week ending Feb 28

Fed's Goolsbee: Prioritize inflation before further cuts - Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said Tuesday morning that the central bank should prioritize getting inflation to its 2% target, as higher prices remain a concern for consumers and businesses.During an appearance at the National Association for Business Economics conference in Washington, Goolsbee said the Fed should hold off on overstimulating the economy with additional cuts until inflation shows clearer signs of easing.

• Key Insight: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said inflation has not eased as quickly as previously forecast, underscoring the need for a cautious approach to interest rate cuts.
• Expert quote: "I remain optimistic that there can be more rate cuts this year. But that hinges on seeing actual progress on inflation that shows we are on a path back to 2%." — Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee.
• Look ahead: Stronger-than-expected January labor market and inflation data make it unlikely the Federal Open Market Committee will cut short-term interest rates at its next meeting.

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said the central bank should focus on getting inflation to its 2% target before making any additional cuts to short-term interest rates.

Waller questions January jobs surge, backs possible March cut -Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said Monday he is skeptical about January's better-than-expected employment report and would support a cut in short-term interest rates in March if the data proves to be a one-off rather than a rebound in the job market.

• Key Insight: Fed Gov. Christopher Waller highlighted his skepticism on whether the labor market is showing signs of recovery, or whether the January jobs report was a one-off.
• Expert Quote: "If the good labor market news of January is revised away or evaporates in February, it would support my position at the FOMC's last meeting, that a 25-basis-point reduction in the policy rate was appropriate, and that such a cut should be made at the March meeting." — Fed Gov. Christopher Waller
• Look ahead: The better-than-expected labor market report from January and lower inflation indicators make it unlikely that the central bank will adjust rates in its upcoming meeting.

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said during an appearance Monday his decision on whether or not to support a cut to short-term interest rates depends on labor market indicators.

Fed's Waller says he could shift to holding rates steady if next jobs report comes in strong - Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller said Monday that if the next jobs report comes in strong, his view could shift to holding interest rates steady at the next policy meeting after favoring cutting rates due to labor market weakness for the past six months. “If the labor market data for February are consistent with the stronger job creation and low unemployment rate initially reported in January, indicating that downside risks to the labor market have diminished, it may be appropriate to hold the FOMC’s policy rate at current levels and watch for continued progress on inflation and strength in the labor market,” Waller said in a speech in Washington at the National Association for Business Economics conference. But he cautioned that if the strong reading on the job market for January is revised lower — the Labor Department reported a gain of 130,000 jobs, more than in the previous nine months combined — that would reinforce January's rate cut and mean another cut was called for in March. Waller rated the two possible outcomes as close to a “coin flip.” For much of the past year, Waller has pointed to anemic payroll growth for much of 2025 as a reason for the Fed to lower its benchmark policy rate to support the job market. He cautioned that one month of good news doesn’t make a trend and that the January jobs report may be more noise than a clear sign that the job market is gaining strength. He pointed out that nearly all jobs created last month came from healthcare and social assistance and pointed to private-sector data showing job creation was weaker than the government report. Waller was the first member of the Fed to call for a rate cut last June. The Fed finally cut rates three times last fall to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. The Fed voted to hold rates steady last month, though Waller dissented because he preferred to cut rates amid continued concerns at the time about the strength of the job market. On inflation, Waller has been of the view that tariffs will have a one-time impact on prices and the Fed can discount their impact when assessing inflation. He said the Supreme Court’s ruling Friday overturning a large share of tariffs imposed last year by President Trump may have a positive impact on spending and investment, but how large that impact may be and how long it could last is unclear. The administration plans to reimpose tariffs using other laws, but there is considerable uncertainty. Waller said it’s still “too soon to know” the impact on prices, but that if the changes in the tariff regime relieve price pressures, he will look through that too because he believes the impact is temporary.

No end in sight for Homeland Security shutdown - Republicans and Democrats don’t appear close to agreeing on a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security after funding lapsed before last week’s recess. The Senate is poised to vote Tuesday on taking up legislation that would end the shutdown. Democrats will likely block it, holding out for more restrictions on immigration enforcement. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” blamed the White House for the impasse, which is affecting the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “These are basic, commonsense demands that have been laid out, and unfortunately, rather than dramatically reform ICE, the administration has decided to shut down FEMA, shut down the TSA and shut down the Coast Guard,” Jeffries said.

White House plays hardball with Democrats over DHS shutdown - The White House is playing hardball in the battle over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), suspending the Global Entry program for international travelers and threatening to do the same for TSA PreCheck. That has infuriated Democrats, who are accusing the administration of inflicting unnecessary pain on the American public as a negotiating tactic. Administration officials, meanwhile, say the moves are necessary as the agency’s funding lapse stretches into an 11th day. Negotiations over DHS funding have shown little progress as Democrats dig in their heels on their demands to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the latest moves could be a sign the White House is ready to make matters painful in an attempt to shake loose a deal. “I expect we’ll see more of these kinds of applications of pressure in the days to come. I’m not so sure Democrats are going to feel the heat, but I assume they’re going to make some more moves,” said Jim Manley, an ex-top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). “It’s still relatively targeted and not the typical kind of smash mouth you come to expect out of this administration.” Manley also said the only question is whether the forthcoming administration moves are low-impact or more acute. The administration’s announcement also arrived alongside announcements that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has paused “non-emergency recovery work” and that lawmakers will no longer be given courtesy airport escorts. The DHS will also be required to approve all travel for FEMA employees, even if the travel is funded through an account of disaster money that’s separate from appropriations that have lapsed. Democrats say the moves are unnecessary and harmful to travelers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) highlighted that the administration did not take these types of measures during the record-setting, 43-day shutdown last fall. “Everyone knows Donald Trump and DHS use bullying tactics — this is another one of them. The Trump administration is choosing to inflict pain on the public instead of adopting common sense ICE reforms,” Schumer said in a statement. “Democrats are fighting against this exact kind of abuse.” Democrats were also quick to note the White House was forced to backtrack on the planned suspension of PreCheck within hours. PreCheck had 20 million active members as of August 2024, according to the DHS. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), the ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee’s aviation subcommittee, told The Hill that air travelers and airlines over the weekend “were understandably shocked by the chaotic, poorly-coordinated” actions surrounding the two travel programs. “Yet again, the Trump Administration has proven that its instinct is to punish the American people rather than work to solve the nation’s problem,” Duckworth said in a statement. Air travel has long been viewed as a key pressure point that could help bring government shutdowns to an end, so the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is being watched especially closely as its employees work without pay. A sick-out by air traffic controllers in 2019 effectively brought an end to what is now the second-longest shutdown in history. Although air traffic controllers were funded in a separate package, there remains concern about TSA workers not showing up en masse if the shutdown imperils the end-of-the-week paycheck that is on the chopping block. “If it does happen, it will cause major delays and a major loss, again, for the airlines,” one GOP senator said.

DHS reverses on TSA PreCheck amid shutdown; Global Entry suspended -The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reversed course on Sunday and lifted a suspension on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) PreCheck program.The DHS had announced a suspension of TSA PreCheck screenings set to take effect at 6 a.m. on Sunday, as the department operates amid a funding lapse that has dragged on for more than a week. The PreCheck decision, however, was met with concern from the traveling public and airline industry groups. “TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” the DHS said in a press release Sunday in which it cited the congressional funding lapse in announcing multiple changes. The shutdown has stemmed from Democratic lawmakers demanding changes to federal immigration tactics.“As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the DHS added. As of August 2024, more than 20 million people used TSA PreCheck, according to the DHS. The program allows enrolled members to go through airport security in an efficient manner. While TSA PreCheck remains operational, the DHS said Sunday that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is halting all Global Entry arrival processing services. Global Entry allows pre-screened travelers arriving in the U.S. to pass through customs more quickly.The DHS additionally said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is scaling back to bare-minimum, life-saving operations. The TSA and CBP will also end courtesy escorts and requests for port courtesies for members of Congress. “Shutdowns have real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.”

Republicans eye opening for DHS deal this week as Democrats double down - Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week facing an uphill climb to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Republicans see an opening after President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday despite few signs that Democrats are willing to compromise on their demands. Discussions between the two sides have yielded little in recent days, with the White House not issuing a formal counteroffer as of Sunday, after Democrats presented what GOP sources described as a “recycled” proposal last week. However, some lawmakers are hopeful that negotiations can shake loose starting on Wednesday. Some Republicans are eyeing the first round of missed paychecks for DHS workers on Friday as a pressure point that will compel Democrats toward a compromise. “[The shutdown] gets real going into the weekend if people are being required to show up to work and not get paid. That’s when it becomes sympathetic and real,” one Senate Republican said. Others accuse Democrats of holding out until after the State of the Union itself. “Once the State of the Union is over, then I’m sure talks will come back in,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said in an interview. The gap to bridge for a deal to come together is sizable, however, especially given the unity on the Democratic side. Democrats are demanding a list of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a condition to reopen the DHS. Unlike the record 43-day government shutdown last year, Democratic leaders are not facing a mutiny by moderate-leaning members who grew increasingly queasy as the impasse dragged in the fall. Instead, Democrats appear to feel they have the political wind at their backs following the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. One GOP source familiar with the negotiations noted that the group has not “expressed the same anxieties” that brought them to break with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in November to fund the government. “We haven’t hit the proverbial pain points yet,” the source added.

Shutdown talks make little progress as DHS bill stalls in Senate - Senate Democrats blocked a Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill for a second time Tuesday, underscoring a shutdown stalemate now in its second week. Senators voted 50-45 to advance a House-passed DHS bill in their first action on funding for the department since a partial government shutdown started Feb. 14. The bill needed 60 votes to move forward. President Donald Trump used part of his State of the Union speech Tuesday evening to encourage Democrats to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. But with lawmakers just returning to Washington from a weeklong recess, the talks appear to have almost entirely stalled. “We’ve heard crickets from them, nothing,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday. “They’re not negotiating. They’re just trying to pass paper back and forth with no real changes.”

Donald Trump puts Iran's leader in double bind: Capitulation or risk of war - Iran’s supreme leader is facing one of the most consequential decisions of his more than 30 years in power this week: strike a deal with President Trump to severely limit the country’s nuclear program or risk an all-out war with the United States and Israel. Isolated and informed by decades of experience in waiting out successive American presidents, diplomats say Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, risks making a fatal miscalculation in expecting Trump to abide Tehran’s foot-dragging. “As I told them, experience could be used to wait, could be useful, and at the same time very toxic,” a senior regional source told reporters about their advice to the Iranian regime. The Trump team does not resemble previous American administrations. Negotiators are not veteran diplomats or intelligence officials. Trump’s top envoys, real estate developer Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, are businessmen who often look for transactions with major financial gains. But the regional official said Khamenei’s poor experiences with previous administrations, including Trump’s first term, have hardened him against compromise. “In his mind he has learned his own lessons.” Witkoff, in an interview on Fox News this weekend, said Trump was “curious” as to why the Iranians “haven’t capitulated” to U.S. demands. Negotiators are expected to meet in Geneva on Thursday in what the U.S. side is characterizing as a last chance to show a major breakthrough on a deal or risk Trump following through on his promises to strike the country. The senior regional source has warned U.S. officials that Iran is likely to walk away from negotiations if it comes under attack. And Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine has reportedly warned the president that a military campaign against Iran could carry significant risks, entangling the U.S. in a prolonged conflict. Khamenei’s public statements signal he’s not willing to back down on redlines. This includes U.S. demands of Iran to give up uranium enrichment — the building blocks of a nuclear bomb — limiting the country’s missile stockpiles or pulling back its support for terrorist proxies. “Enrichment is our right,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” this weekend. He further underscored that Tehran is not addressing its ballistic missile stockpiles or funding foreign groups in this round of talks. “Right now, we are negotiating only nuclear and there is no other subject,” he said. While joint U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran in June did not obliterate the country’s nuclear program, it did appear to succeed in halting its enrichment program. This has removed a key piece of leverage Iran used in previous negotiations, said Naysan Rafati, senior analyst focused on Iran with the International Crisis Group. “If there is to be some kind of diplomatic path, it would likely try to capitalize on the fact that, for the first time in more than two decades of nuclear diplomacy, what the U.S. is actually trying to do is keep things where they are,” he said. Another major issue is Iran’s stockpile of about 400 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). said in October that Iran could produce 10 nuclear bombs with that amount. Witkoff said on Saturday that Iran is “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.” An unnamed senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran would consider sending half of its most highly enriched uranium abroad, diluting the rest and joining a regional enrichment consortium. The consortium idea seeks to thread the needle between giving Iran recognition of uranium enrichment as a right while executing it in a multilateral format — with international inspections and further oversight of regional countries. Another potential off-ramp is permitting Iran to enrich uranium solely for medical research and treatments, the New York Times reported.

Iranian foreign minister says US deal is still ‘quite possible’ -Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a nuclear deal with the U.S. is still “quite possible” after recent tension with the Americans. “Well, you said on Friday that you would have a draft proposal within two to three days. Have you gotten the supreme leader to sign off on that proposal yet? And if so, when will you give it to envoy Steve Witkoff?” CBS News’s Margaret Brennan asked on “Face the Nation.” “Well, we are still working on that, and we are trying to make it something which consists of elements which can accommodate both sides’ concerns and interests, and we are working on those elements,” Araghchi responded. “And I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday, in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal. This is my understanding. I see it [as] quite possible,” he added. President Trump has recently considered a limited strike on Iran. Last week, dozens of U.S. fighter jets and tankers were on their way to Europe and the Middle East, according to aerial tracker websites.The president was partial to a more restricted military strike to push Iran to agree to U.S. demands, which included severely restricting the Iranian nuclear program, reducing the country’s missile arsenal and ending its funding of regional armed proxies, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. If Iran didn’t get in line, Trump could increase the intensity of attacks.“You’ll be finding out over the next probably 10 days,” Trump said last week when discussing the timing of a decision on Iran.The Trump administration has made big foreign policy moves in recent months, including by capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, embarking on a push to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland and putting an oil blockade on Cuba.

Report: Joint Chiefs Chairman Warns Trump of Significant Risks if US Attacks Iran - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, the highest-ranking US military officer, has warned President Trump that there would be significant risks that come with attacking Iran, including the possibility of a protracted war, Axios reported on Monday, a report President Trump later rejected.Two sources told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that Caine was all in on the recent US attack on Venezuela to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro, but described him as a “reluctant warrior” when it came to Iran, as he sees a greater risk of a prolonged war and US casualties. According to The Wall Street Journal, he has also warned that any war with Iran would deplete US military stockpiles, as the US used a large number of interceptors defending Israel during the 12-Day War in June 2025.The New York Times also reported on the Trump administration’s deliberations about attacking Iran and said that Caine couldn’t provide the same assurances for success as he did with Venezuela. It appears that if the US attacks Iran, the goal would be to topple the government or destroy Iran’s ability to strike Israel with missiles, which would require a massive bombing campaign.President Trump later denied the series of reports about Caine’s warnings. “Gen. Caine, like all of us, would like not to see War but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He has not spoken of not doing Iran, or even the fake limited strikes that I have been reading about, he only knows one thing, how to WIN and, if he is told to do so, he will be leading the pack.”While the Axios report said Caine has been warning of the risks of an attack on Iran, the sources speaking to the outlet said he was also ready to carry out Trump’s orders should he decide to launch the war.Both the Axios and Times reports said that Vice President JD Vance has been raising questions about the potential risks, but wasn’t opposed to the idea of bombing Iran. According to Axios, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a staunch Iran hawk, has been “sitting on the fence,” neither advocating for nor against strikes on Iran as he has been focused on Venezuela and Cuba, which are under an increased US embargo.The Axios report also said that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have been leading the talks with Iran, have advised the president that he should give them time to see what they can get out of Iran before attacking. In an interview with Fox News that aired over the weekend, Witkoff signaled that he wasn’t actually interested in the talks leading to a deal, as he said Trump is “curious” why Iran hasn’t “capitulated” and made the blatantly false claim that Iran could be “one week away” from having material to build a nuclear weapon.

Trump swats down reports that top general warned of Iran strike risks - President Trump is pushing back at reports that his top military officer advised that strikes on Iran could pose substantial risks and leave the U.S. in a prolonged conflict. © Greg Nash “Numerous stories from the Fake News Media have been circulating stating that General Daniel Caine, sometimes referred to as Razin, is against us going to War with Iran. The story does not attribute this vast wealth of knowledge to anyone, and is 100 percent incorrect,” Trump said in a Monday post on Trump Social. “General Caine, like all of us, would like not to see War but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won,” Trump continued. Axios first reported that Caine has been more cautious in talks about planning against Iran compared with the lead-up to an early January raid in Venezuela, where U.S. personnel captured that country’s, leader Nicolás Maduro. The Joint Chiefs chair views a potential major operation against Iran as inviting a higher risk for U.S. casualties, the outlet reported. Caine, the top U.S. military official, has voiced similar warnings during meetings at the Pentagon and the National Security Council, concerns also expressed by other Pentagon officials, The Wall Street Journal reported. And the Washington Post reported that Caine cautioned that any major military operation in Iran could face hurdles due to a low stockpile of munitions, further depleted by the U.S.’s backing of Ukraine and the ongoing defense of Israel. None of the reports noted that Caine was against the U.S. going to war against Iran. Caine has presented Trump and other top national security officials in recent days a range of strike options the U.S. military could execute against Iran, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill on Monday. Trump on Monday praised Caine as knowing Iran “well,” and for being the architect of the U.S. bombing of Iran’s three premier nuclear sites last June, an operation known as Midnight Hammer. “He has not spoken of not doing Iran, or even the fake limited strikes that I have been reading about, he only knows one thing, how to WIN and, if he is told to do so, he will be leading the pack,” Trump said Monday. On Friday, the president said he was considering limited strikes against Iran if the negotiations over the country’s nuclear program fail. Washington is still negotiating with Tehran with hopes of reaching a deal that would not allow Iran to have a nuclear program, something Iranian officials have rejected.

US planes flood UK bases in preparation for attack on Iran - The United States is using UK bases to prepare for an attack on Iran, despite an earlier fallout over permission to use Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands and Fairford, England. According to an assessment by The i Paper published Saturday, since last Tuesday, “at least 28 US military flights have used airbases in the UK and Cyprus to carry out one of the largest build-ups of US military strength in the Middle East for decades.” Based on analysis of open-source flight-tracking data, it found that “flights have taken off and landed from US air force facilities based in the UK, including RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, where the Pentagon has long-standing access to airfields through a lease agreement.” An F15 Eagle at RAF Lakenheath in July 2009 [Photo by Tim Felce / CC BY-SA 2.0]Moreover, “Strategic American aircraft, capable of transporting heavy weaponry and troops, were tracked using US airbases at Prestwick, Scotland—a key transatlantic fuelling station for deployments towards the Middle East.” What The i describes as a “staggering volume of military aircraft” being deployed takes place despite, as reported by the Times last week, the Starmer government’s refusal to grant the US permission to use the military base on Diego Garcia or the Royal Air Force Base in Fairford, England to carry out its planned assault on Iran. The Times report appeared just hours after US President Donald Trump posted February 18 on his Truth Social account that “Should Iran decide not to make a Deal… it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime.” The Fairford base is home to Washington’s fleet of heavy bombers in Europe. Allowing use of both bases was necessary to halt “an attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly countries,” said Trump, adding, “We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the UK, but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them.” In a same post, he warned Britain: “DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!” accusing Starmer of “losing control” of the strategically vital base. Trump’s rant was one of several U-turns over Britain’s May 2025 deal, under which Britain would lease back Diego Garcia to Mauritius for 99 years at a cost of billions. Trump initially backed the agreement, then condemned it as an “act of stupidity” (January 2026) and “total weakness,” (this month), before appearing to endorse it again. But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Britain to beware, as the president’s latest social media post “should be taken as the policy of the Trump administration.”

Report: Trump Considers 'Targeted Strike' on Iran, Followed by Much Larger Attack - President Trump is considering launching a “targeted strike” on Iran in the coming days that would be followed by a much larger attack, potentially aimed at regime change, if Tehran doesn’t agree to his demands, The New York Times reported on Sunday.US and Iranian officials are set to hold another round of talks in Geneva this Thursday, and Iran is expected to provide its proposal for a potential deal in the days ahead. But the Trump administration is not signaling it’s really interested in an agreement as it continues to demand zero uranium enrichment, a condition Tehran has made clear it won’t accept, and threatens war amid the largest US military buildup in the Middle East since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Times report said that Trump may launch a limited attack on Iran to get it to capitulate to US demands, something the president confirmed on Friday. “I guess you can say I am considering it,” he said when asked about the possibility of a limited strike. Potential targets in the initial attack could include the headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), nuclear sites, or Iran’s ballistic missile program. But a “limited strike” will likely lead to a major war, as all signs indicate that if the US launches any sort of attack, Iran will not hold back in its retaliation and could unleash its missiles on US bases and warships in the region, which could cause thousands of US casualties. Trump officials have not made a coherent case to the American people about why the US should attack Iran, and have reverted to claiming that Iran might try to build a nuclear weapon, contradicting Trump’s insistence that the June 2025 airstrikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities. The main US goal appears to be eliminating Iran’s ability to threaten Israel, which would require destroying its missile program or regime change, both of which would require a massive, sustained attack.

Witkoff Says Trump Is 'Curious' Why Iran Hasn't 'Capitulated' - US envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News that aired on Sunday that President Trump was “curious” that Iran hasn’t “capitulated” to US demands due to the major US military buildup in the Middle East and threats of war. “I don’t want to use the word frustrated because [Trump] understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious, he’s curious as to why they haven’t, I don’t want to use the word capitulated, but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff told Fox News host Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law.“Why, under this sort of pressure, with the amount of seapower, naval power, that we have over there, why they haven’t come to us and said, ‘we profess that we don’t want a [nuclear] weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do,’ yet it’s hard to get them to that point,” Witkoff added.Tehran’s official position is that it doesn’t seek nuclear weapons and that the development of such weapons is banned by a fatwa issued by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iranian leaders have repeatedly “professed” that they don’t seek a nuclear bomb.According to media reports, Iran has offered a deal that would involve it suspending its uranium enrichment program for three to five years and later restarting it at a civilian-grade level, far below the 90% needed for weapons-grade, as part of a joint nuclear program with regional countries. Iran has also publicly offered to dilute its stockpile of uranium enriched at 60%, though it’s likely buried underground following the US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.Despite the US bombing those facilities, which forcibly suspended Iran’s nuclear enrichment, and President Trump’s insistence that the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, Witkoff made the false claim that Iran could have uranium to make a bomb within one week.“They’re probably a week away from having industrial-bomb-making material,” Witkoff claimed, facing no pushback from Lara Trump. The US envoy also confirmed that he recently met with Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Iranian Shah who was overthrown in 1979, as the Trump administration has made clear its ultimate goal is regime change in Tehran.

Iran's Foreign Minister Says There's Still a 'Good Chance' for a Deal With the US - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that he still believes there’s a “good chance” for a deal with the US despite the Trump administration’s threats of attacking the Islamic Republic amid a major US military buildup in the region.Araghchi was asked by CBS News host Margaret Brennan if he expected the US to strike or if President Trump was just using the buildup as leverage. “I cannot judge. But one fact is there that if they want to find a resolution for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, the only way is diplomacy,” he said.“And we have proved this in the past, and I believe that still, there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution which is based on a win-win game, and a solution is at our reach. So there is no need for any military buildup. And military buildup cannot help it, and cannot pressurize us,” Araghchi added.The Iranian diplomat said that Iran was still working on a proposal it planned to send to the US in the coming days and that there would be another round of negotiations with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva this Thursday, which was later confirmed by the US and Oman, the mediating country.US officials continue to demand that any deal must involve zero Iranian uranium enrichment, a condition Iran has made clear it will not accept, something Araghchi reaffirmed in the interview.“Well, first of all, enrichment is our right. We are a member of the [Non-Proliferation Treaty], and we have every right to enjoy peaceful nuclear energy, including enrichment. How we use this- this right is something you know is related to us only,” he said.“The enrichment is a sensitive part of our negotiation. The American team know our position, we know their position, and we have already exchanged our concerns, and I think a solution is achievable, but I’m not going to negotiate through media,” he added.Araghchi also addressed Iran’s warnings that if the US attacks, US military bases in the region will be targeted with Iranian missiles. “If the US attacks us, that is the act of aggression. What we do in response is the act of self-defense. So It is justifiable and legitimate. So our missiles cannot hit American soil. So obviously, we have to do something else. We have to hit, you know, the Americans’ base in the region. That is a fact,” he said.

US begins pulling staff from Beirut embassy amid Iran attack buildup - The State Department ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel and family members from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Monday, amid a major buildup of forces in the Middle East and intensifying preparations for war against Iran. Reuters reported that 32 embassy staff and family members flew out of Beirut airport, while an embassy source put the total at 50 people evacuated. The State Department updated its travel advisory for Lebanon on Monday, warning US citizens not to travel to the country and imposing travel restrictions on remaining personnel “with little to no notice.” The pullout follows a pattern established before Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, when the US reduced its presence at embassies in Baghdad, Kuwait and Bahrain in the days before B-2 bombers struck Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship, arrived at Souda Bay on the island of Crete on Monday after transiting the Mediterranean and is expected off the coast of Israel within days. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is operating in the Arabian Sea. Scores of fighter jets, bombers, refueling aircraft and antimissile batteries have poured into the region. More than 40,000 US personnel are stationed across military bases and naval assets in the Middle East. The New York Times reported Sunday that this is “the largest military force [the US] has concentrated in the region since it prepared for the invasion of Iraq, nearly 23 years ago.” The Washington Post wrote Monday that a senior Persian Gulf official told the paper that Arab countries have informed Washington they would not allow their bases to be used for a strike against Iran, and that Iran’s threat to retaliate against any country that supports the US operation has raised questions about Washington’s ability to secure overflight rights. Talks between the US and Iran are scheduled for Thursday, February 26, in Geneva. But the record of US “diplomacy” with Iran refutes any belief that Washington is seeking a negotiated settlement. In April 2025, the White House gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum while five rounds of indirect talks were held. On June 8, 2025, while talks were still ongoing, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff sat in a war planning session at Camp David alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior military officials. Axios reported on June 10 that Ratcliffe briefed Trump that Israel was on the verge of launching strikes and already had operatives inside Iran. CNN reported on June 22 that Trump’s advisers had drawn up options for the US to join Israel’s campaign “in the months beforehand.” Five days after the Camp David session, on June 13—precisely one day after the ultimatum expired—Israel launched Operation Rising Lion. On June 22, the US launched Operation Midnight Hammer, striking three nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Iran’s foreign minister told the United Nations: “We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process.” The same fraud was carried out against Venezuela, where Maduro sought to negotiate as late as January 2, 2026, the day before the invasion. Trump said afterward on Fox News: “I didn’t want to negotiate.”

US Evacuates Non-Emergency Personnel from Embassy in Beirut as it Prepares Potential Attack on Iran - The US has ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family members from its embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, as it prepares for a potential attack on Iran, which could provoke a full-blown regional war. A State Department official told The Hill that the evacuation was a “prudent” decision in response to the current security environment. The embassy previously ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family members on June 22, 2025, the same day the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. “The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens,” the official said. Israel recently escalated its strikes on Lebanon, which it has continued launching in violation of a November 2024 ceasefire deal, killing 12 people in attacks on the eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday and Saturday. Israeli sources recently told the Saudi outlet Al-Sharq al-Awsat that Israel could launch “massive and unprecedented” strikes on Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen if Iran’s allies get involved in a potential US-Iran war. Over the weekend, The New York Times reported that the US removed hundreds of troops from its bases in Qatar and Bahrain. The US made similar moves in the region in the lead-up to the 12-Day War in June 2025, which was launched by Israel.

US Withdrawing from Base in Northeast Syria, Transferring Equipment to Iraqi Kurdistan -The US has begun withdrawing from a key base in northeastern Syria as part of a drawdown that could lead to a full withdrawal of US troops from the country.Iraqi and Syrian officials told The Associated Press that the US has been removing forces and equipment from the Qasrak base in Syria’s northeastern Hasaka Governorate, and is transferring them to a US base in Iraqi Kurdistan.Photos from northeast Syria show convoys of dozens of trucks carrying heavy military equipment, and AP journalists said helicopters were flying overhead. A Syrian security official said about 200 US troops remained at the base, and work was being done to dismantle air defenses and other equipment.US officials told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month that the US was in the process of a full withdrawal of the roughly 1,000 US troops in Syria, which is expected to take about two months. US Central Command has confirmed that the US pulled out of the Al Tanf Garrison, a strategic base in southern Syria near the borders of Iraq and Jordan.The withdrawal comes amid a major US military buildup in the region as it prepares for a potential attack on Iran. US officials told the Journal that the Syria withdrawal wasn’t related to the Iran buildup, but the bases in Syria are known to be vulnerable to potential Iranian missile attacks, and the US has reportedly been moving troops around in other parts of the Middle East in anticipation of a potential war with Iran.The Journal report said that one reason the Trump administration has decided to withdraw from Syria was to “reduce friction” with the Syrian military, which US officials have previously acknowledged is “riddled with jihadist sympathizers, including soldiers with ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS and others who have been involved in alleged war crimes against the Kurds and Druze.”

Report: Turkey Preparing for Influx of Refugees From Iran if US Attacks - Turkey is preparing for the possibility of an influx of refugees from Iran, Bloomberg has reported, as the US is preparing to launch a potential attack on the Islamic Republic, which could spark a full-blown regional war. Bloomberg’s sources said that officials in Ankara have updated their contingency plans to prepare for large numbers of displaced people in the event of a major conflict, and options range from setting up camps near the border to entering Iranian territory to prevent refugees from crossing into Turkey. The report said that the possibility of Turkey sending forces into Iran to stop refugees would only be considered if there was a power vacuum in Iran. The Bloomberg report also said that NATO’s air surveillance forces in Turkey have shifted their focus from keeping an eye on Russia to Iran. “The alliance has frequently used its advanced AWACS radar planes based in Turkey to keep tabs on both countries. However, the frequency of flights from the central Anatolian city of Konya to watch Iran has increased,” the report reads.

US Deploys F-22 Fighter Jets to Southern Israel as Massive Military Buildup Continues - Twelve US F-22 Raptor fighter jets that departed the UK on Tuesday have arrived at an Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel, Ynet has reported, as the US continues its massive military buildup in the Middle East to prepare for a potential attack on Iran.The F-22s arrived in the UK last week, part of the more than 150 US military aircraft that have shifted to Europe and the Middle East since February 17, as tracked by The Washington Post.An Israeli official speaking to China’s Xinhua news agency about the US F-22 deployment said that the Israeli military is preparing for all possible scenarios, including an “Iranian attack or retaliatory strike.” The US defended Israel from Iranian retaliatory strikes during the 12-Day War in June 2025, though many missiles got through US air defenses. The Ynet report said that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford is still heading east in the Mediterranean Sea and has passed Crete. Once it arrives near Israel’s coast, it will be the second US aircraft carrier positioned in the region to prepare for an attack on Iran, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the Arabian Sea.US officials previously told The New York Times that Ford and its three destroyer escorts are likely to be initially deployed near the coast of Israel to defend Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities and towns. The US defended Israel from Iranian counterattacks during the 12-Day War, though many Iranian missiles got through US air defenses, which included US Navy destroyers firing SM-3 missiles.

Iranian Foreign Minister: Iran Will Never Develop a Nuclear Weapon - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday reaffirmed Iran’s long-standing position that it does not seek nuclear weapons and will never develop them. The comments come as Trump administration officials threaten war over claims Tehran may be pursuing a bomb, even as President Trump insists he already “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. Aragchi made the remarks in a post on X where he referenced upcoming talks with the US in Geneva and said Iran was ready for a deal with the US while also affirming Tehran’s right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.“Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people,” Araghchi wrote on X.“We have a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests. A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority,” he added.Later in the day, Fox News host Brett Baier said that President Trump told him that Iran “desperately wants a deal” but claimed Tehran “just can’t say the sacred phrase ‘we won’t build nuclear weapons’” despite Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s long-standing fatwa against developing nuclear weapons. Trump reaffirmed his claim on Tuesday night when delivering his State of the Union.Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is leading the negotiations, also made a similar claim in an interview that aired over the weekend. “Why, under this sort of pressure, with the amount of seapower, naval power, that we have over there, why they haven’t come to us and said, ‘we profess that we don’t want a [nuclear] weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do,’ yet it’s hard to get them to that point,” Witkoff said.The US envoy also made the false claim that Iran could be a “week away” from having material to develop a nuclear bomb, even though there’s no sign Iran is able to enrich uranium at the moment, following the US strikes on its nuclear facilities in June 2025.Other senior Trump officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have framed the potential attack on Iran as related to the prospect of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. But President Trump continues to say he destroyed the Iranian nuclear program, and hasn’t provided a coherent reason for why he is preparing to launch a major war in the Middle East.

The CIA urges Iranians to reach out as informants in rare move -- The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has issued a rare call to Iranians to get in contact as potential informants, signaling a potential ramp-up of American efforts to gather military and civilian intelligence at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The CIA issued a Farsi-language recruitment post on X, Instagram and YouTube on Tuesday, offering potential informants a way to contact the agency to share intelligence securely. "Hello. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) hears your voice and wants to help you," the post said, according to an English-language translation, in which people with "sensitive information" or "unique skills" were invited to contact the agency. The post was accompanied by a video detailing ways to get in touch without being identified, including by using the dark web — a hidden part of the internet accessed by using anonymising browsers — as well as alternative ways to contact it anonymously, securely and safely. "Your safety and well-being are our top priority. Please, taking into account your personal circumstances, adopt the necessary security measures to protect yourself," the CIA said, adding that "all information received from volunteers will be kept completely confidential." The post on X has been viewed 3.4 million times, as of Wednesday morning. The post is seen as a highly unusual move by the CIA to recruit informants and gather intelligence in the Islamic Republic although the U.S. intelligence agency has previously posted similar messages in Russian, Korean and Mandarin inviting people to share information. It noted in 2024 that it had done this because "authoritarian countries across the world are restricting people's access to information, as well as their freedom of movement and communication." As a result, the CIA added, "individuals in these places often can't access Western social media, it can be very difficult to speak out, and telling the truth often carries serious consequences." The latest Persian-language call comes amid heightened tensions with Iran, with whom the U.S. is currently holding talks aimed at preventing the state from proceeding with its nuclear program. The U.S. has amassed a large military force in the Middle East in recent weeks, warning that it's ready to strike Iran if it doesn't agree to stop attempts to build nuclear weapons. Officials from Washington and Tehran are due to hold further nuclear talks in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday.

Israel Threatens Lebanon's Civilian Infrastructure Will Be 'Hit Hard' If Hezbollah Is Involved in Iran War - Israel has informed the Lebanese government that Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure will be “hit hard” if Hezbollah in any way takes part in the apparently upcoming US-Iran War. Lebanese officials have urged Hezbollah not to do so, since the war “does not concern us.”The twin hopes are that Hezbollah will stay out of the war, and that Israel won’t just attack Lebanon anyway. The latter seems incredibly unrealistic, as Israel has been in a state of ceasefire with Lebanon since November 2024, and has attacked Lebanon over 1,000 times in that period.The reports in the lead-up to the presumptive US attack on Iran are that Israel is planning massive attacks on Shi’ite targets across the region as part of the war. This would include attacking Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.Israel has been escalating the rate at which they’re already attacking Lebanon for weeks in anticipation of this, even though Hezbollah hasn’t fired a single rocket at Israel since the ceasefire went into effect. The hope that Israel won’t attack Lebanon if Hezbollah doesn’t attack them does not appear to have a very strong historical basis.Indeed, Israel attacked a Lebanese Army post in Marjayoun just today, and the government has instructed Lebanese forces to return fire if the attacks happen again. This could quickly lead to Israel further escalating a war with Lebanon that is not even tangentially Hezbollah related.In practice, Israel has been attacking Lebanon on a near daily basis for a very long time now, so in many ways the threat to start a new war is likely to ring hollow at any rate. The attempt to link it to the Iran War by imposing an obligation on Hezbollah to stay out of it, similarly, is likely to be a tough sell when all indications are Israel is viewing this potential war as a license to attack Shi’ites unilaterally, and in all likelihood they will do so whether or not Hezbollah does anything at all.

Senate Democrats emerge from secret Iran briefing warning of ‘serious’ moment -Senior Senate Democrats on Tuesday urged President Trump to make his argument to the American people over potential U.S. strikes on Iran, after emerging from a closed-door briefing on the administration’s war preparations. “Closed-door briefings are fine, but the administration has to make its case to the American people on something as important as this,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. U.S. and Iranian negotiators are expected to meet Thursday in Geneva for high-stakes talks on Iran’s nuclear program and capabilities. But Trump has amassed a major military contingent in the Middle East that could support a weeks-long military campaign. The president has said he is considering an initial, limited strike to underscore his seriousness at the negotiating table. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe delivered a classified briefing to the so-called Gang of Eight on the administration’s Iran plans. This includes the leadership of the House and Senate and chair and ranking members of the Intelligence committees in both chambers. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said it is “incumbent” upon the president to make the case to the American people regarding what the administration wants to achieve with any military strikes on Iran and how to protect American interests. “Maybe we’ll hear that tonight, but if we don’t hear it tonight, we need to hear it very, very soon,” the senator said, referring to Trump’s State of the Union Address. Trump reportedly said Tuesday that “Iran desperately wants a deal. But Iran just can’t say the sacred phrase ‘we won’t build nuclear weapons.’” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the delegation in Geneva, posted on the social platform X on Tuesday that “Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon,” but he said the country had a national right to develop “peaceful” nuclear technology.

Donald Trump builds case for war with Iran ahead of pivotal talks - President Trump used Tuesday’s State of the Union address to touch on the myriad reasons why an attack on Iran might be justified, from the regime’s history of attacks on Americans to its violent suppression at home, alleged nuclear ambitions and plans to build a missile that could reach America. The speech amplified warnings coming from the administration as it seeks to justify America’s massive military buildup in the region. But even Trump’s supporters say he could be making a stronger case for urgent action against the longtime foe. “I think there’s a lot of justification for action, I’m not sure he’s verbalizing all of it,” said Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, which wants the U.S. to pursue regime change in Tehran. “I think he could do a better job of explaining all the reasons he should proceed with the strike if that becomes necessary.” Senior Senate Democrats emerged Tuesday from a closed-door briefing on the administration’s war plans for Iran urging the administration to make its case to the American public. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are scheduled to join negotiations with Iranians on Thursday in Geneva, viewed as a make-or-break opportunity to avoid a massive military conflict. Last week, Trump said Iran had 10 days to make a deal or “bad things happen.” Witkoff accused the Iranian regime this weekend of being a week away from developing nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium. However, Trump is stepping on his own message with his nuclear warnings, given that he insisted U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities over the summer obliterated the country’s capacity to build a nuclear bomb. Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, said Trump on Tuesday was clearly trying to outline the building blocks for making the case for military action, “but he did not lay them out in a way that would box him in.” However, he said both the political and military challenges would be difficult, particularly compared with the successful operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last month. “Trump himself has set an impossible standard because not a single American got killed in the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and whatever he does here is going to be compared to that,” he said.

Iran Says US Repeating 'Big Lies' After Trump's State of the Union Address - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday that the US was repeating “big lies” about Iran’s nuclear program, comments that came after President Trump delivered his State of the Union address.In the address, Trump claimed he wanted a deal with Iran but that Tehran wouldn’t say “those secret words, ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon'” even though Iran’s official position is that it will never seek a nuclear bomb. Earlier that same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed this, saying Iran will “under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.”Trump also said that Iran was “working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,” a claim that lacks any evidence, and repeated that 32,000 people were killed in the recent protests, an inflated number that lacks real sourcing and is far beyond the 3,317 acknowledged by the Iranian government. “Professional liars are good at creating the ‘illusion of truth,'” Baghaei wrote on X. “‘Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth,’ is a law of propaganda coined by Nazi Joseph Goebbels. This is now systematically used by the US administration and the war profiteers encircling it, particularly the genocidal Israeli regime, to serve their sinister disinformation & misinformation campaign against the Nation of Iran.”Baghaei said that whatever the US is alleging regarding “Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest is simply the repetition of ‘big lies.’ No one should be fooled by these prominent untruths.”The Trump administration has failed to make a coherent case to the American people about why the US should bomb Iran since President Trump also insisted during the SOTU that his June 2025 airstrikes in Iran “obliterated” the country’s nuclear program. He suggested that Iran wants to “rebuild their weapons program,” but there was no evidence at the time of the June 2025 strikes that Iran was attempting to build a bomb.

CENTCOM: US Military's First Kamikaze Drone Unit Is Ready for Potential Attacks on Iran - The US military’s first kamikaze drone unit is ready for potential strikes on Iran, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing a US Central Command official. “We established the squadron last year to rapidly equip our warfighters with new combat drone capabilities that continue to evolve,” Capt. Tim Hawkins told the outlet. CENTCOM first announced in December 2025 that it deployed the US military’s “first one-way-attack drone squadron based in the Middle East,” but did not disclose the exact location where the drones would be based. The drones the US has deployed for the squadron, known as Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack Systems (LUCAS), were developed by reverse engineering Iranian Shahed-136 drones, demonstrating that Tehran has an edge over Washington when it comes to this type of drone warfare. The Russian version, known as the Geran-2, has been used extensively in attacks on Ukraine. “LUCAS drones deployed by CENTCOM have an extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously. They can be launched with different mechanisms, including catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems,” CENTCOM said at the time A think tank analyst told Bloomberg that the LUCAS drones couldn’t be used against hardened Iranian targets but could be used to strike roadways, missile production facilities, and missile launch sites. The drones are said to cost the US about $35,000 a piece to manufacture.

Vance Says Iran Should Take Trump's Threats 'Seriously' - -Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that Iran should take President Trump’s threats “seriously” as the US continues a major military buildup in the Middle East to prepare for what appears to be a coming attack on the Islamic Republic. Vance has emerged as one of the leading figures in the Trump administration who is making the claim that the potential war is about the prospect of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, despite months of insistence from the president that the June 2025 US airstrikes “obliterated” the country’s nuclear facilities. Vice President JD Vance gives remarks at a Sports Council announcement, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (White House Intern Photo by Julian Casciano) “You can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,” Vance told Fox News. “The president has several other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen. He’s shown a willingness to use them, and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the president prefers.” Later in the day, Vance made the claim that there’s evidence Iran is trying to “rebuild a nuclear weapon,” though Iran has never possessed nuclear weapons. The vice president likely meant to say “nuclear weapons program,” but there was no evidence Iran was pursuing a bomb before Israel launched the 12-Day War, and that was the opinion of US intelligence agencies at the time. “The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters. “If they try to rebuild a nuclear weapon, that causes problems for us. In fact, we’ve seen evidence that they have tried to do exactly that.” While the administration insists the potential war is about Iran’s nuclear program, the likely US goal of any attack would be regime change or destroying Iran’s conventional missile program so it can’t threaten Israel. Either goal would require a massive attack and likely cannot be achieved by airpower alone.

US Imposes New Iran Sanctions Ahead of Geneva Talks - The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed new Iran-related sanctions, a day before US and Iranian officials will meet for another round of talks in Geneva amid the major US military buildup in the Middle East.The Treasury Department said that it imposed sanctions on more than 30 sanctions on individuals, entities, and vessels accused of transporting oil for Iran or enabling the country’s ballistic missile program, and that it was continuing the so-called “maximum pressure campaign.”Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that the administration “will continue to put maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime’s weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it has prioritized over the lives of the Iranian people.”Bessent recently boasted that the administration’s sanctions on Iran were responsible for crushing the country’s economy and sparking the protests and unrest that began inside the country at the end of December.“At the Treasury, what we have done is created a dollar shortage in the country … It came to a swift and, I would say, grand culmination in December, when one of the largest banks in Iran went under. There was a run on the bank,” Bessent told a Senate panel earlier this month.“The central bank had to print money, the Iranian currency went into free fall, inflation exploded, and hence we have seen the Iranian people out on the street,” he added.It’s unclear if there will be progress in the talks on Thursday since the US continues to demand zero uranium enrichment, a condition Tehran has made clear is a non-starter, though it has reportedly offered to suspend its enrichment for three to five years and restart it at a low level as part of a regional consortium. Some reports suggest the US may go for a deal that allows “token” enrichment, but publicly, Trump officials continue to insist on zero enrichment.In the meantime, the US has continued its major military buildup, and President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran if a deal isn’t reached.

On eve of nuclear talks, Trump hits Iran with new sanctions - The U.S. is imposing new sanctions on Iranian individuals, companies and ships accused of enabling the country’s illicit oil sales and ballistic missile programs as President Trump escalates pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. The Treasury Department on Wednesday announced additional action targeting vessels in Iran’s “shadow fleet” that officials said have collectively transported “hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth” of petroleum and petrochemical products to foreign countries. “Instead of allocating this revenue for the benefit of the Iranian people, the regime ultimately siphons it off to fund regional terrorist proxies, weapons programs, and repressive security services, rather than the basic economic needs the Iranian people have repeatedly and courageously demanded,” the department stated. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also levied sanctions on nine people and companies based in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates that it accuses of helping the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian defense ministry obtain precursor chemicals and sensitive machinery for their weapons programs. “Under President Trump’s strong leadership, Treasury will continue to put maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime’s weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it has prioritized over the lives of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. The fresh batch of sanctions comes as U.S. officials, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, are set to hold another round of Oman-mediated talks with Iranian officials Thursday in Geneva. The Trump administration is insisting that Iran cannot be allowed to enrich uranium or possess a nuclear weapon, something the Iranians have been unwilling to agree to. Trump, who has boosted military firepower in the region amid warnings of severe consequences if diplomatic talks fail, said during his State of the Union address on Tuesday that the U.S. was still waiting to hear “those secret words” from Iran. “After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, and in particular nuclear weapons, yet they continue. They’re starting it all over. We wiped it out and they want to start it all over again and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions,” he said. “We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon,’” the president added. Trump also alleged that Tehran had already developed missiles that threaten European countries and American bases overseas and was working to build ones capable of reaching the U.S., a claim the Iranian foreign minister rejected Wednesday. Vice President Vance on Wednesday said the U.S. is seeking a diplomatic deal with Iran, but that Trump has the sole authority on whether the U.S. will strike the Middle Eastern country. “The president has been crystal clear as he could be,” Vance told Fox News’s Bill Hemmer on “America’s Newsroom.” “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” Trump is “going to try to accomplish it diplomatically but, as we all know, Bill, the president has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen,” Vance added. “He’s shown a willingness to use them, and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the president prefers.”

Second GOP lawmaker backs Iran war powers act, barring 'new information' - Rep. Warren Davidson (Ohio) on Thursday became the second House Republican to pledge support for a resolution aimed at limiting President Trump’s ability to take unilateral military action in Iran. Davidson wrote in a post on the social platform X that he has requested a classified briefing on the “mission in Iran,” but he intended to back the war powers resolution when it reaches the House floor next week, barring “new information.”“War requires Congressional authorization. These are actions short of war, but no case has been made,” Davidson wrote on X.House Democrats are expected to force a vote next week designed to stop Trump from launching strikes without first obtaining congressional approval as the administration ramps up pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.The resolution’s prospects remain uncertain, with Davidson and co-sponsor Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) being the only House Republicans to publicly back it.Meanwhile, at least two Democrats — Reps. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.) and Jared Moskowitz (Fla.) — have indicated they will break with their party and vote against it.Gottheimer, a staunch Israel ally, has defended his stance by arguing that Trump needs flexibility in addressing Iranian threats, noting the regime’s support of terrorist proxies and efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.“So long as ‘Death to America’ remains the rallying cry of the Iranian regime, Iran will remain a persistent and serious threat to our men and women in uniform, our allies, and global stability,” Gottheimer said in a joint statement with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) last week.“We respect and defend Congress’s constitutional role in matters of war. Oversight and debate are absolutely vital. However, this resolution would restrict the flexibility needed to respond to real and evolving threats and risks, signaling weakness at a dangerous moment,” they added.Trump did not take the possibility of military action off the table in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, even as he pushed for a diplomatic outcome in the ongoing, indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials.

House To Vote on Iran War Powers Next Week as Trump Has US on Brink of a Major Conflict - Democrats in the House and Senate vowed on Thursday that they will hold a vote next week on War Powers Resolutions aimed at blocking President Trump from launching an attack on Iran without congressional authorization, as required by the US Constitution.Contact your representatives in the House and tell them to support H.Con.Res. 38 to prevent the president from conducting an illegal attack on Iran. The resolution in the House was a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) during the 12-Day War in June 2025, but a ceasefire was reached before a vote was held. Khanna announced last week that he would bring the bill to the floor for a vote, and after initially delaying the vote, Democratic leadership is now on board. “As soon as Congress reconvenes next week, we will compel a vote of the full House of Representatives on the bipartisan Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution,” a group of senior House Democrats said in a joint statement. “This legislation would require the President to come to Congress to make the case for using military force against Iran.”Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) also said on Thursday that he expects to vote on an Iran War Powers Resolution in the Senate “early next week.” Kaine’s resolution is also bipartisan since it has been co-sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).There are signs that more Republicans could dissent to get the resolution through Congress, as the Trump administration has not made a coherent case for war amid what is said to be the largest US buildup of air and naval forces in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.“I have asked for a classified briefing defining the mission in Iran,” Rep Warren Davidson (R-OH)wrote on X on Thursday. “In the absence of new information, I will support the War Powers resolution in the House next week. War requires Congressional authorization. There are actions short of war, but no case has been made.”

If Iran Kills US Troops, The Blame Rests Solely On The US And Israel - Caitlin Johnstone - White House officials reportedly want Israel to provoke Iran into attacking US military bases in the region, because it will make Americans more willing to go to war. Politico reports:“Senior advisers to President Donald Trump would prefer Israel strike Iran before the United States launches an assault on the country, according to two people familiar with ongoing discussions.“These Trump administration officials are privately arguing that an Israeli attack would trigger Iran to retaliate, helping muster support from American voters for a U.S. strike.“The calculus is a political one — that more Americans would stomach a war with Iran if the United States or an ally were attacked first. Recent pollingshows that Americans, and Republicans in particular, support regime change in Iran, but are unwilling to risk any U.S. casualties to achieve it. That means Trump’s team is considering the optics of how an attack is conducted in addition to other justifications — such as Iran’s nuclear program.”“There’s thinking in and around the administration that the politics are a lot better if the Israelis go first and alone and the Iranians retaliate against us, and give us more reason to take action,” an anonymous White House source told Politico.Report: Trump Advisors Want Israel To Attack Iran First To Provoke Iranian Retaliation Against US Assets According to POLITICO, senior US officials think the 'politics' would be better if Israel started the war #Iran #Israel #Trump news.antiwar.com/2026/02/26/rep…So according this report the plan is to let Israel initiate the war, draw out an aggressive Iranian response against Israel and US military assets in the area, and then let the media saturate American airwaves with photographs of slain US soldiers so that Americans will support a new war in the middle east.As a plan to drum up domestic support for war, it would probably work. Israel would certainly be all too happy to initiate another war. The US media would certainly be all too happy to drum up support for American retaliation. And many Americans, God bless them, would be dumb enough to swallow it.We all saw how easily the American public can be persuaded to sign off on any US military operation after 9/11. We know the drill: Americans get killed, the imperial propaganda machine kicks into hyperdrive, and all of a sudden you’ve got every war plan and domestic surveillance agenda ever dreamed up by Washington’s nastiest swamp monsters being advanced at breakneck pace.Secretary of State Marco Rubio is already laying the groundwork for this narrative push, literally doing the “look how close they put their country to our military bases” meme during a press conference on Wednesday. “Iran possesses a very large number of ballistic missiles, particularly short-range ballistic missiles that threaten the United States and our bases in the region and our partners in the region, and all of our bases in the UAE, in Qatar, in Bahrain,” Rubio said. “And they also possess naval assets that threaten shipping and try to threaten the U.S. Navy. So I want everybody to understand that, and beyond just the nuclear program they possess these conventional weapons that are solely designed to attack America and attack Americans, if they so choose to do so.”They’re already blatantly lying to the American public about this thing. In addition to the propaganda narratives we discussed recently like Steve Witkoff claiming Iran is “probably a week away” from having the materials necessary to make a nuclear bomb and The New York Post publishing evidence-free atrocity propaganda about Iran cutting out the reproductive organs of female protesters, President Trump falsely claimed during his State of the Union address on Tuesday that Iran refuses to say it will never develop a nuclear weapon.“We are in negotiations with them; they want to make a deal but we haven’t heard those secret words: We will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump saidduring his speech before Congress.As Antiwar’s Dave DeCamp pointed out, Iran has been explicitly saying they will never develop a nuclear weapon this entire time, and they literally said it again on the day of Trump’s speech. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchitweeted on Tuesday that “Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.” Whether or not you believe Iran’s claims that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, it is an indisputable fact that Trump and his speech writers brazenly lied to the American public about Iran refusing to say the words “We will never have a nuclear weapon”. @POTUS about SOTU on Iran 🇮🇷 “Important negotiations Thursday in Geneva. Iran desperately wants a deal. But Iran just can’t say the sacred phrase ‘we won’t build nuclear weapons’. “ The fact that they would lie so blatantly about something so significant means they’ll lie about anything, and nothing these people tell us about Iran and its activities can be trusted. Trump made other evidence-free claims in the same speech, as DeCampexplains: “Trump also said that Iran was ‘working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,’ a claim that lacks any evidence, and repeated that 32,000 people were killed in the recent protests, an inflated number that lacks real sourcing and is far beyond the 3,317 acknowledged by the Iranian government.”So let’s be very clear here: if any US troops are killed by Iranian missiles, the US and Israel are solely to blame for this. If any Israelis are killed by Iranian missiles, the US and Israel are solely to blame for this. Not Iran.Iran didn’t surround itself with US military bases. Iran didn’t tear up the Obama nuclear deal. Iran isn’t flooding the region with a quantity of US war machinery you never see unless Washington plans on launching an attack. The US did these things. The US is the one who bombed Iran’s energy infrastructure last June. The US is the one who is openly admitting that it deliberately crushed the Iranian economy with the goal of inciting a violent uprising. The US is the one whose National Endowment for Democracy smuggled Starlink terminals into Iran to help facilitate domestic unrest.If any foreign government had been doing these things to the United States, the US would have wiped them off the face of the earth a long time ago. Iran has been demonstrating superhuman forbearance in the midst of extremely aggressive provocations by Israel and the United States. If Tehran calculates that it can no longer sustain its policy of restraint and needs to push back to protect itself from an existential threat, then the blame for this will not rest on Iran. It will rest solely and entirely on the United States and Israel. If any US troops die in the upcoming standoff, it will be Washington and Tel Aviv who killed them.

Iran's Foreign Minister Says Geneva Talks Were the Most Serious Yet - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that the talks between US and Iranian officials in Geneva were one of the most “serious” rounds of negotiations yet, though the threat of a US attack on Iran remains, as there were no signs of a major breakthrough. Araghchi told Iranian TV that the talks “made very good progress and entered into the elements of an agreement very seriously, both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field.” The Iranian diplomat said that another round will likely be held next week and that US and Iranian technical experts will meet in Vienna on Monday to discuss the details of a potential deal. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated the negotiations, also spoke positively of the talks, saying “significant progress” was made. However, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the US came to the talks demanding that Iran completely dismantle three of its nuclear sites, hand over its enriched uranium, and commit to never restarting its uranium enrichment program without significant sanctions relief, conditions that are unacceptable r for Tehran. The US and Iran held a session in the morning, then took a break, during which US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian officials. According to Axios, Witkoff and Kushner were “disappointed” by the Iranian position in the morning, but after reconvening for a second session, an unnamed US official told the outlet that the talks were “positive” without providing additional details.According to a report from Amwaj.media, the proposal that Iran submitted to the US included a pledge to never develop nuclear weapons, something President Trump claimed that Iran has refused to do, despite the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s long-standing fatwa against making a nuclear bomb. “The guiding principles are meant to secure nuclear fuel production [in Iran] while ensuring no nuclear weapons through measures such as full verification and no accumulation [of enriched uranium],” an Iranian source told Amwaj.media. “This means enrichment would continue only as much as needed.” Amid the negotiations between the US and Iran, President Trump and his top officials have been claiming that Iran may be taking steps toward a nuclear weapon, despite also insisting that the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities in the June 2025 war. Experts and diplomats have rejected the US claims, saying all signs indicate Iran’s nuclear enrichment program has been frozen since the US airstrikes.Iran has reportedly offered to formally suspend its enrichment program for three to five years, an arrangement that would ensure there would be no Iranian uranium enrichment for the remainder of the Trump administration.

US, Israel Launch War on Iran - The US and Israel have started an aggressive war against Iran, and Tehran has retaliated with strikes against Israel and American military bases in the Middle East. In a video posted to Truth Social early Saturday morning, President Donald Trump announced the beginning of military operations against Iran. Trump called on the Iranian people to rise up and seize power from their government. The President also stated that the war may result in American soldiers being killed. An Israeli official said the goal of the war is regime change in Tehran. “The goal is to create all the conditions for the overthrow of the Iranian regime. We are targeting all of Iran’s political and military leadership – past, present, and future.” They continued, “The developments also depend on the question of how much the Iranian people will rise up.”The Department of War has dubbed the attack on Iran Operation Epic Fury. US officials told Fox News that the strikes against Iran are expected to continue for days. Kann News reports that Israeli strikes targeted the top political leadership of Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iranian state media has reported that Khamenei and Pezeshkian are unharmed. Trump said the US would completely destroy Iran’s missile program and navy. Iran has responded by attacking US military bases around the Middle East and Israel. Blasts have been reported in Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. Explosions were reported at Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bases in Iraq. The Iraqi militias have ties with Iran. Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shia militia allied with Iran, said it would begin striking US bases in the region. Congress did not authorize Trump to go to war with Iran. The House was planning to vote next week on a War Powers Act resolution to prevent the President from starting an aggressive war. Trump ordered the bombing as US and Iranian negotiators were in the process of making a deal to avert war. On Friday, the Omani Foreign Minister, who is mediating the talks, said Tehran had agreed to significant concessions and a deal was possible.

Iran live updates: Trump says Khamenei dead; Iran has not confirmed - The United States and Israel launched a massive attack on Iranovernight Saturday, killing what Iranian media said was more than 200 people. "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," President Donald Trump said in a video message. Trump later confirmed media reports, citing Israeli claims, that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in airstrikes. He said in a Truth Social post: "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead." Iran has not confirmed reports of the Supreme Leader's death. CNBC has not independently verified Khamenei's condition. Iran launched counterattacks against multiple cities in the Middle East, including Jerusalem. Explosions were heard around those cities. Both the U.S. House and Senate are poised to vote next week on a war powers resolution requiring Trump to get approval from Congress before the U.S. carries out further strikes in Iran — but it's unlikely the measure will pass. In the House, a few Republicans, including Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson, have said they will vote to limit Trump's ability to further strike Iran, asserting Congress' power to declare war under the Constitution. "War requires Congressional authorization," Davidson said on X. Even if Massie and Warren vote to curb Trump's power, at least two House Democrats say they will back Trump's ability to fight Iran — Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Jared Moskowitz of Florida. In the Senate, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., plans to force a vote on war powers against Iran this week. The Senate voted on a similar resolution in June to require Trump to seek approval from Congress before any strike. While Republican Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined nearly all Democrats in voting yes, the measure lacked the 51 votes needed to pass. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted with Republicans to oppose the war powers resolution. Fetterman expressed his support for the latest strikes. The U.S.-Israel attack came after Iran refused American demands that it reduce its nuclear program.

Tehran strikes back at Gulf states after U.S.-Israel attack Iran - The U.S. military has begun "major combat operations" in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday, as Iranian missiles targeted several Middle Eastern cities."Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," Trump said in a video message on his Truth Social account.A U.S. official confirmed earlier that American forces attacked Iran by air and sea, Reuters reported. It also cited an unidentified Iranian official as saying that several ministries in the southern part of the Iranian capital, Tehran, were targeted. Israel also launched a Saturday attack on Iran's capital, with a cloud of smoke rising from the city's downtown. Explosions were heard in key cities around the Middle East, including Jerusalem, as Iran launched counterattacks. CNBC producer Joan Muwahed in Dubai reported hearing two explosions over the city in the United Arab Emirates.Qatar and the UAE condemned Iranian missile counterattacks."The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation of the targeting of Qatari territory with Iranian ballistic missiles, considering it a flagrant violation of its national sovereignty," Qatar's Ministry of Defense said in a statement.A UAE statement said: "the Ministry of Defense announced that the country was subjected today to a blatant attack by Iranian ballistic missiles, which was dealt with by the UAE air defenses with high efficiency and a number of missiles were successfully intercepted."The Israel Defense Forces said it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel."Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat. In the past few minutes, the Home Front Command has sent a precautionary directive directly to mobile phones in the relevant areas," the IDF said in a tweet.Elsewhere, Bahrain said the service center of the U.S. Fifth Fleet was subjected to a missile attack. The U.S. embassy in Bahrain's capital, Manama, issued a security alert warning of "imminent drone/missile attack in Bahrain". In a tweet, the embassy urged "U.S. citizens in Bahrain to shelter in place, review security plans in the event of an attack, and to stay alert in case of additional future attacks. U.S. Embassy personnel are sheltering in place."The U.S. embassy in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, also issued a shelter-in-place alert.

Iran's revolutionary guards tell ships passage through Strait of Hormuz 'not allowed', EU naval mission official says (Reuters) - An official from the European Union's naval mission Aspides said on Saturday that vessels have been receiving VHF transmission from Iran's Revolutionary Guards saying "no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz". The strait is the world's most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Iran had not formally confirmed any such order. Tehran has for years threatened to block the narrow waterway in retaliation for any attack on the Islamic Republic.

US calls on vessels to keep clear of Strait of Hormuz, surrounding waters amid military escalation - The US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration on Saturday called on US-flagged commercial vessels to keep clear of the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters amid the start of significant military escalation in the region. In a maritime alert issued, the department said military operations began on Feb. 28 in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, warning of potential retaliatory strikes by Iranian forces. "It is recommended that vessels keep clear of this area if possible," the advisory said. It noted that "any U.S.-flagged, owned, or crewed commercial vessels that are operating in these areas should maintain a standoff of 30 nautical miles from U.S. military vessels to reduce the risk of being mistaken as a threat." The advisory, which is set to expire on March 7, also strongly encouraged ships to maintain close contact with Naval Forces Central Command's Naval Coordination and Guidance for Shipping and to review the latest advisories from the UK Maritime Trade Operations and the Joint Maritime Information Center. It further advised mariners to implement risk mitigation measures outlined in US Maritime Advisory 2026-001 concerning potential Iranian boarding, detention or seizure incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. The advice comes after Israel and the US launched an attack against Iran early Saturday, citing alleged threats posed by the "Iranian regime." The attacks came as talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman’s mediation. A new round of talks in Geneva ended on Thursday.

