enforcing the blockade on Iran.“US Central Command (CENTCOM) enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island,” CENTCOM said.“The ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from US forces multiple times over a 24-hour period. A US aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran,” the command said, adding that its forces have “disabled” a total of six commercial ships so far.The incident came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it attacked the MSC Sariska, a Panamanian-flagged ship it claimed was affiliated with the US and Israel, though the MSC shipping company said the vessel was not associated with either country. The IRGC said the attack on the Sariska was in response to the last US attack on a commercial ship, which occurred on May 29 and also involved a US aircraft firing a Hellfire missile.

'They Were Slightly Provoked': Trump Downplays Iran's Attacks Targeting US Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain - President Trump on Wednesday downplayed Iranian attacks that targeted US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, saying they may have been “slightly provoked” since the US launched strikes against Iran beforehand.“There’s a reason for everything, and we hit them pretty hard last night,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office. “Some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating.”Iran launched the missile and drone attacks after the US bombed a commercial ship attempting to reach Iran and launched strikes on Iran’s Qeshm island.During the Iranian attack on Kuwait, a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s international airport was hit, and at least one person was killed, and more than 60 were injured. Local officials said the terminal was hit by Iranian drones, which Iran denied, claiming that it was struck by an errant US Patriot missile interceptor. Kuwait’s aviation authority later released a video of the strike that appeared to show a drone striking the terminal.US Central Command denied Iran’s allegation in a statement that came after it claimed that Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait “fell short or broke apart en route” and a second wave of Iranian drones failed to hit their intended targets. “An additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack US forces in Kuwait failed to impact intended targets tonight. US Central Command air defenses successfully downed multiple drones and ensured no American personnel or assets were harmed,” CENTCOM said.Despite the casualties at the Kuwait airport, Trump said the Iranian attacks were “not a big deal” and that the US “nipped it in the bud very quickly.” When asked if the ceasefire was still in place, he said, “In that part of the world, ‘ceasefire’ is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”Iran’s attacks were its most significant response yet to US violations of the ceasefire, representing a new Iranian strategy to avoid more “tit-for-tat” strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed on Wednesday that Tehran would continue to have a strong response to any US attacks.“Our Armed Forces are conducting self-defense strikes on sites the US is permitted to use to attack civilian shipping and violate the ceasefire,” Araghchi wrote on X in a post that included a video of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praising the UAE and Kuwait for being cooperative with US military operations.. “Any hostile act will be met with an immediate, decisive response. What sanctions and war failed to achieve won’t be won with more war.”

Five Americans Injured by Recent Iranian Attack on Kuwait Air Base - - Five Americans suffered minor injuries due to a May 28 Iranian missile attack on an airbase in Kuwait that was launched in response to US airstrikes targeting southern Iran, according to a report from Bloomberg. The report said that the injured included US contractors and military personnel, and that one US MQ-9 Reaper drone was destroyed and at least one other was seriously damaged. A source told Bloomberg that the damage and injuries came after Kuwaiti forces intercepted a Fateh-110 missile, and debris fell on the Ali Al Salem Air Base.Iran fired the missile after the US bombed a target near Bandar Abbas, a port city in southern Iran. The US said it launched the airstrikes after drones targeted a US commercial vessel, and Iranian media said the ship was targeted for attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.The US military hasn’t publicly confirmed the injuries, as the Trump administration has downplayed US casualties in the war against Iran. Before the May 28 attack, the Pentagon’s official casualty toll in the war stood at 423, including 13 Americans who were killed, according to a report from The Intercept. The Pentagon’s death toll doesn’t include Maj. Sorffly Davius, a member of the New York National Guard who died in Kuwait on March 6, reportedly of a sudden illness. In its statement on his death, the US military said Davius died of “undetermined causes.”The May 28 attack also adds to the growing number of US MQ-9 Reaper drones that have been destroyed during the war, which, according to another recent Bloomberg report, stands at more than two dozen, or nearly $1 billion worth of the unmanned aircraft.

Report: Trump Tells Aides He May Restart Full-Scale Bombing Against Iran If US Troops Are Killed -   President Trump has told his aides that he may restart the full-scale bombing campaign against Iran if US troops are killed, The Wall Street Journal has reported, as the US and Iran have traded multiple rounds of attacks despite a nominal ceasefire. The report came after the president downplayed Iranian attacks targeting US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, which were Iran’s most significant response yet to US strikes. The president acknowledged that the US hit Iran “hard” before the Iranian attacks and that Tehran was “a little bit provoked.” A US soldier did die in Iraq on May 31, but according to the US military, it was due to a training accident, and several US troops and American contractors were injured by an Iranian attack on Kuwait last week. At least 13 US troops were killed during the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, according to the Pentagon’s numbersLike President Trump, US Central Command has also been downplaying Iran’s attacks, claiming they’ve all been defeated, though that was contradicted by satellite images that show damage at the US Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait following Iran’s strikes on Wednesday. Iran made clear in its latest attacks that it will be striking harder in response to any further US attacks on Iranian ships or Iranian ports as it seeks to end the “tit-for-tat” strikes that have been taking place throughout the so-called ceasefire, meaning that the risk of US troops being killed will rise going forward.Trump has suggested that the current status quo of a US blockade on Iranian ports and flare-ups involving drone and missile strikes could continue for a long time. When asked this week if the blockade could last until Labor Day, which is more than three months away, he didn’t rule it out. “I don’t know. I mean, I think it could be, but I think it’s unlikely. I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly,” he said.

US House backs resolution curbing Trump Iran war powers (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday backed a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the Iran war until hostilities are authorized by Congress, reflecting growing congressional concern, even among President Donald Trump's Republicans, over the war. The House voted 215 to 208, as four Republicans voted with Democrats in favor of the war powers resolution.

House Passes Iran War Powers Resolution - - The House on Wednesday passed a War Powers Resolution that would direct President Trump to end his war with Iran as the US continues to enforce a blockade on Iranian ports and trade attacks with the Iranian military despite a nominal ceasefire.The bill passed in a vote of 215 to 208, with four Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (KY), Warren Davidson (OH), Tom Barrett (MI), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) — joining Democrats in support of the effort to end the war, which Trump launched without congressional authorization, in violation of the Constitution.The bill now heads to the Senate, where it has a chance to pass since a similar Iran War Powers resolution advanced in the chamber last month.. The resolution is a concurrent resolution, meaning the president cannot veto it.While Trump administration officials have declared the 1973 War Powers Resolution “unconstitutional,” they have also been desperately trying to circumvent the law, which was passed to rein in the Executive Branch’s disregard for the Constitution’s requirement that Congress has the sole power to declare war.The law, which doesn’t supersede the Constitution, includes a 60-day deadline for the president to end any unauthorized military action or obtain authorization from Congress, a deadline that has been falsely reinterpreted to allow the president 60 days to wage war without congressional authorization.The 60-day deadline for the Iran war expired on May 1, and the administration has tried to claim that the ceasefire should have paused the clock, but the blockade means the US military is still engaged in hostilities against the country. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed to Congress that the “war is over” despite continued US attacks on commercial ships, which Iran responded to on Tuesday night by targeting US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Trump Denounces House Lawmakers as 'Unpatriotic' for Passing Resolution To End His War With Iran -  President Trump on Thursday attacked House lawmakers as “unpatriotic” for passing a War Powers Resolution that would direct him to end the war with Iran, which he launched with Israel without congressional authorization, in violation of the US Constitution.The bill passed on Wednesday in a vote of 215 to 208, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support of the effort. The resolution now heads to the Senate, where it has a chance of passing since the upper chamber advanced a similar War Powers Resolution last month. The bill is a concurrent resolution, meaning the president cannot veto it.“Yesterday, in a meaningless vote, the House voted, 4 bad Republicans and all of the Dumocrats, to limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Who would do such an unpatriotic thing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.“They know where the negotiations stand. The Democrats are fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome. They would rather have our Country fail than give me another, of many, victories. The four Republicans, that’s a whole other story – They’re GRANDSTANDERS! They should be ashamed of themselves. MAGA!!!” the president added.Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the only House Republican to support all four attempts to pass an Iran War Powers Resolution, responded to Trump in a post on X, writing, “Sir, we have Trump disappointment syndrome. When you said no new wars, we took it to heart, and a few of us meant it.”

Trump Says He Was 'Perturbed' With Netanyahu Over Israel's Attacks on Lebanon, Which Haven't Stopped - President Trump said in an interview that aired Wednesday that he was “perturbed” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on Monday over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, which haven’t stopped despite Trump suggesting some sort of ceasefire was reached. The president responded to a question about a report from Axios that said he swore at Netanyahu over the escalations, telling the Israeli leader that he’s “fucking crazy” and that “everybody hates Israel” because of its attacks on Lebanon. Trump said the allegations in the report were true, suggesting that the White House, known for its efforts to crack down on leaks, wanted the story to be published.“I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. At some point, I said, ‘Bibi, we gotta stop this’ … but we’ve worked very well together,” the president told New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.  Netanyahu was also asked about the report and downplayed the idea of a rift between himself and the US president. “We have common goals. Sometimes, we have, as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements,” he told CNBC. “We always find a way to work them out, and we do so as great friends. We can disagree in the morning, and by the afternoon, we have common action.”The Times of Israel reported last year that during the lead-up to the June 2025 US-Israeli war against Iran, the US and Israel engaged in a deception campaign to keep Iran off guard that involved leaks to the media portraying a gap between Trump and Netanyahu over attacking Iran while the two leaders were actually on the same page.After speaking with Netanyahu on Monday, Trump declared twice on Truth Social that Israel and Hezbollah agreed to stop targeting each other, but the war in south Lebanon continues to rage, and the head of the Israeli military said on Wednesday that there is “no ceasefire” for the IDF in Lebanon.Other media reports said that there was an understanding that Israel wouldn’t target Beirut or its southern Dahiyeh, which Netanyahu threatened to target on Monday, if Hezbollah didn’t attack northern Israel. But Hezbollah has rejected that it agreed to a “partial ceasefire,” and Lebanese media reported Wednesday that Israel bombed a car just south of Beirut. Israeli media also reported that Hezbollah drones entered airspace in northern Israel.Trump has previously declared a ceasefire in Lebanon that didn’t change the situation on the ground. On April 17, he said in a post on Truth Social that Israel was “prohibited” from further attacks in Lebanon, but the strikes never stopped.

Rep. Massie on Reported Trump-Netanyahu Spat: It's All Talk Until US Withholds Military Aid to Israel - - Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Tuesday responded to an Axios report that alleged President Trump lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s escalations in Lebanon, saying that it was “all talk” and pointing out that the US could withhold military aid if it actually wanted to see an end to Israel’s wars.“It’s all talk. Just withhold foreign aid to Israel for a month and they’ll stop bombing their neighbors – instant peace, the Strait of Hormuz can be opened, and gas drops $2 a gallon,” Massie wrote on X. “Israel has been, and continues to be, the biggest welfare recipient from American tax payers.”According to a source speaking to Axios, Trump told Netanyahu, “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” Axios had published multiple accounts of similar rifts between President Biden and Netanyahu as the Biden administration continued supporting Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. After the call with Netanyahu on Monday, Trump said in two separate posts on Truth Social that there was an agreement between Israel and Hezbollah for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but Israeli attacks continued on Tuesday. Israel did hold off on threatened strikes on Beirut, though an Israeli official had told Ynet earlier on Monday that the threat was coordinated with the US. Massie also took aim at Netanyahu in a post on X on Tuesday, saying that the more the Israeli leader “prevents the war with Iran from ending, the more obvious it becomes that he convinced Trump to start it.” Massie, virtually the only Republican in Congress who consistently opposes military aid to Israel, recently lost his primary to a Trump-backed candidate in a race that became the most expensive House primary in US history, fueled by spending from pro-Israel groups and donors.

Trump describes Iran ceasefire as ‘shooting in a moderate manner’ in bizarre press conference --President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed questions on whether the shaky ceasefire with Iran is holding by suggesting that the definition of a ceasefire is different in the Middle East region.Asked whether the ceasefire is still in place after Iran fired missiles against targets in Kuwait, Trump replied that there was “a reason” for the exchange of fire.“We've been hitting them pretty hard, a little bit, so there is a reason for certain things, and there's usually a reason that sometimes makes sense. Some, but they did something for not a big deal. We got it, we nipped it in the bud very quickly, as we do with the greatest military in the world, but some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating,” he said.“It's a different part of the world, you know. I'd say in that part a ceasefire is when you're shooting in a more moderate manner.”The president added later that “anything can happen” when dealing with Tehran because it is in “a very volatile part of the world” and suggested that the U.S. military is eager to wipe out Iran’s entire civilization even as he remains in favor of finalizing what has been a long-running tentative agreement to end the conflict and halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.“If we can get something down in writing, which will accomplish the same thing without killing everybody, I'd like to do that. Most of my people, I think, would like to do that. Some people wouldn't, but most of them would,” he said.“There's no, never been a military like what we have. We could go another two, three weeks and just wipe everybody out. We're glad, rather than not doing that. Very easy to do. They're ready to do, they want to do it, they want to do it,” he added.The president’s latest comments came not long after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi defended the country’s attack on Kuwait and Bahrain as “self-defense strikes” in a post on X justifying the attack on the grounds that American forces can use bases in both countries “to attack civilian shipping and violate the ceasefire”.

Kuwait releases surveillance video of deadly drone strike on its international airport - Footage from Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation showed the moment of impact from several angles. In the videos, what appears to be a triangle-shaped, delta-wing drone slams directly into the terminal. Iran long has used such drones in combat, particularly its Shahed drones, which are also used by Russia in its war on Ukraine.

US and Iran Trade Attacks as Region Remains on Brink of Full-Scale War - - The US and Iran have again traded attacks as the region remains on the brink of full-scale war despite the nominal ceasefire between the two sides.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that it shot down a US MQ-1 Predator drone that it said “entered Iranian airspace over territorial waters with the aim of carrying out a hostile operation.”US Central Command confirmed that it lost a drone in a statement announcing another round of US airstrikes against targets in Iran. “The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” CENTCOM said. “US fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” the command added.Iran said that a telecommunications tower in southern Iran was bombed by the US and said that it fired at the US air base “from which the attack originated.” The IRGC claimed that the attack “destroyed targets,” while CENTCOM claimed that it intercepted Iranian missiles.“Last night at 11 pm ET, US forces successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait. These missiles were immediately defeated, and no American personnel were harmed,” CENTCOM said in a statement on Monday. Last week, Iran also targeted a US air base in Kuwait in response to US airstrikes, and at least five US troops and contractors suffered minor injuries, according to a report from Bloomberg.  The US has also continued to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports, which involved a US aircraft firing a Hellfire missile at a civilian ship on Friday. A return to full-scale war appeared more likely on Monday as Iranian media reported Iran cut off negotiations with the US in response to Israel’s continued war and escalations in Lebanon, which are a violation of the initial ceasefire announced by Pakistan.

Oil industry issues warning to Trump about major price spike caused by Iran’s Strait of Hormuz closure --Top oil executives have issued a grave warning to the Trump administration that American gas prices could spike dramatically again in the coming weeks.Iran has shuttered the Strait of Hormuz since Donald Trump launched his war against the Islamist regime in late February, choking off as much as one-fifth of the world’s crude supply. The president has spent those months casting the disruption as temporary, even as drivers were continuing to pay a national average of $4.26 per gallon as of Wednesday.Four oil industry figures told Politico Thursday that fuel stockpiles have now been drained to perilously low levels, and that they have alerted top administration officials and Cabinet secretaries to the accelerating crisis.One of those figures, who spoke anonymously about the closed-door discussions, said the message had reached the very top of the administration. “We’re at dangerously low levels already,” the executive said, warning about “what’s coming in mid-to-late June.”“I hope they are paying attention to inventories right now,” they added. “You’re hitting tank bottom.”The White House has flatly rejected that account. “Politico’s anonymous sources are wrong,” one official said. An Energy Department spokesperson added there have been “no such discussions” about inventories.The Daily Beast contacted both for further comment on this story. “President Trump and his energy team anticipated short-term market disruptions, communicated them openly to the American people, and implemented an aggressive plan to mitigate any impacts,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said.“When the President forces this conflict to a successful end, gas prices will drop back to multi-year lows and global energy markets will be much more stable in the long term,” they added. The Energy Department did not immediately respond.

‘Tank bottom’: Oil industry warns Trump admin that drained inventories threaten to spike gas prices - The oil industry is warning the Trump administration that a Hormuz-sized hole in the world’s petroleum market is steadily draining inventories to levels that are likely to send global energy prices surging in the next several weeks, according to four executives.Industry executives have flagged the issue to senior White House officials and Cabinet members in recent weeks as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing dialogue with the U.S. energy industry, the people said. The warnings came as recently as late last month as data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and other sources began showing that fuel makers were increasingly relying on oil and fuel from their storage tanks to replace products no longer arriving from the Middle East.“We’re at dangerously low levels already,” said one industry executive who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations with the administration. “We have shared those concerns at the highest levels of government about what’s coming in mid-to-late June. … I hope they are paying attention to inventories right now. You’re hitting tank bottom.” Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes three months ago, kicking off what has become the biggest disruption in crude oil flows ever. Countries are drawing down supplies in their oil and fuel storage tanks to make up for the shortage of supply coming from the Middle East, but inventories are now running dangerously low and some companies and market analysts are sounding the alarm that a price spike could come later this month.Some of the conversations have been general warnings while others have focused on tight inventories of specific fuel types in particular locations, such as jet fuel on the West Coast, a second person involved in the conversations said.A White House official denied that any senior members of staff have been warned privately by the industry about inventories. “Politico’s anonymous sources are wrong,” the official said.An Energy Department official said that while the agency remains in regular dialogue with energy industry leaders, there have been “no such discussions” about inventories.Executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other oil companies are also raising the alarm publicly, warning last week that fuel prices are poised to jump if inventory levels continue their rapid decline. The U.S. average gasoline price was $4.26 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA, $1.28 a gallon higher than before the war started, off the levels near $4.50 reached a few weeks ago.Neil Chapman, Exxon’s senior vice president, told an investor conference last week that dated Brent — the benchmark for physical crude oil prices — could hit $150 or $160 a barrel soon in that scenario.“You can debate whether that’s going to hit those really low levels in two weeks or three weeks. Once you get to that point, then you’ll see prices shoot up,” Chapman said.“The administration has already been told that,” a second oil company executive told POLITICO of Chapman’s statement. The recent public pronouncements from industry executives are “a message for the consumer,” this person continued. “Don’t think that an open strait is going to mean your July 4 gasoline bill isn’t going to be higher than what it is today. It’s going to be.”

Live Coverage of the Iran–U.S.–Israel Conflict / June 05 - WANA (Jun 05) – The United States on Friday imposed a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions, targeting multiple entities, individuals, and liquefied gas tankers. According to data published on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website, the designated network spans several international jurisdictions. The United States on Friday imposed a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions, targeting multiple entities, individuals, and liquefied gas tankers. According to data published on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website, the designated network spans several international jurisdictions. Among the 12 entities blacklisted in the new sanctions package, […] The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) claimed on Friday that it seized an oil tanker during an overnight operation, alleging the vessel is connected to Iran. In a statement published on the social media platform X, the U.S. command asserted: “U.S. forces conducted an overnight maritime interdiction and boarding operation against the stateless and sanctioned vessel MT Davina, which was located in the Indian Ocean within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility.” The message further claimed: “We will continue to enforce maritime laws globally to disrupt illegal networks and intercept vessels supporting Iran anywhere in the world.” The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) claimed on Friday that it seized an oil tanker during an overnight operation, alleging the vessel is connected to Iran. In a statement published on the social media platform X, the U.S. command asserted: “U.S. forces conducted an overnight maritime interdiction and boarding operation […] The Public Relations Office of the Army announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja) has fired warning missiles and deployed attack drones against U.S. destroyers, forcing them to retreat from the Gulf of Oman toward the Indian Ocean. According to the military statement, the operation was conducted in continuation of efforts to counter “malign activities, disruptions, and the hijacking of commercial vessels and oil tankers by the terrorist U.S. Navy.” – The Public Relations Office of the Army announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja) has fired warning missiles and deployed attack drones against U.S. destroyers, forcing them to retreat from the Gulf of Oman toward the Indian Ocean. According to the military statement, the operation was conducted in […] – An informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team on Friday rejected a report by the Saudi-owned media outlet Al Arabiya claiming that Tehran had agreed to transfer a portion of its enriched uranium stockpiles to a third country, calling the report completely false. The denial follows a report by Al Arabiya network asserting that Iran had officially consented to relocate a part of its uranium inventory to a mutually agreed-upon third nation. An informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team on Friday rejected a report by the Saudi-owned media outlet Al Arabiya claiming that Tehran had agreed to transfer a portion of its enriched uranium stockpiles to a third country, calling the report completely false. The denial follows a report by […] Nearly 70 percent of the American public wants an immediate end to the three-month-old war against Iran and the pursuit of a diplomatic agreement, according to a new joint poll released by The Economist and YouGov. The surge in public discontent comes as internal congressional pressure mounts against President Donald Trump, compounded by skyrocketing domestic gasoline prices that have fueled widespread societal dissatisfaction across the United States. Nearly 70 percent of the American public wants an immediate end to the three-month-old war against Iran and the pursuit of a diplomatic agreement, according to a new joint poll released by The Economist and YouGov. The surge in public discontent comes as internal congressional pressure mounts against President Donald […] Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and Iran’s IRGC commander during the Iran-Iraq War, declared that Iran stands firmly behind Lebanese Hezbollah, warning adversaries that they must either accept Iran’s terms or face a powerful military retaliation. Rezaei accused the United States of betraying diplomatic negotiations for a third time by imposing a blockade just one day before the expiration of a two-week ceasefire—an action he categorized as a de facto declaration of war and a breach of commitments on both the Iranian and Lebanese fronts. He noted that Washington failed to uphold its obligations on the Lebanese front as well, following previous diplomatic breaches during the 12-Day War and the Ramadan War. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and Iran’s IRGC commander during the Iran-Iraq War, declared that Iran stands firmly behind Lebanese Hezbollah, warning adversaries that they must either accept Iran’s terms or face a powerful military retaliation. Rezaei accused the United States of betraying diplomatic […] Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has sharply criticized Germany following its failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, describing the vote outcome as a global rejection of Berlin’s foreign policy. In a statement published on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Baghaei reacted to Germany’s inability to garner the minimum required votes in the UN General Assembly. ranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has sharply criticized Germany following its failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, describing the vote outcome as a global rejection of Berlin’s foreign policy. In a statement published on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Baghaei reacted to […] U.S. President Donald Trump stated early Friday morning that he halted a covert military plan to seize nuclear materials from inside Iran out of fear that it could turn into a disaster similar to the one experienced by former President Jimmy Carter. Recalling the failed 1980 U.S. military mission in Iran—known as Operation Eagle Claw—which led to the crash of several American aircraft during an attempt to rescue hostages, Trump noted that the historic failure contributed significantly to Carter’s loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. When asked by a reporter whether his administration had pursued a covert plan to deploy Army Rangers inside Iranian territory, Trump responded, “I didn’t want to be Jimmy Carter.”

Putin says he saw ‘no provocation’ from Iran before US-Israeli war - Russian President Vladimir Putin has blasted the United States over the war of aggression against Iran, saying he saw no provocation from the Islamic Republic before the war began. Taking part in the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin was asked to give his assessment of the ongoing attacks on Iran. “I saw no provocation from Iran,” Putin stated. “There’s no justification for this attack; Russia will not stand idle while innocent lives are threatened.” Putin defended Iran’s stability amid growing regional tensions, saying Western predictions of internal collapse have failed and Tehran managed to deal with the current crisis from inside. Putin argued that Iranian society has become more united and consolidated despite the mounting pressure on Tehran. He also revealed that Iran never requested military assistance from Moscow and said that Russia has not supplied Tehran with weapons during the current crisis. The Russian leader said Moscow played an active role in de-escalating tensions in 2015 and is willing to help again. Putin also noted that Moscow is “in contact with both Washington and Tehran and Tel Aviv,” including on the situation with the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. “Everyone assures us that there were accidental shell impacts near the station. Everyone assures us that this is a coincidence, and that it will not happen again.” In the meantime, global attention remains focused on Iran as the Armed Forces counter the interference of foreign military forces, responding to attacks with immediate retaliation. On February 28, the US and Israeli forces started the unwarranted aggression against Iran. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones against US and Israeli military targets in the region. On April 8, a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between Iran and the US took effect. Since then, the Iranian Armed Forces have maintained full control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

US hits Iranian radar sites after drones target shipping near Hormuz - US forces struck Iranian coastal radar sites on Saturday (June 6) after shooting down drones launched by Iran toward ??the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said, in the latest escalation complicating efforts to end the war between the two countries. The US military believes the four Iranian drones were targeting regional maritime traffic, a US official told Reuters. US Central Command said on X that the US then struck Iran's surveillance sites in Goruk and Qeshm Island, which are both on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it ‌had targeted US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for US strikes and fired on four ​tankers attempting to cross the strait without its permission. Kuwait's state media said air ​defences were intercepting missile and drone attacks, while in Bahrain sirens sounded and residents were urged to seek shelter. Kuwait and Bahrain condemned the strikes. Kuwait's foreign ministry described the Iranian attacks, including ​the latest strike early on Saturday, as a "blatant act of aggression" that ignored international calls to halt such actions and posed a direct threat to citizens, residents, and regional security, a ministry statement said. Iran later said it had hit US bases in both countries with ballistic missiles but the US military said six missiles were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its target. The US and Iran have been engaged in largely indirect negotiations to secure an interim deal to halt the three-month-old war that would leave issues including Iran's nuclear programme to further negotiations. But amid periodic skirmishes a deal has remained elusive. Tehran ​wants access to billions of dollars in oil revenue, waivers on sanctions on crude exports, the lifting of a US blockade on its ports and leverage over the strait. Iran has effectively blocked the waterway, where about ‌a fifth of the world's oil transited before the war. Iranian state media reported that Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister of Pakistan, which has been mediating an end to the conflict, ​was on his way to Tehran on Saturday. There was no immediate confirmation of the report from Islamabad. US President Donald Trump is facing mounting domestic political pressure due to rising gas prices to bring the unpopular war to an end. He told NBC that while most of Iran's drone and missile manufacturing facilities had been destroyed, the Iranians still have access to about a fifth of their missiles. "They have some missiles, they have some drones. ‌I would say percentage wise, maybe 21%-22% of their missiles. It's a lot ​of missiles, but it's not what it was when we first attacked," Trump told NBC News' "Meet ‌the Press" program, according to excerpts released by the network on Friday. When asked why Iran's leaders were not more inclined to strike a deal, if they are as desperate as he ‌has ??portrayed them, Trump said: "Because they are strong. They're proud. There are things they never thought they'd be doing that they're going to have to do, they've got no choice, and it takes ​a little while." After the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28, Tehran attacked Gulf states hosting US bases and largely stopped shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has driven up oil prices and disrupted supply chains for other products. The UN World Food Programme said on Friday ​that it was pushing millions of people closer to hunger due to rising fuel and transport costs. Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, told CNN on Friday that a peace deal hinged on the Trump administration unfreezing $24 billion in Iranian assets, and warned that the US would "enter into a dark corridor" if it resumed attacks. In a parallel conflict in Lebanon, Iran-aligned armed group Hezbollah said on Friday it had carried out two attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon, while Lebanese security services said ‌Israeli airstrikes hit towns across southern Lebanon. Iran has reaffirmed support for Hezbollah while demanding that Israel withdraw from Lebanon. Tehran has made a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah a condition for any peace deal with Washington. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem this week rejected a US-brokered pact between Israel and the Lebanese government to halt the fighting in Lebanon. The deal did not provide for an Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah had not been party to the negotiations. Israel has has said its forces would not withdraw or halt operations in the country amid increasing friction with the US. Bahrain's government said Saturday that Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones towards it and Kuwait. The foreign ministry said they had been intercepted and called on Iran to immediately cease attacks on its Gulf neighbours. The statement came hours after the US military said it shot down Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies on Friday, while striking some of the Islamic Republic's coastal surveillance radar sites in response, an exchange of fire that further frayed a shaky ceasefire with Tehran. The exchange of strikes comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran to make a deal to end the conflict. US Central Command said on social media Friday night that Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, with US forces intercepting six of the missiles and a seventh failing to reach its target. The military said there were no reports of harm to US personnel. The ballistic missiles were fired after the US earlier in the day shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz.

US Congressman Introduces Bill To Change US-Israel Relationship Based on Netanyahu's Plan - On Wednesday, Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) introduced a bill in the House calling for a change in the US-Israel relationship that’s based on a plan put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Amid growing skepticism among Americans about the US-Israel relationship, Netanyahu has suggested that the US could eventually end its military aid to Israel and transition the relationship to a more partnership-based model that would further intertwine the US and Israeli militaries, making the special relationship even harder to unravel.Stutzman’s bill praises Netanyahu for coming up with the idea and calls for the US and Israel to form a new Memorandum of Understanding to “replace traditional military assistance with a framework of joint defense codevelopment, coproduction, and mutual investment that will strengthen both nations’ defense industries and military readiness.” Under the current US-Israeli MOU, Israel receives at least $3.8 billion in military aid from the US each year, though it has received much more since October 7, 2023. The purpose of Netanyahu’s plan is to remove public-facing military aid to reduce criticism of the US-Israel relationship and to make whatever aid and support Israel receives from the US under the new arrangement much less transparent.Stutzman introduced the bill one week after meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem and also shared a letter the Israeli leader wrote to him endorsing the legislation. “I was glad to receive your proposed Congressional resolution endorsing my plan to shift the framework for US-Israel defense cooperation from aid to partnership,” Netanyahu wrote.While Stutzman’s bill is largely symbolic, Congress is advancing other legislation to further integrate the US and Israeli militaries. Buried inside the House’s version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is Section 224, entitled the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” which, according to Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute, would “arguably do more to intertwine the US military with the Israeli military than the more than $200 billion (inflation adjusted) in military assistance Israel has received from the US since its founding in 1948.”Summarizing what Section 224 aims to achieve, A New Policy, a lobby group founded by Josh Paul, who resigned from the State Department during the Biden administration over US support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, said that as “political pressure builds to reduce US military assistance to Israel, Section 224 provides the framework for continuing – and expanding – US-Israel military ties by entrenching Israeli technology within the US defense supply chain in a way that would shield it from the annual appropriations process.”Paul told The Washington Post that Netanyahu is “reading the room, seeing the very clear direction that American politics are going and asking how can Israel maintain the military-to-military relationship and the security cooperation relationship, but do so in a way that is sheltered from American politics — whether that’s Congress, or American public sentiment writ large.”Section 224 has caught the eye of some US lawmakers, who will attempt to strip it from the NDAA. “If the provision in the NDAA to integrate/synchronize the US and Israeli militaries (section 224) makes it out of committee, I’ll offer an amendment to strip it from the bill on the floor,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wrote on X. “We are a sovereign country.”

House Blocks Bill Meant To End US Support for Israel’s War in Lebanon -The House on Thursday blocked a War Powers Resolution meant to end US support for Israel’s war in Lebanon, as Israel’s occupation and destruction campaign in southern Lebanon continues despite several ceasefire announcements.The bill, introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), failed in a vote of 92-324, with just one Republican — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — joining 91 Democrats in supporting the effort. Democratic leadership opposed Tlaib’s bill, saying that they took issue with the language, as the resolution called for the removal of US forces “from Lebanon,” and they say US troops are not engaged in hostilities in the country. They expressed support for a second Lebanon War Powers Resolution introduced by Tlaib on Wednesday.The new resolution would direct President Trump to “remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Lebanon” and states that “nothing in this concurrent resolution may be construed to prevent or limit security cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces or the protection of diplomatic facilities.” A vote on the new resolution is expected in the coming weeks, but before Thursday’s vote, Tlaib urged passage of her initial resolution, saying the people of Lebanon cannot wait.“The people of Lebanon can’t wait another month for Congress to act. Every day that we do nothing, 11 more Lebanese children are killed or injured by the Israeli military in this US-supported invasion. Congress must pass today’s Lebanon War Powers Resolution,” Tlaib wrote on X. The vote came as Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that since Israel escalated its war in the country on March 2, IDF attacks have killed 3,526 people, a total that includes many women, children, paramedics, and other civilians.Tlaib also pointed to US military aid to Israel that is supporting the war, including the supply of white phosphorus munitions. “Our government is supplying Israel with white phosphorus bombs that melt human flesh to the bone. These bombs are targeting civilians, schools, hospitals, and places of worship. The US must end its complicity in these war crimes,” she said.

Zelensky: US Doesn't Make Enough Anti-Ballistic Missiles - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that the US isn’t producing enough anti-ballistic missiles and that he has requested a license for Ukraine to start producing Patriot missiles.“There is not enough anti-ballistic missile production in the United States, and this could lead to a crisis in different parts of the world,” Zelensky wrote on X.“60–65 anti-ballistic missiles per month, compared to current challenges, is nothing. It is no secret, and Russia knows this. We need to expand the production. I asked the previous US administration, and I am asking today’s administration to give Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles,” he added. The Ukrainian leader said that he sent a letter to Congress and President Trump about the matter. It’s unclear whether he’s referring to a letter he sent to Trump several days ago, in which he pleaded for more US military aid. In the letter, Zelensky said he appreciated the continued US military aid funded by the US’s NATO allies under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), but that it wasn’t enough. He said the “current pace of deliveries through the PURL program is no longer keeping up with the reality of the threat we face.”The US used an enormous number of Patriot missiles and other interceptors during the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, and there were reports at the time that the Pentagon was considering diverting weapons shipments meant for Ukraine to the Middle East, but it’s unclear if that happened.Zelensky’s renewed plea for more air defenses comes amid a looming threat of a major escalation of Russian strikes on Kyiv, which Russian officials say will happen in response to Ukrainian drone attacks killing civilians, including a Ukrainian drone attack that hit a college in Luhansk and killed 21 civilians. While Russia and Ukraine have traded heavy attacks in recent days, there’s no sign yet that Russia has gone ahead with the escalation in strikes on the Russian capital.

Report: US in Talks on Deploying Nuclear Weapons To More European NATO States - News From Antiwar.com -The US is discussing whether to deploy nuclear weapons to additional European NATO member states to assure allies of its commitment to keeping them under its nuclear umbrella, The Financial Times has reported. Currently, the US has B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs deployed in at least five NATO countries under NATO’s nuclear-sharing program: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.The UK, which has its own nuclear arsenal, is also believed to now be hosting US nuclear weapons again after it announced last year that it was acquiring US-made F-35A fighter jets to join NATO’s dual-capable aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission. The US was also suspected of delivering a shipment of B61 nuclear bombs to the country around the same time, though the nuclear deployment hasn’t been confirmed by Washington or London.The FT report said that the US is considering expanding the number of NATO countries that can join the DCA program and host US nuclear bombs, and countries that are interested include Poland and the Baltic states, which would put US nuclear weapons closer to Russia. Finland, which has a massive border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023, has also taken steps that would allow it to potentially host US nuclear weapons. Details of NATO nuclear sharing have always been murky, but the general arrangement is believed to be that the US maintains and controls the weapons while host countries maintain aircraft that can deliver the weapons.Describing the program, the FT report said: “US nuclear weapons deployed to European states are stored and guarded by US troops. Allied nations’ assigned air groups, using F-35, F-15 and Tornado jets, are trained to participate in exercises and missions to demonstrate force posture, and ultimately deploy the bombs when authorized by the US.” The news of the US potentially deploying more nukes in Europe comes after the US reportedly told its NATO allies that it would scale back the number of aircraft and warships that would be available to the alliance members during a time of crisis.

House Passes Bill To Give Ukraine Billions in Additional Military Aid as War Escalates  ---The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to provide Ukraine with billions in additional military aid and increase sanctions on Russia, a move that comes as the more than four-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine is escalating.The Ukraine Support Act passed in a vote of 226-195, with 18 Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the effort. Just one Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN), voted against the bill. The legislation was introduced last year by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and, according to media reports, would provide Ukraine with over $1 billion in military and reconstruction aid. The legislation states that it will make up to $8 billion in direct loans available for Ukraine and the US’s NATO allies. The bill also includes $250 million for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a US state-funded media outlet, and authorizes it to open “new bureaus to help expand its ability to reach audiences on the periphery of the Russian Federation.”The bill was able to be brought to the floor after enough Republicans signed a discharge petition, and the passage of the legislation is seen as a rebuke of President Trump, who has continued fueling the proxy war in Ukraine, but mostly through a new NATO initiative, under which US allies pay for US weapons being shipped to Ukraine.The passage of the bill comes after Russia launched a major drone and missile attack across Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least 22 people. Russia said the strikes were a response to the increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine’s drone attacks, which included a recent attack on a college in Luhansk that killed 21 students. Ukraine hit back on Wednesday with a massive drone swarm that killed at least two emergency workers in Russia and included attacks on St. Petersburg as the city was starting its annual economic forum.

US Executes Two Men in Strike Targeting Boat in Eastern Pacific Ocean - US Southern Command said on Wednesday that its forces bombed another alleged drug-running boat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as the Trump administration continues the extra-judicial executions at sea.SOUTHCOM said the strike killed two male “narco-terrorists,” a term the Trump administration has adopted in its attempts to justify killing people for an alleged crime that doesn’t receive the death penalty in the US. Video of the strike released by SOUTHCOM.  The Pentagon has also never offered any evidence to back up its claims that the boats it’s bombing are carrying drugs, and accounts from survivors and family members of victims of other strikes that were reported by Drop Site News suggest the US has targeted fishing boats that were not.Besides being clearly illegal under both US and international law, the bombing campaign has also failed at stemming the flow of drugs to the US, according to a recent report from The New York Times. Numbers from US Customs and Border Protection show that more cocaine has been seized at the border and other points of entry in the eight months after the bombing campaign began than was seized in the eight months prior.According to a count from The Intercept, since the campaign began in September 2025, the US boat strikes have killed at least 207 people, all civilians, since they were operating civilian boats, were not engaged in combat, and posed no threat to US forces at the time of their killing.

Trump's Boat Strikes Kill More Than 200 People, Fail To Curb the Flow of Cocaine to the US - The death toll in the US military’s bombing campaign targeting alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean has climbed to over 200, a grim milestone that comes as experts say there’s no evidence that the strikes have done anything to stem the flow of drugs into the US. While President Trump initially claimed the first strikes on boats in the Caribbean that left Venezuela targeted fentanyl shipments, fentanyl is not produced in Venezuela, and there’s no evidence that it even transits through the country on its way to the US. The Pentagon later admitted to Congress that the strikes were targeting alleged cocaine shipments, though throughout the bombing campaign, it has not provided evidence that a single boat it targeted was carrying drugs.The New York Times published a report on Friday that cited epidemiologists, addiction scientists, and public health experts who said cocaine is as easy to get in much of the US as it was before the bombing campaign, and that the price and purity are still about the same. Numbers also show that more cocaine has been seized by Customs and Border Protection at the border and other points of entry since the strikes started.“CBP seized 47,808 pounds of cocaine in the eight months since the strikes began, more than the 43,227 pounds the agency seized in the eight-month period before the campaign, according to official data,” the Times report said.Besides its ineffectiveness, the bombing campaign is clearly illegal under both US and international law. The Trump administration calls the victims of the strikes “narco-terrorists” to justify what are extra-judicial executions for an alleged crime that doesn’t receive the death penalty in the US.According to a count from The Intercept, since the campaign began in September 2025, the US boat strikes have killed at least 205 people, all civilians, since they were operating civilian boats, were not engaged in combat, and posed no threat to US forces at the time of their killing. Several accounts from survivors and family members of victims of other strikes that were reported by Drop Site News suggest the US has targeted fishing boats that weren’t running drugs.The latest boat strike occurred on Saturday, when US Southern Command said its forces targeted a vessel in the Eastern Pacific and killed three “male narco-terrorists.”

US imposes sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel | AP News — The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife and three other individuals, in the latest move by the Trump administration to pressure the island’s leadership that drew immediate condemnation from Havana.Included in the sanctions are Alejandro Castro Espín, the sole son of former Cuban President Raúl Castro and Vilma Espín. He served as an adviser to Cuba’s Defense and National Security Commission and was present when Raúl Castro greeted then-U.S. President Barack Obama in Havana during a historic March 2016 meeting. Castro Espín’s son, Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis, also was listed.The new penalties come as U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba since ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January and then ordering an energy blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba. That has led to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island. The threats took on additional weight after the U.S. announced criminal charges against Raúl Castro last month. Thursday’s penalties, which follow Trump signing an executive order expanding sanctions against the island, freeze individuals’ property and bank accounts in the U.S. But it’s unclear how intertwined their finances are with the U.S. financial system. It’s “pretty unlikely” Cuba’s president and others have assets in the U.S., said Richard Feinberg, former U.S. national security adviser on Latin America and professor emeritus of international political economy at the University of California, San Diego.He said the sanctions “could be seen as preliminary to an intervention or increasing pressure on the regime to cut a deal,” adding that the rhetoric of Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio “could take you in either direction.”Díaz-Canel accused Trump of making “new threatening statements against Cuba” and said “these measures are aimed at reinforcing the blockade and escalating the conflict between Cuba and the United States.”“This political blindness adds to the coercive measures applied in recent weeks against our country, designed to harm the Cuban people,” he wrote on X. “The aggression and perversion of the U.S. government will clash with our resolve to confront the worst-case scenarios and resist the imperial onslaught.”Trump says about Cuba, ‘We’re going to handle that’Asked Thursday if his sanctions were meant to accelerate Cuba’s collapse, Trump said, “We just want them to be a nicely run country.”“The country is starving and it’s got no energy, it’s got no oil, it’s got no money, it’s got nothing. It’s got a beautiful piece of land. You could have beautiful resorts,” Trump told reporters at an unrelated event in the Oval Office.Asked whether Cuba is close to collapsing, he said, “It’s sort of collapsed” and added that “we’re going to handle that as soon as we’ve finished” military operations in Iran.“I like to do one thing at a time,” Trump said.

Foreign companies take flight from US-sanctioned Cuba --With a US deadline to sever ties with Cuba's military conglomerate GAESA fast approaching, foreign companies had by Tuesday vastly reduced their presence on the island. Issued on: 02/06/2026 - 23:55 3 minReading time Share Foreign company departures are wreaking havoc on Cuba's already devastated economy Foreign company departures are wreaking havoc on Cuba's already devastated economy  The departures are wreaking havoc on Cuba's already devastated economy, as the island creaks under the weight of an energy blockade imposed in January by the United States, which has piled on further sanctions since then. As President Donald Trump openly muses about seizing control of the island, his administration has notably targeted GAESA, a major player in the Cuban economy. An executive order issued on May 1 froze the conglomerate's US assets and penalized foreign companies that work with it. These companies have until Friday to adjust their activities, according to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). A flurry of departures and suspended activities in recent weeks suggests that the warning has worked. "The short-term impact on the Cuban economy of all these international companies leaving is devastating," Cuban economist and consultant Daniel Torralbas told AFP. 2026 has been "the worst year in Cuba's economic history in the past 70 years," he added. Retreat The US government has targeted GAESA, a conglomerate controlled by Cuba's military The US government has targeted GAESA, a conglomerate controlled by Cuba's military © ADALBERTO ROQUE / AFP Sanctioned companies could have their assets frozen or encounter difficulties in accessing the international financial system. The Canadian hotel group Blue Diamond Resorts, a major player in Cuba's tourism sector, said Monday it had shut down operations on the island, citing difficult tourism conditions without explicitly referring to US sanctions. Spanish hotel group Iberostar was withdrawing from a dozen Cuban facilities it managed in partnership with GAESA-linked companies, several sources told AFP on Tuesday. The group had decided to "pull out of the hotels it managed with the tourism group Gaviota," which is part of GAESA, according to one source. "As of June 1, Iberostar is pulling out of all its hotels (run with) Gaviota," another tourism industry source confirmed. The Mallorca-based group, which declined to provide details when contacted by AFP, will continue to co-manage hotels owned by Cuba's tourism ministry, the sources added. Two more hotel groups, Spain's Melia and Indonesia's Archipelago International, are also considering reducing activities or withdrawing completely from Cuba, sources said. Two European shipping companies, France's CMA CGM and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd, meanwhile announced the temporary suspension of freight bookings to Cuba, citing Trump's executive order. On May 7, Canadian mining company Sherritt announced its departure from Cuba, where it has mined nickel and cobalt in a joint venture with state-owned General Nickel Company S.A. since the 1990s. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American and Havana's fiercest critic, has accused GAESA of enriching the elites at the expense of ordinary citizens. "A 'state within the state' that is accountable to no one and hoards the profits from its businesses for the benefit of a small elite," he said. Havana hit back at the allegations on Tuesday, insisting the conglomerate was created as a necessary counterbalance to the US trade embargo dating to 1962. It called the measures "the most intense, disproportionate, and dangerous escalation in the recent history of relations between Cuba and the United States." It said GAESA's "countless" services included sustaining the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic and building more than 10,000 homes. Its work "speaks for itself, and it does so above the state slander concocted in Washington," the statement added.

Rubio grilled on ‘dumpster fire’ of foreign policy as US threatens Cuba militarily - In his first public hearing since helping to start an illegal war against Iran, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Congress, where lawmakers were blunt about President Donald Trump's foreign policy. Rubio, whose political rise was funded by the Cuban sugar magnates kicked out by the 1959 popular revolution, sidestepped questions about an attack on Cuba, which may happen just to distract from Washington's ongoing military humiliations by Iran.A recent visitor to Cuba says the island's unity and determination in the face of US aggression remains, as always, underreported. But one thing that's for certain is that the Cuban people are incredibly, incredibly resilient, and they are in the streets, they're fighting back against blockade, and they are getting creative and incredibly innovative with how it is that they resist the US empire's attacks, because for one thing, that is certain, is that they will not give up their socialism, right?They will not give up their revolution, no matter how much the Yankees want.The sanctions, set to come into effect via White House executive order on June 5, are an almost total disconnection of Cuba from international trade and financing circuits. We see that the attacks on Cuba are very similar to the attacks on Iran. Iran, Cuba, one struggle, one fight, right, which is the struggle against US empire.And so, what we have to be conscious of is to recognize that, yes, Iran is getting bombed, Iran is facing all of these physical attacks, but also warfare comes in different modes, right?  So, one of those modes is sanctions, one of those modes is this blockade against Cuba.The Trump agenda has been attacking several nations, such as Iran, such as Venezuela, now threatening, you know, attacks on Cuba, attacks on China, and you know, we say when he comes for one of us, he comes for all of us.So we are going to be in the streets, we will stand up for Cuba, and we will stand up for all the nations that the US is attacking or threatening to attack, because the people united will never be defeated.  The latest brutal sanctions have already caused the European and Canadian hotel companies to withdraw from Cuba's vital tourism industry.It should not be forgotten that Washington's 64 year Cuban blockade has always been enforced internationally with America's allies and clients, and not just unilaterally.

Trumps escalation against Cuba aims to distract from humiliating defeat in Iran: Analyst --As the Trump administration ramps up its hostile posture toward Cuba, a Brazilian analyst says the move is far from an isolated incident and represents a calculated attempt to distract from a humiliating strategic defeat in Iran, reassert outdated imperial doctrines, and reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Western Hemisphere. In an interview with the Press TV website, Marta Fernández, the director of the BRICS Policy Center in Brazil, dissected the layers of Washington’s renewed aggression against Havana, framing it within a longer historical trajectory of US imperial policy. According to Fernández, the current pressure campaign against Cuba should not be seen in a vacuum but as a bid to complete an “unfinished political project.” At its core, the Trump administration is seeking to preserve US regional primacy and punish any geopolitical arrangement that limits Washington’s influence in the Americas. She said it is explicitly reinforced by the 2025 US National Security Strategy, which not only vows to reassert the Monroe Doctrine but introduces a “Trump Corollary” aimed at restoring American preeminence in the hemisphere while curbing the reach of extra-hemispheric actors, a clear nod to containing China’s growing economic footprint in Latin America. “Cuba carries significance beyond its material capabilities,” Fernández told the Press TV website. “The island holds a symbolic place in the Latin American political imagination, representing ideas of sovereignty, dignity, and resistance under asymmetry.” Therefore, she added, the pressure serves a disciplinary function: signaling to other regional actors the costs of pursuing foreign policy autonomy. The role of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, shaped by the anti-Castro Cuban exile network in Florida, further fuels this hardline stance. Fernández emphasized that the strategy aims to sever ties of solidarity between Latin America and global powers outside US control, a goal made more urgent after the January 2026 US invasion of Venezuela and abduction of Nicolas Maduro, which disrupted Havana’s crucial oil lifeline. When asked whether Trump is attempting to divert global public opinion from his failures in Iran by preparing for a military campaign against Cuba, Fernández answered affirmatively. She stated that the administration underestimated Iran’s historical resilience, regional position, and strategic capabilities, wrongly assuming that the coercive tactics that worked in Venezuela could be easily transplanted to Tehran. “The Iranian case demonstrated that geopolitical strategies cannot simply be transferred across contexts without encountering significant constraints,” she said. Against this backdrop, any escalation around Cuba serves as a political and symbolic compensation for Washington’s inability to achieve decisive outcomes in Iran. Beyond foreign policy, the domestic dimension is crucial. With the US midterm elections looming in November 2026, projecting strength abroad helps rebuild an image of effectiveness. “A tougher posture toward Cuba,” Fernández asserted, “can be interpreted simultaneously as geopolitical signaling, domestic political strategy, and an attempt to reshape the political narrative after the frustrations associated with Iran.” The analyst predicted that any attempt to intensify pressure on Cuba will see stronger resistance. “Cuban history suggests that external pressure alone has not been sufficient to dismantle the system,” she said, but added that maintaining resistance under current conditions carries increasingly high human and social costs for the Cuban population, given the vast power asymmetry, symbolized by the US military presence at Guantánamo.

US Coast Guard Patrols With Philippine Forces Near Disputed Shoal in South China Sea - A US Coast Guard cutter joined Philippine warships in a patrol near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea last week as Washington continued backing Manila in its maritime dispute with Beijing.According to a report from USNI News, the exercise, conducted from May 26 to May 30, marked the first time the US Coast Guard joined one of the joint US-Philippine patrols, which began in 2023, though the US Coast Guard did take part in a “group sail” in the South China Sea that was part of the recent Balikatan Exercises.For last week’s patrol, the US Coast Guard cutter USS Midgett joined the Philippine Navy frigate BRP Antonio Luna and the Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel BRP Melchora Aquino, and the exercises included practicing maritime interdiction and boarding other vessels.The USNI report cited tracking data that showed the joint US-Philippine patrol came within 35-40 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal, which is controlled by China. On Sunday, the Chinese military and coast guard also carried out patrols in the area.  Chinese and Philippine vessels often have tense encounters near Scarborough Shoal and other disputed features in the South China Sea, sometimes resulting in collisions or ramming. The US often releases statements backing the Philippines after such incidents and pledges that the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty applies to attacks on Philippine boats in the South China Sea, meaning the area is a potential flashpoint for a conflict between Washington and Beijing.

House panel rejects data center, offshore drilling amendments to NDAA -  The House Armed Services Committee advanced its version of the fiscal 2027 defense policy bill Thursday night after adopting dozens of bipartisan amendments on critical minerals procurement, weather resilience and chemical cleanups.The daylong markup also saw lawmakers dismiss Democratic amendments on data centers and offshore energy production before approving the draft of the National Defense Authorization Act, 44-12.The bipartisan vote moves the NDAA, H.R. 8800, one step closer to the House floor, where it will be subject to additional amendment votes. The Senate is set to unveil and mark up its own version of the NDAA sometime next week. Lawmakers hope to hammer out a final product before the end of the year.The House measure is a bipartisan compromise sponsored by Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.). It comes loaded with provisions requiring the Department of Defense to take action on a host of energy and environmental priorities, from rising electricity prices and nuclear power to environmental remediation and critical minerals production — all in the name of military readiness and national security.

Pete Hegseth removes all women and some Black service members from navy promotion list - The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, stripped nine navy officers including women and Black service members from a promotion list last month, according to a person familiar with the matter, resulting in an all-male, overwhelmingly white slate of 22 advancing as nominees to become one-star admirals. Hegseth's unusual intervention violated promotion rules designed to be merit-based and apolitical, the New York Times said on Tuesday, and extended the Trump administration's push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the military. The original promotion list included three women and two Black officers in addition to the two who remained, the newspaper said.   A navy source said that officials in the service had been "very confident" with those on the promotion list, including the officers whom Hegseth removed. He said Hegseth did not explain to the navy why he removed the officers from the list. One government source familiar with matter said Hegseth had "his favorite MOS's [military occupational specialities], and then gender and race. He went through the list and scrubbed a few names. It was felt loud and clear." The Pentagon disputed that Hegseth blocked promotions based on race or gender. "As we've said before, military promotions are given to those who have earned them. The department will never consider the color of a service member's skin or their gender as a factor in promotions," said Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson. "Under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, meritocracy reigns supreme at the war department." The move has direct parallels with Hegseth's reported interposition in a similar army promotion list in March, in which he is said to have directed the army secretary, Dan Driscoll, to remove two women and two Black officers from a nomination slate to become one-star generals. Hegseth has previously railed against diversity and so-called "woke" in the armed services. "For too long, we've promoted too many uniform leaders for the wrong reasons – based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts," he told a keynote meeting of military commanders in Virginia in September. "The sooner we have the right people, the sooner we can advance the right policies." Hegseth's involvement in the promotions list is unusual, according to a former military official. "It's supposed to be an up-and-down vote from the defense secretary. He continuing to meddle on an individual basis," he said. "He's stripping autonomy from the service secretaries." One name still on the latest navy list published on 22 May is Capt Sean Barbabella, Donald Trump's White House physician, who last week declared the almost 80-year-old president to be in "excellent health", despite photographs showing him at times with swollen ankles, bruised hands and a blotchy neck.

Hegseth says ‘see you at SCOTUS’ after appeals court rules Trump admin illegally banned active transgender troops -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday indicated that he is willing to take a federal appeals court decision restricting his transgender military ban to the Supreme Court. Earlier in the day, a divided federal appeals court panel ruled that the Trump administration, under a policy implemented by Hegseth last year, is unconstitutionally expelling troops actively serving because they are transgender. The panel, though, allowed the Pentagon to enforce its ban against transgender individuals seeking to enlist. “See you at SCOTUS,” Hegseth wrote on the social platform X, responding to Fox News reporter Bill Melugin’s post on the ruling. In Monday’s 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia voted that Hegseth’s order to expel transgender service members from the armed forces was motivated by animus against them, and therefore constituted a violation of their constitutional rights. U.S. Circuit judges Judith Rogers and Robert Wilkins, who were appointed by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively, were in the majority. U.S. Circuit Judge Justin Walker, whom President Trump nominated to the federal appeals court in 2020, voted to let the administration fully enforce its ban. Shortly after he returned to office, Trump signed an executive order stating that transgender individuals “cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.” The order cited the “hormonal and surgical interventions” that transgender individuals undertake, along with “a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life,” for arguing that transgender identity is incompatible with military service. “For the sake of our Nation and the patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve it, military service must be reserved for those mentally and physically fit for duty,” the order added. “The Armed Forces must adhere to high mental and physical health standards to ensure our military can deploy, fight, and win, including in austere conditions and without the benefit of routine medical treatment or special provisions.” In the wake of Monday’s ruling, the administration can appeal to the full D.C. Circuit or directly to the Supreme Court. When a separate challenge to the policy reached the high court last year, the justices allowed the ban to resume in an emergency ruling — without explanation. Add as preferred source on Google

Pentagon bars reporters from press office - The Pentagon has barred reporters from entering the building’s press office and designated the facility as a classified space, curtailing access to an area within the department that journalists have had for years. The Defense Department’s (DOD) public affairs office, where reporters were able to approach military public affairs officials without escorts and ask questions, was marked as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). Joel Valdez, the acting Pentagon press secretary, said the change was made to ensure secrecy for speechwriters from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office utilizing the space. “These speechwriters routinely handle classified material and require SIPRNet access. As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. Access to the office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and to the Press Secretary remains available by appointment only,” Valdez said in a statement to The Hill on Monday. The Secret Internet Protocol Router Network is a system of computer networks used by the Pentagon and the State Department to share classified information. Journalists are now mostly barred from the department, as Hegseth has revoked access to most facilities. Courts have largely sided with reporters in legal challenges to the moves, but the Pentagon has only ramped up restrictions. The change in designation could mean that even if reporters are able to regain access to the department, their access to DOD’s media affairs officials could be scaled back. The news of the ban was first reported by The Washington Post.

