week ending Apr 5

Tariffs put Fed in tough spot - An aggressive suite of tariffs announced Wednesday by President Donald Trump will complicate the Federal Reserve's job as it struggles to quash inflation and avoid an economic downturn, likely keeping officials in wait-and-see mode. An aggressive suite of tariffs from President Trump will complicate the Federal Reserve's job as it struggles to quash inflation and avoid an economic downturn.

Fed Chair Powell: "Tariff increases will be significantly larger than expected"', Expect "higher inflation and slower growth" --From Fed Chair Jerome Powell: Economic Outlook. Excerpt:Turning to monetary policy, we face a highly uncertain outlook with elevated risks of both higher unemployment and higher inflation. The new Administration is in the process of implementing substantial policy changes in four distinct areas: trade, immigration, fiscal policy, and regulation. Our monetary policy stance is well positioned to deal with the risks and uncertainties we face as we gain a better understanding of the policy changes and their likely effects on the economy. It is not our role to comment on those policies. Rather, we make an assessment of their likely effects, observe the behavior of the economy, and set monetary policy in a way that best achieves our dual-mandate goals.We have stressed that it will be very difficult to assess the likely economic effects of higher tariffs until there is greater certainty about the details, such as what will be tariffed, at what level and for what duration, and the extent of retaliation from our trading partners.While uncertainty remains elevated, it is now becoming clear that the tariff increases will be significantly larger than expected. The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth. The size and duration of these effects remain uncertain. While tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation, it is also possible that the effects could be more persistent. Avoiding that outcome would depend on keeping longer-term inflation expectations well anchored, on the size of the effects, and on how long it takes for them to pass through fully to prices. Our obligation is to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored and to make certain that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem.

Powell: Fed will wait to see tariffs' effects before acting — The Trump administration's new policies on tariffs, immigration and government spending undeniably will have an effect on the U.S. economy this year, but until the consequences are understood fully, the Federal Reserve is taking a wait-and-see approach on interest rates, said Jerome Powell, the central bank's chair. The central bank wants to let Trump's policies play out across the economy before deciding which way to move interest rates, and it's too soon to know what the impacts will be, the Federal Reserve chair said.

Economic Tailwinds and Headwinds – McBride - After the election in November 2016, I pointed out that the economy was solid, that there were significant economic tailwinds and that it was unlikely that Mr. Trump would do everything he said during the campaign. See: The Future is still Bright! and The Cupboard is Full. By early 2019, I was becoming more concerned: "So far Mr. Trump has had a limited negative impact on the economy. ... Fortunately the cupboard was full when Trump took office, and luckily there hasn't been a significant crisis" (emphasis added). Unfortunately, the COVID crisis struck in early 2020 and Trump performed poorly. Once again, the economy was in good shape at the start of Mr. Trump's 2nd term in 2025. Just after the election, Fed Chair Powell said, "The recent performance of our economy has been remarkably good, by far the best of any major economy in the world." And in December, Powell said the US economy is the "envy of other large economies around the world". In his 2nd term, Mr. Trump is being more aggressive with his economic plans. At the same time, he is not benefiting from the tailwinds I described in 2016. For example, in 2016, I was positive on housing starts and new home sales. The first graph shows single and multi-family housing starts since 2000. The black arrows point to the start of Mr. Trump's terms in 2017 and 2025. In early 2017 I was projecting further increases in housing starts. Now I think housing starts will be down year-over-year and move more sideways over the next few years.Also, in 2016, demographics were improving, and the largest cohort in US history was moving into their peak earning years. Now, demographics are more neutral, and possibly even negative if legal immigration is limited.The key tailwinds at the start of Mr. Trump's 1st term and now more neutral and even negative.And there are additional self-induced headwinds. The tariffs are clearly negative for economic growth. Goldman Sachs economists recently noted: Reflecting both the tariff news and a decline in our Q1 GDP tracking estimate to just 0.2%, we have also lowered our 2025 GDP growth forecast by 0.5pp to 1.0% on a Q4/Q4 basis (and by 0.4pp to 1.5% on an annual average basis).And - because of the rhetoric of the Trump administration (suggesting Canada should be the 51st state and the VP saying Denmark isn't a good ally (completely false and offensive) - there will be less international tourism to the US, and there is a growing international boycott of US goods. Of course, I don't expect any progress over the next four years on key long-term economic issues like climate change and income / wealth inequality (that will likely get worse).The US economy is resistant to policy mistakes, and I'm still not currently on recession watch. However, I'm not sanguine.

Recession Watch - Bill McBride - I am going on "recession watch" for only the 4th time in the 20+ years that I've been writing this blog. In December 2022 I went on "recession watch", but I noted "My sense is growth will stay sluggish in 2023, but the economy will avoid recession." And the economy did avoid recession! The other two times were in early 2007 (housing bust / financial crisis), and in March 2020 (pandemic). And I correctly called a recession. Mostly I've made fun of the persistent recession callers! Now I'm concerned about tariff policy impacting the economy. Usually fiscal, executive and trade policy decisions wouldn't lead to an immediate recession, but these tariffs are a huge blunder. There have been other unforced errors - like cutting basic research spending - but that is more of a long-term issue. As an aside: Imagine a tech company announcing they were going to cut spending by eliminating R&D. Their stock would plummet. That is what the U.S. has done with some of the DOGE cuts. Some analysts have started forecasting a recession later this year due to the tariffs. For example, from Yahoo Finance: JPMorgan becomes the first Wall Street bank to forecast a US recession following Trump's tariffs JPMorgan believes the US economy will enter a recession in the back half of 2025 as the impact of President Trump tariffs takes hold in the economy.The firm's chief US economist Michael Feroli sees a two-quarter recession occurring in the back half of 2025 as GDP contracts by 1% in the third quarter of the year and by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. For the full-year 2025, Feroli's team projects GDP will fall by 0.3%....Feroli added that a "recession in economic activity" will push the unemployment rate up to 5.3%. I'm not sure how to estimate the economic damage caused by these tariffs. And they might just go away (no one knows). There are also boycotts of U.S. goods and less international tourism based on both the tariffs and the inflammatory rhetoric of the new administration. On the other hand, the U.S. economy is very resilient and was on solid footing at the beginning of the year.So, although I'm on "recession watch", I'm not currently predicting a recession.

Senate GOP races toward vote on Trump agenda blueprint -- Senate Republicans are racing to consider a compromise budget resolution as they look to advance President Trump’s legislative agenda, with a vote potentially taking place this week. House and Senate Republicans each adopted their own budget blueprints last month, with the lower chamber moving forward with “one big, beautiful bill,” as Trump refers to it, and the upper chamber utilizing a two-track strategy. Top Republicans have been working to reconcile the two visions ever since. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) signaled that his ranks could consider the compromise measure this week, which would require a vote-a-rama. One large wild card, however, is when — and how — the Senate parliamentarian rules on whether Republicans can use the current policy baseline, the budgetary gimmick that leaders are hoping to utilize to make the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent. Also this week, the House is scheduled to consider a bill that would restrict the power of district court judges to issue injunctions after Trump, Elon Musk and GOP lawmakers sounded the alarm over a move by a judge that prevented the administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants. The House may also vote on a resolution that seeks to allow parental proxy voting, after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) successfully executed a discharge petition to force action on the measure despite Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) strong opposition. Additionally, the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, led by Luna, is slated to hold a hearing on the files related to the assassination of former President Kennedy. The Senate could vote on an emerging compromise budget resolution as soon as this week — a timeline Thune has indicated is possible — though a number of key questions remain as the chamber looks to move forward on an agreed-upon framework. - The biggest unknown is whether Republicans can utilize the current policy baseline in the reconciliation process, which would allow the party to permanently extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts without adding to the deficit. The Senate parliamentarian must rule on whether the gimmick is permissible before the upper chamber votes on the compromise budget resolution. Regardless of the outcome, the parliamentarian’s ruling will be significant. If she allows the current policy baseline to be used, Republican leaders in both chambers will have to convince some fiscal hawks to back the effort despite their skepticism. If she rules that it cannot be used, however, GOP leaders will be forced back to square one in determining how to make the tax cuts permanent. Aside from the uncertainty surrounding the current policy baseline, Republicans must also grapple with how much spending cuts they include in the compromise budget resolution. The House GOP’s blueprint called for at least $1.5 trillion in cuts, with a target of $2 trillion. Those levels direct the Energy and Commerce Committee to find at least $880 billion in cuts, which many believe will require slashes to Medicaid — a detail that is prompting concern among Republicans in both chambers.

Collins concerned budget language could lead to Medicaid cuts - Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who will be one of the Democrats’ top political targets in 2026, says she is “concerned” about language in the budget resolution that she fears could result in substantial cuts to Medicaid benefits. “I’m concerned about the instruction to the House Committee for $880 billion, it’s the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, because I don’t see how you can get to that amount without cutting Medicaid benefits,” Collins told reporters. “In my state, there are more than 400,000 Mainers that rely on that health care program. Our rural hospitals depend upon it as well, and they are really struggling because of actions and inactions by the state Legislature. So the last thing I want to do is cut Medicaid for vulnerable people who are disabled or seniors who cannot work,” she said. The Senate budget resolution, which senators will begin considering Thursday, includes language instructing the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to “reduce the deficit by not less than $880 billion” for the period from 2025 to 2034. While the language, which was drafted by House Republicans, does not specifically call for cuts to Medicaid, which falls under the Energy and Commerce panel’s jurisdiction, policy experts warn that it would be extremely difficult for the committee to achieve its deficit-reduction goal without cutting deeply into Medicaid. America’s Essential Hospitals, an association of hospitals and medical centers around the country, voiced concern to the leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a Feb. 19 letter, saying that finding $880 billion in savings would “largely come from substantial cuts to Medicaid.” “State Medicaid programs will not be able to sustain cuts of this magnitude without significant changes to their programs that will reduce access and threaten the ability of many essential hospitals and other safety net providers to stay open,” the group wrote. Other Republican senators have warned they will not support deep cuts to Medicaid, including Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.).

Republicans pass budget bill amendment aimed at protecting Medicaid, Medicare -- Senate Republicans on Friday backed an amendment to their budget resolution aimed at protecting Medicare and Medicaid. The amendment, which passed 51-48 and was proposed by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.), was the first brought forward as part of the vote-a-rama ahead of a final vote on the bill that will serve as a blueprint for President Trump’s domestic agenda, including extending his tax cuts. The Sullivan amendment calls for actions related to Medicaid, specifically, that “may include strengthening and improving” the program “for the most vulnerable populations.” Republicans have been accused of trying to use the budget resolution to gut entitlement programs, headlined by Medicaid, in order to fund the tax cut push and to potentially make them permanent. The resolution instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to reduce the deficit by $880 billion, a target experts say can’t be met without slashing Medicaid. Some Republicans have maintained that any cuts to the programs would be in the name of rooting out “waste, fraud and abuse,” rather than touching benefits themselves. But moderate Republicans and those from states where a lot of constituents rely on Medicaid have been nervous. Every Senate Republican save for two voted for the amendment. Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) opposed it. The amendment was the first in a marathon series of votes called a vote-a-rama, which is expected to last into the wee hours of Saturday morning. While the Medicaid amendment was put forward by Republicans, the bulk of the proposals are expected to be from Democrats who want to put their GOP counterparts on the record on a series of difficult issues.

Senate Republicans pass budget, setting up showdown with House over Trump agenda -- Senate Republicans voted early Saturday morning to pass a budget resolution that will be critical to advancing President Trump’s legislative agenda, but the measure breaks with House Republicans on several big issues, setting the stage for a showdown between the two chambers later this year. The Senate voted 51-48 to pass the measure after a holding a long series of votes on amendments, which kept senators pacing around the chamber for hours. Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine) were the only Republican to vote against it. The resolution, which serves as a blueprint to a final measure, still needs to be adopted by the House before both chambers can begin a difficult negotiation on the bill to beef up border security, expand oil and gas drilling, increase defense spending and extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. Once both chambers agree to a joint budget resolution, it will unlock the reconciliation process that allows Senate Republicans to pass Trump’s agenda with a simple-majority vote and avoid a Democratic filibuster. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) rallied his Republican colleagues behind the budget by warning that failure to advance it would risk the expiration of Trump’s tax cuts at the end of the year. “Let me tell you what, if you vote against this budget resolution, you will be voting for. You will be voting for a $4 trillion tax increase on our economy and on the American people,” he said on the floor before a series of votes on the measure. During a marathon series of amendment votes that stretched past six hours, Senate Republicans, led by Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), defeated every Democratic attempt to modify the resolution. The budget debate revealed the biggest looming fight between Senate and House Republicans is over Medicaid. House Republicans have slated the program for tens of billions of dollars in cuts, something that several Republican senators have warned they would oppose in any final reconciliation bill. Senate Budget Committee Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sought to avoid a fight with the House by keeping its language directing the House Energy and Commerce Committee to reduce the deficit by $880 billion, a target that policy experts say would require making deep cuts to Medicaid, in the Senate budget resolution. That drew strong protests from other Senate Republicans, who warned that they would not support any reconciliation bill later this year that would cut Medicaid benefits. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) co-sponsored an amendment with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to strip House-drafted language affecting Medicaid from the resolution. That amendment failed by a vote of 49 to 50.

House GOP leaders urge support for Senate budget resolution as fiscal hawks balk -House Republican leaders are urging their members to adopt the Senate’s version of the budget resolution that will tee up President Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda, arguing that major differences between the chambers’ instructions on spending reductions do not prevent fiscal hawks from achieving their goals of historic cuts.In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent to members on Saturday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) are getting a head start on arguing in favor of the legislation as hardline conservative publicly balk at the Senate product.“Adopting the Senate’s amendment to the House resolution will allow us to finally begin the most important phase of this process: drafting the reconciliation bill that will deliver on President Trump’s agenda and our promises to the American people,” they wrote in the letter.The Senate approved its version of the budget resolution in the wee hours of Friday morning, following the House adopting their own blueprint in February. House GOP leaders hope to pass the measure next week before the chamber departs for a scheduled two-week Easter recess, with an ambitious goal of passing the final legislation before Memorial Day.But that plan is already looking to be difficult. Fiscal hawks and hardline conservative members are publicly balking at the Senate budget resolution institutions setting a much lower minimum for cuts than the House, saying they cannot support the legislation out of skepticism that the final product would have the steep cuts they are looking for.“If the Senate can deliver real deficit reduction in line with or greater than the House goals, I can support the Senate budget resolution,” House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said in a statement posted to social platform X on Saturday. “However, by the Senate setting committee instructions so low at $4 billion compared to the House’s $1.5-2 trillion, I am unconvinced that will happen.”“The Senate is free to put pen to paper to draft its reconciliation bill, but I can’t support House passage of the Senate changes to our budget resolution until I see the actual spending and deficit reduction plans to enact President Trump’s America First agenda,” he added.

House budget chair blasts Senate resolution as ‘unserious and disappointing’ -- House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) on Saturday blasted the Senate’s budget resolution, passed by the upper chamber only hours before, as “unserious and disappointing.” Arrington criticized the budget plan for “creating $5.8 trillion in new costs and a mere $4 billion in enforceable cuts” or “less than one day’s worth of borrowing by the federal government.” The Texas lawmaker also took a shot at Senate Budget Committee Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) plan to score the cost of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts as not adding future federal deficits, something Graham would achieve by judging an extension of those cuts on a “current policy” baseline. He said the blueprint “sets a dangerous precedent by direct scoring tax policy without including enforceable offsets.” “We are at a fiscal inflection point and failure to rein in our runaway deficit spending and unsustainable debt could prove catastrophic for our economy, security and global leadership,” Arrington added in his statement. The House GOP chair’s shot-across-the-bow response to the passage of the Senate budget marks the start of a difficult negotiation on a budget reconciliation package that would enact President Trump’s legislative agenda. Senate Republicans passed their budget resolution shortly after 2:30 a.m. Saturday by a 51-48 vote. Moderate Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who stated her concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid benefits, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who balked at a provision raising the federal debt limit, both voted against it. Graham has defended his plan to use a current-policy baseline to score an extension of tax cuts as not adding to the deficit by arguing that would allow Senate Republicans to make those tax rates “permanent.” The Senate’s Byrd Rule prohibits legislation passed under the budget reconciliation process from adding to the deficit in the years beyond the 10-year budget window. The House must adopt the budget resolution passed by the Senate Saturday morning to unlock the budget reconciliation process, which would allow Republicans to pass Trump’s legislative agenda through the Senate with a simple-majority vote and avoid a Democratic filibuster. If the House makes any changes to the Senate-passed budget before approving it, the measure would have to go back to the upper chamber for another debate and late-night series of amendment votes.

Trump Says He Is 'Pissed Off' With Putin Over Lack Of Peace Progress: Report-- Over the weekend, Trump said he was "pissed off" over comments made by Putin on Friday when he suggested the work Washington was doing to negotiate a ceasefire with Russia and Ukraine was moot because he believes the government in Kyiv to be illegitimate and therefore cannot sign any deals."If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault … I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia," Trump said, noting that tariffs could be as high as 50%.The president later said his ire could "dissipate quickly" if Putin "does the right thing," and once again noted he has "a very good relationship with [Putin]."However, the Kremlin chief, who reportedly has another call scheduled with Trump this week, has not responded to Trump’s heated comments.The chief spokesman for Putin, Dmitry Peskov, said on Monday that Russia will continue to work on "restoring" relations with Washington that he said were "damaged by the Biden administration" following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and noted that Putin remains in "open contact" with Trump.However, Putin’s lack of public response and the toned-down statements from the Kremlin are all part of Putin’s broader strategy, former DIA intelligence officer and Russia expert, Rebekah Koffler, told Fox News Digital."Putin, like Trump, thrives on confrontation," Koffler said. "Except his approach is different. The Kremlin deliberately is projecting that Putin is cool, calm, and collected now, which he is."The fact that President Trump reportedly got mad and used those words means to Putin that he finally got to him, the way he got to Biden, Obama, and others who called him a killer and other derogatory words," she continued."Putin now feels that not only Russia has an upper hand on the battlefield over Ukraine and in terms of total combat potential over NATO, but he also was able to unbalance Trump," Koffler explained. "That is the whole point - it’s a judo move."

Putin open to US contacts despite Trump criticism - Russian President Vladimir Putin says he’s open to staying in touch with the White House after critical comments from the U.S. president toward Russia’s leader, which have been rare amid his efforts to get peace talks rolling. Putin criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, suggesting he may not be a legitimate leader, and therefore unable to represent Ukraine in peace talks. Trump said Sunday he was “very angry” and “pissed off” at Putin’s remarks about Zelensky, and threatened to impose new tariffs on Russian oil exports. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Monday the remarks would not derail ongoing discussions related to Ukraine. “We are working to implement some ideas in connection with the Ukrainian settlement. This work is ongoing,” Peskov said, per The Associated Press. “There is nothing concrete yet that we could and should announce. This is a drawn-out process because of the difficulty of its substance,” he said. While Peskov didn’t directly address Trump’s criticism, he said the Russian president “remains absolutely open to contacts” with Trump. Trump has made halting progress in his efforts to move Russia and Ukraine toward a peace deal, but has already scaled back its ambitions around the scope and timeline of a ceasefire.>

Putin Envoy Visits Washington For Talks In First Since 2022 Ukraine Invasion - Earlier this week the Kremlin said it has given the Trump White House formal notification and evidence showing that Ukraine has continued attacking Russian energy sites, despite the US-backed agreement for each side to refrain from hitting this infrastructure. On Wednesday Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that so far there's been no response from the Trump administration. "So far, there has been no reaction to such actions by the Kiev regime," Peskov said. Previously Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described that a list of violations had been handed over to US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Russia’s representatives in the UN and the OSCE, "so that they in their work would present concrete facts demonstrating what the word of the Ukrainian authorities is worth," according to TASS. But Ukraine has said it has done the same thing, as both sides have lately accused the other of violating the partial ceasefire. "We have passed on all the necessary information about Russian violations in the energy sector," President Zelensky said in a Tuesday evening address. He has called on Washington to strengthen sanctions on Russia, and as of Thursday the US Treasury has issued some further anti-Russia sanctions on its website. "I believe we have come to the point of increasing the sanctions impact, because I believe that the Russians are violating what they have promised America. At least what America has told us, and publicly," Zelensky said. This week for the first time a top Russian negotiator and Putin representative will meet with Trump official Steve Witkoff in Washington. The US has temporarily waved sanctions on the Russian official in order to grant him a visa for the visit. "His visit will mark the first time a senior Russian official has visited Washington, DC, for talks since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and marks a further step in the marked warming in relations between the two countries since President Donald Trump returned to office in January," CNN writes. Kirill Dmitriev is a "close adviser to Putin and traveled with top Russian officials to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in February to start discussing a settlement for the end of the war in Ukraine," the report notes. "He also worked with Witkoff to free American teacher Marc Fogel from Russia, which the Trump administration hailed as a goodwill gesture."

Russia Says It Cannot Accept US Proposals on Ukraine in Current Form - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday that Russia couldn’t accept US proposals on ending the Ukraine war in their current form since they do not address the root causes of the conflict.Ryabkov said Moscow hasn’t seen the US send a “clear signal” to Ukraine that it’s time to end the war.“What we have today is an effort to find a framework that would make it possible to ensure America’s vision for a ceasefire. The idea is to then move on to some other models and frameworks, which, as far as we can see, leave no room for Russia’s core demand, that is, the need to resolve the issues stemming from the root causes of this conflict,” he said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.Ryabkov said Russia takes the US proposals very seriously but that they couldn’t be accepted “as they are.”Recent negotiations between the US and Russia have focused on establishing a moratorium on the targeting of energy infrastructure in the war and a Black Sea ceasefire. While progress has been made on those fronts, there’s no sign the negotiations will lead to a full ceasefire and a lasting peace deal any time soon.President Trump has also recently threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” on Russian oil and said he was “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that US and Russian officials will soon meet in Istanbul for further talks. He said the talks are focused on ending the war in Ukraine, restoring the Black Sea deal that allowed grain shipments to flow, and normalizing US-Russia ties by removing “irritants” in the relationship.

Putin Envoy Holds Two Days of Talks in US, Says They Were Positive - A Russian economic official who serves as an envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Washington this week and held two days of talks with US officials, which he said went well. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, the Russian government’s sovereign wealth fund, told reporters on Thursday while still in Washington that the talks made progress.“I would say that today and yesterday, we made three steps forward on a large number of issues,” Dmitriev said.Dmitriev said that a major issue impeding the US-Russia relationship was the lack of communication. “Therefore, the process of dialogue, the process of resolution will take some time, but it is definitely positive and constructive,” he said.In an interview with CNN, Dmitriev said he wasn’t in the US to ask for sanctions relief but conveyed that Russia was ready to do business with American companies. “At this point, we are not asking for any sanction relief. We are just discussing that if America wants to have more business with Russia … then of course US can do so,” he said.On Wednesday, Dmitriev met with Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, who has also been involved in negotiations on the Ukraine war and has met with Putin in Moscow. Dmitriev’s visit to the US comes amid uncertainty over the prospects for a peace deal in Ukraine, but he spoke positively of the negotiations.

The New York Times admits direct US involvement in Ukraine war -- On Sunday, the New York Times published an extensive article on US involvement in the Ukraine war entitled “The Partnership: The Secret History of the War in Ukraine,” which admits that “America was woven into the war far more intimately and broadly than previously understood.” “The United States” was “woven into the killing of Russian soldiers on sovereign Russian soil,” the Times report asserts. The article is an admission that the United States waged, and is waging, an undeclared, unauthorized and illegal war against Russia. It makes clear that American officers, some deployed inside Ukraine, have been selecting targets for attack and authorizing individual strikes, making them, for all intents and purposes, combatants. The article documents how, over the course of the war, the Biden administration systematically violated its own restriction on the conduct of war, up to the point of authorizing the attacks on Russian territory, using American weapons, ordered by American commanders. The Times report explains that American officers decided what Russian troops and civilian targets would be attacked, transmitted their coordinates to the Ukrainian military, then authorized the attacks using weapons provided by the NATO powers themselves. It reports that American and British soldiers were deployed to Ukraine to personally direct combat operations. The article presents a picture of the Ukraine war in which the American military planned everything from large-scale strategic troop movements to every individual long-range strike. As the article explains, “American and Ukrainian officers planned Kyiv’s counteroffensives. A vast American intelligence-collection effort both guided big-picture battle strategy and funneled precise targeting information down to Ukrainian soldiers in the field.” The US command center in Wiesbaden, Germany “would oversee each HIMARS [long-range missile] strike” against Russian troops. US officers “would review the Ukrainians’ target lists and advise them on positioning their launchers and timing their strikes.” So tight was the US oversight that “The Ukrainians were supposed to only use coordinates the Americans provided. To fire a warhead, HIMARS [missile] operators needed a special electronic key card, which the Americans could deactivate anytime.” As the Times account explains, “Each morning, U.S. and Ukrainian military officers set targeting priorities—Russian units, pieces of equipment or infrastructure. American and coalition intelligence officers searched satellite imagery, radio emissions and intercepted communications to find Russian positions. Task Force Dragon then gave the Ukrainians the coordinates so they could shoot at them.” As a result of this arrangement, the United States military was, in the words of one European intelligence official quoted in the article, “part of the kill chain,” i.e., making decisions about which Russian troops and infrastructure would be attacked. Among the targets provided by the US to Ukrainian troops was the Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, which was attacked and sunk on April 14, 2022. The US also provided coordinates for a long-range missile attack on the Kerch bridge from the Russian mainland to Crimea. For the first time, the Times reports that the Ukrainian attack on the 2024 Toropets arsenal west of Moscow was directed by the Central Intelligence Agency. As the article explains, “C.I.A. officers shared intelligence about the depot’s munitions and vulnerabilities, as well as Russian defense systems on the way to Toropets. They calculated how many drones the operation would require and charted their circuitous flight paths.” The article points to the lengths to which American officers went to obfuscate their direction of the war. As the Times explains, “The locations of Russian forces would be ‘points of interest.’ As one official cited in the article explained, “If you ever get asked the question, ‘Did you pass a target to the Ukrainians?’ you can legitimately not be lying when you say, ‘No, I did not.’” The Times wrote that “HIMARS strikes that resulted in 100 or more Russian dead or wounded came almost weekly.”

Klobuchar: ‘Israel was incredibly angry’ about Signal leak --Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Israel was “incredibly angry” about the plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen leaked in a Signal group chat with Trump administration officials and a journalist.Klobuchar joined MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on Sunday, where she weighed in on the ongoing scandal.“We’re literally putting American service members at risk and also endangering our intelligence relationship with others,” Klobuchar said. “Sen. [Mark] Warner [D-Va.] … the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, has made very clear that Israel was incredibly angry about this, and that’s been publicly reported.”Klobuchar also warned about the possibility that allies won’t “tell us anything” in the future.After The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he was added to the group chat, all eyes were on top Trump administration officials.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that any war plans were shared via the commercial app, but a second round of screenshots showed he shared the location, time and weapons for the attack.The messages published compromised a human source that provided intelligence to the Israelis, who then provided it to the U.S. for targeting the Houthi officials, CBS News reported.

Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe 'lied repeatedly' about Signal chat messages, Bennet says -- Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said on Sunday that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe “lied repeatedly” about messages in a Signal group chat in which top members of the Trump administration discussed an attack on Yemen. “Intelligence officials told your committee this week that no classified information was shared. Do you believe that directors Ratcliffe and Gabbard were truthful when they testified before your committee?” NBC News’s Kristen Welker asked Bennet on “Meet the Press.” “No, I think they lied repeatedly to our committee and to the House committee. Kristen, let me try to make this as simple as I can,” Bennet replied. “I think the American people know this. If this material was not classified, literally nothing that I’ve ever heard as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee over all these years is classified.” Earlier this week, Bennet labeled the Signal incident disrespectful to rank-and-file intelligence officers during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. “This sloppiness, this incompetence, this disrespect for our intelligence agencies and the personnel who work for them is entirely unacceptable. It’s an embarrassment. Do better. You need to do better,” he said Tuesday. Bennet wasn’t the only Democratic member of the Senate Intelligence Committee to critique the Signal incident Tuesday. The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), went after Trump officials for the lack of care shown in their including a journalist and disregarding security protocols using Signal for discussion of an important operation. “There’s plenty of declassified information that shows that our adversaries, China and Russia, are trying to break into encrypted systems,” Warner said Tuesday, adding that the Trump administration had demonstrated “careless, incompetent behavior, particularly towards classified information, that … is not a one-off or a first-time error.”

Pentagon watchdog investigating Hegseth’s use of Signal -- The Defense Department’s (DOD) internal watchdog is investigating Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the messaging app Signal to discuss highly sensitive military information, according to a newly released memo. The probe, launched by acting inspector general Steven Stebbins, will look at whether Hegseth “complied with DOD policies” when he used a group chat to discuss details of a strike against Houthi militants in Yemen last month. In addition to other Trump administration officials, the group accidentally included a prominent journalist. In a letter to Hegseth, Stebbins said he will also review whether Hegseth violated any rules regarding classified information. Critics have alleged the details he shared included classified material, which Hegseth denies. Stebbins also indicated that Hegseth will likely have to turn over materials for the IG to review. The watchdog opened the probe after a request from leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who became concerned after the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic reported last month that he had been invited to the Signal group chat where Hegseth relayed sensitive details regarding strikes against the Houthis, including the timing of the attack and what types of aircraft and weapons would be used. “After Sec. Hegseth jeopardized national security in the group chat, Trump [White House] tried to declare ‘case closed.’ I worked on bipartisan basis to ensure an independent investigation. Today, case opened,” committee ranking member Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) posted to the social media platform X after news of the watchdog case broke.

Liberals Believe In Nothing And Remember Even Less -Caitlin Johnstone -The other day I shared a short post about a video that was going around showing a father in Gaza tearfully cradling the head of his son who was decapitated in an Israeli airstrike, and some guy responded with the comment “Good thing you helped get TRUMP ELECTED!!”And I must admit I was actually, truly shocked. I mean, what exactly did this fellow think was happening under Biden that whole time?I saw a post on Twitter where a leftist responded to a liberal who was acting like ICE just suddenly transformed into a modern gestapo under Trump, saying, “Liberals believe in nothing and remember even less.”And it’s just so true. They don’t believe in anything. They don’t stand for anything. It’s just a team sport for these people. Politics for the mainstream liberal is not about advancing values or building a better world, it’s about their team winning solely for the sake of winning. And because they have no real values or causes beyond winning for its own sake, what their team does when it’s in office doesn’t matter to them.A Democrat president can be as tyrannical and murderous as he wants and liberals will just brunch away in cheerful obliviousness, content with their knowledge that their team is holding the trophy.You see this in the way our friend believes that I “helped get Trump elected” by criticizing the people who were perpetrating an active genocide. He just automatically took it as a given that it was my responsibility to stay silent on Gaza because the person in charge was a Democrat and his veep was running for president. The fact that it was a genocide which needed to be ferociously opposed never entered into the equation for him. All he cared about was winning.All of the most shocking and gruesome things I have ever seen online were recorded in Gaza during the Biden administration. Nobody who’d paid the slightest bit of attention to Israel’s US-backed atrocities in 2023 and 2024 would believe this was anything new that just started under Trump. But because Gaza is just seen as a political plaything by these freaks, they only care about it now that Trump is in office — and only insofar as it can be used to take points away from the Republicans.And that’s exactly why they lost. The Democrats calculated that the Harris campaign could simply ignore Gaza without putting any daylight between Kamala’s policies and Genocide Joe’s and still win the election, and they were wrong. Polls show that among people who voted for Biden in 2020 but not for Harris in 2024, Gaza was by far their biggest reason for not doing so. The Democrats believed in nothing and stood for nothing, and nothing is what they got.Mainstream “centrism” is just as toxic, murderous and tyrannical as Trumpism. These people will watch entire populations being mowed down by the hundreds of thousands via the policies of the people they voted for, and as long as it doesn’t interrupt brunch they’ll keep sipping their mimosas and laughing and tweeting and feeling smugly correct, and then go to bed and sleep like babies in an ocean of human blood.

Senate Kills Bernie Sanders' Effort To Block Bomb Shipments to Israel - On Thursday, the Senate killed an effort by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions shipments to Israel, a vote that came on the same day Israel killed more than 100 Palestinians, including many children, in the Gaza Strip.Sanders introduced two resolutions: one to block a $2.04 billion deal for 35,329 MK 84 2,000-pound bombs and 4,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads and one to block the $6.75 billion shipment of 2,800 500-pound bombs, 2,166 Small Diameter Bombs, and tens of thousands of JDAM guidance kits.The measures failed in a vote of 15-83 and 15-82. Only 14 Democrats joined Sanders in supporting the legislation, and no Republicans supported the effort.“Israel has bombed indiscriminately, killing civilians, journalists, paramedics, children, and humanitarian workers in record numbers,” Sanders said in remarks on the Senate floor before the vote.“They have used massive 2,000-pound bombs in densely-populated Gaza, despite the fact studies show that 90 percent of victims of explosive weapons used in a populated area are civilians,” the senator added.Sanders pointed out that US military aid to Israel is illegal under US foreign assistance laws that ban providing weapons to countries violating international law and blocking humanitarian aid.

US airstrikes in Yemen: Houthi rebels report more casualties -Houthi rebels said U.S. airstrikes hit Yemen’s capital overnight and into early Monday morning, killing at least three people. Strikes in Sana’a reportedly killed one person, with the Al-Masirah satellite news source showing footage of broken glass in homes, but withholding specifics about the targets, The Associated Press reported. A separate strike targeted a pickup truck in Hajjah, killing two people and wounding a child, the Houthis said. It would be the first known example of U.S. strikes hitting a vehicle in Yemen. U.S. attacks on the Yemen-based group have continued sporadically since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and have escalated under the Trump administration. A renewed U.S. aerial assault on the group this month was at the center of the “Houthi PC Small Group” Signal group chat scandal that involved Vice President Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a dozen other top Trump officials. Hegseth has pledged an “unrelenting” campaign until the group stops its attacks on various vessels in the Red Sea.

The "President Of Peace" Just Bombed Yemen 65 Times In 24 Hours -- Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix by Caitlin Johnstone - The US launched 65 airstrikes in 24 hours in Yemen, and then Trump’s intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard tweeted, “President Trump IS the President of Peace. He is ending bloodshed across the world and will deliver lasting peace in the Middle East.” These freaks have no connection with reality.

• ❖ I saw a video the other day of a father cradling the decapitated head of his son from an airstrike in Gaza, and I’m told I’m a terrorist supporter if I criticize the people who decapitated him.
• ❖The word “terrorist” is a meaningless tool of imperial narrative control.Want to bomb some people? Designate them as terrorists.Want to silence protesters and dissidents? Say they’re supporting terrorists.Want sweeping surveillance powers? Say you need them to fight terrorism.
• ❖The list of people the Trump administration is working to deport for speech crimes against Israel is getting longer and longer, and includes a doctoral student whose sole offense was writing an op-ed critical of the Gaza holocaust.Republicans spent years whining that government is too big and free speech is dying and everyone’s too weak and sensitive, only to turn around and applaud the government for stomping out free speech to protect their delicate little ears from hearing wrongthink about Israel.
• ❖Two recent headlines:“Israel admits firing at ambulances in Gaza,” from The Guardian, and“Israeli soldier tells CBS News he was ordered to use Palestinians as human shields in Gaza.”The western press are only allowed to report on Israeli crimes when the Israelis admit to it themselves.
• Half of the evidence of Israeli atrocities in Gaza comes from Palestinians filming their own genocide. The other half comes from Israelis telling the press what they’ve been up to.
• ❖The Democrats committed genocide. Now the Republicans are committing genocide. There you have it. Neither party is acceptable. Case closed. End of debate.
• ❖Trump is as evil as Biden. Biden was as evil as Trump. If you can’t see this by looking at the raw data of the behavior of their administrations, it’s either because you’re looking at incomplete data or because you’re letting your political biases do your thinking for you.Both presidents are guilty of extreme evils, and you can’t separate the evils of one from the evils of the other. Biden spent the latter part of his term incinerating Gaza, and then Trump began working to clear it of Palestinians. Trump managed to secure the Gaza ceasefire that Biden spent 15 months avoiding, but then he immediately began sabotaging that very ceasefire as soon as he took office. Biden has been waging a dangerous proxy war in Ukraine that Trump helped provoke in his first term, and now that he’s back in office Trump is tasked with winding that war down to focus on new wars.The crimes of the Republican and Democratic parties are inseparably intertwined with each other. It’s not that they’re the same — there are some differences — it’s that they work in conjunction to advance the same evil agendas. Saying the Democrats are better than Republicans or vice versa is like saying the top teeth of the shark are nicer than the bottom teeth; they might look and function a bit differently, but they’re used toward the same deadly end.
• ❖There are no anti-war Trump supporters. If you’re still supporting Trump after all his insane warmongering, you’re not anti-war.
• ❖Trump supporters get so mad at me for listing facts about what a warmongering Israel cuck their president is. That big uncomfortable feeling you’re experiencing is called cognitive dissonance, fellas. It’s what being wrong feels like.

Iran 'Incredibly Weakened' By Over 200 US Strikes On Houthis: White House -The White House on Tuesday declared that Iran has been "incredibly" weakened as a result of the Pentagon operation against Yemen's Houthis which was renewed on March 15 by President Trump and his national security cabinet. Immense controversy has ensued in the wake of 'Signalgate' which involved discussions of war planning with Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg privy to the group chat conversation. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said there's has been over 200 strikes on targets in Yemen. It has long been a US talking point going back to 2015 that the Houthis (Ansarallah movement) has been supplied by the Iranians. Shipments of Iranian weaponry has over the years been intercepted by US naval ships in Gulf area waters. The group has fired at least eight ballistic missiles on Israel over the past week, but the US is leading the way in anti-Houthi operations. "There have now been more than 200 successful strikes," Leavitt said. "Iran is incredibly weakened as a result. They’ve taken out Houthi leaders, critical members who have been launching strikes on naval ships and commercial vessels. This operation will not stop until the freedom of navigation in this region is restored." The Houthis haven't confirmed the deaths of any leaders, nor has the US side acknowledged the repeat attacks on US warships or the carrier USS Truman. According to some of the latest: According to a brief statement broadcast by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, five airstrikes at dawn targeted the Jarban area in the Sanhan district southeast of Sanaa, while two others hit the Bani Matar district west of the capital. The statement further indicated that Saada, a stronghold of the group, was subjected to 15 U.S. airstrikes overnight, but did not disclose specific locations targeted. Israeli media and The Associated Press have meanwhile said that these last two weeks of strikes on Yemen have been far more devasting than similar aerial assaults under Biden.

Trump Warns the Houthis and Iran That the 'Real Pain is Yet To Come' - President Trump has issued a new threat toward Yemen’s Houthis and Iran, warning that the “real pain is yet to come” if Houthi attacks on US warships don’t stop. The president has been blaming Iran for Houthi attacks, even though US officials have acknowledged the Yemeni group operates independently and has its own domestic weapons supply.Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social on Monday that his bombing campaign in Yemen has “decimated” the Houthis’ capabilities even though Yemeni forces have been firing missiles at Israel and claiming attacks on US warships just about every day.“The Iran-backed Houthi Terrorists have been decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks. Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us. We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed,” Trump said.“Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation. The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran,” the president added.The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, ceased their attacks when the Gaza ceasefire went into effect on January 19. President Trump began bombing Yemen again on March 15, after the Houthis said they would reimpose a blockade on Israeli shipping in response to Israeli ceasefire violations, but before they actually started launching new attacks.The Houthis didn’t restart attacks on US warships until after the US started bombing Yemen again. Trump has threatened the Houthis with “annihilation,” but the group is extremely resilient, having survived a brutal US-backed Saudi war on Yemen from 2015 to 2022, which Trump backed throughout his first administration.

Houthis Say They've Downed 16th Reaper Drone After Trump Warned 'Real Pain Yet To Come' - On Tuesday the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, claimed that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was flying over Yemen. "Our air defenses successfully shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Maarib Governorate, using a suitable, locally made missile," a Houthi military statement said. (Widely circulating Houthi video purporting to show the latest alleged drone downing...) The US military has not yet confirmed that it lost a drone, but if accurate this would mark the 16th US MQ-9 drone that’s been downed in the region, as the Houthis announced. While the Pentagon has acknowledged the loss of several drones since conducting anti-Houthi operations over the course of the last year, it has not specified or confirmed each and every downing, only leaving its sporadic statements vague. If the Houthis have really downed 16 Reaper drones at this point, this would amount to nearly $500 million in lost military hardware, considering each MQ-9 is commonly estimated to cost the US about $30 million. Houthis statements throughout the war going back to Oct.7, 2023 tend to be accurate. Each MQ-9 Reaper drone costs the US about $30 million, so if the Houthis’ number is accurate, that means the US has lost $480 million worth of drones. The Houthi statement further confirmed ongoing US military action targeting Yemen, describing that the US had in the last hours "launched a number of raids on various areas, resulting in martyrs, injuries, and damage to citizens’ properties." Meanwhile President Trump in his latest statements on the Yemen campaign asserted the Houthis have "been decimated" by the new waves of strikes which began on March 15.

Bipartisan Pair of Senators Question Trump's Bombing Campaign in Yemen - A bipartisan pair of US senators is questioning President Trump’s bombing campaign in Yemen, which was launched without congressional authorization.Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) pointed out in a letter to the president on Tuesday that neither President Biden’s bombing campaign against the Houthis nor the US-backed Saudi war against the Yemeni group did anything to deter the Yemeni group and noted that their attacks did stop during the short-lived Gaza ceasefire.“Rather, these campaigns only served to embolden the Houthis and rally their recruiting base. The rare instances in which the Houthis have calmed their recent efforts to harass Red Sea shipping lanes were during sustained ceasefire periods in the Israel-Hamas war,” the senators said.The senators said Congress should be briefed on the bombing campaign and that the administration should be clear about its goals and potential long-term effects, including the possibility of war with Iran.“The Administration must also explain to Congress and the American people its expected path forward given the failure of previous such efforts and statements from the Administration that the military campaign will continue and possibly expand to include military action against Iran,” they said.Paul and Merkely also pointed out the lack of congressional authorization for the bombing campaign. “Although the Constitution assigns the President the role of commander in chief of the U.S. military, it is Congress that is entrusted with the power to declare war—and Congress has not done so with respect to the Houthis,” they said.The senators requested a classified briefing from the administration on the bombing campaign and listed a series of questions they would ask about the justification for the strikes and the long-term plan, including whether or not the president would seek approval from Congress before attacking

Houthis 'Laughing Out Loud' at Claims Iran Leaving Yemen Amid US 'Failure' – A senior official of Yemen's Ansar Allah, widely known as the Houthi movement, has ridiculed reports of Iranian forces withdrawing from the Arab nation due to a United States air campaign the rebel group says has failed to achieve any meaningful objectives.Quoting a senior Iranian official, The Telegraph reported on Thursday that Iran had begun pulling military personnel out of Yemen, believing its Ansar Allah ally "will not be able to survive" the coming months, or even days. The senior Iranian official was cited as saying that President Donald Trump's position was the top concern for the Islamic Republic following the U.S. leader's direct threats to Iran over Ansar Allah's campaign of missile and drone strikes against Israel and ships accused of doing business with Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.Speaking with Newsweek on Friday, a senior Ansar Allah official mocked the very assertion that Iran had deployed personnel to Yemen in the first place."There are no Iranian forces in Yemen to withdraw from," the Ansar Allah official said. "So the matter does not require denial but rather laughing out loud."

Yemen's Houthis Shoot Down Second US MQ-9 Reaper Drone Within 72 Hours - Yemeni air defenses shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone for the second time within 72 hours as the US’s daily bombing campaign has not deterred the Houthis or stopped their attacks.Yemen’s SABA news agency reported that the US drone was shot down while it was flying over the Hodeidah province, which has been heavily bombed by the US in recent days. Jennifer Griffin, a reporter for Fox News, confirmed that the US MQ-9 was shot down in a post on X.The Houthis said the incident marked the 17th US MQ-9 that Yemeni forces shot down since October 2023. Griffin said at least 13 of the drones were shot down in that time but cited a source who said the real number could be as high as 17.Each MQ-9 Reaper drone costs the US about $30 million, which means if 17 have been shot down, the US has lost $480 million worth of drones.US airstrikes have continued to pound Yemen every day since the bombing campaign began on March 15. Overnight, 36 US strikes were reported in the country.The Trump administration has been claiming that its bombing campaignhas been “incredibly successful” despite failing to stop the Houthis, who are officially known as Ansar Allah. The Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel and claiming attacks on US warships in the region, and they have repeatedly stated that the only way they will stop is if there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade on the territory.

Cost of US military offensive against Houthis nears $1 billion with limited impact -The total cost of the US military’s operation against the Houthi militants in Yemen is nearing $1 billion in just under three weeks, even as the attacks have had limited impact on destroying the terror group’s capabilities, three people briefed on the campaign’s progress told CNN.The military offensive, which was launched on March 15, has already used hundreds of millions of dollars worth of munitions for strikes against the group, including JASSM long-range cruise missiles, JSOWs, which are GPS-guided glide bombs, and Tomahawk missiles, the sources said.B-2 bombers out of Diego Garcia are also being used against the Houthis, and an additional aircraft carrier as well as several fighter squadrons and air defense systems will soon be moved into the Central Command region, defense officials said this week.One of the sources said the Pentagon will likely need to request supplemental funding from Congress to continue the operation, but may not receive it — the offensive has already been criticized on both sides of the aisle, and even Vice President JD Vance said he thought the operation was “a mistake” in a Signal chat published by The Atlantic last week. The Pentagon has not publicly disclosed what impact the daily US military strikes have actually had on the Houthis. Officials from the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, US Central Command, US Indo Pacific Command, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and the State Department told Congress in recent days that the strikes have eliminated several members of Houthi leadership and destroyed some Houthi military sites.But they acknowledged that the group has still been able to fortify their bunkers and maintain weapons stockpiles underground, much as they did during the strikes that the Biden administration carried out for over a year, the sources said. And it has been difficult to determine precisely how much the Houthis still have stockpiled, a defense official said.“They’ve taken out some sites, but that hasn’t affected the Houthis’ ability to continue shooting at ships in the Red Sea or shooting down US drones,” said one of the sources briefed on the operation. “Meanwhile, we are burning through readiness—munitions, fuel, deployment time.”The New York Times first reported details of the military operation shared in briefings with Congress.The operational tempo of the strikes is also higher now that CENTCOM Commander Erik Kurilla no longer needs higher-level approval to conduct strikes—a shift from the Biden administration and a return to the policies of Trump’s first term, when military commanders were given more freedom to carry out missions in order to achieve “a strategic effect” as opposed to needing case-by-case approval from the White House for each strike and raid. It’s still not clear, though, how long the Trump administration plans to continue the offensive, which CENTCOM has described as a “24/7” operation. Trump has said it will last until the Houthis stop attacking Red Sea shipping, but despite weeks of bombing the Houthis have continued launching missiles and drones at targets in and over the Red Sea. Earlier this week, they shot down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone—the second MQ9 shot down since the offensive began last month, multiple sources told CNN.

US Treasury Targets Hezbollah's Iran-Backed Aid Network - Individuals and entities helping to finance the Hezbollah Islamic group were sanctioned by the Department of the Treasury on March 28. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) “is designating five individuals and three associated companies involved in a Lebanon-based sanctions evasion network supporting the Hizballah finance team,” the agency said in a March 28 statement. Hezbollah, also known as Hizballah, is an Iran-backed Lebanese Shia Islamist group based in Lebanon. Following the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel in October 2023, Hezbollah began firing thousands of rockets and mortars into Israel. According to the Treasury Department, “the Hizballah finance team uses front companies to generate millions of dollars in revenue for Hizballah and support the group’s terrorist activities.” The team manages several commercial projects and oil smuggling networks to generate revenue, which is eventually transferred to Hezbollah, according to the Treasury. This is typically done in conjunction with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The individuals and companies that OFAC has sanctioned facilitate and conceal oil sales for IRGC-QF and offer the Islamist group access to formal financial systems.With the new sanctions, all property of the designated individuals and companies that is located in the United States is “blocked and must be reported to OFAC,” the agency said. U.S. citizens are prohibited from engaging in any transactions involving the sanctioned individuals. “Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations,” the agency stated.

Trump Threatens To Bomb Iran Unless They End Nuclear Weapons Program And Begin Talks On New Deal -—President Donald Trump’s overtures via a letter to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, to jump-start talks on dismantling Tehran’s illicit nuclear weapons program, were met with rejection by the theocratic state on Sunday, following Trump's latest threat to the regime. Trump told NBC on Saturday that "If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing," he said. "But there's a chance that if they don't make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago." Trump added the U.S. and officials from the Islamic Republic are "talking." Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday "We don’t avoid talks; it’s the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far," according to the Associated Press. He added, "They must prove that they can build trust." The White House did not immediately respond to Iran's rejection of the talks, the AP reported. Pezeshkian still noted that in Iran's response to the letter that indirect negotiations with the Trump administration were still possible. The apparent return of Iran’s regime to its standard playbook of opaque indirect talks between the U.S. and Tehran’s rulers raises questions about whether Trump would greenlight military strikes to eradicate Iran’s vast nuclear weapons program. After Iran launched two massive missile and drone attacks on Israel last year, Trump could also aid the Jewish state in knocking out Iran’s nuclear weapons apparatus. Indirect talks between the U.S. and the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism, according to Democratic and Republican administrations, have not compelled Iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital that the Iranians "do not want to provide President Trump with a casus belli to strike Iran’s nuclear program. There may be indirect and non-public responses through various intermediaries. I think some Iranian officials perceive a fissure among President Trump’s national security team on Iran. This explains Iran’s foreign minister’s comment in recent days that President Trump’s letter to the supreme leader poses challenges as well as opportunities." Brodsky said, "These Iranian officials seek to bypass experienced hands like President Trump’s national security advisor and secretary of state, who have been demanding the dismantlement of Iran’s entire nuclear program in keeping with President Trump’s long-standing and rightful position on this issue, and cultivate individuals around President Trump who do not have experience with Iran or are considered non-traditional conservatives who would be more receptive to their entrees." Trump promised that "bad things" would happen to Iran if the regime does not come to the table for nuclear negotiations. "My big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don’t work it out, bad things are gonna happen to Iran," he said on Friday.

Iran's Khamenei warns of 'strong blow' as Trump threatens to drop bombs, Putin silent on US ire - - Furious comments issued by President Donald Trump over the weekend prompted a swift and aggressive response from Iran, while Russian President Vladimir Putin remains tight-lipped in the face of the U.S. leader’s ire. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, issued a warning on Monday and said it would respond "decisively and immediately" to any threat issued by the U.S. after Trump said there "will be bombing" and likely more tariffs if Tehran does not agree to a nuclear deal with Washington."The enmity from the U.S. and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us, which we don’t think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief, they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow," Khamenei said according to a Reuters report."And if they are thinking of causing sedition inside the country as in past years, the Iranian people themselves will deal with them," he added.Despite Iran’s refusal and warning directed at both the U.S. and Israel, Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Khamenei’s comments are an attempt to "buy time" while balancing growing external and internal pressures on his regime."At once, Khamenei sought to both downplay the chances of President Trump or Israel taking military action while also looking to deter such an eventuality due to the regime’s own policies," he told Fox News Digital. "This is a tightrope Khamenei will increasingly be forced to walk as he plays for time and engages in nuclear escalation."U.S. policy should be to keep Khamenei off balance," he added.While Iran takes an offensive stance against Trump and his ambitions to finally bring Tehran to heel on its nuclear expansion, Russia is taking a different approach as it refuses to bow to Trump’s plans to see an end to the war in Ukraine.

Pentagon Deploying Additional Aircraft Carrier and Air Assets to Middle East - The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the deployment of an additional aircraft carrier and more US air assets to the Middle East, a move that comes amid a US bombing campaign in Yemen and increasing US threats against Iran.Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that the USS Harry Truman and its strike group will remain in the Middle East and will be joined by the USS Carl Vinson and its accompanying warships, which are traveling to the region from the Asia Pacific.Parnell said Hegseth also “ordered the deployment of additional squadrons and other air assets that will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities.” Last week, the US sent at least five B-2 bombers to its base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which could be used as a launchpad to bomb either Yemen or Iran. The Biden administration used B-2s to launch heavy airstrikes on Yemen in October 2024, an attack the Pentagon made clear was a message to Iran.The US has been bombing Yemen every day since launching an initial round of airstrikes on March 15. President Trump has signaled the airstrikes could intensify, warning that if the Houthis don’t stop their attacks, the “real pain is yet to come.”

Report: Trump Is Preparing To Bomb Iran With Israel - The US and Israel are currently planning to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, an attack that could happen in a “few weeks’ time,” Daily Mail columnist Dan Hodges reported on Wednesday.Hodges wrote the report while in Tel Aviv and cited Israeli political, diplomatic, and military sources. He said the purpose of the strike would be to “eradicate the threat” posed by Iran’s “nuclear weapons program,” although there’s no evidence Tehran has a nuclear weapons program, a fact recently confirmed by US intelligence agencies.A senior Israeli diplomatic source told Hodges that Trump’s presidency offers the best time to hit Iran. “From Israel’s perspective, with Trump in the White House, this represents the optimum moment to deal with Iran. There won’t be a better chance,” the official said.Trump recently threatened to bomb Iran if a nuclear deal isn’t reached, and he has reportedly given Tehran a two-month deadline, which would end at the end of May. Iran responded to Trump by rejecting direct talks in the face of increasing US pressure, but Tehran has offered to hold indirect negotiations.Axios reported on Wednesday that the White House is seriously considering Iran’s offer for indirect talks but is building up US forces in the Middle East to prepare for an attack on the Islamic Republic.US officials told Axios that there is an internal debate in the White House between those who want to engage with the Iranians and those who would rather bomb Iran right away. The report reads: “If Trump decides the time is up, he will have a loaded gun at the ready.”Recent US deployments to the Middle East have included an additional aircraft carrier, additional air assets, and sending more B-2 bombers to the US base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. According to Haaretz, the buildup is the largest offensive US deployment in the region since October 7, 2023.The US buildup also comes amid a heavy US bombing campaign in Yemen, which Trump launched on March 15. The president has tied the airstrikes to Iran, saying each Houthi attack will be blamed on the Islamic Republic, even though US officials have acknowledged the Houthis act independently and have their own domestically-produced weapons supply. A full-blown US-Israeli attack on Iran would likely provoke major Iranian missile attacks on US bases in the region, and things could escalate rapidly from there. In the face of US threats, a senior IRGC commander warnedthat the US has “10 bases in the region, particularly around Iran, and 50,000 troops based in there” and said the US is “sitting in a glass house.”

Trump to make Middle East trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar - President Trump said Monday that he will travel to the Middle East in the coming weeks for what is slated to be the first foreign trip of his second term. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he plans to travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with a possible stop in the United Arab Emirates. The president teased there could be other countries included on the trip as well. “I have a very good relationship with the Middle East,” Trump said, arguing that the visit would be important for investments in the United States. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced in January that the kingdom plans to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years. Trump said the trip “could be next month, maybe a little bit later.” The president had previously suggested he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia in the coming months as part of peace talks in Ukraine. It’s unclear if that would be part of the trip Trump outlined on Monday. Trump’s first foreign trip of his first term also was to the Middle East. Trump visited Saudi Arabia and Israel in May of 2017, followed by a trip to Italy for a meeting with the Pope and Belgium for the NATO summit.