Fuck Everyone Who Made This War Possible - Caitlin Johnstone - The US and Israel have launched their long-planned attack on Iran. President Trump said in a speech that the US military is engaged in “major combat operations” intended to cripple Iran’s military and topple the Iranian government. Iran has reportedly been retaliating with missile strikes on Israel and US military bases in the region.This is going to get ugly, folks.I don’t even know what to write about this one, honestly.What am I supposed to say? “Hey everybody, they’re lying to us about this war”? Everyone already knows that. Even the people who support this war know all the justifications for it are lies. They know Iran isn’t building nukes.They know Iran poses no threat to the United States.They know all that bullshit about Iran cutting out women’s wombs and murdering tens of thousands of protesters was evidence-free atrocity propaganda.Nobody needs me to tell them these things. Nobody needs me to tell them that this war is going to kill a whole lot of innocent people and inflict unfathomable amounts of suffering upon our species, both directly during these attacks and indirectly in the chaos and instability ensuing thereafter. Everyone already knows this. Everyone already knows this, and it’s happening anyway. They’re just doing whatever evil things they want to do, without the slightest regard for public opinion or consent. https://x.com/RaniaKhalek/status/2027671765128745080 They’re just going right ahead with a military operation to topple Tehran, after decades of inertia for fear of the horrific consequences it would unleash. They’re just choking off Cuba using siege warfare, which previous presidents refused to do because it would be a monstrous act of war. They just kidnapped the president of a sovereign nation, which previous administrations had refused to do because it’s plainly against international law. They just helped Israel turn Gaza into a gravel parking lot and are now building a giant dystopian tech surveillance encampment to imprison the survivors. They just designated an American company a “supply chain risk to national security” for the first time ever because the AI firm Anthropic refused to let the Pentagon use its technology to operate autonomous killing machines and surveil American citizens — an open admission that the Pentagon plans on using AI to run autonomous killing machines and surveil American citizens.https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/2027703489334239613 There’s an old Frank Zappa quote that’s been popping into my head more and more lately: “The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”We’re seeing a lot more bricks these days. That’s all I can think to say about all this.

• Fuck the USA.
• Fuck Israel.
• Fuck Trump.
• Fuck Netanyahu.
• Fuck Zionism.
• Fuck Trump supporters.
• Fuck the Republican Party.
• Fuck the Democratic Party.
• Fuck war.
• Fuck everyone who helped make this war possible.
• Fuck the western press.
• Fuck warmongering think tanks.
• Fuck the Israel lobby.
• Fuck the military-industrial complex.
• Fuck the western intelligence cartel.
• Fuck the western empire.

I hate everyone who inflicted this nightmare upon my species. If you stand by this senseless US-Israeli act of depravity, then I consider you an enemy. And I will never stop reminding everyone of the psychotic agenda you supported. You own this. This is on you. It’s on you forever.

Iraq May Drop Maliki as PM Candidate After US Threats - Once and possibly future Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s candidacy is increasingly in doubt this weekend, with reports that President Trump’s demand he not be allowed to return to office increasing the possibility that the Coordination Framework bloc may withdraw him as their choice for premier.Last year’s Iraq elections ended with the usual deeply split parliament, though the State of Law Party’s fourth place finish with 6% of the vote was generally seen as enough to give Maliki the coalition leadership, since current PM Mohammed al-Sudani does not intend to return.Late last month, Trump demanded that Maliki step down from the nomination, but he refused at the time, saying that the US should stay out of Iraq’s internal affairs. Maliki was already Iraq’s PM from 2006 through 2014.Now though, the reports are that coalition formation has slowed, and Maliki has even told the Framework he will withdraw his candidacy if two-thirds of the coalition agrees to remove him. That seems increasingly possible, even if no obvious alternative candidate exists.The Hikma Movement reported that the US had extended Trump’s threats to an outright ultimatum, demanding Maliki be withdrawn by Sunday. That’s yet to happen, but they predicted a vote would take place before the deadline.Underpinning this whole thing is that after the 2003 US invasion and occupation of Iraq, the country was restructured such that all of Iraq’s oil revenue was paid in US dollars through the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Since that revenue is almost the entirety of Iraq’s government budget, that means the US can virtually seize Iraq’s treasury at any time and bankrupt the country on a moment’s notice. Though this was theoretically always a concern, it has only become a significant problem since President Trump started using threats of doing so to effectively veto Iraqi government policy and now, it seems, composition.

Maliki Rejects US Demands He Step Aside, Path to Iraq Premiership Unclear -Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s candidacy to return to the position was meant to have been vetoed last month by President Trump, who denounced Maliki as “insane” and threatened to withhold all US support if he returned to office. There was talk of a Sunday ultimatum for him to step down.Monday morning, Maliki remains the State of Law Coalition’s candidate, and appears to still have the Coordination Framework’s approval, at least for now. The framework is expected to meetMonday evening to discuss the matter, but deep divisions suggest they are unlikely to agree to strip Maliki of the candidacy just because President Trump is demanding it.Maliki remains defiant as ever, saying that out of respect for Iraq’s sovereignty he will not withdraw from the candidacy just because a foreign leader demands it. He did, however, acknowledge that he believes a good relationship with the US is “essential for Iraq’s progress.”Which is a complicating factor, as it’s difficult to argue that the Iraq has ever had a good relationship with the US since the 2003 invasion and occupation. What it has had is a bunch of new financial arrangements which give the US unreasonable power over Iraq’s economy and, in the interpretation of the current US administration, de facto veto power over their government. Iraq’s oil revenue is functionally the government’s entire budget, and that revenue is arranged so that it is deposited in held at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. President Trump has used that fact as leverage, threatening to cut off Iraq’s government from its revenue if it displeases him. In 2020 that meant threatening to do so if they asked the US occupation forces to leave, and in 2026 that means threatening to do so if Maliki, or anyone else he doesn’t like, comes to power.

US Demands Iraq End Maliki Nomination by Friday - Iraq’s Coordination Framework is still putting forward Nouri al-Maliki as its candidate for prime minister, despite President Trump loudly and repeatedly demand he be withdrawn. The US is now reportedly setting a deadline of Friday, February 27, to end the candidacy or face unspecified repercussions.If that sounds familiar, it’s because the US had similarly set a “final deadline” for Maliki’s withdrawal last weekend, though that deadline passed with little visible consequence and just more US complaining about Maliki.With just 24 hours left, the latest deadline doesn’t seem like it’s going to change anything either, with the Framework saying they don’t intend to allow the US to decide who gets to be Iraq’s prime minister. Furthermore, the indication is that they don’t even intend to hold another meeting on the premiership until next week, well after this deadline will have already passed. There does not appear to be any other serious candidate being put forward by any part of the Framework, which is the largest bloc in Iraq’s deeply divided parliament.Maliki served as Prime Minister of Iraq from 2006 through 2014. President Trump has insisted he has “insane policies and ideologies” and cannot be allowed to return to office, though again there are no other serious candidates within the Framework who have come forward to replace him with.Maliki has sought to return to office for years and though his State of Law Party only won about 6% of the seats in last year’s election, he has the support of Kurdish factions, and the largest party within the Framework, that of current Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, has appeared to accept Maliki’s candidacy after Sudani said he doesn’t intend to serve another term.It’s a recurring theme in Iraq that after their elections forming a coalition government takes quite some time and a lot of negotiation. Coming up with anyone even palatable to enough of the parties to form the government can be a challenge, and that’s why even if the blocs don’t want to anger the US, they’re unlikely to cast off a candidate that has any chance of forming a government without any clarity about an alternate choice.

Fourteen Countries Condemn Huckabee's Support for Israel Taking Over Most of the Middle East - US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has sparked a diplomatic firestorm, drawing a rebuke from 14 countries after expressing support for the idea of Israel taking over land stretching from Egypt to Iraq during an interview with Tucker Carlson. Huckabee made the comments when pressed on his Christian Zionist view that the modern state of Israel has the divine right to the land that it controls. Carlson asked how far that goes, pointing out that the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis suggests his descendants would have all the land between the Euphrates and the Nile Rivers, which includes Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and parts of Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.“It would be fine if they took it all,” Huckabee said. When pressed further, Huckabee insisted that Israel wasn’t trying to take that land, but the idea of a “Greater Israel” has support within the Israeli government, and Israel currently occupies parts of Syria and Lebanon, and continues to expand illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and its occupation of more than 50% of Gaza. In response to Huckabee’s comments, a joint statement was released by the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, as well as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Organization of Islamic States, and the Arab League. The countries expressed “their strong condemnation and profound concern regarding the statements made by the United States Ambassador to Israel, in which he indicated that it would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank.” The statement said Huckabee’s comments constitute “a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and pose a grave threat to the security and stability of the region.” “The Ministries reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty whatsoever over the Occupied Palestinian Territory or any other occupied Arab lands. They reiterated their firm rejection of any attempts to annex the West Bank or separate it from the Gaza Strip, their strong opposition to the expansion of settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and their categorical rejection of any threat to the sovereignty of Arab states,” the statement said.

Israeli Opposition Leader Backs 'Biblical Borders' for Israel After Huckabee Controversy - -Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid backed the idea of Israel’s “biblical borders” when asked about the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee’s belief that Israel had the divine right to take over all the land between the Nile and Euphrates rivers.“I support anything that will allow the Jews a large, broad, strong land and a safe haven for us, our children, and our children’s children. That I support,” Lapid said at a press conference on Monday, according to Middle East Eye.“Zionism is based on the Bible. Our mandate over the land of Israel is biblical, [and] the biblical borders of the land of Israel are clear… Therefore, the borders are the borders of the Bible,” Lapid added. Huckabee, a Christian Zionist, said in an interview with Tucker Carlson that it would be “fine” for Israel to take over a vast swathe of land that includes territory in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, based on a promise God made to Abraham in Genesis.Huckabee tried to downplay his view, saying that Israel wasn’t attempting to take over those areas, though there is support for the idea of “Greater Israel” in the Israeli government, and the IDF currently occupies parts of Syria and Lebanon. Israel also continues expanding illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and is occupying more than 50% of Gaza.

Syria Confirms ‘Mass Escape’ Since They Took Over ISIS Camps from Kurds - Though they didn’t provide exact numbers for how many are still at large, the Syrian Interior Ministry has confirmed that the al-Hawl camp that housed ISIS detainees in the Hasakeh Governorate did experience mass escapes in the weeks since the central government seized the camp from the Kurdish SDF.This agrees with an assessment from US intelligence late last week, which estimated 15,000 to as many as 20,000 escapees were still at large from al-Hawl camp. There were reports last month when the camp fell of government forces releasing people en masse.At the time, the Syrian government rejected those claims, saying that the Kurds had actually released a small number of people for some inscrutable reason, and that they had already been recaptured. Now that the confirmation of how many people escaped and when they did so has emerged, the narrative has had to change.The Interior Ministry is now saying detainees in al-Hawl were facing “shocking conditions” when the central government took over the camp, that 70% of the camp population were women and children, and that unnamed “smuggling networks” helped them escape. Perhaps the most dramatic narrative change was the declaration that “there are no ISIS prisoners in al-Hawl camp,” in as much as it is among the largest ISIS prison camps in Syria. It has been known that a large population of the camp was always civilians who were merely ISIS-adjacent, relatives of fighters or people seen as ideologically sympathetic, but suggesting the camp had no ISIS members in it is a massive shift, particularly since the camp is still open and the government isn’t actually releasing the women and children unless other countries are willing to accept them.

Pete Hegseth says he'll order random pizzas to throw off monitoring app --Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth jokingly said any surge in takeout deliveries to the Pentagon — a phenomenon that has accurately predicted the start of major geopolitical events — could be him ordering pizza “just to throw everybody off.”Asked about the “Pentagon Pizza Report,” an account on the social platform X that tracks activity at local pizza joints near the U.S. military hub, Hegseth said he was aware of the account.“I’ve thought of just ordering lots of pizza on random nights just to throw everybody off,” he said Sunday on Fox News. “Some Friday night when you see a bunch of Dominos orders, it might just be me on an app, throwing the whole system off so we keep everybody off balance. We look at every indicator.”The Pentagon Pizza Report tracks “popular times” data on Google Maps for pizzerias near the Pentagon and other major military installations under the idea that sudden surges in evening or late-night activity suggest high-level officials are working later than usual — an indication of potential or current military action around the world. Hours before news broke on Israel’s major attack on Iran on June 12, for example, Pentagon Pizza Report noted a surge in Google Maps activity from four pizza places near the Pentagon around 7 p.m. — a signal military leaders were staying in place to monitor unfolding events.

Pentagon removes Joint Staff director Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, sends him back to Navy role - The Pentagon this week removed a senior military official who had served on the Joint Staff for about 90 days, returning him to a role in the U.S. Navy. Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, who became the director of the Joint Staff in December, was yanked from the post and will “return to service” with the Navy, a spokesperson told The Hill on Thursday morning. “A distinguished and highly experienced surface warfare leader, Vice Adm. Fred Kacher will return to service with the United States Navy, after most recently serving as the Director of the Joint Staff,” a Joint Staff spokesperson told The Hill Thursday morning. It is unclear why Kacher was removed from the position. One source told Reuters, which first reported on the removal, that Kacher was not the right fit. Still, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine praised Kacher for his “dedicated service” to the Joint Force and “contributions” to the Joint Staff. “Since graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Vice Adm. Kacher has answered the call for every kind of selfless service imaginable,” Caine said in a statement to The Hill. “The Navy will be glad to have him back and we thank him and them for the loan of his leadership.” The director of the Joint Staff is a low-profile but influential role within the Pentagon. The senior official is part of key meetings and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Joint Staff. Kacher, a career Surface Warfare Officer, is a three-star admiral who graduated with honors from the United States Naval Academy in 1990. He was most recently serving as a commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. The move marks another shake-up within the Defense Department that has seen senior officials removed or forced into early retirement. CNN reported this week that Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have at times disagreed over those moves. Earlier this month, Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to oust one of his top advisers, Col. David Butler.

US Southern Command Kills Three in Latest Boat Strike - US Southern Command announced that its forces blew up another alleged drug-running boat in the waters of Latin America on Friday, killing at least three people.SOUTHCOM said the boat was targeted in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and, as usual, the command offered no evidence to back up its claim that the small vessel was transporting drugs. It labeled the victims of the strike “narco-terrorists,” a term the administration uses to justify extrajudicial executions at sea for an alleged crime that doesn’t get the death penalty in the US. Video of the strike released by SOUTHCOM. The attack brings the number of boats the US has blown up since the bombing campaign started in early September to 44. According to the monitoring group Airwars, the strike brings the total number of people killed by the boat strikes to 147, a figure that accounts for people the US military said survived the initial strike and were never rescued.Airwars and The Intercept reported last week that after the US bombed a boat hundreds of miles off the coast of the Mexico-Guatemala border on December 30, eight survivors jumped overboard and eventually died since a US rescue plane didn’t arrive in the area until about 45 hours later. “SOUTHCOM doesn’t want these people alive,” an unnamed US government official told The Intercept. The official said that survivors create “complications and questions” for the US military and US intelligence agencies, and that it would be easier for them to drown. Each person killed in the US bombing campaign has been classified as a civilian by Airwars since they are non-combatants and posed no threat to the US military at the time of the attacks.

US Military Blows Up Another Small Boat in the Caribbean Sea, Killing Three - US Southern Command announced on Monday that its forces blew up yet another boat it accused of running drugs, killing three people.The command said the boat was targeted in the Caribbean Sea and described the people it killed as “narco-terrorists,” a term used by the Trump administration to justify conducting extra-judicial executions at sea for an alleged crime that doesn’t receive the death penalty in the US. Video of the strike released by SOUTHCOM. SOUTHCOM said the strike was launched at the direction of its commander, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, who replaced Adm. Alvin Holsey, the former commander who stepped down after reportedly voicing concerns about the bombing campaign.As usual, SOUTHCOM provided no evidence to back up its claim that the small vessel was carrying narcotics, something the Pentagon hasn’t done for any of the boats it has targeted since the bombing campaign began in early September.According to numbers from the monitoring group Airwars, the latest strike brings the total number of people killed in the US boat strikes to at least 150, a number that accounts for people the US military said survived an initial strike but were never rescued. Airwars classifies all the deaths as civilians since they are non-combatants and posed no threat to the US military at the time of the attacks. There was a brief lull in the US airstrikes on small boats following the January 3 US attack on Venezuela, which killed 83 people, including four civilians, and resulted in the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro. But in recent weeks, the US has escalated the attacks on boats.

US Military Boards Third Oil Tanker in the Indian Ocean That it Tracked from the Caribbean - The US Department of War said on Tuesday that its forces boarded an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean that it tracked from the Caribbean, marking the third such incident. According to The Associated Press, the ship, named the “Bertha,” was one of the tankers that left Venezuela following the January 3 US attack on the country to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Video of US forces boarding the ship released by the Department of War“Three boats ran, and now all three have been captured,” the DoW said in a post on X. “Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Bertha without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.”A US official told the AP that the boat has been “placed under US control” and that its fate will be determined by the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. The US has interdicted a total of 10 oil tankers since it first began seizing Venezuelan-linked tankers in December. The Pentagon said the Berth had violated President Trump’s “quarantine” in the Caribbean.“From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it. No other nation has the global reach, endurance, or will to enforce sanctions at this distance,” the DoW said.

Cuba Says It Killed Four People Who Opened Fire From a US-Registered Speed Boat - -The Cuban government said on Wednesday that its coast guard killed four people who opened fire from a US-registered speedboat that entered Cuba’s territorial waters, an incident that comes amid a ramped-up US oil embargo on the country that’s meant to bring about regime change.The Cuban Interior Ministry said in a statement that the vessel approached within one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel north of Corralillo, a town in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara. As the Cuban coast guard vessel approached, the Interior Ministry said the people on the foreign boat opened fire, injuring the commander of the Cuban boat.“As a result of the confrontation, at the time of this report, on the foreign side, four aggressors were killed, and six were injured, who were evacuated and received medical assistance,” the statement said.The ministry said the boat was registered in Florida, just 90 miles from Cuba. So far, there’s been no comment from the US about the incident.The Trump administration recently cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and pressured Mexico to end its oil exports, causing severe fuel shortages in the country. Last week, President Trumpboasted of the impact his embargo is having on Cuba.“Cuba is right now a failed nation, and they don’t even have jet fuel for airplanes to take off, clogging up their runway,” he said, adding that he wanted a “deal” with Cuba, but in the meantime, “there’s an embargo. There’s no oil, there’s no money, there’s no anything.”It’s unclear what sort of “deal” President Trump wants with Cuba, and whether talks between Washington and Havana are underway. Drop Site News recently reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been blocking negotiations with Cuba while telling President Trump they were ongoing, while Axios reported that Rubio has held some talks with the grandson of Raul Castro.

Canada releases $8M in immediate aid to support food security in Cuba --Canada announced Wednesday the immediate release of $8 million in accelerated funding for vulnerable people in Cuba as that country grapples with worsening living conditions. "Cuba is facing rapidly worsening conditions driven by severe fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts and growing barriers to accessing food and health care," said a statement by Global Affairs Canada, while pointing to the continued energy crisis increasing the "vulnerability" of millions of Cubans. "Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development), announced an accelerated funding of $8 million to be released immediately to scale-up food and nutrition for vulnerable Cubans," it said. The statement said the funding forms part of an international assistance program designed to strengthen local food security and nutrition, delivered in partnership with the World Food Program and the UN Children's Fund. Noting that Canada is monitoring the situation in Cuba, it stated that Ottawa continues to maintain "close contact with its partners" regarding the situation in Cuba. "As the people of Cuba face significant hardship, Canada stands in solidarity and is providing targeted assistance to help address urgent needs," Anand said in the statement, adding that Canada is "delivering timely support to vulnerable communities and reaffirming Canada's commitment to the well-being and dignity of the Cuban people." Cuba is facing its deepest economic crisis in decades as the US has intensified pressure on the island in recent weeks by moving to block oil shipments, including supplies from ally Venezuela. The measure has driven up food and transportation costs, caused severe fuel shortages and led to prolonged nationwide blackouts.

US Says It Will Allow Sale of Some Venezuelan Oil to Private Companies in Cuba - The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said on Wednesday that it would allow some sales of Venezuelan oil to private businesses in Cuba, marking an easing of the US oil embargo, though it’s unclear if the limited sales will bring real relief to the island.The OFAC statement said that its new “favorable licensing policy” will authorize licenses for companies seeking to resell Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use in Cuba” but that it would not allow “transactions involving, or for the benefit, of any persons or entities associated with the Cuban military, intelligence services, or other government institutions.” Since the US attack on Venezuela to abduct President Nicolas Maduro, the US has cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and pressured Mexico to stop exporting oil to the country by threatening an increase in tariffs. The two countries accounted for nearly 80% of Cuba’s oil imports, and the ramped-up US embargo has caused a major fuel crisis in Havana, with some analysts expecting a total blackout by the end of this month.President Trump previously boasted about the effects of his embargo, noting that “they don’t even have jet fuel for airplanes to take off.” He said the embargo would remain in place until Washington and Havana reach some sort of “deal,” though it’s unclear what sort of agreement could be reached since the administration is signaling that it wants regime change.The Treasury Department’s policy change regarding the embargo came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Caribbean officials who expressed concern about the embargo and the worsening humanitarian crisis it’s creating.“Humanitarian suffering serves no one,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said at a gathering of Caribbean leaders. “A prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba.”

Trump floats ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba - President Trump on Friday suggested the U.S. could carry out a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as the president has used a fuel blockade to increase the pressure on the communist regime in Havana. “The Cuban government is talking with us. They’re in a big deal of trouble, as you know. They have no money, no anything right now,” Trump told reporters. “Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba. We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.” Trump imposed a fuel blockade on the island in an executive order at the end of January in a push to collapse the regime, which relies heavily on energy and food imports. The United Nations’s top official for Cuba warned on Wednesday that daily life on the island is “becoming fragile” with increased strains on health care, water services and food distribution. U.S. officials reportedly met Thursday with the grandson of 94-year-old former president Raúl Castro, considered the de facto leader of the totalitarian regime, on the sidelines of a conference in the Caribbean attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Castro’s grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, serves as his grandfather’s bodyguard and is believed to oversee Cuba’s armed forces’s conglomerate, known as GAESA, which controls much of the island’s economy. The Miami Herald reported that in 2024, GAESA had about $18 billion in assets and in unknown bank accounts. The Cuban government has instituted emergency measures to deal with the U.S. fuel quarantine and is said to have between six and seven weeks of fuel left before falling into a major blackout. Trump’s remarks come after a deadly confrontation Wednesday between the Cuban coast guard and a group of U.S. citizens, permanent residents and visa holders. At least four people aboard a boat were killed and others were wounded, taken into custody and accused of “terrorism” against the island. Both governments have made statements seeming to cool tensions over the incident, emphasizing both sides are cooperating in clarifying what the Cuban government called “regrettable events.”

France bars US ambassador Kushner from meeting government officials over protocol breach - The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has barred U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco Charles Kushner from meeting with government officials. A French official told The Hill Monday that Kushner did not show up to the foreign ministry when he was summoned, a breach of diplomatic protocol. As a result, Kushner is now denied meetings with French ministers. “It’s not primarily a bilateral issue, it’s a question of the basic expectations attached to the mission of an ambassador,” the official said. “We just wanted to underline that he will not be granted direct access to ministers and members of the government, but he can carry out his duties [and present himself at the French ministry of foreign affairs],” the person added. The Hill has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment. Last week, the U.S. Embassy in France expressed concern over the death of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old French right-wing activist who was allegedly beaten on Feb. 12 by left-wing militants and died from brain injuries two days later. “The information, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, according to which Quentin Deranque would have been killed by far-left militants, should concern us all,” the embassy wrote on social platform X. “Violent left-wing extremism is on the rise, and its role in the death of Quentin Deranque demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. “We will continue to follow the situation and hope that the perpetrators of these acts of violence are brought to justice,” the embassy continued. Kushner, the father of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, took office last July after the Senate voted 51-45 to confirm him. Trump also pardoned the elder Kushner in December 2020, after the real estate businessman served two years in prison in the 2000s, having plead guilty to tax evasion, lying to the Federal Election Commission and retaliating against a federal witness. Just over a month after taking office as ambassador, Kushner urged French President Emmanuel Macron to address rising antisemitism in a letter published in The Wall Street Journal. “In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized,” Kushner wrote.

US military shot down border patrol drone with laser in Texas, lawmakers say - The U.S. military shot down a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone with a laser in Texas on Thursday, according to Democratic lawmakers, prompting the closure of airspace near the U.S.-Mexico border. Democratic Reps. Rick Larsen (Wash.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.) and Andre Carson (Ind.) said in a joint statement Thursday evening that the Pentagon reportedly shot down a CBP drone using “high-risk counter-unmanned aircraft system.” The trio criticized the White House “sidestepping” a bipartisan bill to train drone operations and address the lack of communication between the Department of Homeland Security, Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “Now, we’re seeing the result of its incompetence,” they said in a statement. The incident prompted the FAA to close the airspace near Fort Hancock, Texas. The FAA told The Hill that a temporary flight restriction (TFR) was already in place around the Fort Hancock area and has been expanded include a “greater radius to ensure safety.” The TFR does not impact commercial flights. The Pentagon employed “counter-unmanned aircraft system” authorities to “mitigate a seemingly threatening” drone that was operating within military airspace. The engagement took place “far” away from populated areas, the Defense Department, CBP and the FAA said in a joint statement Thursday night. “At President Trump’s direction, the Department of War, FAA, and Customs and Border Patrol are working together in an unprecedented fashion to mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at the U.S.-Mexico Border,” they said in a statement. “These agencies will continue to work on increased cooperation and communication to prevent such incidents in the future,” they added. “The bottom line is the Trump Administration is doing more to secure the border and crack down on cartels than any administration in history.” The incident marks the second time this month that a laser was used in Texas and caused a closure of airspace. The CBP used a laser, lent by the Pentagon, to fire in the airspace near Fort Bliss, causing the FAA to shut down air traffic at the El Paso airport. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), the ranking member on the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee, said the situation is “alarming” and demanded a “thorough, independent” investigation.

Plan for massive Georgia concentration camp for immigrants provokes outrage -Outrage is mounting in Georgia and across the United States as the federal government moves to dramatically expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity as part of an escalating war on immigrants. In rural Social Circle, Georgia, local officials revealed that ICE intends to purchase a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse and convert it into a massive detention complex capable of holding up to 10,000 people, a scale of incarceration not seen in the United States since the mass imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. (First-floor layout of the proposed 8,000+ bed ICE detention complex in Social Circle, Georgia, illustrating the industrial-scale design of a warehouse facility.) City planning documents make clear that the project is not a temporary “surge” measure but a long-term expansion. Utility filings reviewed by local officials project more than 1 million gallons per day in wastewater demand, consistent with a multi-thousand-person detention complex operating on a permanent basis. The broader development plan encompasses more than 2.3 million square feet of approved construction and requires substantial infrastructure commitments from the city. Facilities of this scale are not erected for short-term operations. Their construction underscores that the targeting of immigrants is only the opening phase of a broader campaign to expand police powers and institutionalize mass detention. The attacks on immigrants today form part of a wider drive by the US ruling class to entrench repressive state measures against workers and political opponents, advancing the interests of the Trump regime and the financial oligarchy it represents. Reporting by The Guardian noted that the scale of the proposed facility has generated significant opposition among Social Circle residents, including in a community that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the last election. Local outrage has forced the mayor and police chief to publicly express resistance to ICE’s planned purchase after details of the project became known. When the city posted the “first floor” schematics online—showing dense rows of beds representing thousands of human beings—the images circulated widely on social media. Many commenters drew historical comparisons to the cramped conditions of 18th-century slave ships and to the concentration camps established in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Opposition is not confined to rural Georgia. Reporting by Stateline documented similar outrage in Oklahoma City, where residents learned of federal plans to convert a vacant warehouse into an immigration processing facility. Facing bipartisan opposition, the out-of-state warehouse owner ultimately abandoned negotiations with the federal government. Comparable resistance has emerged from Utah to Texas to Virginia and Mississippi, where public pressure has derailed or delayed warehouse conversions and large-scale detention projects. The backlash comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undertakes a sweeping expansion fueled by a record $80 billion multi-year congressional allocation for detention. ICE is currently holding more than 70,000 people nationwide—the highest number in the agency’s history—and internal documents outline plans for 16 processing sites holding up to 1,500 people each and eight detention centers capable of holding up to 10,000 each, for a total projected capacity of 92,600 beds. The agency is also pursuing roughly 150 new leases and office expansions across the country. The rapid expansion of detention capacity is occurring alongside soaring profits for the private prison industry. An investigation by The Appeal found that at least one investor in CoreCivic was disappointed that the Trump administration has yet to detain 100,000 human beings. “One of the big questions … has been the pace of detention by ICE, that it’s been below what investors thought [it] was going to be,” one caller said. “I think people thought we’d be at that 100,000 level. We’re at a little over 70,000.” During the final quarter of 2025, CoreCivic’s revenue from ICE more than doubled compared to the previous year, rising from $120.3 million to $244.7 million. The company’s annual profits climbed to $116.5 million, nearly a 70 percent increase. The GEO Group reported similar gains. The company posted $2.63 billion in revenue in 2025 and net income of $120.1 million. GEO executives stated that the ICE population across its facilities had risen to approximately 24,000, the highest level in the company’s history. GEO expects roughly $3 billion in revenue in 2026. GEO founder George Zoley told investors that the company is evaluating participation in warehouse conversion projects capable of holding “seven, eight, or 9,000 beds per facility,” acknowledging that such sites represent “an enormous capacity.” Beyond detention beds, GEO’s subsidiary BI Incorporated operates the federal government’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), which relies on GPS ankle monitors. According to company executives, ISAP participants have increased from roughly 17,000 to more than 42,000 in the past year, with capacity to scale “to whatever level services ICE wants, whether it’s 100,000 or beyond that.”

Democrat Rep. Delia Ramirez calls Kristi Noem meeting 'heated and tense' after call for impeachment -Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), who has been pushing for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s impeachment, came face-to-face with her on Wednesday, demanding reforms within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the agency remains shut down.“Today, I met with Secretary Kristi Noem and, again, confronted and held her accountable for her lawlessness and violations of our civil rights,” Ramirez wrote Wednesday evening on the social platform X. “While I am clear her days in public office are numbered, Noem currently holds the Office of the Secretary. As such, she has an obligation to execute her oath of office and abide by U.S. laws,” she added.The closed-door meeting, which Ramirez described to NBC News as “heated and tense,” came as Democrats have repeatedly insisted that they will not support a DHS funding measure unless it includes new restrictions on federal law enforcement officers participating in the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown.Ramirez said she asked Noem to commit to policy changes in several areas, including prohibiting officers from entering sensitive locations, a standardized use of force policy, an end to “warrantless” arrests and searches and better standards of care for migrants in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities.“If there was any hope that she would recognize just how dysfunctional, how unlawful her agency has operated — it was very clear to me that she has no interest in really acknowledging all of the ways that her leadership continues to fail,” Ramirez told NBC News.The Illinois Democrat, who serves on the Homeland Security Committee, asked for the meeting in December after claiming she had not been given access to requested information about DHS’s actions and tactics and an ICE facility in Broadview, Ill. She also said requests for a meeting with leaders in the Chicago field office had gone unanswered, according to a letter from her office. “It’s been months since I requested the meeting, and DHS has only escalated its campaign of lawlessness and abuses of power. Noem and Trump have chosen a shutdown over accountability to the American people,” Ramirez wrote in a follow-up post on X.Ramirez reiterated accusations that Noem committed “impeachable offenses” following the death of 37-year-old Renee Good at the hands of an ICE officer in Minneapolis last month.She and more than 70 other House Democrats accused Noem in a January letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) of misusing congressional funds, violating the separation of powers and making false and misleading statements in the media and to Congress.Noem has been under fire for her rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, particularly her hasty use of the term “domestic terrorism” to describe the actions of two U.S. citizens fatally shot by federal officers.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston bans federal immigration agents from city property - Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) on Thursday announced that federal immigration agents are banned from city property while also mandating Denver law enforcement to protect protesters. Johnston issued the ban via an executive order. The order mandates that Denver police and sheriff’s deputies document federal immigration officers with body cameras, give life-saving aid to someone harmed by federal officers and “to intervene in instances of force that could cause death or serious bodily injury by immigration enforcement agents,” among other provisions. “We seek not to provoke but to protect,” Johnston said in a statement. “In a time of great fear, we are reminding Denverites that there are still those you can trust and lines you can’t cross. Our law enforcement and legal teams will stand up for civil liberties, and, if necessary, step in to protect the life and safety of our residents. “This is our city, and we will defend the rights of every person in it,” he added. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson called the executive order “legally illiterate.” “Enforcing federal immigration laws is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II and the Supremacy Clause,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “While Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make Denver safe again.” The order is symbolic, as Denver and the state of Colorado do not have the power to stop federal immigration officers from conducting operations, even in the face of the state’s sanctuary laws. Johnston’s executive order comes amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown in Democratic-led states. His deportation agenda faced major pushback in Minnesota, after officials accused the administration of federal overreach. This was exacerbated by the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis last month, which led to further outcry after Trump administration officials accused them of “domestic terrorism.” Other states have acted on how local law enforcement will interact with ICE. Earlier this month, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed into law a bill banning cooperation agreements between sheriffs and ICE. Wicomico County Sheriff Michael Lewis on Wednesday accused the new law of putting “politics over public safety.” Democratic lawmakers called for dramatic reform within DHS and for ICE. Some House Democrats backed an appropriations bill to fund DHS last month. Pretti’s death drew Democratic senators away from the backing the bill, resulting in an ongoing shutdown.

ICE, Maryland sheriffs slam new state law prohibiting cooperation agreements - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Maryland sheriffs on Thursday slammed a new state law that bars cooperation agreements between federal immigration officers and local authorities.ICE accused Maryland lawmakers of allowing Americans to become “hurt or, worse, killed by criminal aliens,” the agency posted on the social platform X. The post included a video of Wicomico County Sheriff Michael Lewis describing the new law as “politics over public safety,” a video also shared by the White House’s Rapid Response X profile. “And we, as elected sheriffs, are fed up with it,” he said, adding that he and other sheriffs “have to come together in unison to stop the ridiculousness that’s going on up here in Annapolis, Maryland. Lawmakers need to wake up and realize the American people want public safety over politics, and they’re not getting it!”Sheriffs from seven Maryland counties gathered in Annapolis on Wednesday to speak out against another bill, the Community Trust Act, that would restrict ICE’s interaction with local police even further, The Baltimore Sun reported.The bill would prohibit local police from investigating or arresting a person based on their citizenship status and would prevent them from notifying or transferring potential suspects to ICE without a warrant.Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed a law banning 287(g) agreements in the state, which allows ICE to deputize local law enforcement officers to carry out immigration enforcement. In the two weeks since it became law, local sheriffs have vowed to continue working with ICE in an informal capacity, which could soon also be prohibited.“Federal law enforcement handcuffs are considerably larger than state police handcuffs, than sheriff’s deputies’ handcuffs, than local law enforcement handcuffs,” Lewis said, according to the Sun. “Who are we to tell them how to do their job?” Even Moore’s predecessor, former Gov. Larry Hogan (R), said that local police will “ignore” the new law.“So I get the whole, you know, overreach and overstep and doing the wrong things, but, you know, when they have violent criminals that they’re holding in jail that ICE wants to be detained, they, you know, they shouldn’t be let back on the street,” Hogan said at Politico Live’s “Governors Summit.” “So there’s two sides to this argument.”Moore previously said the new law “draws a clear line: we will continue to work with federal partners to hold violent offenders accountable, but we refuse to blur the lines between state and federal authority in ways that undermine the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”Moore and other Democrats have accused ICE officers of breaking the law in recent months, citing an excessive use of force and racial discrimination. And after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis last month, the Maryland governor and others have also condemned the actions by the Department of Homeland Security’s agencies. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) last month called for “dramatic reform” within ICE and accused ICE officers of breaking the law and acting “completely lawless.”

DOJ sues New Jersey over Sherrill order meant to rein in ICE - - The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Monday lawsuit against New Jersey and its Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D), over a recent executive order that bans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from state property without a judicial warrant. The government wrote that Sherrill is aiming to “intentionally obstruct” federal law enforcement and thwart federal immigration law.“Such blatant disregard for federal laws that have been on the books for over three decades is not merely a political statement, but is instead deliberate action that jeopardizes the public safety of all Americans,” the lawsuit reads.The Garden State governor said federal immigration authorities need more training after reports of misconduct in the state. Sherrill’s executive order coincided with a portal launched by the New Jersey attorney general’s office where residents can upload reports about ICE officials violating the law. “I think what the federal government needs to be focused on right now instead of attacking states like New Jersey working to keep people safe is actually training their ICE agents with some modicum of training, like any law enforcement officer in the state of New Jersey would have, so they can operate better and more safely,” Sherill said at a Tuesday morning press conference. The court challenge on Sherrill’s newest executive action follows four other legal complaints filed by the Trump administration. Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken were named in a complaint from May of last year over their status as “sanctuary cities.” In those jurisdictions, local law enforcement limits its compliance with federal immigration authorities. Attorney General Pam Bondi said New Jersey’s “sanctuary policies will not stand” in a Tuesday statement.

Newark mayor demands probe after ICE chase leads to chain-reaction collision – A high-speed pursuit involving federal immigration agents ended in a chain-reaction crash Wednesday in Newark, sending several people, including schoolchildren, to the hospital and prompting calls for a state investigation. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents caused the crash by illegally chasing a man through city streets Wednesday morning. The pursuit ended when vehicles connected to the operation collided with three civilian cars, witnesses and city officials said. Shamad Davis, who witnessed the incident, said immigration agents began chasing a man driving a work van at high speed before the situation spiraled into a crash. “He flew up the hill and they started chasing him,” Davis said. “Next thing you know, it was a full collision and all three cars were totaled.”Three young siblings riding in a Lyft on their way to school were inside one of the vehicles struck during the crash, according to Newark Public Safety officials. Davis said the children appeared shaken and injured after the collision. “One was hysterical and couldn’t control herself,” he said. “Another complained her head was hurting, and the boy said his ankle was injured.” Video from the scene showed the children’s mother angrily confronting masked federal agents as emergency crews treated victims nearby. A crowd of residents gathered, shouting at immigration officers as tensions escalated. Immigrant advocates criticized federal enforcement tactics, arguing civil immigration matters should not involve dangerous vehicle pursuits. “It’s not up to ICE to be chasing people around,” said Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “Whether someone has charges or convictions is a matter for the criminal legal system.” The man targeted by agents was seen being taken to a hospital on a stretcher. It’s unclear what happened following his hospitalization. Authorities said no life-threatening injuries were reported. Torres noted that a similar immigration-related pursuit earlier this month in Georgia ended in a fatal crash involving a Savannah schoolteacher, raising broader concerns about enforcement practices. Baraka said the city plans to submit police reports and evidence to the New Jersey attorney general’s office, urging an investigation into what he described as an illegal pursuit. “We’re going to use the police report and information we have and ask the governor and attorney general to take action and pursue this,” the mayor said.

Trump predicts Supreme Court will rule against him on birthright citizenship after tariffs loss -President Trump predicted on Monday morning that the Supreme Court will also rule against him when it comes to birthright citizenship, comments that come after the nation’s highest court rejected some of his most sweeping tariffs.“The next thing you know they will rule in favor of China and others, who are making an absolute fortune on Birthright Citizenship, by saying the 14th Amendment was NOT written to take care of the ‘babies of slaves,’ which it was as proven by the EXACT TIMING of its construction, filing, and ratification, which perfectly coincided with the END OF THE CIVIL WAR,” Trump said in a lengthy Truth Social post.Last week, the Supreme Court ruled against most of Trump’s expansive tariffs. The president’s tariff policy throughout his second term has rattled markets across the globe, worsened relationships with allies like the European Union and Canada and increased economic uncertainty.In December, the Supreme Court took up the case of whether the president’s birthright citizenship limits are constitutional. Trump signed an executive order last year terminating birthright citizenship for people born in the U.S. if both of their parents don’t have permanent legal status. The order, aligned with the Trump administration’s controversial larger immigration crackdown, also resulted in a swath of legal challenges.“This supreme court will find a way to come to the wrong conclusion, one that again will make China, and various other Nations, happy and rich. Let our supreme court keep making decisions that are so bad and deleterious to the future of our Nation – I have a job to do,” Trump said in his Monday post.Criticism of the administration’s immigration crackdown exploded last month after the killing of two people, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents.

Vance, Oz announce pause in Medicaid funds to Minnesota amid fraud probe Vice President JD Vance and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz announced on Wednesday the Trump administration will halt certain Medicaid funds to Minnesota as a part of the effort to crack down on fraud in the state. “We have decided to temporarily halt certain amounts of Medicaid funding that are going to the state of Minnesota in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligation seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money,” Vance said alongside Oz. As a part of the move, $259.5 million in Medicaid funds for Minnesota will not be reimbursed as the administration investigates alleged fraud in the state. Fourteen programs, including autism care and non-medical transports are among the programs viewed as having a high risk of fraud. “This is not a problem with the people of Minnesota. It’s a problem with the leadership of Minnesota and other states who do not take Medicaid preservation seriously,” Oz said. “Any delay in services is going to be, should be laid at the at the seat of Governor Walz. I believe he will take this seriously,” he continued. Oz said the administration is “confident” that people will not be hurt in Minnesota, noting the state has a rainy day fund. The Hill has reached out to Gov. Tim Walz (D). “On Feb. 25, the federal government notified the Minnesota Department of Human Services they are deferring $259 million in federal Medicaid funding,” the Minnesota Department of Human Services said in a statement to The Hill. “Today’s actions are on top of federal action to withhold more than $2 billion in annual Medicaid funding to Minnesota. The state has submitted a corrective action plan to convince CMS to reverse course and is appealing.” “Today’s announcement is part of a broad and sustained attack by the federal government on Medicaid in Minnesota,” said Minnesota Human Services Commissioner Shireen Gandhi. “Deferring $259 million will significantly harm the state’s health care infrastructure and the 1.2 million Minnesotans who depend on Medicaid. The federal government chose to ignore more than a year of serious and intensive work to fight fraud in our state.” The announcement is a part of the administration’s efforts to combat fraud in Minnesota and nationwide.

Trump administration enacts 6-month moratorium on Minnesota Medicaid payments -Vice President Vance and top health official Mehmet Oz announced a 6-month “moratorium” on Medicaid payments to Minnesota, claiming it was an effort to crack down on fraud. The state’s governor is calling it “targeted retribution.” “We have decided to temporarily halt certain amounts of Medicaid funding that are going to the state of Minnesota in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligation seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money,” Vance said. Fourteen programs, including autism care and non-medical transport, are among the programs viewed as high risk for fraud. Roughly $260 million will not be reimbursed by the federal government. “I don’t know when at sometimes somebody says that enough is enough. This is a targeted retribution against a state that the president doesn’t like,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said in a press briefing Thursday. “The real shame in all this is this is a state that does health care as well as anybody.” Public health groups warned that this pause in funding will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in the state, where about a quarter of the population is on Medicaid. “Medicaid is not just a line item in a budget—it is a lifeline for over one million families, seniors, people with disabilities, and rural and urban communities across our state,” the Minnesota Public Health Association said in a statement to The Hill. “We urge constructive partnership to safeguard program integrity while ensuring that no Minnesotan experiences disruption in access to essential health services. Protecting health and stability must remain our common ground.”

Senate Democrat: Trump has ‘no intention of following’ Constitution on tariffs -- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said President Trump has “no intention of following” the Constitution when it comes to tariffs, comments that came in the wake of a Supreme Court decision Friday that rejected the authority for many of Trump’s expansive tariffs. “He has no intention of following the spirit or the letter of the Constitution. The Constitution gives taxation authority, which includes tariffs, to Congress, and all tariffs in the past have been through congressional authorizations,” Merkley told MS NOW’s Al Sharpton on Sunday. “In fact, the very first bill the Senate ever considered, when it first came in, the very first time, it spent three weeks doing a tariff bill. And so, the Supreme Court has said, ‘No, the Constitution is clear. This power belongs to Congress,’” the senator added. Friday’s 6-3 decision struck down the president’s expanded use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for imposing tariffs on almost every country. The 1970s-era IEEPA legislation allows the president to “regulate” imports when needed in response to national emergencies that pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat. “We claim no special competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs,” Chief Justice John Roberts said. “We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned to us by Article III of the Constitution. Fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.”Trump announced he was increasing a recently imposed global tariff to 15 percent on Saturday after reviewing the Supreme Court’s decision.

Bessent dodges questions about tariff refunds - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday dodged questions about refunds after the Supreme Court struck the vast majority of President Trump’s tariffs down. “I do want to start with the big question, will you refund the roughly $134 billion in revenue taken by these emergency tariffs?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Bessent on “State of the Union.” “Well, Dana, that’s not the big question. Let’s just level set here, what the Supreme Court did was a very narrow reading of the president’s authority under the [International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)] tariffs. We have other tariff authorities which have been functioning, Section 232 tariffs, Section 301 tariffs,” Bessent responded. “And, Dana, when you say it’s a ‘big question,’ that’s bad framing, because the Supreme Court didn’t even address that. The Supreme Court remanded it down to a lower court. And, you know, we will follow what they say, but that could be weeks or months when we hear them. So, the Supreme Court did not address refunds,” he added. “Sure, they didn’t address refunds. That is clearly going to be up to you, which is —” Bash said. “No, no, no, no, Dana,” Bessent responded, adding later that refunds are “not up to the administration, it is up to the lower court, let’s just be clear on that.” The Supreme Court on Friday axed most of Trump’s expansive tariffs, a hallmark of his administration’s economic strategy. The sweeping tariffs have been roundly criticized, both in the U.S. and abroad, and have caused instability in global markets. Friday’s 6-3 decision struck down the president’s expanded use of IEEPA for imposing tariffs on almost every country. The law, from the 1970s, lets the president “regulate” imports when needed in response to national emergencies that pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat. Bash then pressed Bessent further on refunds, stating that the federal government had promised refunds in the case of the tariffs being found “unlawful.” She also asked Bessent if he thought the refunds should be handed out. “Again, I want to point to what we’re doing. The president, the administration, remains undeterred in reshoring American factories and getting rid of these massive trade imbalances. That’s the big story here,” Bessent said.

Donald Trump administration ending collections on tariffs deemed illegal -- The Trump administration on Tuesday will stop collections on sweeping tariffs that were deemed illegal by the Supreme Court in a notable ruling last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Sunday.CBP said that tariffs, which had been imposed through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by President Trump, are set to end “and will no longer be collected for goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:00 a.m. eastern time on February 24, 2026.” On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected most of Trump’s expansive tariffs. The 6-3 decision struck down the president’s expanded use of IEEPA for imposing tariffs on almost every country. The 1970s-era legislation allows the president to “regulate” imports when needed in response to national emergencies that pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat. “We claim no special competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs,” Chief Justice John Roberts said. “We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned to us by Article III of the Constitution. Fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.” During his second term, Trump’s tariff policy has shaken markets across the globe, caused rifts in relationships with American allies including the European Union and Canada and increased economic uncertainty. Trump on Saturday announced he was raising a newly imposed global tariff to 15 percent in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dodged questions about refunds in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on tariffs. “I do want to start with the big question, will you refund the roughly $134 billion in revenue taken by these emergency tariffs?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Bessent on “State of the Union.” “Well, Dana, that’s not the big question. Let’s just level set here, what the Supreme Court did was a very narrow reading of the president’s authority under the IEEPA tariffs. We have other tariff authorities which have been functioning, Section 232 tariffs, Section 301 tariffs,” Bessent responded.

GOP set for internal battle over Supreme Court tariff ruling - The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling that President Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed sweeping global tariffs last year has set the stage for a bitter internal Republican battle over how to respond to the landmark ruling. Trump’s staunchest allies, led by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), are already pushing a plan to move legislation under the special budget reconciliation process that would allow them to raise tariff rates with a simple majority vote to bolster Trump’s embattled trade agenda. “The legislative vehicle is pretty straightforward. It’s a reconciliation bill, which only requires 50 votes,” said Moreno, who said he’s hopeful his colleagues would work on the approach, which he indicated could also include additional items. “What we would be talking about is moving tariffs that are already in legislation to a higher amount,” he added, referring to tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that are already in place under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, for example. Tariffs imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which has been used in the past to target China, could also be increased through a Republican-backed reconciliation package. Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs were not struck down by the Supreme Court’s decision Friday. But raising tariff rates with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes usually needed to pass controversial legislation through the Senate is certain to encounter opposition from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and other Republican critics of Trump’s global trade war. Paul on Friday applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Trump’s declaration of emergency powers to implement tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). “The Supreme Court defended the Constitution by rejecting the use of ‘emergency’ powers to impose taxes. Tariffs are taxes, and the power to declare them belongs to Congress. That truth goes beyond this case. No future administration, including a socialist one, can use ‘emergency’ powers to get around Congress and tax by decree,” Paul said in a statement. Other conservatives, such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), say they would be deeply skeptical of any effort to permanently set higher tariff rates. “I think it is a mistake to assume that we will have high tariffs in perpetuity. I don’t think that would be good economic policy. I am not a fan of tariffs,” Cruz told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow last year. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also cheered the Supreme Court decision striking down Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs. “Today’s Supreme Court ruling reaffirms that only Congress has the constitutional authority to impose tariffs, and the President can only do so under a clear and limited delegation of authority from Congress,” Collins said in a statement. Collins, who is one of the Democrats’ top targets in the 2026 midterms, has repeatedly warned of the impact of tariffs on Canadian imports on Maine’s economy. Murkowski wrote on social media that the Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs “is a clear rebuke and firm reminder that presidential power is not unlimited.” Some Republican senators, such as Sen. Ted Budd (N.C.), are caught in the middle of the intensifying debate. Budd told The Hill on Monday that generally he is not a fan of tariffs but wants to support Trump’s economic agenda, which includes tariffs as a core element. “I’m certainly open to reconciliation, but there’s more things beyond tariffs that we need to address. There’s a lot of things we should [do] through reconciliation,” he said. He called the Supreme Court’s decision “disappointing.” “I’ve not traditionally been a fan of tariffs, I’ve been very clear about that. But, again, I support the president and his agenda,” he said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has been supportive of Trump’s use of tariffs to pressure foreign leaders to negotiate better trade deals even though he has repeatedly said he is not a fan of permanent tariffs. Thune in response to the court’s decision said that “tariffs can be an important and effective tool to address unfair trade practices and help level the playing field with foreign competitors.” Thune, however, has also been reluctant to move another budget reconciliation package in 2026 because of deep divisions within the Senate GOP conference over what to include in that bill. Trump allies are looking at the budget reconciliation process to raise tariff rates because Democrats announced Monday they would block any effort to extend the 15-percent global tariffs that Trump announced Saturday beyond the 150-day window set under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. “I am here to tell Donald Trump and the American people we will not extend those tariffs and they will expire in a few months,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) announced on the Senate floor Monday. The other major question dividing Republicans is whether to support legislation to refund approximately $175 billion in tariff revenues collected over the past year to small businesses and consumers. While Republicans are generally in favor of returning money to taxpayers, very few GOP lawmakers are willing to risk a blowup from the president by calling for refunds.

Democrats are pushing for refunds after Supreme Court blocks Trump tariffs --A group of Senate Democrats released legislation on Monday that would mandate refunds of tariffs paid under President Donald Trump's higher duties that the Supreme Court struck down on Friday. The legislation, led by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, follows the Supreme Court's momentous 6-3 decision on Friday ruling against a majority of Trump's tariffs."Trump's illegal tax scheme has already done lasting damage to American families, small businesses and manufacturers who have been hammered by wave after wave of new Trump tariffs," Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement."Senate Democrats will continue fighting to rein in Donald Trump's price-hiking trade and economic policies. A crucial first step is helping people who need it most, by putting money back in the pockets of small businesses and manufacturers as soon as possible," he said.The White House defended the tariffs and criticized Democrats who are seeking to refund them."Democrats spent decades talking about lopsided 'free' trade deals, reshoring middle-class manufacturing jobs, and lowering prescription drug prices," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in an emailed statement Monday. "President Trump used tariffs to actually deliver where Democrats could only talk, so naturally Democrats are rolling up their sleeves to undermine President Trump and the American people — pathetic but unsurprising."The U.S. government could be on the hook for more than $175 billion in refunds to importers, according to an estimate from the Penn Wharton Budget Model, which was produced at the request of the Reuters news wire service.The majority Supreme Court opinion on Friday did not directly reference tariff refunds. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a dissenting opinion, quoted from oral arguments that the refund process was likely to be a "'mess.'""The United States may be required to refund billions of dollars to importers who paid the IEEPA tariffs, even though some importers may have already passed on costs to consumers or others," Kavanaugh wrote, referring to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the 1977 law that the president used to impose sweeping tariffs without congressional authorization last year.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in an interview on Fox News on Friday said refunds would be a logistical nightmare."This could take years to litigate and get to a payout," he said. "If there is a payout, it looks like it's just going to be the ultimate corporate welfare. What you don't know, did a Chinese supplier lower their price? Did they lower their price because of the tariff. The product came into the U.S. They paid the same price but they're going to get a refund on the tariff."

WSJ editorial board criticizes Donald Trump over reaction to Supreme Court tariff ruling -- The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board criticized President Trump’s trade policies earlier this week, mocking his reaction to a Supreme Court ruling last week that went against his sweeping tariffs on foreign goods. “Well, that will show the Supreme Court — or something. President Trump is reacting to his Friday tariff defeat not by calming the trade waters but by roiling them further,” the board wrote in a piece published Monday. “He is aiming in fury at the Supreme Court, but he will end up hitting the economy and Republicans in Congress.” After the nation’s highest court ruled against his use of emergency import taxes, Trump railed against the justices and announced a new 10 percent tariff on all goods not covered by current exemptions.Trump’s tariff policies and how to respond to the fallout from the Supreme Court ruling is posing a major challenge for Republicans on Capitol Hill, some of whom have cast doubt on the downstream impact of the president’s economic agenda on consumers.“The smart play after his legal defeat would be to take an off-ramp and forgo or pause new tariffs,” the Journal wrote. “The larger reality is that Mr. Trump is so bull-headed about tariffs that he’s going to re-impose them any way he can.” The president’s new tariffs will “create more uncertainty for business, at least for a while,” the newspaper argued, adding “with the midterm elections coming soon, this timing is fraught for Republicans.”“This is a political bait and switch, and it also delays refunds that could go to more productive economic uses,” it wrote. “Mr. Trump is so ideologically fixated on tariffs that he is willing to bet his Presidency on them. This looks increasingly like a losing wager for Republicans.”Their analysis also comes as the president is set to give his annual State of the Union address before lawmakers Tuesday evening, which Trump has claimed will be a “long” speech.

Neil Gorsuch takes aim at fellow Supreme Court justices in tariff decision - Beneath the surface of the Supreme Court’s tariff decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch had choice words for his colleagues. In a solo opinion, Gorsuch called out his fellow justices for their inconsistent application of a controversial legal doctrine in decisions invalidating former President Obama’s environmental regulation to former President Biden’s student debt relief and now, President Trump’s tariffs. The liberal justices think Gorsuch invented the doctrine out of thin air. Three of Gorsuch’s fellow conservatives wanted to carve out exceptions. And another says Gorsuch’s stance makes a mountain of a molehill. As far as Gorsuch is concerned, only he and Chief Justice John Roberts have stayed the course. “It is an interesting turn of events,” Gorsuch wrote. “Each camp warrants a visit.” At issue is the “major questions doctrine.” It states the president must point to clear authorization when claiming that Congress made an extraordinary delegation of power to the executive branch. “The opinion of the court, what it says about the major questions doctrine, everyone has had their eyes on,” New Civil Liberties Alliance senior counsel Andrew Morris, who represents businesses challenging Trump’s tariffs, told reporters. Gorsuch and his colleagues invoked the doctrine to reject Trump’s sweeping assertion of his tariff authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a massive blow to the president’s economic agenda. “Whatever else might be said about Congress’s work in IEEPA, it did not clearly surrender to the President the sweeping tariff power he seeks to wield,” Gorsuch wrote. “Not everyone sees it this way.” Trump took aim at several justices following the decision on Friday and over the weekend on social media, where he announced he would be using lowercase letters when writing Supreme Court “based on a complete lack of respect.” Trump will come face-to-face with the justices Tuesday, setting up for a potentially awkward moment with some of his nominees, including Gorsuch, who was his first to the high court in his first term. William & Mary law professor Jonathan Adler in a blog post described Gorsuch’s camp-by-camp takedown as “something of a Godfather-esque settling of family business.” Gorsuch’s opinion stretched 46 pages in all, more than twice as long as the main opinion. Many court watchers believe it explains why the tariffs decision didn’t land earlier. Gorsuch began with the liberal justices, who don’t acknowledge the major questions doctrine is real. Justice Elena Kagan has long accused her conservative colleagues of “magically” inventing it. On Friday, she again referred to it as a “so-called” doctrine. As Gorsuch spilled pages of examples dating back to English rule to make his point, he said Kagan had effectively endorsed the doctrine by striking down Trump’s tariffs. She disagreed. “Given how strong his apparent desire for converts,” she wrote, “I almost regret to inform him that I am not one. But that is the fact of the matter.” For years, the liberal justices have voiced opposition as the doctrine became most prominently used to strike down Democratic administration actions. In 2021, the court ruled the Biden administration did not have authority to issue a nationwide eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic. The next year, the court ruled the Clean Air Act did not authorize Obama’s broad actions aimed at curbing carbon emissions. And the following year, the court referenced the doctrine again as it struck Biden’s effort to unilaterally cancel roughly $430 billion in student debt. It led many Democrats to spurn the doctrine as a back door for judges to invalidate policies they don’t like. “There is enormous upheaval from that novel doctrine imported by the billionaire-selected justices of the Supreme Court into American law,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said on the Senate floor in 2024. With the shoe now on the other foot, Gorsuch found himself at a different divide with his fellow conservatives. To Justice Amy Coney Barrett, it was friendly fire. Gorsuch said she was seeking to “soften the blow” of the doctrine by suggesting it is merely a commonsense principle. Barrett, who has always sided with Gorsuch on major questions cases, refuted ever taking that position. “He takes down a straw man,” Barrett said of Gorsuch. Gorsuch said in a footnote that, if Barrett means to put her past remarks on common sense to bed, the doctrine would be “better for it.” Of the dissenters — Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — Gorsuch noted their acceptance of the doctrine but criticized them for their readiness to carve out exceptions. Kavanaugh and Alito said the doctrine shouldn’t apply to foreign affairs, where the president has more authority. Thomas opined it should only protect deprivations of life, liberty or property. Gorsuch skewered Thomas separately for that solo dissent, where he suggested Congress may “hand over” most of its powers, including the tariff power, to Trump without limit. “Suppose for argument’s sake that Congress can delegate its tariff powers to the President as completely as Justice Thomas suggests,” Gorsuch wrote. “Even then, the question remains whether Congress has given the President the tariff authority he claims in this case — or whether the President is seeking to exploit questionable statutory language to aggrandize his own power.” In giving his fellow justices a dressing-down, Gorsuch also sought to invigorate Congress, the opinion doubling as a rallying cry for legislators whom he suggested have handed too much power to the executive branch. Gorsuch described the legislative process as a “bulwark of liberty,” saying its deliberative nature is the “whole point” of its design and meant to temper impulse and disagreement. Trump made clear he disagrees. Asked by reporters whether he would work with Congress on a tariff plan moving forward, the president said, “I don’t have to.” He added that he has — and has always had — the “right” to enact tariffs without Congress’s help.

Trump’s mineral stockpile takes shape - Congress and federal watchdogs are raising questions and concerns about the emerging structure and transparency of President Donald Trump’s recently unveiled critical minerals stockpile, which is led by industry and backed by the Export-Import Bank’s largest-ever $10 billion loan. Lawmakers briefed on “Project Vault” are still waiting to learn who’s leading the stockpile, and how it will be managed and structured, said one senior House aide familiar with the situation on Capitol Hill. They also want to make sure the Ex-Im will get paid back and are waiting to see if more companies will line up to use the stockpile, said the aide, who, along with others, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations. Trump unveiled Project Vault earlier this month in the Oval Office alongside General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Ivanhoe Mines CEO Robert Friedland. The goal, the president said at the time, is to buffer automakers, tech companies and other manufacturers from shortages and shocks as the U.S. reduces its reliance on Beijing. The first-of-its kind public-private partnership will use the federal loan and $2 billion of private capital. “For years, American businesses have risked running out of critical minerals during market disruptions,” Trump said. “Today, we’re launching what will be known as Project Vault to ensure that American businesses and workers are never harmed by any shortage.” But, unlike other stockpiling efforts the government has launched, Project Vault will be shaped and operated by private companies, a move that public consumer advocates say raises big questions about transparency and the need for oversight. “What I see are big pathways for profit, trading firms do all the work, but who is looking over their shoulder to make sure that everything is legit?” asked Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s energy program. A board to lead Project Vault has not yet been assembled, according to an industry source advising the administration. Unlike other stockpiling efforts the government has launched — the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which the Energy Department manages, and the Pentagon-managed National Defense Stockpile — the new minerals reserve will be managed and overseen by an independent, nongovernmental private entity known as “VaultCo,” said Brian Benko, a spokesperson for Ex-Im. “While EXIM retains a non‑voting board observer role, VaultCo is not government‑run,” said Benko. Ex-Im, said Benko, has been actively engaged with Congress on the stockpile from the outset and has provided bipartisan briefings to lawmakers who ask, as well as staff on all committees of jurisdiction, including the House Financial Services Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and the House and Senate Appropriations committees. Ex-Im notified those committees before approving the loan for VaultCo, he said, and Ex-Im going forward will oversee how the loan is spent, but the stockpile won’t be subject to direct congressional oversight. Unlike other government-directed stockpiles, VaultCo is focused on helping buffer the commercial, civilian and industrial sectors from price shocks tied to disruptions, conflict or Beijing cutting off supplies of minerals and materials. Already, companies like Boeing; Clarios, a Wisconsin-based battery maker; GE Vernova, a Massachusetts-based spinoff of General Electric that focuses on energy equipment like wind turbines; and Western Digital, a tech company, have expressed interest in participating. Three commodities firms — Hartree Partners LP, Traxys North America LLC and Mercuria Americas — are being tasked with buying the raw minerals that will be stored across the U.S. Notably, John Jovanovic, who chairs Ex-Im, previously served as a director at Mercuria Energy Group.

