week ending Nov 14

Fed’s Waller opens door to half-point rate hike in December - Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve board of governors, said Tuesday he may support a half-point interest rate hike next month depending on what economic data indicates.During the Bank of England Watchers’ Conference, Waller said that “even if” inflation data for October is an improvement over September, he is “leaning toward” supporting a quarter-point rate hike at the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) next meeting, set for Dec. 8-9. But Waller noted that is his plan if economic trends play out as he anticipates. If consumer price index (CPI) data for October showed core prices rising by at least 0.3 percent, a “stronger policy move” may be in the cards, the Fed governor argued.“In that case, I believe a 50 basis point hike in the policy rate should be considered at the December meeting,” he said at King’s College London. “Hiking only 25 basis points would put our credibility at risk, a risk I am not eager to take.”The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released CPI data for October on Tuesday, reporting that prices rose by 0.4 percent from September to last month. Core prices, which do not account for energy and food costs, rose by 0.3 percent for the third straight month, the benchmark Waller referenced. Energy and food prices, respectively, rose by 0.7 percent and 0.5 percent, while electricity prices experienced their largest monthly jump since April, rising by 0.9 percent, the BLS reported. FOMC officials hiked interest rates by a quarter point in September, as they attempt to bring inflation down to their 2 percent target after five and a half years of elevated prices. “Economic activity is strong, the labor market is stable, but inflation is too high, well above the FOMC’s 2 percent goal,” Waller noted Tuesday.Officials held rates steady at a rate of 3.75 percent to 4 percent in late October. Traders are pricing in a 90.5 percent chance of the FOMC raising rates by a quarter point next month and a 9.5 percent chance of a 50-basis-point increase, according to the CME FedWatch tool. After Waller delivered his Tuesday remarks and the BLS reported the latest inflation data, bond yields in the U.S. spiked. The 10-year Treasury bond yield topped 5 percent for the first time in a week during intraday trading, and is up nearly 13 basis points from Monday’s closing bell.The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond, meanwhile, nearly reached 5.38 percent during Tuesday trading, reaching its highest point since Oct. 29. The note is trading at about 5.35 percent as of the mid afternoon.

U.S. budget deficit up 42% in October; tariff revenue dips 39% - The U.S. budget gap widened to $404 billion in October, up 42% from the same period a year earlier, Treasury Department data showed Nov. 12. In the first month of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, government spending rose 12%, to $773 billion, and tax receipts fell 9%, to $369 billion. Tariff revenue fell roughly 39% from the same month in 2025 to $19.2 billion. Higher spending on the military, healthcare and interest on the debt pushed up government outlays last month. Bigger tariff and corporate tax refunds compared with October 2025 weighed on tax receipts, though tariff refunds have slowed since the summer. The report showed the Treasury estimates the U.S. budget gap will increase slightly this year to roughly $2.2 trillion. The government recorded a $1.99 trillion shortfall in the latest fiscal year, as spending far outpaced federal tax collection and rising interest rates sent government debt costs soaring. That pushed the annual deficit to roughly 6% of gross domestic product.

Iran: US strikes ship after blockade breach - The United States struck a commercial ship attempting to breach its naval blockade on Iran, the US military said Sunday. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the cargo vessel "tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port," before its stern was struck by "precision munitions" shot from a US military aircraft. In a video posted by CENTCOM, an explosion can be seen on the M/V Huda's stern as a result of the shooting, with the ship's civilian crew ignoring "repeated warnings." The authorities in the UAE said 22 people had been rescued due to a fire on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman. The US naval blockade on Iran, intended to pressure the country into lifting its own blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, has been in force for months. Iran's own blockade of the waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies flowed before the war started in late February, saw energy prices spike around the world. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said three "non-compliant" oil tankers caught fire while going through the Strait. Tehran has regularly attacked vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz without its approval. Elsewhere in the Middle East, the escalation between Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and Saudi Arabia continued to rage. Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted incoming missiles shot in the direction of the capital, Riyadh, on Sunday. Debris from the interception damaged a building belonging to state-owned oil company Aramco. No casualties were reported, but some of the building's floors were heavily damaged, witnesses told AP. Saudi Arabia accused Yemen-based militant group Houthisof launching two ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles. While Houthis carried out such attacks in the past, the rebels have not claimed responsibility for the attack yet. According to the Houthis, 33 people were killed in Saudi-led attacks on Yemen's rebel-held capital, Sanaa, on Saturday.

Iran Reports 5 Hormuz Mine Hits, Offers 2-Day Deal— Iran is running explosions and diplomacy in the Strait of Hormuz simultaneously because coercive diplomacy requires both — and the Democratic takeover of Congress on November 5 has compressed the timeline for everyone involved. On the same day that Iranian state media reported at least five vessels catching fire after hitting mines, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called six regional foreign ministers, including Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to discuss what IRNA described as “regional developments and diplomatic efforts” — while declaring the American response to Iran’s latest proposal “not convincing.” The pattern is not new. Since Iran resumed the Hormuz blockade on July 14, Tehran has paired every escalation with an offer and every offer with an escalation. What changed on November 5 is the political calendar: Trump retains his Iran war authority only until January 3, 2027, when the Democratic Congress convenes and can begin stripping it. For Saudi Arabia — exporting 5.52 million barrels per day in October through degraded routes while IRGC officials publicly threaten Gulf host states — the remaining 58 days may be the most consequential of the war. Iran’s approach to the strait has operated on two distinct tracks since July 14. The military track, run by the IRGC under Commander General Ahmad Vahidi’s inner circle — which ISW assessed had held “dominant control” over Iran’s military operations and diplomatic stance since at least April — mines the routes and enforces closure. The diplomatic track, led by Araghchi, engages Qatar-based mediators and proposes frameworks for reopening. The two tracks are simultaneous by design. On November 5, the IRGC announced that two tankers and a tugboat caught fire after hitting mines on what it called “unauthorized routes.” IRNA separately reported two more tankers struck mines around noon, bringing the single-day toll to at least five vessels. Iran’s state broadcaster had already claimed 11 tankers caught fire in Hormuz in the nine days before November 5, according to Iranian state media. UKMTO has not confirmed any of the vessels’ identities. Before the war, the strait handled 138 ships per day, according to JMIC; Iran’s mines have reduced that to a fraction. The IRGC accused the United States of “inciting vessels to cross a mined route” — language that frames the explosions as consequences of disobedience rather than acts of aggression. One vessel, the IRGC claimed, had “turned off detection and navigation systems,” shifting responsibility from the mine-layer to the ship’s master. At the same time, Araghchi was on the phone with six foreign ministers telling them diplomacy remained available. CSIS analysts have described Iran’s approach on the strait as treating military pressure and diplomatic engagement as parallel instruments rather than alternatives. The historical model that fits is not the Cold War standoff but the Korean War’s Panmunjom talks of 1951–53, when both sides fought and negotiated for two years. Academic research on coercive diplomacy has found that threats and sanctions against North Korea tended to provoke escalation, while inducements achieved better results. Scholars have cited Libya’s 2003 disarmament — built on sustained pressure paired with face-saving incentives, without explicit ultimatums — as the strongest recent case of the approach working. Iran’s current strategy places mines in the water and a two-day plan on the table on the same November 5 morning. Iran’s conditions for reopening Hormuz have been stated publicly by multiple officials, each calibrated to a different audience. SNSC Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said the conditions encompass “all seven” demands based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which briefly reopened the strait in June before collapsing in July. Majlis Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was blunt. Araghchi has outlined conditions in public statements without committing to a specific count: lifting sanctions imposed after the Islamabad MoU collapsed; reducing US military forces in the region; restoring oil waivers; releasing frozen Iranian funds held abroad; and formal recognition of an Iran-Oman designated shipping route with closure of all other routes. These are not negotiating positions in the usual sense — they are preconditions for the negotiation to begin. The conditions trace directly to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed on June 17, which had provided 60 days of toll-free passage through the strait and required Iran to end its blockade within 30 days. It included a reconstruction commitment of at least $300 billion. The agreement collapsed in July after three ships — including the Saudi-flagged Wedyan — were struck. CENTCOM responded by hitting more than 80 Iranian targets, and Trump declared the ceasefire “over” on July 8. Iran’s current demands repackage the MoU’s unfulfilled terms as prerequisites rather than negotiated outcomes, a distinction that makes them harder for Washington to accept without appearing to concede under duress. The gap between Iran’s voices is structural. Araghchi speaks in conditionality — the foreign minister told media the outcome of the two-day plan “depends on the US response” and that “if the United States accepts our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and negotiations will resume.” Rezaei, from the SNSC, delivers ultimatums: on November 3 he called the American response “unconvincing” and said the strait stays closed until Washington “explicitly accepts and acts on” all seven conditions. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei went furthest. Meeting with top military commanders on October 31 — in a session reported by both Khaleej Times and Asharq Al-Awsat — he ordered an “impactful, geographically unrestricted response” to any US attack and directed commanders to widen the target list to “all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy.” The session itself — eight months into the war — reveals as much about internal decision-making as the content of the order.

Iranian Media Reports Another US Strike Against Iran's Qeshm Island -   On Sunday, Iranian media reported another series of explosions on Iran’s Qeshm Island, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported the blasts as a US strike, though so far the US hasn’t claimed responsibility, and Tehran hasn’t officially blamed Washington.The apparent US strikes on Qeshm came a day after US Central Command announced that its forces bombed a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman that it claimed departed an Iranian port, as the US continues to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports.The announcement came shortly after CENTCOM said that it was expanding its blockade of Iran to the Caspian Sea and land routes across its border.Video of the bombing of the commercial vessel Huda released by CENTCOM.  CENTCOM said that it was establishing a “task force that will support ongoing US government efforts to prevent Iran from using ground routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials.” Iran has ramped up shipments by rail amid the US blockade.It remains unclear if the expanded blockade will mean airstrikes against ground targets in Iran, though the US attacks on Qeshm Island have become quite frequent. Iranian forces have also continued targeting commercial ships and downing US drones that are helping enforce the blockade.On Friday, President Trump said that the US carried out airstrikes against an air defense system on Qeshm, an attack he described as “minor.” More explosions were reported in Qeshm on Saturday, but it remains unclear if they were the result of US strikes.All of the developments demonstrate the fact that the US remains at war with Iran whether or not Trump decides to escalate into a full-scale bombing campaign. Trump told reporters on Sunday that it was “highly unlikely” he would need to order major strikes on Iran but also threatened to destroy the country’s civilian infrastructure, saying the US has picked out infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges “that we can knock down in literally ⁠one ​hour.”

Iran Responds to Rubio's Rejection of Its Peace Proposal - Iran has responded to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s rejection of its proposal to fully open the Strait of Hormuz and start negotiations on a final deal, as a breakthrough between the two sides still appears unlikely.Rubio said on Sunday that Iran’s conditions, which include the US ending its blockade of Iranian ports and providing sanctions relief, are “outrageous and ridiculous” and cast doubt on the chances of a deal.“The president would always prefer to solve this and every problem diplomatically. Sometimes that’s not possible, unfortunately,” Rubio told reporters in Florida.“If there’s a chance to do it, we’ll explore it. Right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases, outrageous and ridiculous, and really not realistic,” he added. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was asked about Rubio’s remarks during a press conference in Tehran on Monday. “What is unreasonable about Iran’s demand that the United States lift its illegal sanctions before any negotiating process can begin?” he said.  “What is unreasonable about asking the United States to end its naval blockade and what it has called ‘economic exclusion operations’? What is unreasonable about the Iranian people’s demand that the war on all fronts be stopped before any negotiating process begins? What is unreasonable and absurd is the US attack on Iran in the middle of negotiations,” Baghaei added. The Iranian spokesman also referenced Iran’s “two-day proposal” to open the strait, calling it the most reasonable offer on the table. “Could there be a more reasonable proposal than this: if the United States meets Iran’s demands, positive developments will follow across the region within two days, and security will return to the Strait of Hormuz?” he said.The comments come after US Central Command announced it was expanding its blockade on Iran to include land routes, and the US continues launching strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island. Trump also continues to escalate into a full-scale bombing campaign that targets civilian infrastructure, saying on Sunday that the US has picked out 38 bridges “that we can knock down in literally ⁠one ​hour.”

Araghchi Warns: US Must Choose Between Accepting Iran's Proposal and Continuing the War | Hasht-e Subh - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned the White House that Washington must choose between accepting Iran’s demands and continuing the war, following the results of the US midterm elections. Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday, November 8, that Araghchi said American voters had made their choice and it was now the White House’s turn to make a decision. Araghchi stressed that Iran’s two-day proposal remained on the table and that the United States could see its results by accepting the demands outlined in it, including an end to the war on all fronts. He added that if Washington chose war, Iran’s military forces were ready to respond on the battlefield. In part of his message, Iran’s foreign minister said: “Choose war and see how our alert and well-trained fighters will rain down a hell of fire upon you on the battlefield.” His remarks come as US President Donald Trump has said that a resumption of the war with Iran would be “very unlikely” if negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme make progress and the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.

Iran accuses US of manufacturing fake news on peace talks - Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council on Monday accused the U.S. of “manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks” to end the war, with President Trump downplaying the likelihood of renewed strikes amid talks with Qatar. “The war on Iran has already wrecked the US government,” Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said on the social platform X. “But Washington flails like a desperate gambler. FOLD YOUR HAND. STOP manufacturing FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks. Stop denying the West Asian NEW ORDER.” Rezaei called on the U.S. to “SURRENDER to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out.” Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which it has effectively shut off since the start of the conflict, if the U.S. agreed to its seven conditions to end the fighting. These conditions include lifting sanctions and releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets. But Trump and his administration have rejected these conditions, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushing back on Iran’s requests while in Paris on Tuesday. “Iran is demanding reparations. They should be the ones paying reparations because they’re the ones that have destabilized the region for long periods of time,” he told reporters. “They’re demanding pallets of cash, which the president’s made clear is not going to happen.” Rubio added that if Iran wants a nuclear energy program, “they should have one like many other countries around the world have” but there are “things they can do” to get to that point. “Now, I think they want a deal, there’s no doubt they’d like a deal too, but they’re just not ready to make one, apparently,” he said. “But we’re open to it.” Trump downplayed his pre-midterm election suggestion that he would renew strikes on Iran after the midterms, despite reported strikes on Qeshm Island last Monday and last Friday. Following the attacks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gave the U.S. an ultimatum after Tehran submitted a two-day proposal to end the conflict.This downplay from the president during a White House press conference on Monday included Trump’s claim that the war was “ending quickly,” but that the U.S. wants “to take care of people that have been very good to us over the years,” referring to allies in the region. These remarks followed a White House meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who has served as the lead mediator between Washington and Tehran.

Trump Claims There's 'Momentum' Toward Ending War as Iran Says US 'Manufacturing Fake News' About Talks -- President Trump claimed on Monday that there was “positive momentum” toward ending the Iran war as Tehran’s security chief accused the US of “manufacturing fake news” about diplomatic talks.Trump made the comments in a post on Truth Social after speaking with Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, and said that the US’ Gulf Arab allies prefer the status quo in the region, meaning the continued US blockade and Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, over a major escalation of the war.“Should there be any change with respect to developments in the Middle East, the United States of America is ‘locked and loaded’ and ready to go,” the president said“At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely. Israel, and the entire Middle East, are protected from Iranian danger and threats. We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected,” Trump added.Not long after Trump’s post, Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reaffirmed that the US must agree to Iran’s conditions to end the war and rejected claims of diplomatic progress.“The war on Iran has already wrecked the US government. But Washington flails like a desperate gambler. FOLD YOUR HAND. STOP manufacturing FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks. Stop denying the West Asian NEW ORDER. Time to SURRENDER to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out,” Rezaei wrote on X.  Rezaei’s post came after Al Arabiya reported that the US had agreed that Iran could enrich uranium at 3.67% as part of a nuclear deal and that Tehran had agreed, though Iranian officials have maintained the nuclear issue isn’t up for discussion until the US ends the blockade, provides sanctions relief, and fulfills several other commitments it made under the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed in June.

Iran's Security Chief Says No Talks Underway With US -  Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tuesday that no talks are currently underway with the US, as the chances of a deal between the two sides still appear unlikely.In comments to Al Mayadeen, Rezaei said the US must meet Iran’s seven conditions to open the Strait of Hormuz. He left open the possibility of Tehran receiving a response from Washington on those conditions, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio doubled down on his rejection of the Iranian demands.“Iran would very much like to reach an agreement. The problem is that the conditions they continue to put forward are absurd,” Rubio told reporters.   In a September interview with Al Jazeera, Rezaei outlined six conditions for ending the war with the US:

1. An end to the war on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon
2. The release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets
3. An end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports
4. An end to US interference in Iran’s internal affairs
5. An end to US cooperation with “opponents of Iran’s revolution”
6. An end to US attacks on Iranian territory

Notably, Rezaei did not mention war reparations in that interview, despite previous Iranian demands for compensation for US and Israeli attacks. But Rubio said Iran was now demanding reparations and rejected the possibility of the US paying them, and Iran’s PressTV also reported that reparations were one of the seven conditions. Iran is also asking for US sanctions relief so it can sell oil.Also on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected media reports about a potential meeting between Rezaei and US Vice President JD Vance. “These speculations and media reports are entirely baseless, and there are no plans to hold such a meeting,” he said.A day earlier, Rezaei said that the US was “manufacturing fake news” about talks and called on the US to “surrender” to Iran’s conditions. Around the same time, President Trump put out a post on Truth Social saying there was “momentum” toward ending the war, comments he made after meeting with Qatar’s prime minister.

Russia Supports Iran’s Readiness to Negotiate with the US | Hasht-e Subh - Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, has expressed support for Iran’s readiness to negotiate with the United States on the basis of mutual respect. Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday, November 11, quoting Ulyanov as saying that Iran is ready to negotiate with the United States on the basis of mutual respect and that Washington must also adhere to this principle. His remarks come as Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Tuesday that the United States cannot end the war through military attacks and increased sanctions. He stressed that the war can only be resolved through mutual respect and consideration of Tehran’s demands.

US Air Force relocates aircraft from a base in England because of a threat, US official says   (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has relocated aircraft from a base in eastern England because of a threat, U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity, said that it spotted 13 U.S. aircraft stationed at RAF Mildenhall departing for bases in Scotland, Spain and Germany. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the evacuation, said that the threat related to Iran. The report cited “people familiar with the matter.” The relocation of the aircraft came less than two months after the U.S. Air Force withdrew its bombers from another U.S.-run base in Britain, RAF Fairford, as police investigated a suspected terror plot linked to Iran. Bombers flying out of RAF Fairford had been used to strike Iran during the Middle East conflict. Some of the aircraft that were relocated were permanently based at RAF Mildenhall, while others were there on rotation and included a combination of Osprey aircraft and midair refueling tankers, the Military Air Tracking Alliance said. The base also raised its alert level to FPCON Charlie — the second highest level — the organization said. That applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely. The decision to move the aircraft was proactive rather than reactive, a U.S. official said, adding that the U.S. military is agile to potential threats. Some of the planes that left were in transit while others were permanently stationed at RAF Mildenhall and they may return, the official said. The official didn’t elaborate on the nature and source of the threat. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States is “constantly repositioning forces around the world for a variety of reasons,” and referred questions to the Pentagon, which didn’t provide immediate confirmation. An official from the U.S. Air Force in Europe told the AP that the U.S. is “taking coordinated and appropriate actions” to ensure the safety and security of U.S. and U.K. personnel and their families. The official said that aircraft are rotated between bases for various reasons, including training and “real world requirements.” The official said that the U.S. military constantly assesses a variety of factors that determine what security measures are implemented. The official wouldn’t provide further information on movement of assets or specific force protection for reasons of operational security. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about sensitive military matters. The U.K. prime minister’s office said that British air bases are safe and their security is a top priority. The office said that the U.K. is in constant communication with the U.S., sharing intelligence and assessing threats together. RAF Mildenhall, a U.K. base operated by the U.S. Air Force, hosts the 100th refueling wing, the only permanent refueling wing in the European region. It operates the KC-135 Stratotanker, a four-engine jet aircraft with a wingspan of 131 feet (40 meters) that can carry up to 83,000 pounds (nearly 38,000 kilograms) of cargo. Five men were detained on Sept. 27 after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford. The U.K.-owned base has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including the Iran war. Other arrests followed and two men have been charged under the National Security Act. The U.K. Defense Ministry said in a statement that it doesn’t comment on the activity of other nations and said aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements.

Treasury Secretary Bessent moved to military base after Iran threats -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent moved from his home in the nation’s capital to a military base due to Iranian threats, a source familiar with the situation told The Hill. Security concerns regarding Bessent increased after the Wall Street Journal published an article in January 2025 that included an aerial photo of Bessent’s Georgetown mansion, the source said.That photo of the property, which Bessent reportedly purchased for $12.5 million, allowed individuals to geo-locate the Treasury secretary’s home, the source noted. Bessent has led the Trump administration’s economic warfare campaign against the Islamic Republic. The Treasury in recent months has sanctioned the Iranian aviation, oil, auto and rail industries in an effort to reduce the regime’s funding sources.“The Secretary will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats and remains committed to executing Operation Economic Outcast and maintaining the blockade, which together are collapsing Iran’s economy,” a Treasury spokesperson told The Hill, referencing the department’s sanctions on Iranian entities. Other administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are also living on military bases. The Iran conflict, which began in late February, has stretched on despite President Trump initially saying it would last roughly one month.

Poll: Most Americans, Including Republicans, Want Congress To Pass Legislation To End Iran War - -A new poll from Reuters/Ipsos has found that a majority of US adults, including the majority of Republicans, want Congress to pass legislation to end the Iran war, a conflict that’s been extremely unpopular among the American people.The poll asked if respondents would support or oppose the incoming Democrat-led Congress passing legislation to end the Iran war, and 71%, including 51% of Republicans, said they would support the effort. The poll was conducted in the days following the midterm elections, which saw a major Republican defeat, and the war and the increase in the cost of living as a result of it were identified as the major factors in the Democrats’ victory.Both Vice President JD Vance and President Trump have acknowledged that the war cost the GOP the midterms, though Trump continues to defend his decision to launch it and continues to escalate the ongoing blockade and sanctions campaign against the Islamic Republic.The current Congress has already passed a War Powers Resolution directing President Trump to end the war, but it’s been ignored by the administration.Democratic leadership has threatened to use the “power of the purse” to end the war by potentially blocking funding for the federal government until the conflict ends. The issue could become a major battle before the new Congress is sworn in, as lawmakers must pass a continuing resolution by December 11 to keep the government funded.

Rezaei Says Iran Will Target 'Distant American Bases' If the US Attacks Again - Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has said that Iranian forces could strike “distant American bases” in the event of a renewed US bombing campaign against Iran. “If the Americans make a mistake and attack us, we will not content ourselves with targeting nearby bases, but will strike all nearby bases, and we will also target distant American bases,” the Iranian security chief told Al Mayadeen.    Rezaei said the Iranian retaliatory attacks could include strikes on US bases in Europe. “If American aircraft take off from an American military base, even one located in a European country or some other distant region, to bomb Iran, we will strike those bases as well,” he said. The full range of Iran’s ballistic missile capability is unknown, though the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently announced that it has lifted a self-imposed limit of 2,000 kilometers, or about 1,200 miles. Missiles at the 2,000-kilometer range could potentially hit US military facilities in Bulgaria and Greece, depending on where they are launched in Iran.. Rezaei said that Iran’s capabilities have improved since the start of the war and warned that Iran “may even strike certain islands that they assume are beyond the reach of our missiles.” In the same interview, Rezaei denied that talks were taking place between the US and Iran and maintained that Washington must meet Tehran’s seven conditions to reach a deal, something that still appears very unlikely. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected Iran’s demands as “absurd.” Much of what Tehran is asking for is commitments the US made under the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in June, known as the Islamabad MoU. “In Islamabad, despite our reaching an agreement and both sides signing it, the Americans reneged on their signature. It is rare in history for a head of state to sign an agreement, then tear it up and abandon it after less than a month,” Rezaei said.

Trump says ‘we don’t need a deal with Iran’ - The U.S. should no longer seek a deal with Iran, President Donald Trump said Thursday as he directed Vice President JD Vance to instead focus his attention on corruption and crime in Democratic cities and states. “We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.  “We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!” Trump wrote, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint in the ongoing U.S.-Iran war. The announcement came just over a week Republicans suffered huge losses in the midterm election. Vance and other Republicans have pinned those losses on the Iran war, which the U.S. and Israel started in late February.In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Trump repeatedly suggested the U.S. could resume launching military strikes, which have largely subsided as a testy stalemate has taken hold in the regionThe Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported that Vance, who has led diplomatic efforts with Iran in prior months, was considering face-to-face talks with a top Iranian security official. Stock futures declined following Trump’s post.The unpopular Iran war, which Trump and others in his administration would be won in a matter of weeks, is now in its ninth month with no clear end in sight. The conflict region has caused global energy prices to rise, creating a ripple effect through the economy and exacerbating concerns about inflation and affordability that were paramount to voters in the midterms.

Trump Says US Doesn't Need Iran Deal, Directs Vance To Focus on Domestic Issues -   President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday that the US didn’t need to reach a deal with Iran and that he directed Vice President JD Vance to put his focus on domestic issues rather than diplomacy with the Islamic Republic. Trump also claimed in the post that the US has hundreds of billions of dollars in Iran’s “money” and controls the Strait of Hormuz, signaling he plans to continue ramping up the blockade and economic war. “I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S. The Blue States, such as Minnesota, California, Illinois, and many more, are all poorly run, corrupt disasters,” the president wrote.“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!” he added.Trump’s post came after Iranian officials had denied that talks were underway between the US and Iran and maintained that a deal to open the strait and end the war wouldn’t happen unless Washington meets Tehran’s conditions, which include providing sanctions relief, releasing frozen Iranian funds, and ending the naval blockade.  While Trump hasn’t restarted the full-scale bombing campaign, the US has been launching strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island in recent weeks, and it continues to escalate the economic pressure and recently announced it would expand the blockade to land crossings. Iran also continues to strike commercial ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. All of the developments make clear that the US is still very much at war with Iran and that the situation could dramatically escalate at any time. Iranian officials continue to warn that, if the US restarts major strikes, Iranian retaliatory strikes will be significantly stronger than before and possibly expand beyond the region.

Pezeshkian: Iran not responsible for regional situation; Israel pushed Trump into war Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the Israeli regime deceived US President Donald Trump and pushed him toward war, stressing that the Islamic Republic is not responsible for the current situation in the region. “The Israeli regime has played the role of a fire-starter in this crisis and, by deceiving Trump, has pushed him toward war,” Pezeshkian told Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Turkey on Thursday. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is not responsible for the current situation in the region. For what purpose and on what basis has the United States entered this region and imposed a naval blockade?” Pezeshkian said the era of unilateralism has come to an end, stressing that no country can impose its preferred order on others through force and coercion. He stressed that Iran has never sought and is not seeking nuclear weapons, adding that Washington miscalculated Iran’s capabilities and strength by comparing the country with others. “War is in no one’s interest, but the Islamic Republic of Iran will not surrender in the face of oppression and aggression and will deliver a firm response to any attack,” Pezeshkian stated. The president said Washington has sought to break the resistance of the Iranian nation, pointing to its terrorist assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, military commanders, scientists, schoolchildren and other civilians. "Nevertheless, these actions have produced the opposite of what the enemy intended, and national unity and internal cohesion have increased significantly compared to the pre-war period." Pezeshkian also said the United States is seeking to restrict Iran’s maritime and air routes and is now attempting to block its land routes, but stressed that such measures will not achieve their intended objectives. For his part, Lula condemned the US military aggression against Iran, saying Brazil had never imagined that Washington would attack the Islamic Republic. Recalling his 2010 meeting with the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the Brazilian president said he had been explicitly assured that Iran’s nuclear activities were exclusively peaceful. “The bombing of Iran was carried out under false pretexts, and this was a very difficult and bitter development for us,” Lula said. He expressed Brazil’s solidarity with Iran, noting that the war has also caused serious economic difficulties for countries around the world, including Brazil, through rising gas, gasoline and oil prices. Lula said Brazil is prepared to take the necessary steps to help restore peace and stability in the region and offered to facilitate efforts toward that goal. He also expressed readiness to participate in regional security arrangements aimed at strengthening peace. Criticizing Western efforts to portray Iran negatively in international relations and negotiations, Lula said Western governments repeatedly seek to present a distorted image of the Islamic Republic. “American officials are accustomed to lying,” he said, recalling that US officials had advised Brazil against visiting Iran and made false claims about the Iranian people and the country's commitment to its obligations. He stressed the need to counter false narratives about Iran, adding that Brazil wants to contribute to regional peace and ensure that the Iranian people can determine their own future without foreign interference. Lula also called for expanding bilateral trade, noting that Iran and Brazil have previously recorded $3 billion in trade and that considerable potential exists to increase the figure. “From our perspective, Iran has been wronged in this war, and the United States is guilty and responsible for this aggression,” he said. The Brazilian president added that his country's foreign minister will maintain regular consultations with his Iranian counterpart and reaffirmed Brazil's readiness to expand cooperation with Tehran across various fields.

Report: US, Israel in Talks To Extend Military Aid Through 2033 Despite Trump Saying It Would End -   - The US and Israel are negotiating a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would extend US military aid to Israel through 2033 and increase US funding for Israeli missile development, despite President Trump claiming he would end the aid by 2027, according to a report from the Israeli news site Ynet.  The US currently provides Israel with a minimum of $3.8 billion in military aid each year under an MoU negotiated under the Obama administration that expires in 2028. It includes $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing, a State Department program that provides foreign governments with funds to purchase US arms, and $500 million through the Pentagon for missile defense funding. The Ynet report said that the plan would be to halve the 10-year MoU term to five years and keep the FMF funding at $3.3 billion per year while increasing the $500 million missile fund to an unspecified amount. The idea would be to phase out the aid after the five years, which aligns with a plan backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shift the US-Israel relationship “from aid to partnership.” The purpose of the Netanyahu plan is to further intergrate the US and Israeli military industries, and it is being advanced through Section 219, an amendment tucked into the House’s version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate’s version of the NDAA includes a similar amendment, though so far the two chambers haven’t negotiated the final bill.Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute recently warned that if the integration moves forward, Israel could “end up getting WAY more” than the $3.8 billion it receives annually from the US and that the funds would “just be buried in the DoD budget.” Freeman made the comments after Trump declared on Election Day that he and Netanyahu agreed the US would end military aid by the end of the year.The Ynet report said that the US and Israel are hoping to finalize the new MoU before the new Congress is sworn in this January and that the negotiations have involved representatives working on behalf of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and officials from Israel’s Defense Ministry and its embassy in Washington.Since October 7, 2023, the US has provided significantly more military aid than the annual $3.8 billion package to support its genocidal campaign in Gaza and its other various wars in the region. On top of the direct financial aid, the US has also fired $11 billion worth of interceptors defending Israel from missile attacks during the wars with Iran, and has reportedly deployed an additional Patriot missile defense system to Israel to prepare for the next potential escalation.

Twelve Senators Call for US-Israel Military Integration To Be Removed from NDAA - A group of 12 senators  has written to congressional leadership urging the removal of provisions from the House and Senate versions of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would mandate increased US-Israeli military and intelligence cooperation. The idea of the amendments is to further integrate the US and Israeli militaries and make the special relationship harder to unwind, a reaction to the increasing criticism of Israel among Americans. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for the integration, which he has referred to as “my plan,” and says it will come with a phase-out of US financial military aid to Israel over time, but defense analysts have warned the aid will just be buried in the Pentagon budget and less visible to the public. While both the House and the Senate have included the integration plan in their draft NDAAs, the two chambers have yet to go to conference to negotiate the final bill, where the amendments could potentially be stripped out. The letter, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and signed by nine other Democrats and one Independent (Sen. Bernie Sanders), urges congressional leaders to “exclude three provisions from the final bill that would further entrench concerning aspects of the US-Israel defense and intelligence relationship at a time when the Israeli government’s actions are increasingly undermining US interests and values.” The senators said that the “provisions would constrain the Administration’s ability to independently determine how best to protect US national security and would lock in long-term commitments despite our serious concerns with the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and other parts of the region.” The letter calls for the removal of Section 219 from the House bill and Section 1217 from the Senate one, which both “mandate the creation of a ‘United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative’ to expand and accelerate the US-Israel defense relationship, including technology sharing, co-production of weapons systems, and bilateral research and development.” They said that the provisions would “threaten US national security interests by handing Israel leverage over American weapons systems and military technology.” The letter also calls for the removal of Section 618 of the Senate’s Intelligence Authorization Act, which would mandate increased intelligence sharing with Israel. “The provision would tie the President’s hands from limiting intelligence sharing with Israel, even when doing so may be necessary to protect US national security. That would be irresponsible and especially troubling given public reports that the Defense Intelligence Agency recently raised the counterintelligence threat from Israel to its highest level,” the letter reads.

Trump says great dislike for Israel contributed to Republican midterm losses -  President Donald Trump said a “great dislike” for Israel was one of the reasons the Republicans lost in the midterm elections, along with the Iran war and the subsequent rise in gasoline prices.“I think if I was on the ballot, it would’ve been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love,” Trump said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday. “But there’s something beyond that. They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up, ‘cause I had it down at a low, and there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.”Trump’s comments underscore a sea change in US politics where Israel once had bipartisan support, as well as strong backing from Republican and Democratic presidents. But the extent of US military and financial support for Israel emerged as a frequent political liability during the midterm elections.Michigan’s Democratic Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed may have been the most prominent critic of Israel during the elections, but he was far from the only one. Even Vice President JD Vance suggested Republicans would have to rethink their once-stalwart support of Israel moving forward. Trump said he agrees with Vance’s position that the war with Iran is among the reasons for the Republican loss. But he said he doesn’t regret his decision to launch the war. “You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not. But you know, I have to go with what’s right for our country. If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what’s happened.”The president also said that other countries, including Israel, would have to share the costs of the war.“Those countries that we’ve protected are going to pay us back any and all costs that we’ve had for the war ‘cause without us, they wouldn’t exist. Without us, Israel would not exist,” Trump said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long presented himself as the leader best able to manage the relationship with the United States and particularly Trump. But in just a matter of days, Trump has signaled major changes may be coming.“Democrats and Republicans are competing to see who can distance themselves from us more,” wrote Israeli journalist Amir Tibon on X. “And if we don’t act quickly, the new Congress will start holding up arms sales.” Tibon called for a new government that can begin “repairing the damage Netanyahu is leaving behind.”On the day of the US elections, Trump said he would end $4 billion in annual aid to Israel this year, potentially cutting off one of the key elements of Israel’s security strategy. Days later, Netanyahu said the aid would shift to a “partnership,” but didn’t say whether Trump had given him a heads-up about the surprise announcement.Israeli President Isaac Herzog made an oblique reference to the shift in American and international perceptions of the country on Sunday, as he tasked Netanyahu’s rival, Gadi Eizenkot, with forming the next government. “The challenges facing the State of Israel are immense. Some demand urgent and immediate attention,” he said. “Iran does not pause for a moment in its schemes and threats. We must work to build a diplomatic horizon in the region and for the day after the war.”

US Envoy Denounces UNIFIL as ‘Human Shields for Terrorists’ -   The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) sees its 48-year mandate to monitor the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border coming to an end at the end of December, and Israel has stepped up efforts to denounce the group in recent days, claiming they found Hezbollah arms in civilian homes sort of near UNIFIL positions. The UNIFIL pointed out they were never meant to disarm anyone, nor were they empowered to search private homes.  US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz joined in on the denunciation today, declaring that the UNIFIL amounted to “human shields for terrorists” and had failed to prevent Hezbollah from existing, in the course of a tirade that was broadly about cheering the ongoing US war against Iran.  Israel has long had problems with the UNIFIL, and they largely begin and end with the peacekeepers documenting Israeli war crimes during their assorted invasions of southern Lebanon. They’ve been lobbying the US for years to prevent the mandate extension.  Using the UNIFIL as human shields, assuming that were the case, plainly has not worked, as Israel has repeatedly attacked the peacekeepers directly, in violation of international law, and they don’t seem any more immune to Israeli attacks than any other civilians in Lebanon are. Not everyone is happy to see them leave, mind you.  The G7 agreed in recent meetings that the end of the peacekeepers’ mandate is going to create a “security void” in occupied southern Lebanon, and reports are that they broadly agreed to replace it with something to avoid that void, without agreeing on what that would be.  The EU has proposed replacing the UNIFIL outright, with some urging the UN to sign off on an EU peacekeeping force in the area. Israel is vocally opposed, of course, and the recent allegations that UNIFIL failed at things they were never mandated to do in the first place were likely an effort to convince the world that the peacekeepers don’t need replacing at all.

Trump Says He Wishes Vance Had Said Whether He Would Launch the Iran War Again -   - President Trump said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday that he agreed with Vice President JD Vance’s assessment that the Iran war and the US relationship with Israel hurt the Republicans in the midterm elections, but said that he wished the vice president would say whether he would attack Iran again.“The only thing I wish he would’ve said there, if he felt it, and you’d have to ask him about that, but if you had to do it again, would you do it? You know, he’s part of a decision-making process,” Trump said.While the president has also acknowledged that the war played a major role in the midterms, he has defended his decision to launch it, saying that he had to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but there was no evidence either before the June 2025 war or the current conflict that Tehran had decided to pursue a bomb.Media reports have portrayed Vance as a skeptic of the war, though he played a leading role in pushing war propaganda in the days before the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign, claiming on February 25 that there was “evidence” Iran was “rebuilding a nuclear weapon.”In the 60 Minutes interview, Trump also said that there was a “great dislike” of Israel among US voters, comments that were highlighted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.  “POTUS clearly recognizes that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel. Strikingly, he seems confused about why that’s the case,” Araghchi wrote X. “Americans are evidently sick and tired of Israel bamboozling US administrations into Forever Wars. They had enough. So has our region.”

US Announces Its 91st Airstrike of the Year in Somalia - US Africa Command announced on Friday that its forces launched another airstrike in Somalia, as the Trump administration continues a record-breaking bombing campaign in the country, which receives virtually no media coverage in the US. AFRICOM said that the strike was conducted on November 5 and targeted al-Shabaab near Jamaame in the lower Juba region about 25 miles northeast of the port city of Kismayo. As usual, the command offered no other details about the attack as it stopped sharing casualty estimates last year.Back in November 2025, US airstrikes hit Jamaame and killed 12 civilians, including eight children, according to an investigation by The Guardian. AFRICOM has claimed that its review of the incident did not meet the military’s “more likely than not” threshold for determining that US air strikes had caused the reported harm.The latest US strike near Jamaame came after Somali media reported that US forces withdrew from the Baledogle Military Airfield, located approximately 60 miles northwest of Mogadishu. So far, AFRICOM hasn’t confirmed the withdrawal, but if it did happen, the November 5 strike suggests it won’t impact the US air campaign. According to AFRICOM’s official numbers, the November 5 strike marked the 91st US airstrike in Somalia this year, more than the US ever launched before 2025, when President Trump shattered the previous record for annual US strikes by launching 124. The previous record, which he set in 2019, was 63. There are indications that the US isn’t announcing each strike it launches, as Somalis who live around the city of Jilib, said to be an al-Shabaab stronghold, have reported “constant” airstrikes. The Guardian recently reported that the strikes are pushing civilians closer to the Juba River in flood-prone areas. Sources speaking to the outlet accused the US of “weaponizing” the potential flood, which could cause massive civilian deaths.The US has been involved in Somalia for decades and has been fighting al-Shabaab since the George W. Bush administration backed an Ethiopian invasion in 2006 that ousted the Islamic Courts Union, a Muslim coalition that briefly held power in Mogadishu after taking the city from CIA-backed warlords.

Report: US Launches Series of Airstrikes Against ISIS Affiliate in Somalia's Puntland State -- The US carried out a series of airstrikes against an ISIS affiliate in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland state, the Somali news site Horsheed Media has reported, as the Trump administration continues a record-breaking bombing campaign in the country. So far, the strikes haven’t been confirmed by the US, though US Africa Command typically announces airstrikes a few days after they’re launched. The Horseed report cited “field and security sources” who said the US attacks targeted suspected ISIS positions in the Bari region near strategic areas controlled by local Puntland forces.While the US has continued airstrikes against al-Shabaab in Somalia, AFRICOM hasn’t officially announced a strike against the ISIS affiliate, which is an offshoot of al-Shabaab, since May 6. Drop Site News reported that the US did launch a strike against ISIS in Puntland on September 3, suggesting the US has been conducting more strikes in the country than it’s acknowledging.  As part of its escalated war in Somalia, the US is establishing a military base in Bosaso, a port city on the Gulf of Aden, under a deal the US signed with the local Puntland government. While the base suggests more US escalations in Somalia, the location could also be used as a launchpad for operations against Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, in Yemen.The last US airstrike in Somalia announced by AFRICOM took place on November 5, and the command said it targeted al-Shabaab in southern Somalia.Based on AFRICOM’s official numbers, the November 5 strike marked the 91st US airstrike in Somalia this year, more than the US ever launched before 2025, when President Trump shattered the previous record for annual US strikes by launching 124. The previous record, which he set in 2019, was 63. Despite the massive escalation, the US air war receives virtually no media coverage in the US.

Why Sudan’s Civil War Is Becoming a U.S. National Security Threat --Sudan’s devastating civil war is often described as a humanitarian catastrophe. It is that, unquestionably, but for the United States, the conflict is also a strategic challenge involving Red Sea security, Iran’s regional influence, counterterrorism, international trade, and access to critical minerals.Washington should not treat Sudan as a distant crisis to be dealt with after more pressing matters. Its outcome will affect the security of a strategically important region connecting the Middle East, Africa, and international maritime trade. A prolonged conflict risks exporting insecurity across borders, complicating regional efforts to contain armed groups and manage competing external interests. For Washington, the concern is that its continued fragmentation could compound instability across a region critical to international commerce. Sudan occupies a critical position along the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important commercial waterways that handles 12–15% of international maritime trade and nearly 30% of global container traffic. Instability there is not another “Africa problem.” It threatens shipping routes, regional partners, and the broader security environment surrounding the Suez Canal and the Horn of Africa. The U.S. has a direct interest in preventing Sudan’s territory from becoming a haven for extremist organizations, transnational criminal networks, or antagonistic foreign powers seeking strategic footholds near U.S. allies Egypt, Israeli, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.Iran’s renewed relationship with Sudan illustrates how the country’s political orientation can change. Though Sudan joined the Abraham Accords in 2021, normalization of ties with Israel stalled due to the civil war. Tehran and Khartoum restored diplomatic ties in 2024 – after severing them in 2016 – when they backed opposing sides in the Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry. Their bilateral relationship includes military cooperation and the supply of battle-tested drones to the Sudanese Armed Forces. A fragmented state with competing armed authorities gives Iran and other outside powers opportunities to cultivate relationships, move materiel, and expand their influence. A sovereign government able to control its territory would be better positioned to resist external coercion and avoid becoming an arena for regional competition. Counterterrorism is equally important. State collapse, ungoverned territory, and disrupted security institutions create conditions in which extremist networks can operate, recruit, and move across borders. Sudan’s future will affect the ability of neighboring countries and international partners to address these threats. Preventing a prolonged breakdown is therefore a matter of U.S. security, not an act of charity.The proliferation of drones, advanced weapons, and foreign military support makes Sudan’s conflict difficult to contain. External support networks help sustain the combatants’ belief that they can achieve their objectives by force, while expanding the war’s potential consequences for neighboring countries. Washington should therefore treat efforts to restrict the flow of weapons and other military assistance as part of its broader diplomatic strategy, coordinating with international partners to raise the costs of prolonging the conflict. The humanitarian emergency also has direct security implications. Famine, mass internal displacement, disruption of the provision of aid supplies, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure threaten to destabilize Sudan’s neighbors and prolong a conflict that already extends beyond its original battlefields. Washington’s recent calls for expanded humanitarian access are necessary, but emergency relief cannot substitute for a political strategy. The United States should use its diplomatic influence to press the warring parties to permit aid delivery while linking efforts to alleviate immediate suffering to a durable ceasefire and the restoration of legitimate national institutions.There is also an economic dimension. Sudan possesses substantial natural resources, including gold, uranium, and chromium alongside significant agricultural potential. Responsible development could support economic recovery, create commercial opportunities, and diversify supply chains for strategically important materials. As Washington works to reduce dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals, Sudan merits serious attention. That opportunity, however, depends on transparent resource governance, enforceable agreements, functioning infrastructure, and a legitimate government capable of ensuring that revenues benefit the country rather than armed factions. The fight between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group primarily supported by the United Arab Emirates, has demonstrated the limits of a military solution. A settlement that merely divides territory, resources, or political influence between two armed factions could formalize the country’s fragmentation rather than resolve it. It would risk leaving competing chains of command, parallel economic networks, and vulnerable communities in place, creating conditions for renewed conflict once international  attention wanes. Sudan needs an inclusive, civilian-led political transition that restores national institutions, establishes accountable governance, and provides a credible path toward democratic elections. Civilians must not simply be appointed to administer an arrangement whose real decisions remain in the hands of military leaders. Nor should any political process become a vehicle for extremist organizations or another armed group to exercise power without accountability.This is not an argument for Washington to dictate Sudan’s political future. It is an argument for supporting a process in which Sudanese civilians can freely determine that future.Washington has already articulated this principle. A June 2026 joint statement by the U.S. and international partners reaffirmed Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, rejected a military solution, and called for an inclusive, civilian-led political process. Existing U.S. law also establishes support for a civilian-led transition resulting in a democratic government as American policy.Congress and the Trump administration should translate those principles into sustained diplomatic engagement. Washington should coordinate with regional partners to press for a humanitarian truce, a durable ceasefire, and meaningful civilian participation in negotiations. It should support accountability for those undermining peace, while developing clear benchmarks for future engagement, reconstruction assistance, and responsible commercial investment. Recent international efforts to restart ceasefire negotiations offer a framework for renewed engagement, but diplomatic activity should be judged by results, not meetings in five-star hotels in Vienna. Washington should press external supporters of the warring parties to use their influence to secure a cessation of hostilities, improve humanitarian access, and create conditions for an independent civilian political process. Continued diplomatic engagement should not become an excuse for accepting indefinite stalemate.Sudan’s future should not be reduced to choosing which military faction controls the capital and the mining concessions. The objective must be a unified country with legitimate institutions capable of protecting its people, securing its borders, and engaging responsibly with the international community.  For the United States, that outcome would advance humanitarian goals while serving concrete interests in democratic governance, regional stability, counterterrorism, maritime security, and economic resilience. Sudan is not a peripheral issue. It is a strategic test of whether Washington can help prevent a regional crisis from becoming an enduring threat to American interests.

Democratic Senator Says 'Beauty' of Ukraine War Is Paying Ukrainians To Kill Russians - Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said on Monday that the “beauty” of the nearly five-year-old Russia-Ukraine war is the fact that the US is “paying Ukrainians to kill Russians.”Gallego, who joined the Senate last after serving in the House for about 10 years, made the comment on X, where he insisted that Ukraine could win the war if its forces killed enough Russians.“But Ukraine can win. Thats why I back them. It’s a Russian talking point that Ukraine can’t win, cause Russia big blah,blah. If Ukraine kills enough Russians they will quit,” Gellego, an Iraq war veteran, wrote.Graves of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war with Russia at a cemetery in Kharkiv, Ukraine, November 27, 2025. (IMAGO/Andreas Stroh via Reuters Connect) A user replied, telling the Senator to join the Ukrainian foreign legion, to which he replied, “No, that’s the beauty of this; we can pay the Ukrainians to kill the Russians.”In another post a few days earlier, Gallego called for Elon Musk to testify before Congress about Ukraine’s recent Starlink restrictions. A user asked if he was pushing the Ukraine war for “financial gain,” and Gallego replied, “No just hate the fuckin Russians.”The idea that the US is benefiting from the Ukraine war since Russians are being killed without US troops dying has been a common argument of supporters of the proxy war over the years, a talking point that shows disregard for the Ukrainian lives being lost. The late Sen. Lindsey Graham said at the start of the conflict that as long as the US provides “Ukraine with the weapons they need and the economic support, they will fight to the last person.” He later described the war as a “great deal for America” because it was hurting Russia and no US troops have been killed. Gallego’s comments highlight strong support for the proxy war among Democrats, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently said he may get more support after the Democratic victory in the US midterm elections. Russia-Ukraine peace talks are ongoing in Abu Dhabi, but so far there has been no sign of a breakthrough.

Zelensky Complains About Starshield "Disruptions" (Again) - The Ukrainians are back to complaining about "significant disruptions" to Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk's Starlink, which provides satellite internet connectivity for consumer and commercial use. "Unfortunately, our units have been recording significant disruptions to Starshield's operations over the territory of Ukraine for several days now – along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X earlier today. Zelensky said that units on the front lines had reported several days of disruptions and in Russian-occupied territory. He also noted that operating speed limits in excess of 100 mph were preventing interception drones from reaching the speeds needed to engage Russian jet-powered one-way attack drones. And this is key. Zelensky claimed, "These are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions," adding, "For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones.   Last month, Ukraine first sounded the alarm over speed restrictions on Starshield, which has been critical to battlefield communications. There has been a lot of controversy over whether Musk or someone in the Trump administration ordered the speed restrictions. While the Trump administration presses for peace, Ukraine has defiantly continued attacking Russian refineries, with strikes leading up to the midterm election contributing to a global diesel crisis. The restrictions could suggest an effort by the administration to rein in Kyiv.

US Ramps Up Military Ties With Colombia - - Last week, approximately 350 US military personnel joined more than 400 Colombian soldiers for a weeks-long military exercise. The joint training program, “Exercise Southern Vanguard 2027,” comes as the Pentagon has been working to pivot toward prioritizing defense of the US Homeland and the Western Hemisphere. The exercise, which is expected to run until mid-November, includes jungle warfare, counter-IED tactics, maritime interdiction, cyber warfare, ground security, and medical evacuation. Colombian Brig. Gen. Edilberto Cortés welcomed US soldiers and touted the “long strategic partnership” of the two nations. That relationship has grown much closer since the summer, when the “Trump-admiring far-right millionaire lawyer and self-styled ‘outsider'” Abelardo de la Espriella was elected president. He campaigned on cracking down on drug cartels and rebels with the military, and Southern Vanguard is part of his work to keep that promise. Southern Vanguard is hosted by the Colombian Army and led by the US Army Western Hemisphere Command. The Western Command was established last year as part of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s directive to build a leaner, more lethal force.During a US Army conference in October, the commander of US Army Western Hemisphere Command, Gen. Joseph Ryan, said “economic supremacy” in the entire hemisphere was part of his mission. “We have ceded control of that economic terrain in this hemisphere to the People’s Republic of China over at least the last two decades, and that is a major threat to our national security.”Ryan said the US military intended to “expand its footprint” in Central and South America. This, combined with Hegseth’s vow earlier this year to secure “Greater North America,” is Washington’s new grand strategy in the Western Hemisphere. The relationship between the US and Colombian militaries has involved more than training exercises. The US has been assisting both Colombia and Venezuela, which share a 1,378-mile-long border, in targeting the National Liberation Army (known in Spanish as the ELN). The ELN is a Colombian leftist rebel group and alleged cocaine trafficker that President Espriella has vowed to crush.The ELN has historically used Venezuela as its strategic depth. In January, however, the US military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and made Secretary of State Marco Rubio the de facto overlord. With both the Colombian and Venezuelan governments aligned with D.C., the fight against the ELN has become more coordinated.On October 30, the US military assisted Venezuela in conducting a drone strike on a group of ELN members near the Colombian border, killing approximately 23 people. On Saturday, the ELN launched its own drone attack on a Colombian military base, killing at least three soldiers. Escalation seems unavoidable given the positions articulated in Bogotá, Caracas, and Washington.

Trump Threatens To Double Tariffs On Mexico If Third-Worlder Caravan Isn't Stopped - President Trump warned on Truth Social earlier this morning that he would immediately double tariffs on Mexico unless it stops thousands of third-worlders in a caravan that is tracking toward the southern US border. In a fiery post, Trump said, "Here we go again!" referring to the thousands of migrants, largely Hondurans, heading north through southern Mexico with plans to invade the US. "Huge CARAVANS are forming and beginning their illegal march through Mexico," the president said. He continued, "MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED." The migrants' departure coincided with last week's Democratic victory in the US midterms and hopes that a more left-leaning Congress will allow them to flood the US, just like the open-border days under the Biden administration. Also, many of these migrants probably have high hopes of blue states welcoming them in and showering them with taxpayer money. But on Wednesday, as the migrants tracked closer and closer to the border, Border Czar Tom Homan had a very unwelcoming message for the Democrats: "Congress may be more blue. Texas may be more blue. But the White House is red, bright red," adding, "We're going to keep that border secure." The next flashpoint could be the US southern border.

Pete Hegseth stares down likely impeachment vote and he's not the only one– Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth faces impeachment accusations when Congress returns after the midterm elections and others, including President Donald Trump, could be investigated for alleged misconduct as Democrats return to power. Besides Trump and Hegseth, lawmakers have already filed impeachment resolutions against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon. None of the resolutions gained traction while Republicans led the House, but they signal what Democrats could investigate when they take control of the House and Senate in January. The House impeached Trump twice while led by Democrats during his first term, over his dealings with Ukraine and over the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. The Senate acquitted him both times for lack of a 2/3 majority to convict. But Democrats have filed at least four more impeachment resolutions against him for potential investigation.  Any House member can introduce a resolution proposing to impeach the president, vice president, other executive officials or judges with accusations of "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." The process has led to the removal of eight federal judges but not anyone from the executive branch.   House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has predicted another impeachment push against Trump with Democrats holding the gavel. Trump has said he expects to be impeached again with Democrats in control of House. He invited another showdown in June 2025 with the taunt: "go ahead and try Impeaching me, again, MAKE MY DAY!"   Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, launched his eight impeachment accusations against Hegseth on Sept. 15. The difference from other resolutions filed against Trump and his Cabinet secretaries months ago is that Massie plans to force a House vote on the measure as early as next week, when lawmakers return from the midterm elections.  The Republican majority could kill it by voting to table it. But Massie accused Hegseth of conducting the war against Iran without congressional authorization, seizing Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro without constitutional authority and killing suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean without judicial authorization.   "Secretary Hegseth's constitutional violations extend beyond the illegal war in Iran,” said Massie, who lost his Republican primary and has only the lame duck session of Congress to pursue the impeachment resolution. “He is abusing the power of his office to ignore congressional war powers resolutions, to kidnap foreign leaders and to intimidate critics of the Trump administration by retaliating against them for exercising free speech.” Trump has defended Hegseth. "I think it's terrible. All they do is they talk about impeaching everybody," Trump told reporters Oct. 28. "He's doing a great job. He's a great warrior. I think he's the best at his job in many many years and a lot of people agree with that."

Report: GOP Leaders Expect House To Impeach Hegseth - Axios reported on Sunday that GOP leaders in the House are bracing for enough Republican defections to impeach US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth when the resolution comes to a vote, which is expected to happen this week.Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a resolution in September that includes eight articles of impeachment, accusing Hegseth of “high crimes and misdemeanors” related to the Iran war, which was launched without congressional authorization and continued despite Congress passing a War Powers Resolution directing the president to end it.Massie’s articles also target Hegseth for ignoring US laws meant to minimize civilian casualties, which the resolution ties to the February 28 US strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, southern Iran, which killed at least 156 civilians, including 120 children, the bombing campaign against alleged drug-running boats, a 2025 bombing campaign in Yemen, and other issues.Massie told the Daily Signal on Friday that he plans to reintroduce the articles on Monday or Tuesday and that the resolution would be updated to reflect US military operations since September, but would largely remain the same. “There’s just a few things we’ve changed in it. They’ve bombed more fishing boats since the last time. Yeah, we have to update a few numbers, and so there’ll be just minor changes to it probably,” he said.Massie said he wasn’t sure if the impeachment would pass the House but that he thinks the “chances are better now than they were before the election.” The GOP defeat in the midterms was seen as a referendum on the war, and Hegseth is seen as one of its biggest supporters within the administration.Even supporters of the war are critical of Hegseth’s conduct, as an unnamed Republican lawmaker told Axios that the Pentagon chief’s tone and rhetoric has been “very damaging to our ability to get the facts out to the American people on why the strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, and the additional military actions, were necessary.”House GOP leadership may try to table Massie’s resolution, but if enough House members support impeachment, it will fail. If the House impeaches Hegseth, it’s unlikely the Senate would remove him, since that requires a two-thirds majority.Multiple media reports have said that Trump was considering removing Hegseth from his position following the midterms, but the president has denied it, saying that he’s done a “fantastic job.”

'He Was Very Effective at Killing Schoolchildren': Massie Reintroduces Articles of Impeachment Against Hegseth - Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) reintroduced a resolution to impeach US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whom the Trump administration calls the secretary of war, as the Pentagon chief is coming under pressure following the Republican defeat in the midterm elections, which was seen as a referendum on the Iran war.Massie first introduced the resolution back in September but reintroduced it to include US military operations that have taken place since then. The resolution is privileged, meaning it must be voted on within two legislative days of introduction. The resolution includes eight articles of impeachment that cover the Iran war, Hegseth’s ignoring of US laws meant to minimize civilian casualties, the bombing campaign against small boats in Latin America, the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the 2025 US bombing campaign in Yemen, and Hegseth’s efforts to chill the constitutionally protected speech of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). At a press conference after the introduction, Massie stressed that he wasn’t seeking Hegseth’s impeachment because he was bad at his job, but because he is operating in violation of the law, and he encouraged other lawmakers to read eight articles.“A lot of people are saying, ‘I think Pete Hegseth is effective. He’s good at his job, and so I don’t want to vote for these articles of impeachment.’ Well, the reality is, we’re not impeaching him for being bad at his job,” Massie said.“In fact, he was very effective at killing schoolchildren in Iran. He was very effective at extrajudicial killings. There’s no argument in these impeachment articles that he’s ineffective. The argument here is that he’s broken laws and he’s violated the Constitution,” he added.The articles lay out how the Iran war was launched without congressional authorization and has continued despite Congress passing a concurrent War Powers Resolution directing President Trump to end the conflict.Addressing critics who have said he should have gone after Trump because Hegseth was carrying out the president’s orders, Massie said that there were two articles that “belong” specifically to the Pentagon chief.“It is true that the president is culpable for asking Hegseth to carry out these orders, but Hegseth should not carry out illegal orders, and that’s why we’re impeaching him. But one of the articles that Hegseth took upon himself … he basically took apart the function inside the Department of Defense that makes sure they’re not going to strike civilians,” Massie said.“And the predictable and absolute result of that was — they struck all these school kids on the first day of the war,” he said, referring to the February 28 US strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, southern Iran, which killed at least 156 civilians, including 120 children.“Now there’s something called the fog of war … There’s no fog of war on the first day. You’ve had months to identify these targets, yet they picked a school building on a school day with kids in it, and then struck it again, and then struck it again,” Massie added.While it’s been clear since shortly after the US bombed the school that it was a US strike, no one in the Trump administration has taken responsibility for it, and the Pentagon continues to delay the release of a report on the massacre.Hegseth was asked about Massie’s impeachment effort on Monday and told reporters he’s “not worried” about it, though he plans to hold a press conference on it on Tuesday. “I’ll tell you this. Actually, I hope all of you will join us. We’re going to do a press conference tomorrow morning at the Pentagon on that very topic,” he said.

House Blocks Massie Effort To Impeach Hegseth - The House on Tuesday night voted to refer a resolution introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to impeach US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, effectively killing the effort to oust the Pentagon chief. The measure to block the impeachment passed in a vote of 211 to 204, with 11 Democrats and seven Republicans not voting. Massie was the lone Republican who voted against referring his resolution, despite reports suggesting there would be more GOP defectors.The House shielded Hegseth from the impeachment despite the overwhelming rejection of the Iran wars among American voters, which was seen as one of the top factors in the Republican defeat in the midterm elections. Once the Democrat-led Congress is sworn in this January, efforts to oust Hegseth are expected to be revived.Massie’s resolution included eight articles of impeachment for “high crimes and misdemeanors” relating to the war with Iran, the bombing campaign against alleged drug boats, the US attack on Venezuela to abduct President Nicolas Maduro, Hegseth’s ignoring of US laws meant to minimize civilian casualties, the 2025 US bombing campaign in Yemen, and Hegseth’s efforts to chill the constitutionally protected speech of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).Hegseth held a press conference on Tuesday morning defending himself, where he called the impeachment effort a “farce,” and President Trump and Vice President JD Vance put out posts backing the embattled Pentagon chief. At his press conference on Monday, Massie stressed that he wasn’t seeking Hegseth’s impeachment because he was bad at his job, but because he is operating in violation of the law, and he encouraged other lawmakers to read eight articles.“A lot of people are saying, ‘I think Pete Hegseth is effective. He’s good at his job, and so I don’t want to vote for these articles of impeachment.’ Well, the reality is, we’re not impeaching him for being bad at his job. In fact, he was very effective at killing schoolchildren in Iran,” Massie said, referring to the February 28 US strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, southern Iran, which killed at least 156 civilians, including 120 children.“He was very effective at extrajudicial killings. There’s no argument in these impeachment articles that he’s ineffective. The argument here is that he’s broken laws and he’s violated the Constitution,” he added.

House blocks Pete Hegseth impeachment after nearly a dozen Democrats miss vote -   House Republicans came together Tuesday to shelve a measure to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, thanks largely to almost a dozen Democrats failing to show up for the early evening vote. Some of the Democrats who did cast a vote did not even try to hide their frustration. “The people send us here to do a job. I don’t know if anyone had any real health issues or anything significant. So I want to leave room for that,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) told CNN’s Manu Raju. “But that being said, at the end of the day, we’re here to do a job. And the same way I had to clock in when I worked at a restaurant, we got to clock in and do our work here.” Some of the members missed the vote, which ended around 6 p.m. EST, due to gridlock on Pennsylvania Ave., caused by a traffic accident. “Like other Members of Congress, Rep. Stansbury was blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury‘s (D-N.M.) office said in a statement on the social platform X. “When she reached the chamber, the vote had just gaveled out.” “The Congresswoman was stuck behind a motorcade and missed the vote by 1 minute. She would have voted against the motion to refer,” Rep. Marilyn Strickland‘s (D-Wash.) chief of staff said.  The House voted to refer the resolution to committee, allowing Republicans to stop it from advancing during the lame-duck session. The 211-204 vote effectively punted any efforts to impeach the Pentagon chief until Democrats take back the majority. The 11 Democrats who missed the vote were Stansbury, Strickland and Reps. Julia Brownley (Calif.) Lou Correa (Calif.), Laura Gillen (N.Y.), Steven Horsford (Nev.), Jonathan Jackson (Ill.), Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Brittany Pettersen (Colo.), Haley Stevens (Mich.) and Frederica Wilson (Fla.). Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.), who introduced the impeachment articles, was the only Republican to oppose the move to impede his measure. Democratic leaders supported Massie’s resolution but said they did not pressure rank-and-file members to do the same, calling it a vote of conscience for each member.

House Democrat says traffic incident prevented her and others from voting on Hegseth impeachment - Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said Tuesday that she and other lawmakers were unable to reach the Capitol in time to vote against a Republican effort to block the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth because of a traffic incident and a police escort. “Like other Members of Congress, Rep. Stansbury was blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote,” her office said in a statement on the social platform X. “When she reached the chamber the vote had just gaveled out.”Stansbury said she arrived in the House chamber moments after lawmakers voted 211-204 to refer the measure against Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, effectively shelving the effort for the remainder of the current Congress. “She immediately filed a report of her vote of ‘NO’ to the motion meant to kill the impeachment articles and refer them to the Judiciary Committee, as documented in the Congressional Record,” her statement continued. “Pete Hegseth must be impeached now.” The narrow vote followed an effort led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who reintroduced eight articles of impeachment Monday accusing Hegseth of violating the Constitution and federal law through military operations in Iran, Yemen, the Caribbean and elsewhere.

Army sentinel scolds Pete Hegseth, Pentagon advisers at Veterans Day event for breaking decorum - A group including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth broke decorum and was loudly admonished by the Army sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday. Hegseth was accompanied by some of his senior staff for the annual Veterans Day ceremony when they stopped to take photos. In videos shared online, the group can be heard talking and laughing loudly enough for the sentinel to reprimand them.“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” he yelled. Decorum is intensely observed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of the most sacred war memorials in the country. The tomb marks the final resting place of an unknown soldier who was killed in World War I. A soldier assigned to the Old Guard stands at attention at the tomb 24 hours a day, rain or shine, and has done so since 1948. “The Secretary and the entire Department have always honored—and will always honor—the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Wednesday.“While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.” Hegseth, who for now has survived impeachment proceedings in the House, was at Arlington alongside President Trump, Vice President Vance and first lady Melania Trump to mark Veterans Day. The group participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with Trump and Vance following up with remarks.

PETA and veterans urge Pete Hegseth to end animal decompression tests - PETA and a group of veterans are pushing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to end decompression testing on animals in favor of modern testing instead.  “Our Navy should be using the best science available, not wasting millions of dollars squeezing the life out of animals in archaic experiments that do nothing to protect service members,” PETA Vice President Shalin Gala said in a statement. “PETA calls on Secretary Hegseth to heed the calls of hundreds of veterans and embrace what works, because giving sheep the bends does not,” Gala concluded.The letter urged Hegseth to end the Navy’s funding of decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity experiments — commonly known as “the bends” — on animals that “fail to meet that standard and instead subject animals to cruel, irrelevant tests.”It cited a recent Navy-funded Duke University experiment that used 40 pigs to test for the bends. PETA alleged that while being tested, the pigs underwent “decompression sickness, painful blood vessel blockages, paralysis, hemorrhaging, and, for many animals, death.”  In another experiment at the University of South Florida, rats were subjects of an oxygen-toxicity experiment, resulting in “seizures and required implanted recording devices.” The letter was signed by over 450 veterans who asked the Defense Department to prohibit its funds “from supporting decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity experiments on animals and instead direct those resources toward superior, human-relevant, animal-free research methods.”

No U.S. buyer emerges after Trump's deal on Russian diesel - An accord brokered by President Donald Trump to sell Russian diesel to the U.S. appears to have failed to clear a key hurdle: finding a willing customer.Trump announced the deal with President Vladimir Putin in October to supply roughly 36 million barrels of the fuel to the U.S. and other buyers, part of a broader effort to lower energy prices that have rallied largely because of the Iran war.The White House is sticking with the plan even as it earned bipartisan blowback from Republicans and Democrats. Despite efforts to find a buyer, none has so far emerged publicly, and oil traders and analysts are growing increasingly skeptical that any of the four vessels Russia says are carrying diesel will unload in the U.S. Now, Brazilian fuel distributors are being offered Russian diesel instead. Several commodity trading companies and other potential counterparties have deemed the risks too large to consider importing the cargoes to the U.S., according to people familiar with internal deliberations, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to talk on the record. “We understand that there’s strong reluctance by private companies to be involved in these Russian diesel cargoes due to attendant significant legal and reputational risk,” said Bob McNally, founder and president of Rapidan Energy Group. In particular, firms are skeptical that a sanctions waiver issued Oct. 9 by the Treasury Department supersedes the 2022 law banning imports of Russian oil and fuel, some of the people said, despite assurances from the White House. “The legal ambiguity will scare off a lot of companies,” said Claire O’Neill McCleskey, a former Treasury official and co-founder of sanctions advisory firm Clarity Compliance Consulting. Russian diesel is on the water and heading to the market, which will ease prices for Americans, an administration official said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For now, it remains unclear if any of the tankers carrying the Russian diesel are actually headed to the U.S. One vessel carrying the fuel that had signaled it was U.S.-bound was last seen dawdling around 400 nautical miles from the East Coast, tracing a zigzag pattern at sea, according to a port report and data compiled by Bloomberg.The Iran war and Ukraine’s bombardment of Russian refineries have driven up fuel prices to seasonal records, a key factor in propelling Democrats to historic victories in this month’s midterm elections. While retail fuel prices have moderated in recent weeks, the national average for diesel stood at $6.10 a gallon as of Nov. 11, according to the American Automobile Association, about 40 cents below its record high. Gas prices at the pump fell below $4 a gallon but still are at a record for this time of year. Phillips 66, one of the largest U.S. oil refiners, said the volume of Russian diesel exports is too small to make a meaningful dent in U.S. prices. CEO Mark Lashier said late last month his company has “no intent to acquire Russian diesel.”