‘Partisan thug’: Democrats erupt over Trump intel pick Bill Pulte  Democratic lawmakers are airing their frustration Tuesday, after President Trump appointed Bill Pulte to serve as acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).Trump named Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency )FHFA), to replace Tulsi Gabbard after she resigned from the office last month. “Bill Pulte is a partisan thug with no experience in intelligence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on the social platform X. “He is another unqualified Trump appointee that will make our country less safe. And you won’t hear a word from the Republicans who claim to care about national security.” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said Pulte is not qualified “even by Trump Administration standards.” “He has no relevant experience and his sole qualification is unconditional devotion to Donald Trump,” Himes wrote online. “Since there will be no senate confirmation (of course), it is critical that Pulte go through a full security clearance process before he walks into the building.” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the housing official’s appointment “speaks volumes” about what Trump expects from a top U.S. national intelligence official. “Rather than selecting a respected national security professional capable of delivering independent judgments, the president has chosen an official who has demonstrated not just willingness but eagerness to use the authorities of government to pursue political retribution,” Warner said in a lengthy statement. The Virginia Democrat also accused Pulte of being chosen “for his willingness to advance the president’s political agenda rather than his experience.” “That is how intelligence becomes politicized, how inconvenient facts disappear, how agencies charged with protecting our democracy instead become tools to manipulate it, and how Americans are left more vulnerable to a terrorist attack,” he added. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), an outspoken Trump critic and someone Pulte has accused of committing mortgage fraud, also criticized Pulte’s appointment, claiming on X that Americans will not be safe with him leading the ODNI. “At a time when the U.S. is at war and the threats to national security loom large, we need a Director of National Intelligence who is knowledgeable, experienced, and respected,” Schiff wrote. “Bill Pulte is none of these things.” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection, slammed Pulte for “being rewarded with a job he has no business doing” after referring many of the president’s foes for prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud, including Schiff, Federal Reserve board of governors member Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitica James and former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). None of the allegations have resulted in conviction. The president said he tapped the FHFA director, who has no previous high-level national security experience, to serve in the acting role because of his management over “the most sensitive matters in America.” He added that Pulte will still lead the housing agency and continue to serve as head of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

GOP senators balk at Donald Trump’s pick of Bill Pulte to head national intelligence -- Republican senators are expressing bewilderment at President Trump’s choice of Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as the acting director of national intelligence, with some calling him “unqualified” because of his lack of national security and intelligence credentials. Trump’s pick of Pulte, a loyal deputy who has raised allegations of mortgage fraud against some of Trump’s political adversaries, such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), to oversee the nation’s intelligence agencies while the nation is embroiled in a conflict with Iran, caught Republican senators by surprise Tuesday. Republican senators say they have no oversight over the president’s choice of people to serve as acting Cabinet-level officials, but they signaled Pulte could have a tough time getting 51 votes to be confirmed as intelligence director for a longer term. “The Senate doesn’t have any role to play in terms of confirming acting officials, but I see no evidence of any qualifications for that job,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said of Trump’s pick of Pulte to serve as intelligence director for the foreseeable future. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he doesn’t know much about Pulte but remarked he doesn’t appear to be qualified to serve as the president’s principal adviser on all matters related to national security. “The best I can tell you is he’s not qualified, but I don’t know anything about him other than that,” he said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also raised questions about Pulte’s qualifications to take charge of the nation’s intelligence agencies in a role overseeing the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and elements of the FBI. “I was surprised to see the name. I am not familiar whether he has any intelligence background, so obviously I’m going to have to learn a little bit more,” she said. “I’m not familiar that there is anything in his background that would qualify [him] as one who would be the head of our national intelligence. I know what he has been doing in the housing sector. I’m not so familiar with why the president would have selected him,” she added. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), another senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she doesn’t even know whether Pulte, who is the heir to one of the nation’s largest homebuilding companies, Pulte Homes, even as a security clearance. “I do not know Mr. Pulte at all. I don’t know whether he has any intelligence or military background. I don’t even know whether he has a security clearance,” she said Tuesday, appearing surprised by the pick. Pulte has emerged as one of the most controversial members of the Trump administration for his role in plumbing mortgage records to review whether Trump’s political adversaries have followed mortgage laws. He has advanced allegations against Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, whom President Biden appointed to serve as the first Black woman at the central bank, as well as James and Schiff. Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Cook and James, has described Pulte’s efforts to raise allegations against the New York attorney general as “outrageous government conduct” and a violation of the Fifth Amendment. Lowell accused Pulte in a letter to the Justice Department of targeting Trump’s enemies after he sent two criminal referrals related to Cook to federal prosecutors. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said Tuesday he was not a fan of Pulte’s efforts to pin fraud charges on Cook. “I got a real issue with that. I think it’s a waste of time and money that he appears to have been part of,” Tillis said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned against the prospect of weaponizing the intelligence director’s office and said Pulte would have a “lengthy road” to being confirmed if Trump formally nominated him to the position for a longer term. “If they nominate him to take the position permanently, he’ll have to go through a confirmation process and hearings and everything else, so, we’ll see,” Thune told reporters. When asked if he has concerns Pulte would “weaponize” the intelligence director’s office given the role he has played during Trump’s second term in searching through mortgage records to see whether Trump’s political adversaries committed fraud, Thune said: “We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there.”

Sen. John Thune: 'We don’t need a weaponized’ DNI after Donald Trump taps Bill Pulte - Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters “we don’t need a weaponized” director of national intelligence when asked about President Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte, the homebuilder and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to serve as acting head of the nation’s intelligence services. Thune pointed out that Pulte, who has come under sharp criticism from Democrats for pulling up mortgage information to investigate Trump’s political opponents, would have to undergo the Senate confirmation process to permanently take over as director. “If they nominate him to take the position permanently, he’ll have to go through a confirmation process and hearings and everything else, so we’ll see,” Thune told reporters. When asked whether he has concerns that Pulte would “weaponize” the position given the role he has played during Trump’s second term in plumbing mortgage records to see whether Trump’s political adversaries have committed fraud, Thune said: “We don’t need a weaponized DNI; we need professionals there.” “Again, I just heard about it. I’ll try and get more information about the current state of their thinking about that position,” he added. “If he’s somebody they want in that position permanently, he’s got a — as you all know — a lengthy road ahead of him.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, asked if Pulte — the heir to the family that founded one of the nation’s largest homebuilding companies, Pulte Homes — had any experience in the national intelligence community. “I have no knowledge of this individual at all,” she said. When informed that Pulte heads the FHFA, Collins remarked: “I don’t know whether he has an intel background before that. I truly don’t know him at all.” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, blasted Pulte’s appointment to serve as acting director of national intelligence as a terrible choice. “Americans have already seen Mr. Pulte use the powers of his office at the Federal Housing Finance Agency to pursue the president’s grievances and lend credibility to dubious prosecutions of President Trump’s perceived political opponents,” Warner said in a statement. “Elevating him to oversee the Intelligence Community makes clear that this president is not looking for an intelligence leader who will follow the facts or speak truth to power, but rather someone who will be willing to shape intelligence around the president’s wishes, regardless of the cost to the American people,” he said.

US to drastically slash the number of embassies in Africa that can process visas (AP) — The State Department plans to drastically slash the number of U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to come to the United States. The almost 50 U.S. embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications will be reduced to 20 in the coming weeks, according to three U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. There is not yet a set date for the change, but it is expected in June, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. The move is part of the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on issuing both immigrant and non-immigrant visas as part of its broader aim to limit immigration to the U.S. and clamp down on those who travel on temporary visas but then overstay them. The administration also has scaled back personnel at embassies and consulates around the world. On a conference call last Friday, U.S. diplomats, including consular chiefs, were told the U.S. would be scaling back its visa services across Africa, according to one of the officials who was on the call. Under a directive approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, the State Department will reduce consular operations in all but 20 “hubs” in Africa, according to the officials and the memo. Visa processing in Africa has already been affected by a travel ban on certain countries as well as a requirement for applicants to post up to $15,000 bond in order to apply and more recently by restrictions caused by the Ebola outbreak. The new rules mean that a citizen of a non-hub country will have to travel to one of the 20 approved sites, which could pose formidable travel challenges and costs. Consular sections in non-hub countries will stay open but be limited in the services they can offer. They will still be able to assist American citizens with passport renewals and emergency consular requests as well as special national interest cases and diplomatic visa applications. The State Department did not address the specific issues in the memo but said it “is constantly evaluating its overseas operations in order to deploy taxpayer resources in a way that advances America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible.” It said this “includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests.” According to the memo, the 20 hubs to remain open for all processing are: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cape Town, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; Djibouti, Djibouti; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kampala, Uganda; Kigali, Rwanda; Kinshasa, Congo; Lagos, Nigeria; Lome, Togo; Luanda, Angola; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Monrovia, Liberia; Nairobi, Kenya; Port Louis, Mauritius; Praia, Cape Verde; and Yaounde, Cameroon.

Senate GOP passes immigration enforcement bill - Senate Republicans passed their $70 billion immigration enforcement bill Friday, beating back several attempts to rein in the Justice Department’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Senators voted 52-47 on the bill after roughly 18 hours of amendment votes. In the end, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican to vote against the bill. She had previously voted against the budget blueprint for the immigration enforcement plan and had raised concerns that it circumvented the appropriations process. The House left town Thursday rather than stay and pass it before leaving for the weekend. Now it won’t go to President Donald Trump until early next week — pushing the GOP even further past Trump’s self-imposed June 1 deadline. Friday’s vote followed weeks of stops and starts as Republicans saw momentum on their party-line package get repeatedly derailed because of Trump’s political priorities.

Senate OKs $70B immigration bill after rejecting efforts to permanently ban Trump’s settlement fund   (AP) — The Senate passed legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies early Friday, after weeks of delays and fierce backlash to an unrelated $1.776 billion settlement fund that threatened to derail the bill.Senators voted 52-47 to pass the $70 billion legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three years, through the end of Trump’s term, after Democrats blocked the money for months. The bill will now head to the House, which is expected to take it up next week.The final vote came just before 5 a.m., after Republicans narrowly defeated multiple attempts by members of both parties to add language to the bill that would permanently ban Trump’s settlement fund for allies who believe they’ve been politically persecuted. Republicans cleared the last major hurdle overnight when they defeated an amendment proposed by one of their own members, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, that would have redirected payments from the settlement to members of law enforcement who were injured when a mob of Trump supporters seeking to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.The amendments were a test of party unity that complicated what should have been an easy vote for Republicans who wanted to keep the focus on immigration enforcement in an election year. Instead, they spent almost a full day haggling among themselves over whether to block the settlement fund, even after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had said earlier this week that it would not go forward. “This would have been done several hours ago if we weren’t having to deal with some of the issues around the fund,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said shortly before midnight.Thune himself has criticized the fund, which was part of a settlement that resolves Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns and has angered many of his GOP colleagues. But he has been pushing GOP senators for weeks to keep the bill focused on the funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol and to avoid adding new provisions that could complicate its passage in the House.Still, a group of Republican senators pushed all day and into the night to block the fund’s payouts through legislation. That effort came after Trump, who has been at odds with the Senate in recent weeks, raised new doubts about the fund’s future on Wednesday when he told reporters that it is “very important” and said “I don’t know” whether it is dead or on hold.The final 52-47 vote on the bill was nearly party line, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republican to oppose it. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado missed the vote. The first vote on Thursday morning, a Democratic effort to ban the settlement fund, was held open for several hours while Cassidy and two other Republican senators decided whether to support it. The Democratic motion was narrowly defeated when Cassidy eventually voted against it and the two other senators — Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, both of whom are up for reelection this year — voted for it.The Senate then rejected a second amendment from Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina that would also have banned the settlement fund but would have moved the money to a separate anti-fraud fund at the Department of Justice. Most Democrats voted against the amendment, guaranteeing its defeat, but more than 10 Republicans supported it.Tillis said the fund is a political liability for the party.“If Blanche says this is largely inoperative, why not use this moment to codify that?” Tillis said. “Otherwise, you’re exposing every one of our members who are in cycle to having to deal with this between today and Election Day, and that makes no sense for something that the DOJ says they’re not moving forward with.”Cassidy’s amendment to compensate the injured police officers was a pointed rebuke, as payouts from Trump’s fund could have potentially gone to Trump supporters who beat police and attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Cassidy lost reelection last month after Trump endorsed a primary opponent.

A federal judge strikes down Trump administration immigration policy affecting 39 countries (AP) — A federal judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy enacted after the shooting of two National Guard members that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to stay and enter the U.S. In a ruling harshly criticizing the administration, U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. said the policy “threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo,” and he accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law. “In enacting its latest immigration policies, USCIS: claims statutory and regulatory authority that it does not possess; makes decisions without the reasoned explanations that it must provide; acts without regard for the reliance interests of applicants that it must consider; and justifies its actions with pretextual concerns of ‘national security’ that mask anti-immigrant sentiments that it is forbidden from letting influence its decision-making,” he wrote. “In legal terms that means USCIS’s actions are contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.” A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The policies enacted after the National Guard shooting last year meant that immigrants from 39 African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries have been “categorically barred” from receiving final decisions on, among other things, their asylum, work permit, green card, and citizenship applications. “This ruling reaffirms a basic principle: the federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which represented the plaintiffs in the case. “These unlawful policies caused enormous harm to families, workers, asylum-seekers, and communities across the country who were left in limbo, unable to work, access protections, or move forward with their lives.” The policies apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS, which approves applications for immigrants to work and become citizens. The agency, which is within the Homeland Security Department, often grants asylum, but only for those already in the United States when they apply. Immigration judges grant asylum to those stopped at the border; the ruling does not affect them, nor do the policies that sparked the lawsuit. The broad ruling would impact all pending cases at USCIS involving people from the travel ban countries, not just those included in the lawsuit, Shev Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “It is an important legal victory to ensure that legal immigration pathways remain open and that USCIS is held accountable to doing their congressionally mandated job of adjudicating applications,” she said. It is part of an ongoing effort by the administration to tighten U.S. entry standards for travel and immigration, which critics say unfairly prevent travel for people from a broad range of countries. The administration suggested it would expand the restrictions after the arrest of an Afghan national suspect in the shooting of two National Guard troops over Thanksgiving weekend. In its motion to dismiss, which the court denied, the government argued that Congress gave the executive branch broad authority over immigration policy, including “the entry of aliens into the United States as well as discretion within the statutory scheme to confer as well as withdraw various discretionary benefits.” “This case rests on a remarkable premise: that a federal court should prevent an agency from issuing the very policy guidance that provides government personnel with the guardrails necessary to ensure consistent, non-arbitrary, and individualized decisionmaking consistent with federal law,” the government wrote in its brief. Immigration groups celebrated the ruling. “This ruling sets a powerful precedent that the administration cannot ignore the law as laid down by Congress and cannot arbitrarily bar immigration benefits on the basis of national origin by fiat,” Jamal Abdi, president at the National Iranian American Council, said. “Fortunately, this is still a nation of laws, and those who uphold America’s values have recourse to challenge and push back on such discriminatory, arbitrary policies.”

US Homeland Security cancels most pending Noem-era contracts after review (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is canceling most pending contracts initiated under ousted Secretary Kristi Noem, the current secretary said on Wednesday, a move that follows congressional scrutiny and an internal watchdog review of her contracting practices. During a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, Secretary Markwayne Mullin faced questions from a top Democrat about what steps he had taken to cancel Noem-era contracts. The move is part of a broader effort by Mullin to unwind contracting practices under Noem that drew bipartisan criticism. "We are looking at the contracts that weren't already signed, and we did go through and cancel most of those," Mullin said. U.S. President Donald Trump fired Noem in March as public support for his immigration crackdown diminished and as lawmakers - including Republicans - aired concerns about large contracts awarded outside of standard contracting processes. In the days before she was fired, Noem was grilled by lawmakers over a $220 million advertising campaign that was awarded to Republican-connected firms. Noem said at the time that it was awarded through a competitive process and that no political appointees were involved. "All done correctly, all done legally," she said. Noem is currently serving as a special envoy to the U.S. State Department's Shield of the Americas coalition to counter transnational crime. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mullin, confirmed to the job after Noem's ouster, said the department could not easily terminate already-finalized contracts. He said the department's internal watchdog, the Office of Inspector General, had multiple active investigations, but that he had not been briefed on the details.

SPLC Employee Funneled $1.2 Million To Neo-Nazi Lover - And More: DOJ Superseding Indictment The Southern Poverty Law Center built a massive empire - ballooning to over $787 million in assets - by promising donors it was the frontline defender against "hate" and white supremacy. But according to the Department of Justice's superseding indictment, the organization allegedly funneled millions in tax-exempt donor dollars to the very extremists it publicly condemned. One of the most shocking details involves "F-9" - a field source affiliated with the neo-Nazi National Alliance. The SPLC allegedly paid this individual over $1.2 million while F-9 was in a romantic relationship with an SPLC employee. While on the SPLC payroll, F-9 reportedly continued raising funds for the National Alliance. Other Damning Allegations From The Superseding Indictment:

• F-30 (Nazi/KKK/Aryan Nations leader): Paid more than $70K after asking to leave the movement. Instead, the SPLC allegedly kept them on salary to host rallies, recruit, and publish extremist material.
• F-31 & F-32 (KKK members): Wanted out in 2010 but were allegedly bribed to stay active. Funds reimbursed cross-burning materials, including wood and fuel, and helped them gain leadership roles.
• F-37 (Unite the Right): Paid over $300K. This individual was in the leadership chat for the 2017 Charlottesville rally, made racist posts under SPLC supervision, and arranged transportation for attendees.
• F-42 (Neo-Nazi National Alliance chairman): Received $155K+ while simultaneously listed on the SPLC's own "Extremist File" webpage.
• Additional payments: Approximately $350K to a National Socialist Movement officer and $19K to American Front's national president, a convicted cross-burning felon.

John Bolton To Plead Guilty In Documents Case, Pay $2M Fine: Report -  John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors and is expected to plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents, according to CNN, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Under the agreement, Bolton will pay a fine of more than $2 million. A single count of illegal retention carries a possible sentence of up to 60 months in prison. A court hearing is currently scheduled for June 26. Bolton was originally charged in Maryland with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and ten counts of retention of national defense information. The charges centered on diary-like entries from his time in the Trump White House that were allegedly kept at his residence. Prosecutors accused him of sharing more than 1,000 pages of information through his personal email with two unauthorized individuals - reportedly his wife and daughter - though these transmission allegations are not part of the plea deal. According to the indictment, Bolton used personal email and messaging accounts to transmit Top Secret intelligence about foreign adversaries, future attacks, and U.S. foreign-policy relations. He also kept classified files at his home, including sensitive intelligence about foreign leaders and U.S. intelligence sources. The FBI Baltimore Field Office led the investigation, with oversight from the Justice Department's National Security Division. The indictment outlines two core allegations:

1. Eight counts of transmission of NDI under the Espionage Act (18 U.S.C. §793(d)),
2. and Ten counts of unlawful retention of NDI under §793(e).

The investigation intensified after Bolton’s email was breached by suspected Iranian hackers, during which investigators discovered the classified “diary-like entries.”Bolton served as Trump’s National Security Adviser for one year before becoming a prominent critic of the president. Trump has repeatedly called for Bolton’s arrest, particularly over his 2020 memoir that was highly critical of the administration and allegedly contained classified information.While the first Trump Justice Department opened investigations into the book in 2020, those probes were closed within a year. A new investigation was launched the following year after the email breach.

Trump rips 'loser' Republican senator drawing red line on Blanche confirmation - President Donald Trump took a swipe at Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina on Friday when asked about Tillis’ red line on potentially nominating acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the permanent position. “Senator Tillis is a loser. That’s why he didn’t run. He didn’t run because I wouldn’t support him. And he’s just an angry man because he’s not going to be a senator any longer. He wasn’t respected in the Senate,” Trump said in part to reporters while aboard Air Force One. Tillis, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee whose vote could prove crucial to Blanche’s confirmation, has made clear that he will not support any attorney general nominee who appears to justify or downplay the violence against law enforcement during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. “The key for Todd, or anybody going through judiciary committee, is being pretty tight on January the 6. They better not have said for one minute that the people that beat up police officers, like these right down here, were righteous people. You come even close to saying that, you don’t have a [chance] of getting my vote in judiciary,” Tillis told reporters. He added that eliminating the “issue” of the anti-weaponization fund would likely improve Blanche’s prospects of making it through the Senate confirmation process. Newsweek reached out to Tillis’ office via email on Friday for comment. The nomination of Blanche immediately sparked concerns among some lawmakers, as he previously represented Trump in several high-profile cases before joining the administration. The White House has defended Blanche as a loyal and effective leader, arguing that he and the entire DOJ team are doing a great job. The president’s decision seemingly signals his continued preference for close allies in key administration positions and sets up what could be a contentious confirmation battle on Capitol Hill. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Newsweek on Thursday: “Todd Blanche has done an excellent job as acting Attorney General and will continue doing so as Attorney General. President Trump has a great relationship with Todd and is very pleased with the job he’s done so far. Todd Blanche is an American patriot who fearlessly fought on behalf of President Trump against the Democrats’ illegal and unprecedented lawfare campaign. The President’s entire team at the Department of Justice is doing a great job advocating for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe.” Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general since April, after Pam Bondi was fired. Trump added while speaking with reporters on Friday that Tillis “Fought a lot of people, he fought Pete Hegseth, Pete Hegseth turned out to be a gem. No, Senator Tillis is a loser, stone cold, and he’s an angry man because I basically, he was forced to leave the Senate because I wouldn’t support him, and he quit. So now he’s trying to make trouble by, you know, opposing anybody. “Todd Blanche is a brilliant guy who everybody likes, and everybody respects,” Trump added while later calling Blanche “fantastic.” The confirmation fight could become a major test of Trump’s influence over Senate Republicans. Because Republicans hold only a slim Senate majority, even a small number of defections could complicate the nomination process. As lawmakers prepare for hearings, the debate is expected to focus not only on Blanche’s qualifications but also on broader concerns about the relationship between the White House and Justice Department under Trump’s leadership, including likely pushback on the “anti-weaponization” fund. The fund was designed to compensate people who claimed they were unfairly targeted by the government. But the proposal faced bipartisan criticism and legal obstacles, leading the administration to ultimately comply with a federal court order temporarily blocking it. Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota spoke on Blanche’s confirmation process, saying he’s unsure of how the outcome will go, according to The Washington Post. “Most of our members are pretty deferential to who the president wants in some of those key positions. And he’s obviously serving in the role already and clearly has experience in it. So, that’ll serve him well,” Thune told reporters, per the Post. “But this is an environment where nothing’s a safe or sure bet.”

Donald Trump eases tariffs on metals, citing industry impact  -President Trump on Monday adjusted tariffs on some aluminum, copper and steel imports.In a proclamation, the president lowered tariffs on some aluminum and steel derivative products, including agricultural equipment and certain heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems, from 25 percent to 15 percent. Trump initially imposed 25 percent tariffs on aluminum and steel derivative products on April 2. In doing so, he cited Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 — which gives the president the authority to impose restrictions on imports under national security grounds. The president stated Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recommended that he reduce those tariffs, citing “recent circumstances” that “have affected and are affecting” domestic industries that use the aforementioned equipment.  “These products also serve an important role in productive domestic economic activity,” the proclamation states. “For example, American farmers use agricultural equipment to produce the food upon which our Nation relies; construction equipment is essential for the continued reindustrialization of our Nation; and material-handling equipment enables industrial logistics and factory operations.”

House Republicans look to boost FEMA funding - The House’s fiscal 2027 Homeland Security appropriations bill, released Thursday, would authorize billions of new dollars for disaster management.The package — which includes appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management agency — would give $34.1 billion to FEMA programs. That’s over $2 billion more than Congress appropriated for FEMA fiscal 2026.“On our road to restoring regular order this time around, I hope we’ve learned that when this process is disrupted, it is the people we serve who bear the consequences,” said House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee Chair Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) in a statement.Amodei cheered the spending package’s push to “ensure communities have the resources they need when disasters strike.”

House panel approves Transportation spending bill - The House Appropriations Committee early Thursday approved its fiscal 2027 Department of Transportation spending bill 34-27 after adjusting the legislation to prohibit any of its money from flowing to so-called sanctuary cities.The panel adopted a handful of amendments, including one that would curtail a Biden-era congressional directive to mandate advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology in new passenger vehicles.As a whole, House Republican appropriators rely heavily on repurposed dollars from the 2021 infrastructure law in the bill. The proposal would shore up air traffic control needs in part by using $1 billion in unobligated funding for electric vehicle charging stations.When accounting for funds from the Biden-era package, DOT would see a year-over-year jump of $1.2 billion, with $111.6 billion total in the upcoming fiscal year when combining discretionary and mandatory spending. But without factoring in transfers, DOT would get a $4.7 billion cut in total budgetary resources.

Trump administration issues final rule requiring most Medicaid beneficiaries to work - A new final rule from the Trump administration will require most Medicaid beneficiaries between the ages of 19 and 64 to prove they work, complete community service, or participate in a work program to win benefits. The rule outlines the broad policies each state is required to have in place when implementing the Medicaid work requirements from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The rule establishes the standards states must use to implement the statutory work requirement, including clear expectations for eligibility determinations, exemptions, verification, and state reporting requirements. The GOP’s tax and spending megabill passed by Congress last summer used work requirements to partially pay for its nearly $3 trillion price tag. The Congressional Budget Office estimated nearly 5 million people will lose their Medicaid over the next decade as a result, including many who are already working. GOP officials argue work requirements are needed to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program, and they will only target the “able-bodied” people who should be working but choose not to.  The work requirements have to begin by January 1, 2027. The new rule gives states some flexibility in determining who is exempt from the work requirements, but many of the exemptions are already defined in the law. For instance, states will be able to define who is “medically frail” but they will need to have specific verification requirements in place after a year to verify both the presence of a condition or diagnosis, and that the condition or diagnosis significantly impairs the individual’s ability to comply with the community engagement requirement. “This is our path to prosperity for the American people. It’s a way to preserve our precious Medicaid program for those who benefited from it,” CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz told reporters during a briefing. “We hope by guiding able-bodied individuals in this initiative, we aim to support their path to independence, but hopefully they don’t need to depend on Medicaid, and are supported by employer-sponsored health plans that would free up critical space in the program for our most vulnerable population to receive the care they deserve,” Oz said. Trump’s signature tax cut law that he signed in July requires all 42 states, along with the District of Columbia, that fully or partially expanded Medicaid under ObamaCare to implement a “community engagement” requirement. Beneficiaries must work or volunteer at least 80 hours per month, attend school at least part-time, or participate in job training. Or they must prove they qualify for certain exemptions, like caring for a child 13 years or younger or a disabled parent, or having a health condition that prevents employment.

Conservative think tank alleges widespread ObamaCare enrollment fraud - An influential conservative think tank contends that a quarter of all ObamaCare exchange enrollments were improper, adding more fuel to claims from the Trump administration and GOP lawmakers that the exchanges are rife with fraud. The Paragon Health Institute’s report found more than 6 million people were improperly enrolled in the health law’s exchanges in 2026. The report also argued taxpayers will improperly subsidize the Affordable Care Act program by nearly $25 billion. The group defines improper enrollment as the number of people signed up in the lowest income category—who receive the highest possible subsidy— that exceeds the number of potentially eligible people in that income category, across states. The analysis uses publicly available enrollment and Census Bureau data. Paragon is led by Brian Blase, a former economic aide to President Trump. The group has played an outsize role in shaping health policy decisions in Congress and the administration. Blase and Paragon helped design many of the Medicaid cuts contained in the GOP’s tax cut and spending reconciliation bill last year, and advised lawmakers to let ObamaCare’s enhanced tax credits expire this fall. Ahead of November’s midterm elections, Republicans are looking for a health care affordability message and a counter to Democratic attacks that the expiration of the subsidies and health cuts in the megabill will drive up costs and increase the number of uninsured. ObamaCare enrollment grew sharply during the Biden administration, but fell by more than 1 million people in President Trump’s first term in office. Those numbers are expected to drop even more this year. Administration officials and congressional Republicans contend the estimates of the numbers of people losing insurance have been overblown, and the losses that do happen are a result of cutting waste and fraud. Democrats, they argue, are focused on boosting enrollment at all costs without putting enough safeguards in place to properly verify the people who sign up. “We believe that 35 percent, roughly, of the people using the Obamacare exchanges … may not be legit” because they have never filed a claim, Mehmet Oz, who runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Tuesday during a White House briefing. “If you care about the ACA, then you’ll want us to take the fraud out,” Oz said. According to Paragon’s analysis, improper enrollments were especially problematic in states that did not expand Medicaid and in states that use the federal healthcare.gov platform instead of their own systems. Paragon says that’s because the federal platform has weaker enrollment controls and verification systems. For instance, the analysis claims that more than half of all enrollees in Florida are improperly enrolled. Jessica Altman, executive director of California’s ACA exchange Covered California, said the federal government should follow similar policies to what the states are doing. “Broad rule changes that make it harder for people to enroll in and maintain coverage do not strengthen marketplace integrity. They create new barriers for eligible consumers at a time when families are already struggling with higher costs and cannot afford to lose access to affordable health care,” Altman said in a statement. The report contends that excessive subsidies and the widespread availability of zero-premium plans “created strong incentives for both consumers and enrollment intermediaries to misstate enrollee income to maximize subsidies and commissions.” Paragon in the report praised the Trump administration’s program integrity regulatory actions as well as provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill, but recommended Congress go further. Policies like stronger oversight of third-party enrollment entities, and investigating and suspending unscrupulous brokers and intermediaries involved in unauthorized enrollment activity will help, the report argued, as well as eliminating the zero-premium plans. 

Trump executive order directs CDC to ‘realign’ childhood vaccine recommendations - President Donald Trump issued an executive order late last week that further muddies an already unclear picture for the US childhood vaccine schedule. The executive order, accompanied by a fact sheet from the White House, directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to review a December 2025 scientific assessment from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that called for fewer recommended childhood vaccines and to take “any appropriate steps” to update the US childhood vaccine schedule to align with its findings. “The scientific assessment, with its proposed updates to the categories of the vaccine schedule, is acknowledged as a guiding resource for the Federal Government,” the executive order states.  The HHS assessment called for paring the number of recommended vaccines for US children from 17 to 11 after a review found that the United States recommends more childhood vaccines than “peer nations” like Denmark. In early January, then-acting CDC director Jim O’Neill signed a memorandum saying the agency would adopt the recommendations. The changes were widely criticized by public health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP has maintained its recommended childhood vaccine schedule, and at least 23 states and Washington, DC, have said they will follow those recommendations rather those issued by the CDC. In March, a federal judge in Boston ruled that the changes to the childhood vaccine schedule adopted by the CDC didn’t follow proper administrative procedures. HHS has not appealed that ruling, which came in response to a lawsuit filed by the AAP and other leading medical groups.  Because of that ruling, the federal childhood immunization recommendations that were in place before June 2025 remain in place. For now, the immediate effect of the executive order is rhetorical, said Jess Steier, DrPH, a public health and science communicator and founder and CEO of Unbiased Science. That’s because the ruling by US District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy temporarily blocked the ACIP, whose membership has been overhauled by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, from meeting. The judge concluded that several of the 13 new members tapped by Kennedy to serve on ACIP had no vaccine-related expertise and were not qualified under the group’s original charter. All decisions made by the group, including a controversial recommendation to delay the first dose of the hepatitis B shot in infants if the mother has tested negative for the virus, were nullified.A March meeting of ACIP was subsequently postponed. Although HHS has issued a revised charter that would expand the group’s membership criteria, it’s unclear when ACIP—which would have to approve the HHS vaccine recommendations before the CDC can sign off on them—will meet next.“The EO [executive order] has no operational teeth right now,” Steier said in an email.Still, opponents of the Trump administration’s vaccine policies say they’re concerned. “This is the second time the administration has attempted to unilaterally substitute vaccine guidance from other countries to replace the U.S. vaccine schedule which was developed for the specific needs of the U.S. population,” American College of Physicians President Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, said in a statement. “The changes that this order directs cannot be allowed to move forward.”Steier said the question is whether the order is simply meant to appease supporters of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement after a series of losses on vaccines or serve as “groundwork for redoing the January schedule changes in a way that survives judicial review.”“The bigger concern is what it sets up, not what it does today,” she said.

Donald Trump backs HHS overhaul of childhood vaccine schedule -- President Trump is signing off on a decision from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this year to cut down on the number of required vaccinations for children.  The president endorsed these adjusted immunization requirements in an executive order on Friday. Trump cited his administration’s commitment to “protecting religious liberty and parental authority” in the order.  “Therefore, it is the policy of the United States that the core childhood vaccine schedule should be aligned with scientific evidence and best practices from peer, developed countries while preserving access to vaccines currently available to Americans and that the Federal Government will continue to protect religious freedom and enforce all legal protections for parents,” the order stated.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced its recommended number of vaccinations for children from 17 to 11 earlier this year. The CDC now recommends that parents and physicians should be left to determine whether children need shots for diseases like the flu, COVID-19 and rotavirus.  Shots for diseases like dengue fever, hepatitis A and B and meningitis are now only recommended for “high-risk” children.  The CDC said it will recommend children be vaccinated against diseases “for which there is international consensus.” While only states have the power to require vaccinations, the CDC sets national standards through its immunization recommendations. The schedule also guides which vaccines are covered by insurance. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has led the push for reduced vaccine requirements for children. The Trump official directed the CDC to alter its long-standing insistence that vaccines do not cause autism, adding in wording that health authorities have ignored this link. The CDC’s decision followed another executive mandate from Trump for health officials to compare and evaluate the U.S.’s childhood vaccine schedule with “peer nations.” “After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent,” Kennedy said in a statement. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

Dismay as Trump officials to dismantle key ocean monitoring system  --  The Trump administration plans to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system that has for more than a decade provided crucial data on ocean systems and climate change. In a notice, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it had “initiated descoping of the Ocean Observatories Initiative” (OOI), a vast ocean observation network comprising more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current patterns, climate variability and marine biodiversity. The notice, issued on 21 May, came just days after Trump fired all members of the independent board that oversees the NSF. It outlined plans to remove all in-water infrastructure from observation sites off the coasts of North Carolina, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, as well as from the Irminger Sea, a marginal sea between Greenland and Iceland. Some scientists expressed dismay at the plan, while Democratic lawmakers said they would fight it, including Senator Chris Van Hollen,of Maryland, who called it a “shortsighted move” that would “end up costing American taxpayers more not less”, the New York Times reported. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, said on X: “Fossil fuel is heating our oceans by the zettajoule, so Trump’s corrupt fossil fuel stooges want to turn off the monitors.” Following the announcement, the OOI’s principal investigator, Jim Edson, said the NSF’s plan involves a phased recovery and infrastructure removal process expected to take place over the next 15 months. “As infrastructure is recovered from each array, the associated real-time data streams and observing capabilities at those locations will come to an end,” Edson said. The move will bring to an end more than a decade of continuous ocean monitoring after the system first became operational in June 2016. Describing the network as having “delivered the world’s most advanced continuously operating ocean observing systems”, Edson added: “We are profoundly grateful for the extraordinary efforts of the scientists, engineers, operators, educators, students, and partners who made this facility possible and who continue to advance its legacy through the use of its data.” The dismantling of the OOI marks another step in the Trump administration’s rollback of science and climate initiatives. It also follows Trump’s push to expand deep-sea mining and loosen fishing regulations, a policy that has alarmed ocean scientists and climate experts. Hilary Palevsky, a professor focusing on marine biogeochemistry and oceanography at Boston College, pointed to the significance of the data that will be lost, particularly given the sophisticated engineering required to deploy and maintain the instruments. “One of the real powers of this OOI and a lot of the collection of autonomous data is that scientists like me don’t have to have the expertise or the resources to be able to deploy this kind of infrastructure ourselves,” Palevsky said. “Being able to have instruments, both actually out in the atmosphere floating in the surface ocean, as well as surviving through the really deep mixing and waves in the subsurface.” She said: “Over the more than 10 years that these things have been deployed, they’ve just gotten better and better at it. And so the data return has also gotten better and better over time … the scientific community was really just getting to the point of being able to capitalize on the data that had been collected so far … I’m really disappointed for the continuation of this important data set.” Palevsky also warned that rebuilding such a network in the future would be difficult, saying: “If we want to put [the instruments] back out again, we need people who know how to do it and the team that knows how to do it is being dismantled along with the infrastructure program itself. “We’re potentially at risk of having a gap in our ability to regain the expertise to do things that we had sort of just figured out how to pull off.”

Trump's chemical safety rollback slammed by critics amid California, Washington incidents - Critics are outraged that the Trump administration is moving to roll back chemical safety rules even as the U.S. faces deadly industrial chemical incidents. Last week, in Washington state, a chemical tank imploded at a paper industry plant, killing 11 people. And earlier last month, about 50,000 people were told to evacuate in Southern California because an overheating chemical tank was at risk of exploding. Those orders have since been lifted. The incidents follow a Trump administration proposal to roll back stricter safety standards for chemical plants that were passed by the Biden administration. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a statement that the two recent West Coast incidents are not covered under its proposed changes to the Risk Management Program (RMP) rule. “Neither of these incidents fell under RMP regulations,” an EPA spokesperson said in an unsigned email. “Both, however, are highly regulated.” The agency said its proposal will “strengthen chemical accident prevention, enhance compliance, and reduce unnecessary burdens on regulated facilities ensuring stronger safety outcomes through clearer and more workable rules.” However, critics say the California and Washington events show that this sector needs more regulation, not less. “There is so much more that can and must be done to prevent chemical disasters and mitigate the life-altering and life-ending horrors that result,” said Cynthia Palmer, senior analyst for petrochemicals at Moms Clean Air Force. Calling for more regulations, Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, pointed to the fact that the particular chemical in the California incident is not covered by the rules. “Those reactive hazard chemicals are not covered by the current Trump rule, not covered by the Biden rule, not covered by Trump 1 and not covered by the Obama-era rule,” Williams said. “There’s hundreds of these reactive hazard chemical disasters happening that have happened in the last 20 some-odd years,” she said, adding that these chemicals should be included. The chemical plant regulations the Trump administration is rolling back apply to about 11,500 facilities, including agricultural supply companies, water and wastewater treatment firms, chemical manufacturers and distributors, food and beverage makers, oil refineries and more. The regulations are intended to prevent chemical accidents that put the public at risk. But their specific details and strictness have modulated between political administrations in recent years. The Obama administration tightened the regulations after a 2013 fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people. The first Trump administration loosened those regulations, while the Biden administration both restored Obama-era safeguards and added new ones.In particular, the Biden administration required companies to undergo third-party compliance audits and, for companies involved in prior incidents, “root cause” investigations.It also required companies to evaluate safer technologies and processes for potential use and provide information to communities living within 6 miles of a facility. And it sought to help employees make certain decisions to prevent fatal accidents.While technically the deadlines to comply with these rules aren’t until next year, “facilities should be working to comply” now, said Emma Cheuse, a senior attorney at Earthjustice. However, Cheuse said, “EPA is attempting to pull the rug out from under the protection before those deadlines fully kick in.”In February, the Trump administration proposed to roll back certain regulations. It has proposed to axe requirements for existing facilities to assess safer technologies and rescind a requirement for companies to develop a process for employees to report unaddressed hazards.It’s also proposing to axe companies’ requirements to share information with the public and to instead provide that information through an EPA data tool.And the administration is weighing whether to rescind the third-party audit provisions altogether or retain them only for facilities with at least two safety incidents in a five-year period.

Trump ends rebates for switching from gas to electric appliances Americans will no longer be able to get cash back for making the switch to electric appliances under a Trump administration change. The Energy Department recently issued guidance reinterpreting a program in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that set up a rebate program for people who make high-efficiency electric purchases for their homes. The program includes heat pumps for heating and cooling, stoves, and ovens, as well as insulation. However, the new guidance, which took effect Friday, disallowed “fuel-switching,” meaning people would not be eligible for the rebates if they replace a gas-powered appliance with an electric one. Instead, the rebate will be open for people who replace appliances that are already electric with other electric appliances that are more efficient. The administration put the provision under a section titled “advancing affordability.” But some, including environmental advocates, say the move would do the opposite. “These changes will trap families into higher energy bills and force them to live with polluting equipment,” said Srinidhi Sampath Kumar, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Heat campaign in a written statement. “Congress created these rebates to help households lower costs, reduce indoor air pollution, and improve home comfort and safety. Blocking folks from swapping an inefficient gas appliance for a cleaner, more affordable one will hurt low- and moderate-income families the most, the very people these programs were designed to help,” she added. The measure was originally passed under the Biden administration’s signature climate and tax policy bill. The bill put nearly $9 billion toward home energy efficiency and electrification assistance programs. That’s split between two programs, including the $4.5 billion High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate program impacted by the guidance. A spokesperson for the Energy Department said in an email that the program “has a new focus that will ensure homeowners achieve long-term energy savings through insulating and sealing their homes prior to installing new heating and cooling systems.” “This provision will help to ensure that taxpayers’ utility bills will reliably go down with the purchase of new heating and cooling equipment and lessen the chance of new systems failing,” the spokesperson said.

Trump plans $700 million to build coal plants, export site - President Donald Trump is preparing to use Cold War-era authorities to dole hundreds of millions of federal dollars to support coal-fired electricity as well as US exports of the fossil fuel. Trump is expected to announce he’s delivering much of the funding for US coal plants and an American export terminal under the 1950 Defense Production Act during an Oval Office event Thursday, according to a White House official who asked for anonymity because the plan isn’t yet public. Lawmakers and governors from coal-rich states, including Wyoming and West Virginia, have been invited to the White House for the session. The president’s public schedule for Thursday includes a 3 p.m. announcement “on Beautiful, Clean Coal.”Trump’s planned initiative is set to include the distribution of $425 million in DPA funds to 13 existing coal plants and $185 million in separate Energy Department grants to help build two more in Alaska and West Virginia. Another $75 million also would be made available under the Defense Production Act for the proposed West Gateway export terminal in Oakland, California, opening a new avenue to ship potentially 12 million tons of coal from Wyoming, Montana and other states outside the western US.Beneficiaries of the planned funding are set to include the long-planned Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal in California, as well as utilities Duke Energy Corp., Hallador Energy Co., Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. and at least one subsidiary of American Electric Power Company Inc.. The planned funding marks the latest efforts by Trump to revive fortunes for coal mined in the US as well as electricity made from it. During his second term in the White House, he has relentlessly championed an American energy dominance agenda that’s rooted in producing, using and exporting more of the nation’s oil, gas and coal reserves.Under Trump, the US Energy Department has issued emergency orders directing coal plants to keep producing power past planned closing dates, arguing the continued operations were necessary to buttress the reliability of the nation’s electric grid. The Interior Department has also moved to open more federal land for coal leasing in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. And Trump has directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to enter into agreements to purchase electricity from coal plants to power military operations.  Environmentalists who’ve criticized the Trump administration moves insist the US is wrongly using taxpayer dollars to prolong the country’s reliance on fossil fuels that generate planet-warming pollution and drive climate change — instead of supporting emission-free alternatives they say are more cost effective. Conservationists also have fought nearly two decades of plans for an export terminal in California, arguing it would sustain the world’s demand for fossil fuels while also polluting local communities, as coal dust filters off uncovered rail cars that would supply the site.  “What’s next — a taxpayer bailout to build new phone booths?” asked Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Propping up coal billionaires with taxpayer money is one more way for the Trump administration to put polluters first and put the rest of us at risk. The best thing for the air, the climate and our utility bills is to let these plants retire peacefully.”Trump frequently extols “clean, beautiful coal,” and he’s argued that electricity from coal is necessary to feed the country’s emerging artificial intelligence sector and its growing demand for energy-hungry computing power. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has cast winning the AI race as a national security imperative and coal power as an essential ingredient.Coal plants set to receive $425 million in Defense Production Act funding include sites in West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Wisconsin, the White House official said. Although full details of the planned funding weren’t immediately available, the money could be used to support upgrades at the sites, the official added. Trump has moved more aggressively to seize authorities under the Defense Production Act, a law initially used by President Harry Truman to increase steel production during the Korean War. The statute previously has been invoked to accelerate production of face masks during the coronavirus pandemic, support US solar power deployment and expand supplies of baby formula during a national shortage. But Trump has increasingly used the law to support domestic energy priorities, including restarting oil production off California’s coast. Trump also is set to announce the award of an additional $185 million in Energy Department grant funding to help build the two coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia, as well as restart the AES Warrior Run generating station near Cumberland, Maryland. The potential new plants — which could become the first of their kind built in the US since 2013 — are being pursued by Terra Energy Center Corp. in Alaska and TerraPurus Inc. in Mount Storm, West Virginia, the White House official said.

EPA rips up Obama-era deal to shutter Wyoming coal plant - The Trump administration on Thursday proposed freeing a Wyoming coal plant from a 12-year-old agreement to shut down by the end of 2027. EPA’s proposal — part of a swath of investments and other actions supporting the coal sector announced in the Oval Office — also won’t require the plant to install the pollution controls it avoided by agreeing to close the plant in 2027.“The Obama administration had one goal, to kill coal and lecture coal miners that their only option was to learn to code,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. “If finalized, EPA’s proposal would save the plant, maintain regional haze requirements, and ensure Wyoming’s economy can boom.” At issue is a 2014 federal plan covering Wyoming under the regional haze rule, which aims to reduce pollution that harms visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.

Trump administration to rejoin offshore drilling agencies separated after 2010 Gulf oil spill –   The Trump administration said Friday it is combining two agencies that were separated in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The Interior Department said the overhaul would increase efficiency and speed up permitting for offshore oil and gas drilling.The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring together the functions of the current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Doing so will enable a “streamlined approach” that will maintain existing regulatory protections and rigorous safety standards, he said.The combined agency will “deliver clearer coordination, better service to the public and stronger, more integrated oversight of offshore energy development,” Burgum said in a statement.The new name is reminiscent of the old Minerals Management Service, which for decades was the federal agency responsible for overseeing offshore drilling. In April 2010, a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people and discharging nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the sea over the next three months in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.Lawmakers from both parties and outside critics accused the agency of lax oversight of drilling and cozy ties with industry. A 2008 report by the Interior Department’s inspector general said employees accepted gifts, steered contracts to favored clients and engaged in drug use and sex with employees of the energy firms they regulated.The head of the agency resigned in May 2010 — less than a year into her tenure — under public pressure as the Obama administration moved to impose stricter control over drilling in the wake of the spill.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement replaced the disbanded Minerals Management Service in 2011. The former agency’s revenue management function was also separated into a new office. The Obama administration said the reorganization was designed to remove the complex and sometimes conflicting missions of the former agency.BOEM oversees development of oil and gas, as well as renewable energy and mining on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, while BSEE enforces safety and environmental regulations.Environmental groups slammed the reorganization as a replay of the agency's troubled past.The MMS was intentionally split up after the Gulf spill because regulators were too cozy with industry and “we couldn’t trust the integrity of their work,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity.The new set-up "sounds like yet another handout to the oil industry that will fast-track risky projects. It sure won’t make the people or wildlife on our coasts any safer,” she wrote in an e-mail Friday.The National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore developers, said that two separate — yet overlapping — government agencies responsible for administering the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act can understandably result in inconsistencies and delays.“Bringing them back together should result in closer coordination and a more efficiently functioning government, for the benefit of American citizens who rely upon the energy produced from the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to fuel our economy and lift society,” Association President Erik Milito said in a statement.

Republicans reject renewable energy, data center amendments to Interior-EPA bill -  The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a spending bill to fund environmental and public lands programs across the federal government.The panel voted 35-27 along party lines to advance its fiscal 2027 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill. House Republicans authored the legislation as a marker for future negotiations. The Senate has yet to release its version.The markup was tense at times, with Democrats moving to block projects backed by President Donald Trump. They also wanted to push the administration on renewable energy permits.Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) offered an amendment for “all-of-the-above energy permitting” at the Interior Department. The administration has put solar and wind projects through new scrutiny.

Dems want clean energy tax credits back. Some companies say don’t bother. - Democratic leaders have pledged to restore wind and solar tax credits if they regain control of Congress and the White House, but some renewable energy developers say the industry may no longer need — or even want — the subsidies. Republicans last year accelerated the phase-out of investment and production credits that Democrats supercharged in their 2022 climate law within the Inflation Reduction Act. The credits’ return is now central to the Democrats’ comeback plan. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said reinstating the incentives will be “one of the very first things I will do when we retake the majority.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has made a similar vow. Even some moderate Republicans have expressed support. But as the wind and solar credits begin to go away, some developers wonder whether continuing to pursue the incentives is necessary or politically wise. “We’re at a point now where the tax credits have done a great job of launching the industry, but they do need to be phased out, because we’re a mature industry now,” said Ty Daul, CEO of Primergy Solar, a major U.S. utility-scale developer. Daul said a “large percentage” of industry players agree, arguing that renewables are now mature and cost-competitive. He and others also point to the complexity of managing the credits as a reason from moving away. “I don’t know if there’s another country that uses tax credits instead of other sorts of feed-in tariffs, but I’d love to see this country move off of tax credits,” said Frank Burkhartsmeyer, CEO of battery company GridStor, during a forum hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy. “I don’t find it a particularly convenient way to finance industrial policy.” Not all renewable energy developers are on the same page. Kevin Smith, CEO of Cypress Creek Energy, which focuses on solar and storage projects, sees credits as an affordability policy. “Do we need the tax credits to stay competitive? No, we don’t,” said Smith. “Do [lawmakers] want to take away tax credits and raise everybody’s electricity bills? Doesn’t seem like a great idea to me. So it’s really an affordability issue on tax credits.” The debate is beginning to spill onto Capitol Hill, where some Democrats are questioning whether restoring wind and solar tax benefits should be a top policy priority. When asked whether Democrats would fight to bring back the incentives, Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said “stay tuned.” He said political capital could be better spent on harder-to-decarbonize sectors that have low clean energy penetration, like transportation and heavy industry, instead of wind and solar projects that are already being added at record levels to the grid. “I think something like 94 percent of all power additions were wind, solar and batteries,” Heinrich said. “We need to decarbonize transportation and the industry, and so it may be that incentives or tax credits or something else [for those sectors] might be a better use of those dollars.”

Whiff of bipartisan possibility after hearing on Clean Air Act bills - -- There were brief hints of potential bipartisan compromise at a Wednesday House hearing on Clean Air Act rules, even as most lawmakers stuck to their usual scripts.It was unclear whether the overtures made by Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) would lead to the substantive Democratic support needed to move most of the GOP bills past the Senate filibuster.But his tentative outreach across the aisle stands out at a time when Republicans and Democrats are almost always at loggerheads on air regulations — including most of the attendees at Wednesday’s Energy and Commerce hearing.“I’m somewhat offended that you would think that we don’t want clean air,” Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) said at the Environment Subcommittee hearing. “We all want clean air, but we want to be smart about this, and we want to have policies in fact in place that apply to today and are applicable to today.”

   John Thune calls on White House to ditch $1.8B anti-weaponization fund -Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters at the Capitol on Monday that his preference would be that the White House shut down the proposed $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund if Congress is to pass a budget reconciliation package anytime soon. “I made my views very clear on the issue,” Thune said. Asked if he would prefer the administration abandon the proposed fund to compensate people who were prosecuted by the Biden-era Justice Department, Thune nodded yes. “I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves,” he added. A $72 billion budget reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through 2029 stalled in the Senate before the Memorial Day recess after GOP senators balked at voting on the package without a clear plan about how to handle the administration’s controversial anti-weaponization fund. Thune said he spoke to White House officials last week and made his views “clear on the subject.” “The best way to get the reconciliation bill moving and across the finish line is to confine it to the issues that we were addressing in the initial bill, which was [Customs and Border Protection] and ICE and funding it for the next three years, through the end of the Trump administration,” Thune said. The Senate GOP leader said if the Trump administration shuts down the controversial anti-weaponization fund, the reconciliation bill has a good chance of passing the Senate and House. “If the administration effectively shuts it down, makes that very, very clear, then that to me should answer the question,” he said, indicating that if the administration abandons the fund, Republicans would be able to fend off Democratic amendments related to the issue. He also predicted that a budget reconciliation bill without funding for the White House ballroom and without potential amendments related to the anti-weaponization fund would have a good chance of reaching the president’s desk. He said if the anti-weaponization fund is scuttled, the package could come to the Senate floor later this week. “I think the House, if it’s confined to the issues that we addressed in the budget resolution, then I feel good about the House moving it,’ he said. “The best way … to get it done, is to get back to where we were originally and that was a targeted, clean, focused, narrow bill that addresses specifically those homeland security issues and through the end of the administration.” Thune added that if the administration makes it clear that they won’t try to re-establish the compensation fund after the reconciliation package is signed into law, “that would be the ideal outcome.”

Trump administration to end $1.8B anti-weaponization fund - The Trump administration will scrap its nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund amid pushback from GOP members of Congress and a lingering court battle demanding an explanation for the arrangement. The move comes after a federal judge in Florida on Friday reopened Trump’s case against the IRS, whose settlement served as the basis for creating the $1.776 billion fund. In doing so, the judge ordered President Trump and the Justice Department to file briefs to explain “charges of collusion and whether the Parties are truly adverse.” In a separate case, another federal judge in Virginia on Friday also temporarily halted the fund from making any payouts. The White House on Monday referred comment to the Justice Department, which referred to the Virginia-based ruling, saying it “strongly disagreed” but would respect the decision. “The Court stated that, under no circumstances, may the Department of Justice proceed with the Anti-Weaponization Fund recently established in order to make up for the tremendous abuse, harm, and hate unfairly shown to so many people,” DOJ said in a statement. “This Fund was open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise. The Department will abide by the Court’s ruling.” That’s a different tune than the one struck by DOJ on Friday, when it said it would “not allow the policy preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to victims of lawfare.” Axios first reported the administration plans to drop the fund. Tensions were also rising in the Capitol, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Monday he hoped the administration would move to shut down the fund. “I made my views very clear on the issue,” Thune told reporters. “I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves.” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met with Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss the fund, which has sparked backlash among Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. The fund also sparked outrage from Democrats as well. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) threatened to launch a coordinated effort this week to kill what he referred to as “the slush fund.” Neither the White House nor the Justice Department took formal action to close the fund, prompting some litigants to say their cases would continue until they’d be informed in writing. It’s unclear if Trump might seek to revive the fund in discussions with lawmakers. The fund sparked concern on and off the Hill that it would be used to funnel money to Trump allies, including those who were convicted in relation to storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Republicans see path forward on reconciliation after administration backs down on anti-weaponization fund - Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other GOP senators see a path for passing the stalled budget reconciliation package funding immigration enforcement operations through Congress after the Trump administration on Monday backed down from a proposal to establish a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for MAGA allies. Thune on Monday called on the White House to abandon the proposal to establish what some GOP critics have called a “slush fund.” Shortly after, the Justice Department announced it would abide by a federal court decision temporarily blocking the administration from setting up the fund pending further litigation. The result is that Republican leaders in both chambers now feel confident they can pass the $72 billion budget reconciliation package as long as it remains narrowly focused on funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through 2029. The package will not include funding for security upgrades to President Trump’s proposed 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, which had also generated strong pushback from several Senate Republicans. “The best way to get the reconciliation bill moving and across the finish line is to confine it to the issues that we were addressing in the initial bill, which was CBP and ICE and funding it for the next three years, through the end of the Trump administration,” Thune said, referring to Customs and Border Protection, which includes Border Patrol. Thune said he feels confident that a package squarely focused on funding immigration enforcement, which was the original purpose of the reconciliation bill, could also pass the House, where Republicans can only afford to lose two votes on the package. “If it’s confined to the issues that we addressed in the budget resolution, then I feel good about the House moving it,” he said. “The best way … to get it done, is to get back to where we were originally and that was a targeted, clean, focused, narrow bill that addresses specifically those Homeland Security issues and through the end of the administration.” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met with Trump Monday morning to discuss the anti-weaponization fund. The fund had become tied up in the reconciliation bill before the Memorial Day recess because of blowback from GOP lawmakers who feared it would pay out claims to people convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Some wanted to include language placing guardrails on any such fund. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tried to assure Republican senators during a heated meeting on May 21 that the fund would not pay claims to people who attacked police officers but those efforts fell flat as nearly half the Senate GOP conference vented their frustrations with Blanche in what one senator described as a “screaming fest.” The White House on Monday referred reporters to a statement from the Justice Department indicating that the administration would abandon the proposed anti-weaponization fund, at least for now. The Justice Department announced that it would abide by a decision by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocking the administration from setting up the fund until June 12 to give the court more time to consider a lawsuit by plaintiffs asking for a restraining order against the fund. “The Court stated that, under no circumstances, may the Department of Justice proceed with the Anti-Weaponization Fund recently established in order to make up for the tremendous abuse, harm, and hate unfairly shown to so many people,” the Justice Department said in its statement. “This Fund was open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise. The Department will abide by the Court’s ruling,” the department said.