MAGA Billionaires Win Battle to Buy CNN and Turn It Trumpy -- MAGA-aligned billionaires Larry Ellison and his son David have dramatically won a bidding war for CNN’s parent company—and are now on track to turn it Trumpy.Their Paramount Skydance company has suddenly won its bidding war against Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after upping its bid and the younger Ellison attending Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.The move comes two days after Paramount Skydance revised its offer for the media conglomerate, which also owns HBO, and is Hollywood’s biggest movie maker, from $30 per share to $31 per share.Once the deal goes through, CNN is widely expected to come under the control of Bari Weiss, the MAGA-curious Substacker who now runs CBS News. That network is already reeling from her turbulent leadership, with Anderson Cooper quitting 60 Minutes to focus solely on his CNN role—meaning that he will be reunited with her in the near future.Warner Bros. Discovery board members determined earlier on Thursday that Paramount Skydance’s $31-per-share deal to acquire the entirety of the conglomerate was superior to Netflix’s offer, which sought only its streaming service and film studio business.In a press release shared on Thursday, Netflix announced it would not be matching Paramount Skydance’s offer, saying “the deal is no longer financially attractive.”Netflix inked a deal in December with Warner Bros. Discovery to acquire HBO Max and its film studios for $72 billion, or $27.75 per share, though Paramount Skydance’s takeover bid followed soon after.The company’s hostile bid included ownership of all of the conglomerate’s subsidiaries and went straight to shareholders with an initial $30-per-share offer.In a statement before Netflix backed out of the race, Ellison said: “We are pleased WBD’s Board has unanimously affirmed the superior value of our offer, which delivers to WBD shareholders superior value, certainty and speed to closing.”Paramount Skydance is poised to own CBS, CNN, and HBO, among numerous other subsidiary properties.The billionaire Ellisons are cozy with Trump, who has frequently criticized CNN and called for the network to be sold.The younger Ellison, who was the guest of MAGA Senator Lindsey Graham at Tuesday’s State of the Union, has previously told administration officials that if his company’s takeover succeeds, he would make changes at the network, according to a report.The elder Ellison, a Trump-allied tech mogul centibillionaire, backed his son’s hostile takeover bid after his initial $108 billion offer was rejected last year.Since Paramount’s acquisition of CBS News last year, the appointment of Weiss as the network’s head has sparked uproar over her editorial decisions.

Kash Patel’s use of jet delayed FBI team’s mass shooting response, whistleblower tells top senator -Agents with the FBI’s elite evidence response team were delayed in reaching the scene of a mass shooting at Brown University in December because there was no FBI plane available to take them to Rhode Island, according to three sources and a whistleblower’s account newly provided to Congress. FBI Director Kash Patel was in south Florida at the time with one of the FBI’s two available jets and had given an order to hold the other for another team that would not normally respond to the scene, according to the whistleblower and the sources. The evidence response team instead had to drive through the night amid a snowstorm to reach the university in Providence, Rhode Island, by 9 o’clock the next morning, according to the whistleblower’s account. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, obtained the whistleblower’s account. In a letter sent Tuesday to the Government Accountability Office and the Justice Department’s inspector general, Durbin accused Patel of harming the FBI’s critical investigations due to his misuse of FBI resources and aircraft and his inexperience. “The Director’s misplaced priorities and poor management of the FBI’s resources — including its aircraft — also harmed the FBI’s ability to respond to the shooting at Brown University on December 13, 2025,” Durbin wrote. Patel had been flown in one of the FBI’s two jets to south Florida and was there on Dec. 13, the day of the shooting, and didn’t fly back until the afternoon of Dec. 14, according to sources who spoke to MS NOW confidentially in order to speak candidly and avoid potential retribution. According to the whistleblower’s account, Patel ordered that the Hostage Rescue Team be put on standby after learning of the shooting, which froze the use of the second plane by any other FBI team. FBI officials were confused by his order as numerous SWAT team agents in the nearest local field offices — in this case, Boston and New York — would ordinarily be called upon to provide immediate support, rather than the Quantico, Virginia-based Hostage Rescue Team. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson disputed the whistleblower’s account, saying that evidence response agents in the FBI’s Boston field office were on the scene roughly two hours after a shooter opened fire at roughly 4 o’clock in the afternoon. “This was not immediately a case with federal nexus,” Williamson added, explaining the FBI did not initially take the lead in the case. “It was a state-led homicide investigation. FBI was in an assisting role until later.”

John Fetterman criticizes Democrats for heckling Donald Trump at SOTU -Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) condemned the “yelling and screaming” from some Democratic legislators during President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday. “I don’t care if it’s a Republican or Democrat, it’s a president. Just don’t do that,” Fetterman told Fox News’s Bill Hemmer early Wednesday.Some Democrats heckled the president during his remarks, and Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was removed from the House chamber for the second year in a row for protesting Trump. Additionally, Democrats received flak from the White House for remaining seated and refusing to applaud through most of Trump’s speech before Congress. Trump criticized Democratic lawmakers during his speech for not rising to applaud his declaration that “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”“You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,” Trump said, directing his comments to the Democratic side of the chamber. Fetterman, who has sided with Republicans on several hot-button issues, shook the president’s hand as he entered the floor Tuesday evening. The senator told Fox he believes he was the only Democrat to do so.“Yes, I shook his hand, of course,” Fetterman said. “He walked in, and I’m always going to do that, for sure.”The Democratic senator previously warned members of his party against disrupting the president’s speech, telling Fox News’s Jesse Watters last week there is “just no dignity” in these actions. Fetterman also expressed his disapproval on Wednesday for counterprogramming events during the president’s remarks, including the “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall and “State of the Swamp” at the National Press Club. “It’s disappointing, honestly,” Fetterman said. “I mean, I think that’s sad that half of my colleagues didn’t show up.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar says her guest was arrested for standing during Trump's State of the Union --Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said her guest for the State of the Union was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on “Unlawful Conduct” charges on Tuesday evening for standing during President Trump’s address. In a post on the social media platform X, Omar said her constituent Aliya Rahman was “forcibly removed” from the House chamber after she “stood up silently” during part of Trump’s remarks.“Reports indicate she was aggressively handled until someone intervened to secure medical attention,” Omar wrote in the post. “She was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment and later booked at the United States Capitol Police headquarters.” “The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy,” the Minnesota congresswoman continued. “I am calling for a full explanation of why this arrest occurred.” Rahman, a Bangladeshi American, was stopped by Department of Homeland Security agents in Minneapolis in January and dragged out of her vehicle. Rahman said that she sustained injuries in the process. In an interview with MS NOW ahead of Trump’s address, Rahman said it’s “really challenging” to not know the names of the agents involved in the incident. “But honestly the thing that I’m far more concerned about than myself is that this is an ongoing fear and threat for people around this country,” Rahman said. “What happened to me is absolutely not new in the history of this country, and we have not seen accountability that gives me any reason to believe this won’t be done to somebody else, so that’s what I’m thinking about today.”Omar received flak from Republicans after she heckled the president as he made comments about Somali immigrants during his Tuesday address. The congresswoman could be heard calling Trump a “liar” as the president repeated divisive claims about the community’s involvement in a widespread social services fraud scheme in her home state. The representative said her actions were “unavoidable” in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday.“The president talked about protecting Americans, and I just had to remind him that his administration was responsible for killing two of my constituents,” Omar said, referencing the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by DHS officials in Minneapolis last month.

Supreme Court accepts oil industry’s bid to quash climate lawsuits - The Supreme Court has green-lighted the fossil fuel industry’s latest attempt to quash a swath of lawsuits seeking to hold oil companies accountable for the costs of climate change. In an order issued Monday, the justices agreed to consider an argument from Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy that federal law bars local governments from seeking relief for climate change in state courts. The high court’s move is a preliminary win for the companies, which have warned that such lawsuits could cost them billions of dollars. It takes the vote of four justices to agree to hear a petition — a threshold most requests fail to achieve. The court rebuffed similar efforts twice last year but did hand energy companies a narrow procedural win in the litigation in 2021. The court added a question to the companies’ request, asking both parties to determine whether the Supreme Court has the authority to hear the case. The oil and gas companies called their latest petition, Suncor v. Boulder, “extraordinarily compelling” and argued there is a “clear and acknowledged conflict” as to whether federal law precludes local governments from filing lawsuits against fossil fuel producers for the alleged effects of global greenhouse gas emissions. The city and county of Boulder, located outside Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills, sued the oil companies in 2018. The lawsuit — like several dozen others like it across the U.S. — accused the companies of deceiving the public about the dangers of burning fossil fuels and seeks compensation for the costs of rising temperatures and intensifying storms. In May, the Colorado Supreme Court allowed the lawsuit to proceed in state court. The oil companies in August asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision, saying it could lead to a patchwork of case law in state courts. “The damages in even one case could potentially reach into the billions of dollars; and there are thousands of other local governments that could bring their own actions,” the companies said in one brief urging the Supreme Court to take up their petition in the Boulder case. The oil industry has the backing of the Trump administration, which told the justices in September that it recently went to court to block similar efforts by states to impose state-law liability on the companies. Allowing Colorado to deem the effects of the companies’ worldwide conduct tortious cannot be reconciled with the decision making scheme Congress enacted in the Clean Air Act, which precludes any such role for a single state,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote at the time. Lawyers for Boulder contend that states “have always had the authority to provide remedies for in-state injuries arising from out-of-state conduct.” They called such litigation “commonplace,” pointing to similar lawsuits against the manufacturers of opioids and asbestos, as well as Hustler magazine. There is no constitutional bar to states addressing in-state harms caused by out-of-state conduct, be it the negligent design of an automobile or sale of asbestos,” Boulder’s brief said.

Supreme Court to hear back-to-back energy cases this week - The Supreme Court this week will consider an oil major’s fight to recapture assets seized decades ago by the Cuban government and an energy company’s bid to move litigation over one of its pipelines to a federal bench. The cases, which present narrow questions to the high court, are among the energy and environment battles the justices are expected to decide by early summer. On Monday, Exxon Mobil will argue that it should be able to sue Cuban-owned company Corporación Cimex for damages, after $70 million (in 1960 dollars) of the company’s oil and gas assets were seized by Fidel Castro’s government following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Exxon has received the backing of the Trump administration, which will be splitting argument time with the company. A Supreme Court ruling in Exxon’s favor could open the door for other companies to pursue similar challenges to recover assets seized in Cuba, said Lawrence Ebner, executive vice president and general counsel at the Atlantic Legal Foundation, which wrote an amicus brief in support of Exxon. “There are many other companies whose business property was seized” by the Castro government, said Ebner. Exxon has relied on the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act — also known as the Helms-Burton Act — that Congress passed in 1996 to make it easier for U.S. companies to sue to recover their Cuban assets from a person or entity that “traffics” in the confiscated property. However, Exxon was not able to pursue a lawsuit for decades after the law was passed because every president — until Donald Trump first entered the White House — had invoked a provision allowing them to block lawsuits they believed would harm the national interest. After Trump allowed the litigation suspension to lapse in 2019, Exxon began its legal battle in federal court. But the company faced a new hurdle after a divided panel of federal appeals court judges in Washington ruled that in order to make a claim against a company owned by a foreign nation, Exxon also had to meet at least one of the exceptions under a separate law — the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, or FSIA. The law provides limited grounds for challenging a foreign nation in U.S. federal court. The lower court’s reading of the law would make it much harder for Exxon and other companies to pursue legal claims in Cuba and would undercut the purpose of the Helms-Burton Act to enable speedy lawsuits, said Ebner. “Those exceptions are difficult and burdensome to comply with,” he said, referring to FSIA. “Maybe a big company like Exxon would have the wherewithal, the resources, to litigate for years whether to show one of the exceptions applies,” Ebner continued. “But a lot of other companies may not have those resources.” Cimex has maintained that FSIA should apply because the provision of the Helms-Burton Act allowing companies to pursue legal action did not amend requirements under the foreign sovereign immunity law. The case also raises broader legal questions, said Jenny-Brooke Condon, a professor at Seton Hall Law School, who wrote an amicus brief in the case on behalf of foreign relations and separation of powers scholars. If the Supreme Court were to rule that the Helms-Burton Act overrides FSIA, the earlier of the two laws, it could create uncertainty, said Condon. Under that scenario, Helms-Burton would also apply to foreign nations other than Cuba that may also have control of seized U.S. property, she said. Condon also noted that courts generally don’t recognize the implied repeal of statutes, and if the justices did so in this case, their ruling could carry over to other areas.

Trump EPA lays off more environmental justice staff - EPA plans to let go another batch of employees who helped disadvantaged communities long burdened with pollution.On Wednesday, the agency sent reduction-in-force, or RIF, notices to 22 employees who work in environmental justice, according to American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, EPA’s largest union. Those staffers, based in the agency’s regional offices across the country, will leave government service next month.The move to cut more workers will further cement the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda for a smaller EPA.“This memorandum is to inform you that because your position is being abolished, you will be separated from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” said a RIF notice viewed by POLITICO’s E&E News.The agency is conducting the RIF to comply with a pair of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump last year, according to the notice. One was designed to eliminate diversity programs, while the other was meant to downsize the federal workforce.The notice said the EPA employee was already on administrative leave and will stay on leave until they exit the agency.“Consequently, you will be separated from the EPA effective 03/27/26,” the RIF notice said.AFGE Council 238 President Justin Chen said in a statement that his union, which represents more than 8,000 EPA employees, was “outraged” by the agency’s move to lay off more staff.“There is no justification for further cuts,” Chen said. “Funding levels have remained steady, and these are needed, well qualified workers, and the agency should be strengthening our workforce, not shrinking it.”He added, “We call on the EPA to immediately withdraw these notices and commit to using agency funding to rebuild our workforce, so we can fully carry out our mission to protect human health and the environment for all Americans.”EPA spokesperson Brigit Hirsch said in a statement that the agency issued RIF notices to employees in EPA’s regional environmental justice divisions.“These notices are consistent with our notice to Congress and staff in spring 2025,” Hirsch said. “This is an important step in the agency’s broader effort to ensure that the agency’s workforce is best positioned to meet its core mission.”As part of a sweeping reorganization, the Trump administration axed environmental justice offices in its headquarters and regional branches. In August last year, about 50 environmental justice employees located in Washington were subject to a RIF, an EPA spokesperson said at the time.Other staffers who worked in that field left the agency by choice. EPA data shows 37 employees from the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights opted into the “deferred resignation” program last year.

US insurance prices will rise if climate science center closes, actuaries warn - The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle a major scientific research center could cause property insurance prices to increase across the country, according to an industry group representing actuaries.The warning adds a new dimension to the potential breakup of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, whose climate data is used by the insurance industry to help predict financial losses and set rates.“We’re incredibly reliant on curated and unbiased data sets available to the public,” said Peter Ott, who leads a research committee at the American Academy of Actuaries. The academy said in a recent letter that disrupting the center would “undermine the stability and affordability of insurance.”The White House budget office stunned the scientific world when it announced in December that it would break up the federally funded center, which budget director Russell Vought called “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism.” The move is among an array of steps taken by the Trump administration to dismantle programs aimed at addressing climate change.

125+ Groups Call For End to Wasteful, Untracked 45Q Carbon Capture Tax Credits -- — In a letter sent to Congress this week, more than 125 national, state and local advocacy groups called for an end to the 45Q carbon capture tax subsidies that encourage fossil fuel extraction through enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The letter was facilitated by the environmental organization Food & Water Watch and signed by groups including Sierra Club, Climate Justice Alliance, Bold Alliance and Earthjustice. The letter states, in part:The oil company profits from EOR come at the expense of billions in public resources and community safety. The 45Q tax credit was never intended to function as a permanent entitlement for oil and gas production. Yet today it is doing exactly that, with the Environmental Protection Agency documenting over 90% of all carbon dioxide captured in the United States going to extract more oil, funded through billions in public subsidies… The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that carbon dioxide used for EOR could ultimately result in the extraction of 177 billion barrels of otherwise uneconomic oil in the United States… Moreover, the 45Q tax credit program is uncapped, exposing taxpayers to unlimited losses. The Treasury’s own claims estimate the cost to taxpayers for 45Q at $43.6 billion over the next ten years alone. Meanwhile, a report released today by Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) details more than $3.5 billion in new annual subsidies to huge fossil fuel corporations found in the Republicans’ 2025 budget reconciliation law. The report finds that expansion of 45Q through the reconciliation law will result in $14.2 billion in lost federal revenues over 10 years. The report also details a history of well-documented abuse and fraud in the 45Q program, noting that from 2010-2019, 87 percent of the credits – nearly $900 billion – was granted without any approved monitoring, reporting and verification… “Capturing carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery, or to stop climate change, have two things in common: political scheming to make the rich richer, and massive taxpayer subsidies. We need real solutions to the challenges faced by everyday Americans — not handouts of taxpayer dollars to oil oligarchs,” said Paul Blackburn, Attorney & Energy Policy Advisor, Bold Alliance.“

Jillian Michaels on Trump, RFK Jr. defense of pesticide: ‘Devastating’ - Health and wellness expert Jillian Michaels on Monday rebuked President Trump’s executive order approving the use of a controversial pesticide, describing the move as “devastating.” “This is actually devastating; it is not a conspiracy theory that glyphosate is linked to cancer. There are hundreds of studies that have illustrated now it increases risk significantly for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” Michaels said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.” “We also know through whistleblowers and numerous lawsuits, of which there have been over 170,000, that the chemical company knew this and tried to bury the information, tried to go after the independent researchers, created ghost studies to try to tell a different story and essentially, they now have to pay $7.25 billion the makers of glyphosate to the victims,” she added.President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that was supportive of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup weedkiller, about which thousands of people have made cancer claims in court. He directed the agriculture secretary to ensure the country has an adequate supply of glyphosate-based herbicides, also saying that producers of such chemicals should have “immunity” under the Defense Production Act. The move was met with backlash from the Republican-aligned MAHA movement, which is widely against the use of pesticides and is also skeptical of vaccines. The movement is linked to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Michaels, a proponent of the administration’s MAHA movement and a staunch supporter of Kennedy Jr., said the pesticide should be “pulled off the shelves” after years of reported health concerns. The television personality said Trump gave them “blanket immunity” through the new executive order just a day after Roundup-maker Monsanto and thousands of plaintiffs reached a $7.25 billion settlement agreement. The order also says that glyphosate helps farmers “efficiently” and “cost-effectively” produce food and livestock feed. Despite being critical of glyphosate in the past, Kennedy backed the measure, writing that the move would bring agricultural chemical production back to the United States and “end our near-total reliance on adversarial nations.” “Given the profit margins growers currently face, any major restrictions in access to glyphosate-based herbicides would result in economic losses for growers and make it untenable for them to meet growing food and feed demands,” the order reads. However, Michaels argued that this is not true. “​​I don’t buy that we we have a bevy of ultra processed crops, corn, soy, wheat; there’s unfortunately no shortage, which of course has to do with hundreds of billions in the subsidy dollars, and I think that somebody powerful called up someone else powerful after paying out $7.25 billion and essentially saying this is an existential threat we need to call in this favor, and they did and it’s exceptionally upsetting,” Michaels said. “This doesn’t just affect farmers, this is omnipresent. It’s it’s you they would probably find it in yours and my urine right now if they tested for it,” she added.

Interior claws back NEPA regs - The Interior Department on Monday unveiled a final rule that pulls back more than 80 percent of the agency’s regulations tied to implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, the nation’s bedrock environmental law. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said NEPA for decades “has been twisted into a weapon” to block energy, infrastructure and conservation projects. “Under the leadership of President Trump, this administration is fixing that,” Burgum said in a statement. “We are cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, speeding up approvals, and putting Americans back to work, while enforcing NEPA as Congress originally intended.” The final rule largely adopts a draft the agency released last summer, which was criticized for curbing public input and analysis of energy projects. The draft cut close to one-sixth of the agency’s regulations implementing NEPA, instead switching most of the remaining rules to less-stringent guidelines. The final rule rescinds more than 80 percent of Interior’s prior NEPA regulations, “with the majority of those regulations moved into a streamlined Departmental NEPA Handbook of Implementing Procedures,” according to the Interior Department. The regulation arrives on the heels of the White House last year pulling back nearly 50 years’ worth of rules that the Council on Environmental Quality had issued to implement the law since 1977, when President Jimmy Carter signed an order directing the agency to issue rules under NEPA. Associate Deputy Secretary Karen Budd-Falen said that “Interior is restoring NEPA to what Congress intended — a procedural law that informs decisions, not a regulatory maze that delays them for years.” Interior included new sections in the final rule to designate lead agencies and codify procedures for federal, state, local and tribal officials with special expertise to continue being involved in development of NEPA reviews. It would also limit opportunities for public comment on government reviews of projects, said Chris Winter, executive director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment at the University of Colorado Law School. Among other things, the rule says public comment is required when a federal agency begins an environmental impact statement on a project. Also, agencies do not have to file a public notice in the Federal Register when they begin a less-intensive environmental assessment.

Endangerment Finding repeal knocks down public health guardrails Katelyn Jetelina | Your Local Epidemiologist If 2025 was the year of rollbacks on public health infrastructure, 2026 seems to be the year of rollbacks on environmental health protections. Those that were designed to keep our air clean, our water safe, and toxic chemicals out of our homes. One of the latest changes: the Endangerment Finding (2009) was rescinded. This is the scientific and legal foundation that lets the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate greenhouse gas emissions. It’s allowed the government to limit emissions, including those from cars and power plants, and is foundational to the Clean Air Act. But the Trump administration repealed it. To justify this action, the administration put five handpicked researchers who reject scientific consensus on climate change to work. A Republican-appointed federal judge ruled last month that the administration violated the law by convening the group without open meetings, public records, or balanced representation of viewpoints. The science behind the Endangerment Finding is clear: carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants worsen asthma, heart and lung disease, and pregnancy outcomes, and contribute to early death. More exposure means more disease. An environmental nonprofit found that by 2055, the repeal will result in:

• 15,400 to 58,000 premature deaths
• 9 million to 37 million asthma attacks
• 26,000 to 92,000 ED and hospital visits
• 5 million to 15 million lost school and work days

But like most policies, the public tension isn’t just about science. You can see that playing out between the lines:

1. The invisible shield. Clean air policy is one of those public health systems that works quietly in the background. When people experience a heart attack or an asthma exacerbation, they may be told to change lifestyle habits or medications. But it is equally important to recognize the powerful population-level forces shaping health in the background, like air quality protections. When those protections work, people don’t see them.
2. Economics versus health (at least that’s how it feels). The economic impact of policy decisions is immediate and tangible. Families feel gas prices, job losses, industry slowdowns, and everything in between. This is often pitted against health, but this is a false dichotomy. Because in reality, long-term economic strength depends on healthy lungs, healthy hearts, and healthy communities.
3. Distant verses local. In many rural communities, environmental policy has come to symbolize a distant government regulating from afar without fully understanding local realities. In rural Alaska, for example, electric vehicles don’t make sense because towns can be hundreds of miles apart, and the most pressing air quality issue in Fairbanks is wood-burning stove emissions during extreme winters, which is a very different problem from tailpipe pollution. When policy feels mismatched to lived experience, people do not see health protection but rather constraint.

Courts are taking this up because it conflicts with a previous Supreme Court decision. A coalition of environmental and health organizations sued the EPA and its administrator Lee Zeldin in the D.C. circuit last week. More exposure to pollution will mean more health risks. The good news is that many state-level initiatives are continuing to move forward. We can also raise awareness, as clean air and clean water are among the most bipartisan issues in this country, with more than 80% of Americans supporting them.

Nearly $900 million in HHS preparedness funds lack coordinated oversight, report says - A new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that two key federal programs designed to bolster the nation’s public health emergency readiness lack formal coordination and do not adequately track whether states and local jurisdictions can respond effectively to public health threats and emergencies. GAO reviewed US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) documentation, including notices of funding opportunity, templates, and examples of documents from eight jurisdictions selected to include variation among geographic location, proportion of the population living in rural areas, and public health governance structure. The team also interviewed officials from HHS and the eight jurisdictions. HHS administers nearly $900 million annually through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP). In 2024, HHS awarded $654 million to states and local jurisdictions through PHEP and $240 million through HPP. These programs are intended to strengthen the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to threats ranging from extreme weather and nuclear or chemical events to infectious disease outbreaks. Jurisdictions are required to complete a series of activities as a condition of receiving these funds, including developing preparedness plans, training staff, and conducting exercises. But GAO found that HHS lacks formal mechanisms—such as joint exercises, written agreements, or working groups—for coordinating PHEP and HPP. “HHS is missing opportunities to coordinate between these two programs,” the authors wrote. “For example, funding recipients from both programs could be required to conduct joint training and exercises.” Officials reported holding monthly meetings to discuss due dates and supplemental guidance, but the meetings are informal and undocumented. Earlier efforts aimed at coordination, including joint grant management, interagency work groups, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site visits, are no longer in place. The report also found that HHS does not collect or analyze information on whether jurisdictions can meet the 15 public health preparedness capabilities and four health care preparedness capabilities outlined by HHS as necessary to effectively respond to and recover from public health threats. These capabilities include mass medical care and laboratory testing at scale for emerging pathogens. “Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated the importance of coordination between these systems, such as between state health departments and hospitals, if jurisdictions are to be effectively prepared,” the report said. “Additionally, officials from selected jurisdictions said that greater interagency coordination could help reduce resource inefficiencies associated with implementation of PHEP and HPP.”

15 states sue Trump administration over childhood vaccines -- Attorneys general from 14 states led by Democrats and the governor of Pennsylvania sued the Trump administration today over recent changes to the recommended childhood vaccine schedule. The lawsuit names Health and Human Services and Health (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD as defendants, and asks the courts to nullify the administration’s decision to reduce the childhood vaccine schedule. The vaccine schedule previously recommended immunizing against 17 diseases, but in January the CDC moved to recommending against only 11. Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, as well as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, are the plaintiffs. The stated goal of HHS’s changes is to move the United States toward Denmark’s model of childhood immunization.“Copying Denmark’s vaccine schedule without copying Denmark’s health care system doesn’t give families more options — it just leaves kids unprotected from serious diseases,” said Kris Mayes, attorney general of Arizona, at a press conference yesterday. This is the second major lawsuit against Kennedy in the past year. In July six medical societies sued HHS after the agency said it was no longer recommending routine COVID-19 vaccines for many groups, including pregnant woman.

US surgeon general nominee dodges vaccine questions in Senate hearing - Casey Means, MD, a Stanford-trained physician who stopped practicing medicine when she left her surgical residency to become a full-time wellness influencer and author, dodged several questions from senators yesterday during a confirmation hearing for her surgeon general position.Senators, including Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), asked pointed questions about whether Means would recommend that parents vaccinate children with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, and if the seasonal influenza vaccine saved lives. In a pointed back-and-forth with Cassidy, Means refused to say she did not believe vaccines cause autism, instead saying, “no stone should be left unturned” when researching the autism crisis. At another point in the hearing, Means defended removing the newborn dose of the hepatitis B vaccine from the childhood immunization schedule.“I think there are many parents, and I think the administration, question whether this vaccine is necessary for all children on the first day of life,” Means said.The surgeon general post, considered the nation’s top doctor, has been vacant for the entirety of President Donald Trump’s second term. Means was initially supposed to have a hearing in the fall, but it was delayed because of the birth of her first child. Mean’s brother, Calley Means, serves as a senior adviser for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) since 2025. The Means siblings have been known for their early promotion of the “Make America Health Again” movement and their friendship with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Trump’s surgeon general pick won’t urge vaccines for measles, flu, whooping cough --President Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, on Wednesday said she won’t broadly encourage parents to vaccinate their children against measles, the flu or whooping cough. Means testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee as a crucial step in her confirmation, but faced aggressive questioning regarding the number of vaccines required for school aged children. Last month, the CDC reduced the number of recommended childhood immunizations under the guidance of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which included no longer routinely recommending that every child receive vaccines for the flu. When asked Wednesday if she’d recommend the measles vaccine to parents, Means said, “I believe vaccines save lives. I believe that vaccines are a key part of any infectious disease public health strategy.” However, she stopped short of endorsing the immunization. HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) sought to clarify her answer, asking Means if she would encourage mothers to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine, citing the high number of deaths tied to a measles outbreak in the South last year. “I’m supportive of vaccination. I do believe that each patient, mother, parent needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they’re putting in their body and their children’s bodies,” Means said. Cassidy responded, “You’re the nation’s doctor. Would you encourage her to have her child vaccinated?” “I’m not an individual’s doctor and every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body,” Means replied. “I absolutely am supportive of the measles vaccine. And I do believe vaccines save lives and are an important part of the public health strategy.” Means gave similar responses to whether she’d support vaccines for the flu and whooping cough. The stance bucking years of tradition isn’t new for Trump’s surgeon general nominee, who wrote a book in which one chapter was entitled, “Trust Yourself, Not Your Doctor.” She also refused to deny unfounded links between autism and vaccines, telling lawmakers, “science is never settled.” “And I think that the effort to look at comprehensive cumulative exposures of our exosome into what is causing autism is important,” she added. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who serves as the ranking member on the HELP committee, pressed her on the topic, telling Means, “you have scientific evidence, the overwhelming body of scientific evidence says vaccines do not cause autism.” The surgeon general pick reiterated that she was not trying to “complicate” vaccine usage. “So just to be very clear, vaccines, vaccine advocacy has never, or any anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been a part of my message. I don’t mention the word vaccine in my book. This is not a part of my core message. I am not here to complicate the issue on vaccines,” she told Sanders. “And also I, as a physician, am very careful with my words,” she added. “And I don’t think it’s responsible to say that we’re not going to study when kids are getting many medications. I think it’s important to just keep it on the table.”

Most Voters Want Immunity For Vaccine Companies Removed: Poll - A majority of voters say immunity for pharmaceutical firms should be removed in cases where the companies’ vaccines cause injuries, according to a new poll. Sixty percent of voters responding to the poll agreed that vaccine manufacturers should be stripped of immunity in such cases, including 33 percent who strongly backed withdrawing the immunity. Majorities across all age groups, genders, and races also supported the immunity abolishment. Just 27.5 percent of respondents did not think the immunity should end, while 12.6 percent of respondents said they were not sure. The survey was carried out by Big Data Poll for the 1776 Law Center. “Few single issues enjoy more support across every group of Americans than ending all immunity for Big Pharma,” Robert Barnes, the civil rights and criminal defense attorney who heads the law center, said in a statement. “That includes their vaccines when those vaccines cause injury.” “As we have seen with food and financial freedoms, the proposals are supported most vigorously among the voters the administration badly needs to win back over,” Big Data Poll Director Rich Baris added. “That includes voters below 65 years old and minorities that previously voted for the president in 2024.” The poll was conducted from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18 among 2,012 registered voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.1 percent. The 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act granted immunity to vaccine companies for vaccine injuries “if the injury or death resulted from side effects that were unavoidable even though the vaccine was properly prepared and was accompanied by proper directions and warnings.” The immunity does not cover instances where manufacturers engaged in fraud, wrongfully withheld information from the government prior to approval of a vaccine, improperly withheld information following approval, or engaged in “other criminal or illegal activity relating to the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.” The law also created a vaccine injury compensation program that places the government in the position of defending against petitions alleging injury. In some cases, injured people are paid by the government from a pool of money funded by a tax on vaccines. There is a backlog of cases awaiting medical review, officials said in connection with a recent Department of Health and Human Services budget request. Prior to the act, people were able to sue companies in court for damages. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has floated a proposal to address the issue, including by adding symptoms associated with autism as eligible for compensation.

Trump Education Department outsources more responsibilities, continuing proposed wind-down -- — President Donald Trump’s administration took more steps Monday to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, announcing two additional interagency agreements with other departments that will transfer more of its responsibilities to those agencies. Under the agreements, the agency will partner with the State Department on foreign gift and contract reporting and with the Department of Health and Human Services on family engagement and school support programs. The 46-year-old department signed seven other interagency agreements in 2025 as part of an ongoing effort to dismantle itself, including with State and HHS, as well as Labor and Interior. “As we continue to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states, our new partnerships with the State Department and HHS represent a practical step toward greater efficiency, stronger coordination, and meaningful improvement,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. Rachel Gittleman, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, which represents Education Department workers, blasted the additional interagency agreements in a Monday statement. McMahon “is unlawfully dismantling the Education Department by moving programs and offices to other federal agencies despite a clear warning from Congress that she lacks the authority to do so,” Gittleman said. She added that “these moves come as the Trump Administration has attempted to fire large numbers of career public servants in these very offices — and is now trying to shift their critical work across multiple federal agencies with no educational expertise.” Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, also lambasted the announcement. “These illegal agreements aren’t just creating pointless new bureaucracy that burdens our already-overworked teachers and schools,” she said in a statement Monday. “They are actively jeopardizing resources and support that students and families count on and are entitled to under the law.” The Education Department clarified in fact sheets that in both agreements, it would “maintain all statutory responsibilities” and oversight of the programs involved. Under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, colleges and universities receiving federal financial assistance are required to disclose any foreign gifts or contracts valued above $250,000 annually. Under the agreement, State will help the Education Department in managing its foreign funding reporting portal, where colleges and universities are responsible for disclosing such transactions. State will also “use its national security and foreign national academic admissions expertise to review and assess the industry’s compliance with the law, share data with the public and federal stakeholders, and identify potential threats,” the Education Department said. Under the agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS will take on a “growing role” in administering several programs that are currently housed under the Education Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. The programs include the School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV), School Safety National Activities, Ready to Learn Programming, Full-Service Community Schools, Promise Neighborhoods and Statewide Family Engagement Centers, the Education Department said.

Newsom: Vance ‘scares me … almost more than Trump’ - California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) shared his trepidation about Vice President Vance in a recent interview with MS NOW, describing him as “dangerous.” “Vance, for whatever reason, scares me, almost more than Trump,” the Democratic governor told host Jen Psaki. “I mean, talk about a guy who put a mask on and his face grew into it.” Newsom called Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “frauds” and “phonies” for reversing their previous criticisms of the president. “But JD is a unique fraud and phony, and he’s a little more dangerous,” Newsom said. Newsom, who is widely seen as a top potential Democratic contender in the 2028 presidential race, has staunchly opposed the Trump administration’s policies. In the MS NOW interview, which was recorded a day after Trump’s State of the Union address, the governor expressed particular concerns about the possibility of Trump seeking a third term in office and issued a “code red” about the state of election security in America. “My fear is we get so easily distracted and they’re so effective on the other side, and so … we must continue to be mindful, laser-focused on what’s in front of us every single day until the job is done,” he said. Newsom urged states to maintain control over their election processes. His comments follow threats from Trump to “nationalize” elections in 15 states, eliciting concerns from Democratic governors about maintaining independence in their states’ voting systems.

Labor secretary's husband barred from HQ after sexual assault claims -- At least two female staffers have alleged that they were sexually assaulted at the Labor Department building by the husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, MS Now confirmed Thursday night. Chavez-DeRemer's husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, has not been criminally charged but has been barred from the Labor Department's headquarters in Washington after the women detailed their claims to investigators, MS Now confirmed. The New York Times first reported the situation Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter and a police report. "This is an active investigation by MPD's Sexual Assault Unit," a Washington Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson told CNBC when contacted about the Times' account of one accuser filing a police report in late January. "We cannot confirm the names of potential suspects or witnesses."The women said DeRemer, who is an anesthesiologist in Portland, Oregon, "had touched them inappropriately at the Labor Department's building on Constitution Avenue," according to the Times."One of the incidents, during working hours on the morning of Dec. 18, was recorded on office security cameras," the Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Cannon blocks release of Smith’s report on Mar-a-Lago documents case -U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sided with President Trump in a Monday ruling barring the release of former special counsel Jack Smith’s report reviewing the Mar-a-Lago documents case. Cannon wrote that the release of the report “would cause irreparable damage to former defendants” in the case, which, in addition to Trump, includes former co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. Cannon previously determined Smith was unlawfully appointed, a ruling widely criticized by legal experts but one she referred to repeatedly in determining the special counsel’s final report should not be released. “There is the matter of manifest injustice to the former defendants that would result from disclosure of Volume II,” wrote Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, referring to the portion of Smith’s report dealing with Mar-a-Lago. “Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges. As a result, the former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in this situation, still enjoy the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order.” Cannon’s ruling also repeatedly bashed Smith for not stopping his work after her order found he was wrongly appointed, a decision that reversed 50 years of precedent regarding special counsel regulations. She accused him of employing a “brazen stratagem” in continuing his work. “Special Counsel Smith and his team went ahead for months, undeterred, preparing Volume II using discovery collected in connection with this proceeding and expending government funds in the process,” she wrote. “To say this chronology represents, at a minimum, a concerning breach of the spirit of the Dismissal Order is an understatement, if not an outright violation of it,” she added later. In determining Smith was unlawfully appointed, Cannon tossed the criminal case against Trump, a move the then-special counsel was appealing. Smith’s report on Jan. 6 was released as the special counsel closed out his work, but the Mar-a-Lago report was withheld given the pending charges against Nauta and De Oliveira. The special counsel brought a number of charges against Trump after he was found to have retained roughly 300 documents with classified markings and concealed them from law enforcement. After Trump won the election, Smith moved to drop the charges against him but otherwise continued to pursue the case against Nauta and De Oliveira — a matter swiftly dropped after Trump took office. Democrats and outside groups have continually sought the release of Smith’s report now that no charges are pending in the matter, but Cannon has rebuffed their efforts. She blocked any intervention of American Oversight and the Knight First Amendment Institute, which has appealed her ruling in an effort to reignite their battle to secure the release of Smith’s report. The Knight Institute said there was “no legitimate basis for its continued suppression.” “A major purpose of the First Amendment is to protect the free discussion of governmental affairs, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the First Amendment protects the public’s right of access to documents filed in connection with criminal trials,” said Jameel Jaffer, executive director at the Knight Institute, in a release. “Given the significance of the Special Counsel’s report, and the role it played in earlier proceedings before Judge Cannon, there is really no question that both the common law and the First Amendment require the report’s release.”

Epstein files: DOJ withheld documents about claim Trump sexually abused minor, MS NOW reports - The Department of Justice has withheld from public disclosure in its Epstein files database memos and notes about FBI interviews, including those of a woman who has alleged President Donald Trump sexually abused her when she was a minor, MS NOW reported Tuesday.The woman, who was interviewed in July 2019 by the FBI about allegations against convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, alleged that "Trump forced her to perform oral sex on him 35 years ago, when she was 13 or 14 years old, and subsequently hit her," MS NOW reported, citing a source who has reviewed unredacted documents."That allegation appears in a 2025 PowerPoint presentation detailing each of the FBI's Epstein-related investigations and a spreadsheet of unconfirmed tips called into the bureau's National Threat Operations Center reviewed by MS NOW," the outlet reported. "MS NOW has found that of at least four interviews the FBI conducted with the woman related to the Epstein investigations, only one memo — and no handwritten notes — reflecting such an interview is included on the DOJ site."MS NOW's report came hours after NPR first reported that the DOJ withheld from its public database of Epstein documents files related to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor.DOJ "also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump," NPR reported. A law signed by Trump in late 2025 requires the DOJ to make public, with few exceptions, all of its investigative files related to Epstein, who killed himself in a New York federal jail in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on federal child sex trafficking charges. Trump is a former friend of Epstein. The two fell out in the early 2000s. The president has never been criminally charged in connection with a claim by an Epstein survivor.Trump last week said the Epstein files had "totally exonerated" him.Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., in a statement on Tuesday said, "For the last few weeks, Oversight Democrats have been investigating the FBI's handling of allegations from 2019 of sexual assault on a minor made against President Donald Trump by a survivor."Yesterday, I reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes," said Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "Oversight Democrats will open a parallel investigation into this."

GOP senators warn Justice Department to release all Epstein files mentioning Trump - Republican senators are putting pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department to release all files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that mention President Trump’s name, warning the issue won’t go away until there is full transparency. GOP senators are urging the Justice Department to fully comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act in the wake of media reports that the department hasn’t released records detailing claims a woman made in 2019 against both Epstein and Trump, that related to an incident from the 1980s. Republicans are on the defensive as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is vowing that Democrats will use every tactic at their disposal to force the release of the missing records. Republican senators want the Justice Department to get ahead of the issue by releasing any records mentioning Trump that officials may have withheld due to their sensitive or unverified nature. “Release the documents. Redact the names of the victims. Don’t release photographs, naked or otherwise, of minors. Release the documents. This is not going to go away until there is full disclosure,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Judiciary Committee. Asked about the whether the administration should hold back unverified allegations a woman made against Trump in several interviews with the FBI, Kennedy replied: “I don’t know how else to say it: Release the documents.” While he said the Justice Department should use some “discretion” in “good faith,” he advised officials should strive for maximum transparency. “This is not going away until there’s full disclosure and the American people want to know, and they’re entitled to know, who if anyone, did Epstein traffic these women to … and why they weren’t prosecuted,” Kennedy said. Asked about reports that the Justice Department has withheld files mentioning Trump, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said that would seem to be in conflict with what Congress intended when it overwhelmingly passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. “I don’t know what the circumstances are and whether there’s legitimate reasons for redactions or withholding since he’s currently in office, but that would seem to be contrary with the intent of the law,” she said. Asked about missing files mentioning Trump’s name, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said the law passed by Congress last year was clear, the Justice Department should release all documents related to Epstein. “I think when we pass a law that says that all documents need to be put out, it seems to me all documents need to be put out,” Grassley said. The senior senator from Iowa said he hasn’t made a decision on whether he would hold a hearing on the Justice Department’s compliance with the law. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), another member of the Judiciary panel, said it would be “concerning” if the Justice Department held back Epstein files that mention Trump. “If it’s in fact true, it’s concerning. Unless it fits the same filter as everyone else…,” he said. “I’ve heard the reporting but I haven’t nailed it down.” The New York Times and other media outlets reported this week that Epstein-related documents released by the Justice Department did not include FBI memos summarizing interviews with a woman who claimed that she was sexually assaulted by Trump and Epstein in the 1980s, when she was a minor. The White House has repeatedly said Trump did nothing wrong with regards to Epstein, and the Justice Department previously described the allegations as having no credibility. The missing memos were listed in an index that was publicly released by the Justice Department, which indicated that the FBI conducted four interviews related to the woman’s claims and wrote separate summaries about them. The interview notes connected to the investigation were not released, either. The Justice Department responded to The Times in a statement asserting that “the only materials that have been withheld were either privileged or duplicates” and later added that documents may have been withheld because of “an ongoing federal investigation.”

Epstein files: Larry Summers to resign as Harvard professor as fallout continues --Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury secretary who has been dogged by his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, announced Wednesday that he will resign from teaching at Harvard University by the end of the current academic year.Summers previously served as president of Harvard.His resignation came as the university was conducting a review of emails and other documents detailing Summers' connection to Epstein, which were released in recent months by the Department of Justice and Congress."I have made the difficult decision to retire from my Harvard professorship at the end of this academic year," Summers said in a statement obtained by CNBC. "I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago." "Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor, I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues," he said. Summers, who went on leave from Harvard in November because of fallout from those emails, has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. He will not teach or take on new advisees until his retirement is effective."In connection with the ongoing review by the University of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were recently released by the government, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein has accepted Professor Lawrence H. Summers' resignation from his leadership position as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government," Harvard spokesman Jason Newton told CNBC in a statement Wednesday. "Professor Summers has announced that he will retire from his academic and faculty appointments at Harvard at the end of this academic year and will remain on leave until that time," Newton said.In November, when he went on leave from Harvard and resigned from the board of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, Summers said: "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein."His statement then came after reports by the Harvard student newspaper, The Crimson, which detailed how Summers had sought guidance from Epstein while pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman.On Tuesday, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Richard Axel said he would step down as co-director of Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute in light of his own communications with Epstein drawing attention.A third Ivy League school, Yale University, on Feb. 11 said it had barred professorDavid Gelernter from teaching computer science classes pending a review of his contacts with Epstein, which included mentioning a Yale student for a potential project.

Epstein files: Nobel winner Axel quits Columbia U. brain institute over friendship with predator -- Dr. Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, said he is stepping down as co-director of Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute on the heels of his association with notorious sex predator Jeffrey Epstein drawing public attention."My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret," Axel, 79, said in a statement on Tuesday."I apologize for compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues," Axel said."I recognize the problems this has caused, and I will work to restore this trust. What has emerged about Epstein's appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable." Axel has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with his friendship with Epstein, who died in August 2019 from suicide, weeks after being arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges.But Axel is mentioned in multiple emails and other documents released by the Department of Justice in January as having been in contact and dining with Epstein.Axel has been a Columbia University professor for 53 years, and will continue his lab's research at the Zuckerman institute, he said. Axel, in his statement, said he will resign as an investigator from Columbia's Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAxel won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2004 with Linda Buck "for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system," the prize website notes.In a December 2007 New York magazine profile of Epstein, Axel is quoted saying about him, "He has the ability to make connections that other minds can't make.""He is extremely smart and probing. He can very quickly acquire information to think about a problem and also to identify biological problems without having all the data that a scientist would have," Axel said in the article. "He also has an extremely short attention span."

The Epstein files just claimed the executive who interviewed Trump at Davos -A month ago, Børge Brende interviewed US President Donald Trump following his address to government and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland.On Thursday, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, which organizes the annual gathering in the Swiss alps, announced he was stepping down following an independent investigation into his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister, is the latest in a string of high-profile resignations and ousters linked to the publication of the so-called Epstein files, a collection of millions of emails and other documents detailing the activities of the disgraced financier.“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum,” Brende said in a statement. “My time here, spanning 8½ years, has been profoundly rewarding.”The forum launched the independent review earlier this month when it emerged that Brende had attended three business dinners with Epstein in 2018 and 2019, as well as communicated with him via emails and text messages.At least one of the dinners took place at Epstein’s home in New York, emails show, just weeks before the financier was arrested on federal charges of child sex trafficking. Back in 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor and was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison.

List: High-profile people burned by past dealings exposed in the Epstein files – CNBC - Updated Thursday, February 26 2026

Hillary Clinton says she has no new information on Jeffrey Epstein in testimony excoriating Republicans -- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Oversight Committee on Thursday she has no new information about Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, criticizing Republicans' handling of their investigations into the late convicted sex offender. "I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island home or offices," she said in the opening statement, which she posted on X and delivered during a closed-door hearing with lawmakers. She accused the panel of engaging in partisan "fishing expeditions" by forcing her and her husband to sit for depositions, and said they are interviewing the wrong people. "[Y]ou have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation. in order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers," she wrote in the statement. "If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files," the statement said. President Donald Trump has never been charged with any wrongdoing connected to Epstein and has denied any wrongdoing. The Clintons have also repeatedly denied wrongdoing related to Epstein and have not been accused of any crimes in connection with him. Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters before the interview that "this isn’t a partisan witch hunt. This was a motion, a bipartisan motion, supported by the Democrats, to bring the Clintons in. So I don’t think it’s any type of being unfair in any way to the Clintons." The interview, which will be videotaped, is taking place in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons have a house. The committee will meet with former President Bill Clinton on Friday for a similar deposition. Comer said it was "going to be a long video and a long deposition," and the deposition of the former president will be "even longer." The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said that "today sets a precedent" that he hoped would lead to a testimony from Trump. "We want to talk to former President Bill Clinton, and the other person we want to talk to is current President Donald Trump," he said, calling on his Republican colleagues to help them get the president "in front of our committee."

Hillary Clinton Denies Meeting Jeffrey Epstein In Testimony To Congress - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified to House lawmakers Thursday, claiming she never met Jeffrey Epstein and knew nothing of his alleged crimes—instead suggesting lawmakers interview President Donald Trump—marking one of the most high-profile testimonies yet in the House Oversight Committee’s Epstein investigation, a day before her husband, former President Bill Clinton, testifies. The former secretary of state spoke with House lawmakers in closed-door testimony in Chappaqua, New York, where she lives, part of the House Oversight Committee’s broader probe into Epstein and his alleged sexual assault.She testified she “had no idea about [Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s] criminal activities” and “do[es] not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein,” according to an opening statement Clinton shared on social media, also saying she “do[es] not” have any information regarding the government’s investigations into Epstein and Maxwell.The testimony will not be broadcast to the public Thursday—despite the Clintons wanting to testify publicly—but the committee confirmed Thursday both the video and transcript of the deposition will be publicly released in the coming days.Since the committee has released tapes and transcripts of other similar interviews to the public in the past, it will likely do the same here.House lawmakers subpoenaed both Clintons to testify in the probe last year, but the interviews are taking place now after the couple previously refused to comply with the subpoenas, but then ultimately switched course and agreed to testify, avoiding a court battle over the issue. Both have said they do not have any personal knowledge of Epstein’s alleged abuse to share with the committee, and neither have ever been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the financier. Hillary Clinton told the BBC last week she met Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell on “a few occasions,” but does not believe she ever met Epstein himself, and was not on trips her husband took with the financier.

Hillary Clinton criticizes UFO, Pizzagate questions from GOP during Epstein deposition - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday criticized questions she said she got from House Republicans about UFOs and the “Pizzagate” conspiracy during her deposition as part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “It then got, at the end, quite unusual because I started being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate — one of the most vile bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the internet — that was serving as the basis of a member’s questions to me,” Clinton told reporters after her deposition in Chappaqua, N.Y. She added, however, “I want to commend Chairman [James] Comer [R-Ky.] for raising a series of significant questions that I responded to about the nature of the investigation and the areas that I thought should be explored. So I appreciated that, I want to see the truth come out. So that was a reassuring way to end a very long, repetitive deposition.” Clinton said she answered “every one” of the committee’s questions as fully as she could based on what she knew. “I thought it was very repetitive,” Clinton later said. “I thought that they literally asked the same questions over and over again, which didn’t seem to me to be very productive. And then, as I said toward the end, there were several questions that were off-subject.” She said she never met with Epstein and that she knew his associate Ghislaine Maxwell “casually, as an aquaintance.” She later said she was confident that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) files related to Epstein do not reveal anything that suggests her husband, former President Clinton, knew about Epstein’s crimes. Clinton said she will not testify again and slammed the committee for not allowing the hearing to be in public, as she and Bill Clinton had pushed for, saying they could have “spent their day more productively.” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) hinted at the questions Clinton was asked during an appearance on CNN. Anchor Jake Tapper asked if it was true that the questions about UFOs and “Pizzagate” were asked during the deposition. “I hope that the transcript will be released within 24 hours,” Subramanyam told Tapper. “I‘m not allowed to say specifics about it, but I will just say that the transcript will be very revealing about that.” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) praised the hearing and wrote on the social platform X that Clinton “gave us plenty to work with today.” “So generous, in fact, that she gave us plenty of ammunition heading into tomorrow’s deposition with her husband,” Mace wrote. “I got three rounds with her today, and I’m just getting warmed up.” The Clintons agreed to sit for depositions under threat of being held in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena. The former president, who flew on Epstein’s plane a few times during the early 2000s and who appears in photos released as part of the Epstein files, is scheduled to sit for a deposition Friday. Controversy boiled over earlier in the deposition Thursday after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) leaked a photo from inside the room, which was against the rules set out for the interview. Oversight Democrats called it “unnacceptable” that Republicans broke “their own committee rules that they established with the Secretary and her team,” ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said. When later asked about the photo, Boebert made a reference to the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while serving in the Obama administration. The issue became a key controversy during the final stretch of her 2016 presidential campaign. “I just returned to my hotel room and installed the BleachBit software … So, I guess in regards to taking photos, I do not recall,” Boebert quipped to reporters.

Bill Clinton on Jeffrey Epstein: 'I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong' --Former President Bill Clinton was set to tell the House Oversight Committee on Friday morning in testimony about Jeffrey Epstein that "I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong" during their times flying together or socializing."First, I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing," Clinton planned to say during his closed-door deposition, which was underway in Chappaqua, New York."No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn't see," Clinton said to say."I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn't do," he planned to say. "I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.""As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing — I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals," Clinton planned to say. "But even with 20/20 hindsight, I saw nothing that ever gave me pause."

U.S. signs non-binding AI declaration after India summit The U.S. signed onto a non-binding declaration Saturday with dozens of other countries following India’s AI Impact Summit, committing to a “shared global vision” on the technology. It was one of 89 countries and organizations to sign the document, which laid out seven key pillars for AI development, including democratizing AI resources, using AI to boost economic and social development, and developing energy-efficient AI. “The advent of AI marks an inflection point in the trajectory of technological evolution,” the declaration reads. “The choices that we make today will shape the AI-enabled world that future generations will inherit.” The declaration notably does not mention AI safety, a key issue in years past. It instead underscored the importance of security in AI systems, pointing to “industry-led voluntary measures,” technical solutions and “appropriate” policy frameworks that “enable innovation while promoting the public interest throughout the AI’s lifecycle.” The U.S. declined to sign onto a declaration at the Paris AI summit last year, where Vice President Vance slammed “excessive” AI regulation that he argued “could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off.” This year, the Trump administration sent Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to the summit in New Delhi. Kratsios called back to Vance’s remarks in his own address Friday, noting that the vice president “sought to refocus the AI conversation in his remarks, from safety to opportunity.” He also highlighted America’s efforts to export its AI, pointing to the administration’s American AI Exports Program, as well as the newly launched Tech Corps. The initiative with the Peace Corps aims to recruit technologists to “help other countries around the world harness American artificial intelligence.”

Pentagon draws scrutiny with Anthropic threats, Defense Production Act - The Pentagon is threatening to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) against Anthropic amid a dispute over the company’s restrictions on its AI tools, in a move that many experts say is an unusual use of the measure. The Department of Defense (DOD) warned Anthropic on Tuesday that it could invoke the DPA, which gives the president broad authority to control domestic industries in the name of national defense, to use the AI firm’s tool on its own terms. The threat marks an escalation in the feud between the two parties. Negotiations appear to be at a standstill, with the Pentagon giving Anthropic until Friday to comply with its terms or face a cancellation of a $200 million contract and risk being labeled a “supply chain risk” and confronting the DPA. “It’s the wrong purpose of the tool,” Mark Dalton, senior policy director for technology and innovation at the R Street Institute, told The Hill. “The DPA exists for a capacity reason, like it’s an industrial capacity policy, and to use it as leverage is, I think, irresponsible.” Anthropic and the Pentagon have been locked in tense negotiations in recent weeks over the company’s AI usage policy, which bars its AI model Claude from being used to conduct mass surveillance or develop lethal autonomous weapons. . These two issues have become the company’s red lines in the dispute. A source familiar with negotiations told The Hill on Monday that Anthropic’s resistance stemmed from concerns that AI systems are not reliable enough to make life-or-death decisions, and the technology significantly changes what is possible with domestic surveillance. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has pushed for the company to accept language that allows for “all lawful uses.” On Wednesday night, the DOD sent its last and final offer to Anthropic, asking the AI giant to allow the department to access Claude for “all lawful purposes,” a senior Pentagon official told The Hill on Thursday. CBS News reported earlier on the offer. Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesperson, noted Thursday that the department has “no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement.” “Here’s what we’re asking: Allow the Pentagon to use Anthropic’s model for all lawful purposes,” he wrote in a post on the social platform X. “This is a simple, common-sense request that will prevent Anthropic from jeopardizing critical military operations and potentially putting our warfighters at risk. We will not let ANY company dictate the terms regarding how we make operational decisions.” In a Thursday statement, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei accused the Pentagon of making “inherently contradictory threats” in negotiations with the company. “Regardless, these threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request,” Amodei said,

Trump admin blacklists Anthropic; AI firm refuses Pentagon demands - President Donald Trump said Friday that he was ordering every U.S. government agency to "immediately cease" using technology from the artificial intelligence company Anthropic. Trump in a Truth Social post said there would be a six-month phase-out for agencies such as the Defense Department, which "are using Anthropic's products, at various levels." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, soon after Trump's order, said on X that he was ordering the Pentagon to "designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security" after the AI startup refused to comply with demands about the use of its technology. Anthropic said in a statement late on Friday that it is "deeply saddened by these developments." The company said it will challenge any supply chain risk designation in court. "We believe this designation would both be legally unsound and set a dangerous precedent for any American company that negotiates with the government," Anthropic said. Anthropic, which signed a $200 million contract with the Pentagon in July, wanted assurances that its AI models would not be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass domestic surveillance of Americans. The Pentagon, which strongly resisted that request, set a deadline of 5:01 p.m. ET Friday for Anthropic to agree to its demands that the U.S. military be allowed to use the technology for all lawful purposes. That deadline passed without an agreement. "Anthropic's stance is fundamentally incompatible with American principles," Hegseth said in a statement on X. "Their relationship with the United States Armed Forces and the Federal Government has therefore been permanently altered." "Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service," the Defense secretary said. "America's warfighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech. This decision is final." Trump, in his Truth Social post, wrote, "The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution." "Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY." "Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic's technology," Trump wrote. "We don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again!" Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who is vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, condemned Trump's action. "The president's directive to halt the use of a leading American AI company across the federal government, combined with inflammatory rhetoric attacking that company, raises serious concerns about whether national security decisions are being driven by careful analysis or political considerations," Warner said in a statement. "President Trump and Secretary Hegseth's efforts to intimidate and disparage a leading American company — potentially as the pretext to steer contracts to a preferred vendor whose model a number of federal agencies have already identified as a reliability, safety, and security threat — pose an enormous risk to U.S. defense readiness and the willingness of the U.S. private sector and academia to work with the IC [Intelligence Community] and DoD, consistent with their own values and legal ethics," Warner said. Elon Musk, the mega-billionaire who had been Trump's biggest financial backer in the 2024 election, owns xAI, which aims to compete directly with Anthropic and another major AI company, OpenAI. Musk in recent weeks has repeatedly bashed Anthropic on his social network X, writing on Friday that the company "hates Western civilization."

Biometric injection attacks, AI-powered fake IDs move the fraud prevention goalposts Biometrics has advanced as a field to the extent that matching selfies and detecting simplistic spoofs are largely considered solved problems, yet fraud rates continue to rise. The top stories of the week onBiometric Update are developments from the new frontier in identity protection, where injection attacks delivering deepfakes and fakes made with generative AI are pitted against the most sophisticated liveness detection and document validation technologies.A couple of large American technology providers are testing the limits of public tolerance of video surveillance in everyday life, while EU and the MOSIP stakeholders consider the finer details of implementing population-scale digital identity systems. Biometric injection attacks have become the wild frontier of identity security, Chris Allgrove of Ingenium Biometric Laboratories explained in an EAB lunch talk this week. Injection attack detection technologies and standards-based IAD testing are still maturing, but will have to grow up fast to deal with the fraud threat deepfakes already pose.The proliferation of deepfakes and fraudulent content are a growing concern as America prepares for elections later this year. Even hyper-local campaigns to reduce voter turnout could impact results, and Reality Defender’s Ben Colman tellsBiometric Update we should expect more deepfakes with each election.FaceTec’s Jay Meier expounds on the importance of biometric liveness detection to the digital wallet infrastructure projects currently underway in theBiometric Update podcast. Government, businesses and people are asking digital wallets to do a lot for them, they need to be able to trust who is controlling them.Entrust is working on upgrading the accuracy of its face biometrics, and hails the progress shown in its latest results in the NIST FRTE. The new version of Entrust’s Onfido algorithm showed dramatic improvement across several different one-to-one matching scenarios.A team from Idemia Public Security including prominent authentication and cryptography expert Teresa Wu has been granted a patent for a visible digital seal technology. The cryptographic graphic would be printed onto a document to enable its authentication.India-based identity verification provider IDfy raised$52 million to expand its operations, including into international markets. The company plans to strengthen its TrustStack digital onboarding and risk mitigation platform, and acquisitions may be ahead, too.

The AI fraud scheme scammers use to bypass verification systems In the era of booming online services, many companies worldwide now rely on remote identity verification systems for KYC (Know-Your-Customer) checks and client onboarding. These systems allow users to access banking, fintech, telecom, insurance, and other services from virtually anywhere by simply uploading a photo or scan of an ID document. The adoption has been rapid – the global market for online identity verification is expected to exceed $18.2 billion by 2027. At the same time, recent years have seen a sharp rise in fraud attacks through digital service channels. According to TransUnion’s report, 8.3% of all digital account creation attempts in the first half of 2025 were suspected of fraud, making it the highest risk stage in the customer lifecycle. Scammers have been leveraging so-called spoofing attacks – using stolen or fake ID photos to fool verification, such as pointing a phone screen showing someone else’s ID at a camera. They open bank accounts and take out loans with stolen identity documents, AI-generated or morphed fake IDs. To combat this, many companies upgraded their verification processes to require a live photo or video of the user holding their ID, matching the ID to the person’s face – and for a while such checks were pretty effective.However, fraudsters have now learned to bypass these protections. Not so long ago, a new fast-growing fraud scheme appeared, leveraging AI bots to beat remote verification in a conveyor-belt fashion. Unlike earlier sophisticated forgeries that required expert skills and significant investments to produce, this new scheme works at scale and minimal cost. It overwhelms companies’ defenses with quantity over quality – carrying out thousands of attacks with almost no human intervention. The goal is to simply «punch through» a company’s verification system by sheer volume of attempts, and even the most reliable remote ID verification systems are struggling under this onslaught.The new scam technique involves specialized AI bots that fully automate every stage of the attack – from creating an immense amount of fake images to passing KYC checks and client onboarding at online services. In essence, the bots assemble fake «selfie with ID» photos and submit them to identity verification systems. The process works as follows:

• Gather leaked IDs. The bots start by collecting large amounts of stolen ID documents (passports, ID cards, driving licenses, etc.) from the dark web or hacker forums. There is an abundance of such leaked IDs available from past breaches of verification vendors and organizations. Sooner or later, those documents almost always end up being used by scammers.
• Find look-alikes. For each stolen ID, the AI searches the open web (especially social media) for people with similar facial features that are likely to be accepted as a match by verification systems. The goal is not to find a perfect twin, but someone «close enough» to pass the checks.
• Composite a «selfie with ID». Next, the bots glue together the person’s photo and the stolen ID document image into a single picture, crafted to look like a real selfie of that person holding his ID. There is almost no limit to the amount of fake images that can be generated.
• Mass-submit to verification systems. Finally, the bots automatically submit these composite images to various companies’ remote verification systems. At that scale, even a small false acceptance rate becomes exploitable, and some of the fakes inevitably pass the checks.

This scheme bets on volume and doesn’t care about each fake’s quality. On top of that, the entire production and attack process is fully automated, so generating thousands of forgeries costs the fraudsters practically nothing, and they succeed if even a tiny fraction of these fake images slip past the identity check. With the current pace of AI development, scammers can create endless variations of fake identities with minimal effort – a capability that simply did not exist at this scale a few years ago. As soon as one of the phony identities is verified, scammers can abuse the created account, taking out loans, obtaining credit cards, laundering money, and so on.