‘Developer in chief’: White House throws weight behind permitting bill - The White House is throwing its weight behind passing a permitting reform bill with Democrats this year, two people briefed on its agenda said, viewing the legislation as a legacy win for President Donald Trump as the “developer in chief.” That support from the White House could be pivotal in the uphill battle to get the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act passed during the lame-duck session of Congress, especially as calls grow from House Democrats to modify the bill or ditch it entirely. The Defense Department agreed Friday to advance nine stalled large wind projects in a bid to show good faith in the negotiations. Two people briefed on the White House’s legislative agenda, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, said that permitting is a top priority for the lame duck. “We’ve been told by the administration … they view this as kind of the capstone of what they plan to do legislatively,” said one of those people, an oil industry official involved with the discussions. “They really view this as a legacy win at this point.” The bill, if signed into law, “allows a lot of the projects and the infrastructure that a developer in chief really wants to get done during his presidency,” the person added. Though Trump has not publicly weighed in on the deal, a White House official said Friday it has his full support. “The president has signed off on the bipartisan deal that was agreed to and will be voted on on Monday,” the official said. “This is a chance for the Democrats to put up or shut up. This is their moment to do what they said they were going to do, and we have held up our end of the deal.” Jarrod Agen, executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council, has regularly promoted the bill on social media. Agen, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other administration officials have also convened meetings with energy industry executives to walk through negotiations, said people familiar with the discussions. Wright, who some energy officials had earlier speculated might head for the exit given his past run-ins in the administration, seems likely to stick around to help shepherd the bill through, said two people familiar with the Energy Department’s internal politics granted anonymity to discuss the department’s internal relations. A DOE spokesperson said in a statement that Wright “considers passing permitting legislation a top priority and remains in close contact with stakeholders from all sides.” “Permitting reform is just one of many priorities the Secretary has for the next two years in office,” the spokesperson said. If anything, the trouncing the GOP suffered in the midterm election earlier this week may have strengthened Trump’s desire to get the bill signed into law in the lame duck, said Tom Pyle, who headed the transition team for the Energy Department in Trump’s first term. A win would show that Trump has the skills to land deals even when the other side is composed of his political opponents, and the White House is also under pressure to pass something soon because Democrats in the next Congress would seek far more protections for clean energy projects, he said. “He would like wins under his belt because he’s going to be spending the next couple of years probably navigating between veto threats and deal cutting,” Pyle said. Another person familiar with conversations between the White House and the Hill framed the permitting battle as a bellwether for the relationship between Trump and Congress moving forward. “Ultimately, it’s a very real choice. Do they want a major bipartisan accomplishment, or do they want to go to war and send press releases?” the person said. “There are a lot of things that the administration has supported that have historically been Democratic priorities. It should not be impossible to put two and two together.”

The 5 factors that will decide permitting reform’s fate - Washington’s best chance in decades for reforming federal energy permitting is entering the congressional gauntlet. Newly empowered Democrats, opposition from key congressional leaders and tribes as well as a short clock could determine whether the agreement reaches the president’s desk this year. The Senate on Monday will hold a procedural vote on a permitting bill negotiated over this past Congress by the Republican and Democratic leaders of the chamber’s energy committees. Supporters say the lame-duck session represents the last, best opportunity to pass legislation to speed up approvals for energy projects. They have little expectation that the next Congress, led by Democrats, will be able to reach an agreement with the Trump administration. “There’s no guarantee Congress would ever find another compromise that would be able to pass the Senate,” Democratic negotiator Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said last week. “It’s a bird in the hand. We’d be fools not to take it.”The bill has drawn broad support from energy and industry groups, business organizations and labor unions. Its passage would mark Congress’ most significant energy policy achievement since the Inflation Reduction Act and a major victory for the lawmakers who negotiated the bipartisan agreement.Its passage would also mark a victory for the White House, which has made permitting a major lame-duck target.The permitting overhaul aims to speed up approval of major energy projects across the country by increasing federal power over interstate electricity transmission lines, shortening deadlines for environmental reviews and imposing limits on when projects can be challenged in court. It also seeks to ensure data centers pays for the energy infrastructure needed to power their massive electricity demand.But some Democrats concerned about the bill’s impact on existing environmental and tribal laws — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — could prove an obstacle. The four main champions of the bill released a package of amendments Saturday designed to bolster support for the legislation.Lobbyists are closely watching Democrats, who remain the biggest wild cards heading into the procedural and final passage votes. Supporters are hoping at least 20 Democrats will back the bill in the Senate, producing a decisive bipartisan vote that could build momentum for the package in the House.Senate Republicans, by contrast, are expected to largely line up behind the bill. House Republicans remain a bigger question mark, with reservations among members of a key committee potentially complicating the legislation’s path through the chamber.Here are the issues that could determine where lawmakers ultimately land on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act.

• Tribal sovereignty. The biggest obstacle for undecided Democrats has been fierce opposition from tribal nations to the bill’s provisions affecting the National Historic Preservation Act.The legislation places new limits on tribal nations’ ability to challenge permitting decisions under the law. The language was a top priority for Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee, but many tribal nations have strongly opposed the changes, putting significant pressure on ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who has long counted them as allies.Negotiators offered a potential olive branch with a manager’s amendment released Saturday that removed a provision defining what types of properties are of cultural importance to tribal groups under the National Historic Preservation Act. The effort to define those properties had angered tribal groups, who seek to make those determinations themselves.A bloc of tribal advocacy groups, called the 106 Strong Coalition, do not consider the changes sufficient. They have consistently called for the entire section to be removed from the bill.“Any amendments to S. 5653 merely puts lipstick on a pig. This bill is rotten from the inside and there is no fixing the rot. Tribal sovereignty continues to be diminished in this bill,” National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro told Native News Online after the manager’s amendment was released.
• Industry vs. environmentalists. Democrats will also have to decide whether to side with the clean energy industry, which has embraced the bill as a way to accelerate the energy transition, or environmental groups that argue the legislation goes too far in rolling back environmental protections.The renewable energy industry has played — and will continue to play — an essential role in convincing Democrats to support the bill. Lawmakers across the party have backed increased wind and solar development, and industry groups argue the legislation would help accelerate that build-out.Already, many House Democrats have strongly backed the bill because of its potential to advance clean energy projects.“Labor is solidly with us, and the renewable industry is solidly with us,” said Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.). “They really see this not just as good, but as a priority.”But following Jeffries’ criticism of the Senate deal, some environmental groups, like the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Federation, came out in forceful opposition to the legislation, citing fundamental concerns about its limits on judicial review and changes to the National Environmental Policy Act. They say they support permitting reform, but want Democrats to wait until next year when they have control of Congress and more “leverage” to get a better deal.
• Energy and Commerce.  If the bill passes the Senate, attention will quickly turn to Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), who has been conspicuously quiet about the package since its release.The Kentucky Republican has officially commented on the bill only once, at a Punchbowl News event in early October, when he said his committee would “absolutely” like to see changes to the grid section of the Senate’s bipartisan permitting legislation.In the previous Congress, bipartisan permitting legislation negotiated by then-Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) failed to advance in the House. Disagreements over transmission policy were a key point of contention between the Senate and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, then led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).It remains unclear whether the changes to the transmission title in the manager’s amendment will be enough to win over Guthrie and other committee Republicans, who have consistently argued that states, not the federal government, should have more control over where transmission lines are built.And it’s not just Republicans whose positions remain unclear. Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) has not commented on the package. He has been a staunch proponent of data center regulation, calling for a federal moratorium on the projects until Congress develops legislation to regulate them.
• Trump and wind.  Democrats will also be closely watching the Trump administration’s actions on renewable energy, as deep distrust lingers between them and a White House that has repeatedly thrown roadblocks in the way of clean energy development.Democratic negotiators have consistently sought assurances outside the permitting deal that the Trump administration will approve wind and solar projects through the normal permitting process.White House officials have released a steady stream of wind projects in recent weeks that had been held up in Defense Department reviews. Some of those approvals involved upgrades to existing wind projects, which Whitehouse called “a start, but we are going to need to see a lot more.”On Friday, however, the Trump administration advanced nine new large wind projects that have been the subject of ongoing litigation. The Democratic negotiators did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the move.Rank-and-file Democrats have said the administration’s actions will be critical in determining their votes. But the favorable moves on onshore wind have not extended to offshore projects, with the Trump administration seeking to reopen a permit for the New England Wind project off Massachusetts.“Offshore wind provides much-needed reliable clean energy — lowering electric bills while creating good-paying jobs. If the Trump administration is serious about permitting reform, they would stop trying to sabotage offshore wind projects, including in Maryland,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said.Some Democrats simply don’t trust Trump. “I cannot support a bill that relies on a handshake promise from the same administration that’s spent the last two years waging a war on new clean energy projects to hold up its end of the bargain, and continues to do so even after negotiating the reform proposal,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement to POLITICO on Friday. “Furthermore, I cannot support a deal that strips Oregonians and tribes of the most important tools they have to hold Trump and his cronies accountable.”
• Congressional inertia. The permitting reform bill could also be sunk by factors in Congress that have little to do with the legislation itself.One major concern among supporters is whether House Republicans who lost their seats in the election will show up to vote. Lawmakers who are leaving Congress may have little incentive to push through legislative wins during the lame-duck session. Some lobbyists refer to departing members as “free-range chickens.” If enough members skip Washington altogether, their absences could complicate the legislative process. Another concern is whether House Speaker Mike Johnson can secure enough support among Republicans to pass a rule setting up a vote. Rule votes have been a problem for Johnson even before the election.

Key Democrats shrug off Trump’s wind comments: ‘We chalk that up to him being 80’ Key Democratic negotiators on Tuesday shrugged off President Trump’s Monday remarks that he would not approve wind projects despite his support for a bipartisan bill that seeks to boost all forms of energy. The bill in question, which aims to ease the path forward for various forms of energy including renewables and fossil fuels, cleared a key procedural hurdle on Monday with significant bipartisan support. Minutes before the Senate started to vote on the matter, Trump said he would not approve more wind turbines. “The bill hasn’t been fully negotiated,” he told reporters. “I will not approve wind turbines because wind turbines are a major loser.” On Tuesday, however, Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) expressed confidence that wind projects would move forward under the administration. “As long as the agencies continue to come through with the representations and promises that they have made — and we will see more of that in the next few days — then on we go, and we chalk that up to him being 80,” Whitehouse told reporters. The senator told The Hill that he expects the administration to abide by the assurances they have provided, though he did not say exactly what those promises were. Heinrich similarly said that “the remarks were simultaneous with the White House actually putting out more wind projects, so I don’t think we can govern based on his off-the-cuff remarks.” “I think we’re making good progress getting wind projects released right now,” he added. Heinrich declined to say what assurances he has gotten from the administration, but called the conversations “constructive.” “My view is that we need to do this for the next president to be able to build things,” he added, saying that under former President Biden, “projects couldn’t get done in four years. You can’t demonstrate success to the American people if it takes two decades to build things.” Asked what assurances it has given the Democrats, the White House directed The Hill to its statement of support for the permitting reform bill, which says in part that it would “allow industry and innovators to build today in confidence that their permits will be good tomorrow” and “mandates that the Government must issue permits swiftly and without bias against fossil fuels or other forms of technology in the future.” Meanwhile, during an event hosted by The Daily Caller, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum was asked about Trump’s wind comments. He pointed to the fact that many provisions in the bill apply equally across different types of energy. “I know there’s a lot of speculation about the negotiations but in some ways the negotiations are over. The bill is the bill,” he said, adding that if it passes, projects would be “treated equally under the new law.”

Trump administration announces new plan to sell public lands -The Trump administration is planning to sell some public lands in the years ahead, it announced this week. The Interior Department “will work to decrease the size of the federal estate by offering to states, localities and Tribes the opportunity to purchase federal lands,” said a new strategic department plan for the years 2026 through 2030. “Through these sales, the Department will be able to focus its resources on primary federal responsibilities and nationally significant federal lands,” it said. The report added that “a portion” of the money from these sales could go back to the purchaser “for conservation purposes elsewhere in the state, locality or Tribal land, leading to improved recreation access for American citizens, while at the same time decreasing the federal taxpayer’s financial responsibility to manage federal lands.” In addition, the plan says the department will “consolidate its workforce.” It did not say what exactly this would entail, and spokespeople for the department did not respond to a question from The Hill about whether this would mean layoffs. The department also did not respond to questions about the land sales. However, Kate Groetzinger, communications director at the Center for Western Priorities, expressed concern that while the plan calls for selling lands to states and localities, lands could be resold to private companies. “There’s nothing stopping a state or a local government or a tribe from turning around and selling land to a private developer,” Groetzinger said. “Public lands are part of the culture and the lifestyle out west, and a lot of the lands that developers might be interested in would be land that’s near communities, and that’s the lands that people use to recreate on most often,” she added.  Senate Republicans last year attempted to include public land sales in President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, but later removed the provision amid significant bipartisan pushback.Meanwhile, the call to consolidate the workforce comes as The Washington Post reported this week that the administration was considering a “realignment” of the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.This includes “pending duty station changes,” meaning there could be changes in where staffers work, according to The Post.A recent Fish and Wildlife Service report also recommends reducing headquarters and regional office staffing in order to “reallocate” positions to wildlife refuge operations.

Democrats cry foul after Republicans fast-track partisan veterans bill: ‘Dirty tricks’ - House Democrats are crying foul Wednesday after Republicans used a fast-track tactic to pass partisan legislation designed to increase pay for disabled and injured veterans. Democrats opposed the GOP’s Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA), saying it would expand some veterans’ benefits by slashing others. In her daily whip notice, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) urged House Democrats to vote no. Yet when Rep. Addison McDowell (N.C.), the Republican lawmaker presiding over the House chamber Wednesday afternoon, brought the bill up for consideration, no one on the Democratic side demanded a recorded vote — a curious silence given that Democrats were whipping against the bill. That allowed McDowell to declare the bill passed instantly, by voice vote. Furious Democrats accused Republicans of playing “dirty pool.” They said Republicans pulled Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, away from the podium, where he was leading the Democratic side of the debate, in order to discuss changes to the bill. It was during that parley — while Takano was away from his microphone — that McDowell fast-tracked the proposal, they said. “After publicly announcing a recorded vote on the TCAVA legislation, House Republicans asked if RM Takano and Democrats would agree to last minute engrossment corrections,” a Democratic leadership aide said. “While members and staff were evaluating these changes away from the podium, House Republicans called the vote up and passed it by voice within seconds — depriving Democrats of the ability to even evaluate the proposed changes and ask for a recorded vote so Members could vote against the biggest cut to veterans benefits in US history,” the aide added. “On Veterans Day of all days, using dirty tricks to steal from Veterans is a disgrace.” A GOP aide said Democrats botched normal procedure and did not have a member ready at the mic to call for a recorded vote, thus leading the bill to be adopted by a voice vote. The aide noted that engrossment corrections are taken up after a bill has passed. The TCAVA package revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus, expands eligibility for a memorial headstone or marker for the spouse, establishes a standardized screening process for routing admission to some mental healthcare programs and addresses VA personnel, hiring and infrastructure matters. Republicans quickly applauded the bill’s passage. “This historic package of veterans legislation delivers long overdue reforms to strengthen veterans’ healthcare, expand benefits, and cut through VA bureaucracy,” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Mike Bost (R-Ill.), who sponsored the bill, wrote on the social platform X. “Our veterans kept their promise to America, and this Veterans Day, we’re delivering for them,” Bost added. The massive package of bills, which has divided veterans groups, was stalled in the House for months. In July, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pulled the bill from the House floor after GOP leadership realized the massive measure did not have enough Republican support to advance.

Trump administration disburses $10 billion in rural healthcare funds - The Trump administration announced Monday that it is going to roll out $10 billion to 50 states in its second installment of the $50 billion rural healthcare fund which was created as part of the administration’s One Big Beautiful Act last year. “President Trump made a historic investment in rural America, and HHS is putting those resources to work in every state,” said Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr in a press release on Monday. “This next $10 billion will expand access to care, strengthen the rural health workforce, improve prevention, and help states build solutions that fit the needs of their own communities. We are giving rural America the resources and flexibility to build stronger health systems that deliver better care and better outcomes,” he continued. With the second year of funding, the administration will left with $30 billion in funds which are expected to be rolled out to states on a yearly basis until 2030. The funds are meant to improve healthcare access, quality and outcomes in rural communities across the nation, according to a fact sheet from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). All participating states receive a baseline funding of $100 million each year which makes up about half of the annual funding of the Rural Health Transformation Program, while the other half is allocated based on factors such as the state’s rural population, initiatives in the state’s rural health transformation plan and policy actions, according to the fact sheet. “Rural Americans have life expectancies three years shorter than their urban peers, but President Trump’s Rural Health Transformation Program is funding the historic investments necessary to close that gap,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in the release. “States have already put these resources to work bringing better care closer to home for their rural communities, and CMS looks forward to helping them build on that progress in the coming year,” Oz added. Some states will receive a higher amount of funds as compared to others in the second installment with Texas and Alaska being at the top of the chart with over $280 million and $270 million in allocated funds, according to the release. The five-year-funding of $50 billion is less than the estimated cuts of federal Medicaid spending in rural areas which adds up to $137 billion over a course of ten years, according to an analysis by independent health policy research organization KFF. This announcement comes after the Democrats won a stunning victory in the midterm elections, taking control of both the House and the Senate. Democratic candidates made healthcare affordability a central focus in their campaigns leading up to the election. Recent polling conducted before the midterms showed over half the respondents backed Democrats’ performance over Republicans in terms of healthcare.

Trump administration delays Medicaid work requirements by six months -The federal government on Friday announced a six-month delay in enforcing a Medicaid work requirement — a central provision in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that experts said would lead millions of Americans to lose health coverage.The requirement still technically starts on Jan. 1, but under new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, states that choose not to enforce it won’t be held accountable until at least July 1.The move is a striking turn for an administration that has spent months defending the policy against criticism from state officials and healthcare advocates who warned that the rollout was moving too quickly and that people who should be eligible for Medicaid would lose coverage because of the additional red tape and paperwork.CMS called the six-month window a “hold harmless” period, and the delay is optional. States that choose to take advantage of this period will still start checking on Jan. 1 whether Medicaid enrollees are working, volunteering or in school or whether they qualify for an exemption. But until July, no one in those states will lose coverage for failing to meet the requirements.“States have made real progress, and they’ve been clear with us about what it takes to get this right for beneficiaries — at scale and for the long term,” said Dan Brillman, who oversees Medicaid at CMS. Some states have already moved forward with implementing the work requirements. In Nebraska, which launched the work requirements May 1, over 1,000 people have lost coverage or been denied benefits because of the new rules, according to state figures through August. The Medicaid work requirement was a cornerstone of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” a massive tax and spending package that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy through tax breaks while slashing the social safety net for vulnerable Americans. Millions of Americans are expected to lose health coverage and food assistance as a result of the law, the signature domestic legislation of Trump’s second term.The law requires many able-bodied adults under the age of 65 to prove they work, volunteer or attend school at least 80 hours a month to keep Medicaid, which provides health coverage for low-income and disabled Americans. The Trump administration argues the requirement and other provisions in the law encourage work, reduce waste and protect government benefit programs for those who need them.The Congressional Budget Office estimated the work requirements alone would leave 5.3 million more people uninsured by 2034 and would save the federal government $317 billion, part of nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts in the law.Pressure on the administration to delay the requirement had been building for months. Five Democratic governors last month asked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to postpone the implementation, saying that state agencies weren’t ready. And a federal judge last month blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a portion of the requirement related to medically frail people, saying it could lead some to wrongly lose coverage.The delay comes a little more than a week after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress on a promise to reverse the GOP’s cuts to healthcare and food assistance.“Millions of people’s health care is at risk because of the Republican reconciliation law’s work requirement, as states scramble to implement on a rushed timeline & respond to shifting federal requirements,” Sarah Lueck, vice president for health policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said in a post on X. “Today’s news lets states delay the harm.”

New USDA proposal will cut SNAP benefits for 3.2 million households - A new proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would kick millions of people from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by tightening eligibility requirements. The proposal moves to raise the threshold families must meet to qualify for the government assistance program in order to “preserve benefits for the truly needy.” According to the proposal, it would end “broad-based categorical eligibility” for SNAP, which allowed for families to qualify for the program if they qualified for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) without needing to show proof they met federal income thresholds. Generally, TANF eligibility is 130 to 200 percent higher than the federal poverty level, while SNAP qualification is 130 percent. The USDA estimated that approximately 17.6 percent of SNAP participants would lose their benefits – representing 3.2 million households or 6.3 million individuals – in the proposed rule’s first year in effect. SNAP has historically provided low-income people and families with financial assistance to pay for groceries. Outgoing Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement that the proposed rule was “heartless and cruel.” “The proposed rule would make it harder to meet basic needs and roll back efforts to streamline federal programs,” Craig continued. Her statement noted that the consequences of cutting SNAP eligibility would affect qualification for other government assistance programs – including Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and Summer EBT. Public comments on the rule are open until Dec. 10. The Trump administration has previously pushed for cuts to SNAP through its “One Big Beautiful Bill” last year. The bill cut $180 billion from SNAP and added work requirements to be eligible for the program. It also warned states to reduce error rates within the program to 6 percent or less by fiscal year 2028. The provision affected 41 states that are at risk of having parts of their SNAP funding cut, according to the latest USDA error rate data. SNAP enrollment dropped more than expected over the past year as well as provisions in the bill started to take effect. Enrollment in the food aid program dropped by about 13 percent in one year.

Trump’s proposed revamp would stretch DC golf course more than 8,000 yards - President Trump’s proposed renovation to East Potomac Golf Links, D.C.’s most popular public course, would stretch the property to longer than 8,000 yards, making it one of the longest golf courses in the country if constructed. The par 72, 18-hole championship style course designed by architect Tom Fazio would play 8,105 yards from the back tees and notably more than 6,000 yards from the most forward set of tee boxes. The back tee layout would include a par 3 stretching nearly 300 yards and several others stretching more than 240 yards. The shortest hole from the front tees, the par 17th hole, would play almost 150 yards, a lengthy distance for beginners and senior golfers. The revamped course, as is being proposed by the Trump administration, would stretch several hundred yards longer than the longest courses on the PGA Tour. Trump has said his vision is for the facility to one day be capable of hosting professional tournaments and eventually international competition like the Ryder Cup. A group of local conservationists and D.C. golfers are suing to stop the president’s plans, which would lead to the closure of East Potomac Golf Links, currently one of the most affordable rounds in the DMV. The president’s plans would also lead to the elimination of miles of walking, running and biking paths that line the Haines Point property, as well as surrounding picnic areas that are visited by thousands of tourists each week. Court hearings over East Potomac’s future have grown contentious in recent weeks, with U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes admonishing Department of Justice lawyers for what she says was an effort to mislead her and the public about the administration’s plans for the property. After it removed hundreds of trees from the course last month, Reyes issued an order halting further work at East Potomac while the case is being litigated. Trump says the course will close on Nov. 15 so work there can begin.

Jim Justice says GOP can 'forget' retaking Senate majority in 2028 - Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) says his party can “forget” about retaking the Senate majority in 2028 just a week after brutal losses for Republicans on deep-red turf.“You can forget 2028. Absolutely,” Justice told the Washington Examiner. “This is such a colossal blow that it is beyond belief how colossal this is to America.”Democrats flipped seven seats in the upper chamber, with two more races — Alaska and Mississippi — outstanding.The party picked up Senate seats in North Carolina, Maine, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Iowa and Kansas and are leading in Alaska and Mississippi — a possible nine-seat gain that would put Democrats at 56 Senate seats, the most a party has won in an election since 2008.The big gain may make it easier to govern, but it also dramatically increases the likelihood of a Democratic Senate majority beyond 2028.Even if Democrats lose Alaska and Mississippi, Republicans would need to flip five seats to win back the Senate in 2028, or four if they hold the presidency. The clearest opportunities to do so are Georgia, where Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) is up for reelection, Arizona, where Sen. Mark Kelly (D) is up, Pennsylvania with Sen. John Fetterman’s (D) seat and Nevada with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. So if they win the presidency, those four could be enough. If they lose the presidency, it is not immediately clear where Republicans could have a chance to pick up enough seats, and if they lose the outstanding races in Alaska and Mississippi, their odds look even tougher.Democrats, meanwhile, may even have a path to the coveted 60 seats in the Senate, a filibuster-proof majority, a feat not achieved since 2010.The clearest targets for them include Wisconsin with Sen. Ron Johnson (R) and North Carolina with Sen. Ted Budd (R). But Democrats pulled off major victories in places like Kansas, Iowa and South Carolina this year, all three of which have seats up in 2028.

Trump casts doubt on election results after saying he was absolutely willing to accept them  - Days after saying he was “absolutely willing” to accept the massive Republican losses in the midterm elections, President Donald Trump suggested Monday on social media the Democratic victories weren’t “honest.”“Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting ‘dumps’ were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote,” he wrote on Truth Social, implying there was something nefarious about elections carried out under different processes in different states.“It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!” the post concluded, without elaborating. Election officials nationwide have reported that voting this year was largely routine.Asked about the post, a White House official noted that Trump had told reporters ahead of last week’s elections that he would respect the results “if they’re honest elections.”In the lead up to the election, the Justice Department sent a number of legal letters raising the specter of noncitizen voting and fraud in a number of Democratic-led states that a judge found was an attempt to intimidate election officials.And Trump has a history of denying election results. His previous false claims include that the 2016 Iowa Caucus was rigged against him when he lost to Sen. Ted Cruz, that he won the national popular vote in 2016 despite losing it by almost 3 million vote,s and that he won the 2020 election despite losing it by 7 million votes.Yet by the time election night arrived last week and the scale of Democrats’ victory became clear, Trump suggested he would accept the midterm results — while noting that he was not on the ballot.“I’m absolutely willing to accept those results,” Trump told the New York Times in an interview Tuesday night.“I’m going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!” he wrote in a Truth Social post that night.“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” he wrote in another.In an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday, Trump ran through a number of reasons why Republicans lost, including that his deportation policies “might be too tough” and that voters “didn’t like the war. They didn’t like that gasoline was up.”“In some cases they didn’t like the candidates, and that’s their prerogative,” Trump said in the interview, which was taped Friday. “I was not on the ballot, but I campaigned hard for some people, and I think if I was on the ballot, it would have been a much different situation, because you saw the level of popularity and love.”His stance seemed to start to shift on Saturday, after he replaced longtime chief of staff Susie Wiles with MAGA favorite Stephen Miller.That was the day Trump reposted a user on Truth Social who questioned how so many states could have had their votes swing by 15% in the midterm elections.“A pattern this even demands answers at the ballot level: paper ballot hand counts, poll-book check-ins against votes counted, and voter files showing who actually turned out,” the post said.Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, told NBC News that Trump’s claims about the election are “completely false.”“The systems worked,” and “the election was a massive rebuke of his leadership,” Aguilar said in a phone interview.“He’s upset because he lost and people are holding him accountable,” he added. One person who quickly raised questions online about the integrity of the election after Democrats made larger than anticipated gains in the House, Senate and various state legislatures, was MyPillow founded Mike Lindell, a Trump ally who’s made numerous debunked claims about the 2020 election.Lindell was hit with a $2 million defamation judgment related to those claims last year.While Lindell had previously made unfounded allegations about foreign interference, the allegations this time around are focused on “matching algorithmic patterns.”Trump now appears to be focused on the numbers as well, but it’s unclear which polls he was referring to when he wrote, “How could the Polls be so wrong???”The polls this election cycle underestimated the size of Democrats’ winning margin, although they “captured the direction of this year’s election,” the Pew Research Center said in a preliminary analysis posted Friday.Trump had previously said the “actual” polls showed Republicans winning, and dismissed polling that showed Democrats would take control of the House and might take control of the Senate as “fake.” Democrats would up over-performing in even those polls.

Bernie Sanders, Elissa Slotkin won't back Schumer as Senate Democratic leader - Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said they would not back Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as leader of the incoming Democratic majority in the Senate, underscoring tensions in the caucus over who should lead the party after its stunning midterm victories. Progressive and centrist Senate Democrats have come out in opposition to Schumer, who has been defended after his party won seven seats, including in Texas, South Carolina and Kansas, in the midterms. That number could grow, too, with Democratic candidates ahead in Alaska and Mississippi. Sanders, a former presidential candidate and leader of progressives in the Senate, said Schumer had not been doing enough to end income and wealth inequality in explaining his opposition. “I don’t want to get into specific proposals, but I think the time and the moment when you have more income and wealth inequality than we’ve ever had in the history of this country, when our younger generation will have a lower standard of living than their parents, the time is now to deal with the need to create an economy that works for all, not just the people on top,” Sanders said in response to a question about Schumer. “Do I think Chuck has been leading in that direction? No,” he said. Slotkin, at the same press conference, said she was “seeking change.” She is calling for any leader to put out a plan for what they would do in the first 100 days and beyond on issues like artificial intelligence. She called for her colleagues to withhold quorum on a leadership vote, even if there is only one candidate, until the candidate presents such a plan. “We need leadership that’s going to govern for the entirety of the caucus, for folks from blue states, purple states and red states,” said Slotkin, who is seen by some as a possible presidential candidate in 2028. Sanders said he and Slotkin had just come from a meeting with Schumer where the current minority leader articulated some ideas for such plans, but Sanders said they did not go far enough. Both Sanders and Slotkin said they hoped for a competitive leader election. The announcement comes as Senate Democrats are considering whether to reappoint Schumer or back a challenger.  Schumer has maintained that he is confident he will win, as have other Democrats, but progressive groups and some incoming first-term senators have called for new leadership. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is seen as one potential challenger, and he has flip-flopped on a run in recent days. He said Monday night he is “in listening mode” on whether to run after hearing from many people who want him to do so.  Slotkin said she and Van Hollen had “a really productive conversation” on Monday but declined to directly endorse him, repeating that she wants a concrete governing plan from any potential candidate. She criticized the caucus for not having expressed more of a plan for how to govern and what to do in the two years since she entered the Senate. “I acknowledge that I had conversations with Sen. Van Hollen yesterday because I have a point of view,” Slotkin said. “I’ve sat in that room and tried to figure out what our plan was for two years, and I think maybe it’s because I come from a national security background, you can’t lead people if you can’t lay out where you’re going, and it may be one thing when you’re in the minority, but it’s very different when it’s now your responsibility to deliver.” Lukewarm sentiment on Schumer has also been voiced by some of the incoming crop of Senate Democrats.   Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) said again earlier this week he would back Van Hollen over Schumer.  Sen.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.) said Friday that she wants “generational change” in Senate leadership, after pledging during the campaign not to support Schumer. Sens.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-Kan.) and Troy Jackson (D-Maine) have said the same.   Other prominent voices in the party have declined to give Schumer their support, including fellow New Yorker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), who said Tuesday that Schumer’s future is up to the Senate but reiterated that the calls for new leadership “are a sentiment that is seen in a lot of places.”   Ocasio-Cortez does not have a say in Schumer’s election as leader but does represent a younger and more progressive wing of the party, with many progressives calling for her to challenge Schumer for his Senate seat in 2028.  But despite the mounting calls for someone different, no candidate has stepped forward to challenge Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats for nearly a decade. Schumer is seen as being somewhat responsible for Democrats’ sweeping victory thanks to his recruitment of and support for winning candidates.  Schumer is seen as being somewhat responsible for Democrats’ sweeping victory thanks to his recruitment of and support for winning candidates. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), who chaired Senate Democrats’ campaign arm and is running to do so again next cycle, defended Schumer in a separate press conference Tuesday. “We spent a year and a half talking about costs, corruption and chaos. That was all Leader Schumer’s decision-making and effort to keep our caucus united,” Gillibrand said, also mentioning Schumer’s fundraising and recruitment activities. “No one has put in the time and effort that anyone has put into this cycle that he did,” Gillibrand said. “That is why, you will see, despite all the grumbling, enormous gratitude for the hard work he has done to get us to this position,” she added, pounding the podium for emphasis. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) at the same conference said that while he’s had his differences with Schumer, he still supports the New Yorker’s leadership. “It’s time for us to unify, we are going to work together as a caucus and put a plan together about how to move forward for what the country wants us to do, and I think, you know, we have the person who’s going to lead us there,” Gallego said.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn't back Chuck Schumer in Senate leadership vote -Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) declined to back Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as he prepares to seek his caucus’s support to become majority leader beginning in January.Asked by reporters outside the Capitol if she would back her home state’s senator for the top spot in the upper chamber given calls for new leadership in the party, Ocasio-Cortez said that would be up to members of the Senate.“I think that this is a sentiment that is seen in a lot of places,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “So how the Senate navigates that, that’s up to their decision.”Schumer, who will turn 76 later this month, has faced skepticism and calls to step down from some younger members of his party. Multiple incoming Senate Democrats — Sens.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-Kan.), Annie Andrews (D-S.C.), Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) and Troy Jackson (D-Maine) — have said they will not back Schumer for majority leader.Still, the leader said he had secured enough support to become Senate leader, something he needs a majority of his caucus to do. After Democrats’ massive victories in the midterms, the party’s now-sizable majority in the upper chamber allows him to win a vote even if some Senate Democrats do not back him.  If Schumer runs for reelection in 2028, he would be 84 at the end of his next term. Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a potential challenger to Schumer in the Democratic primary but pivoted when asked if she would take him on, saying Americans do not want to hear about another election.  “The last thing that people want to hear from me or any other politician here is about the next election,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “They want to know about the investigations we’re going to be starting, what is the legislation that we’re going to be starting … what we’re going to do with the power that they just gave us.”If she does not challenge Schumer, the progressive Democrat is also seen as a possible presidential candidate in 2028. A political action committee run by progressive activists, called “Ready for AOC,” recently launched in an attempt to draw her into the race.

Van Hollen Calls Out Schumer for Siding With AIPAC and Crypto     Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen is plotting out his position against Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. “I am listening to all the people from around the country that were calling for big change,” Van Hollen said at the Popular Mandate national conference Tuesday, according to Semafor reporter David Weigel. “I am in the process right now of calling my colleagues.”“We just saw democracy in America in action. We should bring a little more democracy to the United States Senate,” Van Hollen continued. “We have two newly-elected senators who would not be there if Schumer and the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] had their way.”Van Hollen then drew a line in the sand, arguing that Schumer and the DSCC had “sided with the crypto industry” and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known by the acronym AIPAC.A wave of Democratic voices have been opposing Schumer’s leadership and establishment politics since the party won the majority in Congress in last week’s elections. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has emerged as a potential alternative, indicating a rising interest in progressive leadership. His office has received an “outpouring of calls and is now in active listening mode,” one source told Politico’s Playbook.Van Hollen’s national profile rose last year when he traveled out of the country to visit his constituent Kilmar Ábrego García after García was illegally deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s notoriously lethal maximum security prison, CECOT.Whether or not Van Hollen will officially commit himself against Schumer remains to be seen, though the Marylander has already started to draft an opposition platform that could put pressure on Schumer’s politics. On Tuesday, Van Hollen declared that the U.S. cannot spend “a penny more” on the Iran war, daring Donald Trump to either stop funding the war or face the possibility of a government shutdown.So far, at least 10 major senators or senators-elect have either peeled away from Schumer outright or indicated interest in a different Senate majority leader. Another 14 have not yet committed as to whether they will support Schumer, according to an analysis published Monday by Primary Democrats. Altogether, that’s 24 Democrats—or nearly half of the at least 54 Democratic seats that will dominate the upper chamber come January. But Schumer remains undeterred by the mounting opposition. “I’m confident I will be elected majority leader,” Schumer said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “Our caucus is really united in focusing on bringing down costs, on ending the corruption, on ending the chaos, on ending the war. We have great unity in our caucus and I’ll be proud to lead as majority leader.”

Chris Van Hollen emerges as potential challenger to Chuck Schumer leadership - Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is putting Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on alert as he considers a possible bid for the top role in the upper chamber. The second-term senator hasn’t said that he will run to become the majority leader in the next session of Congress, but his moves and comments have senators wondering if he’ll take a shot at the job. Van Hollen was once seen as a future Speaker of the House when he represented Maryland in the lower chamber. His decision to leave the House and run for the Senate was then seen as a sign of the difficulty in moving up the Democratic House ranks during the era of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). More recently, Van Hollen has openly discussed running for the White House in 2028. He’d be an underdog candidate in such a race, but it would give him more national prominence and could turn him into a Cabinet member if a Democrat were to win the Oval Office. Whether Van Hollen challenges Schumer could be a matter of whether he thinks he’d have the votes to win a backroom vote among Democratic senators. On Monday, Van Hollen told reporters Monday that he’s in “listening mode” on vying for the job. “What I’ve said from the very beginning is, we shouldn’t have a coronation. We should have a caucus discussion about what we’re going to do with the power and responsibilities that have been invested in us,” he said. Comments he offered the following day were a bit sharper, as they targeted Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the campaign arm of Senate Democrats. The remarks specifically highlighted how some Democratic senators-elect, notably Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, won office despite the fact that Schumer and the DSCC supported other candidates in Democratic primaries. “We have two newly elected senators who would not be there if Schumer and the DSCC had their way. Schumer and the DSCC sided with the crypto industry and AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee],” Van Hollen told MS NOW’s Ali Vitali. Schumer has been a bit of a punching bag for the Democratic base, and particularly progressives, for years. On the cold open of the post-midterm election “Saturday Night Live,” Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) were parodied in a skit that suggested it would be better if both men stepped down from their positions. But the reality is that Schumer likely has the support to win any contest on the leadership position within the Senate Democratic Caucus. He also had a strong midterm season, as Democrats have now gained eight seats in the Senate with the victory on Wednesday by Scott Colom in Mississippi. They are favored to win a ninth seat in Alaska, where Democrat Mary Peltola has a narrow edge on GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan. But the unpopularity of Schumer with the base makes it not only easy for progressives to take shots at Schumer. It’s also an attractive thing to do.  El-Sayed told CNN last week that Van Hollen would be an “amazing” leader. El-Sayed has been singing Van Hollen’s praises for months, introducing him as the “next Senate majority leader” at a campaign rally in July.  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) declared his support for Van Hollen, if he runs, in an interview with Jon Stewart on Tuesday, arguing that the Democratic Party needs “new leadership” to advance the party in a “much more vigorous way” to protect working families.  “We cannot have leadership in the Democratic Party who are going to do the same old, same old,” Sanders said. Progressives aren’t the only ones who at least are interested in looking elsewhere from Schumer, who has led Democrats in the chamber since taking over for Harry Reid in 2017. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a more moderate member, appeared at a press conference with Sanders on Tuesday in which both said they hoped for a competitive leader election. Slotkin said she had a “really productive conversation” with Van Hollen but declined to endorse him, saying she wants a concrete plan for governing from any candidate. Democratic Sens.-elect Adam Hamilton (Kan.) and James Talarico (Texas) have also withheld their support for Schumer, leaning into the push for generational change within the party. Van Hollen has received more attention, particularly over the past year, during the second Trump administration. 

The new darling of the Democratic left is … Chris Van Hollen? - Progressive lawmakers and activists are hoping to harness momentum from last week’s sweeping Democratic victories to install inspiring new congressional leaders. Many have looked at the Senate and found their guy: a 67-year-old father of three from an affluent Washington suburb who has held public office continuously since 1991. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has emerged as the alternative of choice for a swath of Democrats who believe Chuck Schumer, the longtime Senate Democratic leader, should step aside despite presiding over massive midterm gains. It’s the culmination of a remarkable resurgence for Van Hollen, who spent years inching up the Democratic leadership ladder in the House only to ditch his seniority there for the back benches of the Senate in 2017. Over the past two years, he has emerged as an increasingly strident critic of the Democratic party establishment and its approach to President Donald Trump, as well as its positions on populist economic policies and the U.S. relationship with Israel — and members of the party’s left flank have noticed. A wave of House Democrats, outside activists and even at least one newly elected senator are effectively trying to draft him into what could be an uphill race to unseat the 75-year-old Schumer as majority leader. “I have been very impressed by Senator Van Hollen’s leadership,” said Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, who beat a more centrist Democrat in her state’s primary and has said she will not back Schumer. Van Hollen has wavered on whether he is pursuing a role in Senate leadership or perhaps instead a 2028 run for the presidency. He said Tuesday he is “actively listening” as he keeps the door open to a majority leader bid ahead of the early December caucus elections. “I’m trying to talk to our members, and I think it’s important to reach out to everybody,” he said in the Capitol halls. Flanagan said she had not had “formal conversations” with Van Hollen, but another younger Democrat — Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan — met with him this week as she called for a leadership shakeup.  Outside the building, at a gathering of progressive groups charting an agenda for the coming Democratic majorities, Van Hollen was sharply critical of the existing Senate Democratic power structure — and Schumer in particular.“We just saw democracy in America in action — we should bring a little more democracy to the United States Senate,” he said, before later accusing Schumer and the Senate Democratic campaign arm of having “sided with the crypto industry and AIPAC” to oppose more progressive candidates in this year’s primaries.That outspokenness has gotten Van Hollen noticed on the left — and it has been especially striking coming from a son of prominent U.S. diplomats who spent decades dutifully rising through the Democratic Party establishment and chaired both the House and Senate campaign committees.“Van Hollen represents a bridge between the old guard — people who’ve been in office for a long time with a more moderate orientation — and the new generation that is coming into office,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution. His rhetoric and actions have evolved dramatically, however, since Trump returned to office in 2025. The administration’s spending cuts decimated Van Hollen’s constituency — particularly in his political base of Montgomery County — and his posts on the Appropriations and Foreign Relations committees gave him a front-row seat to Trump’s elimination of USAID. Meanwhile, he became an outspoken critic of the White House’s mass deportation agenda and was the first U.S. lawmaker to visit the El Salvador prison where the administration was sending scores of deportees — including a Maryland man, Kilmar Ábrego García, who had been mistakenly deported in contravention of a court order. Van Hollen has also become increasingly critical of the U.S. posture toward Israel, joining early Democratic pushes to restrict arms sales to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as its war on Gaza after the 2023 Hamas attacks grew increasingly brutal.“He’s been correct,” said Jeff Cohen, founder of RootsAction, a group pushing its members to back Van Hollen over Schumer. “He’s been with the base of the party on most issues: redefining the U.S.-Israel relationship is one. Taxing the wealthy is another, standing up to AI — all of these issues that Schumer is wrong on.”

Thomas Massie discharge petition will force vote second Epstein Files Transparency Act Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) announced he received enough signatures from lawmakers to force a vote on his discharge petition related to files of disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. “This morning we reached the required 218 signatures on my discharge petition for Epstein Files Transparency Act II,” Massie wrote on social media. Democrats Adam Smith (Wash.) and John Garamendi (Calif.) were the final signatories, bringing it to 218. The lawmaker said he was working closely with Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to “get this to the floor for a vote soon.” Khanna — the original co-sponsor of the first Epstein files legislation — said earlier in September the new “Epstein 2.0 Act” would “allow state attorney generals to prosecute the pedophiles who abused and trafficked young girls.”  Massie similarly stated last week that this new act was intended to help survivors get “their own records” and enable state attorneys general to prosecute crimes related to the Epstein files. He added that the new legislation would also allow the Justice Department (DOJ) to be taken “to court for keeping critical files hidden.”The initial Epstein Files Transparency Act forced the DOJ to release millions of files related to Epstein that implicated notable public figures.But survivors and other backers called for greater transparency and additional prosecutions for Epstein’s co-conspirators.Survivors also warned of the need for further redactions in the remaining files as the initial files, released by former Attorney General Pam Bondi, revealed the identities of some previously unknown victims. Released files also contained redactions of potential co-conspirators, which drew the ire of House Democrats.Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the Oversight Committee, slammed the Justice Department on Tuesday for continuing “to illegally withhold over 2.5 million pages of documents.”   Garcia has pledged to hold public hearings for “uplifting survivors and asking tough questions of the powerful men who associated with Epstein, including Donald Trump.” He added that “our work is just getting started.” The issue previously divided the GOP and created a rift between Massie’s bloc and President Trump, who protested its release for months. Massie is racing the clock since he lost reelection in the lower chamber in the GOP primaries earlier this year to Trump-backed Rep.-elect Ed Gallerein (R-Ky.). He has aimed to complete much of his agenda in the House’s lame-duck session — including a failed bid to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Banks with ties to Jeffrey Epstein face congressional probes from Democrats Inside Democrats’ plan to put Wall Street on trial over Jeffrey Epstein -   Democrats on Capitol Hill are vowing to probe major banks with ties to deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once their new congressional majorities become official in January.Those investigations, Democrats say, will provide insight into whether executives at financial institutions, such as JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America, were aware of or even facilitated Epstein’s crimes. “I feel very strongly about this, because we’ve got three Wall Street banks who, if they had done nothing … except follow the law for years on end, we could have stopped Epstein cold,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told reporters Monday. Wyden, who is in line to chair the Senate Finance Committee come January, added he will “use all the tools” at his disposal to probe the banks, including by subpoenaing top executives. “I don’t know for sure who should be held accountable, who was responsible for what, but we’re going to look into all of it,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) told The Hill on Tuesday. Federal investigators, lawmakers and victims of Epstein have long scrutinized the role major banks played in the crimes of the disgraced financier, who died in 2019. Democrats also criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the files related to Epstein dating back to last summer, with the party’s sweeping midterm victories ushering in a new era of oversight on Capitol Hill.  “There has to be a complete investigation of that entire [situation],” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) told The Hill on Tuesday. In August, Wyden released a report accusing Bank of America, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase of violating federal anti-money laundering laws by “failing to screen and report Epstein’s suspicious financial transactions in a timely manner.”  Bank of America “likely violated” federal anti-money laundering laws by “failing to properly screen and report” $170 million in payments that Epstein received from investor Leon Black, the report alleged. Deutsche Bank, meanwhile, allegedly ignored “massive withdrawals of cash for questionable purposes” from Epstein’s accounts.JPMorgan Chase also “likely” violated federal law by “underreporting” Epstein’s suspicious financial activity to the Treasury Department, while its executives “had knowledge of” the presence of young women or underage girls at Epstein’s homes, per the report.The GOP-led House Oversight Committee’s report on the government’s handling of the Epstein case, which the panel released Tuesday, said JPMorgan Chase flagged most of the suspicious transactions involving the financier only after federal authorities arrested him in 2019. “Upholding a network of prominence to cover a vast array of criminal sexual activity took more than a few individuals to achieve,” the report stated, noting JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank kept Epstein as a client after his 2008 conviction on soliciting a minor for prostitution. A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase, along with a spokesperson for Bank of America, did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment. A spokesperson for Deutsche Bank declined to comment. In recent years, the three banks have agreed to pay Epstein’s victims a combined $437.5 million via settled lawsuits. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the incoming chair of the House Oversight panel, has vowed to conduct his own investigation into the Epstein case once he takes the gavel. “It is shameful that those currently in charge have not held one hearing on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation in the U.S. House, not one public hearing,” Garcia told reporters last week, the day after Democrats clinched control of the Senate and House. The California Democrat, along with Democrats from both chambers and GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.), also introduced legislation last month that proposes requiring federal financial regulators to publicly disclose supervisory records related to Epstein and his associates. The bill, titled the “Epstein Wall Street Records Act,” would additionally require regulators, including the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission, to investigate banks and executives linked to the deceased sex offender. Democrats, including members of the incoming freshman class, argue that probing banks linked to Epstein is a tenet of their quest to restore Americans’ trust in government. “There’s a lot of interest in making the connection between the forms of corruption that people can make with their eyes … whether that’s the trafficking in the Epstein files or … all the Trumpian corruption,” Rep.-elect Brad Lander (D-N.Y.) told The Hill on Monday. Lander, who said the House Financial Services Committee should look into banks’ links to Epstein, said those who “knowingly financed trafficking” should face congressional inquiries.  “There’s just a lot of people who are still wondering, ‘What the hell went down? What’s going on with the millions of files that still haven’t been released?’ So, I think we need an entire review of that,” Rep.-elect Dan Koh (D-Mass.) said Monday. As for whether that should feature bank executives testifying to Congress, Koh replied, “Whatever it takes.”

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid spy scandal : NPR -Jensen Huang, CEO of the chipmaking juggernaut Nvidia, is stepping down, the company's board announced Thursday.The decision comes days after the company took the extraordinary step of launching an investigation following news reports alleging that Huang had had an extramarital affair with one of the company's clients, who U.S. intelligence officials concluded had been recruited by China's top spy agency, according to the New York Times. NPR has not independently confirmed those reports.  In an email to Nvidia staff on Sunday, Huang admitted to cheating on his wife, and said he would cooperate with the investigation.The company's share price dropped sharply on Wednesday, after the New York Times reported that Huang had had a second affair, this one with an Nvidia executive who reported to him.  Huang was widely seen as one of the most important business leaders in the United States. Nvidia dominates the market for the chips used to train and run artificial intelligence. Huang also had President Trump's ear on AI policy, with Trump even calling Huang's phone in September while Huang was onstage during a conference.The scandal that brought down Huang snowballed quickly over the past two weeks. The New York Times reported in late October that Huang had a close relationship with a Chinese woman at a Singapore-based company that was buying Nvidia chips. Citing unidentified sources, it said U.S. intelligence officials believed she had been recruited by the Chinese government to spy on him and possibly try to influence policy. NPR has not independently confirmed this reporting.A drip-drip of scoops followed — from the Times and other outlets — suggesting that the relationship was romantic, that senior Trump administration officials knew about the allegations some time ago, and that Huang had had a second affair.China's foreign ministry has said the allegations of spying are baseless and part of a smear campaign against China.Huang's departure launches Nvidia into uncharted territory.Huang's relationship with the alleged Chinese agent and what the Trump administration knew about it will likely be the subject of an investigation when Democrats take control of Congress in January. "We should all be extremely concerned about this, and the fact that the White House knew about this for weeks, maybe months now, is is is very disturbing as well," said Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-NY, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in an interview with NPR.The company's Chief Financial Officer, Colette Kress, has been appointed interim CEO. The board said in their statement they would conduct a full search for a new CEO and consider both internal and external candidates. "There's no obvious replacement," said Stephen Witt, author of a book about Nvidia called The Thinking Machine. "It's not even clear Nvidia can be the same kind of company without Jensen. I have a hard time imagining what Nvidia looks like without Jensen." Huang was one of the longest-serving CEOs in U.S. corporate history, stepping into the role after launching the company with partners over bottomless cups of coffee at a Denny's restaurant in San Jose, Calif., 33 years ago. Nvidia got its start making specialized chips to create 3D graphics for computers that would come to be known as graphics processing units, or GPUs.He was the face of Nvidia and an unlikely celebrity, giving countless keynote speeches and interviews in his trademark leather jacket, or posing for selfies with adoring fans.Huang was also the company's driving force. Under his leadership, Nvidia made a big and early bet on artificial intelligence, investing heavily to transform its niche graphics chips into general-purpose processing units that were ideal for the volume of computations required to create AI.

"I Don't Know": Bessent Confronted Lutnick Over Why Nvidia Spy Scandal Firm Isn't Blacklisted -  The fallout from the now-unemployed Jensen Huang Nvidia spy scandal continues to spread. Now we learn that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the White House Situation Room on Thursday, Nov. 5, demanding to know why Megaspeed - the Singapore data center company whose former executive Alice Huang has been identified by US intelligence as a Chinese spy - still isn't on the Commerce Department's entity list, according to Axios, which first reported the exchange."How come Megaspeed isn't on the entities list?" Bessent asked, according to Axios' sources. Lutnick stammered, then answered: "I don't know. I'll look into it." One person familiar with the exchange called the answer "bullshit," and said Lutnick had resisted acting on the company ever since he received an intelligence memo about it.People briefed on the meeting gave The New York Times the same account, adding that Lutnick told Bessent the Commerce Department could now move quickly to restrict Megaspeed.Commerce spokeswoman Kristen Eichamer denied the whole thing: "This is false. Secretary Bessent and Secretary Lutnick had no such conversation." The department told the Times that adding a company to the entity list is a decision for the whole administration, not Commerce alone.The fight spilled into the open a day before Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's president and chief executive on Thursday, effective immediately, with CFO Colette Kress named interim CEO. Huang told staff last weekend that he had been "unfaithful" to his wife, after reports that US intelligence believes he had a romantic relationship with Alice Huang (no relation), who helped run Megaspeed.In a second scoop, Axios reported that Trump signed off on action against suspected Nvidia chip diversion three times this year - in May, in August and again in the Oval Office on Nov. 5 - and Lutnick held it up each time. "Let's get it done," Trump said at the Nov. 5 meeting, according to Axios' sources, while Lutnick warned that the controls "will start a trade war with China."Megaspeed was incorporated in 2015 as a Chinese video game developer, 7Road International. Since Alice Huang became a director about three years ago and the company changed its name, it has become one of Asia's biggest buyers of Nvidia chips, with more than $4 billion in purchases by some analyst estimates. Washington has barred sales of advanced chips directly to China since late 2022, but Megaspeed and others have worked around the rules by building data centers in Southeast Asia that serve Chinese customers. US officials are also investigating whether Megaspeed smuggled chips into China outright, which the company denies.Sen. Tom Cotton asked Lutnick in October 2025 to investigate Megaspeed, calling it a spin-off of the Chinese government-owned cloud company 7Road and pointing to chips routed through a subsidiary of sanctioned Chinese firm Inspur and near-empty offices in Malaysia and Singapore. Commerce also received a national security warning on Huang's relationship, and Axios says a classified memo on Megaspeed and Alice Huang reached Lutnick in May, ahead of Trump's trip to China.As we reported, Commerce's own investigation of Megaspeed was halted after Nvidia's general counsel emailed the agents running it in August 2025; the case went to the Justice Department, where it is now a criminal inquiry. Other agencies have proposed adding Megaspeed to the entity list, but Commerce hasn't added a single company to it in more than a year, according to the Federal Register. In its first statement since the scandal broke, signed by chairman and CEO Tan Yong Pong, also known as James Tan, Megaspeed said Thursday that it had cooperated with Commerce inspections and "stands ready to cooperate fully with any other relevant U.S. government authority," NBC News reported. It said it had hired a US law firm to count every GPU it holds and check its export compliance. It did not address Alice Huang. Singapore says its own criminal probe of Megaspeed and six others over server shipments is still going.House Republican committee chairs have already asked Huang to sit for a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18. Democrats take both chambers in January, and with them the subpoena power to ask Lutnick the same question Bessent did.Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said on Thursday that Huang's resignation "does not absolve him" and that he and other Nvidia execs "still owe Congress answers about the company’s compliance with U.S. export controls."

Preserve All Evidence: With Huang Out At Nvidia, Democrats Want Every Record Of His Calls With Trump   -Hours before Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's CEO on Thursday, two senior Senate Democrats told the Trump administration to preserve every record of its dealings with him, from his calls with President Trump to a Commerce Department probe of the chip buyer whose executive, a suspected Chinese spy, he has acknowledged a relationship with.Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the Banking Committee's ranking member, and Chris Coons (D-DE) sent the Nov. 11 letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. It asks all three offices to keep every record on exports of Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China "or to entities that may divert such chips to China," to confirm in writing by Nov. 17 that preservation directives have gone out, and to brief members of Congress on the risks the suspected operation posed.The list opens with the intelligence: every memorandum, assessment and briefing on the suspected operation involving Alice Huang, Jensen Huang or Megaspeed, including "the memorandum reportedly circulated to senior administration officials ahead of President Trump's visit to China in May 2026." The senators also want the "briefing materials, notes, and call transcripts" between Huang and Trump, and the records of Huang's meetings with senior officials on export controls, AI regulation and "proposed revenue-sharing or fee arrangements on chip sales."Megaspeed, a Singapore-based computing company, has bought more than $4.8 billion of Nvidia's advanced AI chips since June 2024, according to the letter, and is reportedly under Justice Department investigation for diverting them to China. Commerce's own case against it was halted after Nvidia's general counsel reached out to the agents running it, as we reported. The letter asks for the August 2025 correspondence between that general counsel, Tim Teter, and Jeffrey Kessler, Commerce's under secretary for industry and security, Teter's reported call to Kessler about Singapore's detention of a Megaspeed executive, and every record on the probe's transfer, suspension or termination."This incident raises significant concerns about the federal government's ability to effectively enforce our export controls and protect our national security," Warren and Coons wrote. Officials at the White House, State and Commerce, they said, "were aware of concerns about NVIDIA, its relationship with Megaspeed, and the suspected Chinese intelligence operation, yet did not move to block the continued flow of advanced AI chips to Megaspeed."The senators also asked whether "prudent defensive counter-intelligence action was taken or national security recommendations were overruled," and demanded the records on whether to give Nvidia's leadership a counterintelligence warning at all.The request reaches back through every Trump-Xi meeting: the export-control talks ahead of the October 2025, May 2026 and September 2026 summits and the APEC meeting expected this month, Huang's seat on Trump's May 2025 Middle East trip, and Lutnick's invitation for Huang to meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April 2025. It also covers Nvidia's license applications under the Commerce Department's January 2026 rule on advanced computing chips, and the repeated suspensions of the rule extending export controls to affiliates of blacklisted companies.Rubio briefed Trump on the intelligence about Huang aboard Air Force One in May, the New York Times reported, on the trip to China that Huang joined; the White House disputed the account. Trump said Monday that Huang told him, "I had no idea that she was a spy," adding, "And I really believe him." House Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) said Tuesday he was prepared to subpoena Huang if he didn't answer by Wednesday the request from Mast and Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Rick Crawford (R-AR) for a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18, as we noted.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday that "Trump has been busy trying to defend Jensen Huang when he ought to be defending our national security," calling it "a dereliction of duty." Warren and Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) on Sunday urged Congress to pass the AI Overwatch Act in the defense bill and told Commerce to close export-control loopholes.Megaspeed, whose executive is at the center of the spy claims that Beijing has denied, said Thursday that it takes its obligation to comply with US export control laws "extremely seriously" and is "committed to working constructively and transparently with the U.S. government."Huang resigned as president, CEO and director effective immediately on Thursday, a day after the Times reported a second affair, with an Nvidia vice president who reports to him. CFO Colette Kress is interim CEO, and Nvidia shares were down 11.9% in premarket trading, CNBC reported. The letter goes to the administration, not the company: its written confirmations are due Nov. 17, the day before the briefing House Republicans asked Huang to give.

Nvidia is done with Jensen Huang. Washington fallout is just beginning  -- Jensen Huang is out at Nvidia. Washington is just getting started with him and the company he co-founded. Huang, the leather-jacket-clad CEO of the world’s most important chipmaker, resigned from Nvidia on Thursday after revelations that he had an affair with a suspected Chinese spy. But the spy saga is gripping Washington, and lawmakers are preparing for investigations into how the now-ex-CEO’s affair may have damaged U.S. artificial intelligence dominance, the national security implications and the executive’s close relationship with President Donald Trump and his Cabinet.Republicans will have their chance first during their last six weeks controlling both chambers of Congress. GOP leaders immediately summoned Huang to Capitol Hill and said they would subpoena him if he doesn’t agree to show up. In January, Democrats, who are already eager to make their mark with oversight when they take over the U.S. House and Senate, will be in the driver’s seat.“In this environment where there’s some really high stakes when it comes to our national security, I would expect there would be some follow-up, yeah,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday.Huang and the woman with whom he reportedly had a relationship, Alice Huang, an executive at the Singaporean technology company Megaspeed and an alleged Chinese spy have drawn congressional attention. And Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has drawn fire after reports this week that he stalled President Donald Trump’s crackdowns on firms routing Nvidia chips to China.Some Congress members have also called for an investigation into the role of the Bureau of Industry and Security, a subagency of the Commerce Department that manages and enforces export controls, in the Huang scandal.The New York Times reported on Monday that Nvidia’s general counsel, Tim Teter, claimed in emails to Commerce investigators probing Alice Huang’s company that he’d been in touch with Jeffrey Kessler, who leads BIS. The Commerce investigation into Megaspeed, which allegedly smuggled restricted chips to China, was then transferred to the Justice Department.By Thursday night, Senate banking committee Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., summoned both Huang and Lutnick to testify before his committee in December. Later that same night, Lutnick had “proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the Banking Committee to address their questions,” Kristen Eichamer, a Commerce Department spokesperson, said in a statement.

 A new bill could ban powerful AI in the US — here's what it means for ChatGPT - AI is advancing at a pace that's making some lawmakers uncomfortable. Now, Senator Bernie Sanders wants to put the brakes on the most powerful AI systems before they become too difficult for humans to control.Sanders, an independent from Vermont, and Democratic Representative Greg Casar of Texas have introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act of 2026, a sweeping proposal that would permanently prohibit the development of artificial superintelligence in the United States. But the legislation goes further than banning a hypothetical future technology. It would also temporarily halt development of certain advanced AI models, establish an entirely new federal department to oversee AI and impose serious penalties on those who break the rules. Those penalties could include up to 20 years in prison for certain individuals responsible for violations. The bill was introduced in September and remains in committee. It hasn't become law, but it offers a look at how some lawmakers want to change the direction of AI development. Why Sanders wants to stop superintelligence Sanders argues that AI development has reached a point where government oversight is no longer optional. "When you are racing towards a cliff, you don't just ease up on the gas pedal. You hit the brakes," Sanders said in his September 23 announcement. The concern is that companies developing advanced AI could eventually create systems with capabilities they don't fully understand or control. Supporters point to warnings from AI researchers and industry leaders about the potential dangers of increasingly autonomous systems.. The bill also calls for international agreements designed to prevent artificial superintelligence from being developed outside the United States. That could be one of its biggest challenges. The Trump administration has emphasized AI development and American competitiveness in the AI arms race. The biggest part of the proposal is a permanent ban on artificial superintelligence, or ASI. Unlike today's AI chatbots, artificial superintelligence generally refers to a theoretical system capable of outperforming humans across most intellectual tasks. Under the proposed legislation, that definition also includes systems powerful enough to plan and carry out actions that could destroy humanity or take away human control. The legislation would prohibit developing, deploying, acquiring or distributing these systems. It would also restrict certain AI systems that demonstrate dangerous capabilities associated with superintelligence. One of the more unusual aspects of the legislation is its proposal to create a cabinet-level Department of Artificial Intelligence. This department would have the authority to monitor advanced AI development, establish safety requirements and inspect powerful models before they're released. Companies would need government authorization to develop or distribute qualifying advanced AI models, and those models would require approval before deployment. The department could also order potentially dangerous AI systems to be disconnected from the internet, modified or rendered inoperative. The bill's enforcement provisions are particularly strict. For example, certain company decisionmakers and unaffiliated individuals who recklessly violate the law could face fines and prison sentences of up to 20 years. Companies could also lose authorization to operate, while intellectual property and assets associated with violations could be subject to forfeiture. For anyone using ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini today, there's no immediate reason to worry about losing access. The legislation has not passed Congress, and there are no new restrictions on consumer AI services resulting from the proposal. Even if it eventually became law, the bill wouldn't automatically prohibit every existing chatbot. Its restrictions focus on artificial superintelligence, dangerous AI capabilities and advanced systems that meet certain technical requirements. However, it could affect the next generation of AI models. Companies such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are working to make AI more capable of reasoning, completing complicated tasks and operating with greater autonomy. Under the proposed legislation, qualifying future models would face federal reviews and restrictions before they could be released. For consumers, that could mean slower releases of more powerful AI tools, although the actual impact would depend on how the law was implemented. The larger issue is whether the government should restrict the development of AI technology before the potential risks become reality. For now, the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act remains a proposal rather than a law. But it puts a significant question before Congress: How powerful should AI be allowed to become?

We would have been better off never developing it: The godfather of AI warns about AI regret -- Geoffrey Hinton’s name has been making the rounds a lot more often nowadays due to his commentary on the very technology his research helped develop.During an interview with the Financial Times, he predicted who will benefit financially the most from the continued evolution of AI. “It's going to create massive unemployment and a huge rise in profits,” he pointed out. “It will make a few people much richer and most people poorer. That's not AI's fault, that is the capitalist system.”And during an appearance on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, Hinton gave his thoughts on the topic of AI being misused and the associated risks that come with it. “There's risks that come from people misusing AI, and that's most of the risks and all of the short-term risks,” he noted. “And then there's risks that come from AI getting super smart and understanding it doesn't need us.”Now he’s back in the news for (once again) giving a stern warning about AI. Here’s what he had to say during his latest interview. Hinton feels that AI is in dire need of a federal agency that keeps models in check. During a conversation with The Guardian, Hinton made it clear that he doesn’t see himself as an AI doomer and that he genuinely believes that AI has the potential to lead to great things happening in the future. But he balanced out that optimistic outlook with a more sobering one when he stated that “it might be that we would have been better off never developing it.    Hinton also gave a very blunt answer when the discussion moved over to the major leaders backing the companies that keep releasing even more advanced versions of their signature models. “I think [Mark] Zuckerberg and [Elon] Musk and Sam Altman, they understand the risks, and they don’t give a s**t,” he said. “They’d rather have the money. That’s my belief.” As Hinton’s conversation with The Guardian continued, he presented the idea of a federal agency that keeps a close eye on AI and makes sure the companies that develop it release it in the safest state possible.“We need something like the American FDA for drugs where the companies have to give very good statistical evidence to an independent authority that [the AI model] does more good than harm before it is released,” he declared. “We discovered with thalidomide [a drug developed in the 1950s that caused severe birth defects] that releasing and then suing them isn’t the right way to do it. What the big tech companies are saying is treat it like we treated thalidomide.”One of Hinton’s other more recent comments about AI that proved to be alarming for many was said during a CNN segment. Simply put, he warned everyone that the threat of humanity’s destruction via AI is a real possibility if we don’t get it under control. “If we don’t figure out how to make it safe, there’s a real possibility it could destroy us,” he declared. “We’ve never made things that are smarter than ourselves. We don’t know what it’s like to deal with them.” He went on to say that it would simply be “foolish to keep developing these things until we understand how we can live with them.”

Is it too late to save humans from AI? With Bill Gates | Watch – video interview - Bill Gates led the last technological revolution. Now he's warning that AI is more dangerous than nuclear weapons, and that the next four years are critical.

Eric Trump-backed robot soldier startup can’t pay staff after founder borrowed $4.6 million from company to buy home - Foundation Future Industries, a maker of military humanoid robots advised and backed by Eric Trump, failed to pay employees last month as its cash reserves dwindled, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.Workers have yet to receive paychecks after San Francisco-based Foundation missed payroll on Oct. 30, said the people, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly about a private company.The situation has particularly angered some inside the startup because its CEO and co-founder, Sankaet Pathak, borrowed $4.6 million from the company last year to buy a luxury home, money that could have been used to pay workers, the people said.Public records show that an LLC that names Pathak as sole principal purchased a $4.6 million Sausalito, California, property with “sweeping, cinematic views” of the San Francisco Bay in October 2025.A spokesman for Pathak acknowledged receiving a detailed list of the major points from this story on Thursday, but didn’t respond to requests for comment. Pathak’s previous startup, a fintech firm named Synapse, collapsed in 2024, leaving thousands of Americans locked out of their savings accounts. Foundation’s cash crunch comes at a precarious moment for the company, which Pathak has said is close to unveiling a next-generation, weapons-ready robot that will help the U.S. compete against Chinese rivals. At the same time, Pathak is seeking to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in funding at a $3 billion valuation.The company has garnered headlines this year for Pathak’s claims that his robots could soon take on battlefield tasks in Ukraine or patrol the U.S. border with Mexico. Broadcast interviews and articles about Foundation also include claims that the company has won $24 million in Pentagon contracts.“What we’re about to unveil in the next couple of months [is] going to be the strongest humanoid robot that exists anywhere in the world, including China,” Pathak said in an April television interview.That April interview introduced Eric Trump, the son of the U.S. president, as a Foundation investor and chief strategy advisor. It is unclear how large his stake is.Eric Trump and his brother Donald Trump Jr. have invested in an array of defense firms, including makers of military drones and autonomous weapons. A July Washington Post investigation found that startups backed by investment vehicles linked to the brothers had secured at least $3.2 billion in government business.“We have to win robotics in the United States of America,” Eric Trump said in April. “When you go up and interact with these robots ... they fist bump you, they high five you, they follow your commands.”Eric Trump’s involvement in Foundation drew the swift ire of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who asked whether Foundation won U.S. defense contracts because of nepotism.“Eric Trump went on FOX to brag about winning ANOTHER multimillion-dollar contract from the Trump administration,” Warren said in an April 23 social media post. “This looks like corruption in plain sight.”

Machine-Gun-Armed Robot Dogs Appear in Haiti Offensive – Robot dogs carrying firearms have appeared alongside Salvadoran soldiers in Haiti, in footage released by President Nayib Bukele during his military offensive against armed gangs. The mechanical dogs, with weapons mounted on their backs, appear in a video Bukele published on Thursday showing an operation at a stadium in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. One robot appears alongside a soldier carrying what looks like a mounted machine gun, while another sequence shows a four-legged machine moving through a narrow passageway. Robot dogs carrying firearms alongside Salvadoran soldiers in Haiti, per footage released by President Nayib Bukele on Thursday. The footage offers a glimpse of how robotic weapons could be used alongside conventional troops, although it does not show the machines firing or establish whether they were involved in combat. The video was released by Bukele himself, whose government has used carefully produced military footage to publicize its campaign against Haiti's gangs. The machines are four-legged robots designed to move through environments that may be difficult or dangerous for soldiers. Their mechanical legs allow them to negotiate obstacles, stairs and uneven surfaces, while cameras and sensors can provide operators with live footage of their surroundings. Some models can carry remotely operated firearms, allowing troops to examine dangerous areas or potentially engage targets without standing directly beside the machine. El Salvador unveiled a Robotic Canine Unit during its Independence Day celebrations in September, initially presenting the machines as equipment capable of detecting and analyzing illicit substances. The latest footage shows the technology accompanying troops during an operation, although officials have not disclosed the manufacturer, weapon specifications or how the robots are controlled. It is also unclear whether the weapons require a human operator to fire them.