Trump tells CNN he doesn’t know if $1.8 billion fund is dead, calling it ‘a beautiful thing’ -- President Donald Trump declined to commit to permanently scrapping a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund on Wednesday, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins he still considered the controversial initiative “a beautiful thing” The comments inject fresh uncertainty into the Senate’s effort to pass $70 billion in new immigration enforcement funding. But Senate GOP leaders are powering ahead with plans to pass that funding — despite the remaining sharp disagreements in the party over how to handle the controversial settlement fund. Success is not yet guaranteed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and his team are still working to quell internal GOP tensions over Trump’s push for the fund, which was created to compensate people who claim they were victimized by the government. The administration has sought to convince Congress that the fund is dead, with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche telling lawmakers on Tuesday that it’s “not moving forward with the fund, period.” Trump, though, has been far less clear, defending the fund on Wednesday and refusing to commit to scrapping it permanently. “I’d have to ask the lawyers, I don’t know,” he told CNN on whether the fund is fully dead or just on hold. “As far as I’m concerned, it was a beautiful thing.” Trump had earlier seemed to downplay his administration dropping the fund, saying only that “a court ruled against it” in a podcast interview with the New York Post that was taped Tuesday and released Wednesday. And there’s another major headache for Trump in the immigration enforcement funding bill: Senate Republicans formally stripped out nearly $1 billion in security funds, including for his East Wing ballroom project, in the latest version of the legislative text released Wednesday. Even with questions remaining over the status of the “anti-weaponization” fund, Senate GOP leaders plan to soon kick off a marathon voting session to pass that massive pot of immigration enforcement funding. Those votes are expected to begin early Thursday morning, likely lasting all day and into the evening. The Senate already voted along party lines, 53 to 46, to take a first step to advance the package of ICE and border patrol funds, which GOP leaders aim to get to Trump’s desk this week. That immigration enforcement funding bill — which some Republicans predict will be Trump’s last major legislative victory before the midterms — has been stalled for weeks by the ongoing GOP rebellion over the “anti-weaponization” fund. And GOP leaders are still looking to defuse a potential revolt by a small gang of Republicans who have concerns about backing it without explicitly killing the fund in writing. GOP leaders are not yet sure how many of those Republican defectors would back an amendment by Sen. Thom Tillis to formally nix the fund –– language that could jeopardize the rest of the measure. Tillis said Wednesday that he “100%” supports eliminating Trump’s fund through legislation and plans to introduce his own amendment to do so. “I think even DOJ knows that this was a bad idea, and what we need to do is provide finality,” the North Carolina Republican said. “I’ve made it very clear what I intend to do.” Another GOP skeptic, Sen. John Curtis of Utah, told CNN that he is “certainly” interested in trying to make sure the fund is fully eliminated in the bill and said he’s in talks with Senate officials about how to do so. Asked if he’s concerned whether Trump could still compensate January 6, 2021, rioters even if the fund is nixed, Curtis said: “Who wouldn’t, right?” That January 6 focus has frustrated some Trump allies who were targeted in earlier federal investigations into Russian election meddling and Trump and Ukraine. Those allies argued that the original idea for the fund was primarily to aid low-level staffers and others in Trump’s orbit who were caught up in those earlier investigations and forced to pay hefty legal fees, according to two sources familiar with the discussions about the fund. Instead, initial coverage of the fund was quickly overtaken by January 6 rioters’ vows to seek taxpayer-funded compensation — and Trump officials’ subsequent refusals to disqualify those who assaulted Capitol police officers from seeking paydays. That likely contributed significantly to backlash on the Hill, where many lawmakers are not eager to see January 6 defendants compensated. Sen. Bill Cassidy, another Republican who’s been vocal about his anger over the fund, suggested he supports Tillis’ push. “I want to make sure it’s not mostly dead, that it is truly dead,” Cassidy said. Senate GOP leaders, including Thune, have not said how they would handle a potential Tillis amendment, if he chooses to offer it during the marathon voting session — and if it passes procedural muster.

Trump could also tear down the Statue of Liberty, DOJ argues in defense of White House ballroom --A federal appeals court panel expressed skepticism Friday about the Trump administration's view that courts are powerless to stop the construction of the White House ballroom now that the East Wing had been demolished. Two members of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit repeatedly pressed administration lawyers about its argument that President Donald Trump's pet project — now well underway — could not be stopped by the courts even if it was found to be illegal, because it was too far along and involved significant national security interests. "When did it become a fait accompli?" Judge Patricia Millett asked. "If this were complete lawlessness by the government … it couldn't be stopped?" "On these theories, I think that's right," replied Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department attorney. The watchdog report highlights possible conflicts as legal and political battles continue over the $400 million White House ballroom project. The White House denies wrongdoing, calling the contracts 'fake conflicts of interest.' Millett, an Obama appointee, peppered Roth with questions about the extent of the Trump administration's view of its power to "move fast and break things" without being subject to legal challenge. "If the government decides, very quickly, to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty — the people whose ancestors that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the government moved too fast — nothing can be done?" the judge asked. "I think that's right, yes," Roth responded. A federal judge in March halted construction on the ballroom during the legal battle, but the D.C. Circuit quickly paused the ruling, allowing construction to continue while the litigation is ongoing. The Friday exchange underscored the Trump administration's full-throttle effort to defend Trump's massive reconstruction project, which the president has made clear is a personal priority, along with other aesthetic and architectural ambitions he has across Washington. Millett was joined in her skepticism by Judge Bradley Garcia, a Biden appointee. Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, questioned whether the plaintiff in the lawsuit, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, had a basis to sue in the first place, especially when set against Trump's claim that the ballroom would serve as a critical national security bulwark in addition to an event space. Roth told the panel that the Trust's "aesthetic" concerns about the White House must take a back seat to the security issues at stake. "The balance of harms and public interest are so lopsided in favor of this project," Roth said. "It's an architectural preference on one hand and the safety and security of the president of the United States on the other hand." Roth also asserted that it would be overreach for the courts to take any steps to halt the ballroom project at its outset or now, even if it was clearly illegal under federal law. Rather, he said, if a court found the project illegal, the only remedy would lie with Congress. "Congress can figure out how to deal with that, given the fact that we have these national security imperatives," Roth said. "It's well along. They've installed like 3 million pounds of steel rebar. … Congress would be the appropriate entity to decide: How do we balance these considerations at this juncture?" The National Trust's lawsuit argues that the White House grounds, a designated national park, cannot be updated without congressional approval. The park, like Yellowstone, they contend, can't simply be repurposed at the whims of the administration. "They just don't want to go to Congress," the trust's attorney, Tad Heuer said, stressing that, under the Constitution, "Congress controls federal property." While other, more modest changes at the White House, such as the installation of tennis courts and a pool, may well have been unauthorized, they were never challenged in court, Heuer said. But the ballroom, which required the demolition of the White House's entire East Wing, is of a different scale.  Trump has repeatedly ridiculed the lawsuit over the project, asserting in a social media post that it was "brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit." In fact, the National Trust has claimed standing through Alison Hoagland, a historian and retired professor who has volunteered on various preservation boards and regularly visits the area.Hoagland's court declaration says nothing about a dog.

Donald Trump says 'cancel' concert for America's 250th birthday - President Trump on Saturday called for the cancellation of the concert celebrating America’s 250th birthday after multiple artists withdrew from performing at the upcoming Great American State Fair on the National Mall. Trump wrote on Truth Social that there should be “a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain.”“Cancel it, just like I canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in Kennedy Center, because a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge, said that I should not be allowed to spend my time and money in order to MAKE THE CENTER GREAT AGAIN, actually, far greater than it ever was before!” the president added. Trump also lamented a federal judge’s ruling on Friday over the president’s renaming of the Kennedy Center, which called for Trump’s name to be removed from the center in 14 days. The president had previously blasted the judge’s ruling, calling the U.S. court system “rigged.” “So now, the Kennedy Center will collapse, both structurally and financially. … Judge Cooper, like numerous other Crooked Judges on my cases, should be IMPEACHED,” Trump wrote, referring to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who made the ruling. Trump says he had a productive call with Netanyahu about Lebanon Several artists have withdrawn from performing at the June 25 celebration, stating that they signed on to perform at a nonpartisan event. Country singer Martina McBride said she “was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states.” “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” Young MC wrote in a Facebook post. “And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as ‘Trump-backed.’ I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.” Trump lambasted the artists who pulled out of performing as “Third Rate ‘Artists,'” and said he will deliver a “major speech” instead. He added that he directed his representatives “to look at the feasibility of doing an AMERICA IS BACK Rally on Wednesday, Washington, D.C., same time, same location.” Trump wants heads to roll after Freedom 250 concerts collapse -- A White House-backed concert series imploded within hours of the lineup being announced. Days later, Donald Trump was threatening to headline the events himself or cancel the whole thing outright. His administration’s Freedom 250 project boasted “star-studded entertainment” from “legendary” artists. But by the end of the week, the president was calling them “overpriced singers” who perform “boring” music that “nobody wants to hear.” The bizarre and very public collapse of a high-profile, publicly funded concert series to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary has left just four acts standing over 16 nights — raising questions about how they were even booked in the first place.Freedom 250 — which is funded through a public-private partnership with support from Trump-aligned tech firms Palantir and Oracle and federal contractors Deloitte and Lockheed Martin, among others — was already facing scrutiny from watchdog groups and members of Congress over the use of federal dollars for Trump-aligned events.. Trump has long wanted a splashy event and even splashier Washington, D.C. for this year’s Fourth of July. Instead, what he’s getting looks more and more like it will only be a souped-up version of one of the countless MAGA rallies — with a “Jock Jams” soundtrack. After Freedom 250 announced headliners for the Great American State Fair on the National Mall this summer, the lineup fell apart almost immediately. At least five artists canceled their appearance over the event’s MAGA-coded political overtones of what had been pitched as a nonpartisan event. The president exploded at aides over the cancellation fiasco and wants heads to roll over the embarrassing failure, according to a person familiar with the situation. Bands started dropping out shortly after Freedom 250 issued a press release last week. “Contrary to Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing At The ‘Great American State Fair,’” the band announced on Facebook. Young MC said the artists “were never told about any political involvement with the event” when they were booked. “I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,” country singer Martina McBide said in a statement on social media. Poison frontman Bret Michaels, a past winner of The Celebrity Apprentice, said he was similarly deceived. “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of,” he wrote. Among the last-standing acts is a group advertised as Milli Vanilli, the infamous lip-syncing pop duo. The duo’s sole surviving member, Fab Morvan, gained the rights to the Milli Vanilli name and continues to book performances without involvement of the backing musicians who actually sang on the group’s records. Representatives for Morvan did not return The Independent’s request for comment. But one of the singers whose voice was used at the height of the group’s fame, Jodie Rocco, told The Independent that Morvan’s project has absolutely nothing to do with the work she and her twin sister did for Milli Vanilli decades ago. “Our name and music are being used to promote an acoustic/alternative repertoire that is NOT Milli Vanilli, but instead, Fab Morvan creating his idea/thing with musicians and vocalists that had nothing to do with us,” she said. “We have no problem with that, except that it’s NOT Milli Vanilli and it shouldn’t be called ‘Milli Vanilli’. His social media status states ‘X MilliVanilli member’, yet he keeps using the name while performing altered, ‘covers’ of our songs,” Rocco said. “It’s immaterial whether he has the ‘rights’ or not.” Rocco added that the “real” artists behind Milli Vanilli “would have performed our hit songs with pleasure” had they been asked to appear. Another group billed as C&C Music Factory, the dance group best known for “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” is also on the bill. Freedom Williams, a rapper who owns the right to use the group’s name, appeared frustrated by fans looking to “cancel” him over his involvement in a video posted to Instagram in which he stressed that he “doesn’t f*** with Trump.” “The day I let you motherf***ers tell me what to do is the day I die,” he said in the video.

Trump says 'maybe we'll never ever' take down UFC arena on White House lawn (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he might keep the Ultimate Fighting Championship cage-fighting arena being built on the lawn of the White House as a permanent fixture. The Republican compared the structure, which is being built for a night ‌of cage fighting to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence -- on Trump's 80th birthday -- to France's Eiffel Tower which was supposed to have been dismantled 20 years after it was built in 1889. "We're building something in front of the White House that's quite attractive to a lot of people," said a smiling Trump in a TikTok video on Tuesday. "It's gonna have the big UFC fight on June 14 ... maybe we'll never ever take it down." It is unclear whether Trump, who has gained a reputation for breaking White House norms, was teasing a plan that's under consideration or simply joking on the short video platform, which is popular among younger people. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The UFC event, which is expected to be attended by over 4,000 people, will be part of a series of events in Washington, D.C., for the U.S.' semiquincentennial. Many of those spectators are expected to be military personnel. Four pieces of giant metal scaffolding now rise in front of the White House, looming over the Truman Balcony, a columned terrace overlooking the South Lawn. Video screens will be suspended from them.

National Park Service can't revoke DC protest permit over '86 47' flag, judge says - A federal judge temporarily blocked the National Park Service (NPS) on Monday from revoking a permit for a 24/7 anti-Trump protest in the nation’s capital over the display of an “86 47” flag.The Secret Service regards the statement as a potential call for violence against President Trump, and court documents show federal officers ordered the flag be taken down last week after a shooting outside the White House. The protest is taking place roughly one mile away on NPS land.“The government seeks to squelch core political speech without any articulable — much less evidentiary — basis for concluding that the speech actually threatens the life or safety of the President,” U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss wrote in his 21-page opinion. “On the current record, Defendants have offered no basis to doubt that Plaintiff is engaged in fully protected First Amendment activity,” he continued.  NPS and the protestors are also sparring over their signs and whether they amount to unprotected obscenity, but Moss hasn’t ruled on that battle yet. In the meantime, the judge blocked NPS from citing the flag to revoke the demonstration permit during the next two weeks.

Republicans revolt against Trump again with SAVE Act vote, spark MAGA fury --Four Senate Republicans broke ranks on Thursday to thwart an effort to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election overhaul. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, and Thom Tillis joined the Democrats to strike down an effort to attach the bill to the nearly $70 billion package geared toward funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. It was yet another blow to the Trump-backed election package, which has been stalled in the Senate for months after the House passed a version of it in February on a near party-line vote. If passed, the legislation would have required voters to show proof of identity, such as a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote—and it would have taken effect immediately. The same four Republican senators thwarted the first attempt in April, which was sponsored by Senator John Kennedy. Their opposition and fundamental rebellion to President Donald Trump’s wish to pass the bill as a priority has angered some in the MAGA movement who have accused them of betraying the party. “It is beyond EMBARRASSING that ‘Republicans’ continue to block the SAVE America Act,” Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, a fellow Republican, wrote on X on Thursday. The four senators voting against the bill “have not only betrayed their constituents—they are ACCOMPLICES in Democrats’ “Illegals First” agenda. The people of North Carolina, Alaska, Kentucky, and Maine deserve better.” MAGA commentator David J. Freeman, also known as Gunther Eagleman on social media, said the four senators’ vote was “unbelievable.” He shared a post on X on Thursday which said that “voting against the Save America Act is treason against the American people,” adding: “It’s true.” Tillis has been one of the most vocal opponents of the SAVE America Act within the GOP ranks, saying in March that he was “going to do everything I can to prevent it from even moving forward.”He argued that if fellow Republicans were “serious” about voter ID, they should have considered legislation incentivizing states to use the practice in exchange for federal funding. Otherwise, that money would have gone toward ensuring “election integrity” oversight.“Who could be against that? You know, and then rock on, California, if you want to enable ballot harvesting,” Tillis said, as reported by Fox News. “Make sure you do it on your nickels, because we’re going to spend the money to oversee the elections to make sure you did it legally.”McConnell, who leads the Senate Rules Committee, wrote in the Wall Street Journal last year that the SAVE America Act would have given a future president and Congress the ability to “use more sweeping mandates to carry out a complete federal takeover of American elections,” arguing it would have been a “voting gift” to DemocraMurkowski has repeatedly said she does not support efforts to “have federalized elections,” which she said is what the bill, as written, would have done, and argued that the reform wanted by the president was unconstitutional.  “Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska,” she said in February. Collins has previously expressed support for the SAVE America Act, saying that U.S. law is “clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections.” But in February, she also said that “requiring voters to produce passports or birth certificates on election day… would have placed an unnecessary burden on the voters.”

Kash Patel girlfriend alleges MS Now defamed her -Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI director Kash Patel filed a lawsuit this week against MS Now, arguing the outlet defamed her with a report it published last year alleging Patel directed a security detail to escort one of her friends home after a night of drinking.The report, published in December by MS Now journalist Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian, claimed Patel told the security detail protecting Wilkins to “escort one of her allegedly inebriated friends home after a night of partying in Nashville.” The MS Now story cited multiple anonymous sources.A spokesperson for the FBI denied the reporting at the time saying “this is made up and did not happen.”As part of her lawsuit, Wilkins, who is also a country music singer, wrote that journalists and the public are “free to comment on the leadership of the FBI and its allocation of resources, whether positively or negatively. They are not, however, entitled to lie about it.”“This was hogwash and they knew it,” her suit reads. “Journalists cannot avoid accountability by hiding behind fabricated ‘anonymous’ sources. This lawsuit seeks to bring accountability for Defendants’ egregious lies.” In a statement to The Hill, MS Now President Rebecca Kutler said “we stand firmly behind MS NOW’s reporting. As a general matter of practice, we don’t comment on ongoing legal matters.”

New York Democrats Move To Redraw Congressional Maps - New York Democrats are moving to give state lawmakers the power to redraw the state’s congressional maps, entering the national fight over control of the U.S. House. The proposed constitutional amendment would allow lawmakers to draw district lines themselves and redraw them mid-decade. It had not been formally filed as of Tuesday morning, but The Epoch Times has reviewed a memo describing the proposed changes. The proposed amendment would change New York’s redistricting system in several ways. According to the memo, state lawmakers could draw the maps themselves if the state’s independent redistricting commission fails to agree on a plan, and could approve maps with a simple majority vote rather than the larger vote the constitution now requires. Court fights over the maps would go back to the Legislature, rather than to a court-appointed expert known as a special master. And lawmakers could redraw congressional districts between the once-a-decade census counts. The memo also lists new rules for how maps must be drawn. They would still bar maps that weaken the voting power of racial or language minorities and would still require districts to be equal in population and connected. The list does not include the constitution’s current ban on drawing districts “for the purpose of favoring or disfavoring incumbents or other particular candidates or political parties.” New York voters created the independent commission in 2014, approving a constitutional amendment meant to take map-drawing out of politicians’ hands. The system encountered issues the last time it was used. After the commission deadlocked, Democrats in the Legislature drew their own maps. In 2022, the state’s highest court threw them out, ruling they were an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander, and a special master drew the lines instead. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins defended the plan in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Tuesday, June 2. “New York cannot afford to stand still,” she said. “We cannot ignore the reality that Republicans have repeatedly sought to undermine democracy through various attempts to gain political advantage. At a time when democracy is under attack across the country, we have a responsibility to protect all voters including the minority communities and ensure that every New Yorker continues to have a voice. This legislation remains firmly rooted in the democratic process, giving New Yorkers themselves the final say at the ballot box.”

Hackers more focused on misleading voters than ballot tampering: Report -Hackers and foreign influence operators are increasingly turning to misinformation campaigns to confuse and mislead voters rather than tampering with voting machines and ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, a new cybersecurity report found. The report, published Monday by cybersecurity firm Check Point Software, said attempts at phishing, impersonation and misinformation activity will be most prevalent this election cycle, targeting election-related systems and services. These risks, also seen in at least the past two election cycles, are amplified by artificial intelligence, giving malicious actors cheaper, broader and faster deception methods according to researchers. This has led to an increase of altered videos or audio and deceptive pictures populating online, along with more targeted phishing attempts. “The current threat environment favors operations that are inexpensive, scalable, and capable of producing outsize political or psychological impact,” the report states, adding these campaigns can “create confusion, reputational harm, and operational disruption without requiring direct compromise of core election infrastructure.” Aaron Rose, security architect manager for Check Point, called it an “attack on the mind,” in a recent interview with The Hill. “If you are able to confuse 10,000 people in a swing county or swing state, that alone could change the outcome of the election,” Rose said, “because you’ve confused them about voting locations or who the options are.” These operations are similar to what Check Point observed in the 2024 election. Rose explained going after voting machines, ballot boxes or the counting infrastructure is “heavily technical,” prompting the focus on misinformation. Instead, hackers will target services used for election-related activities, like fundraising or donor websites, communications channels and public information and government platforms, the report states. Third-party services, like e-mail, are also impacted through phishing messages and impersonations of legitimate services. These processes are especially effective given the deep political divides the U.S. currently faces. “Everybody’s politically charged when they see information that either makes them angry or 100 percent aligns with their views, they just instantly hit that repost and don’t know if it’s a valid source or not,” Rose said. Some attempts have already showed success for hackers. According to Check Point, this was a broader, user-level exposure, rather than confirming a breach of the ActBlue platform or specific third-party service. About 6,500 donor credentials for GOP fundraising platform WinRed were also leaked. While hackers may not do much with usernames and passwords, Rose emphasized the information can be used later to target donors. For example, a donor could receive an email listing their past donations with dates but get asked to resubmit credit card information due to a fake payment error, Rose said. “When you add AI into the mix and the fact that we all overshare way too much on social media platforms, they can learn so much about you,” Rose said.

Russia's military hackers targeted home routers across 23 states. Here's what to do -- For years, a unit of Russia's military intelligence agency quietly turned ordinary home routers into tools of espionage. The GRU group known as APT28, the same outfit behind the 2016 DNC hack and a string of attacks on NATO targets, exploited unpatched firmware and unchanged default passwords to compromise thousands of devices across 23 US states, redirecting internet traffic through servers under Russian control and harvesting credentials along the way. Federal agents disrupted the operation in April under a court order. What they couldn't do from a distance was fix the underlying vulnerabilities. That requires five steps from you. The attack targeted small-office/home-office routers, also known as SOHO routers, and was carried out by a unit in the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU. Government agencies are urging people to follow basic router hygiene steps, such as updating to the latest firmware and changing default login credentials. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre includes a number of TP-Link routers specifically targeted by the hackers.While that news sounds pretty alarming, it's worth keeping in mind that the attack compromised enterprise routers specifically, so your home Wi-Fi router likely isn't at risk. That said, some of the affected routers can be used as standard home routers, so it's worth checking whether your model was exploited in the attack."There is a big trend of exploiting routers these days, and that goes both for the consumer and enterprise or corporate routers," Daniel Dos Santos, vice president of research at the cybersecurity company Forescout, told CNET.A news release from the NSA notes that the attack indiscriminately targeted a wide pool of routers, with the goal of gathering information on "military, government, and critical infrastructure."This attack is linked to threat actors within the Russian GRU -- which go by APT28, Fancy Bear, Forest Blizzard and other names -- and has been ongoing since at least 2024, according to the FBI. It's known as a Domain Name System hijacking operation, in which DNS requests are intercepted by changing the default network configurations on SOHO routers, allowing the actors to see a user's traffic unencrypted. "For nation-state actors like Forest Blizzard, DNS hijacking enables persistent, passive visibility and reconnaissance at scale," says a Microsoft Threat Intelligence report on the attack.  Microsoft identified more than 200 organizations and 5,000 consumer devices impacted by the GRU's attack. The FBI's announcement refers to one router specifically, the TP-Link TL-WR841N, a Wi-Fi 4 model that was originally released in 2007. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre lists 23 TP-Link models that were targeted, but notes that it is likely not exhaustive.Here is the list of affected devices:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on calls for AI tax, details of her two-cent wealth tax proposal – 19 minutes - Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss details of her proposal for an AI tax, her thoughts on Bill Pulte as acting DNI, Todd Blanche as permanent AG, wealth tax, and more.

Anthropic files with SEC to go public - Anthropic has confidentially filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to go public, the artificial intelligence (AI) company said Monday. The filing tees up what is expected to be a massive initial public offering (IPO) for Anthropic, as it competes with other AI firms looking to make their stock market debut in the coming months. “This gives us the option to go public after the SEC completes its review,” Anthropic said in a press release. “The proposed initial public offering will depend on market conditions and other factors.” The announcement comes on the heels of Anthropic’s latest funding round, which saw the company valued at close to $1 trillion. This pushed the firm’s valuation above rival OpenAI, which was most recently valued at $852 billion. Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX are all preparing for IPOs, as the private AI firms look to tap into public markets for additional funding. The vast computing power needed to continue developing AI requires significant amounts of money, and private investors can only go so far. Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which acquired xAI earlier this year, has already filed for an IPO and is reportedly aiming for a June listing. Notably, Anthropic’s Monday filing beat OpenAI to the punch. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the ChatGPT maker was preparing to file its IPO in the coming days and months. Anthropic, which is known for its Claude model, has had a tumultuous year so far. The company became embroiled in a spat with the Pentagon following a disagreement over AI guardrails in their contract. The Pentagon ultimately blacklisted the company, labeling it a supply chain risk and restricting the ability of defense contractors to work with the firm. Anthropic is currently fighting the designation in court. The company’s latest Mythos model has also proved consequential, sending shockwaves through both Washington and Wall Street. The model’s ability to spot decades-old security flaws has raised concerns that hackers could find and exploit vulnerabilities more quickly. Mythos was initially only released to a limited group of companies and government agencies. However, Anthropic said last week that it plans to “bring Mythos-class models to all our customers in the coming weeks” as it develops new cyber safeguards.

Elon Musk sets SpaceX IPO price in Wall Street message - Companies preparing for an initial public offering normally set a price range, gauge demand on a roadshow, and negotiate a final share price.  SpaceX skipped every step of that process, and the decision reveals how Elon Musk intends to operate as a public company executive. The rocket and satellite company filed an amended prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission, setting a flat price of $135 per share. That number implies a base valuation of roughly $1.75 trillion, according to Reuters, rising to approximately $1.77 trillion if pending transactions close. SpaceX tells Wall Street to take $135 or walk away. Under the traditional IPO playbook, a company sets a preliminary price range to frame valuation expectations and leaves room for adjustments during investor meetings.  SpaceX declared $135 as a fixed number before its roadshow formally began, and the company told its underwriting banks that it would not adjust it, Reuters reported.  The amended filing detailed plans to sell 555.6 million Class A shares, with underwriters holding an option to purchase an additional 83.33 million at the same price. Goldman Sachs leads the underwriting syndicate, followed by Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Securities, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase as additional lead bookrunners, with Barclays and other regional banks rounding out the broader 21-bank syndicate. The Nasdaq debut under ticker SPCX is expected the week of June 12, following investor presentations that began this week, Reuters noted. The fixed-price approach has virtually no precedent among major U.S. offerings, stripping away the demand-testing process that normally protects both buyers and sellers.

AI CEOs Urge Congress to Require DNA Screening for Bioweapons Risks - On June 4, 2026, AI leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei signed a public letter urging Congress to mandate customer and order screening for synthetic DNA and RNA providers. Signatories warned that rapid AI development erodes historical knowledge barriers, potentially allowing bad actors to design dangerous pathogens and sparking global pandemics. Last year, Microsoft researchers demonstrated that AI protein-design tools generated dangerous gene sequences capable of bypassing existing screening software; biosecurity expert David Relman stated, "Given that the screening may fail in some cases, we must then have other points of control." A bipartisan Senate bill introduced earlier this year would transition gene synthesis screening from voluntary industry practice to legal requirement, demanding providers verify "customer legitimacy" and scan for "sequences of concern." While the International Gene Synthesis Consortium established voluntary screening practices in 2009, experts now argue AI labs must implement additional user controls, a position supported by leaders from Meta and Google DeepMind.

Code reveals Meta smart glasses can use 'faceprint' tracking, raising privacy alarms -- Meta has embedded facial recognition code into software used by its smart glasses, according to an investigation by Wired, which was confirmed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Threat Lab on Thursday. Though the feature isn't yet turned on for consumers, it's sitting in the Meta AI smartphone app.  Wired reports that Meta quietly added the facial-recognition components as early as January over multiple updates to its Meta AI companion app -- which has been downloaded more than 50 million times. The feature, under the internal designation "NameTag," would let the Meta smart glasses biometrically identify anyone in view and notify the wearer with information about that person. When the feature is activated, Wired reports, "it will transform faces captured by Meta's glasses into unique biometric signatures, commonly known as faceprints, and check each one against faceprints stored on the user's phone." In other words, NameTag would store biometric face data in an embedded database architecture that can compare new faceprints to existing ones. The database is designed to live on a user's phone but is configured to receive updates from Meta. The EFF says the code was verified through static analysis and argues that Meta is moving ahead with surveillance-capable glasses in a way that normalizes biometric tracking without people's consent. "Despite the billions of reasons not to, Meta seems to have created the capacity to turn their customers into a distributed surveillance machine," EFF's senior staff technologist Cooper Quintin said in its article. "This is just one more reason to think twice before buying or using Meta's surveillance glasses."Earlier this year, The New York Times reported that Meta was working on these types of features but had not officially announced plans to roll them out.At the time, CNET's smart glasses and XR expert Scott Stein wrote about his concerns that "Meta's facial recognition is not an if, it's a when," and that the technology would need "to be handled with extreme measures of control and responsibility." Not long after that, Stein spoke with Meta about its privacy policies for smart glasses and came away "frustrated and uncertain" by a lack of clear guidelines and guardrails.

IBM Announces Five-Year, $10BN Quantum Investment -  IBM is set to invest more than $10 billion in quantum computing over the next five years. According to the company, the investment will cover R&D, capex, manufacturing scaling, ecosystem partnerships, and M&A; areas that IBM says will help accelerate its quantum roadmap beyond 2029, when it expects to deliver the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. The announcement comes two weeks after the US government signed letters of intent with nine quantum computing companies, including IBM. That agreement will see IBM receive $1bn from the Department of Commerce, the largest funding agreement of the nine, to establish a new superconducting quantum foundry subsidiary dubbed Anderon.At the time, IBM said Anderon would be the first pure-play quantum foundry in the US, adding that the company would match the $1bn from the Department of Commerce to fund the initiative. The subsidiary will be headquartered in Albany, New York, and will operate as a standalone company, manufacturing 300mm quantum wafers."The quantum era is no longer ahead of us, it has started. Our clients, partners, and users around the world are tapping into IBM quantum computers to do work that was impossible a few years ago," said Arvind Krishna, chairman and CEO, IBM. "The pace of discovery with quantum computers is accelerating rapidly, and this investment powers our ability to deliver the next generation of quantum hardware, software, and manufacturing."IBM has been at the forefront of the development of quantum processors and, in February 2025, claimed to have booked $1bn in quantum business between Q1 2017 and Q4 2024. In November of that same year, IBM claimed it would achieve quantum advantage by the end of 2026 and is on target to develop a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029.In April of this year, it was reported that IBM was planning to expand its quantum campus in Poughkeepsie, New York. The company has filed to develop a 511,000 sq ft (47,475 sqm) quantum computing facility at its existing campus and will demolish two buildings to establish the new center, which will be used to manufacture and assemble its next-generation Starling quantum systems.

Trump's AI order gives small banks access to new AI models - President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that asks AI companies to let the government review major new artificial intelligence models 30 days before releasing them to the public. It applies to models the government will classify as "frontier models" — in other words, large-scale, general-purpose AI models like OpenAI's GPT and Anthropic's Claude.

OpenAI's Sam Altman meets with Trump in wake of executive order on AI --OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, a day after the president signed an executive order on artificial intelligence. Altman also met with Republican and Democratic members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who told CNBC they had a "very good, productive meeting." He said the two discussed recent developments in AI and what the "light touch" framework for regulation will be to "prevent some of the harms that could come from it." "The US should lead on AI by continuing to develop the very best models, making sure they're safe, and getting cyber tools into the hands of trusted defenders," Altman wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. "The new EO gets the balance right."Trump's executive order asks AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic to submit advanced artificial intelligence models to the government for vetting on cybersecurity, confidentiality, "insider risk" and intellectual property protections.But as the executive order makes clear, AI companies are under no obligation to do much of anything. At the end of a section ordering the creation of a vetting process in which AI companies would submit their models 30 days ahead of release, it states: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models."A White House representative didn't answer questions about what would happen if an AI company's model were flagged for problems during the review process. Instead, the representative sent three quotes praising the order.  The order's request on AI models is primarily focused on frontier models, cutting-edge versions of new artificial intelligence models that could pose a major security risk, such as Anthropic's Mythos, which the company kept from public release due to cybersecurity concerns. US-based AI companies are in a race to train and release artificial intelligence models, especially amid competition from Chinese companies. But the rapid release cycle of new models has raised concerns that they aren't being properly tested or regulated before going public, particularly regarding their human impacts or potential use as hacking tools.

Another potential AI problem: Bored humans miss AI mistakes | American Banker As banks adopt agentic AI, where generative AI or machine learning models carry out tasks autonomously, one risk they face is a trait of human behavior known as "automation complacency." It's where human reviewers become overly trustful of automated systems that are right most of the time, and fail to detect errors.  Automation complacency is a long-standing problem in other fields, including aviation, healthcare and the military. NASA researchers, for instance, were looking at the issue 25 years ago, arguing that certain types of personalities are more susceptible to the condition than others. Agentic AI makes the problem bigger and broader.   Surveyed bankers worry more about "automation bias," or glazed-eyed humans missing AI errors, than about other risks such as a skills gap.

• Key insight: Agentic AI systems can appear to be so perfect that they lull the people tasked with reviewing them into a false sense of security, which leads to undetected errors.
• Expert quote: "If every day you come to work and you check this thing and nothing's wrong, your brain will tune out." –Patrick Hall, chief AI officer, George Washington University School of Business
• Forward look: Banks and other businesses need to design ways to keep their AI reviewers engaged with the work.

Ramp raises $750 million, plans AI spending software - Ramp has gained another $750 million in its latest fundraise.

• Key insight: Ramp raised $750 million in a Series F funding round to support its launch of an AI spend management product for businesses.
• Supporting data: Ramp's valuation increased 38% in seven months and 175% from its $16 billion valuation a year ago.
• Expert quote: "When token spend shows up in the budget lines for every enterprise, the ability to track and optimize it only gets more valuable." —PitchBook analyst Rudy Yang

Agentic AI has holes. Circle and Nium are trying to fill them -- Agentic AI conjures images of digital bots automatically shopping, paying, shipping and managing supply chains without humans being involved. But it's not that simple.

• Key insights: Circle and Nium are partnering to boost stablecoin and agentic payments. 
• What's at stake: The companies are attempting to improve processing, which is still disjointed even as digital payments technology advances.
• Forward look: Both stablecoins and agentic commerce are in early stages, though payment companies are building systems to accommodate a larger market.

The companies are connecting their tools in an effort to streamline the complexities involved in payments that use digital assets and advanced artificial intelligence.

BankThink The CLARITY Act should extend protections to self-custodied wallets  With the Digital Asset Market Structure Clarity Act moving through the U.S. legislative process, the road is finally starting to take shape, writes Jess Houlgrave.As blockchain technology has matured, a killer use case has emerged: payments. They're already used for cross-border transfers, treasury operations and, increasingly, real-world payments.

• Key insight: Regulators must move toward a more workable model that regulates the intermediaries that custody and control assets, not the underlying software.
• What's at stake: Regulation has lagged behind, leaving builders, users and institutions to navigate by instinct rather than by map.
• Forward look: Regulating the intermediaries that custody and control assets is the smarter choice, as blockchains provide transparency and thus better compliance than in traditional banking.

Regulators must move toward a more workable model that regulates the intermediaries that custody and control assets, not the underlying software. This would actually be the smarter choice, as blockchains provide transparency and thus better compliance than in traditional banking.

Minneapolis Fed president likens stablecoins to casino chips - Neel Kashkari, President of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, likened stablecoins to casino chips during a Bank of Korea eve nt. The comparison was actually a practical one. He noted that despite claims to the contrary, the vast majority of stablecoin usage is for cryptocurrency transactions. Casinos go to the expense of issuing chips because if someone went to a poker or roulette table with cash, it would slow things down. Using chips makes it quicker. He said casinos “will take your (cash) bills and give you chips, one for one. It’s a perfect stablecoin.” That’s in part because the casino has to hold the equivalent in cash in its vault. He concluded that the speed motivation behind casino chips is “essentially the role a stablecoin plays in crypto trading.”But the choice of terminology may have reflected his views that cryptocurrencies are speculative assets. He said that despite bitcoin being around for 17 years, it has failed for payments, adding that it also hasn’t been the promised inflation hedge. He questioned the utility of bitcoin and blockchain more broadly, with a caveat that his views do not represent the stance of the Federal Reserve. The Republican may or may not have been aware that former SEC Chair Gensler previously compared stablecoins to poker chips back in 2021.As for other functions of stablecoins, he can’t see the point for domestic payments because Venmo works fine, or as a savings vehicle without yield, which is the subject of much current debate in the US. Where he does see potential is in illicit activities, cross border payments and AI agent microtransactions.

Fed president 'pretty skeptical' about stablecoins' broad reach Stablecoin proponents say the technology will extend the reach of the U.S. dollar around the globe, but at least one Federal Reserve official is harboring doubts about that claim.

• Key insight: One of the stewards of the federal payment system believes stablecoins are only useful for crypto trading, cross-border transactions and illicit finance.
• Expert quote: "If this really is a tool of circumventing banking regulations, currency controls, other local regulations, [then] it's something central banks all around the world will have to pay very close attention to." – Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
• Forward Look: In his remarks, Kashkari contrasted points made by Fed Gov. Christopher Waller earlier this week about the ability for stablecoins to broaden the reach of U.S. monetary policy. The differing views highlight the ongoing debate within the central bank about how to oversee the payment technology.

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said in a speech Tuesday morning that he doubts the usefulness of stablecoin technology in payments and its ability to expand the reach of the U.S. dollar, a perspective that contrasts with many crypto boosters in the Trump administration.

Why MoneyGram wants a stablecoin - Cross-border payments such as remittances are emerging as a viable use for stablecoins, which is why the money-transmitter MoneyGram is issuing its own coin.

• Key insight: MoneyGram launches its own stablecoin to complement its other work in digital assets. 
• What's at stake: Cross-border payments such as remittances have long been seen as a potential use case for stablecoins. 
• Expert quote: "The question is why build our own when there are other stablecoins out there? But we see benefits for using our own." —Anthony Soohoo, chairman and CEO of MoneyGram

In a sea of coins, the transfer firm's CEO says that by working with partners to build its own branded coin, it can control more of the related products and lower costs.

Bitcoin's high conviction holders are selling as price hits new lows -- Bitcoin’s highest-conviction holders have joined the sell-off in the cryptocurrency, which could signal the beginning of the end of the ongoing crypto slump, according to Compass Point. Long-term holders — defined as those who have held onto their coins for at least 155 days, or about five months — were largely inactive from February to April but have turned into sellers in recent weeks, Compass Point analyst Ed Engel said in a note Tuesday. In the past two days they’ve sold about $2.4 billion in bitcoin, “which has large implications on BTC’s supply/demand balances,” Engel said. He also highlighted that 26% of bitcoin sold in the past 30 days came from investors who bought it above $90,000. “This cohort of top-buyers had been resilient throughout the bear market; however, they’re finally capitulating as BTC approaches new cycle lows,” he added. “Top-buyer capitulation is a very common theme in late cycle bear markets. This makes us more confident that BTC’s bear market is in late stages.” Bitcoin has been struggling to climb back toward its October record of more than $126,000 as uncertainty around the Iran war has kept the price under pressure. Meanwhile, the stock market has risen to new records. The divergence has investors questioning both of bitcoin’s dominant narratives: that it is “digital gold” that should benefit from geopolitical uncertainty, and that it trades like a high beta tech stock. On Tuesday, bitcoin ETFs registered their 12th day in a row — and longest streak ever — of net outflows, according to SoSoValue. Net assets across bitcoin ETFs fell to $85 billion from $107.8 billion on May 14. Bitcoin is down 10% week-to-date after some fear-based unloading on Monday — following Strategy’s minor sale of 32 coins — triggered a cascade of long liquidations that accelerated the downward pressure. Still, analysts say Strategy’s sale is not a significant factor driving bitcoin’s price. “ETF flows are the primary driver of BTC price appreciation, explaining approximately 45% of weekly return variation, and the best vehicle for tracking investor adoption/appetite,” Citi analyst Alex Saunders said in a note. “Recent flows have been negative, and the chances for the passage of a U.S. market structure bill (a potential catalyst for renewed investor interest in our view) are diminishing. “We expect sentiment to remain lackluster, especially as the divergence with equity performance remains stark, absent positive news on the regulatory front or ‘de-basement trade’ fears around fiscal position,” he added.

Bitcoin Has Longest Losing Streak Since August in Bruising Week  - Bitcoin posted its longest losing streak since August, weighed down by liquidations of bullish bets and this week’s rare sale of tokens by the dominant corporate buyer. The original cryptocurrency fell for the fifth straight day on Thursday, tumbling as low as $61,322 before recouping some losses. Bitcoin is now trading at a four-month low and close to testing the market bottom of around $60,000 in early February. A week marked by Strategy Inc.’s first sale of Bitcoin since 2022, unprecedented ETF outflows and a further decoupling from record-breaking tech stocks has sapped confidence throughout the sector. “This week has been painful in crypto. There is really no other way of putting it,” Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered Plc’s head of digital asset research, said in a note. Traders wrong-footed by the steep selloff have been left nursing large losses. Almost $4 billion of bullish bets have been wiped out since the start of the week, data from CoinGlass show, with Bitcoin leading the way. Bitcoin went through a six-day stretch of daily losses through Aug. 2 last year, although the declines have been far steeper this week. Meanwhile, Bitcoin exchange-traded funds — a major source of buying since they launched in early 2024 — have turned into a drag on the market. Investors have pulled nearly $4.4 billion from US-listed Bitcoin ETFs over the past 13 sessions in a record-long streak of outflows, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The market swoon isn’t confined to Bitcoin. Runner-up token Ether has fallen to its lowest since April 2025, trading around $1,780 at 8:40 a.m. on Thursday. Bitcoin was at around $63,500. Of critical importance now, according to Kendrick, is what Michael Saylor’s mega-accumulator Strategy does on Monday, when it typically announces Bitcoin purchases. Strategy’s sale of 32 Bitcoin this week was minuscule compared to its $53 billion reserve, but the bearish environment in which it landed dealt a huge blow to confidence. Kendrick noted that days after its previous sale of Bitcoin in December 2022, Strategy bought more tokens than it had sold. “This time I suspect the buying following the selling will be more aggressive,” or as much as 100 times the number of tokens Strategy divested, Kendrick wrote. This week’s selloff underscored Bitcoin’s divergence from technology stocks, which hit records even as the token retreated. Bitcoin has lost about half its value since hitting an all-time high above $126,000 last October. Artificial-intelligence stocks have become the market’s dominant growth trade, retail investors are pouring money into short-dated options and prediction markets, and even within digital assets, stablecoins and so-called perpetual futures are attracting attention that might previously have accrued to Bitcoin. “Many retail traders expecting to buy the SpaceX IPO or subsequent AI IPOs or financings, are similar profiles to BTC holders,” said Stephane Ouellette, chief executive officer and co-founder of FRNT Financial Inc. “I’d speculate that some of the more extreme weakness today in BTC was pushed by investors trying to raise cash to finance their purchases of, particularly, the SpaceX IPO next week.”

US sanctions Iran's top crypto exchange accused of moving funds for central bank, IRGC -- The Washington on Tuesday expanded its sanctions regime against Iran’s financial networks, targeting the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchange over allegations it was being used to move funds for state-linked entities and bypass Western restrictions. The new sanctions follow a Reuters investigation published on May 1, which showed how Nobitex had become a central node in a parallel financial system used to process hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran’s central bank and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The report also revealed how Nobitex continued operating even after the government-imposed internet shutdown, processing millions of dollars of transactions. “While Iran’s economy is in free fall, the regime has chosen to co-opt digital asset technologies for its own corrupt agenda, including evading sanctions and transferring wealth out of the country,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. The Reuters investigation showed how Nobitex is controlled by two brothers from one of Iran’s most powerful families, with close ties to the new supreme leader. The two are members of the Kharrazi family, one of the most influential dynasties in the Islamic Republic. Corporate records show that when the exchange started, the brothers were listed under a surname rarely used by members of the family. The US Treasury announced Tuesday that the two brothers, Seyed Mohammad Ali Aghamir Mohammad Ali and Seyed Mohammad Aghamir Mohammad Ali, had also been individually sanctioned, along with the exchange’s chief executive officer, Amir Hossein Rad. Nobitex had provided “significant support” to the Iranian government and facilitated a “significant number” of digital transactions linked to the IRGC and Iran’s central bank, the US Treasury said in the statement. “Following the commencement of US combat operations in Iran, Nobitex played a role in protecting and moving assets and funds out of Iran to shield regime wealth despite internet blackouts.” Nobitex could not be reached for comment on the sanctions, which were announced after normal business hours in Iran. In an emailed statement to Reuters in April, Nobitex said it had no direct government connections and denied assisting the state. It said that any illicit funds moving through Nobitex did so without management approval or awareness. The company also said that the two brothers had never used an alternative identity or changed their identity.

Utah issues cease-and-desist against suspected crypto pyramid group, BG Wealth Sharing – Every day since the KSL Investigators first reported the fraud allegations levied by Utah authorities on the cryptocurrency investment group, BG Wealth Sharing, Ltd., we’ve received emails and voicemails from desperate people from around the world — worried that their money is gone.Now, the Utah Division of Securities has filed an emergency cease-and-desist order against BG Wealth and its owners, saying they present a “grave, continuous threat of irreparable financial ruin.”The order alleges a “large-scale, international cryptocurrency multi-level marketing (“MLM”) Ponzi and advance-fee fraudulent scheme targeting Utah residents.” It says investors were given “fraudulent guarantees of compounding daily returns.” The order also says dashboards shown to investors reflected “artificial numbers” with “no trace of real trading activity.”The state also alleges that when investors tried to withdraw their money, they were told by BG Wealth that they would have to pay more money, “under the fraudulent pretense of a ‘tax audit’ fee and an ‘account verification required to unlock withdrawals.’” Those who paid those fees still didn’t get their money, the cease-and-desist order says.Last week, we spoke to victims who talked about BG Wealth’s sales pitch including a big event held in Sandy in April. It included giveaways, dinner, dancing, testimonials, a ribbon cutting to an office in West Jordan, and a room filled with hundreds of people who believed they were investing in cryptocurrency. “You felt like you were a part of something big,” an attendee told us. “I mean, why would you not?”Now, the Utah Division of Securities is warning about something even darker. In an online post that named BG Wealth Sharing, regulators stated global scams are often run through scam centers in Southeast Asia, where people may be trafficked, held against their will and forced to conduct fraud.In the post, regulators said engaging with the scheme does not just pose risks to your wallet.“By engaging with random individuals online who promote BG Wealth, investors are inadvertently fueling an industry that relies on forced labor and violence to maintain its profit margins,” warned the post.

DoJ Disrupts Southeast Asia Crypto Fraud Networks, Freezes $3.8 Million in Assets -The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday announced the results of a sweeping action undertaken by government authorities and private sector companies to combat cyber-enabled and cryptocurrency fraud targeting Americans.The "Disruption Week" operation began May 18, 2026, leading to the takedown of millions of social media, email, and internet access accounts used by transnational cybercrime groups in Southeast Asia to defraud victims. Private sector entities voluntarily froze over $3.8 million in cryptocurrency involved in the laundering of funds stolen from Americans."Cyber-enabled and crypto investment fraud is devastating Main Street Americans, wiping out life savings and preying on some of our most vulnerable citizens," said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia.The efforts are part of an ongoing U.S. government initiative called Scam Center Strike Force, which aims to dismantle transnational criminal organizations running cyber-enabled fraud and "pig butchering" (aka romance baiting) scams from compounds in Southeast Asia, along with the human trafficking and money laundering operations that fuel the illicit enterprise.These schemes typically involve cultivating relationships with prospective victims over time before they are coaxed into depositing funds into fraudulent investment platforms under the promise of high returns. Once the assets are deposited, they are routed to accounts under the scammers' control. Once the victim runs out of money or discovers the fraud, the criminals cease contact with them.Participating in the operation were Apple, Coinbase, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Silent Push, SpaceX/Starlink, TRM Labs, and Zenlayer, alongside the Australian Federal Police, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, New Zealand Police, the Royal Thai Police, and U.K. National Crime Agency.The "first-of-its-kind event" has resulted in a series of actions -

• Disruptions of criminal activity across more than 1.4 million accounts, pages and groups across Facebook and Instagram, 20,000 Microsoft accounts, and thousands of Starlink kits;
• Interruptions of malicious IP address traffic and of network connections hosted by scammers;
• Decommissioning of servers, colocation environments, and hosting infrastructure linked to scam networks operating across Southeast Asia;
• Identification of multiple scammers and scam platforms, and referrals of the same to U.S. authorities for investigation and possible prosecution; and
• Arrests of seven scammers in Thailand and the opening of new cases by the Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Center.

According to the DoJ, cryptocurrency investment scams have emerged as one of the "fastest growing and most financially devastating forms of fraud" targeting Americans, with reported losses from these scams rising from $3.96 billion in 2023 to $5.8 billion in 2024 and to more than $7.2 billion in 2025, registering a 24% increase year-over-year."Many of these schemes are run out of industrial-scale compounds in Cambodia, Laos, and in Burma along the border with Thailand," the DoJ said. "Criminal syndicates often lure workers to Thailand with promises of high-paying technical jobs, then seize their identification documents and traffic them to work in scam compounds.""Within the compounds, trafficked workers are frequently forced to conduct fraud operations against victims in the United States and elsewhere under threat of violence."

BankThink Regulators should reject high-cost lenders' bank charter applications - Mike Calhoun, The Center for Responsible Lending - Applications from Enova International and Opportunity Financial for national bank charters present a danger to consumers. The Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency should block them.

Fed's Barr: Regulatory relief increased big bank profits, not lending -Recent reforms by the federal banking agencies have benefited the largest banks in the country while offering little benefit to community banks or the broader economy, according to one official on the Federal Reserve Board.

• Key insight: As the Trump era banking agenda rolls on, a holdover appointee from the Biden administration says the benefits are not being evenly distributed. 
• Expert quote: "The share of executive compensation as a share of revenue went up by 18% from last year and the share buybacks are up 66%. That's not benefiting communities around the country, that's not benefiting community development banks and I think that's a problem." — Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr
• Forward Look: Barr said the reforms could be setting the stage for future distress in the financial system as capital requirements are being lowered at the same time that supervisory discretion is being pared down.

The Federal Reserve's former top regulator said recent efforts to reform regulation and supervision have boosted executive compensation and share buybacks, not the broader economy.

Lawmakers press bank regulators on private credit risks --Members of the House Financial Services Committee pressed prudential bank and credit union regulators about the potential risks of bank lending to private credit firms in a hearing Thursday.

Unpatched software is now the top way into banks | American Banker

• Key insight: For the first time in the Data Breach Investigations Report's 19-year history, exploiting unpatched software overtook stolen credentials as the most common way attackers break in.
• What's at stake: The report maps where banks' customer data is most exposed: through unpatched software and the outside vendors banks increasingly rely on.
• Supporting data: Industry-wide, third-party involvement in breaches jumped 60% in a year, to 48%; in financial services a vendor figured in 34%.

Overview bullets generated by AI with editorial review.

BankThink Reputational risk will exist whether or not regulators look for it A handful of very important bank regulators this week scrubbed the words "reputational risk" from their official documents, and probably their websites, and maybe their hearts, our Maria Volkova reported yesterday. The Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. all collectively did this, arguing that reputational risk can be misconstrued and used by supervisors to pressure banks to drop certain customers. There is a difference between combating discrimination and forcing bankers to ignore problems.

Large bank ratings improve under revised Fed review system  Supervisory ratings for large banks climbed as a result of the Federal Reserve's new oversight framework. Roughly 80% of large financial institutions — those with more than $100 billion of assets — were deemed well-managed, according to the Fed's latest supervision and regulation report, released Wednesday. That figure is up from around 60% in 2025 and less than 40% in 2024.

• Key insight: Changes to the Fed's supervisory framework are resulting in more banks being considered well-managed and, therefore, eligible for expansionary activities.
• Expert quote: "Though regulatory data shows limited delinquencies in this category, several high-profile [nonbank] defaults have led to concern about the private credit sector. Supervisory work shows that some banks are revisiting collateral management practices for these exposures." — Federal Reserve Supervision and Regulation Report.
• Forward look: The supervision report flagged several areas of emerging risks, including the rapid expansion of lending to nonbank financial institutions.

Roughly 80% of banks with more than $100 billion of assets were deemed well-managed in the Fed's latest supervision and regulation report, a sharp increase from 2024.

Regulators issue guidance on detecting illicit payrolls - The joint advisory by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, banking agencies and the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance for banks to detect unauthorized employment schemes as part of the administration's broader immigration crackdown. To illustrate the risks banks are expected to monitor, the advisory highlights identity theft schemes tied to illegal hiring. According to the agencies, unauthorized workers sometimes use Social Security numbers and personal information belonging to U.S. citizens and lawful residents to pass employment eligibility checks, earn wages and access credit.

Senate Dems introduce bill to fully restore CFPB funding - All 11 Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee are backing a bill that would restore and lock in funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Pulte's new intelligence role clouds FHFA agenda  — Significant changes were expected at the Federal Housing Finance Agency under Bill Pulte, a businessman and heir to the PulteGroup fortune. But that agenda is in doubt after Pulte was tapped Tuesday to serve simultaneously as acting director of national intelligence.

• Key takeaway: Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte's new role as acting director of national intelligence could cloud the agency's agenda, as mortgage professionals point to uncertainty around reforms to the government-sponsored enterprises and loan-level price adjustments.
• Expert quote: "I think it tells us more than it affects us, and it tells us that there isn't anything major teed up for GSE reform." — Tim Rood, CEO of housing advisory firm Impact Capital 
• What's at stake: Some lawmakers have begun urging the Trump administration to reconsider Pulte's appointment, raising questions about whether and for how long he will remain acting director of national intelligence.

Mortgage industry participants say Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte's new role as acting director of national intelligence could imperil progress on a potential initial public offering of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Billions at stake as Supreme Court mulls interest on escrow --New York borrowers want the Supreme Court to rehear a case requiring banks to pay interest on mortgage escrow accounts, due to a split among appellate courts.

Sellers are pulling homes off the market at the fastest pace since 2020 - More frustrated home sellers were giving up, right in the midst of the all-important spring market, according to new data. Nationwide, 5.8% of all home listings were pulled off the market in April, according to Redfin, a real estate brokerage. That ties with December for the highest share of homes delisted since March 2020, when the pandemic hit and the housing market froze. Delistings in April were up 3.8% compared with March. The increase comes as higher mortgage rates, elevated gas prices and weaker consumer confidence take their toll on housing demand. Sellers are no longer in the driver’s seat and aren’t getting the prices they want. Atlanta saw the highest share of homes come off the market in April, with 1 in 10 delisted. San Jose, California, followed with roughly 9% pulled, then Los Angeles (7.8%), Dallas (7.8%) and Seattle (7.7%). Mortgage rates had been falling at the start of this year, with the 30-year fixed briefly touching the 5% range at the end of February, according to Mortgage News Daily. They then jumped sharply when the war with Iran started and have remained elevated since then. “Buyers know they have negotiating power, often offering under the asking price and completing inspections, but some sellers just won’t budge,” said Patricia Ammann, a Redfin agent, in a release. Home prices have been easing, but are still higher than they were a year ago and have even begun to strengthen more recently. “Markets that depend more heavily on traditional mortgage financing and rate-sensitive buyers are seeing prices stay relatively flat,” said Selma Hepp, chief economist at Cotality, in a release. “Overall, fewer markets posted year-over-year price declines in April than in prior months, pointing to continued stabilization across the housing market.”

US Services Surveys Signal Surging Prices, Mixed Growth --Following the dramatically better than expected rise in US Manufacturing PMI surveys, analysts expected stability in the Services side of the economy in May. They were somewhat correct but the message was mixed with one survey improving while the other deteriorated...

• S&P Global US Services PMI dropped from 51.0 (April) to 50.9 (flash May) to 50.7 (final May) - dropping back towards March lows.
• ISM US Services PMI rose from 53.6 to 54.5 (better than 53.8 exp)

Under the hood, both surveys signaled rising prices with employment weaker and a mixed picture for orders (ISM higher, S&P lower)... "While the US manufacturing economy is reporting a surge in demand as war-related supply and price worries drive precautionary stock building, it’s a different story in the service sector," says Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.   “Demand for services has been largely stalled over the past three months, losing the strength seen earlier in the year."  The sluggish services economy is acting as drag on overall economic growth, which the PMI data signal to be running at a modest annualized pace of just above 1% so far in the second quarter...Williamson notes that consumer-facing service sectors were the hardest hit, where orders are now falling at the steepest pace since the pandemic in 2020, with respondents blaming the decline on a combination of squeezed spending power from energy prices hikes and customers pushing back on higher prices being charged for services.However, business services are also seeing reduced order book growth compared to earlier in the year and financial services firms are coming under pressure from higher interest rates."Rising costs and cooling demand are meanwhile causing service companies to cut staff at the fastest rate seen since the early months of the pandemic," warns Williamson.

Remote work may be locking younger workers out of labor force: NY Fed -  Rising youth unemployment rates since the 2020 pandemic may be tied to a trend in remote work, the New York Federal Reserve Bank said in an analysis published on Monday.  In the report, the regional Fed bank cited census data showing a 20 percent increase in the jobless rate among college graduates under 29, from a 3.1 percent average in 2017-19 to 3.7 percent in 2022-25. “We document that one factor contributing to youth unemployment is the four-fold rise in remote work since the pandemic,” the economists wrote in a synopsis of the report’s findings. “Employers may not want to hire fresh graduates onto distributed teams because it is more difficult to teach them the requisite skills from afar.”      Unemployment among young graduates spiked to 3.67 percent in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, according to the report. Meanwhile, 1.99 percent of college graduates over the age of 29 experienced a jobless rate during that time period.   During the quarantine period in the pandemic, a greater number of companies offered remote work opportunities for their employees.  Four major industries — scientific, and technical services, information, finance and insurance, and management of companies and enterprises and professional — had over 39 percent of their workforce working remotely in 2021, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In 2017, under 17 percent of workers in each of these fields reported working from home, the BLS reported. Many companies continue to offer remote or hybrid schedules for their employees, but there has been a growing push in recent years for workers to return to in-person office settings. This push has been met with some resistance, with 61 percent of fully remote workers indicating in a Pew Research survey last year that they would likely leave their job if they were forced to return to the office. Remote workers under 50 in this survey were more likely to oppose in-person work than older employees.Additionally, the New York Fed’s Monday report addressed concerns that the emergence of generative artificial intelligence technology was having a negative impact on young people in the workforce. The report notes that increases in joblessness among this population “predates the rapid diffusion of AI.”  “Of course, generative AI and other factors may play a more primary role in determining the employment patterns of younger workers going forward,” the report noted. “Nonetheless, the evidence to date suggests that the rise of remote work has meaningfully contributed to the recent challenges facing young college graduates.”