AI is supercharging a global cyber fraud crisis. It could also solve it | World Economic Forum

Did a blog post just cause software stocks to lose more than $200 billion in market cap? – MarketWatch - Artificial-intelligence fears have dogged the software sector this year — and the pressure continued on Monday with renewed intensity.There could be various factors behind the latest selloff, particularly a weekend post from Citrini Research, which imagined a future scenario where AI drives dramatic productivity boosts and mass underemployment.“Every dollar saved on headcount flowed into AI capability that made the next round of job cuts possible,” the Citrini team wrote, noting that the blog post was a “scenario, not a prediction.”In the Citrini scenario, the pressure on software stocks this quarter “was only the opening act” that would presage widespread job reductions at ”every company with a white-collar cost structure” thanks to the benefits of AI.Jefferies strategist Jeffrey Favuzza called the post “the latest cautious AI article to make the rounds.” The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV), a proxy for software stocks, fell 4.75% on Monday for its lowest close since Nov. 28, 2023 and its worst one-day decline since Feb. 5, when it fell 4.97%. Altogether, about $223.75 billion in market cap was wiped off from the ETF’s components Monday, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Software stocks have been vastly underperforming chip stocks, which are thought to be clearer beneficiaries of AI spending. And now software investors are highly sensitive to any hints of potential AI disruption to the existing software ecosystem, including Anthropic’s recent string of product announcements. UBS analyst Karl Keirstead said in a note that many enterprise-software stocks have been reacting to “seemingly any new product news out of Anthropic and OpenAI.” He added that investors are gearing up for an event on Tuesday where Anthropic will discuss Claude’s capabilities in 2026 and potentially announce new features, which could further disrupt the software industry. Even before that, Anthropic put out a post on Monday discussing how its Claude platform could help with COBOL modernization. That dragged down shares of IBM, which uses the COBOL programming language for data processing. And software investors also seem to be digesting a product announcement from Anthropic on Friday. The AI company released a new feature, Claude Code Security, that can scan for security vulnerabilities, which hit cybersecurity stocks particularly hard on Friday and again on Monday, even as analysts said the market reaction seemed overdone. “The only thing Claude is good at, writing software, means very little,” Bernstein’s Peter Weed said in a note to clients. “Writing cybersecurity software isn’t and has never been the bottleneck.” D.A. Davidson managing director Gil Luria told MarketWatch in a Friday email that Anthropic was “mostly interested in driving more traffic to its APIs” than participating in “any specific software category.”

There’s another AI-doom post doing the rounds. In this one, the S&P 500 dives nearly 40%. -What if artificial intelligence actually meets or exceeds the hype around it, but that turns out to be very bearish for stocks? That’s the scenario posed by a new piece of commentary doing the rounds over the weekend, which has caused quite a flutter online. The piece, co-authored by Citrini Research and guest Alap Shah, managing partner at Lotus Technology Management, is written as a lookback from June 2028, when the unemployment rate has just risen to 10.2% and the S&P 500 is down 38% from its Oct. 2026 highs around 8,000.

Block lays off nearly half its staff because of AI. Its CEO said most companies will do the same --Block, the company behind Square, Cash App and Afterpay, is cutting its staff by 40%. The reason: “intelligence tools,” according to a letter to shareholders by co-founder Jack Dorsey. Dorsey thinks most companies will follow suit in the near future. The company is laying off more than 4,000 people, reducing the workforce to just under 6,000. The cuts come as AI has reshaped jobs across the tech sector and is raising concerns about the future of the job market. Companies like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Verizon have all made sweeping cuts in the last year tangentially related to AI. “A significantly smaller team, using the tools we’re building, can do more and do it better. And intelligence tool capabilities are compounding faster every week,” Dorsey wrote. Block CFO Amrita Ahuja said it more plainly in the tech company’s financial guidance: “We see an opportunity to move faster with smaller, highly talented teams using AI to automate more work.” In a post on X, Dorsey guaranteed that the cuts weren’t happening because the business is struggling, but rather because “our business is strong… gross profit continues to grow.” The co-founder of Twitter believes he’s ahead of the game. “I think most companies are late. Within the next year, I believe the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes. I’d rather get there honestly and on our own terms than be forced into it reactively,” he wrote.

Fed's Cook says AI triggering big changes, sees possible short-term unemployment rise (Reuters) - Artificial intelligence has triggered a generational shift in the U.S. labor market and could lead to a possible rise in the unemployment rate that the U.S. central bank may not be able to counter with lower interest rates, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said on Tuesday. "We appear to be approaching the most significant reorganization of work in generations," Cook said in remarks prepared for delivery at a National Association for Business Economics conference, pointing to changes in computer coding occupations and the difficulties some workers face finding entry-level jobs as evidence that the transition has begun.While AI will offer "new opportunities," she said, in the early stages "job displacement may precede job creation, such that the unemployment rate may rise and participation in the labor force may decline as the economy transitions."In that situation, with underlying unemployment driven higher on a structural basis, the Fed would not be able to react without risking higher inflation, even as productivity rises."In a productivity boom such as this, a rise in unemployment may not indicate increased slack. As such, our normal demand-side monetary policy may not be able to ameliorate an AI-caused unemployment spell without also increasing inflationary pressure," she said. "Monetary policymakers would face tradeoffs between unemployment and inflation. ... Education, workforce, and other policy that is non-monetary may be better suited to address these challenges in a more targeted way."Among the other "profound" challenges for monetary policy, Cook said, is the possibility that an AI investment boom may raise the neutral rate of interest in the short run - a development that, all things equal, could imply the need for tighter monetary policy - but then lower it over time if the emerging AI economy leads to wider income inequality, or if gains from the technology are concentrated among the better off.Her comments are part of an emerging debate at the Fed about how AI may reshape the economy. Though some officials have argued that improved productivity could allow lower interest rates, there are also emerging concerns about the impact on the unemployment rate, and how the ongoing AI investment boom could add to inflation at least in the short run.

Cook: AI's labor impact may take years to measure --Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook said Tuesday that the impact of generative artificial intelligence could take years, but signs are emerging such as lower demand for computer engineers.

• Key insight: Fed Gov. Cook said artificial intelligence may already be influencing employment trends, pointing to lower demand for computer engineers as one potential sign of change.
• Expert quote: "It is very difficult to measure labor productivity and total factor productivity. So we should be patient and we should be nimble in thinking about the rollout of AI." — Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook
• Look ahead: If AI boosts productivity, economic growth could remain strong even if unemployment rises, complicating the central bank's efforts to balance its dual mandate of maximum employment and stable prices.

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook said AI could boost productivity, but warned the transition may raise unemployment and force difficult tradeoffs between inflation and jobs.

OCC proposes comprehensive stablecoin framework - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Wednesday proposed a comprehensive framework for capital and other requirements for payment stablecoin issuers under the GENIUS Act.

• Key insight: Issuers must hold liquid reserves and capital as well as an additional FDIC-insured operational backstop.
• Supporting data: OCC sets $5 million minimum capital for all new stablecoin issuers.
• Forward look: The rule will be open for 60 days for comment.

The agency's 400-page GENIUS Act proposal sets capital, reserve and operational rules to govern how stablecoin issuers may operate.

Stablecoins draw attention, but are still a tiny market -One of the big stories in the payments industry over the past year has been stablecoins, which have gotten a regulatory boost and a series of fintechs seeking bank charters and banksconsidering how to approach the market.

• Key insights: Revolut, Tether and Circle made announcements this week designed to boost their stablecoin profiles.
• What's at stake: Stablecoins are growing quickly and are attracting investment, creating an arms race among banks and fintechs.
• Forward look: Despite the growth in stablecoins, McKinsey says stablecoin payments are still a small part of the overall payments market.

In this week's American Banker global payments and fintech roundup, Revolut, Tether and Circle made announcements designed to improve their standing in the stablecoin market. That comes amid new research from McKinsey that says the digital asset is growing quickly, but has not made even a small dent in payments.

Crypto.com gets conditional approval for national trust charter -Crypto.com is the latest cryptocurrency exchange to receive conditional approval for a national trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

• Key insight: Crypto.com's parent company Foris DAX received conditional approval from the OCC to operate a national trust bank for cryptocurrency.
• Expert quote: Pitchbook analyst Rudy Yang says that fintechs and crypto firms have been applying for charters within the last year due to a regulatory "now-or-never moment."
• Forward look: More crypto firm charter applications are pending, including ones from Coinbase and World Liberty Financial.

If the company gets final approval, it will be the newest crypto firm to receive a charter in recent months.

Morgan Stanley applies for crypto trust charter subsidiary — Morgan Stanley has applied to create a national trust bank focused on crypto, according to a document released Friday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

• Key insight: Morgan Stanley's application for a national trust charter for a proposed subsidiary is in support of the investment bank's bid to partner with Zerohash to let E-Trade clients trade popular crypto coins.
• What's at stake: The application comes amid persistent bank concern about a slew of national trust charter applications from fintechs and crypto companies, whom banks fear will compete with them for banking activities without similar oversight.
• Forward look: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has approved several national trust charter applications in recent months.

The proposed national trust charter company would be a wholly owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley. The application was filed on Feb. 18.

North Carolina prosecutors seize $61 million in USDT tied to 'pig butchering' scam --U.S. federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that federal agents have seized more than $61 million worth of USDT linked to a sprawling network of cryptocurrency investment fraud known as "pig butchering."The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said in a statement that the funds were traced to crypto wallets allegedly used to launder proceeds stolen from victims of the crypto romance scam.Investigators from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) followed victim funds through a network of wallets, identifying accounts that still held substantial balances subject to seizure and forfeiture, according to the statement."The seizure of a staggering $61 million worth of funds linked to cryptocurrency fraud shows that, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, cheaters never win," said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. "Our asset forfeiture team worked along with HSI to take the profit out of crime."According to court filings cited in the DOJ statement, scammers built trust through fake romantic relationships before pitching high-return crypto strategies and directing victims to fraudulent trading sites showing fabricated gains. When victims tried to withdraw, they were blocked or asked to pay extra "taxes" or "fees."After the stolen funds were sent to wallets controlled by the scammers, the proceeds were funneled through layers of additional addresses to conceal their origin and ownership. In this case, HSI agents traced a victim's lost funds through a chain of wallets tied to the scheme, identifying several accounts holding significant balances eligible for seizure and forfeiture.The case adds to a growing list of sizable forfeitures in crypto-related cases. In January, the DOJ announced a roughly $400 million forfeiture tied to the Helix darknet crypto mixer, which played a central role in laundering proceeds from illegal online marketplaces.

Florida man charged in alleged $328 million crypto Ponzi scheme --A Florida man was arrested on federal charges related to an alleged cryptocurrency "Ponzi scheme" that defrauded investors of at least $328 million.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a release Tuesday that Christopher Alexander Delgado, a 34-year-old from Apopka, Florida, was arrested on wire fraud and money laundering charges. If convicted on all charges, Delgado would face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.According to a federal complaint, Delgado was the president and CEO of Goliath Ventures, formerly known as Gen-Z Venture Firm, and allegedly carried out the Ponzi scheme from January 2023 through January 2026. A Ponzi scheme involves paying purported returns to existing investors from funds obtained from new investors.The U.S. Attorney's Office said the scheme involved Delgado allegedly soliciting victims to invest substantial amounts of money under what prosecutors described as false and fraudulent promises of monthly returns generated by cryptocurrency "liquidity pools."Victims of the scheme, according to the complaint, were also induced to give money to Delgado's firm through personal referrals, professional marketing materials, luxury events, charitable sponsorships and some monthly payments of the purported returns to establish Goliath's reputation with investors.While Goliath said it would place investors' funds in cryptocurrency liquidity pools, the federal prosecutors' announcement indicated that the funds were mainly used to pay the purported returns to earlier investors, return the principal of investors who requested it and pay for extravagant business gatherings, holiday parties and luxury travel accommodations.The U.S. attorney's office said Delgado used funds from investors he allegedly victimized to buy four residential properties each worth between $1.15 million and $8.5 million.

BankThink Banks need to choose carefully between public and private blockchains Decisions about the kind of blockchains to use in rolling out banking products creates future path dependencies. It's important that banks get this decision right.

Senators tell CFTC to make clear ban on prediction market contracts involving deaths -- Six Democratic senators told the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in a previously unreported letter that they have strong concerns about prediction market contracts "that incentivize physical injury or death," saying the contracts "present dangerous national security risks."The senators urged CFTC Chairman Michael Selig in the letter sent Monday to "clearly reiterate that the CFTC will categorically prohibit any contract that resolves upon or closely correlates to an individual's death."The letter, led by Sen. Adam Schiff of California, notes that under federal commodity regulations, the CFTC already "categorically prohibits" contracts that involve or reference terrorism, assassination, war or similar actions.The letter was sent as prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi have become increasingly popular and as questions have been raised about how those markets should be regulated, whether they are contributing to a rise in gambling addiction, and about the risk of people with inside information taking positions on contracts.The letter notes that the CFTC "has cleared the way" for Polymarket to reenter the U.S. market after U.S. users being ostensibly blocked from accessing contracts on the company's offshore exchange.In addition to Schiff, the Democrats who signed the letter are Richard Blumenthalof Connecticut, New Jersey's Cory Booker, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.The CFTC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter, which cites three contracts offered by Polymarket in recent months relating to a NASA spaceship launch, the fate of Venezuela's authoritarian leader, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine."These recent events highlight the lack of internal controls and safeguards to prevent insiders from profiting off of non-public information, and direct profiteering off of human suffering," the letter said.The CFTC last week filed a legal brief in a federal appeals court asserting that the commission has exclusive jurisdiction over the U.S. commodity derivatives markets and that individual states had no role in exercising such oversight."The CFTC will no longer sit idly by while overzealous state governments undermine the agency's exclusive jurisdiction over these markets by seeking to establish statewide prohibitions on these exciting products," Selig wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed about the filing.

BankThink Fincen should reassert its control over anti-money-laundering policy - As geopolitical threats loom, the U.S. needs a better-coordinated AML strategy. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network should take the lead in implementing needed reforms. Visualization created with AI assistance based on original reporting.

US threatens to cut off Swiss bank from financial system over alleged Iran, Russia ties -The Treasury Department on Thursday threatened to cut off MBaer Merchant Bank AG’s access to U.S. financial institutions over the Swiss bank’s alleged ties to sanctioned Iranian and Russian actors. The Treasury Department accused MBaer and its employees of enabling corruption linked to Russian money laundering, as well as money laundering and terrorist financing on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force. The department said it proposed a change to its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) rules that would prohibit covered U.S. financial institutions from opening or maintaining accounts for, or on behalf of, MBaer. The action, if finalized, would mark the strongest possible action the Treasury Department can take against a bank, effectively stifling MBaer’s ability to handle transactions involving U.S. currency. “MBaer has funneled over a hundred million dollars through the U.S. financial system on behalf of illicit actors tied to Iran and Russia,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Banks should be on notice that the U.S. Treasury will aggressively protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system using the full force of our authorities.” Swiss media outlets reported that the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), the independent government body responsible for supervising Swiss financial markets, concluded enforcement proceedings against MBaer several weeks ago.The body found that the bank had breached anti-money laundering rules and risk management requirements, particularly related to sanctions. It has appointed an audit officer to “monitor” the bank while an appeal is pending, according to a FINMA news release. FINMA also said it is in contact with FinCEN.The U.S. has expanded sanctions on Iran and Russia in recent weeks, targeting key revenue streams, such as oil sales, that officials claim the nations’ leaders rely on to fund military programs and unlawful activities. The Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed additional sanctions on Iranian individuals, companies and vessels that it accused of facilitating the country’s illicit oil sales and ballistic missile program.The fresh batch was announced a day before indirect negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program resumed in Geneva amid a buildup of U.S. military firepower in the region and threats of potential military action if diplomacy fails. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said U.S. and Iranian officials made “significant progress” in the discussions, with further talks planned for next week.“We will resume soon after consultation in the respective capitals. Discussions on a technical level will take place next week in Vienna. I am grateful to all concerned for their efforts: the negotiators, the IAEA, and our hosts the Swiss government,” al-Busaidi wrote on the social platform X.

RBC raises provisions again amid renewed tariff uncertainty -

• Key Insight: Canada's largest bank is once again bracing for pressure on the Canadian economy from U.S. tariffs.
• Supporting Data: In the quarter ending Jan. 31, RBC raised provisions for credit losses by 4% year over year.
• Expert Quote: "While we believe the Canadian economy has demonstrated resilience, factors such as U.S. trade policy … add ongoing uncertainty to our outlook," said RBC Chief Risk Officer Graeme Hepworth.

The Royal Bank of Canada's base outlook is that tariffs will remain at their current levels. But it also sees a possibility that U.S. trade policy will bring on a severe North American recession.

Comptroller Gould minimizes leading bank concerns in hearing -- Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould took several assertive stances at a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday, minimizing concerns about banks' potential compliance costs to collect citizenship data and sidestepping questions about World Liberty Financial's trust charter application.

OCC finalizes rule allowing trust non-fiduciary custody -The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday finalized a January proposal codifying a longstanding agency stance that national trusts may engage in fiduciary or "business of banking" activities — including non-fiduciary custody — over banking industry objections.

• Key insight: The new rule from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency codifies the Trump administration's stance that "trust operations and activities related thereto," include non-fiduciary activities.
• Expert quote: "The OCC has granted itself unfettered discretion to decide — on a case-by-case basis — what activities any future applicant for a national trust charter can perform." — Conference of State Banking Supervisors President Brandon Milhorn.
• Forward look: While no litigation has yet been filed challenging the rule, concerns from the banking industry and state bank supervisors could be the basis for litigation now that the rule has been finalized.

A final rule published by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Friday will formalize a 2021 interpretive guidance allowing national trust banks to perform non-fiduciary custody. The banking industry complained that the rule runs counter to the traditional scope of the charter.

Banks close 2025 with strong profits, higher lending - Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. report shows margins widened and profitability remained high even as credit quality saw some wobbles from consumer and commercial loan portfolios.

CFPB shutdown battle reaches crucial D.C. Circuit hearing - The CFPB is in an existential legal brawl against it's own acting director, Russell Vought, and President Donald Trump, whose confirmed goal is to kill the agency.

Can Trump fire nearly all CFPB staff? Appeals court isn't sure -- Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struggled to find a resolution to an injunction issued last year that halted reductions-in-force by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Judges seem inclined to allow CFPB RIFs — if there's a plan - Federal appeals court judges hinted at a potential solution to the contentious showdown between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Treasury Employees Union that could keep the agency alive.

• What's at Stake: The CFPB's top managers want to fire 90% of the staff, which would both dramatically reduce the agency's headcount and severely cripple the Trump administration's rulemaking and supervisory agenda.
• Key Insight: A preliminary injunction issued by a district court was a necessary judicial "stop gap" measure to prevent the CFPB's operations from effectively ceasing.
• Forward Look: Experts say that if the government presented a credible plan to run the agency and abide by its legally required duties and functions with as small a workforce as it envisions, it would likely prevail in court.

Experts said that judges reviewing ongoing litigation between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its employee union seem inclined to allow reductions in force to proceed if the CFPB presented a credible plan for running the agency.

What's it going to take to get banks back into mortgages? — Proposed regulatory changes aimed at bringing banks back into the mortgage market are drawing muted enthusiasm, with industry stakeholders welcoming the changes but cautioning that they alone are unlikely to turn the tide.

• Key Insight: Experts say even if regulators recalibrate capital standards, structural and competitive realities that did not exist before 2008 are the biggest drivers in their dwindling market share in mortgage origination and servicing. Nonbanks now dominate the sector, aided by leaner cost structures that are built for rate volatility — advantages that banks will have a hard time imitating.
• Expert Quote: "Everybody's looking for that one magic bullet. There's no one magic bullet here. A series of changes since the financial crisis have made it more difficult for community banks to be in the mortgage business." — Ron Haynie, senior vice president of mortgage policy, Independent Community Bankers of America.
• Forward Look: Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said in a February appearance that two proposals will be published for industry comment in the near future, but acknowledged in her Senate Banking Committee testimony Feb. 26 that further hurdles remain.

Though changes to bank capital rules previewed by Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman in February are being viewed as welcome, experts say other more significant hurdles — not all of them regulatory — are keeping banks on the sidelines of mortgage servicing and lending.

Democrats counter Trump's proposal to limit housing investors -- Both congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump both want to limit how many homes major corporations can own, but a new proposal from Sen.Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., makes it clear that's where the agreement ends. In a bill released hours before Trump's State of the Union speech, Warren, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and 16 other Senate Democrats propose ending some housing-related tax benefits for major corporations. The bill would prevent companies with more than 50 single-family homes for rent from taking deductions for housing value depreciation and mortgage interest payments. Corporations would also be barred from getting federally backed mortgages. The bill would provide a temporary carve-out for companies building new multifamily housing or rehabilitating properties that would otherwise be uninhabitable.The Trump administration is pushing its own housing proposal. In a memo sent to lawmakers last week, the administration proposed banning institutional investors who own more than 100 single-family homes from buying any new ones. Trump's proposal also includes several exceptions for companies that increase the number of single-family homes.The dueling proposals come as legislation to boost housing supply and affordability is in the home stretch to becoming law. The House passed a bipartisan bill earlier this month with broad support, and the Senate advanced its own bipartisan bill last year. The two sides are working to combine the proposals into a final package.

Senate tees up housing bill, but what's in it is unclear — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has filed cloture on a housing affordability package, teeing up the Senate version up for a vote next week.

• Key insight: The core of both the Senate and House versions of the legislation aim to increase the supply of housing, but a slew of bipartisan riders in the House version have been opposed by some Democrats in the upper chamber.
• What's at stake: The House version has a number of bank-favored riders, like brokered and custodial deposits, that could still end up in the Senate version.
• Forward look: The key point will be what Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is willing to add, and if enough Democrats will support the community bank provisions to reach a compromise with House Financial Services Committee Rep. French Hill, R-Ark.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., moved to consider the housing package next week, but it's not clear what version of the bill senators will be voting on as the House, Senate and White House are still negotiating priorities.

Trump's $200B MBS plan set off by GSE valuation gap: Pulte -US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that he was telling his “representatives” to buy $200 billion of mortgage bonds, and Pulte soon after said that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can execute the purchases “very quickly.” Mortgage-backed securities purchases became the current focus of near-term plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac due to lower-than-anticipated valuations for a planned stock offering, housing official Bill Pulte told Fox Business. MBS buying has become the near-term focus but a 2026 offering is still possible, Federal Housing Finance Agency official Bill Pulte told Fox Business.

A $44,000 Bill Shows the Dysfunction in California’s Home-Insurance Market -Glenn and Lorraine Crawford paid about $500 a month to insure their home in Agoura Hills northwest of Los Angeles when they bought it in 2012. The Crawfords say they have little alternative but to pay the bill that arrived last month, which, at more than $44,000 a year, is almost as much as their mortgage bill. The only other insurer willing to cover their home, Lloyd’s of London, quoted them $80,000 a year. More than a year after infernos tore through Los Angeles County, millions of Californians like the Crawfords are suffering through a home-insurance crisis that has rolled on for years with eye-watering rate increases, canceled policies and rejected claims. Two of the biggest insurers, State Farm and Allstate, aren’t selling to new customers in the state, despite getting double-digit rate increases approved for their existing policyholders. A third, Farmers Insurance, has committed to cover more homes in fire-prone areas, but only a fraction compared with the drop in its overall number of policies since the crisis began. The insurance dysfunction has spread to California’s housing market, the country’s biggest and most expensive, with nearly one-in-five real-estate agents reporting a canceled sale last year because of clients unable to find affordable insurance, according to a survey by the trade body California Association of Realtors. The roots of California’s insurance crisis go back years. The state’s tough rate caps kept premiums low. But home insurers eventually balked, saying they couldn’t charge enough to cover rising wildfire and other losses, made worse by climate change and development. Insurers didn’t renew tens of thousands of policies, especially in fire-prone areas. California’s uphill battle to draw insurers back could prove a template—or cautionary tale—for other disaster-prone states. New rules implemented last year, for instance, require home-insurers in the state to pledge to sell new policies in high-risk wildfire zones, in return for allowing them to charge higher rates. As part of a request for a 6.99% rate increase, Farmers, the second-biggest home-insurer in the state, pledged to add at least 5,596 policies in high-risk areas by September 2028. That is less than a 10th of the 59,806 reduction in Farmers’ total number of California home-insurance policies in the previous two years, according to a Consumer Watchdog analysis. Others continue to shun the state despite winning big concessions. California regulators approved a 34% rate increase for Allstate in 2024. Yet it has no “growth aspirations” in California home insurance, Chief Executive Tom Wilson said last year, adding that it would take time to fix the market. A spokesman said that remains Allstate’s position. The disaster also almost felled California’s biggest home insurer, State Farm General. Lara last year backed an emergency 17% rate increase to keep the State Farm subsidiary afloat. “We’re on the Titanic, and we see the iceberg,” one of Lara’s lawyers told a hearing last year.

Mortgage rates drop below 6 percent, first time in three years - Mortgage rates fell below 6 percent on Thursday for the first time in more than three years, marking an opening for homebuyers as inflation cools. Currently, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging 5.98 percent, down .03 points from last week, according to Freddie Mac. Last year, the rate averaged 6.76 percent. “This lower rate environment is not only improving affordability for prospective homebuyers, it’s also strengthening the financial position of homeowners,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, told NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. Last week, the 10-year Treasury yield reached its lowest closing level since November, causing some relief for mortgage rates, which traditionally rise and fall on the same accord. The Federal Reserve’s decision to lower interest rates to 2.4 percent has also positively influenced the housing market, which faced a 30-year low in 2025. President Trump touted the improvements to mortgage rates during Tuesday’s State of the Union after pledging to give “special attention” to the housing market last month amid a steady annual decline in sales since 2022. Trump directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds in an effort to further improve current rates. “This will drive Mortgage Rates DOWN, monthly payments DOWN, and make the cost of owning a home more affordable. It is one of my many steps in restoring Affordability, something that the Biden Administration absolutely destroyed,” the president wrote in a January Truth Social post.

New Report Reveals 51.4% of U.S. Residential Builders Are Operating Unprofitably - More than half of U.S. residential building companies are operating unprofitably once accounting accuracy is applied, according to the 2026 State of Residential Construction Industry (SORCI) Report released by the Association of Professional Builders (APB). While only 17.1% of U.S. builders reported making a loss, deeper financial analysis found that 51.4% were effectively unprofitable.Now in its sixth year, the SORCI Report analyses financial and operational data from residential builders across the United States as part of a broader dataset of 8,462 participants collected since 2020. Data for this edition was collected in late 2025. Key findings from the 2026 SORCI Report:

• 51.4% of U.S. residential builders were operating unprofitably once accounting accuracy was applied, compared with 17.1% who self-reported operating at a loss.
• Only 12% of builders correctly understand all four critical financial metrics: Work In Progress (WIP) adjustments, markup versus margin, fixed expense ratios, and net profit margins.
• 79.2% of builders who stated they knew how to calculate WIP adjustments were unable to correctly explain how WIP is calculated.
• The report identifies widespread accounting inaccuracies that result in profitability being overstated on financial statements.

The findings show a significant gap between reported profitability and financial reality within the U.S. residential construction sector. The report notes that without accurate financial reporting, builders may make decisions based on incomplete data. “The data shows a clear difference between reported profitability and financial reality for many building companies," said Russ Stephens, Co-Founder of the Association of Professional Builders. "When core financial metrics are not fully understood or applied correctly, profitability can be overstated without builders realizing it."The report highlights the Work In Progress Accounting Adjustment (WIPAA) as a key area of misunderstanding. While 60% of builders claimed they knew how to calculate WIP adjustments, testing revealed that nearly 80% of that group were unable to correctly explain the calculation. Inaccurate WIP reporting can cause building companies to appear profitable on paper while masking underlying financial exposure.This research also identifies a distinct cohort of building companies that demonstrate strong financial visibility, disciplined systems, and accurate reporting practices. These businesses consistently perform at higher levels across key financial metrics and demonstrate greater financial stability over time compared to those operating without clear financial controls.

Louisiana’s victory on Ten Commandments in classrooms tees up possible Supreme Court case - Louisiana scored a big win this week when the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a state law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms, but the fight is far from over and could be heading to the highest court in the country. In a rare moment where all 17 active judges on the 5th Circuit were involved in the case, the court ruled the Louisiana law was legal but did not rule out the possibility of future legal challenges on the issue. Two other states, Arkansas and Texas, are also still fighting in the courts over similar laws to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The legal patchwork could mean the cases make it to the Supreme Court, if the justices are willing to hear them. Louisiana in 2024 became the first state to pass a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms in easily readable letters. The decision by the 5th Circuit overruled a lower court decision blocking the law, with the judges saying the lawsuit was premature since the posters never went up in the classrooms.

Trump Education Department outsources more responsibilities, continuing proposed wind-down -- — President Donald Trump’s administration took more steps Monday to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, announcing two additional interagency agreements with other departments that will transfer more of its responsibilities to those agencies. Under the agreements, the agency will partner with the State Department on foreign gift and contract reporting and with the Department of Health and Human Services on family engagement and school support programs. The 46-year-old department signed seven other interagency agreements in 2025 as part of an ongoing effort to dismantle itself, including with State and HHS, as well as Labor and Interior. “As we continue to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states, our new partnerships with the State Department and HHS represent a practical step toward greater efficiency, stronger coordination, and meaningful improvement,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. Rachel Gittleman, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, which represents Education Department workers, blasted the additional interagency agreements in a Monday statement. McMahon “is unlawfully dismantling the Education Department by moving programs and offices to other federal agencies despite a clear warning from Congress that she lacks the authority to do so,” Gittleman said. She added that “these moves come as the Trump Administration has attempted to fire large numbers of career public servants in these very offices — and is now trying to shift their critical work across multiple federal agencies with no educational expertise.” Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, also lambasted the announcement. “These illegal agreements aren’t just creating pointless new bureaucracy that burdens our already-overworked teachers and schools,” she said in a statement Monday. “They are actively jeopardizing resources and support that students and families count on and are entitled to under the law.” The Education Department clarified in fact sheets that in both agreements, it would “maintain all statutory responsibilities” and oversight of the programs involved. Under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, colleges and universities receiving federal financial assistance are required to disclose any foreign gifts or contracts valued above $250,000 annually. Under the agreement, State will help the Education Department in managing its foreign funding reporting portal, where colleges and universities are responsible for disclosing such transactions. State will also “use its national security and foreign national academic admissions expertise to review and assess the industry’s compliance with the law, share data with the public and federal stakeholders, and identify potential threats,” the Education Department said. Under the agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS will take on a “growing role” in administering several programs that are currently housed under the Education Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. The programs include the School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV), School Safety National Activities, Ready to Learn Programming, Full-Service Community Schools, Promise Neighborhoods and Statewide Family Engagement Centers, the Education Department said.

Horrific New Data Reveals Thousands Of Children Mutilated Under Biden Regime - New revelations from the Stop The Harm Database expose a grim reality: between 2019 and 2023, thousands of American children were subjected to life-altering surgeries, hormone treatments, and puberty blockers in the name of transgender ideology.According to the data compiled by medical watchdog group Do No Harm, 5,747 minors underwent surgical procedures often described as mutilation, including mastectomies and other invasive operations.Another 8,579 children received hormones and puberty blockers, chemicals that disrupt natural development and carry severe long-term risks like infertility and bone density loss.BREAKING: New data reveals the staggering number of MINORS who underwent "Gender Transition" surgery or "care" under Joe Biden's administration.
- 5,747 Childern underwent Surgical Mutilation
- 8,579 Childern recieved Hormones and Puberty Blockers
- 13,994 Minors underwent sex change treatments pic.twitter.com/OXSL80R136
In total, 13,994 minors endured some form of sex change treatment, while a shocking 62,682 prescriptions for these interventions were written for kids. These numbers highlight the peak of the transgender push under the Biden administration, where progressive policies enabled hospitals and clinics to profit handsomely—raking in nearly $120 million from these procedures on vulnerable youth. The database, drawing from insurance claims across the U.S., shows the majority of these cases occurred in liberal strongholds like California, Oregon, and Washington, where resistance to safeguards was fiercest.
School choice programs grow in popularity — and cost -States are scrambling to meet rising demand for newly expanded school choice initiatives, pouring more money into the programs as waiting lists — and budget concerns — grow. A further boost is expected next year, when the federal government rolls out a new policy allowing taxpayers to claim a tax credit for up to $1,700 in donations to nonprofits that award private school scholarships to K-12 students.Supporters tout such programs as a lifeline for parents desperate to get their kids out of failing public schools, while opponents have long warned that they drain resources from public education as students move from public schools to private ones.For years, voucher and scholarship programs providing taxpayer dollars for private school tuition were limited to low-income or special needs students. In 2022, however, Arizona became the first state to allow all students to use public money for private school tuition. By next school year, at least 17 states are expected to have universal programs — making roughly half of U.S. students eligible to receive money, according to FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University.As both universal and limited programs spread across the country, many families are eager to participate.In Alabama, more than 36,000 students last spring applied for 14,000 spots in the state’s new program, prompting Republican Gov. Kay Ivey to propose increasing its funding from $180 million to $250 million for the 2027-28 school year, when income limits will be eliminated.In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has proposed removing the budget cap on a scholarship program that turned away 5,600 students a couple of years ago because it ran out of money. And in Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee has proposed doubling the funding for a scholarship program that has a waitlist of about 34,000 students.“Last year, we gave families school choice with the Education Freedom Scholarship program, because parents know best,” Lee said in his State of the State address last month. “Growing the program would open the doors of opportunity for thousands more children statewide.”South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe also are seeking more money for school choice programs.“So far what we’ve really seen is legislatures looking to expand the programs,” said Andrew Handel, director of education and workforce development at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a membership group for conservative state lawmakers that has pushed for choice programs nationwide. “The ESA [education savings account] is the gold standard. It’s the one that gives parents the most flexibility,” he said, referring to programs that allow parents to use the money for other education-related expenses in addition to tuition. “The best states are where the funding for those school choice programs is tied directly to their state education formula. That ensures that no matter how many families apply, you’re always going to have the money there.”But in Arizona, the first state with a universal program, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has become an outspoken critic.Hobbs last month criticized the program, approved under her Republican predecessor, as an “entitlement program” that “continues to operate unchecked, squandering taxpayer dollars with no accountability.” She has proposed scaling back the program to its original scope, when it was limited to children with disabilities and military families.The program serves more than 100,000 students — about 1 in 10 K-12 students — and cost the state about $872 million in fiscal 2025, according to the Grand Canyon Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. In addition to offering vouchers to pay private school tuition, it allows money to be spent on certain school supplies.A recent audit by the Arizona Department of Education found that about 20% of Empowerment Scholarship Account dollars were used for unauthorized purchases, including iPhones, lingerie, jewelry and other luxury items, according to documents obtained earlier this month by the television station 12News in Arizona.

Pennsylvania high school students violently attacked by police during anti-ICE walkout - On Friday, multiple high school students were arrested and physically assaulted by police in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, while conducting a walkout in opposition to the immigration Gestapo and ongoing raids throughout the country. Fewer than 10,000 people live in the small Bucks County borough, situated between Allentown and Philadelphia. Roughly 35 to 50 students from Quakertown High School, aged 14 to 18, participated in the peaceful protest, walking out of class Friday morning around 11:00. Video shared online shows students marching on the sidewalk in the cold February rain, at times denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and President Donald Trump. Despite the peaceful character of the demonstration, police rapidly escalated the situation. Video shows an older man with gray hair wearing tan clothing entering the crowd and physically grabbing a student. Later he is seen placing another student in a chokehold. The man has since been identified by local sources as Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree. In video footage circulated online, the confrontation appears to begin when McElree steps into the crowd and extends his hand toward a student, visibly gripping a student’s sweatshirt. As students react and attempt to intervene, McElree is seen entangled in a struggle. Near the end of the footage, a uniformed officer forcefully grabs another student who appears to move toward the chief. The officer throws the student forward into a large planter. As the student falls, the officer can be heard stating that he saw the student “punch the chief of police.” Local news outlets report that at least five or six students were arrested following the confrontation. Multiple eyewitnesses told ABC 6 that police initiated the escalation. “I am shaken by it, they were children,” one witness said. “They were children being ganged up on by adults with no self-control.” She added, “The situation was completely escalated by the police, and it was extremely jarring to watch.” The same witness described the aftermath: “At the end of it you could see [the students] picking up their school binders, their laptops, their backpacks after getting into these altercations with the police.” Another witness told the outlet, “The man started to attack the students, and that’s when the other students intervened and tried to get him to stop.” Police, for their part, claim officers were responding to students who were “throwing snowballs” and allegedly “blocking traffic.” As of this writing, no publicly circulating video shows snowballs being thrown at officers prior to the physical confrontation. Police have not released body camera or dash camera footage to substantiate their version of events. Following the police rampage, a small group of students continued to protest the police brutality. One young person was seen holding a sign, now covered in the blood of students, that read, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”

High school students protesting ICE remain jailed days after police assault in Pennsylvania -At least five high school students in Quakertown, located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have now been held in police custody for more than 72 hours following last Friday’s anti-ICE protest. As of this writing, authorities have not publicly clarified how many students remain detained, what specific charges they face, or why juveniles are being held for this length of time.Their alleged offense: defending themselves after a police chief, not in uniform, physically assaulted students. The police assault has provoked mass outrage in the community and throughout the country. A Change.org petition demanding the resignation of Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree, who was captured on video choking a young female student, has exceeded 7,800 signatures as of this writing. Separately, a GoFundMe to support students’ expected attorneys’ fees and medical costs associated with the police assault has raised nearly $33,000. The department and Chief McElree have refused to issue a public statement explaining the use of force. No detailed charging documents have been released. Instead, silence. The refusal to release basic information raises serious questions. Why are minors being held for days without public clarification of charges? Why has there been no immediate statement from the department explaining the conduct of its chief? Why has there been no release of body-camera footage? The police are engaged in a cover-up aimed at suppressing not only students, but everyone’s democratic right to peacefully protest. The assault in Quakertown is not an isolated incident. Across the country, students participating in anti-ICE demonstrations have faced physical attacks and threats. On February 2 in Buda, Texas, 45-year-old Chad Michael Watts, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, exited his truck and targeted a young female student during a peaceful protest. Social media video shows Watts advancing toward the student, prompting classmates to intervene in her defense. Watts was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault causing bodily injury. On February 10, students at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California reported that an older man threatened to shoot them while they participated in an anti-ICE protest. Video footage shows students screaming and retreating around a black truck after the unidentified man allegedly issued the threat. The incident carries particular weight given that Saugus High was the site of a mass shooting in 2019. In Grand Island, Nebraska, a 54-year-old man, Michael Brown, attacked students participating in a February 16 walkout. Brown was initially charged with child abuse. As of last Thursday, those charges had been dropped. In each case, students engaging in protest activity became targets of physical aggression. In some instances, adult attackers were charged. In others, charges were reduced or dropped. In Quakertown, however, it is the students who remain behind bars while police leadership refuses public explanation. As of Monday afternoon, it is still unclear whether the students will be released or remain in custody. No charges against the students have been publicly disclosed, and the department has not issued a detailed statement on the incident. Police have yet to release any body or dash camera footage captured that day. Holding minors for more than 48 hours after they were assaulted by police is extraordinary. The continued detention of these students underscores that this has nothing to do with “public safety,” but is focused on suppressing dissent and protecting official misconduct.

College students bounced back after pandemic, long-term study suggests -A long-term study from Michigan State University (MSU) finds that most college students bounced back emotionally after the COVID-19 pandemic, with improved psychological functioning, less loneliness, and more satisfaction with their lives. Authors of the study, published online in January inPersonality and Individual Differences, tracked the same 248 college students from 2020 to 2021 while they were in school through 2025, after they had graduated. The study is one of the few longitudinal studies of college students during the pandemic. By the time students graduated, they were seeing friends more in person and interacting less online, researchers found. Students’ personalities influenced how they rebounded from the pandemic, the study finds. Extraverted students reported higher life satisfaction and lower loneliness by the end of the study, while more anxious people struggled more with loneliness. Surprisingly, many students now look back on the early days of online learning more favorably, “even though they hated it at the time,” said William Chopik, PhD, co-author of the study and associate psychology professor at MSU, in a news release. While the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for everyone, shutdowns posed specific hardships for college students. Many adults who had only recently left home to live more independently had to move back into their family homes as campuses shut down. At a time in life when social relationships are vitally important, college students were cut off from friends and forced to complete their classes online. nMany students found it difficult to engage with their teachers or online subject matter. Students felt lonely during lockdowns, and some studies have found this loneliness continued even after social restrictions eased.

Epstein files: Larry Summers to resign as Harvard professor as fallout continues --Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury secretary who has been dogged by his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, announced Wednesday that he will resign from teaching at Harvard University by the end of the current academic year.Summers previously served as president of Harvard.His resignation came as the university was conducting a review of emails and other documents detailing Summers' connection to Epstein, which were released in recent months by the Department of Justice and Congress."I have made the difficult decision to retire from my Harvard professorship at the end of this academic year," Summers said in a statement obtained by CNBC. "I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago." "Free of formal responsibility, as President Emeritus and a retired professor, I look forward in time to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on a range of global economic issues," he said. Summers, who went on leave from Harvard in November because of fallout from those emails, has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. He will not teach or take on new advisees until his retirement is effective."In connection with the ongoing review by the University of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were recently released by the government, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein has accepted Professor Lawrence H. Summers' resignation from his leadership position as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government," Harvard spokesman Jason Newton told CNBC in a statement Wednesday. "Professor Summers has announced that he will retire from his academic and faculty appointments at Harvard at the end of this academic year and will remain on leave until that time," Newton said.In November, when he went on leave from Harvard and resigned from the board of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, Summers said: "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein."His statement then came after reports by the Harvard student newspaper, The Crimson, which detailed how Summers had sought guidance from Epstein while pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman.On Tuesday, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Richard Axel said he would step down as co-director of Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute in light of his own communications with Epstein drawing attention.A third Ivy League school, Yale University, on Feb. 11 said it had barred professorDavid Gelernter from teaching computer science classes pending a review of his contacts with Epstein, which included mentioning a Yale student for a potential project.

Epstein files: Nobel winner Axel quits Columbia U. brain institute over friendship with predator -- Dr. Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, said he is stepping down as co-director of Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute on the heels of his association with notorious sex predator Jeffrey Epstein drawing public attention."My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret," Axel, 79, said in a statement on Tuesday."I apologize for compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues," Axel said."I recognize the problems this has caused, and I will work to restore this trust. What has emerged about Epstein's appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable." Axel has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with his friendship with Epstein, who died in August 2019 from suicide, weeks after being arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges.But Axel is mentioned in multiple emails and other documents released by the Department of Justice in January as having been in contact and dining with Epstein.Axel has been a Columbia University professor for 53 years, and will continue his lab's research at the Zuckerman institute, he said. Axel, in his statement, said he will resign as an investigator from Columbia's Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAxel won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2004 with Linda Buck "for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system," the prize website notes.In a December 2007 New York magazine profile of Epstein, Axel is quoted saying about him, "He has the ability to make connections that other minds can't make.""He is extremely smart and probing. He can very quickly acquire information to think about a problem and also to identify biological problems without having all the data that a scientist would have," Axel said in the article. "He also has an extremely short attention span."

Ohio GOP bill would tie state university funding to compliance with new anti-diversity higher ed law • Ohio Capital Journal - An Ohio Republican lawmaker wants to tie compliance to a new higher education law that bans diversity efforts and regulates classroom discussion to state funding for universities. Ohio state Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp., recently introduced Ohio House Bill 698, which would tie a portion of the State Share of Instruction to compliance with Ohio Senate Bill 1, a new higher education law that bans diversity and inclusion efforts, prohibits faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion of “controversial” topics. The law also creates post-tenure reviews, put diversity scholarships at risk, creates a retrenchment provision that blocks unions from negotiating on tenure, shortens university board of trustees terms from nine years down to six years, and requires students take an American history course, among other things.The law took effect in June 2025 and affects Ohio’s public universities and community colleges. “Senate Bill 1 established the policy framework,” Young said. “… H.B. 698 strengthens enforcement and clarity. … It’s accountability legislation.” He was worried last year when the bill passed last year with no enforcement mechanism.“If the university is not in compliance, as it goes forward, then there will be a decision on how to hold back funds,” Young said. “And once those answers are corrected and those compliance issues are corrected, the funds will flow.”Young said that professors and students have come to him with concerns about universities not complying with S.B. 1. “I do believe that these presidents are really working hard on this,” Young said. “One incident does not define them, but it does open the door for questions.”The new bill would require universities to do an inventory of all employees who performed diversity, equity, and inclusion roles on Jan. 1, 2025 and were reassigned on or before Sept. 25, 2025. From there, the bill requires universities to come up with a “justification report” explaining the employee’s reassignment, their new responsibilities, salary, and “proof that the employee’s reassignment consists of substantially different duties from diversity, equity, and inclusion functions,” according to the bill’s language. The chancellor of higher education would determine if a university employee’s new responsibilities are different from their previous diversity and inclusion functions, according to the bill. Diversity centers across Ohio’s public universities — including LGBTQ+ centers, women’s centers, and multicultural centers — have closed because of the new higher education law.“Some universities are simply ignoring the law,” claimed Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima. “Something needs to happen to incentivize complying with the law.” Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati, said S.B. 1 was a bad bill. “It continues to be a bad law,” he said. “… It was a mistake when we passed it. It would be a mistake to double down on it.” Rachel Coyle, policy director for Honesty for Ohio Education, said the bill is government overreach. “This is the legislature trying to force the universities to operate exactly as they want in every capacity,” she said. “It is meddling in a way I have not seen in a very long time.” The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors does not think this bill is necessary. “There’s absolutely not even been enough time since Senate Bill 1 was enacted to make an informed decision about any of this,” said OCAAUP Executive Director Jennifer Price.“We see nothing from higher ed and the Chancellor that indicates there’s issues with compliance.”Hundreds of people testified against Senate Bill 1 before it was signed into law last year. “Instead of paying attention to that, instead of acknowledging it, they are doubling and tripling down so quickly after the bill was passed,” Coyle said.

Quick takes: Bhattacharya addresses CDC, end of aid to 7 Africa nations, ACOG pulls out of ACIP | CIDRAP

• Last week National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya MD, PhD, also became the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and he sent an email to current staff detailing how and why the agency must restore public trust. While acknowledge the tumultuous year at the CDC, he said the agency must strengthen its internal review processes, “encourage respectful dissent, and create space for debate grounded in evidence. Diverse scientific perspectives make us stronger.”
• According to an internal US State Department email obtained by The Atlantic, the Trump administration will soon end all of the humanitarian funding it is currently providing as part of a “responsible exit” from seven African nations, and redirect funding in nine others. The exit was part of the dismantling of USAID announced in January 2025. According to the email, the programs will expire because “there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests.” The seven countries affected by this decision are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.
• Today the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) announced it has formally withdrawn as a liaison organization to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), citing concerns about recent changes to vaccine policy. “The recent reconstitution of the committee; the removal of ACOG experts from ACIP workgroups; and HHS’ [Health and Human Services’] unilateral changes to vaccine recommendations, which bypassed established scientific and clinical processes, represent a fundamental departure from the scientific rigor and impartiality that have been the hallmark of this committee for 60 years,” said Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, president of ACOG, in a statement.

Over 40% of health care workers had insomnia during, after COVID pandemic peak - A new global systematic review and meta-analysis finds that over 40% of health care workers experienced insomnia during and after the acute phase of the COVID pandemic—a rate significantly higher than those reported in the general population. For the study, published in Current Psychology, researchers from the Universidad Catolica de Murcia in Spain analyzed 34 studies involving 32,930 health care professionals in 14 countries. The pooled prevalence of insomnia was 43.5%, with substantial variability between studies. The findings suggest that sleep disturbances among health care workers have persisted beyond the initial pandemic surge. Meta-analyses conducted in 2020 reported insomnia rates ranging from 34% to 49%, and the updated analysis indicates that rates have remained within that range even after the pandemic peak. Frontline status emerged as an important risk factor. Health care workers directly involved in patient care had a significantly higher prevalence of insomnia (54.9%) than second-line staff (33.5%). The authors note that frontline workers faced harsher working conditions and direct contact with infected patients, which may have contributed to sleep disruption. But the insomnia rate among workers not on the front lines “was also considerably high,” they write. “Our findings suggest that the type of healthcare professional included in the studies did not significantly moderate the prevalence of insomnia symptoms.” Geographic location was also a significant predictor of prevalence. Studies conducted in Europe reported higher pooled prevalence than those conducted in Asia, and studies from China reported significantly lower rates than those from other countries. The authors conclude that a subset of health care workers continue to experience the effects of the pandemic and, given the known links between insomnia and mental illness, “prioritizing the management of sleep disturbances remains essential, not only to improve immediate quality of life but also to mitigate future psychological risks.”

15 states sue Trump administration over childhood vaccines -- Attorneys general from 14 states led by Democrats and the governor of Pennsylvania sued the Trump administration today over recent changes to the recommended childhood vaccine schedule. The lawsuit names Health and Human Services and Health (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD as defendants, and asks the courts to nullify the administration’s decision to reduce the childhood vaccine schedule. The vaccine schedule previously recommended immunizing against 17 diseases, but in January the CDC moved to recommending against only 11. Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, as well as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, are the plaintiffs. The stated goal of HHS’s changes is to move the United States toward Denmark’s model of childhood immunization.“Copying Denmark’s vaccine schedule without copying Denmark’s health care system doesn’t give families more options — it just leaves kids unprotected from serious diseases,” said Kris Mayes, attorney general of Arizona, at a press conference yesterday. This is the second major lawsuit against Kennedy in the past year. In July six medical societies sued HHS after the agency said it was no longer recommending routine COVID-19 vaccines for many groups, including pregnant woman.

Public Health Alerts: Multistate infant botulism outbreak associated with powdered infant formula A Public Health Alerts reporttoday describes a US multistate outbreak of infant botulism tied to powdered infant formula, identifying a clear link between illness in dozens of infants and exposure to a specific formula product. As detailed in today’s report, the investigation, led by California Department of Public Health investigators in collaboration with federal officials and other state health departments, identified 51 suspected or confirmed cases of infant botulism across 19 states from March 2022 to December 2025. All affected infants required hospitalization, but no deaths were reported. Infant botulism is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness that occurs when spores of Clostridium botulinum colonize an infant’s intestine and produce a powerful neurotoxin, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis. Cases typically occur sporadically, and outbreaks are extremely uncommon. “Treatment is based on clinical diagnosis and should not be delayed for laboratory testing,” the authors of the report write. In late 2025, clinicians noted an unusual cluster of infant botulism cases with a shared exposure to ByHeart powdered infant formula, which launched sales of its baby formula in March 2022. Lab testing detected botulinum neurotoxin type A and C botulinum type A in an opened container of the formula associated with one infant. Whole-genome sequencing showed genetic matches between bacteria isolated from infant stool samples and powdered formula products, strengthening evidence of a common source. The investigators also identified an atypical geographic pattern of toxin types, including rare type A cases in parts of the country where type B disease is usually dominant—another signal that prompted federal and state agencies to treat the situation as a multistate outbreak. In response, the manufacturer initiated recalls in November 2025, ultimately expanding them to include all of its powdered infant formula products. Federal and state agencies continue to monitor for additional cases and to test ingredients and finished products to better understand how contamination occurred. The authors emphasize that infant botulism remains rare, and that powdered infant formula is generally safe. They note, however, that this outbreak underscores the importance of rapid surveillance, laboratory capacity, and coordination across public health agencies to identify uncommon but serious risks.

Quick takes: Infant formula botulism outbreak, AI in Salmonella trace-back, US-DR Congo public health pact, polio in 5 nations | CIDRAP

• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ended its investigation into the recent multistate infant botulism outbreak traced to ByHeart powdered formula and lowered the total case number by three. In a Public Health Alert issued earlier this week, California, CDC, and Food and Drug Administration scientists reported 51 infections, but yesterday the CDC said it has excluded three suspected cases, for a total of 48 (28 confirmed, 20 probable) in November and December 2025. While the outbreak is over, investigators continue to probe how Clostridium botulinum bacteria got into the formula, the CDC said.
• A report published yesterday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes how officials used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify contaminated ice in a beer cooler as the source of a 2024 Salmonella enterica outbreak at a county fair. Ice is an uncommon vehicle for Salmonella spread at public events, noted author Katherine Houser, RN, of the Brown County Health Department in Mount Sterling, Illinois. The outbreak sickened 13 people (seven confirmed, six probable cases). AI tools helped synthesize background information to support and contextualize the environmental health team’s assessment, Houser said.
• Yesterday the United States and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced a $1.2 billion public health partnership. Under the agreement, the United States will provide up to $900 million over the next five years “to support the DRC’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child deaths, and other infectious diseases, while bolstering disease surveillance and outbreak response,” the countries said in a statement. The DRC will increase its own domestic health expenditures by $300 million over that time.
• This week the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reported three wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Afghanistan, one vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case in Chad, three cVDPV2 cases in the DRC, seven cVDPV2 cases and one vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) case in Nigeria, and one cVDPV2 case in Togo. The Afghanistan cases bring its 2025 WPV1 total to 16.

Study: Antibiotic resistance threatens 30-year decline in deaths from lower respiratory infections - -A new analysis of global data shows that while deaths from lower respiratory infections (LRIs) declined from 1990 to 2021, deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant LRIs in 2021 were nearly three times higher than those caused by susceptible infections. The burden of deaths from drug-resistant LRIs was most pronounced in low-income countries and adults over 50, researchers reported late last week in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control. And deaths could rise as the bacteria that cause pneumonia and other LRIs become resistant to last-resort antibiotics. The study, conducted by a team of Chinese researchers, looked at data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, an ongoing research effort that uses global epidemiologic data to quantify the impact of diseases and injuries from 1990 to the present. Their analysis looked at absolute death counts and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) from LRIs (which include infections like bronchiolitis and pneumonia caused by bacteria and viruses) stratified by age, region, and Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) levels (a composite indicator of national socioeconomic development). More specifically, they focused on LRIs caused by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria. “In 2019, drug resistance in LRIs contributed most significantly to AMR-related mortality, directly causing over 400,000 deaths and indirectly linked to more than 1.5 million fatalities,” the study authors wrote. “The escalating AMR crisis threatens to exacerbate the severity of common infections, potentially transforming minor wounds or respiratory illnesses into life-threatening conditions.” From 1990 through 2021, deaths and ASMRs from LRIs declined significantly. Absolute death counts fell from 4.3 million in 1990 to 3.5 million in 2021, while the ASMR was nearly cut in half, declining from 88.9 to 45.2 per 100,000 population. Bacterial LRIs showed parallel reductions in both absolute death counts and ASMR over the period. Of the 3.5 million deaths from LRIs in 2021, 2.9 million (82.2%) were caused by bacterial LRIs. The six leading bacterial pathogens—Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Escherichia coli—accounted for more than two-thirds of bacterial LRI deaths. Drug-resistant bacteria accounted for 46.1% of LRI deaths and drug-sensitive bacteria accounted for 17.9%. Although deaths caused by resistant S pneumonia, K pneumoniae, and A baumannii declined over the 30-year period, the number of deaths caused by resistant E coli, P aeruginosa, and S aureus showed a slight upward trend. The researchers also noted a rising number of LRI deaths related to carbapenem-resistant A baumannii, E coli, K pneumoniae, and P aeruginosa. Carbapenems are a last-resort antibiotic class for bacteria that have become resistant to all other antibiotic treatments. “As the effectiveness of these last-resort drugs is compromised, the risk of incurable infections will increase,” they wrote.

Dentists still write millions of prescriptions a year for an antibiotic with life-threatening risks - Dentists wrote more than 2.3 million prescriptions last year for an antibiotic called clindamycin, whose label has carried a black box warning for more than four decades, due to its high rate of life-threatening complications. One of those prescriptions was given to Dolores Hernandez Owens. One year ago, her dentist told Owens that she needed a tooth pulled. Owens took the news in stride, joking that she might have to chew with her front teeth from now on, said her son, Robert Flournoy. Her dentist prescribed clindamycin, the second-most commonly used drug in dentistry. Within days of her surgery, Owens developed severe stomach pain, nausea, loss of appetite, headaches, and frequent, severe bouts of diarrhea, Flournoy said. She sought care at the local emergency department and was hospitalized for a week. Her doctors diagnosed her as having colitis, an inflammation of the colon, and sent her home with more antibiotics. When Owens visited a second hospital a few weeks later, she learned her illness was caused by an infection with Clostridioides difficile, often called C difficile or C diff, a bacterium that releases toxins that can destroy the lining of the intestine. Neither Owens nor her family knew that C difficile infections are closely related to antibiotic use. More than half of people who develop these infections outside a hospital have taken antibiotics, research shows. Although taking any antibiotic can lead to C difficile—which sickens half a million Americans a year and kills nearly 30,000—clindamycin has long been known to pose an especially high risk. “Clindamycin is notorious for causing C diff infections,” said Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and infectious disease specialist who has treated many patients with C difficile. Yet “clindamycin is one of the go-to antibiotics for dentists.” Many dentists prescribe antibiotics to healthy patients to prevent potential infections, in spite of research that finds 80% of these antibiotics are unnecessary. In addition to increasing the risk of C difficile infections, prescribing unnecessary antibiotics increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which has made antibiotics and other infection-fighting medications less effective. AMR contributes to an estimated 5 million deaths a year around the world. For years, experts and professional societies have recommended that dentists tamp down their use of antibiotics—especially clindamycin—to reduce the risks to patients. A CIDRAP News investigation found that the message isn’t getting through. In spite of repeated warnings about the risks, dentists continue to prescribe antibiotics in large numbers, often inappropriately. Instead of declining, antibiotic prescribing by dentists increased by 6% from 2020 to 2025, when the profession wrote more than 27 million antibiotic prescriptions, according to data provided exclusively to CIDRAP News from IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, an organization based in Parsippany, New Jersey, that provides research and analysis on health care data. Although dental prescriptions for clindamycin decreased 35% from 2020 to 2025, it remains the profession’s second-most commonly prescribed antibiotic, according to IQVIA’s National Prescription Audit, which includes prescriptions provided at retail stores, by mail, and at pharmacies serving residents in long-term care facilities. The data suggest that “antibiotics are massively overprescribed in dentistry,” Adalja said. The decline in clindamycin use “isn’t enough,” considering its life-threatening risks, he said. “Dentists are still using it too much.” C difficile ravaged Owens’ small body. Owens developed sepsis, a life-threatening complication of C difficile in which the immune system overreacts to infection in a way that damages multiple organs. Owens spent the last few weeks of her life hospitalized, helpless, and in pain. C difficile caused severe inflammation throughout Owens’ colon, according to her medical records. To save her life, a surgeon suggested removing her colon and creating an opening in her abdomen through which waste could exit her body and be collected in a bag, Ruiz recalled. The doctor told Owens that she would die without surgery. Owens said no.“She said, ‘I'm done,’” Flournoy recalled. “She said, ‘I want to go home and be with the Lord.’” Owens passed away April 14, 2025, two days after leaving the hospital.

US flu activity still high, with 8 more pediatric deaths -Another eight US children were confirmed to have died of influenza infections last week, for a total of 79 this respiratory virus season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in its weekly FluView update today. The 2024-25 flu season saw a total of 289 child deaths—the most reported in a non-pandemic flu season since the CDC began tracking pediatric flu deaths in 2004. Of the 79 children who died of influenza this season and had known vaccination status, roughly 90% occurred in those who were unvaccinated.Flu activity remains moderate (11 jurisdictions) to high or very high (25) across the nation, although indicators are stable or trending downward. Only a few eastern states are reporting likely growing case numbers. Health care visits are holding steady for the sixth week in a row, at 4.4%, while clinical lab positivity is at 17.9%, down from 19.8% the week before. Influenza A continues to dominate, although it is steadily losing ground to influenza B. Of the 1,354 influenza A(H3N2) viruses that underwent additional genetic characterization, 92.4% have belonged to subclade K, which has mutations that allow it to evade immunity from this season’s flu vaccine formula.Weekly flu hospitalizations declined slightly, from 14,940 the week before to 13,785. The cumulative flu-related hospitalization rate (73.3 per 100,000 people) is the third highest since the 2010-11 season. Children have the second-highest cumulative hospitalization rate for that age-group since that same season. So far this season, the CDC has recorded at least 25 million flu-related illnesses, 330,000 hospitalizations, and 20,000 deaths. Flu-related deaths made up 0.8% of all deaths this week. In other respiratory virus news, the amount of acute illness causing people to seek health care is moderate. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity, including emergency department visits and hospitalizations among infants and preschoolers, remains high in many areas of the country. RSV test positivity is at 8.6%, and related deaths made up 0.1% of all deaths. COVID-19 levels are decreasing overall but growing or likely growing in some eastern and southern states, with 4.3% overall test positivity. COVID-19 deaths made up 0.5% of all deaths.WastewaterSCAN reported high levels of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, RSV, and human metapneumovirus in wastewater last week.

US measles cases soar past 1,100 -With 160 new confirmed measles cases in the past week, the nation’s cases soared past 1,000 and reached 1,136, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update, putting the United States on pace to exceed last year’s 2,281 total by springtime.The country is seeing measles levels not experienced since the early 1990s, when the CDC conducted coordinated campaigns to increase coverage of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in children, which then led to the country gaining measles-elimination status in 2001. The United States is set to lose that distinction this year.. The CDC said 1,130 of the new 2026 cases are from 27 states and New York City, while six are travel-related. The agency reported three new outbreaks that began this year, for a total of 10 outbreaks involving 152 total patients. That compares with 50 outbreaks in 2025.Of the 1,136 cases, 24% are in children younger than 5 years, and 81% involve children and young adults up to 19 years old. Only 4% of case-patients have been fully vaccinated with two MMR doses, while 92% are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccine status.Five percent of patients have required hospital care, compared with 11% last year. No US measles-related deaths have been reported this year, after three in 2025. Cases appear to be growing fastest in Florida, where the state health department does not provide measles updates. Media reports cite 114 cases, the CDC includes 107 on its measles map (43 more than last week), while CNN’s tracker also notes 114 cases, which is 22 more than last week. Collier County, home to a measles outbreak at Ave Maria University that began last month, now has 83 cases, an increase of 17 in one week. South Carolina, the hardest-hit state, appears to be experiencing a reprieve. Its cases grew by only six in the past three days, reaching 986 for an outbreak that began last October, the South Carolina Department of Public Health said in an update today. Sixty-one people remain in quarantine and two in isolation, the SCDPH said. It cited recent exposures at four schools and a Costco in Spartanburg. Also this week, city health officials confirmed 17 measles infections in El Paso, Texas, including 13 at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. The city’s news release said the ICE facility is outside its jurisdiction, but the city’s public health lab has provided testing support when requested and has supplied vaccine for health care providers in the detention center.Meanwhile, public health officials are investigating six new measles cases in Columbus, Ohio, five of which involve unvaccinated children. All infected children are one through five years old. Also, Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA, said this week that people may have been exposed to measles at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus on February 18. The city saw seven measles cases in all of 2025. Measles cases for 2025 and 2026 in Utah reached 319 this week, 19 more than last week. The state has recorded 62 new infections in the past three weeks. Arizona has six new cases—55 for the year so far.