US sanctions and “secondary tariffs” begin to shut down Venezuela’s oil sector --Starting on April 2, according to a White House directive, any country that produces or buys Venezuelan oil directly or through third parties will face 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported into the United States, potentially for a year after the last recorded purchase. The secondary tariffs are part of an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump on March 24. Only four days after the Wall Street Journal reported that officials were considering lobbying efforts by US oil giant Chevron to extend its license to operate in Venezuela, the order came as a shock to analysts, with global oil prices increasing about 1 percent after the announcement. The most drastic consequences will be for China, which is currently the largest buyer of Venezuelan oil. Existing US tariffs on China—the world’s two largest economies—would increase from 20 to 45 percent, which could further destabilize supply chains globally. The stated aim of the order is to “sever the financial lifelines” to the government of President Nicolás Maduro to provoke its downfall. But the executive order claims in the most unambiguous terms to date that the United States is fighting an armed invasion launched by the Venezuelan government itself. “The Maduro regime aided and facilitated the influx of Tren de Aragua members into the United States during the prior administration by failing to control its borders, permitting the gang’s operations to flourish within Venezuela, and refusing to take action against its members, thereby exacerbating the illegal immigration crisis,” the order says. Trump had designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a “foreign terrorist organization” and used it as a pretext to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, destroying any semblance of legality in its mass deportation campaign. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will be in charge of selecting the countries targeted for tariffs, summed up the order on X: “Any country that allows its companies to produce, extract, or export from Venezuela will be subject to new tariffs, and any companies will be subject to sanctions.” The economic war against the Venezuelan government carries with it a direct threat of military aggression. Last Thursday, Rubio traveled to Guyana, a tiny country half of whose claimed territory has been historically disputed by Venezuela. There, Rubio threatened: “It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if it attacked Guayana [sic] or ExxonMobil.” This follows the announcement by Caracas that it will organize local elections within the disputed territory of Esequibo. In early March, a Venezuelan Navy ship reportedly sailed near the major offshore oil rigs managed by ExxonMobil in the disputed waters. The threat of tariffs comes after the removal of all licenses granted to specific foreign firms to produce and trade Venezuelan oil. The deadline for Chevron, the company with the largest operation in Venezuela, to leave the country was extended to May 27. The Maduro government has denounced the sanctions as “illegal” for violating international trade rules and a “desperate” attempt to underpin theVenezuelan fascistic right. Maduro has made the case that Tren de Aragua is essentially defunct and was in the past used by the right-wing opposition. Today it is being invoked as a pretext for the mass deportation of Venezuelan migrants. The Maduro administration has also denounced the deportation of about 238 Venezuelan migrants to the so-called Terrorism Containment Center in El Salvador, a concentration camp overseen by fascistic President Nayib Bukele. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: “We urge the United States to cease its interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs and to abolish the unlawful unilateral sanctions on the country.” The announcement of the renewed sanctions and tariffs is immediately worsening Venezuela’s already devastating humanitarian catastrophe. More than seven million Venezuelans, nearly a third of the population, has left, and tens of thousands have died due to the social crisis caused chiefly by US sanctions.

Greenland prime minister says US will not get Greenland - The prime minister of Greenland pushed back Sunday against assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that America will take control of the island territory. Greenland, a huge, resource-rich island in the Atlantic, is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States. Trump wants to annex the territory, claiming it’s needed for national security purposes. “President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post. Nielsen’s post comes a day after the U.S. president told NBC News that military force wasn’t off the table with regard to acquiring Greenland. In Saturday’s interview, Trump allowed that “I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force.” “This is world peace, this is international security,” he said, but added: “I don’t take anything off the table.” Greenland’s residents and politicians have reacted with anger to Trump’s repeated suggestions, with Danish leaders also pushing back. Trump also said “I don’t care,” when asked in the NBC interview what message this would send to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has invaded Ukraine and annexed several of its provinces in defiance of international law.

Hegseth orders review of combat role physical standards ---Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a 60-day review of physical standards for military combat roles to ensure female troops are not being given exceptions for the physically challenging jobs, according to a new memo.Hegseth, who in the past suggested physical standards for combat jobs have been lowered to meet diversity quotas — a claim that past defense officials have disputed — in a social media post said the review would help ensure equal standards for all service members.“For far too long, we allowed standards to slip and different standards for men and women in combat arms . . .. That’s not acceptable,” he said in a video posted to X Monday. In another post later on Monday, Hegseth said all combat roles will remain open to women but “they must all meet the same, high standard.” Past military leaders have testified that the military has not lowered standards for women to gain entry into combat positions, but conservatives have insisted that women have been given lower physical fitness requirements compared to their male counterparts.Hegseth earlier this month directed a review of military standards related to physical fitness and appearance across all services, and why those standards have changed since Jan. 1, 2015 — the year the military announced it would open all jobs to women including combat roles.

War profiteer Boeing selected to build latest US fighter jet On March 21, the US Air Force announced it has awarded the contract for its Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter jet, the F-47, to Boeing, a longstanding client of the US Department of Defense. The press release came as US President Donald Trump asserted that Yemen, an impoverished country of 34.7 million people, will be “completely annihilated” by the US military. Trump has also made clear his administration’s intent to expel the people of Gaza from their land through massacres and starvation, completing the genocide begun by Israel in 2023 with the complicity of the Biden administration. During the announcement from the Oval Office, Trump attempted to assert that the jet was named after him, in honor of being the 47th president of the United States. He claimed, “It’s a beautiful number.” In reality, the jet’s designation had been decided beforehand as a grotesque celebration of the head of the American state and would have applied to Democrat Kamala Harris had she won the 2024 election. The announcement also came three days before the Atlantic magazine began publishing a detailed account of how the March 15 attack on Yemen was to be carried out. The details were acquired by Jeffrey Goldberg, who was mistakenly included in the text messages organizing the attack. They make clear that the bombing of the country was carried out as part of a “war of choice” against the poor, defenseless country as part of the broader strategy to support the Gaza genocide and the broader war plans in the Middle East, particularly against Iran. The F-47, when it is deployed, will play a critical role in these plans. Its very existence, which began as demonstration flights of new technologies in 2019, is a stark indication of the advanced nature of US war plans. The project was actually paused in 2024 when the projected cost soared to more than three times the infamously expensive F-35 developed by Lockheed Martin. It was revived after several internal studies from the Air Force warned that the widely deployed F-22, which entered into service in 2005, was not sufficient against modern air defense and electronic warfare systems, specifically those developed by China. The same reports also warned that older generations of fighters would not stand up to the latest sixth-generation aircraft being developed by the Chinese military. In other words, in addition to war against Iran, as well as Russia, the development of the F-47 is another clear sign that one of the strategic aims of American imperialism is war against nuclear-armed China. The new contract is a major windfall worth more than $20 billion for Boeing. The company has been suffering billions in losses ever since the two 737 MAX 8 crashes in October 2018 and March 2019, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew, as well as the blowout of a door during the takeoff of a 737 MAX 9 in January 2024. Boeing is also considering selling off its Starliner space program after the attempt to return its capsule from the International Space Station with astronauts aboard was aborted, as technical issues and safety concerns mounted before and after the craft’s launch and docking with ISS. Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore were forced to stay on the ISS for an unplanned additional nine months before finally returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft last week.

Trump fires six national security staffers after meeting with far-right activist Laura Loomer - Donald Trump fired six national security council staffers after a fraught meeting in the Oval Office where the far-right activist Laura Loomer presented opposition research against a number of staffers that she said showed they were disloyal to the US president, according to two people familiar with the matter.The firings encompassed four staffers who were fired overnight, after the meeting, and two who were removed over the weekend. It created the extraordinary situation where Loomer appeared to have more influence than the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, over the NSC and undercut Waltz in having aides axed under him. Loomer brought a booklet of papers laying out the perceived disloyalty of about a dozen staffers, including Waltz’s principal deputy, Alex Wong, to the meeting, which was also attended by JD Vance, the chief of staff Susie Wiles, the commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and Waltz himself.The fired officials included Brian Walsh, the senior director for intelligence who previously worked for now secretary of state Marco Rubio on the Senate intelligence committee; Thomas Boodry, the senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz’s legislative director in Congress; and Maggie Dougherty, the senior director for international organizations, the people said.While the firings appeared arbitrary, one of the people said that the White House looked through Loomer’s opposition research and verified parts of it. Ultimately, it found that one NSC official had recently criticized Trump on social media and others had ties to Republican establishment figures like the senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell, whom Trump despises. The firings did not include Wong, who has been one of Loomer’s top targets. Loomer has vilified Wong over the work of his wife, Candice, at the justice department, which involved prosecuting January 6 Capitol rioters. Loomer has also publicly suggested that Wong has sympathies with the Chinese communist party.

Pentagon plans new round of voluntary resignations - The Defense Department plans to offer a new round of voluntary resignations and early retirements to the civilian workforce, but how it will go about this is unclear. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a new memo that orders the Defense Department’s top personnel official to “immediately” offer retirement to all eligible civilian employees and open a deferred resignation program, DefenseScoop first reported. In the memo, signed Friday but released to defense officials Monday, Hegseth said that “exemptions should be rare,” as the intent is to “maximize participation” so the Pentagon can minimize the number of firings “that may be required to achieve the strategic objectives.” The memo does not specify what any retirement or resignation offers would entail or how many of the Pentagon’s 900,000-person civilian workforce will receive them. The move comes as defense leaders are looking to axe tens of thousands of the military’s civilian employees and reinvest the savings elsewhere — part of a broader effort by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to greatly reduce the federal workforce and shutter an unknown number of agencies. Nearly 21,000 DOD civilian workers have already taken a voluntary resignation buyout earlier this year, which Pentagon officials referred to as a “Fork in the Road” offer, and are leaving in the coming months.

What kind of aid is the U.S. providing in the wake of the Myanmar quake? : Current and former USAID staff are raising questions about the immediacy and impact of the U.S. response to the earthquake that rocked Myanmar and surrounding countries on Friday, particularly after massive budget cuts and the termination of nearly all staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development.The magnitude 7.7 quake hit at 12:50 p.m. local time, killing more than 2,000 people and leaving millions without shelter. "USAID has maintained a team of disaster experts with the capacity to respond if disaster strikes," Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the State Department, said at a press briefing on the day of the disaster."The United States is evaluating the need for assistance based on requests and dynamic reporting," she said. Sarah Charles, assistant to the administrator of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance under the Biden administration, shared her perspective: "The capacity of the U.S. government to provide that kind of assistance right now is severely diminished, and we haven't seen any of it so far." At another press conference on Monday, Bruce detailed U.S. plans for assistance — including up to $2 million in funding for organizations in Myanmar. Typically, the U.S. government partners with local businesses, clinics and local and international humanitarian organizations to deliver foreign assistance after a crisis."I would reject the premise that the sign of success is that we are physically there," Bruce told journalists on Monday. "The fact that we've got partners that we work with, that our goals can be achieved through the work that we do with others around the world, is something," Bruce added.She further noted that "a USAID team of humanitarian experts based in the region are traveling to Burma [a former name for Myanmar] now to identify the people's most pressing needs, including emergency shelter, food, medical needs and access to water." The team would consist of three individuals, she said.By comparison, 225 USAID workers from around the world traveled to Turkey to respond to the earthquake there two years ago."This is disastrous," said Jim Kunder, former deputy administrator of USAID who served under three presidential administrations. Dismantling USAID is "inconceivably chaotic and obviously disruptive to the ability to respond when an earthquake like this hits," Kunder told NPR.And then there's the issue of funding for the organizations that the U.S. government would typically work with, doing everything from distributing supplies to checking the buildings that are still standing to make sure they're safe. USAID funding for many of these local businesses, humanitarian groups and clinics was terminated during the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency, so they've had to lay off staff and scale down or halt their projects. In fact, many of the organizations still haven't received previously approved payments, often numbering in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, from USAID for existing work due to the suspension of aid when Trump took office.And even aid groups whose contracts are still active may not be able to assist in the earthquake relief efforts. Independent search-and-rescue groups based in Fairfax, Va., and Los Angeles saw their contracts canceled, then reinstated, in the early days of this administration — but they do not have USAID funding to transport crew members and their specialized gear to the scene of the earthquake. Search-and-rescue groups also need to be accompanied by experienced USAID staff who know the region well, but most of these employees have been terminated.

U.S. aid team fired while in Myanmar earthquake zone, ex-official says (Reuters) - Three U.S. aid workers were laid off while in Myanmar helping the rescue and recovery from the country's massive earthquake, a former senior staffer said, as the Trump administration's dismantling of foreign aid affects its disaster response.After travelling to the Southeast Asian nation, the three officials were told late this week they would be let go, Marcia Wong, a former official at the U.S. Agency for International Development, told Reuters. "This team is working incredibly hard, focussed on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. To get news of your imminent termination - how can that not be demoralising?" said Wong, former deputy administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which oversees Washington’s disease response efforts overseas.President Donald Trump's government has pledged at least $9 million to Myanmar after the magnitude-7.7 quake, which has killed more than 3,300. But his administration's massive cuts to USAID have hindered its ability to respond, while China, Russia, India and other nations have rushed in assistance.The Trump administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff in recent weeks, as billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending.The three USAID workers have been sleeping on the streets in the earthquake zone, Wong said, adding that their terminations would take effect in a few months. Residents have been sleeping outside for fear of aftershocks and further building collapses,Wong said she is in contact with remaining USAID staff and that she heard about the terminations after an all-staff meeting on Friday.Former USAID staff say most of the people who would have coordinated the response have been let go, while third-party implementing partners have lost contracts.

Navarro says Trump’s tariffs will raise $6 trillion over a decade - Peter Navarro, a senior trade adviser to President Trump, said the president’s tariff plan will raise more than $6 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade. Navarro joined “Fox News Sunday,” where host Shannon Bream noted Americans are concerned Trump’s tariffs are going to raise the price of everyday goods. “First of all, we’re going to raise about $100 billion with the auto tariffs alone. What we’re going to do is, in the new tax bill that has to pass, it absolutely has to pass, we’re going to provide tax benefits, tax credits, to the people who buy American cars,” Navarro began. “This is a genius thing that President Trump promised on the campaign trail. So that’s going to happen.” “In addition, the other tariffs are going to raise about $600 billion a year, about $6 trillion over a 10-year period, and we’re going to have tax cuts,” he continued. “It’s the biggest tax cut in American history for the middle class, for the blue collar.” Trump’s tariffs on auto imports are set to go into place on Wednesday. He’s noted that additional tariffs, “larger than currently planned,” could go into effect for the European Union and Canada. The remarks came just days before what Trump has called “Liberation Day.” On Wednesday, his administration will impose sweeping reciprocal tariffs on other countries, part of what is shaping up as a critical week for the president’s economic outlook. Wall Street analysts are warning that sharp swings in the stock market are likely to come amid Trump’s April 2 deadline.

Trump tells NBC he 'couldn't care less' if car makers hike prices due to tariffs (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he did not warn car industry executives against raising prices as tariffs on foreign-made autos come into force, telling NBC News he "couldn't care less" if they do.The White House has been preparing to impose new tariffs on a range of consumer goods on April 2, a move that has drawn criticism from international leaders and concerns about potential price increases for consumers.In the NBC News interview, Trump said his permanent tariffs on foreign-made automobiles would be a boost to U.S.-domiciled factories and was confident the move would lead to increased sales of American-made cars. "I hope they raise their prices, because if they do, people are gonna buy American-made cars," Trump said.Trump maintained that he would only consider negotiating on the tariffs "if people are willing to give us something of great value."The tariffs are part of Trump's efforts to promote American manufacturing and reduce the country's trade deficit.Trump's trade policies have been a key focus of his presidency, with ongoing tensions with major trading partners.

OpEd: We can’t keep ignoring the invisible threat in our supply chains --President Trump has exposed a reality that we have ignored for far too long: International trade is no longer just about economics — it is also about national security. The U.S. faces a critical challenge in ensuring that the goods flowing into the country are not just cheap and efficient, but also safe and strategically sound. Our global supply chains, long built for maximum cost-effectiveness, are now potential liabilities, susceptible to exploitation by adversaries and prone to disruption. Nowhere is this risk more pronounced than in our economic competition with China. For decades now, we have recognized that financial institutions must exercise Know Your Customer policies. This helps to minimize the risks from money laundering and keeps funds out of the hands of terrorist organizations and organized crime. In a similar vein, as geopolitical tensions with China rise, we must ask whether we really know where our products come from, and more importantly, who controls them. The U.S. depends heavily on imports for many essential goods — pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, medical devices and critical minerals, to name a few. This reliance is not inherently dangerous, but our inability to trace these goods to their origin leaves us vulnerable. This is the era of “Know Your Product.” During the years of peak globalization, American businesses prioritized efficiency, often sourcing materials and products from the lowest-cost supplier. The problem? Many of those suppliers operate in opaque networks, particularly in China, where state-owned enterprises and undisclosed subcontracting make it difficult to determine the true origin of products. A single semiconductor or medical device may pass through multiple unknown hands before arriving in the U.S., making it virtually impossible to verify its integrity. What’s more, China regularly sells products to third countries who then trans-ship the products on to the U.S., evading tariffs or sanctions. A recent case exposed a Chinese transshipment of oil through Thailand to evade more than a quarter million dollars in tariffs. As the Trump administration tries to reduce our exposure to Chinese goods, strengthen U.S. manufacturing and bring investment to America, this blind spot can no longer be tolerated.

Trump announces sweeping new tariffs to promote US manufacturing, risking inflation and trade wars(AP) — President Donald Trump announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners — a 34% tax on imports from China and 20% on the European Union, among others — that threaten to dismantle much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Trump, in a Rose Garden announcement on Wednesday, said he was placing elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the United States, while imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic emergency. The president, who said the tariffs were designed to boost domestic manufacturing, used aggressive rhetoric to describe a global trade system that the United States helped to build after World War II, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” by other nations. The action amounts to a historic tax hike that could push the global order to a breaking point. It kickstarts what could be a painful transition for many Americans as middle-class essentials such as housing, autos and clothing are expected to become more costly, while disrupting the alliances built to ensure peace and economic stability. Trump said he was acting to bring in hundreds of billions in new revenue to the U.S. government and restore fairness to global trade. “Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” he said. “But it is not going to happen anymore.” Trump declared a national economic emergency to levy the tariffs. He has promised that factory jobs will return to the United States as a result of the taxes, but his policies risk a sudden economic slowdown as consumers and businesses could face sharp price hikes. Trump was fulfilling a key campaign promise as he imposed what he called “reciprocal” tariffs on trade partners, acting without Congress under the 1977 International Emergency Powers Act. But his action Wednesday could jeopardize Trump’s voter mandate in last year’s election to combat inflation. Several Republican senators, particularly from farm and border states, have questioned the wisdom of the tariffs. U.S. stock market futures sold off sharply overnight in anticipation of the economy weakening, after having already dropped since the start of this year. “With today’s announcement, U.S. tariffs will approach levels not seen since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which incited a global trade war and deepened the Great Depression,” said Scott Lincicome and Colin Grabow of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. The president’s higher rates would hit foreign entities that sell more goods to the United States than they buy. The administration essentially calculated its tariff rates to raise revenues equal in size to the trade imbalances with those nations. Trump then halved that rate in an act that he described as “very kind.” The White House says the tariffs and other trade imbalances led to an $1.2 trillion imbalance last year. Administration officials suggested it could take an extended set of actions by other countries to bring down the new tariffs their imports now face, and retaliatory tariffs by those countries could make the situation worse.

Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” escalate economic war against the world The imposition of the new US tariff regime unveiled by President Trump yesterday is a declaration of economic war against the rest of the world. It has been driven forward by two interconnected objectives. On the economic front, it seeks to extract hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff hikes, ultimately paid for by US companies and consumers, to shore up the ever-worsening trade and financial position of the US, while weakening its global economic rivals, particularly China, to improve its trade position. It also aims to enhance US military capacity by using tariffs to force companies, foreign and domestic, to increase the level of their operations on American soil, much of which is needed to supply the military. Under the new regime, the US will impose “reciprocal tariffs” on a range of countries. The tariff is not determined by the tariff actually charged on US exports. Rather, a number has been assigned to each of the countries involved. This includes not only the tariff charged on US exports, but all measures such as subsidies, regulations, bio-security measures for agricultural products, and the value of the currency, which the US considers to have the same effect as a tariff in discriminating against the US. The reciprocal tariff to be charged has been set at half that number. Thus, for China, a key target of the new regime, the number assigned to it by US economic officials is 67, and the reciprocal tariff will be 34 percent. This will be on top of the 20 percent tariff already imposed on Chinese goods, bringing the total tariff level to 54 percent. One of the immediate effects of the tariff hike, set to come into effect on April 9, will be a major price increase for a vast range of goods made in China and purchased by American consumers. The European Union, which Trump has denounced as an organisation set up to “screw” the US, has been assigned the number 39, and the tariff impost will be 20 percent. Southeast Asian countries—a number of which have become a center of manufacturing operations for many companies seeking to escape the effect of trade bans on China—will be hit even harder. The tariff for Thailand will be 36 percent, Malaysia 24 percent and Vietnam 46 percent. The tariff for South Korea, already hit by the 25 percent tariff on “foreign-made” cars, which came into effect at midnight, will be 25 percent. And the list goes on. All countries not hit with a “reciprocal tariff” will have a 10 percent tariff imposed on their exports, in a measure aimed, in part, at preventing companies from transferring some of their operations to countries not specifically targeted by the US. Now there is nowhere in the world they can go. Trump began his presentation of the new tariff regime in the White House Rose Garden with his now customary rant against the rest of the world. “For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” he said, remarking later that in some cases friends had been worse than foes. “For years, hard-working American citizens were forced to sit on the sidelines as other nations got rich and powerful, much of it at our expense, but now it’s our turn to prosper.” However, the repeated claims by Trump that the tariff measures are going to produce a new golden age for the US are a fiction. They will not bring down inflation but raise prices on a vast range of goods. The auto tariffs are set to raise prices on cars from anywhere between $3,000 and $10,000. Thousands of jobs will be lost, and any new plants set up in the US will be highly automated, with a small labour force to cut costs. Furthermore, the so-called “American-made” is non-existent. Every car in the world, including in the US, is the product of a complex international division of labour. For example, the Ford F-150 pickup truck, one of the standard bearers for what is regarded as an “American” car, comprises thousands of parts imported from all over the world. Trump claims the new tariff regime is a magic cure-all that is going to both pay down US government debt and reduce the trade deficit. But estimates of the expected tariff revenue, according to Capital Economics, are that at most, it will bring in around $800 billion. The interest bill alone on the US debt, now at around $36 trillion and rising, is $1 trillion every year as it fast becomes the biggest item in the budget. The trade policies of the Trump administration are internally contradictory. On the one hand, it wants to expand US export markets by weakening the value of the US dollar, thereby making American goods cheaper in world markets. But maintenance of its reserve currency status, which Trump regards as an existential issue for the US—losing it, he has said, would be the equivalent of losing a war—depends on a strong dollar.

How the White House calculated reciprocal tariffs - President Trump triumphantly held up a poster board in the Rose Garden on Wednesday showing the reciprocal tariffs he plans to impose on nearly every country in the world. But just how the White House came up with the formula to determine what percentage of tariffs to impose and where has left foreign leaders, financial analysts and consumers scratching their heads. Administration officials insist that trade deficits took a central role in determining the rates. In rolling out the tariffs, officials said the rate for each country would also be calculated by both tariffs imposed on U.S. goods and nontrade barriers like currency manipulation, intellectual property theft like knock-offs and other factors that made it more difficult to sell into that country. A summary by the U.S. trade representative’s (USTR) office purports to show how it reached the final number imposed on other countries, but it also relies heavily on sheer trade deficits between the U.S. and other countries when all is said and done. “Reciprocal tariffs are calculated as the tariff rate necessary to balance bilateral trade deficits between the U.S. and each of our trading partners,” the USTR summary stated. “This calculation assumes that persistent trade deficits are due to a combination of tariff and non-tariff factors that prevent trade from balancing. Tariffs work through direct reductions of imports.” The disconnect between how the rates were reached and whether or not Trump was using the tariffs as a negotiating tool only furthered confusion. When it comes to tariffs imposed on China, which saw the highest rate of retaliation, Trump’s board in the Rose Garden showed its tariffs against the U.S. at 67 percent, resulting in the reciprocal tariff of 34 percent. But that rate is compounded by an existing 20 percent tariff, making the total 54 percent on goods. Chinese tariffs against U.S. imports were at 22.6 percent following retaliatory tariffs imposed in recent weeks, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Dividing the United States’s 2024 trade deficit with China by the amount imported from there results in the 67 percent figure displayed on the chart.Similarly, dividing the United States’s $62.6 billion trade deficit with Japan in 2024 by the $135.8 billion of Japanese goods the U.S. imported results in the roughly 46 percent tariff the White House said Japan was charging. That was used to get the 24 percent tariff the Trump administration imposed on Japan.Dividing the $41.5 billion U.S. trade deficit with Thailand by the $57.7 billion imported from Thailand results in the 72 percent tariff the White House said Thailand was charging.The Wall Street Journal reported the same formula appears to apply for at least 71 of the 184 countries that were hit with reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday.The trade deficit-based math was first highlighted by James Surowiecki, a contributing writer for The Atlantic.White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai responded to Surowiecki on the social platform X, pushing back on his assertion that the formula was as simple as using trade deficits.. “No we literally calculated tariff and non tariff barriers,” wrote Desai, who linked to the USTR report laying out its determinations. Desai’s post on X sharing the USTR formula was amended with a community note from the social media platform that noted the purported formula was “essentially equivalent” to the trade deficit-based formula, “and includes no terms for the tariff rate charged by the exporting country.” A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for additional comment on the formula. The White House’s emphasis on trade deficits reflects Trump’s long-standing frustration with how much more money the U.S. spends on foreign goods than they spend on American products.

White House explains lack of tariffs on Russia, North Korea, others --The White House on Thursday defended its decision to not include Russia, North Korea, Cuba or Belarus in the latest round of tariffs, which targeted dozens of global trading partners that were labeled the “worst offenders” when it came to trade barriers. A White House official told The Hill in a statement that the four nations “are not subject to the Reciprocal Tariff Executive Order because they are already facing extremely high tariffs, and our previously imposed sanctions preclude any meaningful trade with these countries.”The official added that Trump has “recently threatened to impose strong sanctions on Russia” to further explain leaving out Moscow.President Trump on Wednesday imposed a 10 percent baseline tax on goods being imported into the U.S. But many countries were targeted with even higher tariffs, including China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand, Switzerland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and the European Union.China will face the highest tariffs; the president announced a 34 percent tariff Wednesday that will be imposed on top of a previously implemented 20 percent tariff for a total 54 percent tariff on goods.Other high numbers include 46 percent on Vietnam, 32 percent on Taiwan, 32 percent on Indonesia and 49 percent on Cambodia. Trump said last month he is weighing additional sanctions and tariffs on Russia as a way to bring Moscow to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine. Russia said weeks later that it expects the U.S. to ease certain sanctions as part of an agreement for a limited ceasefire with Ukraine.

Trump sued over China tariffs - President Trump was sued Thursday over the 20 percent tariffs he imposed on Chinese goods in the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s broader announcement.It marks the first known legal challenge against Trump’s tariffs, which have fulfilled a campaign promise and rattled financial markets.The lawsuit contests Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), arguing the law authorizes asset freezes and similar economic sanctions, but not tariffs. “Congress passed the IEEPA to counter external emergencies, not to grant presidents a blank check to write domestic economic policy,” the lawsuit states. The suit was brought by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), a conservative legal advocacy group, on behalf of Simplified, a Florida-based small business that sells planners and purchases products from China. Filed in federal court in Pensacola, Fla., the suit asks a judge to declare Trump’s Chinese tariffs unlawful and block their implementation. Trump first imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods in a Feb. 1 executive order and then doubled it in another order issued March 3.

European Union threatens retaliation against Trump tariffs European Union (EU) officials responded to global tariffs imposed by the Trump administration yesterday by moving to impose tens of billions of euros in tariffs on US products. With Washington now imposing a 20 percent tariff on all EU goods and a 25 percent tariff on European auto exports, US-EU ties are suffering a historic breakdown, and a trade war is being set into motion, threatening unprecedented attacks on workers in America, Europe and internationally. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke this morning from Uzbekistan, where she is attending a Central Asia-EU summit, appealing to Washington for talks while threatening a first raft of €26 billion in EU tariffs. Asking Trump to “move from confrontation to negotiation,” she said, “We are already finalizing a first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel. And we are now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.” Vast numbers of goods and jobs are at stake. US-EU trade reached €1.6 trillion in 2023, including €851 billion in goods and €746 billion in services. While Europe ran a €153 billion trade surplus in goods, mainly in cars, machinery, aerospace and pharmaceuticals, it ran a €109 billion deficit in services, driven mainly by purchases of services by US banks and tech firms. The United States and the EU have invested over €5 trillion in each other’s financial markets. The EU’s first wave of tariffs target US goods, including jeans, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, steel, aluminum and agricultural goods. The EU may also invoke its so-called Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), a 2023 law to coordinate trade war measures against countries the EU considers are seeking to economically coerce it. This would let EU countries cut payments to US banks and tech firms for financial services or intellectual property rights. For now, uncertainty prevails in European ruling circles as to what sort of deal they can negotiate with Trump and how quickly and deeply trade war measures will undermine Europe’s economy. Dutch bank ING estimated that a 25 percent US tariff would cut 19 percent of EU goods exports to the United States. The value of these lost sales, at around €100 billion, is 0.87 percent of EU Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, there would be far broader economic knock-on effects as workers in affected industries are fired, their income and purchasing power collapse, and the US and EU potentially impose further rounds of tariffs on each other. ING said it is “impossible” for now to quantify the economic collapse the “tariff tsunami” will cause. Financial analysts are raising concerns over German car exports, with tariffs expected to largely price them out of US markets. “Tariffs on automotive exports present a major challenge for Germany’s economy,” said Daniel Parker of Capital Economics. “Stuttgart, Upper Bavaria, and the Braunschweig region—which includes Wolfsburg—are likely to suffer the most pronounced impacts.” Auto plants and parts suppliers in Germany and across Europe, notably in Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, would also be badly hit.

Scott Bessent urges countries against retaliatory tariffs: 'Take it in' -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent encouraged countries around the world to refrain from retaliating against the U.S. in light of President Trump’s reset of tariff policy Wednesday, arguing the administration is preparing the U.S. for “long-term” economic growth. “My advice to every country right now is: Do not retaliate. Sit back, take it in, let’s see how it goes. Because if you retaliate, there will be escalation. If you don’t retaliate, this is the high-water mark,” Bessent said during his Wednesday evening interview with Bret Baier on Fox News’s “Special Report.” Trump announced the new U.S. tariff policy Wednesday, imposing a minimum of 10 percent import tax on all goods coming into the country. Dozens of nations are being hit with a higher rate, ranging as high as 49 percent. The tariffs will be determined by adding up the rate of tariffs and factors such as currency manipulation, and then dividing the sum in half, according to Trump. Mexico and Canada, the U.S.’s largest trading partners alongside China, are still being hit with 25 percent tariffs, although goods under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement are exempt. “The tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that, I guess,” Trump said. “But it would have been tough for a lot of countries.” Baier asked Bessent what message the administration has for people who are concerned about their 401(k)s in light of the tariff rollout. “Bret, I say that what we are doing is, we’re setting the stage for long-term economic growth, that we were on our way to a financial crisis,” the Treasury secretary said. “I used to teach a history of financial crises. And with that gigantic government spending, it was unsustainable.”

What tariffs could mean for US workers, consumers and the economy -- President Trump’s Wednesday tariff announcement was larger in scope than many businesses and policy analysts were predicting, with the imposition of a 10 percent general tariff on imports to the U.S. and additional targeted tariffs on dozens of other countries. During his first 100 days in office, Trump has teased, issued and then reversed multiple tariff orders, often within just a few days, so there’s a strong possibility the large-scale Wednesday tariffs could be modified in short order, potentially as part of negotiations with different countries. Administration officials say they’re already in the process of those talks. “We’re negotiating now. We move into some significant negotiations,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday on Fox Business Network. Rollins gave a timeline of weeks or months to “renegotiate” the tariffs. “The next few weeks, the next few months, we’ll see as we continue to renegotiate the tariffs, and as we look to see what the impact will be,” she said. The order could be canceled outright, as happened when Trump closed the so-called de minimis loophole, which put new tariffs on Chinese imports worth $800 or less and required them to be inspected by customs officers. That policy change resulted in a million packages piling up at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and was canceled in a matter of days. The order could also be reined in, as happened when Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports before exempting goods that were already covered under a preexisting trade deal, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). That said, the White House at times has also suggested the tariffs could be more permanent and are not meant to trigger a negotiation. “This is not a negotiation, it’s a national emergency,” one White House official said on a call Wednesday explaining the tariffs. It’s likely that prices will rise if the tariffs remain in place. Tariffs increase the costs of bringing goods to the market, and some portion of that cost is likely to be passed on to consumers. This would also lead to inflation. “We estimate that today’s announced measures could boost … prices by 1 to 1.5 percent this year, and we believe the inflationary effects would mostly be realized in the middle quarters of the year,” economist Michael Feroli wrote Wednesday for J.P. Morgan. It’s of course possible that companies could also just eat the cost of the tariffs, but that would cut into company bottom lines. It’s also possible that companies will alter their supply chains toward domestic production and avoid the tariff, though international production has been the norm in many sectors for decades, and companies are likely loath to do this. Companies could also raise prices and just blame it on the tariffs, which corporate critics would call a form of price gouging. Amid uncertainties, some companies are already pausing their hiring. IPC, an electronics trade association, said this week that 18 percent of companies it surveyed in March have implemented a hiring freeze in response to tariffs, with another 36 percent considering it. The association said it’s seeing “growing caution around workforce expansion,” which Wednesday’s announcement will likely exacerbate. The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors trade group made a similar observation in March in response to a previous tariff announcement by the Trump administration. “Because duties must be paid immediately upon import, they divert valuable capital away from critical investments in hiring, wages, training, and expansion,” the group said. In the worst-case scenario, the tariffs could spark a recession. Trump administration officials have indicated they’re prepared for the tariffs to result in an economic downturn, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying earlier this year it would be “worth it.” Trump wants the tariffs to spur a revival of the domestic industry. Trump has said repeatedly he wants to bring manufacturing jobs, which have largely been outsourced over the past few decades to countries with lower labor costs, back to America. “Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country,” Trump said Wednesday. Tariffs by themselves don’t guarantee that outcome but could be a component of a broader industrial strategy if policies favorable to workers are advanced as well, such as those supporting higher wages and limiting the adoption of job-replacing automation. There is little evidence of a broader worker-protection agenda being advanced by the Trump administration so far, however. “The BMW plant in San Luis Potosi [Mexico] is probably more automated than the BMW plant in Germany,” United Auto Workers union adviser Jason Wade said. “The product they sell and the value that those workers in Mexico produce for the company is the same as a worker in Germany or a worker in the U.S.,” he said. The influential Teamsters labor union told The Hill in a statement it was supportive of the tariffs. “The Teamsters support policies that will lead to the creation of good union jobs and bring back manufacturing to the United States. More jobs and more manufacturing in America are all good things,” a Teamsters spokesperson said. “This is about an economy for workers, one that is in the interest of working people, and tariffs will help accomplish that.” Prior to the Wednesday tariff order, the economy was already showing some signs of stress related both to the uncertainties surrounding Trump’s trade agenda and broader macroeconomic trends, including upticks in prices over the fourth quarter of last year. Both consumer and business sentiment has been ailing in recent months, with shoppers expecting higher prices in the year ahead and proprietors unsure about where to make investments. Flagging sentiment has been registered in surveys from the University of Michigan, the National Federation of Independent Business, the ISM purchasing managers index, and the New York Federal Reserve. While sentiment isn’t a solid predictor of economic contractions, stock market crashes can be, and Wednesday’s tariff announcement has already resulted in a substantial downward movement in company valuations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 3 percent of its value in Thursday morning trading and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite lost nearly 5 percent. According to asset manager Morningstar, “recession risk over the next year has climbed to at least one third.” “Recession risk has vaulted up,” Morningstar economist Preston Caldwell wrote Thursday. “If the tariff hikes are maintained, they will permanently reduce U.S. real gross domestic product, and hence real living standards for the average American.” U.S. allies like Europe are lumped together in the new tariffs with economic adversaries like China. In addition to ramping up rivalries, the U.S. could lose some friends or see some close relationships cool off. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Trump’s tariffs represent a “major blow to the world economy.” Taiwan, a key U.S. ally in the Pacific amid rising territorial tensions with China that is set to face a 32 percent tariff for its exports to the U.S., said the tariffs were “highly unreasonable.” Japan, another top U.S. ally, called the 24 percent duty that its companies will face “extremely regrettable.” In addition to world leaders, international commercial groups are fuming at the U.S. “This is not America first. This is America alone,” Hildegard Müller, president of the German auto industry trade group VDA, said Wednesday. The Irish Whiskey Association said the order could undo years of growth. “Should an appropriate resolution not be found, this tariff may have a detrimental effect on the position of the category in the U.S. market, undoing decades of success and growth,” the group said, as reported by Irish broadcaster RTE. Civil society and poverty reduction organization Oxfam said that “ordinary people” will be hit hardest by the tariffs, which will increase the cost of living. “Ordinary people are already weathering skyrocketing costs-of-living, and now we’re seeing damaging tariffs and proposed cuts to the safety net,” Oxfam America President Abby Maxman said. “Ultimately, Trump’s use of tariffs is part of a harmful economic blueprint that will inflame inequality.” Economists for the United Nations have been calling out the trend of increasing economic protectionism for some time. “The disruptions caused by … tariffs could lead to shifts in production and sourcing patterns, as companies and countries adjust to new trade barriers and seek to mitigate the costs of these tariffs,” economists for the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development wrote in a March global trade report.

Analysis: Tariffs on Canadian drugs will strain US supply chain - President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs on Canadian pharmaceuticals are expected to increase costs in the United States and strain drug supply chains, according to an analysis published yesterday in JAMA.Tomorrow, pharmaceuticals will no longer be exempt from the Trump administration's 25% tariff on goods produced in Canada. Writing in a research letter, scientists at the University of Toronto and their colleagues at Hertie School in Berlin and at the University of Pittsburgh, say the United States imports 400 different ready-for-use medications from Canada, 28 of which have no alternative supplier. Though not the largest source of medical drugs in the United States, Canada represents a significant player in the drug landscape."The proposed tariffs could affect a wide range of medications, from antibiotics to mental health treatments," said Mina Tadrous, PharmD, PhD, lead author and assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Toronto, in a university press release. "Straining this supply chain could trigger drug shortages and jeopardize patient care. We know that drugs with only one manufacturer and rapidly shifting supply chains increase the risk of shortages."In a comprehensive analysis of US pharmaceutical sales in 2022 and 2023 based on the National Institutes of Health's DailyMed package inserts database, the authors found that 22,082 drug products were sold in the US market from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023, of which 411 (1.9%) were manufactured in Canada, representing $3 billion in sales.Of the 411 Canadian drug products, 79% (323) were generic, and 21% (88) were brand-name products, including 20 (4.9%) under patent protection. Also, drugs with final production in Canada result in a subset of the pharmaceuticals, which would be subject to tariffs."We estimate that $3 billion in US pharmaceuticals depend on Canadian manufacturing, with 25% tariffs adding $750 million in cost," the authors wrote. "Extending tariffs to larger suppliers (eg, China, India, Europe) could worsen the predicted effects, providing rationale for pharmaceuticals being exempt from tariffs to avoid increasing health care costs and worsening disruptions in US supply."Tadrous said the authors recommend that pharmaceuticals should be exempt from tariffs to prevent higher healthcare costs and worsening supply chain disruptions."Our work highlights that perhaps the U.S. should consider removing medications from its list of imports, in line with previous tariffs, to avoid disruptions to supply chains and potential shortages that may affect U.S. patients," he said.

Former Trump economic adviser calls tariffs a ‘sledgehammer’ -- President Trump’s former economic adviser Stephen Moore likened the administration’s newly announced tariffs to a “sledgehammer.” Moore joined CNN on Thursday, just a day after Trump announced a 10 percent general tariff on all imports to the U.S. and targeted tariffs on dozens of other countries around the world. “I’m not a big fan of tariffs to begin with. I am a big fan of Donald Trump, but I do think he is a master negotiator, and I think at the end of the day, he is going to negotiate lower tariffs around the world,” Moore said. “So, that’s something I think we can all applaud, but it is a bit of a sledgehammer here,” he added. Moore was highlighting the appeals various countries impacted by Trump’s tariffs may make to the U.S. in order to ease up on the trade restrictions. Strategists have warned that Trump will likely receive a number of calls from countries looking to be exempt from the tariffs. 'Proud' Benzema calls time on international career with France While the effects of the tariffs are only in the early stages, markets around the globe have dropped in response to the concern and uncertainty due to the new trade war. Under Trump’s new plan, China will face an effective tariff rate as high as 54 percent, the highest of any country. Still, Moore said he wished the president placed a higher tariff on the country. “I would have really liked to concentrate on two things. I think, first of all, China cheats and steals and is a real danger to the world economy. So, we should have really hit China first,” Moore said. “And then second of all, I do think that Trump’s idea of reciprocity with tariffs, especially big countries that we trade with, is the appropriate response,” he added, backing his former boss. Moore served as an economic adviser for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Leavitt: Trump tariffs won’t lead to ‘pain’ for American-owned businesses or US workers ---White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump’s tariffs won’t lead to “pain” for U.S. workers or American-owned businesses amid concern after “Liberation Day.” Leavitt joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” on Thursday morning, just a day after Trump announced a 10 percent general tariff on all imports to the U.S. and targeted tariffs on dozens of countries. The administration has sought to frame the tariffs as a way to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., but markets around the globe plunged Thursday in response to the concern over the trade war. “There’s not going to be any pain for American-owned companies and American workers, because their jobs are going to come back home, and again, as for prices, President Trump is working on tax cuts to put more money back into the pockets of Americans,” Leavitt said. Leavitt argued that 90,000 factories were closed across the country and that 5 million manufacturing jobs had gone overseas in the last 30 years. Trump and his team were looking to dispel concerns by arguing that the tariff agenda was going as planned, but the stock market Thursday recorded its worst day since 2020. “I just want to address that yesterday was a great day for our country, and President Trump delivered on a campaign promise that he made to the 80 million American voters who elected him to this highest office, a promise that many presidents before him, for decades, refused to deliver upon,” Leavitt said Thursday. Still, some Republicans have voiced concerns about the plan. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) noted that his constituents have already felt the impacts of Canada’s reciprocal tariffs, as companies have pulled Kentucky-distilled bourbon from Canadian shelves. The business community, lawmakers and economics were quick to criticize the tariffs. Critics say prices will rise for U.S. consumers and manufacturers as countries look to retaliate and handle a new era of trade. Leavitt argued that Trump’s tariffs are a “golden rule for the golden age” regarding prices and what the American people can expect economically. “They can expect price stability. They can expect to buy American,” she said. “It’s a patriotic thing to do, and, most importantly, they can expect their wages to go up.”

Pence on Trump tariffs: ‘Largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history’ --Former Vice President Mike Pence warned about the economic and political risks of the Trump administration’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs on other nations, calling them the “largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history.” Pence, who served alongside President Trump during his first term, posted on the social platform X following Wednesday’s announcement that the tariffs “are nearly 10x the size of those imposed during the Trump-Pence Administration and will cost American families over $3,500 per year.” The former vice president cited data from his advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, which made the case that tariffs and uncertainty around the economy contribute to layoffs. Pence’s advocacy group also noted that a recent YouGov/Yahoo poll found Trump’s approval rating on the economy was just 39 percent. “American families are still reeling from 20% Bidenflation. An equally large Trump Tariff Tax will hurt families and make them look elsewhere come the next election,” Advancing American Freedom stated in a memo on the tariffs. Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of severe tariffs against more than 100 countries has spurred fears of a global trade war and sent financial markets plummeting. Pence, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, has broken with Trump on matters of foreign policy and tariffs while supporting the president’s agenda in other areas. The former vice president is one of just a handful of prominent Republicans who have publicly criticized Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs and argued they are a departure from his more targeted use of the policy during his first term. Most in the party have backed Trump’s approach and argued any short-term economic pain will be worth it.

China Retaliates Against Trump’s Tariffs With 34% Duties On U.S. Goods -- China will impose an additional 34% import duty on all U.S. goods starting next week, in retaliation against President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a 34% “reciprocal tariff” on Chinese goods, state media announced on Friday. According to the state-controlled Xinhua News agency, the additional 34% tariff will go into effect on April 10 and affect all goods imported from the U.S. The new levies were announced by the Chinese State Council’s Tariff Commission, which said that the Trump administration’s tariff action “seriously undermines China's legitimate rights and interests.”The commission described the U.S. reciprocal tariffs as “typical unilateral bullying” and warned that the move also undermines America’s own interests and endangers global economic development.In a separate announcement, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it had filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization against the U.S. tariffs, to allow the global trade body’s ’s dispute settlement mechanism to settle the issue.Beijing said the latest round of Trump’s tariffs “seriously violate WTO rules” and damages the “legitimate rights and interests of WTO members,” and undermines the international economic and trade order. In addition to the tariffs, the commerce ministry also announced expanded export controls controls on certain rare earths to the U.S. with immediate effect. All three major futures indexes nosedived sharply after the Chinese announcement, with Dow Futures falling nearly 2.9% to 39,584 points. The benchmark S&P 500 dropped nearly 3% to 5,272.00 points in premarket trading early on Friday while tech-heavy Nasdaq futures were down 3.1% to 18,083.75 points. On Wednesday, Trump announced sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” against 180 other countries and territories, and said they were in response to levies and non-tariff barriers placed on U.S. goods. China was hit with a 34% “reciprocal tariffs” which the White House argues was a “discounted” response against what they claimed was 67% charged by China. The administration did not explain how it came up with the percentage, but reports suggestthe figure prices in the trade deficit that the U.S. has with the other country. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that this levy was on top of the previously announced 20% tariffs on all Chinese goods, bringing the total rate to 54%.

TikTok deal pulled after Trump tariff announcement, source says -- A finalized TikTok deal was pulled Thursday after President Trump announced massive new tariffs against China, a source familiar with the negotiations told The Hill. Trump was poised to sign an executive order approving a deal that would have seen TikTok’s U.S. operations spun off into a new company, allowing the popular social media app to continue operating in the U.S. in the face of a law requiring its China-based parent company ByteDance to divest from the app or face a ban. However, ByteDance representatives told the White House after Trump’s tariff announcement Wednesday that China would no longer approve the deal without negotiations on tariffs, according to the source. It had been expected that China would approve a proposed deal that had been in the works for months until the tariffs were announced by Trump on Thursday. The White House has not publicly commented on the apparent backing out. While speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Thursday, Trump used China and TikTok as an example of using tariffs to negotiate. “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say we’ll approve a deal but will you do something on the tariffs. The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have. I’ve used them very well in the first administration. Now we’re taking it to a whole new level,” Trump said.

Here's How Targeted Countries Reacted To Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs - Leaders and government officials around the world sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sweeping “reciprocal tariffs”—which the president claimed was a response to trade barriers placed on U.S. exports—and warned the escalating global trade war could have dire consequences on the global economy.

• French President Emmanuel Macron called on businesses in the European Union to pause their American investments in response to Trump’s tariff plan, multiple outlets reported, with Macron calling for “collective solidarity” and saying: “What message would we send by having major European players investing billions of euros in the American economy at a time when [the U.S.] are hitting us?”
• Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen also criticized Trump’s tariffs, telling NBC News on Thursday that Trump was wrong to start the trade war and he would be working on a “proportional” response, echoing his initial response on X on Wednesday afternoon, when he said there would be no winners in this and it was “beyond” him that the U.S. was starting a trade war.
• U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said early Thursday there would “clearly” be an economic impact from Trump’s actions and he will “fight for the best deal for Britain,” but “nobody wins in a trade war (and) that is not in our national interest.”
• China’s commerce ministry (MOFCOM) said it “firmly opposes” the tariffs and warned of “resolute countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests,” without offering specifics.
• Beijing, whose exports to the U.S. now face a 54% tariff, described the levies as “unilateral bullying” and warned there will be “no winner in a trade war.”
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the “global economy will massively suffer” due to these tariffs, and the “consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.”The EU leader said the bloc was prepared to negotiate with Washington, while also “preparing for further countermeasures, to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.”
• Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck attacked the U.S. president in a press conference on Thursday and said “Trump will buckle under pressure” if the European nations band together and fight back.
• South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo told cabinet colleagues that “a global trade war has become a reality,” while Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba urged Washington to roll back the measures against his country and questioned if the levies were “consistent with WTO rules and the Japan-U.S. trade agreement.”
• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the measures will “directly affect millions of Canadians,” as he vowed to fight back with countermeasures, saying: “It’s essential to act with purpose and with force, and that's what we will do.”

While several countries have threatened countermeasures in response to the tariffs, some others, like Australia, the U.K. and Mexico, have been more circumspect in their response. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is running for reelection next month, said the 10% tariff on exports from his country was “not the act of a friend,” but he ruled out any countermeasures. The Australian leader instead outlined a plan to financially support the industries and sectors affected by Trump’s tariffs. The U.K. prime minister reportedly expressed relief that his country got hit with only a 10% tariff rate, which is half of the 20% levied on the European Union. On Thursday, the British leader told business officials in the country that his government will respond to the tariffs with “cool and calm heads,” with other government officials ruling out any countermeasures. Before Trump’s announcement, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government would not go “tit-for-tat on tariffs,” but is working on a plan to strengthen its economy. After the White House imposed a 46% tariff on exports from Vietnam, the country’s government in a statement urged the U.S. to consider Vietnam’s status as a developing country overcoming “severe and prolonged war consequences.” Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter in astatement on X underscored the importance of international law and said Switzerland would quickly determine its next steps. India’s government vowed for a trade deal this year and said it's studying the impact of the 27% tariff levied on the country. Taiwan denounced its 32% rate as “deeply unreasonable.” Despite the two countries leaders commenting on the matter, both Canada and Mexico were missing from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs list. However, the two North American neighbors are not being left unscathed as the president had hit them with 25% tariffs earlier and the White House confirmed that this levy will remain in place. Another country missing from the list was Russia, however, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that existing sanctions against Moscow “preclude any meaningful trade,” with the country. Speaking from the White House’s Rose Garden in an event titled “Make America Wealthy Again,” on Wednesday, Trumpannounced “reciprocal tariffs” against more than 180 countries. The president argued that the levies were a necessity to counter tariffs and trade barriers placed on U.S. exports by these countries. The president claimed that the tariffs are a “discounted rate” compared to what the targeted countries were charging for U.S. goods, although he did not clarify how exactly he was calculating a country’s tariff rate. Reports suggest, the White House was pricing in the trade deficit these countries have with the U.S. to determine their “tariff” rates. The minimum tariff rate for countries on the list is 10%. 34%. That is the reciprocal tariff amount levied against China and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that this levy was on top of the previously announced 20% tariffs on all Chinese goods—bringing the total rate to 54%. Exports from Vietnam, India, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea will face tariff rates of 46%, 26%, 32%, 24% and 25%, respectively.

Judge blocks imports of some Chilean sea bass from Antarctica in fishing feud at bottom of the world -(AP) — A federal judge in Florida has blocked the imports of a high-priced fish from protected waters near Antarctica, siding with U.S. regulators who argued they were required to block imports amid a diplomatic feud triggered by Russia’s obstruction of longstanding conservation efforts at the bottom of the world. Judge David Leibowitz, in a ruling Monday, dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2022 by Texas-based Southern Cross Seafoods that alleged it had suffered undue economic harm by what it argued was the U.S. government’s arbitrary decision to bar imports of Chilean sea bass. The case, closely watched by conservation groups and the fishing industry, stems from Russia’s rejection of catch limits for marine life near the South Pole. Every year for four decades, 26 governments banded together in the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, or CCAMLR, to set catch limits for Patagonia toothfish, as Chilean sea bass is also known, based on the recommendations of a committee of international scientists. But in 2021, and ever since, Russian representatives to the treaty organization have refused to sign off on the catch limits in what many see as a part of a broader push by President Vladimir Putin’s government to stymie international cooperation on a range of issues. Russia’s refusal was an effective veto because the commission works by consensus, meaning any single government can hold up action. The U.K.’s response to Russia’s gambit was to unilaterally set its own catch limit for Chilean sea bass — lower than the never-adopted recommendation of the scientific commission — and issue its own licenses to fish off the coast of South Georgia, an uninhabited island it controls in the South Atlantic. That drew fire from environmentalists as well as U.S. officials, who fear it could encourage even worse abuse, undermining international fisheries management.

Germany Reconsiders Storing Gold in the United States - For decades, the idea that Germany’s gold reserves - some of the largest in the world - might not be safe in the vaults of the New York Federal Reserve would have seemed like the stuff of conspiracy theories. But as the political landscape shifts in Washington - and questions have been raised as to what's actually in US vaults, some German lawmakers are beginning to wonder aloud: Is their gold still secure? Germany holds the second-largest hoard of gold on the planet, surpassed only by the United States itself. Roughly 37 percent of that treasure - some 1,236 metric tons, currently valued at around €113 billion - supposedly lies deep beneath the streets of Manhattan, stored with America’s central bank. For decades, the arrangement was seen as a prudent hedge, offering Germany immediate access to dollar liquidity in the event of a crisis. Now, some in Berlin are rethinking that assumption. "Of course, the question now arises again," Marco Wanderwitz, an outgoing lawmaker from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told the German tabloid Bild (owned by POLITICO parent company Axel Springer) last week. Wanderwitz has long harbored doubts about the wisdom of keeping such a significant portion of the country’s wealth abroad. In 2012, he made an unsuccessful push to personally inspect the gold, urging the Bundesbank to act more transparently - or bring the bullion home. Fellow CDU member Markus Ferber, a member of the European Parliament, echoed those sentiments, calling for more rigorous oversight. “Official representatives of the Bundesbank must personally count the bars and document their results,” Ferber told the outlet. These calls come at a time of deepening skepticism toward the institutions that once underpinned Germany’s postwar confidence. The recent decision to discard the so-called “debt brake,” a long-sacrosanct cap on public borrowing, signaled a willingness to rethink long-standing fiscal orthodoxy. The logic behind storing Germany’s gold in New York, once assumed to be self-evident, is now coming under similar scrutiny. Adding to the speculation is Elon Musk and DOGE, who have questioned the authenticity of stated U.S. gold holdings - recently calling for a formal audit of America’s reserves. For the Deutsche Bundesbank, which oversees the management of Germany’s reserves, any suggestion of instability is unwelcome. The central bank has maintained a quiet and resolute stance, rebuffing insinuations of risk. “We have a trustworthy and reliable partner in the Fed in New York for the storage of our gold holdings,” Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said at a press conference in February, a line the bank reiterated when asked for comment on Friday. “It does not keep me awake at night. I have complete confidence in our colleagues at the American central bank.” Famous last words...

European countries resist US push to scrap diversity and inclusion initiatives (AP) — U.S. government efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives are not going down well on the European continent. Laurent Saint-Martin, France’s minister for foreign trade, said the country won’t compromise after the U.S. State Department demanded French companies drop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In neighboring Belgium, where some companies reportedly received similar requests, the government lashed out at perceived U.S. pressure. French media reported last week that major French companies received a letter saying President Donald Trump’s rollback of DEI initiatives also could apply outside of the U.S. Saint-Martin spoke to RTL Radio on Monday following reports that U.S. diplomats are interfering in the operations of French companies and said French authorities will seek explanations from their U.S. counterparts about the letter. The reported demands included abandoning inclusion policies that are part of French and European Union laws such as equality between men and women, the fight against discrimination and racism or the promotion of diversity to help people with disabilities, he said. “All of this is progress that corresponds first and foremost to our French values, we are proud of this and we don’t want to compromise on it,” Saint-Martin said. “We can’t just cancel the application of our own laws overnight.” French media said the letter was signed by an officer of the U.S. State Department who is on the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. The embassy didn’t respond to questions from The Associated Press. Le Figaro daily newspaper published what it said was a copy of the letter. The document said an executive order that Trump signed in January terminating DEI programs within the federal government also “applies to all suppliers and service providers of the U.S. Government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate.” The document asked recipients to complete, sign and return within five days a separate certification form to demonstrate that they are in compliance. Saint-Martin said he was “deeply shocked” but insisted on the need to have a “positive agenda” and maintain a dialogue with the U.S. In Belgium, Finance Minister Jan Jambon said Europeans have a “culture of “non-discrimination” that must be continued. “We have no lessons to learn from the boss of America,” he told channel RTL-TVi. In a joint statement quoted by local media, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and Equal Opportunities Minister Rob Beenders regretted the “step backward” taken by the U.S. “Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but the foundations of a strong and dynamic society,” they said. “They strengthen our economy, foster innovation and allow talent to flourish.” In Spain, Barcelona’s mayor said last week that his municipal government will defy Trump’s attack on DEI initiatives that have included a cultural program hosted by the city.