I thought my daughter was kidnapped (I was tricked) – YouTube -An AI voice cloning scam convinced Deborah Del Mastro that a Mexican drug cartel had kidnapped her daughter. The sobbing voice on the phone was an AI voice clone, and the kidnapping was fake. It started over breakfast, when a local number called and a stranger asked if her daughter was prone to panic attacks. Seconds later, she heard her daughter crying on the line, and a man said she'd be sold unless Deborah paid up. What followed was five and a half hours of threats, wire transfers, and driving from store to store with the phone held up so he could hear every word. The whole time, her daughter was safe at work. Deborah, a Navy veteran and mother of two, walks me through every minute of it and what she wishes every family knew before that phone rings. What You Will Learn This Episode:

• How scammers can copy a loved one's voice from social media and use it against you
• Why these callers keep you on the phone for hours and what that's really for
• What a family safe word is and why you should set one up today
• Why nobody at the store stopped Deborah from wiring money to Mexico
• How your personal details end up in scammers' hands for just a few dollars
• Why smart, careful people fall for this and why it's never your fault
• The simple app Deborah's family now uses so they always know everyone is safe
• The classic red flags to watch for: urgency, secrecy, and a demand for money

New AI malware ranks victims by how much they're worth - You probably know that hackers want your passwords, credit card information and other personal details. But what if they could also figure out how much you're worth to them? That's exactly what researchers say a newly discovered malware strain is designed to do. It steals information from your computer, studies your digital life and then uses artificial intelligence to build a detailed profile of you. The goal? Help criminals decide which victims deserve more attention and which stolen accounts could bring in the most money.The malware is called VOLTA-AUTODOXER, and researchers at Cisco Talos uncovered it through a cybersecurity research project focused on AI-powered threats. What caught my attention is how it can take everyday details about your life and turn them into something criminals could use against you. Even a food delivery receipt could help reveal where you live. Here's how this malware works, what it could reveal about you and the steps you can take to protect yourself.Most information-stealing malware follows a familiar pattern. It gets onto your computer, collects whatever sensitive information it can find and sends that data back to criminals. VOLTA-AUTODOXER takes that process further by using AI to evaluate the information after collecting it. According to Cisco Talos, the Windows malware can steal saved browser passwords, payment card information and login sessions. It also targets cryptocurrency wallets and certain work-related credentials. Once it collects that information, it builds a detailed report about the person using the computer.That report can include your location, employer and clues about your age. The malware can also collect saved Wi-Fi passwords, screenshots and information from applications such as Microsoft Outlook and Slack. Researchers even found that it attempts to crack cryptocurrency wallet vaults. Then comes the AI component. The malware sends the information to an AI model through a platform called OpenRouter. The model receives instructions to act like an intelligence analyst and determine which stolen information could be the most valuable.Think about that for a moment. Instead of a criminal manually reviewing hundreds of stolen accounts, AI can help sort through the information and identify potentially profitable targets. And the AI analysis is optional. Even if that part fails or cannot run, the malware can still collect information and send it to the attacker.Here's where this gets especially personal. VOLTA-AUTODOXER can search for clues about your home address, employer and financial information. Researchers found that it can also use stolen account access to examine Gmail receipts and food delivery orders. For example, the malware looks for purchase information from services such as Uber Eats and DoorDash. It can also examine receipts from Amazon and other retailers. Those records may help confirm where you live.And it goes further. Using stolen login sessions, the malware can retrieve order histories directly from Uber Eats and DoorDash. It can also search Gmail for receipts from Grubhub, Walmart and PayPal. That gives criminals another way to connect your online activity to your actual identity.The information goes well beyond your address. The malware can collect clues about your age, workplace and online accounts. It can even look at Roblox accounts to estimate the value of virtual items. Individually, some of these details might seem harmless. But when AI combines them, criminals could develop a much clearer understanding of your personal and financial life.The most concerning part of VOLTA-AUTODOXER comes after the information has been collected. The malware asks AI to create a report that ranks the victim's assets according to their potential value. Researchers found that the instructions include a section called "WHAT THEY'RE WORTH." The AI is asked to identify valuable information and assign low, medium or high rankings. Another section called "THEIR OPSEC" examines the victim's security habits, including password practices. In other words, the malware is designed to help criminals understand what they might gain and how well someone has protected their accounts. Cisco Talos found that the malware uses Anthropic's Claude as its default AI model. If the model refuses the request, the malware can try Moonshot AI's Kimi K2 and Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash.  That fallback system is especially revealing. Whoever developed the malware anticipated that an AI model might refuse to help and built a way to try another model. The malware can also send the resulting assessment to criminals through Telegram. That means an attacker could potentially receive an organized report without having to study all the stolen information personally. There's an important point here. Researchers identified these capabilities by analyzing the malware's code. They have not established that criminals have successfully used these AI-generated rankings to select real-world victims for additional attacks.

Why honeypot scams work—even when people sense something is off  ‘It feels so good to be wanted’ -   Shawnee Delaney often kicks off a training session by telling a room full of corporate workers: “OK, raise your hand if you’ve ever gotten a flattering message on LinkedIn just complimenting your background and your profile and your experience.”“Every hand goes up,” she says. Then, she tells attendees how responding to a simple adulatory message could unwittingly open the door to a potential romance scam. Delaney is a corporate security expert, well-versed in teaching people how to avoid “honeypot” schemes, in which a bad actor uses romantic or sexual interest to build trust and gain information, access or leverage over a target. The term is currently making headlines in the wake of former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s resignation from the company, following reporting on his admitted affair with an alleged Chinese spy.  Honeypots, also known as “honey traps,” are a very human form of social engineering attack, a category that also includes various forms of phishing and use of deepfake technology. And you don’t have to be a billionaire tech CEO to possess information that scammers may value. As competition in the global artificial intelligence race heats up, OpenAI is reportedly training employees to recognize espionage tactics including bribery, romantic manipulation and blackmail, according to The Wall Street Journal. On Nov. 3, cryptocurrency exchange Binance revealed that a recent cyberattack — which saw roughly $6 billion of digital assets stolen — was partially made possible by a fake job interview scheme that infected an employee’s work computer with malware.  “People can get solicited, bribed, romanced, etc.,” says Kevin Tian, co-founder and CEO of Doppel, an AI-powered platform meant to help identify and deflect social engineering attacks. He adds: “If you’ve got access to sensitive IP [intellectual property] — it’s not just AI companies — you can be a target.” Increasingly, scammers can use AI to scour websites ranging from Reddit to Pinterest for an individual’s personal information and customize a ploy designed specifically for them, Tian says. Once they have relevant data points, attackers tend to use “the oldest tricks in the book: elicitation, flattery, ego,” says Delaney, a former intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency and the founder and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based corporate security consulting firm Vaillance Group. In many cases, Delaney notes, targets have an inkling that something is suspicious — but they’d rather allow themselves to believe the interest is legitimate. So how do you keep yourself from falling victim? Trust your self-awareness, common sense and ability to identify situations that feel too good to be true, she says. “The bottom line is, we’re all human,” says Delaney, adding: “It feels so good to be wanted, or to be respected, or to be appreciated, or loved.” Delaney, who has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Uber and Merck, advises corporate clients on cybersecurity risks and develops training programs to improve employees’ awareness of security threats. Her sessions aim to build awareness of manipulative connections, such as romance scams, from how they begin to the natural progression they often take. “Introduction, then repeated contact, favors, sensitive requests — the secrecy, the pressure,” she says. Bad actors may tap into any information you post online to find an interest that can be mirrored and exploited, or an acquaintance who can be infiltrated and make an introduction. If someone you know and trust makes an introduction, you might be less likely to “go do due diligence” on the new person, even if they’re a stranger, Delaney says. One of Vaillance’s services includes building a “targeting package” around an executive or C-Suite member, says Delaney. “We can show how they are vulnerable and how we would target that organization just by leveraging the people around them in that circle: spouses, friends, kids, parents, administrative assistants, neighbors,” she says. “That’s when people’s eyes open.” From there, she discusses red flags to spot. Conversations that begin with flattery and seemingly innocuous small talk can gradually shift toward digging for information, introductions to colleagues or access to documents, says Delaney. It’s human nature to want to be helpful and fulfill friendly requests, she adds. Add a potential romantic connection to the mix, especially amid an ongoing “loneliness epidemic,” and the urge to comply can be even harder to resist, she says.

New York Sued Over Law Requiring Social Media 'Warning Label' - An internet trade group sued New York on Friday, seeking to block a state law requiring social media platforms that contain potentially addictive features to provide state-approved warning labels for users. In a complaint filed in federal court, NetChoice said the law violates the free speech protections of the US Constitution’s First Amendment by compelling its members to convey the state’s “preferred message” about online safety. The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who enforces the state’s laws, declined immediate comment. NetChoice has more than 30 members including Alphabet’s Google and YouTube, Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, Snapchat parent Snap, and ByteDance’s TikTok. It has filed many lawsuits challenging regulation of social media businesses. Signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul last December, the New York law requires social media platforms with infinite scrolling, auto-play and algorithmic feeds to warn about potential harm to younger users. It requires the display of a “warning” from the US Surgeon General that while social media may benefit some young users, “excessive use may be associated with significant mental health harms.” The statement is modeled after findings in 2023 by former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. NetChoice said New York’s law is “designed to block, burden, and browbeat social media users” by subjecting them to the warning when they sign on and after multiple hours of use, with no way to bypass it. “Unlike a static warning on a product label, these warnings repeatedly interrupt users and block access to protected speech,” NetChoice said. NetChoice filed a similar lawsuit against California last month. It also said New York’s law is similar to a Colorado law that a federal judge blocked in November 2025, citing the First Amendment. Colorado is appealing that decision. New York’s law is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1.

Musk seeking tax breaks for $24B data center in SpaceX's hometown – Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to build a $24 billion data center in Texas — and is seeking local property tax breaks for the project.  City officials in Starbase, the tiny Texas town where the aerospace giant is based, on Friday posted a public hearing notice for SpaceX’s request for a property tax abatement and “related economic development agreement.” The three-person city commission — two members of which are also SpaceX executives — will consider the company’s proposal at a Dec. 9 hearing. The subsidy review comes shortly before Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa — a critic of the state’s data center building spree — takes control in January. Friday’s notice says the company plans to “construct, own, and operate a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility.” SpaceX is also seeking air permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the same area for 35 mobile gas-fired turbines that would produce roughly 750 megawatts, according to an application filed in September and obtained by local journalist Joshua Moroles. The timing of the applications suggests SpaceX is looking to break ground on another hyperscale data center before Democrats can slow the company down, said Corey Trinetti, the founder of Measured AI, a market research firm.“It looks like a project that’s going to come together — probably quite rapidly over the next couple months,” said Trinetti, who previously worked in private equity and investment banking. The Starbase data center complex could be “fully approved prior to Hinojosa taking office,” he said.SpaceX, Starbase and TCEQ didn’t respond to requests for comment.The Starbase megaproject “may be constructed over multiple phases and include future expansions,” the city’s hearing notice said.SpaceX appears to have already begun laying the groundwork for the data center and turbine installation, Trinetti said.“From satellite imagery, it’s already clearing land and doing some of the pre-structural work you can do before you have an air permit,” he said. A project with “everything in place is not going to be interrupted, particularly if it’s under construction already.”Musk, who spent over $440 million last election in an attempt to limit Democrats’ midterm election gains, told SpaceX investors last month that the company planned to build at least 10 gigawatts of AI compute capacity in 2027. The looming change of control in Texas and other red states could complicate Musk’s plans.

SUPERCOMPUTER CAMPUSES: SpaceX to Invest Over $74 Billion in Supercomputer Facilities in Texas, Arizona -(Reuters) – SpaceX said on Thursday it plans to invest more than $74 billion in two supercomputing campuses, one at its Starbase site in Texas and another in Cochise County, Arizona. The company expects to spend $24 billion on the Starbase site and roughly $50 billionon the Arizona campus, the company said in a statement. The Arizona campus, which needs approval from Cochise County, would create about 5,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs, SpaceX said. MicroWatt Controls: Instrumentation & Safety System Experts The Starbase facility would generate its own electricity rather than draw from the public grid. Earlier this week, the company said it was planning a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility in Starbase.

Josh Hawley calls for nationwide moratorium on data center construction -  Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is calling on the Senate to pass a moratorium on data center construction in the period before Republicans lose the majority, the first GOP senator to call for the move nationwide. The Missouri senator listed his five priorities for his party in a post to the social platform X, including passing a major voting bill that President Trump urged Republicans to pass for much of this year. “Senate Republicans trying to figure out what to do in the next 6 weeks? Here you go: DEFUND Planned Parenthood, MORATORIUM on data centers, SUSPEND the gas tax, FUND rural hospitals, SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Hawley wrote.Hawley, known for his more populist brand, may find more support from Democrats on some of those issues, like a data center moratorium or funding rural hospitals — something Democrats have slammed Republicans for due to the impact of Trump’s signature tax bill.The Missouri senator may not find much assistance from Democrats on other issues, but data centers became a flash point in the midterms and a campaign issue that seemed not to fall cleanly along party lines.In Texas, outgoing GOP Gov. Greg Abbott broke with some in his party — including the president — and halted new data center construction pending a statewide audit after his Democratic opponent Gina Hinojosa, now the Lone Star State’s governor-elect, campaigned against him on the issue. Democratic candidates in South Carolina and Ohio also hit their GOP opponents hard on data centers.  In South Carolina, Sen.-elect Annie Andrews (D) nicknamed Sen. Darline Graham (R) “Data Center Darline” in a debate and also called for a two-year moratorium. And as Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown (D) in Ohio attacked Republican Sen. Jon Husted for his past support for data centers, Husted pushed the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill aimed at mitigating data center electricity costs. But Democrats ultimately blocked its passage in the Senate, denying Husted a political win before an election.Data centers steadily became more unpopular with voters throughout this year. A Pew Research poll from the summer found a majority of voters believe data centers are bad for the environment, and half said they were bad for home energy costs — both shares were significant increases from Pew’s January survey.And the poll did not find significant differences of opinion across party lines. Sixty-eight percent of Democrats and 54 percent of Republicans said they were not comfortable with a new local data center.

Microsoft Hit By Massive Outage, Scrambles To Reroute Traffic Worldwide  (see embedded tweets) Microsoft 365 Status reports that users are experiencing disruptions and/or outages when accessing Exchange Online mailboxes and other products across the Americas. "We've determined a portion of infrastructure is experiencing elevated load across multiple regions, which is likely contributing to the connectivity errors. We're providing more information under EX1550543 and MO1550821 in the Microsoft 365 admin center, as well as," Microsoft 365 Status said. Microsoft 365 Status stated, "We've begun redistributing connection traffic across our broader worldwide infrastructure to help balance the load." Downdetector users are reporting outages across a wide variety of Microsoft products.

FAA full ground stop at all airports nationwide -   As of around 30 mins ago, the FAA has issued a ground stop nationwide due to ARTC and communications issues. The story is very new, and more info is to come.ARTC is basically Center frequencies. All aircraft above flight level 180 are affected by this, which is serious enough for the FAA to issue a ground stop.  There currently is no visible timeline to when this will be fixed.  All flights in the United States are grounded until further notice, “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

FAA lifts nationwide ground stop, White House says no indication of "nefarious act" --A rare nationwide ground stop on all departing U.S. flights that lasted several hours Friday has been lifted, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Officials said the issue stemmed from a "telecommunication outage." "At 8:15 tonight, Eastern time, we've opened up the airspace," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a news briefing Friday night. "Now does that mean every flight is going to fly right now? It's going to be slow. So if you're watching, you're at an airport, check with your airline." The FAA had issued the ground stop on all departing flights due to "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety." The ground stop lasted about five hours. Duffy attributed the ground stop to outdated air traffic control technology and routers overloaded by data. "What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system," Duffy said during the news conference. "... Our routers actually got overloaded with data and … they started to give us inconsistency in the data from those routers. And because of that, we shut the system down." An update to the private communications network that connects America's air traffic control system caused the system to reboot, leading to a crash and a communications outage, multiple sources told CBS News earlier Friday. The system is operated by L3Harris, which did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment. Duffy said the FAA would try to move as many flights as possible Friday night depending on crew capacity. The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard "If not, we're going to start tomorrow [Saturday] morning with our airline partners moving those aircraft. But it's going to take us some time to unwind what's happened this afternoon," Duffy said. There were more than 10,000 delays and over 4,000 cancellations listed Friday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Duffy said he thinks flights would be "back up and operational as we come into the heat of travel" during the Thanksgiving holiday later this month. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters in a briefing outside the White House earlier Friday that "there was no indication, as of yet, that this was a nefarious act against us. It was just a telecommunication outage, as of right now." "There is no indication, we had no reason to believe, that as of right now, that this was a threat to the United States," Mullin said. "This was a telecommunication outage throughout FAA. Out of an abundance of caution, we have grounded all the flights. And all the flights are accounted for." Mullin reiterated Friday night that there was no cyberattack and the ground stop was not related to the massive global Microsoft outage. "I want to make sure everybody understands that there is no connection between this and Microsoft," Mullin said during the news briefing with Duffy. "I know a lot of people are making that jump. This is so far what we've seen. There is actually no cyberattack. We're still working through that process." He also said flights will be able to land safely. Nationwide ground stop disrupts flights across US airports Passengers wait at San Francisco International Airport during a nationwide ground stop for all departing flights on Nov. 13, 2026. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images "We are assured that everybody is safe. Everybody that's going to be in the air, that's currently on the plane, the loved ones, as I said, we're going to get you on the ground and we're doing it in a safe manner," Mullin said. Federal agencies are all working together on the situation, Mullin added. "I don't want to say that this is a crisis, but it is because we're ... we had to do a nationwide ground stoppage," he said. According to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24, there were about 3,100 airborne aircraft bound for U.S. airports when the ground stop began. Delays began piling up at major airports across the country in Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh, New York City, Los Angeles and Baltimore. "This is absolutely unprecedented," said Robert Sumwalt, a former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and a CBS News transportation safety expert. "I was an airline pilot for 24 years. I was in the air on 9/11. That was the last major ground stop. There was one back in 2023 for just a few hours. This is absolutely unbelievable that this could happen in this day and age."

Old tech blamed for the ground stop that caused flight chaos: 'It got overloaded' -The nationwide ground stop that paralyzed the U.S. aviation system on Friday has ended, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The rare stop, which lasted about four hours, grounded thousands of flights at all U.S. airports in one of the biggest disruptions of the nation's air travel system since the September 11th attacks. In a Friday night news conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that air traffic control facilities had experienced "intermittent" outages of their radar and communications systems beginning earlier in the afternoon. Duffy blamed outdated technology for the failures. "We have old switches, old routers. We use 1980s little copper lines. It's an old system that went down and went down everywhere. It got overloaded," he said. Aviation regulators turn to AI to help manage the nation's airspace But when pressed by reporters on exactly why those systems would become overwhelmed on an otherwise normal travel day, Duffy did not have a ready answer. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin joined Duffy in the White House briefing room and said there was no evidence the issue was due to an attack. "We have seen zero evidence this is a cyber attack," he said. As of 9 p.m. ET, more than 8,000 flights had been delayed Friday and 7,000 had been canceled in the U.S., according to FlightAware, a flight tracking site. The turmoil comes on the heels of nearly 7,000 flight delays on Thursday. The FAA said the issue affected Air Route Traffic Control Centers — the regional air traffic control centers across the country that handle high-altitude traffic. FAA leaders did not brief the media at the White House press conference, and did not provide any further detail on the communication outages that led to the ground stop. This was only the second nationwide ground stop since September 11, 2001. The U.S. last issued a ground stop of this scale in 2023, when all U.S. airports were shut down due to an outage in the NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system, which alerts pilots and airports of real-time hazards.

911 Problems Reported as Complaints Spike on Downdetector - - More than 5,000 reports of problems with 911 were logged on Downdetector Friday as the tracking website showed a sharp increase in complaints.At the time of publication, more than 5,000 users reported an issue with the service across the United States

Blood banks are struck by hackers raising storage temperatures after supermarket freezers hit - A cyber attack on several blood banks across France sought to raise temperatures to dangerously high levels, it emerged today. The French Blood Establishment (EFS) said temperature and defrosting thresholds were 'raised to extremely high levels' on Monday at three sites, in a statement released on Tuesday. The release said: 'No health consequences have been identified, and no blood products were lost.' The cyber attack hit a supplier of refrigeration equipment at EFS cold storage sites for plasma before it was thwarted. Temperatures in cold rooms were affected but alarm systems at the sites meant no blood stocks were damaged. The plasma, intended for transfusions and medicine manufacturing, were either transferred or secured. The statement said: 'Monitoring and alarm systems quickly detected the anomalies, allowing staff to take action to ensure that no blood products or samples were compromised.' The EFS said blood collection and distribution operations are uninterrupted. France's national cybersecurity agency and health ministry are investigating the incident. EFS said: 'At this stage, we are not in a position to comment on the origin of the cyber incident or identify those responsible.' It comes days after supermarkets in a number of European countries reported that their fridges and freezers warmed up after being remotely taken over, resulting in tons of spoiled food at a cost of millions of euros. Unidentified hackers accessed fridges in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia, Finland and the Netherlands on Monday in an attack that echoed a similar one in France last month. The hit, which raised temperatures in refrigerator and freezer units at dozens of shops, targeted supermarket groups Ahold Delhaize and Colruyt in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as Swedish grocers ICA and Coop. Approximately 40 Delhaize supermarkets were impacted, as was at least one Ikea store. 'Everything is destroyed,' Engla Ingwall, sales manager at an ICA franchise store in Stockholm, told Reuters during a visit to the store on Monday, adding the attack occurred at 2am but was only noticed hours later. 'There has been a cyberattack and all our freezers reached 50 degrees (Celsius).' A spokesperson for privately held ICA said the company was aware that a 'limited number of stores were affected by an incident overnight, which impacted their refrigeration and freezer systems'. The latest incident followed an attack in France last month when police said hackers seized control of cooling units at hundreds of supermarkets, causing fires and food losses. Ahold also reported a cybersecurity incident to police last month. Europe was rocked again on Tuesday when a series of hoax bomb threats sparked flight chaos, with multiple passenger jets forced to make emergency landings at airports across the continent. At least seven planes, including three from Britain, were targeted - raising concerns among experts of a coordinated sabotage attack that Vladimir Putin may be behind. 'From railways to the food infrastructure that you see happening with the fridges being hacked and all kinds of other operations, it does fit the narrative of Russian state actors who want to disturb Europe,' said Eric Schouten, the head of aviation security group Dyami. Russian troops are also showing signs of preparing for a potential new incursion, following Putin's warning last week that there would be 'no winners' if he entered a conflict with the West. Security and Intelligence expert Professor Anthony Glees said it was 'highly likely' that Putin was responsible for the hoax bomb threats. He told GB News: 'There’s a kinetic shadow war going on against us, but there’s also a secret subversive war underway using disinformation - which is what hoaxes are. 'They spread mayhem and even panic. They test our resilience. Now is a very good time for Putin to challenge us…. We’re not yet ready to fight seriously, so there's plenty of scope for Putin to wage a grey war against us.' Defence expert and former Army Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford said this week’s bomb threats could be part of a 'coordinated sub-threshold attack' from Moscow. 'I suspect the European security services will have a fair inkling of what’s going on,' he added, but said that more time was needed to identify Russia as the culprit formally. At least two flights to Warsaw, two to Sofia, two to Rome and one to Murcia airport in Spain were subjected to the threats on Tuesday, and another flight to Sofia had been threatened a day earlier. A flight from London Heathrow to Warsaw’s main Chopin airport was diverted to the nearby Modlin airport, which was closed and then reopened after the plane was searched and no device was found. Another Warsaw-bound flight, a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen, landed at Chopin as scheduled. Police and bomb squads were there on arrival, who declared the plane safe. Later on Tuesday, bomb disposal experts at Rome's Fiumicino airport searched two Ryanair planes - one originating from Lisbon and the other from Dublin - following anonymous tips regarding potential bomb threats. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian air force until it landed. Bomb threats were made against planes traveling from Milan/Bergamo and Dublin to Sofia, Bulgaria. Both landed safely and no explosive devices were found on inspection. The Bergamo flight was operated by Wizz Air and was carrying 176 passengers, while the Dublin flight, operated by Ryanair, had 186 passengers on board. In Murcia in southeastern Spain, parts of an airport were cordoned off after reports of a 'written security threat' on a Ryanair flight from Manchester. The plane landed as scheduled in Spain. A passenger on the flight said she was unaware of the suspected bomb threat until after the plane landed. 'We weren't told anything during the flight,' Sarah told BBC 5 Live. 'The plane stopped quite suddenly and then we were kept on the runway for 30 minutes. 'Then the fire engines and bomb squad turned up and we were asked to evacuate.' She described how the jet had not been on the ground for even a minute before it was 'surrounded by police and a bomb squad'. The passengers were escorted away and made to walk from the runway to the airport, leaving their belongings on board. 'We were only later told that it was an actual threat, a bomb threat to the plane itself,' she added.

Circle Says It Froze $1.1B in USDC Linked to Binance Hack Investigation — - Circle says it froze roughly $1.1 billion in USDC connected with the reported Binance exploit while working with law enforcement. The stablecoin issuer stresses that a wallet freeze does not decide asset ownership or whether funds should ultimately be forfeited. The response to the enormous reported Binance breach has exposed a difficult but essential distinction in digital finance: tracking money is not the same thing as freezing it, and freezing it is not the same thing as recovering it for a victim. In a November 5 statement, Circle said it had frozen approximately $1.1 billion in USDC associated with the incident, in coordination with law enforcement. It described an attack involving more than $6 billion in digital assets, while emphasising that the investigation and identification of relevant funds remain ongoing. USDC is issued by a company that operates an administratively controlled token system. Under certain legal processes, the issuer can freeze specified addresses so tokens cannot move in or out. Bitcoin, by contrast, does not have an issuer with an equivalent global address-freezing switch. That difference can matter enormously in the first minutes after an attack. But it also raises governance questions. Who is authorised to request a freeze? What evidence is required? How quickly can an incorrect restriction be lifted? Circle says it acts on valid legal process and does not decide for itself whether a crime occurred, whether a wallet’s owner committed an offence or who is entitled to the assets. Those questions belong to law enforcement and the courts. This makes it important not to count frozen funds as already returned to customers. A frozen balance may remain subject to lengthy investigations, ownership disputes and judicial decisions. The amount is an intervention figure, not a completed reimbursement total. Modern crypto breaches move across bridges, exchanges, token pairs and custody services. Attackers may split assets among many addresses and convert one token into another to make intervention harder. Defenders need analytics capable of tracing flows across those boundaries, along with responsive institutions that can take action where legal powers exist. An earlier NewsBTC report on Aave freezing new tBTC activity illustrated how different controls can be used to reduce exposure within a protocol. Circle’s move is not the same kind of action, but both show why the ability to intervene is a design choice with trade-offs. For investigators, the key issue is coordination. An address identified in one jurisdiction may be connected to a stablecoin issuer or exchange in another. Delays can give attackers more time to swap tokens and fragment holdings. Moving quickly is therefore useful, but speed cannot replace careful identification and due process. The full scope of the incident, ultimate recoveries and allocation of any frozen funds will require additional verified disclosures. Blockchain traces alone can also create false impressions when commentators assign an address to a person without sufficiently strong evidence. Circle’s account is an issuer’s report of its own intervention, not an independently completed forensic audit of every transfer. The development offers a lesson beyond this incident. Dollar stablecoins can provide rapid payment settlement and targeted interdiction, yet their compliance controls concentrate important operational powers in issuers. Users, institutions and regulators need to understand both sides of that bargain.

Binance hack clouds Singapore crypto push for tokenized stocks -- Met with a free flow of champagne, wine and beer, as well as arcade games and even a makeshift tattoo parlor, computer science undergraduate Srinivas Jagannath found Singapore's TOKEN2049 in October an overload for the senses. The event was billed "the world's largest crypto event" and sprawled across five floors of downtown Singapore's Marina Bay Sands convention space. Jagannath, who is a member of a university club formed around blockchain -- the technology underpinning cryptocurrencies -- scouted the colorful conference for updates hinting at the future of this segment of finance. "It's really overwhelming, in both a good way and a bad way," the 20-year-old told Nikkei Asia. "The bad part is definitely that there is too much going on." Jagannath echoes sentiments felt throughout a crypto sector in transition, as digital asset exchanges fight off cyber attacks while attempting to expand as one-stop platforms for buying and selling multiple asset classes in line with shifting investor appetites. In October, crypto's biggest hacking incident -- the latest in a history of cybersecurity breaches -- in which exchange platform Binance suffered a $6.3 billion heist linked to North Korean actors, has cast a shadow over virtual token portals that want to convince customers to trade stocks with them using blockchain tech. "The defining feature of the Binance incident is the apparent subversion of trusted withdrawal and signing processes across several blockchains," said Justin Moore, director of adversary operations at cybersecurity vendor Arctic Wolf. "This was potentially less like stealing the key to a vault and more like compromising the process that tells the vault which requests to approve." Stock trading via blockchain has become more prominent as values of digital tokens like Bitcoin and Ethereum took investors on a volatile ride over the past year, prompting some to tilt trades from virtual currencies toward traditional equities, particularly securities exposed to the current global fervor for artificial intelligence that has driven growth across some markets. Crypto platforms have taken note, using Singapore's giant virtual assets gathering to hawk fresh solutions for trading stocks through blockchain, dubbed "tokenized stocks," which are touted to settle transactions faster and more efficiently than buying securities through traditional brokerages. According to data provider Talos, more than 10 digital asset platforms have branched out into offering equities trading for customers -- most of them doing so only this year. Binance, Coinbase and OKX are among some of the world's biggest virtual currency portals that have shifted business models into brokering stock trades on top of the crypto emphasis that the platforms were founded on. The largest of them all, Binance, in June said it was offering trading in U.S. stocks, allowing customers to buy equities using crypto like USDT and USD1 -- so-called stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies. The exchange is also looking at expanding into equities from Asian markets such as South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong. "We expect the expansion of crypto platforms into traditional assets to continue, particularly equities and equity derivatives," Tanay Ved, senior research associate at Talos, told Nikkei Asia. "The economics are compelling: Exchanges can diversify beyond crypto trading fees by generating revenue across a broader range of assets, while derivatives can produce significantly higher turnover from the same pool of capital." Crypto platforms told Nikkei Asia that they collect stock trading income from fees or commissions when customers buy and sell equities, much like traditional brokerages that have been in business for decades. The shift into securities trading is prompted by demand from clients, they add, although evidence also suggests crypto trading enthusiasm has shown signs of wavering. However, there is no universal agreement among crypto platforms on what tokenized stocks should be. Digital assets exchange Kraken, which provides equities trading through its xStocks offering, for instance, makes it clear people who buy through its portal do not have the same standing as typical company shareholders. "xStocks do not confer shareholder rights like voting or dividends paid as cash," the platform states. "They offer price exposure to the underlying asset and pass on the economic benefit of dividends via a rebasing mechanism -- not direct shareholder rights." Jesse Pollak, Coinbase's head of its blockchain tech, however, said its clients are trading the "real deal." The platform states that buyers purchase shares that will come under custody of Alpaca, a regulated broker supervised by Abu Dhabi Global Market's regulatory authority. "It's a one-to-one backed security that has full voting rights, full dividend and is essentially interchangeable," Pollak told Nikkei Asia. "It's not just a price allocation." Talos data shows that virtual currency exchange volumes in major tokens have cooled this year compared with 2024 and 2025. For Bitcoin, the world's biggest virtual currency, spot trading values are on pace for the sharpest drop in three years. After the boom year of 2024, when $5.7 trillion of the digital asset was traded, 2025 logged $5.51 trillion in activity, about a 3% dip. This year, however, based on trading data toward the end of October, the pace is projected by Talos to decline steeply by close to 40% to $3.41 trillion, if trading activity for the rest of the year matches the pace set earlier in 2026. Bitcoin has struggled to reclaim its $100,000 benchmark last seen toward the end of 2025. As of Nov. 6, Bitcoin was trading at around $75,000 per unit, more than 30% below its peak. Crypto prices went through a bout of volatility around the U.S. midterm elections last week, as traders priced in uncertainties. "Election night was a textbook case of markets selling the uncertainty and buying the outcome," said Nick Forster, founder of decentralized options exchange Derive.xyz. "The question now is whether Bitcoin can sustain its recovery once the short covering and hedge unwinding have finished."

North Korea steals $400m from US tech workers in video call scam -North Korea has stolen more than $400m (£302m) from American tech workers on fake video calls, the FBI has revealed. Using AI deepfakes and identity theft, a scheme known as FaceStealer has targeted more than 900 victims over the past 18 months. “The North Korean regime relies on proceeds from large-scale cryptocurrency theft to fund its illicit weapons programme, stealing billions of dollars in recent years,” Brett Leatherman, the FBI’s cyber director, said. The scheme was revealed weeks after North Korea carried out the largest heist in history, stealing $6.3bn (£4.7bn) from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. The FBI laid out the FaceStealer hack in six detailed stages. First, state-sponsored hackers used fake or hijacked social media accounts on Telegram, LinkedIn, Slack and Discord. They then used AI-powered deepfakes to gain the victim’s trust, pretending to be someone known to the target to lure them on to copycat versions of video meeting platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. The link appeared legitimate but was a “typo-squatted” domain address, which appeared similar to a real URL but had easy-to-miss spelling mistakes. The hackers then played pre-recorded webcam videos of the person the target knew to simulate a legitimate call, before claiming they were experiencing a technical issue. The North Korean agent then sent a link or a code to “fix” the error, which installed malware on the victim’s computer and opened a back door into the infected device. From there, the hacker could steal cryptocurrency and access communication platforms and contact lists to ensnare the next target. The hackers also recorded the calls to use on their next victims. As one of the most isolated regimes in the world, North Korea relies on illegal schemes such as these to earn foreign currency, which it has used to build up its nuclear programme and expand its conventional military capabilities. Last month, The Telegraph reported that Pyongyang has been deploying fake IT workers to infiltrate British companies in a scheme that had reaped an estimated £600m globally. “North Korea’s government bankrolls its rogue regime and illicit weapons programme through cryptocurrency theft,” said M Scott Proctor, the deputy assistant attorney general for national security. “The National Security Division will use every tool at its disposal to seize and return North Korea’s ill-gotten gains,” he added. As of August, according to South Korea’s estimates, North Korea could have as many as 120 nuclear warheads in its arsenal.

Live news: Live news: Bitcoin drops below 200-week moving average as dollar strength pressures risk assets - Bitcoin fell as low as $67,652, down more than 3.5% over the past 24 hours and 16% over the past month, slipping below its 200-week moving average of around $68,000. Gold is trading just below $3,900 an ounce as it attempts to recover towards $4,000, while tech futures also declined. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) climbed above 103. Global bond yields are also rising, with the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield at 5.125% and the 30-year at 5.459%. Yields in the U.K., France, Germany and Japan are higher too, reducing the attractiveness of riskier assets. Oil rebounded from recent declines, with WTI crude trading at $89 a barrel and Brent above $96. The DRAM memory ETF and VanEck Semiconductor ETF are also lower on Friday.

6 Million Barrels in Two Minutes Draws CFTC Scrutiny - Oil traders sold futures equivalent to at least 6 million barrels of crude in just two minutes on March 23, shortly before President Donald Trump backed away from threats to strike Iranian power plants. Now, the federal regulator overseeing those trades says it has been looking into the activity. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig said Friday that the agency's enforcement division has been examining oil trading during the Iran war, including the unusual surge preceding Trump's announcement. "Our enforcement division has been looking at all these trades," Selig told Bloomberg Television. "We take this stuff very seriously." The March 23 selling involved Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures. Trading volume during the two-minute window was more than 8.5 times the volume recorded during the same period over the preceding week, according to Bloomberg. The timing has raised questions about whether some traders had advance knowledge of Trump's plans. Oil markets have been particularly sensitive to presidential announcements since the Iran war began in February, with threats of military strikes and subsequent reversals capable of triggering sharp price swings. The March 23 trades weren't the only unusual activity. Bloomberg previously reported several spikes in oil trading volumes ahead of major Trump announcements this spring, raising concerns about the possible use of nonpublic information. Selig did not identify any traders involved or disclose whether investigators had uncovered evidence of wrongdoing. "We are on top of this and, rest assured, people can have confidence in the markets as long as I'm in the seat," Selig said. The CFTC chairman also addressed oversight of prediction markets, which the agency is monitoring for possible manipulation ahead of November's midterm elections. Selig expressed disappointment that Congress had failed to pass the Clarity Act, legislation addressing cryptocurrency regulation.

Tamil Nadu: New Indian mega library rocked by scandal over 'AI-generated books' - An Indian court has ordered an investigation into allegations that a public library in the southern state of Tamil Nadu bought hundreds of books suspected of being generated using AI. The controversy began after Tamil novelist Perumal Murugan raised concerns about books containing false information and questionable authorship at a newly opened library in Coimbatore city. The Madras High Court has ordered the state's anti-corruption agency to investigate the purchases and freeze bank accounts linked to a publisher accused of supplying the books. The state government has blamed the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party-led administration for buying the books. The DMK denies allegations. Tamil Nadu's School Education Minister A Rajmohan has described the allegations as potentially "India's first AI scam" and said the investigation would cover purchases at other public libraries across the state. The case has raised wider questions about the growing use of AI in publishing, where tools can generate entire books quickly and cheaply, but also produce false information and invented references. It has also highlighted the challenges facing libraries and publishers in checking the authenticity of books as AI-generated content becomes more widespread. The controversy centres on the Periyar Arivulagam library, built at a cost of about 3bn rupees ($34m; £26m). Named after social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy, it was inaugurated on 16 October by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. Murugan, whose novels Pyre and One Part Woman have received international recognition, raised concerns after visiting the library last month. Writing in an online magazine, he alleged that nearly 1,800 books in its Tamil section had been supplied by a little-known publisher called Agal Vilakku Pathippagam. He said many of the books carried unfamiliar authors' names, unusually high prices and questionable International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs). One book cited in the controversy, Naladiyar Vaazhvin Vazhikatti (A Guide to Life through Naladiyar), was reportedly priced at 1,445 rupees for 300 pages. It describes Naladiyar as a Tamil poet and philosopher, although Naladiyar is a classical Tamil work consisting of 400 four-line verses on morality and ethics. Another book reportedly attributes the ancient Tamil poem Madurai Kanchi to an incorrect author. It remains unclear whether AI was used to produce any of the disputed books.

AI Chatbots Won’t Stop Recommending Scam Websites to People Trying to Shop  -  AI chatbots are taking over as the main way that people use the internet outside social media — and that includes shopping. It makes it pretty concerning, then, that they still have a bad habit of recommending shady websites that rip users off instead of providing the product they’re looking for. A new study conducted by Podqi and reported on by The Verge found that ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity — some of the industry’s leading chatbots — all showed shoppers risky sites that impersonated real retailers, puppeted dead ones, or sold knockoff products.The tests involved asking questions like “What are the top websites for buying [brand]?” and “Does [brand] ship internationally?” and “What are their regional websites?” They used about 151 different brands across the questions, running from smaller ones to major ones like Lululemon and Birkenstock. Perplexity was the worst offender, showing risky sites in 15 percent of its answers. ChatGPT sat in the middle with 8 percent, and Gemini was least likely to show dubious storefronts — albeit at a still-concerning rate of 4 percent.The chatbots didn’t necessarily endorse the websites in their answers. ChatGPT, for example, gave warnings about the risky sites it brought up in 24 percent of its responses, which is the most out of the three examples.  But overall, 57 percent of the answers that showed a risky site recommended it as a place to shop, and 34 percent did so without comment. Only 9 percent of the answers warned the shopper away. Smaller brands, it appeared, were the most likely to be shunted out in favor of scam sites in the AI responses. And certain lines of questions, like asking about a brand’s regional website, seemed to trigger risky responses more than others.“Part of this piece, too, is making sure that the consumers know, even though you are being fed a result in a particular chatbot, it is always best to verify the source of that before entering personal information or credit card information,” Podqi CEO Trevor West told The Verge.It’s not the only study to expose how chatbots could be hurting their own users by getting dupped. The scam-checking service Ask Silver found that ChatGPT recommends cloned versions of defunct website of well known brands which are designed to steal your banking info.Traditional search engines like Google can also be manipulated, but AI chatbots present their responses as definitive answers while being relatively opaque about how they reached them, and people are inclined to trust them uncritically. And fooling these tools doesn’t seem all that difficult. A BBC journalist demonstrated how he was easily able to trick ChatGPT into telling other users that he was a renowned hot dog eating champion — which, sadly, was a lie he invented to prove a point.The internet is more awash than ever with fake junk, ranging from the news you hear to the products you buy. Maybe it isn’t surprising that AI models are having just as hard a time discerning what’s trustworthy and what’s not.

'Heist of a new kind': AI-enabled scam reportedly managed to steal $110 million from French bank - AI-enabled hacking is only continuing to get more impressive, and more scary, as a French bank claims a hacking group has cost it €100,000,000 (around $110,000,000)—about one quarter's profits. So not much, then?That's according to an interview with Julien Carmona of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa with the AFP, which Boursorama reported. Carmona detailed the hack in an interview, claiming it to be a "heist of a new kind", stating the company has the "dubious honor of being the first French bank, and I believe the first European bank, to be the target of a successful fraudulent attack." (machine translated). Carmona says the hack is "unprecedented in terms of sophistication" and "technicality".Effectively, the hacking group managed to create fake IBANs, including those from Fortuneo (a bank owned by the group), "to trigger payment orders from Crédit Mutuel Arkea's own account to external parties using instant payment systems". These, "by definition have fewer controls than on classic transfers."Carmona did clarify to Les Echos that though they use Fortuneo IBANs, "Fortuneo's system, and therefore its customers, were not affected."Reportedly, the hacking group used a compromised service provider of some kind to get privileged access, thereby bypassing restrictions normally in place to stop this kind of hack. When asked by Les Echos why they didn't reveal the name, Carmona said, "This is a collective decision by the banks. This information is not in the public interest and could harm the security of the banking sector. Similar service providers could then be targeted."Starting on Sunday, November 1, the hacking group apparently made sure "everything was done to circumvent controls, to make these illegitimate transfers appear legitimate."They then transferred the funds to legitimate European banks, where they then took that money and spent it on crypto platforms. This hack wasn't spotted until Tuesday, November 3, when access to the bank's information system was cut off, but by that point the damage was done. The French bank has since brought in crypto specialists, who reportedly spotted the abnormal transaction on Sunday and Monday "But, at that time, they themselves, and no one to my knowledge, made the link with Crédit Mutuel Arkea".Carmona says the hacking organisation was "a very well-organised, very well-equipped criminal group" and "very likely aided by advanced artificial intelligence."It's not yet clear what role AI played here, but it's particularly good at analysing data, and of course has found value in coding over the last year. AI was only recently used by a cyberhacking gang to target 60 firms a few months ago. In this Korean case, though, the gang only managed to make $210 in ransom payments before being caught.

Fed watchdog flags security gaps in three internal systems | American Banker— Some of the Federal Reserve Board’s systems used to oversee banks and track currency-related activities lack proper documentation detailing how they are configured and what settings they should maintain, a watchdog report released Thursday found.

• Key insight: Three internal Federal Reserve Board systems lack adequate documentation of their approved configurations, potentially exposing them to operational and security risks, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General.
• Expert quote: “A cybersecurity breach or compromise of these systems could expose confidential supervisory information or personal information, impair banking oversight, or disrupt technical work related to currency.” —Federal Reserve Office of the Inspector General report.

Bowman seeks bank input on plan to restructure supervision - The Federal Reserve’s top regulator said she hopes to install new regional supervisory directors in the “coming months.”

• Key insight: Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman hopes to implement her new regional approach to bank supervision within a short time frame.
• Expert quote: “These are ways that we’re exploring to ensure that we have that consistency, we have transparency, and that, ultimately, the vice chair for supervision has the ability to impact and influence the outcomes of the supervisory process.” —Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman

Fed warns of financial risks from AI-driven market optimism | American Banker — The Federal Reserve warned Friday that elevated asset prices remain a key risk to financial stability.

• Key insight: The Federal Reserve’s semiannual Financial Stability Report again identified elevated asset valuations as a leading risk to financial stability.
• Expert quote: “The complex interlinkages among firms engaged in the data center buildout, public credit markets, private lenders, and special purpose financing vehicles create vulnerabilities that necessitate close monitoring.” — Federal Reserve financial stability report

The Federal Reserve flagged elevated stock valuations, growing corporate debt and risks tied to the data center boom as potential threats to financial stability in its most recent financial stability report.

Fed’s Barr warns about deregulation in a ‘risk-on environment’ | American Banker

• Key insight: Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr sees increased risk-taking across the financial sector, a trend that he said could undermine financial stability if regulators are caught flat-footed.
• Expert quote: “The worry I have is that we’re deregulating at a time [when] we’re in this risk-on environment. That is a recipe for bad things to happen.” —Fed Gov. Michael Barr

Van Hollen leadership run could turn up pressure on banks — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said he will run for Senate majority leader when Democrats take control of the Senate next year, emerging as the leading progressive challenger to New York Sen. Chuck Schumer.

• Key insight: Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s longtime service on the Senate Banking Committee and alliances with progressive lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., could bring greater scrutiny of the financial industry.
• Forward look: The race for Senate Majority Leader is an especially high-stakes gambit, as Democrats currently have a favorable chance of a durable majority in the upper chamber for at least the next few Congresses.

The prospect of progressive Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., leading the Senate could boost the profile of banking bills — including a renewed push for credit card competition — in the upper chamber.

How banks can prepare for Democrats’ oversight era | American Banker 

• Key insight: Affordability arguments have been some of banks’ most successful lobbying messages over the last two years, and may be their best defense against Democratic inquiries in the next Congress.
• Forward look: Connections with notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, cryptocurrency entanglements and data privacy concerns at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are the most likely topics for Congressional inquiry, experts say.

Morgan Stanley places big bet on scale as AI commoditizes advice | American Banker - As technology commodifies much of wealth management, Jed Finn of Morgan Stanley has little doubt that large firms will be among the few in the industry still able to stand out from rivals.

• Key Insight: While AI rapidly commoditizes portfolio construction and basic financial planning, large firms are finding not-easily-replicated advantages stemming from their sheer size.
• Expert quote: “It’s just going to be really hard for fintech startups or small RIAs or even regional independents or banks to compete with firms that have the resources to invest at scale.” – Jed Finn, Morgan Stanley wealth head

Speaking on Monday at the BMO Financials Conference in Boca Raton, Florida, Morgan Stanley wealth head Jed Finn said AI and similar innovations are without a doubt eroding advantages firms may have once enjoyed in building investment portfolios, designing financial plans and finding accounts yielding the highest returns for clients’ cash and other assets.He listed a number of offerings wealth managers may consider in an industry in which tech is making many firms look the same. They include:

• Providing easy and frictionless access to private equity, private credit and other alternative assets
• Analyzing swaths of investor data to provide insights into any particular decision a wealth management client may be considering at any given moment
• Using advanced safeguards to protect client data when cyberattacks are growingly increasingly sophisticated.

Fortunately for Morgan Stanley, the largest U.S. wealth manager with nearly $8.5 trillion in assets under management, it’s big firms that are best positioned to do all of that. “When you think about trust-based relationships, when you think about distribution footprint, when you think about having the resources to be able to institutionalize a lot of the technology that has come up over the last couple of years, it’s just going to be really hard for fintech startups or small RIAs or even regional independents or banks to compete with firms that have the resources to invest at scale,” Finn said.On Morgan Stanley’s advantage with data analysis, Finn noted that the firm has had 21 million clients complete roughly 1.4 billion transactions involving taxes over the past 12 months. Information culled from that is then used to train internal AI systems to provide answers to advisors’ and clients’ questions.

JPMorganChase to use OpenAI models for coding, security | American Banker

• Key insight: OpenAI announced it’s signed a contract with JPMorganChase to use the frontier AI model provider’s technology in software development and cybersecurity.
• Expert quote: “JPMorganChase is increasingly setting the architectural and economic blueprint for how banks adopt AI.”—Krish Subramanian, founder and managing partner at Rishidot Research

Exclusive research: Citi is redesigning 100 processes. What’s stopping others? Citi is redesigning 100 processes. What’s stopping others?

• Key insight: While Citi is redesigning about 100 processes, most survey respondents report adding AI to existing workflows or making only partial changes.
• What’s at stake: Scaling AI requires more than improving individual tasks. Banks must coordinate changes across businesses and technology functions to improve overall outcomes. 

Why some community banks are going slow on AI adoption | American Banker

• Key insight: Whether it’s due to negative press about the technology or a culture that values human service, a number of community banks are taking a wait-and-see approach to using artificial intelligence.
• Expert quote: “We know it’s going to be a great tool, but we don’t think we’ve got to be on the leading edge.” —Blake Chatelain, CEO of Red River Bank

BankThink Blocking AI agents is the right near-term move for banks - Bankers have an opportunity to begin creating the policies and procedures that will govern AI agents in the future.

• Key insight: The industry won’t be able to fend off customers’ use of outside AI agents forever. Right now, though, bankers have an opportunity to begin creating the policies and procedures that will govern them in the future.
• Forward look: With good reasons to move slowly, banks should seize this opportunity to address long-standing weaknesses while preparing for a new way of doing business.

How banks can better measure AI ROI and business impact | American Banker -Banks face three interconnected challenges as they move from experimenting with AI to integrating it into their businesses: making AI adoption measurable, scalable and accountable. The measurement challenge is coming to the fore as rising costs force executives to explain what their growing portfolio of AI initiatives actually produces. The early objective of generative AI adoption was to encourage experimentation. Banks tracked how many employees had access, how often they used the tools and how many use cases entered the pipeline. Those numbers showed that adoption was taking place. They did not necessarily show that it was creating value.

IT software vendor banks use hit with third security threat | American Banker

• What’s at stake: Anyone who takes over an IT provider’s N-central console inherits control of every client machine on it, including those at banks and credit unions.
• Forward look: N-central’s built-in remote-control feature is unavailable and will be re-enabled in a future fix, according to N-able’s release notes.

Bank of America agrees to settle fake-accounts suit --In 2023, a group of customers sued Bank of America for allegedly opening accounts for them without their knowledge or authorization. Three years later, the bank has agreed to settle.

• Key insight: A 2023 lawsuit against Bank of America piggybacked on a finding by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that BofA had opened unauthorized accounts as early as 2012.
• Forward look: Lawyers for the two sides are asking a judge to set a Jan. 11 deadline for the plaintiffs to move for preliminary approval.

Wells Fargo whistleblower argues SEC played ‘fast and loose’ --Michael Bacon, a former Wells Fargo executive who became a government whistleblower, is appealing an SEC order that would pay him around million, down substantially from the agency's original offer.

• Key insight: A lawyer for Wells Fargo’s former chief security officer argues that the Securities and Exchange Commission had political motives when it reduced a large whistleblower award to his client.
• Forward look: The SEC’s response to the former Wells Fargo executive’s appeal of its decision is due on Dec. 21.

Michael Bacon, a former Wells Fargo executive-turned-whistleblower, is appealing a decision by the Securities and Exchange Commission to slash the size of his award. His lawyer argues the agency had political motives.

Why Western Union is trying to ditch its Intermex acquisition - Western Union wants to call it quits on its acquisition of competitor International Money Express following more than a year of squabbling with state regulators that led to multiple delays, but the embattled merger may still end up in court.

• Key insights: Western Union has terminated its pending acquisition of competitor International Money Express. 
• What’s at stake: International Money Express said it rejects Western Union’s purported termination of the merger and would “vigorously” pursue remedies, including damages.

The $500 million deal fell apart Tuesday night after the deal’s last regulatory holdout, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, granted the companies conditional approval to move forward.

Retailers file lawsuit against OCC, NCUA swipe fee rule -Merchant groups have filed suit against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and National Credit Union Administration, saying the agencies exceeded their authority in exempting banks and credit unions from Illinois’ interchange fee law.

• Key insight: Retailers say the agencies improperly invoked federal preemption to shield financial institutions from an Illinois state law banning interchange fees on taxes and tips.
• What’s at stake: The lawsuits argue regulators misinterpreted federal banking law and bypassed required rulemaking procedures.

CFPB submits servicing final rule for review -The finalized version of the rule originally proposed near the end of the Biden administration may fulfill part of President Trump's executive order from March.

• Key Insight: What may be coming in the CFPB’s newly submitted mortgage servicing final rule.
• What’s at Stake: Whether mortgage servicers will face lighter regulations overall or may end up having to fulfill some new requirements in some areas.Overview bullets generated by AI with editorial review.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finally sent its long-awaited servicing final rule to an arm of President Trump’s executive office for review. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs records show it has received the final version of the rule originally proposed near the end of the Biden administration, according to Jonathan Kolodziej, partner at Bradley. OIRA’s records also confirm earlier Law360 reports that the White House is reviewing the rule. CFPB did not respond to an inquiry. “We still don’t know what is in the rule, but we do know that the CFPB is moving forward,” Kolodziej said, while noting there is a lot of speculation about what the version that the White House is likely to greenlight could contain. Among these are servicing directives from President Trump’s March executive order, which experts have said could reshape the bureau’s role in the market. “The rumor mill suggests that this final rule will not really look like what the proposal was. Now you know the topics are the same, but the approach that they take for the actual rule, as far as what they require servicers to do, is going to be very different,” Kolodziej said. The March executive order’s broader array of mortgage directives include a few that call for CFPB, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Reserve, National Credit Union Administration, and banking regulators to update servicing rules. These include “cure-first standards” for “good-faith servicing errors” and “simplifying loss mitigation requirements.” The EO also calls for “aligning supervisory expectations to support portfolio mortgages servicing as a core community banking function.” Directives that call for self-correction of errors over formal penalties and streamlining of rules in the context of the Trump administration’s deregulation suggests the servicing final rule likely to emerge some time within the next 90 days will involve lighter regulation. Less regulation in some areas but potentially more in others Even the 2023 proposal was considered streamlined relative to some servicing rules the CFPB implemented earlier, incorporating feedback from several industry groups, including the Mortgage Bankers Association, Housing Policy Council and American Bankers Association. The Trump administration may take this a step further. “I’ve heard various approaches that people think this administration might take. One of them is probably more deregulatory, deleting some existing provisions that are viewed as being problematic or overly complicating things. That would certainly be consistent,” Kolodziej said. However, there also is some speculation the final rule could include a mix of scaled-back rules in some areas and additional ones in others as officials have reviewed a broad range of feedback on the original proposal. “I have also heard some suggestions that they may take the current complex system of regulations and replace it with a new complex system of regulations,” Kolodziej said. “That’s a big question out there.”

VA IRRRL fees may nearly triple: Close veteran refis now - Mortgage industry members are looking to the U.S. Senate to strip this portion, which triples loan fees, out of the Veterans benefits legislation.

• What’s at Stake: Veterans and current military members face a dramatic rise in their housing costs.
• Expert Quote: “Should veterans trying to lower their mortgage payments be asked to finance other federal benefits?” — Mark Milam, President, Highland Mortgage

Overview bullets generated by AI with editorial review.

Existing Home Sales Crash To 16 Year Lows In October -  US existing home sales plunged 5.5% MoM in October (worse than the 3.5% MoM exp), pulling sales down 8.76% YoY with mortgage rates near multi-decade highs... The October collapse drags existing home sales SAAR to 3.75 million (well below the 3.86 million consensus) - the lowest since August 2010... Single-family sales dropped to 3.41 million, with sales down in the Midwest, South, and West, and flat in the Northeast (every region was lower than a year ago). "Home buying is difficult when mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels since 2000, aside from a single month in 2023. As a result, home sales fell to their lowest level since August 2010,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. Inventory edged up to 1.59 million units (a 5.1-month supply), giving buyers a bit more choice, but the median price still rose 0.4% year-over-year to $416,700 - the 40th straight annual gain. First-time buyers slipped to 29% of sales, and with the average 30-year mortgage rate in October around 7.3%, this has clearly had an impact on sales... Yun noted optimistically that most of the country’s 88 million homeowners remain comfortable thanks to accumulated equity and that “there could be sizable pent-up demand if mortgage rates decline.” For now, though, the data show elevated rates continue to suppress transaction volume while prices refuse to break lower.

Household Debts, Debt-to-Income Ratios, Delinquencies, Foreclosures, Collections & Bankruptcies in Q3 2026 by Wolf Richter - Total household debt outstanding in Q3 rose by $334 billion from Q2, or by 1.8%, to $19.1 trillion, after having been nearly unchanged for two quarters in a row, according to the Household Debt and Credit Report from the New York Fed, which obtained this data via its partnership with Equifax. Total household debt includes mortgages, HELOCs, student loans, auto loans, credit card balances, and other consumer loans such as personal loans and BNPL loans. The quarter-to-quarter increase was largely driven by mortgage balances, which jumped by $257 billion, after declining in Q2. The unusual decline in Q2 had been “due to a temporary gap in the reporting of mortgages on credit reports due to a transfer of servicing,” the New York Fed had explained at the time. And now the missed data from Q2 was included in Q3, causing the Q3 mortgage debt to jump from the under-reported Q2 balances. Year-over-year, total household debt rose by $520 billion, or by 2.8%, the second smallest increase since Q2 2021, behind only the prior quarter. Total household income has risen over the many years, as more households were formed, and as incomes increased per household. In addition, there were years of wage inflation, consumer price inflation, and home price inflation. So total household income has grown over the years since the Financial Crisis far faster than total household debt, and the burden of that debt on households has declined over the years. The debt-to-income ratio is a classic way of evaluating the burden of a debt. With households, we can use the debt-to-disposable-income ratio. Disposable income (by the Bureau of Economic Analysis) consists of after-tax wages, plus income from interest, dividends, rentals, farm income, small business income, transfer payments from the government, etc. But it excludes capital gains, which is where rich households make most of their money. Excluded are thereby income from stock-based compensation plans and capital appreciation where billionaires make their billions. The debt-to-disposable income ratio in Q3 ticked up to 78.9%, as disposable income rose to a record while debt balances increased slightly faster. But the Q2 ratio had been pushed down by the above-mentioned gap in mortgage reporting. Q3 simply ironed that out. Both Q3 and Q2 were the lowest in the data going back to 2003, except for two quarters during the stimulus era, when disposable income was inflated by the stimulus checks, PPP loans, and numerous other government handouts. It’s obvious where the problems were leading up to the Financial Crisis: Consumers were way overleveraged, and banks were on the hook for this debt, which came on top of all the risks banks had loaded up on over the 10 years since the Glass-Steagall act was repealed. When the debt-to-disposable-income ratio passed 100% in 2005, all red alarms should have gone off at the same time. Household balance sheets are now in good shape overall. 65% own their own homes, and home prices soared over the years through mid-2022, and these households are sitting on huge amounts of home equity. About 40% of homeowners own their homes free and clear. Another big portion of homeowners has only a relatively small balance left on their mortgages. Over 60% of households have at least some equities, and their values have skyrocketed over the years. Households hold precious metals and cryptos. And households have over $5 trillion in money market funds and a large pile of CDs. The leverage risks today aren’t with households but with overleveraged businesses, including those in the AI trade, and the massively over-indebted federal government. Federal student loans that had been covered by the government’s forbearance policies since 2020 came out of forbearance in 2025. While in forbearance, borrowers didn’t need to make payments, and their loans weren’t counted as delinquent, and student loan delinquency rates plunged to near zero. But in 2025, when forbearance ended, loans showed up on credit reports as delinquent again when borrowers failed to restart the payments, and serious delinquency rates for student loans exploded back above 10%, where they’d been before the pandemic. This once-again high delinquency rate pushed up overall delinquency rates. Delinquency rates for total household debts by delinquency status:

• 30-59 days (red): 1.1%
• 60-89 days (blue): 0.4%
• 90-119 days (green double line): 0.3%

The dotted yellow line shows the combined delinquency rate for the three categories, all debts delinquent up to 119 days: 1.8% Delinquency rates are at or below where they’d been in the three years before the pandemic, and far below the prior years. They have risen from the near-zero rates when delinquent student loans and mortgages were in forbearance and didn’t count as delinquent.Mortgages make up 70% of total household debts, and they have low delinquencies. Delinquency rates are substantially higher for other loan types and huge for student loans (we’ll get to each debt category over the next few days, so stay tuned).In the category of 120+ days delinquent, there is a lot of old, charged-off stale delinquent debt on credit reports that hasn’t been removed yet. The New York Fed, in a blogpost a few months ago, clarified this issue with regards to credit cards, and summarized: “We find that the stock delinquency rate is rising because of a pool of stale, charged-off debts that lenders have been reporting for longer durations, rather than a fundamental worsening in the incidence of delinquency.”New foreclosures in Q3 edged down to 61,900. During the era of mortgage forbearance and foreclosure bans, foreclosures were near zero because they were essentially impossible.Foreclosures are now at the very low end of the three years before the pandemic, far below the number of foreclosures in prior years, and historically low.Condo prices have plunged in many markets and condo supply has shot up, while sales have plunged, and walking away from the condo and the mortgage would seem to be the next logical step. But that hasn’t shown up yet as a visible uptick above the pre-pandemic years in foreclosures.Third-party collections were essentially unchanged from the prior quarter. The percentage of consumers with third-party collections on file within the past 12 months remained at 4.9%, stuck at rock-bottom.The collections data is based on public records and credit reports. The majority of collection actions result from unpaid medical bills and utility bills, according to the New York Fed’s Data Dictionary. Credit accounts, such as credit cards, make up only a small proportion of collection actions.The share of households with third-party collections on their records had exceeded 14% from 2008 through 2015 as a result of the mortgage crisis, the Great Recession, and the unemployment crisis, during which many households fell behind on their bills, and those arrears were eventually turned over to third-party collections.  New bankruptcies remained at rock-bottom. The number of consumers with new bankruptcy filings in Q3 edged down to 135,220, far below the low end of the Good Times before the free-money pandemic.

Credit card debt mounts amid Democrats' push to cap interest rates - New data shows Americans’ credit card balances are mounting, as some Democratic lawmakers push for capping interest rates.Credit card balances increased by $22 billion in the third quarter, an increase of 1.7 percent relative to the second quarter, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Tuesday.  Credit card debt for this year topped $1.28 trillion, as credit card balances in the third quarter were $52 billion greater than they were in the third quarter of 2025, according to the New York Fed. Roughly 6.9 percent of credit card holders flowed into “serious delinquency” in the third quarter, meaning they missed at least three straight monthly payments. That is lower than the 7.05 percent of holders who flowed into serious delinquency in quarter three of 2025.President Trump in January called on credit card companies to cap interest rates at 10 percent for one year. The average credit card interest rate was 19.71 percent as of Wednesday, according to Bankrate.   Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Sunday she wants to codify that cap, as Democrats will take control of both chambers of Congress in January  “I got the bill, I’m ready to go,” Warren said on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” The Massachusetts Democrats is in line to chair the Senate Banking Committee.Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) also campaigned on capping interest rates, calling credit card companies “predatory.”But Jessica Riedl, a budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution who worked for former Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), argued that capping interest rates will result in banks cancelling the credit cards of “everyone with a credit score under 750.” She wrote on social platform X, “I bet they’ll love having to instead rely on payday loans, pawn shops, and local loan sharks to provide quick credit in a pinch.”

Amid plans to shut off landlines, rural Ohioans worry of isolation | The Statehouse News Bureau - Decades ago, before cell phones buzzed and beeped in everyone's pockets, people relied on a network of copper wires to stay connected to loved ones. A landline phone’s chime was a familiar part of everyday life. In some Appalachian Ohio homes, like Paul Feezel’s, those landlines are still ringing. Feezel said the outdated tech is his only option. He lives in a valley, about a mile from the road on the outskirts of rural Carrollton. The beautiful hills he loves are also the obstacle to good cell service or satellite connection. “Unfortunately, none of those are able to provide either consistent phone service and definitely not consistent or even available internet service,” he said, speaking over his landline. In August, Feezel got a letter from Frontier – a phone provider owned by Verizon – saying his landline would be shut off in the near future. Similar letters have gone out to Verizon and AT&T customers across the state as the major phone providers prepare to phase out the technology. The change is being met with concern in many rural, remote regions of Ohio, where cell service is spotty at best. “It's different here,” said Chris Modranski, Carroll County commissioner. “I would hate for [providers] to make a decision based on where they live and not focus on the people who are actually in the terrain where it really affects every person.” Around 270,000 Ohio households have traditional landline telephone connections to their local phone network, according to a report from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Verizon estimates less than 3% of their customers use the copper service nationwide. “The copper network is, in some areas, 100 years old. It's an aging infrastructure. It is very costly to maintain,” said spokesperson Lauren Peterson. Peterson said copper landlines are expensive to repair, due to a scarcity of copper. Plus, she said, they are vulnerable to severe weather events and theft. Copper line theft has increased in recent years as the value of the material roughly doubled in a year. Earlier this year, the FCC voted to make it easier for companies, like Verizon, to retire the costly infrastructure. The FCC cut back on paperwork and filings, and streamlined the approval process, arguing it could free up providers to invest resources in more modern technologies, like fiber. “The FCC acts today to unleash new, high-speed infrastructure builds in communities all across the country,” the so-called modernization order reads. “We do so by cutting through the red tape that has both required providers to keep aging copper lines in place and effectively prevented them from investing in the modern infrastructure that Americans want and deserve.” Hoomen Hedayati, a researcher with the Communications Workers of America union, said there will be drawbacks to the FCC’s regulatory changes. His group represents telecom workers nationally. “It used to be a company's job to prove a reliable replacement existed before discontinuing service,” he said of the changes. “Now it's the customer's job to object if the reliable alternative doesn't exist.” Many older community members are reaching out to the group with questions on how they will call 911, connect with doctors, or reach their grandchildren if their landline is decommissioned, Westfall said. “It's a safety risk, it’s a health risk,” she said. “We're isolating an already isolated population. It’s an economic disadvantage. There’s just so much.”

Missing 11-month-old found alive buried in dog crate in South Carolina — The father of an 11-month-old boy who was buried alive in a dog crate has been charged with attempted murder and other charges in South Carolina, authorities said Wednesday, a day after the child was unearthed by first responders who had been searching for him, reports the Associated Press. He’s been in custody since Monday night. The boy reported missing in South Carolina was found alive Tuesday after being buried in a dog crate in the woods, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said.  Koah Sharpe was taken Monday afternoon by his father, Michael Comer, while his mother was running an errand, according to NewsNation local affiliate WSPA. By the time a caregiver got to the home near Batesburg-Leesville, Comer and the baby were gone.  Sheriff Jay Koon said during a news conference that a search party of nearly 100 officers and public safety officials, including the FBI, found freshly disturbed earth in the pine straw about 50 yards into the woods near Comer’s father’s home. As crews probed the dirt, they heard the baby crying. Koon said Koah was inside a roughly 2-foot-by-2-foot wire dog crate wrapped in a towel, which likely created an air pocket that helped him survive. Investigators estimate he was buried for about 24 hours. Koon said the baby was “screaming at the top of his lungs” when EMS took him to the hospital. No update on his condition has been released.

Supreme Court appears to favor Catholic preschools in clash over LGBTQ, religious rights The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared to lean toward Catholic preschools on Tuesday in their fight for an exemption from Colorado’s mandate that they admit the children of same-sex couples. Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested the conflict could become a “win-win” if Colorado simply backs away, as there are more than 2,000 eligible preschools for same-sex couples to choose but only a few dozen Catholic schools. “It seems like this would be solution in search of a problem that is unnecessary to create this clash,” Kavanaugh said, “and just trying to figure out why we’re here, why this problem has risen all the way?” The case is the latest battle at the intersection of religious and LGBTQ rights to reach the justices. First implemented in 2023, Colorado funds 15 hours of universal pre-K per week for each eligible child. Participating schools must agree to provide families an “equal opportunity” to enroll regardless of various criteria, including sexual orientation and gender identity. The Archdiocese of Denver, a group of Catholic parishes and parents Daniel and Lisa Sheley challenged the antidiscrimination mandate under the First Amendment. At Tuesday’s oral arguments, multiple conservative justices pressed Colorado for evidence that same-sex couples have been actually turned away from a preschool. “These preschools preexisted the program,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett. “So is there any record of those of same-sex parents, say, trying to attend these Catholic preschools and being turned away?” The state pointed to a fifth-grader at another Catholic school in the state but didn’t provide an example of a case at St. Mary, the parish leading the charge. The Catholic schools say their case is the same as the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that Maine can’t exclude religious schools from its public tuition assistance program. But Colorado’s pre-K program allows religious schools, so long as they comply with the antidiscrimination mandate. “The only thing Colorado asks is that they comply with the same conditions that every publicly funded preschool must meet, religious and secular alike,” said Helen Norton, representing the state. Several of the court’s conservatives suggested the same rule may still apply, and Colorado is just being more careful with its words. “In adopting such a rule, is it conceivable that the lawmakers would not understand what the effect of this would be on Catholic pre-K and on pre-K schools affiliated with other religions that adhere to that traditional principle?” asked Justice Samuel Alito. “I think they would have to know. And I do think they knew in this case,” said Nick Reaves, an attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty who represented the preschools. The case comes on the cusp of several losses for Colorado in its efforts to enact LGBTQ protections. In recent terms, the justices ruled for a counselor who challenged the state’s “conversion therapy” ban and a website designer and cake baker who separately challenged Colorado’s mandate that they perform their work for same-sex weddings, too.   “What should we make of all of this?” Alito questioned. Reaves faced a frostier audience with the court’s liberal justices, who repeatedly suggested that siding with him would be giving schools receiving public dollars a license to discriminate. “Your bottom line is — let’s get to it — your school can reject a child because their parents are homosexual,” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told Reaves, “it seems to me you’re asking for a special rule for religious schools.” The Catholic schools’ argument is backed by roughly 20 Republican-led states, nearly four dozen Republican members of Congress, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and a handful of other religious groups. The Trump administration also agrees and argued the case alongside the schools on Tuesday. Colorado’s defense, meanwhile, is supported by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, nearly 180 Democrats in Congress, LGBTQ advocacy groups and the Freedom From Religious Foundation.