Fairport Harbor schools evacuated after construction crew strikes gas line - Cleveland 19 News (WOIO) - A construction crew working outside of the new Fairport Harbor School campus struck a gas line Friday morning. The crew struck the line at approximately 11:20 a.m., and the Fairport Harbor Exempted Village School District said students and staff were evacuated from the building and relocated to designated emergency sites as a safety precaution. Elementary students were relocated to McKinley Elementary School, while middle and high school students were moved to St. Anthony’s. The district said that Fairport Harbor Fire Department Chief Bob Lloyd, the Fairport Harbor Police Department and school administration met to assess the situation and determine the safest course of action. Based on information provided by emergency responders and utility personnel, the decision was made to dismiss the students for the remainder of the day. Fairport Harbor Schools said school staff implemented the district’s safety protocols and completed a safe and orderly dismissal process. The district said the safety of the students, staff and community members remains its highest priority. Following an assessment by the appropriate authorities and utility personnel, the building was deemed safe for reentry, and the graduation ceremony was able to take place as scheduled Friday evening. The district extended its gratitude to St. Anthony’s for allowing its use for the emergency plan.

Ohio men previously involved with LifeWise Academy charged with sex crimes involving minors - Three Ohio men who either previously volunteered or worked for LifeWise Academy – a Christian instruction program for public school students – were either charged or pleaded guilty recently to sex crimes against minors, including rape, voyeurism, and sexual battery.   Christopher Riggs and Kenneth Holycross III were LifeWise teachers, and William VanSickle was a LifeWise volunteer.   “LifeWise has received zero reports of misconduct involving LifeWise students in connection with these matters or during LifeWise activities more broadly,” LifeWise said in a statement. LifeWise confirmed each of the men was previously involved in local LifeWise chapters and all were recently charged with sex crimes involving minors.  “In each case, the individual completed and passed the required background screening process at the time they began serving, which revealed no disqualifying offenses or prior criminal history,” LifeWise said in a statement.   LifeWise Academy is a controversial Hilliard-based religious instruction program for public school students on “religious release time,” that operates in 34 states and enrolls nearly 100,000 students, according to its website.  LifeWise is a non-denominational Christian program that teaches religion to public school students during the school day at a special release time.   Religious release time instruction must meet three criteria: the courses must take place off school property, be privately funded, and students must have parental permission. LifeWise is in 331 Ohio school districts — a little more than half of the state’s school districts, according to a LifeWise spokesperson.   LifeWise has many critics and parents have said their students have been ostracized and bullied for not taking part in LifeWise.    Holycross was charged with two counts of rape involving minors less than 13 years old earlier this month and is currently in custody at the Miami County Jail, according to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office. His arrest came after the county sheriff’s office received rape complaints against Holycross.    Holycross was formerly a teacher at the LifeWise Academy Bethel Local program in Tipp City.  He pleaded not guilty to both counts of rape on May 20.  Holycross is also listed as a part-time mental health technician at Dayton Children’s Hospital, according to his LinkedIn account. The hospital did not respond to inquiries about Holycross’ employment status.  Riggs pleaded guilty to voyeurism and gross sexual imposition involving a minor in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas on May 13 and he will register as a sex offender. He will be sentenced on July 1.   The crimes reportedly took place between June 1, 2023 through Sept. 23, 2023 and Nov. 1, 2025 through Nov. 30, 2025, according to court documents.  Riggs was formerly a teacher with the LifeWise Tri-Valley program in Muskingum County and was the pastor of Washington Township Baptist Church in Zanesville.  William VanSickle pleaded guilty to one count of rape and two counts of sexual battery against a minor in the Perry County Common Pleas Court on April 23. The crimes took place between January 2017 through January 2022, according to court documents.  He will be sentenced June 1.

Despite getting taxpayer dollars, Ohio private schools will likely continue with no oversight  A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers wants to know how private schools are using taxpayer dollars, but Republican leadership likely won’t require the EdChoice program to have more transparency. For the past several years, Ohio leaders have given billions of taxpayer dollars to nonpublic schools using the EdChoice voucher program. It allows any family, regardless of income level, to get assistance with private school tuition. In the last budget, EdChoice recieved $2.5 billion. But it is unclear where that money actually goes. State Sen. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Township, Sen. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, and Rep. Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County, introduced S.B. 433, legislation that would dramatically increase the program’s transparency. Among a dozen provisions, the bill would audit how state dollars are spent in both the EdChoice and the Pilot Project scholarship programs, create report cards for academic performance and require students to take the same end-of-course exams that public schools mandate. “If you are taking state dollars, you have to show us results, statistics, data,” Blessing said. Schools would be required to conduct criminal background checks of their employees. For admissions, the schools must detail their criteria and admissions, as well as share where the new student has come from. Each school would have to submit its weekly attendance records, as well as report the tuition and fees charged by the school, including a five-year cost trend of those charges. They would need to report the number of students using vouchers who have physical, intellectual or learning disabilities, are English learning students (ELS) and who are unhoused. Public schools are required to educate all kids, where privates get to pick and choose, Blessing added. Like publics, the EdChoice schools would also need to report disciplinary action, dropout, and graduation rates. “Restore some oversight and accountability to the tax dollars that are being used for education in Ohio,” Smith said. When vouchers first started in the 1990s, it was just meant to help students with intellectual disabilities in Cleveland. At that time, it cost $0.44 a year, whereas now, it costs Ohioans $205 per year, Smith explained.

Nursing-home study finds reduced staffing in those in states giving them immunity from COVID lawsuits A study of more than 13,000 US nursing homes concludes that those in states that adopted laws granting them immunity from COVID-related lawsuits operated with 2.5% less daily staff than those in states without those protections, potentially compromising patient care. Northwestern University researchers led the study, publishing their findings yesterday in JAMA Health Forum. The team used a difference-in-differences model to assess staffing levels in all 13,205 US nursing homes that reported data from January 2018 through March 2023. Data were derived from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Nursing Home Compare and Payroll Based Journal Daily Staffing Averages websites, as well as weekly nursing home COVID-19 cases. “A central goal of medical malpractice law is to ensure quality of care by deterring negligent treatment,” the authors wrote. But “during the COVID-19 pandemic, many states adopted immunity from tort liability for harms to nursing home residents, creating a natural experiment.” From 2018 to 2023, roughly 43 US states began granting some form of tort immunity to nursing homes from lawsuits filed by patients and their families. Of the 13,205 nursing homes included in the study, 86.2% were granted tort immunity, and 13.8% weren’t. Some of these laws had automatic end dates (eg, six months post-adoption), while others were indefinite; 23 states provided immunity retroactive to a period (median, 2.8 months) before the law was passed, and some are still in effect. Nursing homes in states that adopted such laws tended to be larger and non–hospital based and were more likely to have a greater proportion of White residents. Facilities immune from tort liability began providing less staff time per patient per day than those in states that didn’t grant such protections: a 2.5–percentage point (pp) reduction in overall daily staff hours and a 1.2-pp reduction in staffing hours per patient per day. The 2.5-pp decrease translated to, on average, nearly eight hours’ less staff time per day for clinical care and other duties. The authors noted a 2.0-pp decrease in hours of care per patient per day for certified nursing assistants (CNAs), who provide direct patient care, whereas staffing rates for registered nurses (RNs), who often have administrative roles, stayed the same. “These policy changes are not associated with a defined monetary reward or fixed staffing target,” corresponding author David Zingmond, MD, of the University of California Los Angeles, said in a university news release. “So the robust magnitude of change was surprising.” The authors said the liability-limiting laws were triggered by anticipation of a surge of medical malpractice lawsuits alleging that negligence caused patients to contract or die from COVID-19. Although they acknowledged that the financial problems and general instability of healthcare staffing during COVID-19 would have shortened the time caregivers could devote to patients, the researchers said the numbers suggest that nursing homes with lower tort exposure may have been less likely to employ nursing staff or try to find replacements during worker shortages. The laws, they said, “appear to have had the unintended consequence of reducing staffing levels, perhaps impairing the deterrent effects of exposure to tort law by lowering incentives for administrators to search for nursing staff during a period when there were extreme shortages, thus, high nursing prices.” That RN staffing rates were largely uncorrelated with immunity is consistent with the need for nursing facilities to maintain staff in their administrative and medical roles, the authors said. “However, CNAs and LPNs [licensed practical nurses] provide nearly all the direct care to nursing home residents: it is among the CNAs, who comprise two-thirds of the clinical staff, where we find the association between staffing and tort immunity,” they wrote. With the average nursing home protected against tort liability was estimated to have 7.9 fewer daily staff hours, if the time had been spread equally among all residents, “this amount of time (5.2 minutes) might seem small, but for a patient in need, nearly 8 hours of time could make a substantial difference,” they wrote.

Long COVID may affect 1 in 6 infected patients -  Long COVID may be affecting far more Americans than current estimates suggest, with a study published last week in JAMA Network Open estimating that roughly one in six people infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop the condition, and nearly 90% go on to experience chronic health problems.For the study, a team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed health record data from 457,950 adults treated for COVID-19 (also known as postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, or PASC) across 58 hospitals and clinics in New England, Southeast Texas, Southern California, and Western Pennsylvania.The researchers identified long COVID cases by detecting symptoms and conditions that emerged after infection and could not be explained by preexisting conditions.  The team identified 74,560 long-COVID patients, representing 16.3% of COVID patients in the study. The estimate, which translates to roughly 15 million Americans, is far higher than the rate captured by current code-based surveillance systems. Prevalence ranged from 13.6% in Western Pennsylvania to 22.7% in Southern California.  Millions of people “would go entirely undetected by the diagnostic code that health systems and policymakers rely on to track the disease burden," senior author Hossein Estiri, PhD, of the Mass General Brigham (MGB) Department of Medicine, said in an MGB news release. "The figures we uncovered are almost certainly an undercount."Most long-COVID patients (89.3%) identified in the study developed at least one chronic condition requiring ongoing clinical management. The researchers also found evidence that the burden of long COVID continues to grow rather than fade. Long-COVID prevalence increased across all four studied regions through mid-2024.“Our finding of persistently increasing cumulative prevalence through mid-2024 (4 years into the pandemic and well after widespread vaccination) contradicts assumptions that PASC represents a legacy of early, severe infection waves,” the authors write. When the researchers used the quarterly increases they observed—which ranged from 0.3% to 1.5%—to estimate the relative increase in cumulative long-COVID prevalence over a decade, they found rates could increase 13% to 81%, “underscoring the substantial long-term burden if current trends persist.”The study also revealed substantial differences in how long COVID manifests. Systemic, respiratory, and gastrointestinal symptoms were common across all regions, but endocrine complications varied in different parts of the country. New England patients were more likely to experience thyroid-related conditions, while patients in Texas, California, and Pennsylvania showed more metabolic abnormalities such as prediabetes and hyperglycemia.The findings suggest that long COVID has become a significant healthcare challenge, requiring better surveillance, coordinated care, and new treatments, argue the authors. They also conclude that because different people experience different combinations of symptoms, treatments should be individually tailored.

Trump executive order directs CDC to ‘realign’ childhood vaccine recommendations - President Donald Trump issued an executive order late last week that further muddies an already unclear picture for the US childhood vaccine schedule. The executive order, accompanied by a fact sheet from the White House, directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to review a December 2025 scientific assessment from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that called for fewer recommended childhood vaccines and to take “any appropriate steps” to update the US childhood vaccine schedule to align with its findings. “The scientific assessment, with its proposed updates to the categories of the vaccine schedule, is acknowledged as a guiding resource for the Federal Government,” the executive order states.  The HHS assessment called for paring the number of recommended vaccines for US children from 17 to 11 after a review found that the United States recommends more childhood vaccines than “peer nations” like Denmark. In early January, then-acting CDC director Jim O’Neill signed a memorandum saying the agency would adopt the recommendations. The changes were widely criticized by public health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP has maintained its recommended childhood vaccine schedule, and at least 23 states and Washington, DC, have said they will follow those recommendations rather those issued by the CDC. In March, a federal judge in Boston ruled that the changes to the childhood vaccine schedule adopted by the CDC didn’t follow proper administrative procedures. HHS has not appealed that ruling, which came in response to a lawsuit filed by the AAP and other leading medical groups.  Because of that ruling, the federal childhood immunization recommendations that were in place before June 2025 remain in place. For now, the immediate effect of the executive order is rhetorical, said Jess Steier, DrPH, a public health and science communicator and founder and CEO of Unbiased Science. That’s because the ruling by US District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy temporarily blocked the ACIP, whose membership has been overhauled by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, from meeting. The judge concluded that several of the 13 new members tapped by Kennedy to serve on ACIP had no vaccine-related expertise and were not qualified under the group’s original charter. All decisions made by the group, including a controversial recommendation to delay the first dose of the hepatitis B shot in infants if the mother has tested negative for the virus, were nullified.A March meeting of ACIP was subsequently postponed. Although HHS has issued a revised charter that would expand the group’s membership criteria, it’s unclear when ACIP—which would have to approve the HHS vaccine recommendations before the CDC can sign off on them—will meet next.“The EO [executive order] has no operational teeth right now,” Steier said in an email.Still, opponents of the Trump administration’s vaccine policies say they’re concerned. “This is the second time the administration has attempted to unilaterally substitute vaccine guidance from other countries to replace the U.S. vaccine schedule which was developed for the specific needs of the U.S. population,” American College of Physicians President Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, said in a statement. “The changes that this order directs cannot be allowed to move forward.”Steier said the question is whether the order is simply meant to appease supporters of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement after a series of losses on vaccines or serve as “groundwork for redoing the January schedule changes in a way that survives judicial review.”“The bigger concern is what it sets up, not what it does today,” she said.

Los Angeles County health department asks providers to watch for infectious diseases during World Cup - As soccer fans prepare to descend upon North American cities to watch their favorite teams compete in the World Cup, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an alert encouraging healthcare providers to be mindful of travel-related, sexually transmitted, and seasonal infectious diseases. From June to July 2026, an estimated 150,000 national and international fans will likely visit the county to watch the eight games occurring at SoFi Stadium and attend fan festivals. This coincides with Pride Month, another time of year when large public gatherings take place. This convergence could enable spread of travel-associated infections, emerging infections, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and seasonal diseases, officials warn. As people gather, it’s easier for infectious diseases to flourish. Los Angeles County asks providers to look out for infectious illnesses such as:

• Influenza A and COVID-19
• Measles, pertussis, mumps, and other vaccine-preventable illnesses
• Gastrointestinal (GI) conditions (eg, norovirus)
• STIs (eg, mpox, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis)
• Infectious diseases related to travel (eg, dengue, chikungunya, malaria)

The flu season in the Southern Hemisphere lasts from April to September, which means some fans could import and spread influenza.  The public health department reminds providers that they must report conditions on this list. Doctors and nurses should ask patients about their travel history, both international and domestic, and about their attendance at games, festivals, and other celebrations. Providers who notice patterns such as a spike in GI conditions or respiratory illness should also report them to the health department.  Officials also note that people spending long days outside could be more likely to experience dehydration and other heat-related illnesses (eg, exhaustion, fainting, heat stroke). During large public celebrations, accidental overdoses occur more frequently; attendees can find free naloxone (eg, Narcan) at Fan Zones and health stations. 

Ebola triggers fears over public health ahead of World Cup travel surge - A recent outbreak of Ebola cases in Africa is sparking fresh concern from public health officials in the United States about the spread of communicable diseases ahead of next month’s World Cup. The tournament will be played in more than a half-dozen cities across North America and is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the continent. While U.S. health officials insist a major outbreak of Ebola in the U.S. is highly unlikely, the matches and large crowds they will bring is leading to a fresh wave of worry about the spread of disease. The U.S. State Department, in conjunction with Canada and Mexico, acknowledged the Ebola outbreak in Africa as it announced what it called new aligned health measures for individuals coming from the region “at greatest risk” from the virus. “This coordinated approach aims to protect our citizens and the millions of visitors, fans, athletes, and tourists expected during the FIFA World Cup 2026, while maintaining travel and commerce across our borders,” the governments said in a joint statement. “The health and safety of every person in the region remains our highest priority as we welcome the world to North America.” The measures came as President Trump’s administration has sought to crack down on international travelers and continues to take steps to ensure Americans infected or exposed to the Ebola virus remain overseas.  “It’s pretty reasonable to assume we’re not well prepared to handle anything like this,” Glen Nowak, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official and infectious disease expert, told The Hill. “There’s been a lot of things that have happened in public health that have weakened the system. There are more divides in red states versus blue states in terms of their approach to public health these days, so we’re not prepared if there were some sort of large-scale outbreak.” This summer’s World Cup will be just the second played since the coronavirus pandemic killed millions of people around the world. Ebola and hantavirus, two diseases that have popped up in various locations around the globe in recent weeks, are much less easily spread than COVID, health experts have said. But there are still major questions about the safety of travelers coming to watch soccer matches in North America. The news outlet DW Africa reported the Congo has requested that FIFA refund 2026 World Cup tickets for fans unable to enter the U.S. because of Ebola-related travel restrictions. 

WHO drastically downsizes Ebola case count in DR Congo outbreak Yesterday and today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced the official case count of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda from nearly 1,000 cases to 321 confirmed cases, including 48 deaths in the DRC. Another 116 cases are suspected. In Uganda, the new case count is 11 confirmed cases, one confirmed death, one probable case, and one probable death. But rather than signaling good news, relief organizations caution that the mixed messaging is part of a broader, chaotic picture of an outbreak that may have been simmering for months and could take several more months to contain. Abdou Sebushishe, MD, from the International Medical Corps in the DRC city of Goma, told CBS news today that as many as 20% of case-patients are healthcare workers and that it could be “beyond six months before this outbreak could be put under control. I think the outbreak is outpacing the current response, and there are adjustments being made to catch up.”

WHO chief says response is ‘catching up’ to Ebola outbreak -After visiting health officials and frontline responders in the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in recent days, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that, despite numerous challenges, he feels hopeful about stopping the outbreak. In a press briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanam Ghebreyesus, PhD, said there have been 344 confirmed Ebola cases and 60 confirmed deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the outbreak began, along with 15 confirmed cases and one death in neighboring Uganda. But labs in the DRC have been able to work through the backlog of tests, reducing the number of suspected cases to 116 from more than 1,000, Tedros said. And there are now three 80-bed treatment centers up and running in Bunia, the capital of the DRC’s Ituri province, with more coming in other affected areas. Eight people—six in the DRC and two in Uganda—have recovered. The current outbreak—the 17th in the DRC since Ebola was first identified in 1976—is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no licensed treatments or vaccines. “The outbreak had a big head start, and we're still behind, but under the leadership of the government of DRC, we're catching up,” Tedros said. Testing and contact tracing remain challenges, however. Tedros said the WHO is working with DRC officials to scale up laboratory and diagnostic capacity in the country to reduce the delays in case confirmation and support faster response decisions. Abdirahman Mahamud, MPH, director of the WHO’s Alert and Response Coordination Department, said the DRC’s main testing lab has conducted 1,445 tests to clear the backlog, and added that the opening of five additional labs next week will enable 1,000 tests a day going forward. “The scale-up is on track,” he said. To date, only 45% of case contacts have been followed up. Tedros said political instability, displacement, and mobile populations in the region, which has been plagued by violence between the government and armed militia groups, has made contact tracing especially difficult. “To get ahead of the outbreak, we need to get that number up to above 90%,” he said.  Tedros also cited community mistrust as a barrier to the response, saying that some community leaders told him on his visit to the DRC that they don’t believe Ebola is real. The mistrust has fueled some attacks on Ebola treatment centers. “Building trust with the communities is therefore critical to bringing the outbreak under control,” he said.  When asked about the theories that the outbreak started much earlier than mid-May, Mahamud said WHO officials are reviewing data and speaking with community members to determine when it began. “What we’ve been saying is that this outbreak started earlier. How earlier? Time will tell,” he said.

Ebola spreads to area under Islamic State control as cases mount -  The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached Mambasa, a part of the country run by Islamic State militants, the Wall Street Journal reported today.Health workers do not travel to the area, which is chaotic and violent, making containment and contact tracing impossible, sources told the paper.  In related news, Reuters reported that residents attacked an Ebola burial team in South Kivu province earlier this week, exposing the coffin and body of an Ebola patient, which is a major transmission risk. According to the latest update from BNO News, there are 363 Ebola cases and 62 deaths in DRC. In neighboring Uganda, there are 15 confirmed cases and one death. Residents have also been attacking health workers, and the World Health Organization has continuously warned that community trust will be essential to controlling the outbreak.

WHO, Africa CDC announce joint Ebola response plan --  The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) today announced a joint plan to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda over the next 6 months.The plan aims to raise $518 million to help African countries and partners to strengthen outbreak response measures through November 2026 and aims to complement response plans already launched by the governments of DRC and Uganda.“The objective is straightforward: We need to stop the outbreak where it is, support countries that are responding today, and ensure that neighboring countries are ready to detect and act quickly if cases appear,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said at a press conference.Tedros said the only way to beat the outbreak is through partnership with the affected countries in one coordinated effort, guided by the principle of “one plan, one budget, one team.”The Ebola outbreak, which is centered in the DRC’s Ituri province, currently stands at 381 confirmed cases and 62 confirmed deaths in the DRC, with 16 confirmed cases and one death in Uganda. The overall case-fatality rate is 15.9%, but there are still more than 250 suspected deaths, said Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH.Eight patients (six in the DRC and two in Uganda) have recovered from infections caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has no licensed treatments or vaccines.The outbreak was declared on May 15, but officials believe it started much earlier. Kaseya noted that the number of confirmed Ebola cases is significantly higher than previous Ebola outbreaks through 21 days, including the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which has been the largest to date. It’s the fourth-largest outbreak overall and the largest cause by the Bundibugyo virus. “This a very serious outbreak, and we need to stop it now, where it is,” Kaseya said.The WHO said implementation of preparedness and response activities is under way across affected and at-risk countries.At another press conference held today, officials with the US CDC discussed a new paper published by the agency that illustrates how big the outbreak could get.The paper, published today in Morbidity and Mortality and Weekly Report (MMWR), presents a series of modeling estimates based on what is known about the outbreak. Under a scenario in which only 20% of infected people were successfully detected and isolated within two days of infection, the outbreak could exceed 20,000 cases and 4,000 deaths by mid-August. The 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak had more than 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. The study projects that the outbreak could be smaller under scenarios in which 70% to 95% of infected people are detected and isolated within two days. But Pillai said that, from what’s known on the ground, those percentages are likely on the lower end.

Quick takes: Hantavirus quarantine, new COVID postexposure antiviral, combo flu-COVID vaccine study | CIDRAP

• White House officials are preparing to allow some of the 18 Americans exposed to the Andes strain of the hantavirus while on board an Antarctic cruise ship to quarantine at home, but details over how stringent monitoring should be are still being hashed out, the Washington Post reports. At least two of the 18 passengers currently being monitored at a Nebraska quarantine unit have agreed to remain at their residences, have no contact with others, and participate in daily monitoring activities with local public health officials for the remainder of their six-week quarantine. In other hantavirus news, Colorado health officials say an Arapahoe County resident has tested positive for the Sin Nombre strain of hantavirus and is recovering. The resident had known local rodent exposure.
• Japanese drugmaker Shionogi announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the oral antiviral ensitrelvir for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents aged 12 and older who’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19. The approval is based on the results of a phase 3 trial that showed the drug, which inhibits viral replication, reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 by 67% in uninfected people who’d been exposed to an infected individual compared with placebo. The drug will be marketed under the brand name Xocova.
• Moderna’s combined seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines induced “robust” antibody responses for both viruses in adults aged 50 and older through six months post-vaccination, with no new safety signals identified, researchers reported last week in a paper published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. The study provides an extended analysis data from a phase 3 trial, which showed that participants who received mCombriax (mRNA-1083) had non-inferior immune responses to those who received Moderna’s licensed COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax) or authorized high- or standard-dose flu vaccines (Fluzone and Fluarix) at 29 days after vaccination. The study authors say the observed durability of the immune response through day 181 “suggests that a single dose of mRNA-1083 may provide protection over a clinically relevant interval.”

Kids with summer birthdays are more likely to get the flu -- Kids with autumn birthdays are more likely to get the annual flu shot and therefore less likely to catch the virus compared with those born in the summer, according to a study published today in JAMA Pediatrics.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed the flu vaccine from its list of recommended childhood immunizations in January, citing a lack of evidence that the vaccine prevents serious illness and deaths in children. Now the agency recommends "shared clinical decision-making" between a clinician and a patient or their guardian, though that recommendation is currently on hold following a court ruling in March. By leveraging the randomness of the month a child is born, the study's authors say they were able to conduct a "natural experiment" that provides strong evidence that the flu shot is an effective intervention against a disease that resulted in 280 pediatric deaths during the 2024-25 flu season. Previous research shows that if a kid sees the doctor earlier in the year, they're less likely to get the flu vaccine. This is because young kids are more likely to have an annual checkup around their birthdays, said senior author Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhD, a physician and health policy researcher at Harvard University. Therefore, children born in the fall are more likely to get an annual flu shot, which is released in mid-August.Children with summer birthdays, on the other hand, might need to make an additional appointment to get their flu shot.Jena and his collaborators built on that knowledge by analyzing data from five typical influenza seasons from 2016 to 2023. The study excluded the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons because of COVID-19. They found that for every 100 children aged 2 to 5 who received the shot, there were nine to 14 fewer influenza cases among that age group.For example, during the 2022-23 season, 50.8% of kids in the 2 to 5 age group born between September and November were vaccinated against influenza, compared with 38.3% of those with birthdays in June, July, and August. In the first group, 7% of kids got the flu, compared with 8.4% in the second group.Then the authors scaled those results to account for the fact that not all kids are vaccinated. They found that during the 2022-23 flu season, for every 100 kids in the 2 to 5 age group who were vaccinated, there were 10.9 fewer flu cases.Because the vaccine's efficacy varies year to year, the study found that the number of cases the flu shot prevented also varied, ranging from 9.3 during the 2016-17 season to 14.3 during the 2019-20 season.These findings are statistically significant, said Jena.

Measles cases mount in Florida as PAHO warns of increased activity  --The Florida Department of Health said there have been 154 measles cases in the state this year, with the most recent cases identified in Orange and Palm Beach counties.The total comes from cases reported in 15 counties through May 23 and is the highest number of cases reported in the state in a single year over the last 25 years. Most of the cases come from Collier County, where Ave Maria University reported an outbreak in January and February of this year.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida is fourth overall for 2026 measles infections, behind South Carolina, Utah, and Texas.In related news, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has released an updated epidemiological review of measles activity in the Americas region. A total of 20,521 measles cases were confirmed in the Americas Region, including 25 deaths, in the first five months of the year in 16 countries.Mexico has the highest case count so far this year with 10,920, followed by Guatemala (6,209), the United States (1,952), and Canada (1,018 cases). To compare, in 2025, 15,152 measles cases were confirmed in the Americas Region, including 29 deaths.

US measles cases top 2,000 in just 5 months  -In a little over five months, the United States has topped 2,000 measles cases, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirming 57 new measles cases and 2,030 total cases since the start of the year.Last year the country didn’t cross the 2,000-case mark till around Christmas, and it marked the first time since 1992 that infections reached that mark in a single year. The total for all of last year was 2,288 confirmed cases.The milestone comes as a new report details how easily the disease can spread in places like daycare centers. All but 10 of the 2026 US infections are locally acquired, with the rest related to travel outside the country.The agency reported no new measles outbreaks, so that total stands at 30. The nation saw 48 outbreaks for the entire year in 2025.Of this year’s cases, 21% involve children younger than 5 years, and 72% involve kids and young adults up to 19 years. Among all 2026 patients, 92% have been unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Six percent of patients this year have been hospitalized, compared with 11% last year.No measles deaths have been reported this year, compared with three last year.According to the CDC measles map, South Carolina has recorded the most cases so far this year, at 669, but its outbreak is now over. Utah is next, with 486 cases—although the Utah health department lists 478, just two more than last week. The state has seen only nine new cases in the past three weeks, indicating that its outbreak might be slowing.Texas has 182 cases, and Florida 141, two of them new, according to the CDC map. The Florida Department of Health, however, lists 154 measles cases through May 30.South Carolina, meanwhile, reported a case two days ago involving an adult in Hampton County. “The person is unvaccinated and did not have immunity from a previous measles infection,” the South Carolina Department of Public Health said in a news release. “The source of exposure is unknown, but the person recently traveled internationally.”Elsewhere, Erie County, New York, yesterday confirmed its first measles case since 2018, county officials said in a press release. The infected person also tested positive after traveling internationally.

Bangladesh posts more than 1,300 measles cases, 2 deaths, in 1 day -  Over the weekend, Bangladesh documented more than 1,300 suspected measles cases and two deaths, pushing the country’s tally to nearly 71,000 infections and 585 fatalities since the outbreak began in mid-March, according to the Bangladeshi Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).Media reports say the situation is dire and not abating, with the healthcare system severely strained by nearly 57,000 measles admissions. And officials say they fear another surge after last week’s mass celebrations for the Eid al-Adha holiday, in which millions of Bangladeshis returned to their hometowns without public health mitigation measures in place. Of the 70,936 total cases and 585 deaths, a respective 9,049 and 90 have been lab-confirmed, the National Herald India reports. A total of 52,841 of the 56,886 hospitalized patients (93%) have recovered and are being released to home. Four of five measles patients are younger than 5 years, per the New York Times. The vast majority of deaths have also been in this age-group, which is highly vulnerable to the airborne virus. Measles can result in long-term complications and death. Arab News reports that vaccination campaigns that had largely contained measles outbreaks since the 1990s were disrupted in 2024 after student-led protests overthrew the government. The interim cabinet, which governedBangladesh through elections in late February, didn’t conduct a supplementary mass vaccination campaign as it should have.UNICEF official Rana Flowers said last week that the agency repeatedly warned health officials about vaccine shortages starting in 2024, according to NPR. Other agencies, such as the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, also asked the government to address dwindling vaccine supplies. In April, the country’s new government launched an emergency campaign to vaccinate 20 million children but has thus far administered only one of the two doses required for strong, durable immunity.

Study highlights high death rate in patients with severe pneumonia in poor countries An analysis of 52 studies from 18 countries indicates that mortality among pneumonia patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) remains high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), researchers reported last week in NEJM Evidence. The systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted by researchers in Brazil, aimed to synthesize current evidence on mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) admitted to an ICU. CAP is already known to be a leading cause of ICU admission and a major contributor to mortality in LMICs, despite advances in diagnostics, antibiotic therapy, and organ support. With the population of people 65 and older expected to triple in LMICs in coming years, the researchers wanted to get a better understanding of CAP outcomes. “The convergence of population aging and high CAP incidence will likely amplify ICU demand, strain workforce capacity, and increase the economic and social burden of disease through prolonged disability, absenteeism, and productivity loss,” they wrote. The included studies had data on 48,707 CAP patients (mean age, 65.4 years; 60.8% male) from 18 countries. Nearly half of the studies (25) were conducted in China. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most commonly identified pathogen in the 22 studies with microbiologic information. The researchers also noted high rates of smoking in study populations. The pooled short-term (28- and 30-day) mortality rate was 37.1%, rising to 61% among patients who required mechanical ventilation. Further analysis showed that age and mechanical ventilation were the biggest predictors of mortality. The authors say the observed mortality rate among patients in LMIC’s is higher than that previously reported in large multinational cohorts that included data from high-income countries.

Quick takes: Shift in Gavi funding, mpox smuggling charge, pandemic vaccine platform | CIDRAP 

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio told US lawmakers at a congressional hearing yesterday that the State Department will “re-engage” with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to resolve a funding dispute. The department has been withholding $600 million in congressionally appropriated funds for the group over objections from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized Gavi for its use of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal. “Congress directed the State Department—not Secretary Kennedy—to work with Gavi, so I appreciate Secretary Rubio’s commitment to re-engage and move this issue toward a resolution,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who has been working to get the funds released.
• Federal agents have charged two National Institutes of Health researchers (NIH) at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory with conspiracy to smuggle mpox virus into the United States and giving false statements to federal law enforcement. According to the charges, the two researchers arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from the Republic of Congo on January 25 with a case containing 17 vials of deactivated mpox virus but told officers with Customs and Border Protection that the case contained only diagnostics and testing equipment. “The allegations in this case are serious. They involve the dangerous and unlawful smuggling of deactivated Mpox virus into the United States and alleged efforts to mislead our federal agents,” Jennifer Runyon, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Detroit Field Office, said in a press release.
• The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Initiatives (CEPI) said today it will provide up to $9.7 million in additional funding to Buffalo, New York–based POP Biotechnologies to support continued development of a platform that would help speed up development of nanoparticle-based vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats. The funding will help the company advance its SNAP (Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Particleization) protein vaccine platform into a phase 1 trial for a vaccine candidate targeting H5N1 avian influenza. Company officials say the platform, if successful, could also be used to quickly develop a vaccine for a future “Disease X.”

Report warns international travelers, hunters of brucellosis risks - Hunters and globetrotters experiencing fever, headache, or joint pain might want to get checked out for a bacterial infection called brucellosis, according to a new paper in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by researchers with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their state partners. The zoonotic disease is caused by bacteria of the Brucella genus. The authors seek to raise awareness of brucellosis, particularly among clinicians, public health workers, and people who engage in activities that put them at higher risk of infection. From 2010 through 2024, a total of 1,796 confirmed and probable cases of brucellosis were reported to the CDC. The agency's analysis was limited because just over half of the cases lacked supplemental report forms. But based on the available information, people who traveled internationally within the past six months were the most likely to report a brucellosis infection, especially if they ate unpasteurized dairy products or undercooked meat during the trip. Avoiding these foods is the best way to prevent infection. Among those who did not travel internationally, the most common exposure was the hunting, skinning, or slaughtering of wild animals, including feral swine. To reduce risk, the CDC advises hunters to practice safe field-dressing techniques, such as wearing latex or rubber disposable gloves, using eye protection, and avoiding contact with animal fluids or organs. The authors also noted that brucellosis symptoms are often nonspecific, “leading to underdiagnosis, underreporting, and delays in treatment.” “Increasing awareness among providers and health officials, enhancing surveillance at the jurisdictional level, and improving how data are shared with CDC will help increase case ascertainment in the United States, which will guide future epidemiologic investigations and public health responses,” they wrote.

Quick takes: New antibiotic for UTIs, guidance for gonorrhea antibiotics, antimicrobial use in livestock | CIDRAP

• Indian drugmaker Wockhardt announced earlier this week that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its novel intravenous antibiotic for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs), including pyelonephritis, in adults. Marketed under the brand name Zaynich, the drug combines the cephalosporin antibiotic cefepime with zidebactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor. Company officials say it will provide an additional option for treating cUTIs caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. “The threat of drug-resistant infections is an escalating crisis, leaving clinicians with fewer tools to treat patients facing these aggressive pathogens,” Wockhardt Chief Medical Officer Dennis Deruelle, MD, said in a company press release. “The FDA approval of Zaynich is a monumental step forward in validating a new option for these underserved populations.”
• The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a group of experts to develop guidelines for the use of two new oral antibiotics for gonorrhea. The experts will meet later this year to consider whether zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, both approved by the FDA in December 2025, should be recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea. The WHO said in a news release that the emergence of gonorrhea strains that are resistant to ceftriaxone, which is the last reliable first-line treatment in most settings, “makes the integration of new treatment options an urgent priority.”  
• A new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations suggests that, under current trends, global antimicrobial use in livestock is projected to grow 30% by 2040 compared with 2019, driven by demand for meat in emerging economies. The report argues that while use of antimicrobial growth promoters leads to measurable short-term productivity gains in livestock and phasing out such use will create an immediate economic shock, rising rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will have a bigger economic impact, with cumulative production losses under a high-AMR scenario reaching $318 billion by 2040. The report concludes that phase-out policies “should combine restrictions with practical measures that accelerate the availability and adoption of effective alternatives, strengthen animal health services, and reduce disease pressure at the farm level.”

Cheese bread sold at Costco, Walmart recalled over salmonella concerns – A Michigan-based company is recalling some of its popular frozen cheese breads over potential contamination with salmonella. The Champion Foods recall applies to select batches of Motor City Pizza Co. 5 Cheese Bread and follows a California Dairies, Inc. milk powder recall also ordered for possible salmonella. The powder is used in the five-cheese sauce blend. Salmonella can often lead to nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain in healthy people, but can also be potentially fatal in children and people with weakened immune systems. In rare cases, salmonella bacteria can spread into patients’ blood, bones, urine and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The breads were sold nationwide in single and double packs at the following stores: Costco, Walmart, Giant Landover, Grocery Outlet, Jewel, Kroger, Schnucks, Target, C&S, Bozzuto’s, Brookshire Grocery, Meijer, Food City, KeHe, Lipari, Publix, Merchants Dis Hickory, PDI/Hy-Vee, River Valley, SpartanNash, Supervalu, and UNFI. As of Monday, Champion Foods says it has not had any reports of illness, and routine testing has been negative, “however, we are taking action out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our customers.” Customers who bought an affected item can contact Champion Foods LLC directly at info@motorcitypizzacompany.com for more information.

WHO attributes 866 million yearly illnesses, 1.5 million deaths around the world to contaminated food - Today, as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigates two new outbreaks of foodborne illness, the World Health Organization (WHO) released global data estimating the annual number of illnesses and deaths tied to unsafe food at 866 million and 1.5 million, respectively. The WHO report, published in The Lancet Global Health, also found that, despite children younger than 5 years making up only 9% of the population, this age-group represents nearly one third of all cases of foodborne illness—especially deadly diarrheal diseases.  The analysis assessed 42 major foodborne dangers, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemicals, in 194 countries from 2000 to 2021. For the first time, it also included contamination from metals, rotavirus, and Trypanosoma cruzi (the parasite that carries Chagas disease). Most of the roughly 860 million foodborne illnesses recorded in 2021 originated from biological hazards such as non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica, which causes diarrheal illness. That year, however, chemical-contaminated food contributed to an outsized proportion of deaths (73%), with most traced to inorganic arsenic (42%) and lead (31%). The chemicals, which can cause heart disease and cancers, contaminate foods naturally or through human activities.“Once these substances have entered the food chain, they are often difficult or impossible to remove,” the agency said in a news release. “WHO calls on governments to prevent contamination at the source—through better agricultural practices, stricter industrial controls and stronger environmental regulations.”Metal contamination of foods has been declining, but the WHO said that these estimates show for the first time the burden of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and intellectual disability resulting from these exposures. Inorganic arsenic and lead are tied to more than 1 million deaths a year.“In addition, exposure to chemical hazards such as methylmercury and lead in food can harm the developing brain and cause lifelong neurological and developmental problems in children,” the WHO said.Also in 2021, foodborne diseases caused 57.1 million disability-adjusted life years, costing about $310 billion in lost productivity and rising to $647 billion when adjusted for cost-of-living differences between countries. Many cases of foodborne illness could be prevented by cleaner water, improved sanitation and hygiene practices (eg, pasteurization), and better access to healthcare in low-resource areas. “Although the total foodborne disease burden has declined since 2000, major regional inequalities persist, with the greatest burden in Africa and South-East Asia,” the WHO said. The African and South-East Asian regions together experience nearly three quarters of global foodborne illnesses and 60% of death Foodborne illness causes a burden similar to that from infectious diseases like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria, the authors noted. “Food safety is not an abstract issue—it touches every meal, every family, every day,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said in the release. “Unsafe food has always been a major public health concern, but until now we lacked the bigger picture of its staggering human and economic toll. These new estimates change that.” In the United States, the FDA is trying to find the sources of two new foodborne illness outbreaks, one involving Listeria (eight cases) and one involving Cyclospora (seven). Details of both outbreaks are scarce. The FDA hasn’t reported the ages or states of the Listeria or Cyclospora patients. The agency has begun traceback efforts but hasn’t named the food being traced.Listeriosis, which is caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, causes either a mild non-invasive gastrointestinal illness or a life-threatening invasive disease. The former can cause mild symptoms such as fever, achy muscles, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea, while the latter can cause headache, stiff neck, balance problems, confusion, convulsions, and death.Cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection, is caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. It causes symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, fever, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, bloating, fatigue, and nausea.

Lingering symptoms follow chikungunya, dengue, Zika, malaria infections Up to six months after a travel-related chikungunya, dengue and Zika infection, patients experience lingering symptoms, according to a recent study in the Journal of Travel Medicine. The study also found that post-malaria fatigue syndrome persisted but lessened after three months. The observational study examined the long-term impact of travel-associated vector-borne diseases. It was conducted at sites in Europe, North America, and Asia from January 2016 until April 2021. US and European researchers looked at symptoms in patients with confirmed cases of chikungunya, dengue, Zika, and malaria at one, three, six, 12, and 18 months. Of the 273 patients in the study, 35 (13%) people had chikungunya, 110 (40%) had dengue, 19 (7%) had Zika, and 109 (40%) had falciparum malaria. A month after a chikungunya infection, 86% of patients experienced lingering symptoms, including arthritis and joint and muscle stiffness. By the sixth month, more than half of those patients said their symptoms improved. By 18 months, all patients had recovered. Following a dengue infection, 71% had persistent fatigue and muscle and bone aches after a month. A year later, 5% of patients experienced symptoms, and all symptoms resolved at 18 months. A month after a Zika infection, 84% of patients experienced symptoms, such as headaches and joint stiffness. By six months, 37% of participants reported issues. Two patients with Zika still experienced symptoms at the end of the study, after 18 months. When it comes to malaria patients, 48% experienced fatigue, headache, and musculoskeletal pain after a month, but that percentage dropped to 11% by month three. At the end of the study, all had recovered. The researchers wrote that the study sheds light on the long-term impact of vector-borne infections and the findings can help experts better communicate the risks of such infections.

HHS announces plan to reduce, better treat Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome --Late last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new efforts to address Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, including a pilot program to eradicate ticks on animals before they can bite people. As part of the pilot program, researchers at the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases will work with community partners, including the Indian Health Service and the Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts, on ways to reduce the tick population and interrupt breeding with the hope that fewer ticks will lead to fewer tick-borne infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and HHS will helm this initiative. This year, there has been a spike in tick activity in much of the United States. In April, the CDC reported that in most areas of the country, the weekly rate of emergency department visits for tick bites was the highest since 2017. About 31 million Americans experience a tick bite annually, with about 476,000 people undergoing treatment for Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness, says the CDC. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the plan at a press conference in New Hampshire, which has been particularly hard hit by Lyme disease. “We are going after this disease at its source, driving faster diagnostics and new prevention strategies, and delivering the urgency and action Americans deserve,” Kennedy said in the press release. He also signaled his support for the reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act, named after US Sen. Kay Hagan, who died from Powassan virus. The law provided funding and a roadmap to tackle tick-borne illnesses and was first signed into law in 2019 following Hagan’s death. The new initiative includes $2.5 million for new LymeX innovation challenges. These challenges offer awards in three areas—bolstering educational and public awareness campaigns, supporting new treatments based on current medications and treatment methods, and using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce barriers to care and provide more information for patients.   The National Institutes of Health also is expected to work with companies that have products that could protect people from alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially deadly allergy to red meat and dairy that some develop after a bite from a lone star tick (and less frequently, from bites from blacklegged and western blacklegged ticks). About 500,000 Americans have alpha-gal syndrome, yet it could be underreported, says the CDC.

Avian flu confirmed in Texas, Idaho cows | CIDRAP -  For the first time this year, highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in Texas dairy cattle, according to a press release this week from the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and according to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).“The dairy is currently under quarantine as part of existing response protocols, and state and federal officials are working closely to mitigate disease spread,” TAHC said. “According to USDA APHIS, there is no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health or the safety of the commercial milk supply.” TAHC said milk from affected animals is being diverted from the commercial milk tank or destroyed so that it does not enter the human food supply. In related news, APHIS has tracked avian flu in Idaho cattle throughout May. In total, 15 dairies in Idaho (14) and Texas (one) have confirmed cases in the past 30 days. In other avian flu news, Indiana is the only state in the past two weeks reporting H5N1 detections on commercial country farms, according to APHIS. The most recent positive samples were from Elkhart County, in an outbreak involving 3,100 birds at a commercial duck meat facility. In the past 30 days, avian flu has been confirmed in 24 flocks (16 commercial, 8 backyard), affecting 280,000 birds.

Flesh-eating screwworm arrives in US with first case in Texas - A flesh-eating parasite that feeds on warm-blooded animals has been detected in the US for the first time since 1966. New World Screwworm (NWS) has been advancing across Mexico for the past year and has now been found in a calf in Texas, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday evening. Efforts to delay the arrival of screwworm in the US have been under way since cases began increasing in Central America and Mexico. The case was confirmed in the town of La Pryor, Texas, approximately 30 miles (48km) from the southern US-Mexico border. Cattle ranchers in the US have been fearing an outbreak could shrink herds, reduce beef production and drive prices higher for consumers. Screwworms are parasitic flies whose females lay eggs in open wounds and mucous membranes on animals. When the eggs hatch, hundreds of larvae burrow through living flesh with sharp mouths, eventually killing their host if left untreated. NWS can infest people and pets as well, but the risk to humans is low, and human cases of screwworm are rare. The fly poses no food safety issues. This first case in 60 years was detected in a three-week-old calf, with the larvae found in its umbilical area. The movement of infested animals is the most common way they spread, so the USDA and Texas authorities are establishing a 20km (12.4 miles) detection and quarantine zone. Plans are also in motion to release millions of sterile screwworm flies, as the females only mate once in their lifetime, and any eggs they lay will be unfertilised and will not hatch. The USDA has been preparing for a possible outbreak for some time, and they say efforts have delayed the parasite's arrival by a year. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins assured ranchers that USDA personnel have already arrived in South Texas to support operations. She called on livestock producers to be vigilant. However, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has been critical of the federal response. "Instead of using every available tool, USDA moved too slowly and relied solely on a partial solution that takes years to fully implement," he told Reuters, referring to the release of sterile flies.

Texas reports New World screwworm in 3-week-old calf - After months of warnings and increased activity in neighboring Mexican states, the New World screwworm (NWS) has been detected in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, near the US-Mexico border. So far there is only a single detection, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said yesterday.US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirmed the detection, saying state and federal officials were taking immediate action to control the pest and eliminate it from Texas. The fly had previously been eradicated in the United States in 1966, though erratic outbreaks have occurred as recently as 2016 in the Florida Keys.The larva (maggot) of the parasitic fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, poses a significant threat to livestock and pets, and it can rarely infect humans. The parasite enters any warm-blooded animal through an open wound and feeds on the animal’s flesh, and infection is fatal if not treated.  NWS maggots were found in the umbilical area of the calf.  “Protecting our livestock industry is a national security issue of the utmost importance, and USDA is wasting no time in taking action,” said Dudley Hoskins, the under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the USDA, in the agency release. “USDA invested heavily in the tools needed to eliminate NWS ever since cases started increasing in Central America and Mexico. The United States has defeated this pest before, and we will do it again.”To stop the spread, officials will establish a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) infested zone around the detection and implement subsequent quarantines, movement controls, and surveillance in that area. Millions of sterile NWS flies will be released in Texas and Mexico in the coming days, and there will be increased trapping at the border. Releasing sterile male flies outside of affected areas ensure that female NWS flies will encounter only sterile partners and not be able to reproduce, as the flies mate only once.Since 2024, Mexico has documented a rise in both animal and human cases, especially in Chiapas state. Mexico has confirmed 27,449 cases of screwworm in animals since November 2024, and as many as 2,000 are currently active. As of February this year, 141 people had been infected.

Genetically modified hookworms produce and deliver therapeutics - Hookworms, intestinal parasites that infect hundreds of millions of people in under-resourced tropical regions around the globe, have evolved to survive inside the human gut for years, secreting molecules that enable coexistence with their hosts. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have harnessed that biological mechanism for potential human benefit, engineering a hookworm to produce and deliver a drug within a living host. In a new study, the team reports the first successful genetic modification of the human hookworm. It was designed to produce an antibody that neutralizes tetrodotoxin, a deadly neurotoxin produced by pufferfish and other marine animals. After colonizing an animal host with the modified hookworms, the parasites produced the antitoxin and secreted it into the bloodstream, partially inactivating the toxin. The findings are published in Nature Communications. The work demonstrates that this drug production and delivery approach could be a long-term solution to any number of medical needs, from chronic conditions requiring continuous drug treatment to exposure to toxins in remote locations without medical care available. "The hookworm has spent millions of years perfecting how to assure long-term survival inside a human host and how to get molecules out of its body and into ours," "We asked: What if we could add one more molecule to the roughly 1,000 things the worm already secretes, something therapeutically useful to people? This study shows that's not just a concept. It works."

Flatworms reveal exploding immune cells that kill surrounding tissue -- Stanford scientists have discovered a new type of immune cell that kills surrounding cells via explosion—a cellular detonation so fast and complete that the cell vanishes within minutes, leaving no trace behind. This discovery comes from an unlikely source: planarian flatworms. These aquatic, slithering pancake versions of worms are famous for their ability to survive dismemberment and grow whole new organisms from the sliced-up segments of their formerly unified body. Understanding how these flatworms' immune systems have managed to endure for hundreds of millions of years could hold important insights for modern medicine. In a new study published June 2 in Cell, the team describes the discovery and names these new cells "ruptoblasts" for their explosive response to a certain hormone. "We never expected that a cell could just explode like a bomb and kill the cells surrounding it," said senior author Bo Wang, associate professor of bioengineering in the schools of Engineering and Medicine. Chew Chai, a postdoctoral researcher in the Wang lab, first observed these cells while investigating the long-standing mystery in flatworm biology of whether or not they can tell the difference between their own tissues and those of another individual. To find out, she longitudinally sliced the flatworms and fused them together with a separate worm. Although adept at regrowing their own tissues, Chai noted that these "Frankenstein" worms rejected halves of other worms, similar to how a human body may reject an organ transplant from a donor. Unlike humans, however, a different cellular defense mechanism sprang into action. "It's this huge inflammatory response. Like there's a fire and an alarm goes off, and the cells just blow up," said Chai, who is lead author of the paper. Through previous studies of flatworms' regeneration abilities, scientists know that levels of the hormone activin play a key role in their survival. High levels of activin are known to reduce a flatworm's ability to regrow its body, while low levels inhibit their ability to reproduce with other worms. When Chai noticed the worms rejecting the tissues of another worm, she also observed a spike in activin levels and subsequent chronic inflammation. The flatworms did not immediately perish from this inflammation, but died within a few days. Chai also observed that injecting otherwise healthy, nonfused flatworms with activin triggered a similar level of inflammation.

Trump EPA move to roll back 'forever chemical' limits in drinking water sparks bipartisan backlash The Trump administration is proposing to roll back federal drinking water limits for some "forever chemicals," a move drawing fierce criticism from community advocates and unusual backlash across the political spectrum. For families already living with contaminated water supplies, opponents say the change could make an already serious problem worse, Star News Online reported. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a plan to scrap current national limits on certain PFAS chemicals in public drinking water and give utilities more time to meet restrictions on others. The original compliance deadline was 2029. PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are commonly called "forever chemicals" because they persist in the environment. The proposal would also revisit rules from the Biden administration that cap discharges of certain toxic PFAS from manufacturers and industrial sites. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the earlier rules were rushed and that the agency now wants standards that are "grounded in gold-standard science," practical, and legally defensible. The agency also said that delaying some requirements could allow water systems to take advantage of cheaper treatment as PFAS removal technology advances. Critics say that the explanation misses the real issue. Geoff Gisler of the Southern Environmental Law Center told the outlet that the science is not the problem, calling the move a favor to chemical companies worried about compliance costs. In places such as southeastern North Carolina, where PFAS contamination has shaped local politics and daily life for years, advocates say weaker standards threaten public health and slow progress toward safer communities. Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear, said the proposal lands especially hard in areas that have already spent years confronting pollution in their water. Opponents also argue that the change undercuts one of the most important aspects of environmental protection: preventing contamination before it reaches households. If industries are allowed to continue releasing PFAS, utilities may ultimately be left to carry the burden of cleaning them up later. Delays and weaker limits can leave families wondering whether their water is safe, force communities to spend years fighting for accountability, and make it harder to build a healthier future. 

I Tested My Tap Water For “Forever Chemicals,” And What I Found Made Me Seriously Rethink Everything I’ve Been Drinking - After finding out my tap water contained forever chemicals at levels 500 times the health-based goal but still technically “legal,” I talked to a water scientist about what the results actually mean. About a year ago, when I was living in Montreal, a screener from the city knocked on my door. She was there to test our tap water, she explained, as buildings constructed before 1970 in Montreal sometimes have lead service lines. So we let her into the kitchen, where she confirmed our water contained high levels of lead. Fantastic. As it turned out, Montreal is in the middle of a multiyear plan to replace all remaining public lead service lines by 2030. But in the meantime, the screener said, the city offers free (lead) filtration pitchers to households with confirmed lead inlets. Once she left, we filled out a form and quickly received a pitcher in the mail, complete with five spare cartridges. Soon after, we installed an under-sink filter for lead. So, now that I no longer reside in Montreal, when Culligan recently reached out about testing my tap water for PFAS using its at-home Water Test Kit, I figured I'd already drunk a lot of lead, so why not find out what else I’d been ingesting?  Given that I'm back in my home state of New Jersey, I was even more curious about the local water profile. The screener in Montreal was pretty straightforward. She was only looking for lead. Culligan's report, however, would be more detailed.  Culligan tested my water for 55 different PFAS compounds. PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a group of more than 15,000 synthetic chemicals used to make products stain-resistant, waterproof and nonstick. They've been found in everything from cookware and clothing to food packaging and firefighting foam. They're called "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment, and they don't break down in your body. Unlike bacteria, which can be boiled or chlorinated, or sediment, which can be filtered, PFAS resist most conventional water treatment. Their carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest in chemistry. While specialized filtration can remove forever chemicals at the tap (which I'll get to), doing it at the scale of a municipal water system is a multidecade, multibillion-dollar undertaking. Once PFAS are in a source, they're effectively there forever. Of those 55 PFAS compounds, five were detected at levels above detection limits in my tap water, totaling 9.8 parts per trillion. (But, hey, luckily, no lead!) The report itself was structured to make the comparison unavoidable: each compound listed next to both the EPA's legal limit and the health-based goal, the gap between those two numbers sitting in plain sight on the same row.  My first reaction reading through the results was something along the lines of, "Yikes, that's cutting it close, but I guess it's legal, so in theory it must be safe." My second reaction was to note the disparity between the EPA legal limit and the health-based goal, and to wonder whether my grandmother was right to religiously buy those 5-gallon water jugs. I mean, my PFOA result is literally 500 times the health-based goal, but 0.5 ppt below the EPA legal limit. Is the health-based goal extra cautious? Is the EPA legal limit particularly lax? Thankfully, I didn't have to ponder long, as I had the chance to speak with Dr. Eric Roy — head of science at Culligan, water scientist with over 20 years of experience, founder of Hydroviv and an adviser during the Flint water crisis — about what my specific results meant. His first point: The legal limit and the safe level are not the same thing."The MCL, the maximum contaminant level, is really a compromise," he told me. "It's a regulatory number that weighs toxicity against the cost of removing the contaminant and against technological feasibility." Every drop a water treatment plant produces has to meet the MCL, whether that water ends up in your glass or your toilet. The compromise is therefore a result of logistics, not necessarily principle. Municipalities, Dr. Roy noted, are stakeholders that lobby the EPA on where those limits get set. "When you're setting regulatory limits, you want to make sure your biggest city isn't out of compliance."The health-based goal, by contrast, is purely scientific — what the number would be if cost weren't a factor. For PFOA and PFOS, the EPA's own maximum contaminant level goal, or MCLG, is zero, meaning there is no level known to be safe. "Our bodies don't know whether something is regulated," Dr. Roy said. "They only know biology and toxicity."