Trump’s surgeon general pick won’t urge vaccines for measles, flu, whooping cough --President Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, on Wednesday said she won’t broadly encourage parents to vaccinate their children against measles, the flu or whooping cough. Means testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee as a crucial step in her confirmation, but faced aggressive questioning regarding the number of vaccines required for school aged children. Last month, the CDC reduced the number of recommended childhood immunizations under the guidance of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which included no longer routinely recommending that every child receive vaccines for the flu. When asked Wednesday if she’d recommend the measles vaccine to parents, Means said, “I believe vaccines save lives. I believe that vaccines are a key part of any infectious disease public health strategy.” However, she stopped short of endorsing the immunization. HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) sought to clarify her answer, asking Means if she would encourage mothers to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine, citing the high number of deaths tied to a measles outbreak in the South last year. “I’m supportive of vaccination. I do believe that each patient, mother, parent needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they’re putting in their body and their children’s bodies,” Means said. Cassidy responded, “You’re the nation’s doctor. Would you encourage her to have her child vaccinated?” “I’m not an individual’s doctor and every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body,” Means replied. “I absolutely am supportive of the measles vaccine. And I do believe vaccines save lives and are an important part of the public health strategy.” Means gave similar responses to whether she’d support vaccines for the flu and whooping cough. The stance bucking years of tradition isn’t new for Trump’s surgeon general nominee, who wrote a book in which one chapter was entitled, “Trust Yourself, Not Your Doctor.” She also refused to deny unfounded links between autism and vaccines, telling lawmakers, “science is never settled.” “And I think that the effort to look at comprehensive cumulative exposures of our exosome into what is causing autism is important,” she added. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who serves as the ranking member on the HELP committee, pressed her on the topic, telling Means, “you have scientific evidence, the overwhelming body of scientific evidence says vaccines do not cause autism.” The surgeon general pick reiterated that she was not trying to “complicate” vaccine usage. “So just to be very clear, vaccines, vaccine advocacy has never, or any anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been a part of my message. I don’t mention the word vaccine in my book. This is not a part of my core message. I am not here to complicate the issue on vaccines,” she told Sanders. “And also I, as a physician, am very careful with my words,” she added. “And I don’t think it’s responsible to say that we’re not going to study when kids are getting many medications. I think it’s important to just keep it on the table.”

Birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination rates plunged more than 10 percentage points in past 2 years, study suggests --An analysis involving more than 12.4 million US newborns shows that after six years of growth, receipt of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine birth dose fell more than 10 percentage points in the past two years. The team used more than 300 million Epic Cosmos electronic health records from more than 1,800 hospitals and 41,500 clinics up to September 2025 to assess monthly newborn HBV vaccination rates. Hospitals with at least 11 births per year from 50 states and Washington, DC, contributed data, and all infants born from January 2017 to August 2025 were included. The authors noted that HBV vaccination at birth has substantially cut HBV-related disease and death. “Infants infected with HBV in the first year of life have a 90% risk of developing chronic infection, which is associated with chronic liver disease and liver cancer,” they wrote. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that US birth-dose HBV vaccination rates rose from roughly 21% in 2002 to 66% to 75% in 2019, findings that align with those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Immunization Survey. Among the more than 12.4 million newborns included in the analysis, birth-dose HBV vaccination rates climbed from 67.5% in January 2017 to a peak of 83.5% in February 2023 before dropping to 73.2% by August 2025. After July 2023, HBV vaccination rates fell significantly below forecasted rates. These estimates correspond with those from the WHO and CDC through 2022 and provide interim surveillance data for 2023-25, a period not yet reflected in national or global reports. “While no single explanation can be identified, the decline coincides with a period of heightened public discourse in the US regarding childhood vaccination following the COVID-19 pandemic, including high-visibility media coverage and policy discussions that may have influenced perceptions of vaccine safety, clinician recommendations, and parent decisions,” the investigators wrote.

Guinea-Bissau officials stop CDC-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial - Officials in Guinea-Bissau have stopped a controversial, US government-funded clinical trial examining the side effects of the hepatitis B vaccine, according to media reports. Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira told Reuters last week that the trial, which received $1.6 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in December, was halted in response to criticism from researchers and members of the US Congress. “It’s not going to happen, period,” Vieira said.The trial has been widely criticized as unethical, because only half of the 14,000 babies enrolled would have received a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. The other half would have received the vaccine at six weeks. The aim of the trial, according to the study protocols, was to investigate “non-specific” effects of the vaccine, including skin and neurodevelopmental conditions. Nearly 1 in 5 people in Guinea-Bissau have chronic hepatitis B infection. Without vaccination, up to 90% of babies exposed to the virus at birth will contract chronic hepatitis B, and 15% to 25% will die prematurely of liver cancer or liver failure. Critics have also questioned the study’s protocols and why the CDC awarded the grant without the usual competitive process. In a statement issued February 16, the WHO said withholding the hepatitis B vaccine for six weeks would expose newborns to “serious and potentially irreversible harm.” “Based on questions raised in publicly available information and consultation with relevant experts, WHO has significant concerns regarding the study’s scientific justification, ethical safeguards, and overall alignment with established principles for research involving human participants,” the organization said.

Contaminated Meat From Brazil Hits The EU, As Mercosur Opponents Are Proven Right - Opponents of Brussels’ deal with Latin American countries to import agricultural products are being proven right, unfortunately. Meat containing a banned growth hormone has shown up in the EU, a Dutch authority has reported, leading Polish authorities to order urgent inspections by the relevant inspectorates.EU farmers and multiple groups warned that the lack of safety regulations in use across the Mercosur countries would lead to such outcomes.The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority announced that it had detected Brazilian beef contaminated with estradiol, a growth hormone used to stimulate estrus in cattle that is banned in the European Union, writes Do Rzezcy.Four contaminated shipments, containing a total of 62,781 kilograms of meat, were imported by two European companies.A significant portion of the meat was distributed to several buyers and introduced into the EU market.Two remaining shipments of beef from Brazil (each containing approximately 25 tons of frozen meat) were blocked by Dutch authorities from being released for distribution, the Farmer.pl website reported on Monday. The website stressed that the detection of contaminated beef imports could become another argument for opponents of the EU trade agreement with Mercosur, a bloc of South American countries. According to the RMF FM radio station, EU member states, including Poland, were informed by the European Commission about the distribution of contaminated meat from Brazil as early as November 11 of last year. The European Commission detected the irregularities during an audit at the end of October 2025. By Jan. 21, contaminated beef had been detected in approximately 10 countries, including the Czech Republic, Germany, and Italy.And yet, that same day, on Jan. 21, despite the European Parliament voting to have the ECJ review the legality of the Mercosur deal, leaders in Brussels were urging for the deal to be formalized, including the German president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as well.

Nutrient-driven 'death fronts' may explain why some antibiotics fail outside the lab -Antibiotics are medical marvels that have transformed once deadly bacterial infections into manageable conditions. But with a rise in antibiotic resistance that renders existing treatments ineffective, new agents are urgently needed. Scientists at Caltech and Princeton University have now shed fresh light on why antibiotics that work well in laboratory tests often fail against real infections in humans.By studying antibiotic and bacterial interactions in environments resembling those found in the body, they have revealed that microbial nutrients, such as glucose, play a crucial role in antibiotic efficacy. Their findings provide a unique framework for developing novel medications and investigating antibiotic resistance. “We know that antimicrobial resistance against antibiotics is one of the biggest health issues of our time," says Sujit Datta, professor of chemical engineering, bioengineering, and biophysics at Caltech. "Our experiments have revealed antibiotic 'death fronts' that kill cells progressively rather than uniformly—with metabolically active surface cells dying while nutrient-starved interior cells survive." According to Datta, this nutrient bottleneck was predicted decades ago but never observed experimentally until now. Seeing how it works opens new directions for developing successful antibiotics therapies. Datta and his colleagues describe their experiments and observations of these death fronts in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications.

Engineered bacteria can consume tumors from the inside out - A research team led by the University of Waterloo is developing a novel tool to treat cancer by engineering hungry bacteria to literally eat tumors from the inside out. "Bacteria spores enter the tumor, finding an environment where there are lots of nutrients and no oxygen, which this organism prefers, and so it starts eating those nutrients and growing in size," said Dr. Marc Aucoin, a chemical engineering professor at Waterloo. "So, we are now colonizing that central space, and the bacterium is essentially ridding the body of the tumor." Key to the approach is a bacterium called Clostridium sporogenes, which is commonly found in soil and can only grow in environments with absolutely no oxygen. The core of a solid, cancerous tumor is comprised of dead cells and is oxygen-free, making it an ideal breeding ground for the bacterium to multiply. But there is a biological catch: when the cancer-eating organisms reach the outer edges of tumors, they are exposed to low levels of oxygen and die without completing their mission to fully destroy them.To solve that problem, the researchers first added a gene to the organism from a related bacterium that can better tolerate oxygen, enabling it to live longer near the outside of a targeted tumor. They then found a way to activate the oxygen-resistant gene at just the right time—critical to preventing bacteria from inadvertently growing in oxygen-rich places such as the bloodstream—by leveraging a phenomenon known as quorum sensing.In simple terms, quorum sensing involves chemical signals released by bacteria. Only when many bacteria have grown in a tumor is the signal strong enough to turn on the oxygen-resistant gene, ensuring it doesn't happen too soon.In a 2023 study, researchers demonstrated that Clostridium sporogenes can be modified to tolerate oxygen. Now, in a follow-up study published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, they tested their quorum sensing system by making bacteria produce a green fluorescent protein."Using synthetic biology, we built something like an electrical circuit, but instead of wires we used pieces of DNA," said Dr. Brian Ingalls, a professor of applied mathematics at Waterloo. "Each piece has its job. When assembled correctly, they form a system that works in a predictable way."Researchers now plan to combine the oxygen-resistant gene and the quorum-sensing timing mechanism in one bacterium and test it on a tumor in pre-clinical trials.

One month after spill, Potomac River still testing positive for E coli, staph -University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers continue to test water from the Potomac River one month after a wastewater pipe broke, dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into the river, and find the river still has high levels of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, or staph. “Though our testing has shown lower levels of E. coli since we began sampling, we continue to see these disease-causing bacteria at levels unsafe for people and animals,” said Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein, PhD, a microbiologist at the University of Maryland and part of the school’s water emergency team in a press release. “To ensure safety, people should continue to avoid coming into contact with the Potomac near the spill site, and with land near the impacted river.” On January 19, the broken pipe dumped more than 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac near Washington, D.C. On January 21, samples collected were over 10,000 times above Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recreational water standards. On February 17, samples were lower yet, but still 100 to 200 times above the standard. Of note, high levels of pathogenic bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA (Methicillin-resistant S aureus) continue to be detected at multiple collection sites along the river. “The consistent presence of MRSA at the spill site and staph downriver emphasizes continued possible health risks that need to be monitored,” said Goldstein.

Elevated E. coli, staph still detected in Potomac river 4 weeks after sewage spill -Nearly a month after a wastewater pipe broke and spewed hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River just north of Washington, D.C., the latest water testing results from the University of Maryland School of Public Health continue to show high levels of E. coli and S. aureus — commonly called staph, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA. Based on water samples collected on February 3, 12, and 17, the bacteria are highest near the site of the spill, at Lock 10. They remained elevated downriver at least through Lock 5 near Little Falls, about four miles away, at most sampling dates. The ground near the spill — visibly dotted with the detritus of the sewage water — has also tested positive for staph."Though our testing has shown lower levels of E. coli since we began sampling, we continue to see these disease-causing bacteria at levels unsafe for people and animals," said Dr. Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein, microbiologist and co-principal investigator of UMD's Water Emergency Team (WET). "To ensure safety, people should continue to avoid coming into contact with the Potomac near the spill site, and with land near the impacted river."Results showing E. coli levels from water sampling at various sites along the Potomac River in January and February, 2026. Credit: UMDKey results include:

• E. coli bacteria – On Feb. 3, water samples from where sewage entered the Potomac were over 4,000 times above recreational water quality standards, down from Jan. 21, when the samples were over 10,000 times above EPA standards, but higher than Jan. 28 levels. On Feb. 12 and Feb. 17 samples at the site were lower yet, but still 100-200 times above the standard.
• Staphylococcus aureus (staph) – On Feb. 3 and 12, the pathogen was detected at the site where sewage entered the Potomac, including an antibiotic-resistant strain of S. aureus, MRSA. On Feb. 12, S. aureus was also detected at sites 6 and 19 miles downriver. Of the sites sampled on Feb. 3, 22% were positive for S. aureus. On Feb. 12, 44% were positive.

"We don't know for sure that the staph we're detecting downstream is from the sewage. There can be staph and MRSA in the environment from wildlife or other sources. However, the percentage of positive samples that we're finding is higher than what has been previously reported in U.S. surface waters," Goldstein said.

California records avian flu in northern elephant seals - The University of California-Davis has confirmed the first cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in seven northern elephant seals in California. The outbreak marks the first H5N1 detection in marine mammals in California, and the first detection of the virus in northern elephant seals. The seals lived at the Ano Nuevo Natural Reserve, where researchers were called late last week after reports of sick animals with abnormal respirations, tremors, and neurological symptoms. “This is exceptionally rapid detection of an outbreak in free-ranging marine mammals,” said Christine Johnson, PhD, director of the Institute for Pandemic Insights at the UC Davis’ Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, in a press release. “We have most likely identified the very first cases here because of coordinated teams that have been on high alert with active surveillance for this disease for some time.” Samples taken from deceased seals showed H5N1 late Tuesday night. Though this is California’s first experience with H5N1 crossing over to marine mammals, the virus killed large swaths of Argentina’s southern elephant seals in 2023.Ano Nuevo State Park, near Santa Cruz, is home to 5,000 seals during the winter breeding season. Of the 5,000, researchers said 1,350 seals were on the beach when the outbreak began. All public viewings of seals and seal tours are now closed. In other avian flu news, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed more H5N1 avian flu outbreaks on several commercial poultry sites this week. In the last 30 days the virus has been confirmed in 56 flocks, including 30 commercial and 26 backyard flocks. A total of 9.65 million birds have been affected. (None survived.) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has the largest outbreaks, with three in the past week, including 167,500 affected birds at a commercial broiler production facility. In Beadle County, South Dakota, a commercial turkey meat operation had 50,400 sickened birds. APHIS also noted an outbreak in Lee County, South Carolina, at a commercial turkey meat plant with 36,400 birds and at a commercial table egg breeder in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, affecting 24,000 birds.

Large dogs release two to four times more airborne microbes than humans - The composition of indoor air, even in well-ventilated spaces, depends on the room's occupants and what they're doing, as well as any objects located there. And while the impact of human occupants on air quality has long been a subject of research, no one has ever taken a close look at the role of pets—even though many of us have them: in Switzerland, over half a million dogs of all sizes breathe, shake themselves off, play and scratch themselves in our homes.In a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology, a team of researchers—led by EPFL's Human-Oriented Built Environment Lab (HOBEL)—measured the gases, particles of different sizes and microorganisms that dogs give off, through experiments run under tightly controlled conditions. "We simply brought some scientific clarity to a number of factors that, until now, were not fully understood," says Dusan Licina, a professor at HOBEL."When assessing what building occupants are exposed to daily, we can now take these factors into account. These results provide quantitative 'emission factors' that can be incorporated into indoor air quality and exposure models, improving how we simulate real homes where people and pets share the same space. These findings will also help better understand sources of pollution and determine how we can improve the quality of our living environment."Key indicators can be used to measure indoor pollution affecting humans. We release skin cells, clothing fibers and microorganisms into the air; our breathing generates CO₂; and our skin gives off low levels of ammonia gas and volatile organic compounds. Complex chemical reactions also take place, such as when air molecules touch the skin and are turned into new compounds.The researchers looked at these same factors when assessing the impact of dogs on the air we breathe. Unsurprisingly, the study shows that, in absolute terms, dogs give off about as much CO₂ as humans do: a large dog, like a mastiff or a Newfoundland, can produce as much CO2 as an adult human at rest. And ammonia, better known for its bitter smell and its caustic effects, is actually a common human and animal byproduct. Whether released through the skin or exhaled through breathing, this gas serves as a discreet indicator of the biological activity of the body that emits it. It is produced in very small quantities when protein is digested, and is involved in chemical reactions when it comes into contact with the air. Here again, dogs produce about as much as their masters do.The researchers discovered that the ammonia-to-CO₂ ratio is higher in dogs than in humans. "In other words, a dog exhaling the same amount of CO₂ as a human will be producing significantly more ammonia. This difference is probably a function of their more protein-rich food, their unique metabolism and their fast breathing, which is one of the ways they control their body temperature," says Licina.But dogs spend more time sleeping, with slower, sometimes irregular breathing. Ultimately, over the course of a day, dogs breathe about as much as humans do and emit around the same amount of ammonia. When it comes to air pollutants, dogs make their biggest impact through the tiny solid and liquid particles that they send up into the air. What dog owner hasn't wondered what their pet picked up in their fur while out for a walk? Here again, the study results can enlighten us. When shaking themselves off, scratching themselves or simply being petted, dogs release sizeable quantities of relatively large particles: dust, pollen, plant debris and microbes.Every time the dogs in the study moved, sensors picked up "puffs" of indoor pollution, with large dogs giving off two to four times more microorganisms than the humans in the same room do. Many of these particles are fluorescent: when exposed to ultraviolet light, they glow ever so slightly, betraying their biological origin."This high level of microbial diversity is not necessarily bad news," says Licina. "Some studies indicate that exposure to a variety of microbes can boost the development of the immune system, particularly among children. But the precise impact on human health is still poorly understood and can vary from one person to the next. From a scientific perspective, the measurements also help quantify how pets act as mobile 'carriers,' transporting biological material indoors and redistributing it through everyday activities."The study also sheds light on secondary chemical reactions. A pollutant like ozone doesn't remain intact for long after entering a house. When it comes into contact with human skin, it reacts quickly with fats, such as squalene, and forms new chemical compounds—aldehydes and ketones—as well as very small particles.Although dogs don't produce squalene, we leave our own skin residue on their fur when we pet them. That residue reacts with ozone, creating chemical byproducts and ultrafine particles. The dogs participating in the study, despite all the petting they received, produced an average of 40% less ozone derivatives than humans do. An interaction pathway that indoor air models have largely overlooked.

Human activity is influencing the behavior of Germany's wildcats -A research team led by Dr. Chris Baumann and Dr. Dorothée Drucker from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen has found that the European wildcat is increasingly using agricultural lands as hunting grounds in some parts of Germany, especially in summer when grain crops provide cover. Wildcats normally live in forests; this kind of behavioral change is seen as a response to pressure from human influences such as the fragmentation or destruction of forest areas and more intense agriculture.A cat's lifestyle is indirectly documented in its hair by the isotopic signature of what it has eaten. The team is now seeking to use this non-invasive isotopic analysis to track long-term ecological changes in wildcat behavior and to gather more data to help protect these shy animals. In this work, zoological collections comprise valuable long-term archives and provide samples for historical comparison. The study has been published in the journal PLOS ONE.The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) has been protected in Germany since 1935. In recent decades, it has spread both in Germany and the rest of Europe. The cats are usually active at dusk and dawn, and are solitary creatures which stay close to their territory and normally avoid humans. Yet now they are being sighted on roads and in human settlements with increasing frequency."Undisturbed forest areas, which are ideal habitats for wildcats, are shrinking, and there is a high risk of them being run over on our roads," says Baumann. Stray, feral, or free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus) also pose a threat to wildcats, as they can transmit diseases or influence their genetic pool through crossbreeding.

E-waste chemicals are appearing in dolphins and porpoises -Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are critical components of laptop, television, and smartphone screens. Given their ubiquity in the environment, these compounds are considered persistent pollutants, posing threats to marine life that scientists want to understand. Research published in Environmental Science & Technology provides initial evidence that LCMs from household electronics or electronic waste (e-waste) can accumulate in dolphin and porpoise tissues, including blubber, muscle, and brain, demonstrating their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier."Our research reveals that LCMs from everyday electronics are not just pollution—they're accumulating in the brains of endangered dolphins and porpoises," says Yuhe He, a researcher at City University of Hong Kong and a corresponding author of the study. "This is a wake-up call: The chemicals powering our devices are now infiltrating marine life, and we must act now on e-waste to protect ocean health and, ultimately, ourselves." LCMs control how light passes through handheld and large display screens, producing the sharp images consumers have grown to expect. Given these devices' widespread use, the chemicals have been found in indoor air, dust, and even wastewater, eventually ending up in coastal environments. Previous studies also found that some LCMs pose health risks to humans and some aquatic species. However, less is known about how these pollutants move through marine food chains and whether they reach top predators.To determine this, researchers Bo Liang, He, and colleagues analyzed tissue samples from Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and finless porpoises collected between 2007 and 2021 in the South China Sea, an important habitat for these endangered marine animals. They screened the dolphin and porpoise blubber, muscle, liver, kidney, and brain tissue samples for 62 individual LCMs. The analysis indicates:

• Four compounds accounted for the majority of what was detected. Prior studies identified similar LCMs in the fish and invertebrates that these dolphins and porpoises eat, which the researchers say supports the idea that the pollutants enter through their diet rather than directly from water.
• Most of the LCMs found in dolphins and porpoises likely originated from television and computer screens, with smaller contributions from smartphones.
• Although the contaminants were most concentrated in blubber—a fatty tissue that often stores pollutants—the researchers were surprised to discover small amounts in other organs, particularly the brain, revealing potential health hazards such as neurotoxic risks.
• LCM levels in porpoise blubber have changed over time, generally increasing when liquid crystal display use was expanding and then declining in recent years as manufacturers have shifted to more LED displays.

In additional lab tests, several common LCMs, including the major four in these samples, altered gene activity such as those related to DNA repair and cell division in cultured dolphin cells. These results suggest that these compounds could negatively impact marine mammals. So, the researchers call for further investigation into the effects of LCM pollution on wildlife, highlighting the need for urgent regulatory action and improved e-waste disposal.

PFOS 'forever chemical' can accumulate in bees—and their honey -- A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology has revealed the toxic "forever chemical," PFOS, can accumulate in exposed honeybee colonies and transfer to their honey, threatening pollinator viability, food security, and potentially human health. Conducted by researchers at the University of New England (UNE), the study monitored the effects of chronic sublethal exposure of PFOS on European honeybee colonies, showing prolonged exposure to environmental levels of PFOS changed the expression of some key proteins responsible for cell function in the honeybee. "PFOS was detected in the body tissue of the new generation of juvenile bees, and these showed a lower body weight than the control bees without PFOS exposure," "A lower body weight indicates a smaller bee with smaller glands, including the hypopharyngeal gland, which produces royal jelly to feed the next generation of bees."Royal jelly is a nutrient-dense liquid that's used to feed larvae, and if its quality is reduced, future generations are adversely affected, compromising the health and longevity of the colony.On a larger scale, populations would gradually decrease and the pollination of crops would in turn be negatively affected."Any threat to bees threatens food security," said Dr. Sonter."If we lose bees, we're looking at a very boring and less nutritious diet. Most agricultural crops rely on bees for pollination, and without them, production of foods like berries, fruit, and most vegetables would be severely reduced."PFOS stands for Perfluorooctanesulfonate and is just one of thousands of PFAS, otherwise known as "forever chemicals." PFOS was developed in the 1930s, and up until the early 2000s was found in industrial and consumer products, as well as in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam, which was used to fight high-temperature fires. PFOS is also the breakdown product of Sulfluramid, which is used in parts of the world to control leaf-cutting ants in agroforestry. Bees can be exposed to PFOS through contaminated dust, water, paint on bee hives, crop protection products and pollen from plants growing in contaminated soil and water.Though PFOS is no longer used in Australia, legacy PFOS contamination and related compounds continue to pose risks to honeybees."The legacy of PFOS is permanent, at least in our lifetime," says Dr. Sonter.

Hotspots of accelerated North American bird decline linked to agricultural activity - Though previous research has shown that bird populations are declining across North America, a new study is the first to show that the pace of loss has picked up speed since the mid-1980s in three regions: the Midwest, California and Mid-Atlantic states. The work appears in Science. After these hotspots of accelerated bird decline were revealed, researchers looked for factors that could explain the difference in the rates of decline, examining climate measures and human activity-related data. A top predictor of where the accelerated abundance loss occurred became clear, overlapping with locations of agricultural intensity as indicated by the extent of cropland and the use of fertilizer and pesticides."Agriculture intensity is the main driver associated with accelerated loss of abundance, but we cannot disentangle which of these three metrics is most important because this is a correlative analysis," said lead author François Leroy, a postdoctoral scholar in evolution, ecology and organismal biology at The Ohio State University. "But the impact is not only on a few species with the same traits or only on farmland bird species. Twice as many species showed accelerating decline compared to decelerating decline, and the same pattern was seen at the family level. That means it is occurring at a very large taxonomic scale—a lot of different species with different functional traits are affected, and it's systemic." This widespread loss of birds—through both deaths and lower birth rates—has consequences. Among birds' most significant ecosystem services are regulating insect populations and spreading plant seeds in ways that can promote genetic diversity and increase plant resilience. They are also an important element of the food chain on which many large birds and other wildlife rely.

Tracking wildlife trafficking in the age of online marketplaces --Wildlife trafficking is one of the world's most widespread illegal trades, contributing to biodiversity loss, organized crime, and public health risks. Once concentrated in physical markets, much of this activity has moved online. Today, animals and animal products are advertised on large e-commerce platforms alongside ordinary consumer goods. This shift makes enforcement harder—but it also creates a valuable source of data. Every online advertisement leaves behind digital information: text descriptions, prices, images, seller details, and timestamps. If collected and analyzed at scale, these traces can help researchers understand how wildlife trafficking operates online. The problem is volume. Online marketplaces contain millions of listings, and most searches for animal names return irrelevant results such as toys, artwork, or souvenirs. Distinguishing illegal wildlife ads from harmless products is difficult to do manually and challenging to automate. Institute Professor of Computer Science Juliana Freire is part of a team that is taking on the problem head on, building a scalable system designed to address this challenge. They developed a flexible data collection pipeline that automatically gathers wildlife-related advertisements from the web and filters them using modern machine learning techniques. The goal is not to focus on one species or one website, but to enable broad, systematic monitoring across many platforms, regions, and languages, as well as to develop strategies to disrupt illegal markets. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the ACM on Management of Data. This research has enabled large-scale data collection to answer different scientific questions and shed insights into different aspects of wildlife trafficking. One analysis of 14,000 reptile leather product listings on eBay showed that crocodile, alligator, and python skins dominated the market.

Grasslands are vanishing nearly four times faster than forests, global study finds --Along with forests, grasslands and wetlands are also being converted to cropland and pasture at an increasing rate around the world—often for livestock farming and the export of agricultural products. An international team of researchers, including Martin Persson from Chalmers, has now analyzed for the first time where, for what purpose, and how quickly natural non-forest ecosystems are being converted into agricultural land on a global scale. The results show that these ecologically highly valuable areas are converted at a rate almost four times faster than forests.In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers emphasize the need for more comprehensive conservation strategies that extend beyond forests and also take into account consumption and international demand structures.Grasslands are far more than just "green spaces"—they are one of our planet's often overlooked service providers. Around 20 to 35% of the carbon sequestered worldwide is stored in these ecosystems. Thus, they contribute to mitigating climate change. At the same time, around 33% of global biodiversity hotspots are located in grassland regions."Whether for water storage, protection against soil erosion, or as habitat for countless animal and plant species, grasslands provide important ecosystem services that directly benefit both local communities and the global climate," explains first author Dr. Siyi Kan from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt."While a large number of studies on deforestation and its causes and impacts have already been carried out, the conversion of non-forest ecosystems—especially in connection with livestock farming and global agricultural demand—has hardly been studied to date.""This clearly demonstrates the need to focus not only on tropical forests, but also on other types of ecosystems that harbor great biodiversity and store large amounts of carbon. Unlike deforestation driven by the expansion of agricultural land, which mainly occurs in tropical countries, much of the expansion is taking place on grasslands and other ecosystems in countries such as Russia, China, the United States and within the EU."

Jillian Michaels on Trump, RFK Jr. defense of pesticide: ‘Devastating’ - Health and wellness expert Jillian Michaels on Monday rebuked President Trump’s executive order approving the use of a controversial pesticide, describing the move as “devastating.” “This is actually devastating; it is not a conspiracy theory that glyphosate is linked to cancer. There are hundreds of studies that have illustrated now it increases risk significantly for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” Michaels said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.” “We also know through whistleblowers and numerous lawsuits, of which there have been over 170,000, that the chemical company knew this and tried to bury the information, tried to go after the independent researchers, created ghost studies to try to tell a different story and essentially, they now have to pay $7.25 billion the makers of glyphosate to the victims,” she added.President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that was supportive of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup weedkiller, about which thousands of people have made cancer claims in court. He directed the agriculture secretary to ensure the country has an adequate supply of glyphosate-based herbicides, also saying that producers of such chemicals should have “immunity” under the Defense Production Act. The move was met with backlash from the Republican-aligned MAHA movement, which is widely against the use of pesticides and is also skeptical of vaccines. The movement is linked to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Michaels, a proponent of the administration’s MAHA movement and a staunch supporter of Kennedy Jr., said the pesticide should be “pulled off the shelves” after years of reported health concerns. The television personality said Trump gave them “blanket immunity” through the new executive order just a day after Roundup-maker Monsanto and thousands of plaintiffs reached a $7.25 billion settlement agreement. The order also says that glyphosate helps farmers “efficiently” and “cost-effectively” produce food and livestock feed. Despite being critical of glyphosate in the past, Kennedy backed the measure, writing that the move would bring agricultural chemical production back to the United States and “end our near-total reliance on adversarial nations.” “Given the profit margins growers currently face, any major restrictions in access to glyphosate-based herbicides would result in economic losses for growers and make it untenable for them to meet growing food and feed demands,” the order reads. However, Michaels argued that this is not true. “​​I don’t buy that we we have a bevy of ultra processed crops, corn, soy, wheat; there’s unfortunately no shortage, which of course has to do with hundreds of billions in the subsidy dollars, and I think that somebody powerful called up someone else powerful after paying out $7.25 billion and essentially saying this is an existential threat we need to call in this favor, and they did and it’s exceptionally upsetting,” Michaels said. “This doesn’t just affect farmers, this is omnipresent. It’s it’s you they would probably find it in yours and my urine right now if they tested for it,” she added.

Endangerment Finding repeal knocks down public health guardrails Katelyn Jetelina | Your Local Epidemiologist If 2025 was the year of rollbacks on public health infrastructure, 2026 seems to be the year of rollbacks on environmental health protections. Those that were designed to keep our air clean, our water safe, and toxic chemicals out of our homes. One of the latest changes: the Endangerment Finding (2009) was rescinded. This is the scientific and legal foundation that lets the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate greenhouse gas emissions. It’s allowed the government to limit emissions, including those from cars and power plants, and is foundational to the Clean Air Act. But the Trump administration repealed it. To justify this action, the administration put five handpicked researchers who reject scientific consensus on climate change to work. A Republican-appointed federal judge ruled last month that the administration violated the law by convening the group without open meetings, public records, or balanced representation of viewpoints. The science behind the Endangerment Finding is clear: carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants worsen asthma, heart and lung disease, and pregnancy outcomes, and contribute to early death. More exposure means more disease. An environmental nonprofit found that by 2055, the repeal will result in:

• 15,400 to 58,000 premature deaths
• 9 million to 37 million asthma attacks
• 26,000 to 92,000 ED and hospital visits
• 5 million to 15 million lost school and work days

But like most policies, the public tension isn’t just about science. You can see that playing out between the lines:

1. The invisible shield. Clean air policy is one of those public health systems that works quietly in the background. When people experience a heart attack or an asthma exacerbation, they may be told to change lifestyle habits or medications. But it is equally important to recognize the powerful population-level forces shaping health in the background, like air quality protections. When those protections work, people don’t see them.
2. Economics versus health (at least that’s how it feels). The economic impact of policy decisions is immediate and tangible. Families feel gas prices, job losses, industry slowdowns, and everything in between. This is often pitted against health, but this is a false dichotomy. Because in reality, long-term economic strength depends on healthy lungs, healthy hearts, and healthy communities.
3. Distant verses local. In many rural communities, environmental policy has come to symbolize a distant government regulating from afar without fully understanding local realities. In rural Alaska, for example, electric vehicles don’t make sense because towns can be hundreds of miles apart, and the most pressing air quality issue in Fairbanks is wood-burning stove emissions during extreme winters, which is a very different problem from tailpipe pollution. When policy feels mismatched to lived experience, people do not see health protection but rather constraint.

Courts are taking this up because it conflicts with a previous Supreme Court decision. A coalition of environmental and health organizations sued the EPA and its administrator Lee Zeldin in the D.C. circuit last week. More exposure to pollution will mean more health risks. The good news is that many state-level initiatives are continuing to move forward. We can also raise awareness, as clean air and clean water are among the most bipartisan issues in this country, with more than 80% of Americans supporting them.

Nine-city study finds richer neighborhoods get more sidewalk shade - One of the best forms of heat relief is pretty simple: trees. In cities, as studies have documented, more tree cover lowers surface temperatures and heat-related health risks. However, as a new study led by MIT researchers shows, the amount of tree cover varies widely within cities, and is generally connected to wealth levels. After examining a cross-section of cities on four continents at different latitudes, the research finds a consistent link between wealth and neighborhood tree abundance within a city, with better-off residents usually enjoying much more shade on nearby sidewalks."Shade is the easiest way to counter warm weather," says Fabio Duarte, an MIT urban studies scholar and co-author of a new paper detailing the study's results. "Strictly by looking at which areas are shaded, we can tell where rich people and poor people live."That disparity is evident within a range of cities, and is present whether a city contains a large amount of tree cover overall or just a little. Either way, there are more trees in wealthier spots."When we compare the most well-shaded city in our study, Stockholm, with the worst-shaded, Belem in northern Brazil, we still see marked inequality," says Duarte, the associate director of MIT's Senseable City Lab in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP). "Even though the most-shaded parts of Belem are less shaded than the least-shaded parts of Stockholm, shade inequality in Stockholm is greater. Rich people in Stockholm have much better shade provision as pedestrians than we see in poor areas of Stockholm." The paper, "Global patterns of pedestrian shade inequality," is published in Nature Communications.To conduct the study, the researchers used satellite data from multiple sources, along with urban mapping programs and granular economic data about the cities they examined. There are nine cities in the study: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belem, Boston, Hong Kong, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Stockholm, and Sydney. Those places are intended to create a cross-section of cities with different characteristics, including latitude, wealth levels, urban form, and more. The scholars looked at the amount of shade available on city sidewalks on summer solstice day, as well as the hottest recorded day each year from 1991 to 2020. They then created a scale, ranging from 0 to 1, to rate the amount of shade available on sidewalks, both citywide and within neighborhoods. "We focused on sidewalks because they are a major conduit of urban activity, even on hot summer days," "Adding tree cover for sidewalks is one crucial way cities can pursue heat-reduction measures." The cities in the study offer very different levels of tree coverage. On the 0-to-1 scale the researchers developed, much of Stockholm falls in the 0.6–0.9 range, with some neighborhoods being over 0.9. By contrast, large swaths of Rio de Janeiro are under the 0.1 mark. Much of Boston ranges from 0.15 to 0.4, with a few neighborhoods reaching 0.45 on the scale. The overall pattern of disparities, however, is very consistent, and includes the more affluent cities. The bottom 20% of neighborhoods in Stockholm, in terms of shade coverage, are rated at 0.58 on the scale, while the top 20% of Belem neighborhoods rate at 0.37; Stockholm has a greater disparity between most-covered and least-covered.

Staple crops are a major contributor to global deforestation, says study --Rice, maize, and cassava crops cumulatively account for approximately 11% of total global deforestation—exceeding that of cocoa, coffee, and rubber—according to an analysis between 2001 and 2022, published in Nature Food. These staple crops should not be overlooked in global efforts to reduce deforestation, the authors argue.Agriculture is recognized as a significant cause of deforestation, and global efforts to reduce deforestation predominantly focus on cattle meat, oil palm, rubber, soya, cocoa, and coffee. However, understanding the effects of agriculture has been challenging as existing data are either geographically limited or do not capture important land-use change dynamics related to food production. This has limited the ability of governments, companies, and civil society to track progress towards deforestation-free supply chains and climate targets.Chandrakant Singh and Martin Persson developed the Deforestation Driver and Carbon Emissions (DeDuCE) model, which combines satellite data of tree cover loss with spatial and statistical agricultural data across 184 food commodities in 179 countries. They find that rice, maize, and cassava together contribute to roughly 11% of global deforestation.In total, 121 million hectares of forest were lost from 2001 to 2022 due to the expansion of croplands, pastures, and forest plantations, resulting in emissions of 41.2 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. The deforestation associated with staple crops is found to be globally distributed, unlike other commodities whose production and deforestation are concentrated in specific regions. For example, oil palm in Southeast Asia and soybeans in South America. Additionally, pasture expansion accounted for 42% of deforestation and 52% of carbon emissions.The findings improve our understanding of the environmental effects of staple food systems and could inform national greenhouse gas inventories and support regulatory frameworks. This study also highlights the variation in quality of spatial and statistical data by region and commodity.

Severe winter storm paralyzes the New York metropolitan area, grounding flights and closing schools - 4 YouTube videos - A major blizzard struck New York on February 22, 2026, prompting a citywide travel ban and declaration of a State of Emergency. Snowfall totals reached 35.6 cm (14.0 inches) on Staten Island and 23.6 cm (9.3 inches) in Central Park. All schools have been closed on February 23, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared the first traditional snow day since 2019. No remote instruction will take place, and all after-school activities are cancelled. New York City was put under a local State of Emergency, enforcing a temporary travel ban on February 22 as the storm intensified across the northeastern United States. The order restricts private vehicle movement on streets, bridges, and tunnels to allow uninterrupted snow removal and emergency response operations. All non-essential travel will remain restricted from 21:00 local time (LT) on February 22 through midday February 23. All public schools in the city will also be closed on February 23, with the exception of those that serve as warming centers. The city’s decision to suspend remote learning reintroduced the traditional “snow day” for the first time since 2019. While many U.S. districts have shifted to online instruction during weather closures, the mayor’s order explicitly paused both in-person and virtual classes. “There will be a traditional ‘snow day.’ No remote instruction will take place, and all after-school activities are cancelled,” Mayor Mamdani said. “The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority. As this blizzard moves in, our administration is mobilizing every tool at our disposal, around the clock, to keep our neighbors safe. This emergency declaration allows us to cut through red tape so emergency vehicles, sanitation crews, and essential workers can move quickly and do their jobs without delay.” All classes have been cancelled for Schools in New York and Boston, while online classes will be conducted in Philadelphia on February 23. While classes getting cancelled due to snowfall isn’t new, most schools have shifted to online classes during such situations. However, the Mayor’s declaration applies to both online and offline classes, giving a complete day off to staff and students alike. “It is the first old-school snow day since 2019,” Mamdani said. YouTube videoThe National Weather Service (NWS) issued blizzard warnings covering all five boroughs. Verified storm total snowfall measurements as of 02:27 EST on February 23 show significant variation across the metropolitan area. Central Park recorded 23.6 cm (9.3 inches), while LaGuardia Airport measured 23.1 cm (9.1 inches) and John F. Kennedy International Airport reported 19.8 cm (7.8 inches). Higher totals were reported in parts of Manhattan and the outer boroughs, including 28.2 cm (11.1 inches) in Washington Heights, 29.7 cm (11.7 inches) in Flatbush, 30.5 cm (12 inches) in Mott Haven, and 35.6 cm (14 inches) in Dongan Hills on Staten Island. Meanwhile, heavy snow was also recorded across Long Island and northern New Jersey. Nesconset in Suffolk County measured 36.1 cm (14.2 inches), Leonia in Bergen County, New Jersey, reported 33 cm (13.0 inches), and Newark Airport recorded 28.2 cm (11.1 inches). Streets remained largely empty during the storm’s peak as residents complied with the travel ban and business activity slowed. Sanitation and emergency crews maintained continuous plow rotations to keep priority routes open. Officials urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel until conditions improved and restrictions were lifted around midday February 23. Over 3 000 flights were cancelled across the Northeast during the height of the storm, affecting operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport. Runway clearing operations and aircraft de-icing procedures were repeatedly impacted by persistent snowfall and wind-driven drifting. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) modified subway schedules, while portions of the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad suspended or reduced above-ground service due to snow accumulation and drifting. Bus operations were limited in areas experiencing deeper snowfall. YouTube video Streets across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island remained largely empty during the height of the storm, as commercial activity slowed and delivery services temporarily suspended operations. Snow removal crews were deployed across primary corridors and emergency routes, repeating plow cycles as high winds redistributed snow across cleared surfaces. Officials urged residents to remain indoors and avoid non-essential travel until restrictions were lifted. The latest satellite imagery this morning shows a major nor’easter taking on a classic comma-head structure as it rapidly intensifies off the Delaware–New Jersey coastline, NWS forecaster Asherman noted at 03:22 EST on February 23. Overall, the forecast remains consistent with expected impacts from this powerful system. Very heavy snowfall rates of 50–75 mm (2–3 inches) per hour and gusty winds of 65–110 km/h (40–70 mph) will continue to affect the Northeast today, extending into New England this morning as the storm begins to accelerate. By tomorrow morning, some coastal areas could record storm-total snowfall amounts of 30–60 cm (1–2 feet) as the low moves into the Canadian Maritimes. For today, however, the combination of very high snowfall rates and potentially damaging wind gusts will make travel nearly impossible from the Delmarva Peninsula through southeastern New England.

Major Nor’easter produces hurricane-force gusts, up to 66 cm (24 inches) of snow and widespread outages across Northeast U.S. - The WatchersYouTube videos - A major Nor’easter that developed along the Mid-Atlantic coast on February 22, 2026, intensified explosively offshore and continued producing blizzard conditions across southern New England and the New York–New Jersey metropolitan region on February 23, with hurricane-force wind gusts, snowfall totals exceeding 60 cm (24 inches) in some areas, widespread power outages, and moderate to major coastal flooding. The major Nor’easter that developed along the Mid-Atlantic coast on February 22 rapidly intensified offshore and continued producing blizzard conditions from the DelMarVa Peninsula into southeastern New England on February 23, bringing very heavy snowfall rates, strong winds, and widespread power outages. The latest Storm Summary issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center (WPC) reported the cyclone’s estimated central pressure at 964 hPa as it tracked east-northeastward about 225 km (140 miles) south-southeast of Chatham, Massachusetts. Heavy snow and gale-force to hurricane-force wind gusts battered coastal southern New England, particularly southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Peak wind gusts reached 134 km/h (83 mph) at Nantucket, 124 km/h (77 mph) at Barnstable and Wellfleet, and 119–121 km/h (74–75 mph) in parts of Rhode Island, meeting hurricane-force criteria. Blizzard Warnings remained in effect from the northern Delmarva Peninsula through New Jersey, Connecticut, southeastern New England, and coastal Maine. Very heavy snowfall rates of 5–7.6 cm (2–3 inches) per hour continued in persistent snow bands pivoting across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, while moderate to heavy snow extended across interior southern New England, New York City, and much of New Jersey. YouTube video Preliminary storm total snowfall reports through 15:00 EST on February 23 included 66 cm (26 inches) at Shirley Airport, New York; 61.5 cm (24.2 inches) at Freehold, New Jersey; 59.7 cm (23.5 inches) at Coventry, Rhode Island; and 50.8 cm (20 inches) in parts of Connecticut. Widespread totals of 30–60 cm (12–24 inches) were reported from the Delmarva Peninsula through Massachusetts. The combination of heavy snowfall and strong wind gusts of 64–113 km/h (40–70 mph), with higher hurricane-force gusts along exposed coastal locations, produced blizzard conditions and sharply reduced visibility, making travel extremely treacherous to nearly impossible across portions of the Northeast. YouTube videoAccording to PowerOutage.us, a national utility outage aggregator, 662 177 customers were without power from New Jersey to New York and Massachusetts, as of 15:36 UTC on February 23. The largest concentrations were reported in Massachusetts (264 236 customers without power, up from 258 002 just 15 minutes ago), New Jersey (130 308), Delaware (76 417), Rhode Island (41 448), Maryland (28 135), New York (21 965), and Virginia (15 720). Using standard emergency planning multipliers based on average household size, this level of outage could correspond to roughly 1.5 to 1.7 million people affected. YouTube videoCoastal Flood Advisories and Warnings remained in effect from Virginia to southern Maine. The WPC Storm Summary indicated moderate to major coastal flooding was forecast from Delaware to Cape Cod, including inundation of roads and property near waterfront areas. Gale and Storm Warnings were also in effect for coastal waters along the East Coast.

Paralyzing blizzard hits US Northeast, closing roads and canceling flights (Reuters) - A powerful blizzard dropped more than two-and-a-half feet of snow (76.2 cm) across parts of the U.S. Northeast on Monday, bringing travel to a near-standstill for millions of residents as the treacherous conditions closed roads, shut down train services and forced the cancellation of some 7,400 flights. Thousands of homes and businesses lost power and officials, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, urged residents to stay off the roads so emergency crews could clear the streets. Schools in New York and throughout the region were closed. Broadway shut its theaters. "New York remains in a state of emergency," Mamdani said. "The travel ban has ended today at noon, but a hazardous travel advisory remains in place through midnight tonight." More than 19 inches (48 cm) of snow had fallen on New York City's Central Park by 1 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) on Monday and over 14 inches fell in Boston, said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. Winds, at times reaching between 40 to 60 mph (64-100 kph), blew snowdrifts several feet high. "It'll probably take a week to dig out," Oravec said. Philadelphia received 14 inches while Providence, Rhode Island, was buried under more than 32 inches of snow, a record for the city. More than 608,711 homes and businesses across the U.S. were without power as of Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. That included one in 10 of the nearly 3 million power customers PowerOutage.us tracks in Massachusetts. Many were astounded by the depth of the snowfall. In her 20 years or so living in New Hyde Park, on hard-hit Long Island, Sandra Wu said she had never seen a winter storm this bad. Her family could not open the front door and could barely see out of some windows because of the high snowdrifts. "My husband went out early through the garage to start digging us out, but it was pointless," Wu said. At least seven U.S. states had declared states of emergency in response to the storm as of Monday. Airlines had canceled more than 7,400 flights by Monday afternoon and delayed another 2,300, according to the tracking site FlightAware.com. That figure included more than 1,800 canceled Tuesday flights, according to the site. Most of the cancellations and delays were in the northeastern U.S., including New York's John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports, Boston's Logan Airport, and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had activated 100 National Guard members to assist in Long Island, New York City and the lower Hudson Valley, areas expected to bear the brunt of the heavy snow and coastal winds. The storm forced the closure of the U.N. headquarters complex in Manhattan on Monday. The Department of Homeland Security said that despite its ongoing funding lapse the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster-response work would continue uninterrupted, including staff travel, emergency operations and critical assistance for people affected by active disasters. Last week, Reuters reported the Trump administration had ordered FEMA to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-affected areas around the country while the DHS is shut down. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared an emergency and told state workers to stay home. Connecticut barred commercial vehicles from limited-access highways, exempting only emergency and essential deliveries. Train and bus commuter lines in New Jersey were halted, while the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority said it would suspend all service through Monday and would announce plans to resume service only when conditions improve. Even some ships were caught by the storm. Wu said her elderly in-laws were stuck on a cruise ship docked in New York Harbor, which cannot start sailing to the Bahamas on a planned vacation..

Record snowfall in Providence, Rhode Island, as Nor’easter death toll reaches four - YouTube videos- A late February Nor’easter set a new all-time single-storm snowfall record at Providence, Rhode Island’s airport, where 96.3 cm (37.9 inches) was measured at 01:31 EST on February 24, 2026. At least four fatalities were confirmed in Maryland and Pennsylvania.The National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA office confirmed that the late February Nor’easter (dubbed the Blizzard of 2026) set multiple new snowfall records in Providence. The storm total of 96.3 cm (37.9 inches) set a new record for the highest single snowstorm total at the airport on February 24, breaking the previous record of 72.6 cm (28.6 inches) measured on February 6–7, 1978. It also set a new one-day snowfall record of 90.2 cm (35.5 inches), breaking the previous one-day record of 48.3 cm (19 inches), set on January 8, 1996. Meanwhile, New Jersey was also under the state-wide Blizzard Warning for the first time since 1996. Both of these events surpassed the conditions during the blizzard of 96, which is estimated to have claimed around 200 lives. Meanwhile, 90.2 cm (35.5 inches) measured on February 23 established a new record snowfall for that calendar date, surpassing the previous February 23 record of 9.7 cm (3.8 inches) set in 1967. Snowfall rates reached over 5 cm (2 inches) per hour at times in and around Providence, and gusts reached 95 to 115 km/h (60 to 70 mph). Visibility fell below 400 m (1 300 feet) while the combination of high snowfall intensity and strong winds produced extensive drifting, with some secondary roads becoming impassable. The storm has claimed at least 2 lives in Maryland after a tree fell onto a moving vehicle in Calvert County on February 22. Meanwhile, two fatalities were confirmed after a multivehicle collision in Lower Nazareth on February 22. While it is unclear whether the crash was associated with the storm or not, snow was falling when the crash occurred, and the roads in the area were wet, according to Colonial Regional police Chief James DePalma, reported The Morning Call. While the first fatality was confirmed on the scene, the second was confirmed on February 23. The storm is forecast to move away from the United States through February 24, tracking along the Canadian Maritimes. Gusty winds are expected to persist across the Northeast through the morning hours, then winds will gradually decrease through this evening as the system moves further away, according to the NWS.

Arequipa flooding emergency deepens with 17 fatalities confirmed after rescue helicopter crash, Peru - videos - Intense rainfall that began on February 19, 2026, continued to affect Peru’s Arequipa Province through February 23, causing severe floods and landslides. Authorities reported at least 17 fatalities, including one caused by flooding, one by lightning, and 15 when a Peruvian Air Force (FAP) helicopter transporting evacuees crashed during relief operations in Caravelí Province. Hundreds of homes, roads, and bridges were damaged, and essential services remained disrupted as emergency and debris-removal efforts continued. Intense rainfall affected Arequipa Province in southern Peru from February 19 to 23, triggering widespread flooding, landslides, and severe damage to infrastructure and housing across urban and rural districts. The National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI) reported 2 fatalities on February 22, but the number increased to 17 on February 23 after 15 people died when a Peruvian Air Force (FAP) helicopter transporting evacuees crashed during relief operations. One victim, an elderly woman, was swept away by a flash flood in Cayma District, while another person died after a lightning strike in Uchumayo. The heaviest rainfall occurred between February 21 and 22, when intense downpours activated natural drainage channels, or torrenteras, that cross Arequipa City. The flows transported mud, stones, and debris into populated areas, flooding streets and homes in the districts of Cayma, Yanahuara, Cerro Colorado, Paucarpata, and Socabaya. Landslides and road washouts were also reported in the rural districts of Chiguata and Pocsi. YouTube videoThe National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru (SENAMHI) maintained an orange-level alert through February 23, warning of daily accumulations above 40–60 mm (1.6 to 2.4 inches) in high-elevation zones and forecasting continued unstable conditions into February 24. INDECI reported that 93 km (58 miles) of roads and four bridges were damaged across the province. Public services were interrupted as flooding and debris blocked water supply lines and damaged electric grids, while dozens of families were displaced after homes collapsed or became uninhabitable. Local officials requested the expansion of the state of emergency to additional districts to enable access to national relief funds. According to El País, the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) confirmed that a Mi-171Sh helicopter on a rescue and support mission amid flooding in the Arequipa Region crashed near Chala Viejo, Caravelí Province, killing all 15 people on board (4 crew + 11 passengers, including 6 teenagers and a 3-year-old child). The aircraft was operating under low-visibility mountain conditions, with dense fog over mining terrain hindering navigation. The FAP immediately convened an investigation board to determine the causes. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud impact after the helicopter flew at a non-permitted altitude. Authorities expect conditions to gradually improve after February 24 as the moisture flux shifts northward and rainfall intensity declines.;

Tropical Cyclone Horacio becomes strongest storm of 2026 east of Mauritius - Tropical Cyclone Horacio intensified to a Category 5-equivalent system over the central Southwest Indian Ocean east of Mauritius on February 22, 2026, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone recorded globally this year. The storm reached sustained winds near 260 km/h (160 mph) before moving southward over open waters. Tropical Cyclone Horacio developed from a low-pressure disturbance east of Rodrigues Island on February 18 and was named by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) La Réunion the following day. Within 48 hours, it underwent rapid intensification over warm waters with favorable upper-level outflow, reaching a very intense status by February 22. At its peak between February 22 and 23, RSMC La Réunion estimated 10-minute sustained winds around 230 to 240 km/h (140 to 150 mph) and gusts near 280 to 300 km/h (175 to 185 mph) with a central pressure of approximately 910 hPa. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) concurrently assessed 1-minute sustained winds of about 260 km/h (160 mph), placing Horacio at a Category 5 equivalent cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale and the strongest tropical cyclone recorded globally so far in 2026. The cyclone tracked south-southwestward east of Mauritius before turning south across the open Indian Ocean. Outer rainbands brought periods of rain and strong gusts to Rodrigues Island, where winds reached around 100 km/h (60 mph), and seas exceeded 6 to 8 m (20 to 26 feet). Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) maintained a Class 1 Cyclone Warning until February 23, then lifted it as the system moved away. No major damage or casualties were reported. MMS issued a Heavy Swell Warning for Rodrigues at 04:30 LT (00:30 UTC) on February 24, valid until 04:00 LT (00:00 UTC) on February 25. “High-energy swells generated by the Intense Tropical Cyclone Horacio are influencing the sea state around Rodrigues. The sea will be high with swells of 7 m (23 feet) beyond the reefs. The waves will also influence the lagoons and may break along the low-lying coastal areas, especially during high tides.” Fishermen, pleasure-craft operators, and the public were strongly advised not to venture at sea or along beaches while the warning remained in effect.

Post-season NHC report finds Melissa tied for strongest Atlantic hurricane by maximum sustained wind - NOAA’s final Tropical Cyclone Report confirms that Hurricane Melissa reached Category 5 intensity with peak 1-minute sustained winds of 306 km/h (190 mph), tying for the highest maximum sustained wind speed on record in the Atlantic basin, and a minimum central pressure of 892 hPa. The hurricane made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, at 17:25 UTC (13:25 LT) on October 28, 2025, resulting in 45 fatalities in Jamaica and 95 across the region, with economic losses in Jamaica estimated at USD 8.8 billion. The National Hurricane Center has released its post-season report confirming that Hurricane Melissa was a Category 5 hurricane with peak sustained winds of 306 km/h (190 mph) and a central pressure of 892 hPa.Melissa’s peak sustained winds of 306 km/h (190 mph) tie Hurricane Allen (1980) for the highest maximum sustained wind speed ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.At landfall in Jamaica, sustained winds of 296 km/h (185 mph) made Melissa the strongest hurricane on record to strike Jamaica and tied the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and Dorian (2019) for the strongest Atlantic landfall by wind speed.Its minimum central pressure of 892 hPa is tied for the third lowest in Atlantic hurricane history, behind Wilma (882 hPa, 2005) and Gilbert (888 hPa, 1988).In addition, a dropsonde measured an extreme instantaneous wind gust of 406 km/h (252 mph) within the eyewall — the strongest wind ever recorded by dropsonde in a tropical cyclone globally.

At least 30 dead and 39 missing after extreme rainfall causes severe flooding and landslides in Minas Gerais, Brazil - Severe flooding and landslides struck the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais between February 23 and 24, 2026, following extreme rainfall that exceeded three times the monthly average. At least 30 people died, 39 remain missing, and more than 3 000 were displaced as torrential downpours caused the Paraibuna River to overflow in Juiz de Fora and inundate parts of Ubá. At least 30 people were confirmed dead, and 39 remain missing after severe flooding and landslides affected the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais between February 23 and 24. The disaster followed extreme rainfall that reached 589 mm (23.18 inches) in Juiz de Fora by February 24, more than three times the February average, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET). Most of the fatalities occurred in Juiz de Fora, where 24 people were killed, and Ubá, where 6 deaths were reported. Authorities said the victims died primarily in landslides that buried homes and flash floods that trapped residents in low-lying areas. Many were found in neighborhoods built on steep slopes that collapsed under heavy saturation. According to Prefeitura de Juiz de Fora, landslides occurred mainly during the night of February 23–24, when residents were asleep and unable to evacuate. Many hillside homes were built without retaining structures, increasing their vulnerability to slope failure during prolonged rainfall. Meteorological data from INMET showed that the rainfall event was associated with a stationary frontal boundary and moist tropical inflow over southeastern Brazil, intensified by orographic lift along the Serra da Mantiqueira range. This configuration maintained convective systems over Minas Gerais for several days, producing continuous heavy precipitation.

Deadly Indonesia floods force a deforestation reckoning - Permits revoked, lawsuits filed, the threat of state takeovers. Deadly flooding in Indonesia has prompted unprecedented government action against companies accused of environmental destruction that worsened the disaster. But environmentalists who have long warned about the risks of rampant deforestation fear the current response will not solve the problem, and could even make it worse. Officials from President Prabowo Subianto down have acknowledged the role of deforestation and overdevelopment in last year's flooding and landslides, which killed over 1,000 people in Sumatra. Mining, plantations, and fires have caused the clearance of large tracts of lush Indonesian rainforest, removing trees that absorbed rain and helped stabilize soil. Now, Indonesia is prioritizing "protecting the environment, protecting nature," Prabowo told attendees at this year's World Economic Forum. Several dozen companies have had their permits revoked, and the government will reportedly hand management of around a million hectares of land to a state enterprise. Initially, the government said that would include the Martabe gold mine, which conservationists have regularly accused of environmental damage. Sumatra has lost large tracts of forest to mines and plantations in recent decades.More recently, officials said they were still reviewing potential violations by the site.But there has been no suggestion of halting development in the worst-affected and most ecologically sensitive areas, like Batang Toru, where Martabe is located.The area is home to the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, just 800 of which were believed to exist in the wild before the disaster."Revoking permits is not immediately a win," said Panut Hadisiswoyo, a conservationist and orangutan specialist."The idea of revoking should be to stop the devastation, but by continuing these operations, this means industry will continue in this vulnerable area."Conservationists have lobbied for a moratorium on development in Batang Toru, where tapanuli orangutans suffered first habitat loss and then the flood disaster.Using satellite data and information on the pre-existing tapanuli orangutan population, experts have calculated nearly 60 animals may have been killed in what they called an "extinction-level event" for the species.Between 2001 and 2024, Sumatra lost 4.4 million hectares of forest, an area larger than Switzerland, "making the hilly forest landscapes more vulnerable to landslides and flooding," said Amanda Hurowitz, senior director at conservation group Mighty Earth. Much of that deforestation happened in areas with government permits, and it is not clear that transferring operations to the state will improve matters. "It's a concern that the state-backed takeover may not guarantee better environmental practices, and that production may be prioritized over conservation," Hurowitz told AFP. "We have yet to see any plans."

Record-breaking February temperatures spread across France - After weeks of rainy weather and the highest soil moisture since 1959, France entered a remarkable warm phase on February 25, when temperatures climbed to levels usually seen in late spring.The national meteorological agency Météo-France confirmed multiple monthly records for February in the southwest, describing the event as “temperatures worthy of May.” In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, Pomps recorded 28.4°C (83.1°F), surpassing the previous record of 28.2°C (82.8°F) set on February 27, 2019. Orthez recorded 28.3°C (82.9°F), beating its 2020 record of 27.1°C (80.8°F), about 14°C (25°F) above the seasonal norm. Farther east, Cérizols (Ariège) reported 24.6°C (76.3°F) and Lavaur (Tarn) 24.1°C (75.4°F), both setting new local records for the month. Early on February 26, unusually mild overnight conditions were also recorded, including 13.1°C (55.6°F) in Montredon-Labessonnie (Tarn), exceeding the previous February night-time record of 11.5°C (52.7°F) set in 2024. The warmth extended northward during the day, with forecast highs of 21°C (70°F) in Bourges (Cher), 20°C (68°F) in Paris, 19°C (66°F) in Rennes, and 18°C (64°F) in Lille, 8–11°C (14–20°F) above normal values for late winter. Météo-France noted that temperatures, already high for the season, were climbing further between February 25–26 as the air mass responsible for the anomaly expanded toward central and northern France. According to Agence France-Presse, Biarritz reached 27°C (80.6°F) and Pau 26°C (78.8°F), continuing the anomaly across the southwest. Values above 25°C (77°F) were measured at several stations. The warm spell followed an unprecedented 40 consecutive days of rain across the country, and one of France’s wettest February periods on record.

Greenland ice melt surges unprecedentedly amid warming - A study led by the University of Barcelona and published in the journal Nature Communications shows that climate change has profoundly altered extreme episodes of melting in the Greenland ice sheet by making them more frequent, more extensive and more intense. Since 1990, the area affected by extreme melting episodes has increased at a rate of 2.8 million km² per decade. Additionally, the production of water from ice melt has increased more than sixfold, rising from 12.7 gigatons per decade to 82.4 gigatons per decade.Seven of the 10 most extreme melting episodes have occurred since 2000, including the record-breaking events of August 2012, July 2019 and July 2021, which have no comparable dynamic precedents, underscoring their exceptional nature.The study notes a clear thermodynamic intensification of extreme melting events, with more water being produced in each one. Since 1990, this water production has increased by 25% compared to the 1950–1975 period when comparing episodes with equivalent anticyclonic and cyclonic air mass circulation, and by up to 63% when analyzing all extreme episodes as a whole.The most affected area is northern Greenland, which is emerging as one of the main hotspots. Future projections under high greenhouse gas emission scenarios indicate that by the end of the century, extreme anomalies in meltwater production could increase up to threefold.The study was led by Josep Bonsoms, a researcher and postdoctoral professor at the Department of Geography at the University of Barcelona, and included the participation of Marc Oliva, professor in the same department. Developed within the framework of the Antarctic, Arctic and Alpine Environments (ANTALP) Research Group, the study analyzes extreme melting events recorded between 1950 and 2023 using an innovative classification methodology: the type of anticyclonic and cyclonic air mass circulation is combined with a regional climate model.This approach has made it possible to differentiate the role of thermodynamic factors (associated with atmospheric warming) from dynamic factors (related to atmospheric circulation) in the intensification of melting episodes.In a context of growing international attention on Greenland—both due to rapid changes in the physical environment and cryosphere and the resulting geopolitical implications—the study findings take on special relevance. Bonsoms, the article's lead author, says that "the rapid transformation of the ice sheet not only has global environmental consequences, such as sea level rise and possible alterations in ocean circulation, but also places the Arctic at the center of new strategic, economic and territorial dynamics."In this scenario, understanding the mechanisms that intensify extreme melting events is essential for anticipating future risks and guiding policy decisions based on solid scientific evidence.