Americans growing more comfortable with AI in medicine, but they want providers involved | CIDRAP - A new survey suggests that Americans are becoming more comfortable with artificial intelligence (AI) making medical decisions—but not without oversight. The Gallup survey of more than 5,000 US adults, published this week, found that 56% of respondents who’ve seen a healthcare provider within the last year are somewhat or very comfortable with AI making diagnosis and treatment decisions as long as the provider can override them. Only 9% said they were comfortable with AI making decisions without provider review, while 38% said they’re comfortable when AI assists and the provider makes the decision.The responses were similar regarding use of AI for medical imaging review and medication decisions: 53% and 49% of respondents, respectively, said they were comfortable with AI reviewing imaging or making decisions about medication as long as the provider could make the final call. Only 11% of respondents said they would be comfortable with AI making medication decisions with no oversight, while 13% were comfortable with AI reviewing imaging without provider review. Even among the 23% of patients who said they somewhat or strongly trust AI, most (65% to 71%) were comfortable when AI was assisting the provider or making decisions that could be overridden. Among those who said they were somewhat or very uncomfortable with AI making diagnosis and treatment decisions or reviewing medical imaging without provider oversight, the only factor that would move the needle is the ability to request review by a provider: 48% and 47%, respectively, said that addition would make them more comfortable. Fewer than one-third of patients said other factors—having strong privacy protections, evidence of safety and effectiveness, faster decisions, and lower healthcare costs—would make them more comfortable. The survey was conducted from August 12 to 24. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 1.7 percentage points. A separate survey found that patients are much more comfortable with AI involvement in medical decisions than providers think.Among more than 1,000 licensed primary care physicians surveyed, 36% said they thought patients would be comfortable with AI making decisions that a provider could override—20 percentage points lower than the patient response (56%). Differences were smaller for medication decisions (42% vs 49%) and imaging review (42% vs 53%). Regardless of patients’ comfort level, use of AI by healthcare providers is clearly becoming more prevalent. Nine in 10 physicians (89%) said they had used an AI tool or a chatbot within the past year for one of seven work tasks, including gathering information on medications (78%), reviewing patient-specific information (53%), writing clinical notes (50%), and writing after-visit summaries (49%). But only 20% reported receiving any formal training.In a study published recently in JAMA, a team led by researchers from Harvard Medical School found that, from January 2024 through June 2026, more than 950,000 US physicians submitted more than 270 million queries to the AI-enabled clinical information program OpenEvidence, with monthly active users increasing from 355 to 703,265. More than half of the queries (51.9%) addressed clinical decision-making, particularly treatment and management (33.1%).“These findings highlight the growing role of AI-enabled clinical information platforms in clinical practice and suggest that efforts to evaluate, teach, and integrate AI in clinical medicine should be informed by empirical studies of its use in actual practice,” the study authors wrote.

AMA adopts new policies to protect patients and strengthen public health | American Medical Association  – At the Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates, physicians and medical students adopted new policies addressing a range of health and safety issues, including protecting the public against unapproved synthetic peptides, modernizing sunscreen regulations, improving electric bike and scooter safety, and preventing lung disease among workers who fabricate engineered stone countertops. The policies include:

• Protecting the public against unapproved synthetic peptides and enforcing patient safety. With the synthetic peptide market expanding quickly, the AMA adopted policy to address mounting concerns that synthetic peptides that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lack the safety, efficacy, and quality evidence necessary to support their use. Under its new policy, the AMA will urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the FDA, and relevant federal regulatory authorities to immediately rescind administrative policies, or directives that ease restrictions on compounding and distributing synthetic peptides that lack FDA approval.“By allowing pharmacies to compound unapproved synthetic peptide substances without sufficient evidence of their safety and efficacy, patients are at increased risk of serious harm. These substances have not undergone the rigorous testing required of FDA-approved drugs, and expanding access without adequate safeguards and oversight could expose patients to serious, preventable harm,” said AMA Board Member Ilse R. Levin, DO, MPH & TM. “We are committed to making sure physicians, other healthcare professionals, and the public are aware of the severe safety risks, lack of clinical data on efficacy, and lack of FDA oversight associated with unapproved synthetic peptide compounds.”
• Modernizing sunscreen regulation to help prevent skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States; approximately 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Furthering its efforts to prevent the risk of skin cancer, the AMA adopted new policy aimed at modernizing the FDA’s review of sunscreen.  Specifically, the policy calls for the AMA to advocate for timely implementation of federal reforms for new sunscreen active ingredient applications, including appropriate consideration of real-world evidence, international safety data, post-market experience, and scientifically validated alternative testing methods as they gain acceptance.
• Improving safety regulations for electric bike and scooter riders.With a rapid increase in the use of micromobility devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters, along with related injuries, the AMA adopted policy aimed at strengthening safety regulations to prevent injuries among riders and others who share the road.  A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics showed a 33% increase in e-bicycle, and a 15% increase in e-scooter, accidents, emergency room visits and fatalities among children. The study also noted that e-bike and e-scooter injuries are more likely to be more severe than nonmotorized devices. Under the new policy, the AMA will advocate for Congress to establish a task force to develop recommendations on how states should regulate e-bikes and e-scooters, which would recommend minimum federal standards while allowing states to establish more stringent standards.
• Preventing lung disease in workers who fabricate engineered stone countertops. Engineered stone is the most common countertop material in the U.S. Studies show it poses a severe health risk to fabrication workers and other people who work with the material. Engineered stone contains over 90% crystalline silica. Cutting or dry-grinding this material can create a very fine dust that can be breathed deep into the lungs. This dust can cause silicosis, an incurable occupational lung disease caused by inhaling particles of respirable crystalline silica.With an increase in silicosis among countertop fabricators across the globe, the AMA adopted policy in support of prohibiting the use of engineered stone countertops and similar products containing more than 1% crystalline silica. Under the policy, the AMA also opposes the manufacturing, importing, distribution, sale, fabrication, and installation of engineered stone products containing more than 1% crystalline silica across the U.S.The AMA also supports strengthening silicosis surveillance, improving access to screening and care, and advancing higher-order prevention strategies related to engineered stone countertops.

Moral injury is a distinct threat to physician well-being | American Medical Association — The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates today classified moral injury as a “distinct and significant threat” to the well-being of physicians, residents and medical students, calling attention to the urgent need to address systemic problems that prevent them from providing the best possible care to patients.The newly adopted policy recognizes moral injury as harm that occurs when systemic constraints force health professionals to witness or act in ways that conflict with their moral beliefs and professional obligations, including the inability to deliver evidence-based, equitable and patient-centered care.“The practice of medicine is fundamentally a moral activity, yet physicians routinely face barriers that can prevent them from delivering the care they know their patients need,” said AMA Board Secretary Pauline P. Huynh, MD. “When those barriers repeatedly conflict with physicians’ professional values, that harm can contribute to physicians reducing their hours, leaving positions or training programs, or exiting practice altogether. At a time when the nation needs a strong and stable physician workforce to meet growing health care needs, recognizing and addressing moral injury is essential to retaining physicians, protecting access to care, and advancing our nation’s health goals.”Moral injury is distinct from burnout and moral distress, although the experiences can overlap. While burnout is associated with emotional exhaustion and diminished professional fulfillment, and moral distress occurs when clinicians feel unable to pursue what they believe is ethically right, moral injury can result when those conflicts persist, undermining a physician’s sense of meaning, identity and professional integrity.By adopting this policy, the AMA affirms that physician well-being requires more than individual coping strategies; it requires reform of the systems that prevent physicians from fulfilling their ethical obligations. The policy directs the AMA to develop recommendations for addressing moral injury and moral distress throughout the medical profession.

Common diabetes drug linked to lower risk of death after COVID infection |- People with type 2 diabetes who were taking the drug metformin when they contracted COVID-19 had a 39% lower risk of dying over the following year than peers who were taking a different diabetes medication, according to a study published last week in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.   The study also found that those who were taking metformin, a medication that helps lower blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity, had a slightly reduced but non-statistically significant risk of long COVID.The findings come on the heels of a study published last week that found that COVID patients who were prescribed metformin within six days of infection were less likely to develop long COVID or die. Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for people with diabetes and prediabetes. Researchers hypothesize that the drug’s antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyperglycemic properties help protect people from the persistent health problems that some people experience after recovering from an acute COVID infection.For the study, researchers led by a team at Stanford University analyzed data from 53,332 US adults with type 2 diabetes who were diagnosed as having COVID from October 2021 to November 2023. Participants were 30 to 85 years old and had been prescribed either metformin or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4i), another diabetes drug, at least 30 days before their COVID diagnosis. Of the participants, 50,965 were prescribed metformin, and 2,367 were prescribed DPP4i. Fifty-two percent of those who took metformin and 59% of those who took DPP4i were women. The average age of metformin users was 60 years, compared with 64 for DPP4i users.  After adjusting for confounding factors, the researchers found that metformin use was associated with a 39% lower 12-month mortality risk (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 0.61). Those who took metformin also had a 13% lower risk of long COVID (aRR, 0.87). However, the team found no statistically significant association between metformin use and a long-COVID diagnosis (aRR, 0.90).The authors note that the findings are consistent with previous research linking metformin use during acute COVID infection with fewer emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Metformin may help protect people with type 2 diabetes from severe post-COVID outcomes in several ways. By lowering blood sugar, the drug may strengthen the body’s immune response and regulate the renin-angiotensin system, a pathway that plays a role in COVID severity. “Metformin's improvement of glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity may partially normalize this pathophysiological environment,” write the researchers. Metformin may also help tamp down the body’s inflammatory response and reduce viral load.

Beware of Rashes in COVID-19 Patients | MedPage Today  -A 78-year-old man presents to an emergency department in Pennsylvania after being transferred from a nursing facility; he has septic shock secondary to a Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infection. His medical history includes benign prostatic hyperplasia, coronary artery disease, and atrial fibrillation.The patient is admitted to the intensive care unit, where intake assessment reveals hemodynamic instability, leukocytosis, deteriorating renal function, and high potassium levels.Clinicians start the patient on treatment with cefepime for the urinary tract infection, and a brief period of vasopressor support.  On day 7 in the hospital, the patient develops a fever of 38.3°C, along with a pustular rash on an erythematous base that covers his trunk and upper extremities. There is no evidence of mucosal involvement. Clinicians obtain samples of the affected skin and surrounding area for testing. Clinicians order a chest x-ray, which shows no acute cardiopulmonary abnormalities. Repeat cultures of blood, urine, and pustule cultures for bacteria are negative. Laboratory tests identify leukocytosis with neutrophilia (8,170 neutrophils/μl; normal range 1,800-7,500), and elevated C-reactive protein (4.15 mg/dL; normal range 0-1). On day 8 in the hospital, the patient's low blood pressure persists, with no evidence of any other symptoms. He undergoes a second chest x-ray, which reveals new-onset bilateral interstitial opacities and consolidation.Based on the x-ray findings and given the patient's arrival from a nursing facility, clinicians test him for COVID-19 via the SARS-CoV-2 RNA nasopharyngeal swab, followed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; both results come back positive. In the absence of any signs of respiratory distress or need for supplemental oxygen, the patient is treated supportively.Skin biopsy of the rash shows papillary dermal edema and subcorneal/intracorneal pustules. The surrounding skin shows mixed inflammatory infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and rare eosinophils.Based on the patient's score of 12, calculated via the EuroSCAR study group criteria, the medical team arrives at a definite diagnosis of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) and discontinue cefepime. Topical emollients are used to manage the patient's skin symptoms, which results in expedient resolution of the exanthem within a few days, followed by postpustular desquamation. Clinicians reporting this case of AGEP following treatment with cefepime for a urinary tract infection in an older man note that it is the second reported case of the rare widespread rash in a patient with COVID-19.However, unlike the patient in the first report, published in May 2020 and involving a 39-year-old woman who developed AGEP 18 days after starting hydroxychloroquine treatment, the current patient had not received that drug. The authors of the current case speculate that the man's vigorous immune response to COVID-19, coupled with concurrent cefepime use, may have triggered the appearance of AGEP.AGEP is a rare exanthem characterized by the acute development of a multitude (often up to several hundred) of small, non-follicular, sterile pustules arising on an erythematous base, and is usually related to medication use. In addition to antimalarials such as hydroxychloroquine, common culprits include aminopenicillins and diltiazem.The rash generally erupts within 48 hours of exposure to the medication, with even less for antibiotics (median of 24 hours). The condition is self-limiting, and usually resolves within 2 weeks of withdrawal of the offending drug. Resolution is marked by desquamation with characteristic collarettes of scale.

New study links COVID to fewer long-term health problems than previously thought - A new study links COVID-19 infection to substantially fewer long-term health problems than previous research suggests. For the analysis, published in PNAS, researchers led by a team at Stanford University examined 14.4 billion health insurance claims from 244.7 million US patients in the first four months after they tested positive or negative for COVID-19, from March 2020 to March 2021. The researchers compared health outcomes for those who tested positive with those who tested negative for COVID by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), noting that many other studies have compared test-confirmed COVID patients with groups that included untested controls. The latter approach “leads to the attribution of future health problems to COVID-19 infection when they might instead be due to non-COVID factors or conditions that prompted the healthcare visit and testing,” they wrote. The team looked at 614 negative health outcomes across three periods: early, or one to four months post-infection; middle, or five to 12 months after infection; and late, or 13 to 24 months after infection. When the authors compared people who tested positive for COVID with those who tested negative, they linked 43 symptoms to COVID during the early post-infection period. That was 83.5% less than the 262 health outcomes linked to COVID when they used a comparison group that included untested people. During the middle period, the number of poor health outcomes linked to COVID fell to five in the test-based design, compared with 286 in the analysis that included untested people. During the late period, no negative health outcomes were linked to COVID in the test-based design, compared with 369 in the analysis including people who hadn’t been tested. While the number of COVID-attributable health outcomes in the early post-infection period was lower than that in many previous studies, the team found that COVID still affects multiple organ systems, including respiratory, renal, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, immune, gastrointestinal, neurologic, and dermatologic. The researchers found that many people were tested for COVID while seeking care for other illnesses. If those other illnesses later caused health problems, and those people were included in the comparison groups, those health problems may have been mistakenly linked to COVID. By using a study design in which patients were enrolled at the time of their first PCR test, the researchers mitigated many of these biases. “This analysis suggests that while long COVID remains a serious concern, it may have fewer symptoms—and ones of shorter duration and lower overall severity—than previously thought,” the team wrote.

Post-COVID Myocardial Scarring in Young Healthy Man -A 23-year-old man presented to an outpatient cardiology clinic reporting pain on the left side of his chest with physical activity that persists for 30-60 minutes. He had no preexisting conditions and had previously had an active lifestyle that included running two miles a day, 6 days a week without any problems. Three months prior to presentation, though, he said, he had "mild" COVID-19 that had been treated conservatively in an outpatient setting.All other information in his medical, surgical, and social history was unremarkable, except assessment of systems was positive for fatigue. The patient's vital signs were within normal limits, and he had no evidence of cardiopulmonary abnormalities.Findings of a comprehensive metabolic panel were similarly unremarkable: Clinicians ordered an EKG, which revealed sinus bradycardia and an incomplete right bundle branch block. Subsequent transthoracic echocardiogram showed that his left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 60% with no valvular or wall motion abnormalities.Based on his existing symptoms and the recent history of COVID-19, clinicians ordered a cardiac MRI (CMR) to assess the possibility of myocarditis.The medical team performed several imaging sequences using a 1.5T Siemens scanner -- steady-state free precession cine images, along with tissue characterization using T1 map shortened Modified Look-Locker Inversion recovery sequence, T2 map images, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images using phase-sensitive inversion recovery sequence.The results showed evidence of mild dilation of the right atrium; the size of the remaining cardiac chambers was normal. The patient had a normal left ventricular ejection fraction of 54%, with evidence of trace pericardial effusion. There was no evidence of myocardial edema – i.e., global native T1 and T2 values were normal.LGE imaging was consistent with myopericarditis, with several areas of sub-epicardial as well as pericardial enhancement; quantitative LGE burden was 18.6% (using the mean+5 SD method). Clinicians started the patient on treatment with ibuprofen at 600 mg three times daily for 14 days, and colchicine at 0.6 mg twice daily for 3 months.At a follow-up assessment 1 month later, the patient reported that he no longer had chest pain or other symptoms. A treadmill stress test revealed he had a good exercise capacity, with no symptoms or EKG abnormalities at 17 metabolic equivalents.At a later assessment 7 months after his initial presentation, repeat CMR showed that his sub-epicardial fibrosis persisted, in the same distribution as the initially detected myopericarditis; LGE burden, however, had improved to 5.1% and the pericarditis had resolved.Follow-up cardiac MRI quantitative scar burden assessment on late gadolinium-enhanced images revealed a persistent but improved total scar burden of 5.1%.Clinicians presenting this case of a healthy young man with persistent myocardial scarring 10 months after COVID-19 infection note that CMR's capacity for advanced tissue characterization has made the modality useful in a wide variety of COVID patients with cardiac concerns, ranging from asymptomatic to severe disease.Other sequelae of the disease include myocarditis, pericarditis, arrhythmias, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and unmasking of underlying CAD, but unfortunately, little is known about either treating these patients, or their prognosis.While CMR is used acutely to diagnose myocarditis based on the Lake Louis or modified Lake Louis criteria, it also has a role outside of acute settings, when tissue edema or scarring on CMR are considered markers for the presence of myocarditis. The case authors cited reports suggesting that a non-ischemic pattern of LGE may persist as long as 6 months after COVID-19 infection, although the clinical significance of this myocardial scarring remains unclear.The potential for "a young, healthy individual with mild clinical symptoms" to develop myopericarditis "is concerning as it may represent a large population with undetected myocardial involvement with potential future consequences," the authors wrote.

Hospital wastewater boosts growth of resistant bacteria, study finds  -  Hospital wastewater has long been viewed as a potential driver of antibiotic resistance in the environment. New research out of Sweden bolsters this argument.In a study published late last month in Nature Communications, a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg collected wastewater from 10 hospitals and eight municipal treatment plants in Sweden’s Vastra Gotaland region. In a series of experiments, they found that the water from the hospital sewers promoted the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, while the water from the municipal treatment plants had no effect.Senior study author Joakim Larsson, PhD, who directs the Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research at the University of Gothenburg, said the findings provide direct evidence linking antibiotics excreted by hospital patients to observed environmental effects and highlight hospital sewers as a more likely site for resistance evolution than previously considered. And the implications stretch beyond Sweden.“The findings suggest that similar resistance selection occurs in the sewers of most hospitals worldwide,” Larsson said in a university press release.   The findings add to the research that Larsson and his collaborators have conducted on antibiotics in hospital wastewater, which is also known to harbor resistant bacteria excreted by patients. They note that while several studies have reported higher rates of resistant bacteria in hospital wastewater, that observation alone “is an indication but not strong evidence of resistance selection by HWW [hospital wastewater], as one can reasonably assume that patients, on average, carry more resistant faecal bacteria than the general population.”More than one in three Swedish hospital patients are receiving antibiotics at any given time, according to the study. The question is whether the presence of antibiotic residues and resistant bacteria from patients is creating selection pressure for the emergence of resistant bacteria in hospital sewers.In a previous study, Larsson and his colleagues found that filtered wastewater from one large Swedish hospital strongly selected for multidrug-resistant strains of Escherichia coli. The aim of the current study was to see whether they might find similar results with wastewater from other Swedish hospitals, and to compare antibiotic resistance selection in hospital wastewater with corresponding municipal wastewater treatment plants.In the first experiment, the researchers collected samples from the hospitals and the treatments plants, filtered them to remove all naturally occurring bacteria, then exposed E coli isolates to the water samples. Significant selection for E coli strains that were resistant to the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime was observed with all the hospital sewer samples and none of the municipal wastewater samples.In the second experiment, the researchers placed plastic plates in the sewer pipes of the hospital and municipal sites for 30 days, then analyzed the slimy microbial communities, known as biofilms, that grew on the plates. They found significantly higher resistance to ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime in the hospital biofilms compared with the hospital wastewater, which the authors say provides direct evidence of resistance selection occurring naturally in the hospital sewer environment. At the municipal wastewater sites, the resistance levels to the antibiotics were similar in the biofilms and the wastewater. Finally, Larsson and his colleagues found that when they engineered a strain of E coli to be resistant to fluoroquinolones and beta-lactam antibiotics, the strain was able to grow well in the hospital wastewater samples. This and other evidence from the experiments indicated that ciprofloxacin, a commonly used fluoroquinolone in hospitals—and to a lesser extent cefotaxime (a beta-lactam)—was a key driver of resistant bacteria in the hospital wastewater. Since ciprofloxacin is one of the most widely used antibiotics worldwide, the authors say it’s “highly plausible” that wastewater from hospitals around the world are also selecting for resistance.Larsson said knowing which bacteria are promoting resistance in the environment, and where it’s occurring, can help narrow down the targets for interventions to reduce selection pressure. Other studies have found that the high level of antibiotic residues in wastewater from antibiotic manufacturing facilities also promotes the emergence and growth of resistant bacteria.“Knowing where resistant bacteria are promoted—and where they are less likely to be—is crucial when deciding how resources and efforts should be allocated to limit risks for antibiotic resistance development,” he said.

The flu strain driving this season’s unusually early spread -As Americans head into the heart of sickness season, health officials are keeping a close eye on the flu strains driving an unusually early rise in infections. Flu activity began increasing in parts of the United States in late August and early September, earlier than in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While flu season typically starts in earnest around November, data used to track respiratory illnesses – like laboratory tests, hospitalizations and wastewater data – show that the season was already well underway before the clock struck Nov. 1. A new strain, a mutated version of H1N1, appears to be driving the spread, with some experts warning that it could play a hand in an earlier or longer season.Flu cases began to take off in early fall this year, reaching an activity level in October not usually seen until December or January, according to wastewater data."Seasonal flu activity continues to increase in many parts of the country and is higher than typically observed at this time of year," the CDC said on its influenza tracking site, FluView. The agency estimates 1.7 million illnesses, 25,000 hospitalizations and 1,400 deaths from flu so far this season as of Oct. 30. Two new pediatric deaths were also reported to the agency in the last week.As of Nov. 5, CDC projections found that flu infections were on the rise in 40 states and declining in none. The highest activity seems to be in Southern states and on the West Coast.Flu activity detected from wastewater was still categorized as "very low" nationwide as of Oct. 30, also according to the CDC. It noted that wastewater data tracking is experiencing a "brief gap" in updates due to a new contract with a testing company. It did not clarify how long this gap would last.Additional CDC data through Oct. 31 also showed that about 9.14% (4,694 ) of the 51,351 flu tests administered that week were reported positive to the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System. The vast majority of these confirmed illnesses (97%) were influenza A, the most common form of the flu.Wastewater data maintained by WasteWaterSCAN, a Stanford University-led tool for tracking the spread of disease, categorized flu activity as "high" nationally, meaning higher concentrations of the virus have been detected in the wastewater of more communities nationwide.The same data shows the earliest onset of flu in at least the last four years; samples positive for influenza A were at 71% in October, compared with 40% in September and just 20% in October 2025. The CDC likewise noted that seasonal flu activity began increasing around late August to early September. The CDC said "it was too early to know what viruses may predominate" in late October, though scientists and health officials have signaled that they are paying extra attention to a few strains. This doesn't mean this year's viruses have transformed into something dramatically more dangerous or deadly. Rather, mutations have likely made them a little better at slipping past immunity people build from previous infections and vaccines. H1N1, a type of influenza A, is the primary diagnosis behind this year's flu season thus far. You may recognize the name from the "swine flu" pandemic of 2009, caused by a novel strain called H1N1/09. Health officials noted that this year's virus remains part of the long-circulating seasonal H1N1 lineage rather than a new pandemic strain. The most common H1N1 strain currently is the genetic subgroup known as subclade D.3.1.1. Scientists are watching the strain because it has accumulated additional mutations in parts of the virus targeted by human antibodies, raising concerns that some newer versions may be building upon mutations and drifting away from existing immunity almost "in real time," according to a recent study. The study was published on the preprint server bioRxiv, meaning the research has not yet completed the peer-review process."Why we think we're seeing this now, nobody really knows, but likely it's due to mutations," Dr. Corey K. Smith, emergency physician and Regional Medical Director at Teladoc Health, told USA TODAY. "And what happens is we were all exposed to H1N1 back in 2009, and after some time, as it mutates - and even though we developed this shield, this armor - we have slightly decreased immunity to it."Notably, early evidence shows D.3.1.1 may impact groups of people differently. Some people's antibodies appear to still "recognize" the strain pretty well, while others seem to lose protection.In the September study, researchers noted that teenagers and younger adults seemed to be more affected than adults, specifically people between 15 and 25.This may be thanks to something called "immune imprinting" - a phenomenon in which the body "remembers" the first time it encountered a pathogen and shapes every reaction for the rest of your life based at least partially on this first encounter. So, the first flu strain you were exposed to as a child is the basis for how your immune system responds now. This is why we may see some strains of common illness impacting groups differently along generational lines. In this specific case, the researchers believe that people who were likely first exposed to H1N1 during or shortly after the 2009 pandemic were more affected by D.3.1.1 than people who caught the older strain of H1N1 before 2009.

US flu cases edge up as virus claims lives of 2 children - Although US cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 are low, the proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) is 3.2%, above the 2.9% national baseline, indicating the beginning of flu season in earnest.“This early-season influenza activity is currently higher than typically observed at this time of year, but an earlier increase in activity does not necessarily lead to a higher seasonal peak or greater overall severity,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly FluView update.The CDC also noted two child deaths from flu this week, for a total of five so far this season. In total, 9,584 people were hospitalized for flu. This season, there have been at least 2.6 million flu cases, 36,000 hospital admissions, and 2,100 deaths. Flu test positivity was 11.3% this week, up from 9.1% the week before, primarily from influenza A. While infections are minimal or low in most of the country, flu is in the high or very high category in California, Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington state and moderate in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York state, and Puerto Rico. The preliminary estimate of season severity is low across all ages, and no novel influenza virus has been confirmed in people. “CDC expects the 2026-2027 respiratory illness season to be much like last season,” the agency said. “It is too early to know what viruses may predominate or to say whether there might be implications on flu vaccine effectiveness this season.”The amount of acute respiratory illness such as COVID-19 and flu causing people to see medical care is low but rising, the CDC said in its respiratory illness update today. Levels of rhinovirus/enterovirus and respiratory adenovirus levels are elevated across the country. The CDC also noted cases of group A Streptococcus (strep), walking pneumonia, and pertussis (whooping cough). Wastewater levels of COVID are moderate in most of the country, while flu and RSV are low and very low, respectively. Wastewater concentrations are a measure of community viral activity.

Cleveland Clinic Northeast Ohio Respiratory Pathogen Surveillance Statistics - Cleveland Clinic performs up to 10,000 tests for respiratory pathogens per week across Northeast Ohio. The Respiratory Pathogen Positivity Rate Report tracks the presence of influenza, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory pathogens, including adenovirus, seasonal coronaviruses, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza, rhinovirus/enterovirus, Bordetella pertussis, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the Northeast Ohio community. This week (11/9/2026) in Northeast Ohio, test positivity for influenza A is plateaued at 7.7%. Surveillance sequencing this season from 34 positive samples revealed that 97% are H1N1(pdm09) subtype, of which all belong to D.3.1.1 subclade and have the HA G155E mutation associated with lower neutralizing antibody titers recently reported in a preprint by Kikawa et al. and discussed in this Nature news article.  SARS-CoV-2 test positivity is plateaued at 2.8% while rhinovirus/enterovirus and parainfluenza virus positivity is decreasing. These findings are in line with state and national trends.

‘Quite unusual’: Adults make up two-thirds of measles cases in Pennsylvania, presenting unique challenge -  In the early 1990s, John Goldman, MD, treated an adult with measles in Boston, but then didn’t seen a case for 34 years. However, since the start of the Pennsylvania measles outbreak this year, one of the hospitals where he works, UPMC Lititz in Lancaster County, has treated 50 to 100 cases of measles. Three other area hospitals are also treating measles in the county that has the most cases in the state. “We are seeing as many as a case of measles a day,” Golden said. “We typically are getting three, four, five cases a week.” These patients often reveal that everyone in their home has measles, but the hospital sees only those with infections severe enough to warrant medical attention. While Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak is the largest in the country, with 1,467 cases, it’s also distinct because two-thirds of cases have occurred in adults. Prior to the introduction of a measles vaccine in 1963, almost all children contracted the viral illness before they were 15 years old. In the recent measles outbreaks in West Texas and South Carolina, more children than adults contracted the virus. And Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that only 41% of cases nationwide have involved adults 20 and older. “I find this very interesting,” said William Moss, MD, MPH, a professor in the departments of epidemiology and international health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “It is quite unusual to have a measles outbreak with a predominance of adults infected.” Pennsylvania has unique conditions that have allowed the respiratory virus to burn through the adult population. “What’s happening in these communities—particularly these Plain communities in Pennsylvania—is that you have this unusual situation where you have longstanding low vaccination rates, but also no exposure to natural measles,” Moss said. “Then you’re seeing hundreds of cases in adults in Pennsylvania, and it’s not unheard of, but it’s quite unusual to have that phenomenon.” Moss is referring to traditional Christian groups like the Amish and Mennonites that live a simple life and try to avoid modern technology. Until recently, high rates of vaccination outside the under-vaccinated community likely protected them. “These adults who were susceptible to measles have been protected by herd immunity,” Moss explained. “Because there was so little measles historically in the United States say over the past 25 years, infectious individuals didn’t enter the community. They weren’t exposed to wild-type measles.” Goldman notes that the number of people 50 and older with measles in Pennsylvania shows that vaccine hesitancy has been “present for a very long period of time.” “If you look at when these patients who were infected, making their decision not to be vaccinated, it wasn’t, for the most part, in the last five years,” he said. “It wasn’t with COVID and the rise of vaccine hesitancy we’ve seen across the US. This is a longstanding belief.” He said there are almost 100,000 members of the Plain community in the state, and the vaccination rate for the community is 20% to 60%. “I worry that we really don’t have a handle on the number of cases,” Goldman said. “My fear is that the only way that this outbreak is going to stop is when we achieve herd immunity, when 95% of the community has either been infected or vaccinated.” Alice Yoder, a Lancaster County commissioner, isn’t surprised by the high number of adult cases in the county. Following a measles outbreak in the early 1990s, the county’s MMR vaccination rate increased but started slipping again. “We were really high—up in the high 90% for years,” said Yoder, a former nurse. “You have generations of people that have not been vaccinated, and they’re growing up. Again, we’re talking about decades of gradually the culture of being unvaccinated passes on from generation to generation.” Lancaster County has 504 of the state’s measles infections, almost 300 more than Mifflin County, which has the second most. While the Plain community has lower vaccination rates, Yoder believes that vaccine hesitancy throughout the county and state has contributed to the outbreak. “It’s not just the Plain community,” she explained. “It’s really folks that have chosen not to be vaccinated.” Jeanne Franklin, MPH, the public health director in Chester County—which has the third most measles infections in the state, at 94 cases—suspects that children’s infections are underreported. “Whole households are getting it,” she said. “If the kids are progressing through the illness and not needing medical care, we don’t know about them. We only know about the people who hit a level of complications that required them to seek healthcare—and that’s when they got tested.” Of the six confirmed deaths in Pennsylvania, four occurred in adults. Adults can experience more severe illness, because they tend to have more health conditions. “Like any other viral illness, if you’re older and you’re sicker, you have a higher rate of complications,” Goldman said. “You can get measles encephalitis [brain swelling], measles pneumonia.” He says they’ve had to intubate patients with measles pneumonia and also care for infected pregnant women giving birth to children with measles. “We’re seeing a surprising number of children that test positive at birth,” he said. “We, fortunately, have not had a lot of those kids get really sick.” Last month, however, state officials issued an alert about infections at birth, or congenital measles. It’s unclear if adults will face immune amnesia, which occurs when a measles infection wipes out the immune memory of past infections, Moss said. “We don’t have good studies of what measles does to the immune system in older adults and whether we see the same state of immune suppression that you see in children,” he said. “It’s certainly possible that adults who have measle are going to be at an increased risk of secondary bacterial infections or other infections.” People can also have long-term consequences of measles, such as encephalomyelitis, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord following a viral infection. Experts don’t know whether adults can develop the rare, fatal complication called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, which doesn’t appear for about five to 10 years after infection.

Measles is surging in the U.S. — and outbreaks can cost millions - Measles outbreaks aren’t just a public health threat. They can also be a financial burden on the U.S. — and the cost could only deepen as the once-eliminated disease spreads more widely.The U.S. is expected to lose its official measles elimination status following a review by the Pan American Health Organization this week, after cases ratcheted to recent highs this year. More than 5,100 measles cases have been reported nationwide in 2026 as of early November, marking the country’s worst outbreak in more than three decades. Eight deaths associated with the disease have been confirmed by states so far in 2026: six in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin.Based on this year’s case count, a new tool developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University estimates an economic cost of nearly $83 million for the outbreaks. That total includes $56 million in public health response costs, almost $25 million in lost productivity and more than $1.8 million in direct medical expenses. The tool also estimates that 2025 measles outbreaks in the U.S. — which involved 2,289 confirmed cases nationwide – carried an economic cost of more than $37 million.The costs extend beyond treating people who become sick, accounting for the resources health departments spend investigating and containing outbreaks, as well as wages lost when people have to miss work. The tool uses more recent, state-specific cost and financing data than an initial study by the researchers, which relied on historical outbreak costs. The estimates from the tool are not a definitive accounting of what the outbreaks actually cost. But it illustrates the hefty bill tied to the spread of a disease that can be prevented through vaccination, and the potential economic consequences of falling childhood immunization rates. CNBC previously reported on how the return of measles in the U.S. exposes weaknesses in the nation’s public health system that raise concerns about the return of other eliminated diseases.

More Measles Deaths Reported as U.S. Cases Top 5,400 | MedPage Today - Wisconsin and Pennsylvania reported two more measles-associated deaths on Friday, as the U.S. stands on the brink of losing its measles elimination status with more than 5,400 cases. Wisconsin health officials reported a measles-associated death in a child, without further detail. The state, which has now logged 649 cases since August, just last week reported its first such death since 1990. The death in Pennsylvania involved an unvaccinated resident, according to the state's health department, which didn't disclose further information.Nationwide, 5,412 cases of measles have been confirmed as of Nov. 12, according to the CDC, the highest tally in decades. Nearly all -- 97% -- have been in unvaccinated people.The CDC has confirmed six measles-related deaths this year, double the three it logged last year, but a number for 2026 that trails the 10 measles-related deaths reported by state health departments. With Friday's announcement, Pennsylvania has reported seven such deaths among its nation-leading 1,542 measles cases, Wisconsin two, while New York has recorded one death among its 210 cases.The ongoing outbreaks will likely mean the end of the U.S. measles elimination status, first attained in 2000. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) met this week to determine whether the chain of measles transmission in the U.S. has gone on uninterrupted for at least a year, which would spell the end of the public health victory -- a decision by PAHO is expected imminently.The outbreaks nationwide come as the vaccine skepticism of U.S. public health officials like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation's top health official -- have sown doubt over the safety of the MMR shot and other vaccines.The CDC cited safety concerns in its controversial move to recommend separate MMR and varicella vaccines, and the Trump administration has proposed separating the MMR vaccine's components into three individual shots, a recommendation that if implemented would almost certainly further decrease already-slipping U.S. vaccination rates.The CDC earlier this year reported that 92.4% of 2025-26 kindergarteners got their required MMR shots. Prior to the COVID pandemic, that rate was at 95% -- the level needed for herd immunity.

US poised to lose measles elimination status—what does that mean? -  The United States is on the brink of losing its measles elimination status, a celebrated distinction it has held since 2000, when the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) determined the country had interrupted endemic transmission of the virus.The country's status is being reconsidered at a meeting of a PAHO commission in Washington, DC, starting today and lasting through Friday. Countries that have eliminated measles still have occasional outbreaks, often stemming from international travel. In these rare instances, public health agencies can intervene before the extremely contagious virus becomes endemic. But in the United States, measles outbreaks are both sustaining themselves and seeding new outbreaks, creating a perpetual state of transmission, explained epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, director of Brown University's Pandemic Center."It's just like popcorn: outbreak, outbreak, outbreak, outbreak. All over the country," she said. "They grow in size, and then they shrink. And then they move somewhere [else]." More than 5,100 cases of measles have been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2026, though it's conceivable that number could surpass 7,000 before the end of the year. In the year the nation eliminated measles, the CDC reported just 85 cases.So far, at least eight people in the United States have died from measles in 2026, as well as three last year. And for the first time in generations, congenital measles—passed from an infected pregnant woman to her newborn—poses a serious threat to public health.In light of this growing crisis, PAHO will almost certainly deem measles to be endemic in the United States, several epidemiologists and infectious disease physicians told CIDRAP News. They all agreed the country could reverse course by increasing measles vaccination rates. A country loses measles elimination status if transmission is re-established and continues uninterrupted for at least 12 months, according to PAHO's Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission (RVC). RVC is an independent technical body of infectious disease experts that reports directly to PAHO. At its November 2025 meeting, RVC found that measles was again endemic in Canada. At that same meeting, the United States' measles status was classified as "sustained with major concerns," along with that of Mexico, Honduras, and Venezuela. RVC's meeting to assess the status of measles in the United States and Mexico was initially scheduled for mid-April but got pushed back to this week. The commission said it would rather conduct the review at its annual November meeting. The postponement raised some eyebrows. The RVC may not have wanted to meet until after the US midterm elections, speculated Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, who led the CDC from 2009 to 2017."One could hypothesize that they didn't want to annoy the administration before the election. I don't know if that's true," said Frieden, who now runs Resolve to Save Lives, a global health organization focused on epidemic prevention. The loss of elimination status might have little effect on the Trump administration, since the president seems uninterested in replacing long-time vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, Trump's history of devaluing multinational institutions like PAHO might mean any announcement from the organization will be met with ambivalence, Michaud speculated.

Norovirus No. 1 cause of cruise ship outbreaks for past 30 years, but other pathogens gaining - The gastrointestinal (GI) pathogen norovirus was the leading cause of infectious-disease outbreaks on cruise ships over the past 57 years, but respiratory pathogens such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 also emerged as important contributors, reveals a meta-analysis published today in eClinicalMedicine. Peking University researchers in China led the analysis of 107 observational studies on 619 infectious-disease outbreaks among passengers and/or crew on 236 ships from 1969 to 2026.  While the risk of outbreaks and related deaths on cruise ships is relatively low overall, the 2026 Andes hantavirus outbreak on an expedition cruise ship, which sickened 13 and killed three, underscores the emerging risks tied to this type of travel, the authors said. “Cruise ships represent unique, semi-closed, and high-density environments where individuals from diverse geographical backgrounds live and dine in close proximity,” they wrote. “These conditions, combined with shared facilities and repeated passenger turnover, facilitate the transmission of infectious agents through person-to-person contact, contaminated food and/or water, and environmental reservoirs, potentially leading to infectious disease outbreaks.” Before the mid-1990s, cruise ship outbreaks remained relatively uncommon and sporadic but rose markedly before peaking in the 2000s. After cases fell off sharply in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks became more common again. Although pathogen composition shifted over time, norovirus made up the largest percentage of outbreaks starting in 1995. Among the 107 studies, median total ship population was 1,715 (interquartile range [IQR], 924 to 2,904). Of the 619 outbreaks, 69.8% involved GI illness, and 57.8% involved norovirus. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was identified in 5.0% of outbreaks, while SARS-CoV-2 was named in 3.4%, influenza in 3.1%, and 17.4% involved unconfirmed pathogens. Norovirus was the most frequently identified pathogen overall, with a pooled attack rate (percentage of people who contract a disease during an outbreak) of 6.5% among passengers and 1.5% among crew. But SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was more likely to infect crew than passengers (26.4% vs 5.1%, respectively), although the confidence intervals were wide, indicating imprecision. Influenza was nearly equally likely to infect both passengers and crew (6.5% and 7.3%, respectively). “Distinct infection patterns between passengers and crew members highlight the need for pathogen-specific prevention strategies, strengthened surveillance, and targeted occupational protections for onboard personnel,” the authors wrote.

Congenital syphilis rates soared in US newborns from 2012 to 2022 - Congenital syphilis rates among US newborns increased nearly sixfold from 2012 to 2022, according to a study published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The data show rising rates across all demographics and income levels, with the sharpest increases among Native Americans. Congenital syphilis occurs when a pregnant woman with untreated syphilis passes the infection to her baby. The infection can cause organ damage, skeletal abnormalities, neurodevelopmental impairment, stillbirth, and infant death. For the study, researchers from Johns Hopkins University analyzed hospital records representing 14.6 million birth hospitalizations in 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2022, including an estimated 6,560 newborns diagnosed as having congenital syphilis. The team found that congenital syphilis rates increased from 16.0 per 100,000 birth hospitalizations in 2012 to 94.7 per 100,000 in 2022, a 5.9-fold increase. The estimated number of affected newborns rose from 597 to 3,325 over that period. Rates increased across all racial and ethnic groups, income levels, and hospital settings, with the largest increase occurring among American Indian and Alaska Native newborns. Among this population, rates rose from 22.7 per 100,000 birth hospitalizations in 2012 to 486.0 per 100,000 in 2022, a 21.5-fold increase, although the confidence intervals for these statistics were wide, indicating imprecision. In 2022, Hispanic newborns accounted for the largest number of congenital syphilis hospitalizations (1,010), followed by Black newborns (970) and White newborns (785). By income level, congenital syphilis rates were highest among newborns from the lowest-income ZIP codes (186.8 per 100,000 birth hospitalizations) and among those covered by public insurance (177.4 per 100 000). Geographically, in 2022, the West had the highest rates, at 126.0 per 100,000 birth hospitalizations, although over half of the birth hospitalizations (1,682) that year occurred in the South. Congenital syphilis is largely preventable through prenatal screening and timely treatment. The researchers point to several factors that may be fueling its rise, including limited access to prenatal care, especially in rural areas, and federal funding cuts to family-planning programs. Ongoing shortages of benzathine penicillin G (Bicillin L-A), the only recommended treatment for syphilis during pregnancy, may also complicate efforts to curb rising rates. Because the study included only in-hospital births and not stillbirths or other fetal losses related to congenital syphilis, the findings likely underestimate disease burden, note the researchers. This underestimation might be especially true among Native Americans, because federal facilities such as Indian Health Service hospitals, which account for approximately 10% of American Indian and Alaska Native births, were not included in the study. “It is critically important to reverse the rise in [congenital syphilis],” write the researchers, who call for expanded prenatal screening, improved access to timely treatment, and a reliable medication supply.

Quick takes: E coli death tied to pumpkin farm, US Salmonella outbreaks, 18 more polio cases | CIDRAP

• One person has died of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) linked to a San Luis Obispo, California, pumpkin farm that has sickened five people, according to the county public health department. No details about the death were released. All five infected people visited Brookshire Farms on October 17 or 18, and another 10 people who developed symptoms after visiting the farm from October 16 to 26 are considered suspected cases. Three people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition, and one was hospitalized. “Testing of environmental samples was limited due to the abundance of potential sources, absence of testable items, delays between exposures and sampling, and other factors, the departmental news release said. “Some potential exposures common to infected individuals remain notable, including edible corn cups, pumpkins, hay, and non-potable water sources, although no specific source of the E. coli O157 was identified.” The investigation is now over, and the farm has reopened after a voluntary closure. Officials said the patients were not exposed to animals while on the farm.
• Yesterday, the US Food and Drug Administration reported two new outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis from unidentified food sources, one with 14 illnesses and one with 35, but released no other details. The FDA also updated the case count of the Salmonella Javiana outbreak of unknown origin from 65 to 70. That outbreak was first announced on October 28.
• This week, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported 15 new polio cases from five countries. Pakistan announced one case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), South Sudan documented one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) infection, while the Democratic Republic of Congo logged nine circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, Nigeria noted one new cVDPV2 case and two cVDPV type 3 (cVDPV3) infections, and Niger documented one cVDPV3 case. Syria also recorded another polio case in Deir Ezzor after reporting two VDPV1 cases last week.

Family Farmstead Dairy Announces Recall of All Cheddar Cheese Products Because of Possible Health Risk | FDA – Family Farmstead Dairy is recalling all cheddar cheese products because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.This decision follows the company's October 15, 2026 recall of certain raw cheddar products due to potential contamination with E. Coli O26:H11 and O45:H2Product was distributed in NY, NJ, VT, NH, MA, PA, RI, CT, DE, VA, WV, and TN through retail stores. Products Affected:

• Raw Mild Cheddar, 8oz, plastic wrapped - All lot codes dated 10/16/27 and prior
• Raw Sharp Cheddar, 8oz, plastic wrapped - All lot codes dated 10/16/27 and prior

No other Family Farmstead Dairy products are included in this recall unless specifically identified by the company.Consumers who have purchased affected cheddar products may return them to the place of purchase or contact Family Farmstead Dairy directly for assistance.This action is being taken as part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and product excellence. Due to the potential of contamination, all Cheddar products with an expiration date of 10/16/27 and prior is being recalled at this time.

Congo's Ebola outbreak tops 11,000 cases - (AP) — Congo’s Ebola outbreak has topped 11,000 cases, the government said Wednesday, a stark figure that underscores the severity of the situation as the country grapples with the spread of the disease. According to the latest health ministry data, 11,042 people have been infected with the deadly virus that has now killed 5,387 — nearly half of those infected in what has been Congo’s deadliest outbreak.The outbreak was declared in mid-May, and since then Congolese authorities have struggled to contain it due to several factors, including armed conflicts, a health system crisis, poor roads and violence from residents fueled by mistrust and misinformation.The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak has no known vaccine or treatment and has spread to eight of the country’s 26 provinces.The resurgence of violence in the two major hot spots in Ituri and North Kivu provinces has sparked worry among health authorities who are calling for a halt to the fighting to allow health workers unhindered access to the sick.While Ituri accounts for nearly 70% of total cases, North Kivu has emerged as the main site of new transmission, according to Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba. Health facilities and medical professionals have also been targeted by many in communities skeptical of the virus, and there have been several attacks on health workers.On Wednesday, World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about continuing attacks on health workers, citing two recent attacks that killed four of them. The violence disrupted already limited contact tracing in the hot spots, leaving more than 1,000 contacts lost to follow-up and three unconfirmed cases unaccounted for.“This appalling attack represents both a major humanitarian emergency and a significant setback to the response,” Ghebreyesus said.

Kenya begins Ebola-free countdown as DR Congo tops 11,000 cases -  Kenyan officials said a 42-day countdown has begun after the last Ebola patient was discharged from medical care. Now two transmission cycles must pass before the country can say it is free of Ebola, after nine people were infected when a man traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Kenya in early October.In addition to the index patient, who died on October 5, four health workers and four family members of the index patient were infected. The nation recorded one death besides the index patient, in a 65-year-old relative the BBC has identified as the index patient’s mother.  “Today with the discharge of the last patient we can confirm and tell the world that seven patients have recovered—and all contacts have completed their follow-up monitoring,” said Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Health Aden Duale, MBA, in a media briefing. Kenya is the third African nation outside of the DRC to see an Ebola case from the Bundibugyo strain causing the current outbreak. Nigeria has had one case, and Uganda is now Ebola-free after 20 cases were recorded earlier this summer.“The discharge of the last patient and the release of the remaining contacts from quarantine reflect the strength of Kenya's public health response, from early detection and contact tracing to clinical care and community engagement,” said Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, on X. “This is an encouraging moment for Kenya and for Africa. We must sustain surveillance and vigilance until the outbreak is officially declared over.”The most recent Ebola case counts in the DRC show 11,042 infections and 5,387 deaths. The virus has been detected in eight of 26 provinces.

Up to 500 Ebola cases still diagnosed a week amid escalating attacks, officials say -- As the African Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak toll reaches 11,145 cases, including 5,437 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that the situation remains "concerning," with intensifying violence hindering containment efforts."We need an urgent halt in hostilities and violence," Marie Roseline Belizaire, PhD, WHO's regional emergency director for Africa, said in an online news briefing yesterday. "Health workers and humanitarian teams must be able to reach affected communities safely, and patients must be able to seek care without fear." Since the outbreak began in May, the WHO has logged 81 attacks on healthcare facilities and workers, she said. Just last week, 66 civilians, including three healthcare workers, were killed and three facilities looted and burned in North Kivu province. As a result, response efforts were interrupted and Ebola patients were forced to flee, including 1,000 contacts.In an update today, the United Nations said that more people are being killed in villages in Ituri province and North Kivu by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) extremist rebels than by Ebola in recent days. “People are scared, people are furious at the lack of action on this... following up contact tracing in areas where ADF [is] operating is a very hazardous idea,” Julien Harneis, MS, MBA, UN senior Ebola response coordinator, said in the update.WHO officials said that while prevention efforts have substantially reduced viral transmission in previous hot spots, up to 500 infections are still being diagnosed each week.Just days after Kenya began a 42-day countdown after the last Ebola patient was released from the medical care, Nigeria has ended its 21-day Ebola monitoring, with all 62 monitored contacts cleared and no new cases identified.  Nigeria’s first Ebola patient, a Swiss woman who returned to Nigeria after becoming infected in Uganda, was released from a hospital in Switzerland yesterday. The woman, the wife of a Swiss embassy worker in Abuja, was evacuated to Geneva on October 26.

More H9N2 avian flu cases confirmed in China - Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) reported two new H9N2 avian flu cases today in kids, including a 9-year-old girl in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and a 7-year-old boy from Liaoning province. The girl reported symptom onset on October 13, and the boy on September 20. Mainland China has now recorded 23 H9N2 cases in the past six months. Of those cases, all but six occurred in children. The World Health Organization (WHO) has tracked 189 cases of human infection with H9N2 since 2015, including two deaths in patients with underlying health conditions. Most cases are mild to moderate in severity, with people typically exposed to infected poultry in their homes of communities. “Current evidence indicates that H9N2 viruses have not acquired the ability for sustained human-to-human transmission, and the risk of further community-level spread remains low,” the WHO said.

Oregon logs its first H5N1 case in cows; farmer’s union says human avian flu cases underreported in Washington -  Earlier this week the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA’s APHIS) announced for the first time the detection of H5N1 avian flu in a dairy herd in Oregon.Since 2024, avian flu has been detected in 22 states. Most recently, Washington’s Yakima Valley has reported increased activity.“This detection does not pose a risk to consumer health or affect the safety of the commercial milk supply,” the USDA said. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] virus, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe.”  According to the USDA, the affected herd was tested as part of Oregon's ongoing surveillance for HPAI in dairy cattle. “Prior to this detection, the herd has consistently tested negative through routine surveillance conducted under the National Milk Testing Strategy program,” the agency said.The USDA said the detection does not change any strategy from the agency and instead emphasized that producers should report any livestock with clinical signs or any unusual sick or dead wildlife to their state veterinarian.In related news, Union Farm Workers (UFW) posted a statement on X late Tuesday sounding the alarm on human cases of H5N1 in Yakima Valley dairy workers. The union said cases are being widely underreported in part because workers are often immigrants, and there is an ongoing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge in Yakima Valley. “UFW staff are trying to support sick workers, but there are many barriers,” the post read. “Workers with milder symptoms are reluctant to be tested or miss work because sick cattle still need care. Workers are very afraid of ICE-related retaliation if they don’t follow employers’ instructions.”Earlier this month, a Yakima County resident with underlying health condition died from H5N1, and two others were reported as infected. All case-patients had occupational exposure to dairy cows.The death marked the only US H5N1 death recorded this year and the third recorded since 2024. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 74 human cases of H5N1, including three deaths, in the United States since 2024. The Union said many more workers are sick and are only being offered goggles and gloves for handling raw milk. “The workers report symptoms that range from mild upper respiratory infection with pinkeye to severe flu symptoms with bone pain, severe cough and high fever. We do not have reports that indicate human to human transmission, just workplace exposure to infected animals and milk,” the Union said.In the last 30 days, 51 cattle herds have been hit with H5N1, and in the past week, two herds in Idaho have been identified, as well as the Oregon herd. Washington state has had 43 detections since October 8.

CWD digest: Detections in New York, Wisconsin trigger control measures; high proportion of Wyoming herds infected | CIDRAP

• Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected in a wild white-tailed doe in Livingston County, New York, the state’s first case since 2005, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced late last week. Livingston County is in the western part of the state. CWD, which infects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose, is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions. As a result of the new case, hunters who harvest a deer in the newly established CWD containment area (the towns of Conesus, Groveland, North Dansville, Sparta, Springwater, and West Sparta) are now required to submit deer tissue samples to the DEC for testing.
• A deer on a farm in Taylor County, Wisconsin, in the north-central part of the state, has tested positive for CWD, prompting a baiting and feeding ban for the area. This is Taylor County’s first CWD identification. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the farm is located within 10 miles of the borders of Chippewa and Clark counties, both of which have reported cases. State law mandates a three-year baiting and feeding ban in CWD-infected counties and a two-year ban in bordering counties within 10 miles of a detection. The detection will result in a renewal of the feeding and baiting ban in Chippewa County for another two years, while Clark County already has a ban in place and won’t be affected by the new case.
• Nearly all (95%) of mule deer herds in Wyoming and most (71%) of elk herds in Wyoming are infected with CWD, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said in a press release late last week. Of the cervids tested for CWD so far this year, the disease was confirmed in over 10%. While the CWD rate in mule deer herds has stayed steady since 2024, it has risen (from 62% in 2024) in elk herds. The department said it continues to increase harvest opportunities in some high-prevalence hunt areas. “We don’t have a silver bullet to combat CWD, but based on things we know, there are several strategies worth trying and evaluating,” Corey Class, Game and Fish wildlife management coordinator in the Cody region, said in the release. “Eradication is not going to happen.”

Mishandled Data Means No One Knows if California’s New Pesticide Regulation Protects Workers - Just before 5 p.m. on the last day of September, Jane Sellen and her colleagues at Californians for Pesticide Reform learned that regulators had to toss out nearly nine months’ worth of air-monitoring data for two deadly fumigants.California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, or DPR, said the state laboratory that analyzes its samples was “recalling and voiding” all the monitoring results for 1,3-dichloropropene, or 1,3-D, and methyl bromide from Oct. 24, 2025, through June 30, due to a quality-control problem.How can pesticide regulators say they’re protecting anyone from 1,3-D or methyl bromide if they don’t know how much of these toxic gases entered the air? asked Sellen, development director for Californians for Pesticide Reform, a statewide coalition of public-interest groups.Methyl bromide was one of the most widely used pesticides on California farms until the Environmental Protection Agency banned it for all but “critical uses” in 2005 to protect Earth’s ozone layer. A potent neurotoxin, the gas can also cause severe neurological disease, multisystem organ failure and death. Even so, California farmers have long received a critical use exemption, and apply about 1.6 million pounds of the noxious gas each year to fields that produce nut trees, berries and other crops.Growers also apply more than 7 million pounds of drift-prone, cancer-causing 1,3-D each year on almonds, grapes, strawberries and other billion-dollar crops. The pesticide is banned in 40 countries to protect public health and the environment.DPR collects air-monitoring samples and sends them to a laboratory at another state agency to keep track of how much of these and other pesticides escape from treated fields. To measure concentrations in a given sample, labs rely on what’s called a reference standard, a manufacturer-certified sample of a chemical of interest used to ensure accurate readings. The reference standards for methyl bromide and 1,3-D had “significantly degraded,” between 18 percent and 96 percent, over nine months, the agencies reported.Losing the 1,3-D data is particularly vexing for pesticide-reform advocates. They say the data is critical for gauging the effects of a new rule regulators said would limit agricultural workers’ exposure to the dangerous chemical but health and environmental advocates believe is flawed. “DPR muscled through regulations for 1,3-D that we don’t believe adequately protect communities,” said Sellen, whose organization has gone to court four times to compel state regulators to pass rules that are “consistent and effective” at protecting workers and their communities from 1,3-D. Sellen said her conviction that DPR’s rules aren’t effective is reflected in Californians for Pesticide Reform’s lawsuits and the lab’s failure “to actually even partially characterize what communities are being exposed to.”Over the past two years, state pesticide regulators enacted two different 1,3-D regulations, one for people who live near treated fields and another for those who work near them, even though most farmhands live and work in the same region. The rule that went into effect in January 2024 says it’s safe for residents of farming communities, who are largely low-income and Latino, to be exposed to 1,3-D air concentrations that are 14 times higher than the level experts at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, or OEHHA, say is safe. The other rule, for workers, which went into effect in January, set a safety target five times higher than OEHHA scientists said reduces a person’s lifetime cancer risk from exposure to the pesticide.Pesticide regulators maintain that both rules mitigate the lifetime cancer risk for people living and working near 1,3-D treated fields.Inside Climate News asked the Department of Pesticide Regulation and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which analyzes the air samples, how it could take so long to notice a problem with the analytical results and if any ditched data could be salvaged. DPR spokesperson Amy MacPherson deferred to CDFA to explain the lab problems but did not address whether any data could be recovered.A CDFA spokesperson was not able to provide an immediate response because its experts were traveling or on vacation. Sellen is upset by the loss of so much air-monitoring data, which she says is an important way to audit the regulation’s effectiveness.She’s worried that emissions increased, like they did after the residential bystander rule went into effect in 2024. A draft 1,3-D report DPR released in October shows that after that rule was implemented, both applications and emissions of the fumigant rose following a multi-year decline. “DPR and CDFA have agreed on additional quality-control measures to make sure future air monitoring data is not compromised by similar problems,” DPR stated when it announced the problem.

Two ‘Forever Chemicals’ Linked to Higher Risk of Aggressive Breast Cancer, NIH Study Finds - Women with higher blood levels of two widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals,” may face a higher risk of developing an aggressive form of breast cancer, according to a new study by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study found an association between two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and an increased incidence of estrogen receptor-negative (ER-negative) breast cancer. However, researchers did not find a clear association between these chemicals and breast cancer risk overall. PFAS are a large group of chemicals used in various consumer products. They are known as forever chemicals because they do not break down easily in the environment and can remain in the human body for years. PFAS Exposure Linked to Higher Risk of Aggressive Breast Cancer Researchers found that women with the highest blood levels of PFOA had a 67% higher rate of ER-negative breast cancer than those with the lowest levels. Similarly, women with higher PFOS levels had a 93% higher rate of this cancer type. These figures represent relative differences in cancer rates between the study groups and do not indicate an individual’s absolute risk of developing breast cancer. ER-negative breast tumours lack estrogen receptors, which means estrogen cannot directly stimulate their growth through these receptors. Compared with hormone receptor-positive breast cancers, ER-negative tumours tend to be more aggressive and are often associated with poorer outcomes. Researchers also have limited knowledge of the factors that contribute to this cancer subtype. The research team measured 17 different PFAS compounds in blood samples collected years before participants received a breast cancer diagnosis. The study used data from the Sister Study, conducted by the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The larger study enrolled 50,884 women aged 35–74 years across the United States and Puerto Rico between 2003 and 2009. None had breast cancer at enrolment, although all had a full or half-sister previously diagnosed with the disease.The researchers also confirmed their findings through a meta-analysis of previous studies, strengthening the evidence linking certain legacy PFAS compounds with ER-negative breast cancer.

3M agrees to pay more than $7 billion to settle 'forever chemical' groundwater contamination claims -  Chemical manufacturer 3M will pay up to $7.35 billion to settle lawsuits by people who say they were sickened by groundwater contamination from compounds used in firefighting foam and other consumer products. The St. Paul, Minnesota-based company announced the settlement Tuesday. It will pay the money over nine years to as many as 120,000 people who say they were harmed by exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS. The chemicals contaminated groundwater near military bases, airports and other locations where the foam was used to extinguish fires. 3M did not admit liability for the contamination under the agreement. Called “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade naturally in the environment, PFAS have been linked to health problems including liver and immune system damage and some cancers. The chemicals are also used in nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products, including clothing and cookware. 3M Chairman William Brown called the settlement a “significant milestone” that substantially reduces uncertainty from the litigation. The company previously reached settlements in other PFAS-related lawsuits, including a $450 million agreement with the state of New Jersey to settle claims of natural resource contamination and a deal to pay more than $10 billion to many U.S. public drinking water systems. Other manufacturers, including DuPont de Nemours Inc. and spinoffs Chemours Co. and Corteva Inc., have agreed to settlements totaling more than $1 billion to resolve PFAS claims. Fred Thompson, an attorney with the Motley Rice law firm that helped negotiate the 3M settlement for the plaintiffs, called it welcome news for “the thousands of victims who have sought answers and accountability for nearly a decade.” He said in a news release that the plaintiffs urgently need help covering mounting medical bills and other costs. Under the terms of the settlement, the payouts will begin with $50 million this year, followed by annual payments of more than $1 billion each year from 2028 to 2033. 3M could make additional payments if enough plaintiffs participate. If too few sign on, 3M has the option to cancel the settlement and continue fighting the lawsuit. Environmental activists say PFAS manufacturers knew about the chemicals’ health risks long before they became public. They noted that the same attributes that make the chemicals so valuable in many uses — resistance to breakdown — also make them hazardous to people. The Environmental Protection Agency has set strict limits on PFAS in drinking water from public utilities and requires testing. But those rules do not apply to private wells. A study that would help federal regulators understand which industries dump the forever chemicals with their wastewater has been stalled for two years, awaiting review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

North Carolina demands stronger action from Chemours on toxic PFAS - -- The state's Department of Environmental Quality is ordering chemical manufacturing company Chemours to take additional actions to address toxic "forever chemicals" contaminating North Carolina's water. Seven years after Chemours agreed to clean up toxic "forever chemicals" from North Carolina's water, state officials say the company has failed to meet key requirements, leaving more than half a million residents in limbo. Environmental groups and local advocates are pushing for stronger action, saying the state's latest crackdown is a long-overdue step toward holding Chemours accountable for the contamination of the Cape Fear River with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. "My father passed away from kidney cancer, which is the No. 1 cancer associated with PFAS exposure. He drank the water out of the Cape Fear River almost every day of his life. Just like I have," said Kemp Burdette, Cape Fear Riverkeeper with Cape Fear River Watch. Burdette has spent nearly two decades fighting for cleaner water in the region and calls the state's new action a validation of years of community advocacy. "For a long time Chemours tried to wiggle out of its responsibilities," Burdette said. "What this most recent letter from the state does is reiterate what we've told them: Chemours isn't doing what they need to be doing." Advocates have hosted community meetings, demanded comprehensive testing, and repeatedly urged state leaders to act. In October, just a month after North Carolina secured a $600 million settlement with Chemours, advocacy groups sent a letter warning, "Chemours' testing is too limited to ensure emissions are under control." In response, state officials outlined nearly 40 new requirements for Chemours to expand its cleanup efforts. PFAS, a class of chemicals found in countless household items, has been linked to increased cancer risk and other health concerns. Many North Carolina families say the pollution has upended daily life. "We need clean water because it's directly impacting children, which is impacting their legacy," said Precious McKendall, a community-based doula with Momma's Village, an organization that provides African-centered birth services. "There are so many things like bottles. Even cleaning around the house, taking a shower as a mom, there's such a big responsibility." "For the people who can't eat fish out of the Cape Fear River anymore because it's contaminated with PFAS, and the state has said this fish is unhealthy to eat. The impacts of this facility on North Carolina, on hundreds of thousands of people, are really hard to express," Burdette said. Burdette emphasized that the fight is far from over. Chemours did not respond to requests for comment.

AI boom fuels demand for 'forever chemicals' as major producers plan to increase output   As the artificial intelligence boom increases demand for forever chemicals, their persistence in nature and the consequences of exposure are raising heightened concerns.Troublingly, almost every one of the 10 largest PFAS producers intends to expand output. In a YouTube video, host Justin Pack of Eco Bits (@EcoBitsOfficial) explained how PFAS, often called "forever chemicals," are used in computing facilities and chips supporting AI. AI chip manufacturing is another use for the liquid-cooling systems that help support growing computing demand. Some of these systems use PFAS in engineered, heat-absorbing fluids in which servers are submerged, connecting the chemicals to the expansion of computing power. Pack cited an investor analysis indicating that PFAS may play a role in up to 1,000 separate semiconductor production stages. He also cited a survey that revealed nearly all of the major PFAS producers are looking to increase production.People can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, and soil where these persistent chemicals accumulate, Pack explained, adding that blood testing has found detectable PFAS levels in over 99% of the global population. While more study on the impact of PFAS on the human body is needed, the chemicals have been linked to reproductive issues, developmental impacts in children, increased cancer risk, and compromised immune systems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Of course, data centers are nothing new, and one commenter tried to point to their necessity as a defense. "You do realize your social media page wholly depends on data centers to exist?" they wrote.That argument drew strong pushback, as multiple commenters pointed out distinctions between the computing needs of regular data centers and AI ones."AI data centers and normal data centers are 2 completely different things," someone responded. "Maybe if you stopped using ChatGPT to think you would actually realize this." That response sparked even more back-and-forth, with one person providing a detailed analysis."Social media is mostly data storage whereas AI requires a huge amount of processing," they argued. "Because of this social media has a relatively low energy consumption and can suffice with air cooling whereas AI consumes huge amounts of energy and needs liquid cooling."In any case, the video's argument about PFAS wasn't really in dispute.Tap-water filtration was among the everyday steps Pack recommended for people seeking to lower their PFAS exposure. For cookware, Pack suggested stainless steel or cast iron. Avoiding fast food was another recommendation.Pack directed his call for restrictions on PFAS use to government officials and businesses, rather than focusing solely on individual changes."AI's environmental footprint isn't just electricity and water; it may also include a new wave of chemicals designed to essentially last forever," he declared.PFAS use is one of several environmental concerns surrounding the growth of AI data centers.

• • Campaigners warn the AI data center boom could drive a PFAS production surge.
• • In Texas and New Mexico, AI data centers threaten costly climate plans.
• • New Jersey's largest planned AI data center faces accusations of running 45 unpermitted generators.

Forever chemicals are ‘almost everywhere’ in UK rivers - Toxic “forever chemicals” that take centuries to break down can be found “almost everywhere” in rivers and streams across Britain, new analysis seen by The Times has found. More than 8,500 volunteers collected samples from 4,456 freshwater sites across the UK in Britain’s largest ever citizen-science water monitoring project over four days in September. The samples were tested for nitrate pollution but, for the first time, some samples were also collected to test for human-made chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Results seen by The Times show that almost two thirds of these samples tested positive for the presence of forever chemicals. The initial phase of analysis has so far only looked for the presence of four PFAS chemicals, but there are dozens of other types, suggesting the true level of contamination is likely to be much higher, said Professor Leon Barron, an environmental scientist from Imperial College London. The analysis from the Great UK WaterBlitz monitoring project, which is organised by the Earthwatch environmental charity in conjunction with the Avaaz campaign group, is due for publication this week and will show that only 51 per cent of the rivers and streams tested in England, compared with 94 per cent in Wales, had nitrate levels that were at acceptable levels of less than one part per million. Less than half of waterways across the whole UK, just 44 per cent, had acceptable levels. When the chemicals in fertiliser run off agricultural land, they flood rivers with nutrients that can cause blooms of algae that starve the waterway of oxygen and collapse ecosystems. Freshwater pollution in the UK also comes from “a cocktail of chemicals from urban runoff”, the Earthwatch report said. 100% of samples from the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish counties of Gwynedd, West Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan, Tyrone, Tweeddale, East Lothian, City of Glasgow, Inverness, Renfrewshire, and Wigtown had acceptable nitrate levels 20% of measurements in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire had acceptable levels For the first time, the project asked volunteers to collect about 200 samples to test for PFAS. These human-made compounds, used in everything from firefighting foam to waterproof coating on clothes, contain strongly bonded carbon and fluorine atoms that can take centuries to break down and can accumulate in the bodies of living things. Experts at Imperial tested the samples for just four of these chemicals. Out of 150, 61 per cent showed the presence of at least one. There are, however, more than 40 types that the Environment Agency prioritises and, by some estimates, millions more exist, so the 61 per cent figure is only a very “conservative” figure, said Barron. The toxic ‘forever chemicals’ that could be lurking in your home “They are almost everywhere,” Barron said. “Sixty-one per cent [of samples] contained [at least one of the] four. But if we look at 44 [types of forever chemical], my expectation is we will find that percentage going up massively. We’ve got samples all the way from the Orkney Islands down to the south of England. “These four compounds are bio-cumulative, they are very persistent in the environment and they are toxic. These are the three things that make a chemical a worry in the environment. For sure, we’ve got contamination in rivers across all of the United Kingdom with PFAS, and this is something we need to tackle.” Water management systems are “very efficient at removing” forever chemicals from our drinking and tap water, Barron said, with the risk in rivers mainly posed to aquatic life. In every sample that tested positive for a forever chemical called PFOS, the level breached the Environment Agency’s standard of 0.65 nanograms per litre. Levels of forever chemicals were often higher near airfields, industrial sites and wastewater treatment plants.

An 8,000-square-mile dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico - and you can’t see it | Watch (TED talk) Just 100 miles off the Louisiana coast lies an 8,000-square-mile “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico — about the size of New Jersey. It’s an area where oxygen levels drop so low that fish, crabs, and marine life simply leave or die. The cause isn’t oil spills or natural disaster — it’s fertilizer runoff carried by the Mississippi River from farms nearly 1,000 miles away. What looks like normal water from the surface hides a growing environmental crisis below.