It has the highest levels of toxic PFAS in drinking water in Scotland. But how did this remote island become awash with forever chemicals?-  When the wind picks up on Fair Isle, Britain’s most remote inhabited island, puffs of seafoam start to drift across fields like tumbleweed. The pale yellow blobs are ubiquitous enough to hold their own place in the island’s mythology: known as the butter churned by a local troll, Lukki Minni.“When the Atlantic gets going, foam covers the whole island,” says Tommy Hyndman, an artist who moved to the Fair Isle from upstate New York two decades ago. “Your windows get caked and your plants all die from the salt.”As well as a familiar feature of rough weather, scientists now think seafoam and seaspray might hold the answer to a Fair Isle mystery. In 2024, utility data revealed that the wild outpost known for knitting and rare birds has higher levels of toxic Pfas – “forever chemicals” – than any other public drinking water in Scotland, despite there being no obvious industrial sources on the island.The Guardian obtained readings for the individual Pfas behind that record, as well as documents from Fair Isle’s airstrip and community fire station. Half a dozen scientists – from Stockholm to Texas, by way of Liverpool and Aberdeen – reviewed the Guardian’s water data and agreed that Fair Isle’s forever-chemical fingerprint matched the mix of individual Pfas that probably arrived in seaspray and foam. Pfas are often found near factories, fire stations, military bases and airports. Now scientists are finding them in remote coastal areas – not from any individual source but, they think, carried thousands of miles in seaspray and foam.    All Scotland’s public drinking water remains below official Pfas thresholds for safe consumption. But scientists say the data from Fair Isle and other coastal areas represents an alarming indication of our mark on the world’s seas, and of how ill-equipped the UK’s current monitoring system is to record its accumulation.“We think of the ocean as the ultimate sink: the only really effective way to remove persistent pollutants,” says Bo Sha, an environmental chemist at Stockholm University who began researching how seaspray can collect and transport Pfas over vast distances almost a decade ago. “But with Pfas it’s like a pump that keeps pushing chemicals to the surface.”That’s because, unlike other persistent pollutants such as PCBs and DDT, Pfas are highly surface active: attracted to the interface between water and air. A bubble travelling through seawater “harvests” Pfas towards it, Sha says, and in any given sample of seawater the seafoam floating above it would be expected to contain more Pfas than the water itself.“Once airborne in bubbles or spray, the chemicals can then travel hundreds of kilometres in days,” says Sha. Pfas used far away could, once in the ocean, accumulate in Fair Isle – in such high proportions because the island is often exposed to stormy seaspray and is so small.In a statement, Scottish Water suggested a fire at the island’s bird observatory in 2019 and fire-fighting foam at the small airstrip could be responsible for the high readings. Records from the fire show that no foam was used to extinguish the blaze, just seawater, and the National Trust for Scotland says it uses only a Pfas-free foam at the airport. Fair Isle is not unique. Across Scotland, remote lochs from Orkney to the Western Isles would fail a proposed EU threshold for safe environmental levels of Pfas. On the other side of the North Sea, recent Danish studies have found Pfas accumulating in groundwater and lichens near the coast from seaspray and foam. Last year, scientists found Pfas had blown against the grain of prevailing ocean currents into Antarctic seabirdsliving in some of the most remote parts of the world.Fair Islanders shared mixed reactions to the possible source of the chemicals. Kathy Coull, a traditional knitter and textile-maker, has been filtering her water each night since Pfas results were first published in 2024. Now she wants Scottish Water to do more to address what she calls “alarming” pollution at the island’s treatment facility.“Water is one thing you can’t live without. To actively ingest something that’s not particularly good for you – it just makes sense to filter it out,” she says, adding that given the island’s levels she would support a programme of blood testing among local people. “Nobody wants to highlight it because of the negative effect it could have on tourism. But if we’ve got these high levels, do a trial on it.”

Trump's chemical safety rollback slammed by critics amid California, Washington incidents - Critics are outraged that the Trump administration is moving to roll back chemical safety rules even as the U.S. faces deadly industrial chemical incidents. Last week, in Washington state, a chemical tank imploded at a paper industry plant, killing 11 people. And earlier last month, about 50,000 people were told to evacuate in Southern California because an overheating chemical tank was at risk of exploding. Those orders have since been lifted. The incidents follow a Trump administration proposal to roll back stricter safety standards for chemical plants that were passed by the Biden administration. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a statement that the two recent West Coast incidents are not covered under its proposed changes to the Risk Management Program (RMP) rule. “Neither of these incidents fell under RMP regulations,” an EPA spokesperson said in an unsigned email. “Both, however, are highly regulated.” The agency said its proposal will “strengthen chemical accident prevention, enhance compliance, and reduce unnecessary burdens on regulated facilities ensuring stronger safety outcomes through clearer and more workable rules.” However, critics say the California and Washington events show that this sector needs more regulation, not less. “There is so much more that can and must be done to prevent chemical disasters and mitigate the life-altering and life-ending horrors that result,” said Cynthia Palmer, senior analyst for petrochemicals at Moms Clean Air Force. Calling for more regulations, Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, pointed to the fact that the particular chemical in the California incident is not covered by the rules. “Those reactive hazard chemicals are not covered by the current Trump rule, not covered by the Biden rule, not covered by Trump 1 and not covered by the Obama-era rule,” Williams said. “There’s hundreds of these reactive hazard chemical disasters happening that have happened in the last 20 some-odd years,” she said, adding that these chemicals should be included. The chemical plant regulations the Trump administration is rolling back apply to about 11,500 facilities, including agricultural supply companies, water and wastewater treatment firms, chemical manufacturers and distributors, food and beverage makers, oil refineries and more. The regulations are intended to prevent chemical accidents that put the public at risk. But their specific details and strictness have modulated between political administrations in recent years. The Obama administration tightened the regulations after a 2013 fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people. The first Trump administration loosened those regulations, while the Biden administration both restored Obama-era safeguards and added new ones.In particular, the Biden administration required companies to undergo third-party compliance audits and, for companies involved in prior incidents, “root cause” investigations.It also required companies to evaluate safer technologies and processes for potential use and provide information to communities living within 6 miles of a facility. And it sought to help employees make certain decisions to prevent fatal accidents.While technically the deadlines to comply with these rules aren’t until next year, “facilities should be working to comply” now, said Emma Cheuse, a senior attorney at Earthjustice. However, Cheuse said, “EPA is attempting to pull the rug out from under the protection before those deadlines fully kick in.”In February, the Trump administration proposed to roll back certain regulations. It has proposed to axe requirements for existing facilities to assess safer technologies and rescind a requirement for companies to develop a process for employees to report unaddressed hazards.It’s also proposing to axe companies’ requirements to share information with the public and to instead provide that information through an EPA data tool.And the administration is weighing whether to rescind the third-party audit provisions altogether or retain them only for facilities with at least two safety incidents in a five-year period.

World’s Most-Used Weedkiller Found To Disrupt Honeybee Brains  Growing flowering plants for pollinator gardens, farms, and home landscapes often requires herbicides to control weeds. Honeybees are naturally drawn to these areas and are essential for pollination. But researchers wanted to know what happens when bees are exposed to weedkillers while foraging. A Virginia Tech study found that glyphosate, one of the world’s most widely used weedkillers, can interfere with honeybee foraging behavior and may threaten hive stability over time. The research was supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and a graduate student grant from Virginia Tech’s Department of Entomology. The findings were published in the Journal of Experimental Biology and led by Associate Professor Margaret Couvillon and Ph.D. student Laura McHenry from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Entomology. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many agricultural herbicides and is commonly encountered by bees searching for food. The chemical works by blocking an enzyme plants need for photosynthesis. Since honeybees do not have this enzyme, glyphosate was long considered harmless to them. “We were interested in investigating the impact of glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the world, on the behavior and brains of honeybees, important pollinators that might encounter the weedkiller as they forage in the landscape,” said Couvillon. Although glyphosate does not usually kill honeybees outright, researchers suspected it could still produce subtle, harmful effects. They compared these effects to the drowsiness some people experience when taking over-the-counter antihistamines for allergies. To examine the effects, researchers created two artificial feeding stations, one containing glyphosate and one without it. Honeybees were trained to visit the feeders, and scientists tracked their behavior over several days. After only three days, bees exposed to glyphosate showed a 13 percent decline in foraging activity along with changes in brain chemistry. “For a colony, a 13 percent reduction in foraging can be consequential,” Couvillon said. “If the entire colony was exposed, this could lead to decreased pollination effectiveness and reduced honey production, risking colony survival and long-term stability.” The research team also analyzed changes in amino acids and neurotransmitters in the bees’ brains. The results showed clear links between glyphosate exposure, altered brain chemistry, and reduced foraging performance. The findings raise concerns about how common weedkillers may affect beneficial insects and highlight the need for stronger protections for pollinators. According to the researchers, future efforts should focus on smarter regulation, better application strategies, and additional study of these chemicals. “Understanding how weedkillers affect beneficial insects like pollinators will help us make more strategic regulatory choices about when and where to use them for maximum benefit and minimum harm,” said McHenry, now a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State, who conducted the study while a Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech.

How bean plants call on wasps for help when hungry caterpillars attack -  Some plants are not the sitting ducks they appear to be when they come under attack. If a hungry caterpillar starts to chomp on the succulent leaves of a common bean plant, a highly sophisticated defense system kicks into action. The plant sends out a chemical distress signal that summons predatory wasps to its aid. Now, a study published in the journal Science Advances reveals how the plant pulls off this trick. A team led by scientists from the University of Washington made the discovery after conducting a series of laboratory and field experiments in Mexico. Their paper details the chain of events that unfold from the moment a caterpillar starts feeding. As the insect eats, fragments of plant proteins are broken down in its gut, leading to the formation of inceptin, a small peptide. The caterpillar then deposits this molecule back on the leaf through its oral secretions. A sensor on the surface of the leaf called the inceptin receptor (INR) recognizes the molecular signature of inceptin even at low concentrations. This triggers the plant to release volatile chemicals into the air, attracting nearby predatory wasps. Over millions of years of evolution, the stinging insects have learned to associate these airborne chemicals with a food source, and they swoop in to take the caterpillars out. The researchers uncovered this by growing bean plants in pairs. In each pair, one plant carried a mutation that disabled the inceptin receptor. They treated some plants with caterpillar saliva, others with a pure form of the inceptin peptide, known as In11, and a third group with water after cutting leaves with a razor blade. Next, the scientists pinned dead caterpillars to the plants and waited to see how the wasps would behave. As expected, wasps frequently attacked caterpillars on normal bean plants. But around 40% fewer attacks occurred on plants with the missing inceptin receptor, both when treated with caterpillar saliva and pure inceptin. There was no difference in attacks between plant pairs that received only razor cuts and water. This suggests that physical wounding of a leaf, on its own, is not sufficient to trigger the release of the specific airborne chemicals that attract the wasps.

City birds dazzle females with 'borrowed' human items - Bowerbirds in an Australian city use a range of human items—from glass and plastic to banknotes and even a pair of handcuffs—to impress females, shows new research in Royal Society Open Science. Male bowerbirds create an intricate tunnel of twigs called a bower, then gather colorful items to show to any females that visit. The new study, by the University of Exeter, compared items collected by bowerbirds in Townsville City and a rural area, both in Queensland, Australia. City birds gathered larger, more colorful decorations—mostly from human sources—than their more understated rural rivals. "Bowers are built exclusively to attract a mate, and males choose decorations that contrast against their own plumage and the bower itself," said Caitlin Evans, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. "Once a female arrives and stands in the bower, males throw an object into their view and then display the plumage on the back of their head, then throw another object—and so on. Our findings show that bowerbirds in a city use a wide range of items scavenged from humans. Glass, plastic and wire were common choices, but we also found items including a pair of handcuffs, medicine jars at bowers near a hospital, and fluorescent mouth guards from a site near an Australian Rules football ground." In urban bowers, red decorations were more vivid and green decorations were duller than those found in rural areas. The researchers examined bowers of 61 males from the perspective of a female bowerbird—using existing evidence on their vision, which is more sensitive to color than human eyes. Evans said, "Our study did not assess whether females favor the more striking items collected in urban areas, but the males' enthusiasm for gathering these items suggests this is likely." Urban bowerbirds collected more items—about 90 on average, compared to 20 for rural males. One urban bird gathered more than 300 items at his bower. When human items are not present, male bowerbirds typically collect fruit, seeds, leaves and sticks.

Noted Surrey colony of at-risk swifts destroyed during nesting season - A building that was a noted nesting site for swifts, among the UK’s most at-risk birds, has been demolished during the nesting season, highlighting significant weaknesses in the protection of wildlife from development, campaigners say.Contractors for the housebuilder Hill Group carried out the demolition of Regent House near Dorking station in Surrey over the last few weeks, during the nesting season which runs from 1 March to 31 August.Footage captured last week shows swifts attempting to return to nests in the building, which was known to be home to one of the largest populations of the birds in the Mole Valley area in Surrey. They approach and then repeatedly turn away because their nests are no longer there. Swifts trying to return to demolished building – loop.  The building was a known habitat for nesting swifts. Volunteers for Swift Protection Association Reigate have recorded very intense low-level flying involving as many as 40 birds using about 20 sites in the eaves of the building in early spring and summer for several years.Demolition and construction work are heavily restricted during the nesting season under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. It is an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built, or to disturb dependent young.Annie Griffin of Banstead Swifts, a volunteer group that monitors and tries to stabilise swift populations, said residents raised the alarm with Surrey police wildlife officers in early May, shortly after the swifts returned from migration and were observed nesting in the building. Mole Valley district council (MVDC) was also told about the birds’ presence.“Despite this, demolition proceeded during peak nesting season,” said Griffin. “Conservationists are now describing the incident as a significant wildlife crime, raising broader concerns about the enforcement of environmental protections during development across England.”

Pigeons navigate using magnetic sensors in their livers, say researchers - How pigeons fly hundreds of kilometers and still find their way home has long fascinated people. Now, researchers say a surprising answer may be hidden, not in the brain or eyes of birds, but in the liver. A study published in Science suggests that special cells in the liver of pigeons can sense Earth's magnetic field, giving the birds an internal compass. The special cells, known as "macrophages," are immune cells that break down old red blood cells. As part of this process, they accumulate iron, giving them quantum properties that may allow them to respond to magnetic fields. Without these cells intact, pigeons could not navigate home, the study shows. "We didn't expect immune cells to act like sensors for magnetic fields at all. Our results reveal a previously unknown mechanism for magnetic perception in animals," says Prof. Christian Kurts, Director at the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Immunology at the University Hospital Bonn, and one of the study's co-senior authors. "What looks like a 'gut feeling' in bird navigation may actually have a physical basis," adds Prof. Martin Wikelski, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the other co-senior author of the study. For decades, scientists have known that migratory birds and homing pigeons rely in part on Earth's magnetic field to navigate. But exactly how they detect it remains one of biology's unsolved mysteries. Competing theories have suggested that birds might "see" magnetic fields through light-sensitive molecules in the eye, or detect them using tiny magnetic particles in the beak. None has come up with convincing experimental support. The new study proposes a different mechanism for magnetic sensing, supported by a combination of lab tests and behavioral experiments. The team included immunologists from the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn; physicists from the University of Duisburg-Essen; and ornithologists at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB). Electron microscopy image of pigeon liver tissue shows hepatic macrophage (blue) in contact to nerve fiber (yellow), which enables them to transmit ("magnetic") information to the pigeon brain. Credit: Lisowski et al. (2026) Science To identify where magnetic cells are found in pigeons, the researchers used techniques known as "vibrating sample magnetometry" and "magnetic cell separation" to screen organs thought to be involved in magnetic sensing, including the eyes, beak, and brain. They also examined the liver and spleen. "We had some clues that the liver and spleen have magnetic properties, because they break down red blood cells and so store much iron in the body," says first author Dr. Clivia Lisowski, from the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn, who led the immunological work. The results supported that idea. Of all the tissues examined, the liver showed the highest concentration of iron. "Iron is crystallized in oxide nanoparticles, making the cells superparamagnetic and reactive to magnetic fields. We found by far the strongest magnetic response in liver tissue," adds Prof. Ulf Wiedwald, from the University of Duisburg-Essen. Further analysis identified macrophages in the liver as the cells responsible.

Twilight hunt reveals falcon feasting on unusual prey at Greek lagoon - Falcons are lauded for their speed and agility. The Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo), skilled at snagging birds and insects out of the air, is no exception. However, during twilight on one day in October, researcher Apostolos Christopoulos observed several hobbies feeding on something else in a protected wetland in Greece—bats from the genus Pipistrellus.Bat predation by Eurasian Hobbies has only been recorded a handful of times before and the species is relatively unstudied, making this discovery an illuminating one. Migration is an energetically demanding time of year for all raptors and understanding which prey items feature in a species' refueling strategy can have strong conservation implications.This observation suggests that bats may offer critical caloric support for migrating hobbies, especially in wetland-urban habitats.Eurasian Hobbies undertake impressive migrations each year, flying from Palearctic breeding grounds to Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeastern Asia. To complete these journeys, they must find places to refuel and rest, called "stopover sites."Wetlands like the Messolonghi-Aitoliko lagoons of Southwestern Greece, where this predation event was observed, offer especially attractive stopover habitat for migrating raptors because they host a diversity of prey. These specific lagoons also offer a final opportunity for migratory birds to consume prey before flying across the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Africa.Christopoulos, with the Department of Biology at the University of Athens, Greece, published his observation in the Journal of Raptor Research under the title "Bat Predation at Twilight by Migrating Eurasian Hobbies Falco subbuteo in a Major Mediterranean Lagoon." Here he describes an observation of one particular hobby dispatching eight bats in a half hour on October 12th, 2025, identified by a distinctive protruding tail feather and confirmed as a juvenile."This observation represents a predation event recorded at a scale that has never been documented before in Greece," says Christopoulos. "Many people may not realize how strongly these birds depend on specific key locations and on the presence of stable local prey populations," says Christopoulos."By documenting this behavior, we demonstrate that conserving local prey populations, through the protection of the habitats in which they live, is essential for the survival of migratory raptors."

We’re having the worst wheat crop in decades. You’ll notice the ripple effects soon at the grocery store -  It’s a perfect storm of terrible conditions for wheat farmers this year. Drought, dramatic swings in temperature, the skyrocketing price of fertilizer and diesel, plus multiple viruses affecting wheat have all led to one of the most challenging years for farmers in decades. There are different classes of winter wheat, but they’re all down when compared to last year’s crop, explained Todd Hubbs, a crop marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University Extension. The most widely produced class of wheat in the U.S., Hard Red Winter wheat, has a current production forecast of 515 million bushels. That may sound like a lot, but it would end up being the lowest since 1957, Hubbs said. Soft red winter and white wheat varieties are also having tough years, with the lowest production volume in 6 to 10 years. In all, growers will see their smallest wheat crop in terms of production since 1972, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture; 1.56 billion bushels this year, down 21% from 2025. For an idea of how a terrible wheat crop may impact the food and grocery supply chains, we can turn to recent history. In 2023, a severe drought led to dramatically higher grain prices, “and these elevated prices rippled through the economy and raised Americans’ grocery bills,” Teresa Kroeger, an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, wrote at the time. Hobbs doesn’t believe we’ll see a sudden and major price shock at the grocery store. Rather, rising wheat prices will work their way through the supply chain, joining in with all the other higher costs of producing and distributing food, from more expensive packaging to the cost of gas for truckers. A few cents here and a few dollars there add up to ultimately mean higher grocery prices for consumers. “A price shock to grains can ripple through the stages of goods production. When a food producer pays more for their inputs to production, such as when prices for grains rise, these producers typically pass on some or all the price increases to their buyers,” Kroeger explained. With wheat, the most direct impacts are on flour, bread, pasta, cereals and baked goods, Hobbs said. But it doesn’t end there. Grains are sometimes used as part of animal feed, so pricier wheat can make it pricier to raise animals. “This has downstream impacts on the supply and prices of beef, pork, poultry, eggs, and dairy products,” Kroeger wrote.

Wetlands loss has increased residential flood insurance claim payments by $10 billion across the US, study finds A new study published in Nature Water finds that wetland loss across the United States has increased residential flood insurance claim payments by more than $10 billion since 1985, underscoring the critical role wetlands play in reducing riverine flood damage. Authored by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) experts, Jesse Gourevitch and Adam Gold, along with Helena Garcia, Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the study links changes in upstream wetland area to downstream National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims at the sub-watershed level nationwide. The analysis focuses specifically on riverine flooding—how the loss of upstream wetlands affects downstream flood damage along rivers and streams. "As flooding becomes more frequent and severe, communities need reliable information about what reduces flood risk and what makes it worse," said Jesse Gourevitch, former economist at EDF and lead author of the study. "Our findings show that wetlands are a form of natural infrastructure that reduces flood damage, and that losing them has created real costs for households and communities. This research can help state and federal decision makers better account for the value of wetlands in land use policy, benefit-cost analysis and flood insurance." This research improves upon previous studies by estimating the effects of changes in upstream wetland areas between 1985 and 2023 on individual flood insurance claim payment amounts, controlling for local precipitation immediately prior to those claims and properties' underlying exposure to flood risk. Key findings include:

• Residential flood insurance claim payment amounts increase by an average of 0.01% to 0.03% per hectare (roughly 2.5 acres) of upstream wetland loss. This amounts to a total increase nationwide to $10.1 billion, or 9.0% increase in claims due to wetland loss since 1985. The areas where costs increased the most are the Houston metropolitan area, southeastern Louisiana and coastal Florida.
• Existing wetlands provide substantial value in reducing riverine flood damage losses. In the top ten percent of sub-watersheds, every one hectare of wetlands provides at least $24,783 in residential flood risk reduction value. In the top one percent of sub-watersheds, these values exceed $301,268.
• In 16% of sub-watersheds, notably in critical regions of Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, areas that have been hard hit by flood events, the benefits of protecting wetlands outweigh the costs of conservation. In other areas, reducing further loss through wetland protection would help avoid dramatic increases in damage costs in the future.
• Historical wetland loss disproportionately increased flood damage in lower-income communities and communities with higher shares of non-white residents.

Because the National Flood Insurance Program insures only a portion of total flood losses, the full costs of historical wetland loss are likely substantially higher. The study notes that only about 30% of average annual flood losses are insured by the NFIP; when accounting for uninsured or privately insured losses, the total costs of historical wetland loss since 1985 could exceed $33 billion. "Wetlands act like natural sponges during heavy rain, storing floodwater and slowing runoff before it moves downstream," said Adam Gold, senior manager of coasts and watersheds science at EDF and co-author of the study. "Yet wetlands continue to disappear, in part because the value of the services they provide is often overlooked. Our analysis helps fill that information gap." In addition to reducing flood damage, wetlands provide a wide range of other benefits, including wildlife habitat, improved water quality, carbon storage and recreation. This study examined only the value of wetlands in reducing riverine flood losses to residential properties. When considering wetlands' many additional benefits—including flood protection for commercial and public assets—their total value is significantly higher. The findings can help federal agencies improve benefit-cost analyses for wetland regulation and infrastructure spending, support state lawmakers considering wetland and land use policy, guide conservation investments such as easements and acquisitions, and inform how flood risk reduction is reflected in flood insurance pricing. The study also provides critical details that could inform the new federal definition of "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) being proposed by the Trump Administration. If this new rule, which would require a wetland to have long-term surface water in order to be protected, goes into effect, up to 91% of non-tidal wetlands could be considered non-WOTUS wetlands. After accounting for state-level protections and conserved lands, this study estimates that non-WOTUS wetlands without additional protections provide roughly $177 billion in flood mitigation benefits to residential properties alone, highlighting what may be at stake as policymakers consider the future of wetland protections.

Canadian forest fires are losing their climate cooling power, says study - Diminishing periods of snow cover in northern forests, shortened by climate change, are poised to disrupt a delicate balance in some of the planet's most climate-sensitive regions—according to new research. Historically, carbon emissions from northern forest fires were counteracted by the reflective cooling power of snow cover in charred areas, but that is now under threat. When northern forests burn, the charred landscape sits exposed through long winters. Snow settles over the open ground, creating a surface far brighter than the darker tree canopy of intact forests. This increases the surface brightness, known as surface albedo, which reflects more solar energy. In some regions, this can offset a substantial portion of the warming driven by carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from wildfires. For decades, this has been one of the natural processes helping to cool the climate after northern wildfires. However, declining snow cover across northern latitudes is steadily eroding this albedo cooling effect, exposing a feedback loop with serious consequences for the global climate. "What was once a partial brake on warming is turning into a vicious cycle that accelerates warming and fuels even more intense fires," Gonsamo and an international team of scientists, have shown that wildfires in northern forests are increasingly likely to amplify climate warming rather than counteract it. Their findings were published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Climate change is leading to warmer springs and earlier snowmelt across Canada's boreal ecosystems, which shortens the period when the exposed bright snow can reflect sunlight on post-fire landscapes," says Gonsamo.   Canada recently experienced its most extensive wildfire season on record in 2023, followed by the second-largest fire season in 2025 since national burned-area monitoring began in the 1970s. These record-breaking fire years highlight the rapidly escalating scale of wildfires across the northern latitudes. During the 2023 season, the fires emitted an extraordinary amount of carbon exceeding the annual fossil fuel emissions of nearly every country on Earth.

Wildfire dark brown carbon has strong global warming effects, study finds --A new international study published in Nature Geoscience reveals that dark brown carbon from wildfires exerts a powerful warming effect on the global climate—potentially matching or even exceeding that of black carbon in the visible spectrum. Conventional understanding has held that brown carbon—a type of organic aerosol from biomass burning—mainly absorbs sunlight in the near-ultraviolet range, giving it only a limited climate impact. However, growing observations show that some wildfire-derived brown carbon appears dark brown or nearly black, absorbing light well into the visible spectrum. This "dark brown carbon" has been largely missing from global climate assessments. Led by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen University, and Texas A&M University, the team combined aircraft, ground-based, and satellite data to analyze wildfire plumes across North America, South America, Siberia, Africa, and Australia. Their study found that at a wavelength of 500 nm (near the peak of solar radiation energy), the mass absorption efficiency of organic carbon in wildfire plumes ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 m²/g—far exceeding the typical value of less than 0.1 m²/g for weakly absorbing brown carbon. In the visible spectrum, dark brown carbon can match or surpass the light absorption of black carbon, challenging the long-held view that brown carbon absorbs much less light.By incorporating observation-constrained optical parameters into a global climate model, the team quantified dark brown carbon's radiative effect for the first time.. The results show that wildfire-derived brown carbon has a global direct radiative effect of +0.097 W/m², with an uncertainty range of +0.050 to +0.276 W/m². Notably, the upper bound of this estimate (0.276 W/m²) exceeds the radiative contribution of black carbon (0.163 W/m²). The study also reveals that dark brown carbon's influence extends markedly into mid- and high-latitude regions and even the Arctic. In these snow- and ice-covered areas, deposition of dark brown carbon may reduce surface albedo and trigger a positive snow-ice albedo feedback, amplifying regional and global warming. "This study demonstrates that dark brown carbon is a key but long-underestimated climate warming factor," "Against the backdrop of mutual reinforcement between global warming and increasingly frequent wildfires, future climate assessments must fully account for the warming contribution of dark brown carbon."

Dismay as Trump officials to dismantle key ocean monitoring system | Climate crisis | The Guardian --  The Trump administration plans to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system that has for more than a decade provided crucial data on ocean systems and climate change. In a notice, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it had “initiated descoping of the Ocean Observatories Initiative” (OOI), a vast ocean observation network comprising more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current patterns, climate variability and marine biodiversity. The notice, issued on 21 May, came just days after Trump fired all members of the independent board that oversees the NSF. It outlined plans to remove all in-water infrastructure from observation sites off the coasts of North Carolina, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, as well as from the Irminger Sea, a marginal sea between Greenland and Iceland. Some scientists expressed dismay at the plan, while Democratic lawmakers said they would fight it, including Senator Chris Van Hollen,of Maryland, who called it a “shortsighted move” that would “end up costing American taxpayers more not less”, the New York Times reported. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, said on X: “Fossil fuel is heating our oceans by the zettajoule, so Trump’s corrupt fossil fuel stooges want to turn off the monitors.” Following the announcement, the OOI’s principal investigator, Jim Edson, said the NSF’s plan involves a phased recovery and infrastructure removal process expected to take place over the next 15 months. “As infrastructure is recovered from each array, the associated real-time data streams and observing capabilities at those locations will come to an end,” Edson said. The move will bring to an end more than a decade of continuous ocean monitoring after the system first became operational in June 2016. Describing the network as having “delivered the world’s most advanced continuously operating ocean observing systems”, Edson added: “We are profoundly grateful for the extraordinary efforts of the scientists, engineers, operators, educators, students, and partners who made this facility possible and who continue to advance its legacy through the use of its data.” The dismantling of the OOI marks another step in the Trump administration’s rollback of science and climate initiatives. It also follows Trump’s push to expand deep-sea mining and loosen fishing regulations, a policy that has alarmed ocean scientists and climate experts. Hilary Palevsky, a professor focusing on marine biogeochemistry and oceanography at Boston College, pointed to the significance of the data that will be lost, particularly given the sophisticated engineering required to deploy and maintain the instruments. “One of the real powers of this OOI and a lot of the collection of autonomous data is that scientists like me don’t have to have the expertise or the resources to be able to deploy this kind of infrastructure ourselves,” Palevsky said. “Being able to have instruments, both actually out in the atmosphere floating in the surface ocean, as well as surviving through the really deep mixing and waves in the subsurface.” She said: “Over the more than 10 years that these things have been deployed, they’ve just gotten better and better at it. And so the data return has also gotten better and better over time … the scientific community was really just getting to the point of being able to capitalize on the data that had been collected so far … I’m really disappointed for the continuation of this important data set.” Palevsky also warned that rebuilding such a network in the future would be difficult, saying: “If we want to put [the instruments] back out again, we need people who know how to do it and the team that knows how to do it is being dismantled along with the infrastructure program itself. “We’re potentially at risk of having a gap in our ability to regain the expertise to do things that we had sort of just figured out how to pull off.”

Why the Arctic's rivers are rusting now and where toxic orange water could spread next - Scientists have identified the two biggest reasons that once-pristine rivers across the Arctic are growing cloudy with toxic orange iron particles that smother insects and suffocate fish.A new study published in Communications Earth & Environment builds on earlier research documenting widespread contamination in Alaska's Brooks Range.As the climate warms, a layer of Arctic soil that had been frozen for millennia has begun to thaw. Previous studies suggested that thawing permafrost was the ultimate cause of the damage. This new study proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.The new study also reveals two distinct ways in which thawing soil is rusting rivers and helps scientists predict where the damage is likely to spread next.To investigate the rusting, the research team studied a wide regional view of a vast mountain region, then zoomed in on a specific river system, followed by an even closer look at a single creek. This deep-dive allowed them to connect big patterns to specific, on-the-ground processes."At middle, more heavily forested elevations, there isn't much going on. But at the higher and lower elevations we could see distinctly different phenomena," said Roman Dial, math and biology professor emeritus at Alaska Pacific University and first author of the study. At higher elevations, the problem starts in rocky ground containing pyrite, also known as fool's gold. For many years, because the ground was frozen, water and air didn't affect the pyrite.  Warming and thawing have set into motion a process called acid rock drainage, often associated with mining. However, here it is happening away from mines across a vast, natural, and formerly unspoiled landscape. "When pyrite meets water, it comes apart. It breaks down into iron and sulfur, creating sulfuric acid as well as sulfate and other toxic metals," "When the iron-rich water mixes with more oxygen, the iron turns into rust-like particles that color the water and stain the bottom sediments orange."At lower elevations, the story is different. Here the landscape is covered with wetlands that are changing shape and expanding downward as permafrost melts. In these soggy places, the soils are low in oxygen. So, microbes (mostly bacteria) "breathe" iron instead of oxygen."When we breathe, oxygen goes in and gets converted to the carbon dioxide that we exhale," Dial said. "Similarly, microbes are consuming iron in the lowland soils and converting it into a water-soluble form that seeps into streams and results in rusting as it meets oxygenated surface water."Unlike the acid rock drainage, the lowland microbes aren't directly producing acid or sulfate. That difference is one of the clues researchers used to tell the two processes apart.Taken together, both help explain why orange waters are appearing across such large regions that now stretch across northern Alaska, closely tracking areas where permafrost is thawing.The study also reveals a delayed effect that could help predict future contamination. Each summer, the active, top layer of soil thaws to its deepest point before refreezing in winter. Iron released during one thaw can become trapped, then flushed into rivers the following year. By analyzing long-term ground temperature data alongside stream chemistry, the team found that this lag can be used to anticipate increases in metal levels."That means we can use ground temperatures to help predict water quality in the future," said University of Alaska ecologist and paper co-author Paddy Sullivan, who first noticed the dramatic river changes that looked "like sewage" in 2019 while conducting fieldwork in the region.Mines typically control the waters near them to minimize pollution. For this study, the team partnered with scientists at the Red Dog zinc mine, who have long-term temperature records from boreholes drilled deeply into the earth and from chemistry sampling in stream water. By linking those underground measurements with changes in stream chemistry, the researchers were able to directly connect thawing permafrost to the rusting rivers.

M9.3 and M7.7 solar flares erupt from AR 4455, launching Earth-directed CMEs – 3 Youtube videos - A strong solar flare measuring M9.3 at its peak erupted from Active Region 4455 at 01:36 UTC on June 3, 2026, producing an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME). The event started at 01:22 UTC and ended at 01:43 UTC. At 07:00 UTC, another strong solar flare — M7.7 — erupted from the same region and produced another Earth-directed CME. cme produced by m7.7 solar flare on june 3 2026 Coronal mass ejection produced by M7.7 solar flare on June 3, 2026. Credit: NASA/SDO, The Watchers The flare originated from Region 4455, near the center disk in the Sun’s northern hemisphere, with a beta magnetic classification and an area of 300 millionths of the solar hemisphere. A coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced, and it’s heading our way. “Direct Hit! The solar storm launched during the M9.3-flare is indeed Earth-directed,” space weather physicist Dr. Tamitha Skov said. “Since this is the second significant eruption from Region 4455 while in the Earth-strike zone, this means this second storm could get “held up” in “traffic” on its way to Earth. “The NASA solar storm prediction shows the second storm arrival by late June 4. However, the first storm will precede this, so expect some impact starting around mid-day June 4 with the stronger storm arriving close behind,” Skov said. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over the Pacific Ocean at the time of the flare. SWPC said a particle event from the flare was unlikely because of the source location, but retained a 3% chance late in the UTC day on June 3. Youtube video The M9.3 flare was followed by another strong flare, this time measuring M7.7 and peaking at 07:00 UTC. Review of SDO imagery revealed a major CME. With the region in Earth-strike zone — another CME seems to be heading toward us. This flare began at 06:48 UTC and ended at 07:07 UTC. At the time of the second flare, radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over Asia. Youtube video Solar activity was at moderate levels in 24 hours to 00:30 UTC on June 3. SWPC reported frequent C-class flares and three separate M-class flares, with the largest earlier event an M3.3 flare from Region 4455 at 16:42 UTC on June 2. That flare produced wideband radio emissions, including a 10 cm radio burst peaking at 150 pfu and a Type II radio burst with an estimated shock velocity of 631 km/s. SWPC forecasts low to moderate solar activity through June 5, with a 50% chance of R1–R2 Minor to Moderate radio blackout activity each day and a 10% chance of R3 Strong or greater activity each day. Additional flare potential was tied mainly to Regions 4455, 4458, 4461, and 4462.

Court Tosses Kids’ Climate Lawsuit Against Trump Fossil Fuel EOs –- Marcellus Drilling News - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by 22 “youths,” aged 7 to 25 (kids used as a prop by Big Green groups), challenging three Trump executive orders promoting fossil fuel production and domestic energy investments. The appeals panel affirmed that the plaintiffs lacked standing, finding they failed to demonstrate the executive orders directly caused their injuries and could only speculate about future agency actions to implement those orders.

Big Green Attorney Hit with Congressional Subpoena re Collusion - Marcellus Drilling News - - The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has issued its first subpoena in a probe of what it calls a coordinated climate litigation campaign against energy companies. The subpoena targets Roger Worthington, attorney for Multnomah County, Oregon. Multnomah seeks more than $51 billion from energy companies (and if they prevailed, Worthington’s law firm would get one-third of that, making every person working the case an instant millionaire). Chairman Jim Jordan and Rep. Darrell Issa are investigating possible coordination (collusion) between Worthington, the Environmental Law Institute, and its Climate Judiciary Project, despite CJP’s supposed neutrality

Trump ends rebates for switching from gas to electric appliances Americans will no longer be able to get cash back for making the switch to electric appliances under a Trump administration change. The Energy Department recently issued guidance reinterpreting a program in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that set up a rebate program for people who make high-efficiency electric purchases for their homes. The program includes heat pumps for heating and cooling, stoves, and ovens, as well as insulation. However, the new guidance, which took effect Friday, disallowed “fuel-switching,” meaning people would not be eligible for the rebates if they replace a gas-powered appliance with an electric one. Instead, the rebate will be open for people who replace appliances that are already electric with other electric appliances that are more efficient. The administration put the provision under a section titled “advancing affordability.” But some, including environmental advocates, say the move would do the opposite. “These changes will trap families into higher energy bills and force them to live with polluting equipment,” said Srinidhi Sampath Kumar, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Heat campaign in a written statement. “Congress created these rebates to help households lower costs, reduce indoor air pollution, and improve home comfort and safety. Blocking folks from swapping an inefficient gas appliance for a cleaner, more affordable one will hurt low- and moderate-income families the most, the very people these programs were designed to help,” she added. The measure was originally passed under the Biden administration’s signature climate and tax policy bill. The bill put nearly $9 billion toward home energy efficiency and electrification assistance programs. That’s split between two programs, including the $4.5 billion High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate program impacted by the guidance. A spokesperson for the Energy Department said in an email that the program “has a new focus that will ensure homeowners achieve long-term energy savings through insulating and sealing their homes prior to installing new heating and cooling systems.” “This provision will help to ensure that taxpayers’ utility bills will reliably go down with the purchase of new heating and cooling equipment and lessen the chance of new systems failing,” the spokesperson said.

Republicans reject renewable energy, data center amendments to Interior-EPA bill -  The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a spending bill to fund environmental and public lands programs across the federal government.The panel voted 35-27 along party lines to advance its fiscal 2027 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill. House Republicans authored the legislation as a marker for future negotiations. The Senate has yet to release its version.The markup was tense at times, with Democrats moving to block projects backed by President Donald Trump. They also wanted to push the administration on renewable energy permits.Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) offered an amendment for “all-of-the-above energy permitting” at the Interior Department. The administration has put solar and wind projects through new scrutiny.

Dems want clean energy tax credits back. Some companies say don’t bother. - Democratic leaders have pledged to restore wind and solar tax credits if they regain control of Congress and the White House, but some renewable energy developers say the industry may no longer need — or even want — the subsidies. Republicans last year accelerated the phase-out of investment and production credits that Democrats supercharged in their 2022 climate law within the Inflation Reduction Act. The credits’ return is now central to the Democrats’ comeback plan. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said reinstating the incentives will be “one of the very first things I will do when we retake the majority.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has made a similar vow. Even some moderate Republicans have expressed support. But as the wind and solar credits begin to go away, some developers wonder whether continuing to pursue the incentives is necessary or politically wise. “We’re at a point now where the tax credits have done a great job of launching the industry, but they do need to be phased out, because we’re a mature industry now,” said Ty Daul, CEO of Primergy Solar, a major U.S. utility-scale developer. Daul said a “large percentage” of industry players agree, arguing that renewables are now mature and cost-competitive. He and others also point to the complexity of managing the credits as a reason from moving away. “I don’t know if there’s another country that uses tax credits instead of other sorts of feed-in tariffs, but I’d love to see this country move off of tax credits,” said Frank Burkhartsmeyer, CEO of battery company GridStor, during a forum hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy. “I don’t find it a particularly convenient way to finance industrial policy.” Not all renewable energy developers are on the same page. Kevin Smith, CEO of Cypress Creek Energy, which focuses on solar and storage projects, sees credits as an affordability policy. “Do we need the tax credits to stay competitive? No, we don’t,” said Smith. “Do [lawmakers] want to take away tax credits and raise everybody’s electricity bills? Doesn’t seem like a great idea to me. So it’s really an affordability issue on tax credits.” The debate is beginning to spill onto Capitol Hill, where some Democrats are questioning whether restoring wind and solar tax benefits should be a top policy priority. When asked whether Democrats would fight to bring back the incentives, Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said “stay tuned.” He said political capital could be better spent on harder-to-decarbonize sectors that have low clean energy penetration, like transportation and heavy industry, instead of wind and solar projects that are already being added at record levels to the grid. “I think something like 94 percent of all power additions were wind, solar and batteries,” Heinrich said. “We need to decarbonize transportation and the industry, and so it may be that incentives or tax credits or something else [for those sectors] might be a better use of those dollars.”

Whiff of bipartisan possibility after hearing on Clean Air Act bills - -- There were brief hints of potential bipartisan compromise at a Wednesday House hearing on Clean Air Act rules, even as most lawmakers stuck to their usual scripts.It was unclear whether the overtures made by Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) would lead to the substantive Democratic support needed to move most of the GOP bills past the Senate filibuster.But his tentative outreach across the aisle stands out at a time when Republicans and Democrats are almost always at loggerheads on air regulations — including most of the attendees at Wednesday’s Energy and Commerce hearing.“I’m somewhat offended that you would think that we don’t want clean air,” Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) said at the Environment Subcommittee hearing. “We all want clean air, but we want to be smart about this, and we want to have policies in fact in place that apply to today and are applicable to today.”

PA’s Homer City Gas-Fired Project Completes Site Demolition Early -- Marcellus Drilling News - Homer City Generation announced the early completion of demolition and excavation work at its Indiana County, Pennsylvania, site, marking a major milestone in transforming the former coal-fired power plant into a gas-fired power plant and AI data center complex. Over nine months, partner Independence Excavating led 130 union workers and 65+ pieces of equipment to recycle over 112,000 tons of scrap material and excavate approximately 3 million cubic yards (comparable to the Great Pyramid’s volume), all while maintaining zero safety incidents

New England Electric Prices 48% Higher in 2025 from Lack of Pipes - ISO New England’s Internal Market Monitor reported that total wholesale electricity costs in New England reached $15 billion in 2025, up 48% from 2024. The increase was driven by higher natural gas prices, tighter supply, changes in the resource mix, and shifts in market design. Day-ahead energy prices averaged $71.81/MWh, up 73%, while real-time prices rose 67% to $65.89/MWh. Natural gas prices more than doubled to $6.27/MMBtu. Carbon taxes added $1.1 billion to energy costs. Boiling it all down, aside from carbon taxes, high natgas prices are the main culprit. The report (full copy below) has some thoughts about why natgas prices are so high in New England.

New England’s Lib Dem Governors Cave, Ready for New Gas Pipelines - Marcellus Drilling News - -The governors of the New England states (all except for New Hampshire) are liberal Democrats. And most have, in the past, bad-mouthed fossil energy, including natural gas. In 2022, then-Massachusetts Attorney General (now Governor) Maura Healey bragged she had “stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state” and that she opposed new natgas infrastructure in the state. She later tried to cover up what she had said (see Mass. Gov. Again Changes Story re Blocking Two NatGas Pipelines). Healey, along with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, is now singing a different tune. They’ve caved on the issue of new natural gas pipelines and supplies coming into their respective states.

On-Site Power Plants for Data Centers Drive New Pipe Projects - Marcellus Drilling News - Data center growth is driving new investment in natural gas midstream in 2026, especially for behind-the-meter gas-fired generation as grid interconnection delays persist. S&P Global Energy CERA has tracked 130 North American data center projects planning on-site generation, with more than 80% relying on gas. Major activity is emerging in Marcellus and Utica-adjacent markets, including UGI’s Pennsylvania deal with Prime Data Centers, National Fuel expansions in western Pennsylvania, and Williams’ Ohio Aristotle and Neo projects.

Data Centers Look to Natural Gas for Behind-the-Meter Power -- Marcellus Drilling News -- Data center developers are turning to behind-the-meter natural gas generation as grid interconnection delays now exceed five years, making traditional utility connections commercially unworkable for AI-scale (hyperscale) facilities. Natural gas turbines and engines provide continuous, dispatchable baseload power that unreliable renewables cannot deliver at the required scale and reliability. However, this shift transforms data centers from energy consumers to energy producers, requiring sophisticated gas supply strategies including managing basis risk, securing firm pipeline transport capacity, evaluating supply reliability during site selection, and structuring contracts that accommodate volume growth

Stringent data center bill clears North Carolina state House - The North Carolina House passed a sweeping energy bill Wednesday that would impose new restrictions on data centers, offer a lifeline to coal-fired power plants and jeopardize the state’s long-term climate goal.The measure passed 69-44 with two Democrats joining with Republicans to get it through the GOP-controlled chamber.Prior to the vote, several Democratic legislators expressed support for the proposed data center rules, such as requiring large computer warehouses to pay their own way. But the bill’s additional provisions turned off most members of the Democratic caucus.The “Ratepayer Protection Act” would prohibit the retirement of coal-fired power plants until nuclear facilities secure key permits. And it would solicit a study of the state’s 2050 carbon neutrality target that critics fear could help justify future efforts to rescind that climate benchmark.

Pritzker hits pause on Illinois data center subsidies - Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday halted new state tax incentive agreements for data centers after lawmakers failed to take similar action during the state’s spring legislative session. The move means the state won’t help any new data centers that seek to come to Illinois and receive state support.Pritzker’s action won’t affect existing agreements entered before July 1. And companies can separately try to seek local support.The move puts Pritzker in the middle of a growing fight over one of Illinois’ burgeoning economic development sectors and sets up a clash between organized labor and environmental advocates, both key Democratic allies.“Illinois has an opportunity to continue leading in technological innovation and economic growth, but we also have a responsibility to protect working families and local communities as the data center industry rapidly expands,” Pritzker said in a statement issued early Friday morning announcing the action. Climate Jobs Illinois, a coalition of labor unions, called Pritzker’s decision to pause tax credits “shortsighted.” In a statement, the group alleged Pritzker’s pause won’t lower utility bills or advance clean energy goals but will allow other states to take advantage of tech investments and jobs.nPritzker said the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will stop processing new agreements under the state’s Data Center Investment Program while lawmakers, utilities, labor unions, environmental groups and industry representatives negotiate a broader framework ahead of the fall veto session.For months, Illinois lawmakers have weighed massive economic investment tied to artificial intelligence and cloud computing against concerns about electricity demand, water consumption and rising utility costs.Early in the legislative session, Pritzker had pushed lawmakers to put a pause on incentives, but legislators failed to adopt it in their final legislative package approved Monday.      Labor unions had pressured lawmakers not to pause incentives, and Democrats who rely on labor support fell in line.Pritzker’s proposal calls for data centers to pay a larger share of the costs they impose on the electric grid, operate under stricter energy and water efficiency standards, disclose more information about their resource use and help finance new clean-energy generation. The governor is also pushing for community benefits agreements and more robust water permitting requirements.Environmental groups have spent months urging lawmakers to strengthen oversight of the industry, warning that unchecked growth could strain the grid and increase costs for consumers. But some of the loudest opposition to slowing down development has come from labor unions, which see data centers as a major source of construction jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.

2 PA GOP Senators Defect to the Dark Side of Anti-Data Center -- Marcellus Drilling News - Although there are legitimate concerns over data centers locating in populated communities (noise, water use, etc.), make no mistake: The anti-data center movement is nothing more than the anti-fracking movement in new clothes (see More Evidence that PA’s Anti-Frackers are Now Anti-Data Center). Unfortunately, some Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are getting sucked (and suckered) into supporting the anti-data center movement. Two Republican State Senators have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill that would slap a three-year moratorium (might as well say a permanent ban) on AI data centers in the Keystone State.

PA GOP Rep. Seeks Ban on Farmers Selling Land for Data Centers -- Marcellus Drilling News - We continue to see Pennsylvania Republicans fall down the rathole of anti-data centerism. The latest is Republican state Rep. Marla Brown of Lawrence County, who will introduce a bill that would block farmers from selling their own land for use as a data center. Those same farmers can sell their land for big, ugly (and noisy) windmills. Or they can sell their land for huge solar farms. Or they can even sell their own land for a generic Walmart warehouse. But a data center? Lord no! We can’t have farmers turning into millionaires (see NEPA Landowner Sells Small Farm to Data Center for $17.8 Million).

Anti-Data Center Insanity Spreads to Ohio; Push for a Total Ban - Marcellus Drilling News - Anti-data center hysteria continues to spread around the country, much of it stoked by the environmental left (see Wake Up! The Left is Peddling Delusional Data Center Panic). We've chronicled some of the anti-data center movement in Pennsylvania, warning PA residents that they risk pushing a promised $92 billion of private investment to other states, like Ohio and West Virginia, that are more welcoming. But what's this? There's a growing movement in Ohio to block the construction of new data centers. It was on full display yesterday in an Ohio Statehouse committee room before the Select Committee on Data Centers.

Meta Deploys Tent-Based Data Centers in Ohio and Tennessee, Backed by 400MW of Off-Grid Gas Power - Meta Platforms has erected five massive tent-like structures at its Prometheus data center campus in New Albany, Ohio, each spanning approximately 125,000 square feet and designed to house tens of thousands of AI accelerators. The structures went up between April and June 2026 — a fraction of the two-to-three-year timeline required for conventional data center construction — and are already visible in satellite imagery reviewed by data center tracking firm Cleanview [1][2]. The rapid-deployment facilities are powered by 400MW of dedicated, off-grid natural gas generation being built adjacent to the campus by Williams Companies subsidiary Will-Power OH. The Ohio Power Siting Board approved the 200MW Socrates South plant in early June 2026, with a twin 200MW Socrates North facility also under construction [5][6]. Neither plant connects to the broader PJM grid; all power flows directly to Meta's servers behind the meter [5]. Meta is replicating the approach at a second site in Tennessee, bringing the total count of tent-based data center deployments to at least three. The strategy reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg's directive to cut compute deployment time in half as the company races to scale its AI training and inference infrastructure under a capex plan that could reach $145 billion [2][7]. Each of the five Ohio structures is a weatherproof rapid-deployment tent, similar in concept to the temporary production facility Tesla used during its Model 3 manufacturing ramp. The tents house billions of dollars' worth of AI chips — including Meta's custom training and inference hardware — at an estimated cost of roughly $60,000 per accelerator [1][2]. The approach trades permanent concrete-and-steel construction for speed. Traditional hyperscale data center buildings take 18 to 36 months from groundbreaking to energization. Meta's tent structures were standing within approximately three months of construction starting in April 2026 [1][2]. Michael Thomas, founder of Cleanview, identified the facilities through a review of hundreds of local permit documents and satellite imagery [3]. The Prometheus campus's power comes from two behind-the-meter gas plants collectively branded 'Socrates.' The approved Socrates South configuration includes three Solar Turbines Titan 250 combustion turbines, nine Solar Turbines PGM 130 units, three Siemens Energy SGT-400 turbines, and 15 Caterpillar 3520 reciprocating engines — a modular mix designed for fast-start flexibility [5][6]. Both Socrates plants are fed by two 24-inch natural gas pipelines and operate entirely off-grid, meaning they do not participate in PJM wholesale markets and avoid the multi-year interconnection queue that has bottlenecked data center power across the region [5][6]. Williams Companies is developing the facilities under a 10-year agreement with Meta affiliate Sidecat LLC [5]. The behind-the-meter approach is not unique to Meta. Cleanview's latest report estimates roughly 2GW of BTM data center capacity is online today across the US, with 3GW expected by end of 2026 and a potential 13GW by end of 2027 — more than New York City's total power demand [3]. Meta's New Albany site, dubbed Prometheus, sits on a 740-acre parcel in the New Albany International Business Park in Licking County, Ohio. Zuckerberg has described it on Threads as intended to become the largest data center in the world [4][8]. The campus is part of a broader Meta infrastructure buildout that includes a 1GW facility in El Paso, Texas powered by 366MW of modular gas units, a 1GW super-cluster in Lebanon, Indiana estimated at $10 billion, and the multi-gigawatt Hyperion project in Richland Parish, Louisiana tied to 2.23GW of new gas capacity plus 1.5GW of renewables from Entergy Louisiana [4][9]. Meta shares traded at approximately $616.36 on June 5, 2026, down 1.8% on the day and off 6.6% year-to-date. The company's market capitalization stood at roughly $1.56 trillion [10]. Meta has outlined capital expenditures of up to $145 billion for data center infrastructure, making it one of the largest spenders in the hyperscaler cohort alongside Microsoft, Google, and Amazon [7]. The tent deployment model echoes strategies employed by xAI, which deployed its Memphis Colossus cluster using behind-the-meter gas generation, and by Crusoe, which has contracted for 29 aero-derivative jet-engine-style turbines for OpenAI-linked data centers [4]. The common thread across all three is a willingness to bypass grid interconnection timelines — currently averaging three to five years in congested regions — by generating power on-site [3][5].

Duke Asks for Power Rate Increase in Data Center-Wary Ohio - Duke Energy has requested an $8 monthly rate increase in Ohio to fund power distribution activities. Power utility Duke Energy's latest request for a rate hike comes in Ohio, a state where pushback on data centers is reaching a breaking point, not only for the facilities' tremendous drain on power resources, but also in regard to their water consumption and the billions of dollars' worth of tax breaks the state has provided data center developers. Industrial Info Resources data show more than $310.8 billion worth of planned and underway data center construction in Ohio.Someone, somewhere is saying, "I told you this would happen." As Ohioans take aim at data centers through legislation and policy, Duke Energy has filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio for what the company say would be a rate hike of about $8 a month for residential customers. Duke spokesperson Matt Martin said the increase would represent about a 4.5% increase for residential customers and a 3% hike for non-residential customers.However, the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, a state agency that advocates for and educates residential utilities customers, says Duke's methodology is flawed and that consumers could see distribution charges on their bills rise by as much as $18 per month.The request isn't particularly well-timed as Ohio citizens and legislators have become increasingly vocal about data centers' affects on Ohioans, and fingers are bound to point at potential data center developments for what could be a major rate hike from one of the state's primary power providers. According to the company, its regional service territory covers about 3,000 square miles in Ohio and Kentucky, primarily around the Cincinnati area, and serves around 910,000 customers.As a brief aside, Duke Energy Florida boasts that it has decreased its rates in Florida three times so far in 2026, reducing customers bills by around 25%, according to the company. Duke's rate request comes as serious movement regarding the tax breaks Ohio provides data centers takes shape. The state last week approved a $42.3 million tax break for two data centers being developed by Cologix in the Greater Columbus area. But that could be the last of the tax breaks for a while, as around the same time, Governor Mike DeWine (R) announced an abrupt pause to the exemptions, which according to Ohio's Signal media outlet amounts to nearly $2.17 billion since 2025 and reportedly have amounted to around 11 times more than initial estimates suggested. Ohio provided an exemption of from its 5.75% sales tax for data centers that met certain conditions.A flurry of bills in the Ohio's legislative branch provides a snapshot of the growing concern over the facilities as well as their effects on power rates. Last year, the state's primary provider, Columbus-headquartered American Electric Power (AEP) managed to get approval from state regulators for a new billing scheme meant to prevent unnecessary rate increases to the average citizen. The new billing process includes minimum purchasing agreements and late exit fees for new data center customers. Ohio's House Bill 706, currently under House committee review, aims to extends the AEP provisions to the entirety of the state.
Other bills in the Ohio legislature include:

• House Bill 646 - This bill has been passed by the House and introduced to the Senate. The bill aims to establish a commission to study data centers' effects on water resources, power rates and grid reliability, and other issues.
• House Bill 695 - This bill isn't exclusively aimed at data centers, but a possible data center may be at its heart. The bill would prohibit county, town and village officials from signing non-disclosure agreements (NDA) regarding large industrial developments. One of the bill's co-sponsors, Adam Bird's (R) constituency includes the village of Mt. Orab, population 4,400, where local officials signed an NDA regarding a large industrial development that has been shrouded in secrecy from area residents but in all likelihood is another Ohio data center. This bill is under committee review in the House.
• House Bill 710 - This bill also is under committee review in the House. It aims to forbid all incentives for data centers from the local to the state level and sets limits on siting, protecting neighborhoods and public lands from development and placing environmental criteria on data centers built on farmland. It also bars the use of eminent domain and, crossing a definite line, forbids data centers from connecting to the grid unless they either provide their own generation or fund every aspect related to changes regarding to capacity, distribution and generation that they bring.

Duke Energy's Cincinnati-based service territory isn't really the prime destination for data centers in Ohio, although activity is certainly present in the area. The officially defined Greater Cincinnati area (the Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington OH-KY-IN Combined Statistical Area) includes 16 counties in three states. For the six Ohio counties alone (Butler, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren), Industrial Info Resources data find more than $11.9 billion worth of data centers in the planning or engineering stages. Perhaps the most well-known player looking to build in the area is Amazon Web Services, which is considering a data center near Wilmington in Clinton County that could include up to nine buildings and represent an investment of around $4.5 billion. Subscribers to the Industrial Info Resources Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports. Despite the pending influx of data centers into the Cincinnati area, the real Ohio hotspot for the facilities and certainly the place experiencing the most active construction is Greater Columbus. Industrial Info Resources is tracking a whopping $56.1 billion worth of data centers under construction or planned in the 10 Ohio counties representing Greater Columbus, including approximately $8.6 billion worth of these projects that are in a state of active construction.Of particular note is the city of New Albany, about 15 miles from Columbus, which has unrolled the welcome mat for data center developers and is currently home to $7.25 billion of active data center construction from likes of Meta Platforms, Amazon Web Services, Google, Vantage Data Centers and others, with more on the horizon. With Cincinnati very much on the radars of data center developers and a growing wariness to the facilities amongst citizens across the state, Duke's requested rate hike has already encountered some resistance. Whether the rate hike is passed or not could very much affect how the utility responds to power requests from data center developers and could facilitate or hinder further development in the region.

Google to Fund Fake 100-MW “Virtual Power Plant” in PJM -- Marcellus Drilling News -   Google has partnered with Voltus to fund a three-year, 100-megawatt (MW) so-called “virtual power plant” in the PJM Interconnection (roughly the Marcellus/Utica region). VPPs are designed to address soaring data center demand. Voltus will “aggregate” distributed energy resources from residential, commercial, and industrial customers. We call foul. So-called VPPs are fake—they don’t actually exist. They simply use existing grid electricity taken from other sources. Creating a VPP just takes a little software and a lot of apathy from citizens to make it work. Google will, in essence, pay other electricity consumers to shift or forgo energy use. Google says it’s faster and more cost-effective to buy electricity from other electricity users rather than build an actual, honest-to-God power plant.

Trump plans $700 million to build coal plants, export site - President Donald Trump is preparing to use Cold War-era authorities to dole hundreds of millions of federal dollars to support coal-fired electricity as well as US exports of the fossil fuel. Trump is expected to announce he’s delivering much of the funding for US coal plants and an American export terminal under the 1950 Defense Production Act during an Oval Office event Thursday, according to a White House official who asked for anonymity because the plan isn’t yet public. Lawmakers and governors from coal-rich states, including Wyoming and West Virginia, have been invited to the White House for the session. The president’s public schedule for Thursday includes a 3 p.m. announcement “on Beautiful, Clean Coal.”Trump’s planned initiative is set to include the distribution of $425 million in DPA funds to 13 existing coal plants and $185 million in separate Energy Department grants to help build two more in Alaska and West Virginia. Another $75 million also would be made available under the Defense Production Act for the proposed West Gateway export terminal in Oakland, California, opening a new avenue to ship potentially 12 million tons of coal from Wyoming, Montana and other states outside the western USBeneficiaries of the planned funding are set to include the long-planned Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal in California, as well as utilities Duke Energy Corp., Hallador Energy Co., Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. and at least one subsidiary of American Electric Power Company Inc.. The planned funding marks the latest efforts by Trump to revive fortunes for coal mined in the US as well as electricity made from it. During his second term in the White House, he has relentlessly championed an American energy dominance agenda that’s rooted in producing, using and exporting more of the nation’s oil, gas and coal reserves.Under Trump, the US Energy Department has issued emergency orders directing coal plants to keep producing power past planned closing dates, arguing the continued operations were necessary to buttress the reliability of the nation’s electric grid. The Interior Department has also moved to open more federal land for coal leasing in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. And Trump has directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to enter into agreements to purchase electricity from coal plants to power military operations.  Environmentalists who’ve criticized the Trump administration moves insist the US is wrongly using taxpayer dollars to prolong the country’s reliance on fossil fuels that generate planet-warming pollution and drive climate change — instead of supporting emission-free alternatives they say are more cost effective. Conservationists also have fought nearly two decades of plans for an export terminal in California, arguing it would sustain the world’s demand for fossil fuels while also polluting local communities, as coal dust filters off uncovered rail cars that would supply the site.  “What’s next — a taxpayer bailout to build new phone booths?” asked Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Propping up coal billionaires with taxpayer money is one more way for the Trump administration to put polluters first and put the rest of us at risk. The best thing for the air, the climate and our utility bills is to let these plants retire peacefully.”Trump frequently extols “clean, beautiful coal,” and he’s argued that electricity from coal is necessary to feed the country’s emerging artificial intelligence sector and its growing demand for energy-hungry computing power. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has cast winning the AI race as a national security imperative and coal power as an essential ingredient.Coal plants set to receive $425 million in Defense Production Act funding include sites in West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Wisconsin, the White House official said. Although full details of the planned funding weren’t immediately available, the money could be used to support upgrades at the sites, the official added. Trump has moved more aggressively to seize authorities under the Defense Production Act, a law initially used by President Harry Truman to increase steel production during the Korean War. The statute previously has been invoked to accelerate production of face masks during the coronavirus pandemic, support US solar power deployment and expand supplies of baby formula during a national shortage. But Trump has increasingly used the law to support domestic energy priorities, including restarting oil production off California’s coast. Trump also is set to announce the award of an additional $185 million in Energy Department grant funding to help build the two coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia, as well as restart the AES Warrior Run generating station near Cumberland, Maryland. The potential new plants — which could become the first of their kind built in the US since 2013 — are being pursued by Terra Energy Center Corp. in Alaska and TerraPurus Inc. in Mount Storm, West Virginia, the White House official said.

EPA rips up Obama-era deal to shutter Wyoming coal plant - The Trump administration on Thursday proposed freeing a Wyoming coal plant from a 12-year-old agreement to shut down by the end of 2027. EPA’s proposal — part of a swath of investments and other actions supporting the coal sector announced in the Oval Office — also won’t require the plant to install the pollution controls it avoided by agreeing to close the plant in 2027.“The Obama administration had one goal, to kill coal and lecture coal miners that their only option was to learn to code,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. “If finalized, EPA’s proposal would save the plant, maintain regional haze requirements, and ensure Wyoming’s economy can boom.” At issue is a 2014 federal plan covering Wyoming under the regional haze rule, which aims to reduce pollution that harms visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.

Department of Energy's Plutonium Program: Converting Waste to Energy  -  For most of this century, the U.S. has run roughly one-fifth of its electricity on fuel it must import. Russia has long been the single largest foreign supplier of enriched uranium to U.S. nuclear plants. Remarkably, it still held that position as recently as last year, providing 20 percent of the enriched uranium in America’s commercial reactors even after a U.S. import ban became law.We have spent years scrambling to unwind that dependence — a chokepoint that constrains today’s reactors and the pending advanced ones. And this month, the Department of Energy took a step toward loosening that chokepoint. Its efforts deserve a fair hearing rather than a reflexive flinch.The department has selected five advanced nuclear companies — Oklo, Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies, Standard Nuclear, and Flibe Energy — for advanced negotiations under its new Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program. The idea is to take nearly 20 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium left over from dismantled Cold War warheads and convert it into fuel for advanced reactors.The negotiations are not final yet. However, the premise must be defended now, because the criticism has already arrived. And the criticism has a point — any honest case for this program has to address it.Critics point out that the U.S. already tried to turn surplus weapons plutonium into reactor fuel. The MOX fuel facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina ran for years, consumed billions of taxpayer dollars, and was ultimately canceled in 2018 before producing any commercial fuel, with its expected price tag having ballooned past $50 billion.“Trying to convert this material into reactor fuel is insanity,” one nuclear physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists told reporters recently. “It would entail trying to repeat the disastrous MOX fuel program and hoping for a different result.”Indeed, if this program were simply Savannah River redux, that warning would be correct. But there are key differences this time, and they form the heart of the case.

Ohio officials ignore scientific facts to allow our public air, land, and water to be abused • Ohio Capital Journal - Randi Pokladnik -  Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish physics professor, is best known for his development of the pH scale for acids and bases. He was also interested in heat-absorbing gases in the atmosphere. He gave a lecture in early 1895 in which he “linked climatic change to long-term variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, CO2.” He deduced that carbon dioxide emissions from combustion of fossil fuels would have an impact on warming of the Earth’s surface. Eunice Foote, another scientist of those times, discovered that a glass tube of CO2 absorbed infrared heat whereas a tube of oxygen did not.This experiment helps us to understand that some gases, like methane, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and fluorinated gases, are indeed climate changing gases as they absorb infrared energy and heat up Earth’s atmosphere.  These early discoveries led to what is known as climate science. This field of research is rooted in studies, experiments, and facts collected during the past 120 years. Yet a majority of Republicans, including the current president, insist that climate change is a hoax, going as far as reversing the 2009 Endangerment Finding (the finding that greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act and they contribute to pollution that endangers public health or welfare).  Even ExxonMobil scientists concluded decades ago (late 1980s and early 1990s) that CO2 absorbs heat and increases atmospheric temperatures, but company spokesmen denied, challenged, and obscured this science. Elected officials who deny climate change get an F in physics. For over three years, Ohio citizens have tried in vain to stop the leasing of Ohio’s State parks and wildlife areas to out-of-state oil and gas companies. If Ohioans had been able to submit public comments for H.B. 507, the bill that opened up the public lands to fracking, they would have said NO to fracking of our public lands. But H.B. 507 was passed during a lame duck session in December 2022, with no public input.   The Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC), a five-membered commission appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine, are responsible for approving state lands for fracking.The OGLMC is primarily made up of lawyers. No one on the OGLMC has any significant background in health or science. Science is not guiding the decisions to frack our parks; money is.   On March 31, 2026, the OGLMC decided to lease more than 8,000 acres at Egypt Valley Wildlife Area and more than 500 additional acres at Salt Fork State Park, during a meeting that lasted less than twenty minutes.They ignored that facts that fracking results in: billions of gallons of water use, excessive noise, truck traffic, light pollution, radioactive brine wastes, habitat fragmentation, and air and water pollution. All will negatively impact our parks. The OGLMC are supposedly guided by the statute ORC 155.33, which says the commission can “approve or disapprove” lease nominations on the basis of nine considerations, including economic benefit, environmental impact, geological impact, impact on visitors, and public comments and objections.Considering the number of leases “rubber stamped” since this process began, it raises the question of what is really considered behind closed doors. During a January meeting this year, Theresa White, head of the commission, said nothing legally requires the commission to explain its decisions. The OGLMC and Gov. DeWine deserve an F in ecology and health. Since the passage of S.B. 52, many Ohio counties are vetoing utility-scale renewable projects. Unfortunately, they are being misled by anonymously funded groups spreading misinformation about rural renewable energy projects.A recent report claimed these groups have ties to fossil fuel proponents. The much needed economic benefits renewable projects could bring to communities and farmers are lost. Wind power occupies very little land and these leases help the farmers maintain a viable economic plan for their families. The blades extend vertically and the size at the base is almost negligible, which makes wind power compatible with other uses of the land at the same time. I have stood beside wind turbines in Iowa and West Virginia and the noise is negligible.  According to the Department of Energy, wind power is one of the lowest-priced energy sources, with land-based utility-scale costs often under $30/MWh. It stimulates rural economies through tax revenue, job creation (over 125,000 in the U.S. in manufacturing and maintenance), and stable, long-term land-lease payments to farmers and ranchers. The Nottingham Solar project (a 120-megawatt (MW) solar energy farm located in Athens Township, Harrison County) will pay the county approximately $800,000 yearly in tax revenue.     Over the 35-year life span of the project, it is expected to generate over $29 million, replacing property that previously generated only about $400 a year. Solar installation leases are lucrative and bring steady revenue to landowners and families with long-term leases that are usually three to five times greater than the income earned from traditional crops. These leases provide rural families revenue, stability and the ability to retain ownership for generations to come.The Ohio Department of Health did their own study on solar farms and photovoltaics in 2022 which showed that there are “no public health burdens” from solar materials, heat, glare, end of life disposal, noise, electromagnetic fields and crystalline silicon. According to the Great Plains Institute, in no area of the United States does the amount of both existing and potential solar in a county surpass 0.5% of the county’s total land.Why are township trustees and county commissioners with little to no science education permitted to make decisions for entire counties by banning solar and wind power and infringing on private property rights?Local officials get an F in renewable energy education. Communities all around the state of Ohio are expressing their concerns over the exponential expansion of data centers into their communities.Some of the concerns expressed by communities located close to data centers include: the noise, water usage, acres of land transformed into industrial centers, exposure to air pollution from power generation, high voltage transmission lines cutting through communities and farmlands, and probable increases in their utility bills due to the increases in power consumption.  Data centers require large quantities of water for cooling purposes. A single data center can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day and operate 24/7/365.Yet, from “2017 to 2024, Ohio provided $2.5 billion in tax incentives to attract and expand data-center projects, according to estimates included in a September report produced for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation.” Most data centers will only employ a handful of people. Ohio elected officials get an F in cost/benefit analysis when it comes to data centers. The same elected officials that do not believe in climate change want citizens to pay ethanol plants, power plants and other polluting industries $85/ton for carbon dioxide emissions they capture from their processes. This procedure is called carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and it is very energy and water intensive as well as expensive. Ohio’s elected officials are considering H.B. 170, a bill that will push Ohio to take over the regulations of carbon capture wells (Class VI wells) from the United States EPA. The wells will be used to inject dangerous CO2 gas at 1000 psi into the bedrock under our farms, forests, and communities.Once again, the ODNR would be the sole authority in permitting and regulating these wells.Currently the proposed sites for the wells are in areas where there is ongoing fracking and an abundance of old mines and orphan oil and gas wells. These activities can result in a fracturing of the caprock, resulting in possible pathways for CO2, a known asphyxiant, to escape. To date, all CCS projects globally can capture only 0.17 percent of industry emissions. Carbon dioxide pipelines will be required to transport the pollutant across the state.This will put our communities at risk, and the state legislators may use eminent domain to run pipelines across private lands.Our local fire departments lack the training and equipment needed to address any accidents like the one which occurred in Satartia, Mississippi. Carbon capture is a give-away for the fossil fuel industry. Once again, Ohio’s elected officials get an F in environmental economics and health.  Last but not least we must give all elected officials, including federal, state, and local, a big red F for allowing the oil and gas industry to spread oilfield brine wastes across Ohio’s roads and inject it into our communities via Class II wells. This waste is not only radioactive but contains other toxic components like carcinogenic hydrocarbon liquids and bromine salts. Elected officials in Ohio are ignoring science and technology as they do the bidding of the fossil fuel industry. They are failing to keep the citizens of the state safe.

Fairport Harbor schools evacuated after construction crew strikes gas line - Cleveland 19 News (WOIO) - A construction crew working outside of the new Fairport Harbor School campus struck a gas line Friday morning. The crew struck the line at approximately 11:20 a.m., and the Fairport Harbor Exempted Village School District said students and staff were evacuated from the building and relocated to designated emergency sites as a safety precaution. Elementary students were relocated to McKinley Elementary School, while middle and high school students were moved to St. Anthony’s. The district said that Fairport Harbor Fire Department Chief Bob Lloyd, the Fairport Harbor Police Department and school administration met to assess the situation and determine the safest course of action. Based on information provided by emergency responders and utility personnel, the decision was made to dismiss the students for the remainder of the day. Fairport Harbor Schools said school staff implemented the district’s safety protocols and completed a safe and orderly dismissal process. The district said the safety of the students, staff and community members remains its highest priority. Following an assessment by the appropriate authorities and utility personnel, the building was deemed safe for reentry, and the graduation ceremony was able to take place as scheduled Friday evening. The district extended its gratitude to St. Anthony’s for allowing its use for the emergency plan.

Columbia Gas plans major gas-main replacement across Tiffin's east side -  Columbia Gas of Ohio plans to replace aging natural gas mains across much of Tiffin’s east side this summer, a company representative told Tiffin City Council on Monday, June 1.The update was one of two utility presentations at the meeting, where council also passed four ordinances, gave first readings to three others and scheduled a public hearing on next year’s tax budget.Katie Rosa, a public affairs specialist with Columbia Gas of Ohio, said the company’s Coe Street Accelerated Main Replacement Program will cover a large portion of the city’s eastern half. The program replaces older cast-iron and bare-steel pipe — some of it in the ground since the 1950s and 1960s, Rosa said — with plastic line the company expects to last more than 100 years.

Ohio Landowners Win Case Against Ascent Resources re Arbitration - Marcellus Drilling News - - In a significant ruling for Utica and Marcellus shale landowners, the Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court’s decision denying a motion by Ascent Resources to compel arbitration in a lease-expiration dispute. The court ruled that when an oil and gas lease expires by its own terms without active production or drilling operations, the lease’s arbitration clause does not survive the lease’s expiration to govern subsequent disputes—such as claims of trespass and unauthorized drilling. To force arbitration on post-expiration events, a lease must contain explicit “survival” language or involve rights that accrued/vested while the lease was still active.

On-Site Power Plants for Data Centers Drive New Pipe Projects - Marcellus Drilling News - -Data center growth is driving new investment in natural gas midstream in 2026, especially for behind-the-meter gas-fired generation as grid interconnection delays persist. S&P Global Energy CERA has tracked 130 North American data center projects planning on-site generation, with more than 80% relying on gas. Major activity is emerging in Marcellus and Utica-adjacent markets, including UGI’s Pennsylvania deal with Prime Data Centers, National Fuel expansions in western Pennsylvania, and Williams’ Ohio Aristotle and Neo projects.

Data Centers Look to Natural Gas for Behind-the-Meter Power -- Marcellus Drilling News -- Data center developers are turning to behind-the-meter natural gas generation as grid interconnection delays now exceed five years, making traditional utility connections commercially unworkable for AI-scale (hyperscale) facilities. Natural gas turbines and engines provide continuous, dispatchable baseload power that unreliable renewables cannot deliver at the required scale and reliability. However, this shift transforms data centers from energy consumers to energy producers, requiring sophisticated gas supply strategies including managing basis risk, securing firm pipeline transport capacity, evaluating supply reliability during site selection, and structuring contracts that accommodate volume growth

PA’s Homer City Gas-Fired Project Completes Site Demolition Early -- Marcellus Drilling News - Homer City Generation announced the early completion of demolition and excavation work at its Indiana County, Pennsylvania, site, marking a major milestone in transforming the former coal-fired power plant into a gas-fired power plant and AI data center complex. Over nine months, partner Independence Excavating led 130 union workers and 65+ pieces of equipment to recycle over 112,000 tons of scrap material and excavate approximately 3 million cubic yards (comparable to the Great Pyramid’s volume), all while maintaining zero safety incidents

30 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV May 25 – 31 - - Marcellus Drilling News - The Marcellus/Utica region received 30 new drilling permits last week, May 25 – 31, up from 15 permits issued two weeks ago. However, not all 30 permits reported last week were issued last week. Ohio, which is occasionally tardy in updating its public reports, included permits in last week’s report that should have been included in the previous week’s report. Last week, Pennsylvania issued 8 permits. Ohio issued 17 new permits, of which 9 were from last week, and 8 were from the week before but not reported until last week. West Virginia issued 5 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: Antero Resources, Ascent Resources, Clean Energy E&P, EOG Resources, Expand Energy, Grenadier Energy, and Range Resources. Antero Resources | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Bradford County | Carroll County | Clean Energy E&P | EOG Resources | Expand Energy | Grenadier Energy | Harrison County | Range Resources Corp | Tioga County (PA) | Tyler County | Washington County

M-U Man Camp & Mobile Command Center Provider Sold for $17 Million - Marcellus Drilling News - -KLX Energy Services has acquired all assets of Wolfpack Rentals for $17 million, including $14 million at closing and two deferred payments of $1.5 million each. Wolfpack, founded in 2005 and based in Texas, provides surface rental equipment and services to oil and gas E&P, midstream, construction, and industrial customers across Texas and the Marcellus/Utica region, including regional offices and operations in West Virginia and Ohio. A better way to understand Wolfpack is to think of them as renting trailers for "man camps" — temporary settlements of oil and gas workers in remote locations.

M-U has More Supply Than We Can Use In-Basin for New Powergen -- Marcellus Drilling News - - Marcellus Drilling News - -Northeast natural gas demand (the amount we use in-basin, in the Marcellus/Utica) has grown by 46% over 15 years, reaching 20.1 Bcf/d in 2024, driven primarily by power-sector consumption, which has doubled since 2010 as coal plants have retired. Gas-fired generation serves to balance seasonal fluctuations in unreliable wind and solar, peaking in the summer months. Future growth in new demand for natural gas, says RBN Energy, faces “headwinds” from renewable expansion. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects a small increase of 230 MMcf/d in new gas supplies needed through 2030. However, six major data center projects—led by Frontier Group’s 3.6 GW Shippingport facility and Nscale’s 1.4 GW Monarch center—could add 1 Bcf/d in demand by 2029, totaling potential growth of 1.2 Bcf/d in new supply needed. However, there’s still an ongoing mismatch between supply and demand.

WV Supreme Court Upholds Some Local Zoning for Gas Drilling -- Marcellus Drilling News -   Here’s a West Virginia court case we were not previously aware of, one that affects the entire state regarding local zoning for shale gas drilling. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that municipal zoning laws are not entirely preempted by state environmental regulations, reversing an intermediate court decision and siding with the City of Weirton against SWN Production Company (Southwestern Energy, now part of Expand Energy). The 4-1 decision found no conflict between the state Department of Environmental Protection’s authority over drilling processes and municipalities’ power to regulate land use under the Land Use Planning Act.

NY Gov. Hochul Added as Defendant in Frack Ban “Taking” Lawsuit - Marcellus Drilling News - - In mid-April, MDN brought you the great news that a major lawsuit had been filed against New York State alleging a “taking” of private property by the state via the state ban on fracking (see New Lawsuit Brought Against NY Claims State Frack Ban a “Taking”). We have an update on the case. Two weeks after the original “complaint” (as lawsuits are called) was filed, an amended complaint was filed, something that escaped our notice until today. The amended complaint repeats almost all of the original with one major addition: It names NY Governor Kathy Hochul as a co-defendant.

New England’s Lib Dem Governors Cave, Ready for New Gas Pipelines - Marcellus Drilling News - -The governors of the New England states (all except for New Hampshire) are liberal Democrats. And most have, in the past, bad-mouthed fossil energy, including natural gas. In 2022, then-Massachusetts Attorney General (now Governor) Maura Healey bragged she had “stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state” and that she opposed new natgas infrastructure in the state. She later tried to cover up what she had said (see Mass. Gov. Again Changes Story re Blocking Two NatGas Pipelines). Healey, along with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, is now singing a different tune. They’ve caved on the issue of new natural gas pipelines and supplies coming into their respective states.

Whitewater’s Thrasher Lateral to Supply Haynesville Natural Gas to Commonwealth LNG -Midstream operator WhiteWater is once again expanding the scope of the Pelican Pipeline, this time adding a lateral to directly supply natural gas for the recently sanctioned Commonwealth LNG export project. At a Glance:

• Extension would move 2.5 Bcf/d
• Commonwealth eyeing 2030 in-service
• US exporters cashing in on arb spreads

US LNG Feedgas Demand Holds Steady as Maintenance Limits Utilization  A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers. North America LNG export flow tracker showing US LNG feed gas deliveries at 16.69 million Dth/d on June 4, 2026, led by Sabine Pass and Plaquemines.

• 17.4 Bcf/d: US LNG feedgas demand remained steady through the week, but has continued to flag below late-May levels as maintenance weighs on utilization. Wood Mackenzie estimated LNG demand at 17.4 Bcf/d for Thursday, up from the 16.8 Bcf/d low on June 2. The recent seven-day average was 17.6 Bcf/d, while the coming seven-day outlook is slightly stronger at 17.9 Bcf/d. Plaquemines remained the largest feedgas draw at about 4.01 million Dth, followed by Sabine Pass at 4.29 million Dth, according to NGI’s US LNG Flow Tracker.
• 100,000 MMBtu/d: Feedgas flows to Golden Pass LNG have been in flux after pipeline data showed a spike in nominations at the end of May. Nominations climbed to 100,000 MMBtu/d on Thursday after falling below 50,000 MMBtu/d the prior day, but volumes were still well below the roughly 400,000 MMBtu/d levels reached more than a week ago. The latest pull represented less than 4% of the terminal’s 2.6 million MMBtu/d operational capacity. An LNG vessel scheduled to take the third export cargo has been floating in anchorage south of the facility in Sabine Pass, TX, but estimated loading has been shifted to Sunday, according to Kpler data.
• 1.13 Mt: Lagging feedgas flows to Freeport LNG since mid-May have also been weighing on the overall demand outlook, with signs that weakened nominations could continue. Deliveries into the South Texas facility remained below normal Thursday, with scheduled volumes reported at just under 1 Bcf/d Thursday. NGI’s LNG Export Flow Tracker also showed Freeport running at only about 53% utilization. The facility reported a train outage almost three weeks ago, followed by heavily curtailed nominations. Freeport shipped around 1.13 Mt in May, the lowest monthly total since last August, when the terminal also saw several outage events during the month.
• 1.4 Mt/y: Ineos Energy has signed a long-term LNG supply agreement with major Japanese conglomerate Marubeni for delivery into Asian markets starting in 2029. The companies did not disclose contract volumes or the terms of the deal, which would be on a delivered ex-ship basis. Ineos has previously secured 1.4 Mt/y of LNG from Sempra Infrastructure’s Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 project in Texas under a 20-year offtake agreement, on a similar timeframe as the Marubeni deal.

Delfin LNG Seen Nearing FID After Samsung Heavy Reports $2.9B FLNG Contract -South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has disclosed it received a contract to deliver a floating LNG (FLNG) export vessel to a North American company, pointing to an impending final investment decision for Delfin LNG. Delfin LNG offshore export project map showing floating LNG vessels, the UTOS pipeline and Gulf of America natural gas infrastructure. At a Glance:
First FLNG may add 0.6 Bcf/d by 2030
Offshore LNG model nears first US execution
Transco Zone 2 could feel Delfin pull

Delfin Sanctions First US FLNG Export Project  -Delfin LNG has sanctioned the first floating LNG export project in US waters, advancing a 4.4 Mt/y vessel that could add a new offshore component to Gulf Coast export growth by the end of the decade. Map of the proposed Delfin LNG offshore export project in the Gulf of America, illustrating the UTOS Pipeline system connecting onshore infrastructure at Station 44 and Grand Chenier Station in Louisiana to multiple floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessels. The diagram shows FLNG 1, FLNG 2 and FLNG 3 positioned offshore, along with a designated future development area for additional LNG production capacity. The project is designed to export U.S. natural gas from offshore floating LNG facilities to global markets. Source: Delfin Midstream. At a Glance:
Transco Zone 2 demand may rise
GIP-led investors back first phase
UTOS repairs remain key project hurdle

US natural gas futures fall 3% on lower demand forecast (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures slid about 3% on Monday on as demand forecasts for this week were revised lower. Front-month gas futures for July delivery NGc1 on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) fell 11.1 cents, or 3.4%, to settle at $3.179 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Friday, the contract closed at its highest price since February 6. After futures gained 19% in May, speculators last week boosted their net short futures and options positions on the NYMEX and Intercontinental Exchange to their highest levels since April 2024, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Commitments of Traders report. Financial group LSEG said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states fell to 109.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in May, down from 109.8 bcfd in April and a monthly record high of 110.6 bcfd in December 2025. Analysts said mild spring weather allowed energy firms to stockpile more gas into storage than usual. But they noted recent output declines likely reduced the inventory surplus to around 5.9% above normal during the week ended May 29 from 6.2% above normal the previous week. Looking forward, meteorologists forecast mostly warmer-than-normal weather through June 16, which should boost demand for gas from power generators to keep air conditioners humming. About 40% of U.S. electricity generation comes from gas-fired power plants. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would rise from 98.4 bcfd this week to 101.4 bcfd next week. The forecast for this week was lower than LSEG's outlook on Friday. Average gas flows to the nine big U.S. LNG export plants fell from a monthly record high of 18.8 bcfd in April to 17.1 bcfd in May due to spring maintenance at several plants, including ExxonMobil/QatarEnergy's Golden Pass facility and Freeport LNG's plant in Texas.

US natural gas futures ease as LNG export flows hit four-month low (Reuters) - U.S. ​natural gas futures eased on Tuesday as daily flows to liquefied natural gas export plants dropped to a four-month ‌low. Front-month gas futures for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 1.2 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $3.167 per million British thermal units. Financial group LSEG said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states fell to 108.8 billion cubic feet per day so far in June, down from 109.7 ​bcfd in May and a monthly record high of 110.6 bcfd in December 2025. Analysts said mild spring ​weather allowed energy firms to stockpile more gas than usual. But they noted recent output declines likely reduced the ⁠surplus of gas in inventories to around 5.9% above normal during the week ended May 29, down from 6.2% above normal the ​previous week. Meteorologists forecast the weather would remain mostly warmer than normal through June 17, which should boost demand for gas from power generators ​to keep air conditioners humming. About 40% of U.S. electricity generation comes from gas-fired power plants. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would rise from 98.2 bcfd this week to 101.0 bcfd next week. Those forecasts were similar to LSEG's outlook on Monday. Average gas flows to the ​nine big U.S. LNG export plants fell from 17.1 bcfd in May to 16.0 bcfd so far in June due to spring ​maintenance at several plants, including ExxonMobil (XOM.N), opens new tab/QatarEnergy's Golden Pass facility and Freeport LNG's plant in Texas. That compares with a monthly record high of 18.8 bcfd in ‌April. On a ⁠daily basis, LNG feedgas was on track to drop to a four-month low of 15.7 bcfd on Tuesday.

US natural gas futures rise as output drops and heat drives demand (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures climbed about 1.5% on Wednesday on forecasts for warmer weather into mid-June and recent declines in output. Front-month gas futures for July delivery NGc1 on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 4.7 cents, or 1.5%, to settle at $3.214 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). Financial group LSEG said average gas output in the U.S. Lower 48 states has dropped to 109.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in June, down from 109.7 bcfd in May and a monthly record high of 110.6 bcfd in December 2025. Meteorologists forecast the weather will remain mostly warmer than normal through June 18, which should boost demand for gas from power generators to keep air conditioners humming. About 40% of U.S. electricity generation comes from gas-fired power plants. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would rise from 98.3 bcfd this week to 99.9 bcfd next week. The forecast for next week was lower than LSEG's outlook on Tuesday. Average gas flows to the nine big U.S. LNG export plants fell from 17.1 bcfd in May to 16.3 bcfd so far in June due to ongoing spring maintenance at several plants, including ExxonMobil/QatarEnergy's Golden Pass facility and Freeport LNG's plant in Texas. That reading compares with a monthly record high of 18.8 bcfd in April.

How Texas Leads The New Natural Gas Pipeline Boom --Texas is once again proving why it stands as America’s unrivaled energy powerhouse.According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), more than 66% of planned U.S. natural gas pipeline capacity additions for 2026 and 2027 — roughly 29.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) out of a national total of 44.9 Bcf/d — originate in the Lone Star State.This marks a second major pipeline expansion boom in just over a decade, far outpacing other regions like Louisiana (19%). While the Marcellus/Utica shale in the Northeast remains hobbled by partisan politics in New York that have blocked critical takeaway capacity for years, Texas and its booming economy moves inexorably ahead. This infrastructure surge is a direct response to exploding demand across multiple sectors. Permian Basin producers, sitting atop the nation’s most prolific oil and gas play, have long grappled with stranded associated gas from thousands of oil wells. Gross natural gas withdrawals in the Permian hit record levels, exceeding 21 Bcf/d in recent years, but pipeline constraints have periodically led to flaring or negative prices at the Waha Hub in the southwest Texas panhandle. New pipelines are needed to unlock this resource, turning waste into wealth and boosting economic output.The global LNG export market provides another powerful driver. U.S. LNG exports have surged, with Texas facilities playing a starring role, exporting billions in value and supplying allies worldwide. Projects like NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG and others along the Gulf of America coast require big volumes of reliable feedgas.Permian supplies complement output from the Haynesville, Cotton Valley, and Bossier plays, feeding terminals that position America as far and away the world’s top LNG exporter. Without expanded pipelines, these export ambitions, and the jobs, tax revenue, and geopolitical leverage they deliver, could struggle to meet rising global demand.Domestically, Texas power providers are racing to add natural gas-fired generation to the ERCOT grid. Over 130 proposed gas power plant projects could add up to 58 GW of capacity, driven by surging electricity demand.Governor Greg Abbott’s Texas Energy Fund has already greenlit major facilities, such as a 1,350 MW plant in Ward County. These plants provide reliable, dispatchable power essential for a grid that has been overloaded with intermittent wind and solar capacity.The AI and data center boom adds yet more urgency. Hyperscale facilities in Texas are increasingly turning to behind-the-meter natural gas generation — on-site power plants dedicated to the facility. Companies like VoltaGrid, Energy Transfer, and others are deploying gigawatts of gas-fired capacity for Oracle, Vantage, and other clients. In the Permian Basin region, developers pair associated gas with microgrids to power AI campuses directly. This approach not only meets explosive demand but also monetizes stranded gas while shielding local ratepayers.These myriad converging demand drivers — Permian takeaway, LNG exports, ERCOT reliability, and AI infrastructure — have combined to create a compelling case for rapid pipeline expansion. Projects like the Blackcomb Pipeline (2.5 Bcf/d from Waha to Agua Dulce), Hugh Brinson, and Rio Bravo exemplify the momentum. This rapid buildout echoes the shale revolution’s earlier infrastructure wave but on an even grander scale, with tens of billions in investment flowing into the Texas economy.What it all boils down to is the enduring reality that, despite a half-decade of incessant narratives about the supposed death of fossil fuels and a mythical energy transition, the world wants and need more natural gas. This second major, Texas-based pipeline boom in just the past decade also highlights the reality that, more than any other state, Texas is set to fuel America’s energy future.While Texas is blessed with the geology and geography needed to step into this role, a state government which values the industry is equally critical to success. Governor Greg Abbott isn’t Kathy Hochul or Gavin Newsom: If he were, all these demand drivers would be forced to search elsewhere to fill their natural gas needs and the pipelines needed to deliver it. It’s a lesson that voters in other states should take to heart.

Trump administration to rejoin offshore drilling agencies separated after 2010 Gulf oil spill –   The Trump administration said Friday it is combining two agencies that were separated in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The Interior Department said the overhaul would increase efficiency and speed up permitting for offshore oil and gas drilling.The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring together the functions of the current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Doing so will enable a “streamlined approach” that will maintain existing regulatory protections and rigorous safety standards, he said.The combined agency will “deliver clearer coordination, better service to the public and stronger, more integrated oversight of offshore energy development,” Burgum said in a statement.The new name is reminiscent of the old Minerals Management Service, which for decades was the federal agency responsible for overseeing offshore drilling. In April 2010, a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people and discharging nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the sea over the next three months in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.Lawmakers from both parties and outside critics accused the agency of lax oversight of drilling and cozy ties with industry. A 2008 report by the Interior Department’s inspector general said employees accepted gifts, steered contracts to favored clients and engaged in drug use and sex with employees of the energy firms they regulated.The head of the agency resigned in May 2010 — less than a year into her tenure — under public pressure as the Obama administration moved to impose stricter control over drilling in the wake of the spill.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement replaced the disbanded Minerals Management Service in 2011. The former agency’s revenue management function was also separated into a new office. The Obama administration said the reorganization was designed to remove the complex and sometimes conflicting missions of the former agency.BOEM oversees development of oil and gas, as well as renewable energy and mining on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, while BSEE enforces safety and environmental regulations.Environmental groups slammed the reorganization as a replay of the agency's troubled past.The MMS was intentionally split up after the Gulf spill because regulators were too cozy with industry and “we couldn’t trust the integrity of their work,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity.The new set-up "sounds like yet another handout to the oil industry that will fast-track risky projects. It sure won’t make the people or wildlife on our coasts any safer,” she wrote in an e-mail Friday.The National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore developers, said that two separate — yet overlapping — government agencies responsible for administering the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act can understandably result in inconsistencies and delays.“Bringing them back together should result in closer coordination and a more efficiently functioning government, for the benefit of American citizens who rely upon the energy produced from the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to fuel our economy and lift society,” Association President Erik Milito said in a statement.

Independent oil companies eye Permian production boost  Three months after the war in Iran sent crude prices soaring, oil producers in the biggest U.S. oil field are starting to ramp up their production. The catch: The new push may only boost production by about 250,000 barrels a day, too little to lower the price of oil or provide relief for drivers. Independent drillers have begun adding rigs in the Permian Basin, albeit slowly, according to the data analysis firm Enverus. And the same companies are working through a backlog of wells that can be brought online quickly. The trends show that producers expect high oil prices to last into 2027 because it will take that long for the new wells to come online. And the volume of oil expected from the new activity isn’t likely to bring them down. “It does not move the needle in the greater scheme of things,” Alex Ljubojevic, a lead supply analyst at Enverus, said in an interview. As recently as January, benchmark U.S. oil was trading below $60 a barrel and companies were shutting down rigs and slowing production. Permian Basin rigs dropped from a high of 257 last June to 221 on Jan. 1, according to Enverus data. When the U.S. began bombing Iran in February, sending crude prices above $90 a barrel, producers were cautious about drilling new wells because they were concerned that the price increase wouldn’t last. Independent producers, particularly shale drillers in the Permian Basin, are typically willing to take on more risk than major oil companies. The price of oil has traded above $90 a barrel this week as sporadic violence continued in Iran and other Persian Gulf nations. Some small operators in the Permian Basin have opted to finish off what the industry calls drilled but uncompleted wells (DUCs) that haven’t been hydraulically fractured, because it brings on production faster than new drilling, said Kirk Edwards, president of Latigo Petroleum in Odessa, Texas, and a former chair of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association. “It’s a definite interim strategy,” Edwards said in an interview. “They’re trying to accelerate their return on investment with these $90–$100 oil prices, so they’re trying to get as much oil, everybody is trying to get as much oil in the market as they can right now, to take advantage of these prices.” Diamondback Energy, a shale producer based in Midland, Texas, has 73 unfracked wells as of April 2026, the most among independent producers, according to data analytic firm Rystad Energy. Diamondback announced in May that it will deploy five fracking crews to complete some of them. “This level of incremental activity maintains our current level of capital efficiency and puts Diamondback in a differentiated position,” CEO Kaes Van’t Hof said in a letter to stockholders. The number of drilling rigs in the Permian Basin has been climbing, too, hitting 245 in May, according to Enverus. The number dropped to 240 this week. Some operators in the Permian are also looking for new places to drill. A group of independent shale producers obtained 761 new drill permits in the first quarter of 2026, up from 514 in the last quarter of 2025, according to Rystad. Among gas-focused producers, some independent companies are not expanding operations due to low gas prices, said Michael Banschbach, an oil and natural gas marketing consultant. Gas prices at the benchmark Henry Hub have stayed below $3.50 per million British thermal units most of this year, despite the war in the Middle East. “These producers don’t have a lot of oil, so with this gas it’s an easy decision for them to shut down,” he said.

There are thousands of dirty old drill sites in Colorado. The state gave oil firms a $1bn pass   Investigation reveals regulator let firms off the hook on cleanup bonds despite backlog that will take decades to clear. (see maps) When Christiaan van Woudenberg moved to Erie, Colorado, in 2007, he never imagined he would become an anti-fracking activist. He simply thought he was buying his dream home – a four-bedroom with a panoramic mountain view, 30 minutes north of downtown Denver.Then, in 2014, the drilling started. Oil and gas rigs sprang up, some just 800ft (240m) from his bedroom window. The dream turned to nightmare: loud noises rumbled all night long, and the air stank like exhaust. Neighbors started getting headaches and nosebleeds, and Van Woudenberg developed new respiratory issues. He kept his windows shut and worried about his daughters going outside.“So I got mad,” he said. “Like, ‘Oh, if they can do this to me in my fancy house as an upper-middle-class white guy, they can do it to anybody.’”Van Woudenberg looked for ways to visualize the scale of the industry’s pollution. A software developer, he sorted through vast data published by the state energy and carbon management commission (ECMC), Colorado’s oil and gas regulator. What he discovered shocked him. Chemical spills were turning up daily in Weld county, where he lives – sometimes at new drilling projects, but more often at old, defunct sites where contamination had gone undetected for years. He started charting locations where wells, storage tanks and underground flow lines had leaked toxic material into the environment, bringing his detailed maps to anti-fracking protests and community meetings. Without highly specialized skills, the toll was nearly impossible to see.“We’re trying to show the oil and gas infrastructure burden on this state,” he told the Denver Post in 2018, a year when more than 11 spills a week were uncovered on average in Colorado. “There’s heaps and heaps of it. It is everywhere.”An investigation by the Guardian and DeSmog examined thousands of state documents to create an unprecedented picture of that invisible public toll, as an ageing oil industry struggles to clean up – and pay for – its own decommissioning.Major reforms gave the ECMC an opportunity to solve the problem in 2019. But rather than use those powers to hold the biggest companies accountable, the agency found new ways to let them off the hook.The damage stems in particular from Chevron, Oxy (Occidental Petroleum) and Civitas Resources, collectively the Big Three. Together, they produce the vast majority of Colorado’s oil and natural gas.But as this investigation found, they also own more than 14,600 dead oil and gas sites, where production has ended but pollution or other impacts remain. These sites overlap heavily with their more than 6,000 open spills, locations where toxic chemicals may be contaminating soil and groundwater. By law, the companies must remediate pollution and restore the land. But reports pulled from the Colorado Oil and Gas Information System database reveal that the Big Three have allowed many of these dirty and environmentally damaged sites to languish for years – or, in some cases, decades.Since 2019, the ECMC has had broad power to ensure compliance. Had the agency simply followed its own protocols, it could have forced Chevron, Oxy and Civitas to hand over as much as $1.3bn in financial collateral – funds in the form of bonds the state could hold in trust to incentivize cleanup, or deploy itself if necessary. Instead, the agency twisted its own rules, allowing all three companies to provide just a sliver of what they might have owed.“It is unambiguous that these obligations are owed to the people of Colorado,” said Dwayne Purvis, a petroleum engineering consultant who has co-authored a report on Colorado’s looming fossil fuel liabilities. “I don’t see any reason that the work should not be done promptly, and I don’t see any reason that it shouldn’t be fully bonded.”In 2024, the regulator said contractors for all three companies had falsified environmental paperwork at hundreds of sites including over pollution levels in water and soil – a situation the companies and the commission say they are investigating.But even then, the ECMC still didn’t use its power to increase the Big Three’s financial assurance totals.And the agency has continued to forfeit that crucial source of leverage at a time when it needs every tool at its disposal. If the current pace of cleanup continues, this investigation found, it will take Chevron, Oxy and Civitas decades to clean up their existing backlog of dead and dirty sites.Meanwhile, rates of remediation and reclamation still lag far behind plugging – and as those final, costly steps drag out, the toll continues to rise.Across the US, more than 2m oilwells will require plugging and cleanup in the coming years, an undertaking that could cost more than $150bn, according to an analysis of state data by ProPublica and Capital & Main. But rather than foot the bill, industry has routinely found ways to avoid financial assurance, “orphan” their dead wells and finally dump decommissioning expenses on the public – a tactic so widespread some experts call it “the playbook”.

Middle East war drains US oil inventories to lowest since 2004; analysts warn of price spike ahead - U.S. stocks of crude oil and petroleum products have dropped to their lowest level since 2004 after falling by 10.6M barrels last week, according to new data released Wednesday from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Crude inventories fell by 8M barrels to 433.7M barrels in the week ended May 29, the EIA reported, 3% below the five-year average and more than double the draw analysts ​had forecast. Sponsored U.S. crude oil production was steady at 13.7M bbl/day, while crude shipments surged from 4.4M bbl/day to 5.9M bbl/day last week, continuing a pattern of sharply higher exports since the start of the Iran war. Oil stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve plunged by 8M barrels to 357.1M barrels to its lowest since January 2024; the oil is a part of 172M barrels authorized for release from the SPR to keep a lid on spiking crude prices. Oil stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub fell by 583K barrels to 22.4M barrels. Overall, crude inventories have declined by 63.9M barrels since the U.S.-Israeli launched strikes on Iran on February 28. Analysts say inventories are now critically low and warn of a sharp increase ahead in oil prices. "SPR barrels continue to be pulled from inventories, dropping a further ​8M bbls last week," Kpler's Director of Commodity Research Matt Smith said in a note. "Despite this bumper transfer of barrels to commercial inventories, they still drew ‌by 8 ⁠million barrels - that's a total 16 million barrels for crude, folks." Gasoline and distillate inventories, however, rose last week due to increased refinery processing and weak demand following the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The global oversupply of oil before the war is the main reason for the market's relative calm with front-month Brent still below $100/bbl, Macquarie economists said in a note. If the Strait of Hormuz reopens soon, Macquarie expects prices to fall sharply, but "with stocks drawing rapidly, if the strait remains closed, at some point prices will need to move much higher. The clock is ticking." Current rates of withdrawal suggest the market "will be OK for another month or two," but if Hormuz remains closed at the end of summer, "physical availability will tighten materially," the analysts said. "Every day the Strait of Hormuz is shut in, 11M-14M bpd of oil fails to make it to market, and barrels are taken out of storage someplace else to compensate," Mizuho's Robert Yawger said in a note. Crude futures rose Wednesday for a third straight session as a flare-up of fighting between the U.S. and Iran raised concerns that oil will be shut in for longer. Front-month Nymex crude for July delivery jumped 2.4% to $96.02/bbl, and front-month Brent crude for August climbed 1.9% to $97.81/bbl, while front-month Nymex July natural gas gained 1.5% to $3.214/MMBtu.

‘Tank bottom’: Oil industry warns Trump admin that drained inventories threaten to spike gas prices - The oil industry is warning the Trump administration that a Hormuz-sized hole in the world’s petroleum market is steadily draining inventories to levels that are likely to send global energy prices surging in the next several weeks, according to four executives.Industry executives have flagged the issue to senior White House officials and Cabinet members in recent weeks as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing dialogue with the U.S. energy industry, the people said. The warnings came as recently as late last month as data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and other sources began showing that fuel makers were increasingly relying on oil and fuel from their storage tanks to replace products no longer arriving from the Middle East.“We’re at dangerously low levels already,” said one industry executive who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations with the administration. “We have shared those concerns at the highest levels of government about what’s coming in mid-to-late June. … I hope they are paying attention to inventories right now. You’re hitting tank bottom.” Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes three months ago, kicking off what has become the biggest disruption in crude oil flows ever. Countries are drawing down supplies in their oil and fuel storage tanks to make up for the shortage of supply coming from the Middle East, but inventories are now running dangerously low and some companies and market analysts are sounding the alarm that a price spike could come later this month.Some of the conversations have been general warnings while others have focused on tight inventories of specific fuel types in particular locations, such as jet fuel on the West Coast, a second person involved in the conversations said.A White House official denied that any senior members of staff have been warned privately by the industry about inventories. “Politico’s anonymous sources are wrong,” the official said.An Energy Department official said that while the agency remains in regular dialogue with energy industry leaders, there have been “no such discussions” about inventories.Executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other oil companies are also raising the alarm publicly, warning last week that fuel prices are poised to jump if inventory levels continue their rapid decline. The U.S. average gasoline price was $4.26 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA, $1.28 a gallon higher than before the war started, off the levels near $4.50 reached a few weeks ago.Neil Chapman, Exxon’s senior vice president, told an investor conference last week that dated Brent — the benchmark for physical crude oil prices — could hit $150 or $160 a barrel soon in that scenario.“You can debate whether that’s going to hit those really low levels in two weeks or three weeks. Once you get to that point, then you’ll see prices shoot up,” Chapman said.“The administration has already been told that,” a second oil company executive told POLITICO of Chapman’s statement. The recent public pronouncements from industry executives are “a message for the consumer,” this person continued. “Don’t think that an open strait is going to mean your July 4 gasoline bill isn’t going to be higher than what it is today. It’s going to be.”

SPR Borrowers Owe Uncle Sam 40 Million Extra Barrels --  The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve has taken a beating during the Iran war, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the government's emergency oil stash is headed for a surprisingly lucrative refill. Companies that borrowed crude from the SPR during the conflict will return those barrels with premiums attached, leaving the reserve about 40 million barrels larger than it would have been otherwise once the war ends, Wright said Friday. For an oil market accustomed to hearing about SPR drawdowns, emergency releases, and politically motivated sales, this is the rare case where Washington expects to get back more barrels than it handed out. "We're not selling any barrels of oil," Wright said on Fox Business. "We're flowing oil to the marketplace in the short term when it needs it, and we're trading those barrels." The Department of Energy has loaned roughly 133 million barrels from the reserve since the Middle East crisis erupted. Under the agreements, borrowers will return the crude plus premiums of up to 24%. The SPR stood at 357.1 million barrels for the week ending May 29, according to weekly data published by the Energy Information Administration. That's down from roughly 415 million barrels at the beginning of March, before emergency releases accelerated as Middle East supply disruptions intensified. Wright isn't worried. His argument is that the SPR is doing exactly what it was built to do: move barrels when the market needs them and replenish later. The more interesting question is whether "later" arrives before inventories become uncomfortably tight. Commercial crude inventories remain relatively healthy at about 441 million barrels, but they have been trending lower with a quickness as global stockpiles continue to shrink. Exxon and Chevron executives have spent the past two weeks warning that inventories are approaching levels where prices can move sharply higher. For now, Washington is betting that lending out barrels today and collecting 1.25 barrels tomorrow is a trade worth making. It's not often the SPR earns interest.

Trump Auction Opens Arctic Refuge Drilling Rights for First Time Ever - The Trump Administration is holding its latest lease sale in Alaska on Friday in a test for investors and environmentalists as the auction comprises tracts in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding the oil and gas lease sale today, after last year the Trump Administration removed legislative protections from the Biden presidency that restricted oil and gas exploration in Alaska, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and federal lands in the state.The first sale for the Coastal Plain, "a milestone in unleashing Alaska's vast energy potential," as BLM said in April announcing the date of the lease sale, follows a record-breaking lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in March.The first lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in seven years became the most successful auction in the area ever, as oil majors bid on hundreds of tracts, signaling they haven't given up on Alaska's petroleum resources despite development and court challenges. The lease sale for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska in March, one of five mandated in the next decade under the Trump Administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), drew a record high of $163.7 million in high bids and resulted in 187 leases in total, awarded to companies including ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and a consortium of Repsol and Shell subsidiaries.The lease sale set a record for Alaska with the most revenue generated ever, the most tracts receiving bids, and the second most acreage sold in a single sale, the Bureau of Land Management said at the time.Now the Administration is looking to open the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, saying that it has "strong potential for oil and gas development."The area may contain between 4.25 and 11.8 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, BLM says.Going forward, the development of any additional resources in Alaska would not be a fast and easy task. The conditions are harsher than in other areas, while environmentalists have vowed to fight both the lease sales and any future oil and gas drilling and development plans.

Glenfarne Unveils Staggering Alaska LNG Price Tag -  Glenfarne Group this week told state lawmakers that its Alaska LNG project could cost nearly $55 billion. For the first time since it took over the project from the state early last year, Glenfarne presented cost estimates to the state Senate Finance Committee as lawmakers consider tax breaks for the massive undertaking during a special session called by the governor.

Amigo LNG Advances Toward Buildout, Eyes Permian Natural Gas Exports - Amigo LNG has all of its permits on both sides of the border in hand and is targeting the end of June to “start working on the ground,” according to CEO Muthu Chezhian of LNG Alliance, the Singapore-based firm behind the project. Map of the proposed Amigo LNG export facility in Mexico showing natural gas pipelines, import/export points, NGI price hubs and connections to Waha Hub. At a Glance:
Developer targets June site activity
Project plans 7.8 Mt/y capacity
Terminal sources Permian supply

Mexico’s ECA LNG Reaches First Production, Pulling More Permian Natural Gas West -  The Energía Costa Azul (ECA) export project in Baja California has reached first production, marking a key step in commissioning the first large-scale LNG export facility on Mexico’s Pacific coast, according to developer Sempra Infrastructure. At a Glance:

• Pacific LNG demand lifts border flows
• Feedgas demand growing
• California exports hit new highs

US Natural Gas Exports to Mexico Near Record as ECA Feedgas Builds - Mexico’s appetite for US natural gas is accelerating as rising power demand and new LNG export capacity combine to push pipeline imports toward record territory, Waha natural gas prices fell deep into negative territory as US pipeline exports to Mexico climbed above 8 Bcf/d, supporting Agua Dulce pricing. At a Glance:
June imports pace toward record
South Texas flows lead supply
ECA sends first LNG

Centrica Adds Canadian Natural Gas Supply as LNG Trading Portfolio Grows  -UK-based trading firm Centrica Energy has signed a long-term deal to buy natural gas from Canadian producer Peyto Exploration & Development as it continues to build out its global LNG portfolio. At a Glance:

• Peyto commits volumes through 2039
• AECO gas links to TTF pricing
• LNG portfolio continues global expansion

LNG Canada Expansion Edges Toward FID With Fluor-JGC Work -The LNG Canada partnership has given the green light to its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors to begin early work for Phase 2, marking the latest step toward sanctioning the project. At a Glance:

• Expansion could double capacity
• Brownfield build may limit costs
• Montney supply, pipe, exports aligning

Global Natural Gas Investments to Hit Highest Point in a Decade, IEA Says -The Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is prompting both countries and companies to rethink energy investment strategies, with spending on natural gas poised to grow this year, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).LNG project final investment decisions by region show North America leading global LNG capacity approvals, with strong growth expected in 2025-2026.  At a Glance:
LNG projects driving gains
$330B pegged for natural gas
Oil spending to fall

Global Natural Gas Market Better Prepared to Deal With Latest Supply Shock, IGU Says -- Global natural gas markets have transformed and entered a new era defined by increasing LNG flexibility, geopolitical risk and more market-based pricing, according to the International Gas Union’s (IGU) latest Wholesale Gas Price Survey. Global natural gas wholesale prices by region from 2005-2025, highlighting Europe’s 2022 price spike and regional market trends. At a Glance:
LNG flexibility cushions supply disruptions
Benchmark-linked deals capture larger share
Europe posts highest regional prices.

Australian LNG Strike Begins, Tightening Global Gas Market Further -Workers at Inpex’s Ichthys LNG export facility in Australia started strikes on Tuesday, which impacted loading operations at the terminal and delayed a cargo. At a Glance:

• Strike impacts all Ichthys facilities
• Delayed cargo destined for Taiwan
• More strikes planned later this month

TotalEnergies Exits Stake in Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 - TotalEnergies can sell its 10% stake in the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia’s Far North, according to a presidential decree signed by Vladimir Putin.NGI stacked bar chart showing Russian Federation annual exports by destination region from 2022 through 2025, measured in million metric tons. Total exports remain relatively stable between 2022 and 2024, ranging from roughly 33 to 34 million metric tons, before declining sharply to about 19 million metric tons in 2025. Europe accounts for the largest share in 2024 at approximately 18 million metric tons, up from around 16 million metric tons in 2022 and 2023. Exports to Asia remain steady near 15 to 16 million metric tons from 2022 through 2024 before falling to roughly 8 million metric tons in 2025. Exports to the Americas are negligible, while a small portion of volumes is categorized as unknown destinations in 2023 through 2025. The chart illustrates Europe's growing share of Russian exports through 2024 and a significant overall reduction in export volumes during 2025. Source: NGI compilation of Kpler data.
At a Glance:
Interest being sold to Novatek subsidiary
Sanctions have limited operations at plant
Other shareholders have suspended participation

Nature Authority to remove 40,000 tons of soil polluted in massive 2014 oil spill | The Times of Israel -- The Israel Nature and Parks Authority this week began moving machinery into the Evrona Nature Reserve, just north of Eilat in southern Israel, to undertake the long-awaited removal of some 40,000 tons of soil polluted by a massive oil spill in 2014. In December that year, some five million liters (1.32 million US gallons) of crude oil gushed into the hyper-arid reserve from a pipe owned by the Europe Asia Pipeline Company. The pipe broke at the entrance to the nearby Kibbutz Be’er Ora during work to relocate infrastructure prior to the construction of Ramon Airport. Seasonal water channels over an area of 145 dunams (36 acres) were contaminated. Research carried out by HaMaarag — the national ecosystem assessment program — found not only that oil was still present at varying depths, but also that while older acacia trees with deep root systems had survived, there were hardly any younger trees, indicating problems with germination and seedling development. Acacias are a so-called keystone species on which multiple plants, animals, and microorganisms rely. These include gazelles, which obtain food and water mainly from acacia leaves in the summer. Various cleanup techniques were tested on pilot plots in the reserve. One that used bacteria to break down the oil was eventually chosen but was only partially successful, according to Nitzan Segev, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s ecologist for the vast area stretching from the Dead Sea to Eilat. Nitzan Segev, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s ecologist for the area stretching from the Dead Sea to Eilat, both in southern Israel, stands next to a tree that died following a 2014 oil leak at the Evrona Nature Reserve, just north of Eilat, February 18, 2024. (Sue Surkes/Times of Israel) Soil removal was initially avoided for fear it would change the delicate gradients along which water flows to plants, or harm the seed bank, Segev told The Times of Israel in February 2024. Soil removal was nevertheless planned for that summer, but was delayed by bureaucracy and logistical issues, Segev said Monday. Some 40,000 tons of earth along the contaminated streambeds will be removed, to a depth of 20 to 40 centimeters (eight to 16 inches), she said. “The work will take a few months, because although it’s being done with tractors, it will have to be undertaken very carefully and slowly to ensure it’s just where the oil is and not in other stream channels. Every tractor driver will be accompanied by an inspector to show him exactly where to go and how to work, so as not to harm the acacia trees.” Segev said the work would be finished in time for this winter’s flash floods. “We want the water channels to remain as they are so that nature can continue to do its thing,” she said.

Diesel consumption drops by 27% - The consumption of petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas, has declined significantly following government measures introduced to curb fuel use amid soaring prices. According to the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), demand for petrol, diesel, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dropped by up to 80 per cent in the month of Baisakh compared to Chait. However, aviation fuel consumption increased during the review period. The government had introduced a public holiday on Sundays after petroleum prices surged in the wake of the Israel-United States and Iran conflict. The measure was aimed at ensuring smoother fuel supply management by reducing overall consumption. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance also cut fuel allowances provided to government officials. About a month after the Sunday public holiday came into effect on April 6, sales of petroleum products, particularly petrol, diesel and kerosene, declined noticeably, said Manoj Kumar Thakur, spokesperson for the NOC. According to him, higher fuel prices and reduced vehicle movement due to the Sunday holiday contributed to the decline in fuel consumption. Petrol prices had reached Rs. 219 per litre, diesel Rs. 237, and aviation fuel for domestic flights Rs. 269 per litre. LPG cylinders were priced at Rs. 2,160 each. However, petrol price dropped and now costs Rs. 217 per litre, while diesel is priced at Rs. 225 per litre. “The consumption of diesel dropped significantly, while petrol consumption saw only a marginal decline,” he said. According to the NOC, petrol consumption fell marginally by 2 per cent (1,258 kilolitres), while diesel consumption dropped by 27 per cent (37,958 kilolitres), kerosene by 80 per cent (1,035 kilolitres), and LPG by 17 per cent (6,743 tonnes) during the review period. However, demand for aviation fuel rose by 7 per cent (1,308 kilolitres) in Baisakh compared to Chait. Thakur said petrol consumption declined to 58,680 kilolitres in Baisakh from 59,938 kilolitres in Chait. Likewise, diesel consumption dropped to 102,071 kilolitres in Baisakh from 140,029 kilolitres in Chait. Demand for kerosene dropped to 248 kilolitres in Baisakh from 1,283 kilolitres in Chait. Meanwhile, aviation fuel consumption increased to 19,552 kilolitres in Baisakh from 18,244 kilolitres in Chait. He further said that construction activities had also been affected by the sharp rise in the prices of diesel and other construction materials, leading to reduced diesel and kerosene consumption during the review period. Similarly, LPG consumption declined significantly to 32,056 tonnes in Baisakh from 38,799 tonnes in Chait. Thakur predicted that the growing use of electric stoves among consumers had contributed to the decline in LPG consumption. “Besides, demand for LPG increased in February and March due to rumours of a possible gas shortage in the market, prompting consumers to stockpile gas cylinders during those months. This month, consumers may have relied on those stored supplies instead of purchasing new cylinders,” he said. He said that the NOC has been distributing petroleum products across the country as per the demand, as imports from the Indian Oil Corporation have remained normal. According to him, continuous increase in international petroleum prices has made it difficult to adjust domestic fuel prices in line with the automatic pricing system based on rates received from IOC. This mismatch between rising international costs and limited domestic price adjustments has significantly widened the corporation’s losses, raising concerns about its ability to make timely payments to IOC, he added. He, however, said that NOC will make its efforts to ensure a smooth supply of petroleum products in the coming days. Amid this challenging situation, the corporation has urged consumers and stakeholders to use petroleum products economically.

India's fuel demand outlook hit by price hikes, slowing industrial activity (Reuters) - India is expected to see less growth in gasoline and ​diesel demand this year after a series of price hikes last month that reflect higher oil costs triggered ‌by the Iran war, with early signs of stress already visible in the trucking sector. State retailers Indian Oil (IOC.NS), opens new tab, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum implemented four rounds of price hikes since mid-May after holding off earlier due to elections. Gasoline prices are now 7.8% higher while those for diesel are up ​8.6%. Analysts say there could be more price increases that are likely to dampen demand further, given that the retailers ​are still selling the fuels below market rates and are losing a combined 5.5 billion rupees ($57 million) ⁠daily. Slowing growth in fuel sales for India, the world's third-largest importer and consumer, is set to dampen the outlook for global ​demand now that transportation fuel consumption in China has peaked. "We expect India's gasoline demand growth to drop to around 3.5-3.7% in 2026 ​amid reduced discretionary driving," said Dylan Sim, an analyst at FGE NexantECA. That compares with an earlier estimate of 4% growth. The consultancy has also cut its forecast for growth in diesel demand to 2% from 2.5%. Moody's Indian rating arm ICRA has revised down its forecast for gasoline demand growth ​for this financial year to 3% to 4%, compared with 5% to 6% before the war. For diesel, it expects demand ​to stay flat or shrink versus an earlier projection of 2% to 3% growth. Prashant Vashisth, senior vice president at ICRA, said that the diesel ‌and ⁠gasoline price hikes could exacerbate inflation which could hurt end-user demand. Increases in logistics and shipping costs, also stemming from the Middle East conflict, could lead to "weak industry growth which would negatively impact diesel demand," he added.

Indian Companies Eye Venezuelan Oil Fields as Imports Surge 51% in a Month -  Indian energy companies are interested in expanding into Venezuelan oil, New Delhi’s top energy official Hardeep Singh Puri said today at a meeting with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez in India, as quoted by Reuters.The report follows earlier media coverage of the meeting, citing Indian officials as saying that Venezuela’s government sees the country as a preferred partner in energy matters.“We are working with a government that is friendly, that wants a partnership with India,” an Indian foreign ministry official told media, as quoted by Reuters. “We want to reciprocate that. Venezuela has traditionally been a close friend. We have collaborated very closely at the international level, so we are just going back to normal.”India is the second-largest buyer of Venezuelan crude after the United States, Reuters noted in its Thursday report. Import rates stood at 427,000 barrels daily last month, after the United States eased sanctions on the commodity in February. Venezuela, in turn, has become India’s fourth-largest oil supplier. The May import figure represents an almost twofold increase on April, when India imported an estimated 283,000 barrels daily in April.Venezuela exported an estimated 1.25 million barrels per day of oil in May, up by 0.7% compared to April’s 1.23 million bpd exports and a massive 61% jump compared to May 2025, according to ship-tracking and vessel-loading data. Exports are seen rising to 1.5 million barrels daily by next year, according to Kpler.

Crude oil futures rebound 3% to ₹8,536/barrel on renewed US-Iran tensions- Crude oil prices rebounded by over 3 per cent to ₹8,536 per barrel in futures trade on Monday after fresh military exchanges between the US and Iran heightened concerns over supply disruptions in West Asia. Ending a three-day losing streak, the most-traded contract for June contract rose by ₹255, or 3.08 per cent, to ₹8,536 per barrel in 10,943 lots, on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).It had finished at ₹8,281 per barrel on Friday. The July contract also strengthened, rising ₹225, or 2.77 per cent, to ₹8,360 per barrel in 2,306 lots. In the previous session, it had settled at ₹8,135 per barrel. Analysts said oil prices recovered as investors reassessed geopolitical risks after the US military carried out fresh strikes on Iranian radar and drone-control facilities following reports that Tehran had shot down an American drone. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted an airbase used by US forces in operations near Southern Iran, while Kuwaiti authorities reported intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks following the American strikes. The latest military actions highlighted the fragility of the weeks-long ceasefire and raised concerns that negotiations aimed at securing a broader agreement between Washington and Tehran could face fresh hurdles, according to analysts. "The market participants are pricing in a higher geopolitical risk premium as uncertainty persists around the US-Iran negotiations and the security of energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz," they added. In the international markets, Brent oil futures for August delivery rose 2.13 per cent to $93.06 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate went up 2.61 per cent to $89.64 per barrel. Investor sentiment was also supported amid reports that Israel had expanded its military operations in southern Lebanon, raising concerns that regional tensions could broaden. The gains mark a sharp reversal from last week, when oil prices tumbled about 10 per cent amid reports that Washington and Tehran were discussing a framework agreement that could pave the way for a longer ceasefire and eventually normalise traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Traders are now closely watching whether diplomatic channels can prevent further escalation, with any disruption to oil supplies likely to trigger fresh volatility across energy markets.

Oil prices rise as Israeli forces invade deeper into Lebanon - The price of oil has risen in world trading markets as the Israeli regime forces move deeper into southern Lebanon in violation of a ceasefire that has been in place for more than six weeks. Reuters reported on Monday that oil prices rose more than 3 percent after Iran and the US traded strikes and the Tel Aviv regime ordered its forces to move further into Lebanon. US crude futures rose $2.88 or 3.3 percent to $90.24 a barrel as of 0701 GMT. Brent futures rose $2.78 or 3.05 percent to $93.9 a barrel. Experts say a further escalation of violence, or a disruption to oil and gas supplies in the Persian Gulf, could still push oil prices higher than this. Earlier reports of "encouraging progress" toward a final US-Iran understanding had driven Brent and WTI to settle down 1.8 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. However, the Israeli military's Lebanon invasion, which has been underway for several days and intensified notably after Washington hosted the Israeli-Lebanon peace talks on Friday, erased all expectations that the US and Iran would soon reach a peace deal or extend the Pakistani-brokered ceasefire. To make matters worse, over the weekend, the "aggressor US military" said on Sunday it conducted strikes on Iranian military drone and radar installations. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) also responded by carrying out a retaliatory strike against an air base used by the US military. Iran has stated that a ceasefire in Lebanon is inseparable from any final agreement to end the war, as the Israeli regime escalates assaults on Lebanon in violation of an earlier truce. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that a ceasefire in Lebanon is inseparable from any final agreement to end the war. The FM spokesman said the developments in the past weeks constitute a "clear and flagrant violation" of the April 8 Pakistan‑brokered ceasefire. On February 28, an unprovoked war against Iran was launched in a joint military operation by the US and Israeli forces, with help from its military bases spread across the region in neighboring countries.

Oil Price Nears $100 as Iran Walks Away From US Talks with New Threats -Oil prices climbed toward $100 a barrel on Monday after Iran suspended all nuclear negotiations with the United States and pledged to close the Strait of Hormuz, reviving fears of a full-blown energy shock.WTI crude jumped roughly 8% to $96.14, while Brent traded near $100, as Tehran tied any further dialogue to a halt in Israeli operations across Lebanon and Gaza. Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Monday that the US blockade of Iranian ports and Israel’s military operations in Lebanon were proof of Washington’s noncompliance with the existing ceasefire framework.State-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported Tehran will exchange no further messages with US intermediaries until Israel withdraws from occupied parts of Lebanon and ends strikes in Gaza. The reversal came nine days after President Donald Trump said a broader deal was “largely negotiated” and would be announced shortly, a statement that had unwound months of geopolitical risk premium tied to Iran deal optimism.

Oil prices pare gains as Trump says US-Iran talks are ongoing - Oil prices pulled back off their highs on Monday after President Trump said talks between the US and Iran were ongoing despite headlines that Iran had stopped engaging with negotiators over Israel’s actions in Lebanon.Futures on Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped by as much as 7.1% to trade above $97.50 per barrel, before pulling back below $95. Contracts on US benchmark WTI crude gained as much as 8.3% to trade above $94.50 per barrel before falling to sit just below $92. nOn Monday morning, oil surged and equities and bonds fell following reports from the state-controlled Iranian news agency Tasnim that Iran had halted the exchange of messages with the US.Iranian leaders reportedly attributed their decision to the Israeli military campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed proxy force. While the US has maintained that the ceasefire in place applies only to Washington and Tehran, Iran has repeatedly said any ceasefire agreement — and any negotiations — were contingent on a stoppage of fighting in Lebanon. Since the US and Israel began airstrikes against Iran in late February, Israel has waged a secondary campaign against Hezbollah, which has displaced thousands of people inside Lebanon.“As long as Iran’s and the resistance front’s position on these issues is not addressed, there will be no talks,” Tasnim said. Esmail Baghaei, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said on Monday that Iran continues to engage with the US with “distrust.” President Trump said several hours later that, despite headlines to the contrary, talks were continuing between the US and Iran “at a rapid pace.” The president also said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of Hezbollah to negotiate a ceasefire between the two parties. His comments sent oil prices falling off their intraday highs. Tasnim earlier had also reported that the “Axis of Resistance” — a network of Iran-funded proxy forces in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen — would be activated, and that the proxy forces may move to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb would further tighten down an oil market already under pressure. The waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden has taken on increased importance as a workaround for Middle Eastern oil to reach the market, while the Strait of Hormuz blocks off the only waterborne passageway out of the Persian Gulf.  Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in the region, recently announced that its East-West pipeline from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea is operating at full capacity, estimated to be somewhere between 5 million barrels per day (bpd) and 7 million bpd. Once oil has reached the Red Sea, it must either be shipped through the Bab el-Mandeb strait or shipped north and transported to the Mediterranean through Egypt’s Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline, a route that adds significant time and cost to reach the Asian markets that depend on gulf oil. Monday’s conflicting reports on US and Iran negotiations came after President Trump said early Monday morning that Iranian leadership “wants to make a deal,” and that it will be a “good one for the U.S.A., and those that are with us.” “Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end — It always does!” the president wrote. Several headlines last week reporting that US and Iranian negotiators had agreed to terms for a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz sent prices falling, but that move downward paused over the weekend on news that Trump had demanded stronger concessions from Iran instead of approving the deal on the table in a Situation Room meeting on Friday.News overnight on Sunday into Monday that the US military had struck radar and drone sites in Iran after the Iranian regime shot down a US drone sent prices surging back upward after consistently falling over the course of a week on hopes of a deal between Washington and Tehran. Fighting also reportedly picked back up in Lebanon after a slowdown, in parallel with Iran’s decision to cease communications with the US.The move from Iran leaves the market in limbo, now several iterations into a cycle of suggestions from the White House — and, in some cases, Iranian negotiators — that a deal is close at hand before those talks seemingly collapse. Under the most recent negotiations, the deal proposed would have required Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, with a full ceasefire in place, while pushing talks over the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and its stores of enriched uranium down the road.The US has helped roughly 70 ships exit the Strait of Hormuz over the past three weeks, the New York Times reported on Sunday, though the count remains far below the roughly 120 crossings per day before the war. The closure of the key waterway has cut off over 1 billion barrels of oil since the war began, stymying the global energy market. Gasoline prices in the US averaged $4.32 per gallon nationally on Monday, per AAA, down from an average of $4.50 a week ago.

Oil closes up more than 4% on halt in US-Iran talks, risk of blockades (Reuters) - Oil prices settled more than 4% higher on Monday after Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran had halted indirect negotiations with ‌the U.S. and plans were being made for Iranian forces and their allies to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and potentially disrupt other key shipping routes. Tensions in the region have escalated in recent days, with Iran and the U.S. exchanging strikes and Israel ordering troops to move further into Lebanon in its battle with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.Brent crude futures settled at $94.98 a barrel, up $3.86, or 4.2%, ​while U.S. crude futures closed at $92.16 a barrel, up $4.80, or 5.5%. Both benchmarks had risen more than 6% earlier in the session, but pared gains after U.S. President ​Donald Trump said he was not aware of talks with Iran being halted and that he also spoke with Hezbollah through intermediaries and secured a ⁠pledge that it would not attack Israel. The contracts finished May between 17% and 19% lower, marking their biggest monthly drops in absolute terms since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic slashed energy ​demand, on rising optimism that the U.S. and Iran were close to a deal. Advertisement · Scroll to continue Earlier on Monday, Tasnim said Tehran and the "Resistance Front," which includes Iran's allies in Yemen, Lebanon ​and Iraq, have set an agenda to completely block the Hormuz waterway and activate other fronts, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in order to "punish" Israel and its supporters. The Bab el-Mandeb is located at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer, currently moves 4 million to 6 million barrels of oil per day, Robert Yawger, executive director at Mizuho, wrote ​in a note. "It just seems that both sides are in different worlds," "The longer the conflict continues, the lower commercial inventories will ​get ... at which time prices spike. We are only a month or two away from that," he said The escalation poses a further obstacle to hopes of a swift end to the crisis, which ‌has effectively ⁠shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global supply route for oil and liquefied natural gas. An Axios report said on X on Friday that Iran had dropped more mines in the strait last week. Shipping executives meeting in Athens on Monday said any peace deal would need to offer clear rules allowing vessels to resume normal business through the Strait of Hormuz. Alongside oil supply concerns, economic data from China over the weekend that showed stalling factory activity added to fears the world's second-largest economy is losing momentum. Goldman Sachs said ​on Sunday weak oil demand in China and ​Europe poses a major downside risk to ⁠its fourth-quarter Brent crude forecast of $90 a barrel and WTI forecast of $83, although supply disruptions in the Middle East could still push prices higher. Saudi Arabia is likely to cut its official selling prices for crude oil to Asia in July for a second consecutive month, a ​Reuters survey showed. Russia's government, meanwhile, intends to increase fuel supplies from Belarus and tighten oversight over exports of gasoline and diesel to meet ​domestic fuel demand, the ⁠RBC news outlet reported on Monday, citing two sources familiar with the matter. A complete ban on gasoline exports for two months is under discussion, the report said. U.S. crude stockpiles are expected to have fallen by about 3.6 million barrels in the week ended May 29, according to a preliminary Reuters poll released on Monday, extending the prior week's draw. Inventories of distillates and gasoline ⁠also are ​likely to have declined, the poll showed. Kazakhstan has restored its oil production to 290,000 metric tons per day following ​earlier production losses at the Tengiz oilfield, Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov said on Monday. Venezuela's oil exports rose slightly to 1.25 million barrels per day in May, its third consecutive monthly increase, fuelled by more cargoes to the U.S., India ​and Europe, shipping data showed on Monday.

Crude Oil Prices Trade 1 Pc Lower Amid US-Iran Negotiation Uncertainty - Global crude oil prices traded lower on Tuesday after posting sharp gains in the previous session as markets continued to assess uncertainty surrounding US-Iran negotiations. International benchmark Brent crude was trading around 1 per cent lower at $94.04 per barrel. Similarly, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined more than 1 per cent to $91.14 per barrel. In the domestic market, crude oil futures for June delivery were trading at Rs 8,708, down Rs 28 or 0.32 per cent on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX). The commodity touched an intraday high of Rs 8,751 and a low of Rs 8,690 as of 10:30 am. In the previous session, both benchmarks had surged around 5 per cent before paring some gains as traders weighed conflicting signals surrounding negotiations between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump said he had not been informed that Iran had suspended talks with Washington and maintained that discussions were continuing. However, reports suggested that Tehran had halted indirect negotiations with the US. Trump also said he expected an agreement to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz within the next week, while adding that he would not mind if negotiations ended. Meanwhile, Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. In the currency market, the Indian rupee opened at 95.05 against the US dollar compared to Monday’s close of 95. Domestic equity markets also opened lower on Tuesday amid geopolitical tensions and concerns over a weak monsoon forecast. The Sensex opened at 73,945.20, down 322 points or 0.43 per cent from the previous close, while the Nifty started the session at 23,229.15, lower by 153.45 points or 0.65 per cent. Asia stocks showed a mixed trend, with the Nikkei trading 2 per cent lower, while South Korea’s KOSPI slipped nearly 3 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, however, was trading about 1 per cent higher.

Oil Prices Ease on Lebanon Ceasefire, Iran-US Talk Claims (DTN) -- Oil and product futures edged lower Tuesday morning after Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and U.S. President Trump claimed negotiations with Iran were ongoing and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was imminent. By 07:30 a.m. EDT, ICE Brent for August delivery was down $1.09 to trade near $93.89 barrel (bbl) and NYMEX WTI for July delivery fell $1.07 to $91.09 bbl. Downstream, NYMEX ULSD futures for July delivery retreated $0.0387 to $3.6007 gallon and front-month NYMEX RBOB futures softened $0.0238 to $3.0609 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index edged down by 0.08 points to 99.065 against a basket of foreign currencies. On Monday, Iranian state media reported the country has stopped any message exchange with the U.S. in protest of Israel's incursion into Lebanon. The ensuing rally in oil prices was short-lived after Trump said hours later that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had in a call agreed to halt attacks and that both sides had agreed to a ceasefire. Netanyahu partially contradicted these statements, saying Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon will continue. Beirut, meanwhile, said ceasefire talks will continue Tuesday and Wednesday. The U.S. president also claimed talks with Iran were progressing "at a rapid pace" and said he expected a deal to extend the U.S.-Iranian ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz "next week." Iran's blockade of the waterway in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks has caused the largest oil supply disruption in history. An uptick in tanker traffic through the oil chokepoint also weighed on prices. The Iranian navy on Tuesday claimed 24 commercial ships have traversed the strait over the past 24 hours with Tehran's permission. Global oil and refined fuel inventories have dwindled at a rapid pace as nearly a fifth of global supply remained cut off for more than three months. Record-breaking international demand for U.S. oil and products also drew on domestic stocks. Last week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported distillate fuel oil stockpiles have dropped to a 23-year low. The American Petroleum Institute's weekly inventory estimate is scheduled for release later Tuesday, followed by the EIA's petroleum status report on Wednesday.

Oil Market Gains as Uncertainty Over Peace Talks Persists - The oil market on Tuesday posted an inside trading day as the market waited for news on whether there would be a deal to extend the current ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. The crude market traded lower in overnight trading, posting a low of $90.12 as Iran reviewed a proposed agreement with the U.S. after President Donald Trump said negotiations were continuing and there would be a deal over the next week to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, the market bounced off its low early in the morning and never looked back as it extended its gains to over $1.80 ahead of the close. The market posted a high of $94 as Iranian media reported that Iran had not communicated with the U.S. for a few days, contradicting President Trump’s statement that negotiations were ongoing. Also, while, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Iran agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program that it previously refused to discuss, he added that it was not a guarantee that negotiations would lead to a deal. The July WTI contract settled up $1.60 at $93.76 and the August Brent contract settled up $1.02 at $96.00. The product markets ended the session higher, with the heating oil market settling up 5.93 cents at $3.6987 and the RB market settling up 5.96 cents at $3.1443. Philippe Khoury, ADNOC’s executive vice president for sales and trading, said August could mark a tipping point for much higher oil prices if demand increases and the Iran war supply crisis persists and added that it could take up to a year for energy supply chains to recover even after the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He said transit through the strait would remain partial and below pre-war levels as long as uncertainty over peace persists. Separately, Bloomberg reported that the United Arab Emirates is considering building an additional pipeline for refined products that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz and carry fuels to the country’s east coast. ADNOC’s executive vice president for sales and trading said the company, which is already building a crude pipeline to double the capacity of oil it can pump to the port of Fujairah on the UAE’s eastern coast, may “potentially” build an oil products pipeline. Toril Bosoni, the head of the International Energy Agency’s oil industry and markets division said global oil inventories could hit critical levels ahead of the peak summer demand period if stock draws continue at their current pace. He said it could take six to eight months in the best- case scenario to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if an agreement was reached today. Vortexa reported on Monday that crude oil stored on tankers that have been stationary for at least 7 days rose +8.8% w/w to 91.06 million bbls in the week ended May 29. Goldman Sachs said refined fuel margins are set to remain sharply elevated through 2026 after disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz tightened product markets more than crude. Goldman Sachs expects refined margins to stay 2-3 times higher for the rest of 2026 than 2013-2019 averages with diesel margins exceeding pre-war forecasts by $19-26/barrel. Global refined product exports were down 4 million bpd year-on-year, led by a lack of Persian Gulf product exports and reduced Asian refinery output. The bank said “We expect gasoline and especially diesel stocks to decline further in the initial Hormuz reopening stage as demand likely recovers more quickly than refined product supply.” The bank sees U.S. and EU diesel margins in 2027 averaging $41 and $29/barrel, respectively.

Oil prices climb to $94.87 per barrel as Middle East tensions flare up - Pakistan Observer - Oil prices rose on Wednesday as tensions in the Middle East intensified following US strikes on Qesham Island and Iran’s attack on US bases and assets in the region. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.11, or 1.18%, to $94.87 per barrel, while Brent crude gained $1.03, or 1.07%, to $97.03 per barrel. Murban crude saw the largest increase, up $1.66, or 1.76%, to $96.09 per barrel. The market reacted to the latest escalation, which adds to concerns over supply disruptions in key shipping routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks on US targets in neighbouring countries, flaring up hostilities in the Gulf region. The group stated the strikes were carried out in response to an attack by the U. on a communication tower on Qeshm Island. The Revolutionary Guards said they targeted the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, airbases, and helicopters. Following earlier attacks on an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, the Guards also reported striking a ship with missiles. Iranian media quoted the Revolutionary Guards as warning that the US would face consequences for undermining security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Centcom says US forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles Ad powered by advergic.com US forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East, June 2. It claimed that Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces.

Kuwait Airport Bombed, Oil Rally Continues --Global crude oil prices were marching toward $100 barrel on Wednesday amid renewed fighting in the Middle East, though some energy players said they're starting to adjust to the new reality. On Tuesday, Industrial Info Resources reported that Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company is running its Mina al-Zour Refinery at reduced rates. Normal operations were expected by late April, though it looks like July before the facility is back to its nameplate capacity. That comes as dozens were injured and one person was left dead in a drone attack on the Kuwait International Airport. U.S. officials continue to talk of a cease-fire agreement, though fighting is ongoing. Mohsen Rezaei, a top Iranian military advisor, said Wednesday that "neither in negotiations nor in the ceasefire process will we allow America to make excessive demands." Tensions continue to add a geopolitical risk premium to commodities from fuels to fertilizers. The price for Brent crude oil was trading higher, at $97 per barrel, early Wednesday. It closed May at $92.05. From the sidelines of a Middle East energy conference in London, Reuters reported that Shaikh Khaled Ahmed al-Sabah, the managing director for international marketing at the Kuwait Petroleum Company, said his company could restore its refinery output to its nameplate capacity of around 1.4 million bpd in a matter of weeks. Sabah added that he's been in talks with regional neighbors about expanding pipeline options that could avoid the Strait of Hormuz. "A lot of people thought, why build a pipeline without using it?" he was quoted by Reuters as saying. "Now (the conflict) shows the use of a pipeline." Delegates from Austrian energy company OMV agreed, saying the conflict shows that markets need to compensate for chokepoints and bottlenecks. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) already put US$3 billion toward the Dhanna-Fujairah crude oil pipeline, a 310-mile artery that can avoid the Strait of Hormuz. Elsewhere, the United Arab Emirates proposed a new pipeline called West-East, which could complement the Habshan-Fujairah crude oil pipeline. Saudi Arabia too can avoid the Strait of Hormuz, though none of the pipeline options can make up for the 20 million barrels per day (bpd) that would normally move through the waterway. Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than 800 operational crude oil pipelines across the Middle East, in addition to active and proposed projects such as the Dhanna-Fujairah line. Readers can learn more from a detailed project report. A separate report from the Bloomberg news service, meanwhile, noted that industry experts told economist at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries they felt it would the end of the year before the Strait of Hormuz opens.

Oil Prices Hold Gains As Gasoline Stocks Hit 12 Year Lows, Cushing 'Tank Bottoms' Loom -- Brent crude prices are rising back toward $100 per barrel this morning following the latest flare-up in fighting to threaten the U.S.-Iran ceasefire Prices rose after the U.S. military said Iran fired missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, which failed to hit their targets. The United States said it then struck an Iranian military ground control station on an island in the Strait of Hormuz. API:

• Crude: -6.8MM
• Cushing: -279k
• Gasoline: +3.5M
• Distillate: -214k

DOE:

• Crude: -7.97mm - biggest draw since Feb
• Cushing: -583k
• Gasoline: +3.36mm - biggest build since Jan
• Distillate: +1.50mm

US crude stocks fell for the sixth straight week with Cushing inventories testing tank bottoms once again. The week saw an unexpected jump in product inventories with Gasoline's biggest build since January... (Source of 7 graphics: Bloomberg.) Today's rise in gasoline stocks lifts them off their lowest level for this time of year since 2014... Cushing 'tank bottoms' are in sight once again... The Strategic Petroleum Reserve saw another huge drawdown this week (down 58mm barrels since the start of the war)... Rig counts are on the rise as US crude production drifts back towards record highs... US crude and product exports jumped back towards record highs... WTI was trading around $95 ahead of the official data... Finally, economists at Macquarie wrote in a note this morning that crude oil’s muted reaction to the closure of Hormuz has mainly been a function of the oversupply seen before the war, . The analysts suggested that “the market will be ok for another month or two, especially given commercial crude stocks have been cushioned by SPR/product draws." However, if the Strait remains closed at the end of the northern summer (Labor Day is Sept. 7), physical availability will tighten materially.

Oil gains as Middle East hostilities flare (Reuters) - Oil prices ‌rose around 2% on Wednesday, extending the previous session's gains, as hostilities in the Middle East erupted anew and talks between Tehran and Washington showed little progress. Brent futures settled up $1.81, or 1.89%, at $97.81 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed $2.26, or 2.41%, to $96.02. Iran launched ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors Kuwait and ​Bahrain, killing one person and injuring dozens, according to Kuwaiti authorities and state media. U.S. forces conducted strikes on Iran's Qeshm ​Island. "The chances of a ceasefire seem to be deteriorating," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures ⁠at Mizuho. "That's the wrong direction we are moving in." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said during an interview with the Lebanese broadcaster Al Mayadeen ​on Wednesday Tehran's contacts with Washington have not been cut off, but no progress has been made in the negotiations. Araqchi added ​both sides were studying the texts that were exchanged. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said earlier in the day that Iran had not responded to the U.S. in recent days and that exchanges of texts through intermediaries were suspended until Iran's conditions on an end to fighting in Lebanon are met. Israel is pursuing ​its deepest incursion into Lebanon in 25 years, in a conflict that has raged since March 2, when militant group Hezbollah opened ​fire in solidarity with Iran. In a podcast interview released on Wednesday, Trump said Iran had agreed to not have a nuclear weapon and that Supreme Leader ‌Ayatollah Mojtaba ⁠Khamenei was involved in negotiations. "Crude prices continue to solidify their upward trajectory as accelerating clashes between the United States and Iran outpace stagnant diplomatic efforts," Simon-Peter Massabni, head of business development at XS.com, said in a note. The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to bottleneck global energy supplies, driving sustained upward pressure on oil markets, he added. The International Energy Agency's warning that global ​oil inventories could hit critical ​levels ahead of peak summer ⁠demand if stock draws continue at their current pace added to the bullish sentiment. The AI revolution runs on an old flame, but could it light up your profits? "The stalling in the U.S.-Iran negotiations and IEA warnings of critical global low stock levels are adding upward layers in risk premium ​in benchmark prices," said Emril Jamil, a senior analyst for oil at LSEG. U.S. crude inventories fell ​on strong export ⁠and refining demand as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran entered its fourth month. U.S. crude stockpiles fell by 8 million barrels to 433.7 million barrels in the week ended May 29, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. That compares with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for ⁠a 4-million-barrel ​draw. "Another large draw in U.S. crude inventories, driven by both a drop in ​commercial and strategic inventories," said Giovanni Staunovo, analyst with UBS.

Oil prices edge lower after Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement – Oil prices declined on Thursday 4 June following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, raising hopes for potential advances towards a wider deal in the Middle East. By 07:29 GMT, Brent crude had slipped $0.77, or 0.8%, to $97.03 a barrel (bbl), reported Reuters. Meanwhile, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $0.70, or 0.7%, at $95.32/bbl. The reduction in prices came after both benchmarks had climbed by around 2% on Wednesday. The increase was driven by hostilities in the region, including reported Iranian attacks on Kuwait and US military strikes close to the Strait of Hormuz. However, late on Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon confirmed that they had reached an agreement on a ceasefire. The development contributed to optimism around possible progress in negotiations between Washington and Tehran. According to details in the agreement, Iran has linked any comprehensive settlement to ending fighting between Israel and Lebanon. US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that progress in talks with Iran could be seen as early as the coming weekend. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that communication between Tehran and Washington was ongoing, but negotiations had not advanced, with both parties continuing to review the documents exchanged. Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives, led by Republicans, passed a resolution aimed at preventing President Trump from proceeding with military action against Iran. For the resolution to be implemented, it would require approval from the Senate and two-thirds support in both chambers to overcome a probable veto by the president. US oil supply data showed that crude stockpiles fell by eight million barrels (mbbl) to 433.7mbbl in the week ended 29 May, according to the Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, crude exports from the US reached 5.9mbbl per day (mbbl/d), the second-highest level recorded, driving a 6.7mbbl decline in Gulf Coast inventories, reported Reuters. Stocks at Cushing, Oklahoma, the benchmark point for WTI futures, dropped by 583,000bbl to 22.4mbbl. Furthermore, Iranian Light crude was reportedly being offered at a discount of $0.50–$1/bbl to the ICE Brent contract for June delivery into China, down from previous premiums, reported Reuters. Data showed Iran’s crude exports in May fell to a six-year low of 260,000 barrels per day, significantly below the 2025 average of 1.67mbbl/d.

Oil Market Trades Lower as Ceasefire Hopes Raise Prospects for Broader Peace Deal The oil market on Thursday traded lower after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon raised hopes for a broader agreement to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Late Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon said they agreed to implement a ceasefire. Iran has made any agreement conditional in part on an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Also, President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that there could be progress in negotiations with Iran as soon as this weekend. The crude market posted a high of $95.91 on the opening and traded mostly sideways before it breached the $94 level and sold off more than $4.10. The market breached a support line and retraced more than 38% of its move from a low of $91.91 to a high of $97.00 as it posted a low of $91.91 early in morning. The market later settled in a sideways trading range during the remainder of the session. The July WTI contract ended the session down $2.71 at $90.00 and the August Brent contract ended the session down $2.78 at $95.03. The product markets settled in negative territory, with the heating oil market settling down 17.43 cents at $3.6738 and the RB market settling down 9.33 cents at $3.0383. The number of tankers exiting the Strait of Hormuz has increased in recent weeks, as traders adopt stealth measures to make the crossing. LSEG reported that while this is freeing some of the oil inventories trapped in the Gulf, it does not signal a slow return to normalcy. The near-total closure of Hormuz stranded more than 13 million bpd of oil within the Gulf, forcing producers to shut down oilfields and refineries. According to shipping monitors including LSEG and Kpler, traffic through the strait remains a fraction of pre-war levels, with an average of just three tankers a day crossing the waterway since the conflict began. An analysis of the large volumes stored on tankers inside the Gulf suggests transit activity has quietly accelerated. Shipping analytics firm Vortexa estimates that around 65% of outbound laden tankers transited in “dark” mode in May, showing how widespread the practice has become. According to Kpler data, the volume of oil stored on tankers has declined from a peak of 184 million barrels on March 22nd to around 148 million barrels this week, implying an average drawdown rate of about 500,000 bpd. Since the start of May, depletion has increased to around 710,000 bpd. Flows out of the Gulf, while still constrained, are increasing higher. Bloomberg reported that the global oil market was oversupplied when the Strait of Hormuz was initially blocked, providing a buffer against the largest disruption in history. The U.S. was quickly able to step in as the supplier of last resort to the rest of the world, exporting at record levels, limiting price gains but rapidly depleting the nation’s storage tanks. However, the pace of the drawdown has become unsustainable as summer driving demand in the U.S. increases. This week, Vitol Group said gasoline stockpiles, both in the U.S. and globally, are well below seasonal norms. U.S. inventories of diesel are near their lowest levels since 2003. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has warned that diesel inventories risk falling to a critical threshold of just 20 days of supply by August. Bloomberg noted that with the supply buffer so uncomfortably thin, a major hurricane this year could push prices back over $100/barrel.

Oman Oil Terminal Attack Rattles the Market's Last Calm Corner --Media reports about a blast disrupting oil loadings at Oman’s main terminal pushed benchmark prices higher earlier today, in the latest sign that any hopes about an end to Persian Gulf hostilities is probably premature.At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $95.37 per barrel, and West Texas Intermediate was changing hands for $93.04 per barrel on the futures market, modestly up on Thursday, when prices dropped on reports about a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Later news coverage, however, revealed that Hezbollah has rejected the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, dampening hopes of an end to Israeli strikes on Lebanon and, by extension, the hostilities between the United States and Iran. Iran has conditioned any peace deal on a ceasefire for Lebanon.Loadings at the Mina Al Fahal terminal have been delayed by several days, Bloomberg reported today, citing unnamed trading sources. Separately, Reuters reported that the explosion was the result of a drone attack on the terminal.What makes the news significant is the fact that Oman is just outside the Strait of Hormuz and, as such, has seen a surge in interest from oil buyers, on the assumption that it will not be dragged into the hostilities. Indeed, India earlier this week sealed a trade agreement with the Gulf state to secure oil imports that do not have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The country is heavily dependent on the Strait of Hormuz for its energy imports, with 45% of its crude oil purchases originating in the Persian Gulf, along with 55% of liquefied gas imports.“Any optimism remains heavily clouded by a tangled web of headlines and counter-headlines,” IG analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note, as quoted by Reuters earlier today. “From a technical perspective, as long as (WTI) crude oil remains above trendline support in the low $80s, the risks remain skewed to the upside,” he added.

Oil Down 3% as Mideast Tensions Offset by Ceasefire Bids (DTN) -- Crude and product futures plunged Thursday on intensifying expectations that the Middle East conflict was grinding towards a settlement, despite Hezbollah militants rejecting a Washington-brokered ceasefire between the group and Israel that was aimed at fulfilling Iran's precondition for talks. Additional downward pressure came after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a symbolic War Powers Resolution aimed at preventing the Trump administration from prolonging military operations against Iran. Reversing a three-day rally, NYMEX WTI crude for July delivery settled down $2.98, or 3.1%, at $93.05 bbl, erasing a third of its 9% advance from earlier in the week. ICE Brent crude for August delivery shed $2.78, or 2.8%, to finish the session at $ 95.03 bbl, after a 7% run-up from Monday through Wednesday. The midweek market surge had been heavily supported by official U.S. Energy Information Administration data showing commercial crude stocks drew down by 8 million bbl for a sixth consecutive week. That steeper-than-expected supply decline brought domestic crude inventories down to 433.7 million bbl, marking their lowest operational level since mid-February. Refined product complexes also experienced sharp selloffs alongside the crude benchmarks during Thursday's volatile trading session. NYMEX ULSD futures for July delivery finished down $0.0249 at $ 3.6738 gallon, while July RBOB gasoline futures tumbled $0.0933 to settle at $ 3.0383 gallon. The broader macro environment saw the U.S. Dollar Index ease 0.130 points to 99.375 against a basket of major foreign currencies, offering minor technical support. Prices fell from the start of Thursday's session as market participants took note of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The market remained in negative territory even after Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem rejected the terms of the truce, which he called an Israeli attempt to force the surrender of his group. In Congress, a narrow 215-208 House vote to tie the Trump administration's hands on the war highlighted deep political fractures over the three-month-old conflict. The vote itself would do little to curb U.S. President Donald Trump's actions on Iran as it lacked a two-thirds majority -- which is crucial for avoiding a veto of the legislation by the president.

Global oil prices plunge amid hopes of Middle East diplomatic progress --International crude oil prices dropped by approximately $3 per barrel as market investors reacted to a potential cooling of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Market optimism grew following prospects of a broader ceasefire agreement, which market participants anticipate could eventually clear the way for the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The downward price movement followed official statements from Israel and Lebanon indicating an agreement to execute a ceasefire. This diplomatic development has heightened market expectations regarding broader diplomatic progress involving the United States and Iran, given that Tehran had previously conditioned any agreement on a cessation of hostilities between Israeli forces and the Iran-aligned Hezbollah group in Lebanon. The price corrections sharply reversed gains from the previous session. Brent crude futures plummeted by $3.20 to settle at $94.61 per barrel, while the United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell by $3.71 to close at $92.31 per barrel. Both benchmarks had climbed by roughly two percent during the preceding trading session following a flare-up of friction in the Gulf region, which included reported Iranian military strikes on Kuwait and retaliatory American military operations near the Strait of Hormuz. Simultaneously, legislative updates from the United States showed that the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a resolution designed to restrict former President Donald Trump from initiating or continuing unilateral military campaigns against Iran. However, the legislative measure faces a steep path forward, requiring approval from the Senate and a mandatory two-thirds majority across both congressional chambers to override an anticipated presidential veto. On the global supply side, the market received notable disclosures from major producing nations and inventory managers. For the first time, a high-ranking Russian official publicly acknowledged a reduction in domestic oil output, with Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak attributing the year-to-date production drop to unscheduled maintenance operations across Russian refining facilities. Concurrently, data published by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed a massive contraction in domestic crude inventories, which drew down by 8 million barrels to hit a total of 433.7 million barrels for the week wrapped up on May 29. This decline doubled the 4-million-barrel draw forecasted by industry analysts in a pre-release poll. Domestically, the impact of these global market shifts presents a complex fiscal picture for Nigeria. While the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited reported an increase of over 70 percent in its revenue and profits, and the private Dangote refinery capitalized on high fuel export volumes, local consumers continue to bear the burden of expensive fuel prices, worsening nationwide inflation risks. The Issues:

• Balancing international crude benchmark declines against localized retail fuel price hikes that drive domestic inflation.
• Navigating extreme energy market volatility caused by rapid shifts in Middle Eastern geopolitics and Strait of Hormuz security.
• Assessing the long-term impact of unplanned refining maintenance on Russian oil output and global supply calculations.
• Highlighting the dual forces of international politics and domestic stock adjustments currently shaping crude oil trade behaviors, oil traders noted that the combination of easing geopolitical fears and shifting supply data continued to drive volatility in global crude markets.

Oil prices fall on mounting hopes for de-escalation in US-Iran War --Oil prices fell on Friday as traders gained confidence that renewed conflict between the U.S. and Iran ‌was growing less likely. Brent crude futures settled at $93.09 a barrel, down $1.94 or 2.04%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $90.54 a barrel, down $2.50, or 2.69%. “The market ​is not seeing escalation between the parties,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group. “Even ​though we don’t have a deal, it seems the market is seeing a de-escalation.” Petroleum Development ⁠Oman said operations at Mina al Fahal port were unaffected after three sources told Reuters that oil loading had been ​suspended following an explosion near its mooring berths. Oman exports 800,000 to 900,000 barrels per day of crude from ​the terminal. Both contracts still looked set to post their first weekly gains in three weeks, with Brent up about 1% and WTI around 3.1%. The contracts rose earlier in the week after fighting flared in the Middle East as U.S.-Iran war peace talks dragged on while traffic ​in the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil passes, remained limited. “As hopes for an ​agreement between the U.S. and Iran were dashed once again, the price of Brent crude and European natural gas rose slightly ‌this ⁠week,” Commerzbank analysts said on Friday. However, Brent’s gains have been capped by oil inventories lasting longer than expected, rerouted exports and falling demand, Commerzbank added. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected on Thursday a U.S.-brokered agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government to halt the fighting. Iran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace deal ​with Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump ​said on Thursday he ⁠believed progress was being made between Israel and Lebanon and that Lebanon deserved to have peace. “Any optimism remains heavily clouded by a tangled web of headlines and ​counter-headlines,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note. OPEC is sticking to its oil ​demand growth forecast ⁠of 1.2 million barrels per day for this year, Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said on Thursday, despite the Middle East conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian oil exports have fallen to their lowest level in ⁠six years ​mainly due to the U.S. naval blockade, according to shipping data, ​although weak demand in China has depressed prices for the oil.

WTI Holds Above $90 Amid Volatile Iran Bets, Dollar Spike (DTN) -- Oil prices fell for a second day in a row Friday on lingering hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough to the U.S.-Iran war and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to energy shipments. A two-month high in the dollar, driven by the release of a bullish U.S. jobs report for May, added to the pressure on prices of commodities, including crude. Notwithstanding the back-to-back daily losses, the global and domestic crude benchmarks still secured a net weekly gain to snap a two-week consecutive slide. The downward pressure was reinforced mid-day after Petroleum Development Oman confirmed that export operations at the 800,000-bpd Mina al Fahal terminal were proceeding normally after a scare triggered by reports of a drone attack. NYMEX WTI crude for July delivery slid $2.50 to settle at $90.54 bbl. The 2.7% drop on the day was not enough to wipe out the U.S. crude benchmark's strong gains from Monday through Wednesday, leaving it up 3.6% on the week. ICE Brent crude for August delivery fell $1.94, or 2%, to finish Friday's session at $93.09 bbl, holding on to a weekly advance of 1%. In contrast to the weaker crude complex, refined product futures diverged in Friday's trade. On NYMEX, ULSD for July delivery edged down $0.0864 to finish at $ 3.5874 gallon. But July RBOB advanced $0.0076 to settle at $3.0459. The broader macroeconomic complex felt additional pressure following a stronger-than-expected non-farm payrolls report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which showed the U.S. economy adding 172,000 jobs in May. The robust employment data initially lifted the U.S. dollar index above 100 points, the first time it has returned to that level since April 5. On the geopolitical front, market participants spent the day balancing conflicting signals out of Washington and the Middle East regarding shipping security. While U.S. President Donald Trump insisted that negotiations were moving forward and that the Strait of Hormuz could open immediately upon a signing, traders remained cautious given Hezbollah's outright rejection of the provisional Lebanon ceasefire. Iran has made the safety of its Hezbollah ally a precondition to any deal with the U.S. Supply realities further cushioned the downside in oil prices as a U.S. maritime blockade of Iranian trade marked its seventh full week, leaving the Persian Gulf entirely devoid of outbound crude streams. This structural crude deficit, paired with compounding Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refining infrastructure, ensured that global physical balances remained tight enough to sustain the weekly price recovery.

Why Oil’s Not at $200 After the Biggest Supply Shock in History - For decades, oil traders, executives and analysts warned that closing the Strait of Hormuz would be a global economic catastrophe. It’s now been more than three months since the waterway was effectively blocked, creating the worst supply shock in modern history. But a slew of workarounds is keeping crude oil below $100 a barrel, defying many of the industry’s grimmest forecasts for prices as high as $200. A combination of record US exports, a sharp and unexpected slowdown in Chinese demand and a steady trickle of crude still finding its way through the strait has helped absorb much of the shock from the loss of more than 10 million barrels a day of Middle Eastern supply. A pre-war surplus has also eased the blow. “People thought it was going to be a lot worse,” President Donald Trump said Friday. “Today I looked at $96 a barrel, people thought that was going to be $300 a barrel.” All eyes now are on how long those buffers can hold, while the question of when flows might resume through the strait, and where oil prices are headed, have become the biggest wild cards for the global economy. One of the biggest surprises for the oil market has been China, the world’s largest importer. It slashed inbound shipments by almost 40% in May compared to last year’s average, according to Vortexa Ltd. The reduction is enough to offset anywhere between a third and a fifth of the barrels lost to the war, depending on the estimates used. At the same time, the US has emerged as the world’s most important swing supplier since launching strikes on Iran in late February. American crude and fuel exports in May were more than 2 million barrels a day higher than the average for all of last year. Other emergency measures have also eased the strain. Governments around the globe coordinated a historic release of strategic reserves, while Gulf producers rerouted shipments through alternative export routes. Some tankers continued moving cargoes via the strait despite the risks, using increasingly opaque methods to avoid military threats. “Over three months into this conflict, the world has proven surprisingly resilient,” Maria Angelicoussis, chief executive officer of Angelicoussis Group, the largest Greek shipowner by number of vessels on the water, said in rare public remarks this week. “Commodity prices are up by 50% or 60%, Asian LNG prices by 90%, but they’re not at the sky-high levels that at least I would have personally expected.” For now, oil trading well below $200 a barrel, a level many analysts initially feared, has left Trump wiggle room in negotiations with Iran, even as he repeatedly insists a peace deal is within reach. But a renewed and sustained price spike would add more pressure on the White House to strike a deal quickly to stem a hit to the global economy. Global inventories are drawing down at a record pace, leaving the market increasingly vulnerable to fresh disruptions. With spare supplies dwindling, even relatively small outages could trigger violent price spikes. “Each week that goes by, the system is tightening by 70 to 80 million barrels. You can’t do that forever,” said Greg Sharenow, who helps manage nearly $24 billion as head of Pacific Investment Management Co.’s commodity portfolio investment team. “Over the course of the next few months, generously speaking, you’ll really be staring at a system that could be lacking flexibility because the buffers have been really depleted.” US oil production has boomed to record highs in recent years thanks to the shale revolution that began over a decade ago, turning the country into a net exporter of crude and refined product. The abundance of domestic energy has allowed President Trump to make geopolitical decisions and moves that would’ve once been considered unthinkable — not just starting a war against Iran, but also the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has also used its energy muscle to help stabilize markets. The Trump administration pledged to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of a broader effort by advanced economies to help offset lost supplies. So far it has done so at a rate few thought possible — in one week last month the stockpile declined by 1.4 million barrels a day. Nearly half of the barrels released so far have sailed to Europe and other overseas destinations. The twin forces of US exports and depressed Chinese buying are in part why the world’s most important physical crude price, Dated Brent, has retreated below $100 a barrel after surging to a record above $140 a barrel in the early phase of the war. The most recent expiry period — the vital window in which real-world and futures prices converge — showed little indication of a supply shortage. Now, however, the limits of some of the workarounds are coming into focus. Overall oil inventories in the US shrank to the lowest level in more than two decades last week. Emergency reserves have little oil to spare and fuel stockpiles are facing critical lows as peak summer demand months approach.

Oman suspends oil loading at Mina al Fahal terminal after drone attack Petroleum Development Oman said on Friday that operations at Mina Al Fahal port are proceeding normally, after three sources told Reuters earlier that oil loading had been suspended following an explosion near its mooring berths. The explosion occurred between single-buoy mooring (SBM) 1 and 2 berths due to an alleged drone attack, the people familiar with the matter had said. It was not immediately clear when the attack took place. Several supertankers were seen anchored off the port on Friday, shipping data from LSEG showed. Oman exports 800,000 to 900,000 barrels per day of crude from the terminal. Iranian state media on Wednesday reported that Tehran targeted a US military ship hosting a "control and command centre" while it was approaching Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, which the US Central Command has denied.

US hits Iranian radar sites after drones target shipping near Hormuz - US forces struck Iranian coastal radar sites on Saturday (June 6) after shooting down drones launched by Iran toward ??the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said, in the latest escalation complicating efforts to end the war between the two countries. The US military believes the four Iranian drones were targeting regional maritime traffic, a US official told Reuters. US Central Command said on X that the US then struck Iran's surveillance sites in Goruk and Qeshm Island, which are both on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it ‌had targeted US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for US strikes and fired on four ​tankers attempting to cross the strait without its permission. Kuwait's state media said air ​defences were intercepting missile and drone attacks, while in Bahrain sirens sounded and residents were urged to seek shelter. Kuwait and Bahrain condemned the strikes. Kuwait's foreign ministry described the Iranian attacks, including ​the latest strike early on Saturday, as a "blatant act of aggression" that ignored international calls to halt such actions and posed a direct threat to citizens, residents, and regional security, a ministry statement said. Iran later said it had hit US bases in both countries with ballistic missiles but the US military said six missiles were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its target. The US and Iran have been engaged in largely indirect negotiations to secure an interim deal to halt the three-month-old war that would leave issues including Iran's nuclear programme to further negotiations. But amid periodic skirmishes a deal has remained elusive. Tehran ​wants access to billions of dollars in oil revenue, waivers on sanctions on crude exports, the lifting of a US blockade on its ports and leverage over the strait. Iran has effectively blocked the waterway, where about ‌a fifth of the world's oil transited before the war. Iranian state media reported that Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister of Pakistan, which has been mediating an end to the conflict, ​was on his way to Tehran on Saturday. There was no immediate confirmation of the report from Islamabad. US President Donald Trump is facing mounting domestic political pressure due to rising gas prices to bring the unpopular war to an end. He told NBC that while most of Iran's drone and missile manufacturing facilities had been destroyed, the Iranians still have access to about a fifth of their missiles. "They have some missiles, they have some drones. ‌I would say percentage wise, maybe 21%-22% of their missiles. It's a lot ​of missiles, but it's not what it was when we first attacked," Trump told NBC News' "Meet ‌the Press" program, according to excerpts released by the network on Friday. When asked why Iran's leaders were not more inclined to strike a deal, if they are as desperate as he ‌has ??portrayed them, Trump said: "Because they are strong. They're proud. There are things they never thought they'd be doing that they're going to have to do, they've got no choice, and it takes ​a little while." After the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28, Tehran attacked Gulf states hosting US bases and largely stopped shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has driven up oil prices and disrupted supply chains for other products. The UN World Food Programme said on Friday ​that it was pushing millions of people closer to hunger due to rising fuel and transport costs. Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, told CNN on Friday that a peace deal hinged on the Trump administration unfreezing $24 billion in Iranian assets, and warned that the US would "enter into a dark corridor" if it resumed attacks. In a parallel conflict in Lebanon, Iran-aligned armed group Hezbollah said on Friday it had carried out two attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon, while Lebanese security services said ‌Israeli airstrikes hit towns across southern Lebanon. Iran has reaffirmed support for Hezbollah while demanding that Israel withdraw from Lebanon. Tehran has made a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah a condition for any peace deal with Washington. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem this week rejected a US-brokered pact between Israel and the Lebanese government to halt the fighting in Lebanon. The deal did not provide for an Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah had not been party to the negotiations. Israel has has said its forces would not withdraw or halt operations in the country amid increasing friction with the US. Bahrain's government said Saturday that Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones towards it and Kuwait. The foreign ministry said they had been intercepted and called on Iran to immediately cease attacks on its Gulf neighbours. The statement came hours after the US military said it shot down Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies on Friday, while striking some of the Islamic Republic's coastal surveillance radar sites in response, an exchange of fire that further frayed a shaky ceasefire with Tehran. The exchange of strikes comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran to make a deal to end the conflict. US Central Command said on social media Friday night that Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, with US forces intercepting six of the missiles and a seventh failing to reach its target. The military said there were no reports of harm to US personnel. The ballistic missiles were fired after the US earlier in the day shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Oil Exports Collapse to Six-Year Low as Blockade Tightens -   Iran's oil exports fell to their lowest level in at least six years in May as the U.S. naval blockade continued to choke off crude shipments and leave tens of millions of barrels stranded at sea. According to shipping data from Vortexa, Iran exported just 209,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and condensate in May, down from 1.34 million bpd in April and nearly 1.9 million bpd in March. Kpler had estimated May exports slightly higher at 260,000 bpd, but still the lowest level since the height of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign in 2019-2020. When the blockade first took effect in April, analysts expected Tehran to lean on floating storage while waiting for an opportunity to move barrels. But storage is no longer growing. According to Kpler, floating inventories have fallen from roughly 190 million barrels in late April to about 147 million barrels today as cargoes continue trickling into China and production slows. The problem for Tehran is that China's appetite is cooling just as Iran needs buyers most. Chinese imports of Iranian crude fell to 1.1 million bpd in May, the lowest level since January 2025. Independent Chinese refiners have begun cutting processing rates amid weak margins and comfortable fuel inventories, reducing demand for sanctioned barrels. That shift has already pushed Iranian Light crude from premiums to discounts against Brent for the first time in two months. Meanwhile, roughly 67 million barrels of Iranian crude and condensate remain stranded inside the Gulf and Gulf of Oman, according to Kpler estimates. Analysts say time may be running short. Kpler's Homayoun Falakshahi warned that if the blockade remains in place for another two months, Iran could effectively run out of available oil to ship to China. The market implications extend beyond Iran. Every barrel removed from export markets tightens an already strained global supply picture at a time when Middle East disruptions have already slashed regional exports. For now, fewer tankers leaving Iran means fewer barrels reaching buyers. Eventually, it will mean fewer barrels being produced. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

Global oil inventories on track for critical levels before summer peak, IEA says  -- Global oil inventories could hit critically low levels ahead of the peak July-August fuel demand period if drawdowns continue at their current pace, the International Energy Agency said ​Tuesday. Global oil stocks fell by more than 250M barrels between March and May, with on-land commercial and strategic stockpiles draining at a record pace, the IEA reported. "We're seeing ​stock draws continuing into the summer, and with the possibility or the likelihood that we ⁠reach critical levels or historical low levels just ahead of the peak summer demand," said Toril Bosoni, the head of the IEA's oil industry and markets division. A full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could take 6-8 months in the best-case scenario if an agreement was reached today, Bosoni ​said at the S&P Global Energy Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference in London. An additional IEA-coordinated emergency stock release could become a possibility, but it is not currently being discussed as around half of the initial 400M-barrel coordinated release from March has not yet reached the market, Bosoni added. The IEA is seeing higher prices and a weaker economic outlook turning into lower demand for transport fuels, Bosoni said, adding, "The biggest adjustment factors we have seen to the markets have come from the demand side." Persian Gulf ​oil producers ⁠have lost ~14M bbl/day of supply since the end of February, the IEA estimated. Crude oil futures moved higher Tuesday, adding to the previous day’s gains, with the market still cautiously awaiting progress in U.S.-Iran talks and signs that the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened in the near term. The supply situation is manageable for now, but higher summer demand in July and August likely would lead to rationing, Baron Lamarre, former head of trading at Petronas, told Dow Jones. "The cry is that they want a deal right now because if they don't have it three months from now, there will be a disaster," Lamarre said. Front-month Nymex crude (CL1:COM) for July delivery rose 1.7% to $93.76/bbl, and front-month Brent crude (CO1:COM) for August delivery added 1.1% to $96.00/bbl, a one-week high for both benchmarks. U.S. natural gas futures (NG1:COM) inched lower in rangebound trading, with the front-month July contract closing down 0.4% to $3.167/MMBtu.

The Iran war means the world is running on borrowed oil, and the tank hits empty in July -- Right now, a meaningful share of the oil that keeps the global economy moving is not being pumped from the ground. It is being drained out of emergency reserves that governments spent decades filling for exactly this kind of catastrophe, and those reserves are running down at a pace that gives the world a hard deadline. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut since the war with Iran erupted on February 28, choking off roughly a fifth of the planet's seaborne oil, and the only thing standing between that supply shock and a full-blown price spiral is a stockpile cushion that the world's own energy analysts now expect to run out around the middle of July. After that, the math gets ugly fast, and the question stops being whether reserves can hold the line and becomes how deep the recession runs if the Strait is still closed when they cannot. What makes the current moment unusual is how tightly the forecasters have converged on a single date.  The coordinated emergency release that 32 nations launched in March, more than 400 million barrels poured into the market to blunt the shock, was structured to flow at about 2.5 million barrels a day over four months, a stream that on current schedules runs dry around July 9.  That is the point at which the temporary buffer is spent, and the market has to adjust on its own. Independent analysis from the trading side arrives at the same conclusion. One desk's relatively calm, price-capped outlook for crude is explicitly time-limited, and the analysts behind it warn it would have to be torn up if the closure extends past the end of July, because the depletion of emergency buffers would fundamentally change the setup. A reserve-arithmetic assessment reached the same conclusion from yet another angle, judging that the economically manageable window is realistically one to three months rather than six, not because the world physically runs out of oil but because the macroeconomic pain for vulnerable importers intensifies well before the tanks are empty. Three different methods, three different institutions, one answer: mid-summer is the cliff edge. And almost no one is talking about it, at least the stock market surely isn't.  The 400-million-barrel release sounded enormous when it was announced, and politically it was, but in the context of global demand, it is almost trivially small.  The world burns through roughly 105 million barrels of oil a day, so the entire historical release would amount to about four days of global consumption if it had to cover the gap outright. It does not work quite that way because the barrels are metered out to soften prices rather than replace lost supply one-for-one, but the scale comparison is the point. Even the world's largest stockpile cannot flood the market, and the U.S. reserve's maximum physical drawdown rate is capped at 4.4 million barrels a day, with crude taking roughly two weeks to reach the market after a release is ordered.Stretch the release across the real-world drawdown pace, somewhere between 4.8 and 6.6 million barrels a day across all participating nations, and the authorized volume provides only 60 to 83 days of partial offset before it is exhausted. And the gap it is trying to fill is enormous. Even after accounting for the 3.5 to 5.5 million barrels a day that can be rerouted through Saudi and Emirati pipelines that bypass Hormuz, the net shortfall runs to roughly 14.5 to 16.5 million barrels a day. Reserves were built to bridge a short, sharp interruption, not to substitute for a fifth of world supply month after month, and the structure is buckling under a load it was never designed to carry. Nowhere is the drawdown more visible than in the United States. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve stood at 365 million barrels in the week ending May 22, down more than 50 million barrels since the war began and the lowest level since April 2024. The Trump administration's contribution to the global release was the largest single-country emergency drawdown in history, around 172 million barrels, and the reserve has been bleeding steadily ever since. The floors are closer than most people realize. Below the current level sit two hard limits, a legal minimum around 252 million barrels and a geological minimum near 150 million barrels, beneath which the salt caverns that hold the oil cannot be safely drawn, and at the present depletion rate, those thresholds could be reached within three to five months. That timeline runs straight into the autumn, which means that even if the July buffer somehow stretched, the United States' physical ability to keep releasing oil would be running out by September or October. Refilling will not rescue the situation either. The administration has floated a plan to add 200 million barrels back later in 2026, but that would only return the reserve to its depleted pre-war level, and a more sober industry estimate puts full recovery to around 414 million barrels somewhere near July 2028. The reserve drains in months and refills in years.To grasp why the buffers are struggling, it helps to measure the hole they are trying to fill against history.The head of the International Energy Agency has called this the worst energy crisis on record, noting that the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979 each removed about 5 million barrels a day from the market and triggered global recessions, while this closure has knocked out roughly 12 million barrels a day, more than those two landmark crises combined. The strait normally carries close to 20 percent of global oil, and the closure has produced what is now described as the largest supply shock in the history of the crude market, with net cumulative losses from Gulf producers already exceeding a billion barrels.That scale is the whole problem. Every previous oil disruption left substantial spare capacity somewhere in the system that prices could eventually coax into the market. This one operates at a magnitude that swamps the available cushions, and once the emergency reserves are spent and the rerouting options are maxed out, the market has only one lever left to balance supply and demand: raising prices until enough consumers and industries are forced to stop buying.Economists have a clinical phrase for that mechanism, demand destruction, and a blunter one for what it does to an economy when it happens at this scale, which is recession.

OECD says protracted war could drag on global growth, push up inflation (Reuters) - The global economic outlook hinges on how long the war in the Middle East lasts, with recession in some countries and sharply higher inflation a real possibility if it drags on into next year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned on Wednesday. If the conflict proves short-lived, Gulf oil and gas production could gradually return to pre-crisis levels from the third quarter with shortages confined to Asia and cushioned by strategic reserves and shipments from other producers. In that baseline scenario, global growth is projected to slow from 3.4% in 2025 to 2.8% in 2026 before picking up to 3.1% in 2027, broadly in line with the OECD's March forecasts. But if energy disruption persists well into next year, global growth could slow sharply to 2.1% in 2026 and 1.8% in 2027 - rates rarely seen outside major crises such as the 2008 to 2009 financial crash or the COVID pandemic. Some economies could fall into outright recession, with Asian countries reliant on Middle East energy supplies expected to be hit hardest. Higher energy prices could add 0.4 percentage points to global inflation in 2026 and 1.3 percentage points in 2027, likely prompting central banks to hike interest rates by 0.5 to 0.75 percentage points in the short term. In the baseline scenario, the OECD forecast that inflation across G20 economies would peak at 4% this year before slowing to 3.1% next year with interest rates largely on hold this year and cuts expected next year. Global trade growth is set to moderate following a strong 2025, though robust demand for AI-related goods and investment, especially in Asia, should provide some support. - In the baseline scenario, stronger energy exports are expected to support U.S. growth, partly offsetting the drag from higher prices on household purchasing power. Growth is projected to ease from 2.1% in 2025 to 2.0% in 2026 and 1.8% in 2027. In Europe, euro zone growth was seen slowing from 1.4% to 0.8% this year before rising to 1.2% next year as resilient labour markets and higher defence spending help offset government belt-tightening. In Britain, growth is projected to slow to 0.9% this year before recovering to 1.1% in 2027 as global trade stabilises and financial conditions ease. In Asia, China was seen slowing from 5.0% growth in 2025 to 4.5% in 2026 and 4.3% in 2027 with ample energy reserves limiting exposure to oil price spikes. Exports are set to benefit from lower U.S. tariffs and a competitive tech sector, although a property slump remains a drag. Japan is expected to be among the hardest-hit by trade disruptions linked to the Gulf conflict, with growth slowing from 1.1% in 2025 to 0.6% in 2026 before edging up to 0.8% in 2027, a downgrade from March. While subsidies will help cushion the energy shock, the OECD said Japan needs a "clear and credible" plan to rein in public finances over the medium term as interest rates rise.

Oil industry issues warning to Trump about major price spike caused by Iran’s Strait of Hormuz closure --Top oil executives have issued a grave warning to the Trump administration that American gas prices could spike dramatically again in the coming weeks.Iran has shuttered the Strait of Hormuz since Donald Trump launched his war against the Islamist regime in late February, choking off as much as one-fifth of the world’s crude supply. The president has spent those months casting the disruption as temporary, even as drivers were continuing to pay a national average of $4.26 per gallon as of Wednesday.Four oil industry figures told Politico Thursday that fuel stockpiles have now been drained to perilously low levels, and that they have alerted top administration officials and Cabinet secretaries to the accelerating crisis.One of those figures, who spoke anonymously about the closed-door discussions, said the message had reached the very top of the administration. “We’re at dangerously low levels already,” the executive said, warning about “what’s coming in mid-to-late June.”“I hope they are paying attention to inventories right now,” they added. “You’re hitting tank bottom.”The White House has flatly rejected that account. “Politico’s anonymous sources are wrong,” one official said. An Energy Department spokesperson added there have been “no such discussions” about inventories.The Daily Beast contacted both for further comment on this story. “President Trump and his energy team anticipated short-term market disruptions, communicated them openly to the American people, and implemented an aggressive plan to mitigate any impacts,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said.“When the President forces this conflict to a successful end, gas prices will drop back to multi-year lows and global energy markets will be much more stable in the long term,” they added. The Energy Department did not immediately respond.

A barrel trapped behind Hormuz isn't spare capacity -At the start of 2026, oil traders were preparing for a glut.Supply growth was expected to outpace demand growth. OPEC+ was gradually returning barrels to the market. U.S. production remained near record highs. Economic growth was slowing, while electrification and efficiency gains were expected to temper consumption growth.The consensus view was simple: the world was heading into a period of excess supply.Six months later, that narrative never came true.Not because the world suddenly ran out of oil. In fact, many major producers are pumping more crude than they were a year ago. U.S. production remains near record levels, OPEC members still hold significant spare capacity, and non-OPEC producers continue to add barrels.Yet inventories continue to draw, supply security remains a major concern, and the market has proven far more sensitive to geopolitical disruptions than many expected.The reason is that the market may have been asking the wrong question.For much of the past year, analysts focused on how much oil the world could produce. The events surrounding the Strait of Hormuz demonstrated that the more important question is how much oil the world can actually deliver when the system comes under stress. Production capacity and deliverable supply are not the same thing. The distinction matters because a significant portion of the world's spare capacity is concentrated in the Persian Gulf. If geopolitical tensions disrupt shipping routes, tanker availability, insurance markets, or export infrastructure, spare capacity can quickly become less useful than headline production figures suggest. A barrel trapped behind a chokepoint is not the same as a barrel sitting in a storage terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast.This is why the recent Hormuz disruption resonated so strongly across energy markets. The immediate concern was not whether the world possessed enough oil resources. It was whether those resources could reliably reach consumers.That concern has coincided with a notable decline in inventories.According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, commercial crude inventories have fallen for several consecutive weeks. Gasoline and distillate stocks have also trended lower, despite expectations that a looser market would allow inventories to rebuild.And the issue is not that oil production is weak. U.S. crude output remains near record highs at roughly 13.7 million barrels per day. Production is still higher than it was a year ago, even if the explosive growth rates that characterized the peak shale years have moderated.The issue is that market resilience depends on more than production volumes.A market can appear comfortably supplied on paper while remaining vulnerable in practice if too much spare capacity is concentrated in politically sensitive regions or relies on fragile logistics networks. The events of 2026 exposed that vulnerability.For years, traders treated spare capacity as a straightforward measure of market security. The assumption was that additional barrels could be brought online whenever needed.What the market is increasingly discovering is that spare capacity only matters if it can be exported, transported, refined, and delivered to end users.That realization helps explain why fears of a massive oil glut have faded even as production remains elevated.The world still possesses substantial oil resources. The question is whether those resources can reach consumers quickly enough when geopolitical shocks occur.That may ultimately be the biggest lesson of 2026.The market spent the past year debating how much oil producers could pump. The next phase of the conversation may focus on something more important: how much of that oil can actually reach the market when the global energy system comes under pressure

Kuwait Says Oil Output Won't Recover for 10-12 Weeks After Hormuz Reopens -- Kuwait Petroleum Company expects it will take considerably longer to restore oil production than many traders appear to assume if the Strait of Hormuz reopens in the coming days. Speaking at the S&P Global Energy Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference, the company’s managing director for international marketing, Shaikh Khaled Ahmad Al-Sabah, said Kuwait would need six to eight weeks to recover roughly 70% of normal production levels after Hormuz reopens, with the remaining 30% requiring about another month. Refining operations are expected to recover more quickly, returning to normal within two to three weeks, but the production timeline suggests that a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran would not immediately translate into a full restoration of Gulf oil supplies.The comments come as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to express confidence that a ceasefire extension and broader agreement with Tehran could be reached within days. Trump said this week that negotiations remain active and that an arrangement to reopen Hormuz could emerge “over the next week,” despite continued military exchanges between the United States and Iran and conflicting signals from Iranian officials.For oil markets, Kuwait’s estimate provides one of the first concrete indications of what post-Hormuz recovery may actually look like. Much of the market discussion has focused on whether the waterway will reopen, but far less attention has been paid to how quickly producers can restore output after months of disruption. Restarting production involves stabilizing wells, gathering systems, storage facilities, export terminals and logistics networks after prolonged outages.The CEO of shipping giant Maersk, Vincent Clerc, recently said reopening Hormuz would have only a limited immediate impact on cargo flows because supply chains and vessel networks have already been fundamentally altered by months of conflict. Freight markets, insurance costs and routing patterns are unlikely to normalize overnight even if a political agreement is reached.The recovery timeline outlined by Kuwait came just hours before Iranian drones and missiles struck Kuwait International Airport, killing at least one person and damaging Terminal One. The attack forced a temporary suspension of air traffic.

Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis ready to pay Strait of Hormuz transit fees -   Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis has said he would be ready to pay fees to transit the Strait of Hormuz if that would keep the contested waterway open to shipping. “Even if we had to pay a fee, for me [it would] be much better than to have the straits closed,” said Marinakis, one of Greece’s biggest shipowners, at the TradeWinds shipping conference in Athens on Tuesday. The billionaire, who has a fleet of 185 vessels and about 35 tankers through his Capital Maritime Group, said that shipowners had for years been paying additional costs due to wider tensions in the region. Marinakis, who also owns the football clubs Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos, pointed to the cost of diverting ships via the Cape of Good Hope as a result of attacks on vessels by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. “For me, it is better to pay a fee of $100,000 or $200,000, depending on the size of the cargo or the size of the vessel, than to have all this hassle,” he said, adding that “all this money can pay for all the damage of what has happened so far”. Marinakis later told the FT that payment would mean that “cargo flow resumes immediately — oil, gas, raw materials — economies stop being hurt and destroyed, and crews navigate safely”. Other shipping groups and companies across the industry have opposed any fees, calling for the freedom of passage in the Strait of Hormuz to be maintained. They see its continued closure setting a dangerous precedent for other narrow chokepoints in international waters. Evangelos Marinakis says payment would allow cargo flows to resume and economies would stop being ‘hurt and destroyed’ © Aris Oikonomou/SOOC/AFP/Getty Images The waterway has, in effect, been closed to traffic since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps started to fire on ships moving through the strait in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes. In April, Tehran said it would charge vessels up to $2mn each to pass through the strait — the equivalent of $1 per barrel on the largest oil tankers. It subsequently set up the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage and impose fees, but the entity has been placed under sanctions by the US, leaving shipowners uncertain of their future access to the Gulf or their ability to move ships stranded in the waterway after three months of war. The only ships that have been able to transit have been those with intergovernmental agreements with Iran to secure safe passage or that have paid fees. Many companies and shipowners, such as Chevron and Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines, have said that they would not pay fees for their vessels to transit the strait. Greek shipowner George Prokopiou, whose vessels have transited the strait several times since the war broke out, said on Monday that no one should “impose tolls or any other burden because there are many chokepoints in the world”. Marinakis, who floated the tanker arm of his maritime group in February in the industry’s largest initial public offering in two decades, said he was preparing for a peace deal. To position himself for a reopening of the Gulf, he said he had ships trading at a significant discount so they would be only three or four days’ sailing from the strait and ready to enter once an agreement was reached.

June 2: IRGC Navy strikes US-Israeli cargo ship after US attack, reaffirms full military readiness - The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced on Tuesday that it carried out a retaliatory cruise missile strike on the cargo vessel MSC Sariska, linked to the American-Zionist enemy, following a US attack on an Iranian commercial ship in the Sea of Oman. The IRGC also stated that Iran’s armed forces remain fully prepared for any future contingencies, including any fresh act of aggression against the country or its allies. In addition, the IRGC Navy reported that 24 more vessels safely transited the Strait of Hormuz under its coordination and security support, underscoring continued operational control and maritime stability in the strategic waterway. In Lebanon, continued ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime were reported on Tuesday, even as Hezbollah continued its military operations targeting Israeli military sites. Meanwhile, authorities announced that the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, will be laid to rest at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad, following funeral processions scheduled to take place in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad in the coming weeks. Key developments on day 95 of the war, the fifty-fifth day of the ceasefire:

• The IRGC Navy struck the giant cargo ship MSC Sariska, affiliated with the American‑Zionist enemy, with a cruise missile in a reciprocal operation after an unprovoked US attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Sea of Oman.
• The IRGC said Iran's armed forces are more prepared than before and are fully ready for any future contingency, asserting that any return by the enemy to military aggression will be met with different operational approaches.
• The commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qa'ani, warned that the Bab al-Mandab Strait will be subjected to the same traffic restrictions as the Strait of Hormuz if the Zionist regime continues its crimes in Lebanon and Gaza under American protection.
• Mohammad Jafar Asadi, Deputy Inspector Brigadier General of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Iran has not yet revealed all of its “winning cards” and is ready for a potential confrontation with its enemies.
• The IRGC Navy said 24 more vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours after obtaining permission and with the IRGC's security support.
• Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, commander of the Joint Headquarters of the Iranian Air Defences, said Iran inflicted significant losses on the aerial warfare equipment of the United States and the Israeli regime during the recent US-Israeli military aggression against the country.
• The martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, will be laid to rest at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad following funeral processions in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, authorities announced. 
• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and lead negotiator described the bond between Iran and Lebanon as unbreakable, stressing that any ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington must include a halt to Israeli attacks on all fronts, particularly Lebanon.
• Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi, pointing to the US claims of preventing a major Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, said the statement exposes Washington’s direct role in managing Israeli military atrocities across the region.
• US President Donald Trump reportedly held a tense phone call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, slamming his ingratitude and warning that his Lebanon escalation threatened Washington's negotiations with Tehran. 
• The US is increasing pressure on Persian Gulf mediator Oman over its neutral position in the US-Iran war, demanding that Muscat align itself with Washington and distance itself from Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement said the Israeli forces deployed in Lebanon will remain vulnerable to attacks carried out in solidarity with Lebanon and its Hezbollah resistance movement until their complete withdrawal.
• The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah warned that it would launch extensive attacks on areas deep inside the Israeli-occupied territories if the Israeli regime carries out any attack on Dahiyeh in the suburbs of Beirut.
• Israeli airstrikes killed at least eight people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, including a father and his two children, as the Tel Aviv regime continued its indiscriminate attacks on the country.
• At least 4 were killed, and 127 others were wounded after an Israeli airstrike struck the vicinity of Jabal Amel Hospital in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre.
• Hezbollah carried out 41 retaliatory military operations against Israeli regime forces and military sites within 24 hours, the movement announced.
• Hezbollah refused any partial ceasefire proposal and is demanding a comprehensive halt to hostilities across the Lebanese territory as a prelude to the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces and the return of displaced civilians, Hassan Fadlallah, a senior Lebanese parliamentarian, said.
• A majority of UN Security Council members expressed their disapproval of Israel’s increasing military strikes on Lebanon.

Live Coverage of the Iran–U.S.–Israel Conflict / June 05 - WANA (Jun 05) – The United States on Friday imposed a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions, targeting multiple entities, individuals, and liquefied gas tankers. According to data published on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website, the designated network spans several international jurisdictions. The United States on Friday imposed a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions, targeting multiple entities, individuals, and liquefied gas tankers. According to data published on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website, the designated network spans several international jurisdictions. Among the 12 entities blacklisted in the new sanctions package, […] The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) claimed on Friday that it seized an oil tanker during an overnight operation, alleging the vessel is connected to Iran. In a statement published on the social media platform X, the U.S. command asserted: “U.S. forces conducted an overnight maritime interdiction and boarding operation against the stateless and sanctioned vessel MT Davina, which was located in the Indian Ocean within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility.” The message further claimed: “We will continue to enforce maritime laws globally to disrupt illegal networks and intercept vessels supporting Iran anywhere in the world.” The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) claimed on Friday that it seized an oil tanker during an overnight operation, alleging the vessel is connected to Iran. In a statement published on the social media platform X, the U.S. command asserted: “U.S. forces conducted an overnight maritime interdiction and boarding operation […] The Public Relations Office of the Army announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja) has fired warning missiles and deployed attack drones against U.S. destroyers, forcing them to retreat from the Gulf of Oman toward the Indian Ocean. According to the military statement, the operation was conducted in continuation of efforts to counter “malign activities, disruptions, and the hijacking of commercial vessels and oil tankers by the terrorist U.S. Navy.” – The Public Relations Office of the Army announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja) has fired warning missiles and deployed attack drones against U.S. destroyers, forcing them to retreat from the Gulf of Oman toward the Indian Ocean. According to the military statement, the operation was conducted in […] – An informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team on Friday rejected a report by the Saudi-owned media outlet Al Arabiya claiming that Tehran had agreed to transfer a portion of its enriched uranium stockpiles to a third country, calling the report completely false. The denial follows a report by Al Arabiya network asserting that Iran had officially consented to relocate a part of its uranium inventory to a mutually agreed-upon third nation. An informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team on Friday rejected a report by the Saudi-owned media outlet Al Arabiya claiming that Tehran had agreed to transfer a portion of its enriched uranium stockpiles to a third country, calling the report completely false. The denial follows a report by […] Nearly 70 percent of the American public wants an immediate end to the three-month-old war against Iran and the pursuit of a diplomatic agreement, according to a new joint poll released by The Economist and YouGov. The surge in public discontent comes as internal congressional pressure mounts against President Donald Trump, compounded by skyrocketing domestic gasoline prices that have fueled widespread societal dissatisfaction across the United States. Nearly 70 percent of the American public wants an immediate end to the three-month-old war against Iran and the pursuit of a diplomatic agreement, according to a new joint poll released by The Economist and YouGov. The surge in public discontent comes as internal congressional pressure mounts against President Donald […] Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and Iran’s IRGC commander during the Iran-Iraq War, declared that Iran stands firmly behind Lebanese Hezbollah, warning adversaries that they must either accept Iran’s terms or face a powerful military retaliation. Rezaei accused the United States of betraying diplomatic negotiations for a third time by imposing a blockade just one day before the expiration of a two-week ceasefire—an action he categorized as a de facto declaration of war and a breach of commitments on both the Iranian and Lebanese fronts. He noted that Washington failed to uphold its obligations on the Lebanese front as well, following previous diplomatic breaches during the 12-Day War and the Ramadan War. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and Iran’s IRGC commander during the Iran-Iraq War, declared that Iran stands firmly behind Lebanese Hezbollah, warning adversaries that they must either accept Iran’s terms or face a powerful military retaliation. Rezaei accused the United States of betraying diplomatic […] Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has sharply criticized Germany following its failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, describing the vote outcome as a global rejection of Berlin’s foreign policy. In a statement published on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Baghaei reacted to Germany’s inability to garner the minimum required votes in the UN General Assembly. ranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has sharply criticized Germany following its failure to secure a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, describing the vote outcome as a global rejection of Berlin’s foreign policy. In a statement published on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Baghaei reacted to […] U.S. President Donald Trump stated early Friday morning that he halted a covert military plan to seize nuclear materials from inside Iran out of fear that it could turn into a disaster similar to the one experienced by former President Jimmy Carter. Recalling the failed 1980 U.S. military mission in Iran—known as Operation Eagle Claw—which led to the crash of several American aircraft during an attempt to rescue hostages, Trump noted that the historic failure contributed significantly to Carter’s loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. When asked by a reporter whether his administration had pursued a covert plan to deploy Army Rangers inside Iranian territory, Trump responded, “I didn’t want to be Jimmy Carter.”

Iran attacks damage 20 US military sites since start of war, satellite images show - Iran has damaged 20 US military sites since the start of the war, satellite images and videos analysed by BBC Verify show, suggesting the attacks are more extensive than publicly acknowledged. Iran has targeted key facilities across eight countries in the Middle East since the end of February, causing millions of dollars of damage to state-of the-art air defence systems, refuelling aircraft and radars. Tehran has targeted both US bases and shared military facilities in retaliation to the US-Israeli strikes across Iran and Lebanon over the past three months. The Pentagon says it has hit more than 13,000 targets in Iran since the start of Operation Epic Fury.Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has sought to highlight his military's success in striking US facilities. In a statement on Tuesday he claimed the Middle East was no longer a "safe place" for American bases.While the White House has repeatedly claimed that Iran's military has been almost wiped out, analysts said that the damage seen at US facilities suggests that Tehran's counter-attacks have been more precise and extensive than American officials have previously acknowledged.A US defence official declined to comment on BBC Verify's findings, citing "operational security reasons".The US has sought to limit satellite analysis of the conflict by requesting Planet, a major provider, to impose an "indefinite" restriction on new images of Iran and most of the Middle East. The company justified the move, saying that it wanted to ensure its images were not used "by adversarial actors to target allied and Nato-partner personnel and civilians".BBC Verify has used satellite imagery from other international providers combined with older images from Planet to track the damage caused by Iranian attacks. The facilities are in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman. The actual figure could be higher, with some analysts placing the number of bases hit as high as 28.Among the valuable hardware damaged were three state-of-the-art anti-ballistic missile batteries systems at the Al Ruwais and Al Sader airbases in the UAE and Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Jordan. The US is only known to operate eight of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, which are deployed at bases around the globe and cost around $1bn (£766m) to manufacture. Each battery needs a crew of about 100 troops to operate it while the interceptors it fires cost around $12.7m per round. Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, the ex-head of the Irish Defence Forces, told BBC Verify that the batteries are at the core of a "highly complex" regional defence network that cannot be "quickly or easily replaced". Iranian strikes have also heavily hit US refuelling and surveillance aircraft at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia, expert analysis of satellite images show, with damaged aircraft and smoking craters clearly visible.One aircraft was identified by a MAIAR analyst as an E-3 Sentry surveillance plane. US media reported that it could cost up to $700m to replace. Elsewhere, Iranian attacks have also targeted Ali Al Salem Airbase and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. Analysts at MAIAR identified destroyed fuel storage bunkers, aircraft hangars and troop accommodation in satellite images of the base, which was hit multiple times over the course of the conflict.And at Camp Arifjan the defence intelligence company Janes identified extensive damage to satellite communications hardware. The extent of damage caused to US facilities is difficult to quantify, but a May estimate by the Pentagon put the total cost of Operation Epic Fury at $29bn - with much of that likely to be spent on "repair or replacement costs for equipment" destroyed in the conflict. Democrats say this is likely an underestimate.The report also found that at least 42 aircraft - including F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and an A-10 attack plane - have been destroyed or damaged since February. By comparison to the expensive hardware used by the US military, Iran has reportedly made use of cheap, easily replaceable drones in its attacks on targets across the Middle East. Experts who spoke to BBC Verify said that Iranian tactics had evolved over the course of the war, moving from sprawling barrages of missiles which targeted cities and bases across the Middle East, to more precise, directed attacks."[Iran's] opening salvos were optimised for volume—mass waves designed to overwhelm air and missile defences through sheer numbers," said Dr Kelly Grieco, an analyst with the US-based Stimson Centre think tank."Within days, however, Iran had shifted to smaller, more precisely targeted salvos, conserving remaining missiles and drones for specific high-value targets and concentrating fire where even near-misses cause significant damage."An analyst at MAIAR told BBC Verify that the US military "appears to have been guilty of a degree of early-war complacency" in failing to move aircraft out of the range of Iranian drones and missiles as Tehran's tactics evolved.They said that in the case of Prince Sultan airbase the facility had previously come under fire before the aircraft were destroyed.Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed that "the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases," adding: "America will no longer have a safe place in the region for mischief and the establishment of military bases, and day by day it will drift further from its former position." His comments just days before the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain again. On Thursday Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it targeted an American base in the region, after fresh US strikes on southern Iran. Dr Grieco warned that should the fragile US-Iranian ceasefire breakdown and fighting resume, the existing damage to US bases suggests that facilities across the Gulf could be vulnerable. "The current conflict has consumed US and partner air defence stocks at a significant rate," she said."There is no rapid path to replenishment, meaning any renewed Iranian assault would be met a fraction of the interceptors available when the conflict stated."

Iran might have used a Chinese-made missile to shoot down an F-15E Strike Eagle flown by the US Air Force -- A U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran in April — the first U.S. fighter downed by ground fire in decades. Many experts suspect the weapon was a Chinese-made shoulder-fired missile cued by a Chinese radar built to detect American jets, though no hard evidence has emerged, and the attribution remains far from definitive.  Beijing denies supplying Iran, even after Xi Jinping assured President Trump it would send none. The shootdown has complicated fragile U.S.-Iran peace talks. A US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter (see our original photos and video of various F-15 fighters in this article) that was shot down over southwestern Iran in early April 2026 required a massive effort to rescue one of the downed pilots. It took seven hours to rescue the rear-seat Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), but before extracting the airman, two days were required to first locate him.  While no hard evidence has emerged as of yet, many experts suspect the F-15E was hit by a missile made in the People’s Republic of China (PR).Reports indicate that the weapon was likely a Man-Portable Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) system – a shoulder-launched infrared-guided (IR) missile in the same class as the US-made Stinger missile or the Polish-made Mesko Grom system.  Many experts suspect the US aircraft’s coordinates might have been provided to the Iranian military personnel on the ground firing the missile by a PRC-made YLC-8B long-range early-warning radar that Tehran might have been operating. The radar system is produced in the PRC by China Electronics Technology Corporation, Ltd. (CETC), one of the country's major defense industrial conglomerates.This radar, particularly the “8B” version, is designed specifically to detect US aircraft that are either stealthy or have “managed signatures,” in which modifications are made to the airframe and inlets to minimize their radar cross-section (RCS).The F-15E Strike Eagle is in the latter category. Its radar utilizes a mix of advanced semiconductors - gallium arsenide or GaN-based - for its AN/APG-82 AESA radar. The radar’s array is set inside a fiberglass-epoxy radome to permit radio frequencies to pass through, and carbon-based radar-absorbent materials (RAM) to minimize its RCS.Beijing is reported to have delivered both these missiles and the radar to the Iranians during the very first few days of the conflict with the US and Israel, but, to be clear, it is far from definitive at the moment.The circumstances surrounding the shootdown of the F-15E are still being analyzed. But this will be the first time in decades that a US fighter aircraft was downed by enemy ground fire.

Iran suspends talks with US, hails dialogue with Oman despite Trump threat -- Talks between Iran and Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz are ongoing, according to Tehran, after President Donald Trump threatened to “blow up” the United States ally if traffic cannot pass freely through the vital waterway. Tehran and Muscat have met repeatedly, and discussions are “well underway” on control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s IRNA state news agency reported on Monday, citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei. The U.S. says the strait, which has been effectively blockaded by Tehran for three months, must be open to all international shipping and not subject to Iranian control. Washington has rejected the idea of a toll system that would benefit Iran, slapping sanctions on Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Tehran said would control shipping in the strait. It has also threatened sanctions on those paying Iran for safe travel through the waterway. Trump on Wednesday said Oman “will behave like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up,” while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said over the weekend he had been assured by an Omani official that Muscat would not collect fees from ships in the waterway. Oman, which says it is committed to safe passage and freedom for vessels to travel through the strait, is a longstanding U.S. ally that allows American troops to use its military bases. Iran targeted the Gulf state in the early stages of the war between Iran, the U.S. and Israel from February 28. But the U.S. is under increasing pressure to reopen the strait and get maritime traffic moving after months of yo-yoing fuel prices, supply chain pressures and concerns about food access for millions of people. A fifth of the world’s oil and gas usually travels through the strait, along with a third of global seaborne fertilizer supplies, which are key to ensuring enough crops can be grown to feed famine-vulnerable areas, including the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. The long weeks of blockages left more than 1,500 ships stranded and sent fuel prices soaring. Traffic is still far below prewar levels, and Iran has resisted loosening its grip on the strait, despite the U.S.’s own competing blockade on Iranian ports. Iran’s negotiating team has paused indirect talks with the United States, citing Israel’s continued military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon and what Tehran describes as broader breaches of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, according to the Tasnim news agency. Tasnim, which maintains close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Tehran would stop negotiations and message exchanges through intermediaries over what it called the “continuation of the Zionist regime’s crimes in Lebanon.” Iranian officials have previously said the ceasefire framework covers developments in Lebanon and that the agreement is under strain “on all fronts” due to Israel’s actions. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Monday that only Iran and Oman had the right to “exercise sovereignty” in the strait, adding that Muscat should “not give in” to U.S. threats. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi hosted Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, in the Omani capital last week. Muscat said the delegations discussed restoring ship traffic in the strait in “a safe and sustainable manner” and considered “a set of principles.” But progress toward a deal to resume normal traffic levels in the Strait of Hormuz is still slow, and Iran’s military said on Monday that 15 ships had passed through the strait with Iranian permission in the previous 24 hours. This falls far short of the more than 130 vessels that would travel through the waterway each day before the war.

India's Oman bet looks timely as Hormuz crisis deepens -- Late last year, when India and Oman officially signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), there was no war with Iran cutting off the Strait of Hormuz, and the advanced timing of this now is turning out to be more fortuitous than initially expected. The agreement came into effect on June 1st, just in time to give India access to Oman’s trade routes as an alternative to Hormuz.  The pact, ratified by the Omani Sultan in February this year, will see Oman eliminate customs duties on 98% of its tariff lines, giving immediate preferential access to Indian exports, including textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, and agricultural products. The Strait of Hormuz funnels nearly 45% of India’s crude imports, 55% of LNG shipments, and 90% of its LPG imports, making its closure a heavy burden for New Delhi. Most recently, on Tuesday, Iran threatened to completely seal it off due to Israel’s ceasefire violations in Lebanon. Iranian media claimed on Tuesday that 24 tankers have traversed the strait in 24 hours, primarily headed toward Asian markets, which are highly dependent on Gulf energy supplies despite soaring insurance and shipping costs.Despite ongoing ceasefire and diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran, most shipping executives and insurers continue to view the waterway as too dangerous to navigate without a definitive peace agreement. Thankfully, Oman’s primary ports such as Duqm, Sohar and Salalah are located outside the Strait, directly on the Arabian Sea, granting India a secure energy supply route.Oman's geographical positioning allows India to collaborate on vital energy infrastructure, including deepwater pipeline projects and expanded Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and crude storage hubs. Given Oman’s proximity, expanding regional crude and LPG storage infrastructure becomes a major element of India’s energy security. India relies heavily on West Asian crude and LPG, and establishing supplementary storage networks serves as a buffer against global supply chain disruptions. Indeed, India is advancing a proposed ~$4.8-billion undersea pipeline that will transport up to 31 million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD) of natural gas from Oman directly to Gujarat. Stretching roughly 2,000 km across the Arabian Sea at depths reaching 3,450 meters, this project allows India to bypass the volatile Strait of Hormuz. State-run energy firms such as GAIL, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), and Engineers India have been tasked with preparing and fast-tracking the detailed feasibility and execution reports. While technically demanding due to extreme deep-sea conditions, the project is viewed as a critical step in achieving long-term national energy security and price predictability. By transporting gas directly, India expects to save up to $1 billion annually. And the deal gives India duty-free access for vital shipments, making Oman an emergency gateway. In the meantime, the Indian Navy has expanded its maritime escort operations near the Gulf of Oman in a bid to safeguard energy lifelines outside of enclosed Persian Gulf waters. Over half a dozen naval ships including Visakhapatnam-class destroyers like the INS Shivalik and INS Nanda Devi have been stationed east of the Strait of Hormuz. On its part, Oman stands to benefit from the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) through accelerated economic diversification, enhanced foreign direct investment, and greater integration into global supply chains. Currently, Oman’s economy remains heavily reliant on oil and natural gas, which account for approximately 32% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and up to 85% of total government public revenue.By relying on Oman as a primary re-exporting and logistics hub, India will boost Oman’s maritime revenue and create local supply chain jobs. The deal will also jumpstart Oman’s Vision 2040 industrial goals, drawing new investment into non-oil sectors. Indian businesses can now hold up to 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in major Omani service sectors, fostering technological transfer and strengthening local infrastructure. Oman has committed to wide-ranging market access across 127 service sub-sectors, enabling Indian experts in IT, architecture, healthcare, and finance to operate more freely, transfer skills and establish regional headquarters.India’s energy security is heavily concentrated around the single chokepoint of Hormuz. For decades, that knowledge was simply accepted as an unavoidable cost of doing business in the Gulf. Oman gives India options, making the late 2025 deal now look prescient.

India Throws Open The Bond Gates: Modi Slashes Foreign Investor Taxes In Scramble To Halt Rupee Collapse - Having spent the better part of a decade assuring the world that the Indian growth miracle was self-sustaining, structurally sound, and impervious to the “fragile five” indignities of yesteryear, New Delhi has quietly arrived at the only conclusion that ever follows a currency in freefall: print incentives, slash taxes, and beg foreigners to please, please come back. According to Bloomberg, India is poised to announce a suite of measures to lure foreign capital - reducing taxes and removing ownership caps on certain bonds - possibly as soon as this week. The cabinet is expected to consider a “significant cut” in the taxes global funds pay on Indian bonds, with officials reportedly weighing whether to eliminate the 20% levy on bond interest income entirely, or shave it down to what the people familiar described as “a bare minimum.” Translation: foreigners weren’t biting, and somebody in the Finance Ministry finally noticed.Separately, the Reserve Bank of India is likely to designate some long-tenor sovereign notes as “fully accessible,” allowing overseas investors to load up without limits. Readers will recall that the last tweak to this so-called Fully Accessible Route (FAR) came in 2024, when the RBI removed 14- and 30-year bonds from the list. So to recap the master plan: pull the long bonds out in 2024, watch the currency crater, then shove them back in 2026 and call it reform. Smart. Meanwhile, the rupee printed an all-time low of 96.9650 on May 20, capping a year in which it became the second-worst-performing currency in Asia, down more than 6% against the dollar. This is the same currency that the consensus crowd spent 2024 lauding as “among the least volatile in emerging markets,” back when foreign funds were piling into FAR bonds ahead of the JPMorgan index inclusion to the tune of nearly $10 billion. As we noted at the time, that “stability” was the entire allure... but stability built on hot money flows has a nasty habit of evaporating precisely when you need it. It evaporated. The official list of culprits reads like a greatest-hits compilation of things that were supposedly “priced in”: US trade tariffs, record foreign fund outflows, and an oil shock courtesy of the Iran war that detonated India’s import bill. Modi himself was reduced to publicly imploring citizens to conserve foreign exchange - a phrase that should send a chill down the spine of anyone who remembers 2013, when New Delhi slapped capital controls on its own residents and restricted gold imports as the rupee buckled. Back then, those measures “raised concerns of outright capital controls” that would further undermine the confidence of foreign investors. History doesn’t repeat, but it sure does rhyme, in Hindi.The rupee has since clawed back from the 96.97 abyss to close at 95.71 per dollar, helped by the central bank “stepping up support” (read: torching reserves) and oil easing on renewed US-Iran peace overtures (read: rapid strategic reserve drain). The 10-year yield ticked up a single basis point to 7.02%. Markets, naturally, are treating the prospect of tax-cut-fueled inflows as salvation - the same way they treated index inclusion as salvation, right before the biggest bond selloff in a year hit the moment the currency wobbled. The government is also expected to notify a plan permitting “persons resident outside India” - PROIs, because just like in the West, every desperate measure needs a cheerful acronym - to buy shares in listed Indian companies via the portfolio investment scheme. More doors, more access, more pleading.

Israel Attacks Tyre Hospital, Killing Four and Wounding 127 - Israel continued its attacks on southern Lebanon after President Trump announced he’d received assurances from both Israel and Hezbollah aimed to reduce fighting in the country. At least eight were killed in Israeli strikes since that announcement, including two children.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on Beirut on Monday, and those attacks were apparently postponed after the Trump phone call, but Defense Minister Israel Katz says that not only will attacks on the south continue, Israel is already assessing the possibility of expanding the attacks.Israeli officials presented this as something of an agreement whereby Israel would hold off on attacks on the capital city of Beirut in return for Hezbollah ending their resistance to Israel’s invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon, which is going to continue. The city of Tyre seems to be a focus of those strikes.   As the attacks on the south continued apace, Israel attacked and badly damaged the Jabal Amel Hospital in the coastal city of Tyre. The strikes on the hospital killed 4 people and wounded 127 others. The IDF claimed that they weren’t directly attacking the hospital as such, but rather were attacking “terror infrastructure” and the hospital happened to be in the way during the attacks.The IDF statement insisted they are “solely” attacking Hezbollah, and that therefore when they hit major civilian targets like the hospital, it’s entirely the fault of Hezbollah for being in the area. They added that the attacks would continue to “guarantee the security” of Israeli citizens.Despite the IDF position that they’re not deliberately targeting hospitals, the number of hospitals they’ve hit in this war is substantial. Indeed, the attack on Jabal Amel Hospital on Monday wasn’t even the only hospital in Tyre itself that Israel attacked in the past week, with Hiram Hospital one of several hit over the weekend. Among the thousands of people killed so far in Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon, more than 200 medical workers have been killed, many of them paramedics directly attacked by the IDF, with ambulances being a common target, even more than hospitals.

Netanyahu Orders Attack on Beirut as Israeli Strikes Kill 12 in South Lebanon - The highways around Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut are heavily crowded today after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered major attacks against Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahiyeh. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz cited the continued Hezbollah resistance in southern Lebanon as the reason Beirut would be attacked, saying if there is no calm in northern Israel, there will be no calm in Beirut. President Trump claimed Monday afternoon that he’d spoken to Netanyahu and was assured that no ground troops were actually headed to Beirut. Israeli media are citing unnamed sources suggesting the attack on Beirut has been postponed at the request of the US. Iran threatened to strike northern Israel if the Beirut attacks continued.Netanyahu, for his part, didn’t mention postponing attacks on Beirut, and insisted attacks on southern Lebanon would continue. He insisted Israel’s stance “has not changed,” and the suggestion seems to be that Hezbollah would have to unilaterally halt all attacks on Israel in return for Israel to not attack Beirut, but that irrespective of that, Israel would continues its offensive in the south, targeting Hezbollah.While much focus is being paid to the impending attacks on Beirut, Israel continues to pound southern Lebanon as well, having killed at least 12 people in strikes around the region so far on Monday, and wounded several others, including at least one paramedic.  The paramedic was wounded during an attack against a vehicle on the road to Nabatieh, and there was no word of any medical workers being injured in an Israeli attack on the town of Toul, which killed a Syrian man who was near the town’s hospital.The largest death toll was reported in Kfar Sir, where overnight strikes killed at least five people. Kfar Sir is in Nabatieh District, near the Litani River, and has been a target several times in recent weeks. Israel also claimed to have killed a Hezbollah missile commander in the Nabatieh area.

Netanyahu Announces ‘Dramatic Shift’ in Lebanon Invasion as Israel Conquers Medieval Castle - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a “dramatic shift in policy” in the ongoing invasion of Lebanon, with troops advancing ever-deeper into the country, and reaching points that are as far into Lebanon as they’ve gone in the past 26 years, with the capture of Beaufort Castle.  Crusader forces built Beaufort Castle, which overlooks the Litani River, in the mid 12^th century, though the castle traded hands between Crusaders and local forces several times in the ensuing decades. It is described as being notable for its good condition for a castle of its type, though its use as a military fortress for occupying 21^st century forces is probably not great for it. Netanyahu said the conquest of the castle proved Israel was more united and stronger than ever. France called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting over the matter, which was similarly condemned by Israeli officials, who said the meeting should focus on Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire. Israeli troops are now well north of the Litani River, which during the invasion of March was presented as the whole region they intended to occupy. Israeli troops now occupy roughly one fifth of the entire country, and they continue to go deeper.Defense Minister Israel Katz cited Israel’s conquest of the castle in the 1980s, in which the same IDF brigade captured the castle from the PLO during an invasion of Lebanon. They remained until 2000, when Israel ended that particular occupation of southern Lebanon.Lebanese Premier Nawaf Salam called for an immediate ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. There is notionally a ceasefire in place there that’s been in place for over a month, though Israel continues to carry out attacks and expand their offensive, killing hundreds of additional people and conquering ever more territory.

Ghalibaf Says Iran Will Be in 'Direct Confrontation' With Israel If It Doesn't Halt Attacks on Lebanon -  Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Monday that Iran would be in a “direct confrontation with the enemy” if Israel doesn’t halt its attacks in Lebanon.Ghalibaf made the comments in a post on X recounting a conversation he had with Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament and leader of the Amal Movement, a Shia political faction that’s largely aligned with Hezbollah.“In my conversation with my brother, President Nabih Berri, I affirmed that if the Israeli aggression against Lebanon continues, we will not only halt the path of negotiations, but we will also be in direct confrontation with the enemy,” Ghalibaf said in Arabic.“Long live the Resistance. Long live the defense of the land. And long live the brotherhood between the Lebanese and Iranian peoples,” he added. Earlier in the day, Iranian media reported that Tehran halted negotiations with Washington over Israel’s continued attacks and escalations in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel planned to launch strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, but appeared to have backed down after a call with President Trump. Iran had also warned that it could target northern Israel if Netanyahu went ahead with the strikes.Trump claimed in two posts on Truth Social after his call with Netanyahu that some sort of ceasefire had been agreed to, though Israeli attacks continue in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah continues to fire at Israeli forces.“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking im not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi!” Trump said in his second post on Truth Social.“I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!” he added. There’s no sign that US officials actually spoke with Hezbollah leaders, as media reports have said that the US has been speaking with Berri, who relayed messages from Hezbollah.

Israeli Military Chief: No Ceasefire for IDF in Lebanon - Consistently, media reports generally advance the idea that the ceasefire in Lebanon is “holding,” and the US expresses hopes that the Israel-Lebanon talks they’re hosting will lead to an even stronger ceasefire. The reality, however, suggests neither of those is actually the case.Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir made the IDF position very clear during a visit to a Haifa base today, declaring that “there is no ceasefire for our forces.” Lt. Gen. Zamir said that rather than seeking a ceasefire, Israel’s goal was to “maximize the freedom of action” they have in Lebanon, which since Israel attacks dozens of targets on a daily basis, suggests things are going as intended for them. Reports on the ongoing US-hosted talks are that Israel is making clear irrespective of anything else, they neither intend to agree to a permanent ceasefire with Lebanon nor will they withdraw their ground troops from southern Lebanon. Though there were reports earlier this week that President Trump was frustrated about the way the ongoing Lebanon War is disrupting Iran negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that their goals were “aligned.”Netanyahu said that the goals were not only to disarm Hezbollah, which has been the narrative pushed since Israel’s invasion in March, but to “demilitarize Lebanon,” which hasn’t been reported as a point which is being discussed at any of the US hosted talks.

Israeli military targets school, ambulance in southern Lebanon, killing six civilians -Israeli forces launched a new wave of attacks across southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa on Saturday (June 6th), striking civilian areas, destroying an ambulance, damaging a school, and killing six Lebanese civilians. Israeli warplanes and artillery targeted the towns of Kfra, Aadchit, Kounine, Babliyeh, Toul, Arabsalim, Shahabiyeh, Mahmoudiyeh, Marwaniyeh, Majdal Zoun, Aba, Mayfadoun, Arnaba on the outskirts of Maghdoucheh, Kfar Tebnit, Qatrani, the road between Maarakeh and Teir Debba, the city of Nabatieh, and Sohmor in the western Bekaa, according to a report by Al Mayadeen. The attacks also struck the Rayhan forest, the Barghaz Valley, and the Rayhan heights, while Israeli artillery shelled Kfar Tebnit, the report added. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in the town of Zebdine, where an Israeli strike hit an ambulance that was delivering food supplies to a family inside the town. Five civilians were killed in the attack. In the Hasbaya district, Israeli artillery fire struck a school in the town of Barghaz, causing a fire and significant damage to the building. Earlier in the day, another Israeli strike targeted a motorcycle in Deir al-Zahrani, in the Nabatieh district, killing one person. The latest Israeli attacks come despite repeated announcements of a ceasefire between Lebanon and the occupying Israeli regime. The continued assaults have contributed to the destruction of Lebanese towns and villages and a rising death toll from the war, which has claimed at least 3,526 lives since March 2, according to the latest figures released by Lebanon's Health Ministry on Thursday. On March 2, Hezbollah launched military operations against the Israeli regime in response to its aggression against Iran, its repeated violations of the 2024 ceasefire, and its continued occupation of Lebanese territory in the country’s south. Following the Iran-US ceasefire on April 8, Tel Aviv was compelled to accept a ceasefire in Lebanon as well, after Tehran demanded an end to Israeli attacks on Lebanese soil as one of its primary conditions in indirect negotiations with Washington. The Israeli military, however, quickly resumed its assaults on southern Lebanon, issuing evacuation threats for several areas even after the initial ten-day truce between Tel Aviv and Beirut was extended several times. Israeli occupation forces also continue to hold parts of southern Lebanon, where they have imposed a so-called “Yellow Line” — a coercive military buffer resembling the regime’s notorious control measures in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Nine said wounded as settlers open fire, smash cars and steal sheep in Palestinian town | The Times of Israel - Father of slain Palestinian baby says soldier shot at family’s car after it came to a full stop, with children visible inside * Iranian official: UN nuclear watchdog must avoid turning technical reports into ‘tools of political pressure’ Footage from the northern West Bank town of Nablus, timestamped late morning on June 6, 2026, shows Jewish assailants vandalizing a parked car. (Screen capture: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Israel Killed 119 Palestinians in Gaza in May, the Highest Monthly Death Toll of the Year - -  Israeli forces killed at least 119 Palestinians in Gaza in May, marking the highest monthly death toll of the year, Middle East Eye reported on Wednesday, citing numbers from Gaza’s Health Ministry.Israel has been constantly violating the US-backed ceasefire deal that was signed in October 2025 and has intensified its attacks after the US and Israel reached a ceasefire with Iran. Israeli strikes in May included assassinations of Hamas leaders and attacks on Gaza’s police force, but many civilians were killed as well. Among those killed in May were 19 children and 10 women. Regardless of who the IDF is targeting or who gets killed, each attack marks a violation of the ceasefire deal, which called for a halt to all military operations, including “aerial and artillery bombardment and targeting operations.”Israeli attacks continued on Wednesday, with Gaza health officials telling Reuters that at least three Palestinians were killed throughout the day. One attack was an airstrike in central Gaza, which killed two brothers: Saqer and Moamen Khalil Abu Karim.Gaza’s Health Ministry said in its daily update that since the so-called ceasefire deal was signed in October 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 936 Palestinians and wounded 2,903, nearly 4,000 total Palestinian casualties. “A number of victims are still under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews have been unable to reach them so far,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.Israel has also violated the ceasefire deal by expanding its control of Gaza from 53% of the territory to 60% as it has moved the “yellow line” further west. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that he ordered the IDF to expand its occupation to 70% of the Palestinian territory.  The ceasefire deal states that the “IDF will not return to areas that have been withdrawn from, as long as Hamas fully implements the agreement,” and Hamas has fulfilled its side of the deal by releasing all living Israeli hostages and bodies that it had and working to recover other Israeli remains.Israeli officials have claimed Hamas is violating the deal by not disarming, but the agreement didn’t commit Hamas to giving up its weapons. The two sides agreed to a US proposal that called for the “demilitarization” of Gaza as a framework for negotiations, but the issue of disarmament was meant to be worked out in follow-up negotiations.

French navy, with backing from UK, seizes sanctioned Russian tanker- French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday his country’s navy, with the United Kingdom’s backing, seized a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean. Macron shared a videoon the social platform X from Sunday morning of the tanker Tagor being boarded, showing one person rappelling from a helicopter onto the cargo ship and armed forces seen through night vision. The French president said the operation was carried out “in strict compliance with the law of the sea.” “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than 4 years,” Macron’s post reads, translated from French. “These vessels, which fail to adhere to the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone’s safety.” The ship was intercepted more than 400 nautical miles west of France, heading from the northwestern Russian port of Murmansk. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia condemned the seizure and disagreed that it was done in compliance with international law. “We consider such actions illegal, bordering on international piracy,” Peskov said at a press conference on Monday.France and other countries have said they are cracking down on Russia’s suspected fleet of ships seeking to evade international sanctions, according to French maritime authorities.The seizure occurred before Macron said on Sunday that he met with Persian Gulf leaders, urging them to help the U.S. and Iran reach a peace deal to end and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The closure of the crucial shipping lane has caused gas prices to skyrocket internationally and drive up inflation.  “The priority must be the conclusion of a ceasefire and the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, without any conditions and in accordance with international law,” Macron wrote on X. The ceasefire between the two countries remains fragile after U.S. Central Command stated on Monday that it intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles that targeted U.S. forces in Kuwait, as well as radar and drone sites in Iran.

Russia Launches Massive Attacks Across Ukraine, Killing 22 -  Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack overnight Monday into Tuesday, targeting Kyiv and other cities, strikes that the Russian Defense Ministry said were a response to a May 22 Ukrainian drone attack that hit a college in Starobelsk in the Luhansk Oblast and killed 21 students. According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian attacks on Tuesday killed at least 22 civilians, including a three-year-old and an eight-year-old, whose bodies were pulled out of the rubble of an apartment building in the central city of Dnipro. Officials said a total of 16 people were killed in Dnipro and six were killed in Kyiv. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the attacks targeted “enterprises of Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, fuel and transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army, and military airfields” and were carried out using “airborne, ground-based and seaborne long-range precision weapons, including air-launched hypersonic ballistic missiles and attack unmanned aerial vehicles.” The ministry said that targets in Kyiv included “facilities producing attack UAVs” and three Ukrainian army recruitment centers. In Dnipro, the ministry claimed Russian forces targeted a facility used to build components “for long-range attack UAVs and missile armament, and also a logistics center were hit” as well as a “logistics center.”Russia also announced strikes it claimed hit military or military-industry targets in the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, and Zhytomyr. The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia fired a total of 73 missiles and 656 drones and claimed that Ukraine’s forces destroyed or suppressed 40 missiles and 602 drones. The massive attack came after Russia warned the US and other Western countries to evacuate personnel from Kyiv as Russia was preparing for a major response to the Ukrainian drone attack in Starobelsk. More escalations could come as Russia vowed it would target “decision-making centers” in Kyiv, likely a reference to underground military headquarters, where US and NATO military officers are believed to be based.  Russia’s escalation came as the civilian death toll in Ukraine’s attacks on Russian regions and Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine has been rising. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that over the past week, 35 Russian civilians have been killed by Ukrainian attacks, more than 90% of them by drones.

Ukrainian Drones Target St. Petersburg on First Day of Economic Forum as Part of Major Drone Attack -- Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian city of St. Petersburg on the first day of an annual international economic forum in the city as Ukrainian forces launched a major drone attack across several Russian regions, a day after massive Russian strikes across Ukraine.The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces shot down a total of 354 drones over 15 Russian regions, Crimea, and the Sea of Azov. The ministry said that at least two emergency workers were killed and two others were wounded by a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Smolensk Oblast. In Leningrad, the region surrounding St. Petersburg, the governor said a total of 59 drones were intercepted, and several people were injured.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian drones targeted an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and posted a video of black smoke bellowing from what appeared to be an oil facility in the city. “The distance from Ukraine’s state border to this facility of Russia’s oil industry, which serves the war, is about 1,100 kilometers,” he wrote on X. Ukraine is known to use intelligence from the US and NATO for its long-range drone strikes, and the US has helped build up Ukraine’s drone industry, meaning that such attacks always risk a potential escalation between Russia and NATO. Ukraine’s drone swarm came a day after Russia launched what it said was part of its response to a May 22 Ukrainian drone attack that hit a college in Starobelsk in the Luhansk Oblast and killed 21 students. According to Ukrainian officials, at least 22 civilians, including two children, were killed in the Russian strikes, which the Russian Defense Ministry claimed targeted military facilities and buildings linked to Ukraine’s “military-industrial sector.”

Ukrainian Drone Smashes Into Russian Passenger Bus, Killing 8 Civilians - The last 48 hours have seen massive, devastating Russian missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital and other cities, which left at 18 dead and over 100 injured. Russia said this was in response to the Starobelsk dormitory attack of last month and other drone attacks targeting Russian territory.But Ukrainian forces have upped the ante once again, this time with a mass casualty event in Russian-control Donetsk region. "A Ukrainian drone strike killed seven people and wounded 11 others in the occupied Donetsk region after crashing into a passenger bus, Kremlin-installed authorities said Wednesday morning, as overnight attacks killed at least two people in Russia," The Moscow Times reports. State media later revised the death toll up to eight killed. Widely circulated social media image of bus after drone attack in Donetsk.  The strike happened in the town of Yenakiieve, while the group was being bussed to Simferopol in Crimea, all the way from Moscow on a long-distance route."According to preliminary reports, seven civilians were killed," Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-installed head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), wrote on Telegram. "At least eight people have been killed and 11 others wounded," RT later cited him as indicating."The Ukrainian fascists have committed another act of unprecedented, inhumane aggression," Pushilin additionally said. The bus itself was subsequently shown to be utterly destroyed and left as a burned, charred shell.Perhaps seeking to preempt possible Ukrainian explanations of the bus attack being 'unintentional' - officials have insisted it could not have been an accident: Russia’s human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, asserted that the attack was “not a tragic accident” but rather a “vile, deliberate, and inhumane crime” against non-combatants. “There are no military objectives that could justify the bloodshed of civilians. There are no arguments that can absolve those who issue and execute such criminal orders from responsibility,” she stressed. This could invite even greater airstrikes on Kiev, after it has already been hit hard in the latest attacks.