Extreme drought fuels rapid wildfire growth in South Florida’s Big Cypress Preserve - videos - A fast-moving wildfire known as the National Fire burned approximately 10 117 ha (25 000 acres) in Big Cypress National Preserve, Collier County, Florida, between February 22 and 25, 2026, expanding from about 405 ha (1 000 acres) and remaining at 0% containment. The fire spread under extreme drought conditions, affecting nearly all of Florida. Smoke reduced visibility along Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley), State Road 29, and U.S. 41, prompting transportation advisories and area closures. The National Fire in Big Cypress National Preserve expanded rapidly between February 22 and 25, increasing from approximately 405 ha (1 000 acres) to about 10 117 ha (25 000 acres), according to satellite imagery assessments. The fire remained at 0% containment as of February 25, based on official incident reports. The affected area lies south of Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley) and east of State Road 29 in Collier County. Smoke from the fire reduced visibility along Interstate 75, State Road 29, and U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail), prompting transportation advisories and warnings for motorists. Area closures were implemented in portions of Big Cypress National Preserve south of I-75 to limit public exposure and support firefighting operations. YouTube video The National Parks Service (NPS) is urging motorists traveling through the area to exercise extreme caution, reduce speed and use low-beam headlights in smoky conditions, allow extra travel time, be alert for emergency personnel and equipment operating along roadways, and monitor local traffic updates and emergency alerts. Temporary road closures may be implemented if conditions deteriorate, NPS said. As of the latest updates, no structural damage or injuries were reported. The National Fire was reported as human-caused, but dry fuels, low relative humidity, and gusty winds added to rapid fire spread across brush and grassland typical of the Everglades ecosystem. The region has experienced a prolonged dry pattern since fall 2025, increasing fuel availability and fire susceptibility.

Wildfire smoke linked to rise in violent assaults, 11-year study finds -- A new study spanning 11 years of data has revealed a clear link between wildfire smoke pollution and an increase in violent assaults in Seattle. These findings represent the first direct causal evidence that short-term exposure to wildfire-driven air pollution can increase interpersonal violence in an urban environment. The work is published in Environmental Research Letters .As wildfires intensify around the world due to climate change, Lion Kircheis, the author of the study, warns that air-quality deterioration may be driving social as well as health consequences. The researcher at the University of Konstanz analyzed daily air pollution levels and police-reported assaults from 2013 to 2023, found that:

• Wildfire smoke increased daily PM_2.5 levels by an average of 7 μg/m³.
• On smoke-affected days, assaults rose by approximately 3.6%.
• Each additional 1 μg/m³ of PM_2.5 was linked to a 0.5% increase in daily assaults.

Kircheis used satellite-based smoke predictions and an instrumental-variable approach to isolate wildfire-derived particulate matter from other pollution sources, ensuring that the effects were specifically linked to smoke events rather than broader air quality trends.Although the study did not test individual biological changes due to wildfire smoke pollution, the pattern of results points to short-lived physiological and psychological responses to fine particulate pollution—such as discomfort, inflammation or stress reactions—as likely contributors to the rise in assaults.Importantly, Kircheis ruled out other factors that might drive increased violence. For instance, traffic collisions and police response times remained stable on smoke-affected days, ruling out explanations related to inattention or reduced police capacity.Domestic violence call volumes also did not increase, suggesting that the effect is concentrated in outdoor settings where exposure to wildfire smoke is highest and incidents of low severity police use of force did rise on smoke days, mirroring the uptick in interpersonal assaults and further supporting an exposure-driven behavioral response.

Heat relief means higher emissions: How air conditioning complicates 1.5°C goals -- While air conditioning protects people from dangerous heat, it also significantly worsens global warming—by 2050, potentially producing more carbon dioxide than the current annual emissions of the United States, a new study reveals. The study reveals that, by 2050, air-conditioning use will more than double. Electricity for cooling could reach 4,493 TWh under mid‑range scenarios, and much more in high‑emissions futures. Emissions from air conditioning could reach 8.5 GtCO₂‑eq per year in the worst‑case scenario—more than the current annual emissions of the United States (5.9 GtCO₂‑eq).Publishing their findings in Nature Communications, the international research group led by the University of Birmingham warns that most of this extra warming is caused by income-enabled growth in cooling consumption, more households adopting and using air conditioning, and not just rising temperatures.Researchers estimate that air-conditioning use will add 0.03°C to 0.07°C of global warming by 2050, depending on the emissions pathway the world follows. This is the equivalent of around 74–183 billion transatlantic return flights. The predicted rise in temperature is a significant increase compared with the narrow margin left to keep warming below 1.5°C.The paper also reveals a major global inequality—regions that need cooling the most, such as South Asia and Africa, have the least access to air conditioning. Wealthier regions such as Europe and North America have lower cooling needs but higher air-conditioning usage.Professor Yuli Shan from the University of Birmingham, the corresponding author, said, "Global warming is raising temperatures and causing more heat waves, and as economic growth in some of the worst-affected countries means more people can offset extreme heat with air conditioning."As global temperatures rise, we risk being locked into an 'arms race' where defending ourselves against extreme heat is causing the issue to get worse. The world must transition quickly to cleaner, more efficient cooling technologies—while ensuring fair access to cooling, especially for vulnerable populations."As well as adopting a rapid transition to clean electricity, the research team recommends the fast adoption of low‑pollution cooling liquids in air-conditioning systems refrigerants and better building design—using insulation and shading more effectively. Researchers also advocate for behavioral changes such as turning the air conditioning down and shifting cooling away from peak hours.The study uncovers a fundamental development dilemma. Low-income limits regional access to cooling, yet closing this gap to deliver equitable thermal comfort would generate substantial additional warming impact.Increasing demand resulting from rising incomes in low-income regions could have significant effects: an additional 94 million units at medium-income levels, 150 million units at high-income levels, and up to over 220 million units at the highest-income levels.

Flaming mud volcano eruption damages infrastructure and kills animals in San Juan de Urabá, Colombia - (videos) A mud volcano erupted in San Juan de Urabá, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on February 25, 2026, damaging a municipal facility and nearby roads. The eruption killed several animals and scorched vegetation before authorities established a security perimeter around the site. A mud volcano erupted near a municipal aqueduct treatment plant in the municipality of San Juan de Urabá on February 25, producing a tall column of flames, burning the dry vegetation, and causing large cracks to form on roads nearby. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reported that 3 homes had been evacuated due to the eruption. While no human losses or injuries were reported, UNGRD said several animals in the area were killed. The eruption also damaged the nearby aqueduct treatment plant, along with the roads to Siete Vueltas and Juancito Viejo. Fire brigades and police units extinguished residual fires and reported stabilization by the evening of February 25. Monitoring teams remained on-site to observe potential secondary vents or pressure build-up.

Methane's missing emissions: The underestimated impact of small sources - Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with an impact estimated at 80 times that of CO₂. Although efforts are being made to reduce the contribution of big polluters to methane in Japan, new research from Osaka Metropolitan University suggests that smaller sources are vastly underestimated in the Osaka metropolitan area. The findings were published in Environmental Science & Technology. The discovery was made by an international collaborative research team led by Associate Professor Masahito Ueyama of the Graduate School of Agriculture who used a tower for high-altitude readings and a bike for ground-level readings of methane and ethane. Instead of spot checks, the measurements were continuous and integrated over the city center, giving a more complete overview of their output. When the researchers compared their findings with government inventories, they found large differences. As well as the well-known large emitters of greenhouse gases, especially chemical and industrial plants, they found unaccounted emissions from numerous small sources, including restaurants, commercial facilities, and private residences. Because emissions were higher on weekdays, followed a clear day–night pattern, and included ethane—a gas linked to human activity—the researchers concluded that people, not natural processes, were the main source. Even so, methane produced by biological processes was also underestimated, probably due to small but widespread sources, like sewage manholes and the production of fermented foods common in Japanese cuisine. Ultimately, the study highlights hidden sources of methane that could be fixed with technology and policy. "By clarifying the existence of methane emissions originating from city gas that had previously been overlooked, our research is expected to aid in identifying these unaccounted emission sources within urban areas," "This research establishes a method for real-time monitoring of methane emissions by source, which is expected to be utilized in assessments evaluating the effectiveness of emission reduction measures," he added. He believes that the group's technique is useful for separating human fossil fuel leakage from biological emissions.

125+ Groups Call For End to Wasteful, Untracked 45Q Carbon Capture Tax Credits -- — In a letter sent to Congress this week, more than 125 national, state and local advocacy groups called for an end to the 45Q carbon capture tax subsidies that encourage fossil fuel extraction through enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The letter was facilitated by the environmental organization Food & Water Watch and signed by groups including Sierra Club, Climate Justice Alliance, Bold Alliance and Earthjustice. The letter states, in part:The oil company profits from EOR come at the expense of billions in public resources and community safety. The 45Q tax credit was never intended to function as a permanent entitlement for oil and gas production. Yet today it is doing exactly that, with the Environmental Protection Agency documenting over 90% of all carbon dioxide captured in the United States going to extract more oil, funded through billions in public subsidies… The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that carbon dioxide used for EOR could ultimately result in the extraction of 177 billion barrels of otherwise uneconomic oil in the United States… Moreover, the 45Q tax credit program is uncapped, exposing taxpayers to unlimited losses. The Treasury’s own claims estimate the cost to taxpayers for 45Q at $43.6 billion over the next ten years alone. Meanwhile, a report released today by Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) details more than $3.5 billion in new annual subsidies to huge fossil fuel corporations found in the Republicans’ 2025 budget reconciliation law. The report finds that expansion of 45Q through the reconciliation law will result in $14.2 billion in lost federal revenues over 10 years. The report also details a history of well-documented abuse and fraud in the 45Q program, noting that from 2010-2019, 87 percent of the credits – nearly $900 billion – was granted without any approved monitoring, reporting and verification… “Capturing carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery, or to stop climate change, have two things in common: political scheming to make the rich richer, and massive taxpayer subsidies. We need real solutions to the challenges faced by everyday Americans — not handouts of taxpayer dollars to oil oligarchs,” said Paul Blackburn, Attorney & Energy Policy Advisor, Bold Alliance.“

Supreme Court accepts oil industry’s bid to quash climate lawsuits - The Supreme Court has green-lighted the fossil fuel industry’s latest attempt to quash a swath of lawsuits seeking to hold oil companies accountable for the costs of climate change. In an order issued Monday, the justices agreed to consider an argument from Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy that federal law bars local governments from seeking relief for climate change in state courts. The high court’s move is a preliminary win for the companies, which have warned that such lawsuits could cost them billions of dollars. It takes the vote of four justices to agree to hear a petition — a threshold most requests fail to achieve. The court rebuffed similar efforts twice last year but did hand energy companies a narrow procedural win in the litigation in 2021. The court added a question to the companies’ request, asking both parties to determine whether the Supreme Court has the authority to hear the case. The oil and gas companies called their latest petition, Suncor v. Boulder, “extraordinarily compelling” and argued there is a “clear and acknowledged conflict” as to whether federal law precludes local governments from filing lawsuits against fossil fuel producers for the alleged effects of global greenhouse gas emissions. The city and county of Boulder, located outside Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills, sued the oil companies in 2018. The lawsuit — like several dozen others like it across the U.S. — accused the companies of deceiving the public about the dangers of burning fossil fuels and seeks compensation for the costs of rising temperatures and intensifying storms. In May, the Colorado Supreme Court allowed the lawsuit to proceed in state court. The oil companies in August asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision, saying it could lead to a patchwork of case law in state courts. “The damages in even one case could potentially reach into the billions of dollars; and there are thousands of other local governments that could bring their own actions,” the companies said in one brief urging the Supreme Court to take up their petition in the Boulder case. The oil industry has the backing of the Trump administration, which told the justices in September that it recently went to court to block similar efforts by states to impose state-law liability on the companies. Allowing Colorado to deem the effects of the companies’ worldwide conduct tortious cannot be reconciled with the decision making scheme Congress enacted in the Clean Air Act, which precludes any such role for a single state,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote at the time. Lawyers for Boulder contend that states “have always had the authority to provide remedies for in-state injuries arising from out-of-state conduct.” They called such litigation “commonplace,” pointing to similar lawsuits against the manufacturers of opioids and asbestos, as well as Hustler magazine. There is no constitutional bar to states addressing in-state harms caused by out-of-state conduct, be it the negligent design of an automobile or sale of asbestos,” Boulder’s brief said.

Supreme Court adds wrinkle to Big Oil’s climate fight - The Supreme Court has agreed to consider two oil companies’ attempt to toss out a swath of climate lawsuits filed against the fossil fuel industry — but not without sounding a potential note of skepticism.The justices’ Monday order agreeing to take up Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy’s argument that federal law bars local governments from suing them in state courts is a preliminary win for the industry, which could be forced to pay billions of dollars in damages as a result of the litigation from mostly Democratic-led cities and states from Maine to Hawaii.The National Association of Manufacturers, which opposes the climate liability lawsuits, welcomed the decision, with Phil Goldberg, special counsel for the association’s Manufacturers’ Accountability Project, calling it a “decisive step toward resolving conflicting rulings nationwide and reaffirming that climate policy belongs with elected policymakers — not the courts.” The association had urged the court to hear the case, which centers on a 2025 Colorado Supreme Court decision that allowed a climate lawsuit brought by Boulder to proceed in state court.

Supreme Court to hear back-to-back energy cases this week - The Supreme Court this week will consider an oil major’s fight to recapture assets seized decades ago by the Cuban government and an energy company’s bid to move litigation over one of its pipelines to a federal bench. The cases, which present narrow questions to the high court, are among the energy and environment battles the justices are expected to decide by early summer. On Monday, Exxon Mobil will argue that it should be able to sue Cuban-owned company Corporación Cimex for damages, after $70 million (in 1960 dollars) of the company’s oil and gas assets were seized by Fidel Castro’s government following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Exxon has received the backing of the Trump administration, which will be splitting argument time with the company. A Supreme Court ruling in Exxon’s favor could open the door for other companies to pursue similar challenges to recover assets seized in Cuba, said Lawrence Ebner, executive vice president and general counsel at the Atlantic Legal Foundation, which wrote an amicus brief in support of Exxon. “There are many other companies whose business property was seized” by the Castro government, said Ebner. Exxon has relied on the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act — also known as the Helms-Burton Act — that Congress passed in 1996 to make it easier for U.S. companies to sue to recover their Cuban assets from a person or entity that “traffics” in the confiscated property. However, Exxon was not able to pursue a lawsuit for decades after the law was passed because every president — until Donald Trump first entered the White House — had invoked a provision allowing them to block lawsuits they believed would harm the national interest. After Trump allowed the litigation suspension to lapse in 2019, Exxon began its legal battle in federal court. But the company faced a new hurdle after a divided panel of federal appeals court judges in Washington ruled that in order to make a claim against a company owned by a foreign nation, Exxon also had to meet at least one of the exceptions under a separate law — the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, or FSIA. The law provides limited grounds for challenging a foreign nation in U.S. federal court. The lower court’s reading of the law would make it much harder for Exxon and other companies to pursue legal claims in Cuba and would undercut the purpose of the Helms-Burton Act to enable speedy lawsuits, said Ebner. “Those exceptions are difficult and burdensome to comply with,” he said, referring to FSIA. “Maybe a big company like Exxon would have the wherewithal, the resources, to litigate for years whether to show one of the exceptions applies,” Ebner continued. “But a lot of other companies may not have those resources.” Cimex has maintained that FSIA should apply because the provision of the Helms-Burton Act allowing companies to pursue legal action did not amend requirements under the foreign sovereign immunity law. The case also raises broader legal questions, said Jenny-Brooke Condon, a professor at Seton Hall Law School, who wrote an amicus brief in the case on behalf of foreign relations and separation of powers scholars. If the Supreme Court were to rule that the Helms-Burton Act overrides FSIA, the earlier of the two laws, it could create uncertainty, said Condon. Under that scenario, Helms-Burton would also apply to foreign nations other than Cuba that may also have control of seized U.S. property, she said. Condon also noted that courts generally don’t recognize the implied repeal of statutes, and if the justices did so in this case, their ruling could carry over to other areas.

BLM weighs expansion of target shooting at Arizona monument - The Trump administration is taking the first steps toward potentially reopening most of the Sonoran Desert National Monument to target shooting.The Bureau of Land Management posted an advance notice Thursday in the Federal Register announcing it will evaluate amending the Arizona monument’s resource management plan to allow more recreational target shooting.The move to start an environmental assessment and potential plan amendment is the latest in a yearslong bureaucratic spat between the Trump administration and former President Joe Biden that centers on gun rights, access to public lands, and the preservation of cultural and historical resources. The issue has also been the source of litigation stretching back more than a decade, pitting groups as diverse as the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club against each other over gun rights and cultural resource protection.

Senators press Trump BLM nominee over past support for public land sales -- Senators on Wednesday pressed President Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over his past statements in favor of selling some of the nation’s public lands. In response to concerns raised primarily but not exclusively by Democrats, former Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) said the Trump administration does not plan to hold mass sales of public lands. “I don’t visualize selling large swaths of land,” Pearce said in response to questions from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). “I do not believe that we’re going to go out and wholesale land from the federal government,” Pearce added. Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) also brought up the issue. “In all my decades of serving the state, I’ve never received such passionate and unified messages as I have on this particular topic,” Risch said. “Idahoans do not want…public lands sold. Period. Full stop.” When he was in Congress, Pearce sent a letter to then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in which he suggested “divesting” from federal lands to help reduce the deficit. “Divesting the federal government of its vast land holdings could pay down the deficit and reduce spending,” Pearce wrote in 2012 alongside then-Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah). “The federal government owns roughly 650 million acres of land, or 1/3 of the entire landmass of our country. Over 90% of this land is located in the western states and most of it we do not even need,” they added In 2016, the now-BLM nominee co-sponsored legislation authorizing the Interior and Agriculture departments to sell some land to local governments. Wyden said during the hearing that “it’s pretty hard for us to be able in the West to trust someone who fundamentally doesn’t believe that these public lands are important.” Public land sales are an issue that has divided Republicans. Last year, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) pushed to open up millions of acres of public lands for sale in the GOP megabill, but the language did not make it into the version that ultimately became law.

Trump’s mineral stockpile takes shape - Congress and federal watchdogs are raising questions and concerns about the emerging structure and transparency of President Donald Trump’s recently unveiled critical minerals stockpile, which is led by industry and backed by the Export-Import Bank’s largest-ever $10 billion loan. Lawmakers briefed on “Project Vault” are still waiting to learn who’s leading the stockpile, and how it will be managed and structured, said one senior House aide familiar with the situation on Capitol Hill. They also want to make sure the Ex-Im will get paid back and are waiting to see if more companies will line up to use the stockpile, said the aide, who, along with others, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations. Trump unveiled Project Vault earlier this month in the Oval Office alongside General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Ivanhoe Mines CEO Robert Friedland. The goal, the president said at the time, is to buffer automakers, tech companies and other manufacturers from shortages and shocks as the U.S. reduces its reliance on Beijing. The first-of-its kind public-private partnership will use the federal loan and $2 billion of private capital. “For years, American businesses have risked running out of critical minerals during market disruptions,” Trump said. “Today, we’re launching what will be known as Project Vault to ensure that American businesses and workers are never harmed by any shortage.” But, unlike other stockpiling efforts the government has launched, Project Vault will be shaped and operated by private companies, a move that public consumer advocates say raises big questions about transparency and the need for oversight. “What I see are big pathways for profit, trading firms do all the work, but who is looking over their shoulder to make sure that everything is legit?” asked Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s energy program. A board to lead Project Vault has not yet been assembled, according to an industry source advising the administration. Unlike other stockpiling efforts the government has launched — the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which the Energy Department manages, and the Pentagon-managed National Defense Stockpile — the new minerals reserve will be managed and overseen by an independent, nongovernmental private entity known as “VaultCo,” said Brian Benko, a spokesperson for Ex-Im. “While EXIM retains a non‑voting board observer role, VaultCo is not government‑run,” said Benko. Ex-Im, said Benko, has been actively engaged with Congress on the stockpile from the outset and has provided bipartisan briefings to lawmakers who ask, as well as staff on all committees of jurisdiction, including the House Financial Services Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and the House and Senate Appropriations committees. Ex-Im notified those committees before approving the loan for VaultCo, he said, and Ex-Im going forward will oversee how the loan is spent, but the stockpile won’t be subject to direct congressional oversight. Unlike other government-directed stockpiles, VaultCo is focused on helping buffer the commercial, civilian and industrial sectors from price shocks tied to disruptions, conflict or Beijing cutting off supplies of minerals and materials. Already, companies like Boeing; Clarios, a Wisconsin-based battery maker; GE Vernova, a Massachusetts-based spinoff of General Electric that focuses on energy equipment like wind turbines; and Western Digital, a tech company, have expressed interest in participating. Three commodities firms — Hartree Partners LP, Traxys North America LLC and Mercuria Americas — are being tasked with buying the raw minerals that will be stored across the U.S. Notably, John Jovanovic, who chairs Ex-Im, previously served as a director at Mercuria Energy Group.

Interior floats proposal to accelerate deep-sea mining - The Trump administration Monday unveiled proposed revisions to regulations governing hard mineral resources on the outer continental shelf to advance deep-sea exploration and mining. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced plans to expedite production of minerals tied to national security, economic competitiveness and technological progress, aligning with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. “America cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while the world races to secure critical mineral supply chains,” acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona said in a release. Although the potential of commercial exploration, development, and production of minerals on the outer continental shelf is significant; activity has been limited; and the government has conducted only one mineral lease sale for commodities beyond oil, gas or sulfur — the Norton Sound Gold Sale in 1991, BOEM said.

Trump Slaps 126% Tariff on Indian Solar Panels in Escalating Trade Fight - President Trump announced a massive new tariff hit on India, saying imports of solar panels to the United States would be subject to tariffs of 126%. The move was motivated by the discovery that India was subsidizing its solar panel industry at the same rate of 126%. Laos and Indonesia were also targeted with import tariffs corresponding to the subsidy rates both governments provided for their respective solar industries. The tariffs follow a trade case brought to the Department of Commerce by the U.S. solar panel industry. A fact sheet published on the Commerce Department’s website shows that U.S. imports of solar panels from India had surged from $83.86 million in 2022 to $792.65 million in 2024, amid a squeeze on Chinese solar panel imports and industry sensitivity to prices. Bloomberg reported that India, Indonesia, and Laos together accounted for 57% of all solar panel imports into the United States in the first half of last year. The value of those combined imports was $4.5 billion. The U.S. solar equipment manufacturing industry has been on a quest to curb imports of cheap Asian products for years. Asian solar panels two years ago brought global prices down by 50% over just 12 months, hitting $0.10 per watt, the Financial Times reported in 2024. The U.S. solar industry was also being subsidized during the Biden administration, but at nowhere near comparable rates. Pressure from solar panel manufacturers led to a tariff move against Chinese panel exports just as India was accelerating its own solar panel-making efforts. “American manufacturers are investing billions of dollars to rebuild domestic capacity and create good-paying jobs. Those investments cannot succeed if unfairly traded imports are allowed to distort the market,” the lead attorney for the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade said, as quoted by Reuters, in comments on the tariff news.

WV Leads 21-State Challenge to Overturn Biden Gas Appliance Regs - Marcellus Drilling News -West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey is leading a 21-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Department of Energy efficiency standards adopted during the dark Biden years that effectively ban many natural gas furnaces and water heaters. Challenging a D.C. Circuit ruling, the states argue the mandate violates federal law by eliminating appliances with protected performance characteristics. McCuskey emphasizes that the rule would disproportionately burden low-income and rural families, forcing expensive structural renovations in older homes incompatible with new condensing technology.

House approves bill to undo IRA efficiency programs - The House approved legislation Wednesday that would repeal energy efficiency programs from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats’ 2022 landmark climate law.The “Homeowner Energy Freedom Act,” H.R. 4758 from Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas), would scrap efforts to help low- and middle-income households make home improvements that save energy.Goldman said that roughly $5.7 billion in unobligated home rebate and workforce-training funds amount to “mandates” that pressure consumers to make specific energy choices.“These green energy regulations fail to lower utility costs and increase overall costs of new homes,” Goldman said during floor debate. “This bill restores Americans’ freedom to make their own choices in their own homes.”

Interior claws back NEPA regs - The Interior Department on Monday unveiled a final rule that pulls back more than 80 percent of the agency’s regulations tied to implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, the nation’s bedrock environmental law. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said NEPA for decades “has been twisted into a weapon” to block energy, infrastructure and conservation projects. “Under the leadership of President Trump, this administration is fixing that,” Burgum said in a statement. “We are cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, speeding up approvals, and putting Americans back to work, while enforcing NEPA as Congress originally intended.” The final rule largely adopts a draft the agency released last summer, which was criticized for curbing public input and analysis of energy projects. The draft cut close to one-sixth of the agency’s regulations implementing NEPA, instead switching most of the remaining rules to less-stringent guidelines. The final rule rescinds more than 80 percent of Interior’s prior NEPA regulations, “with the majority of those regulations moved into a streamlined Departmental NEPA Handbook of Implementing Procedures,” according to the Interior Department. The regulation arrives on the heels of the White House last year pulling back nearly 50 years’ worth of rules that the Council on Environmental Quality had issued to implement the law since 1977, when President Jimmy Carter signed an order directing the agency to issue rules under NEPA. Associate Deputy Secretary Karen Budd-Falen said that “Interior is restoring NEPA to what Congress intended — a procedural law that informs decisions, not a regulatory maze that delays them for years.” Interior included new sections in the final rule to designate lead agencies and codify procedures for federal, state, local and tribal officials with special expertise to continue being involved in development of NEPA reviews. It would also limit opportunities for public comment on government reviews of projects, said Chris Winter, executive director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment at the University of Colorado Law School. Among other things, the rule says public comment is required when a federal agency begins an environmental impact statement on a project. Also, agencies do not have to file a public notice in the Federal Register when they begin a less-intensive environmental assessment.

PJM Proposals Make Behind-the-Meter Power for Data Centers Easier -Marcellus Drilling News -PJM Interconnection recently proposed reforms to its retail BTM (behind-the-meter) generation rules to support data center colocation. The filing, responding to a FERC mandate, introduces a 50-MW threshold for BTM facilities and three new transmission service categories. Under the plan, new loads exceeding 50 MW would be ineligible for “netting,” a process that currently lowers grid charges by balancing on-site generation against consumption. While existing contracts are grandfathered, industrial trade groups warn that removing netting rules threatens the economic viability of combined heat and power facilities, potentially discouraging manufacturing investments while aiming to address regional grid reliability and grid cost-shifting concerns.

It could be the biggest US data center — next to a Civil War battlefield - — The fight over data centers has come to a literal battlefield. Manassas National Battlefield Park is next to a property that could soon hold the nation’s largest data center cluster — a sprawling 37-building supercomputing complex. The Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved the Digital Gateway project in 2023 after a 27-hour hearing. Legal challenges followed. The Virginia Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case Tuesday. The project is likely the most striking example of a debate happening across the country as communities grapple with the data center boom bringing industrial sites into residential and rural areas, while straining an electric grid struggling to keep up with the surge. In a poll conducted by POLITICO last month, just 37 percent of respondents said they would support building data centers within 3 miles of their home — compared to 53 percent who would support a highway. This project takes that question to the extreme: Proposed jointly by QTS and Compass, Digital Gateway will be the biggest data center complex in the nation, accompanied by 14 electric substations and hundreds of diesel generators. It will abut a corner of the national park where a pivotal Civil War battle was fought in 1862 and disrupt a former Confederate camping ground where hundreds of soldiers who died of measles are likely buried, as well as the site of a historic settlement of freed African American former slaves. When it was approved, it was opposed by the local historic and planning commission, as well as park superintendents. “Everyone in the nation needs to be concerned about this because if it can happen here, there is nothing stopping it from happening anywhere you love or may think is off-limits,” said Kathy Kuilick, who sat on the Prince William County Historical Commission when it recommended that local officials block the project. “If this can happen here, what’s to stop data centers like this happening outside the gates of Gettysburg or the entrance to Yellowstone?” QTS and Compass declined to comment. Neither company has released information about how much power the complex will require, but environmental groups have calculated that it would need more than 2.9 gigawatts of electricity to operate — enough energy to power 717,000 homes at peak load. That could place significant strain on the grid at a time when both political parties are jockeying to combat data centers’ impacts on electricity rates for everyday Americans. At his State of the Union address last night, President Donald Trump announced new agreements with the technology industry to ensure that data centers cover their power costs. In the Democrats’ rebuttal, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger accused Trump’s policies of “driving up costs in energy.” But the national debate over data centers’ energy needs does little to address questions about where they should be sited. Digital Gateway’s would-be neighbors and historical experts say the answer is not next to Civil War battlefields.

Microsoft to Build Data Center in Person County, NC with Own Energy - Marcellus Drilling News -- Microsoft is advancing plans for a large-scale data center campus in Woodsdale Township, Person County, NC, by initiating the permitting process. After purchasing the 1,350-acre Person County Mega Park for $26.85 million in late 2024, the tech giant is now moving toward development to support cloud computing and AI services. Microsoft has committed to ensuring the project does not increase local electricity bills, minimizing water usage while replenishing more than it consumes, and creating new jobs for area residents. County leaders anticipate the project will drive significant economic growth and enhance community well-being through strategic investment and responsible stewardship of resources. The question is, how will Microsoft power this new beast? Read More“Microsoft to Build Data Center in Person County, NC with Own Energy”

Data centers’ share of US electricity seen doubling by 2030 - Data centers could double their current share of U.S. power by 2030, consuming 9 to 17 percent of electricity generation by decade’s end as companies plan more and larger projects, according to a new analysis. The findings released Thursday by the research organization Electric Power Research Institute reflect how rapidly the outlook for artificial intelligence is changing because of company announcements in the past year and a half. The new estimates on electricity demand are roughly 60 percent higher than EPRI anticipated two years ago. We’re seeing an “unprecedented amount of investment in data center construction and project planning,” said Thomas Wilson, principal technical executive at EPRI, in an interview.Data centers now use roughly 4.5 percent of U.S. electricity.Projected growth in power use is slated to be uneven throughout the country. In Virginia, one of the world’s main data center hubs, the technology could consume 41 percent to 59 percent of electricity by 2030, up from 25 percent today, EPRI said. In seven other states — Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming — data centers could consume more than 20 percent of power by decade’s end, according to the report. Natural gas is expected to dominate new U.S. power generation for AI in the near term. A separate study from research firm Cleanview this month found that a third of current planned data centers are behind the meter and of those, gas is dominant despite renewable energy pledges by many companies. If more technology companies and data center developers commit to carbon-free energy targets, it could help push more renewable and battery projects online, “with new nuclear generation coming online when possible,” EPRI said.The analysis is one of several projecting electricity demand, including a 2024 study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concluding that data centers could use 12 percent of U.S. power by 2028. The lab is expected to update its outlook this year.While power demand forecasts vary depending on the time period studied and modeling assumptions, many have increased in the past year as more companies plan projects and advance massive AI complexes. Projects announced since 2024 include Colossus II, a gigawatt-scale complex from Elon Musk’s xAI in Tennessee, and plans from Fermi America — a company led by former Energy Secretary Rick Perry — to build a large AI complex powered by gas and nuclear reactors in Texas.There are multiple factors that could swing forecasts, including the pace at which facilities ramp up, potential project delays and cancellations, and labor constraints. “There’s a lot of uncertainty about how much of this actually gets completed,” Wilson said. A report this week from Sightline Climate found about one-third of data centers scheduled to open this year may be delayed or never get built because of challenges such as limitations on power supplies and grid equipment shortages.Historically, efficiency gains have often helped offset growth in electricity demand. However, the scale and pace of video and image-intensive AI applications “are growing so quickly that efficiency improvements may not fully offset demand in the near term,” EPRI said in a fact sheet on the report.Additionally, any breakthrough in server efficiency would take time to have an effect on electricity use, considering long-term planning with supply chains, said Wilson.If a much more “efficient server were to come along, they would have to scale up really rapidly to make much of an impact [on power demand] through 2028,” he said.EPRI examined state-level data and announced projects to generate three scenarios for electricity growth.The least aggressive assumes that most data center projects under construction become operational by 2030, along with a quarter of initiatives in advanced planning. The most aggressive scenario — tied to the 17 percent forecast — considers that all under construction and advanced projects come online, along with 30 percent of those in the early planning stage.

Why the tab for powering data centers will keep rising — despite Trump’s pledge - Ordinary Americans are still on the hook for funding the U.S. data center boom — despite President Donald Trump’s promises Tuesday night and the tech industry’s pledges to shoulder more of the costs. The artificial intelligence industry’s rising demand for power lines, fuel, natural gas turbines, critical minerals, vacant land and other electric-grid essentials is already helping drive up power bills. And Trump’s assertion during the State of the Union that technology companies can pay for their own power generation would address only some of those causes of rising prices, energy industry experts told POLITICO. “We’re still in the very early innings of this ball game, and it’s really challenging to eliminate all risk,” Lakin Garth, senior director of grid strategy with industry group Smart Electric Power Alliance, said during a recent event for utility regulators. “It’s going to be a real challenge and a real difficult needle to thread.” In pitching his “ratepayer protection pledge,” Trump said the tech companies “have the obligation to provide for their own power needs. … I’m telling them they can build their own plant. They’re going to produce their own electricity.” But he and the White House offered no details on how the plan would work.Even so, Microsoft quickly heaped praise on the agreements Tuesday night, and other tech companies such as Google and Anthropic announced cost-conscious pledges ahead of Trump’s speech, in line with reports earlier this month that he would seek data center agreements.Energy Secretary Chris Wright told POLITICO after the speech that the administration had reached agreements with the “brand-name” AI companies — “all of them.”“We’ve had a lot of dialogues with data center developers to say, ‘You’ve got to have the American people on your side,’” Wright said as he was leaving the Capitol late Tuesday. He added: “The president’s very keen about the United States leading in AI, but it’s got to be a win for America — not just the Americans that use that AI.”Wright said that in addition to paying for the generation of the power their data centers will need, the tech companies would also “advance some money to add additions to the grid.”Analysts have called those commitments positive steps, though lacking in specifics, while Democrats said the pledges aren’t a strong enough guarantee against rising costs.“A handshake agreement with Big Tech over data center costs isn’t good enough,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said on X. “Americans need a guarantee that energy prices won’t soar and communities have a say.” Nearly 680 data centers are being planned in the United States, according to the data firm Cleanview, requiring the energy-equivalent of 186 large nuclear power plants. The hulking, concrete structures packed with electricity-guzzling servers are powering the AI models that Silicon Valley hails as the forge behind the next industrial revolution. Some of those AI hubs are so big they would require enough electricity to power millions of homes.The resulting scramble for energy has added to complaints about affordability that Trump has been grappling with since the start of his second term. The few details that the White House has announced so far about its deals with the tech industry make no mention of many of the burdens that the buildout and planning of large AI data centers could bring to nearly every region of the country.The waiting list for gas turbines — the most common way of generating electricity for both power plants and data centers — stretches out five years, and prices have more than doubled in that period. Copper and other commodities tied to the data center boom are seeing rapidly rising demand. Power plants can’t be built fast enough to meet data center demand, and that’s driving up the cost for turbines, “It’s unfortunate, but I think it’s a reality that we’re in a bit of a bidding war.” The largest U.S. technology companies project they’ll spend $600 billion on AI infrastructure including data centers in 2026. Still, concerns also revolve around the prospect that not every data center project will get built, leaving ratepayers stuck with data center costs.

Ohio towns are pushing back against data centers to varying degrees of success- The Allegheny Front -Danielle Fletcher loves her quiet home in Hamilton Township in rural southern Ohio. But, she’s worried that peace might be disrupted by a data center planned right across the street.“I’ve been pushing my township trustees for meetings, trying to get more information, trying to get a moratorium,” Fletcher said.Rural communities like hers have become a hotspot for large AI data centers. The state government has rolled out the red carpet for data centers, offering tech companies sales tax exemptions on materials to build data centers in Ohio.But many local governments across the state are resisting them.The power to push back differs from township to township. In some places like Preble County in southwest Ohio, data centers have to go through numerous planning commission approvals to move in. But in others, like Fletcher’s Hamilton Township, there are little to no zoning requirements that address the facilities.Some Ohio communities are implementing temporary bans on the data center industry altogether. Around 18 municipalities are considering or have already enacted moratoriums that pause construction and approval of data centers.Mark McGrail is a village council member in Lordstown, one of the first municipalities to institute such a ban. He said the community needs more time to research the impact of the industry.“This is not a simple thing,” McGrail said. “It’s not like some guy’s coming in and gonna build a warehouse or put in a little manufacturing plant. This is a really complicated business.”Residents across the state cite a number of concerns from noise pollution, to increased utility bills from the companies’ energy use, to environmental impact from wastewater discharge.Dan Diorio with the Data Center Coalition said the industry abides by noise regulations and will work with communities to address any concerns. He said tech companies are committed to covering their costs for energy and are building partnerships with utilities to expand energy access. He added many data centers also use closed-loop water systems to avoid discharging water and all centers abide by environmental regulations.“We’re trying to be that responsible and responsive partner in the communities and work to ensure that you know we’re bringing all the benefits we can to the communities where the data center industry locates,” Diorio said.He adds that data centers are economic drivers that can bring in millions in tax revenue. Data centers contributed $931 million in state and local taxes in 2023, according to an industry audit commissioned by the Data Center Coalition. A study by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation found the industry contributed to more than $1 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2024, although only $260 million of that was a direct contribution.Still, some municipalities, like South Bloomfield, are skeptical. The central Ohio village hasn’t been approached by data center developers but they’re working preemptively to block the industry, after watching backlash to the industry in neighboring communities.Village Administrator Joe Allen said data centers don’t fit the needs of their largely residential community.“It’d break my heart if we landed [a data center] here. Everybody is selling it like its the greatest thing ever and it’s not us, it’s not home,” Allen said.But, the efficacy of these moratoriums is still murky. Lordstown is entangled in a legal battle with a developer after blocking a data center bid. Jerome Township approved data center permits after a moratorium was put into place, according to reporting from the Columbus Dispatch.Beyond the specifics of those cases, there’s an inherent drawback: Moratoriums are only temporary.

CHESAPEAKE UTILITIES CORP SEC 10-K Report - Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, an energy delivery company operating primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Ohio, has released its annual 10-K report. The report highlights the company's robust financial performance, strategic initiatives, and the challenges it faces in the energy sector. Chesapeake Utilities focuses on natural gas, electricity, and propane distribution, as well as natural gas transmission and electricity generation.. Strategic Initiatives

• Strategic Initiatives: Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has undertaken several strategic initiatives to enhance its infrastructure and service capabilities. Key projects include pipeline expansions such as the St. Cloud/Twin Lakes and Wildlight expansions, which are expected to significantly increase adjusted gross margin in the coming years. The company is also investing in renewable natural gas supply projects and enhancing its CNG/RNG/LNG transportation infrastructure to meet growing demand. Regulatory initiatives like the Florida GUARD and FCG SAFE programs are designed to improve system reliability and safety, with substantial capital expenditures planned over a 10-year period.
• Capital Management: The company has been active in managing its capital structure, issuing $200 million in Senior Notes in 2025 to fund capital expenditures and reduce short-term borrowings. It also completed an overnight offering of 4.4 million shares in November 2023, raising $366.4 million to finance the acquisition of Florida City Gas. Chesapeake Utilities maintains a target equity-to-total capitalization ratio of 50-60% and has a revolving credit agreement with a borrowing capacity of $450 million. The company has also established an ATM program to issue up to $100 million in common stock through November 2027.
• Future Outlook: Looking ahead, Chesapeake Utilities plans to invest $450-500 million in capital expenditures for 2026, with a focus on regulated distribution, transmission, and infrastructure projects. The company aims to maintain its capital structure within the target range and continue exploring opportunities for growth through strategic acquisitions and infrastructure enhancements. The five-year capital expenditure guidance remains at $1.5-1.8 billion, with a strong emphasis on sustainable growth and regulatory compliance.

Challenges and Risks

• Financial Risks: The company's financial results may fluctuate significantly due to factors outside its control, impacting its ability to access capital markets at competitive rates. Rising interest rates and inflationary pressures could increase costs and affect profitability. Supply chain disruptions and changes in trade policies could also impact operations and financial performance.
• Operational Risks: The construction of new facilities is subject to regulatory and developmental risks, which could limit future growth. The company does not own all the land for its pipelines, posing potential operational disruptions. Competition in natural gas, electric, and propane markets could lead to customer loss. Weather fluctuations and severe weather events could significantly impact earnings and operational reliability.
• Regulatory, Legal, and Environmental Risks: The company faces regulatory risks from changes in the regulatory environment, which could affect financial performance. Pipeline safety legislation and environmental compliance could impose significant costs. Climate change regulations and initiatives could impact demand for the company's services and increase operational costs.
• Management Strategies: Management is focused on optimizing earnings growth through organic growth, territory expansions, and new products and services. The company is pursuing additional pipeline expansions and strategic acquisitions to support growth. Regulatory initiatives are being managed to align with growth strategies and investment plans.
• Market Risks: The company is exposed to market risks, including fluctuations in commodity prices, which could affect earnings and financing costs. The use of derivative instruments to hedge price risk may also impact financial results. Disruptions in credit and capital markets could affect the market price of the company's common stock.

Ohio Oil Production (from Utica) Hit Record-High in 2025 -Marcellus Drilling News - Ohio’s Utica/Point Pleasant shale production reached a record 48 million barrels of oil in 2025, a 39% increase from the previous year. While natural gas output remained stable at 2 trillion cubic feet, oil volumes have tripled since 2021. This surge was fueled by high-performing wells in the Northern Tier, specifically Columbiana and Mahoning counties, largely driven by EOG Resources and Encino Energy (which EOG bought in mid-2025 for $5.6 billion). Although southern hubs like Harrison and Carroll counties remain major producers, the expansion into northern regions highlights a significant shift in Ohio’s energy landscape and drilling success. Go North, young molecule!

Oil Production Soars Across Ohio's Utica Shale - The Youngstown Business Journal – Oil production skyrocketed throughout eastern Ohio’s Utica/Point Pleasant shale formation during 2025, helped along by consistent yields in areas such as Columbiana County, according to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Total oil production from horizontal wells in the Utica/Point Pleasant hit a state record of more than 48 million barrels last year, compared with 34.5 million barrels in 2024 – an increase of 39%, ODNR data show. Moreover, oil volumes during 2025 stand nearly three times higher than in 2021, when the state yielded approximately just 16.4 million barrels. Natural gas production, meanwhile, remained relatively stable at just more than 2 trillion cubic feet in 2025, according to ODNR. Helping oil production in recent years are wells drilled in the northern tier of the Utica/Point Pleasant – Columbiana County, for example – which have elicited strong returns in a region that was once regarded strictly as a dry and wet gas play. Oil produced from wells in Columbiana County stood at 1.431 million barrels in 2025 – or 3% of total state production – a drop of 4.2% compared with results a year earlier. In 2024, the county’s approximately 200 horizontal wells yielded 1.494 million barrels – or 4.3% of the state’s total production – the first time the county surpassed 1 million barrels for a year. All of the oil-producing wells in the county are owned by Houston-based EOG Resources’ affiliate EOG Ohio LLC. Last year, EOG acquired Encino Acquisition Partners’ Utica/Point Pleasant assets for $5.6 billion. The most promising well in Columbiana County is EOG’s Kitzmiller KNX 10H well in Knox Township. That well yielded a total of 376,345 barrels of oil in 2025 and 61,221 barrels in the fourth quarter. During the second quarter, that well ranked as the third most productive oil well in the state, pumping out 162,621 barrels over 91 days. Equally strong is a sister well at the Kitzmiller pad that produced 51,377 barrels during the fourth quarter and 318,401 barrels through all of last year. According to ODNR, Columbiana County reports 197 horizontal wells as of the fourth quarter of 2025. Of these wells, EOG owns 92, Hilcorp Energy Co. operates 89, and Pin Oak Energy Co. and Geopetro LLC operate eight apiece. Meanwhile, natural gas production from Columbiana County wells dropped year-over-year, according to ODNR records. In 2025, the county’s wells produced nearly 84.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas, compared with 92.3 billion cubic feet in 2024. Still, wells such as the Kitzmiller 10H recorded impressive results with natural gas production in 2025. During the third quarter, for example, the well yielded 1.075 billion cubic feet of gas and produced another 591.5 million cubic feet during the fourth quarter. Collectively, Columbiana County’s wells produced 18.979 billion cubic feet during the fourth quarter, according to ODNR. Among the most surprising finds last year in the Utica/Point Pleasant came in Mahoning County, where oil and natural gas production has historically been weak. EOG’s Wehr Valley Spring Farm well at the corner of Leffingwell Road and state Route 45 in Ellsworth Township produced 69,660 barrels of oil since it was first commissioned in the second half of 2025. The well yielded 40,489 barrels in the third quarter over 84 days and produced another 26,246 barrels during the fourth quarter, ODNR data show. Wells in Trumbull County have thus far yielded negligible oil and gas since production began more than a decade ago. Strong Wells Further SouthMuch of the attention in eastern Ohio’s Utica was initially focused on geology in the southern tier of the play, as exploration companies tapped vast reservoirs of both natural gas and oil in regions such as Carroll, Guernsey and Harrison counties. EOG’s Folsam CR well in Carroll County, for example, produced 195,194 barrels of oil during the second quarter, along with 953.5 million cubic feet of natural gas. In all, wells across Carroll County produced 12.342 million barrels of oil in 2025. Harrison County produced even more. Last year, wells drilled in that county pumped out more than 13 million barrels of oil. Wells in Belmont County, on the other hand, produced little oil but yielded nearly 500 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2025, approximately one-quarter of the state’s entire production.

A gargantuan natural gas plant is planned for Ohio. These stocks could benefit. - A deal announced this week between the U.S. and Japan could help fund the largest power plant ever built in America, and benefit companies that drill and transport natural gas in the region. Japanese companies could also be winners. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday plans for a 9.2 gigawatt natural gas plant in Ohio, which is expected to receive funding from the Japanese government. The plant would be more than twice as large as the biggest existing natural gas plant in America and could produce enough electricity to serve more than five million people. The total cost could come to $33 billion, according to the Commerce Department and the Japanese government. The Commerce Department didn’t respond to a request for details on the funding or the timeline for construction. Most conventional natural gas plants have less than 1 gigawatt of capacity and take at least five years to build. There is a good chance the power plant will be used for other purposes beyond residential electricity, given there are few major population centers nearby. The plant is being developed by SB Energy, which is backed by Japanese technology company Softbank. A fact sheet from the Japanese government says the plant will be used “to supply electricity to AI data centers, etc.” Softbank has several data center projects under way in the U.S., including one in Lordstown, Ohio, that is expected to be completed this year and is part of its Stargate project with OpenAI. The natural gas plant will be located in the southern Ohio town of Portsmouth. The area is rich in natural gas from deposits known as the Marcellus and Utica shale. Some of the producers and pipeline companies that operate there could be in good shape to profit off the project. Two of the largest producers in the area are EQT and Expand Energy, says Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital. Thummel also expects the plant to benefit companies that own nearby pipelines, including TC Energy and Enbridge. Japanese companies should benefit, too. Japan is likely to offer debt financing to the project, according to Jennifer Schuch-Page, an energy expert at The Asia Group. And Japanese companies—including names such as Toshiba, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Electric—may end up working on the project. “The Japanese government is trying to show back to its public that it’s not just giving money to the US—that it’s investing in projects that are profitable and will be beneficial to Japan’s interest,” Schuch-Page said.

OH Local, State Leaders Blindsided by Trump’s Big Gas-Fired Plant - Marcellus Drilling News - This seems kind of….odd. We’ve been tracking and reporting on what will be the country’s (and possibly the world’s) largest gas-fired power plant, coming to Portsmouth (Scioto County), Ohio. Last week, President Trump unveiled the first projects under a $550 billion trade deal with Japan, including a $36 billion investment in U.S. energy and minerals (see Trump Announces Largest-Ever U.S. Gas-Fired Plant Coming to Ohio). In exchange for reduced tariffs on imports, Tokyo committed to fund initiatives in Texas, Ohio, and Georgia. The centerpiece is a record-breaking 9.4-gigawatt, $33 billion natural gas power plant in Portsmouth, operated by SoftBank’s SB Energy (Japanese company). However, nobody told local officials in Portsmouth, nor county officials, nor even the Ohio governor. Prior to the announcement, none of them knew a thing about this “biggest ever” project.

Is World’s Biggest Gas Plant Coming to Ohio? It’s Complicated | Energy Intelligence -To hear the White House describe it, a new gas-fired power plant in southern Ohio would be the largest of its kind in the world, financed by a Japanese conglomerate to the tune of $33 billion. It would produce enough electricity to power 7.4 million homes and help meet the exploding demand from data centers.

Pipeline lawsuit brought liens to western Erie County. They are over - GoErie.com ...Property owners in western Erie County were baffled by $18.9 million in pipeline-related mechanic's liens placed on some of their land in late 2020. Now, the liens have been discontinued in court.In December 2020, scores of property owners in Albion and other areas of western Erie County were unwittingly caught up in a federal lawsuit over the construction of an $86 million pipeline for natural gas. The plaintiff in the lawsuit, an energy-services company based in Houston, Texas, had the property owners served with mechanic's liens — documents that contractors attach to property to secure payment of a debt.. The amount the debt listed on each lien was an astronomical $18,946,185.... Natural gas transmission lines were common near Route 20 in North Kingsville, Ohio...A lawyer for the Wood Group, Neal Devlin, of Erie, did not respond to a request for comment. But the discontinuation of the liens appears to be the result of a settlement in the lawsuit that the Wood Group filed in U.S. District Court in Houston...

Mechanic’s Liens on OH/PA Landowners for Risberg Pipe Finally Lifted - Marcellus Drilling News - click map for larger version - Here’s a story we haven’t revisited in oh, about five years, because there was nothing new to report. In March 2019, MDN brought you the news that Wood Group had been awarded a $34 million contract to build 28 miles of the 60-mile Risberg Pipeline from Crawford County, PA, to Ashtabula County, OH (see Wood Wins $34M Contract to Build PA to OH Risberg Pipeline). The portion Wood built was a new “greenfield” pipeline. The rest of the pipeline (32 miles) already existed and was repurposed. There is an ongoing controversy between Wood and RH energytrans (the owner) concerning payment for services rendered that grew to involve the landowners whose property the pipeline crossed.

Enough is enough: Salt Fork up for fracking after last year's blast –Save Ohio Parks- After a massive explosion about five miles away from Salt Fork State Park last year, an unknown oil and gas company has nominated 513 acres of pristine park land for fracking. This nomination sits in front of the Ohio and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC). Tell the commission that there will no more drilling on public land.First responders to the well pad explosion stated they saw “100-foot flames” leap into the air. There was an areawide evacuation, forcing families to leave their homes.Now a company wants to come in and put the area at further risk by proposing fracking seven parcels totaling 513 acres of land throughout the park. Salt Fork hosts campers, birders, fishers, hunters as well as host of other outdoor recreational activities. It is the home of the beautiful Salt Fork Lake, the historic Kennedy Stone House, as well as an overnight lodge and over 50 cabins.This is just some of what makes Salt Fork great and why we’re calling on you to tell the commission not to allow drilling there.Go to the OGLMC nomination comment form, and choose Nomination 26-DNR-0003. Fill out the form and put your comment in the comment box. You are welcome to use our sample comment below, but please personalize it to make your comment your own. Explain what Ohio’s state parks and public lands mean to you. Tell a story about visiting Salt Fork or another park. Explain why you do not want to see our state parks fracked.

EQT Expands Clarington Connector, Targets Tightening Ohio Natural Gas Supply - EQT Corp. is upsizing its planned Clarington Connector pipeline by 33% to 400 MMcf/d, positioning the Appalachian producer eyes to move natural gas into Ohio as dry gas Utica Shale inventory in the state thins toward the end of the decade. Map of EQT’s Clarington Connector Project in Ohio showing the proposed pink pipeline route linking the EQT system in Belmont and Monroe counties to Marshall County, WV, expanding Appalachian natural gas takeaway capacity." At A Glance:

• Clarington capacity raised to 400 MMcf/d
• Ohio Utica seen declining after 2030
• Appalachia basis narrows vs. Henry Hub

Ohio’s ‘Bad Faith’ Bar for Mineral Trespass a Win for Drillers - Ohio’s Revised Code Section 5303.34 (part of House Bill 96, recently passed and signed into law) significantly shifts mineral trespass law, favoring oil and gas operators over landowners. Replacing common-law precedent, the new statute limits default damages to net revenue minus production costs, ensuring industry expense credits. Crucially, it creates a high bar for “bad faith,” requiring plaintiffs (landowners and rights owners) to prove an operator’s specific intent to steal minerals or actual knowledge of illegality. Since a “reasonable belief” in a lease or permit now negates bad faith, landowners face a difficult path to full revenue recovery

Gulfport Eyes 5% Growth in Production & New Drilling in 2026 -Marcellus Drilling News - Gulfport Energy is the third-largest driller in the Ohio Utica Shale (by the number of wells drilled). Gulfport released its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 update yesterday. The company reports delivering a strong performance during the period, with total net production reaching 1.10 Bcfe per day and net liquids production rising 12% over the fourth quarter of 2024 to 18.2 MBbl per day. Financial highlights included $132.4 million in net income and $234.8 million in adjusted EBITDA, supported by $185.4 million in net cash from operating activities and $120.2 million in adjusted free cash flow. Gulfport spent $25 million on drilling and completions (D&C) and $11.4 million on maintenance, land, and leasehold spending. The company spent an additional $55.7 million on discretionary appraisal and development. Furthermore, the company expanded its footprint through the acquisition of $47.2 million in opportunistic acreage.

Infinity Natural Resources Completes Transformational $1.2 Billion Acquisition of Ohio Utica Assets -Infinity Natural Resources, Inc. today announced the successful completion of its transformational $1.2 billion acquisition of upstream and midstream assets in the Ohio Utica Shale from Antero Resources Corporation and Antero Midstream Corporation (the "Transaction"). Announced on December 8, 2025, the Transaction represents INR's acquisition of an undivided 60% interest, increased from the originally announced 51% interest following the Company's previously announced $350 million strategic equity investment from Quantum Capital Group ("Quantum") and Carnelian Energy Capital Management ("Carnelian") that closed simultaneously with the Transaction. In addition to using proceeds from the strategic equity investment, the Transaction was funded through Infinity's existing credit facility and cash on hand, requiring no additional equity issuance.The addition of these assets to Infinity’s portfolio significantly enhances the Company’s position in the core Ohio Utica Shale, adding approximately 71,000 net horizontal acres in the core of the Utica Shale concentrated in Ohio’s Guernsey, Belmont and Harrison counties, and 110+ undeveloped long lateral drilling locations totaling 1.6 million lateral feet across volatile oil, rich gas and dry gas windows, on an 8/8ths basis. The midstream and marketing assets include 141 miles of high- and low-pressure gathering lines with 600 mmcf/d throughput capacity, providing immediate vertical integration benefits and substantial operational synergies."This transformational acquisition represents a hand-in-glove fit with our existing Ohio operations and further solidifies our compelling long-term growth platform," said Zack Arnold, President and Chief Executive Officer of Infinity Natural Resources. "We are acquiring a position we know very well that provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities to deliver shareholder value through our best-in-class operations and focused development of the area. The combination of high-quality acreage, extensive drilling inventory, and integrated midstream infrastructure augments our capital efficiency and returns while positioning us to capitalize on the significant development opportunities in the Ohio Utica core.

Infinity ups Utica stake in $1.2 billion Antero Ohio deal with $350 million equity backing (WO) — Infinity Natural Resources has increased its ownership in the $1.2-billion Antero Ohio Utica Shale acquisition to 60%, funded in part by a $350-million strategic equity investment from Quantum Capital Group and Carnelian Energy Capital. The Morgantown-based independent agreed to raise its stake from 51% under an arrangement with Northern Oil and Gas, positioning Infinity to expand its footprint in eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale. The $350-million investment will be made through Series A convertible preferred stock and is expected to close alongside the Antero Ohio acquisition, which Infinity anticipates completing by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Infinity said the capital infusion will reduce pro forma leverage, increase liquidity and support continued development across its Appalachian Basin drilling inventory. A portion of the proceeds will also be used to repay borrowings under the company’s senior secured revolving credit facility. "Quantum and Carnelian bring deep energy sector expertise and a proven track record of partnering with management teams to drive operational excellence and strategic growth," Zack Arnold, president and CEO of Infinity, said. "Their investment further validates our strategic direction while allowing us to increase our participation in the Antero Ohio acquisition and maintain a conservative capital structure. The transaction furthers our financial flexibility to pursue additional accretive growth opportunities. We are excited to have Matt Kelly from Carnelian join the Board at closing." "Infinity's strong operational execution and successful organic drilling program demonstrate management’s ability to create significant stakeholder value in the Appalachian Basin," said Rob Anderson, Managing Director at Quantum. "We are excited to partner with Infinity as a strategic investor and to support its transformational Antero Ohio acquisition and continued growth trajectory." "The combination of Infinity's operational excellence and the strategic scale provided by the Antero Ohio acquisition positions the company as a leading consolidator in one of North America's premier unconventional basins," said Matt Kelly, Managing Director at Carnelian. "This investment aligns with our focus on partnering with best-in-class management teams executing accretive growth strategies." On an as-converted basis, the preferred equity would represent approximately 20.5% of Infinity’s voting power. The preferred shares carry an 8% annual dividend for the first five years, increasing to 12% thereafter, and are convertible at $21.39 per share — a 30% premium to the five-day volume-weighted average price prior to signing. BofA Securities is acting as sole placement agent on the transaction. Infinity focuses on development of the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio and stacked dry gas assets in the Marcellus and Utica formations in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Infinity, NOG adjust Ohio Utica acquisition split, close deal – MSN - -Infinity Natural Resources and Northern Oil and Gas (NOG) announced last week that they had agreed to adjust the ownership split of their pending acquisition of Utica shale assets in Ohio from Antero Resources and Antero Midstream. This week, this was followed by an announcement from the companies saying they had closed the acquisition. Infinity said on February 19 that it had agreed to increase its stake in the $1.2bn Utica acquisition to 60%, compared with 51% previously. This came after the company secured $350mn in equity investment from energy-focused private capital investors Quantum Capital Group and Carnelian Energy Capital Management. The investment involved Series A convertible preferred stock, which Infinity said would “significantly” reduce its leverage while boosting its liquidity. According to the Quantum bought $275mn of the preferred stock, while Carnelian purchased $75mn worth of it. The preferred shares carry an 8% per year dividend for the first five years, rising to 12% thereafter, and can later be converted to Class A common stock. Only a portion of the proceeds from this investment will be used to increase Infinity’s stake in the Utica acquisition. The remainder is set to be used for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of borrowings under Infinity’s senior secured revolving credit facility. NOG, for its part, said it would now acquire a 40% interest in the assets being bought from Antero, compared with 49% previously. In a separate February 19 announcement, NOG said its share of the purchase price would be reduced to $480mn from $588mn as a result of the ownership adjustment. The purchase price remained on the same pro rata economic terms as originally announced, NOG noted. “By adjusting the sizing of our interest, NOG also optimises and increases its financial flexibility to allow for further participation in inorganic and organic growth opportunities as they emerge in the coming year,” stated NOG’s CEO, Nick O’Grady. On February 23, the companies followed up with separate announcements saying they had closed the Utica acquisition. “This transformational acquisition represents a hand-in-glove fit with our existing Ohio operations and further solidifies our compelling long-term growth platform,” stated Infinity’s president and CEO, Zack Arnold. “We are acquiring a position we know very well that provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities to deliver shareholder value through our best-in-class operations and focused development of the area. The combination of high-quality acreage, extensive drilling inventory, and integrated midstream infrastructure augments our capital efficiency and returns while positioning us to capitalise on the significant development opportunities in the Ohio Utica core.”
NOG finalises $464.5m acquisition of Utica Shale assets - Northern Oil and Gas (NOG) has announced the completion of its purchase of non-operated interests in the Utica Shale in Ohio, US, from Antero Resources and Antero Midstream. The transaction was finalised through a payment of $464.5m, which includes a $58.8m deposit made at signing. Announced in December 2025, the transaction involved joint acquisition with Infinity Natural Resources (INR) for a combined price of $1.2bn in cash. Under the terms of the deal, NOG acquired a 40% interest, while INR bought a 60% stake. NOG utilised cash on hand, operational free cash flow and its revolving credit facility to fund the acquisition. The acquired properties span approximately 35,000 net acres in eastern Ohio's Utica Shale. They comprise more than 100 gross identified undeveloped locations. For 2026, these assets are projected to produce approximately 65 million cubic feet (mcf) equivalent per day, primarily comprising gas, with expectations for a compound annual growth rate exceeding 30% through the end of the decade. This growth is anticipated under a continuous one-rig development approach. Additionally, these assets are expected to generate unhedged cash flow from operations amounting to around $100m in 2026 at current strip prices.

Northern Oil And Gas Expands Utica Footprint And Increases Lending Flexibility

• Northern Oil and Gas (NYSE:NOG) has closed an acquisition of non-operated properties in the core of the Ohio Utica Shale.
• The company has also secured an upsized reserves-based lending facility through an amended credit agreement.
• The transaction expands NOG's upstream and midstream asset base, and the larger lending facility adds financial flexibility.

The Ohio Utica Shale acquisition gives Northern Oil and Gas fresh exposure to a core US gas and liquids basin while staying true to its non-operated model. By taking a 40% stake alongside Antero Resources and Antero Midstream, NOG is effectively tying its fortunes to operators that focus on Appalachia, which can add basin diversification to its existing Williston, Permian, Uinta and other positions. On the funding side, increasing the elected commitment on the reserves-based lending facility to US$1.8b and the borrowing base to US$1.975b, with terms otherwise unchanged, widens NOG’s liquidity without introducing new structural complexity. For you, the key questions are how much incremental production, cash flow stability and midstream access these Utica assets can provide, and whether the larger facility will be used for further acquisitions, debt management or shareholder returns. Comparing this model with other upstream companies such as Devon Energy, EOG Resources or Marathon Oil can help you gauge where a non-operated, acquisition-driven approach like NOG’s sits on your own risk and reward spectrum. How This Fits Into The Northern Oil and Gas Narrative

• The focus on acquiring long-dated, stable production assets lines up with the narrative that NOG is using M&A and basin diversification to support more resilient cash flows over time.
• The reliance on acquisitions for growth is also one of the key risks in the narrative, and a larger credit facility can increase that exposure if future deals do not meet return hurdles.
• The addition of Utica midstream interests and the extra lending headroom may not be fully reflected in the existing narrative’s view of operational risk sharing and optionality for future deals.