FCC Chair threatens ABC's broadcast license over Disney DEI policies - Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr suggested in an interview Monday that ABC’s broadcast license could be at risk as the federal regulatory agency probes Disney, ABC’s parent company, over its alleged efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) through its hiring practices. “If the evidence does in fact play out and shows that they were engaged in race- and gender-based discrimination, that’s a very serious issue at the FCC, that could fundamentally go to their character qualifications to even hold a license,” Carr said in an interview on Fox News’s “The Story” with Jacqui Heinrich on Monday. “But we’re going to follow the facts wherever they go,” he added. Carr announced Friday that he is opening an investigation into Disney over potential violations of the FCC’s equal employment opportunity (EEO) regulations through the company’s DEI policies. Carr said the probe is “about the hiring practices and their employment practices,” noting ABC “can’t make hiring decisions based on protected characteristics, including gender and race,” under FCC EEO regulations. “The evidence we have so far indicates potentially that Disney and ABC were making employment decisions based on race and gender, including having effectively race-defined affinity groups within the company. We have evidence that they put quotas in place based on specific demographics,” Carr said in the Monday interview.

Trump administration deports 17 more ‘violent criminals’ to El Salvador (AP) — The Trump administration said Monday that it has deported 17 more “violent criminals” from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs to El Salvador, as it doubles down on a policy of removing people from the U.S. to countries other than their own despite criticism over lack of transparency and human rights issues. The State Department said the immigrants were removed Sunday night. The statement said murderers and rapists were among them but didn’t give details of the nationalities or alleged crimes of those removed. The office of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, however, said Salvadorans and Venezuelans were among the prisoners. “These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the statement. “Once again, we extend our gratitude to President Bukele and the government of El Salvador for their unparalleled partnership.” Advertisement The men were flown to El Salvador by the U.S. military, the State Department said. As seen in video from the Salvadoran government, they were transported by bus to El Salvador’s maximum security prison, changed into the prison’s standard white T-shirts and shorts and had their heads shaven. They were walked by guards into a cell block, the video shows, and some were made to kneel upon the floor with their wrists cuffed behind their backs and ankles shackled. Guards put one or both hands on the men’s necks and forced them to walk quickly while bent at the waist and shackled with their heads down. Some men in the video grunted from the exertion, and one appeared to vomit on the floor while listening to instructions. More than 200 Venezuelan immigrants facing deportation were sent to El Salvador earlier this month and are also being held in the maximum security prison. President Donald Trump’s administration also has deported immigrants of various nationalities to other countries in Central America. But El Salvador is the only country where the U.S. is sending people so they can be imprisoned there.

Joe Rogan: 'Horrific' that innocent people could be deported to El Salvador - Podcaster Joe Rogan said it’s “horrific” that innocent people could be getting swept up in the Trump administration’s effort to deport gang members and send them to El Salvador’s notoriously dangerous mega-prison. Rogan, in a podcast released Saturday, praised President Trump for lowering the number of illegal migrant crossings at the U.S. southern border, but he expressed concern that the Trump administration’s policy of deporting people it claims to be affiliated with gangs could be targeting non-criminals. “The thing is, like, you got to get scared that people who are not criminals are getting, like, lassoed up and deported and sent to, like, El Salvador prisons,” the popular podcaster said. Rogan pointed to recent reporting about several people not affiliated with gangs getting sent to the mega-prison because they had tattoos and were not given the chance to defend themselves before a judge. He mentioned specifically an example of the “gay barber.” “It’s horrific. It’s horrific,” said Rogan, who landed an interview with Trump during last year’s presidential race seen as important in the Republican nominee’s efforts to win over young male voters. Rogan agreed with his podcast guest, political commentator Konstantin Kisin, who said, “a human being, being plucked out of nowhere and ending up in a country he’s never been in, in a maximum-security prison with gang members, seems like a bad thing to happen.”

Most Americans oppose deporting migrants to El Salvador without due process: Survey - A majority of Americans oppose deporting migrants who have not been convicted to El Salvador without due process, according to a new survey, as the Trump administration defends its deportation efforts amid broad scrutiny.Six in 10 respondents in a YouGov survey released Wednesday said they did not support “deporting immigrants without criminal convictions to El Salvador to be imprisoned, without letting them challenge the deportation in court.” That included 46 percent who “strongly” opposed such deportations.Meanwhile, 26 percent of respondents said they were in favor of such deportations, and another 13 percent were unsure.The Trump administration has recently used the Alien Enemies Act and immigration authorities to send hundreds of migrants it has alleged are gang members to a Salvadoran prison.But critics have called for outside oversight, with civil liberty advocates warning the administration is rushing to deport individuals without offering full evidence to support allegations of gang affiliation.The Trump administration on Monday acknowledged in a filing in court that it accidentally deported someone protected from removal, sending the man to the Salvadoran prison where they said they could not secure his return. “Although ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador because of an administrative error,” the Justice Department said in the court filing, using an abbreviation for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

House Republicans single out NPR and PBS in anticommunist witch-hunt - On Wednesday, House Republicans organized an anticommunist provocation against the public news media in a hearing titled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable.” The meeting was led by the chairperson of the new “House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency,” fascist Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was elevated to lead the subcommittee in January. Greene only began receiving subcommittee assignments in 2023 after being shut out during her previous term. She took over the new position thanks to her slavish loyalty to the Trump administration’s wrecking operation of social programs and those government agencies not related to the military or the suppression of the population. The hearing, an insult to the public’s intelligence, summoned executives of both National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to be subjected to far-right lies and conspiracy theories. Opening the hearing, Greene made numerous ridiculous claims, arguing that “NPR and PBS have increasingly become radical, Left-wing echo chambers” pushing “the most radical Left positions.” Greene falsely claimed PBS invited a “drag queen” onto a show targeting children and accused the broadcaster of being “one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry” and both of “sexualizing and grooming children” in their media content. She defended the honor of right-wing billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk by accusing PBS of blowing the latter’s infamous “Sieg Heil” Nazi salute out of proportion and “not once” reporting “on the numerous accounts of Democrats making the same gesture.” Grilling NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, other Republicans sought to administer political loyalty tests among newsroom staff as a basis for the stations receiving government funding. Ohio Republican Jim Jordan claimed the Washington D.C. area’s NPR editorial staff consisted of “87 registered Democrats, 0 Republicans,” as he prodded Maher. She replied that her company does not “track voter registration” of its news staff. Rep. Tim Burchett (Republican-Tennessee) asked Maher about tweets written before she joined the public broadcaster in which she termed Donald Trump a fascist and a racist. Maher responded with the spinelessness that largely animates the PBS and NPR boardrooms. “I regret those tweets,” she said. “I would not tweet them again today. They represented a time where I was reflecting on something that I believe that the President had said rather than who he is. I don’t presume that anyone is a racist.” NPR and PBS are private, non-profit media organizations. NPR’s funding comes from dues and fees paid by member stations, support from corporate sponsors and yearly grants from the publicly funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting. PBS receives support from a variety of sources, including the CPB, member station dues, pledge drives, donations from private foundations and individuals and corporate sponsorships. In the case of NPR, less than 1 percent of its funds are directly obtained from the federal government, while PBS receives 15 percent of its funding through similar means. The two organizations are thoroughly establishment in their views, with management terrified above all of being accused of radicalism. It is an indication of the intensely degraded, crisis-ridden state of American political life that these two respectable institutions are now accused of “leftism” and “communism.” The CPB was founded in 1967, part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” program during the last significant period of American social reformism. The stated purpose of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 was to “encourage the growth and development of public radio and television broadcasting, including the use of such media for instructional, educational, and cultural purposes.” The funding it provides to broadcasters often flows to stations serving local populations who would not receive dedicated media reporting otherwise. On Wednesday, Greene made no secret of the fact that she intended to cut funding to the CPB, calling it “communist,” along with NPR and PBS. The attack on the public news media is part of the Trump administration’s attempt to destroy all barriers to the financial oligarchy’s ability to extort and exploit in pursuit of maximizing profits. This includes ideological barriers. Any semi-objective analysis or criticism of the oligarchy’s criminal activities at home or abroad, past or present, is considered a criminal and dangerous activity by reactionary imbeciles like Greene and company. The Trump administration has also attempted, with considerable success, to intimidate the for-profit news corporations. Trump has removed the ability of “liberal” news outlets to attend White House briefings, replacing them with more right-wing alternatives. Various outlets, seeking to appease the would-be Fuhrer, have themselves engaged in their own suppression of criticism of the new administration. The five Democratic Party members of the subcommittee offered no serious opposition to the witch-hunting operation on Wednesday. They sought to mock the proceeding, even as the Trump administration has shown its intentions to be deadly serious. Moreover, even here the Democrats could not pass up the possibility of attacking Trump and his gang of fascists from the right.

Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Firing Federal Employees On Probation In 19 States -A federal judge on April 1 indefinitely blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from quickly firing thousands of probationary federal workers in 19 states and Washington, narrowing a nationwide order issued last month. Protesters hold signs at a rally in support of federal workers at the Office of Personnel Management in Washington, on March 4, 2025. Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore, Maryland, had already ruled on March 13 that the administration should have provided advance notice when it terminated at least 11,000 workers without notifying states and local governments in advance. The judge had ordered the administration to reinstate the fired workers at 18 agencies by March 17. Bredar’s latest decision replaces that order but also covers two additional agencies: the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management. In handing down his decision, the judge said that the federal government may “terminate probationary employees en masse (i.e., dismiss them via a reduction in force, or ‘RIF’)” but that when it does, it “must follow certain laws and regulations.” “Recently, government agencies executed a series of mass terminations, but when they did so, on the record before the Court, they failed to follow mandatory RIF procedures,” the judge wrote. Bredar found the Trump administration “probably broke the laws that regulate en masse terminations of government employees, and this to the continuing and irreparable harm of the Plaintiff States.” He noted, however, that his order only applies to employees who either live or work in the mostly Democratic-led states that, along with Washington, D.C., sued over the mass firings. Bredar’s ruling covers workers at the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. Additionally, terminated probationary workers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, General Services Administration, Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development are covered by the orders, along with those from the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management. The employees covered by the order must work in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, or Washington, D.C.

Senate Republicans urge Trump, allies to stop threatening courts -- Republican senators are warning that any efforts to impeach James Boasberg, the federal judge who ruled against President Trump’s deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members and is now handling a lawsuit related to senior Trump officials’ use of Signal, would be dead on arrival in the Senate. Senior Senate Republicans also say they will oppose any effort by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to defund federal courts that rule against Trump’s agenda, sending a message that they want to de-escalate Trump’s war against the federal judiciary. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) introduced an article of impeachment against Boasberg earlier this month, citing “abuse of power.” It already has 22 co-sponsors. Johnson separately has floated the idea of simply eliminating courts that rule against Trump. The Senate voted 96-0 to confirm Boasberg to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in March 2011, with yes votes coming from Republicans still in the chamber today such as Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), John Cornyn (Texas), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.). And while the Senate has become more partisan over the past 14 years, many Republican view themselves as the stewards of the federal judiciary and are not fond of Trump’s escalating war of words with the third branch, which in some cases have been echoed enthusiastically by Trump’s House allies. Trump called for Boasberg to be impeached after the judge ruled he could not invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport more than 200 people, including alleged gang members, without a hearing. That earned a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts, who noted that “for more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial opinion.” The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to overturn Boasberg’s order. Senate Republicans are pleading with Trump and his allies to cool it with the courts. “We’re not even 100 days in [to the new administration]. We just can’t be impeaching every judge that we don’t like their decisions on,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said. “The threats about going after judges and then going after attorneys who are going to file lawsuits — and not only forward but going back eight years to see who’s done what” doesn’t make sense, she added. Cornyn, the former Senate GOP whip and a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said the prospect of removing Boasberg or any other federal judge from the bench because Trump and his allies disagree with their rulings is a fantasy. “It’s not going to happen,” he said. “The numbers aren’t there.”

Boasberg floats contempt hearings on deportation flights, suspects ‘bad faith’ actions from Trump admin -- U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg hinted at possible contempt proceedings as he grilled a government lawyer Thursday about whether the Trump administration violated his court order by failing to turn around planes carrying migrants to a Salvadoran prison. Boasberg made no decisions following a court hearing even as he otherwise pushed the administration to detail its timeline and decisionmaking as it loaded more than 200 migrants onto a plane amid a court battle to block the deportations. He pushed back when a Justice Department attorney said the administration followed the law and his orders. “It seems to me there’s a fair likelihood that that is not correct, in fact that the government acted in bad faith throughout that day. If you really believed everything you did that day was legal and could survive a court challenge, I can’t believe you ever would have operated the way you did,” Boasberg said. He dove into the timeline of the Trump administration’s actions, from signing an order igniting the Alien Enemies Act on Friday, March 14, but not publicizing it until the next day to preparations for flights even as Boasberg scheduled a hearing. The law allows the government to swiftly deport citizens of an enemy nation. President Trump has maintained the Tren de Aragua gang is acting at the behest of the Venezuelan government, using the war powers to deport Venezuelans. It’s the only time the law has been used to address gang activity. Boasberg noted that he barred the Trump administration from deporting five of the men at 9:40 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, and scheduled hearings for later that day. “Why when you knew that I was having a hearing … why wouldn’t the prudent thing be to say, ‘Let’s slow down here. Let’s see what the judge says. He’s already enjoined the removal of five people, it’s certainly in the realm of possibility that he would enjoin further removal. Let’s see what he says,’” Boasberg asked. In dispute is whether the government violated an oral order from Boasberg given around 6:45 p.m. that day to halt or turn around any flights carrying migrants. The White House has sought to sidestep that question, saying it complied with a 7:27 p.m. written order. In court, however, they have declined to provide Boasberg with flight details and have asserted the ability to do so under the state secrets privilege. Boasberg on Thursday raised the specter that the administration’s delay in publicizing the proclamation could have been “trying to put measures in place to get people subject to the proclamation removed from the country before it’s possible to challenge” their deportation and before it could be blocked by a court.

Top vaccine official at FDA resigns citing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 'misinformation' A top vaccine official at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) resigned, citing Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “misinformation” and apparent lack of desire for “truth and transparency.” Dr. Peter Marks, who has led the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), stepped down on Friday after earlier in the day he was given a choice to either resign or be terminated, according to multiple outlets.. The Wall Street Journal first reported his resignation. Marks said that he was “willing” to work to address Kennedy’s “concerns” about vaccine transparency and safety. “However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” Marks wrote in his Friday resignation letter that was addressed to acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner. The Hill has reached out to the FDA for comment. Marks has been at the FDA since 2012. In 2016, he became the director of CBER, the center responsible for the safety of “vaccines, allergenic products, blood and blood products, and cellular, tissue and gene therapies.” Marks, who got his graduate degree in cell and molecular biology, and medical degree at New York University, was instrumental in helping authorize the first vaccines against COVID-19 and played a major role in kickstarting Operation Warp Speed during President Trump’s first term.

Ouster of top FDA vaccine official prompts concern from lawmakers, scientists - A Washington Post report on March 28 that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) forced the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) top vaccine official—Peter Marks, MD—to resign or be fired quickly caught the attention of some lawmakers, along with members of the scientific and business communities. Marks submitted his resignation letter, with an effective date of April 5. The development comes amid a major change in focus under the leadership of new HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine skeptic, which the agency spelled outin a March 27 announcement. Marks is a hematologist oncologist who has led the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) since 2016 after serving as its deputy director since 2012. He has widely been credited as playing a key role in Operation Warp Speed, a partnership between the federal government and the private sector that streamlined the development, production, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine. In his resignation letter, published by the Post and other media outlets, Marks raised concerns about efforts to undermine confidence in vaccines, especially against the backdrop of a multistate measles outbreak that is especially severe in Texas. Marks said he was willing to work with Kennedy to address his concerns over vaccine safety and transparency. Kennedy has minimized the outbreak and has suggested alternative treatments, including vitamin A, which some hospital officials said has been linked to cases of liver problems. "However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies," Marks wrote. In a statement to CBS News, HHS said if Marks doesn't want to get behind restoring science to its golden standard and promoting radical transparency, he has no place at the FDA under Kennedy's leadership. HHS's recent appointment of a vaccine critic to lead a new study on the purported link between vaccines and autism has raised questions about the agency's scientific standard under Kennedy. Numerous studies have shown no link between childhood vaccines and autism. Although Kennedy has pledged radical transparency, HHS recently sidelined its vaccine advisory committee, an independent group of scientists, which has regularly live-streamed its meetings and posted all documents for the public to review in advance. Instead, HHS convened its own panel of federal experts that made recommendations for the strains to include in the 2025-26 flu vaccines in a nonpublic meeting and posted the presentations afterwards. The HHS committee also excluded presentations from vaccine manufacturers. The day after news broke of Marks' departure, some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle weighed concerns about the new development. Sen Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), cast the tiebreaking vote that advanced Kennedy's HHS nomination to a full Senate vote in early February, after getting specific promises from Kennedy. On X, Cassidy thanked Marks for his service and said his departure was a loss to the FDA. "Commissioner Makary and Secretary Kennedy should replace him with someone of similar stature and credibility amongst the scientific community, who will lead without bias," Cassidy wrote. On the same day, Rep Gerald Connolly, (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced that he sent a letter to Kennedy demanding the immediate resumption of the agency's core function to make recommended vaccine available, following what he said was the shocking resignation of the FDA's top vaccine official. Connolly also raised concerns about HHS canceling vaccine advisory committee planning and grants for life-saving vaccine research. He said the administration’s attacks on vaccine availability and research come alongside broader attacks on science and a worsening measles outbreak that has already killed one person and is suspected in the death of another. He also called out Kennedy's persistent push of widely debunked vaccine claims and spread of misinformation, including an assertion that children of certain races and ethnicities don't need to be vaccinated against a range of diseases.Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said on X that Operation Warp Speed was one of the best examples that "America can still do hard things…. Its chief scientific architect was Peter Marks." Jha served as White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator in the Biden Administration.In a separate post, he said Marks' ouster dramatically weakens the FDA and makes it less effective.Today Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, DC, said about 1,900 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, speaking individually, have released a letter to the American public to sound a clear warning that the nation's scientific enterprise is being decimated. In a statement, Public Citizen said the warning comes at a critical time with Marks' ouster and Kennedy continuing to consolidate his control over HHS and advance an agenda "full of misinformation and lies."Meanwhile, the leader of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), an advocacy group that represents the biotechnology industry, on March 29 issued a statement on Marks' resignation.John Crowley, JD, BIO president and chief executive officer, said that, under Marks' leadership, the FDA has shepherded in a new era of breakthroughs, from new vaccines to cell and gene therapy cures that have saved lives. "The U.S. has long been recognized as the world leader in medical and scientific innovation and regulation, grounded in transparency and scientific rigor," he said. "We are deeply concerned that the loss of experienced leadership at the FDA will erode scientific standards and broadly impact the development of new, transformative therapies to fight diseases for the American people."

HHS begins layoffs, reassignments, including NIAID director -Today hundreds of employees at the US Department of Health and Human Services Health (HHS) received emails firing them from their jobs and thanking them for their service as part of HHS planned restructuring that was announced last week by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.The restructuring seeks to eliminate at least 10,000 positions, and the Washington Post reported today that top leaders at both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Indian Health Services (HIS) were out on leave or offered reassignment. Among those offered reassignment is Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, who was serving as the replacement to Anthony Fauci, MD, as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is the NIH's second largest institute.According to an email to Marrazzo obtained by the Post, the letter stated, "The Department of Health and Human Services proposes to reassign you as part of a broader effort to strengthen the Department and more effectively promote the health of the American people."According to Science, at least five directors of NIH's 27 institutes and centers have been told they are being reassigned. "It's chaos—absolute chaos," said one NIH senior scientist about the 1,200 NIH firings. Some staff learned of their firings only when their employee cards would not allow them building access. The head of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) tobacco center, Brian King, PhD, MPH, also said he was placed on leave and offered work at a remote IHS field office. The FDA is expected to lose 3,500 workers in the coming weeks, with some staffers reporting that they arrived at FDA offices today in White Oak, Maryland, and found their badges did not work. Former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, said on LinkedIn, "The FDA as we've known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed. I believe that history will see this a huge mistake." In videotaped remarks last week, Kennedy said the HHS cuts would save US taxpayers $1.8 billion annually, and reducing staff from 82,000 to 62,000 would streamline the agency and eliminate government bloat. Kennedy said most of the jobs cut would be administrative.Senator Bill Cassidy, (R-LA) chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee (HELP) and ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote to Kennedy today asking him to testify about the HHS restructuring on April 10. "We are following up on the commitment you made during the confirmation process that as Secretary you would come before the HELP Committee on a quarterly basis, upon request of the Chair," the letter reads. "The hearing will discuss your proposed reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services."

Cuts to Science Research Funding Cut American Lives Short − Federal Support Is Essential for Medical Breakthroughs Nearly every modern medical treatment can be traced to research funded by the National Institutes of Health: from over-the-counter and prescription medications that treat high cholesterol and pain to protection from infectious diseases such as polio and smallpox.The remarkable successes of the decades-old partnership between biomedical research institutions and the federal government are so intertwined with daily life that it’s easy to take them for granted.However, the scientific work driving these medical advances and breakthroughsis in jeopardy. Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation are terminating hundreds of active research grants under the current administration’s direction. The administration has also proposed a dramatic reduction in federal support of the critical infrastructurethat keeps labs open and running. Numerous scientists and health professionals have noted that changes will have far-reaching, harmful outcomes for the health and well-being of the American people.The negative consequences of defunding U.S. biomedical research can bedifficult to recognize. Most breakthroughs, from the basic science discoveries that reveal the causes of diseases to the development of effective treatments and cures, can take years. Real-time progress can be hard to measure.As biomedical researchers studying infectious diseases, viruses and immunology, we and our colleagues see this firsthand in our own work. Thousands of ongoing national and international projects dedicated to uncovering the causes of life-threatening diseases and developing new treatments to improve and save lives are supported by federal agencies such as the NIH and NSF. .The National Cancer Institute of the NIH is the world’s largest funder of cancer research. This investment has led to advances in cancer treatment and prevention that helped reduce the overall U.S. cancer death rate by 33% from 1991 to 2021. Basic science research on what causes cancer has led to new strategies toharness a patient’s own immune system to eliminate tumors. For example, all 12 patients in a 2022 clinical trial testing one type of immunotherapy had theirrectal cancer completely disappear, without remission or adverse effects. Defunding biomedical research will result in a cascade of effects. There will likely be fewer clinical trials, fewer new treatments and fewer lifesaving drugs. Labs will likely shut down, jobs will be lost, and the process of discovery will stall. The U.S.’s health care system, economy and standing as the world’s leader in scientific innovation will likely decline.Moreover, when the pipelines of scientific progress are turned off, they will not so easily be turned back on. These consequences will affect all Americans and the rest of the world for decades.University shortfalls directly resulting from cuts to research support will dramatically reduce the capacity of American institutions to educate and provide opportunities for the next generation. Funding cuts have led to the shuttering or heavy reduction of training programs for future scientists.Graduate students and postdoctoral trainees are the lifeblood of biomedical research. Supporting these young people committed to public service through research and health care is also an investment in medical advancements and public health. But the uncertainty and instability resulting from the divestment of federally funded programs will likely severely deplete the biomedical workforce, crippling the United States’ ability to deliver future biomedical breakthroughs.By cutting biomedical research funding, Americans and the rest of the world stand to lose new cures, new treatments and an entire generation of researchers.

HHS fires entire staff of program that helps low-income people afford heat and air conditioning -- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has fired all of the workers in its program that seeks to help low-income Americans pay their energy bills. Everyone who had been working on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was let go on Tuesday, according to now-former employee Andrew Germain. “Every single federal staff member that worked on LIHEAP was let go, so there are no federal staff members left to work on the program,” Germain told The Hill. He said that prior to both probationary cuts and the latest round of firings, there had been about 15 people working on LIHEAP. The program doles out funds to states, which in turn use the money to help people pay to heat and cool their homes and prevent utilities from shutting off the air or heat. According to Germain, all of the staff who worked on Social Services Block Grants, which help states and territories pay for social services that protect people, including children, from neglect and abuse, were also let go. The firings come as HHS fired thousands of people as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut staffing for federal agencies. A press release from the agency said that HHS was letting go of 10,000 people on top of another 10,000 staffers who were lost to prior efforts to reduce jobs. “We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a written statement. “This Department will do more — a lot more — at a lower cost to the taxpayer.” Germain said that of the currently appropriated funds, 90 percent had already left the agency, but the remaining 10 percent — about $400 million — had yet to be allocated. “With no staff there to run the formula, no staff there to administer the award, I don’t know how that money will go out,” he said. LIHEAP supporters raised concerns about the potential holdup of funding that Congress allocated to assist low-income Americans — especially with summer heat approaching. “The question becomes, ‘If there’s no program staff, do you still allocate the funds to the states?’ Or do you say, ‘Well, sorry, there’s no program staff. I guess we can’t give you the money,’” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. “If that’s not the intent, then you’re causing havoc to a program that helps over 6 million very poor families heat and cool their homes. There’s no precedent for this.” “My fear is that quietly in their homes, grandmothers will die this summer,” said Katrina Metzler, executive director of the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition.

Experts concerned as NIH axes critical vaccine study funds - Hundreds of U.S. research projects aimed at boosting vaccine confidence have been shut down—just as preventable diseases like measles and flu are on the rise.Since Jan. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has canceled more than 1,600 research grants.Around 300 of those were for vaccine-related projects, making it one of the biggest areas affected by the cuts.In a viewpoint published Monday in the medical journal JAMA, three pediatricians warn the cuts could have dangerous consequences."The lives of individuals in the U.S. are at stake," Dr. Douglas Opel, Dr. Sean O'Leary and Dr. Melissa Stockwell wrote.Opel, a pediatrician at the University of Washington, had been studying ways to buildvaccine confidence in Native American and Alaska Native communities, according to CNN. But, the viewpoint noted that a letter from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) stated: "It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focuses gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment."Opel told CNN: "This was a broad swath of work that was terminated, all focused on trying to understand the needs of individuals and communities regarding vaccines."Stockwell, chief of child and adolescent health at Columbia University, was leading a study on using text messages to increase flu and COVID vaccine rates in kids. Her team had already spent nearly $1 million setting up the project.Now, Stockwell said, they won't be able to see the results. "What made it particularly devastating was that it wasn't only my grant, but it was this community of researchers across the country … It was all happening to us simultaneously," she added. The researchers say the timing couldn't be worse.One recent study published in the journal Vaccine found that 1 in 5 U.S. parents are hesitant about vaccines. Meanwhile, cases of measles, flu and whooping cough are on the rise. "It really makes no logical sense," O'Leary, a pediatrician at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, told CNN. "We think of measles as the canary in the coal mine of vaccine-preventable diseases, because it's so contagious that it's the first one when you see immunization coverage in general drop. It's the first one you're going to see pop up." A growing measles outbreak is causing concern. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently wrote that parents should talk to their doctors about the MMR vaccine. He didn't recommend it but acknowledged it can help protect both individuals and communities, CNN reported.The grant termination letters said that the "NIH is obligated to carefully steward grant awards to ensure taxpayer dollars are used in ways that benefit the American people."Every dollar spent on childhood vaccines saves about $10 in future health costs, according to the group Vaccinate Your Family, which was co-founded by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.For the NIH to no longer be supporting them is chilling, Opel said. "It's just absolutely unequivocal how important and beneficial vaccines are to the American public."

ACLU sues Trump administration over NIH grant cancellations -- A coalition of health researchers, unions and other stakeholders filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the abrupt cancellation of billions of dollars in research grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as unconstitutional. The coalition, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argues the administration’s “ongoing ideological purge of hundreds of critical research projects” violates federal law and asks a court to stop the cancellations and order the funding restored. The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts district court, said there was no “scientifically-valid explanation or cause” for the NIH to cancel the research projects. The NIH attempted to justify the first wave of its sweeping grant cancellations by citing connections to “gender identity” or “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), without defining these terms or explaining how they apply to the terminated research. The agency “has not highlighted any genuine concerns with the rigor of projects or any underlying data; in a matter of weeks it has just declared them all ‘unscientific,’” the lawsuit stated. As a result, “scientific advancement will be delayed, treatments will go undiscovered, human health will be compromised, and lives will be lost,” the lawsuit said. The lawsuit was filed against the NIH and its director, Jay Bhattacharya, as well as the Department of Human and Health Services and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “The NIH’s efforts to shut down research that so much as references LGBTQ people or racial minorities is a direct attack on public health. By censoring studies that include these populations, they are also undermining critical research on cancer, HIV, and Alzheimer’s — diseases that affect us all,” Olga Akselrod, senior counsel at the ACLU Racial Justice Program, said in a statement. The lawsuit said more than $2.4 billion in grants have been canceled already, and researchers fear more are coming. “Those with grants that have yet to be cancelled wonder if they are soon to receive another vague, boilerplate termination letter,” the lawsuit said. The grants were canceled after NIH staff were directed to eliminate research the administration deemed to be connected to topics including gender identity or DEI, but also any grants about vaccine hesitancy, COVID and studies involving entities located in South Africa and China. The NIH has terminated at least 678 research projects, including some that the agency “is statutorily required to research,” the lawsuit said. These include projects on breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV prevention and suicide prevention.

Kennedy suggests 20 percent of HHS cuts may be reversed - Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he expects about 20 percent of fired employees to be reinstated as the agency backtracks after making cuts directed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “Some programs that were cut, they’re being reinstated,” Kennedy told reporters Thursday. “Personnel that should not have been cut were cut. We’re reinstating them.” Late last month Kennedy announced the agency was looking to dismiss 10,000 employees as part of a major restructuring effort. HHS sought to reduce staff from 82,000 full-time employees to 62,000 and cut 10,000 through layoffs, while the rest will come through a buyout offer of sorts. However, as DOGE has moved quickly to slash federal spending by cutting thousands of jobs at various agencies, the departments are hiring many back after their roles proved to be necessary or the courts intervened. Kennedy noted Thursday that a program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that monitored blood lead levels for children would be reinstated, The Wall Street Journal reported. It was “always the plan” to fix mistakes made from the DOGE cuts, Kennedy said. “Part of the DOGE — we talked about this from the beginning — is we’re going to do 80 percent cuts, but 20 percent of those are going to have to be reinstalled, because we’ll make mistakes,” he said.

Dr. Oz takes the helm of CMS - Television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in a party-line 53-45 vote Thursday. Oz wasn’t seen as controversial as some of the White House’s other health picks, but Democrats said they didn’t believe he would push back against any GOP-proposed cuts to Medicaid. Still, he skated through his confirmation hearing, using the flair of a seasoned television host to avoid being pinned down on specifics. Oz dodged questions in his confirmation hearing about any proposed cuts to the program, but Republicans will need to make a choice about whether to cut Medicaid in order to pay for an extension of President Trump’s tax cuts. Oz has a history of endorsing dubious and often controversial products and treatments, blurring the lines between celebrity pitchman and medical doctor. Critics said his show provided a platform for fringe claims not backed by evidence. The Trump nominee now takes the helm of an agency that is essentially the federal government’s insurance provider. It has a budget of more than $1 trillion and sets payments rates for doctors, hospitals and insurers, while also overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act — programs that provide coverage for more than 150 million people. The massive amount of spending CMS oversees will likely make it a target for cuts to government spending. Thousands of people this week were laid off from the Department of Health and Human Services as part of a cost-cutting and reorganization effort led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but CMS was largely spared. In line with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement led by Kennedy, Oz has said he will focus on preventive care and chronic disease. He told lawmakers the U.S. should be “rethinking our outdated approach” to treating the symptoms of a disease rather than the underlying cause.

CDC cuts environmental health employees - Staff members who fought childhood lead exposure and those who worked on cancer clusters were among those fired from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a now-former employee told The Hill. The entire permanent staff of the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice was cut, according to one person who was among the approximately 200 fired from the division. This division has worked on issues such as asthma and air pollution, climate change and health, childhood lead poisoning and cancer clusters. The former employee noted that these divisions do crucial work to protect public health, pointing out, for example, that it helped discover lead contamination in applesauce pouches that were popular with kids. The person also noted that the division had staffers who would be able to help respond in case there was a nuclear event, such as an attack or nuclear plant meltdown. National Center for Environmental Health Director Ari Bernstein said in an internal email that the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice had been “slated to be eliminated in its entirety,” E&E News previously reported. “There was just the wholesale elimination of the division that eliminates, essentially, the program that protects children from lead, from air pollution and asthma, from emergencies like fires,” said Patrick Breysse, the former director of the National Center for Environmental Health, which houses the environmental health division. “People are going to suffer from this for decades,” Breysse told The Hill.

Why Did the CDC Bury Its Latest Measles Forecast? - Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered staff last week not to release their experts’ assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging, according to internal records reviewed by ProPublica. In an aborted plan to roll out the news, the agency would have emphasized the importance of vaccinating people against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that has spread to 19 states, the records show. A CDC spokesperson told ProPublica in a written statement that the agency decided against releasing the assessment “because it does not say anything that the public doesn’t already know.” She added that the CDC continues to recommend vaccines as “the best way to protect against measles.” But what the nation’s top public health agency said next shows a shift in its long-standing messaging about vaccines, a sign that it may be falling in line under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines: “The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” the statement said, echoing a line from a column Kennedy wrote for the Fox News website. “People should consult with their health care provider to understand their options to get a vaccine and should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.”ProPublica shared the new CDC statement about personal choice and risk with Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health. To her, the shift in messaging, and the squelching of this routine announcement, is alarming.“I’m a bit stunned by that language,” Nuzzo said. “No vaccine is without risk, but that makes it sound like it’s a very active coin toss of a decision. We’ve already had more cases of measles in 2025 than we had in 2024, and it’s spread to multiple states. It is not a coin toss at this point.” Nuzzo wishes the CDC’s forecasters would put out more details of their data and evidence on the spread of measles, not less. “The growing scale and severity of this measles outbreak and the urgent need for more data to guide the response underscores why we need a fully staffed and functional CDC and more resources for state and local health departments,” she said.When asked what role, if any, Kennedy played in the decision to not release the risk assessment, HHS’ communications director said the aborted announcement “was part of an ongoing process to improve communication processes — nothing more, nothing less.” The CDC, he reiterated, continues to recommend vaccination “as the best way to protect against measles.”“Secretary Kennedy believes that the decision to vaccinate is a personal one and that people should consult with their health care provider to understand their options to get a vaccine,” Andrew G. Nixon said. “It is important that the American people have radical transparency and be informed to make personal health care decisions.”Responding to questions about criticism of the decision among some CDC staff, Nixon wrote, “Some individuals at the CDC seem more interested in protecting their own status or agenda rather than aligning with this Administration and the true mission of public health.”The CDC’s risk assessment was carried out by its Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, which relied, in part, on new disease data from the outbreak in Texas. The CDC created the center to address a major shortcoming laid bare during the Covid-19 pandemic. It functions like a National Weather Service for infectious diseases, harnessing data and expertise to predict the course of outbreaks like a meteorologist warns of storms.Other risk assessments by the center have been posted by the CDC even though their conclusions might seem obvious.In late February, for example, forecasters analyzing the spread of H5N1 bird flu said people who come “in contact with potentially infected animals or contaminated surfaces or fluids” faced a moderate to high risk of contracting the disease. The risk to the general U.S. population, they said, was low.In the case of the measles assessment, modelers at the center determined the risk of the disease for the general public in the U.S. is low, but they found the risk is high in communities with low vaccination rates that are near outbreaks or share close social ties to those areas with outbreaks. The CDC had moderate confidence in the assessment, according to an internal Q&A that explained the findings. The agency, it said, lacks detailed data about the onset of the illness for all patients in West Texas and is still learning about the vaccination rates in affected communities as well as travel and social contact among those infected. (The H5N1 assessment was also made with moderate confidence.)The internal plan to roll out the news of the forecast called for the expert physician who’s leading the CDC’s response to measles to be the chief spokesperson answering questions. “It is important to note that at local levels, vaccine coverage rates may vary considerably, and pockets of unvaccinated people can exist even in areas with high vaccination coverage overall,” the plan said. “The best way to protect against measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.”Last week, though, as the number of confirmed cases rose to 483, more than 30 agency staff were told in an email that after a discussion in the CDC director’s office, “leadership does not want to pursue putting this on the website.”The cancellation was “not normal at all,” said a CDC staff member who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal with layoffs looming. “I’ve never seen a rollout plan that was canceled at that far along in the process.”

Rewriting history on COVID lockdowns, New York Times reaffirms its support for “herd immunity” - On March 22, 2020, at the height of the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman coined the mantra for Trump’s back-to-work campaign, writing, “The cure cannot be worse than the disease.” By this, Friedman meant that the limited lockdowns and other public health measures then in place had to be ended and society fully reopened, to resume the flow of profits to Wall Street. As part of their commemoration of the five-year anniversary of the pandemic, the Times has chosen to reaffirm their support for the ruling elites’ “herd immunity” policy, recently airing a special episode of their podcast The Daily titled, “Were the COVID lockdowns worth it?” to which they answer definitively “No.” Hosted by the chameleon-like Michael Barbaro, who always pliantly suits his narrative to serve the interests of the powers-that-be, the episode featured Princeton University academics Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee discussing their recent book, “In COVID’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us.” The central purpose of this work of historical revisionism is to portray the US’ limited lockdowns in the opening weeks of the pandemic as misdirected policies, while chastising public health officials for focusing solely on reducing death rates. In addition to the Times interview—listened to by roughly 4 million people—this right-wing book has also been promoted by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria and other mainstream media pundits. The absence of epidemiologists, pandemic experts, and historians in such a critical discussion raises obvious concerns. The Times’ choice not to include experts in the field of public health exposes their hostility to any genuine analysis of the systemic causes of the spread of COVID-19 from the outset. At the heart of Macedo and Lee’s argument is the assertion that public health officials and policymakers were aware, through various modeling studies and simulations, that in a globalized context lockdowns would be ineffective at stopping pandemics and preventing loss of life. Covering up the failure of capitalist governments to provide any social planning to address the needs of their populations during lockdowns, Macedo and Lee falsely portray these public health measures in themselves as the source of a cascade of negative impacts, including business shutdowns and substantial economic losses, focusing in particular on the impacts of school closures on children. After questioning a “general social fixation on the number of deaths,” Macedo and Lee denounce the supposed suppression of public discussions on “alternative” pandemic management strategies, by which they mean the far-right “herd immunity” policy of mass infection and death. Barbaro innocently asks them about “this alternative vision, the Great Barrington Declaration,” co-authored by Stanford health economist Jay Bhattacharya, to which they voice full support. When it was first released, the Great Barrington Declaration was widely denounced by scientists and public health experts, with the WSWS correctly characterizing it as a “manifesto of death.” Barbaro does not probe the fact that Macedo is directly linked to Bhattacharya, confirmed this week as Trump’s director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In effect, the not-so-subtle subtext of the interview is the total accommodation of the Times to Trump’s war on science and public health.

Sen. Jim Banks says he 'won't apologize' after telling fired HHS employee he ‘probably deserved it’ -- Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) on Wednesday said he “won’t apologize” for telling a fired Health and Human Services (HHS) employee that he “probably deserved it,” after video footage of the exchange was widely circulated on social media. The viral video showed former HHS employee Mack Schroeder approaching Banks in a Senate office building on Tuesday and asking him about the mass layoffs at HHS. Schroeder, who noted that he personally was among the fired HHS employees, asked the senator how he would ensure residents in his state got the services they needed. “You probably deserved it,” Banks told Schroeder, referring to Schroeder’s termination. When Schroeder asked why, Banks told him, “Because you seem like a clown.” Banks, in a video posted to the social platform X on Wednesday, further dug his heels in, refusing to “back down” from his position. “The Democrats and the left-wing media have lost their minds because I told a left-wing activist in the halls of the Senate office buildings yesterday what I really thought: A clown is a clown, who’s chasing senators through the halls with a cellphone, complaining about losing a left-wing woke job in the federal government that should have never been a job to begin with,” Banks said in the video Wednesday. “I won’t back down. I won’t apologize for it,” he continued. “I support President Trump and the DOGE effort 100 percent to cut wasteful spending and woke jobs out of the federal government, and we’re just getting started.” The firings come as HHS fired thousands of people as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut staffing for federal agencies. A press release from the agency said that HHS was letting go of 10,000 people on top of another 10,000 staffers lost in prior efforts to reduce the workforce size. Schroeder said in an interview on CNN that, at HHS, his job was focused on working on programs that “support people with disabilities and older adults.” But Schroeder told CNN that he was not asking Banks about getting his own job back but was instead asking Banks how he would help his constituents who feel the impact of the job cuts. “First of all, I didn’t ask him, ‘What is he doing to help me get reinstated in my position?’ I wasn’t asking, ‘Why did I get fired? What are you going to do to make sure me and other employees get their jobs?’ I was just asking, ‘What are you doing about the social services that are being cut specifically for people with disabilities?’ And his response was just that I deserve to get fired,” Schroeder said in the CNN interview, when asked to respond to Banks calling him a clown. “So I think he didn’t even answer my question,” Schroeder continued. “It wasn’t really about that, and I still have not heard a response about what the plan is, as many of these staff get cut and the programs are potentially defunded.”

As hunger and poverty grow, Trump halts $500 million in food deliveries to food banks - As hunger across America grows, the Trump administration has stopped food shipments to food banks, including milk, eggs, meat and other perishables that are already sitting in trucks. At food banks throughout the country, deliveries of millions of dollars’ worth of food were abruptly stopped last week by the Trump administration. “Too stupid for words” was how one Cleveland, Ohio-area podcaster described the decision to stop the delivery of 20 semi-truck trailers full of food that was set to be delivered to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Much of that food is now sitting and rotting on trucks. The shipments of food are part of a $1 billion program run by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that buys fresh food from local farmers and provides it to local schools and food banks for distribution. There is not a state or city unaffected by these cuts. Some of the headlines from throughout the country read:

• “Feds cancel $4.3M worth of poultry, cheese, eggs to Michigan food banks”
• “Trump administration halts millions of dollars in deliveries to Oregon food banks”
• “Trump administration’s cuts cancel food deliveries to Harvesters” (Kansas City)
• “Food bank in ‘crisis mode’ after federal cuts cancel food deliveries” (Orlando)
• “‘Too Stupid for Words’: Trump pulls back 20 semi-trucks of food from Cleveland’s food bank”
• “Delaware Food Bank loses nearly 1M meals after Trump administration ends food aid funding”

The list goes on. “I come here once a month,” said Lori Scott, a young mother with two children who was in line at a food pantry near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where volunteers placed a large box of food into the trunk of her car. Lori works as a caregiver, but between the low pay and the few hours, she says it is not enough to pay her bills and buy food. “Grocery prices, rent, clothes, even water keep going up. Food stamps only last about two weeks, and this helps fill the gap. My children don’t go hungry, but sometimes I skip meals.” Like millions of workers who are part of the uncounted unemployed, Lori only works part-time. They are not counted in the official unemployment rate as long as they work even a few hours each week. In Cleveland, Ohio, the abrupt stopping of the USDA program meant that 20 tractor-trailer trucks, already loaded and on their way to deliver food to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, were pulled back. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, in turn, delivers food to area food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and other organizations that provide food to those in need. Milk, eggs, poultry, and other perishables were on the trucks and will now have to be thrown away. “For the month of January, we served almost 600 people,” said Lauren Reese, who works at the Friendly Inn Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio. “That’s about an average.” The Friendly Inn Settlement has been providing services for over 150 years. In addition to running a food bank, the organization provides a range of services, including youth programs, programs for young mothers and community-building events. Reese lists a number of factors for the increase in need. “Prices of food have increased, that’s a big, big factor. Just having access because this area is a food desert.” From December 2021 to December 2022, food prices increased a whopping 12 percent. For people in lower income brackets who spend a greater proportion of their income on food, rent, gas and other necessities, the increase is even greater. Reese pointed out that the center serves as a primary provider of food for many people but has had to reduce the number of days they give out food from twice a week to just once. “We are unable to fully fulfill their needs because of our shortage of resources.” She also cited a fact sheet published on their website that highlights living standards in the Central Cleveland neighborhood where the Friendly Inn Settlement is located, noting that 90 percent of the residents earn less than 200 percent of the poverty level. “The average household income is just $10,000 a year.”

Trump education moves: Where the legal challenges stand -The Trump administration’s request for the Supreme Court to intervene in a fight over federal teacher development grants has elevated an expanding series of legal battles implicating the administration’s sweeping shifts in education policy. More than 20 lawsuits have been filed, from one against President Trump’s executive order aimed at gutting the Education Department to others from pro-Palestinian student activists challenging efforts to deport them. Most of the legal challenges have just begun, meaning final decisions could be months or years away as schools and students wait to see the sweeping effects the Trump administration’s efforts could have in the classroom. Here are the education policy battles that are going through the legal system:

• Pro-Palestinian foreign students fighting to stay in the country. Multiple foreign students and faculty who engaged in pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year are taking the Trump administration to court over efforts to take away their immigration status and kick them out of the country. It started with Mahmoud Khalil, the lead negotiator for Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian encampments last spring who received his graduate degree in December. The Trump administration took Khalil into custody on March 8 using a rarely cited provision that says the secretary of State can deport a noncitizen if they pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Later, the government argued Khalil did not disclose previous organizations he worked for, such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, on his permanent resident application. The first battle in the case — where it will be litigated — is still underway as Khalil, a green card holder, remains in custody while his wife, an American citizen, is due to give birth soon. On Friday, a federal judge held a hearing on whether to keep Khalil’s challenge in New Jersey or transfer it to Louisiana where he is held, as the government desires. That trajectory would route any appeal through the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, regarded as the most conservative federal appeals court in the country. A ruling could come at any time. The use of the legal provision on Khalil was only the beginning, especially for those associated with Columbia. A third-year student at the university with a green card, Yunseo Chung, who has been in the U.S. since she was 7, sued Monday over efforts to revoke her status and deport her. She was also involved in the pro-Palestinian protests but not in a high-profile position like Khalil. A federal judge granted Chung’s request to temporarily block immigration authorities from detaining her as the challenge proceeds. The judge will hold May 20 hearing on whether to grant a longer injunction. Green card holders cannot lose their status or be deported without a ruling from an immigration judge.
• Teacher training programs at the Supreme Court This week, the Trump administration took its fight to block two federal teacher development grants to the Supreme Court. A ruling could come within days. The Trump administration slashed the grants back in February for teacher training programs, alleging they focused on “divisive ideologies.” The Education Department said the programs focused on critical race theory, diversity, equity and inclusion, social justice, anti-racism, white privilege and white supremacy. The application asks the justices to lift a judge’s order enabling eight Democratic states suing over the block to immediately draw down $65 million in funds. It is one of multiple emergency motions the administration has filed urging the high court to rein in lower judges over accusations they are improperly intruding on executive authority. “So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-court fiscal micromanagement. Only this Court can right the ship — and the time to do so is now,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote in filings. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, former President Biden’s sole appointee to the high court, receives the emergency appeal by default. She could act on the request alone or refer it to the full court for a vote. The Democratic attorneys general suing filed their response Friday, arguing the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction given the temporary nature of the lower rulings. “Their stated concern that they will be irreparably harmed by improper draw-downs of grant funds in the brief period before the temporary restraining order expires depends entirely on unsubstantiated speculation,” the states wrote of the administration’s request.
• Trump’s dismantling of the Education Department. Moves to eliminate the Department of Education have hit lawsuits every step of the way. It started with the cuts to the teaching training grants soon after Trump was inaugurated, which have now made it the whole way to the Supreme Court. The next lawsuit came when the Education Department fired half of its workforce, going from more than 4,000 employees to a little over 2,000. A request from Democratic attorneys general in Washington, D.C. and 20 states to reinstate the employees is set for an April 25 hearing in Boston. The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and two parents filed a suit saying the Education Department would not be able to fulfill its congressionally mandated obligations to students with disabilities due to the cuts to the Office of Civil Rights. It didn’t stop there, after the president kicked efforts up a notch by signing an executive order on March 20 telling Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the federal agency as far as she legally can. Multiple lawsuits were filed soon after by teacher unions and school districts alleging the Trump administration is violating the Administrative Procedure Act by trying to dismantle the department. And more are likely on the horizon as Trump declared he would be moving the department’s student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration and programs for students with disabilities to the Health and Human Services Department.
• Education Department’s ‘Dear Colleague’ letter around DEI. In the middle of the cuts and changes to the department, the federal agency on Feb. 14 put out a “Dear Colleague” letter that rattled universities, seemingly expanding on the 2023 Supreme Court ruling outlawing affirmative action in college admissions. The language was softened after some concerns that the guidance to get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at universities would include clubs that were based on race or ethnicity. The letter now faces three federal lawsuits. The case the furthest along is in New Hampshire, where the National Education Association has a pending request to block implementation of the letter. In Michigan, the owner of a firm that helps Black students sued last week. And in Maryland, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit against the letter alleging it was unconstitutionally vague and violated free speech protections. “That racial discrimination was written into the laws of the United States is a historical fact that cannot be erased by a Dear Colleague Letter,” the complaint reads. “Black Americans were enslaved by law, laws prevented Black Americans from owning property, attending public schools, and voting. This is, by definition, a legal structure that imposes differences based on race.” “It is therefore not possible to teach bare factual information about history without acknowledging structural racism — but doing so would now seem to constitute illegal discrimination in the eyes of the Department of Education,” it continued.
• Trump funding cuts to universities. Also under legal scrutiny is the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) efforts to substantially reduce “indirect” costs in research grants, an initiative that largely impacts universities and medical centers. Various national groups have challenged the plan like the Association of American Universities and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Individual universities have joined the legal fight, too, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California and Cornell University. On March 5, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, a Biden appointee, indefinitely blocked the administration’s cuts nationwide. Though the administration still can do so, it has notably not yet sought to appeal Kelley’s ruling. The lack of urgency contrasts with how the administration has appealed many other nationwide injunctions in a matter of hours or days. Separately, the Trump administration has directly taken funds from three schools — Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maine — for alleged violations regarding transgender students in sports and the schools’ handling of antisemitism. Columbia took the biggest hit of a $400 million funding pause for alleged inaction on antisemitism. Although Columbia has caved to the federal government’s demands and changed its policies, funding has not been restored. On Tuesday, the American Federation of Teachers and American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit against Columbia’s funding pause, alleging it is an “unlawful and unprecedented effort to overpower a university’s academic autonomy and control the thought, association, scholarship, and expression of its faculty and students.”

McMahon Threatens Newsom Over Transgender Athletes - California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had plenty to say since launching his podcast earlier this month with a splash, breaking from Democratic Party orthodoxy and agreeing with MAGA organizer Charlie Kirk that allowing biological males to compete in girls’ and women’s sports is “deeply unfair.” In the last week alone, Newsom remarks have generated numerous headlines. On Thursday he signed an order aimed at helping Los Angeles expedite the rebuilding of utility and telecom infrastructure following the deadly and destructive January wildfires. The same day, he attended a glitzy event with Vogue editor Anna Wintour and announced plans to substantially increase film and television tax credits to win back some of this business, though the proposal still needs legislative approval. Despite overseeing the growth of California’s government to a record size during his tenure, Newsom claimed during a podcast episode with liberal commentator Ezra Klein to be “the original DOGE” because he opened an office of digital innovation in 2019. He blamed California’s housing affordability crisis on NIMBYism and anti-housing density people “comfortable with their backyards.” While weighing in on these myriad issues, Newsom, a presumed contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, has notably remained silent on whether his remarks about transgender athletes playing in girls’ and women’s sports would prompt him to alter the state’s laws allowing the practice. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon made it more difficult for Newsom to remain on the fence Thursday. She sent the governor a letter warning him that he must comply with President Trump’s executive order banning biological males from competing in women’s sports or risk losing federal funding for schools across the state. At least $8 billion in federal education money to California hangs in the balance, while California is running what legislative analysts cited as a $46.8 billion budget deficit last year. “Your recent comments about male athletes playing in women’s sports – that it is ‘deeply unfair’ – came to the attention of my office this week,” McMahon wrote. “I’m writing on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education to request a clarification on your stance as governor of California, and to inquire as to your intention to encourage California public schools to comply with federal law on this issue."

Supreme Court confronts South Carolina bid to defund Planned Parenthood -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday grappled with a case testing whether South Carolina was legally allowed to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. South Carolina restricted Planned Parenthood from participating in Medicaid because the organization provides abortions. However, the lawsuit was not about abortion access, but whether a Medicaid beneficiary has the “right” to pick their preferred health provider and sue if they can’t. The state, backed by the Trump administration, argued there was no such right. Conservative justices seemed sympathetic to concerns raised by the state about a constant flood of lawsuits if patients were allowed to sue over their provider being removed from Medicaid. “We’re talking about 9,000 providers who have been disqualified across the country, any one of whom, if you rule in favor of Respondents, can recruit a beneficiary and go to federal court and then line their pockets with the attorneys’ fees,” argued John Bursch, a lawyer with conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, who was representing South Carolina. Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested Congress clearly created a “right” for patients to choose any qualified provider they want, even if the Medicaid law doesn’t explicitly use the word. “The state knows it has an obligation … and the state knows the content of that obligation, which is that every individual has a right to choose their doctor,” Kagan said. The law says that “any individual” insured through Medicaid “may obtain” care from any qualified and willing provider. The justices noted that if patients don’t have the power to sue over their preferred provider, states could act as gatekeepers and defund providers for any arbitrary reason. “It would be people who provide abortion, people who don’t provide abortions … people who do gender transition treatment. Every state could split up the world by providers like that,” Kagan said. “That does not seem what this statute is all about.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett wondered if patients should be able to sue if their preferred provider was removed from Medicaid for malpractice complaints. “Does it make sense in that circumstance for Congress to have wanted plaintiffs to have a right to come in and sue?” she said. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic argued Congress wanted to protect the “intensely personal right” of a patient to choose a doctor. “There aren’t many things that are more important than being able to choose your doctor, the person that you see when you’re at your most vulnerable, facing some of the most significant challenges to your life and your health,” Nicole Sharsky argued for the organization. The lawsuit comes as red states across the country are looking for ways to deprive Planned Parenthood of funding. Nationally, the Trump administration recently said it will withhold federal family planning grants from nine Planned Parenthood affiliates.