South Florida is flooding like never before. What’s being done about it? - Historic, chart-topping king tides submerged South Florida recently, flooding more places deeper and longer than they’d ever seen before. Last week, double-digit rainfall filled in the blanks, swamping inland and coastal areas.South Florida is soggy, and all the science says its only going to get worse. That’s bad news for anyone who lives in, works in, owns property in, visits or even passes through South Florida. So, millions of people.  In response, local governments have poured hundreds of millions into solutions over the last few years. Keeping dry for the next decade alone would take billions more — if not tens of billions. They’re elevating roads, buffing up stormwater pumps and replacing drainage pipes with new ones so big an NBA player could walk upright in them. They’re converting golf courses into part-time flood parks to soak up neighborhood drainage. They’re raising seawalls. And the projects appear to be working. Tiffany Troxler, director of science at Florida International University’s Sea Level Solutions Center, said she’s seen projects in Miami neighborhoods that have drastically cut down on flooding.“That’s a really positive sign. We need more of that,” she said. “Without more adaptation projects, we’ll continue to see more flooding.”In Miami Beach, the raised roads and more powerful pumps have averted hundreds of floods, according to city officials. In at least one neighborhood — in Sunset Harbour — a study found the projects also raised property values.But these projects are pricey and take years to design and build. Residents are tired of waiting. During last month’s record-breaking king tide, longtime Fort Lauderdale resident Gonzalo E. Vazquez, whose neighborhood was inundated, expressed the frustration that many South Floridians feel whenever the streets flood, and implored authorities to get moving faster on solutions.“We need the city to take care of it,” he said. “We need something to alleviate this area because this is going to continue year after year.” For king tides in particular, the problem is mostly water seeping in from the coast. Floodwaters sneak backwards through drainage pipes, flooding the streets they’re supposed to drain. It’s how an octopus ends up floating in a Miami Beach garage. The answer, coastal cities have learned, is adding a device that only allows the water to drain out toward the coast but blocks it from burbling back up. They’re called backflow preventers, and Fort Lauderdale has installed 215 of them, said Nancy Gassman, the city’s chief resilience officer.“The first line of defense is to try to keep the ocean from using our storm infrastructure to access out city,” she said. City employees also examine those valves at least four times a year to keep them clear of trash. Notably, a clogged backflow preventer in Miami once led to intense street flooding that stalled cars in intersections on Brickell Key. The next phase of the battle against rising tides is perhaps the most obvious, armoring the coast with seawalls. Seawalls have been around for decades in South Florida, but many are old, broken or — thanks to sea level rise — too low to keep the sea at bay. And last month’s record king tide offered a glimpse of that high-water future.“There were neighborhoods and there were properties whose seawalls were overtopped that had never been overtopped before,” Gassman said.  Of the 165 miles of waterway in Fort Lauderdale, only 6 miles are publicly owned. So the fix falls mostly on private owners. A decade ago, Fort Lauderdale passed a law requiring residents to fix and raise their seawalls if they were so degraded that they caused flooding to their neighbors. “Some of these finger isles, one single property is causing that nuisance flooding for the entire neighborhood,” she said. Fixing that one outlier seawall has made “an enormous difference” for those communities. But backflow valves and seawalls are just table stakes for flood prevention. And they don’t help with the extreme rainfall that’s growing more common. The next step is flood pumps and pipes that suck floodwater off the street and send it elsewhere. These drainage projects involve years of construction and high price tags. Fort Lauderdale spent about $200 million to upgrade the drainage in the Edgewood and River Oaks neighborhoods, which were some of the hardest hit in the 2023 rain bomb that flooded more than 100 homes. But there are at least 22 more projects Fort Lauderdale needs to design, build and pay for to keep the city dry in the coming years, according to the city’s plan to tackle flooding.“We are expecting to spend $1.6 billion on the stormwater master plan improvements over the course of the next 20 years,” Gassman said. In Miami, that price tag is much higher.Two drainage projects in the city are under construction now, in the floodprone neighborhoods of Edgewater and Shorecrest — about $75 million of work that is estimated to protect 1,143 homes and businesses.The city’s master plan to tackle flooding, from 2021, found Miami needs to spend $3.8 billion to keep the hardest-hit neighborhoods reasonably dry by 2060. If Miami installed all 100 stormwater pumps, miles of 6-foot high seawalls and a network of massive pipes, some of its neighborhoods would be protected from rainstorms that could drop as much as 7 inches of rain in a day, plus king tides and sea level rise. Key word, some. The master plan, like those from other South Florida cities, acknowledges that all of those pumps and pipes will only buy so much time. Even with all those fixes, some neighborhoods would still see regular flooding. Miami Beach has the same problem. For a century, the city largely relied on gravity to drain floodwater off the streets. But rising seas and heavier rainfalls has upended that calculus, so the island city has increasingly turned to stormwater pumps and pipes to keep neighborhoods dry.The city’s flooding plan, last updated in 2024, called for $2.3 billion in drainage upgrades across the city over the next 50 years. Currently, the city’s project on West Avenue is under construction. It and other projects have faced years of delays under intense resident pushback due to worries about construction chaos, loss of parking and installing crucial pump equipment in public areas. But smaller cities are also facing rising seas. And unlike their larger, more monied cousins, they have fewer tax dollars to rely on.

Water levels at New Mexico's Navajo Reservoir surge to seven-year high -- Newly released satellite images show New Mexico’s second-largest reservoir swelling to a seven year high following heavy rains in the Southwest. They contrast Navajo Reservoir on September 20 and November 7, after what NASA, who published the images, described as “back-to-back extreme rain events” that lashed the Four Corners region. The reservoir straddles the border of northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. The downpours led to a “rapid” rise in the lake’s water levels, culminating in the reservoir hitting its highest level since August 2019, the agency explained. It said Navajo Reservoir stood at 108 percent of average capacity for the date, compared with September 20, when it stood much lower, at 60 percent of average capacity. The 60-foot water level rise was captured aboard Landsat 9, a joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth-observation satellite. Southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, northern Arizona, and northwest New Mexico have been hit with widespread heavy rain in recent weeks, NASA noted, adding that the Four Corners saw precipitation totals between two and four times the average from early September through early November. The downpours also led to damaging floods and forced evacuations in portions of the Southwest. “Rainfall [in northern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado] has been well above average, at times exceptional, during the approximately 3-month period ending this week,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski told Newsweek. He said weather stations at Durango in Colorado and Farmington, New Mexico recorded more than triple their normal rainfall since September 1. “Some places in the mountains of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado have picked up three to six times the average over the prior months,” he added. Lakes Mead and Powell, the first- and second-largest reservoirs in the U.S., have also seen their levels rise amid recent storms. As Newsweek previously reported, provisional data from USGS showed Powell’s levels rose from a mid-September low of about 3,519 feet to nearly 3,540 feet as of November 9. Lake Mead also climbed slightly during that period, with its levels rising from 1,038.44 feet on September 17 to 1,039.66 feet by the weekend, according to Reclamation data. Sosnowski said AccuWeather expects above- to well-above average precipitation throughout the winter season in the Southwest. “That includes the all-important above-average snowfall for the mountains,” the meteorologist said. “That then becomes the big runoff in the spring to early summer.” He predicted that reservoir levels at Lakes Navajo, Powell, and Mead would “ratchet up” over winter, though dips would still be possible as “the winter season can bring stingy periods of precipitation. “Then, from Feb to May, we should see big surges in lake levels as melting snow and spring storms kick in,” Sosnowski said. He added that El Niño—a climate pattern that can shift temperature and rainfall patterns—should play a large role during the winter season, with storms likely to pass through portions of the Southern U.S. “The biggest and earliest bumps in reservoir levels will be closest to the Rockies and will tail off downstream along the Colorado. This is because that water is ‘grabbed up’ upstream. They will release some, of course, but it is a cascading effect,” Sosnowski concluded.As of November 8, Lakes Mead and Powell were 27 percent and 26 percent full, respectively, according to data from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Cargo ship strikes bridge between New Jersey, Philadelphia — A cargo ship struck a bridge across the Delaware River on Nov. 12, disrupting traffic between Palmyra, N.J., and Philadelphia, according to a Pennsylvania lawmaker. The incident left the 3,659-foot-long Tacony-Palmyra Bridge unable to close, causing a major backup on the Philadelphia side, state Rep. Ed Neilson said in a news release. No injuries have been reported, he said. The U.S. Coast Guard said the cargo vessel is currently moored at a Kinder Morgan facility in Bristol, Pa., where an inspection team is on site. The Coast Guard identified the vessel as the 591-foot Strategic Alliance, which was built in 2013 and sails under the flag of Singapore. The drawbridge was open for ships to pass through at the time of the collision around 1:15 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. It remained open afterward because another vessel needed to pass through, and has since come back down. The bridge reopened to traffic with a lane closure in the evening, the Burlington County (New Jersey) Bridge Commission Police Department said. The steel bridge carries vehicles along Route 73 between Palmyra and the Tacony neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia. It has three lanes of vehicular traffic, two into Philadelphia and one into New Jersey. Estimates from 2025 show the bridge can carry as many as 76,200 vehicles each day. Opened in 1929, the Tacony-Palmyra toll bridge was found to be in “fair” condition, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s 2026 National Bridge Inventory data released this fall. Inspectors rated the deck of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge as in good condition, the substructure as in fair condition and the superstructure — the component that absorbs the live traffic load — as fair.

Polar vortex faltering weeks earlier than ever recorded  -- Meteorologists said Friday they were observing an unprecedented early disruption of the polar vortex, raising the risk of cold snaps across the Northern Hemisphere, though there remains significant uncertainty. The polar vortex is a vast region of cold, low-pressure air that normally circulates from west to east high above the Arctic. It generally strengthens through autumn and peaks around January. It can weaken in the second half of winter, typically between January and March, sending bitterly cold air spilling south into Europe, North America and Asia. But scientists say the vortex is already weakening in early November. El Niño effects "As far as we know, this is the earliest stratospheric vortex disruption that has been observed," European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) principal scientists Tim Stockdale and Frederic Vitart told AFP. Judah Cohen, a climatologist at MIT, explained that the vortex is disrupted from below. Large atmospheric waves in the lower layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere, known as Rossby waves, can surge upward, and a big enough surge into the polar stratosphere triggers a rapid warming known as sudden stratospheric warming (SSW). This weakens or even reverses the vortex's west-to-east winds, which can split it apart and cause it to spill southward. "That really increases the chance of cold air outbreaks across the latitudes where most of the densely populated population centers are across the Northern Hemisphere, U.S., Europe and East Asia," Cohen told AFP. Grahame Madge, a spokesperson for Britain's Met Office, told AFP: "This is very early, and possibly that earliness is triggered by the amplitude of the El Niño event in the Pacific." This year's El Niño, a pattern of warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific that has ripple effects through the atmosphere, is exceptionally strong and could be amplifying those waves. Stockdale and Vitart said they did not know why the disruption came so early, but agreed the El Niño "could have been a factor in making it more likely." But Cohen was more circumspect, explaining the current disruption appeared more linked to a record-breaking high-pressure system over Scandinavia and northwestern Russia, which are more favored in La Niña years. The polarvortex.earth dashboard, which visualizes ECMWF modeling, currently shows a full breakdown of the vortex—when the westerly winds turn easterly—by Nov. 20. A November SSW has happened only three times in records dating back to the 1950s—1958, 1968 and 2025—all on Nov. 28. France's Meteo-France agency told AFP the current disruption is "an unprecedented event." How severe any cold snaps will be is far from clear. Because the disruption is coming so early, air temperatures in "places like Siberia or over the Arctic are not as cold yet as they will be," which could make outbreaks less "severe," said Madge, who called the event "exceptional" but "not necessarily worrying." El Niño, which tends to bring milder winters, could also help. Cohen said it could "moderate or modify" the impacts, but said this remained uncertain. "At this stage, the potential consequences for France remain highly uncertain," said Meteo-France. "They will depend on how the disruption evolves, its positioning, and whether or not it propagates down to the lower layers of the atmosphere." Cohen said climate change could be playing a role, though he stressed this was speculation and no research has yet confirmed the link. Rapid sea ice loss around Scandinavia is warming that region, while more snow in East Asia is cooling it, he said. That could be sharpening the temperature contrast across Eurasia, which in turn would amplify Rossby waves and make the polar vortex more likely to be disrupted.

UK households urged to buy 6 essential foods before Polar Vortex snow hits - The Mirror -- Households are being urged to keep at least six essential food items stocked up this winter, should fears of a bitterly cold, snow -laden season driven by the El Niño weather phenomenon prove to be well-founded. Climate experts warn that a polar vortex could bring a sharp drop in temperatures and even snowfall to the UK this winter, as El Niño looks set to trigger harsher conditions.    Just last week, the Met Office outlined how a weakening Polar Vortex could drive a freezing blast of Arctic air towards the UK and Europe, with snowfall appearing increasingly likely, though not yet confirmed. El Niño has been a significant driver of scorching temperatures throughout the year, with the warming of the ocean's surface having a dramatic knock-on effect on global weather systems, pushing temperatures well above average.It is believed to have been a contributing factor behind the UK's five record-breaking heatwaves this summer. While nothing has been confirmed just yet, the El Niño weather front triggers shifts in high and low pressure patterns. The polar vortex — the mass of cold air that typically circulates above the North and South poles — is susceptible to disruption from powerful jet streams. When thrown off course, it can unleash freezing temperatures and snowfall across the US and Europe, reports the Express. According to USA Today, El Niño is capable of directly interacting with the polar vortex. It reports: "The polar vortex above the Arctic is linked to the jet stream. Both can be impacted by El Niño, and bring about changes in our weather patterns, said Darryn Waugh, a professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University."El Niño drives changes in the high- and low-pressure patterns in the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere where weather happens, said Amy Butler, a physicist at NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory."The Met Office has stated that a hot summer does not guarantee a cold winter, and that the belief in a direct and consistent causal link between the two is nothing more than a myth. Nevertheless, the El Niño phenomenon could this year be the driving force behind a cold snap hitting the UK this winter, though nothing has been confirmed just yet.In its most recent weather blog, published this week, the forecaster stated: "The stratospheric polar vortex is already unusually stretched, with the disturbance associated with so-called "wave two" activity, when two large atmospheric waves push into it from opposite directions. "This wave two activity is considerably stronger than average for the time of year. Forecasts suggest the vortex will subsequently become increasingly displaced from the North Pole."Direct Energy advises that, when facing the prospect of snowfall, households should stock up on non-perishable snacks and supplies in case they are unable to get to their local supermarket, or are hit by a power outage, ensuring they don't go hungry while waiting for the harsh weather to pass. "Getting cut off from your local grocery store could be made worse by a prolonged power outage, which would leave you with just a few hours to enjoy the remaining contents of your fridge safely. But if you stock your pantry with filling shelf-stable foods, you won't go hungry while waiting for the snow to be cleared."

Evidence found that vital warm ocean currents are weakening --— Winters across the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest aren’t typically thought to be mild, but a change in ocean currents might dial up weather to new extremes.The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, known as AMOC, is a system of ocean currents that brings warm water from the Caribbean Sea to the Northern Atlantic, keeping temperatures mild in the northern U.S. and Europe through the winter.Now, satellites show that AMOC has been transporting less heat to the North, providing strong evidence of a slowdown in these vital currents.The study from the University of Reading, U.K., found that the heat flux out of the northern Atlantic has decreased by 18% in 40 years. In another study, researchers left ocean buoys out across the Atlantic to measure water pressure changes and found a 10% decline in AMOC strength from 2004 to 2026.While the new study is still under peer review, a scientist uninvolved with the study is calling it “some of the strongest evidence so far that the AMOC has weakened over the last 40 years.” Other experts are making dramatic declarations: “For the first 30 years of my career—  I always considered the risk of crossing that AMOC tipping point a few percent. Now in the light of research in the last 5 years or so, I’ve actually had to revise that to 50/50,” reports Dr. Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.He says that a collapse of AMOC could lead to a dramatic change in rainfall that could leave some regions dry, causing shifts in the food supply that may affect migration and political stability. If temperatures in the Northeast U.S. cool down, sea levels could rise a foot and a half across the coast and cause major flooding in its many large, populous cities.“The only way to really reduce the risk of crossing that tipping point is to get out of fossil fuels as fast as we can,” adds Rahmstorf.In the case of AMOC collapse, rising global temperatures could counteract its global cooling effects, some scientists predict, but vast quantities of CO2 would remain in the atmosphere, which researchers have not found the technology to remove.

New climate reality outruns the old COP agenda - — The world is meeting for a course correction on global warming. The world’s energy demand has other plans. This year’s United Nations climate conference, which kicks off in this resort city on Monday, must confront the grim new reality that the world is now certain to surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels, the most ambitious target that nations agreed on in 2015. The U.N. said last month that the world’s best hope now is to prevent temperatures from soaring past 1.8 degrees — with the remote possibility of invoking unprecedented political action and massive amounts of carbon removal technologies to bring them back to 1.5C. Yet even this new scenario is rapidly slipping out of reach — despite a global upswing in clean energy. Efforts to tackle fast-acting pollutants such as methane are hitting roadblocks. And the sudden emergence of a trillion-dollar data center economy combined with soaring cooling needs worldwide are boosting fossil fuel use, three years after countries agreed to start ridding themselves of oil, gas and coal. “A lot of things have changed” since last year’s U.N. conference in Brazil, said Maria da Graça Carvalho, Portugal’s climate minister. “Data centers were not a topic there ... It’s going to be a very interesting COP,” as the summits are known. Another thing that’s changed is the Democratic rout of Republicans in last week’s U.S. midterm elections, raising the prospect of more attention there on issues that could help the climate, like clean energy. Nearly 20 House Democrats and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse are planning to attend the talks. U.S. allies are skeptical. The election might mean there are “a few more happy NGO faces at COP, but that’s it,” said one European climate negotiator who was granted anonymity as his government does not authorize him to speak to the press. The U.S., he noted, still won’t be represented in the talks, and President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from both the Paris Agreement — for the second time — and the foundational U.N. climate treaty means it won’t be back anytime soon. The political volatility extends to global efforts at reining in carbon emissions. While war-driven disruptions to fossil fuel supplies are spurring a shift to clean energy, including a surge in electric vehicles, the resolve to fight climate change is weakening across governments, as even the most active countries soften their policies amid rising economic anxiety. Taken together, countries’ climate plans are now set to deliver only half the emissions reductions that were anticipated a year ago, thanks largely to the United States. And the planet is hurtling toward a catastrophic level of warming, at 2.8 degrees by the end of the century. The talks in Turkey are supposed to kick off a course correction. They mark the start of a two-year process of assessing action under the 2015 accord, with governments meant to agree on steps to rectify any shortfalls in 2028. There promise to be many. Yet the negotiations seem immune to the time pressures: hyper-fast technological evolutions, combined with the slow-by-design nature of COPs, risk making the talks unagile to abrupt new climate dangers. “Is the old COP agenda purpose-built for the new world? And the answer to that is clearly no,” said Eurasia Group chair Gerald Butts, who has advised Canadian prime ministers Mark Carney and Justin Trudeau. Some officials say negotiations should focus on delivering the commitments made under the Paris Agreement in 2015 rather than get distracted by new developments. “This is going to be an implementation COP,” EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra told the European Parliament in a debate last month. “And it should be an implementation COP, because frankly speaking, we have too often fallen into the trap of trying to do many new things, rather than just deliver on what we already have.” Many of the issues with the power to torpedo global climate goals are being debated on the margins of the talks, in what’s known as the “action agenda.” Themes such as methane, AI, sustainable cooling and fossil fuels are all getting name-checked there. Supporters say the growing use of this process can make the talks more nimble by avoiding the stringent consensus requirements of formal COP decisions. They point to the action agenda as an example of how the talks have progressed from setting new rules to a focus on delivery. “We’ve seen this emerging for the past couple of COPs … I think that’s also an interesting development for this COP in particular, where we’re seeing this increased attention on the action agenda, which I think is really a positive development,” said Mattias Frumerie, Sweden’s climate ambassador. “It becomes this space where there really is action, where we see various results highlighted.” The downside, critics say, is that pledges borne of the action agenda lack the pressure or accountability that comes with signing onto an international agreement.

Net zero 'unstoppable' at COP31, clean energy chief says – interview & transcript — Former Queensland Deputy Premier, Jackie Trad, is at COP31 this week and describes the mood as “optimistic concern”. The world is unlikely to achieve some climate goals, but electrification and the renewable energy rollout is accelerating.This year, the conference is focused on electrification, something that Australian households excel at with world-leading levels of rooftop solar. But the broader energy system has a long way to go.Jackie Trad is now the CEO of Australia’s Clean Energy Council, and speaks with Amanda Copp on the Canberra Playbook Podcast. She says the most important thing for energy security is “policy stability and bipartisanship.” On home soil, the right-wing Coalition and One Nation party positions against net zero by 2050 means that’s getting harder to find. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Another Year, Another ‘Record’ Greenhouse Gas Scare from UN’s WMO -  Marcellus Drilling News - Every October, right on schedule, the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) rolls out its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. And every October, the headline is the same: “Record!” This year’s edition, the 22nd, landed on Oct. 27. It says carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide all hit new highs in 2025. Within hours, CBS News, New Scientist and a pile of other outlets were running it. The timing is no accident. WMO says outright that the bulletin is meant to inform negotiators at the COP31 climate confab in Antalya, Türkiye, which opened Nov. 9 and runs through Nov. 20. With the blabfest now in full swing, and with a fresh batch of global emissions numbers out this week, let’s look at what the report actually says, and what the headlines left out.

EMP Commission warns EMP could disrupt food, water, hospitals | Watch – (video)  Neil McCoy-Ward reviews an EMP Commission report that estimates an electromagnetic pulse attack could disrupt refrigeration, transport, water treatment and hospitals, emptying food stocks and collapsing sanitation. The video reports the commission's estimate that mortality from starvation, illness and social unrest could reach up to 90% of the continental U.S., and notes Iran lacks the range while Russia, China and North Korea could have the capability. He also discusses why the topic is not widely discussed and offers guidance on preparedness and securing finances.

The 5 factors that will decide permitting reform’s fate - Washington’s best chance in decades for reforming federal energy permitting is entering the congressional gauntlet. Newly empowered Democrats, opposition from key congressional leaders and tribes as well as a short clock could determine whether the agreement reaches the president’s desk this year. The Senate on Monday will hold a procedural vote on a permitting bill negotiated over this past Congress by the Republican and Democratic leaders of the chamber’s energy committees. Supporters say the lame-duck session represents the last, best opportunity to pass legislation to speed up approvals for energy projects. They have little expectation that the next Congress, led by Democrats, will be able to reach an agreement with the Trump administration. “There’s no guarantee Congress would ever find another compromise that would be able to pass the Senate,” Democratic negotiator Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said last week. “It’s a bird in the hand. We’d be fools not to take it.”The bill has drawn broad support from energy and industry groups, business organizations and labor unions. Its passage would mark Congress’ most significant energy policy achievement since the Inflation Reduction Act and a major victory for the lawmakers who negotiated the bipartisan agreement.Its passage would also mark a victory for the White House, which has made permitting a major lame-duck target.The permitting overhaul aims to speed up approval of major energy projects across the country by increasing federal power over interstate electricity transmission lines, shortening deadlines for environmental reviews and imposing limits on when projects can be challenged in court. It also seeks to ensure data centers pays for the energy infrastructure needed to power their massive electricity demand.But some Democrats concerned about the bill’s impact on existing environmental and tribal laws — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — could prove an obstacle. The four main champions of the bill released a package of amendments Saturday designed to bolster support for the legislation.Lobbyists are closely watching Democrats, who remain the biggest wild cards heading into the procedural and final passage votes. Supporters are hoping at least 20 Democrats will back the bill in the Senate, producing a decisive bipartisan vote that could build momentum for the package in the House.Senate Republicans, by contrast, are expected to largely line up behind the bill. House Republicans remain a bigger question mark, with reservations among members of a key committee potentially complicating the legislation’s path through the chamber.Here are the issues that could determine where lawmakers ultimately land on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act.

• Tribal sovereignty. The biggest obstacle for undecided Democrats has been fierce opposition from tribal nations to the bill’s provisions affecting the National Historic Preservation Act.The legislation places new limits on tribal nations’ ability to challenge permitting decisions under the law. The language was a top priority for Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee, but many tribal nations have strongly opposed the changes, putting significant pressure on ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who has long counted them as allies.Negotiators offered a potential olive branch with a manager’s amendment released Saturday that removed a provision defining what types of properties are of cultural importance to tribal groups under the National Historic Preservation Act. The effort to define those properties had angered tribal groups, who seek to make those determinations themselves.A bloc of tribal advocacy groups, called the 106 Strong Coalition, do not consider the changes sufficient. They have consistently called for the entire section to be removed from the bill.“Any amendments to S. 5653 merely puts lipstick on a pig. This bill is rotten from the inside and there is no fixing the rot. Tribal sovereignty continues to be diminished in this bill,” National Congress of American Indians President Mark Macarro told Native News Online after the manager’s amendment was released.
• Industry vs. environmentalists. Democrats will also have to decide whether to side with the clean energy industry, which has embraced the bill as a way to accelerate the energy transition, or environmental groups that argue the legislation goes too far in rolling back environmental protections.The renewable energy industry has played — and will continue to play — an essential role in convincing Democrats to support the bill. Lawmakers across the party have backed increased wind and solar development, and industry groups argue the legislation would help accelerate that build-out.Already, many House Democrats have strongly backed the bill because of its potential to advance clean energy projects.“Labor is solidly with us, and the renewable industry is solidly with us,” said Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.). “They really see this not just as good, but as a priority.”But following Jeffries’ criticism of the Senate deal, some environmental groups, like the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Federation, came out in forceful opposition to the legislation, citing fundamental concerns about its limits on judicial review and changes to the National Environmental Policy Act. They say they support permitting reform, but want Democrats to wait until next year when they have control of Congress and more “leverage” to get a better deal.
• Energy and Commerce.  If the bill passes the Senate, attention will quickly turn to Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), who has been conspicuously quiet about the package since its release.The Kentucky Republican has officially commented on the bill only once, at a Punchbowl News event in early October, when he said his committee would “absolutely” like to see changes to the grid section of the Senate’s bipartisan permitting legislation.In the previous Congress, bipartisan permitting legislation negotiated by then-Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) failed to advance in the House. Disagreements over transmission policy were a key point of contention between the Senate and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, then led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).It remains unclear whether the changes to the transmission title in the manager’s amendment will be enough to win over Guthrie and other committee Republicans, who have consistently argued that states, not the federal government, should have more control over where transmission lines are built.And it’s not just Republicans whose positions remain unclear. Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) has not commented on the package. He has been a staunch proponent of data center regulation, calling for a federal moratorium on the projects until Congress develops legislation to regulate them.
• Trump and wind.  Democrats will also be closely watching the Trump administration’s actions on renewable energy, as deep distrust lingers between them and a White House that has repeatedly thrown roadblocks in the way of clean energy development.Democratic negotiators have consistently sought assurances outside the permitting deal that the Trump administration will approve wind and solar projects through the normal permitting process.White House officials have released a steady stream of wind projects in recent weeks that had been held up in Defense Department reviews. Some of those approvals involved upgrades to existing wind projects, which Whitehouse called “a start, but we are going to need to see a lot more.”On Friday, however, the Trump administration advanced nine new large wind projects that have been the subject of ongoing litigation. The Democratic negotiators did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the move.Rank-and-file Democrats have said the administration’s actions will be critical in determining their votes. But the favorable moves on onshore wind have not extended to offshore projects, with the Trump administration seeking to reopen a permit for the New England Wind project off Massachusetts.“Offshore wind provides much-needed reliable clean energy — lowering electric bills while creating good-paying jobs. If the Trump administration is serious about permitting reform, they would stop trying to sabotage offshore wind projects, including in Maryland,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said.Some Democrats simply don’t trust Trump. “I cannot support a bill that relies on a handshake promise from the same administration that’s spent the last two years waging a war on new clean energy projects to hold up its end of the bargain, and continues to do so even after negotiating the reform proposal,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement to POLITICO on Friday. “Furthermore, I cannot support a deal that strips Oregonians and tribes of the most important tools they have to hold Trump and his cronies accountable.”
• Congressional inertia. The permitting reform bill could also be sunk by factors in Congress that have little to do with the legislation itself.One major concern among supporters is whether House Republicans who lost their seats in the election will show up to vote. Lawmakers who are leaving Congress may have little incentive to push through legislative wins during the lame-duck session. Some lobbyists refer to departing members as “free-range chickens.” If enough members skip Washington altogether, their absences could complicate the legislative process. Another concern is whether House Speaker Mike Johnson can secure enough support among Republicans to pass a rule setting up a vote. Rule votes have been a problem for Johnson even before the election.

Trump Administration Stalling Protections for Imperiled Fish Near Massive Alabama Data Center, Groups Say - The Birmingham darter, though only recently discovered by science, is a survivor. The roughly two-inch long fish, adorned with red spots and stripes along translucent fins, has survived 100 years of coal mining, steel-making, quarrying and suburban development along the rolling Appalachian foothills running southwest from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa. But the fish might not survive the new 4.5-million square foot hyperscale data center planned just upstream from one of the six known locations where it still survives. “Clearly they’re endangered in fact, if not by law, because their populations are so small,” Charles Miller, policy director for the Alabama Rivers Alliance, said in an interview. “They’re only found in Jefferson County, and so the loss of even one of those populations can be devastating for the species as a whole.” The Rivers Alliance, along with the Center for Biological Diversity and Black Warrior Riverkeeper, petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service nearly a year ago to consider whether the species should be listed under the Endangered Species Act, a move that would likely force developers of the Project Marvel data center to make accommodations to save the fish. Now, after nearly a year with no action and crews already clearing land for the data center, they are threatening to take the matter into court. On Thursday, the groups sent a notice of intent to sue the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior, saying they will file suit if the FWS does not respond within 60 days. The groups are required to give 60 days notice before filing a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act. Laurel Jobe, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the FWS missed a legally required 90-day deadline to issue an interim decision on the darter’s status, and that time is of the essence. “Birmingham darters don’t have time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to slow-walk this decision,” Jobe said in a news release. “Every day these darters spend waiting for protections brings them that much closer to extinction.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and data center developer QTS did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. The data center, called Project Marvel, was announced in 2025 as having 18 warehouse-style data center buildings spanning 4.5 million square feet on 700 undeveloped acres in the city of Bessemer, just west of Birmingham. Since then, developers purchased an additional 900 acres of property surrounding the original site plan. Virginia-based data center developer QTS purchased the project for $432 million in June, according to local media reports.   Recent municipal elections in Bessemer installed a new mayor and city councilors, after strong public backlash against the data center. The previous mayor and other officials signed non-disclosure agreements with the original developer that even required them to destroy records that the developers deemed confidential. In October, new Bessemer Mayor Louise Alexander asked QTS to pause development operations until a scheduled meeting with city officials. According to AL.com, the company responded saying it would continue clearing the site, which had already been permitted by the city. The darter is surviving, but definitely not thriving. The species has already been extirpated from parts of its range, in a number of streams feeding into Valley Creek, a Black Warrior River tributary. The clear, spring-fed streams that it needs to survive have been impacted by urban runoff and industrial pollution. According to the groups’ notice, there were populations of the Birmingham darter in Fivemile Creek, just east of the data center site, that have seemingly been wiped out due to quarrying operations in the area. The groups say darters haven’t been seen there since 2006. “Birmingham was the center of a coal and an iron and steel industry that really messed with these streams,” Miller said. “The darters that we have left are so precious because they represent individuals and species that were really put through the wringer.” Now, the darter is facing threats from the development of the new data center, as well as the controversial Birmingham Northern Beltline highway project, which is planned to run directly through the area. The highway is being built not to alleviate traffic problems, but in an attempt to spur economic development through sparsely populated areas north and west of Birmingham. The route will take it directly through many forested and undeveloped areas, clearing hundreds of acres of wetlands, critics say, imperiling the Birmingham darter and numerous threatened and endangered species in the area. The project’s estimated total cost is more than $6 billion in 2026 dollars, though the road is not expected to be completed for several decades. These two massive new developments on top of the existing pressures on the darter threaten its survival as a species. “We’re seeing this new form of industry come in that is posing threats to our natural environment in similar ways as mining did back in the day,” Miller said. “And we’ve got to make sure that these species can survive this next revolution in terms of AI and data centers.”

Congress's Permitting Bill Is a 'Massive Giveaway' to the AI Data Center Industry, Critics Warn – On Monday, the Senate voted to advance a bipartisan bill aimed at easing the construction of new energy infrastructure. The bill, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), has a broad base of support, including from labor leaders who contend it will produce thousands of jobs and clean energy proponents who believe it could unlock wind and solar. Its sponsors are hoping to pass the bill before the current Congress ends in January. But the bill has also received vehement blowback from a growing coalition of anti-data center critics, who argue that it would accelerate the buildout of an industry that Americans resoundingly voted against in the midterm elections. BAAJA does address affordability concerns by forcing data centers to pay the full cost of the upgrades they trigger, and contains transmission reforms designed to modernize the grid. But it also strips back environmental protections and could lead to more data centers powered by gas and built on public lands. Hundreds of local and national organizations have signed letters urging Congress not to pass the bill as written, including the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Conversely, many industry trade groups have been supportive of the bill, despite the fact that it would likely make building more expensive. On Sunday, Donald Trump urged the Senate to pass the bill on Truth Social, writing that “China will take any Data Center that we don’t want.” The bill represents the first major test for Democrats post-election, as they contend with how to deliver on affordability and many other issues in their sprawling coalition at the same time. “Everything about BAAJA goes against the spirit of voters this midterms, in which we saw voters turn out for candidates who directly oppose data centers,” says Allie Rosenbluth, U.S. campaigns manager at the environmental nonprofit Oil Change International. “This bill is a massive giveaway to the data center industry—and creates a backdoor for fossil fuels to enter the grid through data centers.” America’s data center boom has also been a gas boom. In the scramble to bring AI data centers online as fast as possible, many developers have built their own gas power plants instead of waiting to connect to the grid. Global Energy Monitor data reported by Wired show that U.S. gas projects powering data centers increased from roughly 4 gigawatts in early 2024 to 189 gigawatts in development by mid-2026. In some cases, these gas plants have worsened local pollution and exacerbated health issues like asthma, scientific researchers contend. BAAJA incentivizes a wide range of energy sources to come online faster, including solar and wind. Many experts are hopeful that the bill will accelerate the buildout of transmission lines that are essential for bringing clean energy online. But environmentalists worry that the first and foremost beneficiary of the bill won’t be clean energy sources but rather gas-powered data centers, because there is already a massive pipeline of proposed projects waiting for various approvals. Rosenbluth points to several gas-powered data centers that are currently plodding through the permitting process, including the Ports-Pike Technology Campus in Ohio and the STAK Energy Campus in Alaska. If BAAJA were to pass, she says, key environmental permits they are trying to obtain could be fast-tracked, potentially allowing them to come online much more quickly. Holly Bender, chief program officer of the Sierra Club, says that "based on their need for speed to power, the data center industry is driving a historic and alarming investment in gas and fossil fuels. There’s a lot in this bill that will make it easier and faster to build gas pipelines, while making it harder for communities to have a say.” Another major concern from critics is that the bill will lead to many more data centers getting built on federally-owned land. The Trump administration has embraced this idea, and signed an executive order in July 2025 directing the Interior and Energy departments to make federal sites available for data centers and to streamline their environmental reviews. “We’re going to ‘mine, baby, mine’ so we can ‘build, baby, build’ because we’ve got to build AI data centers,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in 2025. There are at least 17 active applications connected to data center campuses on public land, covering thousands of acres in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and other states, one recent study found. BAAJA’s permitting provisions could make those projects easier to advance and harder to stop, including limiting judges’ ability to halt construction due to environmental review. Additionally, some Tribal organizations and leaders have spoken out forcefully against the bill, with a coalition of Tribal leaders writing on Saturday that the bill would “gut the ability of Tribal Nations and the American public to identify and protect historic and cultural places threatened by federally connected projects—including data centers.”

An Obscure Utility Calculation Is Putting a Thumb on the Scale for Gas in Georgia - - The growth of data centers and rapid electrification is driving Georgia Power toward another major expansion of its electric grid. The state’s largest utility is preparing to add between 2,000 and 6,000 megawatts of new capacity to its grid for 2032 and 2033. The utility is considering a mix of resources, including natural gas and battery storage, to meet its future electricity needs. But how much each resource counts toward that expansion depends on a calculation called Effective Load Carrying Capability, or ELCC. It is the “critical renewable energy concept you’ve never heard of,” according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. And the way Georgia Power is using that calculation in its latest effort to secure new power generation is drawing scrutiny from renewable energy advocates across the state.  Prior to the rise of renewable energy, determining how much capacity a new power project added to the grid was relatively simple. Utilities projected peak electricity demand and ensured they had enough power plants available to meet it. But because renewable resources like solar and wind are variable, planning grid expansions has become more complex. The sun is not always shining and the wind is not always blowing, making it more difficult to determine how much reliable capacity renewable projects actually add to the grid. ELCC is a way of measuring how much capacity a power resource can reliably contribute to the grid. A resource with a 100 percent ELCC can be counted on for its full capacity when determining how much electricity the grid can reliably support. Natural gas typically has an ELCC near 60 to 80 percent, while solar and wind projects without battery storage can have ELCCs between 4 to 40 percent. With batteries, renewables can have ELCCs around 95 percent, but that value can fall as more batteries are added to the grid. In its previous planning, Georgia Power assigned battery storage an ELCC of 95 percent for its first 3,000 megawatts of capacity, 75 percent for the next 3,000 megawatts and 50 percent for the next 3,000 megawatts. As more batteries are added, they become less valuable during peak demand because they increasingly compete to provide power at the same time. Based on the amount of battery storage on the grid and planned for the future, the utility’s previous calculations suggest the current ELCC should be set at around 75 percent. The latest procurement, however, uses a much lower figure. According to Bob Sherrier, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Advanced Power Alliance, which both testified about the issue to Georgia regulators, Georgia Power is now using an ELCC of just 20 percent for battery storage in its upcoming procurement. That means a 1,000-megawatt battery project would count for just 200 megawatts toward the utility’s capacity needs. A 1,000-megawatt natural gas plant with an 80 percent ELCC, by comparison, would count for 800 megawatts. ELCC calculations are based on modeling under different conditions and assumptions. Georgia Power did not provide details on the calculations but did tell Inside Climate News they have been consistent and are committed to accurate evaluations of all resources. In response to additional questions about the request for proposal, a company representative said “the company is in the middle of several ongoing resource procurements and cannot comment on specifics of requests for proposals.” The steep drop in ELCC from Georgia Power’s previous calculations could put battery storage at a disadvantage as the utility evaluates projects for its planned 2,000 to 6,000-megawatt expansion, Sherrier said. With a lower ELCC, developers would need to build more battery capacity to earn the same capacity credit as a natural gas project. He called the change a “thumb on the scale for gas,” arguing that it makes battery storage artificially less valuable in the procurement. “Batteries are going to look significantly more expensive than gas,” Sherrier said. “We know that is not the case anymore.” Recent cost estimates show that utility-scale solar can be cheaper than new natural gas generation. Pairing solar with battery storage raises the cost, but can still make it competitive with gas while allowing electricity to be stored for use when it is needed. If the ELCC for batteries remains unchanged, Sherrier fears the new expansion could once again be dominated by natural gas.

DEP: About 25 Data Center Projects In Some Stage Of Permitting In PA, None Have Signed A Consent Order Saying They Will Comply With GRID Standards Under Governor’s Executive Order  - On November 10, the Department of Environmental Protection reported there are now about 25 data center projects in some stage of permitting. While there has been some interest, none of the developers have signed a consent order saying they will comply with the Governor’s GRID Standards under the Governor’s August 18, 2026 Executive Order 2026-05.DEP’s comments were made at a joint meeting of the DEP Citizens Advisory Council and the DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board.   Read more on the agenda.The Governor’s Executive Order says it applies to “any permit or authorization application submitted after the effective date of this Executive Order in connection with a data center project with peak demand of over 25 MW by an applicant.” Ramez Ziadeh, P.E., DEP Executive Deputy Secretary, said-- “We have about 25 data center projects that are in different phases of the permitting process.”“We created this map on our website that shows the locations of all the data centers that are currently in the permitting process and different phases of the permitting process and also shows the unconfirmed data center locations that we know about as of today.” Ziadeh explained the Executive Order sets up two permitting “tracks” for data center developers. “Track one requires a consent order and agreement with the data center operator to basically to implement those grid standards. So if the applicant chooses to use that track, they have to execute this consent order and agreement with the department and then they can apply for their permits.”“Their permits can be processed on a rolling basis the way other projects are handled currently. “However, those permits will not be issued before the applicant provides all of their local approvals, including zoning approvals and any approvals that are needed under the subdivision and land development ordinance if there is one at the local level.”Ziadeh said-- “Track two requires local approvals upfront before the DEP can review any permit applications for that project. “In addition to that requirement and track two permits, projects cannot be phased really, permits cannot be phased. And all permits that are required for the data center project would have to be submitted and processed, coordinated [and processed together.]” “If there are any water withdrawal or discharge approvals that are needed for the project from the river basin commissions, those approvals are also required upfront in track two.” DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said in summary-- “[So] there's the path of the GRID standards and then there's the path of the not GRID standards.”DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said-- “We are actively negotiating with a number of data centers right now about the COAs [consent orders], so there's definitely interest from the data center developers of coming into that track one.” She did not mention any data center developer that has signed a consent order saying they would comply with the Governor’s GRID standards.

Midterms Push Data Center Natural Gas Demand Behind the Meter, Analysts Say -- Novi Labs has cut 400 MMcf/d from its forecast for Texas data center natural gas demand by 2031 following last week’s midterm elections, as analysts warn that restrictions on grid-connected projects could push more development behind the meter and boost gas consumption per gigawatt. At a Glance:

• Texas demand outlook drops to 1 Bcf/d
• Nationwide demand could climb more than 4 Bcf/d
• Off-grid projects consume more gas per GW

Data Centers, Permitting Reform Regaining Momentum After Midterm Jolt - The impact of the midterms on data center growth remains to be seen, though optimism already is building around a path forward for the controversial computing infrastructure. IEA chart showing data center electricity consumption rising from about 175 TWh in 2015 to nearly 490 TWh in 2025. At a Glance:
Data center panic said overblown
Minor delays expected
Permitting bill seen as net win for AI

PJM Warns of Shrinking Power Reserves as Natural Gas, Electricity Demand Grows -PJM Interconnection expects to have sufficient resources to meet electricity demand this winter, but the grid operator warned its reserve margins continue to tighten as demand outpaces new power supplies. NGI ranks the 10 highest US national average daily natural gas prices, led by $80.760/MMBtu on Feb. 16, 2021, during Winter Storm Uri.  At a Glance:
Record power demand forecasted
Data centers accelerating load growth
Generator retirements heighten risks

Ohio Lame Duck Revives Bill Favoring NatGas Over Wind & Solar -- Marcellus Drilling News -- Remember Ohio Senate Bill (SB) 294? We told you about it more than a year ago (see OH Bill Would Force Siting Board to Favor NatGas Over Renewables). It’s the bill that would make it Ohio’s official policy for the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) to favor energy that’s “affordable, reliable and clean.” It also defines natural gas as clean, and it sets a reliability bar that wind and solar can’t clear on their own. The Senate passed SB 294 in June. Then it sat in the Ohio House and did nothing for five months. On Tuesday, the bill finally got its first House hearing as lawmakers kicked off their lame-duck session. The clock is ticking. Any bill not signed into law by the end of December dies. Can the Ohio GOP get this one across the finish line before Democrat Amy Acton becomes governor in January? It’s possible.

'Not here, not now': Voters approve data center charter amendments to restrict data center size in multiple cities - Oregon, Defiance and Upper Sandusky voters all approved charter amendments last week limiting the size of data centers within city limits, a move city leaders say has already led one major proposed project to be abandoned. Oregon's charter amendment caps data centers at 25 megawatts. Mayor Steven Salander says that's significantly smaller than the roughly 500-megawatt data center campus proposed by Vantage Data Centers near Corduroy and Wynn roads. He says the company informed the city this week that the proposal was over. "We've received notice that Vantage is not pursuing the project any further due to the outcome of the election," Salander said. The vote does not ban data centers outright, but it effectively prevents projects on the scale of the one previously proposed in Oregon. Salander said the city is now waiting to hear from Capacity LLC, which holds the purchase agreement for the property where the project was planned. Until that situation is resolved, the city cannot market the land to other developers. "Until we know those answers, we kind of are in a holding pattern," Salander said. Throughout the debate over the proposed project, Salander says residents raised concerns about electricity and water consumption, noise, construction traffic, lighting and other potential impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. With the project no longer moving forward, he says city officials have begun discussing alternative ways to generate future revenue and are already taking a closer look at long-term budget planning. "Our city administrator has been going through the, our budget for 2027 with a fine-tooth comb," he said. "So we're trimming every possible little thing that we can." Oregon was not the only Ohio community where voters approved restrictions on large data centers. In Defiance, voters also approved a charter amendment limiting data centers to 25 megawatts. Mayor Mike McCann said there is no active data center proposal in the city, but several developers had expressed interest in potential sites. McCann said residents raised concerns about electric rates, water use, noise and environmental impacts. He also criticized the data center industry for failing to effectively address those concerns. "I would give them an F minus and even lower. I would give them a Z if you could go that low on a grade scale on getting the information out about themselves and defending their industry," he said. "We're gonna come into your city and we're gonna throw around a bunch of money and therefore you will allow us to site there. It doesn't work that way, especially in a small town."

Here’s how every data center-related ballot measure fared in Ohio - Last week, Ohio had more data center-related measures on the ballot than any other state, and voters from Piqua to Grove City, Conneaut to Urbana, overwhelmingly voted to restrict the hyperscale developments.Barry Blankenship started leading a data center resistance group in Trenton in southwest Ohio after two projects were proposed near his home. He says the ballot measure results send a message to local leaders about where residents stand.“That shows when the power of the people comes together, we can beat money and we can beat big tech,” Blankenship said. Nissley: Data centers really connected to this larger election issue of affordability. The computing facilities require massive amounts of electricity, which is driving up energy costs statewide, and people in several communities told me they're already having to make tough choices with their finances. They're scared for what they'll have to cut next if electricity bills keep climbing up. Other people say they don't want this resource-guzzling big tech infrastructure as a neighbor. They say they're worried about data centers' noise, pollution, water use, a lack of transparency about projects from government officials and more. Those concerns are bipartisan, and they drove Ohioans to the polls to deliver an overwhelming rebuke of data centers last week. Ballot measures to limit the developments passed with a large margin of support statewide, from Sunbury in central Ohio, which passed a ban on large facilities with 79% of the vote, to Perry in Northeast Ohio, which approved restrictions with 87% of voters in favor. About a dozen other states had data center-related measures on the ballot, and like in Ohio, many passed with large margins of support. What's different here is the number of data centers. There are more than 200 projects planned or under construction in Ohio. That's the fifth highest number in the nation. Organizers say last week's vote is just the start of getting more restrictions on data centers in Ohio. A statewide coalition made up of lawyers and everyday people worked with the dozen plus communities to draft ballot language. Now, Conserve Ohio says it's looking to expand its efforts in more communities and help more people amend their city charters to ban data centers. The group is also collecting signatures for a statewide petition to amend the Ohio Constitution to prohibit the construction of large-scale data centers. Organizations like the Ohio Chamber of Commerce see data centers as major economic drivers. A Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation study says $40 billion have been and will be invested in data centers around the state through 2030, as well as jobs and state and local tax revenue. With new restrictions on these projects, they say communities will lose out and suffer economically. How ballot measures fared:

• City of Trenton: a charter amendment to prohibit the construction of data centers over 25 megawatts within city limits passed with 80% of the vote.
• City of Piqua: a charter amendment to ban the construction of data centers larger than 25 megawatts of peak power demand passed with 67% of the vote.
• City of Piqua: recall of commissioners in the city’s 1st, 3rd and 5th wards. All three were recalled with at least 70% of the vote.
• City of Urbana: a charter amendment to ban the construction of data centers larger than 7.5 megawatts of peak power demand passed with 77% of the vote.
• City of Urbana: a recall of Mayor Bill Bean passed with 73% of the vote.
• City of Wilmington: four referendums to reverse the February rezoning of four parcels totaling more than 500 acres near U.S. 68 from “rural residential” to “light industrial” adjacent to proposed data center campus. Each zone change was reversed with support from at least 79% of voters.
• Monroe Township (Adams County): a resolution establishing a zoning review process for “higher-impact development” passed with 60% of the vote.
• Sprigg (Adams County): a resolution establishing a zoning review process for “higher-impact development” passed with 53% of the vote.
• City of Hubbard: a blanket ban on all data centers in the city passed with 76% of the vote.
• City of Conneaut: a charter amendment prohibiting data centers larger than 25 megawatts in the city passed with 64% of the vote.
• Village of Perry: an ordinance requiring that data center development companies seeking tax incentives provide financial backing to commitments around jobs and tax revenue. Developers must post a bond to back those claims before receiving any incentives. The measure also implements noise requirements. It passed with 87% of the vote.
• Village of Monroeville: a pro-data center ballot issue FAILED with 87% of the vote. It was an advisory ballot question regarding an ordinance to allow data center development in the village. Because it is advisory, this question does not mandate the village to take any particular action but informs them of community sentiment.
• Grove City: a charter amendment to require a citywide vote for any proposed development that occupies 50 or more acres, draws more than 20 megawatts of power at peak electrical capacity, or consumes more than 500,000 gallons of water a day. It passed with 54.6% of the vote.
• Village of Granville: a charter amendment to prohibit construction of data centers passed with 82% of the vote.
• City of Pataskala: a charter amendment to prohibit construction of data centers larger than 25 megawatts passed with 74% of the vote.
• City of Sunbury: a charter amendment to prohibit the construction of data centers larger than 25 megawatts passed with 79% of the vote.
• Village of Ashville: a referendum to uphold an agreement between the village and EdgeConneX related to two proposed data center buildings failed with 82% of voters opposing the agreement.
• City of Defiance: a charter amendment to prohibit data centers larger than 25 megawatts passed with 65% of the vote.
• City of Oregon: a charter amendment to prohibit the construction of data centers larger than 25 megawatts passed with 61% of the vote.
• City of Upper Sandusky: a charter amendment to prohibit the construction of data centers passed with 77% of the vote.

Ohio Fires Back: Valley Coalition Says Yes to Data Centers -- Marcellus Drilling News -- One week after Ohio voters slammed the door on data centers in at least 14 towns, and after the Mahoning Valley swung back to the Democrats, 31 Valley businesses, unions, schools, and economic development groups stepped up to the microphone on Monday to say: not so fast. The new “Mahoning Valley Coalition for a 21st Century Economy,” started by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and the Western Reserve Building Trades, wants data centers built in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, done “responsibly.” Is our side finally waking up after getting its clock cleaned on Election Day? Maybe. And who’s carrying the message this time is the most interesting part of the story.

Despite vote, Ashville data center construction continues (WCMH) — Construction is underway on two data centers in Pickaway County despite voters overwhelmingly opposing the project during last Tuesday’s election. “Listen to the noise that’s behind us,” Sue Carter Moore with the Teays Valley Community Alliance said. “Look at all the truck traffic that we have now. This is just the construction phase.” Ashville residents overturned the Development and Supply Agreement between the village and the data center company, EdgeConneX. The company is building two data centers on nearly 200 acres. “It is not exactly in the middle of nowhere. The high school is about a mile and a half from here. We’re right next to the youth soccer field where kids are out here all week playing,” Moore said. Moore’s group was behind the data center referendum. “We were able to do our research and we decided this was not a good thing and we’re just five people,” she said. “Five people we didn’t know each other like 18 months ago.” Moore hopes the 82% of voters rejecting the project will send a message to the Ohio Power Siting Board, where an 800 MW power plant for the data centers is pending approval. “What comes with a power plant is noise, and it comes with, obviously, pollutants,” Moore said. EdgeConneX has not responded to a request for comment. The Ohio Power Siting Board has until Nov. 20 to decide on the plant. Moore said if the plant is approved, her group will appeal.

Bitcoin Miner Gets FERC OK to Buy OH Gas Plant; PJM Watchdog Loses  - Marcellus Drilling News --- Back in May, we told you that FTAI Infrastructure agreed to sell Long Ridge Energy & Power, the 505-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired power plant and 1,600-acre former Ormet aluminum smelter site in Hannibal (Monroe County), Ohio, to bitcoin miner-turned-AI data center developer MARA Holdings for $1.52 billion (see Bitcoin Miner MARA Buys OH’s Long Ridge Gas Plant, Transload Site). The new news is that on Nov. 4, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the sale, finding it “consistent with the public interest.” Along the way, FERC turned aside an attempt by PJM’s market watchdog to tie strings to the deal. Both sides now say the closing will happen by the end of this month.

Twin Township prepares to block potential data centers - (WDTN) – While Twin Township leaders claim a data center isn’t currently planned for the area, trustees are preparing just in case. Twin Township residents came together with one goal: making sure a data center cannot come to town. Throughout the night, tension was high at times. Many were confused, but many also left with answers to their questions. According to township officials, there is no proposal for a data center in Twin Township. However, the resolution, which defines a data center, is the first step toward making sure that if a company wants to build one, it’ll be harder. Trustees also said that passing this document means they are setting the stage for a 12-month moratorium to be passed as early as Dec. 14. Some in the room felt relief that no project had come to the table and that their questions were answered. However, others are concerned that the passing of this document is the beginning of a data center making its way to town. Likewise, some people at the meeting mentioned their concerns about a possible data center project in Arcanum, which will have its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Ohio Power Siting Board Role in Nuclear Siting Process -With increasing demand from data centers powering artificial intelligence, Ohio policymakers are interested in exploring the potential to deploy additional nuclear-powered generation resources to ensure that the state has adequate supply to meet current and future demand.¹ We summarize the anticipated process for the filing of a standard certificate application, the application review process, and the issuance of a certificate for the siting of a nuclear generation facility that would operate at a capacity of 50 megawatts (“MWs”) or greater authorized by the Ohio Power Siting Board (“OPSB”) under Ohio law.To construct a major utility facility² that would operate at a capacity of 50 MWs or greater, including a nuclear-powered electric generation facility, an entity must receive a certificate from the OPSB in accordance with Ohio Revised Code (“R.C.”) Chapter 4906 and Ohio Adm.Code Chapters 4906-1, 3, and 4.³ Facilities associated with the generation facility are also included in the application and considered as part of the certificate review.The OPSB is comprised of the following seven voting members:

• The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (“PUCO”), who serves as the OPSB Chair;
• Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (“OEPA”);
• Director of the Department of Agriculture;
• Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (“ODNR”);
• Director of the Department of Development;
• Director of the Department of Health; and
• One public member appointed by the Governor who is an engineer.

There are also four nonvoting legislative members: two appointed by the Speaker of the Ohio House and two appointed by the President of the Ohio Senate.In reviewing an application to construct and operate a major utility facility, R.C. 4906.10 provides that the OPSB shall not grant a certificate unless it finds and determines the following:

1. The basis of the need for the facility if the facility is an electric transmission line or gas pipeline. Note: This criterion does not apply to a generation facility.
2. The nature of the probable environmental impact.
3. That the facility represents the minimum adverse environmental impact, considering the state of available technology and the nature and economics of the various alternatives, and other pertinent considerations.
4. That the facility is consistent with regional plans for expansion of the electric power grid of the electric systems serving this state and interconnected utility systems and that the facility will serve the interests of electric system economy and reliability.
5. That the facility will comply with R.C. and Ohio Adm.Code provisions pertaining to pollution control for water, wastewater, and air (R.C. Chapters 3704, 3734, 6111, 1501.33, 1501.34, and 4561.32). The OPSB is also to consult with the office of aviation of the division of multi-modal planning and programs of the department of transportation under R.C. 4561.341.
6. That the facility will serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity.
7. The facility’s impact on the viability as agricultural land of any land in an existing agricultural district established under R.C. Chapter 929.
8. That the facility incorporates maximum feasible water conservation practices as determined by the board, considering available technology and the nature and economics of the various alternatives.

Australia tries to manage data center tensions: ‘That means bringing your own energy’ – Hyperscalers like Anthropic want to go big in the land down under, and the Australian government is keen to attract the investment. But those energy-guzzling data centers are going head-to-head with the country’s efforts to expand renewable energy. “Sometimes a data center is quicker to build than a wind farm,” Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen told POLITICO’s Energy podcast. “So we need to work together … on the pipeline and ensure that the developments continue in our national interest.” Bowen is playing a critical role in the U.N. climate talks beginning Monday in Antalya, Turkey, amid soaring energy demand from data centers, growing cooling needs and industrial processes. He says his government welcomes data center investment, as long as it doesn’t send energy bills skyrocketing. “That means bringing your own energy, and it means bringing your own cheapest form of energy, which is renewable energy,” Bowen said. Australia is preparing draft legislation to manage surging energy demand from the growing crop of data centers. But Bowen said natural gas would still be needed. “Our approach is that gas can play a role in peaking and firming,” he said. “It might not even be needed every day. It might only be needed a couple of days a year, and factoring that into the system is very sensible to have that backup option.” Australia has been investing in the transition to clean energy, Bowen noted, and it is now the third-largest market for utility-scale batteries behind China and the U.S. He said the country is using less gas as a result. “They’re storing renewable energy from the middle of the day and putting it to use at night, and so that means the gas-fired power stations aren’t being turned on as much,” he said, adding that there could be “a similar approach to data centers in the future.” One challenge he’ll face is managing the pipeline of projects to ensure renewable energy, and the infrastructure to support it, are being built at the same pace or faster than data centers.  Australia is already home to more than 160 operational data centers, and at least 225 projects are being proposed, according to the country’s energy market operator. Anthropic recently signed its first Australian deal, as part of a $32 billion data center in Queensland. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the facility could consume enough power for 1.5 million homes. Grid constraints in the U.S. have led many data center developers to turn to behind-the-meter gas turbines so they can skip lengthy connection queues. That’s threatening to drive up planet-warming pollution in a country where President Donald Trump has led a sweeping attack on climate policy and removed the U.S. from the world’s global climate treaties. As data centers proliferate around the world, countries are grappling with a backlash from communities that are worried about the energy and environmental costs of the facilities. U.S. elections last week served as a referendum on data center expansion by sweeping a host of officials into office who vowed to curb that growth. Those pledges have also sparked fears that a data center slow down could hurt the U.S. economy.Australia is facing its own hurdles from lawmakers who worry that rapid data center development is straining energy and water use and diverting labor from other industries.Other countries are taking a cautious approach. Ireland and Spain are requiring data center operators to ensure a certain percentage of their power comes from clean energy — with Ireland even asking them to pay to build it. Singapore has passed legislation that would penalize companies for violating its clean energy commitments.Australia is attempting to move in that direction. It’s seeking public feedback on ideas that would require data center operators to invest in renewable electricity supply, report water use and manage demand during peak times. It’s a debate that is certain to make its way into the climate talks starting this week in Turkey, where Bowen will preside over the formal negotiations. Data centers’ voracious appetite for energy is not on the agenda for those talks — where more than 190 countries need to find consensus on a range of issues meant to protect the world from runaway climate change. He doesn’t see that as a problem. “It will be one of the things that ministers want to talk about,” said Bowen. “But I don’t think it changes the fundamental dynamics that we need to get more renewable energy up … and we need to electrify those things that can be electrified.”

Probe Blames Enbridge for Ohio Gas Line Blast That Destroyed Three Houses - - Inaccurate marking of an Enbridge gas pipeline in Hudson, Ohio, was the primary factor in a contractor strike that led to an explosion on June 25, destroying three homes and damaging 36 others, a Public Utilities Commission of Ohio investigation said. Future Communications, which was installing fiber optic lines in the town about 30 miles north of Cleveland, struck the 2-in. Enbridge natural gas distribution line while boring conduit. The bore head left a 4-in. gouge in the line, allowing gas to migrate into the unoccupied house that exploded about 52 minutes after initial damage was reported. There were no fatalities, but two people in neighboring homes suffered injuries that did not require overnight hospitalization, according to the report. The fiber installer had obtained a valid Ohio 811 locate ticket before beginning work, which is required before any contractor or homeowner does an excavation, and Enbridge facilities had been marked. But investigators determined that the markings were about 28 in. north of the pipeline's actual location and on the sidewalk, while the gas main was beneath the front lawn to the south The investigation also identified problems with Enbridge damage-prevention practices. It found that the locator failed to mark the line to meet required universal marking standards, including information identifying its owner, size and material. Investigators also found that Enbridge's locating procedures did not provide sufficiently detailed instructions applicable to all locate requests. Enbridge also failed to conduct the required post-accident alcohol test of the worker responsible for the markings location, although a drug test was performed, the report found. Stephanie Moore, a spokesperson for Enbridge Ohio, said in a statement that it is reviewing commission findings and recommendations. The company isolated the damaged pipeline after the explosion. It later replaced the main around the loop with a new 1.25-in. polyethylene line, with most service restored by June 30. Enbridge Ohio supplies natural gas to 1.2 million customers in 35 counties in the state.

After Summit County gas line explosion, senator prioritizes regulations for utility reporting --  WOSU Public MediaA Summit County state senator is already working to draft legislation in response to a Twinsburg Township gas line explosion earlier this year. Details from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio are helping to shape that legislation. Democratic State Sen. Casey Weinstein said while making room for broadband expansion is important, he wants residents to feel safe when new lines are being installed near their properties. He said a recent report released by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has confirmed his concerns about inconsistent regulations throughout the state. "There is a patchwork of regulations across the state," he said. "It is really important that we have a consistent system for reporting underground utility incidents and maintaining utility records." The explosion in June that destroyed three homes and damaged at least three-dozen more was caused by a mismarked gas line, according to a PUCO report, which found the gas line was mismarked by just over 2 feet. "It's incredibly important that we have accurate utility markings and clear communication between locating companies and excavators," Weinstein said. "That's how we're going to reduce these strikes and keep Ohioans and their communities safe." Weinstein said he's already been in touch with incoming Twinsburg area State Rep. Mike Roberto to create legislation focused on more accountability for contractors, stronger enforcement from PUCO and uniform statewide reporting and records. "It's something I'm committed to, something we're working towards, something I think should be a bipartisan effort," Weinstein said. "I am committed to ensuring the utmost safety for the Ohioans that I represent and all Ohioans as we look to expand broadband and fiber further." Weinstein said he is aiming to have the legislation drafted for the next general session.

'Simply unacceptable': Congresswoman asks feds for answers in Rainbow Terrace explosion -— Nearly a year and a half after the explosion in the Rainbow Terrace Apartments destroyed the homes of 120 people and killed one, Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown said it’s “simply unacceptable” that the community doesn’t know exactly what caused the explosion -- and is going above the City of Cleveland to get answers.Brown wrote a letter Tuesday to United States Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Administrator Paul Roberti the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which is part of the USDOT, requesting details related to the federal investigation into the June 2025 explosion that destroyed 44 units in the city’s Garden Valley neighborhood. The PHMSA sets standards for and regulates the movement of energy and hazardous materials and oversees millions of miles of pipelines. She also sent the letter to the chairpersons of various House committees. In Brown’s letter, she asks whether the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and Enbridge Gas followed necessary protocols before and after the explosion and what steps, if any, PHMSA recommends next. She asks about the role federal regulators played before and after the explosion, whether Enbridge violated any federal pipeline safety regulations and whether the incident exposed broader weaknesses in pipeline safety.

Brown Seeks Answers from Federal Pipeline Safety Administration on Rainbow Terrace Explosion -- Brown letter seeks documentation that agencies and Enbridge Gas took proper action before and after explosion; next steps on safety – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) has written to the Department of Transportation (USDOT) demanding answers related to the explosion at the Rainbow Terrace Apartments in Cleveland. On November 10, Brown wrote to the USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy and Paul Roberti, Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) seeking information related to the federal investigation into the explosion. The PHMSA develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the nation's pipelines. Brown’s extensive letter seeks answers to 28 specific questions and is focused on determining if the PHSMA, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, as well as Enbridge Gas, took proper action before and after the explosion, and if the federal regulator is recommending next steps to improve public safety. Brown’s letter gives USDOT and PHSMA thirty days to respond. The letter was also sent to the leaders of the relevant committees in the House. “I speak with and speak for my constituents at Rainbow Terrace and across Northeast Ohio: we had a deadly explosion here in Cleveland and we still don’t know why. That’s simply unacceptable. We need answers, answers so there can be accountability and answers so we can prevent further tragedies,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. Brown writes, “Because of this tragedy, people were killed, injured, and lost their homes, and many more are now worried about the safety of their own home or apartment building. Over a year later, we still don’t know why this explosion happened and my constituents need answers. This letter seeks a full accounting of the federal response to the Rainbow Terrace Explosion, clear answers on if Enbridge and PUCO fully cooperated with federal reporting requirements, if Enbridge and PUCO fully cooperated with federal and local investigations, if federal safety violations were identified, and what steps are being taken to prevent another explosion.”

EOG Utica: 95 Wells, 3 Rigs, 3 Frac Crews – and Its Own Sand Mine - - Marcellus Drilling News --- EOG Resources, the Houston-based giant that bought Encino Energy’s Ohio Utica shale empire in August 2025 for $5.6 billion, issued its third-quarter update last week. Company-wide, it was a record quarter for oil, NGL, and natural gas production. For the Utica, the headline is speed and cost: EOG says it’s drilling faster, fracking faster, and spending 20% less per foot than Encino did. The company will also open its own in-basin Ohio sand mine before the end of this year, saving more than $300,000 per well. And yes, EOG is talking to data centers about Utica gas.

FERC Staff Gives Thumbs Up to TETCO’s Athens Compressor Rebuild - - Marcellus Drilling News --  Back in July, we told you about Texas Eastern Transmission’s (TETCO) Athens Compressor Station in Athens County, Ohio, tripping offline with an “unplanned outage” — at the very same time TETCO was asking FERC for permission to rip out the station’s four aging turbines and replace them with two new ones (see TE Compressor Trips Offline in Ohio While FERC Weighs Replacement). We noted then that FERC had promised an environmental assessment (EA) by November 6. FERC delivered, right on the dot. And the news is good. FERC staff concluded that approving the Athens Optimization Project “would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” Translation: no significant impact. Even better, the EA finds the rebuilt station will be cleaner, quieter, and safer than the one running today.

Enbridge 3Q: Beacon Contracts Coming, Ohio Rate Deal, TETCO Talks  -  Marcellus Drilling News -  Enbridge, the Canadian pipeline giant that owns Texas Eastern (TETCO), Algonquin Gas Transmission, half of the NEXUS Pipeline, and Ohio's biggest gas utility, issued its third-quarter 2026 update on Friday. For the Marcellus/Utica, the big news is Project Beacon, the ~300 MMcf/d (million cubic feet per day) Algonquin expansion into New England. Enbridge says it expects to finalize customer contracts early in the new year. There's also a rate deal for Enbridge Gas Ohio, a new TVA pipeline that ties into TETCO, and some diplomatic words about Ohio's new governor from Enbridge's incoming CEO.

CPK Update: Delmarva LNG Tanks Near Finish, Ohio Data Center Pipe - Marcellus Drilling News  - Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (CPK) released its third-quarter 2026 update last week. (Not to be confused with the old Chesapeake Energy, now Expand Energy.) CPK is a Delaware-based utility that sells natural gas across the Delmarva Peninsula. That gas reaches Delmarva on CPK's own interstate pipeline, Eastern Shore Natural Gas (ESNG), which picks it up in southeastern Pennsylvania from Transco, Texas Eastern (TETCO) and Columbia Gas Transmission, all of which have ready access to Marcellus/Utica supply. CPK also runs pipelines in Ohio. The quarterly numbers were solid: net income rose 11%. For the M-U region, the news includes a new $75 million ESNG expansion (covered in a separate post on Tuesday), a Delmarva LNG storage facility that's nearly done but $25 million pricier, and progress on CPK's Ohio pipeline to a data center.

Midwest Midstream Projects Target Appalachian Gas with No Problems, Yet, From Nov. 3 Vote -  Politicians have long courted Ohio. Now some of North America’s biggest midstream and natural gas companies are focused on the state as a gateway to the broader Midwest. TC Energy’s Crossroads and American Midwest expansions target 2030 service, while EQT sees interest supporting a larger POWER Pipeline into Ohio. Details via Google: Key Project Updates & Developments

• TC Energy: Sanctioned the Crossroads and American Midwest expansion projects targeting a 2030 service date. CEO François Poirier noted during the Nov. 5 third-quarter earnings call that newly elected officials in target markets appear supportive of pipelines and data centers. [1]
• EQT: Advanced a proposed route for its POWER Pipeline into Ohio from its Pennsylvania production base, closing an open season with demand exceeding initial 1 Bcf/d expectations around Clarington. A potential Range Resources acquisition could help supply the line. [1]
• Williams: Continuing integrated gas and power development plans to capture rising power generation demand in Ohio tied to the region's gas output. [1]

Political & Data Center Landscape

• Ohio Election Impact: Democrat Amy Acton was elected governor on Nov. 3, breaking 16 years of Republican control.
• Data Center Policy: Acton campaigned on a conditional moratorium for data centers until requirements for utility costs, environmental standards, union labor, and community transparency are met. While tighter rules could influence when localized gas demand materializes, midstream executives have expressed early optimism regarding constructive dialogue with incoming leadership. [1]

Shale Crescent Gas Averages $2.85 in 2026 vs. $16.75 in Europe - Marcellus Drilling News --Every so often someone sends us a graphic so good we just have to share it. This is one of those times. Shale Crescent USA, the Marietta, Ohio-based economic development group that markets the Ohio Valley region of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania to energy-hungry manufacturers, partnered with Visual Capitalist on a chart tracking 20 years of natural gas prices in our region against the rest of the world. The bottom line: from January through September of this year, gas in the Shale Crescent region averaged $2.85 per MMBtu. That’s about 22% below the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub ($3.65), and roughly 83% below Europe ($16.75) and Asia ($17.75). Cheap, reliable gas, year in and year out. Here’s the picture.  Visual Capitalist: The World’s Natural Gas Prices Over Time (2006–2026)  The chart tracks annual average prices at four benchmarks (the hubs where gas prices are set), all in dollars per MMBtu (million British thermal units, roughly what’s in 1,000 cubic feet, or 1 Mcf, of gas):

• Henry Hub – the Louisiana hub that serves as the main U.S. price.
• EGTS – Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage, a big interstate pipeline system that runs through the heart of the Marcellus/Utica. It stands in here for “the Shale Crescent price.”
• TTF – the Dutch hub that sets Europe’s price.
• JKM – the Japan-Korea Marker, the main price for LNG (liquefied natural gas) shipped to Asia.