Antero Resources completes $800 million Utica Shale asset sale - Antero Resources Corporation announced Monday the completion of the previously disclosed sale of substantially all of its Utica Shale oil and gas assets. The assets were sold to an affiliate of Natural Resources, Inc. and Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NOG) for total cash consideration of $800 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments and other items. The transaction was carried out by Antero Resources and certain wholly-owned subsidiaries, as outlined in the purchase and sale agreement dated December 5, 2025.The $10.5 billion company has demonstrated strong financial health, with a perfect Piotroski Score of 9 indicating robust financial strength. Revenue grew nearly 20% over the last twelve months to $5.14 billion.The company also confirmed that it had previously issued a conditional notice of full redemption for its 7.625% senior notes due 2029. With the closing of the Utica Shale asset sale, the conditions for redeeming the 2029 notes have been met. The notes are scheduled to be redeemed on Tuesday. The company currently carries $3.53 billion in total debt. This information is based on a press release statement included in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Antero Resources Sells Utica Assets to Reduce Debt - On February 23, 2026, Antero Resources completed the previously announced sale of substantially all of its Utica Shale oil and gas assets in Ohio to an affiliate of Infinity Natural Resources and Northern Oil and Gas for $800 million in cash, subject to customary closing and effective-date adjustments. The transaction marks a major portfolio shift for Antero and enables the company to proceed with the full redemption of its 7.625% senior notes due 2029, which will be redeemed on February 24, 2026, signaling balance sheet deleveraging and a potential improvement in its financial flexibility for stakeholders.With the closing of the Utica Shale asset sale, Antero has effectively exited a large portion of its Ohio asset base, reshaping its operational footprint within the U.S. shale sector. The imminent redemption of the 2029 notes following the sale underscores the company’s focus on using asset monetization proceeds to reduce debt, which could strengthen its capital structure and impact its standing among creditors and investors.Antero Resources Corporation is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company focused on shale development in the United States. The company’s portfolio has included significant positions in the Utica Shale and related midstream assets, supplying hydrocarbons to domestic markets through its operated subsidiaries and partnerships.

EOG Resources beats profit estimates on strong output, higher gas prices (Reuters) - EOG Resources beat estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, as higher output and elevated natgas prices offset the impact of a drop in crude prices. U.S. natural gas futures rose over 11% sequentially in the fourth quarter, driven by stronger demand and increased pipeline volumes, breaking a falling streak that started in the second quarter due to record‑high U.S. production.EOG said it produced about 1.40 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the fourth quarter, compared with 1.09 million boepd a year earlier.The company's $5.6 billion purchase of Encino Acquisition Partners in May helped lift production and broadened EOG's foothold in the Utica Shale, one of the country's most productive natural gas regions.The average realized prices for natural gas stood at $3 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf), compared with $2.57 per Mcf a year earlier.The average realized price of oil, however, fell to $59.54 per barrel from $71.66 per barrel a year earlier.Global crude oil prices have been pressured by growing worries of a glut and the increasing prospect of Venezuela adding more barrels to global supply.The company said it expects current-year production to be in the range of 1.37 million boepd to 1.42 million boepd and between 1.35 million boepd and 1.40 million boepd for the first quarter.

EQT Upsizes Clarington Connector, Announces Strong Fern Flows on MVP - Appalachia’s largest natural gas producer, EQT, announced during its Q4 2025 earnings call last week that it now has plans to make the Clarington Connector pipeline a 400 MMcf/d project, up from 300 MMcf/d earlier. The pipeline is planned to carry gas from Pennsylvania into Ohio, where it will take advantage of the pricing spread between M2 and Rex Zone 3. Exposure to planned data center demand in Ohio is also a catalyst for the pipe, which is expected to be in service by the end of this year. EQT’s CFO Jeremy Knop also predicted that Ohio Utica gas production will “go into structural decline” in the 2030s, increasing the importance of pipes in Ohio that can draw gas from “a much deeper inventory base on the Pennsylvania side.” EQT also announced important information regarding Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The company purchased a portion of ConEdison’s interest in the pipeline, increasing its ownership stake from 49% to 53% and making it the majority owner. In the earnings call, EQT noted that during Winter Storm Fern, MVP flowed 6% above its nameplate capacity of 2 Bcf/d, helping gas reach the Southeast during a time of soaring spot prices. As seen in the purple line in the chart below, deliveries to Transco on MVP have averaged 100% of utilization capacity over the first month and a half of this year.

Antis File Lawsuit to Challenge Va. Permit for MVP Southgate Pipeline – Marcellus Drilling News - Several Big Green groups, including the Sierra Club, Wild Virginia, Appalachian Voices, and the Center for Biological Diversity, have filed a legal challenge against a permit issued by Virginia for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) Southgate extension. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approved a water permit for the project in January 2026. Big Green radicals argue that the pipeline “threatens” 138 streams, wetlands, and regional drinking water supplies. It’s the typical lawfare tactic used by the left to stall work on projects, hoping to delay them long enough that the builder (EQT in this case) gives up. Or if the builder won’t give up, they have to pay double or triple the price to construct it. That’s the game the radicals are playing.

Radical Groups File Lawsuit to Block Dominion Va. Peaker Plants - Marcellus Drilling News - The far-left Southern Environmental Law Center, representing three radical nonprofits, has appealed the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s (SCC) approval of Dominion Energy’s $1.47 billion natural gas plant in Chesterfield County. The challenge is the first under both the Virginia Environmental Justice Act and the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Antis argue the 1,000-megawatt facility would disproportionately “harm” marginalized communities through increased pollution and significant health risks, including premature deaths. Critics maintain that Dominion failed to prioritize renewable alternatives or demonstrate a genuine threat to grid reliability, potentially placing unnecessary financial and health burdens on the public.

Largest US Gas Producer Vexed by Its Own Marketing Shortfalls | Energy Intelligence --Expand Energy’s interim CEO wasted little time challenging his management team to do better, insisting the largest US gas producer ramp up its marketing efforts and midstream partnerships to extract more value from its gas.Expand Energy's interim CEO warned the company "has not done enough" to maximize gas production revenues through its downstream and midstream strategies.

U.S. Propane Stocks Show Modest Draw as Regional Imbalances Deepen - The EIA reported a 1.7 MMbbl draw in total U.S. propane/propylene inventories for the week ended February 20. While the draw exceeded industry expectations of a 1.4 MMbbl decline, it was smaller than the five-year average draw of 2.2 MMbbl for the same week. Total inventories now stand at 72.5 MMbbl, which is 20.9 MMbbl (41%) above year-ago levels, 11.9 MMbbl (20%) above the five-year maximum, and 23.7 MMbbl (49%) above the five-year average. A significant portion of the surplus continues to be held in PADD 3. PADD 1 (East Coast) propane inventories declined by 402 Mbbl to 3.3 MMbbl. Stocks are 919 Mbbl (22%) below year-ago levels, 335 Mbbl (9%) below the five-year minimum, and 930 Mbbl (22%) under the five-year average, with inventories now at their lowest level for this week since 2018, underscoring the region’s tight supply position. In contrast, PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) inventories increased by 35 Mbbl to 51.8 MMbbl and remain historically elevated, standing 18.9 MMbbl (57%) above year-ago levels, 14.9 MMbbl (41%) above the five-year maximum, and 22.6 MMbbl (78%) above the five-year average.

Can the Haynesville Meet a Growing Global Thirst for LNG? | Energy Intelligence -International gas buyers are starting to look beyond the Haynesville Shale for long-term gas supply as the Texas-Louisiana basin's long-term prospects wane, executives at US gas producer EQT said this week. But some analysts say the Haynesville's growth trajectory will depend on who is drilling there — and how aggressively.

$5 Billion Pipeline Deal Could Be Coming to the Gulf Coast --Texas-based EnCap Flatrock Midstream is considering a sale of gas pipeline operator Momentum Midstream in a deal that could fetch $5 billion. According to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources, the venture capital firm is currently talking with financial advisers to find a buyer. The sources noted that talks are in their early stages and EnCap Flatrock Midstream may eventually decide against a sale.If it does sell Momentum Midstream, however, it would make one of the largest deals in the oil and gas pipeline space, after the Brookfield Infrastructure Partners acquisition of Colonial Enterprises for $9 billion.Momentum Midstream operates a network of 4,000 miles of pipelines with a system capacity of 6 billion cu ft of natural gas daily. The company reports some 4 billion cu ft in minimum volume commitments and 20 billion cu ft in daily connectivity via 91 interconnections. Momentum services 10 LNG-producing facilities and 26 power plants.Natural gas pipelines have become coveted assets in the energy space amid soaring demand for gas from the tech industry. The demand trends have prompted a massive pipeline investment rush, with a total of 12 projects for new or expanded gas pipelines set to be completed this year across Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.These projects are set to boost the U.S. Gulf Coast region’s capacity to transport natural gas by 13%, per data compiled by Bloomberg on the basis of EIA estimates. That would be the biggest expansion of pipeline capacity in one year since the dawn of the shale gas boom in 2008.Companies have committed $50 billion worth of investments in new gas pipelines that would add 8,800 miles of new pipeline in the United States, energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie said last year, noting that this time the investment wave was led by producers of liquefied natural gas, power utilities, and Big Tech, which is on a data center construction spree amid the heating AI race.

METLEN/Shell LNG Deal Boosts Demand for U.S. NatGas Exports - Marcellus Drilling News - METLEN (Greek energy company) and Shell have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply and trading between 2027 and 2031. This partnership allows the Greek company to secure up to one billion cubic meters of LNG annually, leveraging domestic terminals and the Vertical Gas Corridor to supply Central Europe and Ukraine. The agreement highlights Greece’s growing importance as a strategic energy hub designed to replace Russian gas with U.S.-produced alternatives. This shift is further reinforced by increased Mediterranean exploration by major U.S. firms such as Chevron and ExxonMobil, solidifying the region’s role in European energy security. Believe it or not, there are implications for the Marcellus/Utica region.

Aramco Starts Natural Gas Production at Middle East’s Largest Shale Play - Here are three things to know about the global LNG market this week. Venture Global Inc. has signed its first long-term deal with a South Korean offtaker, agreeing to supply LNG to Hanwha Aerospace Co. Ltd. Under the sales and purchase agreement, Venture Global said it would sell Hanwha 1.5 million tons/year (Mt/y) of the super-chilled fuel for 20 years beginning in 2030.

Late-Stage Commissioning Begins at Corpus Christi Expansion, Golden Pass After Key FERC Approvals -Federal regulators granted major approvals to Gulf Coast LNG facilities this week, starting the timer for another large incremental boost in feed gas nominations. At A Glance:

• Pipeline flows in Texas accelerating
• Commissioning boosts nominations
• U.S. LNG feed gas demand nearing 20 Bcf/d

Cheniere Brings Another Train Online at Corpus Christi LNG -Cheniere Energy Inc. produced first LNG this week from the fifth train at its Corpus Christi LNG (CCL) Stage 3 expansion in South Texas and remains on track to bring the project’s remaining two trains online by this fall, management said Thursday during a year-end earnings call. At A Glance:

• 9 Mt/y of liquefaction under construction
• 40 Mt/y of additional capacity planned
• Sabine Pass expansion FID set for 2027

Cheniere Announces Progress on Corpus Stage 3 --The nation’s largest exporter of LNG gave an update on construction at Corpus Christi LNG during its earnings call on Thursday. The company estimates that more than 87% of construction work related to the original Corpus Christi Stage 3 project has now been completed, along with nearly all engineering and procurement work. Cheniere’s CEO Jack Fusco stated that Trains 3 and 4 of the project were substantially completed in Q4 2025, and substantial completion of Trains 5, 6 and 7 are expected to occur later this year. For Train 5 specifically, first LNG was achieved earlier this month. Cheniere also reported progress on the Midscale Trains 8 and 9 project, which only reached Final Investment Decision (FID) in June of last year. Substantial completion of that project is now expected in 2028. As seen in the table above, Corpus Christi feedgas, which includes the operational portion of the Stage 3 expansion, has been strong lately. We estimate that feedgas exceeded 3 Bcf/d for every day of the past week, contributing to overall U.S. feedgas that exceeded 19 Bcf/d on every day except one.

Cheniere Bets Big on Asian LNG Demand Through 2050 --Cheniere Energy led North America’s expansion into LNG in 2016. Ten years later, the company is placing its growth bets on a rising Asian market. Cheniere Energy's long-term Asian contracts and brownfield expansion strategy reveal where executives see global LNG demand heading through 2050.

U.S. LNG Feedgas Demand Robust as Golden Pass Takes Significant Feedgas -- U.S. LNG feedgas demand remained strong last week, with all operational terminals at or above full contracted utilization and Golden Pass has begun taking meaningful feedgas volumes for the first time. Feedgas demand averaged nearly 19 Bcf/d last week, up 0.05 Bcf/d week-on-week. The average has been nearly 18.5 Bcf/d since the beginning of November, compared to 14 Bcf/d at the same time last year. The largest growth driver has been Plaquemines LNG, which is technically still commissioning but has been producing LNG at full utilization since then. More growth is expected this year as Corpus Christi Stage III continues to ramp up online and Golden Pass is expected to begin producing LNG soon. On February 17, intake at Golden Pass jumped from around 30 MMcf/d to 171 MMcf/d and hit nearly 300 MMcf/d over the weekend. ExxonMobil said it expects to begin LNG production at Golden Pass by early March.

Federal Approval of Rio Grande Tanks Signals Progress Toward 2027 First LNG - A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers

• 720,000 cubic meters: NextDecade Corp. has received authorization from federal regulators to build Storage Tanks 3 and 4 at its Rio Grande LNG facility in South Texas. At full capacity, the first phase of Rio Grande LNG is designed to have four tanks with a combined storage of 720,000 cubic meters, an equivalent of 15–16 Bcf of natural gas. Commencement of construction of the final two tanks sheds clues as to when trains could be commissioned at the facility. Tanks can typically take 24-36 months to be completed and are essential before a terminal can begin late-stage commissioning and LNG production. First LNG is anticipated sometime in 2027, according to NextDecade.
• 19.4 Bcf/d: U.S. LNG feed gas nominations have moderated after flirting with an all-time high last week, but are still expected to sustain more than 5 Bcf/d over last year’s level during the same period. Feed gas flows were estimated at 19.5 Bcf/d over the last seven days and are expected to float around 19.4 Bcf/d in the coming seven, according to Wood Mackenzie data. Nominations reached 19.8 Bcf on Feb. 22, tying with the last record set in January.
• 2.7 Mt: U.S. LNG exports are expected to see a week/week gain the week of Feb. 23 as LNG demand in Latin America and Egypt heats up. Volumes from the United States are set to increase 0.15 million tons (Mt), or about 2 cargoes, to 2.7 Mt, according to Kpler predictive data. The increase was driven by more than 0.2 Mt destined for the Caribbean and South America and several cargoes shifting toward Egypt. Meanwhile, LNG cargoes to Europe are set to fall by 0.63 Mt week/week as the continent eyes milder weather forecasts in the coming weeks.
• 2008: Winter heating demand and pressure to fill storage across the U.S. Northeast is driving imports to a Canadian import terminal to an almost five-year high. Saint John LNG is on track to receive its eighth LNG cargo by the end of the month, marking 0.48 Mt in imports, according to Kpler data. That volume is almost as much as the facility received in 2025, the previous highest import year since 2021. The pull for LNG cargoes to North America’s northeastern market has also attracted the first cargo from Australia since 2008. A vessel from Curtis LNG in Queensland is expected to arrive at the facility Thursday, according to Kpler data.

EOG Leverages South Texas Play to Secure LNG Contracts with Global Price Exposure - Executives at Houston’s EOG Resources Inc. called the firm’s Dorado natural gas play in South Texas a “foundational asset” for its high returns, with significant “running room” and the ability to support dedicated crews while generating free cash flow. Line chart titled “NGI’s Agua Dulce Daily Natural Gas Prices” shows Agua Dulce cash prices from Feb 2025 to Feb 2026, mostly between $2-$4/MMBtu before spiking above $14/MMBtu in late January 2026, then retreating near $2/MMBtu. At A Glance:

• Dorado $1.40/Mcf breakeven
• Ties volumes to JKM, Brent
• EOG grows output year/year in 4Q

GasCon 2026: Gas Market is 'All Gas, No Brakes,' But Midstream, Storage Are Critical for Growth - The fundamentals of the natural gas market have never been better, but the continued buildout of midstream infrastructure remains critical to meeting supply-and-demand needs in the coming years, a trio of industry experts said during a panel discussion Wednesday at RBN’s GasCon 2026 conference in Houston. Sital Moody, President of Natural Gas Pipelines at Kinder Morgan, said pipeline developments will need to focus on three things in the coming years – unlocking supply, building new infrastructure and debottlenecking problem areas, and increasing ways to reach the end-user market. If those challenges can be met, he said, big things are ahead. “When I take a step back and reflect on the natural gas industry, the one thing that comes to mind for me is all gas, no brakes,” he said. Danielle Bertoldi, a technical adviser at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) emphasized that better gas-electric coordination has become a much-bigger priority, a lesson learned that hard way during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri. “What used to be very siloed sectors, the electric sector and the gas sector, designed very differently … we’re at the point now where you can’t really differentiate between the two industries, you have to consider them together if you want to maintain reliability for the U.S. grid,” she said. Gas storage (see map below) is becoming an increasingly important part of the supply-demand mix, especially as U.S. LNG exports are poised to increase sharply in the next few years. Dave Marchese, CEO of Caliche Storage, said a single LNG train that trips offline could divert up to 1 Bcf/d of natural gas to storage. Natural gas storage facilities in the Lower 48. (map) The U.S. saw a significant overbuild of natural gas storage in the early 2000s, but all of that capacity is now gone, Marchese said. “(Storage) prices were stinky for a really long time, but as my mom says, ‘Keep something in the closet for about 10 years and it’ll come back in style,” he said. “All that storage got bought cheap … gas production and consumption has more than doubled and storage has done nothing, so we’re in style again.” He said there are two main holdups to getting more storage built – storage is more expensive than it was a few years ago and storage developers are looking for the long-term contracts (10 or 15 years) necessary to secure financing. In the past, storage contracts were much shorter. The time to line up storage is now, he said. “There is a pain point that’s coming. We’re not there yet,” he said. “When you look at these 2-, 3-Bcf/d chunks of LNG terminals that are coming online, I see in 2027 and 2028 a real squeeze.”

GasCon 2026: Producers Can Deliver Gas, But Infrastructure is Critical | RBN Energy - Two giant natural gas producers and an analytics expert are hopeful natural gas will remain available to meet growing demand, but logistical and infrastructure challenges will shape how smoothly they can get it to market. In a panel narrated by RBN President and CEO David Braziel at the company’s GasCon 2026 conference on Wednesday in Houston, the gas producers said they plan to use AI and ramp up technology to effectively grab natural gas. “The question this panel is going to get at is: Will there be enough natural gas? And that depends on the price signals, the infrastructure buildout, and how quickly operators can respond,” said Anders Hyde, Director of Fundamental and Quantitative Analytics at Expand Energy, one of the nation’s largest natural gas producers. Also on the panel was James Pearson, Senior Consultant of Market Analysis of ConocoPhillips, and Brandon Myers, Head of Research at Novi Labs. Pearson said ConocoPhillips envisions drilling in the Permian for more than a decade. “We don’t see oil being depleted to 2035, and gas maybe five years after that,” he said. Hyde and Pearson said they’re using better strategies and technology to slash costs when producing wells, but there's no silver bullet. “I can’t point to one specific thing. … It’s a series of continuous improvements," Hyde said. Demand isn’t the issue, the panelists agreed, because AI and data centers are pushing a huge demand for gas, but they argued that interstate pipelines, storage and the pace of these buildouts are critical for the industry. Myers also cautioned against putting too much stake in the “dark horse gas plays,” because many of them can be quite expensive and challenging to capture gas efficiently and effectively.

GasCon 2026: Brouillette Says Energy Demand Will Rise, But Permits and Infrastructure Must Be In Place | RBN Energy Today’s energy challenge is not a shortage of natural gas resources or lack of demand, but whether infrastructure, permitting systems and policies can keep up with rapidly expanding global energy needs, Dan Brouillette, the 15th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, said during the keynote presentation at RBN's GasCon 2026 conference Wednesday in Houston. Speaking to a crowd of about 300 oil and gas leaders, he noted that in Washington, announcements are often treated as accomplishments, but “gas doesn’t move on press releases, it moves on pipelines.” Brouillette stressed that pulling or delaying permits creates uncertainty that discourages investment, and he highlighted a structural regulatory mismatch because pipelines and gas suppliers operate under different rules than electric utilities, which are legally obligated to keep the lights and heat on. But the big issue is permits and infrastructure, he said. If the U.S. executes well, the current LNG buildout could cement American energy leadership for generations, but if the country stumbles, those projects could move elsewhere. The Energy Information Administration estimates that LNG exports will reach about 18 Bcf/d by 2027. “So, production in the United States is resilient and around the world is resilient as well," he said. Brouillette wrapped up his keynote with a word of thanks to the industry. “On behalf of all of America … thank you for what you're doing. It makes me emotional. I got to tell you because I really appreciate what you guys do.”

GasCon 2026: Policy Choices, Regulatory Certainty Play a Major Role in LNG Development | RBN Energy -Policy choices can have a major impact on project development and regulatory certainty is a key factor in the recent growth in the LNG industry, Tala Goudarzi, a Torridon Group partner and former Department of Energy (DOE) official, said during a fireside chat with RBN President and CEO David Braziel at RBN’s GasCon 2026 conference in Houston. Goudarzi, who served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fossil Energy at the DOE, led initiatives that expanded U.S. LNG exports, including lifting the Biden administration’s pause on LNG exports, which she said slowed the industry’s development and was based on “politicized data.” “The overpoliticization of the industry is just something that we can’t do,” she said. “Energy is not political.” Goudarzi emphasized that regulatory certainty was a key factor in the industry’s future success. “Regulators and our policymakers shouldn’t stand in the way of American progress,” she said. With LNG export capacity expected to increase sharply over the next few years, topping 30 Bcf/d by 2030 (see chart below), there has been some concern that the global LNG market will become oversaturated, but Goudarzi said that was not likely to happen. “There’s been no evidence to suggest that there’s an oversupply in the market,” she said. “All data points to the fact that demand is certainly going up and there is no data to suggest that natural gas will have no place to go globally.” LNG Export Capacity by Terminal

U.S. LNG Exports Continue to Surge 10 Years After Lower 48’s First Cargo Set Sail -- Wednesday marked 10 years since the first LNG was exported from the Lower 48, a stretch of time that has realigned global energy flows and transformed the United States into the world’s leading producer of the super-chilled fuel. Graph: North American operational and sanctioned LNG facility peak capacity, highlighting the steady expansion of export infrastructure over time. At A Glance:
U.S. now world’s largest LNG exporter
Cheniere has shipped 5,000 cargoes
Another five plants under construction

U.S. Natural Gas Exports Keep Rising on Record LNG, Mexico Demand -Total U.S. natural gas exports are charging toward historic highs as feed gas to LNG terminals nears a record 20 Bcf/d, bolstered by resilient demand from pipeline flows into Mexico.Chart titled “NGI’s Agua Dulce & Waha Bidweek Prices vs Average US Natural Gas Pipeline Exports to Mexico” shows bidweek prices from Feb 2023 to Feb 2026 alongside exports rising toward 8 Bcf/d, Waha turning negative at times. At A Glance:
LNG feed gas approaches 20 Bcf/d
Mexico cross-border flows target record year
Storage deficit narrows to 0.3%

Lake Charles LNG Contracts Terminated After Energy Transfer Walked Away -- Several offtake agreements for the long-proposed Lake Charles LNG export facility have been canceled after developer Energy Transfer LP (ET) suspended development of the project late last year, according to a disclosure filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. At A Glance:

• Sanctioning failure triggers cancellations
• Third-party takeover still possible
• Site may pivot beyond LNG

ET Ponders Resurrecting Lake Charles LNG Project for NGL Exports - Marcellus Drilling News -In December, we brought you the sad and unexpected news that Energy Transfer (ET) had suspended development of its Lake Charles LNG project to “focus on allocating capital to its significant backlog of natural gas pipeline infrastructure projects that Energy Transfer believes provide superior risk/return profiles” (see Energy Transfer Unexpectedly Kills Lake Charles LNG Export Project). Even though ET is not moving forward with LNG exports at the site, the company is considering another option: NGL (primarily ethane) exports.

NGL-to-Crude Ratio Drops To 18 Month Low - The ratio of NGL prices to crude oil weakened to 0.36 on Friday (green oval, right-hand graph), a level last seen in the fall of 2024. Over the past six months, the ratio’s decline can be attributed to lower prices for ethane and butanes (down by 13% and 8% respectively) and a higher crude oil price (up by 8%), supported by a ‘war premium’ stemming from escalating tensions with Iran and the associated risks to Middle East supply and shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The ratio so far during 2026 has averaged 0.39, meaning Mont Belvieu NGLs have averaged 39% of WTI crude oil at Cushing. As shown in the left graph below, the annual NGL-to-crude ratio since 2013, has averaged 0.42, ranging between 0.36 and 0.52 (red line). With the ratio now pressing the low end of its post-2013 range, today’s NGL to crude relationship reflects a market where crude is carrying a geopolitical premium while the NGL barrel remains fundamentally oversupplied — widening the relative discount and underscoring the divergence between oil and NGL fundamentals.

Amigo LNG MOU Targets Permian Natural Gas Glut, Negative Waha Prices -Mexico’s national pipeline operator, Cenagas, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an affiliate of Amigo LNG to develop a 48-inch natural gas pipeline.NGI chart of Waha daily natural gas prices from Feb 2025 to Feb 2026, showing frequent negative pricing below $0/MMBtu and spike near $15/MMBtu in January 2026. At A Glance:
Waha summer prices negative
48-inch pipe would link Arizona, Guaymas
7.8 Mt/y LNG vessel nears permits

U.S. Natural Gas Exports Keep Rising on Record LNG, Mexico Demand -Total U.S. natural gas exports are charging toward historic highs as feed gas to LNG terminals nears a record 20 Bcf/d, bolstered by resilient demand from pipeline flows into Mexico.Chart titled “NGI’s Agua Dulce & Waha Bidweek Prices vs Average US Natural Gas Pipeline Exports to Mexico” shows bidweek prices from Feb 2023 to Feb 2026 alongside exports rising toward 8 Bcf/d, Waha turning negative at times. At A Glance:
LNG feed gas approaches 20 Bcf/d
Mexico cross-border flows target record year
Storage deficit narrows to 0.3%

Supreme Court grapples with venue question in Michigan pipeline fight - The Supreme Court on Tuesday considered a hypertechnical question that could help determine the fate of the Line 5 oil pipeline in Michigan. During oral argument in Enbridge v. Nessel, the justices did not clearly indicate whether they thought a federal judge had the ability to waive a 30-day deadline for Enbridge to file a request to transfer a lawsuit related to its pipeline from state to federal court. The lawsuit stems from Michigan’s effort to shut down Line 5 due to oil spill risks in the Great Lakes. However, at least one conservative justice questioned how moving the case might affect the sovereign interests of the state of Michigan. Advertisement “Here it’s a state that would be suffering, to the extent [Enbridge’s] complaint is allowed to go forward,” said Chief Justice John Roberts, adding that Michigan’s sovereignty might be a point in favor of keeping the Line 5 lawsuit in state court. John Bursch, a private attorney and former Michigan solicitor general representing Enbridge, argued that it would be wrong to assume that Congress wanted to “handcuff federal courts so that they couldn’t exercise equity.” “You need a clear command or some other really compelling statement to strip federal courts of that,” Bursch said. The dispute arrived in the courts after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, ordered the shutdown of Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac, due to concerns that the aging oil pipeline would spill into the Great Lakes. Attorney General Dana Nessel, also a Democrat, initially filed the suit defending the order in state court. Enbridge did not attempt to remove the case to federal court until nearly two years later. A federal judge in Michigan waived a 30-day deadline for Enbridge’s transfer request, but that ruling was later struck down by a federal appellate court. Whitmer has filed a separate Supreme Court petition challenging another Enbridge lawsuit filed in federal court that remains pending. During Tuesday’s arguments, more than one justice expressed qualms about one Line 5 case proceeding in federal court, while the other works its way through state court. The justices also questioned the ability of the state court to properly address some of the issues raised in Nessel’s case. “It seems to me if they were going to be removed in that way, they would have been removed in pairs,” said Justice Clarence Thomas. Bursch said it wasn’t clear initially that Nessel’s challenge was a federal case. However, circumstances changed after the Canadian government warned that Whitmer’s order violated a 1977 pipeline transit treaty between the United States and Canada. The terms of the treaty bar state and local officials on either side of the border from blocking operation of the pipeline. Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked Michigan Solicitor General Ann Sherman whether she would be willing to commit, if the state prevails in state court, to staying the lawsuit until the case brought by the governor is resolved in federal court. Sherman demurred, stating she would have to discuss that strategy with her client. Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked Bursch at one point in the hearing whether Enbridge thought it would not get a “fair shake” in state court. When Bursch, the attorney for the company, responded that state courts haven’t dealt with foreign affairs, Kavanaugh replied that federal district courts don’t often deal with those claims either. But Justice Samuel Alito appeared swayed by the argument, noting the consequences of a pipeline shutdown for U.S.-Canada relations and the economic risks of halting the oil supply. He also referred to Bursch’s argument that if a state court issued a preliminary injunction, it would take a long time before the issue of treaty rights could be addressed by the Supreme Court. “The state’s position is these are state law claims,” Sherman replied. “If something goes really awry in state court, this court can review that and can fix that, but we trust state courts to do their job and to have concurrent jurisdiction.” She added that Congress designed strict removal deadlines “out of respect” for state courts. Meanwhile, some of the Supreme Court’s liberal justices appeared skeptical of Enbridge’s claims that the justices could extend the removal deadline under what is known as equitable tolling, which allows a court to stretch a statute of limitations deadline in certain circumstances to allow a party to pursue a case they would otherwise have been unable to file. “I have trouble understanding what right you are losing,” Sotomayor said to Bursch. “There is still a forum for your claim.” Her concerns were later echoed by Sherman, who said in cases with a statute of limitations “the courthouse door closes for that litigation.” “In this case, one door might close, but there is another door open,” Sherman said.

Diversified to Buy Sheridan’s East Texas Gas Assets for $245MM - Diversified Energy Co. has agreed to purchase high-working interest natural gas assets and related facilities in East Texas for $245 million cash.

Ground Game Added Locations for E&Ps, Built Barnett Stealth Play for Diamondback - The massive consolidation wave that swallowed one upstream company after another from 2022 through 2024 has cooled, but the ground game rolls on—including the stealthy building of an impressive position in the highly scrutinized Permian Basin. E&Ps rolled up acreage, swapped leasehold and bought interests in 2025, but Diamondback Energy quietly assembled 200,000 acres in the Midland Basin’s Dean Formation.

Permian Resources Holds $3B for Delaware Basin M&A as Divestitures Loom - Midland, Texas-based Permian Resources is well positioned to compete for large divestiture packages rumored to be coming to market, executives said in a Feb. 26 earnings call. Permian Resources says it can comfortably spend up to $3 billion on Delaware Basin acquisitions in the coming quarters, hoping to capitalize on potential divestitures.

Stream advisory issued for Kansas river after oil spill (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a stream advisory Monday after an oil spill in a Kansas river. The advisory is for the Chikaskia River and an unnamed tributary. The area of concern starts in the tributary near Southwest 150th Street to where it joins the Chikaskia south of Spivey. The advisory covers the river from that point to the Kansas Highway 2 bridge in Harper County. A spill of crude oil and water from an oil production lease in the area was discovered on Sunday. Kansas plans water cuts to protect Ogallala aquifer’s future The Kingman County Sheriff’s Office, KDHE, the Environmental Protection Agency and representatives from the Kansas Corporation Commission are on scene helping with cleanup efforts. People are asked to avoid contact with the bodies of water and to not allow livestock to enter or drink from the water. KDHE said that the full extent of the spill is still being determined but that water quality has been impacted. The advisory will be rescinded once testing shows the waters are safe.

EPA: Spill in Kansas river involved 33,600 gallons of oil-water mixture (KSNW) — The Environmental Protection Agency is ordering an oil company to clean up a spill in a Kansas river.On Monday, the EPA issued an order to Atlas Operating LLC. and provided the public with the clearest picture yet of the extent of an oil spill in the Chikaskia River.The spill happened Feb. 15 at a system of oil tanks south of Spivey, in Kingman County.The EPA said 33,600 gallons of a mixture of brine production water and crude oil leaked into an unnamed tributary of the Chikaskia and into the river itself. Officials said impacts could be seen 12 miles downstream from the tanks.Regulators have issued a unilateral administrative order instructing Houston-based Atlas Operating to do the following:

• Stop the flow of oil into the stream and river.
• Remove oil, contaminated soil and debris in the area around the spill.
• Recover oil and “oil-impacted debris” along the shorelines.
• Dispose of the waste in compliance with state and federal regulations.

The EPA wants the work to be done by March 13.

Regulators rely on fossil fuel industry data. How often is it wrong? - Federal and state regulators have long relied on oil and gas operators to self-report data covering almost everything they do, but some high-profile missteps and fraud have shaken that framework.Operators are supposed to provide details around emissions data, the amount of crude spilled in an accident, well pressure test results and how much gas is coming out of a well, among other things. Regulators then review the data and conduct field inspections to verify a company’s report.The major problem, analysts and environmental groups say, is that governments often lack the staff and resources to properly vet data — making it difficult for agencies to track how accurate the data and reports they receive are.“Generally, every state is overwhelmed by the work, and because of that, there’s little opportunity to systematically audit the industry’s self-reported data,” said Adam Peltz, a director and senior attorney in the Environmental Defense Fund’s Energy Program. “There’s an unknown but huge number of mistakes and errors and problems that slip through the cracks.”Colorado oil and gas regulators dropped a bombshell in 2024 when operators reported to the state that their third-party contractors had purposefully falsified thousands of data points for hundreds of wells, fudging pollution numbers and other data related to well remediations.The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates that state’s massive oil and gas industry, flagged 81 instances of operators submitting false data that were referred for legal enforcement since 2020.Other state regulators — including those in Utah and Virginia — said they’ve never encountered falsified data, while regulators in Oklahoma and Louisiana have not tracked the number but could give anecdotal examples. On the federal side, the Interior Department has fined and investigated companies for falsifying tests for offshore blowout preventers, faking the data because employees were worried their equipment wouldn’t pass the safety tests. Much more common than deliberately submitting false information, regulators and experts say, are instances in which operators submit typos or incorrectly logged data. But the limited ability regulators have to check all the documents and data they receive can make it easier for bad actors to hide misfeasance, said Dwayne Purvis, founder and principal adviser of Purvis Energy Advisors. “I do think most operators in most forms are accurate and reliable,” Purvis said. “The problem is when a person does something they shouldn’t do, they have the ability to conceal it, at least in part, by not reporting it explicitly or correctly.”POLITICO’s E&E News polled 21 state agencies and five federal agencies about their inspection programs, instances of falsified data and how they police industry self-reporting. Of those, 12 state agencies and three federal agencies responded. All of the written responses from state and federal regulators can be viewed here. The number of people reviewing data and tests self-reported by the fossil fuel industry varies dramatically from state to state, their responses show.Regulators in Texas, the country’s largest oil and gas producer, wrote that they employ 131 field inspectors across the state. The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department has just 18 field inspectors on staff, although that state is the second largest producer of oil in the country.Michigan — which produced 238 times less crude in September 2025 and 56 times less natural gas in 2024 than New Mexico — has 30 field inspectors on staff.

You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine – Why Accounting Methods Matter. (No, Seriously, You Gotta Read This) | RBN Energy -As E&Ps release a flood of year-end results, investors, analysts and industry observers scrutinize annual reports to compare the performance of upstream oil and gas companies. Yet, despite operating in the same shale basins, drilling similar wells and facing the same commodity price environment, some producers report markedly different financial results that are often not driven by geology, operational execution or management strategy. Instead, they stem from accounting methodology, specifically from whether a company uses the Full Cost (FC) or Successful Efforts (SE) method to account for its oil and gas properties. Although the FC and SE approaches are permitted under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), they reflect fundamentally different philosophies about how exploration successes and failures should be recognized in financial statements. These differences influence reported earnings, asset values, depreciation and depletion rates, impairment behavior and, ultimately, how companies are perceived by the market. For decades, FC and SE accounting methodologies were viewed largely through the lens of conventional exploration. In that Pre-Shale Era, dry holes were common, exploration risk was high, and accounting methodology played a major role in determining financial results. FC tended to smooth results by spreading failures across large cost pools, while SE forced companies to recognize losses immediately. The rise of large-scale shale development changed that dynamic. Modern shale drilling is more repeatable, more data-driven, and far less exposed to traditional exploration risk. As a result, many market participants assume that the differences between FC and SE have become less relevant. That assumption is only partly correct. While shale has reduced the importance of classic dry-hole risk, it has not eliminated the economic and analytical consequences of accounting choice. Instead, the battleground has shifted. Today, the most important differences between FC and SE appear in impairment timing, depreciation profiles, reserve revisions, and the way capital costs are embedded in balance sheets over time. (Wake up! We’re just getting to the good stuff.) However, it is important to recognize that despite whichever accounting methodology a company subscribes to, cash flow and cash flow-related metrics will still tell the economic truth about a company’s financial fortunes. To understand why FC and SE accounting still matter today, it is necessary to briefly revisit the environment in which these methods were developed. Both emerged in an era when upstream oil and gas exploration was fundamentally different from the manufacturing-style drilling programs that dominate today’s shale basins.From the 1950s through most of the 1990s, much of the industry’s capital was devoted to high-risk, high-cost exploration. Companies routinely drilled wildcat wells in frontier basins, offshore environments and geologically complex regions with limited subsurface data. In addition, seismic quality was rudimentary by modern standards. As a result, failure rates were high. In many basins, a significant portion of exploratory wells encountered no commercial hydrocarbons. A single unsuccessful well could cost tens of millions of dollars and generate no reserves. Exploration outcomes were often binary: either a discovery was made, or the entire investment was lost. In this environment, how companies accounted for exploration costs had a substantial impact on reported financial performance. Against that backdrop, two distinct accounting philosophies emerged. Under the SE method, companies are required to expense the costs of unsuccessful exploratory activities as they occur. Only expenditures associated with proved reserves and productive assets are capitalized. This approach emphasizes project-level accountability and rapid recognition of failure. Poor exploration results translate quickly into lower earnings. Supporters of SE argue that it provides a more transparent and conservative view of financial performance. By recognizing losses promptly, it prevents companies from carrying uneconomic investments on their balance sheets and forces management teams to confront unsuccessful strategies.FC accounting adopts a different perspective. Rather than evaluating projects individually, it treats exploration as a portfolio activity. Under this method, most exploration and development costs are capitalized and accumulated in large cost pools, typically organized by country. Dry holes, abandoned prospects and unsuccessful acreage positions are viewed as unavoidable components of the exploration process — sort of like Gold Rush prospectors spending a lot of days panning for gold without success before hitting the jackpot. Proponents of FC argue that this approach better reflects the long-term economics of resource development. Individual failures are expected to be offset by future discoveries, and capitalizing costs smooths earnings over time. In their view, expensing dry holes immediately creates excessive volatility that does not reflect underlying business value.[….] Because accounting policy primarily affects the timing of expense recognition rather than underlying economics, cash flow remains the most reliable indicator of performance. Investors and analysts evaluating upstream companies should emphasize operating and free cash flow, reinvestment rates, finding-and-development (F&D) costs, reserve replacement efficiency, payout ratios and capital returns. These measures are less distorted by accounting treatment and more closely reflect economic reality.In Figure 2 below, we compare the FC and SE accounting treatments. In this example, the FC company posts a profit of $86 million compared to a $60 million profit for the SE company (see green-shaded row). This difference is due to the $30 million expensing of three unsuccessful wells for the SE company (yellow-shaded row) and the $4 million in higher depreciation, depletion and amortization (DD&A) expenses (pink-shaded row) for the FC company. Also note that cash flows (blue-shaded row) for both companies are the same.While FC and SE accounting can materially affect reported earnings and asset values, neither method changes the business's underlying economics. Shale development narrowed the most visible historical differences between FC and SE by reducing traditional dry-hole risk, but it did not eliminate the importance of accounting methodology. Instead, it shifted the battleground toward impairment timing, DD&A profiles, reserve revisions, and the accumulation of embedded capital on balance sheets. Now that we’ve introduced the accounting methods, we will augment our reporting of year-end reserve reconciliations in upcoming blogs to highlight their impact on individual company results.For investors and analysts, however, we want to reinforce a simple but critical principle: Accounting determines when results are recognized, but cash flow determines whether value is created. In the end, cash flow — not accounting methodology — is the only true measure of success or failure in the upstream oil and gas business.

PHMSA wants to issue permit to Sable Offshore to restart Calif. pipeline - Federal regulators want to issue a special permit to allow a Texas company to restart a coastal pipeline network in California that failed in 2015 and resulted in one of the worst oil spills in state history. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Monday posted a notice proposing granting Sable Offshore a special permit to restart two segments of the Santa Ynez pipeline system, which transports oil drilled offshore through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Kern counties.The proposed waiver is a win for Sable, which has turned to the federal government for support in restarting its pipeline since hitting significant opposition among state and local California officials.Sable needs a special permit to operate its pipeline due to a consent decree imposed after the 2015 oil spill, before Sable purchased it.

U.S. Crude Daily Average Production Falls in December as Bakken Leads Pullback -- Average daily crude oil production in the United States eased in December to the lowest daily production rate in months, according to the latest EIA data. Total December production, however, was higher than in November. According to the EIA, U.S. crude oil output averaged 13.655 million barrels per day in December, down from 13.788 million in November and the lowest daily average since June 2025. The dip from November to December was modest at the national level — roughly 1% — but some regions saw sharper percentage declines. The steepest drop came from North Dakota, where production fell from 1.168 million barrels per day to 1.092 million (-6.5%). Ohio followed with a roughly 6% slide, while Louisiana posted a 3% drop. Texas slipped less than half a percent. By contrast, Alaska’s average production continued climbing, rising from 428,000 to 433,000 barrels per day. Federal Gulf of Mexico output rebounded from 1.953 million bpd to 1.996 million bpd. The broader picture isn’t nearly as dramatic as some framing implies. Production remains elevated by any historical standard, still hovering around record territory above 13.6 million bpd. December’s average daily production is still nearly 200,000 bpd above December 2024’s average, and above every month except the previous five. What December shows is moderation, particularly in the Bakken and parts of PADD 2. The December slowdown aligns with softer pricing in late autumn. WTI spent much of November and December in the mid-to-high $60s before firming again early this year. For shale producers—especially shale producers in higher-cost basins like the Bakken—that price band is enough to sustain production, but it might not be enough to increase it. The data suggests that as 2025 came to an end, operators leaned toward maintenance rather than expansion. A one-month dip in daily averages does not signal structural decline. It reflects a mature shale sector responding to price signals in real time. If crude holds above $70 through the first quarter, the December softness may prove temporary.

Bring Me to Life – Bridger Pipeline Aims to Create 550-Mb/d Outlet for Canadian Crude | RBN Energy - Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC — a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridger Pipeline LLC — has filed plans with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline designed to move 550 Mb/d of Canadian production 645 miles from the U.S.-Canada border to the major Rockies crude hub at Guernsey, WY. The concept is straightforward but ambitious: move barrels south into U.S. markets by leveraging existing infrastructure, including what could amount to a revival of the long-dormant Keystone XL facilities in Alberta. Bridger submitted a formal plan for the project to the Montana DEQ on January 28. The project includes plans for a new crude oil line (dashed yellow-and-black line in Figure 1 below) whose proposed route largely follows existing rights-of-way and aims to streamline permitting while preserving the optionality for Bakken interconnects in Montana. Guernsey is not the final stop but more of a switchyard, meaning that additional downstream links would be needed to shuttle crude onward to hubs such as Cushing, OK; Patoka, IL; and ultimately the Gulf Coast (more on that below). Given the proposed border origin point, the only infrastructure that appears capable of supplying that scale of incremental volume is the partially constructed Keystone XL system (red line in Figure 1) in Alberta, which has remained idle since 2021 (see The Payback and One Is The Loneliest Customer). We all know the Keystone XL story, but here’s a quick recap. The pipe was initially proposed in 2008 by TransCanada (now TC Energy) and designed to transport crude from Canada’s western oil sands south to U.S. refiners. The 1,179-mile pipeline system would have moved up to 830 Mb/d of crude oil from Hardisty, AB, to Steele City, NE. The key twist? It required a U.S. Presidential Permit because it crossed the international border, which allowed the project to be turned into a political lightning rod. From 2008-15, Keystone XL faced intense scrutiny and organized opposition from environmental groups, Native American tribes, landowners and climate advocates. In 2015, President Obama rejected the pipeline’s border crossing, arguing the project would undermine U.S. climate leadership. President Trump reversed that decision in 2017 and approved the permit, allowing development efforts to resume amid ongoing legal challenges. But President Biden revoked the permit on his first day in office in 2021 and TC Energy formally terminated the project later that year, bringing the long-running proposal to a dead end. TC Energy completed the spinoff of its crude oil pipeline business into a standalone company, South Bow Corp., in 2024. Through all the turmoil on the U.S. side of the border, some construction on the Canadian side went forward anyway. Segments of 36-inch pipe, along with a Hardisty-area terminal and two pump stations, are still in place, including at the border crossing. Assuming the Bridger project is tying into that dormant footprint, the combined pipes could create a functional cross-border outlet without the need for Keystone XL’s southern leg (dashed gray-and-black line in Figure 1), which was never built out, and allow stranded steel to be converted into working infrastructure. Of the 645 miles of new Bridger pipeline from the Canadian border to Guernsey, 435 miles would span Montana’s Philips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan, Roosevelt, Richland, Wibaux, Fallon and Carter counties, with the remaining 210 miles covering Wyoming’s Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen and Platte counties. More than half of the Montana segment and all of the Wyoming part would parallel existing rights-of-way (ROW). That approach is intended to lower construction costs and reduce environmental and regulatory risk in a landscape where permitting timelines can make or break project economics. Operationally, the line could interconnect with Bridger’s existing system (green line in Figure 1) at Four Mile and Baker in Montana, allowing some Bakken light crude to enter the system. Although Canadian barrels appear to be the primary target, incremental Bakken receipts could add commercial optionality. Bridger’s current proposal only extends to Guernsey. As noted above and covered in Guernsey, I'll Keep Coming Back to You, the hub isn’t an end market but rather a gateway, which means downstream connections are essential. And outbound egress from Guernsey is nearly maxed out. A couple of possibilities for enough capacity to handle an incremental 550 Mb/d have been theorized by our good friends at Plainview Energy Analytics. One would be to construct a new pipeline (black arrow in Figure 1) linking Guernsey to South Bow’s existing Keystone system (blue lines in Figure 1) at Steele City. While much of Keystone’s U.S. mainline operates near capacity, once it reaches Steele City the system divides into two segments, with one leg heading to Cushing and the other to Patoka. Both legs are understood to have underutilized capacity, making them potential options for absorbing additional flows and allowing barrels to access Gulf Coast markets. Most of these volumes would likely be heavy crude from Alberta’s oil sands. PADD 2 (Midwest) refineries have a limited ability to run additional heavy, low-API barrels. That means a substantial portion of incremental imports would need to travel through Midwest crude hubs, then continue on to refineries and export terminals along the Gulf Coast. Another possibility for egress from Guernsey to Cushing is the use of existing infrastructure. For example, the 760-mile Pony Express pipeline (teal line in Figure 1) currently has full-path capacity (including Seahorse Pipeline’s leased capacity; see What Happened in Wyoming) of roughly 400–500 Mb/d, depending on the use of DRAs — drag-reducing agents (chemicals that effectively increase a pipe’s capacity; see Kind of a Drag). Today, Pony’s mainline runs nearly full, transporting about 450 Mb/d of crude from Guernsey and northern Colorado to Cushing. While Pony in its current configuration could not accommodate anywhere close to an additional 550 Mb/d of flow, a scalable pathway to market could be developed by leveraging parts of the existing system alongside construction of a new pipeline broadly paralleling the Pony Express route. Although this approach would still require substantial new build, it would anchor an expansion to a proven corridor and an established delivery point rather than starting from scratch.

Turn Me Loose – How Canada Became the World’s #4 Oil Producer | RBN Energy -Canadian crude oil production has once again reached new highs and is expected to continue growing. But, in an area where steep price discounts have been a frequent problem in the past, and in a world that is seemingly awash in crude at the moment, what does that mean for Canadian crude producers, and how will all this growing supply get to market? In today’s RBN blog, the first of a series, we discuss the ongoing growth of Canadian crude supply. Canadian crude oil and condensate production has nearly doubled since 2010, making Canada the world’s fourth-largest producer, trailing only the U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia. In fact, the province of Alberta on its own is the world’s #4 producer. Canadian production saw another year of growth in 2025, with November and December setting new highs at 5.6 MMb/d (total across stacked layers at right end of Figure 1 below). All but 4% of this production (gold layer) came from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), where pipeline capacity constraints and steep price discounts have been a frequent problem for producers over the past couple of decades. Most production from the WCSB comes from the oil sands: upgraded oil sands production (red layer) was 1.3 MMb/d last year, while non-upgraded oil sands bitumen from thermal or mining (black layer) was 1.9 MMb/d. Other WCSB heavy oil production (light-gray layer) was 0.7 MMb/d, conventional light/medium oil production (blue layer) was 0.6 MMb/d, while WCSB condensate and pentanes production (green layer) was nearly 0.6 MMb/d. Production from Eastern Canada, almost entirely from offshore Newfoundland, was 0.2 MMb/d (gold layer). While the 2024 startup of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX) — which increased the pipeline’s capacity from 300 Mb/d to 890 Mb/d — improved Canadian crude price differentials, they have started to widen out again in recent months. Before we look at what might come next for the WCSB crude oil market, let’s start with a review of the key drivers of Canadian growth to this point.Canadian crude and condensate production growth has been dominated by Alberta’s oil sands region (red and black layers), where production has grown from 0.6 MMb/d in 2000 to 3.5 MMb/d in 2025. The remainder of Canadian production (other layers) has seen only modest growth over this period, from 1.6 MMb/d to 1.8 MMb/d.While commercial production from Alberta’s oil sands began in the 1960s, it was the decade of the 2000s that saw most of the groundwork laid for this growth. The mid-2000s saw a big jump in oil prices (green bars and right axis in Figure 2 below), as global demand grew while the oil market worried that global production would struggle to keep up with demand growth. Despite strong oil prices, U.S. crude oil production continued to decline (solid blue line and left axis) before U.S. shale oil production took off (dashed blue line with dots and left axis). Alberta’s oil sands — with its vast bitumen reserves, relatively investment-friendly jurisdiction, proximity and pipeline connections to the world’s largest crude market south of its border, and recent advances in steam-assisted bitumen recovery from horizontal wells — attracted the investment interest of global supermajors and domestic producers alike, resulting in significant production growth over the past 25 years (red line and left axis). While ExxonMobil had long had a presence in Canada’s oil sands, the 2000s also saw the likes of Shell, Chevron, Marathon Oil, ConocoPhillips, BP, Devon Energy, Equinor (Statoil) and Total Energies step into the space and deploy significant capital to fund greenfield oil-sands projects.The flurry of investment in Canada’s oil sands resulted in mining and thermal bitumen production capacity additions averaging about 175 Mb/d annually from 2007 through 2018, as shown in Figure 3 below (blue bar segments show thermal capacity adds, green bar segments show mining capacity adds, red triangles show upgrading capacity adds, while the black line shows total Alberta oil sands production growth year-over-year). Despite several years of lower oil prices following 2014, oil sands production capacity continued growing at a rapid clip until 2019. Since then, the rate of capacity expansion has slowed considerably. (Projects typically take around three years from the start of construction to first production.)Despite a much slower pace of capacity additions since 2018, production from Alberta’s oil sands has grown by around 20%, or 600 Mb/d, since then. By and large, this growth has been more capital-efficient than prior growth, as operators have improved capacity utilization rates and found smaller (often under-the-radar) projects to enhance plant and well efficiencies. Another factor has been the synergies that operators have extracted between their legacy oil sands assets and those acquired from competitors that exited the area. Most foreign-headquartered oil companies have either exited the area entirely (BP, Chevron, Devon, Equinor, Marathon, Total) or significantly reduced their stakes (Shell, Conoco), selling their interests to incumbent domestic Canadian producers (primarily CNRL, Suncor and Cenovus) as they shifted their focus to opportunities in U.S. shale, LNG and/or offshore plays like Guyana. Persistently low natural gas prices have also helped the cost competitiveness of oil sands, as most projects use around 1 Mcf of natural gas for every barrel produced.

While thermal and mining oil-sands projects have been the biggest drivers of WCSB production growth, the second-biggest driver has been from condensate and pentanes plus (green line in Figure 4 below), whose output has grown from about 125 Mb/d in 2010 to about 590 Mb/d in 2025. Volumes from the prolific Montney formation in northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia have been out front, increasing by nearly 300 Mb/d from 2014 to 2025 (while Montney raw gas production grew by 8 Bcf/d). The Montney accounts for roughly two-thirds of WCSB condensate and pentanes production, while the Duvernay provides nearly 20%. With the WCSB being short of diluent to blend with the tar-like bitumen and extra-heavy oil into a blend “thin” enough to flow on pipelines, condensate and pentanes plus are priced at a premium in the WCSB to attract diluent imports via pipeline from south of the border. WCSB natural gas drillers have often skewed their drilling programs to liquids-rich zones to benefit from strong condensate prices, especially when WCSB natural gas prices are weak (which feels like most of the time). Conventional heavy oil production has recovered strongly in recent years (gray line in Figure 4 above). After peaking at ~785 Mb/d in 2014, weak prices beginning in late 2014 triggered a decline that lasted for several years. However, since output bottomed at 571 Mb/d in 2020, it has seen a resurgence, averaging ~720 Mb/d in 2025. The Lower Cretaceous Mannville/Spirit River group accounts for essentially all of WCSB heavy oil production. The deployment of highly economic open-hole, multi-lateral well designs targeting the Clearwater formation starting late last decade — and in more recent years also targeting other zones within the “Mannville Stack” (the Sparky, Waseca and other zones) — has driven this growth. (We should note that while all crude oil and bitumen production from Alberta’s designated oil sands is reported as bitumen, we prefer to classify the production from that region that is not produced from mining or thermal stimulation as heavy oil — about 260 Mb/d of the WCSB’s 720 Mb/d of heavy oil production in 2025 — as these barrels are being recovered either by primary or water/polymer-flood means.)Conventional light and medium oil production has grown modestly since 2010, from ~525 Mb/d to ~590 Mb/d (blue line in Figure 4 above), albeit well off the 2014 peak of ~740 Mb/d. The major areas of growth in recent years include oil production from the Montney (from 10 to 90 Mb/d), the Duvernay (from zero to 42 Mb/d) and Charlie Lake (from 2 to 42 Mb/d). Meanwhile, the Bakken/Torquay shale in Saskatchewan near the North Dakota border has seen its oil output drop from 77 Mb/d to 44 Mb/d over this period. Other plays such as the Cardium (50 Mb/d) and Viking (50 Mb/d) have grown since 2010 but have been on the decline in recent years. Production from Eastern Canada (orange line) has been between 0.2 MMb/d and 0.3 MMb/d. While WCSB crude oil demand from refineries has seen impressive percentage growth since 2010 (approximately 40%), it is still “only” around 600 Mb/d, so the vast majority of crude production growth in the basin has had to find a home outside of Western Canada. Unfortunately for Canadian oil producers, export pipeline capacity growth has historically struggled to keep up with production growth. In the next blog in this series, we’ll look back at the growth of WCSB crude oil export capacity and how supply and egress capacity have impacted crude oil prices up to this point. Later in this series, we will discuss our outlook for growth in WCSB supply and pipeline egress, including how a Bridger Pipeline proposal that would tie into the Canadian portion of the canceled Keystone XL project might fit in (see Bring Me to Life).

Glenfarne Brings on Another Potential Offtaker for Alaska LNG Project -- Glenfarne Group LLC has reached a tentative deal with TotalEnergies SE, the largest offtaker of U.S. LNG, to sell the company super-chilled natural gas from its massive export project proposed for Alaska. At A Glance:

• TotalEnergies could buy 2 Mt/y
• 13 Mt/y now under negotiation
• Early pipeline construction could start soon

Federal safety regulator warns his office can’t keep up with Trump’s Alaska oil push - The top federal safety regulator for offshore oil and gas drilling in Alaska publicly warned agency counterparts last fall that his office lacked the staffing to oversee existing operations in the state — let alone the massive expansion being pushed by the Trump administration, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. Justin Miller, a longtime Interior Department employee who oversees inspection and enforcement of regulations on the oil rigs operating in federal waters off the Alaska coast, said the Trump administration’s voluntary separation programs spearheaded by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, along with declining industry interest in drilling in Alaska, have resulted in the “loss of many decades worth of experience” that are not easily replaced.The missive from Miller, which the Interior Department told POLITICO was not authorized, raises new questions about the Trump administration’s plans to hold potentially dozens of new oil sales in the federal waters off Alaska, the first of which is scheduled for next Wednesday. President Donald Trump has painted Alaska as a key piece of his “energy dominance” agenda, but the state’s often-treacherous weather conditions and sensitive natural ecosystems require particularly stringent oversight for oil companies operating there. Miller’s warning message shows how the administration’s DOGE-driven cuts to the federal workforce last year could cause unforeseen problems for Trump’s policy objectives.

Global Natural Gas Prices Swing Lower as U.S. Stands Down on Iran Ahead of Talks -- Global natural gas prices seesawed Monday amid milder forecasts and easing geopolitical tensions. European Union gas storage chart as of Feb. 21, 2026 showing inventories at 352.85 TWh, 30.9% full, down 136 TWh year/year and 185 TWh below the five-year average, based on GIE and NGI calculations. At A Glance:
Upside risk remains
Mild weather for Europe through March
U.S. feed gas deliveries ramp up

US Says It Will Allow Sale of Some Venezuelan Oil to Private Companies in Cuba - The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said on Wednesday that it would allow some sales of Venezuelan oil to private businesses in Cuba, marking an easing of the US oil embargo, though it’s unclear if the limited sales will bring real relief to the island.The OFAC statement said that its new “favorable licensing policy” will authorize licenses for companies seeking to resell Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use in Cuba” but that it would not allow “transactions involving, or for the benefit, of any persons or entities associated with the Cuban military, intelligence services, or other government institutions.” Since the US attack on Venezuela to abduct President Nicolas Maduro, the US has cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and pressured Mexico to stop exporting oil to the country by threatening an increase in tariffs. The two countries accounted for nearly 80% of Cuba’s oil imports, and the ramped-up US embargo has caused a major fuel crisis in Havana, with some analysts expecting a total blackout by the end of this month.President Trump previously boasted about the effects of his embargo, noting that “they don’t even have jet fuel for airplanes to take off.” He said the embargo would remain in place until Washington and Havana reach some sort of “deal,” though it’s unclear what sort of agreement could be reached since the administration is signaling that it wants regime change.The Treasury Department’s policy change regarding the embargo came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Caribbean officials who expressed concern about the embargo and the worsening humanitarian crisis it’s creating.“Humanitarian suffering serves no one,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said at a gathering of Caribbean leaders. “A prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba.”

Supreme Court weighs Exxon bid to recoup Cuban Revolution losses - The Supreme Court on Monday considered whether it should allow Exxon Mobil to sue for damages against a Cuban-owned company for its oil and gas assets seized during the Cuban Revolution more than 60 years ago.Several members of the court’s conservative majority did not clearly indicate how they were likely to rule in the case, but the court’s liberal minority appeared highly skeptical of the oil major’s claims that a 1996 law bypassed established legal requirements for challenging a foreign nation or foreign-owned company.“It seems you are asking us to do something very unusual here,” said Justice Elena Kagan in an exchange with Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon, who argued in support of Exxon. The oil major is seeking compensation for $70 million (in 1960 dollars) in oil and gas assets that were seized following the 1959 Cuban Revolution by Fidel Castro’s government. The assets are now controlled by the Cuban-owned company Corporación Cimex.

Vaca Muerta Drives Argentina Natural Gas Surge as FLNG Plans Accelerate --Argentina is on pace to reach production highs this year and is set to “reshape natural gas markets in the region,” according to analysts at Fitch Ratings.Argentina natural gas production by basin, illustrating annual output trends and the growing contribution from key producing regions. At A Glance:
Unconventional gas tops 70% share
Output reaches 144 MMcm/d
Pipeline expansion eases bottlenecks

Fracking in Argentina 'linked to hundreds of tremors' The extraction of gas and oil by fracking—large-scale fracturing of underground rocks by injecting water, sand and additives—is generating growing concern in Argentine Patagonia. Neuquén province—home to the country's largest hydrocarbon reserves—has experienced an increase in earthquakes since fracking operations began there in 2015. In January, a report by the independent consulting firm NCS Multistage revealed that 2026 began with an exceptionally high number of fracturing operations in the area. Continuing at the same rate, this year is expected to set a record for the activity. Luciano Fucello, author of the report and professor of petroleum engineering at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology, told SciDev.Net that there was a correlation between hydrocarbon production and the tremors reported by residents of Sauzal Bonito and Añelo, in Neuquén province. "During the [COVID-19] pandemic, when activity stopped, the earthquakes stopped. And when it resumed, they returned," he said. Together with Plaza Huincul and Cutral Co, these towns form an oil producing region that, at the end of 2025, generated more than 570,000 barrels of shale oil and 64 million cubic meters of shale gas a day. Both are unconventional hydrocarbons, meaning they require large-scale hydraulic fracturing to produce because they are attached to a source rock. In 2013, a legislative reform enabled fracking in Vaca Muerta, a 30,000 square kilometer formation that today represents—along with grains and oils—the country's main source of foreign currency. Following the subsequent expansion of fracking, the number of earthquakes recorded in territories near the operations has increased—in places where they were not usually felt before. The tremors were strong enough to cause cracks in buildings, leaving many homes uninhabitable. The Induced Seismicity Observatory, created by local experts, has recorded 442 tremors on its website since the end of 2018, when seismic activity intensified. Javier Grosso, a geographer and one of the observatory's founders, told SciDev.Net that the updated figure exceeded 600. In 2025 alone, the observatory recorded 102 tremors in Añelo, near Sauzal Bonito and Rincón de los Sauces, where seismic activity is expanding. This is a record number which Grosso attributes to the increase in fracking operations. "The entire subsoil is being investigated, and it is beginning to show a sensitivity it did not have before," he said. In a 2022 analysis published in the journal Scientific Reports, Grosso and colleagues observed "vertical displacements" since 2017, following periods of intense industrial activity. This included a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in March 2019. The fracturing of rocks "produces a seismic wave that travels through the subsoil," Grosso explained. "The tremor is the response to the injection and extraction of fluid, the readjustment of tectonic plates that respond to these enormous pressures." When the wave reaches populated areas, residents feel noises and tremors, sometimes strong enough to knock over furniture and appliances and even cause structural damage. The Argentine Institute of Petroleum and Gas maintained that the only way to determine the origin of the tremors was to establish a "baseline" that identifies the mobility of the entire basin—something it said was still pending due to infrastructure issues. But according to Grosso, "Vaca Muerta has the most seismic monitoring equipment in all of Latin America. The National Institute for Seismic Prevention has nine seismographs and private companies have between 21 and 25." "We have residents who have been in the area for 60 years and they tell us this never happened before." Fucello acknowledges the high productivity of fracking, with the wells producing up to three times as much as conventional ones. But he warns that the activity requires constant reinvestment. Environmentalists also raise concerns about the industry's water usage. While a conventional well may require 6,500 cubic meters of water, a shale well needs up to 60,000 cubic meters. Much of that volume is unrecoverable, and what is returned is usually reinjected into abandoned wells. Sand consumption is also high. "Last year, five million tonnes were used for fracking in Vaca Muerta," said Fucello. "This year it will be six million," he predicted. "Conventional deposits [extracted using traditional methods] consume 100 times less," he added. Fracking also generates large quantities of contaminated solid waste, warns Santiago Cané, a lawyer specializing in the impacts of this industry at the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense. In 2024, a geospatial analysis by the National Geographic Institute of Argentina warned about the "potential for critical contamination" in the Negro River basin, due to the high density of wells, many located near bodies of water, agricultural and urban areas. Although no country in Latin America has banned fracking, the Brazilian states of Paraná and Santa Catarina do not allow it, while in Colombia six bills to eliminate it were rejected by Congress. In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum appears willing to promote it to reduce dependence on natural gas from the United States, a stance that has revived the debate about fracking in the region.