Supreme Court appears swayed by Catholic charity group’s tax exemption bid --The Supreme Court on Monday seemed swayed by a Catholic charity group’s bid for tax relief in Wisconsin in a case that could drastically alter eligibility for religious tax exemptions. A Wisconsin chapter of Catholic Charities, a social services arm of Catholic dioceses nationwide, challenged the top state court’s determination that it does not qualify for a religious tax exemption because it isn’t “operated primarily for religious purposes.” Catholic Charities Bureau is controlled by the Diocese of Superior but claims it was denied an exemption from a state unemployment tax because it serves and employs non-Catholics, completes work that could be administered by nonreligious groups and doesn’t attempt to proselytize, or sway those it serves to become Catholic. Eric Rassbach, a lawyer for Catholic Charities, argued no court would hold that clergy members who preach on Saturday aren’t ministers because preaching on Sunday is more typical, nor would a court suggest that religious leaders who help the poor aren’t ministers because secular leaders help the poor, too. “By that measure, Mother Teresa might not qualify,” Rassbach said, suggesting the Wisconsin Supreme Court erred in declining to qualify Catholic Charities for the exemption. The justices sharply pressed Wisconsin over its contention that whether a group receives the tax exemption hinges on if it proselytizes or engages in activities that express and instill religious doctrine. Justice Clarence Thomas asked Wisconsin’s lawyer, Colin Roth, what changes Catholic Charities would have to make to qualify for the exemption under the state’s perspective. Roth suggested saying the Lord’s Prayer before serving a meal. “You don’t get the soup unless you pray first,” Justice Samuel Alito interjected. Justice Sonia Sotomayor posited that it might be a matter of religious doctrine not to say the Lord’s Prayer before serving a meal, suggesting it would be “problematic” to qualify religious groups that do have that requirement while denying those who don’t. “I thought it was pretty fundamental that we don’t treat some religions better than other religions,” she said. But Roth argued that allowing groups like Catholic Charities to qualify — where their work is largely identical to secular groups in the state — could incentivize states to cut back on religious accommodations altogether.

Anna Paulina Luna accuses Freedom Caucus of proxy voting smear, exits group - Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced Monday that she is leaving the House Freedom Caucus amid her battle with GOP leadership and hard-line Republicans over her push to allow proxy voting for new parents. In a letter to Freedom Caucus members, Luna said the “respect” among lawmakers in the group had been “shattered last week” as some conservatives tried to thwart her effort to hold a vote on parental proxy voting. Luna accused Freedom Caucus members of threatening to “halt floor proceedings indefinitely” if Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) did not change House rules to block her push. “With a heavy heart, I am resigning from the Freedom Caucus,” Luna wrote in the letter obtained by The Hill. “I cannot remain part of a caucus where a select few operate outside its guidelines, misuse its name, broker backroom deals that undermine its core values and where the lines of compromise and transaction are blurred, disparage me to the press, and encourage misrepresentation of me to the American people.” The House Freedom Caucus declined to comment. The announcement, to be sure, did not come as a surprise, since Luna signaled last week that she would likely depart the hard-line conservative group amid her dispute with many of its members. Monday’s letter, however, makes that move official, and is the latest escalation in the battle over parental proxy voting. Luna successfully executed a discharge petition for Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s (D-Colo.) resolution that would allow members who give birth or lawmakers whose spouses give birth to select another member to vote for them for 12 weeks. Pettersen gave birth to a son in January and has brought the newborn to high-profile votes in the Capitol during his infancy, while Luna had a son in August 2023 as she was serving Congress.

DOE Considers Cutting Over $1.2 Billion in Carbon Capture Project Funding (Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Energy is weighing cuts to billions of dollars in funding for projects meant to demonstrate nascent energy storage and carbon capture, according to a list seen by Reuters. Rescinding funding for the projects would represent a major blow to promising new carbon-emission cutting technologies that rely heavily on government support because most traditional private sector investors consider them too risky. Among the projects marked "cut" on the list of over two dozen funded by the DOE's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations are four carbon capture pilot projects that were awarded a total of $309 million last year, and three later-stage demonstration projects in California, Texas and North Dakota that received $890 million for integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage technologies. "All of our members are making the case that these are critically important projects so to pull back at this moment in time is catastrophic," Jessie Stolark, executive director of the Carbon Capture Coalition trade group, said in an interview. Some projects are beginning to run test wells or start construction, Stolark added. The list also showed planned funding cuts for six of nine long-duration battery storage projects. The companies involved were awarded $350 million to develop technology that would help utilities and grid operators integrate renewable energy sources like solar and wind by storing the power they produce for longer periods of time. They include projects by power sector giants including NextEra NEE.N, which was granted up to $49 million to put zinc-bromide batteries at solar and wind facilities in three states, and Westinghouse, which was awarded up to $50 million for a pumped thermal storage system in Alaska. Others affected include startups like Smartville and ReJoule, which repurpose used electric vehicle batteries, and New York-based Urban Electric Power, which has developed a zinc manganese dioxide battery. "We are actively working to communicate the importance of our work to Energy Secretary Chris Wright and are engaging with our congressional representatives to ensure continued support for energy innovation," Zora Chung, co-founder of California-based ReJoule, said in an email. "Given the broad importance of domestic energy resilience and advanced battery technology, we believe this is an issue of national interest that transcends party lines." Long-duration energy storage is widely regarded as critical to deploying the large amounts of intermittent wind and solar resources needed to decarbonize the global electricity supply. Grid-scale batteries now in the market, mainly lithium-ion, can typically only store up to four hours of power. - Washington has been slashing funding for clean energy projects since President Donald Trump, a climate change skeptic, took office in January. His administration is prioritizing fossil fuel production as part of its "energy dominance" agenda. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been reviewing lists of projects funded through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to weigh which of the congressionally-appropriated projects should cease receiving federal funding. A group of House Democrats on Thursday sent a letter to the DOE Inspector General criticizing the cuts. "It appears that some projects previously deemed worthy of funding are being cancelled without adequate justification, and in some cases, with no clear rationale other than administrative convenience," the letter said. Last week, Reuters reported that two Direct Air Capture hubs in Texas and Louisiana aimed at demonstrating technology to capture carbon from the atmosphere at commercial scale were marked to be cut on a different list that had been circulating. It also reported that four hydrogen hubs intended to jumpstart the production of "clean hydrogen" were slated for cuts. Related News

Trump says he’s ‘not joking’ about a possible third term --- President Trump said Sunday he’s “not joking” about serving a possible third term, marking the second time in less than three weeks that he’s floated the idea.“I’m hearing — you don’t sound like you’re joking. I’ve heard you joke about this a number of times,” NBC News’s Kristen Welker said during a phone call with the president, discussing a third term for Trump. “No, no, I’m not joking,” Trump responded, according to NBC News. The president also said that he has “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years.”“We’re in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls, and you see that. And, and you know, we’re very popular. And you know, a lot of people would like me to do that,” Trump said of a third term. “But, I mean, I basically tell them, we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”Trump previously floated the idea of running for a third term during a St. Patrick’s Day event on March 12 that featured House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); Ireland’s leader, Taoiseach Micheál Martin; and other lawmakers.Trump is constitutionally restricted to two terms. When pressed on how he would make it into the White House a third time, Trump told Welker, “There are, there are methods which you could do it, as you know.”Welker then pitched him a hypothetical: “Well, let me throw out one where President Vance would run for office and then would, basically, if, if you — if he won, at the top of the ticket, would then pass the baton to you.”Trump replied, “Well, that’s one. But there are others, too. There are others.”He would not offer other examples. The president said that he enjoys “working” in his call with Welker after she stated that the presidency “is the toughest job there is,” according to NBC News.“Would you, would you — you wouldn’t want to pass the baton to Vice President Vance?” Welker asked Trump, to which Trump responded that “it’s too early … to even think about it.”In an emailed statement to The Hill, White House communications director Steven Cheung said, “Americans overwhelmingly approve and support President Trump and his America First policies.”

Republicans look to avert humiliation in Florida special election -- Republicans are pulling out all the stops ahead of the special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District as worries of a narrower-than-expected margin grow in the district President Trump won by more than 30 points in November. Trump called into two tele-town halls for state Sen. Randy Fine (R) in an effort to drive out the Republican base ahead of Tuesday. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s America PAC spent roughly $10,200 in the race earlier this week and dropped another $66,000 into the race Thursday. The efforts come as Democratic candidate Josh Weil has outraised Fine, while an internal poll from the Republican firm Fabrizio Ward showed Weil holding a 3-point lead over Fine. Democrats and Republicans continue to maintain that a Republican loss in the district is highly unlikely, given its red lean. However, a narrow margin would give Democrats material to claim there is discontent among Republicans in Trump country. As for Republicans, Democrats’ overperformance in the polls and fundraising is too close for comfort as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) seeks to navigate a razor-thin House margin. House Republicans control a narrow 218-213 majority, which does not allow Johnson a ton of flexibility to pass a budget reconciliation package that would combine border security, tax legislation, as well as energy and defense spending. Trump acknowledged his concerns over the small House majority and the leeway Johnson has to pass his agenda Thursday, when he pulled Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, writing in a Truth Social post that “we don’t want to take any chances.” “It’s about having reinforcements in the House more than anything else,” said Ford O’Connell, a Florida-based Republican strategist. “[Trump] wants to make sure he’s able to drive home the big beautiful bill.”

Musk on Tesla vehicle attacks: 'That's somebody else's car' - Tech billionaire and White House adviser Elon Musk said Sunday that the wave of anti-Tesla vandalism launched in response to his role in President Trump’s administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is “insane.” “They’re burning Teslas and shooting up dealerships and calling for the death of the president and me. I’m like, guys, you know this is insane,” Musk, who owns automaker Tesla, said during a town hall event in Green Bay, Wis. “That’s somebody else’s car. Leave it alone.” Musk was in Wisconsin over the weekend to rally voters in a closely watched judicial election that will decide whether the battleground state’s Supreme Court has a liberal or conservative tilt. The SpaceX CEO has poured millions into the race to support Republican Brad Schimel over Democratic opponent Susan Crawford in a race Musk said will impact “the future of America and Western Civilization.” Thousands of his critics protested outside Tesla dealerships Saturday, and reports of vandalism have spiked more broadly since DOGE began its purge of federal workers and funding for foreign aid programs. Attorney General Pam Bondi deemed attacks on Tesla property as acts of “domestic terrorism,” and the FBI launched a special task force in response. Those who support the anti-Tesla movement with physical attacks have “totally gone psycho,” Musk said during his Wisconsin town hall Sunday. “I mean, it’s really like, I totally understand if somebody doesn’t want to buy a product,” Musk said. “It’s a free country, you know, but you don’t have to burn it down, OK? It’s a bit much.”

Elon Musk says xAI buys social media platform X for $45 billion –.- Elon Musk said Friday his artificial intelligence firm xAI has bought his social media platform X. “xAI and X’s futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach.” The $45 billion deal values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion, more than $10 billion less than what he paid for the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022. The all-stock transaction included $12 billion debt, Musk said. The tech billionaire said he hopes the approach will deliver “smarter, more meaningful experiences” to users while remaining true to “seeking truth and advancing knowledge.” “This will allow us to build a platform that doesn’t just reflect the world but actively accelerates human progress,” he wrote.

Lagarde sees danger that AI could breed inequality in Europe - European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said artificial intelligence may undermine the region's social model if countries don't nurture the skills to harness such technology. The ECB president said demand for higher-skilled workers who can use AI would rise, while those less able to learn new skills could suffer.

Fed's Barr: Banks should think through AI liability questions - Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said that while generative artificial intelligence holds great promise to boost efficiencies in a range of banking functions, important and as-yet-unresolved questions of liability in the event of an AI hallucination or AI-enabled security breach should spur banks to be diligent in their adoption of the technology. In a speech Friday, Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said the advent of generative artificial intelligence promises to boost bank productivity, but banks should be careful in choosing AI partners to delineate data security responsibilities.

X asks Supreme Court to shield Coinbase users from IRS -Elon Musk's X is urging the Supreme Court to shield companies from being forced to disclose sensitive user financial data under "suspicionless" subpoenas issued by federal law enforcement agencies.

Democrats stall stablecoin bill, citing Trump crypto ambitions - Democratic lawmakers made the stablecoin markup into a marathon event, leading off with amendments that would have addressed concerns about conflicts of interest between elected officials like President Donald Trump and stablecoin oversight.

Republicans move stablecoin, other bank bills, out of committee - Democratic lawmakers turned the stablecoin markup into a marathon event, leading off with amendments that would have addressed concerns about conflicts of interest between elected officials like President Donald Trump and stablecoin oversight.

Bitcoin investor buys an entire SpaceX flight for the ultimate polar adventure - A bitcoin investor who bought a SpaceX flight for himself and three polar explorers blasted off Monday night on the first rocket ride to carry people over the North and South poles. Chun Wang, a Chinese-born entrepreneur, hurtled into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX's Falcon rocket steered southward over the Atlantic, putting the space tourists on a path never flown before in 64 years of human spaceflight. Wang won't say how much he paid Elon Musk's SpaceX for the 3 ½-day ultimate polar adventure. The first leg of their flight—from Florida to the South Pole—took barely a half-hour. From the targeted altitude of some 270 miles (440 kilometers), their fully automated capsule will circle the globe in roughly 1 ½ hours including 46 minutes to fly from pole to pole. "Enjoy the views of the poles. Send us some pictures," SpaceX Launch Control radioed once the capsule reached orbit. Wang has already visited the polar regions in person and wants to view them from space. The trip is also about "pushing boundaries, sharing knowledge," he said ahead of the flight. Now a citizen of Malta, he took along three guests: Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge and Australian polar guide Eric Philips. Mikkelsen, the first Norwegian bound for space, has flown over the poles before, but at a much lower altitude. She was part of the 2019 record-breaking mission that circumnavigated the world via the poles in a Gulfstream jet to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's moon landing. The crew plans two dozen experiments—including taking the first human X-rays in space—and brought along more cameras than usual to document their journey called Fram2 after the Norwegian polar research ship from more than a century ago. Until now, no space traveler had ventured beyond 65 degrees north and south latitude, just shy of the Arctic and Antarctic circles. The first woman in space, the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova, set that mark in 1963. Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, and other pioneering cosmonauts came almost as close,

FDIC drops pre-approval for banks' crypto activities Banks no longer need pre-approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to engage in crypto-related activities, the latest move under the Trump administration to integrate digital assets into traditional finance. Banks can now engage in crypto without Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. approval, part of a broader Trump-era deregulatory push to integrate digital assets into traditional finance.

FDIC upheaval offers crypto opportunity, bank uncertainty - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., like many government entities, is going through a rough period of change under the new Trump administration. Experts predict that staff cuts, a problematic work culture and regulatory changes are just the start of what's to come.The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is navigating widespread layoffs and policy changes amid a government-wide overhaul. What does it mean for the industry?

JPMorgan, Axis partner to boost blockchain-based payments -- Mumbai, India-based Axis Bank has partnered with JPMorgan to offer its commercial clients near-real-time, 24/7 programmable USD clearingcapabilities over Kinexys, Axis' blockchain platform and digital payment solution. Banks in the U.S. and India will offer cross-border transactions using the technology that underpins cryptocurrency. Our global payments roundup also includes updates from PayPal, Lloyds and a very remote ATM deployment.

Peirce: The SEC's approach has put innovators in 'straightjackets' --SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said innovators feel constricted by regulatory rigmarole to the point that they feel like they're being put in "straightjackets" trying to comply with regulations. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said it was important for the agency to not stifle innovation through its regulatory approach.

Ernst seeks probe into allegations of fraud at FDIC watchdog - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Wednesday asked the Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to respond to what she says are allegations of financial mismanagement, fraud and misconduct at the watchdog agency. Ernst is pressing Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Inspector General Jennifer Fain for answers on whistleblower allegations of fraud, financial mismanagement and retaliation at the agency's watchdog office.

BankThink: The federal government needs to lead the fight against scams and fraud -Scams and frauds have reached unprecedented levels in the United States, threatening the financial security of millions of Americans each year and eroding public trust. This crisis demands urgent and coordinated federal leadership.More Americans than ever are falling victim to sophisticated financial scammers and fraudsters. A federal task force is needed to bring together the resources to effectively push back against criminals.

BankThink When mergers increase, AML compliance headaches surface -During the first term of President Donald Trump, U.S. financial institutions significantly strengthened their position in the global mergers and acquisitions market. Current forecasts suggest that M&A activity will continue to rise in the coming four years, placing new demands on American banks. For smaller banks, the primary goal is positioning themselves for a more lucrative sale, while larger institutions focus on refining risk assessment methodologies to strike the right balance between potential risks and advantages.Time and again, seemingly successful bank mergers have been rocked by revelations of poor anti-money-laundering compliance. Assessing the AML risk of a potential merger partner is extremely tricky.

Republicans spell out demands for bank regulators * House Republicans, led by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., outlined their priorities for the Trump administration's banking agenda in a series of letters to key regulators.

OCC ends consideration of climate-related financial risks -- The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is ending its participation in a framework for mitigating climate-related financial risks at large banks. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said it would cease its participation in interagency principles for regulating climate-related risks at the banks it regulates.

What bankers should know about CDFI changes and FDIC pullback -Facing bankers in April, industry moves include the continued deregulation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., supervisory uncertainty at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, President Donald Trump's move to scale back the Community Development Financial Institution Fund and more. Decreased funding for Community Development Financial Institutions and the declawing of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. are top of mind for bankers.

BankThink The CFPB's trove of customer complaint data must be preserved -With cancelled contracts, stalled work and a plan for mass layoffs, the White House has signaled an uncertain future for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The extent of the cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency will execute is not yet clear, but one thing is certain: The agency's role will change. The customer complaints received by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are not just a list of grievances. They are a vital source of information for banks and financial services firms, and must be retained.

DOJ appeals order that blocks Trump from dismantling CFPB The Trump administration appealed a federal judge's order that stopped the government from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Trump administration continues to battle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's union by seeking a stay of a preliminary injunction that reinstated the CFPB's workforce and contracts and preserved its data.

DOJ's appeal of CFPB injunction gets Trump-heavy panel - A three-judge panel will hear an appeal by the Trump administration of a preliminary injunction that has blocked the government from dissolving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. UPDATE: This article includes the assignment of oral arguments to a three-judge panel in appeals court.

Union says DOJ appeals to wrong court over CFPB injunction -The Trump administration's appeal of a ruling stopping the efforts to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was taken to the wrong court, plaintiffs argue, complicating an already heated legal challenge to the administration's activities at the beleaguered bureau. The Trump administration is leapfrogging the normal process by taking its fight over a district court injunction blocking efforts to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to a federal appeals court, according to the CFPB workers' union.

DOJ says CFPB stop-work order maintains statutory functions --The Department of Justice defended a stop-work order at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, claiming that the Trump administration was not shutting down the agency — and is committed to keeping the bureau open to perform statutory work. The Department of Justice said in a court filing Friday that a February stop-work order from acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell Vought did not entail stopping statutorily mandated work by the bureau, defying earlier testimony.

Congress must act quickly to overturn CFPB's medical debt rule- If Congress doesn't act quickly, an ill-advised rule finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the waning hours of the Biden administration will be a major problem for consumers, lenders and the entire credit system. The rule in question would prohibit medical debt on credit reports, prohibiting lenders from considering complete and accurate information when making lending decisions. This can lead to consumers taking on future debts they cannot afford to pay back. Lawmakers have a short window of time in which they can use the Congressional Review Act to nullify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's misguided rule striking medical debt from credit reports.

Tariffs add pressure on already stressed auto loans -Even before President Trump unveiled his sweeping new tariffs, many Americans were struggling to afford car purchases, putting their loans in growing danger of default. President Trump's tariffs on imported vehicles threaten to drive up auto prices at a time when more car owners are already drifting into delinquency on their loans.

FHFA replaces Freddie Mac board member, assigns audit role --The Federal Housing Finance Agency is continuing to reshuffle leadership at the board level and in the executive ranks at the government-sponsored enterprises. Former Capital One Multifamily executive Grace Huebscher departed recently and the Federal Housing Finance Agency appointed a successor amid broader reform.

Mortgage company Rocket buying Mr. Cooper in all-stock deal valued at $9.4 billion --The mortgage company Rocket is buying competitor Mr. Cooper in an all-stock deal valued at $9.4 billion, just weeks after acquiring real estate listing company Redfin. Rocket Cos. said Monday that bringing Mr. Cooper Group Inc. into the fold will create a business representing one in every six mortgages in the United States and give it almost 7 million additional clients. The deal will boost loan volumes, the company said, while lowering client acquisition costs. “By combining Mr. Cooper and Rocket, we will form the strongest mortgage company in the industry, offering an end-to-end homeownership experience backed by leading technology and grounded in customer care,” Mr. Cooper Chairman and CEO Jay Bray, who will become president and CEO of Rocket Mortgage, said in a statement. The U.S. housing market has been slumping for years with homebuyers, and sellers, buffeted by soaring mortgages rates and sky high prices that have put homes out of reach for many Americans. Companies like Rocket, which is on an acquisition streak, are attempting to create more of a one-stop shopping experience for frazzled would-be homebuyers.

FHFA’s National Mortgage Database: Outstanding Mortgage Rates, LTV and Credit Scores -Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: FHFA’s National Mortgage Database: Outstanding Mortgage Rates, LTV and Credit Scores A brief excerpt: Here are some graphs on outstanding mortgages by interest rate, the average mortgage interest rate, borrowers’ credit scores and current loan-to-value (LTV) from the FHFA’s National Mortgage Database through Q4 2024 (just released). ...Here is some data showing the distribution of interest rates on closed-end, fixed-rate 1-4 family mortgages outstanding at the end of each quarter since Q1 2013 through Q4 2024. This shows the surge in the percent of loans under 3%, and also under 4%, starting in early 2020 as mortgage rates declined sharply during the pandemic. The percent of outstanding loans under 4% peaked in Q1 2022 at 65.1% (now at 54.1%), and the percent under 5% peaked at 85.6% (now at 72.1%). These low existing mortgage rates makes it difficult for homeowners to sell their homes and buy a new home since their monthly payments would increase sharply. This was a key reason existing home inventory levels were so low. Time is slowly eroding this lock-in effect.

Monthly mortgage payments soar to record high - A homebuyer’s monthly housing payment hit a record high of $2,807 during the last four weeks ending March 23, according to a study by Redfin.The 5.3 percent increase is a result of the average cost of home prices going up roughly 3 percent annually, and mortgage rates sitting at 6.6 percent.“Buyers are cautious because they’re worried about the economy and potential layoffs, and they’re wondering if mortgage rates will come down later this year,” said Redfin Premier agent Kimberly Freutel, who operates out of Sammamish, Wash.“But because other buyers are cautious too, some house hunters are getting homes for under asking price,” she added.The realtor suggested potential buyers stay within their comfort zone when making a purchase offer.“If you love a home and you see yourself living there for at least four or five years, make an offer you’re comfortable with, even if it’s a little below list,” Freutel continued. “Don’t assume it will escalate out of your price range, because the seller might actually take it.”

MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey - From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 1.6 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 28, 2025.The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 6 percent from the previous week and was 57 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 2 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 2 percent compared with the previous week and was 9 percent higher than the same week one year ago.“Treasury yields continue to be volatile as economic uncertainty dominates markets. Most mortgage rates finished last week lower, with the 30-year fixed essentially unchanged at 6.70 percent. Last week’s level of purchase applications was its highest since the end of January, driven by a 3 percent increase in conventional purchases, while government purchase applications were down 2 percent,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “Overall purchase activity has shown year-over-year growth for more than two months as the inventory of existing homes for sale continues to increase, a positive development for the housing market despite the uncertain near-term outlook. Refinance applications were down almost 6 percent last week and remain very sensitive to rate movements, as most borrowers have mortgages with lower rates.” ...The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) decreased to 6.70 percent from 6.71 percent, with points increasing to 0.62 from 0.60 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans.The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index.According to the MBA, purchase activity is up 9% year-over-year unadjusted. Red is a four-week average (blue is weekly). Purchase application activity is up about 26% from the lows in late October 2023 and is 5% above the lowest levels during the housing bust. The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990. The refinance index declined and remains very low.

Housing March 31st Weekly Update: Inventory up 1.1% Week-over-week, Up 30.6% Year-over-year --Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.1% week-over-week.Inventory is now up 8.2% from the seasonal bottom in January and is increasing.The first graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.The red line is for 2025. The black line is for 2019. Inventory was up 30.6% compared to the same week in 2024 (last week it was up 30.3%), and down 19.0% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 19.5%). The gap to more normal inventory levels has closed significantly! It now appears inventory will be close to 2019 levels towards the end of 2025. This second inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of March 28th, inventory was at 676 thousand (7-day average), compared to 668 thousand the prior week. Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube

Freddie Mac House Price Index Increased in February; Up 3.4% Year-over-year - Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Freddie Mac House Price Index Increased in February; Up 3.4% Year-over-year A brief excerpt: Freddie Mac reported that its “National” Home Price Index (FMHPI) increased 0.18% month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted (SA) basis in February. On a year-over-year basis, the National FMHPI was up 3.4% in February, down from up 3.6% YoY in January. The YoY increase peaked at 19.0% in July 2021, and for this cycle, bottomed at up 0.9% YoY in May 2023. ... For cities (Core-based Statistical Areas, CBSA), here are the 30 cities with the largest declines from the peak, seasonally adjusted. Austin continues to be the worst performing city. However, 7 of the 10 cities with the largest price declines are in Florida.

Construction Spending Increased 0.7% in February From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending decreased:Construction spending during February 2025 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,195.8 billion, 0.7 percent above the revised January estimate of $2,179.9 billion. The February figure is 2.9 percent above the February 2024 estimate of $2,133.8 billion.Both private and public spending increased: Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,686.4 billion, 0.9 percent above the revised January estimate of $1,671.8 billion. ... In February, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $509.3 billion, 0.2 percent above the revised January estimate of $508.1 billion.This graph shows private residential and nonresidential construction spending, and public spending, since 1993. Note: nominal dollars, not inflation adjusted. Private residential (red) spending is 5.3% below the peak in 2022. Private non-residential (blue) spending is at a new peak. Public construction spending (orange) is at a new peak. The second graph shows the year-over-year change in construction spending. On a year-over-year basis, private residential construction spending is up 1.6%. Private non-residential spending is up 2.5% year-over-year. Public spending is up 6.0% year-over-year. This was above consensus expectations; however, spending for the previous two months was revised down.

Moody's: Q1 2025 Apartment Vacancy Rate Highest Since 2010; Office Vacancy Rate at Record High- Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Moody's: Q1 2025 Apartment Vacancy Rate Highest Since 2010; Office Vacancy Rate at Record High A brief excerpt: From Moody’s Analytics Economists: Q1 Moody’s CRE Preliminary Trend Analysis The national multifamily market has been under supply-side pressure over the past two years. Steady demand finally paused the vacancy climb after a banner year with record-level inventory growth. Average vacancy stalled at 6.3%, the highest since 2010. Moody’s Analytics reported that the apartment vacancy rate was at 6.3% in Q1 2025, unchanged from an upwardly revised 6.3% in Q4, and up from 5.8% in Q1 2024. This is the highest vacancy rate since 2010. This graph shows the apartment vacancy rate starting in 1980. (Annual rate before 1999, quarterly starting in 1999). Note: Moody’s Analytics is just for large cities.

Vehicles Sales "Surge" to 17.8 million SAAR in March - Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for March: March U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Surge in Preemptive Move to Potential Tariff-Based Price Increases (pay site). March sales were proof that U.S. consumers are very much paying attention to tariffs, as demand on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis surged to 17.8 million units, highest for any month in nearly four years, and far above January-February’s combined total of 15.8 million. Buyers flocking to dealer lots to beat potential price increases, combined with some pre-tariff push by automakers raising deliveries to fleet customers lifted raw volume to over a 4-year high, not to mention a rare double-digit year-over-year gain. Regardless of any coming impacts from tariffs, March's booming results will cause lower volume in the second quarter due to the additional drain to dealer inventory that, based on industry norms, was already lean prior to the month.This graph shows light vehicle sales since 2006 from the BEA (blue) and Wards' estimate for February (red). Sales in March (17.77 million SAAR) were up 11.1% from February, and up 13.3% from March 2024. Sales in March were well above the consensus forecast. The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967.This was the best March since 2021.

Heavy Truck Sales Decreased 12% YoY in March: Lowest since May 2020 - This graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the March 2025 seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) of 403 thousand. Heavy truck sales really collapsed during the great recession, falling to a low of 180 thousand SAAR in May 2009. Then heavy truck sales increased to a new record high of 570 thousand SAAR in April 2019. Note: "Heavy trucks - trucks more than 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight." Heavy truck sales declined sharply at the beginning of the pandemic, falling to a low of 288 thousand SAAR in May 2020. Heavy truck sales were at 403 thousand SAAR in March, down from 436 thousand in February, and down 12.1% from 459 thousand SAAR in February 2025. Year-to-date (NSA) sales are down 10.1%.Usually, heavy truck sales decline sharply prior to a recession. Perhaps heavy truck sales will be revised up, but this was somewhat weak.As I mentioned yesterday, light vehicle sales "surged" in March to 17.77 million SAAR as some buyers rushed to beat the tariffs. The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967. Light vehicle sales were at 17.77 million SAAR in March, up 11.0% from February, and up 13.3% from March 2024.

US factory orders up by 0.6% in February -New orders for manufactured goods in the United States saw a monthly rise of 0.6% or $3.6 billion to land at $594.0 billion in February, the US Census Bureau said in its report published on Wednesday. The figure slightly surpassed analysts' expectations.Shipments climbed by 0.7% month-on-month to reach $596.1 billion, while unfilled orders were up by 0.1% to stand at $1,400.7 billion. Inventories increased by 0.1% or $1.3 billion to $864.9 billion. The inventories-to-shipments ratio stood at 1.45, down from January's.

ISM® Manufacturing index Decreased to 49.0% in March -The ISM manufacturing index indicated expansion. The PMI® was at 49.0% in March, down from 50.3% in February. The employment index was at 44.7%, down from 47.6% the previous month, and the new orders index was at 45.2%, down from 48.6%. From ISM: Manufacturing PMI® at 49% March 2025 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in March after two consecutive months of expansion preceded by 26 straight months of contraction, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®. “The Manufacturing PMI® registered 49 percent in March, 1.3 percentage points lower compared to the 50.3 percent recorded in February. The overall economy continued in expansion for the 59th month after one month of contraction in April 2020. (A Manufacturing PMI® above 42.3 percent, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.) The New Orders Index contracted for the second month in a row following a three-month period of expansion; the figure of 45.2 percent is 3.4 percentage points lower than the 48.6 percent recorded in February. The March reading of the Production Index (48.3 percent) is 2.4 percentage points lower than February’s figure of 50.7 percent. The index dropped back into contraction after two months of expansion, with eight months of contraction before that. The Prices Index surged further into expansion (or ‘increasing’) territory, registering 69.4 percent, up 7 percentage points compared to the reading of 62.4 percent in February. The Backlog of Orders Index registered 44.5 percent, down 2.3 percentage points compared to the 46.8 percent recorded in February. The Employment Index registered 44.7 percent, down 2.9 percentage points from February’s figure of 47.6 percent. This suggests manufacturing contracted in March. This was below the consensus forecast, new orders and employment were especially weak and prices very strong.

BLS: Job Openings Decreased to 7.6 million in February - From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary - The number of job openings was little changed at 7.6 million in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and total separations held at 5.4 million and 5.3 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.2 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.8 million) changed little. The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Discharges and other (red column), and Quits (light blue column) from the JOLTS. Note: The difference between JOLTS hires and separations is similar to the CES (payroll survey) net jobs headline numbers. ‘ Note that hires (dark blue) and total separations (red and light blue columns stacked) are usually pretty close each month. This is a measure of labor market turnover. When the blue line is above the two stacked columns, the economy is adding net jobs - when it is below the columns, the economy is losing jobs. The spike in layoffs and discharges in March 2020 is labeled, but off the chart to better show the usual data. Jobs openings decreased in February to 7.57 million from 7.76 million in January. The number of job openings (black) were down 10% year-over-year. Quits were down 8% year-over-year. These are voluntary separations. (See light blue columns at bottom of graph for trend for "quits").

Philly Fed: State Coincident Indexes Increased in 47 States in January (3-Month Basis) - From the Philly Fed: The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has released the coincident indexes for the 50 states for January 2025. Over the past three months, the indexes increased in 47 states, decreased in one state, and remained stable in two, for a three-month diffusion index of 92. Additionally, in the past month, the indexes increased in 35 states, decreased in nine states, and remained stable in six, for a one-month diffusion index of 52. For comparison purposes, the Philadelphia Fed has also developed a similar coincident index for the entire United States. The Philadelphia Fed’s U.S. index increased 0.6 percent over the past three months and 0.2 percent in January. Note: These are coincident indexes constructed from state employment data. An explanation from the Philly Fed: The coincident indexes combine four state-level indicators to summarize current economic conditions in a single statistic. The four state-level variables in each coincident index are nonfarm payroll employment, average hours worked in manufacturing by production workers, the unemployment rate, and wage and salary disbursements deflated by the consumer price index (U.S. city average). The trend for each state’s index is set to the trend of its gross domestic product (GDP), so long-term growth in the state’s index matches long-term growth in its GDP.Here is a map of the three-month change in the Philly Fed state coincident indicators. This map was all red during the worst of the Pandemic and also at the worst of the Great Recession. The map is mostly positive on a three-month basis. Source: Philly Fed. And here is a graph is of the number of states with one month increasing activity according to the Philly Fed. This graph includes states with minor increases (the Philly Fed lists as unchanged). In January, 36 states had increasing activity including minor increases.

ADP: Private Employment Increased 155,000 in March -From ADP: ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by 155,000 Jobs in March; Annual Pay was Up 4.6% “Despite policy uncertainty and downbeat consumers, the bottom line is this: The March topline number was a good one for the economy and employers of all sizes, if not necessarily all sectors,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. This was above the consensus forecast of 119,000. The BLS report will be released Friday, and the consensus is for 135,000 non-farm payroll jobs added in March.

March Employment Report: 228 thousand Jobs, 4.2% Unemployment Rate -- From the BLS: Employment Situation - Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 228,000 in March, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in health care, in social assistance, and in transportation and warehousing. Employment also increased in retail trade, partially reflecting the return of workers from a strike. Federal government employment declined....The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for January was revised down by 14,000, from +125,000 to +111,000, and the change for February was revised down by 34,000, from +151,000 to +117,000. With these revisions, employment in January and February combined is ,000 lower than previously reported.The first graph shows the jobs added per month since January 2021.Total payrolls increased by 228 thousand in March. Private payrolls increased by 209 thousand, and public payrolls increased 19 thousand (Federal payrolls decreased 4 thousand).Payrolls for January and February were revised down by 48 thousand, combined.The second graph shows the year-over-year change in total non-farm employment since 1968.In March, the year-over-year change was 1.88 million jobs. Employment was up solidly year-over-year.The third graph shows the employment population ratio and the participation rate. The Labor Force Participation Rate increased to 62.5% in March, from 62.4% in February. This is the percentage of the working age population in the labor force.The Employment-Population ratio was unchanged at 59.9% from 59.9% in February (blue line). .The fourth graph shows the unemployment rate.The unemployment rate increased to 4.2% in March from 4.1% in February.This was above consensus expectations; however, January and February payrolls were revised down by 48,000 combined.

Comments on March Employment Report - McBride - The headline jobs number in the March employment report was above expectations, however, January and February payrolls were revised down by 48,000 combined. The participation rate increased, the employment population ratio was unchanged, and the unemployment rate increased to 4.2%.Earlier: March Employment Report: 228 thousand Jobs, 4.2% Unemployment Rate Since the overall participation rate is impacted by both cyclical (recession) and demographic (aging population, younger people staying in school) reasons, here is the employment-population ratio for the key working age group: 25 to 54 years old.The 25 to 54 years old participation rate decreased in March to 83.3% from 83.5% in February.The 25 to 54 employment population ratio decreased to 80.4% from 80.5% the previous month.Both are down from the recent peaks, but still near the highest level this millennium.The graph shows the nominal year-over-year change in "Average Hourly Earnings" for all private employees from the Current Employment Statistics (CES). There was a huge increase at the beginning of the pandemic as lower paid employees were let go, and then the pandemic related spike reversed a year later.Wage growth has trended down after peaking at 5.9% YoY in March 2022 and was at 3.8% YoY in March. From the BLS report:"The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.8 million, changed little in March. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs"The number of persons working part time for economic reasons decreased in March to 4.78 million from 4.94 million in February. This is above the pre-pandemic levels.These workers are included in the alternate measure of labor underutilization (U-6) that decreased to 7.9% from 8.0% in the previous month. This is down from the record high in April 2020 of 22.9% and up from the lowest level on record (seasonally adjusted) in December 2022 (6.6%). (This series started in 1994). This measure is above the 7.0% level in February 2020 (pre-pandemic). This graph shows the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more. According to the BLS, there are 1.46 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks and still want a job, up from 1.44 million the previous month.This is down from post-pandemic high of 4.171 million, and up from the recent low of 1.056 million. This is above pre-pandemic levels. Summary:The headline jobs number in the March employment report was above expectations, however, January and February payrolls were revised down by 48,000 combined. The participation rate increased, the employment population ratio was unchanged, and the unemployment rate increased to 4.2%.This was a solid employment report.

Urban U.S. hate crime declined slightly in 2024, but anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim crimes rose, says report - Police reports of hate crimes in 42 major U.S. cities declined 2.7% in 2024, hovering around modern records, according to preliminary data from a new multi-city survey by an emeritus researcher from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). But anti-Jewish hate crimes rose 12% and anti-Muslim hate crimes increased 18%, part of an upward trend. "Multi-year overall hate crime trends remain elevated around modern records as hate crimes related to religion register another year of consecutive double-digit percentage increases," according to Brian Levin, professor emeritus of criminal justice at CSUSB and founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism there. At least 3,268 hate crimes were reported in 2024 across 42 major cities, including New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; Boston; Portland, OR.; Washington; and Philadelphia, a decrease of about 2.7% from the record high in 2023 (when there was a 12% overall rise), according to Levin. (This small overall decline, as well as those of some subgroups, likely falls within the margin of error.) The 10 most populous cities saw an even larger decline, putting them about even with the rate in 2021 but 140% higher than 2014 totals, largely as a result of a decrease in Chicago. However, these findings tell just part of the story. Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate crimes continued to rise, correlated to the timing of the Israel-Gaza war, Levin found. Hate crimes against Jews accounted for the largest representation in last year's adjusted sub-sample (Los Angeles excluded), at 25% of the total. Annual records for anti-Jewish hate crimes were broken in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and appear to have been broken in Boston, Austin, and Pittsburgh. Anti-Muslim hate crime rose 18% in 2024 for the fourth consecutive year. Other ethnicity-related hate crimes fell in 2024, though most within margin of error:

• Hate crimes against African Americans fell slightly, from 456 to 453 in 2023.
• Hate crimes against gay men dropped 8% after rising 33% in 2023.
• Anti-Latino hate crime, which hit a record in 2023, declined 5.5% (with Los Angeles excluded).

Anti-Asian hate crimes, which rose significantly at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, fell more than 14% in 2024 in 29 cities, but to levels far higher than before the pandemic. "The online narrative of threatening stereotypes around religious minorities, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, and others, both individually and as part of a broad conspiracy, has correlated in recent reporting periods to records in hate crimes toward those groups, but no more so than with hate crimes related to religion, which rose for a fourth consecutive year and were accelerated by the Gaza War,"

University administrations collaborate in Trump’s reign of terror on campuses The administrations of the major universities in the United States are playing an absolutely foul role in facilitating the fascistic reign of terror against free speech and democratic rights being implemented by the Trump administration. As a component of Trump’s efforts to establish a political dictatorship, the White House is overseeing a sweeping assault on student protesters, focused initially on international students. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration has revoked hundreds of student visas based on political speech. Over the past week, students across the country have received emails from the US State Department informing them that their F-1 student visas have been revoked and that they must leave the country at risk of being seized by immigration officials and thrown in detention centers, along with a threat that they may never be allowed back. These emails are part of the administration’s “Catch and Revoke” policy, which includes an artificial intelligence program that monitors social media accounts to identify anyone involved in protests against the genocide in Gaza and opposing the policies of the Israeli state. Dozens of students have already been seized and thrown into detention centers for deportation, including Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and Columbia graduate student; Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar and Tufts Ph.D. candidate, kidnapped on the streets of Boston by masked ICE agents; and Yunseo Chung, a permanent resident from South Korea who has been in the US since she was seven years old. Momodou Taal, a UK and Gambian citizen and Ph.D. student at Cornell University, is facing imminent detention and deportation for attending protests against the genocide and in retaliation for a lawsuit he has filed against the Trump administration’s illegal and unconstitutional executive orders. Trump is implementing an American version of Gleichschaltung–the Nazi’s “synchronization” of all elements of intellectual and cultural life, including the revision of university programs and the purging of scholars, to correspond with state ideology. Without even the threat of SS troops, university administrations are facilitating Trump’s demands and functioning as junior partners. Harvard University, long regarded as the pinnacle of American academia, is leading the charge. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the director and associate director of Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies—Cemal Kafadar and Rosie Bsheer, respectively—were summarily removed from their posts. The dismissals were carried out by Interim Dean of Social Science David Cutler, who offered no public justification. As the Harvard Crimson reported, this “dramatic shakeup” follows previous moves by the university to sever ties with Palestinian institutions and cancel events. Last week, Columbia University agreed to a list of demands that included placing its Middle East, South Asian and African Studies Department, and its Center for Palestine Studies under administrative review. Cornell University, for its part, has remained silent as one of its own—Momodou Taal—is targeted for arrest and deportation. Indeed, it created the conditions for the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Taal by attempting to suspend him last year for his involvement in demonstrations against the genocide. Over the weekend, Dr. Joanne Liu, a pediatric physician and former international president of Doctors Without Borders, reported that a lecture she was scheduled to give at New York University was cancelled due to stated concerns from the administration that references to the mass slaughter in Gaza “could be perceived as antisemitic” and to cuts in international aid programs as “anti-governmental.”

Cornell student targeted by Trump admin says he’s leaving US - Cornell University student Momodou Taal, whose visa was revoked over his involvement in pro-Palestinian campus protests, said he left the United States voluntarily on Monday after a judge declined to intervene to block the Trump administration from taking steps to deport him. “Today I took the decision to leave the United States, free and with my head held high,” Taal wrote in a post on X. Taal sued the Trump administration over the legality of two executive orders the administration is using in its crackdown on foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. A judge ruled against Taal, saying the court does not have subject matter jurisdiction and the student did not show a clear threat to his constitutional rights that would be solved by the lawsuit. Taal said he was due to submit a second briefing in court, which he planned to do “with the hope that I could stay out of detention” as the lawsuit progressed, but he decided to leave the country instead, fearing for his safety. “Given what we have seen across the United States, I have lost faith that a favourable ruling from the courts would guarantee my personal safety and ability to express my beliefs,” Taal wrote in his statement. “I have lost faith I could walk the streets without being abducted,” he continued. “Weighing these options, I took the decision to leave on my own terms.” “This is of course not the outcome I had wanted going into this, but we are facing a government that has no respect for the judiciary or for the rule of the law,” he added.

Momodou Taal flees United States: “I have lost faith I could walk the streets without being abducted” In a powerful statement released Monday evening, Momodou Taal, a British-Gambian Ph.D. student in Africana studies at Cornell University, announced on social media that he was leaving the United States to escape political persecution by the Trump administration. Taal thanked all individuals and organizations that have supported his case, particularly his legal team. He wrote: Everything I have tried to do has been in service of affirming the humanity of the Palestinian people, a struggle that will leave a lasting mark on me. Today I took the decision to leave the United States, free and with my head held high. Taal, like hundreds of other international students, has been targeted by the government because of his outspoken opposition to the US-backed Israeli genocide. The Trump administration is also seeking to retaliate against him for filing a lawsuit last month, alongside Cornell Professor Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ and fellow graduate student Sriram Parasurama, challenging two executive orders issued by Trump that suppress free speech and, in particular, criticism of Israel. After Taal filed the lawsuit, the Trump administration vindictively revoked his student visa and began sending deportation thugs to harass and intimidate him. Taal’s lawyers sought a temporary restraining order to keep the Trump administration from disappearing him to a detention camp in the US, El Salvador or Guantanamo Bay, but the initial request was denied last week by US District Judge Elizabeth C. Coombe. That same day his attorneys, led by Eric Lee and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, filed an amended complaint and new emergency motion. As Taal explained in his statement: Trump did not want me to have my day in court and sent ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents to my home and revoked my visa. We held out but our first motion was denied. We were due to submit a second briefing with the hope that I could stay out of detention whilst the lawsuit progressed. Given what we have seen across the United States, I have lost faith that a favourable ruling from the courts would guarantee my personal safety and ability to express my beliefs. I have lost faith I could walk the streets without being abducted. Weighing up these options, I took the decision to leave on my own terms. He continued: This is of course not the outcome I had wanted going into this, but we are facing a government that has no respect for the judiciary or for the rule of the law. Taal placed his persecution within the context of the broader campaign, which is backed by the entire political establishment, aimed at suppressing opposition to the ongoing genocide. For every person that has remained silent, just know that you are not safe either. Is the imprisonment of those who speak out against a genocide a reflection of your values? Is this the kind of nation you want to live in? We are already seeing the Trump administration exploiting the complicity of those who have remained silent on the Zionist genocide of Palestinians. The repression of Palestinian solidarity is now being used to wage a wholesale attack on any form of expression that challenges oppressive and exploitative relations in the US. In scathing terms, he denounced the political and media establishment for turning reality upside down: It is surreal that we live in a world where you get into trouble for saying killing babies is wrong. Where those advocating for, and celebrating, endless massacres against Palestinians are able to, time and again, present themselves as victims while presenting those fighting against genocide as oppressors.

Trump education moves: Where the legal challenges stand -The Trump administration’s request for the Supreme Court to intervene in a fight over federal teacher development grants has elevated an expanding series of legal battles implicating the administration’s sweeping shifts in education policy. More than 20 lawsuits have been filed, from one against President Trump’s executive order aimed at gutting the Education Department to others from pro-Palestinian student activists challenging efforts to deport them. Most of the legal challenges have just begun, meaning final decisions could be months or years away as schools and students wait to see the sweeping effects the Trump administration’s efforts could have in the classroom. Here are the education policy battles that are going through the legal system:

• Pro-Palestinian foreign students fighting to stay in the country. Multiple foreign students and faculty who engaged in pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year are taking the Trump administration to court over efforts to take away their immigration status and kick them out of the country. It started with Mahmoud Khalil, the lead negotiator for Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian encampments last spring who received his graduate degree in December. The Trump administration took Khalil into custody on March 8 using a rarely cited provision that says the secretary of State can deport a noncitizen if they pose a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Later, the government argued Khalil did not disclose previous organizations he worked for, such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, on his permanent resident application. The first battle in the case — where it will be litigated — is still underway as Khalil, a green card holder, remains in custody while his wife, an American citizen, is due to give birth soon. On Friday, a federal judge held a hearing on whether to keep Khalil’s challenge in New Jersey or transfer it to Louisiana where he is held, as the government desires. That trajectory would route any appeal through the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, regarded as the most conservative federal appeals court in the country. A ruling could come at any time. The use of the legal provision on Khalil was only the beginning, especially for those associated with Columbia. A third-year student at the university with a green card, Yunseo Chung, who has been in the U.S. since she was 7, sued Monday over efforts to revoke her status and deport her. She was also involved in the pro-Palestinian protests but not in a high-profile position like Khalil. A federal judge granted Chung’s request to temporarily block immigration authorities from detaining her as the challenge proceeds. The judge will hold May 20 hearing on whether to grant a longer injunction. Green card holders cannot lose their status or be deported without a ruling from an immigration judge.
• Teacher training programs at the Supreme Court This week, the Trump administration took its fight to block two federal teacher development grants to the Supreme Court. A ruling could come within days. The Trump administration slashed the grants back in February for teacher training programs, alleging they focused on “divisive ideologies.” The Education Department said the programs focused on critical race theory, diversity, equity and inclusion, social justice, anti-racism, white privilege and white supremacy. The application asks the justices to lift a judge’s order enabling eight Democratic states suing over the block to immediately draw down $65 million in funds. It is one of multiple emergency motions the administration has filed urging the high court to rein in lower judges over accusations they are improperly intruding on executive authority. “So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-court fiscal micromanagement. Only this Court can right the ship — and the time to do so is now,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote in filings. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, former President Biden’s sole appointee to the high court, receives the emergency appeal by default. She could act on the request alone or refer it to the full court for a vote. The Democratic attorneys general suing filed their response Friday, arguing the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction given the temporary nature of the lower rulings. “Their stated concern that they will be irreparably harmed by improper draw-downs of grant funds in the brief period before the temporary restraining order expires depends entirely on unsubstantiated speculation,” the states wrote of the administration’s request.
• Trump’s dismantling of the Education Department. Moves to eliminate the Department of Education have hit lawsuits every step of the way. It started with the cuts to the teaching training grants soon after Trump was inaugurated, which have now made it the whole way to the Supreme Court. The next lawsuit came when the Education Department fired half of its workforce, going from more than 4,000 employees to a little over 2,000. A request from Democratic attorneys general in Washington, D.C. and 20 states to reinstate the employees is set for an April 25 hearing in Boston. The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and two parents filed a suit saying the Education Department would not be able to fulfill its congressionally mandated obligations to students with disabilities due to the cuts to the Office of Civil Rights. It didn’t stop there, after the president kicked efforts up a notch by signing an executive order on March 20 telling Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the federal agency as far as she legally can. Multiple lawsuits were filed soon after by teacher unions and school districts alleging the Trump administration is violating the Administrative Procedure Act by trying to dismantle the department. And more are likely on the horizon as Trump declared he would be moving the department’s student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration and programs for students with disabilities to the Health and Human Services Department.
• Education Department’s ‘Dear Colleague’ letter around DEI. In the middle of the cuts and changes to the department, the federal agency on Feb. 14 put out a “Dear Colleague” letter that rattled universities, seemingly expanding on the 2023 Supreme Court ruling outlawing affirmative action in college admissions. The language was softened after some concerns that the guidance to get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at universities would include clubs that were based on race or ethnicity. The letter now faces three federal lawsuits. The case the furthest along is in New Hampshire, where the National Education Association has a pending request to block implementation of the letter. In Michigan, the owner of a firm that helps Black students sued last week. And in Maryland, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit against the letter alleging it was unconstitutionally vague and violated free speech protections. “That racial discrimination was written into the laws of the United States is a historical fact that cannot be erased by a Dear Colleague Letter,” the complaint reads. “Black Americans were enslaved by law, laws prevented Black Americans from owning property, attending public schools, and voting. This is, by definition, a legal structure that imposes differences based on race.” “It is therefore not possible to teach bare factual information about history without acknowledging structural racism — but doing so would now seem to constitute illegal discrimination in the eyes of the Department of Education,” it continued.
• Trump funding cuts to universities. Also under legal scrutiny is the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) efforts to substantially reduce “indirect” costs in research grants, an initiative that largely impacts universities and medical centers. Various national groups have challenged the plan like the Association of American Universities and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Individual universities have joined the legal fight, too, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California and Cornell University. On March 5, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, a Biden appointee, indefinitely blocked the administration’s cuts nationwide. Though the administration still can do so, it has notably not yet sought to appeal Kelley’s ruling. The lack of urgency contrasts with how the administration has appealed many other nationwide injunctions in a matter of hours or days. Separately, the Trump administration has directly taken funds from three schools — Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maine — for alleged violations regarding transgender students in sports and the schools’ handling of antisemitism. Columbia took the biggest hit of a $400 million funding pause for alleged inaction on antisemitism. Although Columbia has caved to the federal government’s demands and changed its policies, funding has not been restored. On Tuesday, the American Federation of Teachers and American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit against Columbia’s funding pause, alleging it is an “unlawful and unprecedented effort to overpower a university’s academic autonomy and control the thought, association, scholarship, and expression of its faculty and students.”

Fecal transplants from elite athletes improve metabolic health in mice -- University of Rennes researchers have discovered that transplanting gut microbiota from elite athletes into mice improves mouse insulin sensitivity and increases their muscle glycogen stores. Findings reveal that high aerobic exercise capacity corresponds with a distinct gut bacterial profile rich in short-chain fatty acid producing species like Prevotella copri and Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens. Rather than diversity, it was this specializedmicrobial composition that drove the metabolic benefits in the mice. Aerobic exercise capacity, measured by metrics such as maximal oxygen consumption and fat oxidation, is a recognized indicator of metabolic health and mortality risk. Previous studies in both humans and mice have suggested potential links betweenphysical activity, gut microbiota composition, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Yet, existing human studies have often failed to control for key confounding factors such as diet and body mass index, leaving the specific role of gut bacteria in aerobic performance unclear. In the study, "Atypical gut microbial ecosystem from athletes with very high exercise capacity improves insulin sensitivity and muscle glycogen store in mice," published in Cell Reports, researchers applied a combination of clinical phenotyping, metagenomic sequencing, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to investigate the relationship between gut microbiota and physical performance traits. The gut bacterial ecosystem from human donors affects insulin sensitivity and muscle glycogen stores in mice 5 weeks after transplantation, depending on the donor’s aerobic exercise capacity. Credit: Cell Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115448 A total of 50 healthy, normal-weight male participants were enrolled, with a wide range of aerobic capacities, from inactive individuals to elite cyclists and soccer players. Food intake and body composition were carefully matched across groups to isolate the effects of exercise capacity on gut microbial communities. Microbial DNA from fecal samples was extracted and sequenced to analyze bacterial composition, density, diversity, and metabolic function. Participants underwent both maximal and submaximal exercise testing. Fecal microbiota from selected human donors was then transplanted into antibiotic-pretreated mice to assess changes in insulin sensitivity and glycogen storage. Gut bacterial diversity and density were reduced in athletes with the highest aerobic capacities, yet these same individuals exhibited significantly higher fecal SCFA concentrations, particularly propionate and valerate. Participants with high levels of Prevotella copri and Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens, two SCFA-associated bacterial species, showed a distinctive gut ecosystem correlated with better fat oxidation rates and higher energy expenditure during exercise. Mice that received fecal microbiota from high-capacity human donors demonstrated improved insulin sensitivity and greater muscle glycogen content compared to controls. In contrast to previous assumptions, higher microbial diversity was not required for these metabolic benefits to occur. While the mice receiving gut microbiota from these high‑capacity donors showed marked gains in insulin sensitivity and glycogen storage, their actual treadmill running endurance did not improve. This suggests that while some health benefits associated with elite athletes can be acquired by managing microbiota (fecal transplant), actual athleticism is not as easily transferable.

Low levels of a single enzyme influence pathway to malignancy in colorectal cancer, scientists find -The transformation of healthy cells into invasive colorectal tumors is an extraordinarily complex process involving numerous molecular mechanisms, according to cancer biologists in China who have discovered that low levels of a single enzyme strongly influence the pathway to malignancy. Scientists in the department of colorectal surgery at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong have taken a new look at how CRC emerges. Working with collaborators elsewhere in China, they have found that a critical enzymatic imbalance may drive tumor formation in colorectal cancer. Reporting in Science Translational Medicine, the team highlighted an enzyme named GPT1, which stands for glutamic-pyruvic transaminase 1. Colorectal cancer, the researchers asserted, is characterized by decreased amounts of GPT1, a metabolic enzyme with apparent functions in cancer progression. Lead author of the study, Li Xiong, along with a large team of co-investigators, confirmed decreased GPT1 in CRC patients and demonstrated in a series of experiments that low expression of GPT1 was associated with worse CRC prognoses. The researchers were able to define the role of GPT1 in colorectal cancer by tracing the progression of the disease from normal cell to pre-cancerous cell to full-blown malignancy. The team was able to deduce the importance of GPT1 in CRC by noting its diminishing levels as the disease progressed. "The tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer—CRC—often follows the normal-adenoma-carcinoma—N-A-C—sequence," Xiong writes in the study.,Even though the molecular mechanisms underlying colorectal adenoma carcinogenesis remain largely unknown, the Guangdong team was able to define a causative role for low GPT1. "We analyzed transcriptomic profile changes in normal, advanced adenoma, and carcinoma tissues from patients with CRC," Xiong added, noting that as the disease progresses GPT1 is down-regulated, meaning the enzyme and, hence, its activity dramatically declined.

Implant-derived metals found in cerebrospinal fluid - Research led by Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin has found that metal particles from artificial joint implants can enter the central nervous system and accumulate in cerebrospinal fluid, raising concerns about potential neurological effects. Joint replacement surgery has transformed orthopedic care, improving mobility and quality of life for millions of people. Modern implants, made from combinations of metals, are designed for durability and biocompatibility. Over time, wear and corrosion of these materials can release microscopic particles into surrounding tissue. These byproducts have been linked to problems near the implant site, including inflammation, tissue damage, and loosening of the joint. Emerging concerns point to the possibility of metal particles entering the bloodstream and affecting organs far from the implant. Case reports have described serious effects on the heart, thyroid, and nervous system in patients with elevated levels of certain metals, particularly cobalt and chromium. Neurological changes have been reported in some patients following joint replacement. Previous research has largely focused on these two metals and has relied on blood and serum measurements, leaving open the question of whether such particles reach the central nervous system. In the study, "Metal Concentrations in Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients With Arthroplasty Implants," published in JAMA Network Open, researchers conducted a single-site cross-sectional study to determine whether metals from joint implants can be found in cerebrospinal fluid and bloodstream. A cohort was assessed of 204 adult participants, 102 with an existing large joint implant (median age 71.7) and 102 in a control group that had never received joint replacement surgery (median age 67.2). Samples were collected during elective surgery under spinal anesthesia or during lumbar puncture for routine diagnostic or therapeutic reasons. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measured concentrations of ten metals in blood, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid, including cobalt, chromium, titanium, niobium, zirconium, and others known to be used in implant materials. Cobalt levels in cerebrospinal fluid were significantly higher in patients with joint implants than in matched controls. Median cobalt concentrations were 0.03 μg/L in the implant group and 0.02 μg/L in the control group. Strong correlations were observed between cobalt levels in cerebrospinal fluid and those in serum and whole blood, suggesting systemic exposure may be reaching the central nervous system. Patients with implants also exhibited higher levels of chromium, titanium, niobium, and zirconium in blood and serum. In cerebrospinal fluid, titanium, niobium, and zirconium levels were significantly elevated, but only when serum levels of these metals were also increased. This is an important finding as it supports the accuracy of less invasive blood sampling as an indicator of possible cerebrospinal fluid inundation. Patients with implant components containing cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys had the highest cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of both cobalt and chromium. Cobalt levels in cerebrospinal fluid were significantly elevated even among patients with implants in place for less than ten years. Pain in the joint containing the implant was also associated with higher cobalt levels in cerebrospinal fluid. No increase in cerebrospinal fluid metal levels was observed in patients with implants lacking cobalt-chromium-molybdenum components. Patients with cemented implants showed elevated levels of zirconium in blood and serum, though not in cerebrospinal fluid. Aluminum did not appear elevated in the implant group despite being present in certain implant alloys. Blood-brain barrier integrity, assessed by serum S-100B levels, appeared unaffected and uncompromised in the implant group. Among those with elevated cerebrospinal fluid cobalt or zirconium, serum S-100B levels were lower than in matched controls. Findings indicate that metal particles released from joint implants can accumulate in the central nervous system, especially those containing cobalt-chromium-molybdenum. Results suggest that arthroplasty-related metal exposure is not confined to local tissues but extends systemically and may involve the brain. While blood-brain barrier dysfunction was not evident, the presence of these metals in cerebrospinal fluid raises questions about long-term neurological safety. Further research is needed to determine whether the observed exposures can contribute to cognitive changes or neurodegenerative disease, particularly in those with cobalt-containing components or unexplained neurological symptoms following arthroplasty. As a pilot study with exploratory objectives, no causal link can be established from these data alone.

Study estimates current Moderna vaccine 53% effective against COVID hospitalization - A preprint study posted late last week on the server medRxivreveals that the current Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is 53% effective against COVID-19–related hospitalization and 39% protective against medically attended COVID-19 over a median follow-up period of 57 days.The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, evaluated the effectiveness of Moderna's updated vaccine targeting the KP.2 variant at preventing hospitalizations and medically attended COVID-19 illness. Outcomes among recipients of the vaccine were compared to people who did not receive any 2024-25 COVID vaccine.The retrospective matched cohort study used electronic health records to determine vaccinations from August 23, 2024, through December 24, 2024, and with follow-up through December 31, 2024. Overall, 465,073 KP.2 vaccine recipients were matched 1:1 to unexposed adults.The average age of participants was 63 years, with more than half being 65 years or older. Seventy percent of people in the study had an underlying medical condition that made them high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes.The most common underlying medical conditions were obesity (exposed, 25.3%; unexposed, 26.5%), diabetes mellitus (21.7% and 23.5%, respectively), and heart conditions (17.9% and 19.7%, respectively)."Most patients (73%) in the study population had documentation of a previous vaccination for COVID-19," the authors said.Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was 52.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 34.8% to 65.8%) against COVID-19–related hospitalization, and 39.4% (95% CI; 35.0% to 43.5%) against medically attended COVID-19 over a median follow-up of 57 days.Adjusted VE against COVID-19–related hospitalization was 53.1% for adults 50 years old or older, 53.2% among adults 65 years old or older, and 46.5% among adults with at least one underlying medical condition. Adjusted VE against medically attended COVID-19 was 41.2% for adults ages 50 years old and older, 46.7% among those 65 years old or older, and 40.4% among adults with at least one underlying medical condition. "Most individuals in the study (over 70%) previously received a 2023-2024 mRNA-1273 [Moderna] vaccine targeting the XBB.1.5 variant. Thus, the results of this study should be interpreted in the context of the incremental protection against hospitalization provided by the most updated COVID-19 against the circulating variants in a real-world setting regardless of exposure and/or vaccination history," the authors said.

COVID-19 re-infection doubles risk of long COVID in kids, young adults, data reveal -Compared with after a first COVID-19 illness, being re-infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, doubles the risk of later developing long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) in children, teens, and young adults, according to a new preprint study posted on medRxiv. The retrospective cohort study used data from the RECOVER consortium collected from 40 US children's hospitals from January 2022 through October 2023, when the Omicron variant was predominant. The study involved 465,717 patients 20 years old and younger with confirmed COVID-19 during the study period; the median age was 8 years. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.The population had a very low rate of long COVID, defined by the study authors as a diagnosis based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification(ICD10-CM) U09.9 diagnosis code of PASC. Only 208 patients were diagnosed as having the condition after their first SARS-CoV-2 infection, with 134 long-COVID patients identified after their second infection. The rate per million patients per 6 months was 903 after the first infection and 1,884 after the second infection.Compared with the first COVID-19 infection, a second infection was associated with twice the increased risk of a long-COVID diagnosis (relative risk [RR], 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68 to 2.59). The second infection was also tied to a 50% or greater increase in several specific long-COVID conditions, including myocarditis (RR, 3.60), changes in taste and smell (2.83), heart disease (1.96), acute kidney injury (1.90), generalized pain (1.70), arrhythmias (1.59), abnormal liver enzymes (1.56), and fatigue or malaise (1.50).. These findings emphasize the ongoing risk of PASC with reinfection, regardless of severity, and suggest that the risk of PASC may be cumulative with each successive infection," the study authors write. Given that vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of PASC, these findings underscore the importance of reinforcing public health efforts to promote vaccination among adolescents and younger children."

Pregnancy may reduce long COVID risk - Pregnancy may offer some protection from developing long COVID, found a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Utah Health and Louisiana Public Health Institute. Previous research has mostly focused on non-pregnant adults affected by long COVID— a condition lasting for months after a person recovers from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study, published April 1 in Nature Communications, helps fill a critical gap about long COVID in women infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. "This population is so important and vulnerable, but we had no evidence about their long COVID risk to guide their care," said Dr. Chengxi Zang, an instructor in population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, who co-led the research. "We hope this new data will help clinicians develop better long COVID prevention and treatment strategies for pregnant women and help those most at risk." The researchers tapped into real-world data collected in two large electronic health record-based studies, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) and the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), under the National Institutes of Health RECOVER initiative. They analyzed data on approximately 72,000 women who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy between March 2020 and June 2023 and about 208,000 age and demographically matched controls who were not pregnant but developed the infection during this period. They looked for signs of long COVID 180 days after the women recovered from infections. The team found that the rates of long-term complications related to COVID-19 are lower among pregnant women than comparably matched women who were not pregnant during their infection. The findings were consistent across both large databases and held true even when the researchers used different methods to define long COVID. This consistency adds confidence to the results. In the PCORnet cohort, Dr. Zang and his colleagues found that about 16 out of 100 pregnant women developed long COVID compared with about 19 out of 100 non-pregnant women. long COVID is defined as having any of the following symptoms: cognitive problems, encephalopathy, sleep disorders, acute pharyngitis, shortness of breath, pulmonary fibrosis, chest pain, diabetes, edema, malnutrition, joint pain, fever, malaise and fatigue. Similar findings were replicated in the N3C cohort. "Though we observed that pregnant women have a significant risk of long COVID, it was surprisingly lower than those who were not pregnant when they had SARS-CoV-2 infection," Dr. Zang said. "However, some subgroups seemed especially vulnerable." "We hypothesize that the altered immune and inflammatory environment lasting about six weeks after giving birth might contribute to lowering the risk of long COVID," Dr. Zang said, "The observed risk differences in this analysis suggest future dedicated studies of long COVID in pregnant individuals are needed."

COVID-19 may put patients at risk for other infections for at least 1 year --In a study yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, its authors describe how a positive test for COVID-19 is associated with increased rates of diagnosis of various non–SARS-CoV-2 infections in the 12 months following an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, even if the initial infection is mild to moderate.They also found that patients hospitalized for COIVD-19 infections were at greater risk for other infections in the year after illness, compared to patients who were hospitalized for influenza.The study is based on data collected from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare databases. The authors compared outcomes among 231,899 people with a positive COVID-19 test and 605,014 with a negative COVID-19 test (test-negative control group) from Nov 1, 2021, to Dec 31, 2023. Patient records were examined for a battery of 65 different laboratory tests for infectious illnesses in the 30 days to 12 months following documented COVID-19 illness.Compared with the test-negative control group, participants with a positive COVID-19 test who were not admitted had significantly increased rates of outpatient diagnosis of bacterial, fungal, and viral infectious illnesses (risk ratio [RR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 1.19), outpatient respiratory infections (RR, 1.46), and admission to hospital for infectious illnesses (RR, 1.41), including for sepsis and respiratory infections.Those data translate to increased risk of 17%, 46%, and 41%, respectively.Overall, non-hospitalized COVID patients had higher rates in 32% of the 65 laboratory-based outcomes compared to those who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2.That rate jumped in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, who had higher rates of positive results in 71% of the examined laboratory tests, after accounting for multiple comparisons with the COVID-negative cohort.To further analyze the association between COVID-19 and subsequent infections, the authors compared people admitted to the hospital for seasonal influenza (3,293) and those admitted for COVID-19 (12,450) in the VA database and found that COVID patients had higher rates of admission to hospital for infectious illnesses (RR, 1.24), admission to hospital for sepsis (RR 1.35), and in-hospital use of antimicrobials (RR, 1.23).In a commentary on the study, Gabriel Chodick, PhD, MHA, from Tel Aviv University, said these findings are important because they show that, even among patients with only moderate infection, COVID-19 seems to alter the immune system and make patients more vulnerable to future illnesses.

Healthcare workers with chronic condition miss more days of work due to COVID than flu, data show - Healthcare personnel (HCP) in Greece who were ill with COVID-19 and had at least one underlying medical condition missed more days of work than those who had influenza or a SARS-CoV-2 infection but no symptoms, finds a study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control. Researchers from the National Public Health Organization in Athens, Greece, led the multicenter cohort study of work absences for COVID-19 or flu among 5,871 HCP during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season (November to May). A total of 759 missed-work episodes were documented during the study period (12.9 episodes per 100 HCP). The average number of days per episode was 4.5, and the total number was 3,434 days. Of all HCP, 507 (8.6%) were diagnosed as having COVID-19, 10 (0.2%) had asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, and 88 (1.5%) had flu. HCP who had symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 and one or more chronic conditions missed, on average, 1.76 and 0.25 more workdays than those who had no COVID-19 infection or underlying illness, respectively (95% confidence intervals [CIs], 1.55 to 1.98 and 0.05 to 0.46 days, respectively).COVID-19, flu, and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection accounted for 66.8%, 11.6%, and 1.3% of absences, respectively. In total, COVID-19 and flu were responsible for 76.5% and 9.7% of total days missed, respectively. Presenteeism, or working while ill, was identified in 113 HCP (14.9%)."COVID-19 remains the major driver of absenteeism among HCP," the study authors concluded.

Rewriting history on COVID lockdowns, New York Times reaffirms its support for “herd immunity” - On March 22, 2020, at the height of the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman coined the mantra for Trump’s back-to-work campaign, writing, “The cure cannot be worse than the disease.” By this, Friedman meant that the limited lockdowns and other public health measures then in place had to be ended and society fully reopened, to resume the flow of profits to Wall Street. As part of their commemoration of the five-year anniversary of the pandemic, the Times has chosen to reaffirm their support for the ruling elites’ “herd immunity” policy, recently airing a special episode of their podcast The Daily titled, “Were the COVID lockdowns worth it?” to which they answer definitively “No.” Hosted by the chameleon-like Michael Barbaro, who always pliantly suits his narrative to serve the interests of the powers-that-be, the episode featured Princeton University academics Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee discussing their recent book, “In COVID’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us.” The central purpose of this work of historical revisionism is to portray the US’ limited lockdowns in the opening weeks of the pandemic as misdirected policies, while chastising public health officials for focusing solely on reducing death rates. In addition to the Times interview—listened to by roughly 4 million people—this right-wing book has also been promoted by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria and other mainstream media pundits. The absence of epidemiologists, pandemic experts, and historians in such a critical discussion raises obvious concerns. The Times’ choice not to include experts in the field of public health exposes their hostility to any genuine analysis of the systemic causes of the spread of COVID-19 from the outset. At the heart of Macedo and Lee’s argument is the assertion that public health officials and policymakers were aware, through various modeling studies and simulations, that in a globalized context lockdowns would be ineffective at stopping pandemics and preventing loss of life. Covering up the failure of capitalist governments to provide any social planning to address the needs of their populations during lockdowns, Macedo and Lee falsely portray these public health measures in themselves as the source of a cascade of negative impacts, including business shutdowns and substantial economic losses, focusing in particular on the impacts of school closures on children. After questioning a “general social fixation on the number of deaths,” Macedo and Lee denounce the supposed suppression of public discussions on “alternative” pandemic management strategies, by which they mean the far-right “herd immunity” policy of mass infection and death. Barbaro innocently asks them about “this alternative vision, the Great Barrington Declaration,” co-authored by Stanford health economist Jay Bhattacharya, to which they voice full support. When it was first released, the Great Barrington Declaration was widely denounced by scientists and public health experts, with the WSWS correctly characterizing it as a “manifesto of death.” Barbaro does not probe the fact that Macedo is directly linked to Bhattacharya, confirmed this week as Trump’s director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In effect, the not-so-subtle subtext of the interview is the total accommodation of the Times to Trump’s war on science and public health.

Indwelling devices, prior antibiotic use tied to higher risk of bloodstream infections in infants -A study by US and Indian researchers suggests that the presence of indwelling devices and prior antibiotic exposure are associated with increased risk of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections (BSIs) in newborns in low-resource settings.The prospective study, published this week in JAMA Network Open by a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine–led research team, examined data on neonates admitted to one of three neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Pune, India, from May 2017 through July 2019. The newborns were followed from admission until discharge, transfer, or death. The primary outcome was healthcare-associated BSIs, defined as positive blood culture on or after admission day 3. Like many other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) grappling with high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), India has reported high rates of infections among hospital-born neonates, with rates 3- to 20-fold higher than observed in high-income countries, the study authors note. Their aim was to identify some of the drivers of these high neonatal healthcare-associated infection rates."Identification of neonates at highest risk for health care–associated infection events is paramount to guide the development of targeted interventions to prevent health care–associated infections and, thus, reduce the burden of neonatal morbidity and mortality in LMICs," the study authors wrote.Among the 6,410 newborns (median gestational age, 34 weeks; 55.5% male) included in the study, the incidence of healthcare-associated BSIs was 6.09 per 1,000 patient-days. Most BSIs (202 [54.2%]) occurred during days 3 to 7 of admission. Among the 373 newborns (5.8%) with healthcare-associated BSIs, 101 (27.1%) died before discharge.Of the 412 bacterial isolates collected, most (273 [66.3%]) were gram-negative organisms, and 85.5% of the 236 tested gram-negative isolates were resistant to third- or fourth-generation cephalosporins, while 44.8% were resistant to carbapenems. The most frequently isolated organisms were Klebsiella spp (124 [30.1%) of all isolates), Acinetobacter spp (47 [11.4%]), and Citrobacter spp (41 [10%]).Increased risk of healthcare-associated BSIs was associated with central venous catheters (hazard ratio [HR], 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.55 to 3.57), respiratory support (HR, 3.09; 95% CI, 2.86 to 3.34), or urinary catheters (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.48 to 3.40) within 3 days preceding infection. Among 3,339 newborns admitted for 7 days or longer, antibiotic exposure during the first week of admission was associated with a nearly threefold increase in the risk of health care–associated BSIs (adjusted HR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.26 to 6.32).

Flu quadruples hospitalization risk in congestive heart failure patients -Flu patients who had an underlying medical condition (UMC) were more likely to be hospitalized for their infection than those without one—and in the case of congestive heart failure (CHF), the risk was fourfold, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-led study.For the retrospective study, published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, the investigators used electronic health records and billing data to estimate flu-related hospitalization rates by type and number of UMCs among adult patients at two healthcare systems in California and Minnesota during four respiratory virus seasons (2016-17 to 2019-20). Among UMCs, the team included blood disorders, cerebrovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), CHF, ischemic heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, neurologic or musculoskeletal disorders, chronic kidney disease, and rheumatologic or autoimmune conditions. The median patient age during the first included flu season was 46 years, 55% were women, 78% were White, 44% were vaccinated against flu, and 42% had at least one UMC. "Individuals with various underlying medical conditions (UMCs) such as heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or diabetes mellitus have higher risk for acute respiratory illness (ARI)- and influenza-associated hospitalization," the researchers wrote.Of 870,888 adults, 1,403 were hospitalized for flu at least once (1.2 per 1,000 person-years). Relative to those without CHF, the rate of flu-related hospitalization was highest for patients with CHF (13.0 per 1,000 person-years; adjusted rate ratio [aRR], 4.2), followed by COPD (4.0) and blood disorders (3.6), compared with those without the specific UMC. The rate also increased with each additional UMC, compared with those with no UMCs (aRR for 1, 3.4; 2, 8.1; 3, 14.2; and 4 or more, 24.0). The effect of UMCs on hospitalizations for flu was higher when not mediated by vaccination status; for those with four or more UMCs versus no UMCs, rates were about 60% higher.

Study underscores risk of death after lower respiratory tract infection - Contracting a non-COVID lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) raises your risk of death two to seven times over the next month to a year, according to astudy last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. For the study, researchers with the health consulting firm Avalere and drug company Pfizer retrospectively analyzed de-identified US adult patient data from Optum's Clinformatics Data Mart Database from 2013 through 2018. The research team considered all LRTI illnesses—caused by influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or other bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens—occurring within 60 days of each other as part of the same episode.They found that, among about 60,200 patients hospitalized for LRTI, 30-day mortality risk was 5.8% and 360-day risk was 18.3%, which were 7.5 and 2.6 times higher than outcomes for comparison patients. Among roughly 2.4 million ambulatory patients, 30-day risk of death was 1.2% and 360-day risk was 3.6%, which was 6.5 and 2.1 times higher than comparison patients. "Among both LRTI-hospitalized and LRTI-ambulatory patients, mortality risk increased with increasing age and was higher for adults with chronic or immunocompromising conditions (vs. without medical conditions)," the study authors write. They add that their findings are comparable to the limited data available from previously published studies.

Flu levels in US continue to decline, but more kids' deaths confirmed -- For the seventh week in a row, indicators show that US influenza activity is dropping, but it's still above baseline levels and has been for 18 straight weeks, and flu-related pediatric deaths have reached 168, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update."Seasonal influenza (flu) activity continues to decline; however, CDC expects several more weeks of flu activity," the CDC said.The percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness, or respiratory illness, dropped from 3.3% the previous week to 3.2% last but is still above the national baseline of 3.0% (see CDC graph above). As in the previous week, five US regions are below their baseline levels.Only 2 jurisdictions are reporting high or very high flu activity, a sharp drop from 7 the previous week. Test positivity for flu is now at 9.7%, down from 10.7%. Hospitalizations and deaths are both down, but the cumulative hospitalization rate for this season is the highest since the 2010-11 season.Nine new pediatric flu deaths bring the season's total to 168, the CDC said. That compares with 187 and 207 deaths for the previous two flu seasons. Seven of the new deaths were from influenza A and two from influenza B.Meanwhile, COVID-19 levels also continue to decline from already low levels, according to the CDC's latest data updates today. Wastewater detections last week remained low, with the highest levels in parts of the South. The rate of overall deaths that were caused by COVID last week was 0.8% (down slightly from 0.9%), similar to the 0.9% for flu.In its update on the three leading respiratory illnesses—flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) —the CDC that, nationally, flu (9.7%), and RSV (4.1%) test positivity decreased from the previous week, while COVID-19 (3.7%) remained stable. Wastewater levels for influenza A are low, while for RSV they are now very low.

As cases rise nationally, 2 infants die of pertussis in Louisiana -Just weeks after two state surgeons general said they will no longer promote vaccinations, state officials announced that two Louisiana children have died of pertussis, or whooping cough—a vaccine-preventable disease—in the past 6 months, CNN reported yesterday.The news comes as Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, MD, confirmed 110 pertussis cases in Louisiana as of last week, compared with 154 for all of 2024. Cases are also rising nationally. Officials confirmed more than 35,000 infections last year, the most in more than a decade, CNN reports. Ten people died, six of them less than 1 year old. And the country has seen about 6,600 cases already in 2025, almost four times the number at this point last year.A chief cause is declining US childhood vaccination rates in the past 5 years."When you start to see these outbreaks … it tends to be as a result of that increased circulation of the microbe in the community, as well as populations with no immunity or reduced immunity that are susceptible to the infection," said Lisa Morici, PhD, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Experts are urging pertussis vaccination, and say that confusion over immunization messaging isn't helping. "When you cast aspersions or doubt about the safety and efficacy of one vaccine, I think it really has a ripple effect for all vaccines," said Jennifer Avegno, MD, director of the New Orleans Health Department, referring to the move to no longer promote vaccinations in the state.

US measles cases approach 500 in worst year since 2019 - A measles outbreak centered in western Texas has grown to 400 infections, as US cases approach 500, putting the nation on track for its worst year since 2019, when outbreaks struck unvaccinated close-knit communities. In an update today, the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 73 more cases, with one more patient hospitalized. Given the highly contagious nature of the virus, the TDSHS said it expects more cases to be reported in affected and surrounding areas.Cases have been reported from 17 Texas counties, mostly from Gaines County and surrounding counties in the western part of the state. However, 10 cases have been reported from Lamar County in eastern Texas on the Oklahoma border.Only 2 of Texas’ 400 patients were known to have received two recommended measles vaccine doses, and the rest had unknown status or were unvaccinated.In a related development, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH) today reported 1 more case in its outbreak, which is linked to the Texas outbreak, raising the state’s total to 44 cases. New Mexico’s cases are from Lea and Eddy counties. Of New Mexico’s patients, 4 had at least one measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine dose, 32 were unvaccinated, and 8 had an unknown vaccination status.Two earlier deaths were reported in measles patients from the two states. The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) today issued an alert about potential exposures related to two unrelated confirmed measles cases in people who aren’t residents of the state.Its warning detailed two locations, one an Amtrack Northeast Regional Train that traveled from New York’s Penn Station to Washington, DC, on March 19 and the other Capital Health Medical Center in Pennington, NJ, on March 22. In its weekly update today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 105 more cases, pushing the national total to 483. Two more jurisdictions have reported cases, bringing that total to 20. Two more outbreaks are reflected in the total, putting the total at five. Of the 483 cases, 93% (447) are part of outbreaks. Earlier this week, Kansas and Ohio added cases to their outbreak totals, and Oklahoma has reported nine cases, 7 confirmed and 2 probable, in an outbreak linked to the Texas outbreak.Several states have also reported imported cases among international travelers, part of a global rise in measles activity.Of people infected in the United States, 97% were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.Cases this year are tracking well above the 285 cases reported for all of 2024 and are at the highest level since 2019 when 1,249 cases were reported. Most of those cases were reported in underimmunized, close-knit communities, including two outbreaks in New York’s Orthodox Jewish communities.

New cases push US measles total past 500 -Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma today reported more measles cases in a large outbreak centered in West Texas, as other states reported new illnesses as well, some with known links to international travel.Late last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has received reports of 483 measles cases, most of which are part of ongoing outbreaks that also include Kansas and Ohio. Alongside more outbreak cases, other states are reporting more travel-related cases, part of a global rise in cases.The new cases push the national total past 500, as the nation experiences the worst outbreak since 2019, when a surge in infections threatened the nation's measles elimination status.The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 22 more outbreak-related cases, raising its total to 422 since the end of January. So far, 42 patients have been hospitalized, and 1 death was reported earlier in a child. Of the total, 417 were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. Two more of the state's counties reported cases, raising the total to 19, though two-thirds are from Gaines County on the border with New Mexico. New Mexico reported 4 more cases, raising its total to 48. Most (43) were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination statuses. Cases remain limited to two of the state's counties, all but 2 of them in Lea County, which borders Gaines County, the main hot spot in Texas. Two New Mexico residents have been hospitalized, and measles is suspected as the cause of death in one of the patients. Recent cases in Oklahoma have been linked to the Texas outbreak, as well, and today the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 1 more case, raising it total to 10, which include 8 confirmed and 2 listed as probable. All 10 patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and its partners in Pueblo County yesterday announced a measles infection in an unvaccinated adult who had recently visited a part of Mexico that is experiencing an outbreak. The CDPHE warned of potential exposures at a café and a medical clinic. In Pennsylvania, the Erie County Department of Health on March 30 announced that it is investigating a measles infection in an Erie County child. Officials said exposures may have occurred at a childcare center, a fitness center, and a clinic. The report did not say how the child was exposed. Meanwhile, Ohio's Knox County Public Health reported two more measles cases, both involving people who had recently traveled internationally. The county reported a similar case last week.

US measles total tops 600 cases, with almost 500 in Texas Fueled by outbreaks in multiple states, including a large one centered in west Texas, the nation's measles total reached 607 cases today, with 124 new cases reported over the past week, according to an update today from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The nation is battling its worst spike in cases since 2019, fueled by outbreaks in communities where vaccine uptake is lower and by increased global spread of the virus. The CDC said 2 more jurisdictions reported cases this week, raising the total to 22—21 states and New York City. One more outbreak was reported, making six so far, and 93% of cases confirmed so far are part of outbreaks.Of the total patients, 97% were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination statuses, and 74 (12%) have been hospitalized. The nation is on track to pass the 1,274 cases reported in 2019, a year when a surge of measles activity threatened the nation's measles elimination status, which it earned in 2000.The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 59 more cases, pushing the state's total since January to 481 in 19 counties. Fourteen more people were hospitalized for their infections, bringing that total to 56.Of the state's total, 471 patients were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. Though most cases are reported in Gaines County on the border with New Mexico, a few linked to the outbreak have been reported in counties in central Texas, including Brown and Erath counties. In a new development, the Harris County Public Health (HCPH), home to Houston in the southeastern part of the state, said it is investigating a confirmed measles case in a child who lives in the northwestern part of the county and has no travel history.The HCPH said the case was confirmed by a commercial lab and awaits secondary confirmation by the TDSHS. So far, it's not clear if the case is linked to the outbreak in west Texas. The case marks Harris County's first since 2019.Meanwhile, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH) reported six more cases, raising the state's total to 54. The New Mexico outbreak is limited to two counties—Lea and Eddy— that border the Texas outbreak hot spot. Among the 54 patients, 48 were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.Oklahoma, another state with cases linked to the Texas outbreak, reported no new cases today, keeping its total at 10, which includes 8 confirmed and 2 probable.Outbreaks are occurring in other states, though it’s not clear if all are linked to the Texas event.

Why Did the CDC Bury Its Latest Measles Forecast? - Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered staff last week not to release their experts’ assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging, according to internal records reviewed by ProPublica. In an aborted plan to roll out the news, the agency would have emphasized the importance of vaccinating people against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that has spread to 19 states, the records show. A CDC spokesperson told ProPublica in a written statement that the agency decided against releasing the assessment “because it does not say anything that the public doesn’t already know.” She added that the CDC continues to recommend vaccines as “the best way to protect against measles.” But what the nation’s top public health agency said next shows a shift in its long-standing messaging about vaccines, a sign that it may be falling in line under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines: “The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” the statement said, echoing a line from a column Kennedy wrote for the Fox News website. “People should consult with their health care provider to understand their options to get a vaccine and should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.”ProPublica shared the new CDC statement about personal choice and risk with Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health. To her, the shift in messaging, and the squelching of this routine announcement, is alarming.“I’m a bit stunned by that language,” Nuzzo said. “No vaccine is without risk, but that makes it sound like it’s a very active coin toss of a decision. We’ve already had more cases of measles in 2025 than we had in 2024, and it’s spread to multiple states. It is not a coin toss at this point.” Nuzzo wishes the CDC’s forecasters would put out more details of their data and evidence on the spread of measles, not less. “The growing scale and severity of this measles outbreak and the urgent need for more data to guide the response underscores why we need a fully staffed and functional CDC and more resources for state and local health departments,” she said.When asked what role, if any, Kennedy played in the decision to not release the risk assessment, HHS’ communications director said the aborted announcement “was part of an ongoing process to improve communication processes — nothing more, nothing less.” The CDC, he reiterated, continues to recommend vaccination “as the best way to protect against measles.”“Secretary Kennedy believes that the decision to vaccinate is a personal one and that people should consult with their health care provider to understand their options to get a vaccine,” Andrew G. Nixon said. “It is important that the American people have radical transparency and be informed to make personal health care decisions.”Responding to questions about criticism of the decision among some CDC staff, Nixon wrote, “Some individuals at the CDC seem more interested in protecting their own status or agenda rather than aligning with this Administration and the true mission of public health.”The CDC’s risk assessment was carried out by its Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, which relied, in part, on new disease data from the outbreak in Texas. The CDC created the center to address a major shortcoming laid bare during the Covid-19 pandemic. It functions like a National Weather Service for infectious diseases, harnessing data and expertise to predict the course of outbreaks like a meteorologist warns of storms.Other risk assessments by the center have been posted by the CDC even though their conclusions might seem obvious.In late February, for example, forecasters analyzing the spread of H5N1 bird flu said people who come “in contact with potentially infected animals or contaminated surfaces or fluids” faced a moderate to high risk of contracting the disease. The risk to the general U.S. population, they said, was low.In the case of the measles assessment, modelers at the center determined the risk of the disease for the general public in the U.S. is low, but they found the risk is high in communities with low vaccination rates that are near outbreaks or share close social ties to those areas with outbreaks. The CDC had moderate confidence in the assessment, according to an internal Q&A that explained the findings. The agency, it said, lacks detailed data about the onset of the illness for all patients in West Texas and is still learning about the vaccination rates in affected communities as well as travel and social contact among those infected. (The H5N1 assessment was also made with moderate confidence.)The internal plan to roll out the news of the forecast called for the expert physician who’s leading the CDC’s response to measles to be the chief spokesperson answering questions. “It is important to note that at local levels, vaccine coverage rates may vary considerably, and pockets of unvaccinated people can exist even in areas with high vaccination coverage overall,” the plan said. “The best way to protect against measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.”Last week, though, as the number of confirmed cases rose to 483, more than 30 agency staff were told in an email that after a discussion in the CDC director’s office, “leadership does not want to pursue putting this on the website.”The cancellation was “not normal at all,” said a CDC staff member who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal with layoffs looming. “I’ve never seen a rollout plan that was canceled at that far along in the process.”

Mpox activity in Africa on pace to pass 2024 total -Mpox activity continues to fluctuate among different countries in Africa, but as a whole the situation continues to escalate, with the region in the first 3 months of the new year nearly reaching 50% of the cases reported for all of 2024, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said today at the agency’s weekly briefing.Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accounted for 95% of the confirmed cases last week, but Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, said the full picture in the DRC is hazy, because test coverage is low, at 18.4%, due to ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the country and problems collecting samples and transporting them to labs owing to foreign aid cuts.The DRC is also grappling with a major measles outbreak. Kyeng Mercy, PhD, epidemic intelligence unit lead at Africa CDC, said about 12,000 measles cases have been reported this year, along with 180 deaths, in 26 provinces, though most are from North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, which are difficult to access because of armed conflict.Kaseya said that, in other outbreak developments, Ghana reported its first mpox case after going 11 weeks with no new cases. The patient is a 29-year-old man with no travel history or recent contact with wildlife. He works as a skin aesthetician and was involved in treating a patient with "large pimples." Lab results determined that the worker's infection involved the clade 2 virus.Kaseya added that the new case in Ghana is a reminder of the importance of beefing up surveillance, even in countries that aren't current mpox hot spots. Officials said they are seeing a mixed picture in different countries, with cases rising in Tanzania, one of the newer hot spots. However, cases in Uganda trended downward last week, as the country prepares to launch the second phase of its mpox vaccine campaign.

Cholera spreading across Angola, with more than 8,500 cases - A cholera outbreak in Angola has spread to 16 of the country's 21 provinces since the first of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an outbreak notice late last week.As of March 25, officials have recorded 8,543 cholera cases and 329 deaths (case-fatality rate [CFR], 3.9%), with one third of deaths occurring in the community and outside of medical treatment centers. The CFR for hospitalized cases is 2.5%, with 253 patients currently hospitalized. Luanda (48.5%) and Bengo (29.1%) provinces have the highest burden of disease."The outbreak initially saw a rapid increase in cases, exceeding 1,000 weekly cases in early February. This was followed by a decline and a plateau, with case numbers stabilizing at approximately 800 cases per week for a month," the WHO said. Last week, however, cases surged again, reaching 1,200—the highest weekly count to date.Children ages 6 to 14 years represent 23.1% of the total cases, and 21.7% of cases are in teens and young adults aged 15 to 24 years.Angola has historically battled cholera outbreaks that typically follow rainy seasons. Neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia are also experiencing cholera outbreaks."Inadequate access to clean water and sanitation continues to leave Angola highly vulnerable to cholera outbreaks, especially in densely populated urban centers and remote rural communities," the WHO said. "Given the ongoing outbreak, the rainy season, and Angola's proximity to cholera-affected countries, the risk of further spread within Angola and to neighboring countries is considered very high."

Deadly antibiotic-resistant superbug bacteria spreading in Malaysian hospital -A virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant superbug that causes severe disease has been found circulating in a Malaysian hospital—posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study reveals. The work is published in the journal Microbial Genomics. Analyzing 10 years' worth of data, scientists discovered that most Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) infections at the main tertiary hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia, belonged to Global Clone 2 (or GC2), which is the dominant type in most parts of the world. Investigating data relating to 126 samples of the bacteria (2011–2020), researchers found that the majority of Malaysian A. baumannii were resistant to multiple antibiotics, with most resistant to carbapenems—the drugs of choice for the treatment of A. baumannii infections. The international research team also found that 97% of the bacterial samples carried plasmids—tiny DNA "toolkits"—that help spread antibiotic resistance. Co-author Dr. David Cleary, from the University of Birmingham, commented, "Our study provides further evidence that the same dangerous family of A. baumannii bacteria keeps spreading in hospitals. Despite its importance, there is very little information on A. baumannii from low- and middle-income countries."Understanding how the disease evolves is critical in helping to prevent the spread of disease, as well as developing and optimizing treatments. A. baumannii keeps evolving new resistance tricks and low- and middle-income countries need more tools to track it. There's an urgent need for continuous surveillance and development of effective treatment protocols to combat the spread of MDR A. baumannii. The predominance of the GC2 lineage and the high incidence of carbapenem resistance pose a significant threat topublic health."A. baumannii can cause infections in the blood, lungs, urinary tracts and wounds. It typically causes these problems in health care settings, such as hospitals. Owing to its ability to resist antibiotic treatment, it has been listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a critical priority antibiotic-resistant pathogen.

Fatal H5N1 case reported in India's Andhra Pradesh state - Indian media outlets are reporting that a 2-year-old girl in Andhra Pradesh state has died from H5N1 avian flu.According to Press Trust of India, the girl died on March 15 following hospitalization in Mangalagiri. The H5N1 findings were confirmed by the National Virology Institute based in Pune. No related infections were found in the girl's family members, and no poultry outbreaks were reported in Palnadu district where the girl lived. The girl's family said she had eaten raw chicken, which investigators say is her potential infection source.India reported its last human H5N1 infection in 2021, a fatal case in an 11-year-old boy who had an underlying medical condition. However, in May 2024, Australia reported an H5N1 infection in an Australian child who had recently traveled to India. The child had a severe infection but fully recovered.So far, it's not clear what clade was involved in the newly reported cast. An older South Asian H5N1 clade called 2.3.2.1a is known to circulate in birds in India and Bangladesh and was implicated in the two earlier cases. Scientists, however, reported that the Australian child's virus was involved in a previously undetected reassortant of 2.3.2.1a, the global 2.3.4.4b clade, and low-pathogenic wild bird avian flu segments.

Tests confirm H5N1 avian flu virus in recently recalled raw food for cats --The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on March 28 warned consumers about the risk of H5N1 avian flu from Savage Cat Raw Chicken Cat Food, which the California-based company recalled earlier this month following an investigation into cats that contracted H5N1 infections after eating the food.Samples of the cat food from one lot were collected by the New York City Department of Health and tested by Cornell University and were positive. The findings were confirmed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory.“Illnesses in cats that have consumed this product have been reported in other states and in New York City,” health officials said. An earlier report said the products were distributed in California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.Over the past few months, sporadic H5N1 deaths and illnesses in cats have been linked to other raw pet food brands, as well. More detections in dairy cattle and poultryIn other developments, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed one more H5N1 detection in dairy cattle, another from Idaho, raising the national total to 995 across 17 states since March 2024.Also, APHIS confirmed two more detections in poultry, one at a farm in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, and the other a live bird market in New York’s Queens County.

Antibiotic use in livestock to rise 30% globally by 2040, according to new estimates - Unless agriculture practices change, the use of antibiotics in livestock worldwide is projected to increase 19% in 5 years and almost 30% by 2040—to more than 140,000 tons—according to new estimates by scientists with the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published in Nature Communications.The study authors note that 47 countries have pledged to decrease antimicrobial use in food-producing animals by 30% to 50% by 2030. And additional governments worldwide have endorsed the 79th UN General Assembly declaration, committing to a significant reduction in antimicrobial use in food animals.Previous studies have used the population correction unit (PCU) approach to calculate antibiotic use intensity to project estimated future antibiotic consumption in animal production. "However, several studies have raised concerns about the PCU indicator, primarily due to the accuracy of the denominator," the authors write. To address these concerns, the team developed a livestock biomass conversion (LBC) method, which incorporates detailed live weight data and reflects differences across animal species, commodity, production systems, production cycles, and herd sizes. They also used a unique global dataset from the FAO to implement the LBC, enabling what they say is more accurate calculations of livestock biomass, or the total weight of animals used for food.The FAO researchers estimate that, without interventions, global livestock antibiotic use could rise to 143,481 tons by 2040, an increase of 29.5% from the 2019 baseline level of 110,777 tons. It would reach 131,411 tons by 2030, or an 18.6% increase.In addition, the researchers spotlight wide regional variations. They project Asia to remain the largest contributor, accounting for two thirds of global livestock antibiotic use. And Africa is expected to experience the highest growth in antibiotic consumption, with a 40.8% rise from 2019 to 2040. The team estimates that North America and Europe will see only minimal increases.Alternative scenarios, though, reduce antibiotic use by up to 57% if livestock productivity is optimized, the researchers estimate. By improving animal health, management practices, and production efficiency, antibiotic use could be lowered to about 62,000 tons by 2040, demonstrating the potential of targeted interventions in achieving global reduction goals, according to a news release from the FAO.

Honey bee colonies could face 70% losses in 2025, impacting agriculture - Honey bee colonies across the United States are facing record-breaking losses in 2025, with scientists warning the impact could be felt in agricultural production. Washington State University entomologists announced this week that commercial honey bee colony losses are projected to reach between 60% and 70% in 2025. Over the past decade, annual losses for colonies have typically ranged between 40% and 50%, marking a significant jump this year. Priya Chakrabarti Basu, an assistant professor of pollinator health and apiculture at WSU told ABC News that honey bee losses could stem from nutrition deficiencies, mite infestations, viral diseases and possible pesticide exposure during the previous pollinating season. "I honestly think this is a combination of multiple stressors, which is why for years my lab has been focusing on understanding the impacts of and interactions of these stressors on bee pollinators," Basu said, adding that America's commercial beekeepers are under pressure to maintain colonies. "The pollination demands haven’t gone down, so beekeepers face tremendous pressure to keep the same number of colonies to meet those needs," Basu said. Pollination is critical for food production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with the agency saying about 35% of the world's food crops depend on animal pollinators to produce. Crops that depend on honey bees and other pollinators to grow include fruits and vegetables -- like apples, strawberries, cucumbers and avocados -- but also nuts, such as almonds and macadamia nuts, the USDA said. Other affected plants include coffee, cocoa and vanilla, according to the USDA. "I don't want to be a fearmonger, but this level of national loss could mean increased bankruptcies amongst beekeepers," Brandon Hopkins, a professor of pollinator ecology at WSU, said in a press release accompanying the research. Hopkins said the effects could be felt the strongest in California's almond production. California almonds are the biggest crop for honey bee pollination, which happens in February and March, according to Hopkins. "The almond industry frequently asks for strong colonies," Hopkins said in the release. "But this year, growers are desperate," he added. "Anything with live bees in a box is in demand because the industry is short on supply. I haven’t heard of that since the early days of colony collapse around 2008.” Honey bees had a production value of nearly $350 million in 2023, according to the USDA. In order to combat such severe colony losses, WSU scientists are working on methods for widespread varroa mite control, awareness on commercial honey bee colony management practices and new research on bee nutrition in the hopes beekeepers will have better access to healthy food for their colonies, according to the release.

Short-staffed USDA seeks help on honeybee decline --Staff reductions at the Department of Agriculture may be cutting into the effort to figure out what’s killing honeybees.Stretched by staff departures and a freeze on spending, the USDA asked researchers at Cornell University for help in determining what led to a big dropoff in managed bees last year, according to the university.The department reached out to Scott McArt, an associate professor of entomology, to test whether pesticides might have played a role. McArt said the Cornell labs can turn around results of the expensive tests within about two months, or faster than might be expected of the USDA, although the federal agency is still spearheading the research.The managed hives are critical to fruit and nut production, with as many as 70 percent of bees spending time in California to pollinate almonds and other crops, McArt said. He leads the university’s Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies.

Trump administration rolls back forest protections in bid to ramp up logging (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration acted to roll back environmental safeguards around future logging projects on more than half of U.S. national forests under an emergency designation announced Friday that cites dangers from wildfires. Whether the move will boost lumber supplies as Trump envisioned in an executive order last month remains to be seen. Former President Joe Biden’s administration also sought more logging in public forests to combat fires, which are worsening as the world gets hotter, yet U.S. Forest Service timber sales stayed relatively flat under his tenure. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins did not mention climate change in Friday’s directive, which called on her staff to speed up environmental reviews. It exempts affected forests from an objection process that allows outside groups, tribes and local governments to challenge logging proposals at the administrative level before they are finalized. It also narrows the number of alternatives federal officials can consider when weighing logging projects. Logging projects are routinely contested by conservation groups, both at the administrative level and in court, which can drag out the approval process for years. The emergency designation covers 176,000 square miles (455,000 square kilometers) of terrain primarily in the West but also in the South, around the Great Lakes and in New England. Combined, it is an area larger than California and amounts to 59% of Forest Service lands. Most of those forests are considered to have high wildfire risk, and many are in decline because of insects and disease. “National Forests are in crisis due to uncharacteristically severe wildfires, insect and disease outbreaks, invasive species and other stressors,” Rollins said in her directive, echoing concerns raised by her predecessor under Biden, Tom Vilsack. Environmentalists rejected the claim that wildfire protection was driving the changes to forest policy. In response to the new directive, Forest Service officials at the regional level were told to come up with plans to increase the volume of timber offered by 25% over the next four to five years. In a letter from Acting Associate Chief Chris French, they were also told to identify projects that could receive “categorical exclusions,” which are exemptions from stringent environmental analyses. “This is all about helping the timber industry,” said Blaine Miller-McFeeley of the environmental group Earthjustice. “It’s not looking at what will protect communities. It’s about the number of board feet, the number of trees you are pulling down.”

Fireworks follow GOP talk about selling public land - Top Democrats and public lands advocates were aghast Wednesday over the news that Republicans have been discussing selling federal lands to help pay for their bill to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.The discussions, reported by POLITICO’s E&E News, come as the GOP is hunting for ways to pay for their reconciliation bill, which seeks to boost energy production, cut taxes and provide additional support to the southern border. The bill will likely carry a multitrillion-dollar price tag, meaning Republicans need to find offsets for the cost.Republicans said that talks were still tentative and may only involve small parcels around National Parks or Western cities. The chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), described it as a “rounding error.”Nevertheless, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, hammered Republicans for even considering public lands sales, saying he was worried about potential lost chances at fishing, hunting and camping.“For weeks, the Trump administration has covertly laid the foundation to sell off Americans’ public lands to fund tax handouts for billionaire donors,” Heinrich said. “Now, Republicans’ plans are out in the open.”For good measure, Heinrich on Wednesday peppered a Trump nominee for the Department of the Interior over the discussions.Despite the outraged reaction from Democrats, it remains unclear just how firm or ambitious Republican plans are on the matter. Westerman has suggested any sales would likely be used to promote housing. And some Western Republicans say they are staunchly opposed to any public lands sales.The U.S. owns and controls about 640 million acres of land — roughly 30 percent of the country — leading to frequent turf wars among the government, states and industry. But public ownership also ensures public access, a top priority for outdoor recreationists, hunters, anglers and conservationists.On Wednesday, many Democrats — and even some Republicans — joined the pile-on against selling federal lands. “Terrible idea, these lands belong to the American people,” said Sen. Angus King of Maine, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats and sits on ENR. “We have no excuse for selling them, giving them away, privatizing. No.”Republicans have proposed selling plots of public lands near so-called gateway communities and around major urban areas in the West to build affordable housing, among other proposals. But King said that would likely be untenable.“Who decides? I mean, there are cases where there can be land swaps — we’ve done that in Maine — that make sense in a particular, narrow case,” King said. “But a broader idea of selling public lands, I’m absolutely against.”

Exposure to air pollution in childhood associated with reduced brain connectivity - A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has found that children exposed to higher levels of air pollution in early and mid childhood have weaker connections between key brain regions. The findings, published in Environment International, highlight the potential impact of early exposure to air pollution on brain development. The research showed reduced functional connectivity within and between certain cortical and subcortical brain networks. These networks are systems of interconnected brain structures that work together to perform different cognitive functions, such as thinking, perceiving and controlling movement. These findings are consistent with previous studies suggesting that air pollution may be associated with changes in the functional connectivity of brain networks, particularly in children. However, it is not yet fully understood how air pollution affects the development and maturation of these brain networks. The study analyzed data from 3,626 children from the Generation R cohort in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Exposure to air pollution at the participants' residence, including particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX), was estimated using statistical models that combine actual measurements with environmental characteristics. Brain connectivity was then assessed both between and within networks, including 13 cortical networks and three subcortical regions: the amygdala (responsible for processing emotions and triggering survival responses), the hippocampus (key for memory formation and spatial orientation), and the caudate nucleus (involved in movement regulation, memory and decision-making). The children were evaluated using resting state neuroimaging, meaning their brains were scanned while not performing any active task, at two time points: around the age of 10 and again at an average age of 14. Exposure to air pollution was analyzed over two periods: from birth to three years of age and in the year before the neuroimaging assessment. The results show that greater exposure to air pollution from birth to three years old is associated with lower connectivity between the amygdala and the cortical networks involved in attention, somatomotor function—which coordinates body movements—and auditory function. Additionally, higher exposure to PM10 particles in the year before the neuroimaging assessment was associated with lower functional connectivity between the salience and medial-parietal networks, which are responsible for detecting stimuli in the environment and for introspection and self-perception. "These associations persist throughout adolescence, which may indicate persistent disruptions in the normal development of brain networks due to pollution exposure. This could affect emotional processing and cognitive functions," explains Mònica Guxens, ICREA researcher at ISGlobal and senior author of the study. "However, more research is needed to confirm these findings and to understand their exact impact on brain development," she adds.

Poor air quality can increase risk of depression, study shows –- A new study indicates that long-term exposure to air pollutants could directly correlate to an increased risk for depression.The study published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology and conducted by Harbin Medical University and Cranfield University examined the link to depressive symptoms in a Chinese adult population and six common air pollutants over 7 years. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) was the primary pollutant linked to an increased risk of depression, and carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particular matter The findings point to sulfur dioxide as the most influential pollutant associated with increased depression risk. Particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide also contributed to a heightened risk for mental health illness, according to the research. When an individual is exposed to a combination of pollutants, the possibility for depression is heightened. According to the authors of the study, “Essentially, air pollutants could affect the central nervous system through oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, potentially via systemic circulation, the trigeminal nerve, or olfactory receptor neurons.” “Further investigation is necessary to elucidate the precise processes that link air pollution exposure to mental health outcomes,” the study reads. Depression is a mood disorder that causes consistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. It is also referred to as clinical depression. Symptoms of depression could be anxiety, sleeplessness, fatigue, irritability, loss of pleasure in activities, among others, according to the Mayo Clinic.

'Forever chemicals’ from nearby factory found in dust of NC homes: Study - Researchers have identified “forever chemicals” in household dust nearby a North Carolina factory — indicating that dust may be an additional source of exposure to these compounds. The homes, located in southern North Carolina’s Cumberland and Bladen counties, are in the vicinity of the Fayetteville Works fluorochemical manufacturing facility, which has been a known source of contamination in the area’s Cape Fear River Basin. The chemicals in question are part of a massive group of substances called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are found in a variety of consumer goods, certain firefighting foams and industrial waste. Some types of PFAS, which are notorious for their persistence in the body and in the environment, are linked to cancers and other serious illnesses. Ingestion of PFAS via groundwater has now been studied for years, but scientists are beginning to look at dust as a potential exposure source. “PFAS exposure via contaminated well water is relatively well studied,” senior author Nadine Kotlarz, an assistant professor in the civil, construction and environmental engineering department at North Carolina State University, said in a statement. “But, given the air emissions from the plant, we wanted to learn whether household dust was also a source of exposure,” added Kotlarz, who is also a member of the university’s Center for Human Health and the Environment. Kotlarz and her colleagues measured the concentrations of 48 types of PFAS in settled dust samples from 65 homes that participated in the institution’s broader GenX Exposure Study. While that study was named for a particular kind of PFAS released for years into the river — called GenX — the project has involved numerous other types of the compounds as well.As for the dust measurements — reported in a study released Monday — the scientists found that eight types of PFAS were detected in more than 90 percent of the samples they took. Every dust sample had at least one PFAS detected, and GenX was present in 89 percent of the samples, according to the study published in Environmental Science & Technology. The authors were particularly interested in a category of PFAS called polyfluoroalkyl ether acids (PFEAs), which include GenX. They found that seven of the 12 PFEAs they evaluated were present in more than 75 percent of the samples. Dust concentrations of six kinds of PFEAs, including GenX, decreased considerably as residential distance from the fluorochemical plant increased.

EPA opens portal for polluters to request exemptions - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set up a portal allowing polluters to request exemptions to nine Clean Air Act rules. The Clean Air Act allows the president to exempt polluters from complying with regulations if he determines that the rules are based on technology that does not yet exist. The EPA posted online this week that it had set up an email address allowing companies to more easily request such presidential exemptions.The news comes after the EPA recently announced that it planned to roll back a large suite of Biden-era rules, including limits on mercury pollution from power plants and limits on emissions of cancer-causing ethylene oxide.Presidential exemptions could be a way to curtail rules like these while the lengthy legal and regulatory process plays out to formally overturn them. The EPA’s notice said that requesting an exemption does not necessarily mean a company will get one and that President Trump will make a decision “on the merits.”The New York Times first reported on the EPA’s portal.

Chemical industry asks for blanket exemptions to Biden-era regulations -- Two leading chemical industry groups have asked the Trump administration for blanket exemptions to certain Biden-era regulations for all polluters. The American Chemistry Council and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers requested that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exempt all polluters from Biden-era rules that limit their emissions of toxic chemicals. Just because the trade and lobbying groups are requesting these exemptions, it does not necessarily mean President Trump will grant them. However, their letter comes after the EPA administrator already indicated that he plans to overhaul a large slate of Biden-era regulations, including those in the chemical groups’ request. It also comes after the EPA set up an email address that created a simple portal for polluters to request presidential exemptions under the Clean Air Act late last month. In the Friday letter, which was first reported by Politico Pro, the groups say their industry needs an exemption because without one, they will have to act as if the Biden rules are in place — even as the Trump administration is poised to curtail them. “Absent a Presidential exemption, sources will be required to make irrevocable investment decisions now and into the coming months to minimize the amount of time facilities may need to be taken offline,” they wrote. “If implemented as written and in accordance with the current compliance schedule, domestic manufacturing production will be negatively impacted, threatening critical supply chains of chemicals that are vital to our nation’s security.”

Vanishing Water Mystery: Scientists Uncover Why the Colorado River Is Running Dry -The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water for hydropower, irrigation, and drinking to seven U.S. states and Mexico. A significant portion of this water originates from snowpack that accumulates during the winter and melts in the spring. Each year, typically in early April, water managers assess the snowpack to forecast how much water will be available for the coming year. However, since 2000, these forecasts have repeatedly overestimated the actual streamflow. Despite snowpack levels appearing sufficient, the resulting water flow has consistently fallen short of predictions. This persistent discrepancy has left researchers and water managers puzzled — where is the missing water? The Colorado River and its tributaries (including the East River watershed, shown here) provide water for hydropower, irrigation and drinking water in seven U.S. states and Mexico. But since 2000, water managers have struggled to predict how much water will come from the snowpack. According to new research from the University of Washington, the main cause of the discrepancy is a lack of spring rainfall. The study found that warmer, drier spring conditions in recent years account for nearly 70% of the gap between predicted and actual streamflow. With less rainfall, vegetation depends more heavily on snowmelt for moisture, reducing the amount of water that reaches rivers and streams. In addition, drier conditions mean clearer skies, which promote both increased plant growth and greater evaporation of water from the soil.These findings were recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. “The period of time when we were wondering, ‘Oh no, where’s our water going?’ started around the same time when we saw this drop in spring precipitation — the beginning of the ‘Millennium drought,’ which started in 2000 and has been ongoing to the current day,” said lead author Daniel Hogan, a UW doctoral student in the civil and environmental engineering department. “We wanted to focus on the cascading consequences of this. Less springtime rain means you likely have fwer clouds. And if it’s going to be sunny, the plants are going to say, ‘Oh, I’m so happy. The snow just melted and I have a ton of water, so I’m going to grow like gangbusters.’ This research really centers the importance of studying the whole snow season, not just when the snowpack is the deepest.”

As Colorado River declines, states are failing to tap an alternate resource -- Five out of seven Colorado River basin states are failing to maximize a critical resource that could help alleviate the region’s long-standing water crisis, a new report found. Across all the states, just 26 percent of treated municipal wastewater is being reused, according to the research, released by the University of California, Los Angeles, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Arizona and Nevada, which both recycle more than half of their wastewater, stand out among the other five — California, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — all of which reuse less than a quarter of their wastewater, the report determined. “We’re facing a hotter, drier future and we need to pursue water recycling aggressively if we’re going to ensure a sustainable, resilient water supply for the Colorado Basin,” co-author Noah Garrison, a water researcher at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, said in a statement. “Even recycling 40% of our wastewater could make a dramatic difference, and we have two states already above 50% showing this is an entirely feasible solution,” Garrison added. The 1,450-mile Colorado River provides drinking water and agricultural irrigation to about 40 million people across seven U.S. states, 30 tribal nations and two states in Mexico.

Trump’s denial of Mexico’s Colorado River request sparks concerns over future water negotiations -- Trump administration’s unprecedented decision to deny a delivery of water to Mexico is raising alarm among experts, who fear it could jeopardize future cross-border negotiations in an increasingly thirsty region.The refusal, which marked the first such rejection in 81 years, pertained to a special request from Mexico for the transfer of additional Colorado River water to the city of Tijuana. Defending this decision, the U.S. State Department accused Mexico of failing to uphold commitments to Texas included in a 1944 water-sharing treaty.Stephen Mumme, a political scientist at Colorado State University, characterized the move as both irrational and potentially harmful.Mumme, who is also a nonresident fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that if he was one of the seven Colorado River basin state commissioners, he would be “really ticked off right now,” as those states are in the throes of long-term renegotiations with Mexico regarding their shared resource.“This is not designed to encourage Mexican cooperation, and Mexico can drag its feet in any number of ways,” he added.Through the 1944 treaty — which focused on the “utilization of waters of the Colorado and Tijuana rivers and of the Rio Grande” — the U.S. pledged to convey Colorado River water to Mexico, while Mexico agreed to make deliveries to the U.S. from the Rio Grande. The treaty also created the joint International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which is responsible for managing shared water deliveries and associated infrastructure.Mexico is entitled to 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water each year, in line with the artery’s historic flow of from Colorado to the Gulf of California in the Mexican state ofSonora.For context, U.S. Colorado River basin states are entitled to 15 million acre-feet, and the average American household consumes about 1 acre-foot of water annually.Regarding the Rio Grande, the 1944 treaty directs Mexico to deliver 1.75 million-acre feet to the U.S. over the course of a five-year distribution cycle — with the proviso that Mexico can carry over deficits from one cycle to the next. Over the years, the country has accrued considerable Rio Grande water debt and has fallen behind on its water-sharing payments. The U.S. State Department harped on this point last week, posting on the social platform X that Mexico’s shortfalls “are decimating American agriculture.” But Mumme maintained Mexico is “absolutely compliant with the treaty,” which allows for “extraordinary drought” and enables the countries to agree on mutually acceptable emergency measures. As of December, about 55.4 percent of the Rio Grande basin was experiencing what the North American Drought Monitor classifies as “moderate to exceptional drought.” Data from the IBWC shows that from the October 2020 beginning of the current five-year cycle to present day, Mexico has delivered 488,634 acre-feet of water total. This amounts to just 28 percent of Mexico’s total requirement.

California records third consecutive year of near- or above-average snowpack for first time in 25 years - California has experienced the third consecutive year with near- or above-average snowpack for the first time in 25 years, according to measurements on April 1, 2025, by researchers from the California Department of Water Resources. The last time California had three consecutive years of average or above-average snow was from 1998 to 2000. At that point, it had been 20 years since a similar pattern occurred, from 1978 to 1980. As of April 1, the Northern Sierra reported 121% of the average snowpack, with a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 79.2 cm (31.2 inches). The Central Sierra reported 96%, with an SWE of 67.3 cm (26.5 inches). The Southern Sierra reported 87%, with an SWE of 48.5 cm (19.1 inches). SWE refers to the amount of water that is stored as snow, meaning if SWE is 25.4 cm (10 inches), melting the snow would result in roughly 25.4 cm (10 inches) of standing water. California’s snowpack typically provides nearly a third of the state’s water supply. The high percentage of snowpack indicated ample water supplies in the mountains for the year. Snow covers the meadow where the California Department of Water Resources conducts the fourth media snow survey of the 2025 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. The snow survey is held approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Photo taken March 28, 2025. Snow covers the meadow where the California Department of Water Resources conducts the fourth media snow survey of the 2025 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. The snow survey is held approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50 in El Dorado County. Photo taken March 28, 2025. Image credit: Xavier Mascareñas / California Department of Water Resources This near-average winter followed an extremely wet and snowy 2023 and a wet 2024. This time last year, the snowpack measured 111% of the average. The latest storms and increased snowpack prompted state water officials to increase their forecast of water deliveries from the aqueducts of the State Water Project on March 25. The aqueducts supply water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Southern California. The allocation was increased to 40% of requested supplies, up from 35% a month earlier.

California governor Newsom makes significant concessions to corporate interests in rebuilding wildfire hit areas - - Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom has once again revealed his true allegiance—not to working people, nor to environmental protection, but to corporate interests. His latest executive order, which suspends California’s landmark environmental regulations to fast-track utility infrastructure rebuilding in wildfire-affected areas, is a direct attack on democracy, environmental safeguards and working class communities. It is a measure that aligns perfectly with the interests of private energy corporations like Southern California Edison (SCE) while dangerously mirroring the authoritarian methods of the fascistic Trump administration.Newsom’s executive order exempts utility companies from compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act, two of the state’s most critical environmental protections. The CEQA was designed to ensure that development projects account for their environmental impact, requiring mitigation strategies that protect public health and ecosystems. Similarly, the Coastal Act was established to prevent reckless development that could harm California’s fragile coastal regions. Under the guise of expediting recovery in the fire-ravaged regions of Altadena, Malibu, and Pacific Palisades, Newsom has essentially given large corporations and private equity firms the green light to act with impunity, prioritizing profit over the environment and public safety.This decision did not emerge in a vacuum. In fact, Newsom has repeatedly made concessions that allow large corporations to operate without restriction. In the aftermath of the devastating Camp Fire in 2018, he helped push through legislation that enabled PG&E to exit bankruptcy, shifting the burden of its liabilities onto ratepayers. Now his executive order follows sustained pressure from SCE and other energy companies, which have been lobbying for a relaxation of regulatory requirements in the name of cost-cutting and “efficiency.” That Newsom would comply so readily only underscores the reality that his administration, like its Republican counterparts, serves the interests of capital. This is made worse by emerging evidence of SCE’s negligence and Democrats’ complicity in the January fires.Environmental advocates have raised the alarm over the potential ramifications of Newsom’s order. A week earlier, Shaye Wolf, climate science director for the Center for Biological Diversity, warned: “Gov. Newsom should reject the Trump approach of logging and rolling back critical environmental protections.”Bruce Reznik, an environmentalist and advocate for sustainable development at Los Angeles Waterkeeper, warned, “We have to build recognizing the reality of today’s climate change. These laws play a really critical role in making sure as we rebuild we’re doing it with an eye toward climate resilience. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the way the governor has operated, and you have to worry about what that will mean.” Beyond its corporate-serving function, Newsom’s executive order represents a blatant abuse of executive authority. The decision to bypass California’s environmental laws mirrors Trump’s authoritarian use of executive power to dismantle federal environmental regulations, suppress democratic and workers’ rights, and shield corporations from legal scrutiny.

LA wildfires death toll climbs to 30 after officials find more human remains *--Months after wildfires tore through Los Angeles communities, officials announced this week they had discovered another set of human remains, bringing the death toll in the disaster up to 30. Investigators were dispatched to Altadena on Wednesday to investigate possible human remains in the community, which was hit hard by the Eaton fire in January. The special operations response team confirmed that the remains were human, the Los Angeles county medical examiner’s office said in a statement. The discovery this week brings the death toll from the Eaton fire up to 18, according to the statement, while 12 people were killed in the Palisades fire. The remains were the first death reported by the office since 25 January when the office announced that Hak Wong, 69, had died in the hospital. In January, hurricane-force winds that pummeled the area for days helped create raging conflagrations across Los Angeles from Altadena to the Pacific Palisades that would become among the worst wildfires in California history. The fires forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the region and within days laid waste to 60sq miles (97sq km) and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures. The city is continuing to reckon with the aftermath of the blazes and rebuilding is expected to take years. Meanwhile, several victims from January’s wildfires are still unidentified.

South Korea experiences worst-ever wildfires - Massive wildfires tore through southeastern South Korean for 10 days at the end of March and were finally extinguished on Sunday. The fires have been described as the worst in the country’s history, killing 30 people and destroying upwards of 48,000 hectares of land. The blazes began in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang Province on March 21. Over the next two days, there were 30 individual wildfires around the country. Separate fires broke out in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province. It was this fire that quickly spread east across the region to other nearby cities and counties, including Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok. The Uiseong fire, the largest of the blazes burning some 45,157 hectares, had supposedly been extinguished on Friday but reignited Saturday evening and was brought under control again on Sunday. The Sancheong fire was also contained on Sunday. Among the fatalities, 26 died in the Uiseong fires while four were killed in the Sancheong fire. An additional 45 people were injured. Around 37,000 people were forced to evacuate, many of them elderly, but received little or no help from local governments. Several people died after being caught in their cars while attempting to flee. A resident of Cheongsong in his 60s with the family name Kim stated that there was “no guidance (by the authorities) as to which direction was safe or dangerous” while evacuating, according to Yonhap News. “They just told us to evacuate quickly, so I just ran outside—but it was frustrating that there were no clear or proactive instructions.” Evacuees also reported receiving conflicting information as they attempted to reach safety. Messages alerting people to evacuate were sent too late or did not inform people of the location of evacuation centers. In one example, the Yeongdeok County government called for people to evacuate to the nearby towns of Ganggu or Namjeong, only to have the wildfires reach both within 30 minutes. Similar examples of confusion and conflicting information have been reported in other counties and towns. Strong winds, dry conditions and rough terrain helped to spread the fires and made them more difficult to extinguish. An estimated 5,000 buildings including homes, factories and agricultural facilities were destroyed in the fires. Historical sites were also destroyed, including the Goun Temple in Uiseong, which had been built in 681 during the Unified Silla Period (668-935). Artifacts in the temple, however, were relocated. Houses and structures preserved from the Joseon Period (1392-1910) were also destroyed in the fires. Police, firefighters and other related authorities began a joint investigation into the causes of the fires on Monday. At present, a 56-year-old has been accused of starting the fire that began at Uiseong as he tended to his grandparents’ graves on a hillside. Media reports suggest that he attempted to clear branches from the graves by burning them. Embers spread, igniting the blaze. He has been charged without detention and has denied the allegations. Acting President Han Duck-soo on March 26 declared, “The record for worst-ever wildfire is being rewritten.” He continued, “We have been confronting the worst ever wildfires by mobilizing all available personnel and equipment but the situation is out of the ordinary.”

Debris from Hurricane Helene 'magnified' Carolina wildfires -- In North Carolina, wildfires stoked by unusually dry air and debris from last year’s Hurricane Helene are burning out of control. In Florida, there are dozens of blazes, including one that scorched about 42 square miles in Miami-Dade County. And they continue to burn in Oklahoma, where four people have died this month due to wind-driven fires. Those states were just three of eight where large fires were being reported on Friday. Some 14,800 wildfires have burned 1,105 square miles so far this year — well above the 10-year average, according to data released Friday by the National Interagency Fire Center. Most devastating were the Los Angeles wildfires in January, fueled by dry vegetation and howling winds, that destroyed entire neighborhoods./>Wildfires have happened with such frequency in recent years that many U.S. fire officials say there is no longer a “fire season,” which traditionally ran from late spring through the fall. That is because climate change, caused by the burning of fuels like gasoline and coal, has raised average global temperatures, creating drier conditions that allow wildfires, which are mostly mostly caused by humans, to burn longer and more intensely. While major fires often happen early in the year — in February 2024, Texas experienced the largest wildfire in state history — this year is a bit unusual “because we’re seeing it happen in so many places,” said Brad Rippey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist who monitors drought.This week, 45% of the country is in drought, when historically it's around 20% at any given time, Rippey said. That dried out lots of fuel just waiting for a spark — from freeze-dried grasses in the southern Plains to downed trees and brush from hurricanes that ravaged parts of the southeast and southern Appalachians in recent years.The National Interagency Fire Center's significant wildfire outlook notes that several states still have debris from hurricanes Laura, Ida, Debby and Idalia in the past five years, as well as from ice storms and other severe weather.Add in gusty winds and low humidity, “and you’ve got a pretty ripe situation for wildfires,” Rippey said.In Hurricane Helene-devastated North Carolina, power lines downed by strong winds have been blamed for two of three large fires that have burned for more than a week in an area where the mean relative humidity this month has been the lowest on record, officials said. Impassable areas and lots of toppled trees are making it difficult to reach intense and erratic fires that are spreading rapidly because of high winds and dry weather.Many roads have either been covered with storm debris or "they have just been completely washed away,” said North Carolina Forest Service spokesman Philip Jackson, who said the fire danger could plague the state for years as more debris dries out.

Search For Missing Hiker Called Off After Teens Allegedly Caused Huge Wildfire With Cigarettes -- Three adults and a minor are accused of starting a 13,000-acre wildfire that forced rescuers to abandon their search for a missing hiker, the South Carolina Forestry Commission announced Tuesday. Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh, 19, Tristan Tyler, 18, and Isaac Wilson, 18, were charged with one misdemeanor count each of negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another, according to the forestry commission. They were charged alongside a juvenile, but he was released to his parents’ custody and not booked in jail. Officials say the suspects were hiking in Table Rock State Park on March 21 and smoking cigarettes. The young men, however, did not properly extinguish one of the cigarettes, igniting the wildfire, the announcement said.Pickens County sheriff’s deputies and first responders were already in the area with a search party looking for Stephanie Womacks, 52, who disappeared March 3 while visiting the park, Sheriff Fred Blankenship said.Womacks’ search was called off after first responders noticed the rapidly growing fires, and seven hikers were evacuated from the park, according to Blankenship and the forestry commission.A spokesperson for the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office confirmed with HuffPost that Womacks is still considered a missing person.

At least 4 dead after nearly two feet of flooding rain deluges South Texas- Heavy rain inundated southern Texas Wednesday night through Friday morning, flooding roads and homes and prompting hundreds of water rescues. At least four deaths were reported after over a half year’s worth of rain forced water rescues along the Texas-Mexico border where hundreds were trapped in flooded homes and cars stranded in high waters. Three of the deaths occurred in hard-hit Hidalgo County where a declaration of local disaster was issued to help cleanup operations. Carlos Sanchez. A man drowned in Reynosa, Mexico, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas where nearly 700 people were rescued amid flooding, according to Mexico’s Civil Protection Coordination. More than 21 inches of rain had been measured a few miles west of Harlingen, Texas. Harlingen typically gets about 24 inches of rain in an entire year. In McAllen, Texas, a hospital's first floor was flooded forcing staff to divert walk-in and ambulance patients to nearby hospitals and pause visitation hours, it said in a Thursday evening update on Instagram. The hospital was reopening to visitors on Friday, though some parts of the first floor could be “restricted” because of the damage.Over 50 water rescues were performed in surrounding Hidalgo County, CNN reported. . Video on social media from that county showed portions of Interstate 2 underwater with abandoned vehicles and even a fire truck underwater. In the past 48 hours through Friday morning, at least five AccuWeather AmbientWeather rain gauges in the area reported more than 18 inches of rain: Rio Hondo, Harlingen, Santa Rosa, Stuart Place and Tierra Bonita; the last one reported 19.38 inches. The Harlingen airport measured 14.11 inches, while Port Isabel recorded 13.17 inches.

Ice storm leaves more than 450 000 customers without power in U.S. and Canada - A powerful ice storm swept across northern U.S. and eastern Canada over the weekend, leaving more than 450 000 customers without power and causing significant ice accretion from Michigan to Ottawa. Severe weather conditions combined with freezing rain led to ice accretion of 1.2–2.5 cm (0.5–1 inch), causing trees to snap and fall in multiple areas, damaging nearby structures and power lines. Extensive power outages were reported across the region, including in Michigan, where over 100 000 customers were affected. Outages were also reported in Wisconsin, northern New York, and Vermont. Officials established shelters with charging stations and food for those without power. Michigan State Police urged residents to remain at home if possible. Many roads were reported impassable due to hazardous travel conditions and numerous downed trees and power lines. The system is forecast to move out of the region, shifting northward on Monday, March 31. An additional 6.4 mm (0.25 inch) of ice is possible for parts of the Eastern Upper Peninsula on Monday night. Another high-pressure system is expected to move into the region on Tuesday, April 1, bringing freezing conditions through the early part of the week.

Severe storms claim 7 lives across Midwest, leave nearly 1.2 million people without power - At least seven people were reported dead after a severe storm system swept from the Midwest through the mid-Atlantic and southern United States on March 30 and 31, 2025, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, significant ice accretion, and isolated tornadoes. Nearly 500 000 energy customers or about 1.2 million people were left without power by Monday morning, March 31. . Four fatalities were reported in Michigan, two in Indiana, and one in Oklahoma. Ice buildup on trees and power lines caused widespread outages and road blockages, leaving nearly 500 000 energy customers — about 1.2 million people — without power by Monday morning, March 31. As of 13:30 UTC on Tuesday, April 1, there are still 202 000 customers or about 500 000 people in Michigan without power, 27 000 customers in Wisconsin, and 21 000 in Indiana. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) received 24 tornado reports on Sunday and Monday. Five tornadoes were reported in Michigan on Sunday, four in Mississippi, four in Ohio, two each in Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana, and one each in Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Two were reported on Monday — one in Alabama and one in Louisiana. Significant storm damage was reported across the Midwest, including in the city of Elkhart, Indiana, where multiple trees and power lines were downed, blocking roads and causing power outages on Monday. The city’s police department advised residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary in order to allow cleanup crews to work without obstruction. The South Bend Police Department in Indiana reported that the storm passed through the region between 16:30 to 22:00 local time (LT) on Sunday. The department received 168 calls for assistance during that period, most of which were related to storm damage. Multiple vehicles were crushed by falling trees, and several structures were damaged.An EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 195 km/h (120 mph) touched down in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, on Monday, ripping the roof off a home but causing no injuries.According to the Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Sheriff’s Office, three members of the same family were killed on Sunday when a tree fell onto a vehicle. Three others were hospitalized, with one in critical condition and two in stable condition.In Ingham County, Mississippi, a 58-year-old man died on Sunday after a tree fell onto his house. Two deaths were reported in Indiana, with one man dying after his semi-truck and trailer were blown over by winds reaching up to 129 km/h (80 mph). Another man was reported dead in Millersburg when thunderstorm winds blew over an Amish buggy at the intersection of SR-13 and CR 43.Some areas, including the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Gaylord, reported up to 2.5 cm (1 inch) of ice. Continued rainfall led to concerns about flooding in certain areas, prompting minor flood alerts for rivers, including the Manistee River near Sherman and the Rifle River near Sterling on Monday.

Five students injured after possible tornado tears through Dothan school, Alabama - Two suspected tornadoes were reported in Dothan City, Alabama, on Monday, March 31, 2025, injuring five children as the storm ripped the roof off Dothan Preparatory School. At least 3 000 people were left without power as storms ripped through the area, downing trees and power lines. A suspected tornado struck Dothan, Alabama, on Monday, March 31, causing significant damage to Dothan Preparatory Academy. The storm led to the partial collapse of the school’s roof, resulting in minor injuries to five students — two were transported to a local hospital for further evaluation, while the remaining three did not require hospitalization. More than 70 schools in Dothan and surrounding areas, including Cowarts, Ashford, and Blakely, were affected by the storms. While Dothan Preparatory Academy sustained notable damage, similar impacts on other schools in the region were not reported. Emergency response teams from multiple departments arrived at the academy shortly after the severe weather event struck at approximately 12:30 local time (LT) on Monday. As of 16:00 LT, at least 3 000 customers were without power in the area. Severe damage was reported across the area, with multiple trees being uprooted and power lines being downed as strong winds flung debris around the school and surrounding areas. Some people have reported sighting two tornadoes in the region, which is yet to be confirmed. “Utility crews are working diligently to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. Residents are urged to stay away from the affected area, as multiple roads are closed and downed power lines pose significant hazards,” according to a statement from the City government of Dothan. “Students are safe at Dothan Prep. Injuries are being addressed by Dothan Fire. Please wait to get children due to debris in the roads. Dothan City Schools will coordinate with families to release students in an orderly manner,” Dothan Police Department stated.

Historic rainfall, significant flooding risk expected in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois - A powerful spring storm system will bring a barrage of life-threatening weather, including flash flooding and strong tornadoes, to portions of the Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-South on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The flash flood threat is only the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic event.The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has forecasted that from Wednesday through Sunday, parts of the Mid-South, Mid-Mississippi Valley, and western portions of the Ohio Valley are expected to receive between 250–380 mm (10–15 inches) or more of rainfall. The heavy rainfall is anticipated to begin midweek, with thunderstorms repeatedly moving over the same locations, exacerbating the flood risk.

Powerful tornado rips through Lake City, Arkansas - YouTube video - A powerful tornado barreled through Lake City, Arkansas, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, as severe thunderstorms swept over central and eastern U.S. At least four people were injured in Craighead County, while over 25 000 customers remained without power on Thursday morning. A powerful tornado touched down in Lake City, Arkansas, on Wednesday, April 2, destroying multiple homes and downing trees and power lines in the area. The tornado was part of a larger severe weather outbreak that spawned over two dozen tornadoes from Oklahoma to Kentucky and claimed at least 3 lives. At least 4 people have been injured in Craighead County as the storms Barreled through Arkansas. Five houses and one power line were down as of 19:30 local time on Wednesday evening, according to the city’s mayor. These numbers are expected to rise through Thursday as authorities assess the damages. Ad ends in 1 Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders had declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon ahead of the storm that spawned multiple tornadoes across the state. Very intense tornado damage in Lake City. pic.twitter.com/lB4QFU4RpC Visuals circulating on social media showed the massive tornado moving across the region, covering nearly the entire view with gray clouds. “There is no way this tornado is not a mid-level EF-4 or possibly higher tornado,” said a user on X who posted the video below. “Behavior-wise, this is as violent as it gets,” he added. There is no way this tornado is not a mid level EF-4 or possibly higher tornado. Again, damage reports will tell us for sure, but behavior wise this is as violent as it gets folks. #Tornado Lake City, Arkansas pic.twitter.com/KGljcNTnBz — Mr ashen (@TheOfficialMrA1) April 3, 2025 The Lake City tornado is yet to be confirmed by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), which has received 3 tornado reports from Arkansas as of Thursday morning. The number is expected to rise as reports pour in through Thursday and authorities assess the damage.

At least three killed in Tennessee during tornado outbreak - The Watchers (3 YouTube videos) -At least three people have been reported dead after severe storms ripped through Tennessee amid a severe weather outbreak on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. A Level 3 State of Emergency remains in effect as severe weather continues to impact the state. Major damage has been reported in Fayette, Hardeman, and McNairy counties. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) reported two fatalities on Thursday morning, April 3. One fatality was reported in Obion County, while the other was confirmed in McNairy County. The third death occurred due to a tornado that touched down approximately 8 km (5 miles) SW of La Grange in Fayette County, where it injured 4 people and destroyed a mobile home on Sweet Road. As of 04:00 local time (LT) on Thursday, more than 15 000 power outages were reported across the state. Over 6 200 reported outages in Shelby County, 2 500 in Montgomery County, and 1 600 in Robertson County. Much of central and western Tennessee continues to experience severe weather conditions, which are expected to last through the week. Rainfall totals through Sunday, April 6, are forecast to be up to 380 mm (15 inches) for much of West Tennessee, with some areas possibly receiving more. The National Weather Service (NWS) continues to issue Tornado Warnings and Flash Flood Warnings in West and Middle Tennessee. Parts of the state, including Memphis, Jackson, and Nashville, are forecast to see thunderstorms and showers through Thursday, April 3, with 25 to 75 mm (1 to 3 inches) of rain expected through the day. A strike team from the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) was deployed to McNairy County to support local officials. Meanwhile, crews continue to clear debris and assess damages across the state.

3 dead in Tennessee as tornado outbreak hits central and eastern U.S. - (4 videos) At least three people died in Tennessee as severe thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across central and eastern United States on April 2, 2025, injuring many and leaving over 375 000 customers—approximately 1 million people—without power. A tornado outbreak struck the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio Valleys on April 2, with twisters damaging or destroying dozens of homes across Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued across parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) received 21 tornado reports related to the outbreak, with 10 reported in Missouri alone. Six were reported in Kentucky, three in Arkansas, while two were reported in Illinois. Multiple other reports of tornadoes have come up online from the regions that are yet to be confirmed by the SPC. Ad ends in 2 According to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), three people were killed during the April 2 storms in Tennessee—one in McNairy County, one in Obion County, and one in Fayette County, where a tornado injured four people and destroyed a mobile home southwest of La Grange. The governors of Kentucky and Arkansas issued states of emergency as more than 375 000 customers (about 1 million people) lost power across regions from the South to the Great Lakes. A powerful tornado swept through Lake City, Arkansas, damaging homes and buildings, overturning vehicles, and uprooting trees and power lines while scattering debris throughout the area. As of 19:30 local time on April 2, five houses and one power line were reported down in Lake City, according to Mayor Cameron Tate. The Division of Emergency Management also reported tornadoes on the ground. Pictures from lake city pic.twitter.com/0BcocsY4KO “We are working with local emergency management offices for situational awareness and still learning of impacts as they come in. It’s early in the event, and we will release more information about potential impacts as it becomes available,” stated Public Information Officer Lacey Kanipe. Firefighters responded to multiple homes that sustained damage and initially reported people trapped in Potosi, Missouri. Troopers confirmed that all local residents had been accounted for after clearing the residences. A possible tornado was also reported in Nevada, ripping the roofs off homes and causing significant damage. YouTube video In western Kentucky, significant damage was reported in Ballard County, where at least four people were injured. The county declared a local state of emergency, noting difficulties for first responders to access some communities. A child was injured by flying debris near Gage, Kentucky, while their family sought shelter. A warehouse in Brownsburg, Indiana, was destroyed. Firefighters did not immediately report how many individuals were unaccounted for in the collapse. YouTube video The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) labeled the event a “Particularly Dangerous Situation,” assigning it a Level 5 out of 5 on its severe storm scale. This high-risk designation marks the second occurrence in 2025 and the first instance of two Level 5 alerts issued in a single year since 2021. The previous Level 5 alert was issued on March 15, 2025, when the National Weather Service confirmed 13 tornadoes, including six EF-3 tornadoes, which resulted in seven fatalities and 12 injuries.

Drone video shows extensive tornado damage in Jeffersontown, Kentucky - Drone footage released on April 3, 2025, shows major tornado damage in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, where buildings were destroyed in an industrial park on April 2. A separate tornado in Ballard County left four people injured, one critically. At least five tornadoes struck Kentucky on the night of April 2, 2025, causing widespread structural damage and injuries. One tornado touched down in Jeffersontown, a suburb of Louisville in Jefferson County, causing significant damage to an industrial park. Another tornado struck the Gage community in Ballard County, injuring four people when debris hit a church. In Jefferson County, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that a tornado passed near the Interstate 64 and Interstate 265 interchange before impacting an industrial area in Jeffersontown. Drone footage released the following day shows at least two buildings completely destroyed, with collapsed walls, roofing ripped from warehouses and office buildings, and multiple overturned semi-trailers. One of the damaged sites includes JSO Wood Products Inc., located at 1930 Campus Place, where extensive structural loss was observed. Debris fields, twisted metal, and scattered construction materials are consistent with EF1+ tornado damage, though the official storm rating has not yet been released. In western Kentucky, Ballard County Emergency Management reported that four individuals were injured when debris struck Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the Gage community. The injured had been sheltering in a vehicle under the church’s carport when it was hit. One person remains in critical condition, while the others sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The tornadoes were part of a larger severe weather outbreak affecting central and eastern U.S. in which at least three people lost their lives.

Severe storms claim 8 lives across U.S., floods continue from Texas to Ohio Eight people, including a 9-year-old boy, have died due to severe weather and flooding across the central United States as of Friday night, April 4, 2025. Fatalities were reported in Tennessee, Missouri, and Indiana. Floods continue to batter much of the region, with some areas forecast to receive 254–508 mm (10–20 inches) through the weekend. The death toll from this week’s severe weather rose to 8 on Friday night, April 4, after a 9-year-old was swept away by floodwaters on the way to a school bus stop in Frankfort, Kentucky. Five fatalities were reported in Tennessee, while one fatality was reported in Missouri and one in Indiana on Thursday, April 3. Heavy rains continued across southeastern Missouri and the Texarkana region, including parts of Kentucky, through Friday. Flood warnings remained in effect from Texas to Kentucky, and much of the central and eastern United States was under flood watches. Multiple Flash Flood Emergency warnings were issued across the region through Friday night. Cape Girardeau, Missouri, reported over 76 mm (3 inches) of rain in just over 90 minutes late Friday evening, with emergency managers reporting at least 10 roads submerged and ongoing water rescues. Farther south, forecasters issued similar warnings for Texarkana, where 51–101 mm (2–4 inches) of rain fell, and water rescues remained ongoing. Officials in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, reported that 60 % of the downtown area was underwater. Multiple Tornado Warnings were issued across the Lower Mississippi Valley and into northeastern Texas as a stalled frontal system triggered another round of severe thunderstorms and supercells. Significant structural damage was reported around Clarksville, Texas. Spotters informed the National Weather Service office in Shreveport, Louisiana, that a bottling plant in Hawkins, Texas, was damaged by a nearby tornado. Heavy rainfall is forecast across much of the region from Ohio to northeastern Texas through the weekend. Rainfall totals are expected to reach 254–508 mm (10–20 inches) in some areas, potentially leading to a historic flood event. Severe river flooding is expected across the Ozarks, parts of the Lower and Middle Mississippi Valleys, and the Lower Ohio Valley. Flooding is likely to continue into early next week, even after rainfall ends.

'Heartbreaking' floods swamp Australia's cattle country -- Whole herds of cattle have drowned in vast inland floods sweeping across the Australian outback, officials said Tuesday, as the muddy tide drenched an area the size of France. Swollen rivers burst their banks after unusually heavy downpours last week over outback Queensland, an arid region home to some of the country's largest cattle ranches. Officials said more than 100,000 livestock—cattle, sheep, goats and horses—had been swept away, were missing, or had drowned. "These are only early indications of the magnitude of this disaster and while these preliminary numbers are shocking, we are expecting them to continue to climb as flood waters recede," said state agriculture minister Tony Perrett. "It's heartbreaking to consider what western Queenslanders will be going through over the weeks and months as they discover the full extent of losses and damage—and start the long slog to start again." Flood waters stretched some 500,000 square kilometers (190,000 square miles) across sparsely populated western Queensland, Perrett said, a landmass roughly equivalent to France. Industry body AgForce told local media some cattle ranches may have lost almost 100% of their herd. The government Bureau of Meteorology said some towns had recorded as much as 500 millimeters (20 inches) of rain in the space of a week—their typical yearly total. "Unfortunately, more rainfall is on the way," forecaster Dean Narramore said. "The reason why we are so concerned about that is because we have numerous flood warnings current for much of Queensland." Muddy livestock survived by crowding together on the few small hills cresting above the flood waters, photos posted to social media showed. Queensland's fire department used helicopters to drop bales of fodder near surviving animals cut off from food. The state's primary industries department said some 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) of road had been flooded—a distance greater than the famed Route 66 connecting Chicago to Los Angeles. Rising waters on Tuesday morning encircled the remote outpost of Thargomindah, which describes itself as Australia's farthest town from the sea. A makeshift dirt flood levy was dug around the town to protect its 200 residents.

22 dead in Ecuador floods, water crisis continues due to Esmeraldas oil spill - At least 22 people have died across Ecuador as of Monday, March 31, 2025, due to ongoing floods, and multiple landslides that have damaged tens of thousands of homes across the country, affecting nearly 145 000 people. Meanwhile, the oil spill in Esmeraldas continues to affect the province, with an ongoing water crisis worsening the conditions amidst floods. Persistent rains since January have caused widespread flooding and landslides across Ecuador, affecting nearly 145 000 people, many of whom have been displaced. As of Monday, March 31, at least 22 people have died, while at least 98 have been injured across the country. 168 homes have been destroyed and over 36 000 damaged. The conditions have worsened for the Esmeraldas Province, where a major oil spill occurred on March 13 after a part of the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE) got ruptured by a landslide. The region continues to be under a State of Emergency, with the oil spill affecting over 11 000 people. Local authorities have been testing water samples across the province to assess the effects of the oil spill on the environment. Authorities have continued to supply fresh water to communities in need, urging citizens to ration it. The government stated that they had distributed 1 515 hygiene kits, 900 cleaning kits, and 9 815 food rations as of March 31. Affected families were also provided with $470 in compensation.

Rainstorms are getting more intense amid climate change - Rainstorms are getting more intense in many U.S. cities amid human-driven climate change, a new analysis finds. More intense precipitation events can cause flash-flooding, landslides, dangerous driving conditions and other potentially deadly hazards. Hourly rainfall intensity increased between 1970 and 2024 in nearly 90% of the 144 locations analyzed, per a new report from Climate Central, a research and communications group.Among the cities with an increase, hourly rainfall intensity rose by an average of 15%. The researchers divided each location's total annual rainfall by its total hours of annual rainfall, using NOAA weather station data.That approach quantifies how much rain fell for each hour it was raining in a given year — in other words, rainfall intensity. Some locations were not included because their stations haven't consistently collected hourly precipitation data.Human-driven climate change is resulting in warmer air, which holds more moisture and thus can drive more intense precipitation.Hotter temperatures also evaporate more water vapor from lakes, oceans and vegetation. Wichita, Kansas (+38%), Reno, Nevada (+37%) and Fairbanks, Alaska (+37%) had the biggest gains in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2024, per the analysis.That Reno is in the top three underscores Climate Central's point that rainfall intensity is rising in places that are generally dry, not just those that get at least a decent amount of annual rainfall.Flooding costs the U.S. economy up to nearly $500 billion annually, by one estimate, and is creating "climate abandonment" zones as people flee for safer areas, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.Researchers have also found that predominantly Black coastal communities may be particularly vulnerable to increased flood risk over the coming decades, Climate Central notes.

Arctic sea ice makes new record low annual max - (graphs) The arctic has just had its lowest peak ever for sea ice in modern history, at 14.33 million square kilometers. The next closest were 2017, at 14.41 million; 2018, at 14.47 million; 2016, at 14.51 million; and 2015, at 14.52 million. Here’s what the peaks look like graphically, including every year since the turn of the Millennium: Interestingly, this year was the third latest peak in the past 25 years, bucking the mild trend of earlier and earlier peaks over time. Here is what the past several months have looked like in comparison with the four previous record low years noted above, as well as the historical trend: Although at its peak, this year was higher than previous years on the same date, the peak was nevertheless lower than the peaks of the earlier years, each of which occurred earlier. Finally, as you can see from the first chart, there has been a sharp decline in the week since this year’s peak, and it is now at an all-time low for this date as well. Here is a close-up of this year vs. the two closest runner-ups, 2006 and 2017: I am frankly surprised that this page has not been taken down, which is one reason I wanted to make a record of the data here.

Geopolitical conflict impedes climate change mitigation - Abstract There is ample debate and publication on climate change causing conflict. On the contrary, a Conflict=>Climate-nexus, i.e. the detrimental impact of conflict on mitigation has not been systematically charted anywhere. In this work, we aim to elucidate the adverse effects of conflict on climate change. Within this nexus, we find a remarkably large number of causal pathways hampering mitigation, including reduced political nature npj climate action perspectives article Download PDF 1,2 3,4 1 2,3 cooperation, shifting trade relations, increased self-sufficiency, diversion of funds, military vehicle emissions and asset destruction. We argue that increasing global fragmentation and conflict means that mitigation will likely be even more obstructed in the future. Therefore, elucidating the Conflict=>Climate-nexus has significant implications: Considering Conflict=>Climate evidence confirms substantial disruption of mitigation efforts and even additional emissions, and therefore strongly suggests that current IPCC scenarios are likely too idealistic and optimistic. We conclude that if we are to understand future mitigation challenges in their entire complexity and gravity, it is essential to develop scenarios that consider conflictive geo-political and associated socioeconomic disruptions.

Conditions rapidly worsening for victims of Myanmar earthquake A humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Myanmar following the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake there on Friday. As of early Monday morning, the death toll had risen to 1,700, though this figure will certainly grow as rescue teams search the rubble and reach outlying areas. Recovery efforts are underway in neighboring Thailand, which was also affected. The earthquake struck along the Sagaing Fault near Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar. Other major cities along the fault include Yangon and the capital of Naypyitaw. The earthquake as well as powerful aftershocks knocked down buildings and bridges while destroying roads, essentially flattening whole towns. There are also serious concerns about the state of Myanmar’s dams. In addition to those killed, more than 3,400 have been injured while many more remain missing. The US Geological Survey estimates that the death toll could surpass 10,000. Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in the world and many of the buildings were not constructed to withstand earthquakes. Brian Baptie of the British Geological Survey told the Associated Press, “When you have a large earthquake in an area where there are over a million people, many of them living in vulnerable buildings, the consequences can often be disastrous.” These conditions are making it difficult for healthcare and rescue workers. Damage to roads, airports, and other infrastructure is causing delays in getting aid to those who need it. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that a “severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers.” OCHA further noted, “Thousands of people are spending the nights on the streets or open spaces due to the damage and destruction to homes or fearing further quakes.” Han Zin, a resident of the city of Sagaing, located near the earthquake’s epicenter, told Reuters, “What we are seeing here is widespread destruction—many buildings have collapsed into the ground… We have received no aid, and there are no rescue workers in sight.” He added that much of the town is without electricity and that drinking water was running out. Most of the efforts to provide aid and locate people trapped under buildings has been conducted by self-organized groups of residents who lack the necessary tools and equipment to dig people out of the rubble. Rescuers have also cited fears that many buildings are unstable and could collapse, preventing them from searching for survivors. The destruction could potentially equal as much as 70 percent of Myanmar’s GDP, which stood at $US64.28 billion last year. Prior to the earthquake, the World Bank also predicted the economy would contract by 1 percent at the end of the fiscal year this month. Nyi Nyi Kyaw, a political scientist at the University of Bristol who is from Myanmar stated, “In essence, Myanmar is wholly unable to deal with the shock and its aftermath.” Several countries have dispatched rescue teams, including China, Russia, India, and Thailand. Beijing sent 135 rescue personnel and necessary supplies while pledging $US13.8 million dollars. The Trump administration in the US has pledged support, but a three-person team from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is not expected to arrive until Wednesday. Even as the earthquake was unfolding, Trump was gutting the organization. Last Friday, USAID employees in the process of preparing a response to the earthquake received emails notifying them that they had been fired. Other natural disasters have also battered Myanmar in the past year, including Typhoon Yagi, impacting an estimated 2.4 million people as well as half of the country’s agricultural firms. This led to a sharp increase in food insecurity, which is now being exacerbated.In Thailand, which also felt the effects of Friday’s earthquake, at least 18 people have been killed in Bangkok, including 10 workers constructing a high-rise building. An additional 78 people are missing and some people are believed to still be alive under the wreckage. Naruemol Thonglek, the wife of one of the missing workers, who is from Myanmar, said, “I was praying that that they had survived, but when I got here and saw the ruin… where could they be?” Other fatalities also occurred at construction sites.

Survivors still being found from Myanmar earthquake, but hopes begin to fade as deaths exceed 2,700 — Rescue workers saved a 63-year-old woman from the rubble of a building in Myanmar’s capital on Tuesday, but hope was fading of finding many more survivors of the violent earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war. The fire department in Naypyitaw said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried when the building collapsed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit midday Friday. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours. The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum for relief donations in Naypyitaw that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, Myanmar’s state MRTV television reported. He said that Friday’s earthquake was the second most powerful in the country’s recorded history after a magnitude 8 quake east of Mandalay in May 1912. The casualty figures are widely expected to rise, but the earthquake hit a wide swath of the country, leaving many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaging roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess. Most of the reports so far have come from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, which was near the epicenter of the earthquake, and Naypyitaw. ‘‘The needs are massive, and they are rising by the hour,‘’ said Julia Rees, UNICEF’s deputy representative for Myanmar. ‘‘The window for lifesaving response is closing. Across the affected areas, families are facing acute shortages of clean water, food, and medical supplies.‘’ Myanmar’s fire department said that 403 people have been rescued in Mandalay and 259 bodies have been found so far. In one incident, 50 Buddhist monks who were taking a religious exam in a monastery were killed when the building collapsed, and 150 more are thought to be buried in the rubble. The World Health Organization said that more than 10,000 buildings overall are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged by the quake.. The earthquake also rocked neighboring Thailand, causing a high-rise building under construction to collapse and burying many workers. Two bodies were pulled from the rubble on Monday and another was recovered Tuesday, but dozens were still missing. Overall, there were 21 people killed and 34 injured in Bangkok, primarily at the construction site. Foreign aid workers have been arriving slowly to help in the rescue efforts, but progress lagged due to a lack of heavy machinery in many places. In one site in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, workers formed a human chain, passing chunks of brick and concrete out hand-by-hand from the ruins of a collapsed building. The state Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Tuesday that a team of Chinese rescuers saved four people the day before from the ruins of the Sky Villa, a large apartment complex that collapsed during the quake. They included a 5-year-old and a pregnant woman who had been trapped for more than 60 hours. It also reported two teenagers were able to crawl out of the rubble of the same building to where rescue crews were working, using their cellphone flashlights to help guide them. The rescue workers were then able to use details from what they told them to locate their grandmother and sibling. International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including from Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and several Southeast Asian countries. The U.S. Embassy said an American team had been sent but hadn’t yet arrived.

What kind of aid is the U.S. providing in the wake of the Myanmar quake? : Current and former USAID staff are raising questions about the immediacy and impact of the U.S. response to the earthquake that rocked Myanmar and surrounding countries on Friday, particularly after massive budget cuts and the termination of nearly all staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development.The magnitude 7.7 quake hit at 12:50 p.m. local time, killing more than 2,000 people and leaving millions without shelter. "USAID has maintained a team of disaster experts with the capacity to respond if disaster strikes," Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the State Department, said at a press briefing on the day of the disaster."The United States is evaluating the need for assistance based on requests and dynamic reporting," she said. Sarah Charles, assistant to the administrator of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance under the Biden administration, shared her perspective: "The capacity of the U.S. government to provide that kind of assistance right now is severely diminished, and we haven't seen any of it so far." At another press conference on Monday, Bruce detailed U.S. plans for assistance — including up to $2 million in funding for organizations in Myanmar. Typically, the U.S. government partners with local businesses, clinics and local and international humanitarian organizations to deliver foreign assistance after a crisis."I would reject the premise that the sign of success is that we are physically there," Bruce told journalists on Monday. "The fact that we've got partners that we work with, that our goals can be achieved through the work that we do with others around the world, is something," Bruce added.She further noted that "a USAID team of humanitarian experts based in the region are traveling to Burma [a former name for Myanmar] now to identify the people's most pressing needs, including emergency shelter, food, medical needs and access to water." The team would consist of three individuals, she said.By comparison, 225 USAID workers from around the world traveled to Turkey to respond to the earthquake there two years ago."This is disastrous," said Jim Kunder, former deputy administrator of USAID who served under three presidential administrations. Dismantling USAID is "inconceivably chaotic and obviously disruptive to the ability to respond when an earthquake like this hits," Kunder told NPR.And then there's the issue of funding for the organizations that the U.S. government would typically work with, doing everything from distributing supplies to checking the buildings that are still standing to make sure they're safe. USAID funding for many of these local businesses, humanitarian groups and clinics was terminated during the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency, so they've had to lay off staff and scale down or halt their projects. In fact, many of the organizations still haven't received previously approved payments, often numbering in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, from USAID for existing work due to the suspension of aid when Trump took office.And even aid groups whose contracts are still active may not be able to assist in the earthquake relief efforts. Independent search-and-rescue groups based in Fairfax, Va., and Los Angeles saw their contracts canceled, then reinstated, in the early days of this administration — but they do not have USAID funding to transport crew members and their specialized gear to the scene of the earthquake. Search-and-rescue groups also need to be accompanied by experienced USAID staff who know the region well, but most of these employees have been terminated.

Solar radiation storm reaches S2 levels, strong M5.6 solar flare erupts from AR 4046 - A strong M5.6 solar flare erupted from Active Region 4046 at 07:55 UTC on April 1, 2025, producing a 10cm radio burst but showing no signs of an associated coronal mass ejection (CME). Meanwhile, a solar radiation storm triggered by the X1.1 flare on March 28 reached the S2 – Moderate threshold at 02:05 UTC today. A strong solar flare measuring M5.6 erupted from Active Region (AR) 4046 at 06:46 UTC on April 1, 2025. The event started at 06:37 and ended at 06:53 UTC. A 10cm radio burst (Tenflare) was associated with this event. This type of burst indicates that the flux density of radio emissions at the 10cm wavelength (2.8 GHz) reached at least twice the background level, indicating an intense enhancement of solar radio output coinciding with the flare. Such emissions are typically short-lived but can produce significant radio noise, potentially interfering with sensitive systems, including radar, GNSS (GPS), and satellite communications. No accompanying radio signatures were observed that would indicate a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. However, given the position of AR 4046 (beta-gamma configuration) in the northeastern quadrant, the potential for Earth-directed CMEs remains and may increase as the region rotates further into view. Another region of interest is AR 4048, currently exhibiting a beta-gamma-delta magnetic configuration. It is a large, magnetically complex region moving into a geoeffective position and continues to display signs of growth, particularly within its intermediate polarity zone. This region will require close monitoring in the coming days. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux was at moderate to high levels in 24 hours to 00:30 UTC today, with a peak flux of 2 040 pfu at 16:05 UTC on March 31. The greater than 10 MeV proton flux reached S1 – Minor levels at 11:05 UTC yesterday, with a current peak of 147 pfu at 04:25 UTC today. The enhancement is attributable to the X1.1 flare on March 28, according to the SWPC.The S2 – Moderate solar radiation storm threshold was reached at 02:05 UTC today. At this level, the increased flux of energetic protons can result in minor radiation exposure for passengers and crew on high-latitude, high-altitude flights. Spaceborne assets may experience infrequent single-event upsets, particularly in sensitive electronic components. Additionally, polar high-frequency (HF) radio propagation may be subject to degradation, including signal fades at lower frequencies. S2 solar radiation storms are moderate events, occurring approximately 25 times per 11-year solar cycle.

DOE Considers Cutting Over $1.2 Billion in Carbon Capture Project Funding (Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Energy is weighing cuts to billions of dollars in funding for projects meant to demonstrate nascent energy storage and carbon capture, according to a list seen by Reuters. Rescinding funding for the projects would represent a major blow to promising new carbon-emission cutting technologies that rely heavily on government support because most traditional private sector investors consider them too risky. Among the projects marked "cut" on the list of over two dozen funded by the DOE's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations are four carbon capture pilot projects that were awarded a total of $309 million last year, and three later-stage demonstration projects in California, Texas and North Dakota that received $890 million for integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage technologies. "All of our members are making the case that these are critically important projects so to pull back at this moment in time is catastrophic," Jessie Stolark, executive director of the Carbon Capture Coalition trade group, said in an interview. Some projects are beginning to run test wells or start construction, Stolark added. The list also showed planned funding cuts for six of nine long-duration battery storage projects. The companies involved were awarded $350 million to develop technology that would help utilities and grid operators integrate renewable energy sources like solar and wind by storing the power they produce for longer periods of time. They include projects by power sector giants including NextEra NEE.N, which was granted up to $49 million to put zinc-bromide batteries at solar and wind facilities in three states, and Westinghouse, which was awarded up to $50 million for a pumped thermal storage system in Alaska. Others affected include startups like Smartville and ReJoule, which repurpose used electric vehicle batteries, and New York-based Urban Electric Power, which has developed a zinc manganese dioxide battery. "We are actively working to communicate the importance of our work to Energy Secretary Chris Wright and are engaging with our congressional representatives to ensure continued support for energy innovation," Zora Chung, co-founder of California-based ReJoule, said in an email. "Given the broad importance of domestic energy resilience and advanced battery technology, we believe this is an issue of national interest that transcends party lines." Long-duration energy storage is widely regarded as critical to deploying the large amounts of intermittent wind and solar resources needed to decarbonize the global electricity supply. Grid-scale batteries now in the market, mainly lithium-ion, can typically only store up to four hours of power. - Washington has been slashing funding for clean energy projects since President Donald Trump, a climate change skeptic, took office in January. His administration is prioritizing fossil fuel production as part of its "energy dominance" agenda. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been reviewing lists of projects funded through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to weigh which of the congressionally-appropriated projects should cease receiving federal funding. A group of House Democrats on Thursday sent a letter to the DOE Inspector General criticizing the cuts. "It appears that some projects previously deemed worthy of funding are being cancelled without adequate justification, and in some cases, with no clear rationale other than administrative convenience," the letter said. Last week, Reuters reported that two Direct Air Capture hubs in Texas and Louisiana aimed at demonstrating technology to capture carbon from the atmosphere at commercial scale were marked to be cut on a different list that had been circulating. It also reported that four hydrogen hubs intended to jumpstart the production of "clean hydrogen" were slated for cuts. Related News

Comprehensive Ohio energy reform is overdue. Lawmakers are getting close, but tweaks still needed By Editorial Board, The Plain Dealer - It’s a testament to the intertwining of one urgent need and two toxic realities that normally fractious Ohio lawmakers -- Republican and Democratic, rural and urban -- are nearly unanimous in supporting a broad restructuring of Ohio energy policy and utility law. And amazingly, they’re doing so in ways that irk the state’s utility lobby -- a lobby that once was king, until exposure of the corruption behind 2019’s House Bill 6 turned that power to poison.True, it’s the pressing need for more electricity to feed the maw of giant data centers sprouting up in central Ohio that’s brought the General Assembly to the cusp of approving sweeping energy reform. That’s the pull.But there’s also the push from exposure of HB 6’s deeply corrosive and pervasive corruption both at the Ohio Statehouse and at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. It’s landed a former two-time Ohio House Speaker, Larry Householder, in a federal prison on a 20-year sentence. And former PUCO Chair Sam Randazzo died by suicide while facing state and federal criminal charges. Now, two former top executives of Akron’s FirstEnergy Corp. including ex-CEO Chuck Jones, face federal and state criminal charges, too.As a consequence, lawmakers who previously resisted repealing all of HB 6 now seem lined up behind provisions in both Senate Bill 2and House Bill 15 that would effectively repeal HB 6’s coal subsidies -- outlays that have cost Ohio ratepayers more than $455 millionsince 2019, according to the Ohio Office of Consumers’ Counsel.Both bills recently passed their respective chambers by overwhelming majorities. SB 2 sailed through unanimously in the state Senate. HB 15 had only 3 dissenters with 92 in favor when the Ohio House voted it out late last month and over to the Senate for its consideration.Both bills would make electric utilities undergo rate cases every three years, rather than using an amalgam of surcharges to avoid a regulatory rate review for 17 years, as cleveland.com’s Jake Zuckerman notes FirstEnergy managed to do.But the bills’ key aim is to spur new construction of generating facilities by drastically reducing tangible property taxes on transmission hardware and newly built generation assets.The Senate version would take the tax on newly built generation to zero; the House version to 7%. That’s big money, potentially, although the current tax on 24% of generation assets would remain for existing generation.For new gas and electrical transmission lines, both bills would take the tax down to 25% of value from 85% of value now for electricity transmission lines and 88% of value for pipeline transmission. Again, that’s on new projects only. State fiscal analysts say the distribution tax cuts potentially could mean up to $74 million in lost state revenues, Zuckerman reports, but how much actually could depend on how successful the legislative changes are in spurring new investments.Speaking of new generation investments, what about new utility-scale solar and wind power installations? What about nuclear projects? Both bills seem almost entirely focused on fossil-fuel-sourced new power generation.Yet, after passage of a solar-power-killing law in 2021 that gave veto power to local officials (who lack that power for gas, coal or nuclear plants), Ohio, in just three years, lost what Zuckerman calculates was enough potential solar-powered wattage to keep the lights on in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati combined.These investments weren’t speculative. Utility-scale solar investors sank big money into projects, achieving deals with landowners eager to have income from what would amount to “removable” power generation facilities that can be cleared after their useful life, and the land returned to agriculture, before realizing Senate Bill 52 doomed their projects -- and pulling out.SB 52 of 2021 also allowed counties to bar wind and solar power. Since then, more than 40% of Ohio’s 88 counties have done so.Why not unwind SB 52 as part of the current energy reform? Luring new energy generation should be an “all of the above” endeavor.Comparing SB 2 and HB 15 as they stand now, we favor HB 15.HB 15 slashes but doesn’t eliminate state tax on new generation. It includes a limited pilot to build any kind of generation, including solar and wind on rooftops, brownfields and solid waste facilities. It requires detailed annual reliability reports from utilities. It requires utilities to justify new transmission line construction.Ohio is about to make a big leap forward in energy policy and law. Good. But it needs to be an “all of the above” electricity-generation leap forward.

Trump DOE Reviewing Biden Hydrogen Hub Funding; Will ARCH2 Survive? - Marcellus Drilling News - The Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2), led by West Virginia and Ohio, was one of seven projects to win the Bidenista Hunger Games competition to receive a chunk of $7 billion to build a regional hydrogen hub (see Hydrogen Hub Winners Announced – WV Takes Prize in M-U Region). ARCH2 is (was) slated to receive $925 million of the $7 billion pot. It was selected specifically because it will use Marcellus/Utica shale gas as the feedstock to create hydrogen. The hydrogen hub projects were a line item in the so-called Infrastructure and Jobs Act, passed in November 2021 (see Biden So-Called $1.2T Infrastructure Bill Passes Thanks to RINOs). Upon entering office for his second term, Donald Trump paused any more distribution of Biden's billions, including distributions for the hydrogen hub projects.

Encino Selected to Frack Under 62 Acres in Leesville Wildlife Area -- GREAT news! The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) met for about 15 minutes on Friday and voted to award Encino Energy the right to drill under (not on) 62.5 acres of Leesville Wildlife Area located in Carroll County. Encino will pay a $218,715 signing bonus and 18% royalties on any oil and gas produced. Landowners in Carroll County, pay attention: That works out to be a hefty $3,500 per acre for a signing bonus.

Williams Subsidiary Unveils Plans for Gas-Fired Power Plant in Ohio - Marcellus Drilling News - Last week, MDN told you about three (so far) proposed Utica/Marcellus gas-fired power plants proposed for the New Albany International Business Park in Licking County, Ohio (seeMultiple Utica-Fired Power Plants Planned for New Albany, Ohio). In that post, we mentioned proposals are coming for two projects that are somehow connected to Williams—the Socrates North and South power plants. Little did we know then, but the company that aims to build those projects, Will-Power, is a subsidiary of Williams! Get it? Will (iams) Power…Will-Power. We now have much more information about the proposed Socrates North project, including details shared during an information session.

Oak Harbor residents asked to evacuate after gas line struck - - Residents who were told to evacuate their homes Thursday afternoon due to a gas leak are now cleared to return home, according to the Ottawa County EMA. According to a Facebook Post from the Ottawa County EMA, all residents are cleared to return home. The fire department, Columbia Gas and law enforcement will be monitoring the area. According to the post, if you would like your property monitored, you should inform one of those departments. State Route 19 from Portage River South to Mill Street in Oak Harbor is closed. A message from the Ohio Department of Transportation said a road closure on SR-19 south of Oak Harbor was scheduled to begin on Monday, April 7 for a known gas leak, but the situation escalated, prompting the emergency response. The agency said there will be a road closure for at least 10 days. The line that gave way was a high-pressure natural gas supply line for the village. Officials said about 129 households were evacuated as a result of the gas leak. According to the Oak Harbor Police Department, Columbia Gas employees will be going house to house to shut meters off and that could go as late as midnight. Employees will also continue Friday. Before gas is restores, employees will go back to every house and purge air out of the lines before the gas is restored. According to a Facebook post from the Oak Harbor Police Department, gas will most likely not be restored until at least Sunday. Toledo Edison previously had to cut off power to the village to make repairs to the gas line, but it has since been restored. Fred Petersen, the director of the Ottawa County EMA spoke to the media after 6:30 p.m. Thursday. He said the gas should be shut off soon and the fire department will be monitoring. “So, that gas should be shut off and isolated very soon. The fire department will verify with their gas monitors that things are safe to return for people. We’re hopeful that that happens this afternoon, this evening at this point and we won’t have to deal with any overnight evacuees,” Petersen said. Petersen said the line was scheduled to be repaired/replaced on April 7. But the leak has prompted crews to begin work sooner. According to Petersen, it could be repaired as soon as Saturday or Sunday. According to Petersen, crews were preparing to put a temporary line around the existing line and during preparation, the leak began. Authorities did contact the American Red Cross for housing people overnight if it becomes necessary. TC Energy released the following statement on the incident. “TC Energy responded to a natural gas release on our pipeline system near Oak Harbor, Ohio, reported at approximately 3 p.m. EDT on April 3, 2025. Upon learning of the incident, we immediately initiated our emergency management and response procedures. We coordinated with local authorities who evacuated the area. By 6:41 p.m. EDT, the incident was isolated, and repairs are ongoing. There are no reported injuries.

6th Circuit Upholds OH Landowner Claims Against Antero re Deductions - Marcellus Drilling News - An important decision was recently issued in a federal court case (in Ohio) that potentially affects landowners and drillers with shale leases throughout the Marcellus/Utica. At least, we believe it has broader implications. The case, The Grissoms, LLC v. Antero Resources Corporation, was decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (6th Circuit) on April 2, 2025. The case involves a dispute between a certified class of 370 Ohio landowners and Antero. The landowners alleged that Antero underpaid them $10 million in natural gas royalties by improperly deducting certain processing and fractionation costs from their royalty payments, violating their lease agreements. In 2023, the landowners won against Antero in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division (see OH Fed Court Ruling Further Clarifies Post-Production Deductions). Antero appealed the case to the 6th Circuit. Now, the 6th Circuit has also ruled in favor of the landowners.

Largest Gas-Fired Power Plant in the U.S. Coming in Western Pa. This is VERY exciting news. The former Homer City Generating Station, previously the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania (Indiana County, 50 miles east of Pittsburgh), will be transformed into a more than 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus, designed to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC). The new gas-fired plant will be THE LARGEST gas-fired power plant in the country, capable of producing up to 4.5 gigawatts (4,500 MW) of electricity. And yummy Marcellus gas will feed it! Put another way, it will use roughly 750 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of Marcellus gas—some three-quarters of a Bcf every single day. Massive!

Largest natural gas power plant in the country, data center coming to former Homer City coal plant - The owners of a recently demolished coal-fired power plant announced the site will become a data center powered by the largest natural gas plant in the country. The Homer City Generating Station in Indiana County was decommissioned in 2023 and parts of it were imploded last month. It had been at one time the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania. The plant’s owners, Homer City Redevelopment, announced the site will become a 3,200-acre data center campus for artificial intelligence and other computing needs. “We always hoped something would be big here, but this is monumental. This is putting us on the map,” said Robin Gorman, vice president for government affairs for Homer City Redevelopment. Gorman said the campus will be powered by a 4.5 gigawatt natural gas power plant, more than twice the capacity as the former coal plant once generated. “Eventually the future vision is to create a business park and to attract data centers, [and] all kinds of information technology companies,” Gorman said. Local business and labor leaders lauded the project. Homer City Redevelopment says it will create 10,000 construction jobs in quote “the largest capital investment in the history of Pennsylvania.” “You’re talking about roughly 3,000 to 3,500 construction jobs initially just to build the power plant,” Gorman said. “Our hope right now, and it’s a low estimate, would be about 1,000 total direct and indirect permanent high paying jobs.” The site could begin generating power by 2027, the company said.

WhiteHawk Energy Doubles Marcellus Gas Royalties with $118 Million Deal — WhiteHawk Energy has closed a $118 million acquisition that doubles its mineral and royalty interests across 475,000 gross unit acres in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale. The newly acquired assets, located in Washington and Greene counties, are 95% operated by leading natural gas producers EQT, Range Resources, and CNX Resources. The deal brings cash flow from over 1,400 producing wells and is effective as of Jan. 1, 2025. “The 2025 Marcellus Acquisition provides WhiteHawk additional production, line-of-site development, undeveloped inventory and cash flow from our core Appalachia position,” said WhiteHawk CEO Daniel C. Herz. “Today’s transaction marks our sixth acquisition over the last three years and the third acquisition of royalty interests on these assets, which have continuously outperformed our expectations and fully consolidates these positions into WhiteHawk.”WhiteHawk’s Marcellus Shale portfolio now covers 675,000 gross unit acres with production from about 2,068 horizontal shale wells. It also includes interests in 141 wells-in-progress, 66 permitted wells, and 1,713 undeveloped locations, along with potential from the underlying Utica Shale. The company also holds mineral and royalty interests in the Haynesville Shale, where it owns assets across 375,000 gross unit acres, with 1,371 producing horizontal wells, plus 127 wells-in-progress, 189 permitted wells, and 966 undeveloped locations. Haynesville operators include Expand Energy, Aethon Energy Management, and Comstock Resources.

WhiteHawk Energy secures mineral and royalty rights across a massive 475,000-acre footprint in the Marcellus Shale's prime region - - WhiteHawk Energy, LLC announced an acquisition that increased its interest in its existing Marcellus Shale minerals and royalties position.This $118 million transaction doubles the company’s present ownership interest in a portion of its Marcellus Shale royalties position (across 475,000 gross unit acres), primarily focused in Washington and Greene counties, Pennsylvania. The transaction has an effective date of January 1, 2025. The assets are 95% operated by best-in-class natural gas operators EQT, Range Resources, and CNX Resources and have continued to perform above expectations since WhiteHawk’s initial acquisition of this position in March 2022.“The 2025 Marcellus Acquisition provides WhiteHawk additional production, line-of-site development, undeveloped inventory and cash flow from our core Appalachia position. Today’s transaction marks our sixth acquisition over the last three years and the third acquisition of royalty interests on these assets, which have continuously outperformed our expectations and fully consolidates these positions into WhiteHawk,” stated Daniel C. Herz, CEO of WhiteHawk. “This Marcellus Shale acquisition is the ideal natural gas minerals position, combining best-in-class natural gas operators, proven and predictable production, and the lowest break-even drilling costs in the U.S.”WhiteHawk’s consolidated Marcellus Shale assets cover approximately 675,000 gross unit acres, with production from approximately 2,068 horizontal shale wells. Additionally, WhiteHawk owns mineral and royalty interests in 141 wells-in-progress, 66 permitted wells, and 1,713 undeveloped Marcellus locations, with additional potential from the underlying Utica Shale. Approximately 95% of the production, cash flow and present value associated with the Marcellus assets are operated by EQT, Range Resources, CNX Resources, and Antero Resources.WhiteHawk also owns natural gas mineral and royalty assets in the Haynesville Shale, covering approximately 375,000 gross unit acres and approximately 1,371 producing horizontal shale wells. Additionally, WhiteHawk owns mineral and royalty interests in 127 wells-in-progress, 189 permitted wells, and 966 undeveloped Haynesville locations. The company’s Haynesville Shale assets are actively being developed by Expand Energy, Aethon Energy Management and Comstock Resources.

EHB Denies EQT Motion to Exclude Medical Evidence in PFAS Case - Marcellus Drilling News - A Washington County, PA, man and his anti-fossil fuel lawyer won a victory with the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court in PA set up to hear appeals of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) decisions. The man, Bryan Latkanich, alleges Chevron used PFAS “forever chemicals” in fracking fluids in 2011-2012 when Chevron drilled two wells some 500 feet from his home. Latkanich claims his water well was damaged, as well as his health and the health of family members who drank the “contaminated” water. EQT now owns the wells.

Driller Wins Briggs v SWN Rule of Capture/Trespass Resurrected Case - In January 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in THE most consequential lawsuit for Marcellus Shale drilling we’ve seen, a case called Briggs v Southwestern Energy (see HUGE NEWS: PA Supreme Court Keeps ‘Rule of Capture’ for Fracking). The PA Supreme Court ruled in favor of Southwestern, retaining the “rule of capture” in the Keystone State. In 2022, the Briggs family filed a new lawsuit, call it “Briggs 2,” along the same lines, alleging that Southwestern’s drilling and fracking on a neighboring property had intruded (“trespassed”) under the property line, draining gas from the Briggs property and injecting PFAS “forever chemicals” under their land (see Briggs v SWN Rule of Capture/Trespass Court Case Resurrected). The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania recently ruled in favor of Southwestern (now Expand Energy) and against the landowner’s claims

PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 29 to April 4 - Failed To Restore 3MG Water Impoundment; Failed To Get Pipeline Permits; Nearly 7 Years Without Conventional Well Spill Cleanup --From March 29 to April 4, DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database shows oil and gas inspectors filed 699 inspection entries. Follow these links to spreadsheets showing the violations and inspections occurring between March 29 to April 4--

• Click Here for violations issued.
• Click Here for inspection entries.

So far this year, DEP took these actions as of March 28--

• -- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 100 conventional, 28 unconventional
• -- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 1,201 conventional and 323 unconventional
• -- Enforcements 2025: 114 conventional and 45 unconventional (orders, agreements)
• -- Inspections Last Week: 364 conventional and 417 unconventional
• -- Year To Date - Inspections: 4,898 conventional and 7,012 unconventional

On April 1, 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the Winner 6 shale gas well pad and 3 million gallon water impoundment in East Keating Township, Clinton County owned by Frontier Natural Resources and found the pad and impoundment had not been restored. DEP issued the original violations for failure to restore the well pad and the water impoundment on July 14, 2017. Read more here.Among the DEP Oil and Gas inspection reports this week was an April 3 inspection of the Buhl Farm 1 conventional oil well owned by Edward W. Benko in Economy Borough, Beaver County. For nearly seven years-- since July 18, 2018 when the spills were first discovered-- DEP has been trying to work with Benko to get the multiple spills at the site cleaned up. Read more here.DEP has a new initiative underway in 2025 to inspect conventional oil and gas wells that have never been inspected before to “ensure the safest oil and gas production possible.” The Pecan Explorations, Inc. and Larry A. Shaffer Jr. well inspections on State Game Lands are the first in this new series. - Violations: 6 Abandoned Conventional WellsMarch 7, 2025 inspections of 6 conventional wells on State Game Lands in Cranberry Township, Venango County found them abandoned and not plugged. DEP’s reports note “This report is part of a 2025 Department initiative to record the current status of never-inspected wells in Pennsylvania and ensure the safest oil and gas production possible.” The wells include-- State Game Lands 45M6, State Game Lands 45WJ3, State Game Lands 45WJ8, State Game Lands TRM9, SGL 45 George Myers Tract M8; State Game Lands 45M5. Violations issued for abandonment and failure to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Response requested by April 15. Pencan holds 60 permits. Larry A. Shaffer Jr. - Violations: 3 Abandoned Conventional Wells March 7, 2025 inspections of three conventional wells on State Game Lands in Cranberry Township, Venango County found the wells abandoned and not plugged. DEP’s reports note “This report is part of a 2025 Department initiative to record the current status of never-inspected wells in Pennsylvania and ensure the safest oil and gas production possible.” The wells include-- SGL 45WJ4; SGL 45WJ5; and SGL 45WJ9. Violations issued for abandonment and failure to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Response requested by April 30. Shaffer holds 3 permits. Ows Acquisition Co. LLC - Violations: 2 Abandoned Conventional WellsOn April 1, 2025 DEP inspected the R&F Thompson 3 and R&F Thompson 4 conventional gas wells in Springfield Township, Mercer County in response to a complaint and found #4 was abandoned and not plugged and #3 has a rapid, steady, bubbling gas leak.For well #4 - violations were issued for well abandonment, failure to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. DEP inspection report.For well #3- a violation was continued from April 19, 2021 for failing to submit a well integrity report. No violations were issued for leaking gas. The owner made arrangements to have the leak repaired. DEP inspection report. Fortress Energy Corp. - Violations: Well Plugging Erosion Violations, No Waste Disposal PlanMarch 31, 2025 inspection of the Sara Gorley 963 conventional well plugging site and access road in Luzerne Township, Fayette County found significant erosion and sedimentation violations and failure to comply with permit requirements. DEP also requested a Waste Control and Disposal Plan for the site. Violations issued. Response requested by April 9. DEP inspection report. Fortress Energy holds 23 permits.

19 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Mar 24 – 30 - Marcellus Drilling News - For the week of Mar 24 – 30, the number of permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells dropped by three from the previous week. Last week, 19 new permits were issued, with 15 going to the Keystone State (PA). Seneca Resources received the lion’s share, 13 of the 15 permits, all in Tioga County spread across three different pads. One permit was issued to EQT (Rice Drilling) in Greene County, and one was issued to Campbell Oil & Gas in Westmoreland County. ASCENT RESOURCES | BELMONT COUNTY | CAMPBELL OIL & GAS | EQT CORP | GREENE COUNTY (PA) | HARRISON COUNTY | SENECA RESOURCES | TIOGA COUNTY (PA) | WESTMORELAND COUNTY

Texas Gas Gauging Support to Move More Appalachian Natural Gas to Midwest, Gulf Coast Markets- Boardwalk Pipelines LP is testing support for a 2 Bcf/d pipeline that would transport natural gas from Appalachia’s prolific fields to supply growing consumption from electric utilities, data centers and LNG exporters. Map showing the proposed Borealis natgas pipeline in the U.S. northeast. If enough support is warranted, the Borealis Project, led by subsidiary Texas Gas Transmission LLC, would enhance the company’s existing 5,975-mile natural gas pipeline system. Borealis as designed would connect Marcellus and Utica shale gas from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast, according to Texas Gas.

Boardwalk Project to Grow Southern Access for Appalachian NatGas -Boardwalk Pipeline’s proposed Borealis Project could add 2 Bcf/d of natural gas to a network stretching from Ohio to Louisiana, providing plays in the Appalachian Basin with an expanded egress pathway.On April 1, the midstream company called a non-binding open season on a proposed capacity expansion on the company’s 5,975-mile Texas Gas Transmission pipeline network. Texas Gas Transmission is a Boardwalk subsidiary.The network provides Boardwalk near-access in Ohio to the Utica and Marcellus shales, then travels on the western side of the Appalachia region.Building a pipeline on the eastern side of the Appalachians has been a challenging task over the past decade, despite the area boasting some of the largest natural gas reserves in the Lower 48. EQT’s Mountain Valley Pipeline was completed in 2024, only after the U.S. Congress voted to close the multiple legal challenges that had stalled progress on the line.In a February interview with Hart Energy, Boardwalk CEO Scott Hallam indicated the company’s interest in further developing the network on the other side of the Appalachian Mountain range. “Today, the Marcellus production profile is capped because it doesn't have takeaway capacity. Boardwalk is studying that issue and evaluating how we can help the Marcellus continue to grow through creating new and different takeaway options that don't exist today,” Hallam said.The states along the Texas Gas network are generally more friendly to midstream development, the CEO said.“It's a geography that is more inclined to see the economic benefit of natural gas, versus the other negative views that other parts of the country associate with natural gas.”According to Boardwalk’s release on April 1, the Borealis Project also has the advantage of being minimally invasive and efficient, as construction will happen along the network’s current pathway. East Daley analyst Alex Gafford said Appalachia producers would likely welcome the project’s additional takeaway capacity.“The key is to keep state-level permitting to a minimum in order to prevent an MVP 2.0,” Gafford said in an email to Hart Energy.The project also enhances the prospects for midstream companies in the area that operate gathering and processing in the basin, such asWilliams Cos., DT Midstream, MPLX and Antero Midstream.Gafford also noted that the Borealis became public three months after Boardwalk announced the Kosci Junction project, which adds capacity to the company’s facilities in Mississippi. “The quick succession of project announcements speaks to the strong strategic position of the BWPL asset footprint,” Gafford said. The company’s Borealis announcement did not give many details other than noting that about 2 Bcf/d of capacity would be added to the pipeline. The project will serve all types of customers along the network, including energy providers, data centers and LNG exporters. The midstream company will also consider proposals to extend the pipeline about 180 miles to the east for a direct connection to the Utica and Marcellus, according to the press release.

EQT CEO says more gas pipelines are coming to West Virginia - EQT chief Toby Rice took part in a presentation by natural gas industry leaders at the West Virginia’s state Capitol last week, briefly joined by Gov. Patrick Morrisey. Morrisey wants to expand microgrids in the state to power data centers and is pushing the legislature to enact House Bill 2014 to do that. It was one of the priorities he laid out in his first State of the State address. Rice said that would mean building more pipelines.“So we’ve got to get serious about this, and these data center opportunities in our state are they’re the reasons for us to get started and start building back and capturing some of the lost time that we had,” he said.Rice was referring to the eight years and $10 billion it took to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which entered service last summer and now transports 2 billion cubic feet of gas a day from north-central West Virginia to southern Virginia.Lawsuits and protests slowed the pipeline’s construction. But a push from Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito got it over the finish line.Pittsburgh-based EQT now owns the pipeline, and Rice said more are needed not just for data centers, but for gas-burning power plants to replace aging coal units.“These power plants are not brand new pieces of equipment when you look and you realize that the reliable power generators that are on our grid, average life is close to 30 years old,” he said. “We got to turn these things over, get back to building things.”Gas has largely displaced coal generation in the past 10 to 15 years because of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a gas production technique Rice’s company developed with great success.Now, though, Rice said the mantra has gone from “drill, baby, drill,” to “build, baby build.”“Absolutely,” he said. “I think it’s inevitable.”

Federal regulators green-light Tennessee gas pipeline - Federal regulators approved a new natural gas pipeline Wednesday that will feed a planned natural gas-fired power plant in eastern Tennessee.In a 45-page order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave a green light to the Ridgeline expansion project, a 30-inch-diameter pipeline proposed by Enbridge as an add-on to its East Tennessee Natural Gas system. The $1.1 billion project comprises around 122 miles of pipe and a new compressor station, among other components.“We find on balance that the record before us supports a determination that the benefits of the proposed Ridgeline Expansion Project outweigh its adverse effects,” the order said. The pipeline is critical to plans by the Tennessee Valley Authority — the country’s largest public utility — to build a 1,500-megawatt natural gas combined cycle power plant near Kingston, roughly 40 miles west of Knoxville. TVA has entered into an agreement with East Tennessee “for 100% of the project’s capacity,” FERC said in its order Wednesday.

A Pipeline of Problems – SACE - Southern Alliance for Clean Energy - Oil and gas pipelines are everywhere and nowhere. They hide in plain sight, buried and marked above ground only by a mown right-of-way and the periodic yellow post or mile marker. Because they are not highly visible like transmission lines or power plants, they typically aren’t given much thought — unless a pipeline easement touches your own property. Pipeline accidents — leaks, spills, and explosions — hold attention for a few news cycles and then fade away. The claims by pipeline operators are usually along the lines of “this was a rare event, and we have safeguards to keep it from happening again.” But according to a FracTrackeranalysis of oil and gas pipeline incidents reported between 2010 and 2023, a fire erupts every 4.2 days, an explosion occurs every 12.2 days, a person is killed in one of these incidents every 29 days, and an injury is reported every 6.5 days. During this time period, there were 2,955 incidents reported just along methane gas gathering, transmission, and distribution lines, resulting in 149 fatalities and 697 injuries.So, these events truly are not so rare after all. Yet, we continue to add more and more miles of dangerous new pipelines every year.Below is an overview of a few of the new and proposed pipeline projects in North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina. SACE’s new paper “A Pipeline of Problems” goes deeper into the topics of pipeline risk classifications, proximity to homes and daycares, pipeline construction failures, pipeline exposure above ground, geologic risk such as earthquakes and landslides, and the impact climate change is having on East Coast rain events and pipeline safety. All of these issues lead us to the question: Why are we still building pipelines?

Bookended by Transco and Northwest, Opportunities Powering Up for Data Centers, Says Williams Exec - Tulsa-based Williams is working to stay 10 steps ahead of the competition by aligning its natural gas infrastructure with low-carbon options, both to improve efficiencies and to gain an advantage with new customers, including data center hyperscalers and overseas markets. Williams natural gas pipeline footprint in the United States. (map) To delve into what’s next, Williams executive Jaclyn Presnal, vice president of New Energy Ventures, sat down with NGI at the recent CERAWeek conference by S&P Global. The 20-year Williams veteran took over the New Energy Ventures business about a year ago. New Energy Ventures basically hunts for commercial opportunities across Williams’ footprint in two business units, NextGen Gas and Power Innovation. NextGen provides lower-carbon products, including differentiated gas. The power unit delivers turnkey generation solutions, including for data centers.

Tokyo Gas Affiliate Expanding Haynesville Natural Gas Footprint as Chevron Pares Portfolio -- TG Natural Resources LLC (TGNR), majority owned by Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd., is snapping up most of Chevron Corp.’s natural gas-heavy portfolio in East Texas, a deal likely to increase its production, now estimated at 1 Bcfe/d. None The $525 million transaction provides a 70% stake in the Chevron U.S.A. asset, including 71,000 net acres in Panola County. Chevron agreed to receive $75 million cash upfront with another $450 million paid as a capital carry to fund more Haynesville Shale development. Chevron, which has been marketing the asset for about a year, is retaining a 30% nonoperated working interest in a joint venture with TGNR. It also would hold an overriding royalty stake in the assets.

Uncertainty Clouds U.S. LNG FID Outlook as Trade War Expands, Other Challenges Persist -Fast action by the Trump administration to clear regulatory roadblocks for U.S. LNG projects has brought final investment decisions (FID) closer for some, but other aspects of the president’s agenda combined with typical hurdles are creating uncertainty and clouding the outlook for more development. In less than three months since taking office, the Trump administration has lifted former President Biden’s pause on new authorizations for exports to non-free trade agreement countries (NFTA) and granted licenses to the Commonwealth LNG and CP2 LNG projects. It has also extended deadlines for the Golden Pass and Delfin LNG projects to start exporting the super-chilled fuel and ended a restrictive policy requiring developers to meet stringent criteria before being granted similar extensions. “The relaxation of the Biden administration’s pause on new NFTA export permits and expected ease on constraints for extensions provide a more positive outlook” for the sector, said Wood Mackenzie analyst Mark Bononi.

Natural Gas, Oil Generally Excluded from Trump Tariffs, but Retaliation (on LNG?) Concerns Rattle Markets -President Trump has announced higher-than-expected tariffs starting at 10% on more than 100 nations, but Mexico and Canada, along with oil and natural gas, were given lighter treatment. Natural Gas Intelligence's (NGI) Canada Border Tracker displaying a map and key natural gas hubs with prices. Depicts flow data key for market analyses. Dubbed ‘Liberation Day,’ the president called Wednesday “the day American industry was reborn.” He promised that “jobs and factories will come roaring back” as a result of the newly imposed tariffs. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. analyst Matt Portillo said “our high level takeaway for the energy complex is that this is negative for crude oil given the adverse impact tariffs could have on Chinese demand.” For natural gas, “products like U.S. LNG may be the target for reciprocal tariffs.”

Sempra Eyeing Sale of Mexico Natural Gas Assets, LNG Subsidiary Stake to Bolster U.S. Utilities -- San Diego-based Sempra is selling its Mexico natural gas distribution assets as well as a share of its LNG infrastructure subsidiary, Sempra Infrastructure Partners. The move is part of an “ongoing commitment to simplify the company's portfolio and recycle capital in support of strong growth in its Texas and California utilities,” management said. Sempra has previously said that it would heavily invest in its core distribution and utilities amid expected booming power demand. Earlier this year, Sempra raised the guidance for its five-year capital plan by 16% to $56 billion between 2025 and 2029. More than $29 billion of that capital is expected to be put toward its Texas utility’s operations during that period.

Calcasieu Pass LNG Given Green Light as Venture Global Prepares to Fulfill Contracts -Venture Global LNG Inc. can meet its April 15 target to deliver Calcasieu Pass LNG cargoes to long-term contract holders after receiving final FERC authorization on Thursday. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted Venture’s request to place the remaining equipment at the Louisiana facility online after more than three years of repairs. The plant has been producing commissioning cargoes since 2022, but Venture has cited problems with equipment, chiefly its heat steam recovery generators (HSRG), as preventing it from shipping cargoes to contract holders. Those delays have drawn public criticism and arbitration cases from nine long-term contract holders.

Houston Ship Channel Gaining Significance as ‘De Facto’ Mexico Export Point -- As the discount to Henry Hub continues to shrink at Houston Ship Channel (HSC), the natural gas price index remains key to Mexico trades as North American LNG exports grow. Natural Gas Intelligence's (NGI) spot Houston Ship Channel daily natural gas price graph and flows South of Texas into Mexico showing historical market volatility. In 2022, the differential between Henry Hub and HSC ballooned after the Freeport LNG export terminal south of Houston shut down, leading to an excess of supply in the area. Henry Hub in Louisiana, the official delivery point for futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange, was trading at around $4.045/MMBtu on Wednesday afternoon, basically where it had been for the past month, according to NGI’s MidDay Price Alert data. HSC in Texas was about 50.0 cents lower at $3.575.

Trump Administration Fully Reverses Policy on LNG Export Project Extensions -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has rescinded a Biden-era policy on LNG export authorizations in an effort to further accelerate permitting. DOE officials Tuesday disclosed in a Federal Register filing that the agency would no longer enforce a 2023 policy statement that prevented most worldwide export permits from being extended beyond their seven-year time frame. “Henceforth, DOE will consider applications to extend an authorization holder’s export commencement deadline and grant such extensions for good cause shown on a case-by-case basis, an approach consistent with DOE’s practice prior to the issuance of the policy statement,” agency staff wrote in the filing.

New LNG Export Startups Affect EIA NatGas Forecasting Models -- Marcellus Drilling News -- According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) represent the largest source of natural gas demand growth this year. LNG gross exports are expected to increase by 19% to 14.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2025 and by 15% to 16.4 Bcf/d in 2026. The start-up timing of two new LNG export facilities—Plaquemines LNG Phase 2 (consisting of 18 midscale trains) and Golden Pass LNG—could significantly affect EIA’s forecasting because these facilities represent 19% of incremental U.S. LNG export capacity in 2025–26

U.S. LNG Exports Reach New Monthly High as More Capacity Comes Online — A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers

• 9.09 Mt: U.S. LNG exports reached a new monthly high in March, propelled by commissioning cargoes from Cheniere Energy Inc.’s Corpus Christi LNG Stage 3 expansion and Venture Global LNG Inc.’s Plaquemines LNG. In total, U.S. exports reached 9.09 million tons (Mt) during the month, 1.75 Mt more than March 2024, according to preliminary Kpler data.
• 1.03 Mt: Monthly U.S. LNG export data also showed cargoes from Plaquemines LNG nearly doubled in March compared to February as the facility continued to ramp up. Around 1.03 Mt left the facility during the month versus 0.67 Mt in February. All but one cargo was sold on the spot market to European buyers. One cargo was resold by Mitsubishi Corp. to Egypt’s state-owned energy firm and delivered to the Ain Sokhna terminal, according to Kpler data.
• 14.4 Bcf/d: LNG feed gas demand trended lower this week, with nominations dropping to 14.4 Bcf/d on Wednesday, according to Wood Mackenzie. Retreating nominations were partially attributed to maintenance at Corpus Christi LNG. The pipeline intake point for Corpus Christi LNG was 58% utilized on Wednesday, according to afternoon nomination cycle data.
• 63 Bcm: The Europe Union (EU) would have to inject 63 Bcm of natural gas into storage facilities across the bloc in order to meet the 90% threshold by Nov. 1, according to the latest estimate from Jefferies Group LLC. Gas storage levels were reported as 34% full at the end of March, about 42% lower than the same period last year.
• $25.439/MMBtu: Filling EU storage to 90% would require importers to bring in 25 Mt more LNG than the bloc imported between April-October of last year, according to Bank of America. Some member countries are lobbying for the European Commission to reduce the storage requirements for their countries to 80% to avoid price spikes. Bank of America researchers estimated a 90% fill would drive Title Transfer Facility prices to a range of $19.079-25.439/MMBtu in the second half of 2025.

U.S. LNG Demand Bolsters Domestic Prices as International Buyers React to Supply Tensions — International natural gas markets are holding level as traders weigh the risks for next winter’s storage filling session, but demand for U.S. LNG continues to push Henry Hub upward. Chart and map of Lower 48 LNG export facilities tracking daily natural gas feedstock flows to sites for market intelligence. The Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) contract for May mostly declined in Monday morning trading before rising back to the high $12/MMBtu range at close. The June and July contracts also stagnated, with most upward activity concentrated on the August through October delivery periods. East Asian LNG prices saw a similarly cool trading day, with the prompt price staying slightly above TTF.

Is North American LNG on Cusp of New Construction Boom? — Listen Now to NGI’s Hub & Flow --Click here to listen to the latest episode of NGI’s Hub & Flow. NGI’s Christopher Lenton, managing editor of Mexico, speaks to Sergio Chapa, senior energy analyst at Poten & Partners, on the latest trends in North American LNG and natural gas markets.

Court Rejects Activists' Protest of Woodside LNG Pipeline Project - -A federal appeals court denied a protest brought against the government’s approval of a project meant to supply natural gas toWoodside Energy’s Louisiana LNG export facility.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) performed the required work for the project, the court said in ruling against the claims an environmental impact study was insufficient.The case goes back to April 2023, before Australian-based Woodside bought the project from Tellurian.Last spring, the FERC permitted Tellurian’s Driftwood Pipeline company to build and operate lines 200 and 300—two 30-mile parallel natural gas pipelines. The project was to expand Driftwood LNG’s connections with pipeline networks in southwestern Louisiana.Environmental groups Healthy Gulf and Sierra Club filed a protest against the pipelines with the Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, which typically hears cases that involve the FERC.A three-judge panel heard arguments in September 2024.Woodside acquired Tellurian for $900 million in October 2024 and renamed the Driftwood project to Louisiana LNG. In February, the company was exploring partnerships for the project, according to a Reuters report. The project remains under development. A Woodside spokesman said the company "welcomes the decision of the D.C. circuit court," in an email to Hart Energy. The company is targeting the project to be ready for a final investment decision before the second half of 2025. Lines 200 and 300 would connect Louisiana LNG to existing pipeline networks north of Lake Charles. The two lines would work in tandem with the proposed Driftwood Mainline project, the primary line of supply for the export facility.As in several previous cases, the environmental groups claimed the FERC did not take into account the market demand for the project and the total impact an LNG facility would have on upstream and downstream greenhouse-gas emissions.The court ruled the FERC fulfilled its obligations according to the law.“‘Our role is not to flyspeck an agency’s environmental analysis’” but instead to “‘ensure that the agency has adequately considered and disclosed the environmental impact of its actions,’” Circuit Judge Bradley Garcia wrote, referring to the current judicial standard.

US LNG Exports Hit New Monthly High in March, Smashing Old Record - Marcellus Drilling News - Another record bites the dust. According to data from LSEG, the U.S. exported a record high amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in March, selling 9.3 million metric tons (MT). The previous record was 8.6 MT in December 2023. March’s record “smashed” the old record, and there’s no sign that the higher volumes will retreat. There’s no going back!

US natgas prices fell 4% on record output, mild weather forecasts — Gas futures for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 16.8 cents, or 4.1%, to settle at $3.951 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). Energy traders said mild weather and low demand likely allowed utilities to add gas to storage in March for the first time since 2012 and only the second time in history. But gas stockpiles were still about 5% below normal levels for this time of year after extremely cold weather in January and February forced energy firms to pull large amounts of gas out of storage, including record amounts in January. In the spot market, gas prices at the Waha Hub in the Permian shale in West Texas turned negative for the third time this year as pipeline maintenance trapped gas associated with oil production in the basin. In the past, pipeline constraints also caused next-day Waha prices to turn negative a record 49 times in 2024, once in 2023, six times in 2020 and 17 times in 2019. With Permian oil production hitting record highs every year since at least 2016, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, energy firms have had a hard time building gas pipes fast enough to keep up with soaring associated gas output. Permian gas production has also hit record highs every year since at least 2018. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states rose to a record 106.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in March, up from the prior all-time high of 105.1 bcfd in February. Meteorologists projected temperatures in the Lower 48 states would remain mostly warmer than normal through April 16. LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, will rise from 102.9 bcfd this week to 105.0 bcfd next week. The forecast for next week was lower than LSEG's outlook on Monday. The average amount of gas flowing to the eight big operating U.S. LNG export plants rose to a record 15.8 bcfd in March, up from the prior all-time high of 15.6 bcfd in February, as new units at Venture Global's V VG 3.2-bcfd Plaquemines LNG plant under construction in Louisiana entered service. The U.S. became the world's biggest LNG supplier in 2023, surpassing Australia and Qatar, as surging global prices fed demand for more exports due in part to supply disruptions and sanctions linked to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Gas traded around $13 per mmBtu at both the Dutch Title Transfer Facility benchmark in Europe and the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) (JKMc1) benchmark in Asia.

US natgas prices climb 2% to two-week high on lower output, higher demand forecasts — U.S. natural gas futures climbed about 2% to a two-week high on Thursday on a drop in output over the last few days and forecasts for more demand over the next two weeks than previously expected. The gas price increased despite a roughly 7% drop in oil futures on worries U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs could reduce global economic growth and oil demand, while the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+, plan to keep increasing world oil supplies. Gas futures for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 8.3 cents, or 2.0%, to $4.138 per million British thermal units, their highest close since March 19. Gas prices also increased despite a bigger-than-expected storage build last week when mild weather kept heating demand low. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said energy firms added 29 billion cubic feet of gas into storage during the week ended March 28. That was slightly bigger than the 25-bcf build analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and compares with a decrease of 37 bcf during the same week last year and a five-year average draw of 13 bcf for this time of year. Energy traders said mild weather and low demand last month likely allowed utilities to add gas to storage in March for the first time since 2012 and only the second time in history. Gas stockpiles, however, were still about 4% below normal levels for this time of year after cold weather in January and February forced energy firms to pull large amounts of gas out of storage, including record amounts in January. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states fell to 105.1 billion cubic feet per day so far in April, down from a record 106.2 bcfd in March. On a daily basis, output was on track to drop by about 2.4 bcfd over the last four days to a preliminary five-week low of 104.6 bcfd on Thursday. Analysts noted preliminary data is often revised later in the day. Meteorologists projected temperatures in the Lower 48 states would remain mostly near normal through April 18. LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, will rise from 103.7 bcfd this week to 106.4 bcfd next week. Those forecasts were higher than LSEG's outlook on Wednesday. The average amount of gas flowing to the eight big operating U.S. LNG export plants fell to 15.4 bcfd so far in April, down from a record 15.8 bcfd in March.

U.S. Natural Gas Prices Drop 6% as WTI Oil Craters by Nearly 9% - U.S. natural gas prices fell by 6% on Friday morning amid the overall panic market selling, but the benchmark Henry Hub price was declining less than the WTI Crude prices, which sank by more than 8% to hit a low of $61 per barrel. The benchmark price for U.S. natural gas delivered at Henry Hub was plunging by 6.26% to $3.877 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) as of 10:35 a.m. EDT. At the same time, the WTI Crude futures were tumbling by as much as 8.59% to $61.14. This WTI price is now below the average $65 per barrel price U.S. producers need to profitably drill a new well, as they indicated in the Dallas Fed Energy Survey for the first quarter. Both Brent Crude and WTI Crude prices were set on Friday for their lowest close in four years—since April 2021. The tariff announcement from the U.S. on Wednesday afternoon rekindled concerns about the global economy and all markets tanked on Thursday. The main indexes on Wall Street crashed and registered the worst one-day drop since 2020. The S&P 500 index slipped into correction, falling by more than 10% from its February all-time high, as the prospect of a global trade war terrified many investors that a recession could be in the cards. Oil prices were not spared, either. Oil continued to reel from the double whammy of recession fears fueled by the U.S. tariffs and the OPEC+ decision to add in May triple the expected oil supply volumes. Oil prices tanked 7% on Thursday, and Brent Crude prices fell below $70 per barrel. On Friday morning, the mega selloff continued and Brent slipped below $65 per barrel while WTI Crude could soon be testing the $60 a barrel threshold. The trade war intensified on Friday as China retaliated with additional tariffs of 34% on U.S. goods.

Sable Offshore could face $15 million fine for unauthorized work on Refugio oil spill pipeline - Sable Offshore could face a nearly $15 million fine for unauthorized pipeline work along the Gaviota Coast– including repairs on the pipeline that caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill. The California Coastal Commission will vote on the penalty next month. A March 28 staff report from the California Coastal Commission said Sable has been repairing the pipeline without permits since last September, despite multiple cease-and-desist orders. Sable disputed this in a statement to KCBX, claiming its work is fully authorized and accused the Commission of overreaching its authority. The Coastal Commission will vote on the proposed fine at its April 10 meeting at the Hilton Beachfront Hotel in Santa Barbara. If approved, Sable must pay the fine within 180 days, restore affected areas and apply for necessary permits. A 10% reduction of the fine is possible if it complies with all conditions. Sable sued the Coastal Commission in February– after the Commission sent a second cease-and-desist order– for allegedly overstepping its jurisdiction. Both sides are set for a case management conference in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on April 23.

Glenfarne Finalizes 75% Interest in Alaska LNG Project as Offtake Talks Accelerate -- Glenfarne Group LLC has finalized a deal with the state of Alaska to take a majority ownership stake in the proposed Alaska LNG export project. Under the agreement disclosed Thursday, New York-based Glenfarne received 75% of 8 Star Alaska LLC, a holding company created by the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. (AGDC), after private partners left the project in 2018. Glenfarne now manages development efforts for a long-proposed 20 million ton/year capacity export terminal and 807-mile pipeline, as well as a carbon capture project. Related Tags

Exxon Sees Higher Prices and Refining Boosting Q1 Profit by Up to $2 Billion -- ExxonMobil expects its first-quarter earnings to be higher than in Q4 by up to $2 billion, thanks to higher oil and gas prices and rising refining margins.Exxon’s earnings in the upstream segment could be up to $900 million higher in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, due to higher oil and gas prices and timing effects, the supermajor said in an SEC filing.Oil prices in Q1 were lower than in the same period of 2024, but they were higher than in the fourth quarter of 2024. U.S. natural gas prices, on the other hand, jumped by 30% in the first quarter this year compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, amid fast depleting U.S. inventories in the coldest winter for six years.Exxon could see another up to $1.2 billion gain to its earnings for Q1, from its energy products division, where higher industry margins are expected to generate up to $700 million higher profits and timing effects – another up to $500 million.Following significant declines at the end of 2024, U.S. oil refining margins recovered in the first quarter and jumped by about 20% sequentially.The results teaser “is not comprehensive of all changes between 4Q 2024 and 1Q 2025 results and is not an estimate of 1Q 2025 earnings for the Corporation,” noted Exxon, which will report first-quarter earnings before market open on May 2, 2025.Analysts in The Wall Street Journal consensus forecast expect Exxon to book earnings per share of $1.72 for the first quarter, up from $1.67 EPS for the fourth quarter of 2024. For Q4, Exxon booked consensus-beating earnings $7.6 billion on the back of record Permian and Guyana production despite a widely expected profit decline amid lower commodity prices and weaker refining margins. Earnings in the refining and chemicals divisions slumped in Q4 from the previous quarter, pushed lower by weaker North American refining and chemicals margins.

LNG Canada Nearing Mid-Year Startup Target With Cooldown Cargo Delivery -LNG Canada has received a cooldown cargo at the British Columbia (BC) facility ahead of its expected startup of commercial operations this summer. Map of Natural Gas Intelligence's (NGI) 2023 North America Pipelines & Infrastructure zoomed in to the British Columbia portion to show Canadian LNG infrastructure and market hubs. The Western Canada export project disclosed Tuesday that a vessel arrived at the LNG Canada site in Kitimat in the first natural gas import to arrive on Canada’s west coast. The Shell plc-chartered Maran Gas Roxana vessel loaded at the Queensland Curtis LNG plant in Australia in mid-March, according to Kpler data. Representatives for the joint venture said the cargo would be used to test and cooldown equipment ahead of first LNG production. BC communities were alerted at the end of March that there could be consistent flaring events through April as equipment is commissioned.

MOE now says about 700 litres of crude spilled in St. Clair -- Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks officials the spill at Suncor was smaller than first reported and the clean up of a crude oil spill into the St. Clair River will likely take until the end of this week. March 27, Suncor in Sarnia notified the ministry that up to 5,000 litres of crude oil spilled into the St. Clair River from the company’s cooling system. Emergency crews from Suncor and Shell, downriver from the Suncor dock, placed booms in the water to contain the crude oil. Booms were also deployed at the Shell docks as surveillance boats circled in the area around 2:30 pm that day. The spill sparked concern in St. Clair Township. Officials there warned residents not to use water from the river, but that led to some confusion. Most of the township’s residents use the municipal system which was not affected. Late Thursday afternoon, Lambton Public Health issued a Do Not Use warning for water from St. Clair River saying the crude flow has been stopped but there may be issues downstream. Public health said people should not use the water from the river under any circumstance and avoid skin contact. Public health told residents to use municipal water for things like bathing, drinking and brushing teeth. Public health wasn’t aware of anyone who had become sick from the crude spill. The Town of Petrolia also issued a notice to confirm its water was not affected since its water is drawn from Lake Huron, not the St. Clair River. Clean up of the spill continues, likely until the end of the week according to ministry officials. Gary Wheeler, in a statement to The Independent, says officials believe the amount of oil which entered the river is far less than first reported. “It was later determined that the spilled hydrocarbon consisted of 500 to 700 litres of crude oil. Impacts were primarily identified in the areas around the Suncor south dock and Shell boat dock. Cleanup efforts are focused in this area,” he wrote adding investigators are monitoring the progress of the clean up. “The ministry’s role is to ensure that those responsible for any discharges to the environment take all necessary measures to restore it to its original state.” Wheeler added the ministry is not aware of any wildlife affected by the spill.

US sanctions and “secondary tariffs” begin to shut down Venezuela’s oil sector --Starting on April 2, according to a White House directive, any country that produces or buys Venezuelan oil directly or through third parties will face 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported into the United States, potentially for a year after the last recorded purchase. The secondary tariffs are part of an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump on March 24. Only four days after the Wall Street Journal reported that officials were considering lobbying efforts by US oil giant Chevron to extend its license to operate in Venezuela, the order came as a shock to analysts, with global oil prices increasing about 1 percent after the announcement. The most drastic consequences will be for China, which is currently the largest buyer of Venezuelan oil. Existing US tariffs on China—the world’s two largest economies—would increase from 20 to 45 percent, which could further destabilize supply chains globally. The stated aim of the order is to “sever the financial lifelines” to the government of President Nicolás Maduro to provoke its downfall. But the executive order claims in the most unambiguous terms to date that the United States is fighting an armed invasion launched by the Venezuelan government itself. “The Maduro regime aided and facilitated the influx of Tren de Aragua members into the United States during the prior administration by failing to control its borders, permitting the gang’s operations to flourish within Venezuela, and refusing to take action against its members, thereby exacerbating the illegal immigration crisis,” the order says. Trump had designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a “foreign terrorist organization” and used it as a pretext to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, destroying any semblance of legality in its mass deportation campaign. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will be in charge of selecting the countries targeted for tariffs, summed up the order on X: “Any country that allows its companies to produce, extract, or export from Venezuela will be subject to new tariffs, and any companies will be subject to sanctions.” The economic war against the Venezuelan government carries with it a direct threat of military aggression. Last Thursday, Rubio traveled to Guyana, a tiny country half of whose claimed territory has been historically disputed by Venezuela. There, Rubio threatened: “It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if it attacked Guayana [sic] or ExxonMobil.” This follows the announcement by Caracas that it will organize local elections within the disputed territory of Esequibo. In early March, a Venezuelan Navy ship reportedly sailed near the major offshore oil rigs managed by ExxonMobil in the disputed waters. The threat of tariffs comes after the removal of all licenses granted to specific foreign firms to produce and trade Venezuelan oil. The deadline for Chevron, the company with the largest operation in Venezuela, to leave the country was extended to May 27. The Maduro government has denounced the sanctions as “illegal” for violating international trade rules and a “desperate” attempt to underpin theVenezuelan fascistic right. Maduro has made the case that Tren de Aragua is essentially defunct and was in the past used by the right-wing opposition. Today it is being invoked as a pretext for the mass deportation of Venezuelan migrants. The Maduro administration has also denounced the deportation of about 238 Venezuelan migrants to the so-called Terrorism Containment Center in El Salvador, a concentration camp overseen by fascistic President Nayib Bukele. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: “We urge the United States to cease its interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs and to abolish the unlawful unilateral sanctions on the country.” The announcement of the renewed sanctions and tariffs is immediately worsening Venezuela’s already devastating humanitarian catastrophe. More than seven million Venezuelans, nearly a third of the population, has left, and tens of thousands have died due to the social crisis caused chiefly by US sanctions.

22 dead in Ecuador floods, water crisis continues due to Esmeraldas oil spill - At least 22 people have died across Ecuador as of Monday, March 31, 2025, due to ongoing floods, and multiple landslides that have damaged tens of thousands of homes across the country, affecting nearly 145 000 people. Meanwhile, the oil spill in Esmeraldas continues to affect the province, with an ongoing water crisis worsening the conditions amidst floods. Persistent rains since January have caused widespread flooding and landslides across Ecuador, affecting nearly 145 000 people, many of whom have been displaced. As of Monday, March 31, at least 22 people have died, while at least 98 have been injured across the country. 168 homes have been destroyed and over 36 000 damaged. The conditions have worsened for the Esmeraldas Province, where a major oil spill occurred on March 13 after a part of the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE) got ruptured by a landslide. The region continues to be under a State of Emergency, with the oil spill affecting over 11 000 people. Local authorities have been testing water samples across the province to assess the effects of the oil spill on the environment. Authorities have continued to supply fresh water to communities in need, urging citizens to ration it. The government stated that they had distributed 1 515 hygiene kits, 900 cleaning kits, and 9 815 food rations as of March 31. Affected families were also provided with $470 in compensation.

Global Power Needs, Asian LNG Imports Drive Natural Gas Demand to Decade High, IEA Says --Demand for power and energy security is boosting natural gas demand to the highest rate in years and reversing previous energy consumption trends, according to International Energy Agency (IEA) research.Graph and three charts showing global LNG futures settles with historical market volatility.In the latest global energy report, IEA researchers noted that energy demand growth in 2024 accelerated above average as global economies used more of almost every energy source.IEA Executive Director Faith Birol said a renewed need for electricity to power growing data and artificial intelligence projects had reversed a downward trend in overall energy consumption.

Russian Oil and Gas Revenues Slumped by 17% in March - Russian revenues from oil and gas plunged by 17% in March from a year earlier, according to data from Russia’s finance ministry.Oil and gas revenues for the Kremlin fell to $13.1 billion (1.1 trillion Russian rubles) last month, while revenues for the first quarter dipped by nearly 10% on the year to $31.4 billion (2.64 trillion rubles), the official Russian data showed.Much of the decline was likely attributable to the lower oil prices in February and March, as well as the initial chaos with Russian oil trade after the U.S. sanctions from early January—the most aggressive sanctions on Russian oil yet.Proceeds from oil and gas sales are the most important cash stream for Russia’s federal budget.Going forward, Russia’s revenues from oil are set to be volatile due to heightened geopolitical uncertainty.The impasse in the U.S.-brokered talks on ending the war in Ukraine adds uncertainty for Russia’s ability to sell its oil should U.S. President Donald Trump becomes more “pissed off” at Putin.This weekend, President Trump threatenedsecondary sanctions on Russia’s energy industry if Washington and Moscow fail to seal a ceasefire deal for Ukraine.Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of 50 U.S. Senators has prepared a plan to slap a 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, and uranium if Russia refuses to engage in good-faith negotiations for a lasting peace with Ukraine.The hard-hitting sanctions on Russia “are at the ready and will receive overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support if presented to the Senate and House for a vote,” the Senators said earlier this week.“We share President Trump’s frustration with Russia when it comes to obtaining a ceasefire, and support President Trump’s desire to achieve a lasting, just and honorable peace,” they added. Russia signaled on Tuesday that it cannot accept the U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine in the “current form.”

Russian Arctic LNG 2 Project Resumes Gas Processing -Arctic LNG 2, the processing and export facility that was billed as Russia’s flagship LNG project, has gradually resumed gas processing after months of hiatus, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing industry sources and satellite images. Arctic LNG 2 has been under U.S. and EU sanctions since last year, and the project hasn’t been able to sell any cargo because of the sanctions.The first production train at the plant was shut in early October over the project developers’ inability to secure buyers amid the Western sanctions on Arctic LNG 2, according to one of Reuters’ sources.The plant continues has now slowly resumed gas processing and keeps it at low rates as Russia expects what the Trump Administration would do with the sanctions.Russian LNG developer and exporter Novatek, the majority owner of Arctic LNG 2, is looking to rebuild relations with the U.S. with the help of lobbyists, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in December.Hit heavily by sanctions, Arctic LNG 2 was put on ice last year and Novatek has struggled to sell any cargo to a buyer.Located in the Gydan Peninsula, Arctic LNG 2 was considered key to Russia’s efforts to boost its global LNG market share from 8% to 20% by 2030-2035.But the project has come under intensifying sanctions from the United States, which have put off any buyers that were previously considering buying cargoes from Arctic LNG 2.The project has seen months of delays after the initial U.S. sanctions in November 2023 upended the company’s plans for production start-up and export timelines.In August 2024, the U.S. State Department intensified efforts to derail Arctic LNG 2 exports by targeting companies involved in the development of the project and vessels found to have loaded LNG from the facility. The U.S. designated multiple companies related to Arctic LNG 2 to further disrupt the project’s ability to produce and export LNG, as well as the project’s ability to procure critical LNG carriers.

Top German Politicians Are Calling For Resumption Of Russian Gas - In Europe, the lure of a return to cheap energy is ever-present, and that conversation is becoming easier as the Trump administration in Washington pushes hard for ceasefire negotiations with Moscow. Senior German politicians are already calling for a resumption of ties with Russia. For example Michael Kretschmer, a senior member of Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Christian Democrats, is now arguing that EU sanctions on Russia are "completely out of date" as they increasingly openly contradict "what the Americans are doing." Financial Times in a fresh report quoted Kretschmer's words to the German press agency DPA as follows: "When you realize that you’re weakening yourself more than your opponent, then you have to think about whether all of this is right."The same publication has observed the expected immediate backlash to the statements as follows:Kretschmer, who is also a long-standing opponent of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, is the latest in a string of figures from both Merz’s centre-right CDU and the centre-left Social Democrats to have gone public in recent weeks with calls to resume economic or energy ties with Russia.That has created a problem for Merz — who is all but certain to be Germany’s next chancellor — as well as for his likely coalition partners in the SPD at a time when he is trying to cast himself as a strong partner for Ukraine and for Europe. Germany’s Green party, which is strongly pro-Kyiv, called on Sunday for Merz to clamp down on “friends of Putin” in his party. But Merz hasn't himself actively tried to silence this growing desire in some political circles for rapprochement with Russia.But Bloomberg reported Monday, "The co-head of Germany’s Social Democrats party and frontrunner to become the next finance minister Lars Klingbeil dismissed swirling speculation over reviving pipeline gas deliveries from Russia after a potential peace deal for Ukraine."And as we highlighted, TotalEnergies’ chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said last week:“I would not be surprised if two out of the four (came) back to stream, not four out of the four,” Patrick Pouyanne said at an industry event in Germany’s capital city, Berlin, as carried by Reuters.“There is no way to be competitive against Russian gas with LNG coming from wherever it is,” the executive added.

A fireball from a burst gas pipeline in Malaysia injures 145 people -(AP) — A fireball that erupted from a burst gas pipeline soared into the sky outside Malaysia's largest city and injured 145 people as it burned for several hours before being put out, authorities said Tuesday. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines outside Kuala Lumpur. The inferno caused 20-story flames and a huge crater in an empty area near a residential neighborhood. Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad was quoted by the New Straits Times daily as saying 145 people including three children were injured. He said 67 people were still being treated at public hospitals, mostly for second and third-degree burns, while 37 others sought treatment from clinics and private hospitals. The fire department said the fire damaged 190 houses and 148 cars. Investigations were underway into the cause of the fire. Authorities said homes within 290 meters (yards) of the site will remain off-limits for now. “There is a lot of damage across housing areas,” said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who visited affected residents and announced financial aid for victims. He told them the government and Petronas will be responsible for repairing affected homes, which could take months. Some residents said they felt a strong tremor, and homes shook. Lee Weng Ken, whose left leg was burned, said the ceiling of his house collapsed. “I rushed out of my house but fell and suffered burns due to the heat from the blaze,” he told Bernama. Another victim who only wanted to be known as Andy told Bernama he ran out of his home with his children when they felt tremors and saw the fire about 100 meters away. “My 18-year-old daughter injured her foot when she fell while climbing the fence due to the heat," he said.

MPA deploys patrol and oil spill response craft after oil patch spotted off Pulau Ubin | The Straits Times– The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has deployed three patrol craft after an oil patch was sighted in the eastern Johor Strait off the north-eastern coast of Pulau Ubin. The oil patch was sighted at 7.10pm, said MPA in a statement on April 3, adding that an oil spill response craft was also deployed. The team on board will survey the area and carry out mitigation efforts, said MPA. “Relevant government agencies have been informed and they are taking necessary precautionary measures and are monitoring the situation closely,” it said. The Johor Port Authority, which MPA said it is liaising with, has confirmed an oil spill incident within the Langsat Terminal, located near the mouth of the Johor River. MPA added that navigational traffic in the area remains unaffected and that it will provide updates of significant developments. In a Facebook post that followed MPA’s announcement, the National Environment Agency (NEA) advised the public against swimming and other primary contact water activities at Changi Beach and Pasir Ris Beach until further notice. Primary contact activities are those where a person’s whole body or face and trunk are frequently immersed, and it is likely that some water will be swallowed. They include wakeboarding, windsurfing and water immersion training. NEA added that parts of Changi Beach will be cordoned off to facilitate clean-up operations.

One in Five Refineries Faces Shutdown Despite Rising Fuel Demand - Refineries are switching to biofuels or shutting down due to hostile regulations—but demand for oil products is growing. This could result in either a market imbalance that will make these products more expensive or a geographical imbalance, which those who care about supply security wouldn’t like.A total of 101 out of 410 refineries around the world are at risk of getting shut down over the next decade, Wood Mackenzie analysts estimated recently, noting that this number represented 21% of global refining capacity. The reasons for this estimate include peak oil demand that would reduce demand for the output of refineries and high operating costs in places such as Europe, which collect carbon taxes from their energy industry.Indeed, Wood Mac considers the inflated operating costs of refineries an especially important risk factor for their future prospects, as well as their investments in decarbonization. “Refineries without committed investments in low-carbon technologies, such as carbon capture, energy efficiency upgrades, or alternative fuels, are especially exposed,” the analysts wrote. “Those located in regions with established or escalating carbon pricing costs, including the EU, UK, and Canada, are under the greatest pressure.”The carbon prices in these jurisdictions are scheduled to rise to three times above the global average by 2035, the analysts also noted, which will likely make the continuation of the life of some refineries in the EU, the UK, and Canada economically nonsensical—unless policies change.At the end of last year, analysts and traders told Reuters they expected higher diesel prices this year because of refinery closures. At the time the report came out, refiners were experiencing depressed margins across geographies. But with several refineries slated for shutdown this year, things were going to change—which suggests demand for fuel remained stable if not actively growing.Yet some have forecast demand will grow this year, even as three large refining facilities close: the Grangemouth refinery, Scotland’s only crude processing facility, which is set to close in the second quarter of 2025; LyondellBasell’s Houston oil refinery, and the Los Angeles refinery of Phillips 66, scheduled for closure by the end of next year.These three represent refining capacity of some 1 million barrels daily. Meanwhile, however, around 800,000 bpd in new refining capacity is set to launch in Asia, strengthening the argument that operating costs are a crucial factor, and so are carbon taxes: Asian countries have nowhere near the stringent carbon tax legislation that the UK, the European Union, and California have. So, these 800,000 bpd in fresh capacity would certainly compensate for the closures, but they are capacity abroad, not at home, and many have come to view this as a potential problem for supply security—hence the EU’s intention to invest directly in LNG production across the world, for instance.In this context, it is interesting that the Wood Mac analysis points to Europe and China as homes to most refineries that are at risk of closure. While in Europe the top reason seems to be the carbon tax and its effect on operating costs, for China, the chief factor is decarbonization and more specifically the electrification of transport.Many observers have argued that China’s concerted electrification push and the diversification into LNG-powered trucks would kill a lot of oil demand. Indeed, consumption data suggests there has been an impact. Yet a new refinery just started operating in China a few months ago, and more recently, its second unit started up, adding a fresh 400,000 bpd to the country’s total capacity. It seems demand is not quite dead yet and will not be for some time—especially for those who make their refineries petrochemical complexes, too.The refining and petrochemical facilities have the best chances of survival, according to Wood Mackenzie. This is because most forecasts for fuel demand, albeit based on policies that are not as immutable as most assume, see a drop in that over the medium term. Most forecasts for plastics, on the other hand, are rather brighter, regardless of climate policies.If closures proceed as predicted, which is quite likely in the current political context in places such as Europe, the EU, and Canada, there is a risk of fuel shortages emerging, as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in the March edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook. The reason: while refineries are shutting down, demand for fuels, notably diesel, has repeatedly surprised to the upside. To tackle the potential shortage, the EIA said the U.S. might have to curb fuel exports—because energy supply security is important. It appears, then, that demand is not the primary reason for refinery closures. With EV sales disappointing and a “revolution” in the electrification of transport never quite really happening, demand for fuels looks rather stable—and still growing despite the unquestionable rise in EVs on roads. So, refinery closures appear motivated by other factors, notably operating costs. These are rising due to openly hostile policies to the energy industry—and the resulting closures are threatening the security of fuel supply and significantly increasing the risk of boosting reliance on imported fuels.

Indian Refiners Seek Alternatives To Russian Oil After Trump Tariff Threat --Indian oil refiners have started looking for alternative supplies of crude after President Trump threatened secondary sanctions on Russian energy exports if Moscow refuses to sign a ceasefire deal for the Ukraine. Bloomberg reported that companies such as Bharat Petroleum Corp. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. were looking for oil cargoes from the Middle East, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean for May delivery in anticipation of tariff action.India has emerged as one of the biggest buyers of Russian crude since the start of the war in Ukraine, with grades including Urals accounting for almost 40% of the nation’s imports last year. Refiners have enjoyed elevated profits due to the cheaper supplies, although that advantage has waned in recent months. China has also purchased bigger volumes since the invasion. President Trump threatened a 25% tariff on all Russian oil, saying “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” in an interview for NBC.“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil,” Trump elaborated.The mechanism would be the same as the one Trump applied to Venezuela, slapping a 25% tariff on all imports from countries that continue buying crude from the South American nation.Since the US is India’s top trading partner, under a scenario of “secondary tariffs” for buyers of Russian oil, it’s likely that the South Asian nation would look for alternative supplies, said Warren Patterson, the head of commodities strategy for ING Groep NV in Singapore.“Traditional sanctions have created enough uncertainty,” he said. “The idea of secondary tariffs only intensifies this uncertainty, given that it is a new tool. Buyers need to decide whether the advantages of picking up discounted crude outweigh the potential hit on its economy from additional tariffs.”“The big question is, will these repeated shocks end up structurally reducing Indian appetite for Russian crude? I have my doubts, as long as the economics works,” said Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights in Singapore. “It’s a bluff, a bargaining ploy on the part of Trump. But refiners need to prepare, they can’t rely on hunches, no matter how bizarre and unlikely a supply threat.”

Russia Halts Large Chunk Of Kazakhstan's Oil Export Capacity -- Russia has ordered shut two of the three moorings of the main oil export terminal on the Black Sea handling Kazakhstan’s oil exports, which could seriously disrupt Kazakh crude shipments if the suspension lasts more than a few days. Following snap safety inspections by Russia’s Federal Agency for Transport Supervision, prompted by the Kerch Strait oil spill in December 2024, Russia ordered on Monday that the SPM-1 and SPM-2 moorings of the terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) be shut immediately, CPC said in a statement. The consortium operates the pipeline from the Caspian coast in northwest Kazakhstan to the Novorossiysk port on Russia’s Black Sea coast. The port handles most of Kazakhstan’s crude exports from giant oilfields in Kazakhstan operated by international oil firms, including U.S. supermajor Chevron. Affiliates of Chevron and ExxonMobil are also minority shareholders in CPC, whose biggest shareholder is the Russian Federation with a 24% stake. CPC complied with the order for a temporary ban of operations at the SPM-1 and SPM-2 moorings and took them out of service “until the identified deficiencies have been addressed.” Until then, all transshipment operations at the CPC Marine Terminal will be delivered using the SPM-3 mooring commissioned in 2014, the consortium said.The suspension of part of the export capacity could more than halve the crude oil exports of Kazakhstan if it drags on for more than a week, trading sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The potential disruption to Kazakhstan’s oil exports comes as the country part of the OPEC+ pact saw its crude production hit a record high in March despite continued pledges to start complying with its OPEC+ quota that it has been exceeding for years.

OPEC+ to raise crude oil output by 411,000 b/d in May - Eight key members of the OPEC+ grouping on Thursday announced a cumulative crude oil output ramp up of 411,000 barrels per day (b/d). The eight OPEC+ countries — which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments in April and November 2023, namely Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman — met virtually on April 3, 2025, to review global market conditions and outlook, OPEC said. The development comes on a day the US slapped reciprocal tariffs on trading partners sending the global economy in a tailspin stoking fears of a recession in several countries. Both these developments have impacted international crude oil prices with Brent slipping below $70 a barrel by evening (India time), while the WTI fell to $66.53 a barrel. “In view of the continuing healthy market fundamentals and the positive market outlook, and in accordance with the decision agreed upon on December 5, 2024, subsequently reaffirmed on March 3, 2025, to start a gradual and flexible return of the 2.2 million barrels per day (mb/d) voluntary adjustments starting from April 1, 2025, the eight participating countries will implement a production adjustment of 411,000 b/d, equivalent to three monthly increments, in May 2025,” OPEC said. This comprises the increment originally planned for May in addition to two monthly increments. The gradual increases may be paused or reversed subject to evolving market conditions, it added. This flexibility will allow the group to continue to support oil market stability. The eight OPEC+ countries also noted that this measure will provide an opportunity for the participating countries to accelerate their compensation. “The eight countries reaffirmed their commitment to the voluntary production adjustments agreed at the 53rd JMMC meeting on April 3, 2024. They also confirmed their intention to fully compensate any overproduced volume since January 2024 and to submit updated front-loaded compensation plans to the OPEC Secretariat by April 15, 2025 which will be posted on the Secretariat’s website,” it said. The eight OPEC+ countries will hold monthly meetings to review market conditions, conformity, and compensation. The eight countries will meet on the 5th of May to decide on June production levels.

Oil inches up as investors await Trump's actions on Russian oil, Iran – (Reuters) – Oil edged up on Monday, with investors cautious after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian oil and warned Iran of possible military action if it did not agree to a deal over its nuclear program. The more active June Brent crude futures was up 43 cents, or 0.59%, at $73.19 a barrel by 1322 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was 47 cents, or 0.68%, higher at $69.83 a barrel. Front-month Brent, trading at $74.27, expires later on Monday. Oil prices dropped earlier in the session before recovering and stabilizing at current levels. “(Trump’s) threat on secondary tariffs on Russia and Iranian oil is a factor oil market participants are tracking, although he has indicated he is not planning to introduce them for now,” said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. “But, there is a rising risk of larger supply risks down the road.” Trump said on Sunday he was “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin and will impose 25%-50% secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian oil if he feels Moscow is hindering his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. China and India are major buyers of Russian crude and their acquiescence would be crucial to making any secondary sanctions package seriously hurt exports from the world’s second largest oil exporter. Trump also threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. Some analysts believe that Trump may not act on his threats, a view that is putting a cap on oil prices. IG analyst Tony Sycamore said the market felt Trump would not follow through. If enacted, he said, the tariffs would be another step toward a trade war that would weigh on global growth and demand for crude oil. On Monday several Chinese traders were unfazed by the latest threat. Three who spoke with Reuters all said Trump’s constant brinkmanship meant they discounted what he said. “We expect WTI to stay in a range of $65 to $75 for now as the market assesses the impact of Trump tariffs on oil supply and global economy, as well as the supply situation from the U.S. and OPEC+,” said Yuki Takashima, an economist at Nomura Securities. Elsewhere, talks to restart Kurdish oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have hit a snag as a lack of clarity over payments and contracts persists, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

WTI Soars Nearly 3% on Trump’s Russia, Iran Threats - U.S. benchmark crude oil prices soared 2.65% on Monday, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) hitting $71.20, up $1.84 at 11:47 a.m. ET on fears Trump will follow through on more tariff threats for buyers of Russian oil, combined with the prospect of a military response to Iran. Brent crude was also climbing on Monday, up 1.47% to $74.71. Two geopolitical deals are in play here. The first is a ceasefire deal over Russia-Ukraine, and the second focuses on a new deal over Iran’s nuclear program. Late on Sunday, Trump warned that he could impose secondary sanctions on Russia’s energy sector if the U.S. and Russia are unable to reach a ceasefire agreement regarding the war in Ukraine. “If Russia and I are unable to come to an agreement to stop the violence in Ukraine, and if I believe Russia is responsible — which may not be the case — but if I believe they are to blame, I will impose secondary tariffs on all Russian oil exports,” Trump told NBC. Trump lashed out at remarks made by Putin, who questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government and suggested that a change in leadership may be necessary for a peace deal to be valid. Putin has consistently emphasized that elections in Ukraine will have to precede any ceasefire deal. Even more worrying to markets, Trump earlier on Monday threatened to bomb Iran if a new nuclear deal is not agreed. “If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC. “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.” The U.S. president said, however, the two sides were engaged in negotiations, which did not prevent him from extending a 25% indirect tariff threat to Tehran. Trump’s remarks follow Iran's official refusal to engage in direct negotiations with the U.S. Tehran emphasized that its willingness to negotiate would depend on the actions of the U.S. In the meantime, oil and gas executives in the Dallas Fed Energy Survey published last week said they expected WTI to average $68 per barrel for the six-month forecast, $70 per barrel for 12 months and $74 for the two-year forecast, reaching $80 in five years.

Oil prices climb 2% to five-week high on Russia, Iran supply worries (Reuters) - Oil prices climbed about 2% to a five-week high on Monday on worries supplies could decline if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on threats to impose more tariffs on Russia and to possibly attack Iran.Brent futures were up $1.11, or 1.5%, to settle at $74.74 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.12, or 3.1%, to settle at $71.48. That was the highest close for Brent since February 24 and the highest close for WTI since February 20.Brent's premium over WTI fell to $3.02 a barrel, its lowest since July 2024. Analysts have said when Brent's premium over WTI falls below $4 a barrel, it does not make much economic sense for energy firms to send ships across the ocean to pick up U.S. crude, which should result in lower U.S. exports.Trump said on Sunday he was "pissed off" at Russian President Vladimir Putin and will impose 25%-50% secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian oil if he feels Moscow is hindering Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine."(Trump's) threat on secondary tariffs on Russia and Iranian oil is a factor oil market participants are tracking, although he has indicated he is not planning to introduce them for now," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. "But, there is a rising risk of larger supply risks down the road."The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia and the U.S. were working on ideas for a possible peace settlement in Ukraine.China and India are major buyers of Russian crude and their acquiescence would be crucial to making any secondary sanctions package seriously hurt exports from the world's second-largest oil exporter.Trump also threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday the U.S. would receive a strong blow if it acts on Trump's threat. Iran'sRevolutionary Guards, meanwhile, seized two foreign tankers in the Persian Gulf carrying over 3 million litres (792,516 U.S. gallons) of allegedly smuggled diesel fuel.Some analysts believe that Trump may not act on his threats, a view that is putting a cap on oil prices.IG analyst Tony Sycamore said the market felt Trump would not follow through. If enacted, he said, the tariffs would be another step toward a trade war that would weigh on global growth and demand for crude oil.On Monday, several Chinese traders were unfazed by the latest threat. Three who spoke with Reuters all said Trump's constant brinkmanship meant they discounted what he said.Elsewhere, talks to restart Kurdish oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline have hit a snag as a lack of clarity over payments and contracts persists, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.In another move that could limit world oil supplies, U.S. authorities notified Spanish oil company Repsol that its license to export oil from Venezuela is to be revoked. Repsol said it is talking with U.S. authorities on ways the company can keep operating in Venezuela.In the U.S., crude oil production fell by 305,000 barrels per day to 13.15 million bpd in January, theIn China, the world's second-biggest economy, manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in a year in March, a factory survey showed on Monday, with new orders boosting production, giving the economy some reprieve as it deals with an intensifying U.S. trade war. In Germany, Europe's biggest economy, inflation fell more than expected in March, bolstering the case for policymakers seeking further interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank. Lower interest rates reduce consumer borrowing costs, which can spur economic growth and demand for oil.

Oil Prices Climb Amid Supply Fears and Geopolitical Tensions – Oil prices continued their upward momentum on Tuesday as geopolitical tensions and potential supply disruptions took center stage. The market reacted strongly to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose secondary sanctions on Russian crude and take aggressive action against Iran. However, lingering concerns over the impact of trade disputes on global economic growth kept gains in check. Oil Prices Edge Higher on Geopolitical Uncertainty As of 06:45 GMT, Brent crude futures climbed 21 cents (0.3%) to $74.98 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 22 cents (0.3%) to $71.70 per barrel. The modest price increase reflects a complex tug-of-war between supply risks and demand-side pressures. According to Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG, the near-term risks favor higher prices, with U.S. threats of sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil prompting market participants to brace for a potential tightening of global oil supplies. The U.S. stance on Russia and Iran has added uncertainty to an already fragile oil market. Secondary sanctions could significantly restrict the ability of countries and companies to trade Russian crude, reducing global oil availability. Additionally, heightened hostilities with Iran could lead to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes daily. Any instability in this region could send oil prices soaring as supply concerns escalate. Despite these bullish factors, broader economic concerns continue to cap oil price gains. The ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and major economies, particularly China and the European Union, have raised fears of a slowdown in global growth. A weaker economic outlook could dampen oil demand, offsetting some of the upward pressure on prices. Additionally, potential increases in supply from OPEC+ and U.S. shale producers could counterbalance supply constraints caused by geopolitical tensions. OPEC+ nations have signaled a willingness to ramp up production if necessary, while U.S. shale output remains robust. Market Outlook: Uncertain but Volatile With oil prices caught between geopolitical risks and economic concerns, volatility is expected to persist. Traders will closely monitor further developments in U.S. foreign policy, OPEC+ decisions, and global economic data for clues on the future direction of crude markets. For now, oil remains on an upward trajectory, but a delicate balance between supply threats and demand concerns will dictate the next moves in the market.

Oil Prices Flat As OPEC+ Starts Easing Production Cuts Oil prices inched down slightly on Tuesday morning as OPEC+ begins adding supply from April 1, amid U.S. threats of secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian and Iranian oil and persistent concerns about U.S. tariffs weakening economic growth. As of 8:40 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, the front-month futures of the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, were trading down 0.07% at $71.43.Brent Crude, the international benchmark, was down by 0.08% at $74.65. On Monday, oil jumped by $2 per barrel from Friday’s close - to a five-week high - after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened secondary sanctions on Russia’s energy industry if Washington and Moscow fail to seal a ceasefire deal for Ukraine.“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told NBC in an interview on Sunday.In the same interview, President Trump also threatened Iran with bombings and sanctions if the two fail to reach an agreement on a new nuclear deal that would see Iran pledge not to build nuclear weapons.By Tuesday, oil prices had eased from the five-week high as OPEC+ began unwinding the production cuts by adding about 138,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the group’s supply as of today.The next key OPEC+ catalyst for oil prices would be Saturday’s meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) of the group, which will review market developments and potentially recommend production levels for May. The alliance will have to decide whether to push forward with further easing of the cuts or pause the increase in supply.Until then, oil prices will react to any geopolitical development—rise in case of more threats of secondary tariffs on oil buyers or fall if economic data disappoint and suggest that the trade and tariff wars are undermining growth.

Oil eases off five-week highs as traders weigh impact of imminent Trump tariffs (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday as traders braced for reciprocal tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump is due to announce on Wednesday, which could intensify a global trade war. However, Trump's threats to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil and to attack Iran fueled supply worries, limiting losses. Brent futures settled down 28 cents, or 0.37%, at $74.49 a barrel. The session high was above $75 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 28 cents, or 0.39%, to $71.20. On Monday, the contracts settled at five-week highs. The White House provided no details about the size and scope of tariffs that it confirmed Trump will impose on Wednesday. "The market is getting a little jittery with less than 24 hours to go," . "We may lose some Mexican, Venezuela and Canadian supplies, but there is definitely a chance that demand destruction could outpace those barrels," he added. A Reuters poll of 49 economists and analysts in March projected that oil prices would remain under pressure this year from U.S. tariffs and economic slowdowns in India and China, while OPEC+ increases supply. Slower global growth would dent fuel demand, which might offset any reduction in supply due to Trump's threats. "While stricter sanctions on Iran, Venezuela and Russia could constrain global supply, the U.S. tariffs are likely to dampen global energy demand and slow economic growth, which in turn will affect oil demand further out on the curve," "As a result, betting on a clear direction for the market has been – and remains – challenging." Trump on Sunday said he would impose secondary tariffs of 25% to 50% on Russian oil buyers if Moscow tried to block efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Tariffs on buyers of oil from Russia, the world's second largest oil exporter, would disrupt global supply and hurt Moscow's biggest customers, China and India. Trump threatened Iran with similar tariffs and also with bombings if Tehran did not reach an agreement with the White House over its nuclear program. Prices found some support after Russia ordered Kazakhstan's main oil export terminal to close two of its three moorings amid a standoff between Kazakhstan and OPEC+ - the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus allies led by Russia - over excess production. Kazakhstan will have to start cutting oil output as a result, two industry sources told Reuters. Another source said repair work at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal will take more than a month. The market will watch an April 5 OPEC+ ministerial committee meeting to review policy. Sources told Reuters OPEC+ was on track to proceed with a production hike of 135,000 barrels per day in May. OPEC+ had agreed to a similar hike in production for April. Meanwhile, five analysts surveyed by Reuters estimated on average that U.S. crude inventories fell by about 2.1 million barrels in the week to March 28.

Oil Prices Stabilize Amid Awaited New Tariffs. -- Oil prices stabilized on Wednesday amid weak trading after falling in the previous session due to concerns that new U.S. tariffs could escalate a global trade war, potentially reducing demand for crude oil. Brent crude futures settled at $74.49 per barrel after a 0.4% drop on Tuesday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose by 3 cents to $71.23 after also falling by 0.4%. Prices had reached their highest levels in five weeks on Monday at settlement. The White House confirmed on Tuesday, without going into details, that President Donald Trump would impose new tariffs on Wednesday. Priyanka Sachdeva, Senior Market Analyst at Philip Nova, stated, "Oil prices rose by about 2% in March, but have remained stable since then, as markets await clarity on Trump's plans for comprehensive tariffs. The low trading volumes in the oil market indicate growing concerns about those tariffs, despite some positive demand signals from China." According to Intercontinental Exchange data shown on the London Stock Exchange Group's platform, the trading volume for June Brent contracts reached 13,936 contracts, compared to open contracts for the same month, which totaled 672,617 contracts. Trump dubbed April 2 as "Liberation Day," during which he is expected to announce a package of tariffs that could destabilize the global trade system. The recent drop in oil prices has been limited by Trump's threat to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil and tighten sanctions on Iran as part of his administration's "maximum pressure" policy to reduce Tehran's exports. Janif Shah, Vice President of Commodity Markets at Rystad Energy, said, "If Trump's tariff pressure succeeds and leads to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, there is a scenario where these punitive measures could be short-term." He added, "Oil prices have remained calm so far, waiting for an official response from major importing countries regarding the newly proposed tariffs." U.S. oil and fuel inventories showed a mixed picture of supply and demand in the world's largest oil producer and consumer. The American Petroleum Institute (API) reported, citing sources, that U.S. crude oil inventories increased by 6 million barrels in the week ending March 28, while gasoline stocks fell by 1.6 million barrels and distillate inventories dropped by 11,000 barrels. Official U.S. crude oil inventory data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is scheduled to be released later on Wednesday.

WTI 'Steady' Near 5-Week Highs As 'Drill Baby Drill' Lifts US Crude Production -Crude prices continue to tread water above $70 (WTI) this morning (holding Monday's gains on potential sanctions on Russian oil), drifting modestly lower aftr API reported a large crude build overnight ahead of new supply coming this month as OPEC+ begins to unwind 2.2-million barrels per day of production cuts. However the new supply is being offset with tightened U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, while Trump this week threatened to impose secondary tariffs on U.S. imports from countries buying Russian oil. "Crude prices paused last month's rally, with Brent finding some resistance above USD 75, with the focus-for now-turning from a sanctions-led reduction in supply to Trump's tariff announcement and its potential negative impact on growth and demand," Saxo Bank noted. DOE:

• Crude +6.165mm
• Cushing +2.373mm - biggest build since Jan 2023
• Gasoline -1.551mm
• Distillates +264k

The official data confirmed API's report that Crude inventories saw a large build last week. Stocks at the Cushing hub also soared (most since Jan 2023) as Gasoline stocks fell for the 5th straight week... Source: Bloomberg Including a 285k barrel addition to the SPR, last week saw the largest total crude inventory build since the last week of January... US Crude production was steady at record highs as Trump's 'drill baby drill' plan appears to be working with the rig count rising notably... WTI is holding above $71 for now (near 5-week highs)...

The Market Prepared for the U.S. to Impose Sweeping Reciprocal Tariffs --The crude oil market traded higher as the market prepared for the U.S. to impose sweeping reciprocal tariffs later on Wednesday afternoon. The market also seemed to have shrugged off the bearish weekly petroleum stocks reports, which showed unexpected builds in crude stocks. The oil market traded lower in overnight trading, breaching its previous low of $71.03 as it sold off to a low of $70.61 early in the morning. However, the market bounced off its low and retraced its losses as it traded to a high of $71.91. This was despite the EIA reporting a large build of over 6 million barrels in crude stocks, compared with market expectations of a draw. The market later settled in a sideways trading range as the market braced for tariff announcement. The May WTI contract settled up 51 cents at $71.71 and the June Brent contract settled up 46 cents at $74.95. The product markets ended in positive territory, with the heating oil market settling up 3.31 cents at $2.3220 and the RB market settling up 2.85 cents at $2.3310. Two delegates said eight OPEC+ countries meeting on Thursday will focus talks on how to convince Kazakhstan to stop exceeding its output quota and its plans to compensate for overproduction. OPEC+ is urging Kazakhstand, among other members, to make further cuts to compensate for excess production. Eight members of OPEC+ are expected to increase oil output by 135,000 bpd in May. The two delegates said the group is expected to proceed with this plan, following similar comments on Tuesday from other OPEC+ delegates. The May hike is the next increment of a plan agreed by Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Oman to gradually unwind their most recent output cut of 2.2 million bpd, which came into effect this month. An OPEC+ ministerial committee was initially scheduled to meet on April 5th, although one source said this may also take place on Thursday. The Kremlin said Russian restrictions were imposed on Black Sea oil export infrastructure from the Caspian pipeline due to Ukrainian drone attacks on the pipeline’s infrastructure. Russia has accused Ukraine of striking a CPC Kropotkinskaya pumping station and a nearby oil depot in southern Russia. On Wednesday, Russia imposed restrictions on another major oil export route, suspending a mooring at the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk only a day after restricting loadings from a Caspian pipeline. Russia’s oil pipeline monopoly Transneft said it had suspended operations at a mooring at the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk for 90 days following an inspection by a transport watchdog. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 1.8 million bpd of capacity in the week ending April 4th, cutting the available refining capacity by 166,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 1.5 million bpd in the week ending April 11th.

Oil prices fall into negative territory as Trump announces new tariffs (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to negative territory after rising by a dollar in post-settlement trade on Wednesday as U.S. President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on trading partners, stoking concerns that a global trade war may dampen demand for crude. Brent futures settled 46 cents higher, or 0.6%, at $74.95 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 51 cents, or 0.7%, to settle at $71.71. U.S. futures rose by a dollar and then turned negative, along with the Brent contract, over the course of Trump's press conference on Wednesday afternoon in which he announced tariffs on trading partners including the European Union, China and South Korea. For weeks Trump has touted April 2 as "Liberation Day," bringing new duties that could rattle the global trade system. A chart listing countries and tariffs that Trump showed during his announcement did not detail tariffs on Canada and Mexico. However, USMCA-compliant goods from Mexico and Canada, including oil, would remain exempt from the tariffs, a senior official told Reuters. Canada supplies some 4 million barrels per day of its crude oil to the United States. Trump's tariff policies could stoke inflation, slow economic growth and escalate trade disputes, possibilities that have limited oil price gains. "Crude prices have paused last month's rally, with Brent finding some resistance above $75, with the focus for now turning from a sanctions-led reduction in supply to Trump's tariff announcement and its potential negative impact on growth and demand," s Comments from Mexico eased some worries about a trade war between the two countries after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that Mexico does not plan to impose tit-for-tat tariffs on the United States. "Oil is selling off a little on the news, and it could introduce some additional trade and economic uncertainties, but I think people were worried it would be more extreme," said Josh Young, chief investment officer at Bison Interests following Trump's tariff announcement. Trump has also threatened to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil, and on Monday he toughened sanctions on Iran as part of his administration's "maximum pressure" campaign to cut its exports. Adding to the complex global supply picture, Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter, on Wednesday imposed restrictions on another major oil export route, suspending a mooring at the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk a day after restricting loadings from a key Caspian pipeline. Russia produces about 9 million barrels of oil a day, or just under a tenth of global production. Its ports also ship oil from neighbouring Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, investors on Wednesday shrugged off mostly bearish U.S. government crude inventory data. U.S. crude inventories posted a surprisingly large build of about 6.2 million barrels last week, Energy Information Administration data showed. "The report was bearish in my view, with larger crude inventories and total petroleum inventories rising," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. "But the market took it as neutral, as the crude build is driven by a sharp increase in Canadian crude imports, likely ahead of the fear of the introduction of new tariffs."

Oil Prices Crash 7% on Trump Tariffs, OPEC Ramp-Up -- The price of WTI crude oil dropped more than 7% on Thursday as President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs blitzed markets and OPEC+ threw an unexpected production curveball. At 10:38 a.m. in New York, Brent crude was trading at $70.21—a 6.32% slide—while WTI sat at $66.80, down nearly 7%. The double whammy came as OPEC+ dropped a surprise output hike and Trump lit a fresh round of tariffs aimed at leveling the playing field with other countries. Eight OPEC+ nations announced Thursday they’ll raise output by 411,000 bpd in May—triple the anticipated monthly increase. The move, described as a response to “healthy market fundamentals,” is part of a broader unwind of 2.2 million bpd in cuts that began this month. Still, traders weren’t expecting this much this soon, and prices show it. The production news alone may have dinged oil a couple of bucks, but it was Trump’s tariff fireworks that made the loudest bang. Markets reeled after the White House slapped new levies on foreign goods, with the S&P 500 down over 4% intraday. While billed as a push for fairer trade, investors worried it might knock global demand off balance—especially for crude. Still, this isn’t full-blown panic. OPEC+ reminded everyone that these hikes are subject to change, with the usual backdoor option to pause or reverse if the market sours. They also committed to offset any overproduction since January and will reconvene on May 5 to talk June levels. Crude oil prices are getting smacked around today, but given the market’s hair-trigger temperament lately, this may just be a temporary case of geopolitical whiplash rather than a full-blown reversal.

Eight OPEC+ producers accelerate crude oil output hikes, pushing oil prices 6% lower -- Eight key OPEC+ producers on Thursday agreed to raise combined crude oil output by 411,000 barrels per day, speeding up the pace of their scheduled hikes and pushing down oil prices. The Ice Brent contract with June delivery was trading at $70.50 per barrel at 1:32 p.m. London time (8:32 a.m. ET), down 5.94% from the Wednesday close. The front-month May Nymex WTI contract was at $67.11 per barrel, 6.41% lower. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman met virtually to review global market conditions and decided to raise collective output by 411,000 barrels per day, starting in May. The group was widely expected to implement an increase of just under 140,000 barrels per day next month. The May hike agreed on Thursday is "equivalent to three monthly increments," OPEC said in a statement, adding that "the gradual increases may be paused or reversed subject to evolving market conditions." The eight OPEC+ producers this month started gradually unwinding 2.2 million barrels per day of voluntary cuts undertaken independently from the production strategy of the broader 22-member OPEC+ alliance, which has roughly 3.66 million barrels per day of separate cuts in place until the end of 2026. The Thursday meeting was the first one attended by Erlan Akkenzhenov, the new energy minister of Kazakhstan, which has struggled with producing above its assigned quota. Without referencing individual countries, OPEC said in its Thursday statement that the May output hike will "provide an opportunity for the participating countries to accelerate their compensation" by way of additional production cuts in line with overproduction. The Thursday decision was taken against the backdrop of broader market tumult triggered by sweeping tariffs on key trade partners unveiled on Wednesday by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been simultaneously championing higher U.S. oil output.

Oil Prices Dive on Trump Tariffs and OPEC Surprise -Oil plunged the most since July 2022 after suffering a twin hit from President Donald Trump’s tariffs and an OPEC+ decision to increase output faster than previously announced. West Texas Intermediate futures plummeted 6.6% to settle below $67 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent dropped 6.4% to end the session near $70. Trump’s deluge of tariffs is creating fresh doubts about the outlook for the global economy, with levies against major crude importers such as China and India coming in more aggressive than feared. Although the administration steered away from actions that would directly affect oil markets — such as measures that would have curbed flows from Canada and Mexico — concerns that the trade war will sap global energy demand hammered prices. Hours later, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies unexpectedly said they would add more than 400,000 barrels of daily output back to the market next month. That was three times the amount the group had previously planned to revive, signaling a significant policy shift after years of supply constraints that had supported crude prices. The two moves sent shockwaves across oil markets, though potentially offer a win for Trump, who has repeatedly bemoaned high crude prices. While falling oil prices could ease inflationary pressures for central banks, they also underscore a wider concern about the outlook for growth that’s led firms across the industry to slash their forecasts in recent weeks. “The perfect bearish cocktail has been mixed in Washington and in Vienna,” . “The reciprocal tariffs on virtually every salient US trading partner justifiably raise the fears of recession and possibly stagflation. Economic and oil demand growth is adversely impacted.” The bumper output boost is a big change for OPEC+, which had previously emphasized that it could pause or reverse its planned supply hikes if needed. The group’s communications have made little reference to the idea of accelerating production increases. The policy shift follows a long period of tension within the group over certain members that have consistently flouted production limits. Kazakhstan has been a particular source of friction after it significantly exceeded its output ceiling during the startup of the expansion of its giant Tengiz oil field. Thursday’s decision is intended to put price pressure on quota cheats, while also providing them with the opportunity to make larger compensation cuts to atone for past overproduction, delegates said, asking not to be identified as the talks were private. In addition to internal issues, OPEC+ has also faced external pressure from Trump to cut the price of crude. The “OPEC news is adding insult to the injury of retaliatory tariffs,” . “Tariff news is decidedly net negative for growth, and excess supply announcement today is not helping.” The extra supply from OPEC+ could tie into another policy priority for Trump — tighter sanctions on Iran and Venezuela. The US president has pledged a maximum-pressure campaign to limit oil exports from both countries. He also threatened “secondary tariffs” on Russian shipments earlier this week. Higher supplies from other OPEC+ members could give him more leeway to restrict flows elsewhere. “We think this is to replace barrels lost from tighter US sanctions on Iran, and, possibly, also lower expectations than just recently of a Ukraine ceasefire and related western sanctions relief,”. Thursday’s huge price swings, the biggest in more than two years, are also a reminder of the type of volatility that has kept some traders on the sidelines in recent months. Some of the world’s biggest commodity trading houses last month said that while the market’s outlook was weaker, both Trump and OPEC+ were adding to the uncertainty. The eight OPEC+ countries participating in the group’s so-called voluntary cuts said they will hold monthly meetings to review market conditions, according to the group’s statement. Talks on May 5 will decide on June production levels. WTI for May delivery fell 6.6% to settle at $66.95 a barrel in New York. Brent for June settlement declined 6.4% to settle at $70.14 a barrel.

Oil prices plummet as trade war fears spark global selloff - Oil prices plunged nearly 8% on Friday, reaching their lowest levels since the pandemic-era slump of 2021, as China escalated its trade war with the United States by imposing sweeping new tariffs. The move has heightened fears of a global economic slowdown, triggering a broad selloff in financial markets and a sharp drop in crude demand expectations. The latest tariff announcement from Beijing, which includes a 34% levy on all U.S. goods starting April 10, comes in response to President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies. Trump had earlier raised tariffs to their highest levels in over a century, prompting retaliatory measures from multiple countries. The resulting uncertainty has sent markets into turmoil, with investors fearing that escalating trade barriers could tip the world economy into recession. Brent crude tumbled $5.55, or 7.9%, to $64.59 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude sank $5.87, or 8.8%, to $61.04. Both benchmarks hit four-year lows earlier in the session, and are on track for their largest weekly declines in over two years. With the oil market highly sensitive to global economic trends, concerns over falling demand have put further pressure on prices. The selloff was exacerbated by a decision from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) to accelerate planned production increases. The cartel now aims to return 411,000 barrels per day to the market in May, significantly higher than the previously planned 135,000 barrels per day. Additionally, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) secured a court ruling allowing its Black Sea export terminal to continue operations, reducing fears of a supply disruption from Kazakhstan. Major financial institutions are now bracing for a global economic downturn. JPMorgan has increased its estimated likelihood of a recession by year-end to 60% from 40%, citing heightened risks from trade tensions and falling oil demand. Goldman Sachs responded by cutting its December 2025 price targets for Brent and WTI by $5 each to $66 and $62 per barrel, respectively, while HSBC lowered its 2025 oil demand growth forecast from 1 million barrels per day to 0.9 million. Despite exempting oil and gas imports from the latest tariff measures, Trump’s policies are expected to fuel inflation and slow global growth, adding further uncertainty to energy markets. With recession fears mounting and OPEC+ ramping up production, analysts warn that the downward trend in oil prices could persist, placing additional strain on the broader economy.

Today’s Oil Prices Aren’t Survivable For US Producers -Oil continued its dive into Friday—Brent dropped below $66, WTI scraped $62—and if you’re thinking, hey, haven’t seen those levels since 2021, you’re not wrong. Today’s WTI prices are not sustainable for some US producers. A perfect storm began to brew late Wednesday. First came President Trump’s broadside tariff blitz—blanket duties slapped on all U.S. trading partners, sparking fears of a global trade war. Yes, energy was exempt from the tariffs. Still, investors didn’t need much convincing. Stocks plunged on Thursday, recession talk started buzzing, and oil got hammered in the crossfire. Suddenly, the demand side of the oil equation is looking very shaky. Then came the second punch: OPEC+. The cartel announced it would be adding three times the expected amount of supply starting in May. That’s not exactly what you want to hear when traders are already running scared over demand destruction. Thursday ended up being a sharp one-day drop. Friday brought even more pain. Brent crude was down 7.01% at 12:10 pm in New York, while WTI sank to $61.73—well below the breakeven point for many U.S. shale producers—$65 on average, according to the Dallas Fed’s latest survey. So, how long does this last? If tariffs stick around and slow the global economy, we could be looking at a “lower for longer” oil environment again—something the industry hasn’t had to contend with since COVID lockdowns. But it’s not all gloom. Some analysts think these tariffs are more bark than bite—an opening gambit to strong-arm trade partners into concessions. If that’s the case, oil prices may rebound quickly. Until then, buckle up. Crude is suddenly in crisis mode, and the usual safety nets—OPEC+ cuts, Asian demand, U.S. shale restraint—aren’t doing the job.

Crude Oil Prices Plunge 7% as China Imposes Tariffs on US Imports -- Crude oil prices plunged by 7 per cent on Friday as China ramped up tariffs on US imports, escalating a trade war that has led investors to believe a recession is near. This brought down the price of Brent crude by $4.56 or 6.5 per cent to sell at $65.58 per barrel and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost $4.96 or 7.4 per cent to end at $61.99 per barrel. For the week, Brent was down by 10.9 per cent, its biggest weekly loss in percentage terms in a year and a half, while WTI posted its biggest decline in two years with a drop of 10.6 per cent. As a result of this, prices slipped to their lowest level in almost four years Friday. China said on Friday that it will impose a 34 per cent tariff on all US imports from April 10, in a response to US President Donald Trump levying 34 per cent duties on Chinese imports as part of a wider spree on 180 countries. Retaliation from nations around the world could hurt economic growth and demand for key commodities such as crude oil and refined products. China, the world’s largest oil importer, also imposed export controls on several rare earth elements — crucial for advanced technologies and almost exclusively mined in China — and banned Chinese firms from selling components to an additional 11 American companies. Market analysts warned that China’s retaliatory measures have boosted fears of a global recession. JP Morgan raised the probability of a US and global recession by year end to 60 per cent on Friday, forecasting that the effects of President Trump’s levies are “likely to be magnified through retaliation, a slide in US business sentiment and supply chain disruptions.” On its part, Goldman Sachs analysts cuts their 2025 targets for Brent and WTI by $5 each to $66 and $62 respectively. Further pressuring oil prices, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) decided to advance plans for output increases. The group now aims to return 411,000 barrels per day to the market in May, up from the previously planned 135,000 barrels per day.

Oil Prices Drop 7% To Four-Year Low As Tariff Fallout Sparks Recession Fears - Oil prices sunk 7% to a four-year low Friday, amid concerns economic fallout of President Donald Trump’s wide-reaching tariffs could put a drag on demand. Prices tumbled after China announced it would retaliate against the U.S. in a global trade war—imposing a 34% tariffs on U.S. goods, in line with Trump’s new 34% tariffs against China—with analysts saying traders were likely acting on the damage tariffs could do to global trade and economic growth.Concerns of a tariff-induced drop in demand comes as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known as OPEC+, announced it is increasing output to 411,000 barrels per day in May, up from the previously planned 135,000 barrels per day, the organization said in a statement. Brent crude, the benchmark for global oil prices, dropped $4.57 to $65.56 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down $5 to $62 a barrel as of Friday afternoon. Since Wednesday’s market close ahead of Trump’s tariff announcement, the price of Brent crude has dropped nearly 13% and WTI decreased 14%. While crude oil prices do impact how much drivers pay at the pump, gas prices are also influenced by refinery and distribution costs, taxes and corporate profits, so it’s unclear exactly how an oil sell-off will affect consumers. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.27, up from $3.10 a month ago but down from $3.57 last year, according to AAA data. Goldman Sachs lowered its crude oil price forecasts late Thursday night, citing weakened demand, tariff escalation, growing recession risks and increased supply. The firm downgraded its Dec. 25 price forecasts of Brent and WTI to $66 and $62, respectively. Fuel was exempt from the sweeping tariffs announced Wednesday, but Trump has touted higher energy production and lower prices as a way to lower the inflation rate, which remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. "The trade war escalated, recession fears rise and consequently oil demand growth is to take a sizeable hit,” . “The fact that U.S. energy imports are exempted, and OPEC+ produced a bombshell by re-adding more oil in May than originally planned pours fuel to the bear's fire. Volatility will persist, risk is off, and currently it is impossible to foretell when appetite for oil and equities will return.”The drop in oil prices comes as global leaders are reacting to the wide array of “reciprocal tariffs” levied by Trump on more than 180 countries, which includes baseline 10% tariffs for all. On Friday, Chinese state media announced it will impose an additional 34% import duty on U.S. goods in retaliation against Trump’s 34% tariff on Chinese goods (on top of existing tariffs, bringing the actual rate to 54%).

Large Overnight Israeli Airstrike On Beirut Kills Hezbollah Official & Bystanders - Just before 4am local time, while much of the city was sleeping, Beirut was pounded by another large-scale Israeli airstrike, reportedly targeting a Hezbollah official who was among four killed in the attack. A woman was slain in the attack too, according to Lebanese health authorities. Top floors of a multi-story building were decimated in the strikes on a southern suburb of Beirut. It reportedly killed the following, identified in AFP: A source close to Hezbollah, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media, told AFP the strike killed Hassan Bdair, Hezbollah's "deputy head for the Palestinian file" who was "at home with his family." While Al Mayadeen has described Bdair as a rank and file Hezbollah member, other regional sources have indicated he was a member of Hezbollah's Unit 3900 as well as the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Israeli army subsequently said Tuesday that fighter jets "attacked a Hezbollah terrorist in the Dahiye area of ​​Beirut who had recently been directing Hamas operatives and had assisted them in attempting to carry out a serious attack against Israeli civilians in the immediate future." "We couldn't see each other because of all the dust," one eyewitness who lives across the street from the destroyed building told AFP, describing "a very big explosion," followed by another. "Not just one person is targeted — everyone in the country, from young to old has become the target," another nearby Lebanese resident said.

Growing Network of Israeli Outposts in Syria, Lebanon Suggest IDF Is Planning a Long Stay - Much was made about the five hilltop surveillance posts Israel hastily assembled before the deadline to withdraw from Lebanon, outposts which they ultimately retained to this day and which seem more or less permanent. Israel isn’t done expanding their military presence beyond their own border though.The “temporary” outposts are being thrown up around the frontierbetween the Israeli occupied Golan Heights and the also the currently Israeli occupied parts of southwestern Syria. Israel invaded Syria in December, after the regime change, and presented it at the time as a semi short-term measure for security’s sake.Earlier this month though DM Israel Katz indicated the intention is to remain inside Syria for “an unlimited time,” which came along with threats against Syrian forces if they attempt to resist the incursion, which so far they have not.The outposts in Syria, for instance, aren’t merely hilltop islands of Israeli control like in Lebanon, but are being surrounded by military infrastructure, including watchtowers, roads, and prefab housing suggesting this is far from a temporary stay.Israel has provided next to no transparency about what they’re doing in Syria, and the only reason so much is known is because satellite images are showing the intensive construction operations they are carrying out.

Israeli military kills and bulldozes 15 Palestinian aid workers in drive to finish ethnic cleansing of Gaza – Exposure of the barbarity of the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza reached a new level with the recovery of the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Palestinian Civil Defense and the United Nations from a grave in the sand south of the Gaza Strip over the weekend. On Monday, Palestinians held funerals for the medics and emergency responders, who were hunted down and killed by Israeli troops and buried in a mass grave in a blatant violation of international law. The dead included eight PRCS workers, six members of Gaza’s Civil Defense emergency unit, and a staffer from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). According to a report by the Associated Press, the dead bodies and ambulances of the aid workers were gathered, buried and then plowed over by Israeli military bulldozers. The AP report also said video footage released by the UN showed “workers from PRCS and Civil Defense, wearing masks and bright orange vests, digging through hills of dirt that appeared to have been piled up by Israeli bulldozers.” The AP report went on: The footage shows them digging out multiple bodies wearing orange emergency vests. Some of the bodies are found piled on top of each other. At one point, they pull out a body in a Civil Defense vest out of the dirt, and it is revealed to be a torso with no legs. Several ambulances and a UN vehicle, all heavily damaged or torn apart, are also buried in the dirt. Jonathan Whittall of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a video: Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave. We’re digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives. It’s absolute horror what has happened here. Another OCHA spokesperson responded to questions from Reuters about how the burial site resembled a large mound of sand, which was “clearly created by a bulldozer or similar machinery rather than the impact of a blast.” The spokesperson said: the available information indicates that the first team was killed by Israeli forces on March 23 and that other emergency and aid crews were struck one after another over several hours as they searched for their missing colleagues. The Palestinian rescue teams had been missing since March 23, when they departed around noon to retrieve casualties after Israeli forces launched an offensive into the Tel al-Sultan district of the southern city of Rafah. The Zionist military had demanded an evacuation of the area earlier that day, saying Hamas militants were operating there, while knowing full well that there was not enough time for civilians to leave and avoid the Israeli onslaught. Alerts at the time said displaced Palestinians sheltering in the area had been hit, and a team that went to rescue them was “surrounded by Israeli troops.” According to a UN statement on Sunday night, “The available information indicates that the first team was killed by Israeli forces on March 23.” Additional emergency teams that went to rescue the first team were “struck one after another over several hours,” the UN said. The murderous campaign against aid workers took place as the Israeli forces attacked the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza. The sky over the area glowed red from Israeli shelling as tanks advanced from all directions, and warplanes rained down missiles without mercy. According to official Palestinian estimates, over 5,000 Palestinians were trapped beneath the air and ground assault.

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill More Than 100 in a Single Day - (Warning: Graphic footage below) US-backed Israeli attacks on Gaza on Thursday killed more than 100 Palestinians, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as relentless strikes pounded areas across the Strip.Attacks on Thursday included the bombing of a school-turned-shelter for displaced Palestinian civilians in Gaza City. According to the Anadolu Agency, at least 29 people were killed in the strike. Footage of the aftermath of the attack shows dead and wounded children. Footage of the aftermath of the Israeli strike on the Sar al-Arqam School in Gaza City (from the Anadolu Agency via Reuters Connect)Gaza’s Government Media Office said the dead included 18 children, women, and elderly people, and more than 100 were wounded. “The occupation has committed a new massacre against displaced persons by bombing Dar al-Arqam School in Gaza City,” the Media Office said in a statement.Al Jazeera reported later in the day that the same school was bombed again while rescue workers were still at the scene. “This new attack will likely increase the number of casualties. We are awaiting further updates from the scene,” said Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud.Other Israeli attacks on Thursday included the bombing of al-Mawasi, a tent camp that the Israeli military just ordered Palestinians in Rafah to flee to. Eyewitnesses told Middle East Eye that an Israeli strike targeted a building surrounded by tents in al-Mawasi in the middle of the night, killing at least seven people, including women and children.The day of ramped-up Israeli attacks came after Israeli officials announcedthe Israeli military would be expanding its ground assault to seize more territory in southern Gaza, although Thursday’s strikes were very heavy in northern Gaza, with 58 reported killed in Gaza City. The IDF is alsoconducting a ground assault on eastern Gaza City. Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that since Israel restarted its genocidal war on March 18, which it did with full US support, at least 1,163 Palestinians have been killed, and 2,735 have been wounded.

Israel Ramps Up Assault on Gaza To Seize 'Extensive Territory' and 'Divide' the Strip - The Israeli military on Wednesday ramped up its ground assault and strikes on Gaza as Israeli officials announced plans to take over more land in the Palestinian territory.Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF was expanding operationsin Gaza to clear “terrorists and infrastructure and capture extensive territory that will be added to the State of Israel’s security areas.”Later in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military would seize the “Morag axis,” using the name of an Israeli settlement that once existed in the area to describe the territory between the southern Gaza cities of Rafah and Khan Younis. According to Haaretz, the Israeli military said the purpose of the operation is to encircle Rafah.Netanyahu said the territory would serve as a “second” Philadelphi Corridor, referring to the strip of land on the Gaza-Egypt border that Israel has occupied since May 2024. “Because we are currently dividing up the strip, we are adding pressure step by step so that our hostages will be given to us,” Netanyahu said.The ramped-up assault on southern Gaza comes two days after the Israeli military ordered the forced evacuation of the entire city of Rafah and nearby areas.Medical officials told Al Jazeera that at least 77 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks on Wednesday. One Israeli attack in Khan Younis killed 12 displaced Palestinians, all members of the same family. Another strike on a UN-run clinic in northern Gaza killed 22 people, including nine children.Before the latest Israeli escalations, Netanyahu warned he would increase the “pressure on Hamas” and said his long-term plan for Gaza was Hamas disarming, its leaders being expelled, Israel taking complete control of Gaza, and the implementation of President Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan, which he calls “voluntary migration.”Gaza remains under a total Israeli blockade, which was first implemented on March 2 and forced all bakeries in the Strip to close on Tuesday due to the lack of food supplies and fuel. The US has been fully supportive of Israel’s collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza.

Israeli Official: Palestinians Will Be Removed From Gaza After Hamas Eliminated -An Israeli official made it clear that Tel Aviv plans to expel the Palestinians from Gaza after the hostages are freed and Hamas is eliminated. Throughout the conflict, the Israeli Prime Minister publicly claimed the goals of military operations in Gaza were returning Israeli captives and removing Hamas from power.According to Haaretz, a senior Israeli official who is traveling with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained, “What we would like to see is that we rescue the hostages, eliminate Hamas, and that there is a large-scale opportunity for voluntary migration.”Israeli officials have used the phrase “voluntary migration” to describe Tel Aviv’s process of removing all Palestinians from Gaza. After President Donald Trump returned to office, he declared that all Palestinians should be removed from Gaza and resettled in other countries.Since October 7, 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu has said his war aims were only to eliminate Hamas and return the hostages, denying that Israel’s objective was genocide.

"Free Gaza From Hamas" Really Means "Free Gaza From All Palestinians" Caitlin Johnstone - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist that Israel will carry out Trump’s ethnic cleansing plans for Gaza, saying the following on Sunday about “the final stage” of his agenda:“Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to leave. We will see to the general security in the Gaza Strip and will allow the realization of the Trump plan for voluntary migration. This is the plan. We are not hiding this and are ready to discuss it at any time.” Netanyahu’s suggestion that Trump’s plan for the migration of Palestinians out of Gaza would be “voluntary” is misleading in two separate ways.Firstly, it is nonsensical to deliberately and systematically make a placeuninhabitable and then claim that anyone who leaves that place would be leaving voluntarily. Israeli spinmeisters have been pushing this narrative since the early days of the onslaught, and it’s transparently bogus; telling people they can leave or starve to death is exactly the same as forcing them out at gunpoint.Secondly, Trump’s plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza is not “voluntary” on its face. Trump has explicitly said “all” Palestinians are to be removed from the enclave and would not be allowed to return, which of course necessarily means that anyone who wants to stay will not be permitted to. Netanyahu says he wants to realize Trump’s plan, and Trump’s plan is forcible ethnic cleansing.A Knesset member from Netanyahu’s Likud party named Amit Halevi was just on Israeli radio saying that the plan is “to occupy the territory to cleanse it of the enemy,” adding that Israel needs “to return to Gaza permanently and control this space, because it is part of our homeland.”I mean, how much more explicit do they need to be?When Israel apologists respond to chants of “Free Gaza” with “Free Gaza from Hamas,” what they really mean is “Free Gaza from all Palestinians.” The agenda they are cheerleading has ultimately nothing to do with Hamas — it’s about purging a Palestinian territory of Palestinians and replacing them with Israeli Jews. It’s yet another Israeli land grab and yet another drive to eliminate Palestinians from their historic homeland.If this was really about freeing Palestinians from Hamas, then why is Israel also seizing on this political moment to advance ethnic cleansing agendas in the West Bank, where Hamas does not govern? Defense Minister Israel Katz is on record saying of the occupied West Bank that “We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza,” and the Gaza playbook is being increasingly utilized there. Tens of thousands have been displaced as the Jenin refugee camp has been made uninhabitable under an aggressive Israeli bombing campaign, with hundreds of homes actively destroyed — not to combat Hamas, but to get rid of the Palestinians. Because that’s all this has ever been about.

The King: The Region Will Not Enjoy Peace or Stability Without a Just Solution to the Palestinian Issue - His Majesty King Abdullah II discussed, during a phone call with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Tuesday, the latest developments in the region. His Majesty emphasized the importance of intensifying international efforts to push for an immediate halt to Israeli attacks on Gaza, restoring the ceasefire in all its stages, and resuming the delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected. The King reiterated that the region will not enjoy peace or stability without a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, based on the two-state solution that fulfills the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. The phone call also addressed the bilateral relations between Jordan and Albania, and ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Death toll in Russian missile strike in central Ukraine reaches 18 (AP) — The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 18, including nine children, regional governor Serhii Lysak said Saturday. A further 61 people were injured in Friday’s attack, ranging from a 3-month-old baby to elderly residents. Forty remain hospitalized, including two children in critical condition and 17 in serious condition. “There can never be forgiveness for this,” said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s defense council. “Eternal memory to the victims.” Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The missile struck an area right next to residential buildings — hitting a playground and ordinary streets,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Local authorities said the strike damaged about 20 apartment buildings, more than 30 vehicles, an educational building and a restaurant. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Friday that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high explosive warhead on a restaurant where a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors was taking place. Russian military claimed that the strike killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The military’s claims could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims. A later drone strike on Kryvyi Rih killed one woman and wounded seven other people. Zelenskyy blamed the daily strikes on Russia’s unwillingness to end the war: “Every missile, every drone strike proves Russia wants only war," he said, urging Ukraine’s allies to increase pressure on Moscow and bolster Ukraine’s air defenses. “The United States, Europe, and the rest of the world have enough power to make Russia abandon terror and war,” he said. Russian forces launched 92 drones into Ukraine overnight, with 51 shot down by air defenses, the Ukrainian air force wrote on social media Saturday. A further 31 decoy drones also failed to reach their targets, it said.

In Latest Blow To European Democracy, Judge Rules Marine Le Pen Ineligible To Run For President In 2027 - The presidential elections in Romania and the Le Pen verdict show that “democratic norms are being trampled upon,” in Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Je suis Marine,” Orban tweeted following the ruling. For Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, the verdict was "tough". "I trust she will win the appeal and become President of France," he wrote on X. Italy’s deputy prime minister and leader of the League party Matteo Salvini called the ruling a “declaration of war by Brussels.” But there was also unease within the political mainstream in France. "It is not healthy that in a democracy, an elected official is prohibited from standing in an election and I believe that political debates should be decided at the ballot box," said the leader of MPs in parliament of the right-wing Republicans, Laurent Wauquiez. Even the leader of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) Jean-Luc Melenchon appeared ill at ease. "The decision to remove an elected official should be up to the people," he said. RN president Jordan Bardella denounced the sentence on his X account, calling it “unjust” and amounting to an execution of French democracy. Mike Benz posted on X, summing things up succinctly: "They are fucking with something no democratic system should ever fuck with. If people perceive — rightly — that democracy is a farce, & anyone who runs against the order will be arrested, they’ll not only want to tear it down, they’ll seek an honest autocracy over false democracy." Observers have drawn parallels with US President Donald Trump, who won a second term with a clutch of criminal cases hanging over him and, like Le Pen, has made trenchant opposition to immigration a cornerstone of his program. Le Pen can still appeal the entire verdict, including the ban on standing for office, in a case that would normally take around a year to be heard by the court of appeal. If her appeal process drags on or if it is quick and her ineligibility is confirmed, the National Rally would probably choose another candidate to run in her stead — most likely her 29-year-old deputy, Jordan Bardella. That could cause a "major internal rift" for the party, which has mostly been led since its creation by Le Pen or her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, said Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group.