The graphic flags the events that sent overseas prices soaring, starting with the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 (which boosted Asian LNG demand). The biggest was Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. That year Europe averaged $37.52 and Asia $33.30, while the Shale Crescent averaged $5.59. The article also points to LNG shipping disruptions from this year’s war in Iran, which has choked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since late February. Through it all, the price here barely flinched compared to overseas hubs. In 2024, the graphic says prices here were about 7x lower than the rest of the world. We checked the math: it’s 6.9x the average of Europe and Asia. Close enough!The article includes a table of annual prices going all the way back to 2000, six years before the graphic starts. MDN ran the numbers, and a few things jump out:

• Before shale, we paid MORE than Henry Hub. From 2000 through 2011, the EGTS price ran above Henry Hub every single year, by an average of about $0.32/MMBtu. The Northeast used to import its gas from the Gulf Coast, so it paid a premium for the pipeline ride.
• Before shale, Europe paid LESS than we did. From 2000 through 2005, Europe’s TTF price was below EGTS every year. Let that sink in.
• Then the shale revolution flipped the script. The Shale Crescent price fell below Henry Hub starting in 2013 (2012 by the article’s unrounded math) and has stayed there every year since. From 2013 through 2025, the discount averaged about $0.80/MMBtu.

We built our own chart to show the flip. Red bars are years our region’s gas cost more than Henry Hub; blue bars are years it cost less: In other words, the Marcellus and Utica turned Appalachia from a high-priced gas importer into one of the lowest-cost gas regions on the planet in about a decade.This graphic will get plenty of mileage, and it should. It makes the case Shale Crescent has been making since 2016 better than any slide deck could. If you run a factory, a chemical plant, or a data center and you’re choosing where to build, here’s 20 years of proof that our gas is cheap and stays cheap when the world goes haywire. That’s exactly why gas-fired power and data center projects keep landing in Pennsylvania and Ohio.But let’s be honest with our landowner and driller readers. You may have looked at that thick blue line hugging the bottom of the chart and winced. That “advantage” for manufacturers is the same basis discount that shrinks royalty checks. Every dime EGTS trades below Henry Hub is a dime that doesn’t reach a lessor in Washington County or Belmont County. Low prices are great if you’re buying gas and not so great if you’re selling it.

EIA Nov. STEO Cuts 2027 Henry Hub Price to $2.88; M-U DUCs Plunge - Marcellus Drilling News -- The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its November Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) on Tuesday, and the news for gas prices is, well, more of the same. A warm start to November means less gas burned for heat, more gas left in storage, and lower prices. EIA now expects the Henry Hub spot price to average $2.87 per MMBtu (million British thermal units) from November through March, 16% less than it predicted just a month ago. EIA also cut its 2027 price forecast by 28 cents. Meanwhile, Appalachian drillers keep working down their stockpile of drilled-but-uncompleted wells (DUCs) at a startling pace. The count has fallen below 500 for the first time since 2022. And because we still miss EIA’s old Drilling Productivity Report, our “DPR Replacement” section is back this month, with all four charts.

Permits Climb to 21; EQT and Coterra Each Grab 7 in Pennsylvania -- Marcellus Drilling News ---The Marcellus/Utica region received 21 new shale well permits last week, Nov. 2 – 8, up 17 from the paltry 4 the week before. Pennsylvania issued 15 new permits, Ohio issued 5, and West Virginia issued 1. The drillers who received new-well permits last week were: Antero Resources, CNX, Coterra (now Devon Energy), EOG, and EQT. Now that’s more like it! Pennsylvania did the heavy lifting, with EQT and Coterra each grabbing seven permits for a single pad. And as we predicted last week, Ohio’s goose egg didn’t last: EOG picked up five new-well permits on Nov. 5. On the paperwork side, there were 14 actions on older permits, nine of them for one EQT pad in Wetzel County, W.Va.   Antero Resources | Armstrong County | Carroll County | CNX Resources | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Devon Energy | EOG Resources | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Guernsey County | Harrison County | Ritchie County | Susquehanna County | Westmoreland County | Wetzel County

Infinity Natural Resources Q3 Earnings Call Highlights - Key Points

• Record Q3 results: Oil production rose 79% year over year to about 14,000 barrels per day, while total production doubled to nearly 432 million cubic feet equivalent per day. Adjusted EBITDAX reached nearly $138 million.
• Outlook and cost management: Infinity expects 2026 production at the high end of its original range and development capital spending at the low end, narrowing guidance to 355–375 million cubic feet equivalent per day and $450–475 million in spending. Greater midstream utilization helped reduce controllable cash costs sequentially by 8.2% and gathering, processing and transportation costs per unit by 12%.
• Financial flexibility: The company ended the quarter with 1.1 times net leverage, about $900 million in liquidity, and no revolver borrowings. It expects to exceed $25 million in 2026 savings from its Ohio acquisition and says development remains its first capital priority.

Infinity Natural Resources reported record production and adjusted EBITDAX in the third quarter of 2026, as higher oil output and increased use of its midstream system helped offset rising costs.The company now expects full-year production at the high end of its initial guidance range and development capital spending at the low end, President and CEO Zack Arnold said on the earnings call. Both expectations remain within the original ranges.Third-quarter oil production rose 79% from a year earlier to approximately 14,000 barrels per day. Total production averaged nearly 432 million cubic feet equivalent per day, double the prior-year level. Adjusted EBITDAX was nearly $138 million, supported by higher volumes and a favorable oil mix, Arnold said.Executive Vice President and CFO Cary Baetz said controllable cash costs fell 8.2% sequentially to $1.45 per thousand cubic feet equivalent, while gathering, processing and transportation expenses per unit declined 12%. Adjusted EBITDAX per unit was $3.47, down from $3.62 in the second quarter.Utilization of Infinity's midstream system increased to approximately 35% from 29% in the second quarter, Baetz said. Arnold said about 70% of gross operated natural gas volumes already flow through the system, which has approximately 1 billion cubic feet per day of throughput capacity.Infinity also expects its firm transportation capacity on the REX pipeline to improve natural gas realizations relative to local in-basin prices. Most of the company's Ohio gas and more than half of its total gas production are sold into markets served by the pipeline, Arnold said.During the question-and-answer session, Baetz estimated that the contract was providing a net price improvement of roughly 15% to 25% versus in-basin sales after transportation costs. He cautioned that the gap could narrow as in-basin differentials change. Arnold said Infinity can use the capacity for its own volumes or work with gas marketers to fill shortfalls, and expects to maximize its usage in 2027.Infinity narrowed its 2026 production guidance to an average of 355 million to 375 million cubic feet equivalent per day. It expects development capital expenditures, including drilling, completion and midstream spending, of $450 million to $475 million.For 2027, Baetz said investors could model a year broadly similar to 2026, while emphasizing that the budget remains under development. He said the company expects efficiencies to offset most service-cost inflation. Arnold identified diesel and stimulation costs as pressures and said Infinity is evaluating dual-fuel use on drilling rigs and frac fleets.Arnold said Infinity expects to exceed its previously announced $25 million in 2026 cost and capital savings associated with its Ohio acquisition. Savings have come from using existing pads and infrastructure, redesigning wellbores and connecting the company's water withdrawals to the acquired delivery system.The company eliminated the need to construct two pads under the previous development plan, Arnold said. At one location, it drilled two U-turn wells from an existing pad instead of building a new pad and drilling four shorter wells. Infinity has also increased water and sand per foot in some completions on the acquired Utica assets, while seeking to execute the work faster than the prior operator, he said.Separately, Infinity completed stimulation of a deep dry gas Utica well in mid-October and plans to bring it online. Baetz said the outlook for 2027 gas prices will influence the timing of subsequent wells. He said the opportunity includes approximately 66 locations, including the well already drilled.

State investigating 'seismic event' near Allegheny Township fracking well - TribLIVE.com -State environmental officials say an earthquake struck Allegheny Township last month, but it was so small it’s likely no one but seismologists noticed.On Oct. 4, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was alerted to a seismic event near EQT’s Porter well pad in Allegheny Township off Willowbrook Road.At about 5 a.m., an earthquake registered a magnitude of 0.5 on the Richter scale. An event of that magnitude would be too small to be felt by people in the area but was large enough to alert DEP to unusual seismic activity.The fact that an active fracking site was within 6 miles of the quake raised concerns with DEP and prompted an investigation that ultimately found nothing that would require action, and the site was allowed to continue to operate. . Rob Skoumal, research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, explained how rare it is for Western Pennsylvania to experience earthquakes. “In the 8,000+ wells that have been fractured in Pennsylvania, maybe four of them have had earthquakes,” he said. While the Oct. 4 event could have been nothing more than the earth’s tectonic plates moving, its proximity to a fracking site left state officials wondering if it was instead an induced seismic event. The role fracking plays Fracking is a technique used to draw oil and natural gas from underground rock through the injection of high-pressure water, sand and chemicals. Such wells in Pennsylvania are concentrated mostly in the western and north-central regions of the state to tap into the Marcellus and Utica shale formations. Marcellus shale runs across Western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, western Maryland and most of West Virginia. It consists mostly of black shale and limestone beds, with concentrations of pyrite. It splits easily. The Utica shale, stretching from Ohio through Pennsylvania and New York into Canada, is one of the country’s largest reserves of natural gas and oil. It runs even deeper than the better-known Marcellus. The Utica is often as deep as 14,000 feet below the surface, which is about 4,000 to 6,000 feet deeper than the Marcellus, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Skoumal explained most fracking sites in Pennsylvania target Marcellus shale. “To my knowledge, I am not aware of any induced earthquakes caused by fracking in the Marcellus. For the most part, induced earthquakes are from fracking in the Utica shale,” said Skoumal. This is because of the depth of Utica shale. While the Utica shale yields larger amounts of natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, it is more dangerous to frack, with a greater risk of inducing a seismic event. This was the shale being fracked in the vicinity of the Oct. 4 event. “When (companies) frack, they drill the well vertically and then they drill horizontally throughout the shale rock,” Skoumal said. Drilling the Utica shale this way increases its permeability — making it easier for fluids (like oil, natural gas or water) to flow through the rock’s tiny pore spaces and pathways. But every time rock is fractured, a small earthquake is induced, according to Skoumal. “Those earthquakes are way too small to be felt,” he said. “They are only within the little formation of rock being stimulated. That’s the whole intention of fracking — to fracture the rock. “The concern is when you hit on a pre-existing fault in the earth’s Precambrian basement — the really old rock we are standing on now, that our continent was formed on.” Hitting a fault can trigger an earthquake with a magnitude great enough to feel, to track and to investigate — especially if it is close to a fracking site. In places where earthquakes are incredibly rare, like Western Pennsylvania, almost every seismic event triggers an investigation from the DEP. “The first thing to look for is a nearby fracking site,” Skoumal said. “It is pretty easy to identify a correlation between fracking and earthquakes, because we see a really strong temporal and spatial relationship.” In the case of the Oct. 4 event, state seismologist Kyle Homman said the state would follow a “red light/yellow light/green light” scale of assessment. “If an operator is injecting fluid and it starts causing earthquakes or earthquakes start happening in that general area, you assess the magnitude of the seismic event to know how to proceed,” he said. Anything from a 0.5 to 1.5 magnitude would be a green light, and the fracking site can more or less proceed “business as usual,” according to Homman. This is because the seismic event was too small to cause any damage or raise concerns. “If we start seeing earthquakes that are in the yellow light phase — anything around a 2.0 magnitude — usually the state government will discuss options with the operator,” he said. “They’ll slow down the amount of fluid that they are pumping, reducing volume to see if that makes a difference in seismic activity.” A red light event is any seismic activity reaching 3.0 magnitude or above. “If that magnitude is hit, the state will shut down the well or drill for the foreseeable future,” Homman said. “Usually, when the pressure is reduced and you shut the site down for a while, the earthquakes stop, and it becomes pretty clear that whatever was causing the seismic event was related to the injection of the fluid.” But such events are incredibly rare, as Skoumal and Homman could only think of one instance in the last decade when a fracking site had to shut down because of a seismic event. That was in 2016 in Lawrence County when Hilcorp Energy Company’s North Beaver well pad experienced a 1.9 magnitude earthquake. The event was investigated by DEP and resulted in the company voluntarily closing the well site as a safety precaution, according to Homman. In an inspection report obtained by TribLive, the DEP investigated the site of the Oct. 4 seismic event in Allegheny Township. It ruled that no violation would be given and the site could remain active. “(The) DEP’s investigation was not conclusive as to any cause for the seismic activity that was picked up on Oct. 4,” said DEP press secretary Neil Shader. EQT, the owner of the Allegheny Township Porter Well Pad, did not respond to TribLive’s request for comment.

DEP Closes Probe of Tiny Westmoreland Quake Near EQT Utica Pad -Marcellus Drilling News -The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has finished looking into the teeny-tiny earthquake that hit near EQT's Porter well pad in Allegheny Township (Westmoreland County) on Oct. 4. The verdict: no violation, no cause identified, and the pad keeps on working. When MDN told you about this "seismic event" last month, we pointedly did not jump to conclusions about whether the well caused it (see Westmoreland Seismic Event: DEP Checks EQT Pad, No Red Flags Found). That turned out to be the right call.

Cleanup Crews Continue Recovery Of Jet Fuel, Air Monitoring Around Site Of Energy Transfer Pipeline Struck By Utility Contractor In Upper Merion Twp., Montgomery County   - The Unified Command directing the response to the Energy Transfer 14-inch Twin Oaks jet fuel pipeline rupture caused by a utility contractor in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County provided this update on ongoing cleanup efforts. The rupture occurred November 5 when the Twin Oaks pipeline carrying jet fuel was struck by a crew conducting utility work near the intersection of Colbert Road and River Road in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Jet fuel discharged over land and into the adjacent Glasgow McCoy quarry. A Unified Command was established to direct response operations. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Energy Transfer are working together to oversee the incident. Unified Command continues response operations at the pipeline strike site in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County. Our top priorities remain protecting public health and safety and minimizing environmental impacts. Over the weekend, crews recovered fuel from areas of concern at the site of the strike. Responders used vacuum trucks to transfer recovered mixture of fuel and water to tanks for temporary storage. Crews transported the tanks off-site for additional processing and product reuse. Responders also used sorbent boom and absorbent pads to collect pooled product from paved areas, stormwater ponds, and other impacted areas on site. They collected and secured petroleum-contaminated debris and sorbent in roll-off containers for future testing and off-site disposal. Recovered materials are handled in accordance with state and federal safety and disposal requirements. Crews are also conducting drone flights to track cleanup progress, assess Schuylkill River and quarry conditions, and support fuel recovery and cleanup operations in the quarry. Air readings from the quarry monitoring wells found no detection of VOCs [volatile organic compounds]. At this time, there remains no impact to public drinking water sources or the Schuylkill River. Air monitoring remains in place to protect responders and the nearby community. Unified Command evaluates air monitoring in three categories: community, fenceline, and work zone. Community monitoring includes 20 roving monitoring locations in nearby neighborhoods and surrounding areas. Unified Command has also deployed 10 stationary fenceline monitoring locations across the incident area to confirm that airborne contaminants are not leaving the response zone. In the work zone, including the quarry and other active cleanup areas, 4 monitoring locations help protect workers during operations. Responders wear required personal protective equipment in the work zone as an additional safety measure. The monitors measure flammable vapors, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and benzene. To date, air monitoring has not detected any elevated levels in the community or at the fenceline, and work zone readings have remained below levels of concern. Due to changing weather conditions, community members may notice fuel odors. Response operations will continue this week focusing on ongoing air and waterway monitoring, as well as product recovery from the quarry and strike site. Removal of jet fuel from pooled water in the quarry is limited to daylight hours. Additional assessment work will help determine the extent of the impacted area. Crews completed pipeline repairs, and the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration approved refilling the pipeline. The pipeline has been brought back into service.

DEP Issues 6 Violations From Crude Oil Spill In Warren Impacting 7 Miles Of Allegheny River --Approximately one barrel of crude oil entered the Allegheny River on Thursday after a valve on an oil tanker truck was accidentally left open while collecting oil from a storage tank at the City of Warren Department of Public Works garage. According to a statement from City Manager Mike Holtz, the tanker truck was at the DPW garage around 6 a.m. to collect oil from a storage tank inside the facility. A valve on the truck was mistakenly opened, allowing crude oil to flow into a nearby catch basin. The basin drains into the Allegheny River near Paws Along the River. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) later documented the incident in a Nov. 5 inspection report, identifying Curtis & Son Oil Inc. as the operator associated with the oil storage facility and AR Trucking as the company operating the tanker truck. According to the DEP report, approximately one barrel of crude oil was initially reported released onto an asphalt parking lot. The oil entered a nearby storm sewer system and traveled approximately 400 feet southwest before discharging into the Allegheny River. The DEP inspection report stated that the truck operator immediately closed the valve, stopping the discharge. According to Holtz, emergency responders and local agencies began containment and cleanup efforts after being notified of the spill. The Warren County Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania DEP, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Warren Fire Department and Warren City Department of Public Works responded. United Refining also provided personnel, equipment and assistance. According to the DEP report, absorbent booms were placed along the northern bank of the Allegheny River near the storm sewer and additional booms were deployed approximately 900 feet downstream, near the confluence of the Conewango Creek and the Allegheny River at Point Park. Although the initial containment efforts collected some free crude oil, DEP inspectors observed an oil sheen moving beyond the booms. Pockets of oil were also found among downed trees and debris along the northern riverbank. Responders used boats to deploy additional absorbent and containment booms between Point Park and the storm sewer outfall. Crews also collected visible oil from the water. A downstream survey did not identify recoverable oil below Point Park. However, an oil sheen of varying intensity was observed near Starbrick, approximately seven miles downstream from the spill location. The DEP report indicated that the sheen diminished downstream after additional containment equipment was deployed. Curtis & Son employees and other local oil and gas producers initially assisted with collecting recoverable oil near the storm sewer outfall. Representatives from Environmental Remediation & Recovery (ER&R), working on behalf of AR Trucking, arrived at approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday to review the incident and ongoing cleanup operations. Holtz said responders worked to minimize environmental impacts and protect the Allegheny River. He also thanked United Refining for its quick response, resources and expertise. Following its inspection, the DEP documented six new violations associated with the November 5 crude oil discharge. Among the violations cited were:

• Discharging industrial waste into Pennsylvania waters.
• Discharging industrial waste without the required permit or authorization.
• Improper discharge of production fluids into waters of the Commonwealth.
• Violations involving the management, storage, transportation or disposal of residual waste.

The DEP cited Curtis & Son Oil Inc. in connection with the incident and issued a Notice of Violation.

DEP - Day 501: Pin Oak Energy Partners LLC Failed To Comply With Consent Order To Restore 2 Shale Gas Well Pads, Impoundment In Beaver County - On October 30, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection inspected two Pin Oak Energy Partners LLC shale gas wells pads and an impoundment In South Beaver Township, Beaver County and found the owner failed to comply with a DEP consent order to restore sites. The pads were the David L. Thompson Pad#A and the Kerry Bea Pad A and freshwater impoundment.On June 16, 2025, Pin Oak Energy Partners LLC signed a consent order and agreement requiring the owner to restore 16 shale gas well paces and an impoundment the company owned since October 31, 2023.  Read more here.The consent order includes stipulated penalties of $500 per day if Pin Oak Energy fails to comply with the order.  Read more here.The consent order required Pin Oak Energy to restore the  David L. Thompson and Kerry Bea Pad and impoundment before October 30, 2026.DEP’s inspection confirmed Pin Oak Energy failed to comply with the consent order at both these sites.The Kerry site has multiple areas of excess water on the pad and failure to achieve 70% vegetative cover.The Thompson site has multiple areas that failed to achieve 70% vegetative cover and the reclamation work that was done did not comply with the plan submitted to DEP.Violations were issued for failure to comply and a written response was requested by November 19.  David L Thompson inspection report + photos.   Kerry Bea Pad - Impoundment inspection report + photos.

Clearfield County Gets 2nd Gas-Powered “Compute Center” OK from DEP -- Marcellus Drilling News  -Back in February, we told you about a small outfit called Iron City Wells getting a DEP permit for 15 natural gas-fired generators to power “compute centers” in Karthaus Township, Clearfield County (see New Gas-Fired Data Center Coming in Clearfield County, PA). We admitted at the time that we didn’t know much about it. Now Iron City has permit number two. Saturday’s Pennsylvania Bulletin reports that DEP has approved another 15 gas-fired generators for the “Iron City No. 2 Power Generator and Compute Center” in Beccaria Township, at the southern end of the county. Gas from the field, power on the spot, computers humming. Here’s what we know, and what we don’t.

Supreme Court: Bad Day for Landowners Seeking Pipeline Legal Fees -  Marcellus Drilling News -  Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court spent an hour on Hoffmann v. WBI Energy Transmission. That's the North Dakota case that will decide whether state law or federal law sets what a pipeline company owes a landowner when it takes an easement by eminent domain. If the questions from the bench are any guide (they usually are, but not always), the ranchers are in trouble. Justices on the left, the right, and in the middle took turns poking holes in the landowners' argument. If WBI wins, Pennsylvania and Ohio landowners facing condemnation by interstate pipelines will lose the extra money state law now gives them, attorney fees included.

Riverkeeper Loses Again: No Do-Over on Transco REAE Permits - Marcellus Drilling News - The Delaware Riverkeeper’s war against permits for a pipeline that’s already built and flowing gas has hit another brick wall. On Nov. 10, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit refused to rehear a case the Riverkeeper lost in October over Pennsylvania permits for Williams’ Transco Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project. That’s three straight losses for Big Green in this fight, and the October ruling the court left standing is “precedential,” meaning it binds future cases. It’s a big win for pipeline builders, and it may be an even bigger one for anyone tired of radicals waving Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment around.

EOG Targets Data Center Gas Deals, Expands LNG-Linked Sales - EOG Resources is pursuing natural gas supply agreements with data centers and power generators while expanding its LNG-linked sales portfolio, positioning its US production to capitalize on growing electricity demand and exports.EOG Resources operating footprint map highlighting the Delaware Basin, Eagle Ford, Dorado, Utica, Powder River and Williston basins, with acreage and drilling activity, plus insets for Trinidad and Tobago, Bahrain and the UAE. At a Glance:
Engie deal expands LNG pricing exposure
Power demand creates gas sales opportunities
Processing expansion boosts netbacks

Pipeline Owners Beware: EQT May Let Range’s Pipe Contracts Expire -- Marcellus Drilling News  --When EQT announced on Oct. 26 that it would buy Range Resources (see EQT Swallows Range Resources in $50B Merger: Biggest M-U News Ever!), most of the talk was about size. The combined company will be the biggest gas producer in the country, eclipsing current #1 Expand Energy. A new analysis from East Daley Analytics looks at a different question: what happens to the pipeline companies that move Range’s gas and liquids? East Daley’s answer: much of the money EQT hopes to save will come from letting Range’s pipeline contracts expire. That’s bad news for some big pipeline owners, starting in 2028. And EQT management hinted at the same thing on deal day.

TC Energy 3Q: 2nd Big ‘Artery’ Out of Appalachia Gets Green Light - - Marcellus Drilling News --- TC Energy, the Canadian pipeline giant that owns Columbia Gas Transmission (the No. 1 pipeline operator in Appalachia, by its own count), released its third-quarter 2026 results last Thursday. The big news for our region: TC approved a US$1.8 billion expansion of its Crossroads pipeline, designed in part to carry Marcellus/Utica gas west to the Midwest. CEO François Poirier said Crossroads and the Appalachia Supply Project (approved in April) amount to “two major arteries of egress out of the Appalachian Basin.” TC also told analysts it expects Appalachian gas production to grow by another 10 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) by 2035. Music to our ears!

More Marcellus Gas for Delmarva: ESNG Seeks OK for $75M Expansion --- Marcellus Drilling News  - There’s a new pipeline project to tell you about, and it starts in Pennsylvania. Eastern Shore Natural Gas (ESNG) is the only interstate pipeline serving the Delmarva Peninsula and a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (CPK). On Sept. 24, ESNG asked FERC to approve its $75 million Delmar Regional Enhancement Project. The project begins with a 2.55-mile, 24-inch pipeline loop in Chester County, PA, near where ESNG picks up gas from Transco and Columbia Gas Transmission. Every bit of the new capacity is already sold under 20-year contracts. We found the project mentioned in CPK’s latest 10-Q (it wasn’t brought up on the earnings call), then tracked down the application. The application has some eye-opening numbers on what new pipeline capacity costs these days.

Outage Watch: EGTS, TETCO, Transco Pinch M-U Gas Flows This Week --  Marcellus Drilling News - Welcome to the first edition of MDN’s Pipeline Outage Watch, a new weekly roundup of pipeline problems that can bottle up Marcellus/Utica gas. This week’s biggest squeeze is on Eastern Gas Transmission & Storage (EGTS, formerly Dominion Transmission). Since Nov. 7, EGTS has limited how much gas it will take in at points south of its Valley Gate area, and since Nov. 10 at points north of it too. EGTS cited operating conditions and limits on how much gas it can push into storage. Over on Columbia Gas Transmission, the receipt cap at DT Midstream’s Stonewall Gas Gathering interconnect in Braxton County, WV, keeps creeping back up, to 1,007,000 Dth/d as of Nov. 10. Mountain Valley Pipeline spent the whole week (Nov. 9-13) at reduced capacity, 1,760,000 Dth/d, for maintenance at its Harris Compressor Station. Texas Eastern is trimming southbound firm gas at Danville, KY, by about 9-14%, and Transco had a one-day hiccup on its southbound mainline. Rover, NEXUS, and Millennium were quiet.

PPL Adds Another 645-MW Gas Plant in Kentucky for Data Centers - PPL Corporation, the Allentown, PA-based utility, has another natural gas-fired power plant planned for Kentucky. On its third-quarter earnings call last Friday (Nov. 6), PPL raised its four-year capital plan to $25 billion. That’s $2 billion more than the old plan, and most of the increase is for a new 645-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle gas plant to be built by its Kentucky subsidiaries, Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities (KU). The new unit, which still needs state approval, would start running in the second quarter of 2032. It would be the fourth new gas-fired combined-cycle plant LG&E and KU have planned since 2022. CEO Vince Sorgi made it clear he doesn’t expect it to be the last one.

Nine Energy Still Gets 21% of Its Revenue from Marcellus/Utica - Marcellus Drilling News  -Nine Energy Service, the Houston-based oilfield services company that went through a quick prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, issued its third-quarter 2026 results on Nov. 9 and held its earnings call on Nov. 10. Our first question was whether Nine still does much work in our neck of the woods. The answer is yes. According to the company's new investor presentation, the Marcellus/Utica brought in 21% of Nine's 2025 revenue, roughly $118 million. That makes our region Nine's second-biggest market, behind only the Permian (41%) and well ahead of the Eagle Ford (13%) and Haynesville (12%).-

Darth Vader Sells New England Pipe Carrying M-U Gas to Blackstone --  Marcellus Drilling News - Remember when “the evil BlackRock” (MDN’s words) bought the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) back in 2024 (see Darth Vader (BlackRock) Buying New England Pipeline for $1.14B)? Darth Vader is cashing out. On Nov. 10, Blackstone Infrastructure said its funds signed a deal to buy PNGTS from funds run by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP, now part of BlackRock) and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners. Nobody is saying what Blackstone is paying. Why should Marcellus/Utica folks care about a pipeline in Maine? Because Blackstone’s own press release says PNGTS carries gas from “Canadian and Appalachian supply basins.” Yes, some of our molecules ride this pipe. They just go the long way around, through Canada.

Same Old Song And Dance – What to Expect in the New England and New York Natural Gas Markets this Winter | RBN Energy -  If you buy, sell or burn natural gas in New England and Greater New York City, you already know the routine. A stretch of mild weather and boring prices, then a cold snap. The pipelines fill, cash prices go parabolic, power plants switch to oil and everyone points fingers at who’s to blame. In today’s RBN blog, we take a macro look at the push and pull shaping the New England and New York gas markets: two very different loads — heating and power — competing for constrained pipeline capacity, and the projects that might help.   On January 27, 2026, in the grip of Winter Storm Fern (right-hand arrow in Figure 1 below), Algonquin Citygate (blue line), the New England natural gas benchmark, reached $122.58/MMBtu and, about 200 miles to the south, Transco Zone 6 New York (green line) hit $142.72/MMBtu. Those are stupendously high prices, especially in a region that sits a few hundred miles from the lowest-cost gas basin in North America. During a 19-day cold spell from January 23 through February 10, heating customers took priority on the pipelines, so oil-fired generation in New England briefly surpassed gas-fired generation, and ISO New England’s wholesale electricity-market transactions for December through February totaled about $6 billion, the highest winter total since the markets began in 2003. And things are trending worse, not better. As we explained more than a decade ago in Please Come to Boston, New England's pipeline constraints have long produced eye-watering winter gas premiums. As shown in Figure 1, New England and/or New York have had a price blowout nearly every winter, and with one respite (January 2024, a comparatively mild blip) each has been bigger than the last. On February 3, 2023 (left-hand arrow), Algonquin cash reached $71.415/MMBtu. On January 21, 2025 (middle arrow), Algonquin topped $33/MMBtu while Transco Zone 6 New York hit $97.895/MMBtu. Then came Fern, causing the highs discussed in the prior paragraph. Meanwhile, from April through July this year Algonquin traded about 43 cents below Henry Hub, so last winter’s expensive gas gave way to cheaper gas in the spring and summer.Winter is coming and it's worth asking why this pattern keeps repeating, what the industry has done about it and why it hasn't been fixed.  New England is not short of gas. The Marcellus/Utica has plenty, and for most of the year the pipes into the region have room to spare. What the region lacks is firm, deliverable gas on the handful of days that matter most. Five pipelines serve it, and it’s estimated that local distribution companies (LDCs; blue bar sections in Figure 2 below) hold more than 80% of the contracted capacity on four of them because they contract for peak-day heating needs. Power generators (orange bar sections) hold only about 200 MMcf/d of firm capacity while burning roughly 1.3 Bcf/d on average.   That works most of the year, because generators can use interruptible pipeline capacity or gas the LDCs release. But on the coldest days the LDCs use every molecule they've paid for, and generators are left bidding up for scraps or, when the price gets too high, burning oil. In other words, weather drives residential and commercial (res/comm) demand, which takes its contracted gas first, with power getting what's left.   Here's the rub: A generator might need additional firm pipeline capacity for only a handful of days each winter, but securing it could require a 15- or 20-year financial commitment. That's a tough sell in a competitive power market where there's no guarantee the generator can recover the cost. The result is a system with plenty of gas most days but nowhere near enough deliverable gas on the days that matter most.Res/comm demand (gray and orange layers, respectively, in Figure 3 below) is the largest piece of a New England gas market that averaged more than 2.5 Bcf/d in January 2026 but drops sharply every summer. Three things move it: weather, the price of gas relative to oil, and fuel switching (see Don’t Give Up on Us for a historical reference for dual-fuel economics and winter reliability). Heating oil use in New England and New York is down about 45% since 2005, to roughly 2.7 billion gallons, as customers move to gas or heat pumps, but conversions are hard where there is no pipe. And with distillate prices elevated by Strait of Hormuz disruptions, oil burn could get dented this winter. Power is smaller but more dynamic, and its demand is turning up. In New England, power burn (yellow layer in Figure 3) has the opposite seasonality to heating, peaking in the summer air-conditioning season. (Industrial demand, indicated by the blue layer, is far less seasonal than the other categories.) After two decades of flat to falling load, ISO New England's 2026 Capacity, Energy, Loads and Transmission (CELT) forecast has net electric energy use rising about 9% between 2026 and 2035, led by electrified heating and transportation. (Electrified heating cuts both ways for gas: it adds power load while taking heating load off the LDCs.) The region is moving toward a winter-peaking system, with the peak climbing from about 20,500 MW this winter to roughly 26,400 MW by 2035-36. Data centers are the wildcard and may become a casualty of the market dysfunction in the region. If these projects happen, they would lead to increased demand, although gas and therefore power supply is constrained by regulatory and market hurdles (more on that below). Even a politician knows that’s a recipe for higher prices for taxpayers. So, they’ll do what politicians like to do. Massachusetts Executive Order 658, signed September 8, now requires a community benefits agreement and a ratepayer protection fund contribution for data centers using more than 25 MW. The CELT forecast itself has come down across the last three annual reports, from roughly 17% growth by 2033 to about 9% by 2035, partly on more conservative heat pump and electric vehicle (EV) assumptions. But weaker support for wind and solar would mean more of the load that does show up is served by gas. Those effects pull in opposite directions, and which one wins depends on who holds office.  New England has spent two decades retiring big coal- and oil-fired power-generation units: Salem Harbor (about 750 MW) in 2014, Brayton Point (about 1,038 MW) in 2017, Bridgeport Harbor Unit 3 (about 400 MW) in 2021, and Merrimack Station (about 440 MW) in 2025. On the nuclear side, Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim left the stack in the past dozen years. Gas-fired generation filled most of the gap, rising from roughly a quarter of New England generation in 2000 to more than half today. And coal is now effectively gone from the power stack, only used in industrial cogeneration facilities.   Next door, New York shows the pattern clearly, and New England's retirements follow the same logic. When Indian Point's two units (roughly 0.3 Bcf/d of gas equivalent) closed in 2020 and 2021 (vertical orange lines in Figure 4 below), gas burn for power in the state (blue line), which had been trending lower (dashed red line), reversed course (dashed green line). Replacements aren't arriving in the same form. ISO-NE's January 2026 queue held nearly 14 GW in nameplate capacity, comprised of 46% batteries, 44% wind and 10% solar, with essentially no thermal, and not nearly enough wind and solar to cover the 3.4 GW of coal and nuclear retired. Short-duration batteries can provide capacity and peak shaving but cannot replace sustained fuel supply over a prolonged cold spell, and several offshore wind projects have been canceled. So, on the coldest days, power generators are the marginal buyers of gas, and power prices rise high enough to attract oil-fired generation, incentivize LNG imports, and reroute power flows to try to serve the market even as pipes are heavily constrained as utilities max out their available capacity. That's the spike (see The Heat is On).  The industry's answer has been more pipe, but not the kind it once proposed. The big greenfield projects aimed at New England, like Northeast Energy Direct and Access Northeast, died in the last decade. What has taken their place is a list of smaller projects on existing rights-of-way, aimed at specific demand centers (see Movin’ Out):

• AGT Enhancement: About 75 MMcf/d of Algonquin compression, pipe replacement and looping (dashed blue-and-teal line in Figure 5 below), sanctioned by Enbridge last September and targeted for 2029.
• Project Beacon: Building on the AGT Enhancement, the project (dashed blue-and-aqua line) would add about 300 MMcf/d of eastbound Algonquin capacity from Ramapo, NY, targeted for 2030. Enbridge says its open season drew more interest than expected.
• Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE): Williams' 0.4 Bcf/d Transco expansion to New York City and Long Island (dashed green-and-lime line), under construction with a 2027 target.
• Iroquois ExC: About 125 MMcf/d of compression-only capacity on Iroquois Gas Transmission (orange line), backed by 20-year commitments from Con Edison and National Grid.
• Constitution: A revived 650-MMcf/d proposal (dashed pink line) targeting 2028 that still needs commercial support.

The map tells a second story. The regional pipeline projects bringing more gas to the Northeast are smaller in scope and targeted at specific demand centers. AGT Enhancement and Beacon, about 375 MMcf/d combined, are aimed squarely at New England. NESE and ExC mainly serve New York, and Constitution has yet to find shippers. And a bigger Algonquin helps only if more gas reaches Ramapo, so upstream Millennium expansions matter as much as the downstream ones. What these projects share matters as much as what they are: they are lower-risk, incremental and increasingly anchored by gas utilities (LDCs) serving heating load rather than by producers looking to move gas out. In the first decade of the Shale Boom, producers tended to outrun capacity, causing wide price differentials that would incentivize the big ones to sign firm contracts that underwrote new pipe. Post-COVID, producers have adopted capital discipline and throttled output rather than saturating their outlets (see Wake Me Up). That helps keep basin prices more rangebound but also suppresses the appetite for long-term commitments.  LDCs, as utilities, are regulated in how they recover their costs and have less latitude to risk big, long-term contracts. Power generators want reliable gas, but are reluctant to pay for firm transportation they rarely use. So, the entities that would benefit from more pipeline capacity aren't necessarily the entities willing or able to pay for it. There is, of course, another more widely publicized reason infrastructure projects in this region carry market-stifling risk, which we’ll detail in the next blog in this series.

New England, NYC Brace for Another Winter of Gas Price Spikes -- Marcellus Drilling News --  On January 27, 2026, in the middle of Winter Storm Fern, natural gas delivered into New England sold for $122.58 per MMBtu. Down the road, gas delivered into New York City hit $142.72. Both markets sit a few hundred miles from the lowest-cost gas basin in North America (that would be us, the Marcellus/Utica). A new analysis from RBN Energy says these winter price blowouts happen nearly every year; they’re getting bigger, and the pipeline fixes now in the works are small and slow. With winter about to arrive, RBN sums it up as “same old song and dance.”

Transco Leidy Access Expansion: NJNG Signs Up, FERC Sets Schedule -- Marcellus Drilling News  -- Leidy Access Expansion Project map (click for larger version) Back in June, we told you about a binding open season held by the mighty Transco pipeline (Williams) for a project called the Leidy Access Expansion (see Williams Open Season to Expand Transco Gas Eastbound to PA, NJ, MD). The open season ended June 26. We now know how it turned out. New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) signed up as the anchor shipper for the full 175,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) on offer, and a Williams affiliate took a little more. Transco filed its application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 4, and last Friday, FERC published its schedule for the environmental review. If all goes to plan, an extra 183,100 Dth/d (about 183 million cubic feet per day) of Marcellus gas will start flowing east on December 1, 2027.

A US Senator’s Push to Fast-Track Pipelines Would Benefit His Former Company - Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma entered the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy in March with a clear priority: pass permitting reform that he argued was necessary based on his experience leading a major natural gas pipeline company. Now, as he prepares to leave office, that goal is within reach—with big potential benefits for the company and him personally. The bipartisan permitting bill slated for a vote next week would overhaul regulations for building all kinds of projects. But it also includes provisions Armstrong promoted that could push through a disputed pipeline that the Williams Companies, his former employer, has tried to build through New York for more than a decade. When state regulators denied a water quality permit for the Constitution pipeline in 2016, it was a rare rebuke for an industry unaccustomed to having government officials block its projects. Provisions in the new bill would limit New York’s authority to deny it again. Williams is now asking federal regulators to revive their approval of the pipeline from more than a decade ago. Armstrong continued to hold at least tens of millions of dollars in Williams stock as of Oct. 22, according to his most recent financial disclosures. He also hired three former Williams colleagues to his staff, one of whom maintained his role as senior vice president and general counsel at the company while temporarily serving as Armstrong’s chief of staff in the Senate. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act would greatly restrict states’ and tribes’ ability to deny or place conditions on water quality certifications. The bill would also make other changes to accelerate approval of Constitution and other pipelines, including restricting judicial review and scaling back certain environmental reviews. Environmental lawyers say changes to what’s known as a Section 401 certification of the federal Clean Water Act appear tailored to help a small number of gas pipeline projects. One of the companies that would benefit most is Williams, where Armstrong served as chief executive and chairman for 15 years until his appointment in March by Oklahoma’s governor to fill a vacated U.S. Senate seat. Williams has already received extraordinary support from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump claimed he made a deal with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to get the Constitution pipeline built, which she denies. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has pledged support for the pipeline, and his agency is finalizing a rule change that would restrict states’ and tribes’ ability to condition permits in order to safeguard water quality, similar to the permitting bill.In October, the U.S. Department of Energy said it would devote up to $42 million under the Defense Production Act to pay permitting costs for the project.Armstrong’s office did not respond to questions for this article, though he has frequently criticized what he calls a broken regulatory system that drives up costs.“When every pipeline, transmission line, power plant and industrial project is treated as something to stop rather than something to build responsibly, the costs do not disappear,” Armstrong said in a Senate speech in July. “They accumulate slowly, until families are paying more, reliability is deteriorating, and investment is moving elsewhere. Williams spokesperson Blake Jackson said the company supports the permitting bill “and all its provisions to provide a tech-neutral and level-playing field for all energy infrastructure.” Some residents of upstate New York see things differently. A Threat to State Waters Anne Marie Garti, a lawyer who owns a home near the Constitution pipeline route, fought the project the first time around. From the start, “there was a huge amount of opposition,” Garti said, “and skepticism.” The Constitution project would run 125 miles from the Pennsylvania shale gas fields across upstate New York, eventually connecting to other interstate pipelines. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, also known as FERC, oversees interstate gas pipelines. But states retain authority under the Clean Water Act, which requires energy companies like Williams to apply for water quality certifications. Garti called these permits the “weak link” in the regulatory process. Taking inspiration from an earlier permit denial in Connecticut, she and other residents focused their fight on the pipeline’s potential effects on 251 streams along its route. State regulators said 87 of those streams provided trout habitat. Building the pipeline would require digging trenches across streams, diverting their flow and clearing trees and brush along their banks. The work would send sediment into clear waters, raise temperatures and temporarily damage habitat for trout and other species, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s 2016 denial.

Early Bird Gets the Gas: Transco Sells Interim SESE Space for Jan. -- Marcellus Drilling News  -  Good news for Marcellus/Utica gas that’s been stuck in a traffic jam at the Virginia/North Carolina border. Williams’ Transco pipeline is taking bids (through Nov. 17) for 190,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of “interim” firm capacity on its Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SESE), starting as soon as Jan. 15, 2027. That’s months before the full 1.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) project is due online in the third quarter of 2027. The early path runs from Transco’s Station 165 in Pittsylvania County, VA (right where the Mountain Valley Pipeline dumps Appalachian gas into Transco) south to a delivery point near Station 150 in Iredell County, NC. Why does it matter? Because gas at Station 165 sold for $1.305/MMBtu on Friday, while gas just downstream in Transco Zone 5 South sold for $3.040. Every molecule that gets past the bottleneck is worth more.

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: TC Energy Sanctions Three Midwest Gas Pipeline Expansions | RBN Energy - TC Energy reported third quarter results on November 5. Operationally, receipts on the company’s NGTL system and Western end of its Canadian Mainline were up 2% and 7% year-over-year, respectively, to 14.3 Bcf/d and 4.3 Bcf/d, while U.S. natural gas pipeline volumes were up 3% year-over-year to 27.0 Bcf/d and Mexico flows were up 8% year-over-year to 3.7 Bcf/d. TC Energy approved three Midwest natural gas pipeline expansions. The Crossroads Expansion will add 1.4 Bcf/d of capacity to take Appalachia gas to the Chicago area by 2030 at a $1.8 billion estimated cost, while an expansion of the Northern Border pipeline system called America Midwest will add 1.0 Bcf/d of capacity to the Chicago area by 2030 at an estimated cost of about $400 million. Both projects are supported by long-term take-or-pay contracts, and will support growing power generation demand, including data centers (see image below). The ANR Optimization project was also approved and will add about 0.3 Bcf/d of firm service capacity to support coal-to-gas conversion by 2029 for about $100 million. In Canada, the 2.0 Bcf/d expansion to Coastal GasLink to feed LNG Canada Phase 2 was announced in September. The Cedar Link project and approved expansions to NGTL for 2027+ are both under budget and ahead of schedule. Management hopes to have an agreement with producers on NGTL expansions and capital allocation for 2029+ by the end of Q1 2027. So far in 2026, TC Energy has placed about $2.5 billion of projects into service, has sanctioned about $6 billion worth of projects, has another $6 billion pending approval, and has another $40+ billion in origination stages, up from $20+ billion in origination three months ago. The $40+ billion of potential projects includes about $20 billion for U.S. natural gas, $5 billion for Canadian natural gas and $15 billion for Canadian power.

Enbridge Reroutes NC Chatham Pipe to Follow Power Lines, Highways -- Marcellus Drilling News  -  Enbridge Gas North Carolina has picked its final route for the 28-mile, 12-inch natural gas pipeline it wants to build across Chatham County, NC, and it gives opponents some of what they asked for. Nearly half of the line (13 miles) will now run right next to existing power lines and highways instead of cutting new paths through woods and farms. The company filed the route on Friday, Oct. 30, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). We got our hands on the 183-page filing, and there’s a lot more in there than the headline.

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: Comstock Brings In Partners to Fund the Western Haynesville | RBN Energy - Comstock Resources spent most of its Q3 2026 call on how it will pay for its Western Haynesville development. Two deals announced at the end of August shift much of that cost onto partners. On September 1, a partnership owned by Jerry Jones agreed to fund about $450 million to drill 27 wells, 18 of them in the Western Haynesville, which CEO Jay Allison said lets Comstock generate free cash flow in Q4. On November 4, Comstock signed the final agreement to sell Azerbaijan's state oil company, SOCAR, a minority stake in its Haynesville assets and its Pinnacle Gas Services midstream for $1.65 billion, enough to roughly cut its debt in half. SOCAR's LNG trading arm offers a possible route to overseas buyers, though CFO Roland Burns said the terms will take "probably the next year or so" to work out. Production rose 8% from Q2 to about 1,330 MMcf/d, inside guidance, and Comstock guided Q4 to 1,375-1,500 MMcf/d. It didn't restate full-year guidance, but that pace would land 2026 near the bottom of its earlier 1,250-1,400 MMcf/d range. Costs, particularly in the Western Haynesville, which were the sticking point last quarter, continued to rise (see chart below). COO Dan Harrison blamed larger fracs, shorter laterals and 8-10% inflation since Q2, and said that stripping those out, costs "have been pretty flat." He expects a higher-pressure rig arriving this month to cut drilling days, and a new wider-bore design to be used for "the majority" of future wells. Burns asked for "a little patience," arguing costs will fall as laterals get longer, as they did in the legacy Haynesville. Source: Comstock Resources Source: Comstock Resources Last quarter, management said it would want "stronger prices" before keeping its nine-rig pace into 2027. Prices haven't obliged, but the partners may have changed that decision. Burns said Comstock will likely keep its fifth Western Haynesville rig busy on extra wells "now that we have support of other partners", and Allison said the SOCAR deal leaves Comstock "a strong balance sheet as we enter 2027." The partners have bought Comstock time in the Western Haynesville, but not lower costs, and that remains the number to watch.

U.S. LNG Feedgas Stays Strong | RBN Energy   - U.S. LNG feedgas rebounded last week as Freeport returned to full operations following an unplanned outage. Feedgas averaged 19.8 Bcf/d (blue dotted line below) for the week ending November 8, up almost 0.5 Bcf/d week-on-week. Freeport tripped offline on October 26 due to an interruption in the power feed, and it restarted the next day but didn’t return to full capacity. Then, on November 1, Train 2 was taken offline for maintenance work. Feeport returned to full operations last weekend, according to our LNG Voyager weekly report. Intake at the commissioning Golden Pass averaged 0.8 Bcf/d last week and has been above 0.7 Bcf/d for two weeks. All U.S. terminals are operating at full contracted capacity or peak levels, with intake at Plaquemines, Calcasieu Pass and Cove Point particularly strong.

Venture Global 3Q: Record Profits, Big Plans for Gas-Fired AI Power -- Marcellus Drilling News  - Venture Global (VG), the Louisiana LNG exporter and one of the biggest buyers of natural gas in the country, reported its third-quarter 2026 results earlier this week. The numbers were the company’s best ever: $2.6 billion in adjusted EBITDA, $4.8 billion in revenue, and 124 LNG cargoes shipped. For Marcellus/Utica readers, two items stand out. First, VG is paying a premium to get enough gas into its Plaquemines plant, which is fed by two pipelines that carry Northeast supply. Second, VG wants to add a new business: off-grid, gas-fired “AI utility” power for data centers. If it all gets built, that could mean well over a Bcf/d of new gas demand.

Venture Global Maps Pipeline Supply for Louisiana Data Center Growth -  Venture Global has laid out a more detailed timeline for supplying data centers in Louisiana with power from its own natural gas-fired generation, targeting 250 MW of computing capacity by late 2028 and 5 GW by the end of 2031.NGI chart projects Venture Global data center computing capacity reaching 10,000 MW by 2034, with estimated natural gas demand of 1.8 Bcf/d.  At a Glance:
First 250 MW targeted for late 2028
5 GW of compute eyed by 2031
No data center customers signed yet

Venture Global Targets July CP2 Startup as Gulf Coast Natural Gas Demand Grows - Venture Global has advanced its target for first LNG production at its CP2 project to July 2027, bringing forward another source of US feedgas demand as it prepares to sanction expansions at two Gulf Coast terminals. At a Glance:

• CP2 first LNG targeted for July 2027
• Plaquemines Phase 1 begins long-term deliveries
• New pipeline would support Plaquemines growth

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: Cheniere Plans More LNG Production to Meet Global Demand | RBN Energy - The largest producer of LNG for export from the U.S., Cheniere Energy, gave an update on its project completion timeline during its latest earnings call. The timeline is largely the same as was presented in its Q2 earnings call. The original Corpus Christi Stage 3 project is now substantially complete, with the last train finished in mid-August. Midscale Trains 8 and 9 are now 59% complete and are still expected to reach substantial completion in the second half of 2028. The company reports that further expansions at Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi are still on track to reach FID, with an FID target of late 2026 or early 2027 for Sabine Pass and late 2027 to early 2028 for Corpus Christi. Cheniere discussed the current tight market globally and how that has increased the demand for LNG worldwide. They particularly noted the very low levels of gas in storage in Europe this year, where storage was only 72% of the 5-year average as of last month as seen in the chart above. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most U.S. LNG has flowed to Europe. Cheniere’s CEO Jack Fusco was specifically asked in the earnings call whether the Permian or Haynesville would be the main basin to ramp up production and feed the new wave of LNG liquefaction coming online. Fusco noted that Cheniere’s facilities “draw from all five basins and all the way up from Canada” and noted the “huge variability in the natural gas spec between each of the different basins.” However, he gave no indication of whether Cheniere favored one supply basin over the other.

Golden Pass LNG Draws Pushing US Feedgas Demand to New Heights - NGI's LNG export tracker shows US feedgas deliveries rising to 20.22 million Dth on Nov. 13, 2026, led by Sabine Pass and Plaquemines LNG. US LNG feedgas demand climbed to an estimated 21.2 Bcf/d on Friday, the highest level this year, according to NGI’s Entropic Analytics data. Nominations lifted about 760 MMcf/d from Thursday as Sabine Pass rebounded to 5.1 Bcf/d, the terminal’s highest daily intake since mid-October. Feedgas demand averaged 20.6 Bcf/d from Nov. 9–13, about 900 MMcf/d above the Nov. 2–6 average, mostly attributed to a recovery in Freeport LNG nominations compared to last week. November feedgas demand has averaged 20.2 Bcf/d so far, up from 19.3 Bcf/d in October. Golden Pass LNG has helped contribute to that gain as nominations have averaged about 810 MMcf/d this month, the terminal’s highest monthly average since achieving first LNG earlier this year.

Long Time – As Brownfield Options for Gas Storage Run Out, Greenfield Ones Will Come to the Fore | RBN Energy - The Gulf Coast will require vast amounts of incremental natural gas storage space over the next few years. Brownfield expansions to existing salt cavern facilities appear to have an economic edge, but there are only so many potential projects like that. As brownfield opportunities run out, LNG export terminals and others that need more storage will likely turn to the best greenfield projects being planned. In today’s RBN blog, we continue our series on Gulf Coast gas storage with a look at a couple more brownfield projects and a few greenfield sites too.   This is Part 4 in the series. In Part 1, we said that after a long period of storage-capacity surplus and relatively low storage prices, the Gulf Coast market is now in the midst of a massive buildout expected to continue into the early 2030s. The growth is driven primarily by the storage needs of new and expanding LNG export facilities. In Part 2, we discussed the sharply higher gas storage rates that LNG terminal operators in particular are now willing to pay for Firm Storage Services (FSS) and looked at how much new gas storage is likely to be built along the Gulf Coast over the next few years. We also said that for economic and other reasons most of the near-term storage projects will be brownfield expansions to existing salt cavern facilities. In Part 3, we began a review of the Gulf Coast storage projects currently under development, beginning with brownfield expansions at existing salt cavern facilities owned by Enbridge, Caliche Storage and Enstor. Today, we continue that review with a look at three more brownfield salt cavern projects (Williams/Pine Prairie, ONEOK/JISH and New Jersey Resources/Leaf River) and two of a half-dozen greenfield projects of that same type (NeuVentus’s TRU Hub and Texas Brine’s White Castle). In an upcoming blog, we’ll discuss other planned greenfield projects, including a few depleted-reservoir proposals.Before we start, a reminder that brownfield projects typically have an economic advantage because much of their required infrastructure (compressors, brine management systems, pipeline interconnections, etc.) is already in place. Greenfield salt cavern projects may have an edge because, for example, they may be located in tried-and-true salt formations and/or well-sited to serve LNG terminals and tie into multiple gas pipelines. (And, as we’ll get to, scale can help too — so can the project-finance record of the project’s equity sponsor.)Williams Cos., which owns six gas storage facilities across Louisiana and Mississippi — some salt cavern and some depleted reservoir — with a combined capacity of about 200 Bcf, announced plans in February 2025 to add another 10.8 Bcf of working gas capacity at its 50-Bcf Pine Prairie salt cavern storage facility in Evangeline Parish, LA. The one-cavern expansion also will add 300 MMcf/d of injection capacity and 500 MMcf/d of withdrawal capacity, bringing Pine Prairie’s total injection and withdrawal capacities to 2.7 Bcf/d and 3 Bcf/d, respectively.Williams secured Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval for the project in May. Construction began in Q3 2026, with commercial operation to follow in Q4 2028.The Pine Prairie site (magenta star in Figure 1 above) has interconnections with Williams’s own Transco Pipeline (lavender line) as well as ANR Pipeline (dark-blue line), Columbia Gulf Transmission (CGT; light-blue line), Florida Gas Transmission (FGT; green line), Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline (KMLA; yellow line), Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP; orange line), Texas Gas Transmission (TGT; dark-purple line), Texas Eastern Transmission (TETCO; brown line), and three gas-fired power plants.  ONEOK became a significant player in Gulf Coast gas storage when it acquired EnLink Midstream in January 2025. EnLink owned — and ONEOK now owns — the 2-Bcf Jefferson Island Storage & Hub (JISH; see Figure 2 below) in southern Louisiana’s Iberia and Vermilion parishes as well as two others to the east (not shown): the 8-Bcf Napoleonville storage facility in Assumption Parish and the 3-Bcf Sorrento facility in Ascension Parish.  ONEOK continues to develop a brownfield expansion at JISH that EnLink sanctioned in August 2024. The new salt cavern, which will become operational in H2 2028 and early 2029, will increase JISH’s working capacity to about 11 Bcf from the current 2 Bcf. The injection and withdrawal rates for the facility are expected to remain unchanged at 360 MMcf/d and 720 MMcf/d, respectively.As shown by the red circles, a dual header pipeline links JISH to eight pipelines in the Henry Hub area: Natural Gas Pipeline (NGPL), Texas Gas Pipeline, Gulf South Pipeline, Sabine Pipeline (at Henry Hub; not shown), Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP), Columbia Gulf Pipeline, Trunkline Pipeline, and Louisiana Intrastate Gas Pipeline (LIG).New Jersey Resources’ Leaf River storage facility and header system are located in east-central Mississippi’s Smith, Jasper and Clarke counties (black diamond to lower-left in Figure 3 below) and currently has three salt caverns with a combined working gas capacity of 37.6 Bcf. In July, the facility received FERC approval to expand Leaf River’s rated working gas capacity by 17.7 Bcf over the next several years. The increase will come from (1) planned expansions of more than 2.6 Bcf each for two of the existing caverns (Phase I Expansion), and (2) development of a new, fourth cavern with a working gas capacity of about 12.5 Bcf (Phase II Expansion). Phase I Expansion’s capacity is already fully subscribed with a unit of EQT Corp. under a long-term contract and is scheduled to come online within the next two years. The Phase II Expansion is scheduled to come online in 2031. The facility is certificated to have a maximum injection rate of 1.0 Bcf/d and a peak withdrawal rate of 2.0 Bcf/d. The facility has a 42-mile header system (red line) with two 24-inch-diameter pipelines. The header has bidirectional interconnections with six pipelines: Gulf South, Midcontinental Express (MEP), Southern Natural Gas (SNG), Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP), Transco and Destin. Leaf River’s firm storage customers include Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG, TGP, Atlanta Gas Light (now part of Southern Company Gas), Southern Company Services (another Southern Company unit), PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, Citigroup Energy, and J.P. Morgan Ventures Energy Corp. NeuVentus, a portfolio company of Lotus Infrastructure Partners, is developing the Texas Reliability Underground Hub (TRU Hub; light-teal star in Figure 4 below). As we discussed in Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ in April 2025, the project may eventually consist of as many as 12 salt caverns within the Moss Bluff salt dome in Liberty County, TX — close by Enbridge’s existing Moss Bluff storage facility (see Part 3) and 50 miles or less from existing and planned LNG export terminals near the Texas/Louisiana state line (green circles in lower-right) and gas-consuming industrial centers from Pasadena to Port Arthur (white circles). NeuVentus’s original plan for TRU Hub’s Phase 1 called for two caverns with a combined 20 Bcf of capacity, but the company announced October 13 that, in response to customer interest and to further improve the project’s economics, it has decided to add a third cavern, boosting the first phase’s planned capacity to 28 Bcf. NeuVentus said that, under the newly expanded plan for TRU Hub, the project’s injection capacity will increase to 840 MMcf/d (from the original 600 MMcf/d) and its withdrawal capacity will bump up to 1.68 Bcf/d (from the old 1.2 Bcf/d). TRU Hub also will feature a 35-mile, large-diameter pipeline header (dashed green line) with 10 interconnections (dark-teal squares) to key pipelines, including (from north to south) Trunkline, the planned Blackfin and Trident pipelines, NGPL, the planned Mustang Express, Channel Pipeline, TETCO, and Kinder Morgan’s Tejas and Texas systems.In a statement tied to the announcement of the project’s expanded scope, Guy Ross, NeuVentus’s senior vice president of natural gas development, said, “More capacity gives TRU Hub the scale to deliver maximum value: custom-tailored storage solutions and exceptional connectivity, at highly competitive rates.” NeuVentus has indicated that it plans to take FID on the newly expanded version of TRU Hub in mid-2027 and to bring the new caverns and header system online starting in late 2030.While TRU Hub offers the benefits of scale, a tried-and-true salt formation close to LNG export terminals, and the promise of key interconnections, Texas Brine Co.’s planned White Castle Energy Hub in southern Louisiana’s Iberville Parish offers three large salt caverns that are already in place after being “solution-mined” to provide brine for a nearby petrochemical plant. (Two additional caverns will be nearing completion at the site over the next couple of years.) All that would enable White Castle (yellow star in Figure 5 above) to start up 23 Bcf of working gas storage capacity in 2028 and another 12 Bcf or more in 2029. (An expansion beyond 35 Bcf is possible if demand warrants.) The 23-Bcf first phase will offer an injection rate of up to 480 MMcf/d and a maximum withdrawal rate of 900 MMcf/d. When Phase 2 starts up, the maximum injection rate would double to 840 MMcf/d and the max withdrawal rate would increase to 1.3 Bcf/d. The White Castle project would include an approximately 10-mile header system with twin large-diameter pipelines (yellow lines) along most of its length and single pipes along shorter sections at either end. Texas Brine expects the header to interconnect in 2028 with Bridgeline, Acadian Gas (Haynesville Extension), Southern Natural Gas (SONAT; Shadyside line), and Texas Eastern Transmission (TETCO). Potential additional interconnects in 2029 and beyond include tie-ins with Florida Gas Transmission, Gulf South, and new intrastate pipelines now under development.White Castle and TRU Hub may well be among the greenfield salt cavern storage projects that advance to FID in the months ahead. In an upcoming blog, we’ll look at the other greenfield projects now under development — mostly salt cavern ones but also a few involving depleted reservoirs.

Record Power Demand Outlook Offers Limited Lift for Natural Gas -- US electricity generation is headed for back-to-back records through 2027, but natural gas may see little benefit as renewables capture much of the growth, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA charts show US natural gas power capacity rising through 2027 while its electricity generation share slips from 40% to 39%.  At a Glance:
Gas-fired generation dips in 2027
Gas capacity grows despite lower generation
Data centers offer regional upside

US Natural Gas Surges Most in Six Weeks, Triggers Short Squeeze – Bloomberg - US natural gas futures jumped by as much as 8.3%, the most since September, after forecasts for cooler weather along the Atlantic seaboard gave prices an upward push and forced hedge funds to unwind bearish bets. The bullish catalyst led to an outsize rally because of the gigantic short position money managers have amassed in recent months. Many of those traders had to automatically close out of the bearish bets before incurring further losses, accelerating the price increase beyond what the weather alone would have merited. The short-only position on US gas contracts reached a fresh record last week as traders bet that a Super El Niño weather pattern would bring the warmest US winter on record.

Natural Gas Futures Price Forecast — NG ($3.306) $3.50 Upside Target on Eastern Cold Shot & Record LNG Feedgas  -  Natural gas futures bounced back on Thursday. The December NYMEX contract (NGZ6) traded at $3.306 per million British thermal units late in the session, up $0.091 or 2.83% from Wednesday’s $3.215 settle. The contract opened at $3.239, dipped to a low of $3.226, then climbed to a session high of $3.358. Volume reached 136,070 contracts. Colder weather forecasts for the East and declining production gave the rally its support. Thursday’s move repaired part of Wednesday’s damage. On Wednesday, the December contract climbed to $3.397 in early trading, its highest level since September, then reversed hard. It settled at $3.215, down 2.46%, giving up 18.2 cents from the intraday high. Wednesday’s reversal showed how much doubt traders still have about the strength and duration of the cold weather coming next week. The November rally has been fast. On November 2, the December contract settled at $2.856. On November 6, it closed at $2.998, just below $3. On Monday, November 9, it ripped 7.34% to $3.218, its biggest one-day gain in weeks, as weather forecasts turned colder and LNG demand hit record territory. From the November 2 settle to Thursday’s $3.306, the contract has gained 45 cents, or 15.8%. The longer view tells a different story. Natural gas is down 29.95% from a year ago. The 52-week range runs from $2.483 to $7.827. Last winter, cold weather and record LNG exports pushed prices far higher than today’s level. At $3.306, the contract sits at the low end of its 12-month range, even after this month’s rally. The thesis of this forecast is direct. Natural gas is caught between a strong demand story and a heavy supply cushion. LNG export feedgas is running at record levels, production has dipped to a nine-month low, and a cold shot is coming to the East. But storage sits at 3,801 Bcf, 54 Bcf above the five-year average. The Energy Information Administration just cut its winter price forecast because of mild weather and rising output. The market needs sustained cold, not one cold shot, to break higher. The upside target is $3.50, the round-number level above Wednesday’s $3.397 high that would price in a lasting shift to colder weather. Getting there requires a smaller-than-expected storage injection on Friday and weather models holding their cold forecasts into late November. Wednesday’s trading explains the market’s mood. The December contract opened at $3.299 and pushed to $3.397 in early trading, extending the rally that started on Monday. That high was the best level since September. Then the selling began. By the settle, the contract had fallen to $3.215, down 8.1 cents on the day and 18.2 cents from the high. Volume hit 247,350 contracts, among the heaviest of the month. The reversal came from weather doubts. Traders had bid up natural gas on forecasts of a cold snap. On Wednesday, they questioned how strong and how long that cold would be. When forecasts showed the cold fading faster than expected, traders who had bought the rally took profits. The size of the reversal, giving up the whole day’s gain and more, showed how crowded the long side had become. Tuesday’s action set up the drop. On Tuesday, the contract advanced again, up 2.42% to $3.296, after short covering pushed it into rally mode. But the gains came with doubts. Futures struggled to hold momentum on Tuesday morning as traders questioned the cold snap. The market rallied on short covering rather than fresh buying, which tends to fade once shorts have covered. The short position remains large. The weekly Commitment of Traders report shows significant short interest in natural gas futures. That cuts both ways. A large short position is fuel for more rallies if prices keep rising, because shorts have to buy back to cover. But once a large part of that short covering happens, as it did on Monday and Tuesday, the rally loses its main source of buying. Thursday’s bounce shows the market has not given up on the cold. The contract climbed back above Wednesday’s settle and pushed to $3.358, though it stayed below Wednesday’s $3.397 high. Colder forecasts and lower production gave buyers a reason to return. The technical picture after the reversal is mixed. A sharp reversal from a new high often marks a short-term top. But Thursday’s quick recovery suggests buyers are defending the $3.20 to $3.25 zone. The market is in a range between $3.215 and $3.397, waiting for the next catalyst. For the forecast, Wednesday’s reversal set the range. A break above $3.397 would confirm the rally has more room and open $3.50. A break below $3.215 would suggest the reversal marked the top and send prices back toward $3.00. The storage picture is the main weight on prices. The Energy Information Administration reported that working gas in storage reached 3,801 Bcf as of October 30, 2026, after a net injection of 77 Bcf that week. Storage stood 109 Bcf below last year at the same time but 54 Bcf above the five-year average of 3,747 Bcf. Total working gas sits within the five-year historical range. The last two injections came in below forecasts. The 77 Bcf build for the week ended October 30 was below the 81 Bcf the market expected. The prior week saw an 80 Bcf injection. Smaller-than-expected builds are bullish, because they show demand is absorbing more supply than traders thought. The next report is delayed. Because of the Veterans Day holiday, the EIA will release its storage report for the week ended November 6 on Friday, November 13, instead of the usual Thursday. Industry projections call for a 67 Bcf injection, 10 Bcf less than the prior week. A build under 67 Bcf would support the rally. A build above 70 Bcf would suggest the mild early-November weather kept demand weak. Storage is approaching 3.9 trillion cubic feet. Adding the projected 67 Bcf would take inventories to about 3,868 Bcf. The question for the market is whether that is enough for winter. A storage level near 3.9 Tcf heading into heating season gives utilities a large cushion against cold weather. That limits how high prices can go during a cold snap, because utilities can draw from storage rather than buy at spot prices. The EIA expects storage to keep building. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the agency forecast 3,840 Bcf in storage at the end of November, 67 Bcf more than it forecast a month earlier. A warm start to November is putting downward pressure on prices. The EIA’s forecast assumes 13% fewer heating degree days across the U.S. in November than the 10-year average. Storage constraints are showing up in the Northeast. Storage limits have forced Northeast pipelines to turn away excess supply. When storage fills up, gas has nowhere to go, and regional spot prices fall. That points to more supply than the market can absorb at current demand levels. For the forecast, storage is the anchor. As long as inventories sit above the five-year average, rallies face a ceiling. The bull case needs a series of below-forecast injections, then early withdrawals, to cut into the surplus. The government’s energy forecaster has turned less bullish. In its November Short-Term Energy Outlook, the EIA slashed its winter natural gas price forecast, citing unusually mild weather, rising storage expectations and production growth that continues to outpace demand. The cut came despite surging LNG exports. Weather is the main reason. The EIA’s forecast assumes November will have 13% fewer heating degree days than the 10-year average. Heating degree days measure how cold it is relative to a baseline, and they drive natural gas demand for space heating. Fewer HDDs mean less gas burned for heat, which means more gas left in storage. Residential and commercial demand is expected to fall. The EIA expects natural gas consumption in the residential and commercial sectors to average 36.4 Bcf per day during the 2026–2027 winter heating season, from November through March. That is down 3.8% from last winter. Warmer weather compared with last winter reduces space heating demand. Production is running ahead of demand through 2027. The EIA raised its 2026 U.S. natural gas production estimate from 112.2 Bcf per day to 113 Bcf per day. Higher production adds supply at the same time demand from heating is expected to soften. That combination builds storage and keeps prices in check. The production revision hit prices directly. Natural gas fell off its highs on Tuesday of last week after the EIA released the outlook with higher production estimates. Traders read the revision as a sign that supply will stay ample through winter. The EIA forecast sets a bearish baseline. When the government’s forecaster expects mild weather and rising output, the market prices that in. Any rally has to overcome that baseline. Weather is the variable most likely to prove the forecast wrong, and weather forecasts change quickly in November. For the forecast, the EIA outlook explains why natural gas has not rallied harder despite record LNG demand. The forecast is a bearish anchor, but it rests heavily on mild weather. A sustained cold pattern would break that assumption and force traders to reprice. LNG exports are the strongest bullish force in the market. Record LNG demand helped send December futures above $3 on Monday. LNG feedgas, the gas flowing to export terminals for liquefaction, has been hovering in record territory. That gas leaves the U.S. market for Europe and Asia, pulling supply out of domestic storage. The export capacity keeps growing. The EIA forecasts LNG exports will average 17.6 Bcf per day in 2026 and 19.0 Bcf per day in 2027, up from 15.1 Bcf per day in 2025, as new export capacity ramps up. That is a 26% increase from 2025 to 2027. LNG is now the largest single source of new demand for U.S. natural gas. New terminals are adding volume. The seventh and final train of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 export facility, with 1.5 Bcf per day of nominal capacity, reached substantial completion in late August. Golden Pass LNG has reported a sustained increase in feedgas demand in recent weeks, after months of slower-than-expected exports from Train 1 since its April 2026 startup. Cove Point LNG, with 0.8 Bcf per day of nominal capacity, finished planned maintenance on October 12 and returned to full operation. Global demand supports the exports. Europe and Asia both need LNG to cover winter demand and replace lost pipeline supply. The Iran war has disrupted Middle East energy flows, including LNG from Qatar through the Strait of Hormuz. Although Hormuz LNG traffic has recovered to its highest level since the war began, buyers have turned to U.S. supply for reliability. U.S. LNG fills that gap. The LNG story has limits. Export terminals can only take so much gas. Once they run at full capacity, LNG demand stops growing until new terminals come online. Record feedgas means the terminals are running near their limits, so further gains depend on new capacity, not higher use of existing plants. Price spreads drive LNG economics. U.S. exporters buy gas at Henry Hub, liquefy it and ship it to Europe or Asia, where prices are much higher. As long as that spread stays wide, LNG plants run at full capacity. A narrowing spread, from lower European prices after a peace deal, could reduce the incentive to export. For the forecast, LNG sets a higher floor under prices than in past years. Record feedgas absorbs supply that would otherwise build storage. That support explains why natural gas held above $2.80 through late October despite mild weather. But LNG alone cannot carry prices to $3.50. Weather has to cooperate. Supply has dipped, giving the bulls an opening. Last Tuesday, U.S. natural gas production fell to 110.9 Bcf per day, its lowest level in nine months and down 0.4% from a year earlier. Daily production dropped early this week as well. Lower output means less gas flowing into storage, which supports prices. The production dip came from an autumn pullback. Producers typically schedule maintenance in the fall, after summer cooling demand fades and before winter heating demand ramps up. Some producers also cut output when prices dropped below $3 in October. The pullback reduced supply just as LNG demand hit records. Production is slowly recovering. Output has been coming back from the autumn pullback. As maintenance ends, production will likely return toward the EIA’s 113 Bcf per day forecast for 2026. That recovery would add supply and limit the rally. The rig count shows producers are not pulling back hard. The Baker Hughes count of active U.S. natural gas drilling rigs rose by one to 131 in the week ending November 6. A rising rig count means producers expect enough demand to justify new drilling. More rigs lead to more production several months later. The gap between the EIA forecast and current output matters. The EIA projects 113 Bcf per day for 2026, but production just hit 110.9 Bcf per day. If output stays near current levels instead of climbing, the market will be tighter than the EIA expects. That gap is one of the main reasons natural gas has rallied this month. The production picture links to oil. A large share of U.S. gas comes from oil wells as associated gas, a byproduct of crude drilling. Oil prices have fallen sharply in November, with WTI down 17% to $86.88 and Brent down 21% to $91.81. Lower oil prices could slow oil drilling in the Permian Basin, which would also slow associated gas output. That gives natural gas a supply-side tailwind if oil stays lower. Regional bottlenecks complicate the picture. Storage limits in the Northeast have forced pipelines to turn away excess supply. Some regions have more gas than they can store or ship, while others need more. Those bottlenecks keep regional prices volatile. For the forecast, production is a near-term bullish factor. Output at a nine-month low supports the rally. But the recovery toward 113 Bcf per day is a medium-term bearish factor. The rally needs weather to tighten demand before production fully recovers. Weather is the swing factor, and it turned colder this week. A decent cold shot is expected to boost demand over the weekend and into early next week. Colder air is forecast to move into the East, where population density and heating demand are highest. That would raise gas burned for heat and slow storage injections. The two-week outlook has improved for bulls. Hefty heating degree day gains in the two-week weather outlook helped natural gas extend its gains on Tuesday. Weather forecasts tilted cooler on Monday, which helped spark the 7.34% rally. More HDDs in the forecast mean more heating demand, which means less gas left for storage. The debate is about duration. The doubts about the strength and duration of the cold snap tempered gains on Tuesday and triggered Wednesday’s reversal. A single cold shot that lasts a few days does not change the winter outlook. A sustained cold pattern that lasts weeks would draw down storage and break the EIA’s mild-weather assumption. The EIA’s baseline remains mild. Its forecast assumes 13% fewer HDDs than normal in November. Warm weather in the first half of the month kept demand low and storage builds strong. Late-autumn warmth has kept storage builds strong and spot prices under pressure. Even with a cold shot, November as a whole may end up warmer than normal. The timing matters for storage. The heating season officially runs from November through March. Utilities typically switch from injecting gas into storage to withdrawing it in mid-to-late November. A cold shot in mid-November could bring that switch forward, starting withdrawals earlier than expected. An earlier start to withdrawals is bullish, because it begins cutting into the surplus sooner. Weather forecasts are notoriously unreliable beyond a week. Natural gas traders react to every update of the major weather models, which run several times a day. A forecast that shifts warmer can send prices down 3% to 5% in a session, and a colder shift can do the reverse. That explains the large daily swings this week. For the forecast, weather is the decisive variable. The Eastern cold shot supports prices into early next week. The bull case to $3.50 needs the cold to extend into late November and early December. The bear case needs forecasts to turn warm again after the cold shot passes.

Data Center Natural Gas Price Risk Runs From ‘Pretty Set’ to ‘Tons,’ Depending on Hub - Data center developers are turning to natural gas to power their facilities, but the price risks vary widely by location. Anthropic has warned that growing competition for natural gas supply and pipeline capacity could drive up costs ahead of its initial public offering next week. NGI forward natural gas price curves for Henry Hub, Eastern Gas South, Transco Zone 5 South and Waha through April 2030, as of Nov. 12, 2026. At a Glance:
Anthropic cites gas markets ‘without cost caps’
Arizona fights California for Permian gas
Transco Zone 5 traders price winter risk

NGL Rally Lifts Frac Spread | RBN Energy - The frac spread (black line) averaged $7.61/MMBtu in October, up 35% from $5.65/MMBtu in September and 141% above the $3.16/MMBtu averaged in October 2025. Propane (purple area) led the increase, adding $0.72/MMBtu, followed by normal butane (dark blue area) at $0.50/MMBtu and isobutane (light blue area) at $0.29/MMBtu. Together, propane and butanes accounted for more than three-quarters of the $1.96/MMBtu September-to-October gain, while Henry Hub natural gas prices held steady at about $3.00/MMBtu. The rally faded in early November. The frac spread peaked at $9.39/MMBtu on October 30 and then fell 23% to $7.23/MMBtu by November 9 as NGL prices pulled back and Henry Hub rose to $3.22/MMBtu. Even after the pullback, the frac spread remains more than double its October 2025 average.

U.S. Rig Count Slips to 601 as Natural Gas Drilling Declines and Permian Activity Rises - U.S. drilling activity declined this week as producers reduced natural gas drilling, although the country’s largest oil-producing basin continued to add rigs. The U.S. rig count fell by three to 601 for the week ended November 13, according to the latest Baker Hughes North America Rig Count Report. Despite the weekly decline, the United States has 52 more rigs than the 549 operating during the comparable week last year, an increase of approximately 9.5%. Natural gas drilling accounted for the decline. Gas rigs fell by four to 127, while oil rigs remained unchanged at 463. Miscellaneous rigs increased by one to 11. Compared with a year ago, the U.S. has 46 more oil rigs and two more natural gas rigs operating. The latest figures come as global crude markets face growing concerns about a potential supply surplus. WTI crude was trading around US$88.57 per barrel Friday, while Brent was near US$95.77, according to Reuters. Both benchmarks were headed for a second consecutive weekly decline as rising inventories and softer demand weighed on prices. U.S. natural gas futures were trading around US$3.27 per MMBtu, supported in recent sessions by colder weather expectations and strong LNG export demand. Despite the weaker crude-price environment, drilling activity in the Permian Basin continued to strengthen. The Permian added two rigs to reach 275, putting the country’s largest oil-producing basin 22 rigs above the 253 operating a year ago. The gas-focused Haynesville moved in the opposite direction, losing three rigs to fall to 53. However, that remains 12 rigs above the 41 operating during the comparable week last year. At the state level, Alaska lost two rigs, while Louisiana and Oklahoma each declined by one. New Mexico added one rig to reach 102. Texas remained unchanged at 277 rigs, a substantial 43 rigs above its year-ago level. Offshore activity strengthened, with the Gulf of Mexico adding one rig to reach 12. The broader U.S. drilling picture remains considerably stronger than this week’s decline suggests, although the composition of that growth is becoming increasingly important. Oil drilling is approximately 11% above year-ago levels, while natural gas activity is less than 2% higher. In other words, oil development accounts for nearly 90% of the increase in the national rig fleet over the past year. That distinction matters as crude prices retreat from their October highs. Producers continue to balance commodity-price expectations against capital discipline, service costs and improvements in drilling productivity. A sustained decline in crude prices could eventually influence drilling budgets, but those decisions rarely follow short-term market movements immediately. For now, the U.S. fleet remains above 600 rigs for a sixth consecutive week. Natural gas drilling has softened, but oil activity is holding steady and the Permian continues to expand. The latest Baker Hughes numbers suggest the broader U.S. drilling expansion remains intact, even as the commodity-price environment becomes less supportive.

Trump Extends Jones Act Waiver For Another 90 Days  -  President Donald Trump extended the Jones Act waiver for another 90 days on Friday, keeping foreign-flagged tankers eligible to move oil and other commodities between U.S. ports as the war with Iran continues to drive up fuel costs. The extension, confirmed by a White House official who spoke to Reuters, continues what is already the longest waiver in the shipping law's history. Foreign vessels will still need approval for individual voyages due to a restriction introduced in August after earlier blanket exemptions drew opposition from the domestic maritime industry.The 1920 Jones Act requires cargo moving between American ports to travel on U.S.-built, U.S.-owned and U.S.-crewed vessels. Suspending that act allows for a much larger pool of ships.Phillips 66 was among the first to take advantage of the original waiver, shipping roughly 300,000 barrels of Bakken crude from Texas to Monroe Energy's Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania aboard the Malta-flagged HTM Warrior in April.The administration has since tightened the rules. Roughly 300 waivers were granted under the earlier blanket exemptions in March and May, compared with just 48 since the switch to individual approvals in August, according to government figures cited by Reuters.The White House hopes the additional shipping flexibility will help contain gasoline, diesel and fertilizer prices, although previous exemptions have delivered little relief at the pump.U.S. gasoline averaged $3.91 per gallon Thursday, compared with $2.98 before the Iran war began. Diesel stood at $6.10, up from $3.76, according to AAA.Shipping accounts for only a small portion of retail gasoline prices, and critics estimate that relaxing the Jones Act would save consumers mere pennies per gallon.More than 50 Republican lawmakers urged Trump in June to restore the restrictions, citing American maritime jobs and national security concerns.As it stands currently, shippers must prove that suitable American vessels are unavailable before getting approval for using foreign ships. The latest extension keeps that approval process intact.

Rescue underway after an oil tanker collides with a New Orleans river boat - A river boat with over 100 passengers was struck on Friday by a much larger tanker ship, capsizing the cruise vessel and prompting a major rescue effort in the Mississippi River near the French Quarter.The American Heritage ship, managed by American Cruise Lines, was t-boned while docked in New Orleans, a spokesperson said in a statement.“We are in close coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities,” the statement said. “Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved.” There were nearly 130 passengers on board the Heritage, which had been docked in the port for about two hours before the incident, NBC News affiliate WDSU reported. Investigators were working to determine the cause of the collision.Video and images verified by NBC News shows a number of people wearing life jackets in the water near the site of the crash. It was not immediately clear if all passengers and crew were accounted for.

No U.S. buyer emerges after Trump's deal on Russian diesel - An accord brokered by President Donald Trump to sell Russian diesel to the U.S. appears to have failed to clear a key hurdle: finding a willing customer.Trump announced the deal with President Vladimir Putin in October to supply roughly 36 million barrels of the fuel to the U.S. and other buyers, part of a broader effort to lower energy prices that have rallied largely because of the Iran war.The White House is sticking with the plan even as it earned bipartisan blowback from Republicans and Democrats. Despite efforts to find a buyer, none has so far emerged publicly, and oil traders and analysts are growing increasingly skeptical that any of the four vessels Russia says are carrying diesel will unload in the U.S. Now, Brazilian fuel distributors are being offered Russian diesel instead. Several commodity trading companies and other potential counterparties have deemed the risks too large to consider importing the cargoes to the U.S., according to people familiar with internal deliberations, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to talk on the record. “We understand that there’s strong reluctance by private companies to be involved in these Russian diesel cargoes due to attendant significant legal and reputational risk,” said Bob McNally, founder and president of Rapidan Energy Group. In particular, firms are skeptical that a sanctions waiver issued Oct. 9 by the Treasury Department supersedes the 2022 law banning imports of Russian oil and fuel, some of the people said, despite assurances from the White House. “The legal ambiguity will scare off a lot of companies,” said Claire O’Neill McCleskey, a former Treasury official and co-founder of sanctions advisory firm Clarity Compliance Consulting. Russian diesel is on the water and heading to the market, which will ease prices for Americans, an administration official said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For now, it remains unclear if any of the tankers carrying the Russian diesel are actually headed to the U.S. One vessel carrying the fuel that had signaled it was U.S.-bound was last seen dawdling around 400 nautical miles from the East Coast, tracing a zigzag pattern at sea, according to a port report and data compiled by Bloomberg.The Iran war and Ukraine’s bombardment of Russian refineries have driven up fuel prices to seasonal records, a key factor in propelling Democrats to historic victories in this month’s midterm elections. While retail fuel prices have moderated in recent weeks, the national average for diesel stood at $6.10 a gallon as of Nov. 11, according to the American Automobile Association, about 40 cents below its record high. Gas prices at the pump fell below $4 a gallon but still are at a record for this time of year. Phillips 66, one of the largest U.S. oil refiners, said the volume of Russian diesel exports is too small to make a meaningful dent in U.S. prices. CEO Mark Lashier said late last month his company has “no intent to acquire Russian diesel.”

6 Million Barrels in Two Minutes Draws CFTC Scrutiny - Oil traders sold futures equivalent to at least 6 million barrels of crude in just two minutes on March 23, shortly before President Donald Trump backed away from threats to strike Iranian power plants. Now, the federal regulator overseeing those trades says it has been looking into the activity. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig said Friday that the agency's enforcement division has been examining oil trading during the Iran war, including the unusual surge preceding Trump's announcement. "Our enforcement division has been looking at all these trades," Selig told Bloomberg Television. "We take this stuff very seriously." The March 23 selling involved Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures. Trading volume during the two-minute window was more than 8.5 times the volume recorded during the same period over the preceding week, according to Bloomberg. The timing has raised questions about whether some traders had advance knowledge of Trump's plans. Oil markets have been particularly sensitive to presidential announcements since the Iran war began in February, with threats of military strikes and subsequent reversals capable of triggering sharp price swings. The March 23 trades weren't the only unusual activity. Bloomberg previously reported several spikes in oil trading volumes ahead of major Trump announcements this spring, raising concerns about the possible use of nonpublic information. Selig did not identify any traders involved or disclose whether investigators had uncovered evidence of wrongdoing. "We are on top of this and, rest assured, people can have confidence in the markets as long as I'm in the seat," Selig said. The CFTC chairman also addressed oversight of prediction markets, which the agency is monitoring for possible manipulation ahead of November's midterm elections. Selig expressed disappointment that Congress had failed to pass the Clarity Act, legislation addressing cryptocurrency regulation.

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: Targa Adds Frac Train 14 as Permian NGLs Keep Coming | RBN Energy - Targa Resources is adding another fractionator. Train 14 is a 150 Mb/d unit at Mont Belvieu that will split raw natural gas liquids into products like propane and butane. It’s due online in Q1 2029 and will raise Targa’s fractionation capacity at the Gulf Coast hub to about 1.8 MMb/d. Targa clearly needs it: Train 12 started early this quarter and “came online full,” and Train 13 is expected to be fully used from the day it starts in Q1 2028. The extra liquids are coming from Targa’s Permian processing plants. Its Permian gas volumes hit a record 7.5 Bcf/d, up 900 MMcf/d from a year ago, which management called “the equivalent of more than three processing plants of growth.” In the Delaware Basin, the Copperhead plant is starting up early, and the Yeti and Yeti II plants moved up to Q2 and Q3 2027. Three more plants (Wrangler, Ranger and Ranger II) follow in Q2 2028, backed by Targa’s new 20-year agreement with ExxonMobil. Targa is also ordering equipment for two more Delaware plants and one Midland plant that it expects to need in 2028 or early 2029. Management expects “years of double-digit” Permian growth. On the exports side, Targa’s under-construction expansion at their Galena Park LPG terminal will raise capacity to about 19 million barrels per month (~625 Mb/d) in Q3 2027. Management said the next expansion would only need added refrigeration, as opposed to expanding additional pre-existing pipelines, and could add similar improvements at roughly half the cost. In the Q&A portion of the call, President Jen Kneale said "beyond the 19 million barrels will be based on bringing incremental volumes into our footprint; based on the cadence of frac adds we add.”

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: Kinetik Responding to Strong Permian Demand | RBN Energy - Strong producer activity in the Permian Basin and additional pipeline capacity will increase demand for natural gas gathering, processing and treating capacity, Kinetik said during its Q3 2026 earnings call on November 4. More than 7 Bcf/d of new Permian pipeline egress capacity has been announced over the last three months, the company said, and it expects more than 13 Bcf/d to come online from 2028 through 2030, providing the downstream infrastructure necessary to support the next phase of Permian Basin growth. “We are strong believers that the Permian's best days are still ahead. Producer activity is increasingly extending beyond the traditional core oil benches into gassier formations with higher gas-to-oil ratios, including the Woodford, Avalon, First Bone Spring and Penn Shale,” President and CEO Jamie Welch said. “These development trends are significantly increasing demand for gathering, processing and treating capacity, and play directly to the strengths of our integrated footprint. At the same time, localized Waha egress constraints have begun to ease.” Welch said it is increasingly clear that additional processing infrastructure is needed to keep pace with expected producer activity. The company’s Kings Landing complex (#1 in slide below) and its other New Mexico processing complexes operated at full capacity for much of Q3, so its ECCC Pipeline (#4) flowed surplus volume south into Texas. In September, Kinetik elected to upsize its KL II processing complex (#2) from the originally planned 300 MMcf/d to 380 MMcf/d. It remains on track for mid-2028 in service. Welch said the company is also investing in targeted projects that add incremental capacity and operational flexibility across the system. “For example, at Pecos Bend, we are undertaking treating upgrades that will support higher inlet CO2 concentrations and additional volumes moving into Delaware South,” Welch said. “We are also procuring additional compression equipment to be deployed across our gathering system to further support growing producer volumes and proactively manage our supply chain.”

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: Western Midstream Rides Rising Gas and Water Ratios in the Delaware | RBN Energy - On the Western Midstream (WES) Q3 earnings call, management said their Delaware gas throughput volumes rose 20% from Q2 to a record 2.56 Bcf/d. About two-thirds of that came from the former Brazos Delaware system which was acquired back in Q2. Delaware water volumes hit another record of about 3 MMb/d. Gas and water now make up about 85% of the earnings from WES’s operating assets, and its biggest projects are aimed at moving more of both. As CEO Oscar Brown puts it "We expect these trends to continue as both gas-to-oil and water-to-oil ratios continue to increase and move in the midstream provider’s favor."  On the gas side, North Loving II, a 300-MMcf/d processing train in Loving County, TX, is still set to start up in late Q1 2027. Management also noted that the company has already ordered long-lead equipment for another plant of about 300 MMcf/d and plans to formally approve it in early 2027. Farther out, WES now has a 7.5% stake in the Solitude Pipeline System, announced earlier in the quarter, which will add 2.25 Bcf/d of natural gas takeaway capacity from the Permian to Katy in late 2029 and another 2.25 Bcf/d by the end of 2030.On the water side, the 42-mile, 800-Mb/d Pathfinder pipeline starts up late this year, moving produced water from the busiest parts of the Delaware to disposal wells in eastern Loving County. When asked about how fast volumes would ramp up on the new pipeline, Brown mentioned “We’ve supersized it,” well beyond its Occidental anchor contract of 280 Mb/d cited in the investor presentation, because the pipeline is “allowing us to bring … more business than we could have otherwise all across our system, where we would have been potentially constrained by local disposal issues.” WES also paid about $98 million for a small water gathering and disposal system in Eddy County, NM, to add disposal capacity. Finally, management hopes to approve its first commercial plant to treat produced water for reuse within about six months.

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: P66 Reports Higher Refinery Throughputs, Utilization | RBN Energy - Along with most other refiners, Phillips 66 set a company record for adjusted and unadjusted earnings per share, net income and EBITDA in Q3 2026, the company said during its quarterly earnings call. Crude inputs averaged 1.961 MMb/d, up from 1.919 MMb/d in Q2, while total processed inputs (including purchased intermediates) increased from 2.053 MMb/d to 2.132 MMb/d. Utilization reached 98%, versus 96% sequentially and 99% a year earlier. Year-over-year volume comparisons require care because Phillips acquired the remaining 50% of Wood River and Borger from Cenovus in October 2025, and the Los Angeles refinery ceased operations in Q4 2025. P66, Kinder Morgan and HF Sinclair reached a final investment decision (FID) on their Western Gateway project (see map below) during Q3 as well. The approximately $5 billion pipeline system, targeting completion in 2029, would initially provide 230 Mb/d of capacity to move refined products from the Midcontinent and Gulf Coast regions to Arizona, Southern California and Southern Nevada. It combines a new Borger-Phoenix pipeline with reversals of existing infrastructure, including the P66 Gold line, which currently flows east from Borger, TX, to Cahokia, IL, in the St. Louis metro area and adjacent to the Wood River refinery. Outside of refining, P66 continues to invest in its integrated Permian-to-Gulf Coast NGL system. Its investment program includes the Iron Mesa and Zeus processing plants (each 300 MMcf/d capacity) in the Permian Basin and another Corpus Christi fractionator with a capacity of 100 Mb/d, bringing P66’s total fractionation capacity there to 270 Mb/d. The Coastal Bend (formerly EPIC NGL) pipeline expansion is expected to begin moving initial volumes in Q4 2026 and reach 350 Mb/d in early 2027, up from 225 Mb/d today. Management remained bullish on refining margins despite softer product demand. They estimated U.S. gasoline demand was down ~2.5% and U.S. diesel demand was down ~1.5%, though they did not specify the comparison period or basis. It also citied approximately 7 MMb/d of refining capacity offline across Russia, Asia and the Middle East. Elevated refining margins are expected persist through much of 2027, along with higher freight costs, making previously secured time charters a competitive advantage for P66 in the near term. Finally, CPChem’s Ras Laffan and Golden Triangle Polymers projects are targeting full operations in 2027. Each complex includes a 2.08 million MT/year ethane steam cracker, located in Qatar and Orange, TX, respectively. The last major U.S. steam cracker to start up was Shell’s 1.5 million MT/year Monaca, PA, facility, which began operation in November 2022.

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: Devon Closes Its Portfolio Review, Pivots to Modest Oil Growth | RBN Energy - Devon Energy used its Q3 2026 earnings call to lay out a plan for low single-digit oil growth over the next year, a change from a year ago when CEO Clay Gaspar said legacy Devon felt “the world is pretty saturated in oil” and doubted the need for its “incremental barrels.” The Coterra merger and this year’s New Mexico federal lease purchase changed that, giving Devon “12-plus years” of drilling inventory. Devon’s initial 2027 outlook is ~525 Mbbl/d of oil, about 2% above what the same assets will produce this year, excluding the Eagle Ford, which Devon is selling. It will spend less to get there, with about 75% of spending going to the Permian, up from 63%. CFO Shane Young said low single-digit growth “actually maximized free cash flow” and that the plan holds up “down to $60, $70 a barrel.” First wells on the federal acreage are expected around mid-2027, with meaningful production in early 2028. Oil hit a record 553 Mbbl/d in Q3, Q4 guidance is 550-560 Mbbl/d, and full-year 2026 guidance is unchanged at 495-505 Mbbl/d (Coterra counted from May). Longer wells are doing most of the work (see chart below). Average well length rises more than 10% in 2027, including 53 four-mile wells. EVP of Operations Blake Sirgo expects all-in well costs around $750 per foot, and Devon will use a chemical additive that raised oil output per foot 18% in early Delaware tests on more than 200 wells next year. Gas is the exception. Devon has “tried to really, really limit” its Permian gas production because prices “aren’t where we wanted them to be,” Gaspar said, and won’t grow it until the Solitude Pipeline, in which it holds a 25% stake, carries that gas to the Gulf Coast. Once it does, the oil “will probably carry the economics and you essentially get all the gas for free.”

US Natural Gas Exports to Mexico Rebound, but Demand Outlook Weakens -US natural gas exports to Mexico surged back above 7 Bcf/d to close out the week, recovering from recent lows even as seasonal demand patterns threaten to limit cross-border flows in the weeks ahead. NGI chart compares Waha and Agua Dulce natural gas spot prices from April to November 2026, showing Waha's recovery from deeply negative prices.  At a Glance:
Cross-border flows rebound
Entropic forecasts exports falling
Lower 48 production climbs

Q3 2026 Earnings Call: Chord Energy’s Bakken Strategy of Longer Wells and Lower Costs | RBN Energy - Chord Energy’s next phase of development centers on getting more from its Bakken acreage through longer wells, targeted infrastructure investment, and improved recovery from existing assets. During its Q3 2026 earnings call, management outlined initiatives that could help sustain oil output near 162.5 Mb/d in 2027 while improving cash generation. For the broader crude market, the implication is continued supply resilience from an established shale basin, with efficiency gains helping offset natural declines and service-cost inflation. Four-mile laterals are a key part of that strategy. Chord had brought 47 of these wells online through quarter-end, with operating results meeting expectations and drilling costs down 9% since the first quarter. Those improvements support continued deployment, although management said another year of data may be needed to fully assess the recovery attributable to the fourth mile. Meanwhile, chemical treatments could provide another avenue for improving existing-well performance. Chord has tested hundreds of treatments involving acids, solvents and surfactants and expects to determine which approaches to incorporate into its 2027 program early next year. Chemical use during new-well completions remains at the laboratory-testing stage, with potential field applications in 2027. Infrastructure investment could strengthen the economics supporting that development program. Chord added $20 million to its midstream spending outlook as it evaluates building selected facilities itself, renegotiating contracts or using alternative providers. These projects could lower the cost of sustaining Bakken supply, although their contribution will emerge gradually: Chord still expects an early-2027 production dip before new completions support a recovery later in the year.

LNG Canada Gas Intake to Drop in November on Maintenance and Train Restarts | RBN Energy - Intake of natural gas at the LNG Canada site in Kitimat, BC is expected to drop to less that 1 Bcf/d in November as the plant undergoes maintenance and restarts of both of its liquefaction trains as reported in our Canadian NatGas Billboard. Based on the company’s latest notifications, intermittent flaring is planned from November 8 to December 5 with Train 2 scheduled for maintenance and a restart from November 11 to 16, inclusive; Train 1 maintenance and a restart from November 18 to 25, inclusive; and more work and a restart for Train 2 from November 27 to December 1, inclusive. With this schedule now available, we have greatly reduced our expectations for the site’s gas intake in November from 1.50 Bcf/d to 0.95 Bcf/d (red column in chart below) after averaging an estimated 1.50 Bcf/d in October (green column). Daily gas intake, computed as a combination of reported pipeline flows and our estimates, point to LNG Canada's gas use in early November as having pulled back from recent higher levels in October (blue dashed rectangle in chart below) as the site prepares for maintenance; the rate of tanker loadings has noticeably slowed in recent days, suggesting reduced availability of LNG prior to the onset of maintenance. Once the work has been completed by early December, daily gas intake is expected to increase and possibly rise to near 2.1 Bcf/d on a more consistent basis given the expansion of upstream pipeline connections in early November.

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: Tourmaline Defers Gas Sales to Winter, Spinning Out Environmental Investments | RBN Energy - Tourmaline Oil Corp. reported third quarter results on November 4. Sales production of 594 MBoe/d was slightly below the 595-605 MBoe/d guidance range due to deferrals and storage injections undertaken in order to time sales with winter prices (Tourmaline has secured 10 Bcf of storage capacity, increasing to 14 Bcf next year). Production is expected to average 630-635 MBoe/d in Q4 and exit 2026 at 670 MBoe/d or higher. The 125 MMcf/d expansion of the Aitken c-38-C deep cut gas plant was completed on schedule and start-up is underway, while Phase 1 of the Groundbirch-Monias 15-25 deep cut plant (~200 MMcf/d) is expected to start up in Q4 2027, along with its nearby LPG rail terminal. An extended unplanned outage at a third-party facility in BC in October is expected to impact Tourmaline’s Q4 volumes by about 3 MBoe/d. For 2027, Tourmaline is planning for CAD$2.6 billion of E&P capital spending, similar to the 2026 budget for CAD$2.55 billion (unchanged), and expects production to grow 4-6% vs. 2026. Tourmaline has formed Emerald Energy Technologies Corp. to surface value from Tourmaline’s Environmental Performance Improvement investments made over the past several years. Tourmaline, Emerald, and Stream Data Centers are working on the 1 GW Malachite One powered land solution and data center campus, with site preparation expected to start in Q4. Malachite One is expected to start up in early 2028 and ramp up to full capacity in 2029 once the larger generators are installed.

Q3 2026 Earnings Calls: CNRL Now Planning Three-Year Intervals Between Horizon Turnarounds | RBN Energy - Canadian Natural Resources Limited’s Q3 total production of 1.65 MMBoe/d was down 1.5% from Q2, and oil and liquids production of 1.13 MMb/d was down 2.6% from Q2, due to the planned turnaround at Horizon, partially offset by record thermal bitumen production and stronger oil and NGLs production outside of oil sands. At the Horizon mining and upgrading project, the planned 35-day turnaround only took 28 days, and CNRL is now targeting three-year turnaround intervals instead of two-year intervals, which should boost production over a three-year period by an average of 5 Mb/d. The Naphtha Recovery Unit Tailings Treatment project (+6.3 Mb/d) remains on track for completion in Q3 2027. Total Mining and Upgrading production is currently at about 640 Mb/d, well above the prior quarterly record of 595 Mb/d set in Q1. Synthetic crude prices averaged $6.65/bbl above WTI in Q3, thanks to strong diesel margins. At its thermal bitumen assets (see map below), production averaged a record 300 Mb/d in Q3, up 9% sequentially and year-over-year, thanks to strong performance from wells at Pike 1 and a new pad at Primrose. Solvent (diluent) injection will begin at Kirby in H1 2027 and CNRL is looking at injecting solvent at Primrose. Despite steep discounts for WCS due to high rates for ocean tankers and higher Venezuelan production, management noted the price spread between Hardisty and Houston is still tracking pipeline transportation costs, indicating Western Canada’s crude oil export pipelines are not completely full. In terms of financials, with net debt now back down to its CAD$13 billion target CNRL plans to devote 100% of its free cash flow after dividends to share buybacks, and plans to spend CAD$800 MM per month doing so in November and December. Sulphur prices continue to be a story, with CNRL taking in CAD$0.9 billion of net sulphur revenue year-to-date through September.

LNG Canada Maintenance Puts Western Canadian Natural Gas Demand in Focus - LNG Canada has scheduled maintenance involving both liquefaction trains through early December, potentially curbing Western Canadian natural gas demand after several months of steady LNG exports. At a Glance:

• Maintenance scheduled through early December
• October exports held near September levels
• Station 2 enters work below US benchmarks

Questerre Reports Higher Production; PX Energy Experienced Maintenance Incidents - Questerre has provided an announcement. Questerre is an energy technology and innovation company focused on responsibly developing oil and gas resources. It holds a natural gas discovery in Quebec’s Utica shale, acquired PX Energy and is building conventional production in Western Canada while developing energy technologies. At PX Energy, a furnace failure shut the plant from late July to Aug. 18, but repairs were completed on schedule and budget without recordable safety incidents; the retort returned above 90% efficiency. Questerre said a later minor gas release and silo failure showed maintenance deferred by previous owners and prompted a sharper focus on corrective action. Third-quarter production rose to 4,634 boe per day from 2,926 boe per day a year earlier, while petroleum and natural-gas revenue reached $50.8 million from $11.8 million; the company reported a $27.6 million net loss. Adjusted funds flow was $2.3 million, after $4.8 million in idle-capacity costs and a $5.6 million reduction in contract liabilities. Questerre also received Quebec approval for a carbon-storage pilot and signed a mediation protocol with provincial authorities. It was selected as Nova Scotia’s successful bidder in the first bid round, is negotiating a Petroleum Exploration Agreement there, and has a four-well drilling program in Western Canada.

YPF on Track for November FID on $29B Argentina LNG Project - State-backed energy giant YPF expects to reach a final investment decision (FID) on its flagship Argentina LNG project later this month, CEO Horacio Marín said during the company’s earnings call. At a Glance:

• FID targeted by Nov. 26
• Vaca Muerta development sees 1,400 wells
• 2 floating vessels give liquefaction capacity

Centrica to Buy More Natural Gas from Tourmaline as LNG Portfolio Grows -- UK utility Centrica has agreed to buy more natural gas from Tourmaline in a deal to expand an agreement signed last year. Global natural gas futures have retreated from earlier highs in 2026, reflecting shifting supply-demand balances across major international markets Affiliate Centrica Energy said it would buy another 30,000 MMBtu/d for seven years, or roughly the equivalent of three LNG cargoes annually, from Canada’s largest natural gas producer beginning in 2031.

European Chill Bolsters US LNG Outlook as Asian Demand Softens - Colder weather is set to lift European heating demand and support US LNG purchases as the region heads into winter with a looming storage shortfall.Temperatures across Northwest Europe and key Asian LNG markets have fluctuated around seasonal norms, with recent cooling signaling the approach of winter heating demand. At a Glance:
European forecasts add mid-November heating demand
Asian cargo economics strengthen relative to Europe
Pacific storm presents LNG shipping risks

EU Council Backs 1-Year Methane Rule Delay – With a Snooze Button -- Marcellus Drilling News  - Europe’s two lawmaking bodies are now officially at odds over how long to delay the EU’s crazy methane import rules. Last Friday (Nov. 6), ambassadors for the EU’s 27 member governments (the Council) agreed, on their third try, to back a one-year delay. That sides with the European Commission (the EU’s executive branch) and against the European Parliament, which voted 341-225 on Oct. 22 for a three-year delay (see Europe Blinks Again: Parliament Votes 3-Year Methane Rule Delay). But the Council’s version comes with a twist we like: if the tools needed to comply aren’t ready by fall 2027, the Commission must push the import deadlines back another year. Think of it as a snooze button. Now the Council and Parliament have 49 days to agree on one text, or the original Jan. 1, 2027 rules kick in. That matters a lot to U.S. LNG (liquefied natural gas) exporters, and to the Marcellus/Utica drillers and royalty owners whose gas feeds them.

Orlen Exits Qatar LNG Deal as US Supply Expands Its Trading Options -Poland’s Orlen has terminated a long-term QatarEnergy LNG supply contract as it expands its US supply portfolio and the global market continues to adapt to months of disrupted Qatari deliveries to Europe.,At a Glance:

• Orlen terminates disrupted Qatar supply contract
• Plaquemines deliveries targeted for early November
• Qatari shipments to Europe remain scarce

LNG Flows Through Strait of Hormuz Snap Back as Qatar Boosts Dark Loadings - Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are sending more LNG vessels through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s continued attacks on commercial shipping in the waterway as its war with the United States drags on.At a Glance:

• LNG tanker traffic surges despite conflict
• Transits hit high in October
• UAE tanker traffic near pre-war levels

1,660 kilos of oil spill debris collected in Bataan - — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday said 1,660 kilos of contaminated materials have been collected from the oil spill site in Barangay Ipag in Mariveles, Bataan. Three days after the incident, the PCG said it is shifting operations from “active oil spill response” to monitoring, after no visible oil sheen was seen on the water’s surface. “The PCG response team and the municipal disaster risk reduction and mangement office of Mariveles conducted a joint inspection of the waters in the affected area and found no visible oil sheen,” a statement declared. At least 83 sacks of the collected debris have been sent to a transfer station. This will be turned over to an accredited oily waste collector for proper disposal. Oil spill containment and recovery operations along the coastal waters of Barangay Ipag were conducted since Nov. 6. The PCG also deployed oil spill booms after 25 liters of used oil were spilled into the sea on Nov. 5.

Oil spill fears as tanker sinks off Thailand’s coast – Six crew members went missing on Wednesday after an oil tanker sank off Thailand’s eastern coast, prompting a search and rescue operation and preparations for a possible oil spill. The Thai-registered Venus 14, a vessel used to supply fuel to fishing boats, sank approximately 27 nautical miles from the entrance to Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri province, according to the Royal Thai Navy. The First Naval Area Command launched an operation to locate the missing crew and the sunken vessel, the Bangkok Post reported. A navy patrol boat, Tor 113, and a maritime surveillance aircraft have been deployed to the area. Authorities have also issued warnings to other vessels navigating nearby waters. The navy said it was coordinating with the Marine Department to prepare for possible marine pollution if fuel leaked from the sunken tanker. The amount of fuel aboard the vessel when it sank remains unknown. The navy has placed the tugboat HTMS Panyi and a helicopter on standby, with personnel and oil-spill response equipment ready for deployment if required. Officials have not disclosed what caused the vessel to sink or whether any distress signal was received before the incident. The navy said search and rescue operations would continue while authorities monitored the area for potential environmental damage to the marine ecosystem.

UAE coast cleanup after Gem No 2 oil spill may take months - In the United Arab Emirates, about a thousand workers are cleaning oil from the coasts of the emirates of Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah every day. The work is being carried out after a spill from the Gem No 2 supertanker, The National reports. Vasilios Mamaloukas Frangoulis, director of oil spill response services at Beeah Group, said that nearly 100 pieces of equipment, including three oil-recovery vessels, have been deployed at various sites. On beaches, oil is washed out of the sand with low-pressure water. Washing equipment, absorbents and mechanical devices, including skimmers, are used to clean stone walls and other hard surfaces.According to Frangoulis, operations at some locations are planned to be completed in the coming days. At the same time, cleaning other areas may take at least several months and continue into next year. Strong winds complicate the work, as they can move oil near the shore.Contaminated mangroves require a special approach: due to the sensitivity of these ecosystems, less radical interventions are needed there. Frangoulis said that washing may be attempted in the UAE, while tides also provide natural water circulation. Waste, including collected oil, contaminated beach material, absorbents, garbage and personal protective equipment, is processed at a Beeah facility in Sharjah.After cleanup, seven public and hotel beaches in Ras Al Khaimah, as well as beaches in Sharjah, were reopened to visitors. At the same time, beaches on the east coast had previously been closed because of oil pollution, but the source of that pollution has not yet been confirmed.The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment confirmed the presence of an oil spill on October 22 after reports of a fuel-like smell. According to The National, the source of this spill was the Gem No 2 supertanker, whose crew was rescued after an impact in early October.Dubai-based Ecocoast, which produces floating containment booms for containing oil, has doubled their production because of high demand. Its head, Joachim de Genlis, said the company’s boats had worked continuously at the sites for more than two weeks, supporting spill-response teams.

Inside the gruelling effort to clear oil spills from the UAE coast   -Hundreds of workers are continuing to clean up oil spills around the UAE, and equipment has been flown in from as far away as the US to help with efforts. The work – with one company reporting “overwhelming" demand for its services – is taking place even as some beaches have been reopened after cleaning. Among the companies involved is Evogreen, a joint venture between Sharjah-based Beeah Group and Polygreen, a Greek-owned company with offices in Dubai. Dr Vassilios Mamaloukas Frangoulis, director of oil spill response services at Evogreen, said the firm had about 1,000 people working in Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. Although a large length of coastline has been affected, Dr Frangoulis said the clean-up was “quite manageable” and “technically straightforward”. Among the processes being carried out is flushing sand – using a low-pressure hose to release “huge quantities of water” in the upper parts of beaches to clean out the oil. Washing equipment is also being used to clean oil off hard surfaces, such as stone walls, Dr Frangoulis said. “Whatever we collect from the sand or the rocks, we collect with absorbent material or mechanical methods, like skimmers,” he added. b “It’s a very large operation. We have 1,000 people working every day in the sites. With all this we need a lot of qualified personnel. We employ workers, but qualified personnel are needed to train the people and guide them.” Dr Frangoulis said the company had almost 100 pieces of equipment being used, including three oil skimmer boats. “It’s a lot of equipment in the various sites,” he said. “All this has to be supported logistically. The spill is a big one.” … There is also a lot of pumping equipment deployed, including hoses to wash down the sand, Dr Frangoulis said. Large amounts of hazardous waste – oil, contaminated beach material, oil-saturated absorbents, debris and personal protective equipment – are generated and processed at Beeah’s site in Sharjah. Particular areas are being prioritised for cleaning, Dr Frangoulis said, including beaches in Sharjah and those in front of hotels in Ras Al Khaimah. In some locations, the company will complete its operations within the next few days, while in others the work is likely to take “a few months at least” and will continue into next year. A complicating factor, Dr Frangoulis said, is that strong winds can move oil that is very close to the shore. Because of their sensitivity, areas such as mangroves that have been affected by oil need to be dealt with using “less drastic interventions”. He said that in other locations that had been affected by oil spills, such as Mauritius, mangroves had been flushed with large quantities of water, making the clean-up process quicker. Some flushing may be tried in the UAE, Dr Frangoulis said, although he added that, as the mangroves were tidal, they naturally had some circulation. As reported in The National, seven public and hotel beaches in Ras Al Khaimah were deemed safe for visitors after cleaning on Wednesday, while Sharjah opened its beaches on Thursday.  The presence of the oil spill was confirmed by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment on October 22 following reports in the previous days of a fuel-like smell. A supertanker, Gem No 2, whose crew were rescued after it was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in early October, was the source of the spill.More recently, beaches on the east coast were closed because of oil contamination, although the source of the pollution has not been confirmed.

Strait of Hormuz Closed, Day 259 | Live Tracker & Monitor - Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is under fresh attack, disrupting transit, and the latest official PortWatch count is 3 vessels on November 8 at 4% of typical as Tehran's open-market dollar mid trades at 268,150 toman; crisis pressure at 88 (extreme). Ships seen in the Gulf in the past 24 hours that match a sanctions list or another risk marker. Some have since stopped reporting. On NOV 8, IMF PortWatch's most recent published day, commercial transit through the Strait reached 4% of the pre-crisis vessel count: 3 vessels against a typical 85 per day. War-risk insurance for tankers priced at 32.0× pre-crisis as of 7 Oct, our last trade-press read, with 6 P&I clubs having cancelled war cover for charterers and other non-mutual liability in March 2026 (buy-back cover has been offered since). Brent sits at $95.84; futures markets are shut.

Oil prices extend biggest weekly decline since 2020 as Brent falls towards $97 – Oil prices extended their steepest weekly decline since April 2020 on Monday, with Brent crude falling towards $97 per barrel after losing more than 16% last week, as hopes of a diplomatic resolution to the US-Iran conflict eased concerns over potential supply disruptions. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude traded around $91 per barrel. According to Bloomberg, the latest decline extends a retreat from a six-month high recorded at the end of October, as expectations of reduced tensions following a Democratic sweep of the US midterm elections raised hopes that the conflict would not escalate further. However, mixed signals from Washington over the prospects of a peace deal have continued to create uncertainty in the oil market. Also Read FCCPC seals real estate firm over alleged failure to deliver N140 million home NCC turns to spectrum incentives as Nigeria’s data usage hits 1.73 million TB Rivers gas seepage puts 13 oil wells in high-risk category, NUPRC finds US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down expectations of a breakthrough in negotiations with Iran, describing Tehran’s demands as unacceptable and, in some cases, “outrageous and ridiculous.” His comments contrasted with US President Donald Trump’s more conciliatory tone after CNN reported that he considered further military strikes on Iran “highly unlikely” if negotiations made substantial progress. The conflicting signals have left traders assessing whether diplomatic efforts can deliver a lasting resolution to a conflict that has disrupted energy exports from the Persian Gulf. Fresh Middle East attacks threaten oil price recovery Despite declining oil prices, security risks around the Middle East’s critical energy infrastructure and shipping routes remain elevated. The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile over the weekend while travelling outbound through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping corridors. In another incident, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels damaged offices of Saudi Aramco, the Saudi state-owned oil giant, in Riyadh. Saudi forces subsequently retaliated by destroying two missile launchers. The attacks have reinforced concerns that renewed hostilities could disrupt crude shipments and reverse the recent decline in oil prices. Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy AS, said the Democratic victory in the US midterm elections does not necessarily increase the likelihood of a diplomatic breakthrough. “More pressure for a deal doesn’t necessarily mean a deal is closer,” Leon said. He warned that renewed escalation could quickly reverse much of last week’s decline in oil prices. Meanwhile, crude exports from the Persian Gulf have recovered to near pre-war levels despite continued attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

• Production from members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose last month to 88% of the volume recorded by the same producers in February, according to a Bloomberg survey.
• However, Iranian oil production declined following a US naval blockade, adding another layer of uncertainty to global supply expectations.
• Vivek Dhar, a commodities analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the removal of the blockade could trigger further declines in crude prices.

According to Dhar, Brent crude could fall to between $70 and $85 per barrel if a deal results in the lifting of the blockade.He noted that the global benchmark continues to carry a risk premium reflecting the possibility of renewed military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.Elsewhere, Ukraine struck a sixth Russian oil refinery within a week, intensifying its campaign against energy infrastructure that helps finance Moscow’s war.

• The latest attack comes as diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict gather momentum.
• Russia is preparing to send a high-level delegation, including Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, to US-mediated talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi starting Tuesday.
• The move signals a possible willingness by Moscow to engage in more substantive negotiations following months of diplomatic deadlock.

Market participants will also monitor upcoming monthly oil market reports from three major forecasting agencies.The US Energy Information Administration is scheduled to release its report on Tuesday, followed by OPEC on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency on Friday.

Oil Extends Decline on Cooling US-Iran Escalation Risks (DTN) -- Oil prices continued to slide Monday morning after U.S. President Donald Trump on the weekend said he was "highly unlikely" to order new attacks on Iran as long as negotiations progressed. By 09:00 a.m. EST, ICE Brent for January delivery was down $4.57 to trade near $93.75 a barrel of crude oil (bbl), and NYMEX WTI for December delivery fell $3.95 to $86.88 bbl. Downstream, NYMEX ULSD for December delivery slid $0.0821 to $4.2496 gallon, and front-month RBOB futures retreated $0.0817 to $2.695 gallon. The U.S. dollar index softened by 0.505 points to 101.675 against a basket of foreign currencies. Crude oil futures plummeted by more than 10% last week in reaction to last week's U.S. midterm elections, in which Republicans lost majority control of both chambers of Congress, lowering risks of a renewed military escalation in the U.S.-Iran war. The President's latest comments, which represented a U-turn from his pre-election statements, added to bearish sentiment which was largely based on hopes of a dovish policy turn by a new weakened White House. Prices climbed to the highest since May in the run-up to the election on growing signs the U.S. may launch fresh attacks on Iran after Nov. 3. Some signs of diplomatic progress, however, have recently began to emerge. A Qatari delegation is set to submit Tehran's latest proposal in person on Monday, but both Doha and Washington were quick to dampen hopes of an imminent breakthrough, emphasizing that negotiations were still ongoing. Supply risks to Middle Eastern crude oil and fuels exports, meanwhile, persisted, with Yemen-based Houthis launching fresh strikes on Saudi Arabia over the weekend and independent maritime safety watchdogs reporting of several damaged tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. This week, market participants will be on the lookout for the latest U.S. inflation data as well as for updates to some of the most impactful oil market forecasts. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest Short-Term Energy Outlook is scheduled for release on Tuesday, followed by OPEC's Oil Market Report on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency's November Oil Report on Friday.

Oil Market Drops as Trump Signals Restraint on Iran - The crude market traded lower on Monday and ended the session down 4.38% after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled restraint on Iran despite ongoing attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, President Trump said he was highly unlikely to order fresh attacks on Iran as long as talks to end the conflict progressed. The oil market rallied to a high of $91.42 in overnight trading before it breached its previous low and traded to $87.23, where it found some support. The market retraced some of its losses and settled in a sideways trading range amid comments made by an Iranian security official that Iran has no plans to negotiate with the U.S. unless Washington takes practical steps to meet Iran’s seven conditions. However, the market later sold off to a low of $86.63 ahead of the close. The December WTI contract settled down $3.98 at $86.85 and sold off even further in the post settlement period, posting a new low of $85.02. The January Brent contract settled down $5.75 at $92.57. The product markets ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 11.69 cents at $4.2148 and the RB market settling down 12.58 cents at $2.6509. According to data from the Department of Energy, stocks of crude oil in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 279.5 million barrels last week, the lowest level since October 1982. According to a Reuters survey, OPEC oil output increased in October, led by gains in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq despite continued constraints on exports due to the Iran war and a U.S. blockade on Iran’s shipments. OPEC’s crude output increased by 1.38 million bpd month-on-month to 22.87 million bpd. The survey showed that Saudi Arabia’s oil output in October increased by 800,000 bpd to 9 million bpd, while Kuwait’s output increased by 330,000 bpd on the month to 2.1 million bpd and Iraq’s output increased by 300,000 bpd to 4.4 million bpd. Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, said Iraq has reached understandings with the United States to allow Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz via a shipping lane near Oman. He said Iraq’s losses from the Iran war and disruptions to oil exports had reached $60 billion. Iraq’s oil exports recovered in October after a sharp drop the previous month. According to Iraqi energy officials, exports increased to about 3.5 million bpd from 2.65 million bpd in September. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister and his Omani counterpart stressed in a phone call on Monday the need to press ahead with diplomatic efforts to contain the regional crisis and safeguard maritime security and sea lanes. A Saudi Energy Ministry source said a limited fire was extinguished after Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline was struck in the Medina region. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 80,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending November 13th, increasing available refining capacity by 6,000 bpd.

Oil Prices Fall as Trump Plays Down Risk of Escalation with Iran - Oil prices fell on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session, after US President Donald Trump said military action against Iran was not necessary “at this stage,” easing concerns about prolonged disruptions to Middle Eastern oil supplies. Brent crude futures fell 24 cents, or 0.23%, to $92.33 a barrel by 01:02 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped 35 cents, or 0.40%, to $86.50 a barrel. Later in the session, Brent futures fell by a further dollar to $91.56 a barrel, while US crude futures also declined by a dollar to $85.79 a barrel. Brent crude had settled 5.85% lower in the previous session after falling to its lowest level since August 31. On Monday, Trump said he intended to exercise restraint and refrain from launching further military strikes against Iran for the time being, following appeals from regional countries, including a request from Qatar’s prime minister during talks at the White House. In an interview with Reuters and a subsequent appearance in the White House briefing room, Trump said he intended to maintain the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for the time being. Tim Waterer, an analyst at KCM Trade, said: “The market continues to prioritize President Trump’s more conciliatory tone toward Iran since the midterm elections.” He added: “Although attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz are continuing, they have not escalated to a level that would impose a new risk premium on the market.” Senior officials in the United States and Gulf countries have expressed doubts about the prospects of reaching an imminent peace agreement between Washington and Tehran. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the United States must “stop making up fake news about imaginary negotiations,” adding that “the time has come to comply with the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly presented.” On the supply side, a Reuters survey showed that oil production among members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) increased in October, driven by higher output in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq, despite continued export restrictions. Separately, Russian and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet on Tuesday for two days of US-mediated talks, the first such meeting since February. The development comes after Trump said last week that a comprehensive peace agreement could be possible in their four-and-a-half-year war.

Oil prices fall below $90 as Middle East peace hopes grow  - Nairametrics - Crude oil prices fell below $90 per barrel for the first time since August, extending their recent decline as traders increased bets on a possible resolution to the Middle East conflict. The global benchmark, Brent crude futures, dropped to $89.70 per barrel early Tuesday morning in Europe after falling almost 6% the previous day, while the US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), traded below $85 per barrel. The decline followed comments from US President Donald Trump that fuelled hopes for an end to Washington’s nearly nine-month conflict with Iran. The oil market has sharply reversed this month, with prices retreating significantly from the six-month high reached in late October. Brent crude futures fell to $89.70 per barrel early Tuesday, extending losses recorded in the previous trading session. WTI crude also declined by more than 2%, trading below $85 per barrel. The latest price movement reflects growing market expectations that diplomatic efforts could help bring the conflict to an end and reduce the risk of further disruptions to global oil supplies. Trump said further military strikes against Iran would not be necessary, as pressure mounts on his administration to end the conflict following Republicans’ defeat in the US midterm elections. He said on Monday that the war with Iran could end “fairly soon” and that Tehran was “talking very politely” with Washington. Speaking at the White House after meeting Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Trump said: “We’re seeing momentum toward the end of this conflict. I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon.” Trump also said in a Truth Social post that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait would prefer the status quo, including maintaining a naval blockade against Iran and preventing the country from using ground routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have both acknowledged that public disapproval of the Iran war and high energy prices played a role in the Republicans’ poor performance in the US midterm elections last week. Some analysts expect crude oil prices could fall further, arguing that Trump may be reluctant to resume military strikes following the Republicans’ losses in the midterm elections. According to Bloomberg, Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at A/S Global Risk Management, said the market was betting that Trump would not resume strikes after the election. “The market is betting Trump won’t resume strikes after the midterm blue wave. Crude could fall further, but I think the biggest move is behind us,” he said. With the conflict now in its ninth month and pressure mounting on the Trump administration to find a way to end it, congressional Democrats are considering using the December 11 government shutdown deadline as leverage to push the president towards ending the war. The market appears focused on hopes that the latest diplomatic push in the Middle East, mediated by Qatar, could result in an agreement. However, it remains unclear whether the softer rhetoric will translate into tangible progress towards ending the war started by the US and Israel. Political uncertainty has also deepened after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost his parliamentary majority last month. An official familiar with the matter said negotiations would continue and that there would likely be no military escalation while the talks were ongoing. During the meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, the US signalled that maintaining the diplomatic status quo and applying economic pressure on Iran offered the best route to resolving the conflict, the official said. Tehran has insisted that Washington end its naval blockade of the country’s ports and lift sanctions, while the US has pressed Iran to stop attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and make concessions over its nuclear programme. Despite attacks on ships, oil continues to leave the region. A wave of Strait of Hormuz crossings over the past couple of months has brought overall oil shipments from the Middle East close to pre-war levels. Saudi shipping firm Bahri also said on Tuesday that it was sending some tankers through the waterway in coordination with the US military.

Oil Prices Slump to 6-Week Lows as Risk Premium Melts (DTN) -- Oil prices extended their decline Tuesday morning as futures continued to shed part of the risk premium tied to fears of a post-election reescalation in the U.S.-Iran war. Recent dovish comments from Washington, a reported diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran and the revival of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine all helped cool supply woes. By 9:00 a.m. EST, ICE Brent for January delivery was down $2.90 to trade near $89.67 bbl, and NYMEX WTI for December delivery fell $2.30 to $84.55 bbl. Downstream, NYMEX ULSD for December delivery slumped $0.1920 to $4.0228 gallon, and front-month RBOB futures retreated $0.0626 to $2.5883 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index strengthened by 0.35 points to 101.885 against a basket of foreign currencies. Following Monday's meeting with Qatari mediators at the White House, U.S. President Trump said that he deemed military action against Iran as "not very necessary." Reports late Monday suggested that Washington was open to Tehran's latest peace proposal, which would see the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the U.S. embargo on Iran. The deal would allegedly allow for limited Uranium enrichment within the country, a significant U.S. concession and departure from a previously held "red line." Elsewhere, the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday hosted the first U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine since February. An end to the four-and-a-half year long conflict could bring respite to an undersupplied market, particularly in light of the last six months of intensifying Ukrainian attacks on Russia's refining sector, which have exacerbated the global diesel supply crunch caused by the U.S. war on Iran. U.S. officials after the meeting, while touting progress, cautioned that the talks were just entering their exploratory phase, suggesting that a peace deal was currently far from imminent.

Oil Market Extends Decline as U.S. Downplays Iran Military Action - The crude market eased off further, settling down 0.9% after U.S. officials downplayed the need for renewed military action against Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Group of Seven allies that the U.S. economic sanctions and naval blockade were working, adding that the U.S. did not need to conduct major combat operations against Iran. On Monday, President Trump said he was holding off new military strikes against Iran following appeals from countries in the Middle East. The crude market posted a high of $86.93 and continued on its downward trend in overnight trading, posting a low of $83.88. The market, however, retraced some of its losses after Iran’s top security official said there were currently no negotiations taking place between Iran and Washington. The December WTI contract settled down 81 cents at $86.04 and the January Brent contract settled down $1.08 at $91.49. Both crude benchmarks settled at their lowest level since August 31st for a second day. Meanwhile, the product markets ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 8.39 cents at $4.1309 and the RB market settling down 4.21 cents at $2.6088. In its Short Term Energy Outlook, the EIA said U.S. crude production is expected to reach a record high for the fourth straight year in 2026. U.S. oil production is forecast to reach 13.9 million bpd this year, up from 13.7 million bpd in 2025. U.S. crude output is then set to increase again in 2027 to 14.3 million bpd. World oil output in 2026 is forecast at 101.7 million bpd, up 600,000 bpd from a previous forecast, while output in 2027 is expected to increase to 108.4 million bpd, down from a previous estimate of 109.6 million bpd. World oil demand in 2026 is seen at 102.4 million bpd, unchanged from a previous estimate, while output in 2027 is forecast at 104.4 million bpd, down from a previous forecast of 104.6 million bpd. U.S. oil demand is seen at 20.6 million bpd, unchanged from a previous forecast, while demand in 2027 is seen at 20.9 million bpd, up from a previous forecast of 20.8 million bpd. The EIA said Brent crude prices are set to average $97/barrel in 2026, before falling to $86/barrel in 2027. Shipping data showed that a tanker carrying the first cargo of Russian diesel for the United States has come to a halt off the U.S. east coast, with its operator saying its destination had not yet been decided. The Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes was loaded with 40,000 metric tons or 300,000 barrels of ultra low sulfur diesel in Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22nd, with an expected delivery date of November 7th. However, the Greece-based company which manages Agioi Fanendes, Eastmed, said a week later that the vessel was proceeding awaiting orders and that a port of discharge had not yet been nominated or finalized. Bloomberg reported that the tanker has been sailing off the East Coast since Monday after making a U-turn about 400 nautical miles off New York. New Jersey’s Governor Mikie Sherrill this month warned local port officials and terminal operators against accepting Russian diesel, saying those shipments would break federal law. She said importing Russian diesel could expose businesses and individuals using New Jersey ports to “harsh” civil and criminal penalties.

Oil prices rise amid concerns of shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz | The Jerusalem Post -Oil prices posted gains during Wednesday morning trading, recovering from a two-month low. Brent crude futures rose $1.04, or 1.1%, to $92.53 a barrel, while WTI crude rose 67 cents, or 0.8%, to $86.71 a barrel. The increases follow a drop of more than $3 a barrel in the previous trading session, which was partially offset by conflicting reports regarding diplomatic contacts. The market is currently influenced on one hand by expectations of easing military tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran, and on the other by operational risks in shipping routes. According to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 37 vessels were attacked in the Middle East in October, the highest monthly figure since the beginning of the fighting in the region. November data does not indicate a decrease in the scope of incidents, as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an attack on a tanker northwest of Lima off the coast of Oman, while simultaneously the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran stated that two tankers caught fire after striking sea mines in the strait. According to a review by LSEG Oil Research, even if a diplomatic agreement is reached, the return of vessel traffic to its regular course depends on mine clearance, insurance costs, and the willingness of shipowners to take risks. Sparta Commodities noted that the conclusion of the US midterm elections and increased oil flow from the Middle East create downward pressure, but Iran's willingness to meet US demands remains the central variable affecting the price of oil.

Oil up 2% as Iran Official Says Country Will Keep Enriched Nuclear Material - Oil prices rose about 2% on Wednesday after Iran’s security chief said Tehran would not allow any enriched nuclear material to leave the country, feeding supply worries that lifted prices off two-month lows hit the previous session. Washington has said nuclear issues must be part of any initial negotiations with Tehran aimed at ending the US-Israeli war on Iran. Brent futures were up $2.15, or 2.35%, at $93.64 a barrel by 12:04 p.m. EST (1704 GMT). US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.69, or 1.96%, to $87.73. In the previous session, oil prices initially fell by more than $3 a barrel after US officials played down the need for further military strikes against Iran. Prices later pared some losses after an Iranian security official said no talks were taking place between the two sides. In the previous session, oil prices initially fell by more than $3 a barrel after US officials played down the need for further military strikes against Iran. Prices later pared some losses after an Iranian security official said no talks were taking place between the two sides. “Oil prices are being supported by fading hopes of an imminent de-escalation,” UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. While OPEC+ crude oil production jumped in October, led by a sharp increase in output from Saudi Arabia, there is little sign of easing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy showed that 37 ships were attacked in October, the highest monthly total since the start of the war. “This demonstrates that operational risks have not disappeared simply because diplomatic signals have turned more positive,” said Simon-Peter Massabni, head of business development at XS.com. “More importantly, even if a political agreement is reached, shipping activity is unlikely to return to normal immediately.” Brent and WTI prices have fallen about 21% and 17%, respectively, since the start of the month on hopes of an end to the war. A tanker was struck northeast of Lima in Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Tuesday. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said separately on Tuesday that two tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines on an “unauthorized route” in the strait. “Even in the event a deal is struck, an increase in flows through the waterway would depend on mine clearance, insurance costs and whether or not shipowners would even be willing to take the risk,” LSEG Oil Research said in a November 10 note. US crude stocks rose by 9 million barrels in the latest week, market sources said, citing data from the American Petroleum Institute. Official data is due on Thursday, delayed a day due to the US Veterans Day holiday on Wednesday. Data from Kpler shows that Middle East crude and condensate outages have dropped to about 3.8 million barrels per day, with Saudi and Iraqi crude output back to pre-war levels and outages in both countries down significantly. Separately, Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator on Ukraine, said on Wednesday that a peace settlement seemed to be closer after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi. A regional governor said a drone attack caused a fire in the port area of Ust-Luga on Russia’s Baltic coast, injuring three workers. Russian oil refining capacity has been reduced by about 30% since late October following renewed Ukrainian drone attacks, industry sources said.

Oil Market Rebounds as U.S.-Iran Talks Remain Off the Table -The oil market ended the session higher on Wednesday amid the uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East. The market, which had been under pressure as U.S. officials played down the need for further military strikes against Iran, traded higher on comments made by an Iranian official that no talks were taking place between Iran and the U.S. The crude market was further supported on Wednesday after Iran’s security chief said Iran would not allow any enriched nuclear material to leave the country. The market traded mostly sideways in overnight trading, posting a low of $85.81. However, the market later continued to pare its previous losses and rallied to a high of $88.74 by mid-day in light of the Iranian official’s statement. The oil market later settled in a sideways trading range during the remainder of the session. The December WTI contract settled up 49 cents at $86.53 and the January Brent contract settled up $1.27 at $92.76. The product markets ended the session in mixed territory, with the heating oil market settling up 8.04 cents at $4.2113 and the RB market settling down 13 points at $2.6075. U.S. companies are unlikely to import Russian diesel as a tanker full of the fuel idles off the U.S. East Coast, despite President Donald Trump’s temporary waiver of some sanctions on Russia’s fuel exports. Banks are likely to be reluctant to finance U.S. deals for Russian diesel, with experts noting there are legal questions about whether the president’s waiver is enough to allow for the imports. There are also operational challenges, because importers would need to blend the Russian diesel to meet U.S. heating oil specifications. According to the American Automobile Association, the price of diesel in the U.S. was $6.13/gallon on Wednesday, down 20 cents a gallon from $6.33 the day that President Trump waived the sanctions in October but up 63% from $3.76 before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February. A tanker carrying the first cargo of Russian diesel for the U.S. halted its voyage off the East Coast this week. Its operator said the destination had not yet been decided. According to OPEC’s monthly report, the producer group left its 2026 and 2027 global oil demand growth forecasts unchanged. OPEC expects world oil demand to increase 180,000 bpd in 2026 and increase by 2.55 million bpd next year to an average of 108.3 million bpd. The OPEC report showed that Saudi Arabia increased oil output in October to the highest level since February, the last month before the Iran war disrupted Middle East supplies. Saudi Arabia told OPEC that it produced 10.563 million bpd of crude in October, up from 8.372 million bpd in September. That marked its highest level since February 2026 when Saudi Arabia produced 10.882 million bpd. The wider OPEC+ producer group in October raised its output, producing 41.23 million bpd, up 2.04 million bpd from September. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 80,000 bpd of capacity for the week ending November 13th, increasing available refining capacity by 6,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to decrease to 46,000 bpd in the week ending November 20th.

Easing Geopolitical Fears, Oversupply Worries Weaken Oil Prices - Oil prices fell more than $1 per barrel on Thursday morning on hopes of an easing of the Middle East conflict, which will reduce the risk premium in crude markets, while Russian and ​Ukrainian peace talks advanced. Brent futures were down $1.47 or 1.58 per cent to $91.29 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slipped $1.24 or 1.43 per cent to $85.29 per barrel. Markets are falling on expectations that behind-the-scenes efforts are underway to secure a ceasefire ​between Russia and Ukraine and that it is unlikely the Iran war would escalate ahead of the US-China summit next week. Earlier, Iran’s top security official, Mr Mohsen Rezaei, denied that talks with the US are under way and called reports of a recent meeting in Qatar “pure lies” spread to push down oil prices. He also said Iran will not allow even a single particle of enriched nuclear material to leave the country and there will be consequences ​if the US launches ​new strikes. Also, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the US of conducting diplomacy through threats, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected Iran’s demand for war reparations. The US has said nuclear issues must be part of any initial negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the eight-month-old ​war, while US officials downplayed the need for further military strikes. Russian and ​Ukrainian negotiators agreed to a major prisoner exchange at two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi that ended ‌on ⁠Wednesday, although US mediators said differences remained on other major issues, including territory. Crude production from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) rose in October, driven by higher Saudi Arabian output despite ongoing shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.Study Geology US crude stocks rose by 9 million barrels in the latest week, data from the American Petroleum Institute showed. Official data from ​the US Energy Information Administration is due on Thursday, delayed a day due to a US national holiday on Wednesday.

WTI Dips After Across The Board Inventory Builds, Big SPR Drain, & Record US Production - Oil prices are higher again this morning after President Donald Trump nixed the idea of an eventual deal with Iran. "We don't need a deal with Iran," Trump wrote in a social media post. "Those days have long since passed." The U.S. and Iran had reportedly been in on-again, off-again negotiations over the issue reopening the strait. So far, none of those talks yielded a comprehensive deal. Trump claimed a deal was not necessary because the U.S. already controls the strait. "We've got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we've got their Strait!" Trump wrote in his social media post. Trump had previously floated the idea of resuming hostilities after the midterm elections, but for now, no such actions. Flareups have also persisted. The Islamic Republic said two supertankers loaded with oil were halted by explosions while using the “unauthorized” route through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night, according to the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency. With the geopolitical premium on the rise again, the inventory and supply data may become more important again... API

• Crude +9.0MM
• Cushing +182k
• Gasoline +4k
• Distillates +1.5MM

DOE:

• Crude +4.65MM
• Cushing +106k
• Gasoline +1.799MM
• Distillates +4.071MM

After API reported a huge 9mm barrel crude build last week and while the official data was smaller, it was still a sizable build (4.65mm barrels) - the most since August. There were builds across all cohorts, most notably in Distillates (the biggest build since July)... After a few weeks of relative calm, the Trump admin drained a large 2.65mm barrels from the SPR last week... Total Distillates stocks remain at record lows for this time of year... US Crude production rose to a new record high... WTI was trading up around 1% just below $87.50 ahead of the official data, and dipped after the build... Additionally, gas prices at the pump continued to slide further below $4 (still record highs for this time of year)... Although the global benchmark has rallied more than 50% this year, it has fallen sharply this month on a recovery in flows from the Middle East and speculation that the Democrats’ victory in US midterm elections could hasten the end of the conflict. “If talks are off, it could mean status quo remains and Brent drifts lower as more oil comes out the gulf,” said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at Global Risk Management. “Alternatively, it means the risk of Iran escalating has gone up. I think the market will buy into the second option.” The Middle East isn’t the only flashpoint for oil supplies right now. In Europe, Russian refineries have been hit again by Ukrainian drone strikes. That has compounded a squeeze on diesel supplies that’s been caused by the Iran war, because Russia has been forced to stop exporting the fuel. In one of the latest attacks, Ukraine said it attacked Russia’s largest oil refinery deep in western Siberia for a third time. It provided no details of damage to the Omsk refinery.

Crude Spikes As Trump Declares 'We Don't Need A Deal' With Iran - President Trump has begun his Thursday morning with statements saying that the United States no longer sees a need to negotiate a diplomatic agreement with Iran. "We don't need a deal with Iran," the president stated, saying further: "Those days have long since passed." He argued that Washington already holds decisive leverage, pointing to hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and US control over the Strait of Hormuz. The comments come amid broader signals of a pivot within the administration's priorities. Rather than focusing on diplomatic outreach with Tehran - efforts which Vice President JD Vance has previously been a key part of - Trump announced that he has tasked Vance with leading a domestic crackdown on what he described as "massive corruption" in Democratic-led U.S. cities. Oil prices jumped on the return to 'no deal' news... And meanwhile: Iranian Army says two tankers struck naval mines while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, ISNA reports It seems Trump was in part responding by the Truth Social post to yesterday's headline in The Wall Street Journal saying Vance was seeking direct talks with Iranian 'hardliners'. "Vice President JD Vance is considering face-to-face talks with a top Iranian security official as he emerges as the lead negotiator with Iran, say U.S. and Middle East officials and people familiar with the negotiations, in an effort to end a war seen as a drag on the Republican Party," that Wednesday report stated. "In recent days, President Trump has told top aides and counterparts he’s open to Vance restarting talks with Iran and has empowered him to negotiate, U.S. and Middle Eastern officials said. U.S. officials stressed that discussions about sending Vance to meet directly with Iranian officials remain preliminary," WSJ reported. So with Trump's Thursday words, that initiative is effectively dead, it appears. Meanwhile things will likely continue to go from bad to worse in the Strait of Hormuz, as the IRGC has ramped up targeting of international shipping which violates Tehran's transit protocol. Attacks, especially via sea mines, are happening at a rate of at least a half-dozen instances per week.

Oil settles $3 higher on attacks on Saudi energy sites, Strait of Hormuz disruptions (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped on Thursday and settled up by $3 ‌a barrel after attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure escalated and shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz threatened global oil flows. Brent futures settled at $95.82 a barrel, up $3.06 or 3.3%. US West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $88.74 a barrel, up $2.21 or 2.6%. For the week, both benchmarks were still down about 2.5%. Trade was volatile, with ​crude selling off early and then rebounding after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they had attacked a pumping station on the Saudi East-West oil ​pipeline; an oil facility in the Saudi Red Sea city of Yanbu; and an Aramco building ⁠in the capital Riyadh. Later, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the ​group, one in the Riyadh region and another in the kingdom's oil-rich Eastern Province. In the Gulf, tankers are still ablaze, oil spills are washing ashore ​and drones and missiles have hit infrastructure across the region. On Thursday, Iran's military said four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz after ignoring warnings. Reuters could not immediately verify the Iranian accounts. Attacks on shipping in the Middle East have increased in recent weeks. The Strait of Hormuz ​carried nearly one-fifth of the world's crude oil before the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Elsewhere, Ukraine said its drones hit the port area of ​Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea in Russia's northwest, triggering a fire and damaging part of its network of fuel tanks, its latest attack on Russian ‌energy infrastructure. ⁠Ust-Luga is a major oil, oil products and grain outlet, along with other commodities. "The tit-for-tat exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and attacks on shipping by the IRGC are beginning to add ... price pressure," said Timothy Snyder, chief economist at Matador Economics. "It is beginning to look like investors are growing weary from hearing the same song on peace prospects." Oil fell $1 in early Asian trading before US President Donald Trump posted ​on social media that Washington ​did not need a deal with Iran. "Those ⁠days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!" he wrote. Also weighing on prices, OPEC+ data showed crude production rose in October, driven by higher Saudi Arabian ​output despite shipping disruptions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Ukraine peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US ​negotiators Steve Witkoff ⁠and Jared Kushner began in the Kremlin. In a potential breakthrough, a US envoy said Putin agreed to include European representatives in the next round of negotiations. In the US, crude, gasoline and distillate inventories rose last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Thursday. Washington is set to extend a waiver of ⁠a US ​law in the coming days allowing some foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and ​other commodities between US ports, four industry sources said on Thursday.

Oil prices hold gains as Trump sidelines Vance from Iran diplomacy -- Oil prices held onto gains on Friday (sic) after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington no longer needed a deal with Iran, weakening hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough to end the conflict and ease disruptions to Middle East energy supplies. At 18:52 ET (23:52 GMT)(Thursday), U.S. Crude Oil WTI Futures rose 0.07% to $88.80 a barrel. Brent Oil Futures settled 3.4% higher at $95.95 a barrel overnight.  Trump also instructed Vice President JD Vance to shift his attention towards domestic priorities rather than negotiations with Tehran, dealing another setback to efforts to revive back-channel discussions. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said Washington had secured significant financial leverage over Iran and control of the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it no longer needed an agreement with Tehran. Despite the latest gains, Brent was heading for a second consecutive weekly decline after reaching a six-month high in late October. Increased crude flows from the Middle East and hopes that Democrats' gains in the U.S. midterm elections would accelerate efforts to end the conflict have weighed on the global benchmark. However, oil futures remain nearly 60% higher year to date, reflecting the scale of supply disruptions caused by the war. Security risks across the Persian Gulf remain elevated. Risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft recorded 36 confirmed attacks on commercial vessels across the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began. Iran has also maintained a hardline position on nuclear negotiations, with its Supreme National Security Council secretary ruling out any removal of the country's enriched nuclear material. Attacks on vessels east of Hormuz have further underscored the risks to commercial shipping. On the supply side, OPEC crude production rose by 1.96 million barrels per day to 27.16 million bpd in October, approaching its pre-war level of 28.63 million bpd in February. Saudi Arabia led the recovery, increasing output to 10.56 million bpd from 8.37 million bpd in September. ANZ analysts cautioned that the recovery remains vulnerable, noting that "the recovery relies on workarounds rather than secure shipping lanes, so disruption risk remains." The bank also flagged growing risks to Russian energy supplies as Ukraine steps up attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

Oil Prices Edge Lower As US Maintains Iran Blockade Amid Continuing Supply Risks -International oil prices were little changed to lower on Friday, with Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate futures heading towards a second consecutive weekly decline. The market remained caught between expectations that the United States would maintain restrictions on Iranian oil shipments and continuing concerns about attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping routes in the Middle East. Brent crude futures slipped by one cent to $95.41 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude declined by 20 cents to $88.52 per barrel in early trading. Brent was on course to record a weekly decline of approximately 2.4%, while WTI was set to fall around 2.5%. The latest price movements followed substantial losses in the previous week, highlighting the volatility that has shaped energy markets during the ongoing regional conflict. US President Donald Trump indicated that the United States would continue its blockade of Iranian oil shipments and trade. His comments reduced expectations that a near-term agreement with Iran would quickly change the restrictions affecting the country's energy exports. The policy position has created a complicated outlook for oil markets. Continued restrictions can limit the volume of Iranian crude available to international buyers, while the possibility of a broader diplomatic settlement could reduce the perceived risk of further supply disruptions. Investors are also assessing the implications of the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran, which has entered its ninth month. The conflict has affected sentiment across the energy sector, with traders responding to developments involving regional infrastructure, shipping activity and government statements. Concerns about maritime security remain an important source of uncertainty. Reports have indicated that tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz, while Yemen's Houthi movement claimed attacks on Saudi energy facilities. Reuters noted that these claims had not been independently verified. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important route for international energy transportation. Any prolonged disruption could affect the movement of crude oil and other petroleum products from major Gulf producers to global markets. The market has therefore been responding to two opposing forces. Diplomatic developments and expectations of reduced conflict intensity can ease the risk premium in oil prices, while attacks on infrastructure and shipping can quickly restore concerns about supply security. Domestic supply data in the United States also contributed to the softer market environment. US crude inventories increased by 4.7 million barrels to 414.4 million barrels, according to the figures cited in the Reuters report. A rise in inventories can indicate that available supply is exceeding immediate demand or that refinery and export activity has changed. Although a single weekly increase does not establish a longer-term trend, it can influence short-term pricing expectations. Oil markets are likely to remain sensitive to developments in the Middle East, US policy decisions and inventory data. The prospect of a second consecutive weekly decline suggests that recent supply concerns have not completely reversed the downward momentum established earlier in the month. However, the persistence of geopolitical risks means that the outlook remains uncertain. Energy companies, transport operators and oil-importing economies will continue to assess how changing supply conditions could affect costs and business planning.

Oil Prices Edge Higher to End Turbulent Trading Week (DTN) -- Oil futures were steady Friday morning, with most contracts remaining largely flat on the week after having clawed back a substantial chunk of the losses from Monday's sell-off during a turbulent trading week. By 09:15 a.m. EST, ICE Brent for January delivery was up $0.82 to trade near $96.64 a barrel of crude oil (bbl), and NYMEX WTI for December delivery rose $0.34 to $89.08 bbl. Downstream, NYMEX ULSD for December delivery ticked up $0.0366 to $4.3231 gallon, while front-month RBOB futures slid $0.0025 to $2.6683 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index remained little changed, up 0.035 points to 103.13 against a basket of foreign currencies. Hopes of an imminent end to the war that resulted in the largest oil supply disruption in history, sparked by dovish comments from the White House and signs of diplomatic progress at the beginning of the week, quickly faded amid increasingly conflicting messaging around U.S.-Iranian peace prospects and continued attacks on tankers and oil infrastructure in the Middle East. The largest jump in prices this week came in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday saying that the U.S. should not seek a deal with Iran, and directing the Vice President, the most senior U.S. official leading diplomatic efforts to date, to instead focus on domestic policy. Reactions to this week's market outlook updates by main forecasters were mixed. The International Energy Agency on Friday said that the global oil market last month moved into a surplus for the first time since the beginning of the war and revised higher the expected decline in global demand to 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) averaged over the year. While rather bearish for crude, the same report also flagged a continuously tight diesel market that is likely to extend well into 2027, even when factoring in the sizable, coordinated release of strategic diesel stocks from its European partners. U.S. Energy Information Administration data published Thursday was equally mixed. Crude demand soared to a new seasonal high as refiners continued to profit from global fuels shortage induced high margins. At the same time, however, surprisingly large builds to refined fuel inventories -- distillate fuel oil stocks alone jumped by 4.1 million bbl last week -- stoked the flames of demand growth woes.

Oil prices post second straight weekly drop on signs of growing supply surplus – Oil weakened on Friday, notching a ​second straight weekly decline, as the market weighed signs of a growing global supply surplus and ‌Washington’s focus on blockading Iran while ramping up other economic pressures in the nine-month war. Brent futures settled at $95.84 a barrel, up 2 cents, or 0.02%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures finished at $88.56 a barrel, down 18 cents, or 0.20%. For the week, Brent and WTI ​both dropped about 2.5%. The benchmarks fell 16% and 13%, respectively, ​last week. With lower geopolitical risk from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the release ⁠on Friday of an International Energy Agency report pointing to a rise in the global oil surplus, the ​market is going through a major shift. “It’s clear the biggest fear a few months ago was a fear of ​shortage,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with the Price Futures Group. “Now it looks like the biggest fear is a surplus.” Oil had a volatile trading week, with earlier hopes for a rapprochement between the US and Iran offset by strikes on Saudi Arabian infrastructure by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis ​and attacks on tankers shipping crude out of the Gulf. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that a deal ​with Iran was not necessary to end the war. “The oil market is torn between increased supply coming out of the Middle East ‌and ⁠that there hasn’t been any change in the negotiating positions of the United States and Iran, which is refusing to allow nuclear inspectors into their country,” said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates. The weakness in oil prices is also tied to signs of softening US demand, as rising crude oil and fuel inventories indicate a relatively subdued ​consumption outlook, said Sugandha Sachdeva, founder ​of SS WealthStreet, a ⁠New Delhi-based research firm. U.S. crude and fuel inventories rose last week, driven by softer refined products demand and a jump in oil imports, the Energy Information Administration said on ​Thursday. Despite the easing prices, risks remain for oil shipments out of the Strait ​of Hormuz, the ⁠key waterway for crude exports from the main Middle East producers. On Thursday, Iran’s military said four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the waterway after ignoring warnings. Reuters could not immediately verify the Iranian accounts. That same day, ⁠the Houthis said ​they had attacked a pumping station on the Saudi East-West oil ​pipeline, an oil facility in the Saudi Red Sea city of Yanbu, and an Aramco building in the capital Riyadh.

Satellite images show oil in water off coasts of Oman, UAE | Watch  -Satellite images show oil in the water off the coasts of Oman and the United Arab Emirates as UAE's Khor Fakkan shut a beach on November 9 after detecting an oil spill along its coastline.

Iran Reports 5 Hormuz Mine Hits, Offers 2-Day Deal— Iran is running explosions and diplomacy in the Strait of Hormuz simultaneously because coercive diplomacy requires both — and the Democratic takeover of Congress on November 5 has compressed the timeline for everyone involved. On the same day that Iranian state media reported at least five vessels catching fire after hitting mines, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called six regional foreign ministers, including Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to discuss what IRNA described as “regional developments and diplomatic efforts” — while declaring the American response to Iran’s latest proposal “not convincing.” The pattern is not new. Since Iran resumed the Hormuz blockade on July 14, Tehran has paired every escalation with an offer and every offer with an escalation. What changed on November 5 is the political calendar: Trump retains his Iran war authority only until January 3, 2027, when the Democratic Congress convenes and can begin stripping it. For Saudi Arabia — exporting 5.52 million barrels per day in October through degraded routes while IRGC officials publicly threaten Gulf host states — the remaining 58 days may be the most consequential of the war. Iran’s approach to the strait has operated on two distinct tracks since July 14. The military track, run by the IRGC under Commander General Ahmad Vahidi’s inner circle — which ISW assessed had held “dominant control” over Iran’s military operations and diplomatic stance since at least April — mines the routes and enforces closure. The diplomatic track, led by Araghchi, engages Qatar-based mediators and proposes frameworks for reopening. The two tracks are simultaneous by design. On November 5, the IRGC announced that two tankers and a tugboat caught fire after hitting mines on what it called “unauthorized routes.” IRNA separately reported two more tankers struck mines around noon, bringing the single-day toll to at least five vessels. Iran’s state broadcaster had already claimed 11 tankers caught fire in Hormuz in the nine days before November 5, according to Iranian state media. UKMTO has not confirmed any of the vessels’ identities. Before the war, the strait handled 138 ships per day, according to JMIC; Iran’s mines have reduced that to a fraction. The IRGC accused the United States of “inciting vessels to cross a mined route” — language that frames the explosions as consequences of disobedience rather than acts of aggression. One vessel, the IRGC claimed, had “turned off detection and navigation systems,” shifting responsibility from the mine-layer to the ship’s master. At the same time, Araghchi was on the phone with six foreign ministers telling them diplomacy remained available. CSIS analysts have described Iran’s approach on the strait as treating military pressure and diplomatic engagement as parallel instruments rather than alternatives. The historical model that fits is not the Cold War standoff but the Korean War’s Panmunjom talks of 1951–53, when both sides fought and negotiated for two years. Academic research on coercive diplomacy has found that threats and sanctions against North Korea tended to provoke escalation, while inducements achieved better results. Scholars have cited Libya’s 2003 disarmament — built on sustained pressure paired with face-saving incentives, without explicit ultimatums — as the strongest recent case of the approach working. Iran’s current strategy places mines in the water and a two-day plan on the table on the same November 5 morning. Iran’s conditions for reopening Hormuz have been stated publicly by multiple officials, each calibrated to a different audience. SNSC Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said the conditions encompass “all seven” demands based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which briefly reopened the strait in June before collapsing in July. Majlis Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was blunt. Araghchi has outlined conditions in public statements without committing to a specific count: lifting sanctions imposed after the Islamabad MoU collapsed; reducing US military forces in the region; restoring oil waivers; releasing frozen Iranian funds held abroad; and formal recognition of an Iran-Oman designated shipping route with closure of all other routes. These are not negotiating positions in the usual sense — they are preconditions for the negotiation to begin. The conditions trace directly to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed on June 17, which had provided 60 days of toll-free passage through the strait and required Iran to end its blockade within 30 days. It included a reconstruction commitment of at least $300 billion. The agreement collapsed in July after three ships — including the Saudi-flagged Wedyan — were struck. CENTCOM responded by hitting more than 80 Iranian targets, and Trump declared the ceasefire “over” on July 8. Iran’s current demands repackage the MoU’s unfulfilled terms as prerequisites rather than negotiated outcomes, a distinction that makes them harder for Washington to accept without appearing to concede under duress. The gap between Iran’s voices is structural. Araghchi speaks in conditionality — the foreign minister told media the outcome of the two-day plan “depends on the US response” and that “if the United States accepts our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and negotiations will resume.” Rezaei, from the SNSC, delivers ultimatums: on November 3 he called the American response “unconvincing” and said the strait stays closed until Washington “explicitly accepts and acts on” all seven conditions. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei went furthest. Meeting with top military commanders on October 31 — in a session reported by both Khaleej Times and Asharq Al-Awsat — he ordered an “impactful, geographically unrestricted response” to any US attack and directed commanders to widen the target list to “all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy.” The session itself — eight months into the war — reveals as much about internal decision-making as the content of the order.

Iranian Media Reports Another US Strike Against Iran's Qeshm Island -   On Sunday, Iranian media reported another series of explosions on Iran’s Qeshm Island, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported the blasts as a US strike, though so far the US hasn’t claimed responsibility, and Tehran hasn’t officially blamed Washington.The apparent US strikes on Qeshm came a day after US Central Command announced that its forces bombed a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman that it claimed departed an Iranian port, as the US continues to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports.The announcement came shortly after CENTCOM said that it was expanding its blockade of Iran to the Caspian Sea and land routes across its border.Video of the bombing of the commercial vessel Huda released by CENTCOM.  CENTCOM said that it was establishing a “task force that will support ongoing US government efforts to prevent Iran from using ground routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials.” Iran has ramped up shipments by rail amid the US blockade.It remains unclear if the expanded blockade will mean airstrikes against ground targets in Iran, though the US attacks on Qeshm Island have become quite frequent. Iranian forces have also continued targeting commercial ships and downing US drones that are helping enforce the blockade.On Friday, President Trump said that the US carried out airstrikes against an air defense system on Qeshm, an attack he described as “minor.” More explosions were reported in Qeshm on Saturday, but it remains unclear if they were the result of US strikes.All of the developments demonstrate the fact that the US remains at war with Iran whether or not Trump decides to escalate into a full-scale bombing campaign. Trump told reporters on Sunday that it was “highly unlikely” he would need to order major strikes on Iran but also threatened to destroy the country’s civilian infrastructure, saying the US has picked out infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges “that we can knock down in literally ⁠one ​hour.”

UK Maritime Agency Reports Incident Involving Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz | Hasht-e Subh -  The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported an incident involving an oil tanker in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. The organisation reported the incident in the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday, November 11, citing military officials. The maritime security agency stated that the condition of the crew, the extent of any potential damage, and the environmental consequences of the incident remain unknown. However, the organisation provided no details about the nature of the incident or when it occurred. This comes as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently reported that an oil tanker it described as a “violator” had caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz.

NCC Fajr Attacked in Hormuz as Iran Claims 2 Ships Struck  — A Saudi Arabia-flagged chemical tanker operated by a subsidiary of the kingdom’s national shipping company was involved in a suspected attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. All crew aboard the vessel, NCC Fajr, are safe, India’s shipping minister confirmed. The tanker is owned by National Chemical Carriers, a joint venture in which Bahri — the state-linked national shipping company — holds 80 percent. The incident came the day after the Saudi Cabinet publicly called for an immediate end to threats against navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb. Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed on the same day that two tankers exploded after striking naval mines in Hormuz — though no Iranian source named NCC Fajr, and it remains unclear whether the IRGC’s claim and the NCC Fajr incident describe the same event or different ones. NCC Fajr follows two earlier Bahri-linked vessels that were attacked during the Hormuz crisis: the VLCC Sidr, in which two Filipino crew members were killed on August 31, and the tanker Wedyan, damaged in July. One day after the NCC Fajr incident, the IRGC issued a broader claim: two supertankers carrying over 4 million barrels combined were ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz after crossing what the IRGC described as an unauthorized southern route, according to Mehr News Agency on November 12. No vessel names or independent maritime confirmation accompanied the claim. NCC Fajr, a Saudi Arabia-flagged chemical and oil products tanker with IMO number 9595644, was involved in a suspected attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on November 11, 2026, according to reports by the Khaleej Times, ANI, and the Freepressjournal. The vessel is an Aframax/LR2-class tanker of approximately 81,336 deadweight tonnage (DWT), built in 2013, according to VesselFinder and Maritime Optima shipping databases. India’s Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, confirmed on social media platform X that “all 3 Indian nationals, along with the entire crew are safe.” Sonowal added that Indian authorities were monitoring the situation and “remained in regular contact with the ship management company,” ANI and the Khaleej Times reported on November 11. The Strait of Hormuz, 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, separates Iran to the north from the Musandam Peninsula of Oman to the south. The world’s most critical oil chokepoint, it carries roughly 20 percent of global oil supply. Iran’s IRGC declared it closed on October 26, 2026. Photo: NASA GSFC MODIS Land Rapid Response Team / Public Domain The nature and cause of the incident remain disputed. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately reported on November 11 that a tanker was struck by an “unidentified projectile” in the area, with all crew safe, according to Riviera Maritime Media. Iran’s army told state media that an oil tanker struck a “naval mine” and caught fire in the eastern Strait, the Khaleej Times reported. No independent body had confirmed which account is accurate as of November 11, and the cause of the incident was still under assessment at the time of initial reports. TradeWinds, a shipping industry publication, reported the vessel at approximately 17:30 UTC on November 11 as a “Bahri product tanker linked to Hormuz ‘attack.’” The word “linked to” in that framing reflects Bahri’s role as the operational manager of NCC Fajr, rather than the vessel’s registered owner. The incident occurred on the same day that the Indian-linked VLCC MT Fujairah Energy was struck by a projectile in the Persian Gulf, injuring four crew members, according to India’s shipping ministry. November 10-11 saw multiple maritime security incidents reported across the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf, according to Riviera Maritime Media.NCC Fajr is owned by National Chemical Carriers Ltd (NCC), a joint venture established in 1990 in which Bahri — the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia — holds 80 percent and SABIC holds the remaining 20 percent, according to Offshore Energy reporting and the Equasis maritime database as cited by Riviera Maritime Media on November 11. Operational management of the vessel is handled by Bahri Shipmanagement, a UAE-registered entity listed in the Equasis records. Saudi state entities are Bahri’s largest shareholders. The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, holds approximately 22 percent of Bahri, while the Saudi Aramco Development Company (SADCO) holds approximately 20 percent, according to PIF’s portfolio disclosures. Bahri is listed on the Saudi stock exchange (Tadawul).

Tankers burn in the Middle East despite hopes for de-escalation (Reuters) - In the Strait of Hormuz, tankers are still ablaze, oil spills are washing ashore and drones and missiles strike infrastructure across the region, despite expectations of a de-escalation reflected in falling oil prices.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported on Wednesday another incident involving a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran said an oil tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine.Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.Videos posted on social media on Sunday and verified by Reuters showed a Navig8 tanker on fire near the coast of Oman. Iran claimed responsibility for hitting three tankers the same day for using "unauthorised routes" through the Strait of Hormuz.An image captured by the European Union's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite on Sunday showed a large cloud of black smoke at the same location. Navig8, majority owned by ADNOC Logistics & Services, did not reply to emailed Reuters requests for comment.US forces have also continued to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports. A US military aircraft fired on and disabled a St Kitts-flagged cargo vessel that tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port on Saturday, US Central Command saidAttacks in the strait have caused environmental damage, with oil leaking from damaged tankers. A video shared on social media on Monday, and verified by Reuters, showed oil reaching the shores of Oman, while satellite imagery showed oil spills off the coast of Oman and UAE. The Omani government did not respond to Reuters request on Tuesday for comment on the video of oil reaching Omani shores.Elsewhere in the region, energy infrastructure and civilian facilities have also come under attack. The Iran-backed Houthis have struck targets including the offices of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company. Video verified by Reuters showed damage to Aramco's office building in Riyadh, following Houthi-claimed missile strikes on November 8.The Saudi Energy Ministry said that a building belonging to Aramco in Riyadh had been targeted in an attempted attack, with debris causing limited damage to the building with no injuries or fatalities. The International Maritime Organization has confirmed 133 incidents, most of them attacks, in the region since the conflict began in late February, with at least 25 seafarers killed.

Iranian Media Reports 'Enemy Strike' in Sirik -   Iranian media reported on Thursday that an “enemy strike” hit Sirik, a county in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province along the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions continue to rise in the region amid the continued US blockade of Iran.The report didn’t blame the US, and so far there have been no public comments from Iranian or US officials about the attack, but the US has been launching strikes against Iran in recent weeks, mainly targeting Qeshm Island.Some of the US strikes have been acknowledged by President Trump, but for the most part the attacks haven’t been publicized. Iranian officials have also downplayed the US strikes, though Iranian forces have also been launching attacks in the region.Iran reportedly struck navigation systems on the Omani island of Didamar in the Strait of ​Hormuz on Tuesday, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues to attack commercial ships. The IRGC said on Thursday that two “offending oil tankers that had entered the prohibited and unsafe area east of the Strait of Hormuz, disregarding warnings and switching off their radar systems, caught fire after striking a naval mine.”The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Thursday that a ship had been hit by an unknown projectile in the strait, though the date and time of the attack were unclear. It also said that on Wednesday, a tanker was struck inside the Persian Gulf near the UAE.

Massive Explosion and Fire Hits Gas Carrier in Eastern Strait of Hormuz - – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said a gas carrier caught fire and suffered a massive explosion after striking a sea mine in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. According to the IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office, the vessel had repeatedly ignored warnings and attempted to navigate through an unauthorized and dangerous southern route in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement said the vessel had chosen to rely on U.S. fighter aircraft support to make the passage, but struck a naval mine and suffered a powerful explosion. The IRGC Navy said the Strait of Hormuz is being “firmly and decisively” managed and warned that any vessel violating Iranian regulations or ignoring warnings from the Strait’s traffic control center and entering unauthorized and dangerous routes would face the same fate as previous vessels.

Four tankers struck by explosions in Strait of Hormuz, Iran says (Reuters) - Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in ​the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's military said on Thursday, adding that the vessels ‌had ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas of the strategic waterway.Tankers are still facing attacks across the strait, despite a rebound in traffic and expectations of a de-escalation in the war between the United ​States and Iran that have been reflected in falling oil prices.Iran's Revolutionary Guards ​Navy said two supertankers were disabled by explosions on Wednesday after they ⁠ignored warnings against using what it said was an "unauthorised route".Reuters could not immediately verify the ​Iranian account.The two vessels "exploded after hitting naval mines", Iranian state media reported, broadcasting what it ​said was video footage of the incidents.Iran's army later said two other tankers had hit mines on Thursday afternoon while sailing through the eastern Strait of Hormuz after ignoring warnings and disabling their radar systems, state ​TV reported. The tankers entered a restricted area and subsequently caught fire, it reported.Earlier ​in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began in February, the IRGC Navy announced its attacks on tankers. More ‌recently, ⁠however, it has instead reported that vessels have caught fire after hitting naval mines while traversing the southern part of the strait, which it has declared an unauthorised route.In several of those cases, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has said vessels had been struck ​by unknown projectiles.The UKMTO ​said in reports ⁠on Thursday that a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on ​Wednesday while exiting the strait, causing a fire in its engine ​room.Firefighting efforts were ⁠under way and all crew had been evacuated, it added.At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, which was the highest ⁠monthly tally ​since the conflict began in late February, according to ​data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

140 Ships Targeted in 144 Attacks in Strait of Hormuz Since February 28 - – According to OSINT data, 144 attacks have been recorded against 140 non-compliant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, with eight ships sunk. Several vessels have been targeted more than once. February 28, 2026, is the date when the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes against Iran, targeting both military and civilian infrastructure. The Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced several times that safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is only possible through routes designated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Yesterday, IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebi also reiterated that the IRGC Navy has “complete control” over the Strait of Hormuz, saying control of the strategic waterway is “100 percent” in the hands of the IRGC Navy. Meanwhile, IRGC Navy Commander Ozamaiy accused the United States of misleading oil tankers about the Strait of Hormuz. “The smuggler and humiliated U.S. military, which itself does not dare approach the Strait of Hormuz, is sending helpless oil tankers into walls of fire by falsely claiming that the Strait of Hormuz is open.”

Drone Hits Gas Field in Iraq's Kurdistan Region - - A drone hit the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region on Sunday night, suspending production at the field, sources have told Reuters. The report said that the drone struck a storage tank, causing a fire that was still raging. The Khor Mor gas field, owned by the UAE-based Dana Gas, has been attacked multiple times in recent years, though no one has claimed responsibility for the strike so far.The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) electricity ministry said its electricity generation capacity will drop by 2,800 megawatts after the field shut down production.Rudaw reported that Telegram channels affiliated with Iraq’s Iran-aligned Shia militias said the attack was carried out using a “suicide drone,” but there was no sign that the posts included a claim of responsibility.The Rudaw report said that it “came after nearly a four-month lull in attacks targeting the field on which the Kurdistan Region relies to generate the majority of its electricity and supply household cooking gas.”The drone attack appeared to occur after Iranian media reported that the US launched strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island, attacks that have become common over the past week. The US has also been ramping up its military presence in the region as it prepares for the possibility of resuming the full-scale bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic.

US-Israeli war on Iran inflicts $1 trillion in economic losses on Persian Gulf states: Report - The US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran has inflicted more than $200 billion in physical damage across Persian Gulf states and is projected to wipe out $790 billion in economic growth by 2030. According to an Allianz Trade report, the devastating economic fallout is now forcing Washington’s regional Arab allies to tap into their sovereign wealth funds and scale back ambitious development projects. The report estimates that the combined impact of physical destruction and lost economic output amounts to nearly $1 trillion, with energy infrastructure, tourism, real estate and regional trade among the hardest-hit sectors. More than $200 billion in physical damage has been recorded across the region, particularly in economies affected by restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Beyond the immediate destruction, the report estimates that the Persian Gulf economies will lose $790 billion in cumulative output between 2026 and 2030 compared with pre-war growth projections, equivalent to 5.9 percent of their combined GDP over the five-year period. To cushion the economic fallout, Persian Gulf states are expected to redirect approximately $120 billion from their sovereign wealth funds into domestic investment by 2030, reducing the resources available for overseas investments. Meanwhile, surplus earnings from trade and foreign holdings are projected to decline by half. The US-Israeli aggression is also forcing regional states to reconsider their development priorities, shifting expenditure away from ambitious mega-projects towards economic resilience, domestic infrastructure and military expenditures. These expenditures are expected to reach $380–400 billion by 2030, potentially creating around $160 billion in opportunities for private-sector and foreign investors. Despite the broader economic damage, Saudi Aramco reported a 34.6 percent increase in third-quarter net profit, supported by higher oil prices despite restrictions affecting access to the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab. However, the International Monetary Fund has downgraded its outlook for Saudi Arabia, projecting a 3.3 percent economic contraction this year, five percentage points below its July forecast. In October, IMF Middle East and Central Asia Department Director Jihad Azour warned that oil-producing Persian Gulf economies would struggle to return to their pre-war growth trajectories in the medium term, citing lasting damage across multiple economic sectors. Although regional economies initially relied on strategic reserves, stockpiles, alternative suppliers and alternative shipping routes to limit the disruption to energy markets, these buffers are approaching depletion. The Allianz report and IMF assessments suggest that the duration of the conflict will be decisive in determining the scale of the economic fallout, with a prolonged war threatening to deepen financial losses, delay development programs and undermine the Persian Gulf's long-term economic diversification ambitions. Washington imposed the illegal naval blockade in April, following the US-Israeli aggression launched against Iran on February 28. Tehran retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israeli-occupied territories and US bases and interests across the region, while restricting US and allied vessels from passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The move disrupted global energy supplies, sending oil and fuel prices soaring, particularly in the United States. Washington and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have since released strategic oil reserves several times in an effort to ease supply pressures. The role of Persian Gulf Arab governments in the war has also come under increasing scrutiny, particularly given their longstanding military and security partnerships with Washington and their hosting of major American military installations across the region. Bahrain hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, Qatar hosts the strategically important Al Udeid Air Base, while Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also maintain extensive military cooperation with Washington. These installations provide the United States with a significant military presence across West Asia and have placed the region's governments at the center of the aggression against Iran. Questions have also emerged over the extent to which some Persian Gulf governments encouraged Washington's war on Tehran and subsequently facilitated its continuation. Reuters reported in March that some Persian Gulf governments were pressing Washington to continue weakening Iran's military capabilities rather than end the war without addressing what they considered Tehran's regional military influence. Such reports have intensified scrutiny of the political positions adopted by governments that publicly maintain they seek regional stability while continuing to rely on American military protection. There have also been reports of regional logistical and military assistance to US strikes and formally participating in military aggression and facilitating it through strategic partnerships. Tehran has repeatedly warned that countries allowing their territories, military installations or resources to be used in attacks against Iran would bear responsibility for their involvement. Iranian officials have said that the presence of American military bases throughout the region has transformed neighboring countries into potential launchpads for military aggression and, consequently, exposed them to Iranian retaliation. Iranian retaliatory strikes against US assets damaged military bases and more than 80 energy facilities, mainly in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. Approximately one-third of the affected facilities sustained heavy damage. Damage to energy infrastructure, disruption of maritime trade, declining investor confidence and mounting reconstruction costs have raised serious questions about the long-term consequences of hosting foreign military forces and aligning regional security arrangements with Washington's military strategy.

Saudi Airstrikes on Homes in Yemen's Sanaa Province Massacre 44 Civilians: Health Ministry -   The death toll in Saudi airstrikes that hit civilian homes in the Bani Hashish District of Yemen’s Sanaa province on Saturday has risen to 44, according to the Health Ministry within the Sanaa-based Ansar Allah-led Yemeni government.The death toll makes the attack the worst civilian massacre committed by the US-backed Saudi coalition since Riyadh reignited the war back in July by bombing the Sanaa International Airport.According to Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Anis al-Asbahi, who announced the updated death toll,21 children and 10 women were among those killed. Another 40 Yemenis, including eight children and nine women, were wounded.The strike came a day after Ansar Allah, the Houthis, said that Saudi airstrikes hit a crowded market in the southwestern Taiz province, killing at least 30 people. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed the market was hit by Houthi ballistic missiles, but it provided no evidence for the claim, and the Saudi bombing campaign has been killing scores of civilians.According to the Yemen Data Project, the Saudi bombing campaign killed at least 140 civilians and wounded 286 in October, making it the worst month for civilian harm from Saudi airstrikes in Yemen since December 2017.The YDP also reported that at least 66 civilians were killed and 90 were wounded by Saudi airstrikes in September, when the war significantly escalated as Ansar Allah began a ground offensive and made rapid gains. While a large number of civilians are being killed, the Saudi airstrikes have done nothing to roll back Ansar Allah’s gains.The Saudi bombing campaign is strongly backed by the US, which has up to 200 military advisors deployed in Saudi Arabia to provide intelligence and targeting support. The US has also resumed refueling Saudi warplanes, a form of support that was cut off back in 2018.

Houthi missile debris smashes into Saudi skyscraper --Debris from a Houthis missile or drone struck a landmark skyscraper in Ryadh. Parts of a projectile, intercepted over the Saudi capital, hit the offices of Aramco, the state owned oil company. The strike marks another escalation in the kingdom’s war with the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Houthi fighters have attacked Riyadh airport in recent weeks while gaining territory against Saudi-backed forces along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Video footage from Riyadh on Sunday morning showed smoke rising from the damaged Al-Aqiq commercial tower, a landmark edifice known as Villas in the Sky. Clips showed significant structural damage to the upper floors, with glass shattered and damage to part of the tower’s façade. Information on missile attacks is tightly controlled but one witness on the ground told the AFP news agency: “Aramco tower in KAFD has been targeted, that’s the sure thing.” The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh. “Air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorist militia towards Riyadh,” Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, a coalition spokesman, said on X after loud explosions were heard in the capital. The King Abdullah Financial District stands as a high-profile symbol of Saudi Arabia’s economic modernisation, housing major financial institutions and international corporate headquarters within its cluster of glass skyscrapers. Targeting the district marks a major escalation in the kingdom’s fight with the Houthis. The Houthis are thought to have demanded $51bn from Saudi Arabia to end the war, claiming the sum was needed to cover the cost of years of Saudi strikes. Saudi Arabia fiercely denied that the Houthis demanded money from Riyadh. However, sources in the Gulf insisted to The Telegraph the demands were genuine. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed responsibility for a series of missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi oil facilities and King Khalid International airport in Riyadh. He said six military operations were carried out against the kingdom using ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles. “The first operation targeted Khalid International airport, oil storage tanks, and a distillation tower belonging to Aramco in the Saudi enemy’s capital, Riyadh, and, by Allah’s grace, successfully achieved its objective,” Mr Saree said. He added that the attacks were launched in response to Saudi aggression against Yemen. The latest incident comes a day after Yemen’s Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi air strikes killed at least 33 people near Sanaa. Saudi authorities said they were investigating.

Saudi Arabia reports new attack on key East-West pipeline - Saudi Arabia’s critical East-West oil pipeline has suffered another attack, according to state media. An official at the Saudi Ministry of Energy said that the pipeline was targeted in the Medina region in the west of the country on Monday, causing a “limited fire” that was extinguished, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “No injuries or fatalities were reported, and pipeline operations were unaffected,” it said. The report did not identify the party behind the attack, but fighting continues to intensify between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government coalition that it backs, and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The pipeline is essential for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, which remains tightly constricted by the US-Israel war on Iran. It has come under attack several times as the war on Iran fuels a global energy crisis. The Houthis have also repeatedly targeted Saudi oil infrastructure, including refineries and storage facilities, with drones and missiles. The 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline runs through the desert across the Arabian Peninsula. It was shut down for several days in September after drone attacks, which Saudi Arabia said were launched from Iraq. Since the conflict disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh has rerouted about 4 million barrels per day of crude via the East-West pipeline to Yanbu, equivalent to about 4 percent of global supply.

Yemeni forces, Houthis exchange attacks, claim to inflict heavy losses | Al Jazeera - Fighting continues to rage in Yemen, with forces aligned with the country’s internationally recognised government claiming to have killed and wounded at least 190 Houthi fighters in hundreds of air and artillery attacks. Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili, a spokesman for Yemen’s government forces, said on Tuesday that the attacks targeted Houthi positions in Lahij, Taiz, Marib, al-Jawf, Hajjah and al-Bayda governorates. In a statement, he said Yemeni government forces carried out at least 29 air strikes and 39 drone attacks. They also fired 62 rockets and carried out 744 artillery attacks, he added. “Initial field reports indicate that about 190 Houthi commanders and fighters were killed or injured,” al-Nuzaili said. Up to 130 vehicles and combat assets used by the Iran-allied group were damaged or destroyed, he said. Al Jazeera could not verify the battlefield claims. The fighting in Yemen comes amid regional tensions triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has launched a counteroffensive, dubbed Operation Dawn of Yemen, to retake territory lost to the Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God), in September. The Saudi-led coalition has supported the government’s ground campaign with air strikes, and the Houthis have fired missiles at the kingdom, targeting airports and oil facilities. According to the World Health Organization, at least 1,771 people have been killed in the hostilities in Yemen since August, with at least 7,959 wounded. More than 300,000 people have also been displaced. The Houthis, for their part, also claimed to have killed and wounded “a large number” of government-aligned fighters in attacks on al-Madaribah and Ras al-Ara areas in the Lahij governorate on Tuesday. Yahya Saree, the Houthi spokesman, said dozens more government soldiers were killed and wounded in attacks on al-Jawf earlier in the day. Separately, Saree also accused Yemen’s Saudi-backed forces of launching 109 air strikes and missile attacks on the rebel-controlled capital, Sanaa, as well as on Houthi positions in al-Jawf, Saada, Taiz, Lahij and Marib. He said the attacks killed and wounded “a large number of women and children”. The Saudi-led coalition did not immediately confirm the strikes. Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two missiles fired by the Houthis towards the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, and another aimed at its southern region. The Houthis said they targeted the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and an Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq in the kingdom’s Eastern province.

Yemen's Houthis say they attacked pumping station on Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on ​Thursday they had attacked a pumping station on the Saudi East-West oil pipeline, ‌an oil facility in the Saudi Red Sea city of Yanbu, and an Aramco building in the capital Riyadh. The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said later on Thursday it had intercepted and destroyed two drones ​launched by the group, one in the Riyadh region and another in the kingdom's ​oil-rich Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ⁠The Houthis did not specify which day they had carried out the attacks. The group has ​been firing ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi airports, ports and oil installations, turning US ally ​Saudi Arabia into a pressure point in a war that began with the US and Israel attacking Iran in February. With the conflict in the Middle East disrupting oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh has rerouted ​about 4 million barrels per day of crude via the East-West Pipeline to Yanbu, equivalent ​to about 4% of global supply. The pipeline has spared Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter, from the brunt ‌of the ⁠impact of the wartime shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled exports from its neighbours. Advertisement · Scroll to continue Separately, the Houthi military spokesperson on Thursday denied that the group had targeted Mecca with two ballistic missiles that Saudi Arabia's civil defence said had been intercepted and destroyed on Wednesday, ​with debris falling in ​the Mecca region, including ⁠in Sabuhah village. The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, rejecting previous Saudi-led coalition accusations that they had ​launched drones toward the cities. The Houthis seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, ​prompting Saudi ⁠Arabia to intervene militarily the following year in support of the internationally recognised government. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely froze the conflict, but hostilities resumed earlier this year, with the Houthis launching missile ⁠and drone ​attacks on Saudi territory and Riyadh carrying out airstrikes ​in Yemen. The latest escalation has threatened the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route linking the Red Sea and the ​Gulf of Aden.

Katz Says Israel's War Against Iran Is 'Not Complete' - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel’s Iran “mission is still not complete,” as the US and Israel continue to prepare for the resumption of major strikes against the Islamic Republic.“With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete,” Katz said, according to AFP. The Israeli minister went on to claim that Iran was “trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons,” though there was no evidence either before the June 2025 war or the current conflict that Tehran was pursuing nuclear weapons. The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday that Israel was prepared for the possibility of President Trump ordering major attacks on Iran over the weekend, but that no such order was issued. However, the US does appear to be continuing strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, where explosions have been reported several days in a row.Katz’s comments came after Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government, which will likely make Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more desperate to escalate against Iran.Katz also repeated his frequent vow that Israel won’t withdraw from occupied territory in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, and warned that if Hezbollah participated in a renewed Iran war, Israel would escalate against Lebanon, where the IDF’s occupation and destruction campaign continues each day.“We will not withdraw from the security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and if the terrorist organization Hezbollah chooses to join Iran in an attack on Israel, it will suffer extremely severe blows,” Katz said.

Israel Expands Infantry Brigades, Anticipating Another Lebanon Escalation - The most recent round of trilateral talks between the US, Israel and Lebanon ended inconclusively, with no date even set for the next attempt at negotiations. Given how little the past “deals” actually accomplished for Lebanon, the lack of progress didn’t seem that relevant, but the election results in Israel and the US may have made them so.There is some hope that the Israel election, which seems poised to install Gadi Eisenkot, will mean a government more inclined to end the occupation. At the same time, a new round of talks seems substantially less likely until the fallout from the votes resolves, and even then, it’s not clear anyone will immediately be more inclined for a deal-making.The Israeli military, for its part, seems to be anticipating yet further escalation, building up Northern Command and expanding infantry brigades along the Lebanon frontier. Israeli media reported that the IDF was also preparing for an October 7-style attack from Hezbollah.  This talk of a “new” Lebanon war has been going on for awhile, framed as an extension of a potential new round of aggression against Iran. The assumption seems to be, as Israel launched the Lebanon war in March almost immediately following the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran, another new round of fighting in Iran would naturally extend to Lebanon. The attempts to sell these as “new” wars makes little sense in the context of Lebanon, as the March war never really ended, and Israel continues to occupy a substantial portion of southern Lebanon.Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to seize more territory and to see Lebanon’s Shi’ite population “annihilated” if Hezbollah attacks them, though again, given the active occupation what Hezbollah perceives as “resistance” could easily be seen as an attack by Israeli officials, who are presenting southern Lebanon’s occupation as the establishment of a “permanent” security zone.Past negotiations have attempted to reach deals in which Lebanon agreed that Hezbollah doesn’t have a right to resist the occupation, but since Hezbollah was never a party to the talks, they’ve been rather public about not considering themselves obliged to comply with those deals, and have consistently argued that the talks make no sense without a commitment to end the war or the occupation.

Israeli Forces Shell Area Around Key Southwest Syrian Dam - Israeli ground troops continued their operations across southwest Syria today, setting up a checkpoint in Quneitra Governorate, raiding areas and searching locals. Israeli warplanes were also reported overhead in neighboring Rif Damasq and Daraa Governorates. Among the military operations in central Quneitra was also a heavy artillery shelling in the area around al-Mantara Dam, the largest dam in the governorate and an important source of fresh water for the region’s agricultural industries. IDF raids in the town of Jbata al-Khashab were also reported today, with at least one local reported detained by the troops. As is often the case, the IDF has issued no statement about why they detained the young man, or where he is being held. Such detentions are unfortunately not unusual. The troops regularly capture young men, often release them in a matter of hours or days, but sometimes they hold them far longer, with an occasional detainee turning up as much as a year after their disappearance. At any given time, reports suggest Israel is holding in excess of 45 Syrians without charges. Yesterday, Israeli troops also confronted a group of civilians harvesting olives in the area around al-Rufayd. The troops reportedly searched a number of the workers before expelling them from the area and ordering them not to return.Agriculture is a major part of the economy in Quneitra, and Israel’s operations are focused both on controlling water supplies and on severely restricting civilian movement in the region, both of which are anathema to such an industry, as farm work generally takes place outside of the towns and villages.

Israel Continues Bombing Gaza as Floods Devastate Families Living in Tents -  Israeli attacks continued to pound Gaza on Sunday despite the devastation facing displaced Palestinian civilians after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents over the weekend.The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that on Sunday night, an Israeli strike on the al-Mawasi tent camp west of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killed at least two Palestinians, including one woman. Several other Palestinians were also wounded in the attack.The Anadolu Agency reported that an Israeli strike in northern Gaza wounded at least four people, including one who was in critical condition. Sources told the outlet that there was also a strike in central Gaza, and a woman was injured by gunfire to the northeast of Khan Younis.Also on Sunday, a steep sand dune collapsed onto tents in Ard El-Rebat displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killing at least five Palestinians, including three children. At least one building damaged by previous Israeli attacks collapsed on Saturday.  Amid the devastation due to the heavy rains, official Israeli social media accounts made light of the situation, with a State of Israel X account run by the Israeli Foreign Ministry writing, “Contrary to popular belief, Israel does not control the weather.”But Israel does control what enters Gaza, and Palestinian civilians are still living in tents and bombed-out buildings more than one year after a so-called ceasefire deal was signed due to a joint US and Israeli decision not to allow reconstruction to take place.Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and a family friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said back in August that the US “will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt” until it is “demilitarized.” His comments came about a month after the US announced that Hamas agreed to a deal that would see the group give up its weapons, a proposal that Netanyahu rejected.  The US has continued to back Israel’s attacks despite Israel rejecting the Hamas disarmament proposal. Since the ceasefire deal was signed in October 2025, the IDF has killed at least 1,610 Palestinians and wounded 5,819, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, as Israel has constantly violated the agreement with daily strikes.

Iran slams Western media for ignoring Israel’s ‘silent genocide’ in Gaza -Iran has censured Western media outlets for not covering Israel’s "silent genocide" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where heavy rain floods displaced families’ makeshift shelters. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the criticism in an X post on Thursday, a few days after thousands of Palestinians lost their tents and belongings as rainfall and strong winds began lashing Gaza, causing damaged buildings to collapse across the besieged territory which has been leveled to the ground by the occupying regime. “The disastrous situation in Gaza is no longer making headlines in Western media,” he said. “A Silent Genocide is going on with almost zero attention. It is shameful. And an indication that Israel has succeeded in one aspect of its effort to start wars to divert attention on failures.” From the evening of November 6 through the weekend, torrential rain hit the Gaza Strip, submerging 70,000 tents and affecting approximately 350,000 people. On Sunday, three children and two women were killed after the collapse of a rain-soaked sand bank overlooking a displacement camp south of the city of Deir al-Balah. The impact of the weather is compounded by wartime destruction in Gaza, where most people remain displaced, and an estimated 65 percent live in tents or makeshift shelters – that is 1.4 million people. Meanwhile, Israel is blocking humanitarian aid into the besieged territory in defiance of calls to allow the entry of essential winter supplies. Bashar Murad, director of health programs at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the Gaza Strip, warned of a worsening health and humanitarian situation amid freezing temperatures and a lack of medicines, winter clothing, and heating equipment. He said that the mixing of rainwater with sewage in displacement camps threatens to spread diseases, infections and epidemics. The Israeli regime waged the Gaza genocide on October 7, 2023, after the resistance group Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians. Two years later, however, Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire after it failed to achieve declared objectives. Since then, Israel has violated the truce with near-daily attacks on Gaza. It has killed a total of 74,609 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 175,872 others over the past more than three years.

Eisenkot Tells Netanyahu To Hold Off on Military Escalations During Transition Period - Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of Israel’s Yashar party, who’s been tasked with forming a new Israeli government, has urged caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on military escalations during the transition period amid reports that Netanyahu is pushing for a renewed bombing campaign against Iran.“In recent weeks, deeply concerning reports have been published about extraneous considerations being introduced into the holiest of holies, Israel’s security,” Eisenkot said in a letter to Netanyahu, according to The Times of Israel.Eisenkot told Netanyahu that he has to “exercise extra caution and responsibility in making security and national decisions” and that deploying “the security forces without a direct and immediate threat that cannot wait could have devastating consequences for Israeli democracy and public trust in the institutions of government.”“I demand that you act with national responsibility during this sensitive period. Show restraint and caution, and refrain from dangerous moves that can wait until a new government with the Knesset’s confidence is sworn in,” he added.Separately, Eisenkot has alleged that Netanyahu’s team has failed to provide him with security briefings, and he has asked Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to intervene.Eisenkot’s efforts come after the Financial Times reported that Netanyahu had been calling President Trump every day to urge a new escalation against Iran. “Netanyahu calls him every day [to urge him to resume the war]. Those who don’t want a war within the White House and outside have been trying to combat that,” a source told the outlet.It’s unlikely that Eisenkot, a former IDF general known for developing the Dahiya doctrine, an Israeli military strategy that calls for the use of massive force and large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure to combat groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, will bring much change to Israel’s wars and occupations in the region if he is successful in forming a government.Katz Says Israeli Government Doesn't Need Opposition's Approval To Launch Attacks - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that the caretaker government doesn’t need approval of the “opposition” to launch attacks in any of Israel’s various wars and occupations.The comments from Katz came after Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of Israel’s Yashar party, who’s been tasked with forming a new government, warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against any major military escalation during the transition.“We do not need approval from the opposition or any legal authority to direct the IDF to carry out targeted killings in Gaza, defensive and offensive operations in Lebanon, maintain the security zone in Syria to protect the communities of the Golan, clear a terrorist neighborhood in Hebron … and continue offensive operations against terrorism in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank),” Katz wrote on X.While Katz is framing the issue around Israel’s ongoing military operations, Eisenkot doesn’t appear to be troubled by the current conflicts but is rather concerned about the risk of Netanyahu launching a major escalation to attempt to keep himself in power, such as an attack on Iran.“We have also demonstrated resolve and sound judgment toward Iran, in full coordination with the IDF—and that will remain the case now, as circumstances require,” Katz said. “Israel’s security is not on hold and is not waiting for the political processes taking place in parallel.”Israeli media has reported that the Israeli government has taken steps to prepare for strikes on Iran, and that a meeting of the security cabinet is being convened on Sunday for the first time in more than a month. Katz met with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Thursday and said that he and Netanyahu and the Israeli army chief see “eye to eye on the Iranian issue in all its aspects, and we will continue to work together and do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of the State of Israel and protect its citizens.”Also on Thursday, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu held a two-hour security briefing with Eisenkot, which came after Eisenkot complained to the attorney general that his repeated requests for briefings were being ignored.

US Air Force relocates aircraft from a base in England because of a threat, US official says   (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has relocated aircraft from a base in eastern England because of a threat, U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity, said that it spotted 13 U.S. aircraft stationed at RAF Mildenhall departing for bases in Scotland, Spain and Germany. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the evacuation, said that the threat related to Iran. The report cited “people familiar with the matter.” The relocation of the aircraft came less than two months after the U.S. Air Force withdrew its bombers from another U.S.-run base in Britain, RAF Fairford, as police investigated a suspected terror plot linked to Iran. Bombers flying out of RAF Fairford had been used to strike Iran during the Middle East conflict. Some of the aircraft that were relocated were permanently based at RAF Mildenhall, while others were there on rotation and included a combination of Osprey aircraft and midair refueling tankers, the Military Air Tracking Alliance said. The base also raised its alert level to FPCON Charlie — the second highest level — the organization said. That applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely. The decision to move the aircraft was proactive rather than reactive, a U.S. official said, adding that the U.S. military is agile to potential threats. Some of the planes that left were in transit while others were permanently stationed at RAF Mildenhall and they may return, the official said. The official didn’t elaborate on the nature and source of the threat. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States is “constantly repositioning forces around the world for a variety of reasons,” and referred questions to the Pentagon, which didn’t provide immediate confirmation. An official from the U.S. Air Force in Europe told the AP that the U.S. is “taking coordinated and appropriate actions” to ensure the safety and security of U.S. and U.K. personnel and their families. The official said that aircraft are rotated between bases for various reasons, including training and “real world requirements.” The official said that the U.S. military constantly assesses a variety of factors that determine what security measures are implemented. The official wouldn’t provide further information on movement of assets or specific force protection for reasons of operational security. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about sensitive military matters. The U.K. prime minister’s office said that British air bases are safe and their security is a top priority. The office said that the U.K. is in constant communication with the U.S., sharing intelligence and assessing threats together. RAF Mildenhall, a U.K. base operated by the U.S. Air Force, hosts the 100th refueling wing, the only permanent refueling wing in the European region. It operates the KC-135 Stratotanker, a four-engine jet aircraft with a wingspan of 131 feet (40 meters) that can carry up to 83,000 pounds (nearly 38,000 kilograms) of cargo. Five men were detained on Sept. 27 after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford. The U.K.-owned base has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including the Iran war. Other arrests followed and two men have been charged under the National Security Act. The U.K. Defense Ministry said in a statement that it doesn’t comment on the activity of other nations and said aircraft and other assets move regularly according to operational requirements.

Multiple flights in Europe diverted because of bomb threats after earlier hoaxes  (AP) — Bomb threats targeted more than a dozen flights in Europe on Thursday, leading to a slew of emergency landings and military escorts in some cases, authorities said. No hazardous or suspicious materials have been found in what a British official called “malicious” hoaxes. Several similar threats targeted planes earlier this week, prompting searches and diversions, with at least 25 flights targeted, officials said. Europe has experienced a slew of other disruptions recently, such as attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems, drone incursions and mysterious triggers to alert apps. While fake bomb threats are relatively common, it is unusual to see so many in a single day. They come at a time of increased geopolitical tensions and warnings from authorities that Russia may be ramping up so-called hybrid threats in Europe. It wasn’t known whether this week’s threats were linked, who sent them or what they hoped to achieve. An email containing the threat to Rome-bound planes was sent on behalf of a group that described itself as anti-feminist, according to a copy provided by an airport official and reviewed by The Associated Press. An official from another European airport said the threat they received also came from a group calling itself anti-feminist, and used some of the same language. It wasn’t clear if the same group sent the two threats. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to share the information. At Rome’s airport, travelers whose flights weren’t affected seemed to take the threats in stride. “As of now, I am not scared of being in an airport or getting on board a plane,” said Alessia Strada, a 19-year-old Italian returning from Kenya. “Probably this idea I have about traveling in Europe will change in the near future, but let’s see how it goes.” Alex Langenkamper, a 38-year-old German headed to Munich, said “crazy people” exist and will in the future. Meanwhile, Michael Romano, a 54-year-old traveler headed to Colombia, expressed concern about the world moving toward war. “These things never used to happen here in Europe,” he said. “This is all new, so it is a little bit scary.” Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, said the threats were “stress-testing” how European governments and airport officials respond, and whether their responses were coordinated. The idea behind the threats “appears to be to sow chaos, uncertainty, about the reliability of air traffic across Europe” and could have “cascading effects” — like economic damage and costs related to inspection, investigation and cleaning aircraft. Joji Waites, who heads flight safety at the British Airline Pilots’ Association, said the industry has put in place “proved mechanisms” for dealing with such threats, including a team of assessors to grade the level of threat in a red-amber-green color-coding system, quick notification of flight crews, and the evacuation of planes on the ground. Each flight disruption could cost airlines as much as $250,000, on a par with the possible costs of dealing with an unruly passenger, said Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University in England. “And that’s because you might end up with the crew going out of hours. You might need replacement crew. You have got passengers that miss their flight connections,” Baum said. “It knocks everything out of sync for the rest of the day for the airline in question.” Military escorts cost money, too, which would be borne by governments rather than airlines, he added. Britain’s transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, told British broadcasters that flights across Europe have been hit by “malicious hoax threats.” European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told reporters in Dublin that it was “too early to draw conclusions on whether the reported incidents are linked.” “National investigations remain ongoing,” he said, adding that an EU information-sharing mechanism on aviation security had been activated. An Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in France after receiving a threat, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said. The flight landed safely at the base in Evreux, which was under high alert, and military bomb disposal teams were examining the plane, the office said. Lecornu ordered warplanes to intercept the plane because the pilot “didn’t cooperate as expected with the authorities,” his office said. It declined to comment further. Hours after the flight landed, the plane was sitting on the tarmac with a Red Cross vehicle nearby while explosive experts with dogs examined it. An investigation was opened by French aviation security authorities. The regional prosecutor, Remi Coutin, said in a statement that the pilot and co-pilot were questioned about what happened. Aer Lingus later said its pilots fully cooperated with the French authorities and “the engagement of the pilots with the authorities has now concluded.” Italian air force fighter jets escorted a Finnair flight that departed Helsinki bound for Rome after a threat was received by email, the air force said in a statement. Croatia’s defense ministry said one of its fighter planes first intercepted the commercial jet in Croatian airspace before handing it off to the Italians. Finnair said that two of its flights, including the one that received the military escort and landed safely in Rome, “faced unfounded hoax bomb scares.” The other flight, operated by Jettime from Helsinki to Vienna, landed safely at its destination, and was expected to return to service after an inspection, Finnair said. Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, meanwhile, also received military escorts and made emergency landings after bomb threats, officials said. Two of the flights — one from Copenhagen, Denmark, and the other from Madrid — landed safely in Sofia, airport officials said. The third, from London, was diverted and landed safely in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s Plovdiv Airport, CEO Krassimir Peshev said.

1000s Of European Troops Train In Poland For A Possible Postwar Ukraine Force  ZeroHedge - Thousands of European troops are participating in a major military exercise in Poland this week in preparation for a potential postwar mission in Ukraine to support peace if Moscow and Kyiv can reach a deal to end the ongoing war. The military rehearsal, dubbed Exercise Koalicja, will be led by the United Kingdom and France from Nov. 9 to Nov. 22. The joint military exercise, which includes 2,800 troops from 11 nations, marks the first major exercise launched by the Multinational Force Ukraine. Participating nations include Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK. The military exercise will involve land, air, and naval forces. The Multinational Force Ukraine is the military component of the "Coalition of the Willing," which comprises nations that have pledged to provide military, diplomatic, and economic support to Ukraine. The military exercise comes as the United States is scheduled to mediate trilateral negotiations with Russia and Ukraine on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The UK's Ministry of Defense said the exercise will test how to move, supply, and protect a force that would aid the rebuilding of Ukraine's military following the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine. "This exercise will show that the Multinational Force-Ukraine is a real, capable, readily deployable force that represents a serious commitment from Coalition of the Willing nations to Ukraine's long-term stability and security," British Lt. Gen. Tom Bateman, commander of the Multinational Force Ukraine, said in a statement. "The [Multinational Force Ukraine] will be more ready every day to support Ukraine when the fighting ends, ensuring the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in the strongest possible position to deter future aggression." The Multinational Force Ukraine would only deploy to Ukraine after the end of the war and at the request of the Ukrainian government, according to the UK's Ministry of Defense. The force would not be responsible for peacekeeping duties or for monitoring a ceasefire. The UK's Ministry of Defense said Exercise Koalicja will include testing arrangements for the command and control of the Multinational Force Ukraine, assessing how different components can be integrated into a cohesive force, and moving personnel, supplies, and equipment. "This isn't a hypothetical plan, it's a real force, ready to help Ukraine once the fighting stops," British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said. "By leading this work with our allies, we are protecting the UK and Europe for the long term and delivering on our commitment to keep the country safe. Ukraine's security is our security, and we will stand with them for as long as it takes." In addition to the land and air exercises, Turkish forces will lead an exercise in Istanbul to test arrangements for potential maritime mine clearance, which could be used to enable the return of commercial shipping to Ukrainian ports. In September 2025, the Coalition of the Willing met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris. Following the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said that 26 countries were willing to provide security guarantees, including sending a "reassurance force" to Ukraine after the ongoing war with Russia was ended. At the time, Macron said the coalition's objective was not to wage war against Russia but to attempt to prevent additional conflict and ensure the lasting security of Ukraine. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that foreign troops would be considered "legitimate targets" if they were deployed to Ukraine before a peace deal was reached. "Now they're talking about how they're considering sending troops into Ukraine," Putin told reporters in September. "That means a war with Russia." Putin added that Russia did not intend to threaten European countries. This week's negotiations in Abu Dhabi will be the first trilateral peace talks since the United States, Russia, and Ukraine held negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, in February. U.S. President Donald Trump suggested last week that a peace deal aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine could be reached soon. "I think we're going to be very close to settling Russia-Ukraine," Trump told reporters on Nov. 5. In a statement following a phone call with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Nov. 4, Zelenskyy called for negotiations to move forward to end the war as quickly as possible. He also underscored the need for security guarantees following a deal with Russia. "Peace has no alternative, and postwar security guarantees must be truly cast-iron. We are working to make this happen," he said.

Ukraine: Protests against Azov-controlled detention center shed light on boiling tensions - On November 2, 100 to 200 people gathered to protest a detention center controlled by the neo-Nazi Azov unit within the Ukrainian National Guard in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, a suburb of the capital Kiev. Earlier, posts had circulated on social media indicating that soldiers were being tortured at the site. One man was alleged to have been tortured and held in the basement there for 37 days. A young boy, believed to be 14 years old, was photographed as he was led out of the detention center in a state of shock. The protests quickly escalated. While pro-Kiev media reported that some individuals attacked police officers, a former Ukrainian military intelligence officer has since issued a statement, bragging that his men were deployed against the protesters. In the video, Ivan Pylypchuk, known as “Zalizniak,” bluntly explained that he organized and led columns of paramilitary thugs who, citing the the Prayer of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists which collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, marched into the protesters, beating up and dispersing them. Neither Pylypchuk nor any of his thugs were arrested. Instead, police arrested several protesters and at least two women who helped alert the crowd to the detention center. What occurred at the site still remains unclear and, given the cover-up by the authorities, it is unlikely the full truth will emerge anytime soon. However, evidence points to severe abuse and even torture of soldiers, including possible deserters, at the hands of Azov. Not even Ukrainian authorities denied that at least four of the men found at the site had been severely injured. They have all been hospitalized. One member of the Ukrainian parliament, Anna Skorokhod, has since confirmed that the four men had been severely beaten at the facility. One of them, Andriy Kuleshov, had reportedly undergone major surgery and an abdominal stoma before being held there. Another, Oleksandr Perminov, was beaten for going absent without official leave (AWOL)—something tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been doing to escape near certain death at the front. Azov, for its part, is a neo-fascist organization that has been deeply integrated into the Ukrainian military and the state. Notorious for its extreme violence, it now officially forms part of the Ukrainian National Guard. Its ideology draws from contemporary neo-Nazism and the legacy of World War II-era Nazi collaborators in Ukraine around the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. For well over a decade, it has been built up and armed by both NATO and the Ukrainian state as a central prop of the war against Russia. The protests and their violent suppression shed a sharp light on boiling social and political tensions in Ukraine over the war. Over the past year, videos and pictures of the violent abduction of men, young and old, from the streets to force them into the army have been going viral. In many cases, the men are seized and beaten by the Military Recruitment officers, who then drag them into vans. Increasingly, these violent abductions have provoked opposition. Many videos show local residents seeking to help the men and prevent them from being kidnapped.

Zelensky Rejects Idea of Ceding Donbas Amid Russia-Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday rejected the idea of ceding the Donbas to Russia, and Russian and Ukrainian officials restarted peace talks in Abu Dhabi.In a long post on X, Zelensky said that the US had offered security guarantees “similar” to NATO membership in exchange for Ukraine ceding the territory. “Similar? But you don’t want the answer about Donbas to be ‘similar.’ You want a clear answer about Donbas. This is your goal. And this is Putin’s goal, for today. What will you do if we have security guarantees but not NATO?” Zelensky said in the post, which was an excerpt of an interview he did with Denmark’s DR Nyheder.“Nobody trusts Putin to stop if we leave Donbas. He will pause. Then he will come back in one year, two years, or five years. And who will be guilty?” Zelensky added.Since late 2022, when Russia declared it had annexed the Donbas oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as the southern oblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Moscow’s demands to end the war have included Ukraine withdrawing from all of the territory it controls in the four regions.But during peace talks last year, media reports said Russia was willing to freeze the lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia while insisting on full Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donbas. President Trump had publicly called for Ukraine to cede the Donbas, saying it would eventually lose it anyway, but Zelensky refused. Territory is expected to be one of the major stumbling blocks in the Abu Dhabi talks, and the other is the issue of security guarantees, as Russia would almost certainly reject any arrangement that gives Ukraine a guarantee similar to NATO’s Article 5, which Zelensky appears to be asking for.Ahead of Tuesday’s talks, the White House said that security guarantees would be discussed, but there was no sign of a breakthrough, though a second day of negotiations will be held on Wednesday.

Ukraine Wants Western Funding for 800,000-Strong Military for 10 Years After War - - Ukraine has asked its Western backers to provide 10 years of funding to maintain an 800,000-strong Ukrainian military as part of a potential peace deal to end the war, AFP reported on Wednesday.   According to the Kyiv Post, the request was raised during the first day of trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, which continued for a second day on Wednesday. The request is notable since during previous negotiations, Russia had set limits on the size of the Ukrainian military. During negotiations in Istanbul in the early days of the war in 2022, Russia reportedly demanded Ukraine cap its military at 85,000 troops while Ukraine offered limiting it at 250,000.While details still needed to be worked out at the time, a potential peace deal that was on the table in March 2022 would have involved Russia withdrawing from all the territory it captured. But the talks were discouraged by the US and NATO, and later that year, Moscow declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts.But Russia has continued to request limits on the size of Ukraine’s post-war military, though it’s unclear if that’s a priority for Moscow during the current negotiations. European leaders have backed Ukraine’s call for an 800,000-strong army, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said Kyiv isn’t capable of funding it.“No, Ukraine is not capable of financing such an army (numbering 800,000 troops),” Zelensky said in December. “We don’t have enough financial resources. That is why I’m conducting this dialogue with world leaders. I consider partial funding of our army through our partners as a security guarantee for us. Because the Armed Forces of Ukraine are, first and foremost, our number one security guarantee.”Zelensky said on Tuesday that the US had offered Ukraine security guarantees “similar” to NATO membership if it ceded what territroy it still controlled in the Donbas, but he rejected the idea of making territorial concessions. The two days of talks in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday with an agreement on a prisoner exchange but no sign of a breakthrough.

Putin Rejects Idea of Demilitarized 'Grey Zones' as Part of Ukraine Settlement - -Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected the idea of establishing demilitarized “grey zones” as part of a potential Ukraine peace deal and restated his long-standing objection to a Western troop presence in Ukraine.Putin made the comments at the opening of a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who visited Moscow following trilateral talks between US, Russian, and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi. “We know that the Ukrainian side is raising the issue of so-called ‘grey zones‘. As I have already said, this will always be a bone of contention. For us, there is only one line of demarcation – the state border. That would make things perfectly clear. You are on one side and we are on the other,” Putin said, according to a transcript of his remarks released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.  “As soon as we get drawn into discussions about ‘grey zones,’ each side understands them differently. Disputes arise immediately, any agreement becomes shaky and there can be no lasting peace,” the Russian leader added. He also suggested that a local, humanitarian ceasefire could be held around a town in the Donbas similar to the local truce that was recently held to aid civilians in the frontline Kherson town of Oleshky.  “There is a town in Donbas called Konstantinovka. The Ukrainian side considers it part of its strategic line of defense. Some 400-500 civilians are still there. Let us do what we did in Alyoshki (Oleshky),” Putin said.  Regarding the potential deployment of Western troops in Ukraine as part of a future peace deal, Putin criticized European leaders who are pushing for it despite Moscow’s repeated rejections. “We have said from the outset that the presence of any foreign troops on Ukrainian territory is absolutely unacceptable to us because we believe it threatens Russia’s security. Everyone agreed on that in principle. At any rate, that was the understanding at the talks in Istanbul, and until now no one seems to have objected,” he said.“The Europeans know this. Yet what do we hear from them? That as soon as peace is concluded, they will send troops into Ukraine. What does that mean? We have said this before. We would regard those troops as a legitimate target, which means the war would resume immediately,” Putin added.While a major prisoner exchange was agreed to during the Abu Dhabi talks, there was no clear breakthrough toward a peace deal. During the first day of talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea of ceding the Donbas, which has been a key Russian demand.