Warmth Spreads Across Europe, Asia as U.S. LNG Exports Poised to Rebound -Geopolitical influence on U.S. LNG demand is muscling out weather signals as patterns trend considerably mild in Europe and Asia into early March, according to forecasters.NGI Europe & Asia weather data charts showing trailing 365-day mean temperatures for Northwest Europe, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo versus normal as of Feb. 26, 2026. At A Glance:
Asia drives incremental LNG demand
Europe LNG imports seen slipping
Middle East tensions lift risk premium

Ukraine Steps Up Imports of U.S. LNG Amid Continued Russian Shelling of Energy Infrastructure -- Ukraine’s Naftogaz Group said Monday it took its first delivery of U.S. LNG at a German import terminal to help supplement domestic supplies that have been impacted by Russian attacks. European Union LNG regasification terminal storage table as of Feb. 21, 2026 showing total inventory of 4,085.4 (10^3 m3), down 248.4 (10^3 m3) on the week, with overall utilization at 43.1% across major EU terminals.At A Glance:
TotalEnergies delivering cargoes
Germany importing volumes
35 Bcf expected in 2026

Appeals court weighs future of Trump’s $4.7B loan for Mozambique LNG project - A federal appeals court on Thursday struggled to navigate an environmental group’s quest to block the Trump administration’s $4.7 billion loan for a liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique. It was not clear from arguments how the panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will land on the issue. The judges spent over an hour pressing Friends of the Earth on whether it even has standing to bring most of its claims while also questioning the Export-Import Bank’s process in extending the loan to TotalEnergies.The fight over the loan comes as the Trump administration seeks to boost fossil fuel production, albeit primarily domestically. The Export-Import Bank first approved the LNG loan to Total in 2019. Before the company began drawing down the funds, the project was put on hold in 2021 as insurgent attacks from militant group al-Shabab targeted a nearby town. The ensuing conflict with Mozambican forces led to human rights abuses and allegations of war crimes, as POLITICO reported in November.

Shell Weighs $24 Billion Stake Sale in Australian LNG Project - Shell is in talks with ADNOC and Midocean Energy on the potential sale of its minority stake in the Australian North West Shelf LNG project, Bloomberg has reported, citing unnamed sources. The supermajor holds a 16.67% in the project, which is worth some $24 billion. An earlier Bloomberg report said Shell had started considering a sale following changes to how the North West Shelf project would operate, namely as a so-called third-party tolling facility, meaning buyers of the gas pay a fee to have it liquefied. Woodside’s North West Shelf gas processing plant in Karratha, Western Australia, is the country’s first and largest LNG plant. Its life was recently extended until 2070, from an initial term until 2030. Woodside first applied for the extension back in 2018. State and federal governments spent the time since then reviewing the plans to extend the project’s life beyond 2030 amid hundreds of appeals by activists campaigning to preserve the environment and the cultural heritage of the local people. In response to those appeals, the project will be required to reduce its emissions every year and reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 under the Albanese government’s strengthened Safeguard Mechanism. Australia is one of the world’s top three producers of liquefied natural gas, featuring some of the largest projects globally. Shell is a major player in that space, but it appears the third-party toll scheme is sub-optimal for the company. Earlier this month, Shell’s chief executive predicted that the global LNG market was set for an annual expansion rate of 3%, which is much faster than the broader natural gas market. New LNG export projects coming online and ramp-ups of recently commissioned facilities are expected to drive a 10% jump in global LNG supply this year, as the market shifts from tightness to abundance.

U.S. Strikes Iran: What is Means for Global Natural Gas Deliveries, Prices- The United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes against Iran early Saturday in a major escalation of conflict in the Middle East that could impact deliveries of oil and natural gas globally. (see map) At A Glance:
U.S., Israel attack Iran
Oil, gas shipments at risk
Global trade, prices vulnerable

QatarEnergy’s North Field West LNG Project Startup Slips to 2031 -QatarEnergy has lined up construction partners for one of its massive LNG export expansion projects as it pushes toward 142 million tons/year (Mt/y) in export capacity by next decade. At A Glance:

• Technip-led JV secures EPC deal
• Qatar targets 142 Mt/y capacity
• Global capacity wave pressures prices

Egypt to Drill Largest Number of Offshore Wells -The minister described PMS as one of the petroleum sector’s key national entities specialising in offshore construction and marine services, citing its accumulated technical expertise, advanced capabilities and highly qualified workforce. Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi said 2026 will witness the drilling of the largest number of offshore wells in recent years, underscoring the need for early preparation by Petroleum Marine Services (PMS) to maximise the benefits of these opportunities. The minister described PMS as one of the petroleum sector’s key national entities specialising in offshore construction and marine services, citing its accumulated technical expertise, advanced capabilities and highly qualified workforce. Speaking during the company’s general assembly meeting to approve its 2025 results, Badawi commended the strong performance achieved over the past year, which reflects the company’s efficiency in executing complex offshore projects in line with the highest technical standards and within scheduled timeframes. He noted that the current phase presents promising prospects for PMS, particularly amid intensified gas exploration activity in the Mediterranean. Badawi stressed the importance of leveraging the company’s advanced marine fleet and technical capabilities to forge strategic partnerships with exploration and research companies, ensuring readiness to participate in development and production phases immediately upon the completion of ongoing exploration activities.

Croatia Ready to Supply Crude to Hungary and Slovakia -- Croatia can ensure crude oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia, which haven’t received Russian oil for a month following damage on the Druzhba oil pipeline, the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, has said. “Croatia is here as a neighbor, partner and friend to ensure the energy security and smooth functioning of the economies of both Hungary and Slovakia,” Croatian state media quoted Plenkovic as saying. Hungary and Slovakia are releasing oil from their strategic petroleum reserves after Russian crude flows via the Druzhba pipeline stopped at the end of last month.At the end of January, Druzhba, the pipeline that carries Russian crude to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, was damaged in what Ukraine said was a Russian drone attack. Supplies of Russian oil to the last two remaining EU member states dependent on Russian crude flows via Druzhba have been halted since January 27.Croatia is now in talks with Hungary, Slovakia, and the European Commission on a plan to ensure crude supply to the two EU member states that have kept ties with Russia and Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Croatia’s pipeline operator JANAF has assured the market and public in recent days it has the capacity to provide non-Russian oil to meet Hungary and Slovakia’s needs. Last week, JANAF said in response to media reports that it “considers partnership and reliability to be the Company's most important business values and its activities contribute to the fact that crude oil supply to Central European countries – Hungary and Slovakia – remains completely unthreatened.”“At this moment, a significant quantity of non-Russian crude oil is being transported via JANAF’s pipeline for MOL Group, while three additional tankers carrying non-Russian oil, also for MOL Group, are on their way to the Omišalj Terminal,” the company said on February 20, referring to Hungary’s energy firm MOL. This week, JANAF said that one shipment for MOL is currently being unloaded at JANAF’s Omišalj Terminal. By early April, seven additional tankers loaded with non-Russian origin oil are expected to arrive for the same user of JANAF’s oil pipeline system, the Croatian company said.

Russia running out of money for new oil wells as drilling hits three-year low – Bloomberg - Russia's oil producers have cut drilling to the lowest level in three years, denting prospects for output growth this year as tougher western sanctions and a strong rouble squeeze revenues. Drilling rigs in Russia drilled about 29,140 km of production wells in 2025, down 3.4% from 2024, Bloomberg News reports, citing industry data. After a record pace in the early months of 2025, activity began to slow in June. In December, drilling fell by about 16% compared with the same month a year earlier, data shows. The slowdown comes as Russian producers face pressure from lower global oil prices, deeper discounts on their crude because of tighter western sanctions and a stronger rouble, which has made exports less profitable. Meanwhile, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies are reviewing how much their members can produce in the years ahead, seeking to better align output quotas with actual capacity. Oil output in Russia, the de facto leader of OPEC+ alongside Saudi Arabia, has already been falling for two consecutive months amid export restrictions. Weaker drilling could add to the pressure as the alliance considers its next steps on supply policy. Stronger US sanctions, which have pushed the price of Russian oil to US$40 a barrel or lower, have already led to a string of bankruptcies among smaller oil companies in key oil-producing regions of Russia.

OPEC May Resume Oil Output Increases from April – The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is leaning towards a resumption in oil output increases from April, three OPEC+ sources told Reuters yesterday, as the group prepares for peak summer demand and price strength is bolstered by tensions over US-Iran relations. The resumption would allow OPEC leader Saudi Arabia and fellow members, such as the UAE, to regain market share at a time other OPEC+ members, such as Russia and Iran, contend with Western sanctions and Kazakh output is restrained by a series of setbacks. Eight OPEC+ producers – Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria and Oman will meet on March 1. The eight members raised production quotas by about 2.9 million barrels per day from April to the end of December 2025, equating to about 3 per cent of global demand, and froze further planned increases for January through March 2026 because of seasonally weaker consumption. The Brent crude benchmark is trading near $68 a barrel despite speculation that a supply glut would suppress prices this year. That’s not far from a six-month high of $71.89 hit in January on tensions between the United States and Iran. All three OPEC+ sources, who declined to be identified by name, said the eight members at the March 1 meeting were leaning towards a resumption in production quota increases from April. Three other sources familiar with OPEC+ thinking said they expected increases to resume in April. No decision has yet been made and talks will continue in the weeks ahead of the March 1 meeting, two of the OPEC+ sources said. OPEC and authorities in Russia and Saudi Arabia did not reply immediately to requests for comment. OPEC’s latest oil market forecasts show demand for OPEC+ crude in the second quarter falling by 400,000 bpd from the first three months of the year, but demand for the whole year is projected to be 600,000 bpd higher than in 2025.

Goldman Sachs Hikes Year-End Oil Price Forecast by $6 Per Barrel - Even if it maintains the view of global oversupply this year, Goldman Sachs has raised its oil price forecast for the fourth quarter by $6 per barrel as inventories in advanced economies remain low. The Wall Street bank lifted its Q4 2026 price estimate by $6 to $60 per barrel Brent Crude and made the same upward revision of its WTI Crude price outlook, to $56 per barrel at year-end, on the back of lower-than-expected stocks in the OECD countries, according to a Sunday note cited by Reuters. Early on Monday in Asian trade, the U.S. benchmark WTI Crude was trading 1% lower at $65 per barrel, and Brent Crude was down 1% at $71 a barrel amid uncertainties over the U.S. trade policies after the Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s so-called retaliatory tariffs.Oil prices have jumped in recent weeks on the prospect of a U.S. military campaign in Iran. The investment bank’s base-case scenario continues to assume there would be no supply disruptions related to Iran.Goldman’s supply-demand balance for 2026 remains at a surplus of 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd), assuming no major supply disruptions and no peace reached in the Russia-Ukraine talks.Goldman lifted its Q4 2026 Brent forecast to $60 and WTI to $56 per barrel, citing lower-than-expected OECD stock levels.The bank still projects a 2.3 million bpd surplus in 2026, assuming no major supply disruptions.OPEC+ may resume production increases in 2026 amid limited inventory builds and shifting market dynamics.Lower OECD inventories, however, have prompted the bank to hike its year-end oil price forecast.Last month, Goldman Sachs said that WTI could drop all the way to $50 per barrel towards the end of this year, amid expected excess supply that would put pressure on benchmarks.OPEC+ could reinstate production increases in the second quarter of 2026, considering the lack of meaningful builds in OECD stocks so far this year, the bank said on Sunday. Reports emerged earlier this month that the OPEC+ alliance is leaning toward resuming production increases from April following a pause in output hikes in the first quarter.

Oil prices fall 1% on US-Iran nuclear talks, Trump's tariff hikes; JM Financial says crude to stay subdued till November -- Oil prices declined by around 1% on Monday, after hitting a six-month high last week, amid signs that the US-Iran tensions are unlikely to worsen. Concerns around global growth and lower fuel demand following the tariff hike announcements by US President Donald Trump also weighed on crude. Brent crude futures fell by 76 cents, or 1.06%, to $71 per barrel as of 0354 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped 75 cents, or 1.10%, to $65.75 per barrel.Back home, crude oil prices on Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) were also marginally down by 0.30% at₹6,039.Iran and the US are set to hold a third round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, Badr Albusaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, said on Sunday, easing concerns about a potential escalation in tensions.According to a Reuters report, Tehran is willing to consider concessions on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief and formal recognition of its right to enrich uranium.Meanwhile, on Saturday, Trump said he would increase a temporary tariff on US imports from all countries to 15% from 10% — the highest level permitted under the law — after the US Supreme Court invalidated his earlier tariff programme.Earlier today, China stated that it is conducting a “comprehensive assessment” of the US court’s tariff ruling and urged Washington to withdraw the “relevant unilateral tariff measures” imposed on its trading partners, according to Reuters.The latest round of tariff-related announcements has again created uncertainty over global economic growth and fuel demand.Amid the current backdrop, domestic brokerage firm JM Financial expects oil prices to remain subdued till the November 2026 mid-term elections in the US, as Saudi Arabia-led OPEC+ output hikes seem to be primarily aimed at meeting the US President’s near-term request for lower oil prices.“We believe Brent may remain subdued ~USD 65/bbl till the Nov'26 mid-term elections in the US as Saudi Arabia is obliging the US President’s near-term request for low oil prices, but it is likely to stabilise ~USD 70/bbl in the medium term as otherwise it could hurt US shale capex and lead to a jump in Saudi Arabia’s fiscal deficit,” the firm said.

Oil Prices Rise as Market Awaits US-Iran Moves (DTN) -- Oil and product futures rose Monday morning as the market awaited developments in the Middle East ahead of another round of U.S.-Iranian nuclear talks slated for this week. A drop in U.S. crude, gasoline and distillate inventories in the week ended Feb. 13, as reported by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), also provided support. The U.S. has positioned its largest military force in the Middle East in more than two decades, with U.S. President Donald Trump cautioning Thursday, Feb. 19, that Iran had 10 to 15 days to reach a deal on its nuclear program or face consequences. Traders are bracing for further tensions in the Persian Gulf and have accordingly boosted their bullish bets on crude with long-dated futures showing a bias toward call options that benefit buyers. Crude prices are up 17% so far this year, though intermittent market swings have also resulted in the highest volatility in eight months. The CBOE Crude Oil Volatility Index shows a mid-February reading of 58, a peak since 74.41 in June. On the inventory front, U.S. commercial crude stocks declined by 9 million bbl to 419.8 million during the week ended Feb. 13, the EIA reported. Gasoline inventories fell by 3.3 million bbl the same week for their first drop in 14 weeks, while distillate balances retreated by 4.6 million, the agency added. In Monday's morning session, NYMEX WTI crude futures for March delivery were up $0.31 at $66.79 bbl. ICE Brent crude for April delivery also rose $0.31 to $72.07 bbl. Downstream, RBOB futures for March were flat at $1.9974 gallon while front-month ULSD futures rose $0.0567 to $2.6425 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index eased 0.139 points to 97.59 against a basket of foreign currencies, boosting the upside in dollar-denominated energy prices.

Tariff Uncertainty and Iran Talks Drive Volatility in the Oil Market - The oil market posted an outside trading day on Monday. It weighed a scheduled third round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran on Thursday and increased economic uncertainty after the U.S. Supreme Court last week struck down parts of President Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Over the weekend, Iran indicated it is prepared to make concessions on its nuclear program in return for sanctions lifting ad recognition of its right to enrich uranium. However, the risk of an attack on Iran remains high amid the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. The oil market was pressured following the U.S. Supreme Court decision, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency saying it would halt collections of tariffs on Tuesday, while President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he would raise a temporary tariff from 10% to 15% on U.S. imports from all countries. The market sold off sharply on the opening and posted a low of $65.38. It settled in a sideways trading range before it bounced higher and rallied to a high of $67.28 by mid-morning. The market later retraced more than 62% of its earlier move and settled in a sideways trading range during the remainder of the session. The April WTI contract settled down 17 cents at $66.31, while the April Brent contract settled down 27 cents at $71.49. Meanwhile, the product markets ended the session in mixed territory, with the heating oil market settling up 9.24 cents at $2.6782 following the winter storm that swept through the Northeast, while the RB market settled down 81 points at $1.9892. Goldman Sachs said the global oil market was expected to remain with a surplus of 2.3 million bpd in 2026, assuming no Iran-related disruption to supply, while raising its Brent and WTI forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2026 by $6 to $60 and $56 a barrel, respectively, citing lower OECD inventories. It sees potential sanctions relief in Iran/Russia accelerating stock builds and unlocking higher supply in the longer term, posing $5/$8 of downside risk to fourth quarter prices. It expects Brent/WTI to average $65/$61 in 2027 and to recover to $70/$66 by December 2027 on solid demand and slowing supply growth.Morgan Stanley raised its near-term Brent forecasts, saying that the geopolitical risk premium is likely to persist for a period, but added that it still expects prices to soften to $60/barrel later this year. The bank now sees Brent at $62.50/barrel in the second quarter of this year, compared with $57.50/barrel previously. It also raised its third-quarter forecast to $60/barrel from $57.50/barrel earlier.IIR Energy reported that U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 1.03 million bpd of capacity in the week ending February 27th, increasing available refining capacity by 118,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 751,000 bpd in the week ending March 6th. Rob Carolan, owner of Hometown Forecast Services, which provides outlooks for Bloomberg Radio said the storm that hit the U.S. East Coast originated from a strong Pacific system that struck California with heavy snow and flooding rain last week, built off the clash of cold air above milder Atlantic water to morph into a so-called weather bomb. He said the eastern U.S. will probably remain locked in a colder regime for months because of all the snow and ice across the Great Lakes. He added that the only thing that will unlock the pattern is the sun rising higher in the sky as spring in the Northern Hemisphere advances.

International Oil Prices Jump to 7-Month High Amid Fears of US Attack on Iran -- Global oil prices rose to a seven-month high on Tuesday as markets weighed the risk of a potential military escalation between the United States and Iran.Both major crude benchmarks advanced during Asian trading before slowing down. WTI Crude rose 0.9 percent to $67 per barrel by 7:40 PM Pakistan Standard time (PKT), while Brent Crude edged up 0.76 percent to $72.03 per barrel, staying close to their highest levels in seven months. Regional tensions have reignited concerns over global trade and economic growth, and forced investors to rotate out of risk-sensitive assets such as oil and into traditional safe havens, including gold.Energy analysts have begun factoring in more extreme price scenarios. Speaking to Bloomberg Television, Fereidun Fesharaki, Chairman Emeritus of FGE NexantECA, said oil prices in the $90–$100 per barrel range are “within reach” if tensions escalate further.The analyst said that accepting US demands could undermine Iran’s political standing. So a breakdown in talks is more likely, which may increase the risk of a sharp spike in crude prices in the coming days.

Oil Prices Near 7-Month Highs on Elevated Iran Tensions (DTN) -- Oil and product futures were mostly higher Tuesday morning, hovering near July peaks, as tensions between the U.S. and Iran stayed elevated ahead of negotiations scheduled for this week. NYMEX traded WTI futures for April delivery rose $0.42 to $66.73 bbl, and ICE Brent for April delivery advanced $0.39 to $71.88 bbl. Downstream, ULSD futures added $0.0552 to trade near $2.7340 gallon. RBOB futures, however, bucked the uptrend, with the front-month edging lower by $0.0118 to $1.9774 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index strengthened by 0.234 points to 97.8750 against a basket of foreign currencies. Brent and WTI futures reached a seven-month high during Monday's session on reports of the State Department evacuating non-essential personnel from the U.S. embassy in Beirut, a stronghold of Iran-affiliated Hezbollah. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, on Monday reiterated on social media that not reaching a deal "will be a very bad day for that Country, and very sadly, its people." U.S. negotiators are set to meet Iran's foreign minister for a third round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, Feb. 26. Prices were also boosted by lower-than-expected tariff rates. The U.S. on Tuesday imposed an across-the-board 10% tariff on goods imports after the Supreme Court last week struck down the president's use of emergency laws to enact high import tariffs. Following the ruling, the president said he will institute a 15% rate using other legal mechanisms. Mideast escalation risks were also reflected in rates for chartering dirty tankers, which have soared to the highest in three years. This year alone, the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index shot up by 55%. Rates for crude tankers from the Middle East to Asia have more than doubled since the beginning of the year. Geopolitics aside, traders were closely monitoring U.S. diesel and gasoline inventories, the latter of which began last week with a decline from a prolonged build-up that peaked at 5% above the five-year average. The American Petroleum Institute's weekly inventory report is scheduled for release after market hours today, followed by official inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday. The Conference Board, meanwhile, issues at 10 a.m. EST today its monthly update on U.S. Consumer Confidence. The data, which indicates views and expectations on personal finances and inflation, is expected to see a modest rebound after hitting a 12-year low last month.

Oil prices ease as Iran says prepared to take steps to reach deal with US (Reuters) - Oil prices closed down 1% on Tuesday after Iran said it was prepared to take any necessary steps to reach a nuclear deal with the U.S., after weeks of increased military deployment by the U.S. in the Middle East.Brent futures settled at $70.77 per barrel, down 72 cents, or 1%. WTI futures also fell 1%, settling at $65.63, down 68 cents.Iran, the third-biggest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the U.S. will hold a third round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on Sunday. bThe U.S. wants Iran to give up its nuclear program, and has sent aircraft carriers, warships and jets to the region.Iran has denied it is trying to develop an atomic weapon, and its deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday that Tehran was ready to reach a deal to lower tensions between the two countries.Swiss bank UBS said it expected a modest decline in oil prices in coming weeks provided there was no escalation of tensions in the Middle East that could disrupt supply.U.S. crude prices include a $3-$4 a barrel geopolitical risk premium because of tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the director of North Dakota's Mineral Resources Department said on Monday. North Dakota is the No. 3 U.S. oil-producing state. The oil industry needs crude prices to rise and sustain at $70 per barrel in order to grow output, energy executives said.The U.S. State Department is pulling non-essential government personnel and their families from the U.S. embassy in Beirut, a senior official said on Monday, as concerns mount about the risk of conflict with Iran, which, sources said, was close to a deal with China to purchase anti-ship cruise missiles.Meanwhile, the U.S. began collecting a temporary new 10% global import tariff on Tuesday, but President Donald Trump's administration was working to increase it to 15%, a White House official said, sowing confusion over tariff policies after last week's Supreme Court defeat.Trading houses and buyers of Venezuelan oil have chartered the first very large crude carriers to export from the South American country since a Caracas-Washington supply deal began. This is set to speed up shipments from March while boosting deliveries to India, according to sources and data.The European Commission will submit a legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports on April 15, three days after Hungary's parliamentary election, according to EU officials and a document seen by Reuters.Russia's oil pipeline monopoly Transneft has cut crude intake into its system by some 250,000 barrels per day, two sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday, a day after Ukrainian drones attacked a pumping station serving major oil hubs and ports.U.S. crude stocks rose while gasoline and distillate inventories fell last week, according to market sources, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Crude stocks rose by 11.43 million barrels in the week ended February 20, much higher than the 1.5 million barrels analysts projected energy firms added to storage.

Oil near seven-month high as Mideast war clouds loom - Oil prices were hovering near seven-month highs on Wednesday as the threat of military conflict ​between the US and Iran ​that could disrupt supply continued ​to worry investors as talks between the parties are set for Thursday, reported Reuters. Brent prices reached their ⁠highest since July 31 while WTI hit its highest since ⁠August 4 on Monday, and both contracts have held near there as the US has positioned military forces in the Middle East to compel Iran to negotiate an end to its nuclear and ballistic missile programme. An extended conflict could disrupt supplies ‌from Iran, the third-biggest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and other countries in the key Middle East producing region, said the report. "This uncertainty means the market will continue ​to price in a large risk premium and remain sensitive to any fresh developments," ING commodities strategists said on Wednesday. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are slated to meet with an Iranian delegation for a third round of talks on Thursday in Geneva. Iran’s Foreign Minister ⁠Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday that a deal with the US was 'within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.' ″Trump has warned that without a deal, there will be ‘very ‌bad consequences’. Whether (Iran’s) concessions will meet the US's ‘zero enrichment’ red line remains to be seen,” Tony Sycamore, IG market analyst, said in a note.

WTI Extends Losses After Biggest Crude Build In 3 Years --Oil prices are sliding this morning following as an over-supplied market (API reported a huge 11.4mm barrel build last week) beats the geopolitical risk premia (with the US poised to attack Iran). "Iran, rather than backing down and agreeing to all and any term [U.S. President Trump] is placing on the table (as he had expected), is instead daring him to attack. "Just you try it and you will see what you will get!" is kind of what Iran implicitly said to Trump when it held military drills in the Straight of Hormuz last week," Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB Research, wrote. But, prices dipped into negative territory after a Hezbollah official said the group will not intervene in the event of limited US strikes on Iran, AFP reported. “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said on Tuesday. Nevertheless, The US has ordered the biggest military build-up in the Middle East since the second Gulf war in 2003, including two aircraft carriers. America is adding even more assets to the region, deploying 12 stealth F-22 fighter jets to Israel, according to CNN, which cited a defense official. “So long as we remain in this realm of uncertainty, oil prices are more prone to upside risk on any headlines out of the US-Iran talks,” said Samantha Hartke, head of market analysis for the Americas at Vortexa Ltd. “Our view is that a prolonged disruption is unlikely given the onerous effect that will have on Iranian trade flows and revenues,” she added, referring to Hormuz. So will the official data confirm API's ugly over-supplied build signal? API

• Crude +11.4mm
• Cushing +1.8mm
• Gasoline -1.5mm
• Distillates -2.8mm

DOE

• Crude +15.99mm - biggest build since Feb 2023
• Cushing +881k
• Gasoline -1.01mm
• Distillates +252k

The official data confirmed a huge inventory build for crude stocks in the US (15.99mm barrels is the biggest build since early Feb 2023), reverses some of the bumper draws we’ve seen in the last few weeks. The rest of the energy complex was 'meh'... Source: Bloomberg Don't get too excited though as a huge jump in the adjustment factor is a sign that this data is likely still being impacted by the bad weather of recent weeks... Crude production dipped last week... WTI slid before the DOE data but is holding in the red for now after the huge crude build...

Oil settles little changed, supply worries persist despite large US crude stock build (Reuters) - Oil prices settled largely unchanged on Wednesday as a much larger-than-expected U.S. crude stock build did not do much to calm jitters about the threat to oil ​supply ‌from potential military conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Brent futures closed up 8 cents at $70.85 a barrel, while WTI futures settled 21 cents lower at $65.42. U.S. crude inventories rose by 16 million ⁠barrels last week as refinery utilization fell and imports increased, the Energy Information Administration said on ⁠Wednesday. That far exceeded the 1.5-million-barrel rise that analysts had ​forecast in a Reuters poll. However, the EIA's adjustment number, which totals unaccounted-for changes in crude stocks, hit a record last week at 2.7 million barrels per day. "A bearish (EIA) report with a large crude build... the prices impact was however limited, as the oil market remains more influenced by other factors at present, such as geopolitical tensions in the ​Middle East," said Giovanni Staunovo, ‌commodity analyst at UBS. Brent prices had reached their highest since July 31 on Friday while WTI hit its highest since August 4 on Monday, as the U.S. positioned military forces in the Middle East to try to compel Iran to negotiate an end to its nuclear and ballistic missile programme. An extended conflict could disrupt supplies from Iran, the third-biggest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and other countries in the Middle East. Supporting oil prices, U.S. President Donald Trump briefly ​laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, saying he would not allow a country he described ‌as the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to meet an Iranian delegation for a third round of talks on Thursday in Geneva. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi ‌said on Tuesday that a deal with the U.S. was "within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority". "The real question, of course, is to what extent oil production or oil exports could be halted out of Iran if the US were to strike," said Dennis Kissler, senior vice president of trading at BOK Financial. "Many traders believe ​that if oil production is hampered, Saudi could raise production quickly, filling in the void, and the U.S. military presence could keep passage in the Strait of Hormuz open. Still, crude will remain ‌in a nervous trade awaiting the meeting’s outcome," Kissler said. Top OPEC+ producer Saudi Arabia has activated a plan for a short-term oil output and export surge in case a U.S. strike on Iran disrupts oil flows, two sources familiar with the Saudi plan told Reuters. Separately, OPEC+ will likely consider raising its oil output by 137,000 barrels per ⁠day for April ⁠to end a three-month pause in production increases, three sources with knowledge of OPEC+ thinking said, as the ‌group prepares for peak summer demand and tensions between the U.S. and Iran boost prices. Eight OPEC+ producers - Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria and Oman - meet on March 1. Tariff uncertainty ​also further worried investors. Trump's temporary global tariff ​of 10% took effect on Tuesday after the Supreme Court's sweeping ruling last week. He later said the levy ‌would be 15%, but it was unclear when and if it would apply. The U.S. tariff rate for some countries will rise to 15% or higher from the newly imposed 10%, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday, without naming any specific trading partners or giving further details.

Oil Prices Edge Higher As U.S.–Iran Nuclear Negotiations Resume In Geneva -- Global oil markets posted modest gains as traders repositioned ahead of a fresh round of diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran, with geopolitical risk premiums creeping back into crude benchmarks. Brent crude futures advanced to $70.83 per barrel, marking a 0.12 percent uptick from the prior session’s close of $70.74. Meanwhile, U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) settled at $65.51 per barrel, also up 0.12 percent compared to $65.43 recorded previously. The price movement comes as attention shifts to the third round of indirect nuclear discussions between Washington and Tehran, scheduled to hold in Geneva under the mediation of Oman. Diplomatic sources indicate that the talks are part of renewed efforts to de-escalate tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear activities and regional security posture. Energy markets have remained highly sensitive to geopolitical developments in the Middle East, particularly amid reports of expanded U.S. military deployments across the Persian Gulf and elevated defense readiness in Israel. Speaking earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Iran’s unwillingness to negotiate limitations on its ballistic missile program as “a significant obstacle” to progress. He emphasized that any durable agreement would need to address broader regional security concerns. U.S. Vice President JD Vance reiterated Washington’s longstanding position that Tehran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons capability. While affirming that diplomacy remains the preferred route, he signaled that alternative measures remain on the table should negotiations falter. On the Iranian side, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi defended the country’s missile arsenal, characterizing it as purely defensive and structured around deterrence doctrine. He dismissed assertions that Tehran is developing intercontinental systems capable of striking the U.S. mainland. Since the resumption of diplomatic engagement last month, the two sides have completed two rounds of indirect negotiations facilitated by Oman. Regional actors, including Türkiye, have also supported de-escalation initiatives aimed at restoring stability to energy corridors and maritime trade routes. Both delegations described the previous discussions as constructive, noting agreement on preliminary “guiding principles” that could frame a broader accord. Analysts say this cautious optimism has prevented oil prices from experiencing sharper volatility, despite ongoing military maneuvers. Nonetheless, the strategic backdrop remains tense. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps recently conducted military exercises, while the U.S. Treasury Department unveiled additional sanctions targeting what it described as Iran’s “shadow fleet” and illicit weapons procurement networks. While geopolitical risks provided modest upward support, crude prices faced headwinds from fresh U.S. inventory data. Figures released by the Energy Information Administration showed that commercial crude stockpiles surged by approximately 16 million barrels in the week ending February 20 — significantly exceeding market expectations. The sharp inventory build raised concerns about short-term demand softness in the world’s largest oil-consuming economy. However, a simultaneous drawdown in gasoline inventories suggested that refined fuel consumption remains resilient in certain sectors. Market strategists note that the interplay between diplomatic developments and macro demand indicators will likely determine the near-term trajectory of oil prices. Should negotiations yield tangible de-escalation signals, risk premiums could moderate. Conversely, any breakdown in talks may inject renewed volatility into global energy markets. For now, crude benchmarks appear range-bound, reflecting a delicate balance between geopolitical uncertainty and underlying supply-demand fundamentals.

Oil Prices Tumble as Crucial U.S.-Iran Talks Begin | OilPrice.com - Oil prices fell by about 2% early on Thursday as the crucial U.S.-Iran talks began in Geneva in what analysts see as one last attempt to reach a nuclear deal through diplomacy. As of 7:50 a.m. ET on Thursday, the U.S. benchmark,WTI Crude, traded down by 1.61% to below the $65 per barrel threshold, at $64.38. The international benchmark, Brent Crude, was falling by 1.27% and was just below $70 per barrel, at $69.96. Prices were under pressure after the latest weekly data by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed on Wednesday that crude oil inventories in the United States surged by 16 million barrels during the week ending February 20. Yet, recent weeks have been distorted by weather-related production freeze-offs and the subsequent snap-back in output, which can swing inventories sharply from one report to the next. The market’s attention today is squarely fixed on Switzerland, which hosts the U.S.-Iran talks mediated by Oman. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said negotiators had “demonstrated unprecedented openness to new and creative ideas and solutions.”Still, it is uncertain whether any breakthrough could be made on Thursday. The U.S. continues to amass forces in the Middle Eastern region, with the U.S. military saying it is prepared to execute orders given by U.S. President Donald Trump. Commenting on the oil market implications, ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey said early on Thursday that “A constructive resolution would likely prompt the market to gradually unwind as much as a $10/bbl risk premium, which we believe is currently priced in.” The upside risk to oil remains should talks break down, “but the market may hold off on a full reaction until the scale of potential US action against Iran becomes clearer,” the strategists noted. “If we are to see de-escalation between the US and Iran, it should allow weaker fundamentals to feed through to a lower flat price -- particularly if OPEC+ resumes supply increases from April, which we believe they will agree to this weekend.”

Oil Falls on Record Inventory Build as Volatility Continues -- The crude market on Thursday posted an outside trading day as the market weighed the EIA report released on Wednesday showing U.S. crude oil inventories increasing by 16 million barrels on the week, the most in three years, while the market also assess whether the U.S.-Iran talks could avert a military conflict. The crude market traded mostly sideways in overnight trading before it breached its previous low and extended its losses to over $1.80. It posted a low of $63.60 in light of the surge in oil inventories as well as the news that Saudi Arabia is increasing its crude production and exports under a contingency plan should any U.S. strike on Iran disrupt supplies from the Middle East. However, the market reversed course and rallied over $1.20 as it posted a high of $66.71 by mid-day on reports that the U.S.-Iran talks had stalled over Washington’s insistence of zero uranium enrichment by Iran. The market later erased some of its gains ahead of the close after Oman’s Foreign Minister stated that there was significant progress made during the U.S.-Iran talks. This was despite Axios reporting that the White House envoys were disappointed following their talks on Thursday morning. The April WTI contract settled down 21 cents at $65.21 and the April Brent settled down 10 cents at $70.75. The product markets ended the session in mixed territory once again, with the heating oil market settling down 6.15 cents at $2.6125 and the RB market settling up 4.09 cents at $2.0323. LSEG data showed that the cost of hiring a very large crude carrier to ship 2 million barrels from the Middle East to China exceeded $200,000 a day on Thursday for the first time since April 2020. It has nearly quadrupled from the start of the year. The surge in oil shipping costs follows increased crude exports from the Middle East as traders have accelerated charters ahead of a possible military conflict between the U.S. and Iran. According to sources, the Trump administration has settled on a plan that would require big oil refineries to make up for at least half of the biofuel blending volumes obligations waived in recent years under the Small Refinery Exemption program. The decision could be unwelcome news for larger oil refiners that have argued that additional blending obligations would raise their costs. However, it could help the biofuel industry by increasing demand for blending credits. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, oil refineries have to blend billions of gallons of ethanol and other biofuels into their fuel or buy credits, called RINs, from those that do. However, small refineries can have those obligations waived if they demonstrate economic hardship. The question of whether to reallocate those exempted blending obligations to larger refiners is a point of contention between the agriculture and fuel industries. Citgo reported a planned startup of a fluid catalytic cracking unit following maintenance activity at its 165,000 bpd Corpus Christi, Texas refinery East plant. A Texas Commission on Environmental Quality filing showed that Valero’s 205,000 bpd Houston refinery reported a third‑party power interruption on Wednesday morning caused a loss of power to the plant. The outage led to emissions from the main refinery flare 30FL1. Refinery personnel followed established procedures to safely stabilize affected units and limit emissions.

Oil Prices Climb As US-Iran Talks End Without Deal - Oil prices edged higher on Friday after diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran aimed at easing tensions over Tehran's nuclear program concluded on Thursday without an agreement. Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 0.9 percent to $71.44 a barrel while WTI crude futures were up nearly 1 percent at $65.86. Following meetings in Switzerland, an Omani mediator involved in the negotiations said the talks led to understanding on some issues and that the next round of talks will take place next week in Vienna. The stakes have never been higher, but traders waited to see if a diplomatic breakthrough can avert a potential military conflict in the Middle East. According to the Wall Street Journal, Iran rejected major U.S. proposals, including transferring enriched uranium abroad, halting enrichment, and dismantling certain nuclear sites. Elsewhere, Pakistan has declared an open war against Afghanistan, launching Operation Ghazab Lil Haq with extensive airstrikes against Taliban targets in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia amid fierce border clashes. Meanwhile, Venezuela's oil ministry has suspended 19 oil production-sharing contracts with private companies signed under the administration of ?President Nicolas Maduro, Reuters reported citing sources with knowledge of the move. It was said the suspension has had no impact on the country's oil and gas output so far.

Oil Prices Surge 3.7% as U.S.-Iran Standoff Triggers Higher 2026 Forecasts -- Economists and oil market analysts have hiked their oil price forecasts for 2026 amid rising geopolitical tensions and heightened war premium due to the U.S.-Iran standoff. Both crude oil benchmarks are now expected to average above $60 per barrel this year, with price forecasts higher by about $1.50 per barrel compared to a month ago, the monthly Reuters poll showed on Friday. Despite ongoing concerns about an oversupplied market, the 34 analysts and economists surveyed by Reuters in February raised their projections in view of uncertainties in how the Iran crisis would unfold in the coming weeks and months. In the February poll, Brent Crude prices are expected to average $63.85 per barrel in 2026. This month’s estimate is higher compared to the January forecast of $62.02.The analysts in the poll expect the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, to average above $60 per barrel this year, too—at $60.38 a barrel, up from $58.72 expected in January. Year to date, Brent price have averaged $70.48 per barrel and WTI – $65.01 a barrel. Early on Friday, both benchmarks were trading 3% higher, with Brent near $73 and WTI at $67, after the United States and Iran adjourned the Thursday talks with plans for another round of negotiations next week. Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr Albusaidi, who was mediating the indirect talks in Geneva, said the parties had made “significant progress” in the nuclear talks. Next week, negotiations are set to be held in Vienna, Austria. It is the ongoing U.S.-Iran standoff that has been the main driver of oil analysts in the Reuters poll to raise their oil price forecasts for this year. Currently, the geopolitical risk premium already baked in the price of oil is about $4-$10 per barrel, analysts say. The war premium, the OPEC+ supply policy, and the fundamentals in supply-demand balances will steer the direction of oil prices this year, they note.

WTI Hits $67 on Potential U.S. Strike Against Iran -- Crude prices hit seven-month highs Friday on the increasing prospect of U.S. military action against Iran, after U.S. President Donald Trump said force may be necessary to get OPEC's fourth-largest producer to abandon its nuclear program. "I'd love not to use it but sometimes you have to," Trump told reporters when asked whether he was considering the use of force, after three rounds of talks between U.S. and Iranian negotiators had failed to produce a nuclear deal. Multiple outlets had reported earlier that Trump was set to convene with senior advisors later in the day to discuss the potential of limited strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. "We want no nuclear weapons by Iran and they're not saying those golden words," the president said when asked about this, adding that he was not happy with the situation, even if talks were to continue. Fears of an imminent strike on Iran have obscured the bearish fundamentals for crude arising from this week's inventory data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. commercial crude oil inventories rose by 16 million bbl last week, registering their biggest weekly stockpile growth in three years. At Friday's close, NYMEX WTI crude for April delivery settled up $1.81, or 2.8%, at $67.02 bbl. WTI's session peak of $67.83 was the highest since August 1, when it hit $69.58. The U.S. crude benchmark rose 0.8% on the week, adding to the prior week's rise of 6%. The ICE Brent crude contract for April settled up $1.73, or 2.5%, at $72.48 bbl after an intraday peak of $73, the highest since July 31, when it reached $73.53. The global crude benchmark rose about 2% on the week, extending last week's 6% advance. Downstream, front-month RBOB futures climbed $0.0456 to $2.0779 gallon, while ULSD futures perked up by $0.058 to $2.6709 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index slipped by 0.205 points to 97.535 against a basket of foreign currencies.

Oil prices rise more than 2% as US and Iran extend talks (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2% on Friday with traders bracing for supply disruptions as nuclear talks between the United States and Iran had yet to reach an agreement. Brent crude futures settled at $72.48 a barrel, up $1.73, or 2.45%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $67.02 a barrel, up $1.81, or 2.78%. The two sides agreed to extend indirect negotiations into next week but traders grew skeptical that an agreement between U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and Iran was possible. "The likelihood Iran is going to agree to what the Trump administration wants doesn't seem possible," "There's got to be an endgame to this and the market seems to think that's where we are headed." The Brent and WTI benchmarks were trading at their highest since July and August, respectively, and were poised to register weekly gains well above 1%. "Uncertainty prevails, fear is pushing prices higher today," said Tamas Varga, an oil analyst at brokerage PVM. "It is completely driven by the outcome of the Iranian nuclear talks and possible military action the U.S. might take against Iran." The United States and Iran held indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday after Trump ordered a military buildup in the region. Oil prices gained more than a dollar a barrel during the talks, on media reports indicating that discussions had stalled over U.S. insistence on zero enrichment of uranium by Iran. However, prices eased after the Omani mediator said the two sides had made progress. They plan to resume negotiations with technical-level discussions scheduled next week in Vienna, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said on X. "We think the latest round of talks offers some hope on chances of a peaceful resolution, but military strikes are in no way out of the equation," . Trump said on February 19 that Iran must make a deal over its nuclear programme within 10 to 15 days or "really bad things" will happen. Geopolitical risk premiums of $8 to $10 a barrel have been built into oil prices on fears that a conflict will disrupt Middle East supply through the Strait of Hormuz, where about 20% of global oil supply passes, Sarkar said. To cushion the impact from a possible strike, UAE oil producer Abu Dhabi is set to export more of its flagship Murban crude in April, two trade sources said on Friday. Earlier this week, other sources said Saudi Arabia would also increase oil production. Additionally, Saudi Arabia may raise its April crude price to Asia for the first time in five months due to higher demand from India to replace Russian supplies, potentially raising it by about $1 a barrel. Producer group OPEC+, meanwhile, is likely to consider raising oil output by 137,000 barrels per day for April at its March 1 meeting, sources said, after suspending production increases in the first quarter.

Iran Rushes to Ship Oil Ahead of Possible U.S. Strike -Iran has tripled the rate of loading tankers in recent days as Tehran rushes to get its oil out of the Gulf ahead of potential further escalation of the tensions with the United States, according to vessel-tracking data. Crude oil exports from Iran’s key export hub on the Kharg Island soared to 20.1 million barrels during the period February 15 to 20, according to Kpler data cited byBloomberg. The rate of loadings at Kharg Island, which handles nearly all of Iran’s oil export volumes, was three times higher between February 15 and February 20, compared to the period January 15-20, for example. The loadings last week were equivalent to over 3 million barrels per day of crude oil, which is more than double Iran’s estimated typical export levels in recent years. The elevated rate of oil loadings in recent days suggests that Iran is bracing itself for a possible escalation of the U.S.-Iran tensions and could be preparing for some kind of U.S. military intervention, analysts say. In recent years, Iran has on several occasions rushed to ship oil out of Kharg Island at times of heightened tensions. For example, in October 2024, Iranian oil tankers moved away from Kharg Island amid fears of an imminent Israeli attack on the most important crude export infrastructure in Iran.During the June 2025 conflict with Israel, analysts did not rule out that Kharg Island—the crude terminal handling 90% of Iranian crude oil exports—could become a target of Israeli strikes. While Iran hastens to ship crude out of its waters, the U.S. continues to amass military forces in the region. The United States and Iran are holding a round of indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday—negotiations that analysts see as possibly the last chance of reaching a nuclear deal through diplomacy.

Saudi Arabia Boosting Oil Output In Anticipation of U.S. Attacks On Iran -Saudi Arabia has started to increase its oil output as part of a contingency plan in the event the United States attacks Iran and oil flows are disrupted, Reuters reported on Wednesday, as OPEC’s biggest oil producer positions itself as a "reliable supplier" looking to take up its traditional role as a key swing producer ready to stabilize the markets if a conflict occurs.U.S. President Donald Trump recently revealed that he is considering a "limited military strike" on Iran in a bid to pressure its leaders into a new nuclear agreement. Saudi crude shipments jumped to 7.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first 24 days of February 2026, the highest level since April 2023.The Kingdom is prepared to implement a short-term output hike specifically to offset potential supply losses from Iran or disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint.Saudi Arabia can utilize its East-West Pipeline to the Red Sea to bypass potential Gulf blockades, though its spare capacity is currently limited to ~2.4 million bpd. Iran, which produces around 3.2 million barrels per day (approximately 3% of global oil), has warned that any U.S. or allied military strikes against its territory will trigger immediate and decisive retaliation. The ongoing tensions have raised significant concerns that Iran could attempt to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical bottleneck which handles 20-30% of global seaborne oil.The threat of disruption has increased the geopolitical risk premium on oil, with analysts warning that a conflict could lead to sharp price spikes similar to those that occurred four years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine.Saudi Arabia’s output hike comes at a time when OPEC+ is considering a resumption of its unwinding program. OPEC+ is likely to consider increasing oil output by 137,000 barrels per day for April 2026 when it meets on March 1, ending a three-month pause in hikes. The group paused its program for the first quarter of 2026 after steady increases of 137,000 bpd in Oct/Nov/Dec 2025 due to fears of oversupply.

Saudi Arabia Records Largest Budget Deficit Since 2020 --Saudi Arabia recorded its widest quarterly budget deficit in five years in the final three months of 2025, as lower crude oil prices weigh down the kingdom's finances, Bloomberg is reporting.Data released by the Saudi Ministry of Finance shows the government posted a deficit of 94.9 billion riyals ($25.3 billion) in the fourth quarter, which brought the total shortfall for 2025 to nearly 276.6 billion riyals ($73.73 billion), more than double the previous year's 115.6 billion riyals ($30.82 billion) deficit in 2024. The full-year deficit amounted to roughly 5.5 percent of gross domestic product.Non-oil revenue reached about 122.6 billion riyals ($32.68 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2025, while oil revenue fell to around 154.2 billion riyals ($41.10 billion), down from 170.8 billion riyals ($45.53 billion) in the same period a year earlier, according to Finance Ministry data.Saudi Arabia has been running budget deficits since late 2022, with Bloomberg Economics noting that the kingdom would need oil prices to average about $97 per barrel in 2025 to balance its budget.That figure rises to roughly $114 per barrel when domestic spending by the sovereign wealth fund is included. Meanwhile, Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, is currently trading at around $71.This gap has prompted heavier borrowing on international bond markets, as well as major delays and downscaling of the Kingdom's large-scale megaprojects tied to the Saudi Vision 2030 program, championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).Bloomberg reported in late January that Saudi authorities had begun pressing some of the kingdom's wealthiest families to inject additional capital into domestic ventures, as Vision 2030 megaprojects face scaling back or suspension.

Smotrich: 'In the End,' Israel Will Occupy Gaza and Establish Jewish Settlements - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has once again vowed that there will eventually be Jewish settlements in Gaza, saying that “in the end,” Israel will fully occupy and settle the Palestinian territory, according to The Times of Israel.Smotrich, who also holds a minister position in the Israeli Defense Ministry, said that he expects the US to give Hamas an ultimatum in the “coming days” to disarm, and if the group doesn’t, Israel will restart its full-scale bombing campaign with the goal of conquering”Gaza with US support.“If [Hamas] does not comply, the IDF will receive international legitimacy and American backing to do it itself,” he said, adding that the demands for disarmament include “all AK-47 rifles, all small arms, and of course, all the tunnels and explosives.” Previous reporting said the US was considering a plan that would allow Hamas to keep some small arms.“One thing is certain: The IDF will enter and occupy Gaza if Hamas does not disarm,” Smotrich said. “In the end, Israel will occupy the Gaza Strip, implement a military government, and establish Jewish settlements there. It is impossible to run away from that because it is the truth.”The Israeli minister vowed again that Israel will fully occupy Gaza, saying it “doesn’t matter if it happens in a year, two years, or three years.” He was asked about President Trump’s “peace plan” for Gaza and the fact that Indonesia has said it’s committed troops to deploy to the Strip as part of the “International Stabilization Force,” which is supposed to replace IDF troops who are currently occupying more than 50% of Gaza.“If this happens, they will fold very quickly and allow the IDF to enter. This is coordinated with the Americans,” he said. “By the way, I don’t yet see them going in that fast.”

Russia to Tighten Budget Fiscal Rule as Oil and Gas Revenues Plunge -The Russian government is considering lowering the oil price level above which it sends the proceeds to its wealth fund as the Kremlin’s oil and gas revenues are plummeting with widening discounts and key buyers like India pulling out of the spot market. Under the so-called budget rule, Russia had a baseline price of $60 per barrel of oil for 2025. At prices above $60 per barrel for its oil, Moscow funnels excess revenue to its National Wealth Fund, a rainy-day reserves fund. However, when the price is below $60 per barrel – as Russia’s crude grades have been for months now – Russia taps into the fund to offset shortfalls in revenue from oil and gas exports. Despite the recent rise in international benchmark prices, Russia’s crude is selling at significantly lower levels, as discounts have widened in recent weeks. Russian crude is offered at discounts of more than $11 per barrel below Brent quotes for shipments to China, which has remained the main market for Russia’s oil following the massive withdrawal of Indian refiners. Russia now is rushing to save its revenues and budget amid plunging income from oil sales. “Oil and gas revenue really is falling [as a share of overall budget revenue]. We see this and the Russian government is thinking of tightening the fiscal rule by lowering the cut-off price to keep the National Wealth Fund intact and to ease pressure on the currency market,” Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said. The government could make the decision to lower the price of oil in the budget rule within two weeks, the local Interfax news agency quoted the minister as saying. Last year, the government decided gradually reduce the cut-off price for oil in the fiscal rule by $1 each year, from $60 per barrel in 2025 to $55 by 2030. Officials are now considering slashing that price to as low as $45-$50 per barrel, sources with knowledge of the plans toldBloomberg, adding that the government could also cut the economic growth estimate for 2026 amid the major hit to oil revenues.

After Four Years of War, Zelensky Insists Victory Requires Ukraine Reclaiming All Territory Captured by Russia – Tuesday marks four years since Russia first launched its invasion of Ukraine, and, despite President Trump promising to end the war quickly, there’s no end in sight to the conflict as Russian and Ukrainian leadership haven’t budged on their core demands for a peace deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed in an interview with the BBCover the weekend that he wouldn’t cede the territory Ukraine still controls in the eastern Donbas region and defined “victory” as Ukraine regaining all of the land it has lost to Russia since February 2022. Ukraine ceding the Donbas is a key Russian demand to end the war, and President Trump has repeatedly called for Zelensky to do so, arguing that Ukraine will likely lose the territory in bloody battles in the coming months and years. When asked by the BBC interviewer if he thought it was a “reasonable request” for a ceasefire, Zelensky said he didn’t agree. “I see this differently. I don’t look at it simply as land. I see it as abandonment – weakening our positions, abandoning hundreds of thousands of our people who live there. That is how I see it. And I am sure that this ‘withdrawal’ would divide our society,” Zelensky said. When asked whether he still sought to regain all the land Ukraine has lost, Zelensky answered in the affirmative but suggested he needed more help from his Western backers to do so. “We’ll do it. That is absolutely clear. It is only a matter of time. To do it today would mean losing a huge number of people – millions of people – because the [Russian] army is large, and we understand the cost of such steps. You would not have enough people, you would be losing them. And what is land without people? Honestly, nothing,” Zelensky said. “And we also don’t have enough weapons. That depends not just on us, but on our partners. So as of now that’s not possible but returning to the just borders of 1991 without a doubt, is not only a victory, it’s justice. Ukraine’s victory is the preservation of our independence, and a victory of justice for the whole world is the return of all our lands,” he added. Another major sticking point in the negotiations is the issue of security guarantees. Zelensky and many European leaders want troops from NATO nations to deploy to Ukrainian territory with the backing of US airpower after a peace deal is signed, but Russian officials have repeatedly rejected the idea and made clear that the condition is a non-starter. Zelensky said in the BBC interview that he wants whatever security guarantee he gets from the US to last 30 years. He made the comments when asked about the Trump administration’s call for him to hold elections, saying that US security guarantees would need to be in place before that happened. Russian and Ukrainian officials held talks in Geneva last week, but there’s been no sign of progress. Russia maintains it won’t agree to a deal unless its key demands are met, which include Ukraine ceding the territory and guarantees on Ukraine not joining NATO, and has made clear it’s willing to continue the grinding war to achieve those goals.

Pakistani Military Says 274 Fighters Killed, Over 400 Wounded in Attacks on Afghanistan --Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared Friday that a state of “open war” exists between Pakistan and the neighboring nation of Afghanistan, following ever-growing tensions and cross-border raids. Pakistan has reportedly pounded major cities in Afghanistan in the escalation of the conflict.The attacks reportedly centered on major military centers of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and included significant attacks on the capital city of Kabul, causing explosions that fueled panic in the city and reportedly a soaring death toll.Pakistani military statements claimed at least 274 Afghan fighters had been killed in the strikes, and over 400 others were wounded. If confirmed, this is one of the single largest incidents of attacks on war-torn Afghanistan in decades. Pakistani officials also suggested that some 228 Taliban fighters had been killed in Kabul alone, while also confirming attacks on Paktia Province and the city of Kandahar.Fighting and exchanges of fire have been reported in the area around the Torkham Border Crossing, which lies along a highway that connects the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and the city of Peshawar to the Afghan city of Jalalabad and the capital of Kabul.Taliban statements reported the mobilization of a “battalion” of suicide bombers to fight Pakistan, and claimed to have launched attacks in Nangarhar leading to the death of some 55 Pakistani soldiers and the capture of 19 Pakistani military posts. Pakistan confirmed the Nangarhar fighting but denied the outcome, insisting they had sustained no casualties at all.Pakistan and the Taliban have been facing growing tensions in recent months, with long-standing disputes about the actual border between the two nations escalating amid allegations by Pakistan that the Taliban have been hosting Pakistani Islamist factions like the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).In addition to tensions over the status of the TTP, Pakistani officials have accused the Taliban of serving as a proxy for regional rival India. India, for its part, issued a statement condemning the Pakistani attacks on Afghanistan The international community is calling for the two sides to settle their differences peacefully, with both Russia and China offering to mediate. Iran has similarly suggested they would be willing to provide whatever assistance possible to facilitate the talks.

Mexico's most wanted drug lord 'El Mencho' killed in military operation - Mexico's most wanted man and the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) drug cartel has been killed during a security operation to arrest him, the defence ministry has said. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho", died on Sunday as he was being taken to the capital Mexico City, after being seriously injured in clashes between his supporters and the army. Four CJNG members were killed in the town of Tapalpa, the central-western Jalisco state. Three army personnel were also injured. The US had given Mexico information that assisted the operation. CJNG retaliated by setting cars alight, building roadblocks and attacking security forces in eight states. The US State Department issued a shelter-in-place warning for US citizens in the states of Jalisco, Tamaulipas, as well as some areas in Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo later urged people to remain "calm". She wrote on X that "in most parts of the country, activities are proceeding normally". El Mencho, a 59-year-old former police officer, ran a vast criminal organisation responsible for trafficking huge quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the US. The US State Department had offered a $15m (£11.1m) reward for information leading to El Mencho's capture. The Mexican defence ministry said in a statement that the operation was "planned and executed" by the country's special forces. Aircraft from the Mexican Air Force and the National Guard were also deployed. It also said that several armoured vehicles and weapons - including rocket launchers - were seized during the operation. The US had been providing information to Mexico that assisted its operation, the statement said. Eyewitnesses have filmed plumes of smoke rising over several cities including Guadalajara - one of the host cities of the forthcoming Fifa World Cup. In the tourist hotspot of Puerto Vallarta, on the Jalisco coast, potentially thousands of tourists are trapped in the resort because of the unrest. Throughout Sunday, there were reports of gunmen on the streets in Jalisco and elsewhere. The governor of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus Navarro, advised residents of the state to adhere to a code red warning and stay in their homes. He also said that public transport was suspended in the state. US carriers United Airlines and American Airlines, as well as Air Canada, have cancelled flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. A flight operated by Delta Airlines bound for Guadalajara from Atlanta was diverted to Austin, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. Former US ambassador to Mexico and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described El Mencho on social media as "one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins". He added that El Mencho's death was "a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world". The killing of El Mencho represents a victory for the Mexican president in her fight against the country's drug cartels. It also could strengthen her relationship with US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to target the cartels on Mexican soil. Last January, Trump told Fox News that after targeting drug trafficking boats "we are going to start now hitting land," adding that "the cartels are running Mexico". Sheinbaum later responded by saying a US troop deployment across the southern border was "not on the table". However, if the security forces cannot bring the situation under control quickly, the Mexican administration's victory may be overshadowed by the cartel's violent response. The Jalisco cartel has gained notoriety for a series of attacks on security forces and public officials. It has downed an army helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, killed dozens of state officials, and has even been known to hang the bodies of its victims from bridges to intimidate its rivals.

Powerful cartel unleashes wave of violence across Mexico after its leader's killing - The Jalisco New Generation Cartel unleashed a wave of violence across Mexico setting vehicles ablaze, blocking roads and turning the state capital into a ghost town after the army killed its powerful leader known as “El Mencho.” Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels. His death was met with a forceful reaction by his Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by its Spanish initials, CJNG.Cars set on fire by cartel members blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states and left smoke billowing into the air. Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, was turned into a ghost town Sunday night as civilians hunkered down. Later, authorities announced they had cleared most of the more than 250 cartel roadblocks across 20 states. Several Mexican states canceled school Monday, and local and foreign governments warned citizens to stay inside as violence erupted. Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was wounded in an operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, and he died while he was being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement. The state is the base of the cartel known for trafficking huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States. Two burned vehicles sit in the middle of a street as dozens of onlookers stand nearby behind yellow police tape. During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and died later, the statement said. Two others were arrested, and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday night that the U.S. "provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which" Oseguera Cervantes was killed. "President Trump has been very clear — the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved," Leavitt said. She said the Trump administration "commends and thanks the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation." The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said on X that the operation was carried out by Mexican special forces “within the framework of bilateral cooperation, with U.S. authorities providing complementary intelligence.” The Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel regularly works with the Mexican military through U.S. Northern Command, a U.S. defense official told NBC News. However, the official said this was a Mexican military operation and the success is Mexico's. The killing of Oseguera Cervantes set off several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles, tactics the cartels commonly use to block military operations. Videos circulating on social media showed smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic. While no airports have been closed, roadblocks are affecting airline operations and travelers' ability to get there, according to the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta "due to an ongoing security situation" and advised customers not to go to their airports. American Airlines said it is waiving change fees for certain customers traveling to, through or from Guadalajara or Puerto Vallarta in the coming days. The waiver has certain eligibility requirements. In Guadalajara, burning vehicles blocked roads. Mexico's second-largest city is scheduled to host matches during this summer's soccer World Cup. The State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero and Nuevo León states to remain in safe places because of the security operations. Canada’s embassy in Mexico warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and generally to keep low profiles in Jalisco. Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home and suspended public transportation. Telemundo News reported that Guadalajara was paralyzed following Osegueras Cervantes’ death. As of nighttime, people remained sheltered in place and stores remained closed. Jim Beck, a Minnesotan who has been going to Puerto Vallarta for more than 20 years, told NBC News that he has always felt safe in the city, until Sunday morning. “Today, everybody was running down the streets in panic and terror as cars were blowing up all over the place,” he said.

Soldiers keep up clash with cartel gunmen a day after Mexico’s military killed top drug lord (AP) — A day after the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord, the picturesque town where it happened was a study in contrasts. Children whose classes had been suspended by the outbreak of violence played in cobblestone streets and tourist shops were open on Tapalpa’s main plaza Monday. But gunshots also rang out, and just outside the town a dead man lay on the road next to a Jeep sprayed with bullets.Meanwhile, heavily armed Mexican security forces kept up their battle with cartel gunmen following the killing that sparked a surge in violence and put the country on edge. Cartel fighters continued to block roads as smoke rose on the outskirts of the town in the state of Jalisco.More than 70 people died in the attempt to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and the aftermath, authorities said Monday. Known as “El Mencho,” he was the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico.The body count taken by security officials included security forces, suspected cartel members and others. Officials did not offer details, and the circumstances of most of the deaths were unclear.Oseguera Cervantes was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against Mexican government officials. The organization responded to his death with widespread violence, including erecting more than 250 roadblocks across 20 states and setting fire to vehicles.The capo died after a shootout with the Mexican military on Sunday. Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that authorities had tracked one of his romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa.The cartel leader and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area where they were seriously wounded in a firefight. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.In a different location in Jalisco, soldiers killed another high-ranking cartel member who Trevilla said was coordinating violence and offering more than $1,000 for every soldier killed.Mexican authorities reported that 25 members of the Mexican National Guard were killed in six separate attacks, while some 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco, and four others in the neighboring state of Michoacan. Also killed were a prison guard and an agent from the state prosecutor’s office. The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries.