week ending Nov 4

FOMC Statement: No Change to Rates -Fed Chair Powell press conference video here or on YouTube here, starting at 2:30 PM ET. FOMC Statement:Recent indicators suggest that economic activity expanded at a strong pace in the third quarter. Job gains have moderated since earlier in the year but remain strong, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Inflation remains elevated. The U.S. banking system is sound and resilient. Tighter financial and credit conditions for households and businesses are likely to weigh on economic activity, hiring, and inflation. The extent of these effects remains uncertain. The Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks.The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. In support of these goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent. The Committee will continue to assess additional information and its implications for monetary policy. In determining the extent of additional policy firming that may be appropriate to return inflation to 2 percent over time, the Committee will take into account the cumulative tightening of monetary policy, the lags with which monetary policy affects economic activity and inflation, and economic and financial developments. In addition, the Committee will continue reducing its holdings of Treasury securities and agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities, as described in its previously announced plans. The Committee is strongly committed to returning inflation to its 2 percent objective.In assessing the appropriate stance of monetary policy, the Committee will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook. The Committee would be prepared to adjust the stance of monetary policy as appropriate if risks emerge that could impede the attainment of the Committee's goals. The Committee's assessments will take into account a wide range of information, including readings on labor market conditions, inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and financial and international developments.

Another “Hawkish Hold” with Tightening Bias: Fed Keeps Rates at 5.50% Top of Range, Rate Hike Still on the Table. QT Continues by Wolf Richter - The FOMC voted unanimously to keep its five policy rates unchanged today, with the top of its policy rates at 5.50%, as had been broadly messaged in recent weeks in speeches by Fed governors. It was the second meeting in a row when the Fed kept rates unchanged, after the rate hike at its meeting in July. The Fed has hiked by 525 basis points so far in this cycle. Today, the Fed kept its policy rates at:

• Federal funds rate target range between 5.25% and 5.5%.
• Interest it pays the banks on reserves: 5.4%.
• Interest it pays on overnight Reverse Repos (RRPs): 5.3%.
• Interest it charges on overnight Repos: 5.5%.
• Primary credit rate: 5.5% (what banks pay to borrow at the “Discount Window”).

The end of the rate hikes is typically followed by plateaus before rate cuts begin. The end of the rate hikes may not be here yet, and the Fed has already said a gazillion times for months that the plateau is going to be “higher for longer.”More rate hikes? Today’s meeting was one of the four meetings a year when the Fed does not release a “Summary of Economic Projections” (SEP), which includes the infamous “dot plot” which shows how each FOMC member sees the development of future policy rates.At the last meeting on September 20, the median projection in the “dot plot” kept another rate hike on the table for this year. There was nothing in today’s statement that changes that.Today’s statement repeated the language of the prior statements, which leaves the door open for more rate hikes: “In determining the extent of additional policy firming that may be appropriate to return inflation to 2 percent over time, the Committee will take into account the cumulative tightening of monetary policy, the lags with which monetary policy affects economic activity and inflation, and economic and financial developments.” When will the rate cuts start? The Fed will release its next SEP and “dot plot” at the December meeting. In the SEP released in December 2022, the Fed shocked the world because it removed the projections of a rate cut in 2023. In the SEP released in September, the Fed moved the rate cuts further out into the second half of 2024, which was another shocker. So the next SEP in December will be interesting. QT continues, with the Treasury roll-off capped at $60 billion per month, and the MBS roll-off capped at $35 billion a month, as per plan and on autopilot. The Fed has already shed over $1 trillion in assets in a little over a year, and this will continue.. Today’s statement repeats the same language about the banking crisis for the fourth meeting in a row: That the “tighter credit conditions for households and businesses are likely to weigh on economic activity, hiring, and inflation.” And it repeats that “the extent of these effects remains uncertain.”My take on the Quarterly Refunding documents released today: The spike of the 10-year Treasury yield has apparently rattled the government’s nerves. Tsunami of Treasury Issuance Shifts from Longer-Term Debt to Short-Term T-Bills & 2-Year Notes amid Intense Navel-Gazing about Spiking 10-Year Yield

“We’ll Probably Still Be Left with Ground to Cover to Get Back to Full Price Stability”: Powell at the FOMC Press Conference - by Wolf Richter - On several occasions during today’s post-FOMC-meeting, Powell should have used the Taser that I have exhorted authorities (multiple times) to equip him with. When a reporter asks a repetitive, hypothetical, trick, stupid, manipulative, or unanswerable question, or tries to put words into his mouth, he pulls the Taser out from under the lectern, aims, and ZZZZZAPPP, which would shorten and liven up the press conference. WOLF STREET commenters have offered to “pay” to see this, which would bring in revenues to cover part of the Fed’s massive operating losses, and it would stir up public interest in the FOMC press conference. Failure to implement my suggestion results in a long and hard-to-follow press conference that I then have to spend hours sorting through to extract the most important points that Powell actually made, in his words. “The Committee is not thinking about rate cuts right now at all. We are not talking about rate cuts,” Powell said. “The question of rate cuts doesn’t come up, because it’s so important to get that first question as close to right as you can,” Powell said.“We are still very focused on the first question, which is, have we achieved a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation down to 2% over time sustainably? That is the question we are focusing on,” he said.“The next question will be for how long will we remain restrictive? We said we will keep policy restrictive until we are confident that inflation is on a sustainable path down to 2%. That will be the next question. But honestly right now, we are tightly focused on the first question.”“The Committee is not considering changing the pace of the Balance Sheet runoff. That is not something we are considering. I know there are many candidate explanations for why rates have been going up, and QT is certainly on that list, although it could be playing a small effect,” he said.Incidentally, the Treasury Department today came out with a list of 12 reasons why longer-term yields have shot up, and QT was one of them. Wall Street loathes QT, and they’re throwing all kinds of things at the Fed to get it to back off, including during the press conference. ZZZZZAPPP.“I would say the idea it would be difficult to raise again after stopping for a meeting or two is just not right. The Committee will always do what it thinks is needed,” he said. One of the reasons for the pause. “We have to make monetary policy under great uncertainty about how long the lags are. Trying to get a clear answer and say, I am going to assume this, is really not a good way to do it.“This is one of the reasons why we have slowed the process down this year, was to give monetary policy time to get into the economy, and it takes time. We know that. You can’t rush it.“So slowing down is giving us a better sense of how much more we need to do if we need to do more.”“We’ll probably still be left with some ground to cover to get back to full price stability.” “Since lifting off, we understood there are two processes at work here. One, the unwinding of distortions and demand to the pandemic and responses to the pandemic. The other is restrictive monetary policy, moderating demand and giving the supply side time and space to recover. So, you see those two forces now working together to bring down inflation.“But it is that first one that can bring down inflation without the need for higher unemployment or slower growth; it’s supply-side improvements like shortages and bottlenecks and that kind of thing going away; it’s getting a significant increase in the size of the labor market now, both from labor force participation and immigration. That is a big supply-side gain that is really helping the economy, and part of why GDP is so high. Because we are getting that supply. So, we welcome that.“But I think those things will run their course, and we will probably still be left with some ground to cover to get back to full price stability. That is where monetary policy, and what we do with demand, is still going to be important.

Fed Balance Sheet QT: -$1.1 Trillion from Peak, to $7.87 Trillion, Lowest since May 2021. by Wolf Richter --- The Fed’s Quantitative Tightening (QT) and the unwinding of the bank-panic liquidity measures continue on track: Total assets on the Fed’s balance sheet dropped by $89 billion in October, to $7.87 trillion, the lowest since May 2021, according to the Fed’s weekly balance sheet today. Since peak-QE in April 2022, total assets have dropped by $1.10 trillion. The close-up view: From crisis to crisis to raging inflation: During this $1.1 trillion drop in assets under QT #2, inflation has backed off from its rage in 2022, but it’s still nearly twice the Fed’s target. By contrast, during QT #1 between November 2017 and August 2019, when the Fed’s total assets dropped by $688 billion, inflation was below or at the Fed’s target (1.8% core PCE in August 2019), and the Fed was just trying to “normalize” its balance sheet. But now there’s a lot of inflation still, and the QE asset-pile ballooned when the Fed went hog-wild during the pandemic, and now there’s a lot more to take off the pile. The long view: Treasury securities: -$58 billion in October, -$899 billion from peak in June 2022, to $4.87 trillion, the lowest since March 2021. The Fed has shed 27.5% of the $3.27 trillion in Treasury securities it had piled on during pandemic-QE. Treasury notes (2- to 10-year securities) and bonds (20- & 30-year securities) “roll off” the balance sheet mid-month or at the end of the month when they mature and the Fed gets paid face value for them. The roll-off is capped at $60 billion per month, and about that much has been rolling off, minus the inflation protection the Fed earns on Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) which is added to the principal of the TIPS. Why Treasury bills are important for QT. These short-term securities (1 month to 1 year) are included in the overall Treasury securities of $4.87 trillion on the Fed’s balance sheet. They show us when the roll-off of notes and bonds falls short of the $60-billion monthly cap, because T-bills are then used to make up the difference. And when the Fed runs out of T-bills, the Treasury roll-off will fall below the $60 billion cap. There were only three months this year – February, May, and August – when the roll-off of notes and bonds exceeded the $60 billion monthly cap, so the roll-off was capped at $60 billion. In the other seven months this year, the roll-off of notes and bonds was below the cap, and T-bills were used to make up the difference. In October, $7 billion of T-bills were used for this purpose. From March 2020 through the ramp-up of QT, the Fed held $326 billion in T-bills that it constantly replaced as they matured by buying new T-bills at auctions. This is evidenced by the flat line in the chart below. In September 2022, T-bills first started rolling off as needed to top off the Treasury roll offs. On the current balance sheet, T-bills are down to $231 billion, with the other $95 billion in T-bills having by now been used to top off the Treasury roll-off. The stash of T-bills on the balance sheet tells us that the Fed will hit the $60 billion cap each month. Once that stash is gone, the roll-off of Treasuries will then mostly not reach the $60 billion cap.

Fed’s QE Giveth, Fed’s QT Taketh Away: Russell 2000 Hits 3-Year Low, Nasdaq Back to Dec 2020, S&P 500 Back to Apr 2021 -- By Wolf Richter There are some things happening in this inflationary world that contradict well-established previous wisdoms, including that stocks are a hedge against inflation. Turns out, since QE started in 2008, all prior wisdoms had to be thrown out the window, and the new wisdoms are all about QE and now QT: QE makes stocks go up, and QT makes stocks go down, no matter what inflation and the real economy do.The Nasdaq Composite closed on Friday at 12,643, down 22% from the peak in November 2021, and back where it had first been on December 16, 2020. Despite huge gyrations, it has gone nowhere in nearly three years.And the huge rally through July 2023, fired up by the Fed’s lightning-fast $400 billion in bank-panic liquidity injection, is threatening to turn into the biggest sucker rally ever. The problem is that the Fed then had quickly withdrawn the liquidity and followed up with record QT, now amounting to over $1 trillion.The S&P 500 index closed on Friday at 4,117, down 14.6% from the peak on January 3, 2022, and back where it had first been on April 9, 2021In other words, despite all these gyrations, it has gone nowhere in about two-and-a-half years. And the huge rally, driven by the Fed’s $400 billion in bank-panic medication, fizzled out at the beginning of August, and it been careening downhill QT Way.The Russell 2000 index, which tracks small stocks, which often lead the big stocks, closed on Friday at 1,637, a three-year low, down 33.4% from the peak on November 8, 2021, and back where it had been on October 9, 2020. The small stocks in the index had largely been forgotten by the effects of the Fed’s $400 billion liquidity injection, which caused the biggest stocks to spike by huge amounts – and they came to be called the Magnificent 7, because they and a few other giants largely carried the entire market, until they too sagged. The Fed, over roughly the same period, fueled the surge in stocks with huge QE until the end of 2021, when it began to taper QE. It ended QE in early 2022; and it started QT in July 2022. Since then, its balance sheet has dropped by $1.06 trillion to $7.91 trillion, the lowest since May 2021.Stocks and the Fed’s balance sheet obviously don’t move in lockstep. But the liquidity that the Fed throws at the markets drives up asset prices, and it drives up stock prices the fastest, and the withdrawal of liquidity pulls the rug out from under stocks. When QE was driving up stock prices, everyone investing in stocks was a genius, and people were coming up with all kinds of theories why stocks were going higher and higher, when in fact, the only reason they were going higher and higher was the Fed’s QE. Then something big broke, the biggest thing the Fed is in charge of: Price stability.We got the worst bout of consumer price inflation in 40 years, and even the Fed, after being in denial for way too long, acknowledged that this was an issue and cracked down with big rate hikes, bringing its policy rates from 0.25% to 5.5%, and with so far $1.06 trillion in QT.And there is still a long way to go with QT, as inflation appears to have become nicely entrenched, with suddenly worsening inflation data in the worst parts of the spectrum of goods and services coming out on Friday, which caused me to mutter: Powell’s Gonna Have a Cow When He Sees the PCE Inflation in “Core Services,” Housing, and Non-Housing Core Services.And so hopes of an immediate Fed pivot, which have been bandied about really since June 2022, have now largely vanished.

How High Could Long-Term Treasury Yields & Mortgage Rates Go? Why’s there No “Housing Crash?” Consumers Finally Ready to Cut Spending? Tesla Mucks Up GM’s & Ford’s EV Strategy - Wolf Richter in an interview about these and other hot-button topics.

Marketable US Treasury Debt to Explode by $2.85 Trillion in the 10 Months from End of Debt Ceiling to March 31, 2024 --by Wolf Richter --The US government is borrowing such huge amounts to fund its gigantic and reckless deficits that the whole world is paying attention. The Treasury Department’s Quarterly Refunding announcements are normally greeted with a global meh, but under the current tsunami of new issuance of debt, it has turned into a hot button.Today, the net amounts of marketable Treasury securities to be sold to the markets in Q4 2023 and Q1 2024 were released; and on Wednesday, the financing details, such as the amounts of longer-term Treasuries and auction sizes, will be released. The financing details of the last Quarterly Refunding announcement turned into a real hoot, leaving markets rattled by the upsized auctions of longer-term Treasuries, and longer-term yields rose sharply.Both quarterly net borrowing amounts for Q4 and Q1 assume a quarter-end balance of $750 billion in the government’s checking account, the Treasury General Account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. So according to the Quarterly Refunding announcement today:

• Q4 2023 net borrowing: $776 billion, lower than its July 31 projection for Q4 of $852 billion, “largely due to projections of higher receipts somewhat offset by higher outlays.”
• Q1 2024 net borrowing: $816 billion.

In total, over those two quarters marketable debt will have increased by $1.59 trillion! This follows the $1.01 trillion increase in Q3, and the surge in June after the debt ceiling ended.At the beginning of Q4, marketable debt outstanding was $26.04 trillion. The government will add $1.59 trillion to it, pushing it to $27.6 trillion by March 31, 2024.Over the 10 months between June 1 2023 through March 31, the government will have added $2.85 trillion to the marketable debt, which is totally nuts – in an economy that is growing nicely.In terms of today, current marketable debt as of Oct 27 reached $26.56 trillion (red line). By March 31, five months from now, it will be $27.6 trillion, as per the Quarterly Refunding data today.Roughly $600 billion of the $1 trillion in new debt in Q3 was used to refill the checking account, the TGA, which had been drawn down to near-zero during the debt ceiling fight as the government continued funding its unmitigated deficit spending. The TGA ended Q3 with a cash balance of $657 billion.As of October 27, the TGA balance was $828 billion.The total amount of Treasury securities outstanding has reached $33.68 trillion. Of that amount, $26.56 trillion are held by the public, and $7.12 trillion are securities held by government entities, such as government pension funds, the Social Security Trust Fund, etc. Those securities “held internally” are not traded and don’t have direct consequences on the supply of new securities to the market. Here we’re talking about the debt held by the “public,” such as foreign holders, the Fed, cash-rich corporations, banks, bond funds, insurance companies, individuals, and folks like me. And that public is going to have to buy the additional $1.59 trillion in securities by the end of Q1. Foreign holders have been increasing their holdings at a glacial pace, much more slowly than the issuance increased, and foreign holders’ share of marketable securities has dropped sharply. The Fed, as part of QT, has shed $860 billion in Treasury securities so far, and its holdings’ share of marketable Treasuries has declined sharply. So US investors, pension funds, insurance companies, bond funds, etc., need to be persuaded to step up to the table and buy those securities. And to pull ever more buyers to the table, yields have risen, and the tsunami of new issuance indicates that even more buyers, reluctant buyers, will have to be pulled in with even higher longer-term yields to come.

Mike Johnson as House Speaker: A Christian fascist now second-in-line to White House - The election of Republican Representative Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House of Representatives puts a Christian fundamentalist supporter of Trump’s January 6 coup attempt into the third-highest position in the US government. In the succession prescribed by the Constitution, Speaker Johnson follows Vice President Kamala Harris in the line of succession to the presidency, should anything befall the 80-year-old and visibly deteriorating Joe Biden. While the corporate media has presented Johnson as a less threatening face of fascism, compared to bully-boys like Representative Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz, or Trump himself, his political record is just as reactionary. His elevation marks a further deepening of the US political crisis and the threat of authoritarian rule. Moreover, in his legislative capacity as the chief decision-maker for the proceedings of the House, Johnson will have enormous influence to dictate government policy to the vast majority of the American people who do not share his authoritarian and regressive views. Johnson, 51, was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2015 when he ran unopposed for a recently vacated seat. He served in the state house until 2017 at which point he ran for the federal House of Representatives and won. While serving in the House, Johnson is also a professor at Liberty University in Virginia, the evangelical college founded by the Reverend Jerry Falwell. He has preached online classes there since 2018, for which the university has paid him $120,000. Johnson rose from a minor leadership position to the top of the Republican House Conference after three weeks of vicious infighting, precisely because of his authoritarian and anti-democratic politics, which are characterized above all by his leading role in supporting Trump’s failed coup. Ex-president Donald Trump, who boasted that he “killed” Republican Tom Emmer’s speakership bid prior to endorsing Johnson, played a decisive role in Johnson’s rise. Unlike Emmer, who voted to certify the 2020 election following the attack on Congress, Johnson led the effort in the House to object to the Electoral College vote following the attack. Johnson’s “legal” interpretation provided a pretext for 139 House Republicans to vote against certifying the election without having to embrace Trump’s more farfetched claims that the election was stolen by “Chinese communists” or manipulated using Italian spy satellites. The New York Times recently called him “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections” on January 6, 2021, offering Republicans a “third option” that allowed them to vote against certification by citing changes to mail-in voting procedures adopted by states due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a report on the new fundamentalist speaker, Mother Jones wrote that after growing up in a rural area outside of Shreveport, Louisiana, Johnson, “entered the world of Christian conservative policymaking by volunteering for the Louisiana Family Forum while he was still in law school at Louisiana State University.” The Forum is the Louisiana state affiliate of the Family Policy Alliance, the lobbying arm of Focus on the Family. Both the Family Policy Alliance and Focus on the Family were founded by James Dobson, an evangelical leader has worked closely with the Republican Party for decades. After graduating from law school, in 2003 Johnson began working for Alliance Defense Fund, another group created by Dobson, who envisioned the group as a Christian conservative answer to the American Civil Liberties Union. The ADF, which has since been renamed to Alliance Defending Freedom, has ballooned since Johnson started with the organization from a revenue in the single digit millions in the 1990s to over $100 million annually by 2022. Its international subsidiary, Alliance Defending Freedom International, operates in over 100 countries and the New York Times has described the organization as the “largest legal force of the religious right.” An investigation by Media Matters for America found that over 100 current and former staff members at ADF worked, or are currently working in the US government. In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated the ADF as an anti-LBGTQ hate group. The SPLC cited the group’s support not only for criminalizing homosexual conduct between adults in the US and abroad, but also the group’s defense of state-sanctioned sterilization of transgender people.

House Speaker Says Bill to Split Israel Aid from Ukraine Will be Brought to Floor - Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Sunday that a stand-alone bill to provide Israel with billions more in military aid will be brought to the House floor this week instead of President Biden’s $105 billion request that also includes spending for Ukraine, Taiwan, and the border.“We’re going to move a stand-alone Israel funding bill this week in the House. I know our colleagues, our Republican colleagues in the Senate, have a similar measure,” Johnson said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” according to The Hill.A group of Senate Republicans introduced a bill to provide Israel with $14.3 billion in additional military aid, the same amount for Israel that’s in Biden’s request. The $14.3 billion is on top of the $3.8 billion that Israel receives from the US each year. Johnson, an evangelical Christian, has expressed support for continuing the proxy war in Ukraine but says Israel is the priority.“We believe that that is a pressing and urgent need. There are lots of things going on around the world that we have to address,” Johnson said. “And we will. But, right now, what’s happening in Israel takes the immediate attention. And I think we have got to separate that and get it through.”Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has also said a stand-alone Israel bill will be coming this week. “I think what we’re going to do is really because the need is so urgent now in Israel, is to start with Israel first and then deal with the other.” Johnson has previously voted against Ukraine aid packages but said in an interview this past Thursday night that he believes the US should keep supporting the war. “Now we can’t allow Vladimir Putin to prevail in Ukraine because I don’t believe it would stop there,” he said. Johnson also tied together the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and the new Cold War with China. “Hamas and Hezbollah are proxies of Iran, and they’re tied in now with Russia and China. I mean, it is a new axis of evil. That’s how we see it,” he said.

House Republicans Unveil $14.3 Billion Bill for Israel - House Republicans on Monday unveiled a piece of legislation that would provide Israel with $14.3 billion in military aid, a strong show of support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.The bill would cut $14.3 billion from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to pay for the military aid to Israel, an aspect of the legislation criticized by the White House and some Democrats in Congress. “Demanding offsets for meeting core national security needs of the United States—like supporting Israel and defending Ukraine from atrocities and Russian imperialism—would be a break with the normal, bipartisan process and could have devastating implications for our safety and alliances in the years ahead,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.The White House is also unhappy that the GOP bill separates the $14.3 billion for Israel from the massive $105 billion package requested by President Biden that includes spending for Ukraine, Taiwan, and the border.The House Rules Committee is set to take up the legislation on Wednesday. Due to the IRS cuts and lack of Ukraine funding, it could fail to make it through the Democrat-controlled Senate. The bill is one of the first to be introduced under new House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who vowed to make supporting Israel his first priority when he was elected.

House GOP Wants to Pair Israel Military Aid With IRS Cuts That Help Rich Tax Cheats -House Republicans released legislative text on Monday that pairs around $14 billion in military aid for Israel with steep cuts from Internal Revenue Service funding that has given the agency more capacity to pursue wealthy tax cheats.The GOP bill would strip $14.3 billion in funds from the IRS, a move that would undercut the agency's renewed enforcement push and nix effortsto build out a free digital tax filing system to compete with private tax-prep firms, which have lobbied aggressively against the IRS alternative.While the House GOP's proposed IRS cuts were widely presented as "offsets" for the new aid for Israel's military, such cuts would in fact add to the federal deficit by depriving the agency of resources to collect taxes from rich tax dodgers who are costing the U.S. tens of billions in revenue."Every $1 you cut IRS funding will lose about $2 of revenue," noted Marc Goldwein of the conservative Center for a Responsible Federal Budget. "So that means this bill would add about $30 billion to the deficit."The IRS said earlier this month that it has collected $160 million in back taxes from millionaires this year thanks to new enforcement funding provided under the Inflation Reduction Act. The agency also recently launched an initiative aimed at cracking down on tax dodging by large corporations.Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) argued on social media late Monday that "House Republicans are using aid for Israel as a political pawn in order to slash taxes for their wealthy donors." "Making it easier for rich people to cheat on their taxes isn't an offset, it adds to the deficit," Wyden wrote.House Republicans' bill comes in response to President Joe Biden's request for $14.3 billion in military aid for Israel as part of a broader $106 billion emergency funding request that also called for military assistance for Ukraine, disaster relief in the U.S., and some humanitarian aid for Gaza that human rights advocates say couldbolster Israeli efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians.The GOP legislation, which is likely dead on arrival in the narrowly Democratic U.S. Senate, only contains funding for Israel.The bipartisan push to approve new military aid for Israel comes despite warnings from legal experts that the U.S. could be complicit in genocide and other war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.Israel's bombing campaign has killed more than 8,000 people—includingmore than 3,400 children—and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe, displacing more than a million Gazans, destroying or damaging roughly 40% of the territory's housing units, and pushing the enclave's healthcare system to the brink of total collapse. The National Priorities Project cautioned in response to Biden's supplemental funding request that "more military aid to Israel will mean more deaths." "In the face of massive suffering in Gaza and disregard for international law by the Israeli government, the U.S. must not provide additional military aid or weapons that would cause more deaths," the group said. "Instead, the U.S. should use its considerable diplomatic strength to call for an immediate cease-fire."

Biden would veto House GOP’s Israel aid package, White House says - President Biden would veto a package put forward by House Republicans to provide aid to Israel while cutting funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and leaving out funding for other national security priorities, the White House said Tuesday. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) picked apart the House GOP proposal in a lengthy statement of administration policy, arguing it “inserts partisanship into support for Israel” and fails to meet the moment by leaving out humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza and aid for Ukraine and allies in the Indo-Pacific. “This bill is bad for Israel, for the Middle East region, and for our own national security,” the OMB said. The White House further asserted that the GOP proposal marks a break from bipartisan precedent by seeking funding cuts as part of an emergency national security package. “Congress has consistently worked in a bipartisan manner to provide security assistance to Israel, and this bill threatens to unnecessarily undermine that longstanding approach,” the OMB said. “Bifurcating Israel security assistance from the other priorities in the national security supplemental will have global consequences.” Tuesday’s statement from the OMB said the administration would continue to work with lawmakers in Congress to secure an agreement on the supplemental request put forward earlier this month by the White House. The GOP package unveiled Monday would provide $14.3 billion in aid for Israel in its battle against Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza that carried out terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, which left roughly 1,400 Israelis dead. The proposal would cut IRS funding included in the Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping tax, health and climate bill signed into law last year as one of Biden’s signature policy accomplishments. The package also deviates from the White House’s strategy of linking aid for Ukraine and Israel in the same piece of legislation, which could make it even more difficult to get the bill over the finish line. The White House last week outlined a roughly $106 billion national security supplemental funding request that included money for Israel and Ukraine, which is fighting off invading Russian forces, as well as investments in the Indo-Pacific, humanitarian aid and border security measures.

House approves GOP’s $14.3 billion Israel aid package --House Republicans on Thursday approved a $14.3 billion aid package for Israel, setting the stage for a fierce showdown with Democrats in the Senate and White House who have savaged the GOP bill for excluding Ukraine funds and cutting IRS coffers.The 226-196 vote fell almost entirely along party lines, with 12 Democrats joining all but two Republicans to move the bill through the lower chamber.The Democratic opposition extends to the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced earlier Thursday that his chamber would not take up the “deeply flawed proposal.” Instead, he’s vowing to work with senators in both parties on a package that includes funding for Israel, Ukraine, competition with the Chinese government and humanitarian aid for Gaza. The Biden administration has threatened to veto the House’s legislation, arguing in a statement that it is “bad for Israel, for the Middle East region, and for our own national security.”The vote, nonetheless, marks an early victory for newly installed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who is seeking to unify a warring GOP conference in the wake of last month’s bitter vote to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and the three-week battle to replace him. The aid package was Johnson’s first big legislative effort as Speaker. And it provided a preview of how Johnson — the mild-mannered Louisiana lawmaker who skyrocketed to the Speakership amid GOP chaos — plans to steer the House through a number of legislative lifts in the weeks and months to come. Johnson’s decision to isolate the Israel funding — and marry it to IRS cuts — was an olive branch to conservatives wary of deficits and overseas spending, and it united virtually all of his conference. Reps. Thomas Masssie (R-Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) were the only Republicans to oppose the measure, citing concerns about U.S. encroachment in foreign affairs and the cost to American taxpayers.

House Passes $14.3 Billion in Military Aid for Israel - The House on Thursday passed a bill to provide Israel with $14.3 billion in military aid, a strong show of support for the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed over 9,000 people so far.The Republican-authored bill would cut funds from the Internal Revenue Service to pay for Israel’s aid, drawing opposition from Democrats. The bill passed in a vote of 226-196, with only 12 Democrats voting in favor. Two Republicans voted against the bill: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).Due to the IRS cuts, the White House has threatened to veto the bill, and the Democrat-controlled Senate is working on its own version. Democrats expressed frustration at the GOP bill, saying it will only delay getting more weapons to Israel, which already receives $3.8 billion in military aid from the US each year.“It still mystifies me that when the world is in crisis, and we need to help Israel respond to Hamas, the GOP thought it was a good idea to tie Israel aid to a hard-right proposal that will raise the deficit and is totally, totally partisan,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).Schumer said the Senate would not take up the House version of the Israel bill at all and would introduce its own that includes funding for the Ukraine war and humanitarian aid for Gaza. The White House recently requested a massive $105 billion spending package that would roll military aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan into one, as well as funding for border security.New House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-FL), who vowed to prioritize backing Israel when elected, said the GOP version of the bill helps Israel in its bombardment of Gaza “while we also work to ensure responsible spending and reduce the size of the federal government.”Explaining his opposition to the bill, Rep. Massie said the US couldn’t afford it. “Soaring inflation and high interest rates are due to overspending. We can’t afford more foreign aid. I voted against the billions for Ukraine, and I am voting against $14+ billion of foreign aid for Israel tonight,” he wrote on X.

These 12 Democrats bucked their party to support GOP’s Israel aid bill --Twelve Democrats joined a majority of House Republicans to vote in favor of a $14.3 billion aid package to Israel amid its conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas Thursday.The package, connected with cuts to IRS funding, has faced opposition from the White House, which sent its own $100 billion request to Congress for aid for Israel as well as Ukraine a few weeks ago. Despite the distaste for the $14.3 billion package from the top, the Senate and even the House Democratic Whip and a decent chunk of Democrats sided with their colleagues across the aisle to vote for it. Here are the Democrats who voted for the package passed by the House Thursday:

• Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.)
• Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) In a statement posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Davis said despite condemning “House leaders for unprecedentedly tying conditional funds to security assistance, we must continue to stand with our ally, Israel, and simultaneously call for the humane conduct of war consistent with international law.”
• Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.)
• “The United States has a moral duty and national security urgency to aid Israel in defending herself,” Frankel said in an apparent statement on her vote on X. “Make no mistake, Hamas terrorists are out to destroy Israel and kill all Jews. We must send an unequivocal message to the world that we stand with Israel.”
• Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine.)
• Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)
• Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio)
• Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.)In an interview with The Hill after the vote, Moskowitz said the bill was designed to put Democrats in a sticky situation.“[D]on’t listen to me, the [National Republican Congressional Committee] put out a tweet… within moments of the bill being dropped, that said ‘Democrats are gonna have to choose between the IRS and Israel,’” Moskowitz said. “That’s the mailer they wanna [send] out. That’s the trap that the NRCC is doing.”
• Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.)
• Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.)
• Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.)
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)
• Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)

Rights Group Warns US Congress Not to Bankroll Israel's Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza -- Human rights advocates are warning that U.S. President Joe Biden's new supplemental funding request could—under the guise of humanitarian aid—bolster, or even help finance, the far-right Israeli government'splans for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) raised alarm on Monday over language in Biden's request that says resources from the supplemental package "would support displaced and conflict-affected civilians, including Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank, and to address potential needs of Gazans fleeing to neighboring countries."The White House request adds that "this crisis could well result in displacement across [the] border and higher regional humanitarian needs, and funding may be used to meet evolving programming requirements outside of Gaza."DAWN said that "any authorization for funding activities, infrastructure, or aid outside of Israel and Palestine" should be opposed "because they effectively facilitate, fund, and reward the forced transfer of Palestinians."Days after the Biden White House sent its request to Congress, an Israeli newspaper reported on a leaked document from Israel's Intelligence Ministry that proposes the forcible and permanent transfer of all of Gaza's 2.2 million Palestinian residents to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. A full English translation of the document was published Monday by +972 Magazine.The Israeli government has already ordered the entire population of northern Gaza to evacuate to the southern half of the strip as Israel's military decimates the north with airstrikes and expands its ground operations there.The internal document states that the "evacuation of the civilian population from Gaza to Sinai" would "yield positive, long-term strategic outcomes for Israel" and "is an executable option" that is preferable to alternatives, such as "the population remaining in Gaza along with the emergence of a local Arab authority" following Israel's devastating assault on the territory.The policy paper adds that the Israeli government's efforts to "bring about a significant change in the civilian reality in the Gaza Strip" would require "intensive action to harness the United States and other countries to support this goal."

Ukraine pleads with the U.S. to ramp up support against Russia - Ukrainian officials and allies in Europe are ramping up their lobbying campaign in the U.S. for new weapons and training, as Washington’s support for the war appears imperiled by new House leadership and a crisis in the Middle East. In the most recent example, a delegation of Ukrainian officials, troops and advisers visited America’s capital late last week to share Kyiv’s latest wish list: U.S. Marine Corps training on conducting ship-to-shore operations; new air defenses to take down the Russian glide bombs that are devastating Ukrainian forces; and the long-range, single-warhead version of the Army Tactical Missile System the Biden administration secretly shipped to Ukraine last month. The representatives who came to the U.S. were aware that they needed to tailor their message to the moment. In an interview, Roman Tychkivskyy, a former Ukrainian marine who now works for Ukraine’s defense ministry, compared Russians to Hamas, the terrorist group that killed 1,400 Israelis in a surprise attack on Oct. 7. It’s not just Kyiv that is at stake, he argued: If Russia rolls through Ukraine, it will also threaten Europe. “It’s not just war, it’s genocide,” said Tychkivskyy, calling the cooperation between Russia, North Korea and Iran, which supports Hamas with funding and weapons, a new “axis of evil.” “We definitely know Russia will not stop on Ukraine. If it will be the case for Ukraine to fall, they will continue,” he said. The visit is part of a larger pressure campaign by Ukraine and its allies to secure additional aid as international support seems to be wobbling. Ukraine’s much-anticipated spring counteroffensive started late, giving Russian forces time to dig in, and has made limited progress. Top U.S. military officials have estimated Kyiv has only a few weeks left before winter weather sets in and stalls the fighting.

The US Announces New $425 Million Weapons Package for Ukraine - The US rolled out its 50th weapons package for Ukraine. The arms shipment will include air defenses, artillery rounds, and anti-armor weapons. The Pentagon will purchase $300 million in arms on behalf of Kyiv, depleting all the funds in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). On Friday, The Department of Defense announced a new $425 million in military aid package for Ukraine. $125 million in weapons will be sent directly from American stockpiles through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). The funds used to transfer the arms came from a Pentagon accounting error that gave the White House access to an additional $6 billion in PDA funds. The weapons to be shipped to Ukraine include:

• Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds
• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles
• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
• More than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades
• Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing
• M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions
• 12 trucks to transport heavy equipment
• Cold weather gear
• Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment

The Pentagon will additionally purchase $300 million in “laser-guided munitions to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems” for Ukraine. The weapons will be bought with USAI funds. The Department of Defense reports that its USAI funding has now been depleted. Arms purchased through this program will take months or years to reach Ukraine. For months, the White House has pressed Congress to pass a multi-billion aid package for Ukraine. In October, the Biden administration rolled out a $105 billion bill that includes $61 billion in assistance for Kyiv. The White House hopes the aid will maintain the Ukrainian military and the Zelensky administration through 2024 election. However, the situation in Ukraine is becoming increasingly bleak. The top Ukrainian defense official told the Economist outlets that the war has reached a stalemate. Additionally, an aide to Zelensky said corruption was rampant, and Ukrainian officials were stealing “like there is no tomorrow.”

Biden world blitzes the Hill to keep a Ukraine-Israel package intact - The Biden administration and Ukraine hawks in both parties are trying to break a wall of conservative resistance on Capitol Hill with a determined blitz to pass funding for the war in Ukraine and aid to Israel. In an unusual bipartisan offensive on Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday publicly defended the administration’s nearly $106 billion request. Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell warned in a speech that the threats to Israel and Ukraine are “serious” and “intertwined” — and said later that “conceptually,” he and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are aligned. All that came amid a continued backchannel conversation between congressional Republicans and national security adviser Jake Sullivan and other administration officials over the aid request. And with the backdrop of the new House speaker’s apparent disinterest in tying the whole affair together as he focuses his first big bill solely on Israel, leaving Ukraine out altogether. Collectively, the engagement underscores the degree to which both the White House and its allies are worried that the administration’s request — or at least something resembling it — won’t make it through Congress quickly. And it reflects the hurdles that come with divided government, in which intense opposition among a segment of House conservatives, and a smaller subset in the Senate, can quickly complicate a top agenda item for the president. Biden aides remain confident Congress will pass an aid bill even as they concede that the legislative process means any final version won’t exactly match their request. A White House official on Tuesday expressed openness to engaging on the border aspects of the bill, a move that would bring the administration closer to the Senate GOP’s top demand. “I think we will get something through with all components,” is how one top White House official put it, summarizing the optimistic read of the situation. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) decision, though, to muscle through an Israel-only bill that slashes key IRS funding sparked concern among lawmakers who generally believe emergency funding doesn’t need to be paid for or otherwise offsets. And centrists are worried about how Congress is going to clean up the messy politics of the moment. “I wish that I could say that now that the House has a speaker and that they’re back in, that we’ve got some more certainty with how we’re going to move on this supplemental,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). She also mentioned another dire concern: the Nov. 18 shutdown deadline.

Israel Following US Advice in Its Gaza Ground Operation -Israel’s current ground operation in Gaza is in line with the advice the US has been giving, a US official told The Times of Israel.The official said Israel had launched a “limited” ground incursion, which is what the US recommended to avoid harming hostages, as opposed to a full-scale invasion. Hamas has claimed 50 hostages have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, but the number hasn’t been confirmed.The US official said Israel did not need pressure from the US to launch a limited incursion. The New York Times reported that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin advised a limited ground incursion in talks with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant. The Pentagon has also dispatched a three-star Marine Corps general and other officers to serve as military advisors, demonstrating how deeply involved the US is with the war planning. When Israeli ground forces entered Gaza on Friday, the enclave’s phone and internet services were cut, blacking out any media coverage on the ground and making rescue operations significantly more difficult. Services were restored on Sunday morning after 34 hours.A US official told The Wall Street Journal that the US had convinced Israel to restore Gaza’s phone and internet service after shutting it down so the UN and aid groups could communicate with their staff inside the enclave.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel’s war in Gaza had entered a “second stage” and told Israelis to prepare for a “long and hard” offensive. Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassams Brigade,said Sunday that its forces were engaged in “heavy fighting with the invading occupation forces in northwest Gaza.”While Israel’s ground incursion might be more limited than initially planned, its airstrikes have continued to pound Gaza relentlessly. According to Al Jazeera, Gaza residents described the weekend bombardment as the most intense yet. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported the death toll in the enclave since Israel unleashed its bombing campaign has surpassed 8,000,including over 3,000 children.

Blinken Heads to Israel to Discuss War With Netanyahu - Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the war in Gaza and what will come afterwards if Israel is successful in rooting out Hamas.US officials told Axios that Blinken will discuss the idea of “temporary pauses” in Israel’s operations to facilitate aid deliveries and potentially more hostage releases. The Biden administration is carefully avoiding the word “ceasefire” as it’s determined to continue supporting the war.Israel’s Kan News reported that Netanyahu is considering US requests for temporary pauses, but nothing is confirmed. Publicly, Israeli officials have said there will be no ceasefire of any kind.Before leaving for Israel on Thursday, Blinken told reporters he will focus on steps that need to be taken to protect civilians “who are in a crossfire of Hamas’s making.” But there’s no sign the US is pressuring Israel to change its indiscriminate tactics. When asked about the massive child casualties this week, the Pentagon said there were “no limits” on how Israel uses US-provided weapons.Blinken also stressed discussions about a post-war Gaza. “We’re focused on the day of; we also need to be focused on the day after,” he said. “So in conversations that we’ll be having through the course of this weekend, I expect you’ll see a focus there and particularly how we can get, over time, to two states for two peoples.”

Pitching Military Aid to Israel as a US Jobs Booster Is Grotesque -The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza are different in kind and require different approaches. But debating the purpose and impact of U.S. arms supplies to Ukraine and Israel could not be more urgent. This is especially true in the case of Israel, given the immense human devastation its attack on Gaza is causing and the real danger of a wider Mideast war.Yet the Biden administration is striking a common theme in its efforts to persuade Congress to pass a $100 billion-plus emergency package that consists largely of military aid and arms transfers to Ukraine and Israel, as well as Taiwan: U.S. weapons supplies to war zones and regions of tension support U.S. jobs.President Biden kicked off this line of thinking in his Oval Office speechin which he announced the new emergency aid proposal, referring to the U.S. arms industry as the “arsenal of democracy” and making a not-too-subtle pitch for the economic benefits of U.S. military aid:“We send Ukraine equipment sitting in our stockpiles. And when we use the money allocated by Congress, we use it to replenish our own stores, our own stockpiles, with new equipment. Equipment that defends America and is made in America. Patriot missiles for air defense batteries, made in Arizona. Artillery shells manufactured in 12 states across the country, in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas. And so much more.”As if that were not enough, Politico has reported that administration officials are now circulating talking points in Congress that argue that providing military aid is “good for American jobs.”Using the jobs argument to sell weapons transfers is precisely backwards. Selling arms to combatant nations must be justified on the basis of their security and human rights consequences, not the jobs and profits they generate. Former President Donald Trump used the jobs card in touting arms deals with Saudi Arabia at the height of its brutal war in Yemen, even going so far as hailing the benefits of those sales as a reason not to hold the regime accountable for its murder of the U.S.-resident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This tactic was wrong then and it’s wrong now.

Attacks on US Bases in Iraq and Syria Continue After US Airstrikes - Attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria have continued through the weekend after the US launched airstrikes in eastern Syria early Friday. Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen reported that a group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it “successfully” targeted the US’s al-Shadadi base in northeast Syria’s al-Hasakah province on Sunday. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported a drone attack on the al-Shadadi base, saying explosions were heard in the area and smoke columns rose from the base. Al Mayadeen also reported an overnight attack on a US base in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province. The Sunday attacks have not yet been confirmed by the US military. US officials have confirmed to The Associated Press that a US base in eastern Syria came under attack on Friday after the US launched airstrikes in the area. US officials also confirmed a drone was fired at the Ain al-Assad airbase in western Iraq, which houses US troops and was shot down. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that one purpose of the US airstrikes in eastern Syria was to “deter” further attacks on US forces in the region, which has clearly failed. The US said its airstrikes in eastern Syria targeted “facilities” used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, referring to Shia militias that operate in the region. The US has not attributed the rocket and drone attacks on US bases to a specific group but is blaming them on Iran, although there’s no evidence Tehran is directing the attacks. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has taken credit for several attacks, is a little-known group that’s said to be an umbrella organization that includes Shia militias, but it’s not clear which ones. The Shia militias that operate in the region are generally aligned with Iran, but they are also known to act independently. A US official recently told CNN that how willing those groups are to act independently is a “persistent intelligence gap” for the US. Regardless, there are signs the US might take the fight directly to Iran if the attacks persist.

Pentagon: US Forces in Iraq and Syria Attacked 23 Times Since October 17 - A Pentagon official said on Monday that US forces in Iraq and Syria have come under attack at least 13 times since October 17 due to President Biden’s support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.“From October 17 to October 30, US and coalition forces have been attacked at least 14 separate times in Iraq and nine separate times in Syria, through a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets, for a total of 23 attacks to date,” an unnamed senior Pentagon official told reporters.According to Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the US is “defining attacks as strikes on our facilities,” signaling reports of drones being downed outside of US bases are not included in the tally. So far, 21 injuries have been acknowledged by the Pentagon in the attacks on US troops.In response to recent attacks, the US launched airstrikes on Friday against “facilities” used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, referring to Shia militias that operate in Iraq and Syria. The White House said one purpose of the strikes was to deter future attacks, but drones and rockets have continued to be fired at US outposts in the two countries.Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen reported there were more attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria on Monday, which have not been confirmed by the Pentagon. A group that calls itself the Islamic Resistance of Iraq has taken credit for many of the attacks, but the US has not attributed them to a specific group. The US says Iran is ultimately responsible for the attacks, although there’s no evidence Tehran is directing them.

With precision strikes in Syria, Biden tries to avoid lighting a powder keg - U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed militant groups in Syria on Thursday night may have felt familiar, but they come amid a far more volatile situation in the Middle East.Back in March, Iran-backed militant groups used drones and missiles to strike a base housing U.S. troops in the Middle East. A U.S. contractor died and American troops suffered brain injuries. The U.S. responded by bombing warehouses and other logistical hubs.This time around, the militant attacks were larger in scope, and the Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to cause more turmoil in the region. So this week’s U.S. airstrikes were carefully calibrated to keep the regional situation from getting even worse.The operation against two facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including an ammunition storage area, came after American forces suffered 19 drone and rocket attacks in Syria and Iraq this month. They led to the injuries of 21 service members, 19 of whom were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin blamed Tehran for the assaults. “These Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop,” he said in a statement on the retaliatory strikes. He asserted that the response was “separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas” and did not constitute “a shift in our approach” to that fight.In a letter to the House speaker released late Friday, President Joe Biden said he directed the attacks “to protect and defend our personnel, to degrade and disrupt the ongoing series of attacks against the United States and our partners, and to deter Iran and Iran-backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities.”But three senior U.S. officials, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations, said that while the main goal was to ward off further Iranian-supported attacks on Americans, another was to make sure the broader Middle East conflict didn’t grow. The U.S. this month has rushed several ships, fighter planes and air defenses to the region to protect American forces and make adversaries think twice before attacking again.“We obviously don’t want to see the conflict deepen. Everything we’ve done — the additional forces, the messaging — is intended to prevent escalation,” one of the officials said. “We’ve also got troops and facilities to protect and interests to defend. We have to do both and we can do both.”

U.S. Eyes Tighter Sanctions On Iran’s Oil And Gas Exports-- As the oil market grapples with the current and potential effects of the Gaza war, a new significant concern has emerged. U.S. sources indicate that the Biden Administration might soon impose stricter sanctions on Iran. Such a move would represent a marked shift from Washington’s recent rapprochement with Tehran. Over the past few months, an increasing number of commentators in Washington have criticized the Biden Administration’s decision to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets as part of a prisoner exchange with the Khamenei regime. While previous calls for action have yielded little response, events like the Hamas actions on October 7, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the widespread belief that Iran and its allies are fuelling instability in the Middle East have reinvigorated those advocating for sanctions on Iran. Given the evidence suggesting that senior officers of the IRGC back attacks by Iranian proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon against U.S. military personnel and civilians, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify releasing funds to Iran. Moreover, the unwavering support shown by Iran’s religious leader Khamenei and President Raisi for Hamas and threats of direct engagement if the conflict extends to Lebanon is compelling Washington to reassess its stance. Analysts expect that new sanctions could be slapped on Iran very soon, focusing on the country’s largely illegal oil and gas exports. The imposition of renewed or even more stringent sanctions on Iran’s hydrocarbon sectors and exports would have significant repercussions. The current supply-demand balance is tight, and both OPEC and other experts anticipate further demand growth. If all other factors remain constant, this would result in price surges, potentially pushing prices well above the $100-110 per barrel mark. Re-establishing a strict sanctions regime, which had been eased after Biden’s election, appears more feasible now than ever. A key reason for the lack of widespread panic is OPEC+’s decision to cut several million barrels of daily production. As a result, the global spare production capacity stands at around 5 million barrels, primarily held by countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the UAE. Rolling back the OPEC+ production cuts could benefit importers and stabilize oil prices in the desired range, as preferred by OPEC’s most influential member, Saudi Arabia. A renewed sanctions framework would significantly burden Iran’s fundamentalist regime by depriving it of its primary revenue source: hydrocarbon sales. Implementing strict sanctions globally would likely pressure Iran to meet other demands, particularly in refraining from intervening in the Israel-Hamas and Hezbollah conflict. Some might argue that placing financial constraints on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) could be a severe setback and shouldn’t be underestimated. Simultaneously, new sanctions might disrupt or even sever financial ties between Iran and its regional proxies, a move that many Arab nations would likely welcome.

House Passes Resolution That Suggests Using Force Against Iran - The House on Wednesday passed a resolution that suggested the US would use force against Iran in the future in the name of preventing the country from acquiring nuclear weapons.The resolution says a nuclear-armed Iran is “unacceptable” and declares that it’s the policy of the US to “use all means necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”A US intelligence report recently affirmed that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, but reality doesn’t stop Iran hawks in the US and Israel from constantly hyping up the threat of a non-existent Iranian nuclear weapons program. The same officials do not officially recognize that Israel possesses a nuclear arsenal.The resolution passed in a vote of 354-53, with 50 Democrats and three Republicans voting against the measure. Explaining his opposition, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) because it seemed like a call for war.“Yesterday Congress passed a resolution (354 to 53) that claims Iran possesses all it needs for a nuclear weapon,” Massie wrote on X. “The same resolution says the US should ‘use all means necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.’ Seems like a call for war on Iran. I voted No.”The resolution pointed to Iran’s uranium enrichment at 60% and its stockpiles of enriched uranium as evidence it could make a bomb. But in order to make a nuclear weapon, uranium needs to be enriched at 90%, and there’s no sign Tehran is considering taking that step.

US Rep. Mast, a Former IDF Solider, Denies There Are 'Innocent Palestinian Civilians' - Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), dismissed the idea there are “innocent Palestinian civilians” in a debate on the House floor.“I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as frequently said,” Mast said on Wednesday. “I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians’ during World War II.”Mast recently wore his IDF uniform on Capitol Hill, demonstrating his staunch support for Israel. “As the only member to serve with both the United States Army and the Israel Defense Forces, I will always stand with Israel,” he wrote on X in a post showing pictures of him in the uniform.Mast made the comments about Palestinian civilians while the House was debating the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act, a bill that requires sanctions on alleged Hamas supporters. The bill requires presidential waivers to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza and the West Bank, which will slow down deliveries of food, medicine, and other supplies to civilians.The original version of the bill included a blanket exemption for humanitarian aid, but Mast added an amendment to require waivers. Mast made a similar argument about Palestinian civilians when adding the amendment to the bill during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last month.“Any assistance should be slowed down — any assistance,” Mast said. “Because I would challenge anybody in here to point to me, which Palestinian is Hamas, and which one is an innocent civilian? Which is the child that was poking other Israeli children?”According to The Intercept, Mast was referring to a video that purportedly showed a Palestinian child poking an Israeli hostage in Gaza.

Israel Told US 'Mass Civilian Casualties' Were Acceptable Price of Gaza Campaign - During conversations with Israeli officials, it became clear to the Biden administration that Israel believed “mass civilian casualties” were an acceptable price of the bombing campaign in Gaza, The New York Timesreported on Monday.The Times report said that Israeli officials referred to US and allied bombing campaigns in Germany and Japan during World War II that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. The reference includes the US fire bombings of Japanese cities, which killed around 100,000 civilians in Tokyo in one night in 1945, as well as the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Israel’s plans for mass slaughter in Gaza and the growing child death toll have not impacted US support. The Times report focused on how the Biden administration is paying lip service to the idea of limiting civilian casualties, but it acknowledged they’re not telling Israel what to do, only asking questions.According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 8,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel unleashed its bombing campaign after the October 7 Hamas attack. The total includes over 3,500 children.When asked if the US will put limits on Israel’s use of US-provided weapons in light of the child casualties, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said no. “We are not putting any limits on how Israel uses weapons that is provided. That is really up to the Israel Defense Force to use in how they are going to conduct their operations. But we’re not putting any constraints on that,” she said.

Sen. Graham Says 'No Limit' on How Many Civilians Israel Can Kill - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Tuesday that there should be “no limit” on how many civilian casualties Israel incurs in its bombardment of Gaza.Graham made the comments while appearing on CNN after Israel bombed the Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza, killing dozens of people. An Israeli military commander was asked after the strike if Israel was aware the camp was full of innocent civilians and replied, “This is the tragedy of war.”Graham was asked if there was a threshold where the US might ask Israel to hold off on causing so many civilian casualties. “No. If somebody asked us after World War II, ‘Is there a limit what would you do to make sure that Japan and Germany don’t conquer the world? Is there any limit what Israel should do to the people who are trying to slaughter the Jews? The answer is no. There is no limit,” he said.Israeli officials have been pointing to the US and allied bombings of Germany and Japan during World War II, which killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, to justify their onslaught in Gaza. The comparison includes the US fire bombings of Japanese cities, which killed around 100,000 civilians in Tokyo in one night in 1945, as well as the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Graham previously said if Israel doesn’t do something similar to Gaza, it would be a mistake. “Gaza is going to look like Tokyo and Berlin at the end of World War II when this is over. And if it doesn’t look that way, Israel made a mistake,” Graham said on Fox News.

An Isolated US Backs Israeli Atrocities in Gaza - by Medea Benjamin, et al - -On Friday, October 27, the nations of the world voted in the UN General Assembly, by a vote of 120 to 14, for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” in Gaza. The resolution was sponsored by the government of sometime U.S. ally King Abdullah of Jordan. Israel’s UN Ambassador responded with utter disdain, accusing those who voted in favor of the “ridiculous resolution” of supporting "the defense of Nazi terrorists" over Israel. In Gaza, Israel’s response to the global call for a truce was to escalate its bombing and expand its ground invasion.The U.S. corporate media have not helped Americans understand how isolated our government is in its unconditional support and resupply of weapons for Israel’s genocidal military campaign, which has killed over 8,000 Palestinians, 30% of them women and 40% of them children, while destroying hospitals, apartment buildings, streets and schools, and turning Gaza into nothing short of hell on Earth for the bereaved survivors. According to Save the Children, Israel has killed more children in Gaza in three weeks than have been killed in all global conflicts since 2019. The UN vote makes it clear how diplomatically isolated Israel and the United States are. The mere 12 countries that sided with Israel and the U.S. in the General Assembly were 4 from eastern Europe (Austria, Croatia, Czechia, and Hungary); 2 from Latin America (Guatemala and Paraguay); and 6 small island nations in the Pacific. Not a single country from western Europe, Africa, the mainland of Asia, the Caribbean or the Middle East voted with the U.S. and Israel. The countries that voted for a truce included many traditional U.S. allies (France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand), while other U.S. allies like the U.K., Germany, Canada and Japan were among the 45 countries that abstained. Israel and the United States are not only diplomatically isolated, but their governments are out of touch with their own people. As Israel prepared to launch its ground invasion of Gaza, a Maariv poll of Israelis found that public support for an immediate large-scale ground offensive of Gaza had fallen from 65% on October 17th to only 29% a week later.Israelis, like the rest of the world, are watching the horrors of the massacre in Gaza, and have realized that their government has no real plan beyond massive, indiscriminate violence for its stated goal of destroying Hamas, which may well be unachievable no matter how many Israeli soldiers, prisoners captured on October 7 and Palestinian civilians it is ready to sacrifice.In the United States, a Data for Progress poll, published on October 20, found that 66% of Americans wanted their government to “call for a ceasefire and a deescalation of violence in Gaza,” and to “leverage its close diplomatic relationship with Israel to prevent further violence and civilian deaths.”Support was across party lines, but, for a Democratic administration and Democratic members of Congress, the 80% of Democrats who agreed with the poll’s statement should have been a wake-up call. Evidently they slept through the alarm, as Congress passed a bill promising unconditional military support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza by 412 votes to 10 on October 24, a green light for the anticipated escalation that followed. By October 30, only 18 members of Congress had signed the resolution introduced by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) calling for an “immediate de-escalation and ceasefire.” The new Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged that the first piece of binding legislation he will put to the floor is one to spend $14 billion to resupply Israel with weapons, a bill that is likely to sail through with overwhelming support from both parties.The impotence of the U.S. government to contain the chaos its policies have unleashed can hardly be exaggerated. The U.S. embassy in Beirut has posted a message to all U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon immediately. It says, “You should have a plan of action for crisis situations that does not rely on U.S. government assistance,” and tells them they will have to sign a promissory note to reimburse the U.S. government if it helps to evacuate them. So the results of the U.S. government’s massive investments in the power to kill and destroy have left it unable to protect or help its own citizens around the world. It instead directs them to a State Department web page titled “What the Department of State Can and Can’t Do in a Crisis.”

US, Israel Consider Deploying Multinational Force to Gaza After War - The US and Israel are considering establishing a multinational force to occupy the Gaza Strip if Israel successfully eliminates Hamas, Bloombergreported on Tuesday.The idea would be to grant temporary oversight of Gaza to countries in the region backed by a force with troops from the US, Britain, France, and Germany. Sources told Bloomberg that, ideally, the force would also include Arab nations, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.The report said President Biden was aware deploying US troops to Gaza would carry huge political risks and that the discussions are still at an early stage. The Palestinians would almost certainly resist the idea of a Western force occupying Gaza.The idea is one of three options being considered for a potential post-war Gaza, although Israeli officials have said the current conflict could last years. The second option includes establishing a peacekeeping force similar to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), the group that operates in Sinai to enforce the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. The other option would grant temporary control of Gaza to the UN.Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday acknowledged the US was considering what would become of Gaza if Israel defeats Hamas. “We can’t have a reversion to the status quo with Hamas running Gaza,” Blinken said. “We also can’t have — and the Israelis start with this proposition themselves — Israel running or controlling Gaza. Between those shoals are a variety of possible permutations that we’re looking at very closely now, as are other countries.”A leaked document from Israel’s Intelligence Ministry has revealed that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering pushing all of the Palestinians living in Gaza into Egypt, but that would require the cooperation of Cairo, which has firmly rejected the idea.

Dick Durbin Becomes First US Senator to Call for Gaza Ceasefire - Twenty-seven days into Israel’s brutal bombing campaign, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) became the first member of the US Senate to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.Asked in an interview on CNN whether it’s time to call for a ceasefire, Durbin replied, “I think it is.”“At least in the context of both sides agreeing. For example, the release of those kidnapped should be part of this — immediate release. That should be the beginning of it,” he said. “An effort should be made to engage in conversation between the Israelis and Palestinians.”Durbin is the Senate majority whip, making him the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber. His call for a ceasefire breaks from the Biden administration, which has only called for a vague “pause.”The State Department has told its diplomats to avoid using the terms “ceasefire” and “de-escalation” when discussing the conflict. President Biden was asked by a protester on Wednesday why he hasn’t called for a ceasefire, and said he only supports a “pause” to “get the prisoners out.”When asked about Biden’s refusal to use the term ceasefire, Durbin reiterated his position. “Well, I believe that what I said earlier about ceasefire is there are circumstances — for example, the release of those who have been kidnapped as part of it — an indication that this is a good-faith effort on the part of the other side,” he said.According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the death toll since Israel unleashed its bombing campaign after the October 7 Hamas attack has surpassed 9,000. The total includes 3,760 children.

'No Military Solution': Carter Center Joins Call for Gaza Cease-Fire, Diplomatic Talks -- The Carter Center, founded by the only U.S. president to identify Israel's violent policies in Palestine as apartheid, on Tuesday joined international calls for a cease-fire in Gaza as the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since October 7 reached at least 8,525.The organization, which former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter established to fight for human rights worldwide, quoted the Democratic politician and humanitarian in its statement: "We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other's children.""We urge all parties to agree to a cease-fire," said the Carter Center. "We ask for the opening of humanitarian corridors into Gaza and the reinstatement of essential services to the area. We urge the immediate, safe return of all hostages, and we call on both sides to abide by international law."The call for a cease-fire came as one United Nations official warned that the blockaded enclave of Gaza has devolved into a "graveyard" for children since Israel shut off access to fuel, electricity, water, and food and began launching repeated airstrikes in retaliation of Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7.At least 3,542 of the Palestinians killed in Israel's attacks have been children, and at least 1,000 more are missing as residential neighborhoods are reduced to rubble."Hamas is responsible for the horrific October 7 massacre of more than 1,400 innocent people in Israel and the taking of more than 200 hostages," said the Carter Center. "And the innocent people of Gaza are now unfairly suffering from the ongoing conflict and the acute humanitarian crisis that has unfolded.""Collective punishment is contrary to international law," the organization continued. "So is the murder of civilians."Hamas on Saturday called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to an exchange of the Israeli civilians taken hostage by the group when it launched its surprise attack, and the Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons; the family members of some Israeli hostageshave also called for an "all for all" prisoner exchange.But bolstered by the Biden administration and U.S. politicians includingformer Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Netanyahu has rejected calls for a cease-fire, which UNICEF on Tuesday said could save the lives of 1,000 children in Gaza in just 72 hours."The violence must stop now," said the Carter Center. "There is no military solution to this crisis, only a political one that acknowledges the common humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians, respects the human rights of all, and creates a path for both societies to live side by side in peace."

‘You’re the terrorist’: Protesters disrupt Blinken at Senate hearing - POLITICO video

Schumer moves on military nominations after Marine Corps general hospitalized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) moved forward with three military nominations Tuesday, despite Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) months-long hold on them. Schumer filed cloture on the nominations of Adm. Lisa Franchetti for chief of naval operations, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin for chief of staff of the Air Force and Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney for assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. His decision comes just two days after Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith was hospitalized due to a “medical emergency” Sunday evening. “This scary incident involving General Smith shows why it’s supremely risky to play politics with military appointments, as Sen. Tuberville is doing,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Emergencies happen, and when they do, the chain of command must be able to respond but thanks to Senator Tuberville, there is no current number two at the Marine Corps to fill in.” “The situation at the Marine Corps is precisely the kind of avoidable emergency that Senator Tuberville has provoked through his blanket holds,” he added. The Marine’s assistant commandant is typically the one to step in to the role if the commandant is unavailable, but due to Tuberville’s hold that is not the case. Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the deputy commandant for combat development and integration and commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, is serving as the interim acting head. The White House nominated Mahoney for the job in July, but his nomination is one of the many that Tuberville held up due to his objection over the Pentagon policy to reimburse travel expenses for service members seeking abortions out of state from where they are based. Schumer also urged Tuberville to drop his holds “at once” in his floor speech. “Every day that Senator Tuberville continues his blanket holds, our military preparedness is worse off. Our military families suffer. Our military appointments risk being further ensnared in partisan politics, which is a point of no return we must never cross in the Senate,” he said. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Tuberville’s office said the Alabama Republican “forced this move by Senator Schumer.” “This is an admission by Chuck Schumer that the Senate is capable of voting on military nominations after all,” the spokesperson said. “This is the second time Coach has forced Schumer to vote and it just shows that Coach and 16 other Republicans can do this to Senator Schumer as many times as they want. And maybe they will.”

GOP bill would make State tell the Hill when top diplomats lose clearances - House Republicans are moving to require the State Department to alert the Hill if senior officials lose their security clearance — a response to misleading statements by the agency about an investigation into a top diplomat. Congressional Republicans were incensed this June when they discovered that the State Department had hid from them that Iran envoy Rob Malley’s security clearance had been suspended and that he was being investigated for his handling of classified material. For two months before the news broke in the press, State Department officials had told lawmakers Malley was stepping back from some of his duties for personal reasons. So on Monday, Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) introduced legislation to make the department tell Congress if top diplomats — including special envoys like Malley — have their security clearances suspended or revoked. The bill — which was viewed by POLITICO ahead of its public announcement — would require State to notify House Foreign Affairs and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee within 15 days of a clearance’s suspension or revocation, and to brief the committees within 30 days. The suspension of Malley’s clearance — and then his full suspension from the post in June — sent shockwaves through Washington’s tight-knit foreign policy community. Democrats have long lauded him for his work hammering out the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran. Republicans, meanwhile, argue he is a dupe or worse. Malley did not respond to a request for comment on this story. He has previously said he does not know why his clearance was suspended and hopes it will be reinstated soon. A State Department official said the department does not generally comment on pending legislation. Before his clearance was suspended, Malley helmed the Biden administration’s efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal. “In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need this bill,” said Mast, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability. “But the reality is that Robert Malley’s investigation showed that the State Department is failing to live up to basic standards of transparency, and that can have major consequences for our foreign policy and our national security. Whether it’s Iran, Russia, China, or North Korea, Congress needs to know that the State Department is firing on all cylinders; we cannot afford a repeat of Malley’s situation.”

House passes legislative branch funding bill - House Republicans passed legislation Wednesday to fund the legislative branch for fiscal 2024, as the party works to pass its remaining spending bills before a looming Nov. 17 shutdown deadline. House Republicans, along with four Democrats, approved the legislation in a 214-197 vote Wednesday evening. The House, which had already passed five of its annual funding bills, now aims to pass the remaining six funding bills in the coming weeks. Lawmakers in both chambers, however, have already acknowledged a stopgap measure will likely be needed. Republicans had previously touted the legislation for funding boosts to recruitment and training for Capitol Police officers, as well as “modest” increases to agencies like the Congressional Budget Office, Library of Congress, and Government Accountability Office. However, Republicans have also boasted an overall reduction in funding for the bill compared to the previous fiscal year, as well as the “restructuring” of functions for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) — a proposal the party said in a summary earlier this year could save “millions of taxpayer dollars.” The bill calls for about $5.3 billion in discretionary spending to fund the office of the House of Representatives and joint legislative branch items, which represents a 4.7 percent drop from the previous fiscal year’s levels, or a $262.9 million decrease. The overall level reaches about $6.7 billion, or 2.4 percent lower than the previous fiscal year’s levels, when accounting for Senate items. Democrats have panned the bill, with Rep. Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.), the top Democrat on the subcommittee tasked with crafting the measure, saying it would “harm DEI programs and the LGBTQ plus community.” “This bill eliminates funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion training or program implementation including our own House Office of Diversity and Inclusion — which Republicans have benefited from using,” he also said in a statement.

Senate passes first government funding package, setting up clash with House GOP -The Senate on Wednesday passed its first batch of government funding measures for fiscal 2024, teeing up a clash with House Republicans as the party presses for steeper spending cuts and a host of partisan riders. Senators voted 82-15 to pass the package — which covers full-year funding for the departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Transportation (DOT) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as well as the Food and Drug Administration, among other agencies. “We just passed a strong, bipartisan spending package — the only bipartisan spending bills in Congress, by the way — and we did it with an 82-15 vote,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said after the vote. “So let’s be crystal clear about what that means. Unlike the funding measures we’ve seen pushed through the House, these are serious and reasonable, bipartisan bills that can actually be signed into law. They are the product of months of hard work, careful negotiation, thoughtful input from members on both sides of the aisle.” Senators had initially hoped to pass the package in September, but those efforts hit a roadblock amid opposition from conservatives and as lawmakers worked to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month. The package combines three of the dozen annual funding bills senators hope to pass in the weeks ahead. The largest bill, which covers funding for military construction and the VA, offers more than $120 billion for VA medical care for the coming fiscal year. Appropriators have also lauded its historic boosts to military construction and family housing projects. The package also sets aside nearly $100 billion in funding for the DOT, HUD and related agencies, with some increases for the Federal Aviation Administration, Maritime Administration, homeless assistance grants and Section 8 vouchers. The bills are seen by some negotiators to be among the easier ones to pass, and they secured unanimous approval in committee. However, they contain major differences from their counterparts in the House, where Republicans have taken a harder line on reducing spending for nondefense programs and proposed a slew of measures Democrats have deemed “poison pills” — including provisions to limit abortion access, enforcement of the Biden administration’s equity and diversity orders and more. Under an extension approved in September, Congress has until Nov. 17 to pass legislation keeping the government funded or risk the first government shutdown in years. However, lawmakers in both chambers have already acknowledged a stopgap measure will likely be needed.

Blinken Says US Needs to Fund Wars in Ukraine, Gaza Because of China - Biden administration officials are arguing that the US needs to fund the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to send a message to China in their pitch for Congress to authorize a massive $105 billion spending package that includes military aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.“What happens in Ukraine, what happens in the Middle East, also matters for the Indo-Pacific. Beyond Europe, we know that our allies, as well as our adversaries, as well as our competitors, are watching that conflict. They’re watching our response,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, according to The South China Morning Post.“So the funding request … is vital to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of mounting challenges in that region,” Blinken added. The hearing came after Republicans in both the House and the Senate introduced bills to separate military aid for Israel from other issues.Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made the same argument at the hearing. “China would like to see the United States be unsuccessful,” Austin said. “They would like to see Russia continue to challenge us and keep us focused on that area so that we have less time, energy, and resources” to focus on the Asia Pacific.The $105 billion request made by the White House includes $7.4 billion to advance the administration’s strategy against China in the Asia Pacific, including over $3 billion to finance submarine construction, $2 billion in assistance for regional countries, and $2 billion in military aid. It’s not clear if the $2 billion in military aid is exclusively for Taiwan.The request also includes $61.4 billion to fund the proxy war in Ukraine for another year, $14.3 billion for Israel, $13.6 billion for border security, and $9.15 billion for humanitarian aid. The stand-alone Israel bills introduced by Republicans would also provide Israel with $14.3 billion, although the House version pays for it by cutting money from the Internal Revenue Service, which the White House is not happy about.

Biden will meet Xi Jinping in coming weeks, White House says - President Joe Biden will meet with President Xi Jinping of China next month during an economic summit in San Francisco, the White House said on Tuesday afternoon, marking a significant diplomatic moment between two great world powers whose relationship has grown increasingly hostile. The meeting of the two countries’ leaders comes after a flurry of diplomatic visits in recent months aimed at breaking the ice in the U.S.-China relationship. The trip also comes on the heels of a promising week in U.S.-China relations, after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California was well received in China during a visit centered on climate cooperation and as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the diplomatic rounds in Washington. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the Biden-Xi meeting during a press briefing on Tuesday, although she seemed to accidentally reveal the announcement. Previously, a White House readout from Friday said the two countries were working toward such a meeting. “This is going to be an important diplomatic conversation,” Jean-Pierre said, describing the “intense” competition between the U.S. and China. “It’s going to be in San Francisco. It’s going to be a constructive meeting. The president’s looking forward to it.” She did not give further details about what the two will discuss, but the meeting is expected to occur on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting, which will be held Nov. 12-18. A meeting between the two pivotal world leaders could be awkward, given that Biden labeled Xi a dictator over the summer, causing its own flare-up of tensions. The two countries’ ties took a nosedive earlier this year after a Chinese spy balloon flew across the continental U.S. in February, before an American military plane shot it down off the Atlantic Coast. The ongoing political tenor around China in the U.S. has proved dicey and likely will remain that way in coming months, especially as an ongoing presidential contest portrays the country as a significant threat. Over the past few months, several of Biden’s Cabinet secretaries made visits to China, while a bipartisan group of senators also made the trek earlier this month. Likely topics for the Biden-Xi meeting include trade, fentanyl, cybersecurity, technology and foreign diplomacy. The outbreak of war in the Middle East will almost certainly be a significant part of the conversation, especially as China in recent years has increasingly sought to flex its diplomatic chops on the global stage and retains solid ties with Iran, a key funder of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The two leaders last met in Indonesia during the Group of 20 summit in November 2022 — almost exactly a year before their expected encounter in California.

Biden will meet with China's Xi Jinping next month, White House says — President Joe Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month, the White House announced on Tuesday. The leaders of the world's two largest economies are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit in San Francisco. "Intense competition means intense diplomacy," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing. "Our policy and how we move forward with China has not changed." Jean-Pierre declined to provide details about Biden's agenda other than he is expected to have "a tough conversation" with Xi. The face to face meeting follows the discussions of Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, CIA Director Bill Burns, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and U.S. Special Envoy on Climate John Kerry. The meeting comes as the White House works to rush security assistance and humanitarian aid to Israel amid an intensifying conflict with Hamas. At the same time, the U.S. continues to support Ukraine as it defends its sovereign territory from a full-scale Russian invasion that has lasted more than 600 days. These realities put additional strains on the U.S.-China relationship, which has been battered in recent years by a trade war that began during the Trump administration. Xi is Russian President Vladimir Putin's most powerful financial ally, and support from Beijing is critical to keeping the Russian war effort alive. The Biden administration previously warned China not to help the Russia wage its war in Ukraine. Since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022, the United States and Western allies have imposed scores of coordinated economic sanctions on Russia in a bid to starve the Kremlin's war machine of money it needs to keep going. Two years of economic warfare have vaulted Russia past Iran and North Korea to become the world's most-sanctioned country. The sanctions have helped to make China an even more crucial ally for an increasingly isolated Russia. Earlier this month, Xi and Putin met in Beijing to discuss additional ways to deepen their relationship. The last time the two leaders met was in March at the Kremlin.

Biden Is a Genocide Denier and the 'Enabler in Chief' for Israel's Ongoing War Crimes - For three weeks, President Biden has played a key role in backing Israel’s war crimes while touting himself as a compassionate advocate of restraint. That pretense is lethal nonsense as Israel persists with mass killing of civilians in Gaza.The same crucial standards that fully condemned Hamas’s murders of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 should apply to Israel’s ongoing murders that have already taken the lives of at least several times as many Palestinian civilians. And Israel is just getting started. “We need an immediate ceasefire,” Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib wrote in an email Saturday evening, “but the White House and Congress continue to unconditionally support the Israeli government’s genocidal actions.”That unconditional support makes Biden and the vast majority of Congress directly complicit with mass murder and genocide, defined as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.” The definition clearly fits the words and deeds of Israel’s leaders.“Israel has dropped approximately 12,000 tons of explosives on Gaza so far and has reportedly killed multiple senior Hamas commanders, but the majority of the casualties have been women and children,” Time magazinesummed up at the end of last week. Israel’s military has been shamelessly slaughtering civilians in homes, stores, markets, mosques, refugee camps and healthcare facilities. Imagine what can be expected now that communications between Gaza and the outside world are even less possible.For reporters, being on the ground in Gaza is very dangerous; Israel’s assault has already killed at least 27 journalists. For the Israeli government, the fewer journalists alive in Gaza the better; media reliance on Israeli handouts, news conferences and interviews is ideal.Pro-Israel frames of reference and word choices are routine in U.S. mainstream media. Yet some exceptional reporting has shed light on the merciless cruelty of Israel’s actions in Gaza, where 2.2 million people live.While people in Gaza “are under some of the most intense bombardment we’ve ever seen,” Molana-Allen added, they have no safe place to go: “Even though they’re still being told to move to the south, in fact most people can’t get to the south because they have no fuel for their cars, they can’t travel, and even in the south bombardment continues.”Meanwhile, Biden has continued to publicly express his unequivocal support for what Israel is doing. After he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, the White House issued a statementwithout the slightest mention of concern about what Israel’s bombing was inflicting on civilians. Instead, the statement said, “the President reiterated that Israel has every right and responsibility to defend its citizens from terrorism and to do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law.” Biden’s support for continuing the carnage in Gaza is matched by Congress. As Israel began its fourth week of terrorizing and killing, only 18 members of the House were on the list of lawmakers cosponsoring H.Res. 786, “Calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.” All of those 18 cosponsors are people of color.

Reports Expose US Billionaires and Corporate Profiteers Enabling Israel’s War on Gaza --With more than 7,300 Palestinians killed so far in Israel’s three-week bombardment of Gaza, a series of reports this week have exposed how U.S. weapon-makers and billionaire donors are enabling what legal scholars say could amount to genocide.After Israel declared war in response to Hamas killing over 1,400 Israelis and taking around 200 hostages, the stocks of major American and European war profiteers soared. A Thursday report from Eyes on the Ties—the news site of LittleSis and Public Accountability Initiative—targets five U.S. firms with a record of providing weaponry to Israel.The outlet stressed that while announcing a supplemental funding request that includes $14.3 billion for Israel, U.S. President Joe Biden last week “invoked ‘patriotic American workers’ who are ‘building the arsenal of democracy and serving the cause of freedom,’ but it’s the defense company CEOs who rake in tens of millions a year, and Wall Street shareholders, who are the real beneficiaries of warmongering.”The five targeted industry giants collectively recorded $196.5 billion in military-related revenue last year, Eyes on the Tiesreported. They are Boeing ($30.8 billion), General Dynamics ($30.4 billion), Lockheed Martin ($63.3 billion), Northrop Grumman ($32.4 billion), and RTX, formerly Raytheon ($39.6 billion).“The top shareholders in these five defense companies largely consist of big asset managers, or big banks with asset management wings, that include BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity, Capital Group, Wellington, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Newport Trust Company, Longview Asset Management, Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Geode Capital, and Bank of America,” the news outlet noted.Eyes on the Ties also highlighted how chief executives are handsomely compensated—and the CEOs’ ties to Big Pharma, the fossil fuel industry, Wall Street, and foreign policy think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations and Center for Strategic and International Studies. According to the report:

• Boeing CEO David Calhoun took in over $64 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of February held 193,247 shares;
• General Dynamics CEO Phebe N. Novakovic took in over $64 million in total compensation from 202-22 and as of March held 1,616,279 shares;
• Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet took in over $66 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of February held 56,054 shares;
• Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy J. Warden took in over $61 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of March held 161,231 shares; and
• RTX CEO Gregory J. Hayes took in over $63 million in total compensation from 2020-22 and as of February held 801,339 shares.

As AIPAC Boosts Israel Military Aid Package, AOC Says Group Is 'No Friend to American Democracy' -- U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday dismissed the latest political attack by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—the powerful anti-Palestinian rights lobbying group—on a lawmaker who rejected legislation endorsed by the organization.AIPAC, the New York Democrat suggested, has little credibility when it claims to fight for democracy and security in the U.S. by supporting Israel's violent policies in Palestine.Ocasio-Cortez responded to a social media post by AIPAC, which backs both Democratic and Republican political candidates as long as they unquestioningly support Israel's policies—including the war it has waged against civilians in Gaza in retaliation for an attack by Hamas last month. The group criticized Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for being the only Republican who voted against House Resolution 771, which statedthat the U.S. stands "with Israel as it defends itself." AIPAC also denounced Massie on Tuesday for announcing he would vote against a separate resolution, scheduled to be taken up by the House Rules Committee on Wednesday, to send more than $14 billion in aid, including military funding, to Israel. AIPAC said in support of the proposal that "the U.S. is stronger when Israel is secure.""AIPAC endorsed scores of January 6th insurrectionists. They are no friend to American democracy," Ocasio-Cortez responded to the group's comments on Massie.AIPAC in recent U.S. elections has spent millions of dollars to defeat progressive candidates such as Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner—both supporters of Palestinian rights as well as pro-democracy reforms in the U.S.—with mixed success.The group has also backed more than 100 GOP lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results in support of former Republican President Donald Trump. Despite its claims that it aims to make the U.S. "stronger," Ocasio-Cortez said, AIPAC is "an extremist organization that destabilizes U.S. democracy." Massie's objection to H.R. 771 differed from that of Ocasio-Cortez and eight other Democrats who voted against it. He said on social media that he objected to provisions called for in the resolution, including sanctions, foreign aid commitments, and a broad "open-ended promise of military support." Ocasio-Cortez and several of the other Democrats who opposed the resolution have joined calls for a cease-fire as Israel has bombarded Gaza with airstrikes, killing at least 8,796 Palestinians so far. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who backed the resolution and has not joined the call for a cease-fire, admitted that Ocasio-Cortez's comments summed up "how many feel about what AIPAC really is about."

Ocasio-Cortez rips pro-Israel group as ‘extremist organization’ -Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) blasted a pro-Israel group as an “extremist organization” Tuesday on social media. Ocasio-Cortez responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that took aim at her and the nine others who voted against a resolution that expressed support for Israel and condemned the militant group Hamas’s attack against the country earlier this month.She ripped the organization for targeting lawmakers of color and suggested the group is a threat to democracy in the U.S. “AIPAC endorsed scores of Jan 6th insurrectionists,” she wrote on X. “They are no friend to American democracy. They are one of the more racist and bigoted PACs in Congress as well, who disproportionately target members of color. They are an extremist organization that destabilizes US democracy. AIPAC responded to the New York Democrat’s remarks on X, pushing back her claims that the organization targets people of color.“More of the same tired lies & spin,” the group wrote. “@AOC and the Squad summed up: People who disagree with us are racist. AIPAC stands with pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans of all races, genders, and backgrounds who support the US-Israel alliance. And we oppose those who don’t, like you.”Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) echoed Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks on AIPAC, which also replied to Pocan’s criticism on X.“Got to admit, this sums up how many feel about what @AIPAC really is about. Insurrectionists, WTF. No friend of democracy,” Pocan wrote on X in response to Ocasio-Cortez’s post. “Got to admit, @MarkPocan is a hypocrite,” the organization responded. “Singling AIPAC out for doing the exact same thing PACs supporting him do. Surely, for the sake of consistency, he will condemn them too and return the six-figures he took from those PACs last cycle, right?” The exchanges between AIPAC and the two House Democrats come just a day after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) got in a heated back-and-forth with the group over its tweet criticizing the 10 lawmakers who voted against the Israel resolution last week. “AIPAC always gets mad when I put America first,” he said in response to AIPAC’s tweet. “I won’t be voting for their $14+ billion shakedown of American taxpayers either. Let them know what you think by replying to their post. They are intentionally misrepresenting my intent and the resolution I voted against.”

House kills Rashida Tlaib censure vote -- House lawmakers voted Wednesday to torpedo a resolution censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her harsh criticisms of Israel in the wake of Hamas’s deadly attacks last month.The effort required 23 Republicans, joined by all Democrats, to vote in favor of a procedural motion that blocked the disciplinary resolution from reaching the floor. The final tally was 222 to 186.The vote was something of a surprise: Tlaib, a staunch liberal who’s been harshly critical of Israel, has few fans in the GOP when it comes to Middle Eastern politics. It’s unclear why several Republicans came to her rescue during Wednesday’s vote.The censure resolution — sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — had accused Tlaib of “leading an insurrection” for her participation in an anti-war protest last month at the Capitol, organized by Jewish groups, which featured scores of arrests. Pro-Israel Democrats, who might have been inclined to censure Tlaib’s comments, had hammered Greene for her inaccurate characterization of a peace protest — albeit a rowdy one — and for sensationalizing Tlaib’s role in orchestrating it. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) echoed that sentiment, saying he voted to table the legislation because of the “insurrection” language.“Rep. Rashida Tlaib has repeatedly made outrageous remarks toward Israel and the Jewish people. Her conduct is unbecoming of a member of Congress and certainly worthy of condemnation – if not censure,” he wrote on X. “However, tonight’s feckless resolution to censure Tlaib was deeply flawed and made legally and factually unverified claims, including the claim of leading an ‘insurrection.’”Democrats were also leery that Greene’s “insurrectionist” language had trivialized the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Trump.Wednesday’s vote came as the escalating violence in the Middle East has highlighted the deep rift among Democrats when it comes to Israel, pitting liberal, pro-Palestinian lawmakers like Tlaib — who have accused Israel of war crimes in its response to the Hamas attacks — against staunch Israel allies, who fear the criticisms of a close U.S. ally will only empower Hamas and invite antisemitism.That schism is expected to take center stage later this week when the House votes on a GOP-crafted $14.3 billion Israel aid package that includes cuts to IRS funding to pay for the package.

House approves resolution condemning support of Hamas, Hezbollah on college campuses - The House approved a resolution Thursday condemning the support of Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations at higher education institutions, a rebuke of the uproar that has taken place at college campuses in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel last month.The resolution — which the chamber cleared in a 396-23 vote — took aim at colleges that have been embroiled in controversy over responses to the Israel-Hamas war, declaring that the support of Hamas and Hezbollah on campuses “may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff.”It also calls on campus administrators to condemn antisemitism on college campuses; ensure Jewish faculty, students and guests are able to exercise free speech rights guaranteed to others without intimidation; and urges the enforcement of federal civil rights laws meant to protect Jewish students.“Today, the People’s House sent a clear message to the nation: We firmly reject evil, we strongly support Israel, and we will root out the rotten ideologies found in our higher education system,” Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), the sponsor of the resolution, wrote in a statement Thursday.Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the lone Republican to vote against the resolution. He was joined by 22 Democrats, a handful of whom are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.The legislation lists a number of examples across multiple campuses where either professors or students expressed support for Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, after it launched its attack on Israel on Oct. 7.One instance took place at The George Washington University, where pro-Palestine students illuminated on the side of the library messages that said “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea” and “Glory to our Martyrs.”During a pro-Palestinian rally at Cornell University, a professor said he was “exhilarated” by Hamas’s attack on Israel and declared that “Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence,” according to The Cornell Daily Sun. The professor, Russell Rickford, later apologized in a statement “for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress grassroots African American, Jewish and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression.”The resolution also noted that one of the most prominent pro-Palestine groups on campus, Students for Justice in Palestine, released a statement calling for a “day of resistance.”Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.), who is Jewish, slammed the antisemitism that has been seen on college campuses amid the war between Israel and Hamas.“Antisemitism is a persistent, shape-shifting hatred that is an affront to our values as Americans. It should be condemned by all. It has no place on college campuses and universities or in our society,” she said during debate on the House floor Wednesday. “When antisemitism and bias against Jews takes hold on campus, it deprives students of their equal right to an education and it harms everyone in the campus community,”

Hawley, Mayorkas get personal at hearing: ‘Despicable’ - A GOP senator’s focus on antisemitic comments from one Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee spurred forceful pushback from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said it was “despicable” to suggest the views are representative of his agency. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) zeroed in on social media comments from a DHS employee made in the wake of the Hamas-Israel war who has since been placed on administrative leave. While Mayorkas declined to answer further questions about the review of their employment, Hawley told the secretary, who is Jewish, that it was “despicable” that he was failing to address his questions. The episode spurred an emotional response from the mild-mannered secretary, who has begun to more directly address often personal attacks from GOP members of Congress. “Number one: What I found despicable is the implication that this language, tremendously odious, actually could be emblematic of the sentiments of the 260,000 men and women of the Department of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas said. “Number two: Senator Hawley takes an adversarial approach to me in this question, and perhaps he doesn’t know my own background. Perhaps he does not know that I am the child of a Holocaust survivor. Perhaps he does not know that my mother lost almost all her family at the hands of the Nazis. And so I find his adversarial tone to be entirely misplaced. I find it to be disrespectful of me and my heritage,” he added. “I do not expect an apology. But I did want to say what I just articulated.”

‘Worse Than People Can Imagine’: Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Breeds Chaos in States - Seven months into what was predicted to be the biggest upheaval in the 58-year history of the government health insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities, states have reviewed the eligibility of more than 28 million people and terminated coverage for over 10 million of them. Millions more are expected to lose Medicaid in the coming months.The unprecedented enrollment drop comes after federal protections ended this spring that had prohibited states from removing people from Medicaid during the three pandemic years. Since March 2020, enrollment in Medicaid and the related Children’s Health Insurance Program had surged by more than 22 million to reach 94 million people.The process of reviewing all recipients’ eligibility has been anything but smooth for many Medicaid enrollees. Some are losing coverage without understanding why. Some are struggling to prove they’re still eligible. Recipients and patient advocates say Medicaid officials sent mandatory renewal forms to outdated addresses, miscalculated income levels, and offered clumsy translations of the documents. Attempting to process the cases of tens of millions of people at the same time also has exacerbated long-standing weaknesses in the bureaucratic system. Some suspect particular states have used the confusing system to discourage enrollment. “It’s not just bad, but worse than people can imagine,” said Camille Richoux, health policy director for the nonprofit Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. “This unwinding has not been about determining who is eligible by all possible means, but how we can kick people off by all possible means.”To be sure, some of the Medicaid recipients who signed on to the program when the U.S. unemployment rate soared amid covid-19 lockdowns have since gotten health insurance through new jobs as unemployment dropped back to pre-pandemic lows.And some of the disenrolled are signing up for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans. Centene CEO Sarah London, for example, told investors on Oct. 24 that the health care giant expected as many as 2.4 million of its 15 million Medicaid managed care members to lose coverage from the unwinding, but more than 1 million customers had joined its exchange plans since the same time last year.Still, it’s anyone’s guess how many former Medicaid beneficiaries remain uninsured. States don’t track what happens to everyone after they’re disenrolled. And the final tallies likely won’t be known until 2025, after the unwinding finishes by next summer and federal officials survey Americans’ insurance status...“Any type of care that’s put off — whether it’s asthma, whether it’s autism, whether it’s something as simple as an earache — can just get worse if you wait,” said Pam Shaw, a pediatrician in Kansas City, Kansas, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics’ state government affairs committee. Doctors and representatives of community health centers around the country said they have seen an uptick in cancellations and no-shows among patients without coverage — including children. Nationwide, states have already disenrolled at least 1.8 million children in the 20 states that provide the data by age. Children typically qualify more easily than adults, so child advocates believe many kids are being wrongly terminated based on their parents’ being deemed no longer eligible. Meanwhile, enrollment in CHIP, which has higher income eligibility levels than Medicaid, has shown only a tiny increase. Kids accounted for varying shares of those disenrolled in each state, ranging from 68% in Texas to 16% in Massachusetts, according to KFF. In September, President Joe Biden’s administration said most states were conducting eligibility checks incorrectly and inappropriately disenrolling eligible children or household members. It ordered states to reinstate coverage for some 500,000 people.

Sen. Tillis tests positive for COVID -Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Tuesday he tested positive for COVID-19 and would miss votes this week in the Senate. His office confirmed to The Hill he plans to return to Washington next week. Tillis, who planned to host a Halloween “dog parade” Tuesday, said he no longer would be able to attend but suggested Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) could take his place.“Unfortunately I have COVID and won’t be able to kick off today’s Bipawtisan Howl-o-ween Dog Parade. But believe me, it will all work out. I know the perfect person for the job…,” Tillis wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, with a picture of Romney holding a soccer ball and a referee whistle. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a slight dip in positive COVID-19 cases and an increase in COVID-19 deaths. The week of Oct. 15-21 showed a test positivity rate of 8.7 percent, a decrease of 0.7 percent from the previous week. The same week showed the percentage of all deaths due to COVID-19 was 2.7 percent, an increase of 12.5 percent from the previous week. The Biden administration and public health officials have encouraged people to get their updated vaccinations ahead of the winter months.

House GOP punts vote on transportation funding amid Amtrak concerns - House Republicans are punting plans to vote on a housing and transportation government funding bill this week amid concerns from members over costs and Amtrak. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said earlier Thursday that the House would bring up the legislation — which lays out full-year funding for the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies — this week. But those plans were scrapped hours later Thursday afternoon, shortly after Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who heads the spending subcommittee that crafted the bill, expressed doubts to The Hill about its chances of passage this week. Asked whether he was confident of it happening, Cole told The Hill on Thursday, “Not yet. We’re still working on it.” “Some people want to cut more, other people are worried that we cut too much, or they’ve got particular concerns, Amtrak concerns,” Cole said. Not long after his comments, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said on the floor that the House would instead aim to pass the housing and transportation funding bill next week. The bill is one of the party’s 12 annual government funding bills members hope to have passed by a looming mid-November deadline to prevent a shutdown. A summary of the bill updated earlier this week set the proposed price tag at little more than $90 billion in discretionary funding, falling more than 8 percent below what President Biden requested in his budget. The subcommittee’s spending level is still a small boost above the previous fiscal year’s allocation, the summary says, which is partly due to efforts aimed at offsetting “plummeting housing receipts” and ensuring “eligible recipients of housing assistance do not lose their assistance due to inflation.” “In order to address these shortfalls and fund Republican priorities, the bill eliminates several programs and makes deep cuts to others, especially those that received large amounts in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA),” the summary states. Among the spending reductions outlined in the release include a drop in Amtrak funding of about $1.58 billion below the fiscal 2023 levels.

Schumer leads 23 senators in demanding FTC probe of oil industry mergers - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 22 other Democratic senators sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan on Wednesday demanding an investigation of two major proposed oil industry mergers and warning that the consolidations could hurt consumers. Schumer and his colleagues want the FTC to investigate ExxonMobil’s proposed $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources, and Chevron’s proposed $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corporation. “By allowing Exxon and Chevron to further integrate their extensive operations into important oil-and-gas fields, these deals are likely to harm competition, risking increased consumer prices and reduced output throughout the United States,” they wrote. They called on the FTC to consider various anti-competitive harms and urged the agency to oppose them if they would violate antitrust law. They noted that more than 2,600 mergers occurred through the U.S. petroleum industry in the 1990s, and the number of major U.S. energy companies dropped from 19 to 9 due to consolidation. “After these huge mergers took place, the majors’ upstream operations were skewed to the detriment of consumers. Studies at the time demonstrated that spending on drilling for new oil supplies by the merged giants fell significantly compared to the drilling budgets before the mergers,” the senators wrote. The signatories include Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), among others. Schumer highlighted the letter on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. “I think people should pay attention to this, because this is a very serious issue,” he said, calling the ExxonMobil and Chevron deals “two of the largest oil acquisitions of the 21st century.” “Some of the largest mergers in the history, in the whole history of the United States — where are they occurring? In the heavily concentrated oil industry, where the consumer has almost no say whatsoever. These deals have all the hallmarks of harmful, anti-competitive effect,” he warned.

Biden issues sweeping executive order on AI - President Biden issued a highly anticipated, sweeping executive order on artificial intelligence (AI) on Monday, focused on seizing on the emerging technology and managing its risks. The order includes several new actions, which focus on areas like safety, privacy, protecting workers, and protecting innovation. “President Biden believes that we have an obligation to harness the power of AI for good, while protecting people from its potentially profound risks,” a senior administration official told reporters. The executive order includes new standards for safety, including requiring companies developing models that pose a serious risk to national security, economic security or public health to notify the federal government when training the model, and they must share the results of all safety tests. The Commerce Department will also develop guidance for content authentication and watermarking to label AI-generated content. The order directs federal agencies to accelerate the development of techniques so AI systems can be trained while preserving the privacy of the training data. The order will also evaluate how agencies collect and use commercially available information containing personal data. To support workers, the order develops principles and best practices to mitigate the harms and maximize the benefits AI creates for workers by addressing issues including job displacement, labor standards, and data collection. The order also aims to promote innovation and competition through a pilot of a tool, the National AI Research Resource, that will expand grants for AI research in areas such as health care and climate change. It will also use existing authorities to expand the ability of highly skilled immigrants and nonimmigrants with expertise in these critical areas to study, stay, and work in the U.S. by streamlining visa criteria and interviews. The order applies to companies with the most powerful AI systems, regardless of whether the companies work with the federal government, according to an official. It marks the most significant effort to impose national order on the AI industry after ChatGPT, which launched less than a year ago, shocked users with its human-like capabilities and knowledge. The executive order aims to have the U.S. lead the way on AI and advance American leadership globally on the emerging technology. Vice President Harris is traveling to the United Kingdom on Tuesday to give a speech on the U.S. vision for AI.

Speaker Johnson: Decision on Biden impeachment articles coming ‘very soon’ - Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday that the House is nearing a decision on whether to move on articles of impeachment against President Biden. Asked during a press conference if he believes there is enough evidence to move on articles of impeachment against Biden, Johnson said: “I do believe that very soon we are coming to a point of decision on it.” He later added, “We’re gonna follow the evidence where it leads and we’ll see, and I’m not gonna pre-determine it this morning.” The newly minted Speaker, who has a constitutional law background, emphasized the importance of due process. “I have been very consistent, intellectually consistent in this, and persistent that we have to follow due process and we have to follow the law,” he said. “That means following our obligation on the Constitution and doing appropriate investigations in the right way at the right pace so that the evidence comes in and we follow the evidence where it leads. You follow the truth where it leads.” Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), before he was ousted from the top job, directed a trio of House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry based on the GOP conference’s investigations into the Biden family’s foreign business dealings and the prosecution of the president’s son, Hunter Biden. McCarthy launched the effort without holding a vote on the House floor — despite earlier saying he would do so — which prompted howls from Democrats. Johnson sat on one of those panels, the Judiciary Committee, before he assumed the Speakership. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Wednesday released its second memo since subpoenaing the personal bank records of Biden family members, including Hunter Biden. The latest includes a $40,000 check Biden’s brother James and his wife Sarah, labeled as a “loan repayment.” The panel suggested the repayment — made in 2017 while Biden was no longer serving as vice president — was aided by James Biden’s foreign business dealings in China, tracking income that flowed through Hunter Biden’s companies before being deposited in one owned by James Biden. But Democrats argued the money shows nothing more than a loan between family members while Biden was not in office. It’s a dynamic they said it also true for an earlier $200,000 loan highlighted by the committee, something CNN found stemmed from Biden’s account. “As a private citizen, Joe Biden loaned money to his brother, who repaid 2 months later,” House Oversight Democrats wrote on X on Wednesday. House GOP Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) highlighted that memo during Thursday’s press conference, arguing that the president “is clearly compromised, and the American people know it.”

Effort to expel George Santos from the House fails - A Republican-led effort to oust Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress failed Wednesday, allowing the embattled GOP lawmaker to remain in the House despite mounting legal and political troubles. The chamber voted 179-213-19 on a resolution to oust Santos from office, far short of the two-thirds threshold needed to expel a member of Congress. Twenty-four Republicans voted to expel Santos while 31 Democrats voted to keep him in place. Nineteen lawmakers voted present, 15 of them Democrats.Santos wasted no time claiming a victory for due process and vowing to fight the criminal and ethics charges to the very end. “I will continue to serve the 3rd Congressional District of New York until the people choose to not have me,” he told reporters as he left the Capitol. Santos also used the opportunity to lash out at the New York Republicans who led the expulsion effort, accusing them of acting purely out of “political expediency” in a tough election cycle. And he dismissed the concerns that his remaining in Congress could be a drag on his party — and might cost them control of the House. “I don’t care. I don’t care about them; I don’t care about politics,” he said. “I care about policy. I came here for policy. I don’t care about reelections and keeping the political hacks employed.” Only five lawmakers have been expelled from the House in its history, three of whom were booted for being disloyal to the Union during the Civil War.Wednesday marked the second attempt this year to remove Santos from office. In May, the House voted to refer a Democrat-led expulsion resolution to the Ethics Committee, a decision that was largely regarded as redundant because the panel had been looking into the congressman for months.But this week’s try — which came during the first full week of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) tenure — was significant.The effort was led by a group of Santos’s fellow first-term New York Republicans, and it comes as he faces 23 federal charges and stares down a September 2024 trial start date.It also comes a day after the House Ethics Committee announced it would reveal its “next course of action” in the months-long investigation by Nov. 17. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), who led the expulsion effort against Santos, said he believed the looming update from the Ethics panel drove some lawmakers to vote against the legislation.“There’s no question that the memo that they put out definitely gave some of our colleagues the ability to say let’s hold off for the two weeks and see where the report leads up, which is fine,” D’Esposito told reporters following the vote.He said he is “confident” that the Ethics Committee’s next update will convince holdouts that Santos is deserving of expulsion.

Chip Roy fires back at Greene over Tlaib censure vote -- Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) exchanged jabs with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday morning after Roy voted against Greene’s resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) over her criticism of Israel’s war on Hamas. Greene started the back-and-forth by commenting on Roy’s explanation of his vote against the resolution, in which he said the text was “deeply flawed and made legally and factually unverified claims.”Greene responded by accusing Roy of voting to kick her out of the far-right Freedom Caucus earlier this year, pointing out that the group still includes “CNN wannabe” Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and “vaping groping” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). “[A]nd you voted with the Democrats to protect Terrorist Tlaib,” she added. “You hate Trump, certified Biden’s election, and could care less about J6 defendants being persecuted.” Greene has been a fierce defender of individuals who have been charged or convicted over their roles in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.Roy responded to Greene’s tweet with a reference to a 2018 post where Greene suggested that a “laser beam or light beam” from “space solar generators,” controlled by a wealthy Jewish family, might be to blame for devastating wildfires in California. “Tell her to go chase so-called Jewish space lasers if she wants to spend time on that sort of thing,” Roy told The Hill on Thursday.

McConnell tells Senate Democrats to back off on Supreme Court - Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) warned Senate Democrats on Tuesday about issuing subpoenas to two prominent billionaires and a conservative activist because of their friendly ties to conservative members of the Supreme Court, calling such a move “totally inappropriate.” McConnell essentially told Democratic colleagues to back off after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced this week that his committee will subpoena two businessmen who extended personal hospitality to conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. “What he’s targeting here is private citizens with no legislative purpose. I think it’s completely and totally inappropriate,” McConnell said at a press conference Tuesday. Durbin and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Federal Courts, announced Monday that the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to authorize subpoenas for billionaire real estate magnate Harlan Crow and mortgage company owner Robin Arkley II, who provided hospitality to Thomas and Alito, according to media reports. ProPublica reported in April that Crow had treated Thomas to luxury vacations for more than 20 years and then reported in June that Arkley received Alito as a guest at his luxury fishing lodge in the Alaska wilderness. Durbin announced the committee will also issue a subpoena for Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society leader, who went on vacation with Thomas at Crow’s Camp Topridge resort in the Adirondacks, and who helped organize Alito’s fishing vacation in Alaska. A painting at the private lakeside resort shows Crow, Leo and Thomas smoking cigars together in a relaxed outdoor setting. Durbin said on the Senate floor Tuesday that the subpoenas are “the next step in the committee’s ongoing investigation of the ethics of the Supreme Court.” “It only comes after Mr. Crow refused to comply with committee requests and Mr. Leo and Arkley stonewalled the committee,” he said. Durbin told The Hill that he expects to have enough Democratic votes in committee to approve the subpoenas. Durbin and Whitehouse defended the use of subpoenas to compel cooperation with their panel’s investigation into the Supreme Court’s ethics in a joint statement. They argued that there aren’t any other steps for the committee to consider other than a “compulsory process” because of what they characterized as the outright defiance of legitimate oversight requests.

Supreme Court weighs the First Amendment rights of Twitter trolls - The Supreme Court grappled Tuesday with a key question posed by politics in the internet age: When public officials post on social media accounts or web pages, can they ban particular cantankerous citizens from adding unwelcome comments to those posts? Hearing a pair of cases from California and Michigan, the justices sought to define which accounts and pages should be deemed official and open on equal terms to all readers and commenters. On a personal or private account, by contrast, a politician or government employee would have wide latitude to block critics. The line proved difficult to draw. The justices seemed interested in offering clear guidance to officials across the country about how they can manage their social media feeds, which sometimes mix government information, campaign rhetoric and purely personal content. The justices also seemed to want to guard against obstreperous constituents being blocked from important government accounts and thereby excluded from information about what the government is doing. Justice Elena Kagan said social media accounts have become central to the way many politicians govern, including former President Donald Trump’s use of his account on Twitter, now renamed X. “I don’t think a citizen would be able to really understand the Trump presidency, if you will, without any access to all the things that the president said on that account,” Kagan said. “It was an important part of how he wielded his authority, and to cut a citizen off from that is to cut a citizen off from part of the way that government works.” The Supreme Court agreed in 2020 to hear a case about Trump’s blocking of some users from responding to his posts from what he claimed was his personal Twitter account, but after Trump lost the election the justices dumped the case. The cases argued Tuesday about lower-ranking officials appeared to hold the potential for some agreement across the court’s ideological divide. Some conservative justices appeared concerned that giving public officials broad blocking rights might also bolster the power of social media companies themselves to ban certain disfavored viewpoints on their platforms. Later this term, the court will hear a pair of cases on the authority of tech companies to remove content. “So, the town manager can block anybody who expresses criticism of what the town manager is doing, and thereby create the impression that everybody in town thinks the town manager is doing the right thing?” Justice Samuel Alito asked one of the lawyers defending a broad right for officials to block constituents. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has been the most vocal about alleged censorship of conservatives by social media sites and issued a 12-page statement on the subject when the Trump case was declared moot, was even more explicit.“Do you think that you have to take into consideration the role of the provider of Facebook, since they can also evict you from this room that they’re in or this account?” Thomas asked Justice Department attorney Sopan Joshi.Joshi said he considered that issue distinct from whether particular sites or accounts convey official “state action” by the government.

Pelosi rips No Labels: ‘Perilous to our democracy’ -Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blasted the No Labels movement in remarks on Thursday, calling it “perilous to democracy.” The group is working to organize a third-party presidential bid, and a number of Democrats have criticized the organization for taking part in work that could help former President Donald Trump, the leader in the GOP primary, win a general election. “I hesitate to say ‘No Labels’ because they do have labels,” Pelosi said Thursday at an event organized by the Democratic-centrist group Third Way. “They’re called no taxes for the rich. No child tax credit for children. They’re called let’s undo the Affordable Care Act by getting Republicans in to change it.” Pelosi said she had previously ignored the group despite its attacks on her, calling them “not that important,” but she decided to finally speak up now. “When they jeopardize the reelection of Joe Biden as president of the United States, I can no longer remain silent on them,” she said. No Labels leaders have touted the group’s goal of appealing to the growing group of Americans that dislikes both parties. The group’s idea is to run a third-party “unity ticket” of one Democrat and one Republican, pointing to research showing there’s an appetite among voters for that kind of bipartisan leadership. Leaders have also repeatedly stated, however, they would not run a unity ticket that they did not think could get the necessary number of votes. Floated presidential tickets include Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and 2020 candidate Andrew Yang. But critics of No Labels have pointed out that, unlike other third-party efforts in America or in democracies around the world, No Labels lacks a cohesive set of policy positions for which it stands.

DeSantis ‘stands by’ promise to ‘slit throats’ of federal bureaucrats -- GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis doubled down on his promise to “slit the throats” of federal bureaucrats, saying it was “colorful” language. MSNBC’s Willie Geist pressed the Florida governor on remarks he made in August, in which he vowed to “start slitting throats on Day 1” of the “deep state” in government. Geist questioned DeSantis on whether he had “any regret” in using that language, pointing to the increasing number of threats against lawmakers and officials.. DeSantis responded that he did not regret it, saying “people knew it was a figure of speech.” When Geist asked why he didn’t instead say he wanted to “fire” people in Washington, DeSantis said he was “being colorful.” “Well, because you’re, you’re being colorful at some of the stuff but you basically — you need to bring in serious accountability,” he told Geist Thursday on “Morning Joe.” “So we do need an era of accountability,” he added. “Obviously, we’re going to do that within the context of the rule of law in the Constitution. But I want to make very clear to voters that I’m not just going to go up there and be nice about it.” DeSantis has repeatedly said he will downsize the federal government if elected to the White House, but Geist continued to push back on the presidential hopeful, arguing the issue is the rhetoric he used rather than what he is advocating for.

How the IRA is playing in 7 swing states - The Inflation Reduction Act may prove to be more beneficial to the planet than President Joe Biden’s reelection chances. The nearly $370 billion it includes for climate and clean energy has helped open a solar panel factory in Georgia and build a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan. Analysts say the law will help the United Statesslash its emissions significantly over the next several years — especially in the power and transportation sectors. But those strides may not matter to U.S. voters. Almost three-quarters, or 71 percent, of Americans said they have heard little or nothing about the bill, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll conducted in July. And the same survey found Biden hadn’t earned much credit from voters; 57 percent of those polled said they disapproved of his handling of climate change. To help Biden improve these numbers, one White House ally — the liberal advocacy group Climate Power — this month launched a $80 million ad campaign to talk up the Inflation Reduction Act and Biden’s role in shaping it. “Right now people know nothing and that’s changing,” Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes said. She predicted a “powerful shift” in attitude as Election Day approaches and voters “start paying attention.” Part of Climate Power’s campaign will target a handful of swing states that likely will decide whether Biden gets a second term. Climate Power also will organize in-person events in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan. Those three states — along with Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — have collectively seen an influx of nearly 62,000 jobs thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, according to the White House. And they have gotten a grand total of roughly $68 billion in private and federal clean energy funding. Have those efforts moved voters in those states? E&E News took stock of how the Inflation Reduction Act has affected seven states that are expected to play a critical role in the 2024 election, as well as how the law has influenced electoral politics in each state. Here’s a brief summary.

Trump signaled to extremist groups on Jan. 6, experts testify in Colorado 14th Amendment case - The attorneys attempting to paint former President Trump as an insurrectionist in order to get him banned from the ballot in Colorado in 2024 focused their case Tuesday on signals he sent to extremist groups who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Attorney Eric Olson, representing the plaintiffs, relied on expert testimony from an extremism expert during the second day of a trial that centers on whether Trump should be disqualified from running for president in the state, citing the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Chapman University professor Pete Simi, who studies political violence and extremism, argued that Trump cultivated a far-right following for years even before running for president, creating a relationship he took advantage of in his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He said he was “very confident” that Trump led the events of Jan. 6. “From my years of studying how far-right extremists perceive communication, the relationship that they developed with Donald Trump over multiple years, the various signals … promoting or endorsing violence, things done over social media … that aligned with many of the things that Trump said over the years,” Simi said. “That relationship that was established and built, I think, really underscores how much influence he has for far-right extremists, and how much they perceive him as essentially one on their side or one of them,” he continued. Simi argued that Trump’s far-right courting began in the 2012 election cycle with his promotion of the birtherism conspiracy theory that centered on former President Obama. That gave Trump clout in far-right spaces, Simi said, which he reinforced when he launched his 2016 presidential campaign with inflammatory rhetoric about Mexican people, which also aligned with far-right views. Simi also pointed to Trump’s reaction to the 2017 Charlottesville, Va., white supremacist rally where he said there were good people on “both sides.” Then, during a debate with now-President Biden during the 2020 election cycle, Trump told the right-wing group the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” when asked to denounce such extremist groups. Even on Jan. 6, Simi argued, Trump’s preriot speech calling on “patriots” to “fight” and repeated fears over “losing your country,” despite requests for them to be “peaceful,” should be considered as true calls to violence. “For extremists there was a clear understanding that fighting is the real message, not peaceful,” Simi said of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech on the Ellipse in Washington right before the storming of the Capitol. Under cross-examination, Simi was asked if Trump had any intent to signal to the extremist groups. “I can say he expressed a consistent pattern of messages over time that encouraged violence. He expressed messages over time that endorsed violence. And that’s very, I think in clear terms, part of this pattern,” he responded. One question that the trial will likely center on is whether Trump was aware of or intentionally signaled to the far-right extremists to be violent or attempt to overturn the election violently. Simi believes the former president was aware. “Seems pretty pretty clear to me,” Simi said. “I mean, I’m not in Donald Trump’s mind, obviously, but in terms of observable patterns, in terms of the repeated nature of the things we’ve been discussing, that’s all pretty apparent.” Olson has argued the Colorado case has four basic components: Trump took an oath as an officer of the U.S., the Capitol attack was an insurrection, Trump engaged in that insurrection and Colorado’s secretary of state can be ordered by the court to keep him off the state’s ballot because of it. In the case’s opening arguments Monday, the attorneys representing the Colorado Republican Party and Trump’s lawyers argued that the former president was simply exercising his free speech rights to warn about election results he did not believe were legitimate. They also claimed that the specific 14th Amendment clause was untried in more than 150 years for this purpose and is being misread. “This is a legal Hail Mary by the Democrats,” said Mike Davis, an attorney who appeared with representatives of the Trump campaign outside court before the trial began. “This case is going to fail.” Similar cases are being considered in Minnesota and Michigan — the latter of which is notably a key swing state. It is likely one of these cases will land before the Supreme Court, which has never ruled on the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause.” Three of the current sitting justices were appointed by Trump during his first term.

Ken Buck testifies in Trump 14th Amendment hearing in Colorado Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) took the stand Thursday in a case attempting to disqualify former President Trump from appearing on the 2024 ballot in Colorado, with the GOP congressman appearing as a witness on behalf of Trump campaign attorneys attempting to discredit the House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The case centers on whether Trump’s actions and speeches during and before the Jan. 6 riots could fall under a clause of the 14th Amendment that bans those who participate or assist in insurrection from federal office. The plaintiffs have argued that Trump’s actions supported the rioters who eventually stormed the Capitol amid Congress’s official Electoral College count of the 2020 election, which Trump lost. Buck described a chaotic scene on Jan. 6, as Capitol Police attempted to barricade the House chamber from approaching rioters. “A police officer came to the microphone and said that tear gas had been dispersed. And we were advised that there were gas masks under our seats, and we should deploy those gas masks,” Buck said. “There was clear indication that there was a danger at that point.” He said that he didn’t have phone reception and wasn’t aware of the riots, so he readied himself to assist police in fending off what he believed would be a small number of protesters. “I came back to my office rather than the secure committee room, and I saw on TV what was going on and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, there are a lot of people out there,’” he said. Buck was the second lawmaker to take the stand in the case. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) testified Monday to recount his own experience that day. Attorneys for Trump’s campaign also used Buck’s testimony in an attempt to criticize the House Select Committee on Jan. 6, whose report is a key piece of evidence used by plaintiffs in the Colorado case.

Trump White House aide points finger at Jan. 6 National Guard call-up in 14th Amendment trial -Former Trump administration aide Kash Patel on Wednesday denied claims that President Trump chose not to call up the National Guard during the Jan. 6 attacks or delayed efforts to approve their deployments in testimony he provided in the former president’s 14th Amendment case in Colorado.Patel, who was the chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller during the Jan. 6 attacks, argued that it was instead D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser who delayed calls for the National Guard in the days before the riot.“Mayor Bowser wrote a letter herself on approximately Jan. 4. … declining further requests for National Guard services outside of the 346 National Guardsmen already authorized,” Patel said.“The authorization came in beforehand. It was relayed to the appropriate officials in D.C. and the Capitol Police. It was declined, and we acted when their request finally came in on January 6,” he continued.Patel made the argument during the third day of the Colorado 14th Amendment hearings overwhether Trump can be removed from the 2024 presidential ballot due to his involvement in the Jan. 6 attacks.He said that Trump had authorized the deployment of 10,000 to 20,000 National Guard troops to support law enforcement in multiple meetings he witnessed.But that claim contradicts findings from the Department of Defense published nearly two years after Jan. 6, which states that Trump never ordered troop deployments.“President Trump had authority and responsibility to direct deployment of the National Guard in the District of Columbia, but never gave any order to deploy the National Guard on January 6th or on any other day,” the Pentagon report reads. “Nor did he instruct any Federal law enforcement agency to assist.”Patel’s testimony also goes against findings by the House Jan. 6 committee, where Miller testified that an order to prepare at least 10,000 National Guard troops was never made.Patel was the first witness called by the defense in the Colorado case, led by attorneys for Trump’s campaign. Patel currently works as an adviser to the former president for national security issues and as a board member for Trump’s media company.

14th Amendment applies to presidents, expert argues at Trump’s Colorado disqualification trial - The 14th Amendment clause that attorneys argue should disqualify former President Trump from Colorado’s 2024 ballot can apply to presidents, an expert witness testified Wednesday, going directly against the Trump campaign’s arguments. Attorneys called on a 14th Amendment expert in the hearing’s third day, Indiana University law professor Gerard Magliocca, to lay out exactly how to define “insurrection” and how it should apply to presidents. What insurrection means is at the center of the case, as Trump campaign attorneys argue that the 14th Amendment’s third section does not apply to Trump both because his actions don’t fit the term “insurrection” and because the clause can’t apply to presidents due to specific readings of the amendment. The plaintiff’s lead attorney, Eric Olson, has argued the Colorado case has four basic components: Trump took an oath as an officer of the U.S., the Capitol attack was an insurrection, Trump engaged in that insurrection and Colorado’s secretary of state can be ordered by the court to keep him off the state’s ballot because of it. Magliocca’s expert testimony Wednesday was intended to build the first two pillars of the case’s argument. Separate expert testimony Tuesday focused on the third pillar, regarding Trump’s involvement with right-wing extremist groups. Magliocca explained that the 14th Amendment’s third section was enacted after the Civil War as a way to keep Confederate-supporting politicians out of office unless they were given amnesty by Congress. But he was clear that the section was not intended to only fit the Civil War, and that it could also apply to future “insurrections.” Magliocca defined an insurrection, using a number of historical legal citations, as “any public use of force or threat of force, by a group of people to hinder or prevent the execution of the law.” The plaintiff’s attorneys are expected to argue that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol fits that definition, and separately, that Trump’s actions on and before the attack fall under giving “aid or comfort” to those who participated in it. An expert witness for the Trump campaign, legal scholar Robert Delahunty, argued the opposite in written testimony. He said that the term “insurrection,” when used in the 14th Amendment, is too vague and that the clause doesn’t even apply to the presidency. That argument hinges on the definition of “office” when used in the text. The third section of the amendment specifically names senators and representatives as beholden to the section, but also “any office, civil or military, under the United States.” Delahunty argued that “any office” does not include the presidency, while Magliocca said the opposite. “It would have been odd to say that people who had broken their oath to the Constitution by engaging in insurrection were ineligible to every office in the land except the highest one,” Magliocca said. He argued that any person who took an oath of office fell under the umbrella of holding “office” for the purposes of the 14th Amendment.

Trump 14th Amendment disqualification efforts reach Minnesota Supreme Court -- Efforts to keep former President Trump off the ballot under the 14th Amendment reached the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday, with several justices during oral arguments appearing wary that they should be the ones to determine Trump’s eligibility.The case, brought by a left-leaning nonprofit, is one of multiple across the country seeking to prevent Trump from returning to the presidency under the clause, which provides that anyone who took an oath to support the Constitution but then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” cannot hold office.Thursday’s arguments concerned several legal issues the nonprofit must prevail on so their case can move ahead: Does the clause apply to presidents? Can the provision be enforced without legislation from Congress? Is the issue a political question outside of the court’s authority?Five Minnesota Supreme Court justices, four of whom were appointed by Democrats, are weighing the case after two others on the court recused. Several justices Thursday expressed concerns about the various threshold issues.“I think your argument about the political question doctrine is — I think that’s a very serious problem for the other side on this case,” Justice Barry Anderson told Trump’s attorney.Chief Justice Natalie Hudson suggested “this is a national matter for Congress to decide” and that, even if her court did have authority, she would still hesitate.“Should we do it? Even if we could do it and we can do it?” Hudson said.Ron Fein, legal director for Free Speech For People, the nonprofit that filed the lawsuit on behalf of eight Minnesota voters, said the court’s intervention is necessary to “uphold the U.S. Constitution and defend American democracy.”“Donald Trump engaged in rebellion and insurrection against the Constitution of the United States in a desperate attempt to remain in office after losing the election,” Fein told the justices. “Section Three of the 14th Amendment protects the republic from oath-breaking insurrectionists, because its framers understood that, if they’re allowed back into power, they will do the same or worse. Section Three’s plain text bars Trump from ever holding office,” he added.

Trump describes imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as ‘hostages’ -Former President Trump on Thursday referred to those jailed over their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol as “hostages” during a rally with supporters in Texas.Trump walked on stage at a Houston rally to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” as he typically does. But when it concluded, a song in which Trump collaborated with a chorus of inmates detained on charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection began to play, and the former president stood saluting.“Well, thank you very much, and you know what that was,” he said to open the rally. “I call them the ‘J-6 hostages,’ not prisoners. I call them the hostages, what’s happened. And you know, it’s a shame.”In the song “Justice for All,” which was released on multiple streaming services in March, Trump is heard reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The 45th president’s portion on the track follows a chorus of Jan. 6 inmates, credited on the song as the “J6 Prison Choir,” who sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”The end of the song features the chorus repeatedly chanting “USA!”Money raised from the song was reportedly directed to families of the Jan. 6 mob who participated on the track. Trump has repeatedly expressed sympathy for rioters charged in connection to Jan. 6, when his supporters violently clashed with law enforcement and stormed the complex to try and halt the certification of President Biden’s 2020 victory.The former president has said he would consider pardoning some of those charged in connection to the Capitol attack, and he spoke earlier this year at a fundraiser organized for Jan. 6 defendants.

Trump lashes out at New York judge for order requiring Ivanka to testify - Donald Trump on Saturday unleashed a series of attacks on the judge overseeing his New York civil fraud trial after he issued a ruling requiring his daughter, Ivanka Trump, to testify.In a post to Truth Social, the former president derided the judge, Arthur Engoron, as “unhinged” and “an out of control ‘Nut Job,’” contending that Ivanka Trump should not have to testify after she was dismissed as a defendant in June.“I truly believe he is CRAZY, but certainly, at a minimum, CRAZED in his hatred of me,” Trump wrote.In another post, Trump called Engoron “grossly incompetent,” “a partisan political hack” and a “Radical Trump Hater.” Trump has repeatedly attacked Engoron and others involved in the case, including New York Attorney General Tish James.After Trump posted a picture of Engoron’s clerk posing with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, falsely calling her his “girlfriend,” the judge imposed a gag order barring the former president from disparaging court staff. Trump was fined $10,000 on Wednesday for his second violation of the gag order.James sued Trump in New York court last year, accusing him of extensive business fraud. Trump also faces several criminal investigations at both the state and federal levels.

Trump election court case: Threats follow vow to come after foes -- A lead prosecutor and a judge involved in separate criminal cases against Donald Trump received violent threats within two days of the former president warning that he was “coming after” his foes, court documents allege. A federal indictment unsealed Monday in Atlanta charged a man with threatening Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Sheriff Patrick Labat over their roles in the Georgia criminal election interference case against Trump. Prosecutors allege Arthur Hanson, 59, of Huntsville, Alabama, delivered the threats in voicemails left for Willis and Labat on Aug. 6. One day earlier, a Texas woman allegedly delivered a death threat to the chambers of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over a separate election conspiracy case against Trump at the federal level in Washington, D.C. “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you,” said Abigail Jo Shry, 43, in an Aug. 5 voicemail, according to an affidavit in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Houston. Just before both incidents, on the afternoon of Aug. 4, Trump sent a Truth Social post declaring, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” That post, and the threats that shortly followed it, mirror a pattern alleged by Trump’s prosecutors, who say his public attacks on his perceived enemies spur his followers to threaten and harass those same targets. Special counsel Jack Smith, whose team is prosecuting Trump in Washington, highlighted the Aug. 4 post in a request for Chutkan to issue a protective order in the election case. Smith cited the same post in a September court filing seeking a gag order against Trump. “The defendant made clear his intent to issue public attacks related to this case when, the day after his arraignment, he posted a threatening message on Truth Social,” Smith wrote. “And he has made good on his threat,” Smith added, noting that the former president had sent many inflammatory social media posts attacking the judge, the prosecutors, the citizens of Washington and prospective witnesses. Chutkan in mid-October barred Trump from public statements targeting prosecutors and likely witnesses in the case, as well as members of the court’s staff. “When Defendant has publicly attacked individuals, including on matters related to this case, those individuals are consequently threatened and harassed,” Chutkan wrote in her decision. Trump is appealing the gag order ruling. He has pleaded not guilty in all of his criminal cases. Shry’s alleged threat to Chutkan, who is Black, included multiple racial slurs and a warning that the judge’s family would also be targeted. Shry, of Alvin, Texas, is also alleged to have made a “direct threat to kill” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, along with Democrats in Washington and members of the LGBTQ community. Jury selection began Monday in Shry’s trial on one felony count of making interstate threats. Hanson, who faces two counts of the same charge, will be arraigned in Atlanta on Nov. 13, prosecutors said. He is accused of leaving voicemails threatening Willis and Labat days before Trump and 18 others were charged with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden in Georgia. Later in August, Trump was booked and had his mug shot taken at Fulton County jail, which was run by Labat. Trump was already facing dozens of felony counts in three other criminal cases by the time he was charged in Georgia. “When you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder,” Hanson allegedly said in his message for Willis. In the voicemail to Labat, Hanson allegedly said, “If you think you gonna take a mug shot of my president Donald Trump and it’s gonna be OK, you gonna find out that after you take that mug shot, some bad s--- probably gonna happen to you.” “Whether you got a g------ badge or not ain’t gonna help you none,” he allegedly said. “You gonna get f----- up you keep f------ with my president.”

Judge reinstates gag order against Trump - A federal judge has reinstated a gag order against Donald Trump, lifting a temporary hold she placed on it earlier this month and rejecting his claim that it unconstitutionally limits his free speech. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan paused the gag order on Oct. 20 amid Trump’s complaint that it was confusingly worded and request that she keep it on hold while he asked a federal appeals court to throw it out altogether. But in a nine-page Sunday evening opinion, Chutkan reinstated her order, rejecting his claims that the order was unclear and that it unconstitutionally restricted his free speech rights. In addition, Chutkan noted that one of Trump’s recent statements — an attack on his former chief of staff Mark Meadows — would “almost certainly violate the order” had it been in effect. Trump, citing an ABC report that Meadows had accepted immunity to testify to federal prosecutors, said last week that such cooperation was for “weaklings” and “cowards” and that any unfavorable testimony about him would have been a “lie.” Chutkan said this remark would plainly have cut against her order had it been in effect, “and for good reason.” Chutkan reiterated that her decision to issue the original gag order earlier this month was rooted in evidence that Trump’s public attacks on witnesses, prosecutors and court personnel have routinely resulted in threats and harassment jeopardizing their safety and her duty to protect the “orderly administration of justice.” In such cases, she said, the Supreme Court and other legal precedents and rules have supported gag orders as a tool to protect the public’s interest in a fair trial.

Trump asks DC Circuit Court to stay gag order in election subversion case -Attorneys for former President Trump filed an appeal to a gag order placed on the former president in his federal election interference case on Thursday, which prevents him from disparaging witnesses.Judge Tanya Chutkan reinstated the gag order on Monday. Thursday’s filing follows through on a promise to request a stay on that decision.“No court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is actively campaigning for public office — let alone the leading candidate for President of the United States,” Trump’s attorneys wrote.The filing describes the “extraordinary” gag order as “muzzling” Trump’s speech rights.“The Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and over 100 million Americans who listen to him,” the filing continues.Chutkan has previously argued that the order does get in the way of Trump’s free speech rights, but that those rights “must yield, when necessary, to the orderly administration of justice.”“This is not about whether I like the language Mr. Trump uses,” Chutkan said in the order’s original filing. “This is about language that dangers the administration of justice.”Specifically, the order bars Trump from making certain public statements about witnesses and evidence in the case. The judge argued that Trump’s status as a political candidate did not allow him to run a “smear campaign” on witnesses or prosecutors.“I cannot imagine any other criminal case where a defendant is allowed to call a prosecutor deranged or a thug,” she said. “I will not permit it here simply because the defendant is running a political campaign.”Trump has frequently disparaged prosecutors and witnesses, namely special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the case against Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence.The former president was levied a gag order in a separate New York civil trial last month. He has violated that order twice and has been fined $15,000 for disparaging court staff.Trump’s attorneys requested that the request for a stay be ruled on by Nov. 10. The trial in the case is scheduled for March 4, just as the presidential primary season ramps up. “The Corrupt Biden Administration just took away my First Amendment Right To Free Speech,” Trump said on Truth Social shortly after the order was reinstated. “NOT CONSTITUTIONAL! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”

Former White House lawyer predicts Trump will be jailed for violating gag order -Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb said he believes former President Trump will be sent to jail if he violates a partial gag order in his federal election interference case, after the order was reinstated Sunday.The gag order prevents Trump from disparaging court staff or witnesses in the case. He was fined $15,000 earlier this month after violating a more limited order in his New York civil fraud trial twice.“Well, the New York judge fined him $10,000,” Cobb said in a CNN interview Monday, referring to Trump’s second fine. “That’s in a civil case. That’s not as consequential as Judge Chutkan’s case.” “I think she’ll come in with a much heavier penalty, and ultimately, I think he’ll spend a night or a weekend in jail,” he said.

Christie says Trump will be convicted in slew of legal battles: ‘It’s over’ - Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie predicted Tuesday morning that former President Trump will be convicted in one of his legal cases, claiming “it’s over” for Trump.His suggestion comes a week after former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was granted an immunity deal in the case. “This is a guy who was Velcro to Trump’s hip for the entire 2020 campaign and all the post-campaign nonsense,” Christie said of Meadows in an MSNBC interview. “And so this is deadly, it’s done. He’s going to be convicted. … It’s over.” “I want Republican voters to understand this — what’s going to be happening in March? He’s going to be sitting in a courtroom in Washington, D.C., with Mark Meadows 20 feet away from him, saying, ‘He committed crimes in front of me on my watch,'” the former New Jersey governor added during an appearance on “Morning Joe.” Trump was charged by federal prosecutors in August over his alleged attempts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election. While Meadows was not charged in Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith’s case, he was charged alongside Trump and 17 others in Georgia over an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.Meadows agreed to an immunity deal with Smith in order to testify before a grand jury in the election interference case in Washington, D.C., ABC News first reported last week. The outlet said he spoke before the grand jury in the case on at least three separate occasions.Christie — who previously served as a federal prosector — said he does not think Trump can delay his legal battles, despite his presidential campaign.“I don’t have the impression that this district court judge in Washington is amenable to delay,” Christie said, adding that he thinks Smith purposely only indicted Trump in the Jan. 6 case.“She has not given much at this point into the defense claims for delay, and I think that’s why Jack Smith indicted this case with just Trump, right? Because you don’t have multiple defendants. … This is it,” he said, speaking of Judge Tanya Chutkan. “He has six unindicted co-conspirators, not because he doesn’t think they committed crimes, but because he learned from the documents case,” Christie said, in reference to Trump’s separate federal charges in Florida over his alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House.Last week, Christie said Trump should be “desperately worried” following Meadows’s immunity deal, which he appears to oppose.“You don’t give Mark Meadows immunity,” the former governor said, “unless the evidence he has is unimpeachable.” Christie has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics on the campaign trail. He has also encouraged the other GOP hopefuls to follow suit.Despite Trump’s mounting legal troubles — including a fourth criminal case in New York over alleged hush money payments — he remains the clear front-runner in the Republican presidential primary by a wide margin.

Trump tells judge in fraud case to leave his children alone --Former President Trump wrote a social media post Wednesday railing against the judge overseeing his New York civil fraud case and told him to leave his children alone. He also argued that there is enough evidence for the case to be thrown out.“This Rigged Trial, brought by the Racist New York State A.G. Letitia James before Trump and developer Hating Judge, Arthur Engoron, which should have never been brought in that the so-called STAR WITNESS, SleazeBag Lawyer (for many people) Michael Cohen, admitted last week on the stand that he LIED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referencing his former personal lawyer.“Therefore, on that fact alone, this Fake Case should be dismissed,” he added.The former president claimed in his post that the financial statements from his businesses were actually lower than the true value — contrary to some of the testimony presented in the trial. He also reiterated the defense’s argument that there was a “disclaimer clause” on the statements and that banks were paid in full. “There is no Victim (except me!). Leave my children alone, Engoron,” Trump added, addressing the judge. “You are a disgrace to the legal profession!” His comments come amid the ongoing civil trial brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump’s businesses and his two oldest sons — Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. The case claims the family for years falsely inflated and deflated the value of the Trump Organization assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage.Trump Jr. is expected to take the stand in the trial Wednesday, and Eric Trump is expected to take the stand Thursday.

Donald Trump Jr. takes the witness stand in fraud trial (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. testified Wednesday that he never worked on his father’s financial statements, the documents now at the heart of the civil fraud trial that threatens former President Donald Trump’s real estate empire. The ex-president’s eldest son is an executive vice president of the family’s Trump Organization and has been a trustee of a trust set up to hold its assets when his father was in the White House. At least one of the annual financial statements bore language saying the trustees “are responsible” for the document. But Donald Trump Jr. said he didn’t recall ever working on any of the financial statements and had “no specific knowledge” of them. The lawsuit centers on whether the former president and his business misled banks and insurers by inflating his net worth on the financial statements. He and other defendants, including sons Donald Jr. and Eric, deny wrongdoing. Trump Jr. said he signed off on statements as a trustee, but had left the work to outside accountants and the company’s then-finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. “I had an obligation to listen to the people with intimate knowledge of those things,” he said. “I wasn’t working on the document, but if they tell me that it’s accurate, based on their accounting assessment of all of the materials,” he said, “these people had an incredible intimate knowledge, and I relied on it.” The first family member to testify, he is due to return to the stand Thursday. Next up will be his brother and fellow Trump Organization Executive Vice President Eric Trump and, on Monday, their father — the family patriarch, company founder, former president and 2024 Republican front-runner.Daughter Ivanka, a former Trump Organization executive and White House adviser, is scheduled to take the stand Nov. 8. But her lawyers on Wednesday appealed Judge Arthur Engoron ‘s decision to require her testimony.New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the lawsuit, alleging that Donald Trump, his company and top executives, including Eric and Donald Jr., conspired to exaggerate his wealth by billions of dollars on his financial statements. The documents were given to banks, insurers and others to secure loans and make deals.The former president has called the case a “sham,” a “scam,” and “a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.”

Donald Trump Jr. Referenced Fake Bankman-Fried Pic in His Creepy Request to Sketch Artist -- Donald Trump Jr. appeared to be so preoccupied with how he was depicted in court on Thursday that he approached a courtroom sketch artist, showed her an overly flattering sketch of Sam Bankman-Fried, and asked the artist to “make me look sexy.” “He said, ‘Did you see the one they made of Sam Bankman-Fried? It made him look like a superstar,’” Reuters’ sketch artist Jane Rosenberg recalled to Insider. However, the image he pulled up on his phone of Bankman-Fried was clearly a fake, showing the usually disheveled crypto fraudster with a comically chiseled jaw. Trump Jr. confirmed the creepy interaction, joking on social media that it seemed “like a reasonable ask.”

Trump’s sons distance themselves from financial statements in New York fraud trial testimony - In back-to-back testimonies Thursday, former President Trump’s two adult sons distanced themselves from Trump Organization financial statements key to the New York attorney general’s case against their family business. Both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump denied any involvement in their father’s financial statements, suggesting instead they relied on accountants and other experts to make sure the numbers were correct. The Trump Organization’s statements of financial condition — which detail the value of its various assets and were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and deals — are at the heart of the attorney general’s lawsuit, which claims the Trump Organization falsely inflated and deflated the value of its assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., testified Wednesday that he signed off on his father’s financial statements as an executive vice president of the Trump Organization and trustee of the trust that held Trump’s assets while he was president. However, he said he counted on the work of accountants and executives like then-Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg to be correct.“As a trustee, I have an obligation to listen [to] those who are expert — who have an expertise of these things,” Donald Trump Jr. said, The Associated Press reported.Eric Trump, the former president’s second son, also denied involvement, testifying that he “never had anything to do with the statement of financial condition.”But state lawyer Andrew Amer later pointed to a 2013 email Eric Trump received from another company executive asking for information needed to fill out Trump’s financial statement, according to The Associated Press.“So you did know about your father’s annual financial statement as of August 2013?” Amer asked.“It appears that way,” Eric Trump said.Trump’s legal team has so far attempted to shift the blame for the statements’ skewed numbers from the former president and his family onto the accountants who calculated them. Ex-Trump accountant Donald Bender testified under cross-examination for nearly a full week at the start of the trial, where Trump’s lawyers sought to portray him as negligent.

Mary Trump says Ivanka Trump will throw her father ‘under the bus’ in fraud trial testimony --Mary Trump, the niece of former President Trump, said she thinks Ivanka Trump will throw her father “under the bus” when she testifies in the fraud trial underway in New York.Mary Trump, host of “The Mary Trump Show” podcast and a very outspoken critic of her uncle, previewed the trial with reporter Molly Jong-Fast in a video exclusive to her newsletter subscribers.Brothers Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. testified in the New York fraud trial this week. Both are parties in the lawsuit brought forth by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who claims the family’s business falsely inflated and deflated the value of its assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage. Ivanka Trump was once a party in the lawsuit, but a New York appeals court in June dismissed her from the case. Her lawyers argued that the attorney general’s office did not have the jurisdiction to force her to testify, but Judge Arthur Engoron ruled she would have to. Her attorneys have appealed that ruling. According to Mediaite, Mary Trump said she thinks Donald Trump Jr. is the “least equipped to do this.” “They’re going to have to walk a very thin line between obfuscating in a way that’s not perjury and appeasing their father’s ego so that he doesn’t throw them under the bus when he testifies, which of course he’s going to do no matter what they do,” Mary Trump said.Mary Trump and co-host Jong-Fast both agreed they think Ivanka will “tell the truth and throw him under the bus.”The pair said they think since Ivanka Trump is “legitimately wealthy,” unlike the other Trump siblings, and doesn’t need to rely on her father, she does not need to hold her tongue in court.

Ivanka Trump appeals judge’s order to testify in New York fraud trial Former President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, on Wednesday appealed a judge’s order that she must testify in her father’s ongoing fraud trial in New York.“This appeal is taken from each and every part of the order insofar as it applies to Ms. Trump,” states her succinct notice appealing Judge Arthur Engoron’s Oct. 27 bench ruling and Oct. 30 scheduling order, which requires her to comply with a subpoena.The appeal is primarily composed of a transcript from the hearing last month in which Ivanka Trump’s attorneys made their case to Engoron — and, where he ultimately sided with the New York attorney general’s office — despite the fact that she is no longer a party in the case.The lawsuit, filed last year by New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office, accuses the Trump family business of falsely inflating and deflating the value of its assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage. Ivanka Trump was dismissed from the case involving the former president, the Trump Organization and two of her brothers in June, after a New York appeals court ruled that the claims against her were barred by the state’s statute of limitations.During last week’s hearing over Ivanka Trump’s protestations and in court filings, her attorney argued that compelling her to testify is outside of James’s jurisdiction and suggested that the attorney general’s office is attempting to “force her back into this case.”“Ms. Trump is not a party in this action. Nor is Ms. Trump a New York resident,” her lawyers wrote in court filings. “It is black-letter law that, given those two facts, Ms. Trump is beyond the jurisdiction of this Court.”Engoron disagreed with that assessment, finding that Ivanka Trump has “clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York.” Ivanka Trump is asking New York’s appellate division to reconsider her jurisdiction argument in addition to several other arguments, including whether her subpoena was rightly issued.She is scheduled to take the stand Nov. 8, though the appeal may delay her testimony.

Trump fights loom large for a Supreme Court that has tried to ignore him - Donald Trump is staring down four criminal prosecutions that could lead to his imprisonment, a civil trial that threatens to dismantle his business empire and a series of lawsuits aimed at throwing him off the ballot in next year’s presidential race. Yet, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court will take up an entirely different Trump-related case: the weighty dispute over whether a T-shirt maker can get a trademark for a mocking reference to Trump’s genitalia. The slogan at the center of the case — “Trump Too Small” — could just as easily describe the Supreme Court’s view of many of the former president’s legal entanglements since he lost his bid for reelection in 2020. Time after time over the past three years, the justices have turned down Trump’s pleas for the high court to intervene in his various legal matters. Often, the court has batted down his requests without issuing any opinion, a signal that the legal issues raised were, well, too small to justify the court’s attention. But as Trump’s legal problems grow larger, the justices may have little choice to wade in, even if they’d prefer not to deal with polarizing cases involving the former president. “Are they going to be forced to address those cases? I think the answer is yes,” said George Washington University law professor Paul Schiff Berman. “Whether the Supreme Court wants to get involved in issues relating to the election, it’s going to be very hard to deny cert in every one of these Trump-related appeals that we expect to see happening.” Trump hasn’t made any formal request yet for the justices to step into any of his criminal prosecutions since he made history last April by becoming the first president or former president to face criminal charges. But on the day after he was arraigned in August on federal charges of attempting to undermine the 2020 election, Trump called publicly for the high court to step in and head off the wave of criminal cases pummeling him. “It is Election Interference, & the Supreme Court must intercede,” Trumpwrote on his social media site, Truth Social. He might soon get his wish. A federal judge’s gag order on Trump is likely to generate fast-moving emergency appeals. Arguments about whether Trump is immune from prosecution also appear destined for the Supreme Court, because they raise untested and momentous issues about presidential power and accountability. And many legal scholars say the justices must soon resolve a brewing question about whether Trump is an insurrectionist who is disqualified from future office under the Constitution.

Federal prosecutor to Congress: I didn’t hinder Hunter Biden probe - The top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles confirmed to congressional investigators that he declined to bring tax charges against Hunter Biden last year, but insisted his decision did not hamper the probe into the president’s son.Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for central California who made those remarks in closed-door testimony, told the investigators that the Delaware prosecutors running the Hunter Biden probe have long been able to file charges in California. In fact, Estrada said, at least two Delaware prosecutors were given special authority to operate in California long before their boss, David Weiss, was appointed a special counsel earlier this year.The question of why Weiss’ office has not charged Hunter Biden with tax crimes has been a topic of considerable Republican scrutiny. An IRS whistleblower has testified that Weiss, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for Delaware, faced roadblocks in charging the president’s son when Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys for central California and Washington, D.C., declined to formally partner with him.The U.S. attorney for D.C. has pushed back against that claim. And on Tuesday, in a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee, Estrada pushed back as well. POLITICO obtained a copy of the interview transcript, which is not public.Estrada acknowledged in the interview that, in the fall of 2022, he declined to “co-counsel” with Weiss on filing potential tax charges in California. Estrada cited the “practical impact of limited resources” for making that decision. But he said he didn’t stiff-arm Weiss; instead, according to Estrada, he offered to help in other ways.“I discussed our analysis of facts and law to explain to him why we would not be co-counseling on the case, but then I told him that we were happy to provide office space, administrative support for his attorneys,” Estrada told investigators, recounting a five-minute phone call with Weiss on Oct. 19, 2022. “He thanked me for that and the call ended.”Estrada also revealed that, prior to his appointment as U.S. attorney in September 2022, his office authorized at least two prosecutors from Weiss’ Delaware office to work as “special U.S. attorneys” in the central California district. Estrada said he believed that authorization meant that Weiss could charge Hunter Biden in California without his permission.The Hunter Biden probe spans multiple jurisdictions because the president’s son was living in California and Washington, D.C., during years when he allegedly failed to pay federal income taxes.

17 Attorneys General and Two Claimants File Objections to JPMorgan Chase’s Tricked Up Settlement with Jeffrey Epstein Victims - By Pam and Russ Martens - The Attorneys General of 16 states and Washington, D.C. are challenging the settlement crafted by Big Law firm WilmerHale on behalf of JPMorgan Chase and by the high-profile lawyer, David Boies, on behalf of the sex-trafficked victims of the late Jeffrey Epstein. The class action settlement agreement was filed with the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York in June. The court set a date of November 9 for the final Fairness Hearing – a legal requirement for class action settlements where the court must hear from any objectors impacted by the agreement. Depending on the strength of those objections, the Court could decide to reject the settlement as not “fair, adequate and reasonable” as required under Rule 23 for class actions, and ask the parties to go back to the drawing board. The state Attorneys General filing the objection with the court represent two states where much of Epstein’s sex trafficking of minors occurred – New York and New Mexico – as well as those from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont. Noticeably absent is the Attorney General for Florida, the state where Epstein was able to turn local underage school girls into his sex slaves for years and get a sweetheart 13-month work release deal from prosecutors. Under the federal law known as the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), Attorneys General have the right to bring claims on behalf of sex trafficked victims. The language in the JPMorgan Chase settlement proposes to extinguish those rights according to the State Attorneys General who told the court the following: “Section 1.25 [of the proposed settlement agreement] releases claims that could be brought to recover damages from the Released Defendant Parties on behalf of a Member of the Class by any other party, including any sovereign or government, relating to or arising from any Member of the Class’s harm, injury, abuse, exploitation, or trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein or by any person who is in any way connected to or otherwise associated with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as any right to recovery on account thereof. (Emphasis added.)” “Any person who is in any way connected to or otherwise associated with Jeffrey Epstein” includes a large number of billionaires – including Epstein’s money man, Leslie Wexner, the former CEO of the retailing conglomerate that previously owned Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and other retail chains; and Leon Black, the former CEO of private equity firm Apollo Global Management who paid Epstein $158 million for questionable reasons that have become the subject of a Senate Finance Committee investigation. There are literally hundreds of high-profile individuals that were listed in Epstein’s little black book that could be considered “connected” to him. Many of the individuals listed in Epstein’s little black book – a total of 1,571 – have had important banking relationships with JPMorgan Chase. Some of those ultra wealthy individuals were referred to the bank by Jeffrey Epstein. Wexner’s retailing businesses were longstanding clients of JPMorgan Chase; Leon Black was referred to JPMorgan Chase by Epstein. In a court filing on July 26 by the Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which has since settled its Epstein-related case against JPMorgan Chase for $75 million, it listed the following individuals as people Epstein referred as clients to the bank: Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates; Google co-founder and billionaire Sergey Brin; the Sultan of Dubai, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem; media and real estate billionaire Mort Zuckerman; and numerous others. JPMorgan was sued by Epstein victims for facilitating Epstein’s child sex-trafficking for more than a decade by providing him with cozy banking services, which included sluicing to him millions of dollars in hard cash from his accounts, sometimes as much as $40,000 to $80,000 a month. The bank failed to file the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) that it is legally required to file with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for those payments in cash. Epstein’s quid pro quo with the bank included him referring valuable business deals and clients to JPMorgan Chase. These allegations were substantiated by 22 pages of internal bank emails released in the related case brought against the bank by the U.S. Virgin Islands. JPMorgan Chase raised a lot of eyebrows on Wall Street when it agreed to settle the case brought by David Boies on behalf of Epstein victims for the stunning sum of $290 million – with $87 million of that going to Boies and the other lawyers representing the victims. […] The Judge presiding over the case, Jed Rakoff, has given JPMorgan’s attorneys and attorneys for the victims until November 6 to file written responses to the objections of the Attorneys General. The objections by the Epstein claimants will be heard on November 9 unless they are resolved before then.

JPMorgan Chase discloses multiple investigations by U.S. regulators - Regulators are asking JPMorgan Chase for information about certain practices in the bank's securities arm and its trading operations, the bank disclosed in a regulatory filing. The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating specific practices at JPMorgan Securities, including the discounting of advisory fees, the selecting of portfolio managers and the aggregating of customer accounts for billing. A separate SEC inquiry is looking for answers about the timing of the bank's liquidation of certain shares distributed to investment vehicles, JPMorgan said in the filing. JPMorgan said that it is cooperating with the SEC in connection to both of those inquiries. Additional inquiries into the $3.9 trillion-asset bank's trading operations by at least one unspecified U.S. regulator could result in a civil monetary penalty, JPMorgan said. Those investigations center around the bank's trading venues — the platforms the bank operates to facilitate asset trading. JPMorgan said the government has also asked about how the bank ensures the completeness of "certain data fed to trade surveillance platforms." The bank "is cooperating with these inquiries, has taken corrective actions and is committed to taking appropriate steps to remedy the deficiencies identified," the company said in its report for the third quarter. JPMorgan also disclosed that it "is currently engaged in resolution discussions" with regulators in connection with the trading inquiries, "and is considering potential implications of those resolutions." It cautioned that there is no assurance that a resolution will be reached. JPMorgan's quarterly report for the second quarter makes no mention of either the securities inquiries or the trading investigations. The bank did not respond to a request for comment on the disclosures. In 2020, JPMorgan agreed to pay $920 million to resolve inquiries into its alleged unlawful trading in the U.S. Treasury futures and precious metals futures markets. The steep fine reflected the "nature and seriousness of the bank's offenses," said Brian Rabbitt, then the acting assistant attorney in the Department of Justice's Criminal Division. The bank's markets arm, which includes much of its trading operations, brought in $6.6 billion worth of revenue in the third quarter. That was down about 3% from the prior year.

N.J. banker arrested in drug money laundering scheme — Oscar Marcelo Nunez-Flores, a New Jersey-based employee of an international financial institution, was arrested Wednesday for accepting bribes to enable millions of dollars of money laundering, according to Philip R. Sellinger, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. "As alleged, Nunez corruptly exploited his position inside a bank to help launder millions of dollars in drug money in exchange for bribes," Sellinger noted in a statement. "Today's arrest shows that my office will expose and prosecute those who abuse positions of trust and seek to corrupt our financial institutions." The investigation that led to the charges was conducted in part by special agents at the New York division of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s Office of Inspector General. Agents in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Criminal Investigation wing of the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington also assisted in the investigation. Nunez — an employee at an unnamed international financial institution — worked at a bank branch located in Scotch Plains, N.J. An FDIC OIG press release regarding the arrest said as early as 2022, Nunez leveraged his employee access to open bank accounts in the names of shell companies with nominee owners in exchange for bribes. The anonymous accounts were subsequently used to launder proceeds from narcotics trafficking including to Colombia, the largest global producer of cocaine. Nunez also gave his benefactors online access to the accounts along with dozens of debit cards that were used to withdraw cash from ATMs in Columbia. Nunez received thousands of dollars in bribes for each account opening he facilitated. The joint investigation found millions of dollars had been laundered to Colombia through accounts Nunez opened since the scheme began early last year.

Sam Bankman-Fried blames top lieutenants for FTX troubles in second day of testimony -- FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried resumed his testimony on Monday, and used his time on the stand to blame his former close friends and colleagues for the downfall of his crypto empire. As his criminal fraud trial enters what’s expected to be its last week, Bankman-Fried is trying to undermine the prosecution’s key witnesses, who placed the FTX founder at the center of the crypto exchange’s misuse of customer funds and its ultimate demise. Bankman-Fried, 31, faces a potential life sentence if convicted of fraud charges stemming from the collapse in November of FTX and sister hedge fund Alameda Research. He has pleaded not guilty. On Monday, Mark Cohen, Bankman-Fried’s lead defense attorney, allowed his client to take aim at Caroline Ellison, who ran Alameda and is also Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend. The primary theme was Bankman-Fried’s concern, expressed in conversations between June and September 2022, about whether Alameda was properly hedged given the crash in crypto prices. He said he was notably concerned about the decline in Alameda’s net asset value from $40 billion the prior year to $10 billion. The market had already dropped 70% and if it fell another 50%, he was afraid the firm would be insolvent, Bankman-Fried told the jury. “She started crying,” Bankman-Fried said, regarding Ellison’s reaction when he told her that. “She agreed.” Ellison, who took a plea deal and is cooperating with the government, also said Alameda shouldn’t have made some venture investments, Bankman-Fried testified. He said she offered to step down and said he told her that this wasn’t about blame or past failures, but that Alameda should urgently be putting on hedges. He said he hadn’t intended for her to resign. In September, he checked in again with Ellison about the hedging activity, Bankman-Fried testified. She said Alameda had hedged. He asked about the scale of the trades and said his instinct was that they could have been twice the size. After Ellison sent him spreadsheets about the trades, she agreed there was more room to hedge and she did so, Bankman-Fried said. Bankman-Fried’s testimony on Monday follows his initial appearance on the stand at the end of last week. He told jurors then that he didn’t commit fraud, and that he thought the crypto exchange’s outside expenditures, like paying for the naming rights at a sports arena and its venture investments, came out of company profits.As questioning continued on Monday, Bankman-Fried said his analysis suggested that net asset value at Alameda was still $10 billion. The defense then walked Bankman-Fried through activities from Nov. 1 to Nov. 11, covering the period of FTX’s rapid collapse and its immediate aftermath.Bankman-Fried said Gary Wang, a co-founder who previously testified on behalf of the prosecution, told him that the backlog of withdrawal demands had to do with a backlog of bitcoin withdrawals and that he was making a fix in the code.FTX’s engineering director Nishad Singh, who was also called as a government witness, had a problematic personal financial situation, Bankman-Fried testified. He said Singh was suicidal and had a therapist on call 24/7 to watch over him. Bankman-Fried said he was trying to comfort him about his loans and expenses and to prevent him from hurting himself.Bankman-Fried then blamed Can Sun, who was FTX’s general counsel. He said they had a talk before Bankman-Fried’s follow-up call with investment fund Apollo. The spreadsheet provided to Apollo did have the $8 billion liability included, Bankman-Fried said. He told the court that he spoke with Sun and told Apollo about his best understanding of the framework around the fiat account.In describing the swift downfall of FTX, Bankman-Fried said that customer withdrawals had quickly increased from $50 million a day to $1 billion a day. He said it was like a run on the bank and he was very concerned since the only way to withdraw all customer funds was to liquidate every open margin trade.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s fourth day on the stand did not go well - — Sam Bankman-Fried has stepped down from the stand, after four days of testimony in his criminal fraud trial. “That concludes the presentation of evidence in this case,” Judge Lewis Kaplan announced just after noon ET on Tuesday as he sent the jury home from the Manhattan court. Closing arguments are set to begin at 9:30 am ET on Wednesday. Tuesday’s testimony delivered some of the most potentially damning blows yet to his defense, which has hinged on Bankman-Fried’s narrative that he made honest mistakes as a startup founder. Prosecutors say former billionaire Bankman-Fried used his crypto exchange, FTX, as his own personal piggy bank, using the money he took from customers to enrich himself and his family, buy luxury beachfront property in the Bahamas and funnel millions into US political campaigns. Bankman-Fried, 31, testified Tuesday that he knew as early as 2020 that FTX customer funds were being held in a bank account controlled by FTX’s sister company, the hedge fund Alameda Research. He said he does not recall giving any directions to Alameda employees to safeguard those funds. The government has countered that Bankman-Fried was well aware that he was misrepresenting key aspects of his business to investors, customers and lawmakers in Congress. He has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. His decision to testify is seen as a Hail Mary from a defense that has struggled to poke holes in the testimony of several high-ranking executives from Bankman-Fried’s former inner circle. US Assistant Attorney Danielle Sassoon continued her aggressive cross-examination Tuesday morning, highlighting, among other things, that Bankman-Fried appeared to have a cozy relationship with members of the Bahamian government. Bankman-Fried testified that he attended a dinner with the island nation’s prime minister, alongside former US president Bill Clinton and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. In November last year, after FTX had frozen customer withdrawals amid a liquidity crunch, Bankman-Fried offered to open up withdrawals for all Bahamian customers. Bankman-Fried testified he did open those withdrawals “for a short period.” Bankman-Fried also testified that he doesn’t recall ever directing Alameda employees not to spend the FTX customer deposits. When he later discovered in the fall of 2022 that Alameda owed $8 billion to FTX, no one was fired.

Sam Bankman-Fried has 'regret' for not probing $8 billion debt to FTX - (Reuters) - FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried concluded his defense in his fraud trial on Tuesday, saying he felt "regret" for not looking into the $8 billion his hedge fund borrowed from the cryptocurrency exchange before it collapsed last November. During a second day of cross-examination, the 31-year-old former billionaire said he had thought it "permissible" for his Alameda Research hedge fund to use money that FTX customers had deposited into a bank account the fund controlled. FTX directed customers to deposit funds into the Alameda account before the exchange had its own bank account. Bankman-Fried said he believed that Alameda's borrowings were being recorded on its main FTX account, and only learned it was not in October 2022. "I deeply regret not taking a deeper look into it," he said. Bankman-Fried was trying to convince the 12-person jury to acquit him of the two counts of fraud and five counts of conspiracy he faces. Prosecutors say Bankman-Fried illegally looted billions of dollars of customer funds to prop up Alameda, made speculative venture investments, and donated upwards of $100 million to U.S. political campaigns. He could face decades in prison if convicted. Bankman-Fried frequently looked toward jurors as he testified, occasionally frowning or smirking at how Sassoon framed her questions. His father, Stanford Law School professor Joseph Bankman, attended Tuesday's session, once passing a note to his son's lawyers. Sassoon challenged Bankman-Fried on how he had talked with other FTX executives about a bug had that had in June 2022 inflated Alameda's debt to FTX, but did not investigate it deeply despite owning 90% of Alameda. "They also were busy, and I had prioritized getting the high level update," he said. Sassoon also grilled Bankman-Fried on what she called his "cozy" relationship with officials in the Bahamas, where the cryptocurrency exchange was based. Bankman-Fried said he could not remember whether he offered to pay the Bahamas' $11.6 billion national debt, or gave the prime minister and his wife courtside seats at a Miami Heat basketball game at the team's home arena, then named for FTX. Sassoon then showed Bankman-Fried a text message in which he told co-workers the couple sat courtside at a game. The prosecutor also asked about Bankman-Fried's decision to let FTX customers in the Bahamas withdraw funds after withdrawals for others had been halted. Bankman-Fried said he thought Bahamian regulators had suggested allowing it. Earlier in the trial, former FTX executive Gary Wang, who pleaded guilty to fraud and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, said Bankman-Fried sought to transfer control of funds to the Bahamas after FTX's Nov. 11, 2022, U.S. bankruptcy because he thought authorities might let him stay in charge. The embassy of the Bahamas in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sam Bankman-Fried Denies Knowing FTX Money Was Missing, as He Concludes Testimony - Over and over on Tuesday, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed FTX cryptocurrency exchange, denied knowing that billions of dollars in customer money had been misappropriated until shortly before his company collapsed last year, as a federal prosecutor grilled him for a second day in his criminal fraud trial. The 31-year-old onetime crypto mogul fumbled for an answer when the prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, repeatedly asked whether he had told his employees not to spend FTX customer money on investments, pricey real estate and other expenditures. Mr. Bankman-Fried also couldn’t name any employees who might have authorized the use of FTX customer money for that spending. “I don’t recall giving any direction,” Mr. Bankman-Fried said three times about the spending of FTX customer money before he concluded his testimony. Both sides rested their case before lunchtime on Tuesday, with closing statements set to unfold on Wednesday. Mr. Bankman-Fried was on the stand for a third day testifying before a jury in his own defense for a trial that has come to symbolize the highs and lows of the volatile crypto industry. The entrepreneur has been accused of masterminding a yearslong fraud to steal as much as $10 billion from FTX’s customers and then funneling the money to extravagant real estate purchases and other spending, as well as using the funds to prop up a crypto trading firm he also founded, Alameda Research. FTX, which was valued at $32 billion at its peak, imploded spectacularly last year, leaving many customers unable to recover their deposits. Mr. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. If convicted, he could face what amounts to a life sentence. The first few weeks of his trial were filled by a procession of prosecution witnesses who pointed the finger squarely at Mr. Bankman-Fried and said he had directed them to commit crimes. Three of his closest associates — Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh and Gary Wang — have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. The pileup of damaging testimony may have forced the FTX founder’s hand in testifying, a risky move for a criminal defendant. Taking the stand gave Mr. Bankman-Fried an opportunity to say that he never intended to defraud anyone and that his business decisions were made in good faith. But it also allowed prosecutors to zero in on his past public statements and contrast them with what he did in private. When Mr. Bankman-Fried initially took the stand on Friday, he took questions from his own lawyer, Mark Cohen. Mr. Bankman-Fried denied that he had committed fraud or stolen from FTX’s customers, but also acknowledged that he had made mistakes, citing “significant oversights” that hurt the exchange’s customers. On Monday under cross-examination, Ms. Sassoon, the prosecutor, pressed Mr. Bankman-Fried about the inconsistencies between his public statements and how he ran his crypto empire. He often insisted that he couldn’t remember much of what he had said publicly. On Tuesday, the cross-examination continued, focusing on the actions and statements Mr. Bankman-Fried made leading up to the implosion of FTX in November. Mr. Bankman-Fried, wearing the same gray suit and purple tie as in previous days on the stand, testified in front of a crowded courtroom that included Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in New York. Missing from the gallery was Mr. Bankman-Fried’s mother, the Stanford law professor Barbara Fried, who had attended every previous day of the trial. Ms. Sassoon, the federal prosecutor, was relentless, asking Mr. Bankman-Fried about the failure of FTX, including if some of the cooperating witnesses had not told the truth about Alameda, the trading firm, owing billions in customer money to the exchange. Mr. Bankman-Fried previously testified that he did not learn about the missing funds until about October 2022, while other witnesses testified that he knew much earlier. At one point, Ms. Sassoon asked Mr. Bankman-Fried if Adam Yedidia, a former FTX developer who testified at the trial, was lying when he said in court that Mr. Bankman-Fried had told him in the summer of 2022 that Alameda owed $8 billion to FTX customers. “I don’t remember him saying it in that way,” Mr. Bankman-Fried replied. Ms. Sassoon then asked if Ms. Ellison, who ran Alameda and was at one point Mr. Bankman-Fried’s girlfriend, was wrong when she testified that she and Mr. Bankman Fried had conspired with others to misappropriate FTX customer money. “You didn’t tell your employees, ‘Don’t spend FTX customer deposits’?” Ms. Sassoon asked at one point. “I didn’t,” Mr. Bankman-Fried said. “I deeply regret not taking a better look into it.” Ms. Sassoon also asked Mr. Bankman-Fried if he remembered offering favors to government officials in the Bahamas, where FTX was based. He said he didn’t recall giving the Bahamian prime minister, Philip Davis, and his wife courtside tickets to the FTX Arena in Miami. The jury was then shown screenshots of messages of him saying exactly that. (The arena has been renamed.) The prosecution also displayed emails in which Mr. Bankman-Fried offered to open withdrawals for Bahamian customers after FTX had halted customer withdrawals as people tried to get their money out from the exchange last year. FTX was under investigation by Bahamian regulators at the time.

Jurors in Sam Bankman-Fried criminal trial begin deliberations -- Twelve jurors in a lower Manhattan courtroom have begun to deliberate the fate of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried following a month of testimony from nearly 20 witnesses. The case was handed to the jury around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan finished reading aloud 60 pages worth of instructions. A verdict could come as early as Thursday afternoon, and Judge Kaplan previously ordered the jury to stay until 8:15 p.m, offering free pizza and Uber rides home. Bankman-Fried, who started digital asset exchange FTX in 2019, and sister hedge fund Alameda Research two years earlier, is charged with seven counts, including wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering, related to the implosion of his crypto empire late last year. He faces more than 100 years in prison if convicted. The 31-year-old graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and son of two Stanford legal scholars has pleaded not guilty to all charges. In order for Bankman-Fried to be found guilty, the jury must unanimously decide beyond a reasonable doubt that the entrepreneur, once hailed as a crypto genius, intended to defraud investors and customers. The trial, initially anticipated to run until the Thanksgiving holiday, has moved swiftly. The government curtailed its witness list, and ultimately didn’t bring a rebuttal case after the defense rested. The defense called only three witnesses to the stand, with the bulk of its argument relying on the sworn testimony of the defendant. Both sides have also moved more quickly than expected on direct and cross-examinations. Judge Kaplan has encouraged the expedited timeline, holding jurors until 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday in order to finish closing arguments. It’s unclear how long the jury will deliberate, but the judge — while emphasizing that he’s not rushing a decision — said he’s willing to stay until 8:15 p.m. Thursday and told jurors the government would cover dinner and likely pay for their ride home. Mark Cohen, Bankman-Fried’s defense attorney, made his final plea for his client on Wednesday, arguing that the defendant should be found not guilty on all counts, in part because the FTX founder had acted in good faith and without criminal intent, believing everything would work out. “Every movie needs a villain,” Cohen said of the prosecution’s case against Bankman-Fried, adding that the government had incorrectly portrayed him as a “monster,” a “bad guy,” and a “criminal mastermind.” Cohen claimed the case against his client was built on the false premise that FTX was a fraudulent enterprise established to intentionally steal customer funds from its “very earliest days.” While FTX’s lack of a risk management system or chief risk officer reflected poor system controls, bad business decisions aren’t crimes, Cohen said. Cohen told the jury that if any members of Bankman-Fried’s inner circle truly thought something nefarious was happening, they had options, including resigning, leaving the Bahamas or “blowing the whistle.” None of them did, he said.

Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty on all counts as jury returns swift verdict -- Beleaguered cryptocurrency king and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven counts in his fraud trial in New York Thursday, ending a storied ascent that brought in millions in political donations and sparked criminal probes across agencies when FTX collapsed. Bankman-Fried was convicted of charges including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud in his case tried in the Southern District of New York. Bankman-Fried, 31, faced several charges over allegations that he defrauded his customers and investors of billions of dollars in a scheme that prosecutors have called “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.” “[It was] a multibillion-dollar scheme designed to make him the King of Crypto – but while the cryptocurrency industry might be new and the players like Sam Bankman-Fried might be new, this kind of corruption is as old as time,” Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. “This case has always been about lying, cheating, and stealing, and we have no patience for it,” Williams continued. The jury reportedly deliberated for just over four hours in the case after being ordered to stay after hours by the judge in the case. CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation Sheila Warren told The Hill that Bankman-Fried’s case “was always about fraud, and this outcome confirms that the jury understood who and what was on trial here.” “The jury heard evidence that Sam Bankman-Fried was out for himself, and that’s reflected in the verdict,” Warren said. “This case serves as a reminder that rules that have existed for a long time created a path to accountability for these crimes.” Following the collapse of FTX cryptocurrency exchange last year, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas last December and is facing charges for wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to make unlawful political contributions and defraud the Federal Election Commission.

Sam Bankman-Fried gambled on a trial and his parents lost - The jury took a little over four hours to reach a verdict.When Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried,the defendant’s parents, came into the courtroom,they looked frightened. Bankman put his arm around Fried as they sat down on the wooden benches. Fried put her head in her hands. Sam Bankman-Fried stood to hear the jury’s verdict.After the first “guilty”was read aloud — for wire fraud —his father doubled over.His mother’s hands rose to cover much of her face, either to stifle tears or to hide them.As the judge thanked the jury for their service,Barbara Fried recovered herself enough to gently rub Joseph Bankman’s back. Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been found guilty on seven counts including charges of wire fraud. The jury left, and the courtroom rose.Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried had their arms around each other as though they were holding each other up.As the judge dealt with a few administrative matters — dates for appeals,the next trial, sentencing —Fried stared up atthe ceiling. When the judge left the bench,Bankman and Fried moved closer to their son, still separated by a wooden barrier in the courtroom. They were ringed by a half-moon of reporters, all silent, all holding pens over notebooks. Bankman-Fried’s back was to his parents.He was talking to his lawyers,Mark Cohen and Chris Everdell. He appeared to be shaking.He did not look back to see his parents until he was being escorted out.As he glanced back, Fried crumpled, and her husband steadied her. There are some questions about how much Bankman and Fried knew about the schemes at FTX.But there is no doubt in my mind that they truly suLJered through the month long trial.Whatever delusions they may have had about their son’s innocence dissipated over the course of the trial.By the end,I think they knew how this was going to go.Ithink Bankman-Fried did,too. I have been wondering since opening statements why Bankman-Fried didn’t simply plead guilty. Sure, he might not get a deal like his co-conspirators,Caroline Ellison,GaryWang, and Nishad Singh.But pleading guilty, showing himself to be sorry, and throwing himself on the mercy of a sentencing judge — well, it could have played.At minimum, it would have spared his friends and family the humiliation of this trial. I suppose it’s possible that Bankman-Fried is delusional enough to believe himself innocent,to think he did nothing wrong, and to think a jury would agree with him.But given what else I know about him,I don’tthink that’s what happened. Sam Bankman-Fried loved risk, and he loved to gamble.He knew that if he wentto trial,there was a chance, however small,that he might walk away a free man.Pleading guilty meant guaranteed punishment, and probably prison time.And so he chose to gamble, not only with his own life, but with his parents’. Bankman and Fried were respected law professors at Stanford.Bankman worked on the US tax code, on behalf of low-income people. Fried is known for her work on legal ethics, and ran a donor network, Mind the Gap, for Democratic causes. Their FTX entanglement has certainly marred their reputation atthe He knew that if he went to trial, there was a chance, however small, that he might walk away a free man end of their lives —that $26 million in cash and real estate in 2022 looks very different now. This is to say nothing of the lawsuit from the FTX bankruptcy estate, which seeks to claw back millions. Bankman-Fried’s failed defense wasn’t cheap — lawyers never are.And there will be more bills, as his lawyers seek to appeal the verdict. There may also be a second trial, scheduled for next March, for some other counts that were severed from this case. But it’s not just the money. This trial revealed Bankman-Fried’s father was in 17 Signal group chats associated with FTX, including the “small group chat” that was attempting to stave oLJ FTX’s impending collapse.Joseph Bankman was mentioned in witness testimony about Bankman-Fried’s meetings with Bahamian regulators. Should the second trial take place,there is the possibility for further embarrassment. Bankman and Fried have been vocal in their son’s defense, as I assume any loving parent would be.I suppose it would be easy to demonize them —but what parent wants to believe that their child is engaged in large-scale fraud? They probably still remember him as a toddler. I don’t know what Bankman-Fried’s sentencing will be, but I doubt he made Judge Lewis Kaplan, who will be handling his sentencing, especially sympathetic during his testimony.Bankman-Fried gave evasive answers, was repeatedly instructed to answer lawyers' questions, and did not, as a general rule, acquit himself well.He didn’t seem repentant —or honest. Bankman and Fried have been vocal in their son’s defense, as I assume any loving parent would be Depending on how sentencing goes —it is scheduled for March — it’s possible both Fried and Bankman will die while their son is in jail; they are certainly in the autumn of their lives. There was more than Bankman-Fried’s freedom at stake in that courtroom.

Bankman-Fried's trial exposed crypto fraud but Congress has not been eager to regulate the industry (AP) — The conviction of former cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried for stealing at least $10 billion from customers and investors is the latest black mark for the cryptocurrency industry, but in Washington, there seems to be little to no interest in pushing through regulation.When cryptocurrencies collapsed and a number of companies failed last year, Congress considered multiple approaches for how to regulate the industry in the future. However, most of those efforts have gone nowhere, especially in this chaotic year that has been dominated by geopolitical tensions, inflation and the upcoming 2024 election.Ironically, the failure of Bankman-Fried’s FTX and his subsequent arrest late last year may have contributed to the momentum for regulation stalling out. Before FTX imploded, Bankman-Fried spent millions of dollars — illegally taken from his customers it turns out — to influence the discussion around cryptocurrency regulation in Washington and push for action.Without Congress, federal regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission have stepped in to take their own enforcement actions against the industry, including the filing of lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance, two of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges.And most recently PayPal received a subpoena from the SEC related to its PayPal USD stablecoin, the company said in a filing with securities regulators Wednesday. “The subpoena requests the production of documents,” the company said. “We are cooperating with the SEC in connection with this request.”Still, Congress still has yet to act.Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and John Boozman, R-Ark., proposed last year to hand over the regulatory authority over cryptocurrencies bitcoin and ether to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. Stabenow and Boozman lead the Senate Agriculture Committee, which has authority over the CTFC.One big stumbling block in the Senate has been Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, chair of the Senate Banking Committee. Brown has been highly skeptical of cryptocurrencies as a concept and he’s been generally reluctant to put Congress’ blessing on them through regulation. He’s held several committee hearings over cryptocurrency issues, ranging from the negative impact on consumers to use of the currencies in funding illicit activities, but has not advanced any legislation out of his committee.“Americans continue to lose money every day in crypto scams and frauds,” Brown said in a statement after Bankman-Fried was convicted. “We need to crack down on abuses and can’t let the crypto industry write its own rulebook.”In the House, a bill that would put regulatory guardrails around stablecoins — cryptocurrencies that are supposed to be backed by hard assets like the U.S. dollar — passed out of the House Financial Services Committee this summer. But that bill has gotten zero interest from the White House and the Senate.President Joe Biden last year signed an executive order on government oversight of cryptocurrency that urges the Federal Reserve to explore whether the central bank should jump in and create its own digital currency. So far, however, there has been no movement on that front.

BankThink: Regulators and Congress are still nowhere on regulating crypto | American Banker --FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange that Bankman-Fried founded, imploded almost exactly a year ago, bringing about a secular decline in crypto prices and arguably contributing to a liquidity crunch within and outside of the crypto sphere that sank three midsized banks a few months later. But after some initial high hopes for action by Congress and/or regulators — hopes I myself dared to dream — it kind of seems like nothing happened and nothing is going to happen. Instead, it seems like AI has taken over as the new technology that frightens policymakers. To my mind, leaving crypto in a regulatory gray zone seems like a mistake.Policy is kind of like jazz: It's about the policies that you don't make as much as the ones you do. Crypto poses a unique challenge for people whose jobs are to draw bright lines for banks to follow. Blockchain ostensibly has practical applications for anything from medical records topayments, but it also has nefarious applications ranging from financing terrorism to tax evasion— which is to say nothing of the exceptional volatility that the sector has endured since its inception. But the most concrete guidance offered by banking regulators has been something of a Just Say No policy for banks, emphasizing the dangers of crypto, but stopping short of an outright ban (except, it seems, for some).In the absence of a formal articulated policy, states are attempting to jump in to fill the void. Wyoming, in particular, has pioneered an aggressive effort to court the cryptosphere bycreating a state banking charter specifically targeted to serving the crypto industry in hopes of being to crypto what South Dakota has become for credit cards or what Delaware is for incorporation — a haven protected by highly favorable state laws.I see no inherent reason why Wyoming or any other state shouldn't be the crypto capital of the United States. What concerns me is that, in the absence of any articulated regulatory floor on crypto, the thing that states have to offer those businesses is an ever-lighter regulatory touch. And as we've seen, that approach can have serious implications for the broader financial system, which goes a long way toward explaining why the Federal Reserve has gone to such lengths to prevent one such purpose-built bank from becoming a member.Policymakers may have decided that they can afford to bide their time in articulating a policy toward this nascent technology — one that may, or may not, be the future of something. They could be right. But while crypto may not be the hot, fresh Halloween costume this year, it's not going away — and the longer regulators wait, the more likely it becomes that states articulate the rules of the road.

UK confirms plans to bring crypto under stricter regulation --The U.K. government confirmed plans to regulate cryptoasset activities more strictly, bringing them under the same regime as traditional financial services.The government intends to proceed with legislation in 2024 to implement the changes, according to a Treasury announcement on Monday, responding to a consultation it launched earlier this year.The plans include a mandate for crypto exchanges to write detailed requirements on admission standards and disclosures for token issuers when listing new assets. This could include information about a token's underlying code, known vulnerabilities and risks.The U.K.'s push to regulate crypto is part of a wider effort by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to attract more digital-asset businesses and investment to the country, while at the same time protecting consumers. Crypto firms have long complained that a lack of clear rules has made it hard for them to operate in the U.K."We must make the U.K. a place where cryptoasset firms have the clarity needed to invest and innovate, and where customers have the protections necessary for confidently using these technologies," said City Minister Andrew Griffith. "The U.K. is the obvious choice for starting and scaling a cryptoasset business."Earlier this month, the U.K.'s financial promotions regime was widened to include cryptoasset service providers, regardless of their location. All crypto platforms are now required to display clear risk warnings to U.K.-based consumers and meet higher technical standards. The Treasury's rule changes would come as regulators and policymakers across the world ramp up their scrutiny of the crypto sector following a year of turmoil for the industry. Earlier this year, the European Union approved the Markets in Cryproassets (MiCA) regime, a wide-ranging package of measures governing digital finance. The rules are currently the most comprehensive of any developed economy and have been welcomed by many in the sector.

SEC says SafeMoon executives withdrew $200 million from crypto project to spend on McLarens and luxury homes --The company behind SafeMoon promised astronomical returns, but instead the cryptocurrency imploded mid-flight. And now those behind the controls are facing the consequences.In a Wednesday complaint, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged the company behind the coin, SafeMoon LLC, along with creator Kyle Nagy, CEO John Karony, and CTO Thomas Smith, with violating securities laws in “a massive fraudulent scheme.”The Department of Justice brought parallel charges against the trio, hitting them with three counts each of conspiring to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Karony and Smith were arrested Wednesday, but Nagy is still at large, according to the DOJ.Although the defendants promised to steer the token “safely to the moon,” the SEC alleges that company leaders secretly took out more than $200 million in crypto assets from the project to pay for, among other things, McLaren cars, luxury homes, and extravagant travel.The cryptocurrency accumulated a $5.7 billion market cap at its peak, following a more than 55,000% surge from March 12 to April 20, 2021. Things then quickly began to unravel when investors discovered that large portions of SafeMoon’s liquidity pool were never locked, sinking the token’s price by 50%.Nagy, according to the SEC, had promised investors that their funds were safely locked in SafeMoon’s liquidity pool, and that not even top executives could access them.The complaint also alleges that Karony and Smith used misappropriated assets to buy large quantities of SafeMoon in an attempt to stabilize the token’s price, and that Karony created a trading account to buy and sell tokens “to create the impression of market activity, a practice known as wash trading.”The defendants stand accused of violating the registration and anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.The SEC has stepped up its crypto enforcement actions this year despite criticism from industry players. In June, the agency sued the world’s biggest crypto exchange, Binance, and CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao for several alleged securities violations. The agency also sued U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase.The Safemoon cryptocurrency on Thursday plummeted more than 70% following news of the charges by the SEC and DOJ.

After Utah-based crypto company grows to $9 billion value, its CEO is arrested in Provo for fraud - An up-and-coming Utah businessman was arrested Wednesday after authorities say he was involved in a scheme that used investor funds to purchase luxury vehicles and real estate. Braden John Karony, the 27-year-old CEO of cryptocurrency company SafeMoon, is charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. He was taken into custody in Provo, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Eastern New York. SafeMoon founder Kyle Nagy, 35, and chief technology officer Thomas Smith, 35, were also arrested and charged with the same three criminal counts. Smith was arrested in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office; as of Thursday afternoon, Nagy remained at large. “Mr. Karony looks forward to returning to New York and vigorously defending his charges. He maintains his innocence,” said Karony’s attorney, Clayton Simms. Karony was born in Virginia, according to court documents, and served in the U.S. Army for six years. He attended both Utah Valley University and LDS Business College, now known as Ensign College. An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Eastern New York alleges he purchased an 8,000-square-foot home in Pleasant Grove using funds from the fraudulent scheme. According to Zillow, the home is worth more than $1.5 million. SafeMoon is currently registered in Pleasant Grove, according to the Utah Department of Commerce, and was created in March 2021 with the minting of 1 quadrillion tokens. The executives allegedly grew SafeMoon to a market capitalization of more than $9 billion, the indictment claims. The company was touted by media personality Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, who told his fans he had invested more than $40,000 in SafeMoon. Portnoy later “told people it may be a scam,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Karony was also named one of the 2022 Utah CEOs of the year by Utah Business, a Deseret News sister company. Karony and his colleagues allegedly lied to investors, according to court documents, telling them their money was “locked” into a liquidity pool that would increase in size due to a 10% tax imposed on every SafeMoon transaction. That locked pool prevented SafeMoon executives from removing liquidity, Karony and his colleagues allegedly told investors, according to the indictment. SafeMoon executives claimed “that tokens in the liquidity pool would not be used to enrich the SafeMoon developers,” court documents read. They also promised investors “that the developers were not holding and trading SafeMoon for their benefit,” according to the indictment. The indictment claims “hundreds of thousands” of investors held SafeMoon and in April 2021, the company recorded its highest daily trading volume of $43.96 million. But according to the indictment, Karony and the other defendants did have access to the “locked” pools, and intentionally diverted and misappropriated “millions of dollars’ worth of tokens from the SafeMoon liquidity pools for their personal benefit.”

PayPal receives SEC subpoena focused on stablecoin work -- PayPal Holdings has received a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission's division of enforcement related to its work on a dollar-linked stablecoin. The subpoena asked PayPal to produce documents tied to the project, according to a regulatory filing on Thursday. The company is cooperating with the probe, the filing said. PayPal unveiled the stablecoin, known as PayPal USD (PYUSD), in August. The coin is pegged to the dollar and fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term Treasuries and similar cash equivalents, the San Jose, California-based payments company said at the time. The coin has a market capitalization of about $158 million, according to CoinGecko data.For years, U.S. regulators have been scrutinizing stablecoins. Their concerns are twofold: They worry that if a stablecoin crashes, it could trigger fire sales of other assets as their backers try to maintain a peg. They also fear that if stablecoins prove their worth, they could undermine the power of central banks and more easily enable criminals to engage in money laundering. The issue became a hot topic in Washington amid last year's collapse of the once-popular token TerraUSD, which was an algorithmic stablecoin that sought to maintain a 1-to-1 peg to the U.S. dollar through arbitrage incentives and trading mechanisms. This differs from PYUSD, which is asset-backed.Lawmakers have been wrangling over legislation that would set out new rules for the tokens. Meanwhile, SEC Chair Gary Gensler has said that stablecoins may be securities and therefore subject to the regulator's strict investor-protection and disclosure rules.Separately, PayPal said it received a civil investigative demand from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in October that focused on Regulation E, which governs electronic fund transfers. PayPal previously disclosed that the agency had asked the company for information about how it treats customers who accidentally send a payment to the wrong person through its Venmo service. Under Regulation E, if a hacker logs into an account and sends money, the customer is due a refund. But fraudsters have increasingly sought to use these networks to persuade consumers to send them money. In those cases, the customers moving the money aren't necessarily entitled to a refund.The CFPB's latest probe is focused on how the company investigates and resolves errors tied to its obligations under Regulation E, according to Thursday's filing. The agency is also probing how Venmo presents transactions to customers' linked bank accounts, the filing said. PayPal is also cooperating with the CFPB inquiry.

Two years after peak crypto, Bitcoin has faded from the political conversation | CBC News --Almost two years after reaching all-time highs in value, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have faded from prominence in Canadian politics.They also no longer appear on the public asset disclosure forms of several members of Parliament — including Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, once one of crypto's most prominent supporters in the political sphere.The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner publicizes summaries of disclosures made by all MPs. Those disclosures list assets like cryptocurrency if their value is greater than $10,000. As recently as February, Poilievre disclosed ownership of shares in a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, Purpose Bitcoin.But in his most recent disclosure in September, Poilievre no longer lists the asset. The Conservative leader may have sold the shares, or their overall value may have fallen below $10,000, which would eliminate the need to disclose them publicly.Poilievre's office did not respond to several requests for comment from CBC News on the leader's personal holdings or current position on cryptocurrency.As Poilievre campaigned for the Tory leadership on the way to a landslide victory, he spoke positively about decentralized finance and cryptocurrency. At one point, he argued that crypto would allow Canadians to "opt-out" of inflation, which was soaring at the time. And he famously used Bitcoin to purchase a shawarma at a London, Ont., restaurant in March 2022.Cryptocurrency assets have also disappeared from the disclosure forms of several other MPs who previously held them, including Conservatives Ben Lobb and Tony Van Bynen and Liberal Chandra Arya (who still holds stock options in cryptoexchange company Coinbase).A number of MPs do still disclose personal crypto holdings. They include Liberal Joël Lightbound (who chairs a parliamentary committee that studied cryptoassets) and Conservative Ryan Williams.Experts in cryptocurrency technology and regulation told CBC News that media and political attention in cryptocurrencies tracks closely with the price of the assets. Many cryptocurrencies have surged by around 30 per cent in the past month."It happens all the time," said Jeremy Clark, an associate professor at Concordia University who specializes in blockchain technology. "Price goes up, it's all over the news. It goes away, then two years later it goes back up."

Biden's order marks the beginning of AI regulation for banks — The Biden administration flexed its executive power on Monday with an order aimed at curbing the misuse of artificial intelligence — a move that leaves open questions about how deeply AI policy will impact the financial industry. President Joe Biden's AI executive order uses the Defense Production Act, which allows the president to mobilize industry to support national defense. The order will require AI developers that pose "a serious risk to national security, national economic security or national public health and safety" to notify the government when training their systems. The order also recommends that content created by artificial intelligence be labeled to curb the spread of disinformation, a critical concern for the political system as the United States approaches the 2024 presidential election. Most importantly for banks, the order also directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Housing Finance Agency to monitor for lending bias. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with the CFPB, will issue guidance on discrimination in tenant screening systems. The Treasury Department will also produce a report on artificial intelligence-specific cybersecurity risks for financial institutions. "AI is all around us," Biden said in remarks before he signed the order on Monday. "To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology."Banks are increasingly interested in AI, though their regulators have struck a wary tone. The banking industry is still assessing the immediate impact of the executive order on financial institutions and their AI projects."We are particularly pleased the administration is looking at AI holistically across multiple industries and recommending sector-specific risk assessments," said Sarah Grano, an American Bankers Association spokesperson. "Banks are successfully and safely using AI today, and we believe new iterations of the technology can enhance innovation, compliance, risk management and a host of other important bank functions moving forward." She said that ABA will "continue to review the executive order and expect to learn more about how it will be implemented." The most direct link from the executive order to the banking industry is the President's instructions to the CFPB. While the order doesn't tell the bureau to do anything not already in its remit— policing for unfair lending practices, regardless of the technology being used — Aaron Klein, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, said that the order could reprioritize the bureau's work to AI related enforcement actions and guidances. Biden made it clear that the intent of the executive order was to present a first draft of AI policy, and that Congressional action and further agency guidance and rulemaking might be necessary. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who attended Biden's signing of the executive order, has created a bipartisan working group on AI policy, which will meet with Biden tomorrow to discuss legislation. "Of course executive orders are limited, and the President and I agree that we need legislation," Schumer told reporters after Biden's remarks.

Master account ruling raises questions about other Fed challenges - A district court ruling last week solidified the ability of regional reserve banks to close accounts of banks deemed risky to the financial system. John Koeltl, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, denied a motion from Banco San Juan Internacional, Inc. — a Guaynabo, Puerto Rico-based financial institution — that would have preserved its account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The New York Fed closed Banco San Juan's account last year after discovering numerous transactions by the bank that raised concerns about money laundering and compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, according to court filings. The bank had sought an injunction from the court that would have enabled it to keep its account open. It argued that the closure would cause "irreparable" harm to its business. In his ruling, Koeltl rejected the argument, noting that the bank had not lost any customers when its master account was suspended in 2019 over similar concerns. Koeltl's ruling also went a step further by refuting the bank's claim that the New York Fed had violated its "statutory right" to a master account. The judge stated that the Federal Reserve Act "does not require the federal reserve banks to grant to any bank a master account," a missive that cuts to the core of two other ongoing master account lawsuits between non-federally regulated banks and their regional reserve banks. Cheyenne, Wyoming-based Custodia Bank has been battling the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and Kansas City Fed in court for more than a year over its since-denied application for a master account. The bitter court battle between the digital asset bank and the Fed hinges on whether state-chartered banks are entitled to master accounts or merely eligible for them. Similarly, Idaho-based PayServices, Inc. sued the Board and the San Francisco Fed last June, asserting that it was wrongfully denied an account. PayServices went a step further than the others, arguing that the Fed's new framework for assessing master account applicants — which divides them into three tiers based on their level of risk and regulatory oversight — effectively discriminates against state-chartered institutions. Julie Hill, vice dean at the University of Alabama law school and an expert in payments regulation, said the question of master account entitlement is central to all three challenges and it is possible that the judges in Wyoming and Idaho look to their New York counterpart for guidance. But, she noted, neither are required to do so. "Neither the Federal District Court for the District of Wyoming nor the Federal District Court for the District of Idaho is required to follow a decision from the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York," Hill said. "Because there are no cases previously deciding this issue in either … the judges in the Custodia and PayServices cases can make their own interpretations of the Federal Reserve Act."

FDIC sought buyers for Republic First before investor deal --The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was seeking buyers for Philadelphia regional bank Republic First Bancorp last week before it struck a deal to raise capital, according to people familiar with the matter. The FDIC had sought bids for the bank on Oct. 23, but told potential buyers two days later that it would delay making a decision until this week, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the matter isn't public. Bidders haven't heard anything back since then from the FDIC, indicating that the process may be on hold, the people said. On Friday, Republic First announced that it will raise $35 million from an investor group, pending regulatory approval. Representatives for the FDIC and Republic First declined to comment. It's unclear whether the FDIC process will continue. Republic First, with about $6 billion in assets, has been struggling with similar issues as other regional banks, though it's much smaller then lenders such as similarly named First Republic Bank. Rising interest rates have translated into big unrealized losses in securities and loan books across the industry. Republic First delisted from the Nasdaq in August. The bank said on Friday that it would raise $35 million from a group of investors including George E. Norcross III, Gregory B. Braca and Philip A. Norcross, who had been feuding with the bank earlier this year before they agreed to work together to raise capital. After that deal closes, Republic First plans to complete the rest of a previously announced capital raise of $75 million to $100 million.

Republic First got a hand up from investors. Is it out of the woods? -An investor group's decision to drop preconditions and provide Republic First Bancorp with a much-needed capital infusion may have staved off a move by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to close the Philadelphia company's bank subsidiary, Republic Bank.The investor group, led by New Jersey insurance executive George Norcross, agreed to invest $35 million Friday. Just days earlier, according to a Bloomberg report, the FDIC had sought buyers for Republic Bank.Norcross' group, which includes his brother Philip Norcross, a prominent New Jersey attorney, and Greg Braca, TD Bank's former CEO, is no stranger to the $6.3 billion-asset Republic First. They've been vying for control of the company since the start of 2022. In recent weeks, however, the group has shifted from battling management to seeking to prop it up. The group signed a letter of intent to participate in a planned $75 million capital raise in September. That agreement stated explicitly that the group's cash would come after Republic First secured $40 million from outside investors. According to the Sept. 26 letter of intent, "the consummation of the investments by the [group] and the additional investors will occur simultaneously."On Friday, in a press release, Republic First and the investor group stated that the remainder of the capital raise — which will seek as much as $65 million from outside investors — will commence "upon closing of the new investment." Additionally, Braca and Philip Norcross would join Republic First's board of directors, with Norcross serving as chairman. Four so-called "legacy" directors, all of whom served during the tenure of former CEO Vernon Hill, will step down. The Sept. 26 agreement permitted two legacy directors to retain seats. Neither Republic First nor the Norcross-led investor group would comment on the changes to the agreement. Pennsylvania's Department of Banking and Securities, Republic First's state regulator, declined comment. The FDIC does not comment "on open and operating institutions," a spokeswoman wrote in an email. While a $35 million capital infusion would benefit Republic First, it would fall far short of solving the company's capital woes, said Bert Ely, an Alexandria, Virginia-based banking consultant. Based on its Sept. 30 call report, Republic First has more than $500 million in mark-to-market losses embedded in its $2.6 billion securities portfolio — far in excess of the $301 million in Common Equity Tier 1 capital it reported. On a mark-to-market basis the bank would still be deeply insolvent, Ely said. Republic First reported $4.7 billion of deposits, but approximately $2.5 billion — or 54% — were uninsured. For the three months ending Sept. 30, Republic First reported a loss of $29.8 million.

Virginia bank extends dividend pause amid ongoing regulatory issues --A Charlottesville, Virginia-based community bank grappling with regulatory, legal and asset quality issues is extending a previously disclosed halt to its dividend in an effort to conserve capital. The $3.3 billion-asset Blue Ridge Bankshares paid its most recent dividend, of 12 cents per share, on April 28, before announcing the suspension of its third-quarter dividend in July. It extended the hiatus indefinitely on Tuesday, citing the desire to continue husbanding capital. The company, which reported third-quarter results on Tuesday, remained well capitalized as of Sept. 30, with a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 7.63%. That number represents a nearly 30-basis-point drop from the June 30 ratio of 7.92%. CEO Billy Beale, who joined Blue Ridge in May, characterized the third quarter as a "turning point." The company addressed looming questions about goodwill impairment, reached a tentative $6 million settlement of a lawsuit linked to a bank it acquired in 2019, and made continued strides in resolving compliance issues. "My focus since coming on board at Blue Ridge has been to ensure we are driving enhanced oversight, rigor, and portfolio refinement into our operations so we can take better advantage of our inherent strengths and the opportunities before us," Beale said in a press release. "I am confident we are building a stronger platform for growth and shareholder value." Blue Ridge reported a $41.4 million loss for the three months ending Sept. 30, considerably wider than the $8.6 million loss it reported for the quarter ending June 30. The majority of the third-quarter loss — $26.8 million — reflected a noncash, after-tax goodwill impairment charge taken in response to a decline in the company's stock price. Blue Ridge's shares began 2023 trading at $12.40. They opened Monday at $3.28 and closed Wednesday at $2.09. Though the goodwill impairment charge did not impact the bank's regulatory capital levels, several other issues did. Blue Ridge reported a $6 million settlement reserve to resolve a lawsuit that originated at Virginia Community Bankshares, which Blue Ridge acquired in December 2019. Compliance costs tied to Blue Ridge's August 2022 formal agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency totaled $3.8 million in the third quarter, up from $2.4 million for the three months ending June 30. Nonperforming loans of $81.8 million were level with the June 30 total and amounted to 2.51% of total assets. Blue Ridge reported a provision for credit losses of $11.1 million, which increased its allowance for credit losses to $49.6 million, or 2.03% of loans held for investment. Blue Ridge's issues with the OCC stem from its embrace of a high-growth strategy that resulted in partnerships with dozens of fintechs in the years before Beale's arrival. The company began working to scale back fintech ties upon entering into the formal agreement. The process has continued under Beale, who has announced his intention to re-emphasize traditional community banking.

Powell says Fed will pursue 'consensus' on capital reform — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he expects the capital reform package for large banks to garner "broad support" from the central bank's governing boardwhen it comes time for a final vote.Speaking at a press conference following the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Wednesday, Powell said the Board of Governors would take public comments on the so-called Basel III endgame proposal "very seriously" and put together a proposal that could be backed by a majority of the seven-member board. "We're a consensus-driven organization," he said. "We'll come to a package that has broad support on the board."Powell declined to specify what exactly he meant by "broad support.""It means broad support," he said flatly from the dais.The proposal, which was put forth in conjunction with Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency over the summer, would increase risk-weighted capital obligations for all banks with more than $100 billion of assets. The agencies estimate that Tier 1 equity requirements for bank holding companies would increase by 16% overall, with the largest institutions accounting for the brunt of that uptick.At the time, the Board moved to issue the proposal by a split vote of 4-2. Powell, who voted in favor of the proposal, noted that he would like to see comments on several elements of the package, including the calibration of risk weights for market and operational risks, as well as the degree to which the new rules would be tailored to the size of individual institutions.Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson, who also backed the proposal, raised questions about the economic impact of the proposal. He made clear that his vote to issue the proposal did not guarantee his support for a final rule."I will evaluate any future proposed final rules on their merits," Jefferson said. "My views on any proposed final Basel III endgame requirements for U.S. banking organizations will be informed by the potential impact on banking sector resiliency, financial stability and the broader economy stemming from the implementation."Govs. Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller voted against issuing the proposal, citing skepticism that the changes were necessary or appropriate.During the press conference, Powell noted that the banking sector was healthy but credit conditions were tightening. He said the Fed is on alert for bank stress, especially as it relates to interest rate risk management, funding and the level of uninsured deposits. "We've been working a lot with financial institutions to make sure that they have good funding plans and that they have a plan for dealing with the kind of portfolio unrealized losses that they have," Powell said. "We do think the system is quite resilient … we don't think these rate hikes have changed that."He emphasized that both banks and supervisors are placing a greater emphasis on funding and liquidity in the wake of three large bank failures this past spring. Powell said the Fed board has not yet discussed whether it will renew the Bank Term Funding Program, an emergency lending facility set up to stem contagion from the failures. The facilities authorization expires next March. "It's November 1 and that's a decision we'll be making in the first quarter of next year," he said.

Banks 'flying blind' without cumulative data on regulatory proposals Regulatory changes, both adopted and proposed, have been in ample supply in Washington as of late, but banks and analysts alike say it's hard to know just how those changes will fit together, in part because government forecasts have been scarce.The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have called for new risk-capital standards, long-term debt requirements for all banks with at least $100 billion of assets and changes to a capital charge leveled against the nation's biggest banks. On top of that, regulators last week finalized a long-awaited Community Reinvestment Act rule that would affect most U.S. banks.Despite the overlapping nature of these proposals, there has been no effort to reconcile their combined impact on the banking sector or the broader economy, Karen Petrou, managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics said. "There is no cumulative impact statement from the agencies, and that's just a profound failure of analytical rigor," Petrou said. "The agencies not only seem unable to do cumulative impact analysis, but weirdly unwilling to despite the suggestions that they're working on something 'holistic.' It's puzzling."Without a comprehensive overview of how these potential rule changes would interact with one another, banks and their representatives say regulators are running the risk of accidentally inducing bad outcomes. "Without having that kind of holistic, encompassing economic impact assessment, you have a real risk of effectively flying blind, and the risk of unintended consequences rises dramatically," said Sean Campbell, chief economist and head of research at the Financial Services Forum, a large-bank industry group. "It's really important that regulators have a comprehensive understanding of the potential impact of the suite of rules they are proposing and that they make that assessment available to the public. That is fundamentally important to making sure the rules are calibrated in a way that makes sense for the entire economy."Some regulatory officials have also been wary of the multiple regulatory efforts being pursued concurrently and their potential cumulative impact. Fed Gov. Michelle Bowman has noted that the array of policy moves could "reshape the contours of the bank regulatory framework in meaningful ways."Bowman has not called for an all-encompassing economic impact analysis, but she hasemphasized the importance of research in ensuring that regulators respond appropriately to apparent shortcomings, including those exposed by a string of bank failures this past spring."Before we undertake reforms intended to address issues that led to bank failures, we need to develop a comprehensive understanding not only of those root causes, but also of the costs and unintended consequences of potential reforms," Bowman said in a speech last month. "Research can protect against over-reactive regulation, especially that which is not efficient, calibrated and tailored to address the actual risks and challenges facing the banking system."

BankThink: Creating phantom assets to assess operational risk capital is madness | American Banker - If the capital rule recently proposed by the federal banking agencies is adopted, U.S. banks will end up holding over $300 billion in capital against "operational risk." The capital charge comes because the proposed rule would create more than $3.5 trillion in phantom assets to represent operational risk and then impose a capital charge against those assets. For capital purposes, approximately 24% of banks' collective risk-weighted assets would be these phantom assets. By the standard measure used by global regulators, this requirement alone would permanently reduce U.S. GDP by nearly $90 billion annually; operational risk charges would attach to every loan or other bank product, raising their cost to bank customers. There is no reason to believe that operational risk justifies this self-inflicted wound to our country's economic growth.In fact, in a study published yesterday that relied on 20 years of actual loss data for U.S. banks, BPI analysis based on ORX data (the most complete data repository for operational risk losses) has demonstrated that the proposed Basel operational risk charge, in combination with the existing stress capital charge, results in operational risk losses that are approximately five times higher than almost all of the largest losses experienced by banks in the worst year over that 20-year period, including all litigation losses associated with the global financial crisis.Operational risk is defined as the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems, or from external events. Cyber risk is universally considered the largest operational risk facing banks. That said, it is hard to find any record of a large U.S. bank ever failing for operational risk, or even suffering a material loss as a result of a cyberattack, an information technology failure or any other true operational risk event. Certainly, the proposed rule cites not a single case.Instead, when regulators talk about large operational risk losses, they are generally referring to a type of operational risk loss that might not immediately come to mind: fines imposed by the agencies themselves, and judgments obtained in follow-on civil litigation. The largest such fines in the past have come from failure to monitor for money laundering or sanctions compliance; most recently, the banking industry has been assessed over $2.5 billion in fines for failing to monitor texts sent via employees' personal phones. Even here, none has ever produced a bank failure.But, stepping back, consider how strange this idea is. Basically, the agencies are requiring banks to hold capital every day of the week against the risk that the agencies themselves will at some point impose ruinous fines on those banks.There is a larger, conceptual problem. Future potential fines and litigation judgments are unlikely to coincide with very large market risk, credit risk and counterparty risk losses that are also being capitalized by the proposal. The agencies are no more or less likely to fine a bank for sanctions compliance during a credit crisis or a market crisis. While one could note that the global financial crisis produced large fines and litigation judgments as well as credit and market losses, the fines and litigation losses (either judgments or reserves established in anticipation of judgment) came several years later. For capital purposes, the origin story of the loss is not important; it is when the loss is incurred (either paid for or reserved against). And nobody was paying out mortgage judgments on Lehman weekend. Most of the judgments were not paid until 2014; some cases are only being paid now.Thus, a bank fined for some perceived past misdeed will in most cases be able to pay that fine out of earnings, but even in extreme cases will be able to use some of its otherwise-required capital to pay the fine and rebuild its capital over time through earnings. By analogy, a single airbag can guard against a variety of potential collisions. Indeed, the agencies recognized this logic in their prior iteration of Basel implementation, explaining that "the existing risk-based capital rules were designed to cover all risks, and therefore implicitly cover operational risk." They are now reversing course without explanation and conclusively presuming that there is perfect correlation among all these risks.

Bipartisan group asks bank regulators to weigh in on SEC custody plan — A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., is urging banking regulators to weigh in on a proposal by the Securities and Exchange Commission's to extend its custody rules for investment advisors to cryptocurrencies — a plan which some critics say would at minimum upend custody banking. The proposal, issued in February, would violate the jurisdiction of bank regulators, the lawmakers wrote in a letter obtained by American Banker to three agency heads: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg and acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu. Barr, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee's financial institutions subcommittee, has been critical of federal regulators lately. He has railed against the Fed's Basel III endgame plan and is a longtime critic of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. His views on such matters trend closely to those of the committee's chairman, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. Reps. Ann Wagner, R-Ohio, Bill Foster, D-Ill., and Brad Sherman, D-Calif., — who are also highly engaged on banking issues — signed the letter in addition to Barr. The SEC's proposal would have "implications for banking organizations' treatment of deposits, their lending decisions, and certain payment arrangements," the lawmakers wrote. Their letter singled out the proposal's requirement that qualified custodians such as banks segregate clients' cash from their digital-asset holdings. The proposal is a reaction to the rapid growth of the cryptocurrency and stablecoin industries, as well as questions about the cryptocurrency exchange FTX's handling of money that backed digital assets before it collapsed. "As you know, banks today generally do not segregate client cash or establish 'special accounts' to hold client cash deposits," the letter said. "Deposits are an unsecured liability of the bank. Depositors have historically been protected by an extensive prudential regulatory and supervisory framework." The letter asked banking regulators how the requirements would affect the quality and accessibility of banking services, what protections for client deposits exist under the current regulatory framework and whether the SEC consulted banking regulators in writing its plan. The letter questioned whether the proposal would prioritize the claims of investment adviser clients and other specialized players over those of general depositors or even the FDIC in the event of a bank failure. It also asked how the proposal would affect payouts to depositors or the funds available to the FDIC as receiver should a bank fail. The proposal would "require bank custodians to assume a greater degree of liability" for sub-custodian and central securities depositories, which the custodian bank might not be able to control, the letter said.

'Criminal': Major Banks Funneled $1.8 Trillion to Carbon Bombs Between 2016 and 2022 -Major banks funneled more than $150 billion in 2022 toward "carbon bomb" fossil fuel projects that would blow through the world's chances of limiting global heating to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The data, published by The Guardian Tuesday, shows that major banks in the U.S., Europe, and China funded the companies behind these projects with a total of $1.8 trillion between 2016 and 2022, with U.S. banks contributing more than half a trillion of that total. "Criminal," Nuclear Consulting Group chair Paul Dorfman tweeted in response to the news."We need to rapidly decline our production of fossil fuels and support for fossil fuels, whether that's regulatory or financial." The "carbon bombs" are 425 fossil fuel extraction projects identified by The Guardian and other nonprofit and media organizations and compiled in an online database in 2022. Each bomb has the potential to release more than a gigaton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. At first, it was calculated that igniting all 425 bombs would release emissions more than double the remaining carbon budget that scientists say humans can spend and still have a 50% chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C. However, research published Monday calculated that the remaining carbon budget is actually around 250 gigatons of carbon dioxide, not the 500 previously believed. The carbon bombs would release a combined total of more than 1,000 gigatons, or four times the revised number."The budget is so small, and the urgency of meaningful action for limiting warming is so high, [that] the message from [the carbon budget] is dire," study co-author Joeri Rogelj of Imperial College London told The Guardian Monday.That narrowing window makes it all the more urgent that banks stop financing fossil fuels, yet that is not what they are doing, according to the analysis of the carbon bomb data completed by French nonprofits Data for Good and Éclaircies, along with European media partners. The data includes a list of the top ten financial backers of companies operating carbon bombs. JPMorgan Chase led the pack with more than $141 billion invested between 2016 and 2022, followed by Citi with $119 billion, Bank of America with $92 billion, the Chinese ICBC with $92.2 billion, and BNP Paribas with $71.9 billion. Last year alone, the banks directly or indirectly funded the projects with around $161 billion. This comes despite greenwashing rhetoric from financial institutions pledging to act on climate.

FSOC finalizes nonbank designation rule, reversing Trump-era move — The Financial Stability Oversight Council approved new guidance Friday that will allow it to more easily designate nonbanks as systemically important financial institutions, while also issuing a new analytic framework the council says will provide clarity on how they identify systemic risks. "When large, interconnected financial companies failed in 2007 and 2008, stress spread through the financial system and then to the real economy," FSOC Chair Secretary Janet Yellen said at an open session. "Recent stresses in some financial sectors arising from the onset of the pandemic and the sudden failures of some regional banks underscored the continuing need to remain vigilant to threats to ensure the resilience of the financial system and our economic strength." The vote to approve the guidance and framework finalizes a previously proposed update and effectively reverses a Trump-era guidance that made nonbank SIFI designations far more difficult. While the rules will empower the department to preemptively designate firms whose collapse would impact the broader financial system as systemically risky and subject them to heightened prudential standards, Yellen said such a designation will still follow a rigorous, transparent process to designate entities.The FSOC was established by the Dodd Frank Act and is populated by the heads of all financial regulatory agencies, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve. One of its major functions under the act was the ability to designate systemically important financial institutions and subject them to enhanced regulation — a power that Congress sought after the financial crisis required major cash injections for insurance giant AIG and other nonbank firms. Though approval of the proposals widens the ability to designate companies, Dodd Frank also gave FSOC the power to designate certain financial activities as risky regardless of what firms engage in them.. "The guidance maintains strong procedural protections for companies under review, including significant council engagement and communication and provides them with opportunities to be heard," said Yellen. "Designation is only one of the council's tools and is not being prioritized over other approaches to addressing financial stability risks." The council designated four companies — AIG, GE Capital, Prudential and MetLife — during the Obama administration, though those designations were later rescinded, or struck down by a court in MetLife's case. No U.S. nonbanks are currently designated as systemically important financial institutions. The Trump administration later issued guidance in 2019 that raised the evidentiary standard for designation in such a way that effectively rendered that authority moribund. Secretary Yellen emphasized that the updated standards do not alter the authority vested in the agency by Congress, noting that under the law a nonbank financial company will continue to be designated only if the council determines that the company's distress or its activities could pose a threat to U.S. financial stability.

SBA's newly licensed nonbank lenders will focus on growth - Following a selection process that lasted nearly seven months, the Small Business Administration has licensed three new small-business lending companies. The move came despite continuing objections from lawmakers as well as groups representing banks and credit unions. Small-business lending companies, known as SBLCs, are nondepository lenders authorized to participate in the agency's flagship 7(a) lending program, otherwise dominated by banks and credit unions. SBLC participation had been capped at 14 companies since 1982, so the new licensees announced Wednesday brought the total to 17. SBA ended the moratorium in a rule finalized in April. The new SBLCs are: Arkansas Capital Corp., a community development financial institution; McKinley Alaska Growth Capital, an alternative lending firm that is also a CDFI; and the fintech Funding Circle. All three have expressed a desire to expand their 7(a) operations nationwide. Already a prominent small-business lender, Funding Circle lobbied hard for an end to the SBLC moratorium, then sought aggressively to secure one of the three available licenses. It plans a measured 7(a) rollout with a focus on making quality loans, rather than on quantity. "It will take time to ramp up, but it's important that we get it right from the first loan through full scale," Ryan Metcalf, the company's head of public affairs, said Thursday. Denver-based Funding Circle's ultimate ambitions are writ large. "Our goal is to be the No. 1 SBA lender for loans under $500,000," Metcalf said. To that end, it has hired Kaustubh Joshi, a high-ranking Goldman Sachs executive, to drive its strategy of partnering with community banks and credit unions, which Funding Circle sees as a fertile source of referrals. Of the more than 9,000 community banks and credit unions currently operating, fewer than 1,500 participated in the 7(a) program during the just completed 2023 fiscal year. "If you're a small- or medium-size institution, how do you keep up?" Metcalf said. "You could make a costly decision to build your own platform, or buy one, or you could partner with Funding Circle and leverage our embedded platform, which we believe is more efficient and cost-effective." Arkansas Capital in Fayetteville and the Anchorage-based McKinley Alaska Growth Capital are also eyeing growth opportunities. "Arkansas Capital has bolstered regional economic development, but now with this SBLC license, we can widen our SBA 7(a) footprint as well, expanding our services to rural and poverty-stricken areas in the South to start," CEO Sam Walls said Wednesday in a press release issued by the SBA.

Jamie Dimon warns Texas to stop pushing anti-business laws Jamie Dimon said Texas risks undermining its business-friendly reputation with laws designed to punish Wall Street banks for policies that limit work with the gun and fossil-fuel industries. "Texas is a wonderful, welcoming place" for business, the longtime JPMorgan Chase chief executive officer said Wednesday in an interview in Frisco, Texas. "The government's done a magnificent job and that's why you have the growth, why unemployment is so low, why people are moving companies and jobs here." "I think it's a mistake to damage it even a little way," said Dimon, who runs the nation's largest bank. Texas Republicans picked a fight with Wall Street over investment policies on firearms and oil in 2021, passing two laws that restricted public contracts with financial firms that "boycott" the fossil fuel sector or "discriminate" against gunmakers. The laws have upended bond deals and led to multiple probes into corporate policies, the latest of which was launched by Attorney General Ken Paxton last month to review 10 financial companies, including JPMorgan. "We don't discriminate or boycott anybody, neither for political affiliation nor for anything else," Dimon said, marking his most direct public comments on the issue. "We do make risk, legal, credit and reputational decisions, which is our legal right — and my obligation as chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase." Texas officials like to tout the state's rapid economic and population growth, which they say is a testament to its pro-business policies. Just last month, Gov. Greg Abbott described his state as having "the best business climate and strongest workforce in the nation." The bank isn't pulling back on Texas. On Wednesday, JPMorgan announced that it intends to hire 1,000 new local bankers across the country, including in Texas, by 2025 to support small-business clients. That's double an earlier plan to add 500 by next year. The increased commitment comes as the firm hosts a summit for small-business owners outside of Dallas, featuring speakers like actor Matthew McConaughey and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. In a letter last month, Paxton's office said it was reviewing the compliance of 10 financial firms, including U.S. banking behemoths JPMorgan, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, over whether they violate the energy law. His office cited their membership in groups seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. JPMorgan, like many of the other banks under review, has maintained it doesn't boycott fossil fuels or discriminate against firearms companies. The bank is the largest financier of both fossil fuels and clean energy in the world, according to Trish Wexler, a company spokesperson.

Banking group says Durbin is trying to 'silence and intimidate' critics --A lobbying group for banks, credit unions and card networks is accusing Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., of attempting to silence opposition to their credit card swipe-fee legislation. On Monday, the two senators asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Department of Transportation to investigate airlines for purportedly unfair practices in their loyalty programs. The letter came after the CEO of United Airlines criticized the Credit Card Competition Act, which is co-sponsored by Durbin and Marshall. The bill would change the rules around the fees that merchants pay to banks when they accept credit cards. Richard Hunt, executive chairman of the Electronic Payments Coalition, said in a statement Tuesday that the timing of the senators' letter is not a coincidence. "It is, however, a calculated attempt to try to silence and intimidate any U.S. company or American worker who opposes their harmful legislation," Hunt said. The coalition said it is worried that Durbin and Marshall are trying to "weaponize the government" against businesses or groups that push back on the proposed mandates on credit-card routing. "What's next? Telling the IRS to subpoena the tax returns of Illinois and Kansas voters who contribute to their opponents?" Hunt, the former longtime president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association, said in a separate statement. In their letter, Durbin and Marshall accused airlines of engaging in "unfair, abusive and deceptive practices" in their frequent flyer and loyalty programs. The two senators wrote that airlines have changed their point systems "in ways that are unfair to consumers, including by devaluing points." "Airlines can make changes to their points programs without notice to consumers, as long as the programs' terms of service reserve the right to do so," the senators wrote. "As a result, these programs incentivize consumers to purchase goods and services, obtain credit cards and spend on those credit cards in exchange for promised rewards — all while retaining the power to strip consumers of those rewards at any moment." When asked Tuesday for comment about the Electronic Payments Coalition's statements, a Durbin spokesperson said: "I think our letter speaks for itself."

Minnesota sues out-of-state tribe over loans with annual rates of 500% --Minnesota's attorney general is suing three consumer lenders owned by an out-of-state tribe, accusing them of using their tribal affiliation to charge borrowers interest rates of more than 500%. The federal lawsuit is the latest challenge to high-cost loans offered by tribal lenders, which claim immunity from state lending laws as a result of tribal sovereignty. The tribes say the loans bring income to their members, but officials in various states have argued that the high-priced loans are predatory. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, said Wednesday that the annual interest rates charged by the three lenders — all owned by a tribal economic development group in Montana — range between 474% and 795%. Those rates are far above the maximum interest rates that Minnesota allows, saddling consumers with predatory loans they can't repay, Ellison said in a press release. "Let this serve as a warning to any other businesses charging these illegal and outrageous interest rates: If you break the law and cheat the people of Minnesota, we will put a stop to it and hold you accountable," Ellison said. The three online lenders — Bright Lending, Green Trust Cash and Target Cash Now — are all part of Island Mountain Development Group, a Native American economic development group that's part of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. The group did not respond to a request for comment. Island Mountain Development Group is among the handful of tribal lenders that have long faced scrutiny, with consumer advocates and some state officials arguing that their loans violate state laws governing interest rates. The lenders argue that they're immune from lawsuits and that their businesses operate under tribal laws. Ellison's office flagged several cases of Minnesotans that it said "fell victim to the predatory, fraudulent, and usurious lending practices" of those lenders. One borrower paid $2,000 over five months on a loan of $700 but was told the payments only covered interest. Another sought an $800 loan and was told to pay $4,400 total, an interest rate that amounted to 700%, Ellison's office said. The lawsuit argues that the companies engaged in abusive practices, violated Minnesota usury laws and violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by collecting on unlawful debts.

Why fintechs that help older adults are fundraising now - Several fintechs in the agetech sector are in the early stages of seeking funding.The need for such solutions for older adults, especially when they pertain to banking safely and avoiding fraud and scams, is becoming more pressing. "[The pandemic] compounded financial exploitation because of several risk factors associated with it, including social isolation," said Jilenne Gunther, national director of AARP's BankSafe initiative. "There is never a meeting I go to with the industry where they are not talking about fintech solutions for fraud," particularly those that deploy monitoring analytics and predictive analytics. The most recent one to announce a fundraising round is Charlie, which provides banking services aimed at people 62+ online and via mobile app. Charlie made public its $23 million Series A on Tuesday. The company plans to use the funding to develop anti-fraud tools designed for retirees and those approaching retirement, as well as on hiring and product developments."Older Americans have unique financial needs that have been underserved for far too long," said Gardiner Garrard, co-founder and managing partner of TTV Capital, the lead investor, in a release. "Charlie has generated impressive customer traction just six months post-launch."Charlie's other selling points to consumers include early access to Social Security benefits and U.S.-based customer service. It currently has several thousand users. When the neobank launched in May, it offered Social Security benefits deposits up to four weeks early, but that perk "requires a tremendous amount of capital, and given the incredible demand from customers since our launch in May, we've reached capacity at this time," the company said via email. Customers who signed up before September 1 retained that benefit, while those who became customers since can withdraw their Social Security benefit three to five days early.Deposits are held by Sutton Bank in Attica, Ohio, which has $2 billion of assets. Another fintech, Carefull, which partners with financial institutions to protect their older customers from fraud, raised its own Series A in October, with $16.5 million in funding. Carefull, which provides its services to 35 financial institutions and advisor groups, will use this round to expand onboarding and support for new partners, further its research and development, and more.EverSafe, a company that alerts users after detecting unusual banking activity and gives trusted caregivers a window into their loved ones' accounts, is about to embark on its first financing round."We have not been overly aggressive in seeking funding up until now, mostly because our team is lean, and we've spent the lion's share of our time cultivating and enhancing our technology and partnerships with financial services," said Howard Tischler, co-founder and CEO of EverSafe, via email. However, "We are poised for rapid growth, which makes it the right time to add venture capital to the mix."

New CRA rule will 'stand the test of time': Fed's Barr - Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr said Friday that the recent overhaul of the implementing regulations of the Community Reinvestment Act will prove well considered and durable, and will ultimately "stand the test of time." Speaking at an event at the National Press Club sponsored by the National Housing Conference, Barr acknowledged that there were objections to the final rule from banks and community groups. However, there was enough flexibility baked into the regulation that the finished product will likely not require another rulemaking for some time nor be subject to reconsideration under a new presidential administration, he said. "Not everybody loves every piece of it — any rule involves compromise, involves adjustment," Barr said. "But I think the rule is going to be a really durable rule. I think that the rule that we have put in place will last many, many years. It's designed to be flexible. It's designed to be able to adjust as the financial services sector adjusts. It's a balanced rule. It's a reasonable rule. We heard lots of feedback in the comment process. We took that feedback on board. There are lots of changes between the initial proposal and the final rule, and I think that it's an approach that is going to really stand the test of time." Barr also acknowledged that the CRA revamp does not explicitly account for the racial background of potential borrowers as some community advocates had sought, but he said that the law exists in tandem with, and takes into account, other fair-lending laws in a way that is meant to penalize banks for discriminatory behavior. He also said the provisions making loans originated by special-purpose credit programs like community development financial institutions and minority depository institutions automatically CRA-eligible, will go a long way toward spurring development in underserved communities. "Special-purpose credit programs, I think, are really essential ways that banks have developed strategies to help make sure that they're serving their entire community, including minority communities," Barr said. "And so we strongly encourage banks to set up special-purpose credit programs — I think they're really good and valuable ways for banks to serve their entire community. And they are permissible — they're encouraged, under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act."

The 'poignant American drama' of the Home Loan Bank System | American Banker podcast and transcript - The failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic brought to light the Federal Home Loan Banks' role as a 'lender of next-to-last resort.' Some critics say that the review from the Federal Housing Finance Agency should bring the system back to its original purpose of oiling the mortgage finance market. Welcome to BankShot, a podcast from American Banker where our journalists report the stories behind banking, finance, and the economy. I'm Chana Schoenberger, editor-in-chief of American Banker. The banking crisis in the spring of 2023 brought to the fore questions about how the government is lending to banks. Claire Williams is our reporter who covers Congress. In this episode, she takes a look at one quirky system that played a major role in the turmoil.

Realtors liable for nearly $1.8 billion in damages for inflating commissions, jury finds A jury in Missouri Tuesday found the National Association of Realtors (NAR), a real estate industry trade group, HomeServices of America and Keller Williams liable for nearly $1.8 billion in damages for conspiring to inflate commissions.A judge could issue an injunction preventing commission sharing on multiple listing services (MLSs) which would hurt the buyer-agent business.“We view it as a tremendous day of accountability for these companies,” Michael Ketchmark, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs told CNN.The lawsuit covered home sales that took place between April 2015 to June 2022. The decision came after a few hours of deliberation from the Kansas City jury.According to NAR president Tracey Kasper, although the trial lasted 11 days, the matter is not close to being final.“We will appeal the liability finding because we stand by the fact that NAR rules serve the best interests of consumers, support market-driven pricing and advance business competition,”Kasper’s statement said. “In the interim, we will ask the court to reduce the damages awarded by the jury.”Kasper argued that consumers are “better off” and competition is “able to thrive” because of how local marketplaces function.According to housing policy analyst Jaret Seiberg who spoke with CNN, an appeals process could take up to three years and the losing part will likely attempt to have the case tried in court.

Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 2.6% year-over-year in August; New all-time High --S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for August ("August" is a 3-month average of June, July and August closing prices).This release includes prices for 20 individual cities, two composite indices (for 10 cities and 20 cities) and the monthly National index.From S&P S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index Continues to Trend Upward in AugustThe first graph shows the nominal seasonally adjusted Composite 10, Composite 20 and National indices (the Composite 20 was started in January 2000). The Composite 10 index is up 1.0% in August (SA) and is at a new all-time high. The Composite 20 index is up 1.0% (SA) in August and is also at a new all-time high. The National index is up 0.9% (SA) in August and is also at a new all-time high.The second graph shows the year-over-year change in all three indices.The Composite 10 SA is up 3.0% year-over-year. The Composite 20 SA is up 2.2% year-over-year.The National index SA is up 2.6% year-over-year.Annual price changes were close to expectations.

The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in America, October Update: 10 of the 20 Metros Down from their Peaks Last Year, 6 Metros Set New Highs by Wolf Richter -- We like the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index because it’s based on the “sales-pairs method” comparing the sales price of the same house over time, thereby eliminating the issues associated with median price indices (see “Methodology” toward the end of the article). And we like it because it shows the 20 metros it covers in all their individual glory. But we grumble because it lags months behind: Today’s index for “August” is a three-month moving average of home prices whose sales were entered into public records in June, July, and August. That’s the time frame we’re looking at here today.By contrast, the National Association of Realtors already released its national median-price index for deals that closed in September – an actual national metric, and not just covering 20 cities: It fell for the third month in a row and is down 4.7% from its peak last year (June 2022), making 2023 the first year since the Housing Bust that the seasonal peak in June was below the peak in the prior year. It’s Home-Price Inflation. By measuring how many dollars it takes to buy the same home over time, the Case-Shiller index is a measure of home price inflation. The indices were set at 100 for the year 2000. So today’s index values of 422 for Miami, 419 for San Diego, and 417 for Los Angeles are up respectively by 322%, 319%, and 317% since 2000. Miami is thereby the #1 Most Splendid Housing Bubble in terms of home price inflation since 2000, followed by San Diego and Los Angeles. To be included in this list of the Most Splendid Housing Bubbles, the metro must have experienced a home price inflation since 2000 of at least 180%. Dallas made the cutoff with 195%.By comparison, Consumer-Price Inflation, which tracks price changes of goods and services that are consumed by, uh, consumers, was 82% over the same period since January 2000, according to the Consumer Price index (my discussion of CPI is here). So here we go with the numbers from the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index… Prices are below their 2022 peaks in 10 of the 20 metros in the index (% from peak):

Housing October 30th Weekly Update: Inventory increased 1.5% Week-over-week; Down 2.7% Year-over-year --Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.5% week-over-week. This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of October 27th, inventory was at 563 thousand (7-day average), compared to 554 thousand the prior week. Year-to-date, inventory is up 14.6%. And inventory is up 38.5% from the seasonal bottom 28 weeks ago.The second graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015. The red line is for 2023. The black line is for 2019. Note that inventory is up from the record low for the same week in 2021, but below last year and still well below normal levels.Inventory was down 2.7% compared to the same week in 2022 (last week it was down 3.2%), and down 39.4% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week down 40.7%). In 2022, inventory peaked the same week one year ago (the latest in the year inventory has peaked), and it is possible inventory will peak even later this year! I now expect inventory to be up YoY soon.Inventory is now 2.4% above the same week in 2020 levels (dark blue line).Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube.

Construction Spending Increased 0.4% in September -From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending increased: Construction spending during September 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,996.5 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised August estimate of $1,988.3 billion. Both private and public spending increased: Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,555.9 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised August estimate of $1,549.6 billion. ...In September, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $440.6 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised August estimate of $438.7 billion. This graph shows private residential and nonresidential construction spending, and public spending, since 1993. Note: nominal dollars, not inflation adjusted.Residential (red) spending is 10.1% below the recent peak. Non-residential (blue) spending is at a new peak.Public construction spending is also at a new peak.The second graph shows the year-over-year change in construction spending.On a year-over-year basis, private residential construction spending is down 2.2%. Non-residential spending is up 21.3% year-over-year. Public spending is up 15.5% year-over-year.This was at consensus expectations for 0.4% increase in spending. Total construction spending for the previous two months was mostly unchanged, combined.

Hotels: Occupancy Rate Decreased 0.8% Year-over-year From STR: U.S. hotel results for week ending 21 OctoberU.S. hotel performance increased from the previous week and showed improved year-over-year comparisons, according to CoStar’s latest data through 21 October. 15-21 October 2023 (percentage change from comparable week in 2022):
• Occupancy: 69.0% (-0.8%)
• Average daily rate (ADR): US$165.32 (+3.8%)
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$114.04 (+2.9%)
The following graph shows the seasonal pattern for the hotel occupancy rate using the four-week average. .The red line is for 2023, black is 2020, blue is the median, and dashed light blue is for 2022. Dashed purple is for 2018, the record year for hotel occupancy. The 4-week average of the occupancy rate is tracking close to last year, and just above the median rate for the period 2000 through 2022 (Blue).The 4-week average of the occupancy rate will decline seasonally for the next couple of months.

Las Vegas September 2023: Visitor Traffic Down Slightly YoY; Convention Traffic Up 9% - From the Las Vegas Visitor Authority: August 2023 Las Vegas Visitor StatisticsLas Vegas hosted more than 3.3M visitors in September, slightly behind (‐0.5%) last September while est. convention attendance for the month was up 9.5%, supported in part by the PACK Expo tradeshow (32k attendees) that rotated back into the destination since its last Vegas show in 2021. Overall hotel occupancy reached 82.6% for the month (‐0.5 pts YoY) as Weekend occupancy came in at 89.0% (‐3.1 pts YoY), and Midweek occupancy reached 78.9%, surpassing last September by 0.3 pts.ADR exceeded $201 for the month, +7.7% YoY while RevPAR exceeded $166, +7.0% YoY. The first graph shows visitor traffic for 2019 (Black), 2020 (light blue), 2021 (purple), 2022 (orange), and 2023 (red).Visitor traffic was down 0.5% compared to last September. Visitor traffic was down 4.0% compared to the same month in 2019. The second graph shows convention traffic.Convention traffic was up 9.5% compared to September 2022, and down 11.2% compared to September 2019. Note: There was almost no convention traffic from April 2020 through May 2021.

Heavy Truck Sales Decline in October, Unchanged YoY -- The BEA released their estimate of vehicle sales for October. This graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the October 2023 seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR).Heavy truck sales really collapsed during the great recession, falling to a low of 180 thousand SAAR in May 2009. Then heavy truck sales increased to a new record high of 570 thousand SAAR in April 2019. Note: "Heavy trucks - trucks more than 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight." Heavy truck sales declined sharply at the beginning of the pandemic, falling to a low of 308 thousand SAAR in May 2020. Heavy truck sales were at 475 thousand SAAR in October, down from 502 thousand in September, and mostly unchanged from 476 thousand SAAR in October 2022. Usually, heavy truck sales decline sharply prior to a recession. The recent decline is something to watch. As I noted earlier this week, Vehicles Sales decrease to 15.5 million SAAR in October; Up 6% YoY The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967. Vehicle sales were at 15.50 million SAAR in October, down from 15.68 million in September, and up 6% from 14.68 million in October 2022. Vehicle sales are usually a transmission mechanism for Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy, although far behind housing. This time vehicle sales were more suppressed by supply chain issues and have picked up recently.

AAR: October Rail Combined Carloads and Intermodal Highest Since June 2021 -From the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Rail Time Indicators. Graphs and excerpts reprinted with permission.Combined originated carloads and intermodal units on U.S. railroads averaged 499,331 per week in October 2023, the most for any month since June 2021 — a span of 28 months. Part of the increase relates to intermodal seasonality and concerns over Panama Canal capacity, but part also reflects an economy that remains resilient.This graph from the Rail Time Indicators report shows the six-week average of U.S. Carloads in 2021, 2022 and 2022: Total originated carloads on U.S. railroads (not including the U.S. operations of Canadian and Mexican railroads) were down 0.3% (2,921 carloads) in October 2023 from October 2022, their fourth decline in the past five months. Total carloads averaged 230,398 per week in October 2023. That’s down fractionally from 230,429 in September 2023 but otherwise is the highest in a year.The second graph shows the six-week average (not monthly) of U.S. intermodal in 2021, 2022 and 2023: (using intermodal or shipping containers): It’s too soon to say intermodal is back, but October’s numbers are encouraging. U.S. railroads averaged 268,933 intermodal originations per week in October 2023, up 2.2% over October 2022. That’s the second straight year-over-year gain (September was 0.7%) following 18 straight declines. It’s also the biggest weekly average for intermodal since May 2022.

ISM® Manufacturing index Decreased to 46.7% in October - The ISM manufacturing index indicated contraction. The PMI® was at 46.7% in October, down from 49.0% in September. The employment index was at 46.8%, down from 51.2% the previous month, and the new orders index was at 45.5%, down from 49.2%. From ISM: Manufacturing PMI® at 46.7% October 2023 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® “The Manufacturing PMI® registered 46.7 percent in October, 2.3 percentage points lower than the 49 percent recorded in September. The overall economy dropped back into contraction after one month of weak expansion preceded by nine months of contraction and a 30-month period of expansion before that. (A Manufacturing PMI® above 48.7 percent, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.) The New Orders Index remained in contraction territory at 45.5 percent, 3.7 percentage points lower than the figure of 49.2 percent recorded in September. The Production Index reading of 50.4 percent is a 2.1-percentage point decrease compared to September’s figure of 52.5 percent. The Prices Index registered 45.1 percent, up 1.3 percentage points compared to the reading of 43.8 percent in September. The Backlog of Orders Index registered 42.2 percent, 0.2 percentage point lower than the September reading of 42.4 percent. The Employment Index registered 46.8 percent, down 4.4 percentage points from the 51.2 percent reported in September. This suggests manufacturing contracted in October. This was below the consensus forecast. Note that the price index was at 45.1% (falling prices).

BLS: Job Openings "Little Changed" at 9.6 million in September - From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary The number of job openings changed little at 9.6 million on the last business day of September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations changed little at 5.9 million and 5.5 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.7 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.5 million) changed little. The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Discharges and other (red column), and Quits (light blue column) from the JOLTS.Note: The difference between JOLTS hires and separations is similar to the CES (payroll survey) net jobs headline numbers. This report is for September; the employment report this Friday will be for October.Note that hires (dark blue) and total separations (red and light blue columns stacked) are usually pretty close each month. This is a measure of labor market turnover. When the blue line is above the two stacked columns, the economy is adding net jobs - when it is below the columns, the economy is losing jobs.The spike in layoffs and discharges in March 2020 is labeled, but off the chart to better show the usual data.Jobs openings increased in September to 9.55 million from 9.50 million in August. The number of job openings (black) were down 12% year-over-year. Quits were down 10% year-over-year. These are voluntary separations. (See light blue columns at bottom of graph for trend for "quits").

ADP: Private Employment Increased 113,000 in October - From ADP: ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by 113,000 Jobs in October; Annual Pay was Up 5.7% - Private sector employment increased by 113,000 jobs in October and annual pay was up 5.7 percent year-over-year, according to the October ADP® National Employment ReportTM produced by the ADP Research Institute® in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab (“Stanford Lab”). The ADP National Employment Report is an independent measure and high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on actual, anonymized payroll data of more than 25 million U.S. employees....“No single industry dominated hiring this month, and big post-pandemic pay increases seem to be behind us,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “In all, October's numbers paint a well-rounded jobs picture. And while the labor market has slowed, it's still enough to support strong consumer spending.” This was below the consensus forecast of 135,000. The BLS report will be released Friday, and the consensus is for 168 thousand non-farm payroll jobs added in October.

October Employment Report: 150 thousand Jobs, 3.9% Unemployment Rate - From the BLS: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 150,000 in October, and the unemployment rate changed little at 3.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in health care, government, and social assistance. Employment declined in manufacturing due to strike activity....The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for August was revised down by 62,000, from +227,000 to +165,000, and the change for September was revised down by 39,000, from +336,000 to +297,000. With these revisions, employment in August and September combined is 101,000 lower than previously reported.The first graph shows the jobs added per month since January 2021. Total payrolls increased by 150 thousand in October. Private payrolls increased by 99 thousand, and public payrolls increased 51 thousand.Payrolls for August and September were revised down 101 thousand, combined. The second graph shows the year-over-year change in total non-farm employment since 1968.In October, the year-over-year change was 2.97 million jobs. Employment was up solidly year-over-year but has slowed to more normal levels of job growth recently.The third graph shows the employment population ratio and the participation rate. The Labor Force Participation Rate was decreased to 62.7% in October, from 62.8% in September. This is the percentage of the working age population in the labor force.The Employment-Population ratio decreased to 60.2% from 60.4% (blue line). I'll post the 25 to 54 age group employment-population ratio graph later.The fourth graph shows the unemployment rate.The unemployment rate increased to 3.9% in October from 3.8% in September.This was below consensus expectations, and August and September payrolls were revised down by 101,000 combined.

October jobs report: more deceleration, in the weakest report (except for June’s) since March 2021 - As per my reporting earlier this week, I was looking for 3 things: (1) whether the unemployment rate, which follows initial jobless claims, would remain elevated compared with 1 year ago (it did), whether average hourly earnings gains for non-supervisory workers would continue to decline (they did), and whether jobs growth itself would suggest a “soft landing” stabilization or continue to decelerate (the data was equivocal, but is more likely demonstrating continued deceleration).In short: yes, the leading indicators work.This month’s data was significantly affected by the UAW strike. Where important, I have given the data ex-strike as well.Here’s my in depth synopsis.

• 150,000 jobs added (183,000 ex-strike). This is the lowest except for June. On a YoY basis, jobs are up 1.9%, the lowest % gain since March 2021.
• August and September were both revised lower, by -62,000 and -39,000, respectively, for a net of -101,000. This continues the pattern that we have seen all year except for one month ago. As a result, the 3 month moving average declined to 204,000 (211,000 ex-strike) from a revised 233,000 last month. But the June-August average of 167,000 remains the low.
• Private sector jobs increased only 99,000 (132,000 ex-strike). Government jobs increased by 51,000. This is a new low, including the strike. Excluding the strike, June-s 104,000 remains the low.
• On the other hand, the alternate, and more volatile measure in the household report actually *declilned* by -348,000 jobs. The YoY% gain in this report is +1.7% (which is the average YoY gain for this whole year).
• The U3 unemployment rate rose 0.1% to 3.9%, tied with last month for the highest since January 2022 . The civilian labor force, the denominator in the figure, declined (by -201,000), and the numerator, the number of unemployed, rose (by 146,000).
• The U6 underemployment rate rose 0.2% to 7.2%, but still close to the highest since February 2022.
• Further out on the spectrum, those who are not in the labor force but want a job now declined -77,000 to 5.373 million, vs. its post-pandemic low of 4.925 million set this past March.
• the average manufacturing workweek, one of the 10 components of the Index of Leading Indicators, was unchanged at 40.7, equal to its lows earlier this year and down -0.8 hours from its February 2022 peak of 41.5 hours.
• Manufacturing jobs declined by -35,000 (-2,000 ex-strike).
• Within that sector, motor vehicle manufacturing jobs declined -33,000 (including the UAW strike).
• Construction jobs increased by 23,000.
• Residential construction jobs, which are even more leading, rose by 3,700. There has been a sharp rebound in the past three months, but so far It continues to appear likely that January was the peak for this sector.
• Goods jobs as a whole declned -11,000 (Up +22,000 ex-strike). These should decline before any recession occurs. They remain up 1.2% YoY (including the strike), which is nevertheless an average pace compared with most of the last 40 years.
• Temporary jobs, which have generally been declining late last year, rose 6,600, but remain down -228,500 since their peak in March 2022.
• the number of people unemployed for 5 weeks or less rose 217,000 to 2,268,000, the highest level since March.
• Average Hourly Earnings for Production and Nonsupervisory Personnel increased $.10, or +0.3%, to $29.16, a YoY gain of +4.4%. This is the lowest since June 2021.
• the index of aggregate hours worked for non-managerial workers declined -0.2%, and is up 0.7% YoY, the lowest since March 2021.
• the index of aggregate payrolls for non-managerial workers rose less than 0.1%, and is up 5.2% YoY, a -0.5% decline from last month, and the lowest since March 2021. Nevertheless this is 2.0% above the most recent inflation rate, meaning average working class families have more buying power.
• Leisure and hospitality jobs, which were the most hard-hit during the pandemic, rose 19,000, which is still -223,000, or -1.3% below their pre-pandemic peak.
• Within the leisure and hospitality sector, food and drink establishments rose declined -7,500, which remains -14,100, or -0.1%, below their pre-pandemic peak.
• Professional and business employment rose 15,000. These tend to be well-paying jobs, But this series has been decelerating, and is currently up 1.0% YoY, its lowest YoY gain since March 2021.
• The employment population ratio declined -0.2% to 60.2%, vs. 61.1% in February 2020.
• The Labor Force Participation Rate declined -0.1% to 62.7%, vs. 63.4% in February 2020.

SUMMARY: With the possible exception of June, this month’s report was the weakest in over 2.5 years, as both the Establishment and Household portions were either weakly positive (the Establishment side) or negative (the Household side). Although the leading numbers in the report were on net positive, taking out the effects of the strike, private job gains were the poorest since December 2020 except for this past June. Gains in leisure and hospitality, hard hit during the pandemic, and the good-paying professional and business sector, were both anemic, as they have been for the past several months as well. Aggregate hours declined, and aggregate payrolls were flat. Unless there is an actual negative print in this month’s CPI report, this means that the real, inflation adjusted buying power of the middle and working classes will decline again. As anticipated via YoY jobless claims, the unemployment and underemployment rates both remained elevated compared with last year, and appear to be in an uptrend.

Comments on October Employment Report – McBride - The headline jobs number in the October employment report was below expectations, and employment for the previous two months was revised down by 101,000, combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio both decreased, and the unemployment rate increased to 3.9%. Leisure and hospitality gained 19 thousand jobs in October. At the beginning of the pandemic, in March and April of 2020, leisure and hospitality lost 8.2 million jobs, and are now down 223 thousand jobs since February 2020. So, leisure and hospitality has now added back about 97% all of the jobs lost in March and April 2020. Construction employment increased 23 thousand and is now 425 thousand above the pre-pandemic level. Manufacturing employment decreased 35 thousand jobs and is now 175 thousand above the pre-pandemic level. Earlier: October Employment Report: 150 thousand Jobs, 3.9% Unemployment Rate In October, the year-over-year employment change was 2.97 million jobs. Typically, retail companies start hiring for the holiday season in October, and really increase hiring in November. Here is a graph that shows the historical net retail jobs added for October, November and December by year. This graph really shows the collapse in retail hiring in 2008. Since then, seasonal hiring had increased back close to more normal levels. Note: I expect the long-term trend will be down with more and more internet holiday shopping. Retailers hired 148 thousand workers Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) net in October. This was about the same as last year and suggests similar real retail sales this holiday season as last year. This was seasonally adjusted (SA) to a gain of 1 thousand jobs in October. Since the overall participation rate is impacted by both cyclical (recession) and demographic (aging population, younger people staying in school) reasons, here is the employment-population ratio for the key working age group: 25 to 54 years old. The 25 to 54 participation rate decreased in October to 83.3% from 83.5% in September, and the 25 to 54 employment population ratio declined to 80.6% from 80.8% the previous month. Both are close to the pre-pandemic levels. The graph shows the nominal year-over-year change in "Average Hourly Earnings" for all private employees from the Current Employment Statistics (CES). There was a huge increase at the beginning of the pandemic as lower paid employees were let go, and then the pandemic related spike reversed a year later. Wage growth has trended down after peaking at 5.9% YoY in March 2022 and was at 4.1% YoY in October. On an annualized basis, wages increased 2.5% in October. Since wages increased sharply last November and December, it is likely YoY wage growth will slow further over the next couple of months. Part Time WorkersFrom the BLS report: "The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.3 million, changed little in October. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs." The number of persons working part time for economic reasons increased in October to 4.28 million from 4.07 million in September. This is below pre-recession levels. These workers are included in the alternate measure of labor underutilization (U-6) that increased to 7.2% from 7.0% in the previous month. This is down from the record high in April 22.9% and up from the lowest level on record (seasonally adjusted) in December 2022 (6.5%). (This series started in 1994). This measure is above the 7.0% level in February 2020 (pre-pandemic). Unemployed Over 26 WeeksThis graph shows the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more. According to the BLS, there are 1.282 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks and still want a job, up from 1.216 million the previous month. This is above the pre-pandemic levels. Through October 2023, the employment report indicated positive job growth for 34 consecutive months, putting the current streak in 5th place of the longest job streaks in US history (since 1939). Summary: The headline monthly jobs number was below consensus expectations and employment for the previous two months was revised down by 101,000, combined. The participation rate and the employment population ratio both decreased, and the unemployment rate increased to 3.9%. This was a weaker than expected report, however the strikes reduced employment by about 30 thousand, and those jobs will likely be added back in November.

Manufacturing Jobs Hit by Strikes. Job Growth Still Decent. We Look at Part-Time Jobs (Plunged), Self-Employment, and Multiple Jobholders | Wolf Richter - The employment data for October shows a decent job market, with a decent increase in jobs, despite the strikes that hit manufacturing, in line with a normal pre-pandemic job market, but off the levels of the super-tight labor market coming out of the pandemic. The household survey showed an increase in workers on salaries and wages, but a decline in the number of self-employed, and a big drop in part-time workers. And hourly earnings of nonsupervisory workers jumped at a rate that confirms 4%-plus year-over-year wage growth. So this is what we’ll look into now. The strikes hit manufacturing employment as they ripple from factories through the supply chains. In October, employment in manufacturing fell by 35,000 jobs, with 33,000 of them in motor vehicles and parts, “largely due to strike activity,” according to the BLS report today. When those people return to work, those jobs are going to re-appear in the data for a little bump. I’m going to post a separate article with lots of employment charts by industry category. But here is manufacturing, where employment, after the huge surge in 2021 and 2022, had flattened out this year, as the economy shifted back to services. The drop in October “largely due to strike activity” is very visible: Employers added 150,000 workers to their payrolls in October, according to the BLS survey of employers. Without strikes in the auto sector, employment might have increased by over 180,000. Either one was below the three-month average of 204,000 workers. In 2019, the three month-average of net job gains was running between 100,000 and 200,000. The chart shows the three-month average that irons out some of the month-to-month ups and downs: Total employment by employers rose to a record 156.9 million workers. Part-timers plunge, self-employed drop, but workers with salaries and wages rise. The total number of workers – including workers with salaries and wages employed by employers, self-employed workers, and part-time workers – dropped by 348,000, driven by a 670,000 plunge in part-time employment, and a 90,000 drop in self-employment. This data come from BLS survey of households, not of establishments, and captures those workers who are not employed by establishments. The number of workers on salaries and wages rose by 64,000 workers to 150.2 million, after a dip in the prior month, per the survey of households. But the number of part-time workers plunged by 670,000, the biggest plunge since the collapse in April 2020. Turning part-time workers into full-time workers — those who want to work full-time — would be a good thing. But before we get all excited about it, these numbers are seasonally adjusted to balance out the big seasonal variations in part-time employment, and those seasonal adjustments can easy go awry. That’s why we look at this stuff with long-term charts so we can see. The BLS defines part-time work as 34 hours per week or less. As the above chart shows, part-time employment is lower than it was before the pandemic in absolute numbers. But part-time employment as a percentage of total employment has been on a long uneven downtrend. In October, the three-month moving average (which irons out some of the month-to-month variability) dipped to 16.8% of total workers. In 2016, it was still above 18%. This long-term trend contradicts the silly meme that the US economy just keeps creating part-time barista jobs.

Which Industries Lost Jobs, Which Gained Jobs? Longer-Term Employment Trends in Charts by Segment By Wolf Richter-- In terms of employment, some industries are red hot, some are slowing, some are dealing with layoffs now after a huge surge in hiring recently, and some are in long-term decline. A declining trend over the years can stem from a structural change, such as changes in demand, or automation, or the shift of retail sales from brick-and-mortar retailers to ecommerce, which replaces typical retail employees (so they decline) with employees in warehousing, transportation, and various technology fields (so they gain).Earlier today, we discussed overall job growth, the plunge in part-time workers, the self-employed, multiple jobholders, and the surging hourly wages of nonsupervisory employees (here), based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now we’re going to look at employment in major industry categories in the private sector and in government. Construction – all types of construction, from powerplants to single-family housing:

• Total employment: 8.0 million
• 1-month growth: +23,000
• 3-month growth: +66,000

Manufacturing: After leveling off in recent months from the post-pandemic boom, employment in October got hit by the strikes in the auto and auto-parts sector, which lost 33,000 jobs in October, “largely” due to the strikes, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Total employment: 13.0 million
• 1-month growth: -35,000
• 3-month growth: -23,000

Mining and Logging:

• Total employment: 646,000
• 1-month growth: +1,000
• 3-month growth: +2,000

Professional and business services, the largest sector by employment, includes Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Administrative and Support, and Waste Management and Remediation Services. Some of the tech and social media companies are included, others are in “Information” (below) or in other categories.

• Total employment: 23.0 million
• 1-month growth: +15,000
• 3-month growth: +40,000

“Information” is a small sector that includes web search portals, data processing, data transmission, information services, software publishing, motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting including over the Internet, and telecommunications. Some of the tech and social media companies with big layoff announcements are included here.The sector has been losing jobs since the peak in late 2022 after the blistering hiring boom during the pandemic. Employment in the sector remains way above the pre-pandemic levels and is roughly where it had been during the peak of the dotcom boom.

• Total employment: 3.03 million
• 1-month growth: -9,000
• 3-month growth: -35,000

'A Historic Agreement': UAW Reaches Tentative Deal With Stellantis -- The United Auto Workers has reached a tentative deal with Stellantis, the union announced on Saturday. The news comes three days after the UAW announced a tentative agreement with Ford. The union has been on strike against the Big Three U.S. automakers since September 15 in its first ever work stoppage targeting all three companies at once. General Motors is now the only one of the three that has not agreed to a tentative deal."We've achieved what just weeks ago we were told was impossible," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video posted on social media. "The power of the Stand-Up Strike cannot be understated."Over the course of the strike, Stellantis raised the value of its proposals by 103%, Fain said."At Stellantis, we not only secured a record contract, we have begun to turn the tide on the war on the American working class," he continued. "And we truly are saving the American Dream."In one of the most notable aspects of the deal, Stellantis promised to add new products to the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, which it had idled eight months ago, putting 1,200 UAW members out of work."UAW members across the country just showed the entire world the power that workers have when they go on strike.""UAW family, it is my great honor to announce that we saved Belvidere," UAW Vice President Rich Boyer said in the video.Stellantis agreed both to add a new vehicle to the existing plant and to add more than 1,000 jobs to a new battery plant in the community."They told us for years that the electric vehicle transition was a death sentence for good auto jobs in this country," Fain said. "We stood up and said, 'No.' With this agreement, we're proving them all wrong."Other highlights of the deal include

• 5,000 jobs saved and 5,000 added;
• A 25% raise over the life of the contract and an 11% raise over its first year, as with the Ford deal;
• A 168% raise for temporary workers;
• A 67% increaase in starting wages;
• An end to wage tiers; and
• The right to strike over plant closures, product, and investment.

"UAW members across the country just showed the entire world the power that workers have when they go on strike, and we have our most powerful tool at the ready to protect our jobs, protect our communities, and save the American Dream," Fain said. Next, the UAW Stellantis Council will vote Thursday, November 2 on whether or not to send the agreement to members. If they vote yes, the membership will then vote on whether or not to ratify it. In the meantime, the approximately 14,000 Stellantis workers on strike will return to work, according to The Associated Press.

General Motors reaches tentative agreement with UAW -(AP) — The United Auto Workers announced Monday that it reached a tentative deal with General Motors, capping a whirlwind few days in which GM, Ford and Stellantis agreed to generous terms that would end the union’s six weeks of targeted strikes, pending approval of the rank and file.The deal UAW President Shawn Fain closed on his 55th birthday is modeled on the ones agreed to with crosstown rivals Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis, and would give workers higher raises than they’ve received in years. If approved, it would also claw back some concessions the UAW agreed to almost two decades ago, when the automakers were in desperate financial shape.Analysts say Fain’s combative stance with the companies paid off for the workers,winning them pay and cost-of-living raises that would top 30% by the time the contracts expire in April 2028. Workers would get an immediate 11% pay bump upon ratification. But analysts say the deals run the risk of forcing the automakers to raise prices beyond those charged by competitors with nonunion factories. And they come at a time when the auto industry is trying to fund a costly and historic shift away from the internal combustion engine to electric vehicles.“The three tentative agreements show the UAW’s power and the car companies’ weakness,” said Erik Gordon, a business and law professor at the University of Michigan. “The companies are trying to figure out how to transition to EVs without losing too many billions of dollars, and now face a huge bump in labor costs for the products that will finance the EV transition.”Fain, the first UAW president directly elected by members in the union’s 88-year history, campaigned against the union establishment by telling workers the companies are the enemy and the UAW would be at war with them. He decried what he called corporate greed, outrageous CEO salaries and a system where the union acted as a business partner with the automakers.“We wholeheartedly believe that our strike squeezed every last dime out of General Motors,” Fain said in a video Monday on X, formerly Twitter.Fain said the agreements are large enough for the UAW to use them to recruit new members at nonunion factories owned by Tesla, Toyota and others.

UAW Settles With Big 3 U.S. Automakers, Hoping to Organize EV Battery Plants -The shift to electric vehicles is looking better today for U.S. auto workers than it did before a strike against the three major Detroit automakers, thanks to agreements that expand the reach of the United Auto Workers to include battery manufacturing plants.But the legacy of the strike—at least as it relates to EVs—will depend on the extent to which the United Auto Workers can use its gains from new contracts to build momentum in organizing nonunion plants, like those operated by Tesla, Honda and Toyota.The union reached a tentative agreement with General Motors on Monday, which follows similar resolutions in recent days with Ford and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler. The UAW made several major gains, including provisions that will ease a path to unionization of workers at battery manufacturing plants, even if those plants are not wholly owned by the automakers.The proposals, which end a strike that began on Sept. 15, still need to be ratified by members. “We’ve said for months, ‘We refuse to allow the EV transition to become a race to the bottom,’” said UAW President Shawn Fain following the Ford agreement. “Corporate America is not going to force us to pick between good jobs and green jobs.”EVs are only 8 percent of sales of new cars and light trucks in the United States, but their share is growing as manufacturers introduce waves of new models and as governments and consumers take steps to reduce carbon emissions. Transportation is the country’s leading source of emissions that contribute to climate change.The Inflation Reduction Act has helped to supercharge investments in EV manufacturing. Much of the investment is at joint ventures between automakers and battery companies, and the UAW was seeking an opportunity to represent this fast-growing part of the automotive supply chain.While the details vary for each automaker, the agreements either add battery plant workers to union contracts or have terms that create favorable conditions for workers unionizing at battery plants. For example, Ultium Cells, a battery manufacturing joint venture of GM and LG Energy Solution, would become part of the GM contract.The Biden administration had said that it wants the jobs related to the transition to clean energy to be good ones, with livable wages and benefits. The IRA includes language to encourage this, using tax credits and other benefits.

Mentor teacher Timothy Tatko arrested in Ohio child sex sting (WJW) — A four-day undercover operation targeting online child predators led to the arrests of 14 people, including a local elementary school teacher and a former patrol officer at a local university. “Operation Spider Web,” headed by the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, ran from Thursday, Oct. 26, to Sunday, Oct. 29, according to a Friday news release from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.Authorities have identified 14 suspects ages 22 to 71, nearly all of whom are from Northeast Ohio, who they say engaged in “sexually explicit online conversations with undercover officers posing as children” on popular social media platforms, reads the release.Timothy Tatko, 55, of Mayfield Heights, is a teacher at Orchard Hollow Elementary School, part of Mentor Public Schools, the district confirmed on Friday. He was arrested in Mayfield Heights, according to prosecutors.“We are still in the process of gathering information related to specific details of the situation,” reads a Friday statement from a district spokesperson. “However, at this point in time, the district has not received any information indicating that anyMentor student was involved in the circumstances leading to the arrest.”Upon learning of Tatko’s arrest, the district placed him on administrative leave and ordered him not to have contact with anyone in the district, pending the results of an internal investigation.“We are taking the allegations very seriously and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement officials working on this case,” the statement continues. “Keeping our students safe is our No. 1 priority and we will do everything we can to protect them.”Another suspect, Warren Grugle, 71, of Northfield, worked as a patrol officer at John Carroll University from 2001 to 2018, the university confirmed on Friday.The suspects traveled to an arranged location in Cuyahoga County, planning to have sex, and were arrested by authorities “without incident,” reads the release. Some were found with condoms, knives, firearms and petroleum jelly, which were confiscated as evidence, according to the release. Among the others arrested were: […] The charges against the defendants range from third- to fifth-degree felonies and include:

• Compelling prostitution
• Attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor
• Disseminating matter harmful to juveniles
• Importuning
• Possessing criminal tools

“Operation Spider Web” was coordinated by Cuyahoga prosecutors with assistance from police departments in Cleveland, Newburgh Heights, Austintown, Streetsboro, Perrysburg, Solon, Independence and Kelly’s Island, sheriff’s offices in Ottawa and Portage counties, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Cleveland FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.

Hundreds of Houston teachers and students protest against right-wing district takeover -- On October 20, hundreds of Houston teachers, students, parents, and supporters participated in a demonstration against changes enacted by state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles. The march was organized by the Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT), which is seeking to let off steam among increasingly radicalized educators, students and their families. Houston Independent School District was taken over by the state of Texas earlier this year, due to low performance at one high school. In June, state Education Commissioner Mike Morath ordered the replacement of the locally elected Board of Trustees with an appointed board, and he replaced the district’s superintendent with Miles. Under Texas law, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which oversees approximately 1,200 school districts and charter schools, can intervene in a school district if schools are academically underperforming. Schools’ grades are based on a series of tests, known as the STAAR tests, taken by students each year. Since assuming the position of superintendent, Miles has initiated numerous changes that have drastically worsened conditions in the district, the largest in Texas and eighth-largest in the US which employs nearly 11,000 teachers who serve roughly 195,000 students. Among the changes are the cutting of over 2,300 positions in the district, changes in the curriculum, and a proposal to base the pay of all teachers on test scores. Miles has implemented a system known as the New Education System (NES), initially at 29 campuses, but which will eventually be expanded to all 274 schools in the district. All principals, teachers, counselors and specialists were required to reapply for their positions. Features of the NES include premade lesson plans and cameras in all classrooms. The schools that are implementing it are experiencing a loss of autonomy. Teachers’ existing salary structure will be eliminated by the 2025-26 school year. Instead of being paid based on experience, teachers will be paid based on their “effectiveness.” Miles’ plan places teachers onto a curve, in which 20 percent are at the top levels, 40 percent are rated as “proficient” and the remaining 40 percent are considered less than proficient. Librarians and media specialists have been eliminated from the NES schools, while the libraries have been turned into disciplinary centers. One does not need an advanced degree to question the effectiveness of such a move. Needless to say, morale among teachers and staff has plummeted. Jessica Campos, a parent who participated in the demonstration, said that parents and teachers feel “bullied,” and said that her daughter’s school “feels very much like a prison.” Maria Benzon, a middle school teacher in the district, said that teachers are in a state of fear. Community activist Ruth Kravetz said that she expects that teachers will eventually go on strike over the changes.

San Angelo Republican says school voucher program is DOA in Texas House without a major increase in public school funding - — After one regular legislative session, and three special sessions, the Texas House appears to be no closer to passing a school voucher program. State Rep. Drew Darby says Republicans are still well short of the votes needed. And the San Angelo Republican says “school choice” already exists in our state right now. “They have successfully tried to market this as school choice. Who would be against school choice? It’s a nomenclature that everybody can support. Everybody supports the ability of parents to decide where their kids go to school. But the reality is, we have that choice now,” Darby told us on Inside Texas Politics. In San Angelo, for example, Darby says students can attend public schools, private schools, a parochial school, a charter school and they have a large home school community. “That is choice. You can do all of that in communities like San Angelo,” he said. The Republican says, instead, this is about the flow of dollars and whether they should be diverted into private or parochial schools. But he also tells us there is a large number of members – Republican and Democrat alike – who want to see public schools fully funded. They argue the state has never properly funded public education and in fact, took billions away during a budget crunch 12 years ago without ever restoring those dollars. And Darby and other school leaders say Texas ranks 43rd in the country in per pupil spending, one of many things he finds objectionable in the school voucher debate. “I also find objectionable any talk of taking public dollars out of public schools and supporting private or parochial schools that don’t have the same accountability, don’t have the same testing, don’t have the same transparency and, quite frankly, don’t have open enrollment policies,” said the Republican. Darby says there is a threshold where reluctant Republicans and Democrats might consider school vouchers. First and foremost, only after school funding is increased. After that, he says they might consider a limited program with certain provisions, such as an evaluation process, testing requirements and open enrollment policies.

Abbot expands special session for voucher, teacher pay debate Abbott opens lane for teacher pay raise talks to coax Texas voucher bill --Just as the Texas Legislature is set to close the books on its third special session this year amid a month-long standstill over state funding vouchers for privatized education, Gov. Greg Abbott has expanded the special session agenda a week before the special session's deadline. Now, legislatures are free to discuss teacher compensation bills on the House floor, something Abbott initially suggested would be reserved for discussion after a voucher bill was passed.There are conflicting reports out of the offices of Abbott and Speaker of the House Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) on just how close the two leaders are to coming to terms on a school voucher bill — a system of funding Abbott has pushed for where parents would be reimbursed for sending their children to private schools rather than publicly-funded education institutions. While Phelan’s office issued a statement Tuesday, October 31, saying his office looks forward to starting conversations on the House floor about a potential voucher bill, Abbott’s office released a statement suggesting a bill has already been drafted. “Working with Speaker Phelan and his house leadership team, the speaker and I reached an agreement on school choice for Texas families, and I am expanding the agenda for Special Session No. 3.” Abbott said in the statement. “The legislation will create an Education Savings Accounts program with universal eligibility for all Texas schoolchildren and will be entirely voluntary for families and schools to participate.”

Texas voucher program: Gov. Greg Abbott claims to have reached deal offering students about $10,400 in Education Savings account - In a statement Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott claimed to have reached a deal with house leadership on school vouchers."Up until (Tuesday), we were in a stalemate," Dr. Mark Jones of Rice University explained. "The House refused to move until the governor put school funding on the special session agenda, and the governor refused to move until the House passed voucher legislation."In a possible ceasefire, Abbott posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he reached a deal with House Speaker Dade Phelan, putting school funding and voucher legislation on this special session agenda.The voucher program would offer all students approximately $10,400 in an Education Savings account. Jones said it is far more expansive than anything discussed to date."Until (Tuesday), the voucher legislation primarily focused on low-income Texans primarily in failing schools. The voucher legislation the governor discussed today would apply to all children and all parents across Texas with no income limits of any type," Jones explained.Late Tuesday, there was no confirmation of a deal from other Republicans, including Phelan. This is something Jones noted was highly unusual.Even if the supposed deal stands, the legislation will still need to pass."No legislation has been filed. All the governor has done is put down a vague expansive wish list that is the most robust." Jones said.

Private schools ready to expand if Texas adopts vouchers -Promise Academy, a Christian private school in northern Tyler, opened about nine years ago to provide low-income families with a low-cost private school education.The mission of the school, which serves kindergarten through fifth grade on one campus, is to provide a Christian education to those who otherwise couldn’t afford it. On average, parents pay $100 a month for the school year. Most students are Black or Hispanic, and 94% are considered low income.Now, with education savings accounts — a school voucher-like program — a priority for Gov. Greg Abbott and some other Republican leaders, the Christian school dreams of expanding to serve more families.“Promise Academy is right now on a waitlist in two of our grade levels, and the desire to serve all those kids is there,” said Sarah Cumming, co-founder and head of school at Promise Academy.If vouchers are approved to allow state money to be spent on private education, leaders of other private schools have the same dream, potentially expanding the reach of programs into relatively underserved areas, particularly in rural parts of Texas.The potential could play a role in the ongoing debate over whether to let families use taxpayer money to pay for private education. Some rural House Republicans remain skeptical of vouchers, saying they would hurt public schools in areas that are little served by private education. Some opponents also see expanding private schools as a threat, siphoning money and students away from public schools that form the backbone of rural communities.According to a Texas Tribune analysis, there are about 1,180 private schools in the state, most of which are concentrated in Houston, Dallas, Austin and other big cities. Houston, the state’s largest city, is home to the most with roughly 150 private schools. To get these numbers, The Texas Tribune used data provided by Texas Private School Accreditation Commission and identified school locations through each school’s website or by phone.Abbott convened a special legislative session earlier this month in large part to pass education savings accounts, but the likelihood of approval appears bleak as Democrats and rural Republicans continue to stand their ground against voucher programs.

Oregon just dropped all graduation standards, failing all of its students in the name of ‘equity’ - In public education’s latest blunder, the Oregon Department of Education has just decided that basic reading, writing and math skills are not required for students to graduate with a high school diploma. Prior to the passage of Senate Bill 744 in the Oregon Legislative Assembly’s 2021 session, the state’s “Assessment of Essential Skills” requirement for high school graduation was sensible: “read and comprehend a variety of text, write clearly and accurately,” and “apply mathematics in a variety of settings.” Students were required to demonstrate these skills by “earning at or above a cut score on the Oregon Statewide Summative Assessment test.” Citing the effects of COVID-19 school closures, however, SB 744 required the state to review “requirements for high school diploma options.” To address learning-loss throughout the pandemic, the bill led to the suspension of Oregon’s essential skills proficiency requirement through the 2023-24 school year. Last month, Oregon’s State Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt an additional extension of this suspension through the 2027-28 school year. Board members, alongside Oregon Department of Education leadership, argued that requiring students to complete standardized tests both presented a “harmful hurdle for historically marginalized students” and represents a misuse of state tests. The Oregon Education Association (OEA), the union representing more than 40,000 teachers throughout the state, is a like-minded opponent of standardized testing. “Standardized tests are inaccurate, inequitable, and don’t accurately measure student learning and growth,” it declares. Further, the union labels standardized tests like Oregon’s Statewide Summative Assessment as “instruments of racism and a biased system.” With this in mind, the OEA’s role in the development of SB 744 is unsurprising. The OEA Special Education Committee “helped to develop…and helped OEA pass…Senate Bill 744 during the last legislative session.” Further, the union brags that SB 744 “passed with OEA member support in the 2021 session” due to “several equity concerns” surrounding Oregon’s essential skill requirements. Since Oregon abandoned its essential skill requirements for high schoolers, graduation rates have skyrocketed. With a graduation rate of 81.3 percent, Oregon’s class of 2022 set a record for the second highest four-year graduation rate ever recorded in the state. Unfortunately, this is not indicative of student skills. Only 43 percent of students in that year’s graduating class were proficient in English, and less than 31 percent were proficient in math. The OEA’s mission statement is clear. In addition to representing its members, the union makes a commitment to “ensure quality public education for students in Oregon.” By advocating for policies that do not require students to learn basic language and math skills in order to graduate, the OEA, alongside the State Board of Education, has placed Oregonian graduates at a significant disadvantage while substantially lowering the quality of public education.

US students need well-paid teachers to rebuild what’s been lost - Students continue to wrestle with the impact of disrupted learning time from the pandemic. Yet despite generations of research proving that teacher quality is the single most important school-based factor in student outcomes, our country continues to allow teacher shortages — which we know are most persistent and acute in schools and districts hit hardest by the pandemic.There’s not a moment to lose to recruit, support and retain more teachers. One simple action, which President Biden named during his State of the Union Address, could go a long way: Give public school teachers a long-overdue raise. It’s a reform that will benefit not just teachers but students as well.Members of Congress looking to boost student performance — and combat pandemic-inflicted learning loss — should support new proposals to make teaching a more economically viable profession. A bipartisan group of governors has done just that and now it’s time for federal policymakers to act.Inflation-adjusted wages for teachers have remained mostly flat since 1996, according to a 2022 Economic Policy Institute assessment. It’s no wonder the proportion of college graduates that go into teaching is at a 50-year low. Even accounting for teachers’ benefits packages, they make 14 percent less than other college graduates.The organization I lead, Teach For America, has 33 years of experience attracting exceptional, equity-oriented leaders early in their careers to teach in rural and urban classrooms. Our analysis points to low pay among the top reasons why young people don’t consider a teaching career. Members of Gen Z want to make a meaningful difference, but they also prioritize financial stability and rightly don’t view teaching as a way to achieve it.For current teachers, low pay is a major barrier to job satisfaction and retention. In a recent survey by the Teacher Salary Project of more than 1,000 teachers — more than half of whom received formal recognition for their achievements in the classroom — just 1 in 5 teachers said their pay was high enough to keep them in the classroom for the medium to long term. More than 80 percent reported currently or previously working another job while teaching. That’s unacceptable.Our country can change this. Rep. Frederica Wilson’s (D-Fla.) American Teacher Act — and a similar bill expected from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — would set a minimum teacher salary of $60,000 as a first step in moving toward livable, competitive wages for all teachers.As we explore these options, we should focus especially on recruiting and retaining teachers in under-resourced schools. There is promising legislation in Congress that does just that: Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) RAISE Act would make teachers eligible for up to $15,000 in refundable tax credits. First-year teachers could access the credits right away, and a sliding scale would provide higher credits for those working in schools with the highest poverty levels.

CCCTC state report card explained in depth - — The Columbiana County Career and Technical Center’s 2023 state report card took centerstage at the October CCCTC Board of Education meeting held Oct. 19. The Ohio Department of Education released its annual report cards for school districts across the state on Sept. 14 with the CCCTC receiving an overall rating of 4 stars. The state scale describes that rating as “meeting state standards.” In the past a letter grade has been issued. This is the first year Ohio schools and districts received overall ratings of 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments, career centers are given those increments in four areas — achievement, post-program placement, graduation rate, and career and post-secondary readiness. According to the ODE, the grade for the CCCTC is not based solely on the performance of the CCCTC, but is based on the performance of the Career-Technical Planning District (CTPD) which is “a local education agency configuration (comprehensive district, compact/contract district, or joint vocational school district) that meets the minimum requirements of law and subsequent standards to offer state-sanctioned career-technical programming.” Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Corbisello explained that results for this report card include CCCTC, Southern Local, United Local, Utica Shale Academy, and Wellsville. The CTPD received three stars with a 75.1 percent overall passage rate. Individually, the CCCTC had a 91 percent passage rate which was then averaged together with the passage rates of the other schools in the CTPD in order to obtain the average. In the measure of post program placement, the CCCTC received four stars with a 94 percent placement rate of graduates who were employed, enrolled, or enlisted. In the measure of career and post-secondary education, the CCCTC received four stars as 65.7 percent of its graduates earned 12-point credentials while 93.1 percent earned at least one credential. The CCCTC excelled graduation rate, the CCCTC received five stars with a 95.5 percent four-year graduation rate and a 98.4 percent five-year graduation rate. The center also excelled in the financial data measure. Corbisello said that while this measure does not receive a rating, it is published so the public can see how schools are spending their funding. Also, the CCCTC spent 73.8 percent of funds on classroom instruction — ranking first of out 13 similarly-sized schools.

American Library Association: Florida joins conservative states severing ties with national library group - — Florida is among the latest conservative-leaning states to sever connections with the nation’s oldest library organization after the nonprofit became embroiled in the ongoing culture war over what books should be available to students.The agency in charge of Florida’s public libraries issued a new rule in October forbidding any grant activities tied to the American Library Association, a 150-year-old organization that aids thousands of libraries across the country with training and funding.The move by the DeSantis administration puts Florida in line with a cadre of Republican states and lawmakers leveling scrutiny on ALA, labeling the group as “toxic” and a “conduit” for exposing children to pornography — claims refuted by the organization and its supporters.Conservatives in a growing number of states, including Alabama, Wyoming, Missouri, Texas and now Florida, have severed affiliations with the ALA, in part over the group choosing a new president, Emily Drabinski, who in 2022 tweeted that she’s a “Marxist.”“I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of @ALALibrary,” Drabinski posted on social media after she became president of the group. “I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity! And my mom is SO PROUD. I love you mom.”She later deleted the tweet and was shocked at the backlash over it.Conservatives also raised concerns about a library bill of rights from the association that opposes efforts to restrict access to books based on age, a nonstarter in states that are attempting to limit what content is available to students in schools, particularly surrounding sexuality, gender and race.Alabama Public Library Service officials, as one example, earlier this monthcalled for Drabinski’s impeachment and urged libraries to disregard the association’s policies in a memo that also recommended the state withdraw its ALA membership. The Texas State Library & Archives Commission took similar actions in August.“Texas should be leading the fight against dangerous Marxist ideology — not subsidizing it,” Texas GOP state Rep. Brian Harrison wrote on social media at the time.

Biden administration calls for all schools to stock naloxone for opioid overdoses - The Biden administration on Monday called for all U.S. schools to stock naloxone and to train students and faculty to be able to administer the medication in the event of an opioid overdose on their grounds. “In the midst of this fentanyl overdose epidemic, it is important to focus on measures to prevent youth drug use and ensure that every school has naloxone and has prepared its students and faculty to use it,” reads a “Dear Colleague” letter signed by Education SecretaryMiguel Cardona and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta. In the letter, Cardona and Gupta noted that 107,000 people died from an overdose last year, which they said is “unacceptably high,” even though 2022 was the first time in years the number began to drop. They made the case that naloxone is safe and can help save lives, and they directed schools to webinars and online portals that contain resources to help educate faculty, staff, parents and community leaders on the benefits of naloxone and on ways to develop “safe, supportive, and drug free learning environments.” “Studies show that naloxone access can reduce overdose death rates, that its availability does not lead to increases in youth drug use, and that it causes no harm if used on a person who is not overdosing on opioids,” they wrote, noting many states have Good Samaritan laws that protect bystanders who help at the scene of an overdose. The push to stock the overdose antidote comes amid new steps from the Biden administration to fight the epidemic and to make naloxone more widely available.It also comes nearly two months after Narcan became the first naloxone antidote to be available over the counter. The Food and Drug Administration first approved its over-the-counter use in March and has since approved a generic version of Narcan, as well as a second brand-name nasal spray, ReVive.

Colleges face competing pressures on campus safety, free speech amid Israel-Hamas war -- Colleges are struggling to balance campus safety for their students and free speech concerns amid the hostile rhetoric around the Israel-Hamas war. As GOP presidential candidates call for the removal of foreign students supportive of Hamas,colleges have been lambasted after some groups on their campuses made statements in support of the terrorist group. But free speech concerns cloud the problem of campus security as debates arise over certain language used by pro-Palestinian students, with some arguing the phrasings support the Palestinian people while others describe them as antisemitic or a call for the genocide of Israelis.At George Washington University, pro-Palestinian students lit up the school’s library with phrases including “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea” and “Glory to our Martyrs.”“There’s nothing wrong with supporting Palestinian identity. There is something deeply wrong when that happens in the context of calls to ‘confront and dismantle Zionism’ or other kinds of clearly, indisputably, antisemitic rhetoric,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Much of the debate over protest language is rooted in the definition of antisemitism, which itself has long been debated in academia, according to American University professor Lara Schwartz, who specializes in dialogue across differences.“The vocabulary is extremely contested here,” Schwartz said. “What constitutes antisemitism, and when critiques of Israel as a country and a government crosses over into antisemitism, is a highly contested area. And it was before Oct. 7.”GOP presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is advocating for the U.S. government to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which includes anti-Zionism — directly tying criticism of the state of Israel to anti-Jewish bigotry.Haley also says the U.S. should take away the nonprofit status of colleges and universities that do not do enough to act against antisemitism, using that IHRA definition.But Schwartz, who is Jewish, said Haley’s proposals are overly broad and attempt to police antisemitism to an extent that is not reasonable.“This just sounds to me like a person doing the politically expedient thing within her party and in our moment,” she said. “A cheap play of attacking universities.”Other candidates have more directly threatened college students who criticize Israel, especially those who show support for Hamas. One of the largest pro-Palestinian student organizations, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), has celebrated Hamas’s attacks.“Any campus group that characterizes terrorism against Israeli civilians as ‘a historic win’ or calls for ‘armed confrontation’ or calls rape ‘a form of resistance’ — I don’t think I should have to say it, but I believe that such organizations making such claims should not be welcome on any college campus, that they create a hostile environment for Jewish students, or Israeli students,” Greenblatt said. The ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law sent a letter to college and university presidents calling for them to investigate the activities of SJP chapters on campuses.“There is no more solemn obligation than securing the safety and well-being of your student body. Currently, Jews across campus are under attack, and for no other reason than the fact that they are Jews. We need University leaders to come together, and state loudly and clearly, ‘Not on our campus,’” the letter reads. “We are asking University Presidents to lead — we must protect Jewish life on campus and ensure that there is no material support being provided to terrorist organizations.”

Cornell student charged with threatening to massacre Jewish students — A Cornell University student was arrested Tuesday and accused of posting threatening statements online about Jewish students at the school, law enforcement officials said.Patrick Dai, 21, a junior from Pittsford, New York, is charged in a federal criminal complaint with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications, according to a joint announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s office, FBI, New York State police and Cornell University Police.It was not immediately clear if Dai had hired an attorney. The federal courts website had not yet been updated with the case. Dai did not respond to a Facebook message and his Cornell email address could not be immediately accessed.The charge carries a possible five-year prison sentence, officials said.The menacing messages, posted over the weekend on a forum about fraternities and sororities, alarmed students at the Ivy League school in upstate New York. The anonymous threats came amid a spike of antisemitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric appearing on social media during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.Dai is scheduled to appear Wednesday in federal court in Syracuse, New York, before a United States Magistrate Judge.Joel M. Malina, vice president for university relations at Cornell University, said the school was grateful for the quick work of the FBI. “We remain shocked by and condemn these horrific, antisemitic threats and believe they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Malina said in a statement.

Colleges under pressure to address antisemitism on campuses - — Governors and political leaders in states are starting to press colleges to take more steps to quell antisemitism amid a surge due to the Israel-Hamas war. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday vowed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism following online threats at Cornell University — the latest in a string of incidents that prompted some officials to threaten to take away funding for colleges that do not step up anti-hate enforcement. “You cannot ignore these threats and hope they go away,” Hochul said. “Talking about them, talking about prosecuting, talking about trying to foster some understanding. There should be a greater sense of empathy for these students.” The Democratic governor’s visit to the Ithaca campus comes after the Anti-Defamation League last week reported a nearly 400 percent increase in antisemitic incidents since the war in the Middle East started Oct. 7. The Council on American Islamic Relations also reported a similar rise in bias incidents against Muslims. The strife has been particularly pronounced on college campuses, with students and staff warning of feeling unsafe and clashing with administrators and protestors. Hochul met with students at Cornell to discuss a series of violent, antisemitic messages that appeared on an online message board, including a threat to shoot up its kosher and multicultural dining room, which is next to the Center for Jewish Living building. State authorities and the FBI were investigating the threats, including one that said, “If you see a Jewish ‘person’ on campus follow them home and slit their throats.” Cornell President Martha Pollack said there have additionally been steps to boost security on campus. “We will not tolerate antisemitism on this campus,” Pollack said. “We will not tolerate hate crimes or threats of violence of any kind.” Just a couple days prior, anti-Israel messages were spray painted on sidewalks across campus. Meanwhile, a Cornell professor also recently drew backlash for describing the Hamas attacks as “exhilarating” and “energizing.” He has since apologized and is now on a leave of absence.

Jewish leaders to Biden officials: ‘We’ve never seen anything like this ever’ - Several prominent Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, gave Biden administration officials recommendations for increasing safety at schools after a spike in antisemitism on college campuses. During a closed-press meeting on Monday, a dozen Jewish leaders met in Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Washington office to discuss steps the Biden administration is taking to counter antisemitism within K-12 and higher education communities. Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Deputy Education Secretary Cindy Marten and Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, were also in attendance. The meeting comes as the Biden administration looks for its role in addressing student demonstrations around the Hamas-Israel conflict that have roiled college campuses, and as groups say they’ve seen an uptick in antisemitism and Islamophobia. “We’ve seen hundreds of pro-Hamas events across the United States. So one of the things that struck me from this meeting is you heard multiple people from the Jewish community say we’ve never seen anything like this ever,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, who attended the meeting. “The level of anxiety expressed by many different people from our community was something I think the secretary and the deputy simply had not heard before,” he said.

As popular opposition mounts, state-backed campaign against pro-Palestinian students intensifies in New York - The escalation of the genocidal assault by the Israeli government against Gaza over the past few days has corresponded with a growth in the groundswell of opposition to Zionism and its imperialist backers. Spontaneous demonstrations erupted in major cities across the world in response to the destruction of Palestinian internet communication systems and the surge in ground operations announced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) systems in Gaza on Thursday and Friday. This weekend saw the largest demonstrations to date against the genocide. Israeli military officials have described the escalation as the “next phase” of what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “war for humanity... against barbarism.” US and NATO imperialist backers of Israel have already begun to send forces to the region in support of the surge, in a conflict that is beginning to engulf the wider Middle East. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported over 8,000 Palestinian deaths since October 7, with electricity and water having been cut off to the area closely following the Israeli assault. On Wednesday, President Biden brazenly downplayed the scale of destruction, cynically implying that official death tolls were intentionally skewed in favor of Palestine. US national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday that there were no “red lines” that the US would impose upon the Netanyahu government with respect to its military operations. The American ruling class has accompanied the Israeli onslaught with an escalation of its attacks on democratic rights. On Thursday, the US Senate passed a resolution by unanimous consent, slandering students for “expressing solidarity with terrorists” and promoting “antisemitism.” While the resolution was proposed by fascistic Republican Senator Josh Hawley, it was voted on by every Democrat and Republican. The resolution specifically named student organizations at Harvard University, the president of the Student Bar Association at New York University and chapters of the Students for Justice in Palestine. With this resolution, the entire political establishment and state have given official backing to an ongoing campaign to brand all opponents of the unfolding genocide on campuses as “anti-Semites.” This campaign has already seen the doxxing of pro-Palestinian students’ personal information as well as calls by corporate firms to bar students who engage in pro-Palestinian speech from employment within their spheres of influence. Reports of violent threats, online harassment and termination from employment resulting from these well-funded smear campaigns have been widespread.

Cornell cancels classes over ‘extraordinary stress’ from antisemitic threats - Cornell University announced Thursday it was canceling Friday classes in the wake of the “extraordinary stress” caused by a series of antisemitic threats posted to an online discussion board earlier this week. In an email to community members at Cornell’s Ithaca and Geneva campuses, Michael Kotlikoff, the vice president for student and campus life, and Christine Lovely, vice president and chief human resources officer, announced no classes will be held on Friday and that faculty and staff — with the exemption of those who provide essential services — will be excused from work, the university’s student newspaper The Cornell Daily Sun reported.“We hope that everyone will use this restorative time to take care of yourselves and reflect on how we can nurture the kind of caring, mutually supportive community that we all value,” the email stated, per The Cornell Daily Sun. The cancellation comes after antisemitic threats were posted to an online discussion board Sunday. Those posts included the Cornell University Jewish center address, threats of violence against the center and specific threats against the kosher dining hall on campus, which was later shut down as result.Citing numerous emails, the Sun reported some professors already offered Zoom class options and messages of support to students earlier this week.Police were dispatched to Cornell’s Center for Jewish Living earlier this week following the threats, and a person of interest was later arrested, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul(D).The university said Tuesday the suspect is a Cornell student who is facing criminal charges. Hochul said the person was being held by the New York State Police for questioning.In a message to students Wednesday, Cornell President Martha Pollack noted that while the threats were “unsubstantiated,” “it adds to the stress” in the campus community. Pollack said Cornell Police will continue to have an increased presence.The FBI was also involved with an investigation into the threats as a potential hate crime, Pollack confirmed.The threats come amid a massive uptick in antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7 incursion into Israel launched by Hamas, a militant group recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and several other countries. Hamas’s attacks against Israel have killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, most of them civilians.The Anti-Defamation League last week said it tracked 312 antisemitic incidents in the more than two weeks since the war between Hamas and Israel began, marking a 388 percent spike over the same period last year.Israel launched a massive bombardment of Gaza following Hamas’s attacks, and more than 8,500 Palestinians in the territory have died in the violence so far, according to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Health Ministry.Tensions over the ongoing violence have reared their head at several college campuses across the U.S., with some students and student groups calling for a cease-fire in order to assist Palestinian civilians under siege.On the other side of the conflict, students have accused their school leaders of not condemning the Hamas attacks strongly enough.

House approves resolution condemning support of Hamas, Hezbollah on college campuses - The House approved a resolution Thursday condemning the support of Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations at higher education institutions, a rebuke of the uproar that has taken place at college campuses in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel last month.The resolution — which the chamber cleared in a 396-23 vote — took aim at colleges that have been embroiled in controversy over responses to the Israel-Hamas war, declaring that the support of Hamas and Hezbollah on campuses “may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff.”It also calls on campus administrators to condemn antisemitism on college campuses; ensure Jewish faculty, students and guests are able to exercise free speech rights guaranteed to others without intimidation; and urges the enforcement of federal civil rights laws meant to protect Jewish students.“Today, the People’s House sent a clear message to the nation: We firmly reject evil, we strongly support Israel, and we will root out the rotten ideologies found in our higher education system,” Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), the sponsor of the resolution, wrote in a statement Thursday.Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the lone Republican to vote against the resolution. He was joined by 22 Democrats, a handful of whom are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.The legislation lists a number of examples across multiple campuses where either professors or students expressed support for Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, after it launched its attack on Israel on Oct. 7.One instance took place at The George Washington University, where pro-Palestine students illuminated on the side of the library messages that said “Free Palestine from the River to the Sea” and “Glory to our Martyrs.”During a pro-Palestinian rally at Cornell University, a professor said he was “exhilarated” by Hamas’s attack on Israel and declared that “Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence,” according to The Cornell Daily Sun. The professor, Russell Rickford, later apologized in a statement “for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress grassroots African American, Jewish and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression.”The resolution also noted that one of the most prominent pro-Palestine groups on campus, Students for Justice in Palestine, released a statement calling for a “day of resistance.”Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.), who is Jewish, slammed the antisemitism that has been seen on college campuses amid the war between Israel and Hamas.“Antisemitism is a persistent, shape-shifting hatred that is an affront to our values as Americans. It should be condemned by all. It has no place on college campuses and universities or in our society,” she said during debate on the House floor Wednesday. “When antisemitism and bias against Jews takes hold on campus, it deprives students of their equal right to an education and it harms everyone in the campus community,”

Students walk out of Hillary Clinton’s lecture at Columbia University --Around 30 students on Thursday walked out of a class led by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) at Columbia University.The protest was related to the Israel-Hamas war. The students protesting, according to a report by The New York Times, were demonstrating over what they saw as the school’s complicity in a truck parked near the campus last week that showed photographs of students who had signed a letter blaming Israel for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The photos of the students were shown under the words “Columbia’s Leading Antisemites.”Students said the photographs were taken from an online platform for students at the School of International and Public Affairs, according to the Times, which is meant to be secure and private.The protest was peaceful and planned, according to the Times. According to a report by the Guardian, the international and public affairs school dean, Keren Yarhi-Milo, who co-teaches the class with Clinton, spoke with the protesting students following the lecture and expressed her support for them, a university spokesperson said. The statement signed by the students said that the “weight of responsibility for the war and casualties undeniably lies with the Israeli extremist government.”The protest at Columbia comes amid a wave of turmoil on college campuses across the country over the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Last week, students at George Washington University (GWU) faced backlash and gained national attention for projecting anti-Israel messages on the side of a library on campus.

1 in 4 US medical students consider quitting, most don’t plan to treat patients: report -A new report on how medical students view the future of their careers has found that a quarter of aspiring physicians in the U.S. say they are considering quitting their studies, with many expressing concerns about their mental health and how they can find a study-life balance. The report “Clinician of the Future: Education Edition,” which was released by the health science and journal publisher Elsevier, surveyed 2,212 students from 91 countries between April and May of this year. “Students are committed to and positive about their education, but with concerns about mental health, study-life balance, combined with external worries such as the rise of misinformation and looming clinician shortages, some are considering quitting their course altogether, while others are thinking about non- patient-facing roles once qualified,” the report stated. Among the surveyed medical students, 60 percent said they were concerned about their mental health, 69 percent said they were concerned about their income, 63 percent expressed concerns about experiencing burnout and 60 percent were worried about how clinician shortages would affect them. Overall, 12 percent of medical students around the world said they were considering quitting their studies. Among U.S. students, this percentage more than doubled to 25 percent. More than half of medical and nursing students — 58 percent — said they viewed their current studies as a stepping stone to careers in health care that don’t involve treating patients. Tate Erlinger, vice president of clinical analytics at Elsevier, said the reasons students were considering leaving were “variable.” “There were several things [that] sort of floated to the top at least that caught my attention. One was sort of the cost, and that’s not limited to the U.S., but the U.S. students are more likely to be worried about the cost of their studies,” Erlinger said. “I think there’s a common sort of chronic feeling of being overwhelmed by the amount of information that they need to obtain,” he added. Erlinger noted that the high percentage of students considering their studies as stepping stones to administrative and support roles was “surprising,” as those sorts of decisions are typically seen later in their careers.

Largest Christian university in US fined record amount - The largest Christian university in the U.S. is facing a record-setting fine from the Department of Education for allegedly deceiving thousands of students about the cost of its doctoral programs. The department announced Tuesday it is fining Grand Canyon University $37.7 million, accusing it of lying to more than 7,500 former and current students about the price of the programs and saying 98 percent of students in them pay more than what is advertised. The Federal Student Aid (FSA) office found the alleged deception went back to 2017, with the school telling students the programs cost between $40,000 and $49,000. Data from the school showed 78 percent paid $10,000 to $12,000 more, according to the department. “GCU lied about the cost of its doctoral programs to attract students to enroll,” said FSA Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. “FSA takes its oversight responsibilities seriously. GCU’s lies harmed students, broke their trust, and led to unexpectedly high levels of student debt. Today, we are holding GCU accountable for its actions, protecting students and taxpayers, and upholding the integrity of the federal student aid programs.” The office said GCU defended its decisions by saying there were disclosures the programs could cost more due to continuation classes. The department rejected that answer, arguing the information was buried in documents and did not cover the “substantial misrepresentations regarding cost.”The department is ordering GCU to fix the misrepresentation and go off the average debt a student incurs from the program. It also is requiring the school to tell current students about how to report violations and concerns about the university to the federal government.GCU released a statement Tuesday denying the allegations and denouncing the administration’s statement. The school said the disclaimer the programs could cost more due to continuation classes is placed prominently in documents for students to see and that federal courts already agreed with it because it recently settled a case with similar allegations. The university contends some of the actions by the department are retaliatory as the GCU has sued the administration to get its for-profit status changed to nonprofit.“To be clear, GCU does not mislead or deceive students in any way. In fact, the opposite is true given that GCU goes above and beyond what is legally required,” the school said. “While the Department requires that universities provide cost estimates only for the first year in college for first-year, first-time students, and only for undergraduate programs, GCU goes beyond these requirements by investing in proprietary technology that provides cost estimates for each year of the program of study and for all of its degree programs, including those at the doctoral level. GCU is looked at by its peers as an industry leader in transparency and its employees have been invited to speak at seven different higher education conferences on these matters.”GCU has 20 days to appeal the decision.

White House reveals draft plans for next student debt relief plan -President Joe Biden is considering canceling student debt for borrowers whose balances have ballooned because of interest accrual, those who’ve been trying to repay for 25 years and students who attended low-performing colleges, administration officials said on Monday. The Education Department on Monday unveiled for the first time the text of proposals for how it plans to construct Biden’s next student debt relief program in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in June striking down his first attempt at mass loan forgiveness. The draft regulatory plans outline what are essentially four separate student debt relief programs targeted at different categories of borrowers. Some of the proposals are for one-time debt cancellation while others sketch out new programs that would provide student debt relief on an ongoing basis. Under the proposals, the Education Department would cancel debts owed by borrowers who have seen their balances balloon to greater than what they originally borrowed because of years of interest accrual. It would also wipe away loans that have been in repayment for 25 or more years. The proposals also call for new student debt relief programs that provide forgiveness to borrowers who attended institutions that leave students with “unreasonable debt loads” or have high student loan default rates. The Education Department also wants to automatically provide loan forgiveness to borrowers who are eligible under existing debt relief programs but haven’t applied. The categories of borrowers are aimed at “providing relief to as many borrowers as possible where the system has failed,” Robert Gordon, deputy director for economic mobility at the White House Domestic Policy Council, told reporters on Monday. The Education Department said it also wants to cancel the debts owed by borrowers facing a “financial hardship,” but it has not yet developed proposals to define what that means. Officials said on Monday that they would solicit ideas from a rulemaking panel on how to structure that fifth plank of the relief program. The draft proposals, which will be presented to a federal rulemaking committee next week, reflect the Biden administration’s strategy of breaking down its next student debt relief program into discrete populations of borrowers rather than its previous, across-the-board program.

IRS announces changes to 2024 retirement contribution limits - The Internal Revenue Service delivered good news for retirement savers Wednesday, announcing that the limit on contributions to 401(k) and other popular accounts will be higher in 2024.The IRS, citing the rising cost of living, boosted the annual individual contribution limits for 401(K), 403(b), most 457 plans and the government’s Thrift Savings Plan by $500, to $23,000.People who are 50 or older can contribute another $7,500 to those plans in 2024 as part of the catch-up contribution program, which will have a limit of $30,500.These plans are typically created for employees to stash tax-deferred dollars in retirement accounts, also lowering their overall taxable income in the process.IRA contributors will be able to invest up to $7,000 in 2024, up from $6,500, with the catch-up contribution limit for those 50 or older set at $8,000.Raising contribution limits allows savers to put aside more money to meet retirement goals, something that is especially helpful for those who are trying to “catch up” later in their careers.Along with contribution amounts, the IRS is also raising phase-out income thresholds for IRA holders:

• For single taxpayers covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is increased to between $77,000 and $87,000, up from between $73,000 and $83,000.
• For married couples filing jointly, if the spouse making the IRA contribution is covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is increased to between $123,000 and $143,000, up from between $116,000 and $136,000.
• For an IRA contributor who is not covered by a workplace retirement plan and is married to someone who is covered, the phase-out range is increased to between $230,000 and $240,000, up from between $218,000 and $228,000.
• For a married individual filing a separate return who is covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range is not subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment and remains between $0 and $10,000.

Child marriage is still legal in most of the U.S. Here’s why. – At age 14, Genevieve Meyer began spending time with a neighbor to get a break from her hectic home life. Her relationship with the neighbor, a 42-year-old divorced father of two, soon turned sexual. Meyer’s mother eventually found out, and she called the police. But she believed that Meyer had “ruined this man’s life” by seducing him, according to Meyer, and the neighbor and Meyer’s mother ultimately decided that he and the teen would get married so that any criminal charges would be dropped. In return, Meyer’s mother would get a cut from the profits of the neighbor’s tree-trimming business. Meyer, now 43, was shocked when her mother told her about the deal. “My immediate response was 14-year-olds don’t get married,” Meyer said. “But I was wrong.” Thousands of children and teens are legally wed in the United States each year: almost 300,000 minors got married between 2000 and 2018, according to one 2021 study by Unchained at Last, a nonprofit that helps women and girls get out of forced marriages. The nonprofit calculated these numbers using marriage certificate data.Most of those minors were 16 and 17 years old at the time they were wed, but children as young as 10 have been forced into marriage, according to Unchained at Last. Girls are far more likely than boys to be married before the age of 18. Out of all the minors that married between 2000 and 2018, 86 percent were girls and 14 percent were boys, per the nonprofit. Most of those girls married adult men. “This is happening every day,” said Fraidy Reiss, found of Unchained at Last. “And some of the reasons are because of these outdated, archaic and dangerous laws that encourage this.”

Infant mortality rate rises for first time in 20 years: CDC - The infant mortality rate in the U.S. rose last year for the first time in 20 years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with significant increases observed in two of the top causes of death. Between 2021 and 2022, infant deaths in the U.S. rose by 3 percent. or 5.6 fatalities per 1,000 live births. The mortality rate for newborns also increased by 3 percent, while the mortality rate for non-newborn infants rose by 4 percent. The CDC noted this goes against a nearly 20-year trend. “The infant mortality rate for the United States rose 3% from 2021 to 2022, the first year-to-year increase in the rate since 2001 to 2002,” the agency’s report stated. “From 2002 to 2021, the infant mortality rate declined 22%.” The mortality rate among infants born to American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic and White non-Hispanic mothers rose significantly more than the overall change, the CDC noted in its report. The changes in mortality rates observed among infants born to Black; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic; and Asian mothers were not statistically significant. Four states were observed as having seen significantly increased infant mortality rates — Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas — while Nevada was the single state to see significant drops in mortality in 2022. Across different age groups of mothers, the infant mortality rate was only observed to rise among women between the ages of 25 and 29 between 2021 and 2022. Mortality rates also rose for all preterm infants, those born before 37 weeks of gestation, as well as male infants. Among the top 10 leading causes of infant death, two rose significantly last year: maternal complications of pregnancy and bacterial sepsis of newborns. The top cause of infant mortality in 2022 was congenital malformations. The agency noted the dataset is provisional and has yet to undergo a more comprehensive review so the final numbers may be slightly different. The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate compared to other developed countries. According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, America’s infant mortality rate is one the top 10 highest among its 38 member states, ranking higher than Canada, the U.K., Australia, South Korea and Japan. Many countries have infant mortality rates that are drastically higher, with India and South Africa reporting more than 25 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births.

Study shows that smoking 'stops' cancer-fighting proteins, causing cancer and making it harder to treat - Scientists at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) have uncovered one way tobacco smoking causes cancer and makes it harder to treat by undermining the body's anti-cancer safeguards.Their new study, published in Science Advances, links tobacco smoking to harmful changes in DNA called 'stop-gain mutations' that tell the body to stop making certain proteins before they are fully formed.They found that these stop-gain mutations were especially prevalent in genes known as 'tumor-suppressors,' which make proteins that would normally prevent abnormal cells from growing. "Our study showed that smoking is associated with changes to DNA that disrupt the formation of tumor suppressors," . "Without them, abnormal cells are allowed to keep growing unchecked by the cell's defenses and cancer can develop more easily."Adler, Reimand and colleagues used powerful computational tools to analyze DNA from more than 12,000 tumor samples across 18 different types of cancer. Their analysis showed a strong link between stop-gain mutations in lung cancer and the telltale 'footprint' that smoking leaves in DNA.The researchers then looked at whether how much someone smoked had an impact. Sure enough, their analysis showed that more smoking led to more of these harmful mutations, which can ultimately make cancer more complex and harder to treat. "Tobacco does a lot of damage to our DNA, and that can have a major impact on the function of our cells," . "Our study highlights how tobacco smoking actually deactivates critical proteins, which are the building blocks of our cells, and the impact that can have on our long-term health."The study also identified other factors and processes responsible for creating large numbers of stop-gain mutations, which are also called 'nonsense' mutations.Some, like a group of enzymes called APOBEC that is strongly linked to stop-gainmutations in breast cancer and other cancer types, occur naturally in the body. Other factors like unhealthy diet and alcohol consumption are also likely to have similar damaging effects on DNA, but Reimand says more information is needed to fully understand how that works.As for smoking, Adler says the findings from this study are an important piece of the puzzle behind a leading cause cancer in the world."Everyone knows that smoking can cause cancer, but being able to explain one of the ways this works at a molecular level is an important step in understanding how our lifestyle affects our risk of cancer," Adler says.

Millions more adults should be screened for lung cancer under new American Cancer Society guidelines - Nearly 5 million additional Americans should be screened for lung cancer, according to an updated guideline released Wednesday by the American Cancer Society (ACS). The update marks the first change to screening recommendations in a decade. The group now recommends annual screening with low-dose computed tomography for men and women between the ages of 50 and 80 who currently smoke or formerly smoked, with a 20 pack-year history. A pack-year is equal to smoking one pack, or about 20 cigarettes, per day for a year. For example, someone who smoked two packs a day for 10 years has a 20 pack-year history, as well as someone who smoked one pack a day for 20 years. A computed tomography scan uses X-rays to make detailed images of a person’s chest, including the lungs. It can help find abnormal areas in the lungs that may be cancer, before they start causing any symptoms. The previous recommendation, from 2013, said screening should be for adults ages 55 to 74 with at least a 30 pack-year smoking history, who either currently smoke or quit smoking less than 15 years ago. Now, though, “for individuals who formerly smoked, the number of years since quitting is not an eligibility criterion to begin or to stop screening,” the organization wrote. While quitting smoking lowers the risk of lung cancer over time compared with continued smoking, the risk is still higher than among people who have never smoked, the ACS wrote. Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in both men and women, and it accounts for 20 percent of all cancer deaths. The death rate has been declining sharply in recent years largely due to tobacco control efforts, but it is still extremely deadly.

Americans carry 'collective trauma' from COVID pandemic, survey suggests The COVID-19 pandemic caused Americans collective trauma, which predisposes to mental illness and chronic illnesses, according to a new online survey from the American Psychological Association (APA). The Harris Poll surveyed 3,185 US adults nationwide for the Stress in America 2023 report from August 4 to 26. "While the early pandemic lockdowns may seem like the distant past, the aftermath remains," APA Chief Executive Officer Arthur Evans Jr, PhD, said. "We cannot ignore the fact that we have been significantly changed by the loss of more than one million Americans, as well as the shift in our workplaces, school systems and culture at large." Respondents aged 35 to 44 years reported the most significant jump in chronic conditions since the pandemic began (58% in 2023, up from 48% in 2019). The same age-group also reported the greatest increase in mental illness (45% vs 31%), most often citing money (77% vs 65%) and the economy (74% vs 51%) as contributing factors. Respondents aged 18 to 34 had the highest rate of mental illness in 2023, at 50%. Although 66% of respondents said they were diagnosed as having a chronic illness, 81% rated their physical health as good, very good, or excellent. Similarly, while 37% of adults said they had a mental illness diagnosis—an increase of 5 percentage points over 2019's 32%—81% said their mental health was good, very good, or excellent. The most common diagnoses were anxiety disorder (24%) and depression (23%). A total of 67% of adults said they didn't think their problems were "bad enough" to cause stress, because others have bigger problems. When asked why they don't seek treatment, adults' top reasons were the belief that therapy isn't effective (40%) and a lack of time (39%) or insurance (37%). Yet 47% said they wish they had help to manage their stress, and 62% said they don't talk about their stress because they don’t want to burden others. A quarter of respondents (24%) rated their average stress level at 8 to 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, in which 1 means little or no stress. In 2019, 19% gave this rating. The rise was noted across all age-groups except for those 65 and older: 34% aged 18 to 34 reported this stress level in 2023 (+8 percentage points from 2019); 31% aged 35 to 44 (+10 percentage points); 22% aged 45 to 64 (+4 percentage points); and 9% aged 65+ (-1 percentage point). Women reported a higher average level of stress than men (5.3 vs 4.8 out of 10) and were more likely than men to rate their stress levels at 8 to 10 (27% vs 21%). Among respondents who reported experiencing at least one act of discrimination, 36% attributed it to their age, 28% to their race, and 22% to their gender. The proportion of parents of children younger than 18 who ranked their average stress level at 8 to 10 rose to 33% in 2023 from 24% in 2019. Parents were more likely than other adults to report having more financial problems in 2023 than in 2019 (46% vs 34%), that money caused family arguments (58% vs 30%), and that they are more likely to feel consumed by worry over money (66% vs 39%). Parents were also more likely to say that their stress is completely overwhelming on most days (48% vs 26%), they are stressed to the point of numbness (42% vs 22%), or are so stressed they can't function (41% vs 20%). "Stress affects all systems of the body, so it is crucial that Americans know the serious impacts of stress and what they can do to reduce the effect of stressors in their life, as well as receive help from their health care providers, workplace and support systems to prevent further health crises," Evans said. And the trauma hasn't originated only from COVID-19. Global conflict, racism and racial injustice, inflation, and climate change–related disasters are also weighing heavy on the American psyche, an APA news release said. Long-term stress is a risk factor for mental illness, may increase sensitivity to daily hassles, can affect life outlook and goals, and alter the body's physiological response to stressors, the APA said. "Coping with long-term stress requires a different set of skills than adjusting to temporary stressors," the APA noted. "Ongoing stress can accumulate, causing inflammation, wearing on the immune system, and increasing the risk of a host of ailments, including digestive issues, heart disease, weight gain, and stroke."

We Want Them Infected: The integration of pseudoscience into the US pandemic response - We Want Them Infected, by Dr. Jonathan Howard, is a significant stand against efforts to rewrite the history of the COVID-19 pandemic and promote the deadly pseudoscience of the anti-vaccine movement. The book opens with the titular quotation from Dr. Paul Alexander, who was an official in the US Department of Health and Human Services during the Trump administration:Infants, kids, teens, young people, young adults, middle aged with no conditions etc. have zero to little risk… so we use them to develop herd… we want them infected…This call for the mass infection of the population was in July 2020, just a few months into the ongoing pandemic that has now killed over 1.2 million people in the US and caused an estimated 27 million excess deaths worldwide.As an individual, Dr. Alexander is a fascist zealot who later went on Alex Jones’ Infowars to rant about how vaccines have tainted the blood supply and call for the public execution of any health officials and politicians who promoted vaccines or infection control measures, all while hawking his own miracle cures. But his call for mass infection was part of a broader attack on public health embraced by a layer of doctors and scientists at leading research institutions, as well as government officials and media personalities across the globe.The intentional infection of children as government policy was articulated by Sweden’s State Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell as early as March 13, 2020. It was then picked up by New York Times commentator Thomas Friedman, who praised Sweden’s approach, writing, “Is this cure [of lockdowns]—even for a short while—worse than the disease?” This phrase—“the cure can’t be worse than the disease”—was immediately seized upon by Donald Trump in the US, Boris Johnson in the UK, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Narendra Modi in India and other fascistic figures.The pseudoscientific justification for herd immunity through mass infection was later given its clearest formulation in the Great Barrington Declaration from October 2020, and it is here that Dr. Howard focuses his book.The central thrust of the Declaration was that people under 65 were unlikely to die from COVID-19, and if they would just live their lives normally and get infected, then the pandemic would end in three to six months as people gained immunity through infection. The organizers of the Declaration went on to found the Brownstone Institute as a think tank to pursue the attack on public health. Howard refers to the collection of doctors and researchers in the broader orbit of the Brownstone Institute as “contrarian doctors.”The main authors of this manifesto of death, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, Dr. Martin Kulldorff of Harvard, Dr. Sunetra Gupta of Oxford and their colleagues emerged as a center of disinformation, quite willing to lie and falsify research to support their goal of undermining basic public health measures.

US survey reveals growing distrust of vaccines, embrace of untruths - A survey of US adults demonstrates eroding confidence in vaccines and more willingness to accept misinformation about vaccines and COVID-19 over the last 2 years, according to results released today by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania.The center fielded its 13th nationally representative public health survey to more than 1,500 adults from October 5 to 12, 2023, finding that the proportion of respondents who believe in the safety of vaccines fell from 77% in April 2021 to 71% in fall 2023. Over the same period, the percentage of respondents who believe approved vaccines are unsafe jumped from 9% to 16%.Although the number of people who accept this misinformation is relatively small, "there are warning signs in these data that we ignore at our peril," said APPC Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson, PhD. "Growing numbers now distrust health-protecting, life-saving vaccines."News organizations, public health officials, scientists, and fact-checkers (including APPC’s project FactCheck.org) have attempted to disprove misinformation about vaccination and COVID-19, yet 26% of respondents said they still believe that the antiparasitic drug ivermectin is effective against COVID-19, up from 10% in September 2021. Other key highlights:

• In total, only 63% believe it's safer to get the COVID-19 vaccine than COVID-19 itself, down from 75% in April 2021.
• Sixteen percent think that administration of higher numbers of vaccines are responsible for rising autism cases, up from 10% in April 2021.
• Two-thirds (67%) say they already have returned to their normal, prepandemic life; 75% say they never or rarely wear a face covering.
• More than 1 in 10 (12%) think vaccines in general contain toxic ingredients such as antifreeze, a significant rise from 8% in April 2021.
• Nine percent of people incorrectly believe that flu shots increase the risk of contracting COVID-19, up from 6% in January 2023.
• Of all respondents, 12% said mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer, up from 9% in January 2023.
• Just half of those surveyed agreed that the seasonal flu shot cannot cause the flu.

COVID vaccines not linked to miscarriages -A new study published in Human Reproduction shows no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination in either male or female partners is linked to early or late miscarriages and that maternal vaccination shortly before conception has no impact on early (less than 8 weeks) miscarriage rates. The study was based on outcomes seen in the Boston University School of Public Health’s Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), an ongoing study that follows participants from preconception through 6 months after delivery. The present study included 1,815 women from the United States and Canada who were followed from December 2020 through November 2022. The women were ages 21 to 45 years and were trying to conceive without the use of fertility treatment at enrollment. Questionnaires were administered at enrollment and every 8 weeks thereafter and asked about general health, gestational health, COVID-19 infections, and COVID-19 vaccinations. Of all participants, 75% had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the time of conception. Overall, 446 (24.6%) participants experienced a miscarriage. The risk of miscarriage was 26.6% among unvaccinated women, 23.9% among women who had received more than one dose before conception, 24.5% among those who completed a full primary sequence before conception, and 22.1% among those who completed the sequence at or less than 3 months before conception. No effect was seen on male vaccination status and miscarriage rates. The study adds to a growing body of literature showing no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines reduce fertility or increase miscarriage risk.

Detecting Covid surges is getting harder, thanks to a contract dispute - A quarter of the nation’s wastewater testing sites — one of the most dependable ways of tracking Covid surges — are shut down indefinitely over a contract dispute. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants to replace the firm it has worked with since 2020 to test wastewater for Covid in order to better direct public health resources. But that firm, Massachusetts-based Biobot, has filed a protest, stymieing the transition. State public health officials bracing for more Covid cases as cold weather arrives — and with little other surveillance data available since most people are no longer testing themselves or are doing so with unreported at-home tests — are worried. “The thing I’m concerned about is continuity of our surveillance data while this protest is playing out,” said Chad Gubala, a wastewater official in Juneau, Alaska. After an open bidding process earlier this year, the CDC decided to replace its longtime contractor, Biobot, with Verily, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, starting in September. But the transition is on pause. And while the Government Accountability Office hears Biobot’s appeal, Verily can’t do its work, according to a company email obtained by POLITICO. A GAO decision is due in January. Bradley White, the principal scientist for the Verily wastewater lab, said that the company is ready to go, with much of its infrastructure already built. “We are committed to working with the CDC to advance the goals of the … testing program, initiate testing on the samples already delivered when allowed to resume work, and make wastewater data available as quickly as possible,” White said.

Sen. Tillis tests positive for COVID -Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Tuesday he tested positive for COVID-19 and would miss votes this week in the Senate. His office confirmed to The Hill he plans to return to Washington next week. Tillis, who planned to host a Halloween “dog parade” Tuesday, said he no longer would be able to attend but suggested Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) could take his place.“Unfortunately I have COVID and won’t be able to kick off today’s Bipawtisan Howl-o-ween Dog Parade. But believe me, it will all work out. I know the perfect person for the job…,” Tillis wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, with a picture of Romney holding a soccer ball and a referee whistle. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a slight dip in positive COVID-19 cases and an increase in COVID-19 deaths. The week of Oct. 15-21 showed a test positivity rate of 8.7 percent, a decrease of 0.7 percent from the previous week. The same week showed the percentage of all deaths due to COVID-19 was 2.7 percent, an increase of 12.5 percent from the previous week. The Biden administration and public health officials have encouraged people to get their updated vaccinations ahead of the winter months.

Coronavirus update through October 30, 2023 --It's been a while since I took a look at the COVID-19 data, and there is an interesting trend, so let’s have at it! But first, some bad news. The most reliable data for infections for the past year has been from Biobot, which tracked wastewater nationwide. Well, they lost their contract, which was won by a Google subsidiary called Verily. And Verily has all but rendered the data useless. In particular, they do not track any aggregate levels of COVID particles in wastewater regionally or nationwide. The sole option they provide is to show individual plants’ data. So there is no way to know what any regional or national trend is. In short, all but totally worthless. The CDC is still providing weekly updates on hospitalizations and deaths. And the data continues to show how COVID is much less virulent than it once was, whether because of mass vaccinations, near universal previous infections, and/or mutations in the virus itself. As to hospitalizations, in the first year of the pandemic, weekly hospitalizations never declined below about 22,000: But in the past year, in every period except last winter - between Thanksgiving and the end of Feburary - hospitalizations have *always* been under 22,000, hitting an all time low of about 6,000 this past summer: Even now, hospitalizations are only about 16,000, about 75% of their level one year ago. The news is even more promising when it comes to deaths. For the last 18 months, deaths have been sharply lower than they were during the first 2 years of the pandemic: During the first 2 years, with the exception of the brief respite during the summer of 2021, deaths never declined below 3,800 per week. But since then, with the exception of one week last January, deaths have never been *above* 3,800 per week. And the news has continued to improve this year. Because the virus displays some seasonality (probably having to do with large winter gatherings indoors), below I break down deaths in 6 and 12 month increments, to show how the death toll has been declining over time. The first number is the 6 month total (in thousands), the 2nd the 12 month total: As with economic data, the 12 month moving average takes away the seasonality issue. And we can see that the 12 month total has been relentlessly declining. Indeed, for the last 12 months it has equaled about an average annual flu season. And here is the breakdown between warmer and colder seasons over time: If this decline in virulence holds for this colder season as well, I would expect less than 50,000 deaths, and perhaps as low as about 30,000. As usual, these are mainly going to be among the elderly and the unvaccinated. One fly in the ointment: it had occurred to me that some of these deaths might be among people who would otherwise have died from the flu, but that does not seem to be an important factor. In the 10 years before the pandemic, an average of 35,000 people a year died from the flu. In 2021-22, only 5,000 died. But in 2022-23, the preliminary estimate from the CDC - with a huge confidence band - is somewhere between 17,000 and 98,000.

Weekly COVID-19 cases up in Ohio for 4th straight week: Coronavirus update for Thursday, Nov. 2 - cleveland.com— The number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio rose slightly this week, making it the fourth week in a row that case numbers have climbed.Case numbers increased from 6,443 last week to 6,818 this week, the Ohio Department of Health reported Thursday.The tally of weekly case numbers rose in August and September, peaking at 9,690 on Sept. 14.The total COVID-19 case count since early 2020 in Ohio has now reached 3,550,831.A total of 7,629,061 Ohioans have received at least one vaccination, representing about 68.7% of Ohioans age 5 and up.There were 221 Ohioans newly hospitalized in the last week, raising the total since the beginning of COVID-19 in 2020 to 144,078. Nov. 2 recap:

• * Total reported cases: 3,550,831, up 6,818.
• * Total reported deaths: 42,800, up 40.
• * Total reported hospitalizations: 144,078, up 233.
• * Total reported ICU admissions: 15,419, up 10.

Oct. 26 recap:

• * Total reported cases: 3,544,013, up 6,443.
• * Total reported deaths: 42,760, up 47.
• * Total reported hospitalizations: 143,845, up 218.
• * Total reported ICU admissions: 15,409, up 10.

What you need to know about the newly dominant COVID-19 variant, HV.1 - Just in time for respiratory virus season, there’s a new COVID-19 variant dominating cases in the United States — and yet another version of the coronavirus that’s already starting to spread overseas. “Virus evolution is what we’re seeing in real time,” said Kelly Oakeson, chief scientist for next generation sequencing and bioinformatics for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. The variant that’s now the most prevalent in the United States, labeled HV.1 by scientists, “is just getting better at getting into our cells. It’s better at making us sick. It’s better at doing what viruses do,” Oakeson said. Here’s what Oakeson said Utahns should known about HV.1:

• It’s more infectious It can definitely infect more people. That’s why we’re seeing it increase in prevalence in the population.
• HV.1 doesn’t appear to be making people more sick than the variant that’s been responsible for most U.S. cases since the summer, EG.5, also known as Eris.
• The symptoms seem to be the same. The severity seems to be the same as EG.5.
• But people are still getting “really sick,” so COVID-19 shouldn’t be considered mild.

I wouldn’t call it severe but I wouldn’t call it mild. Mild seems to instill in people’s minds, ‘Oh, it’s nothing at all. I don’t have to worry about it. it’s not going to cause any serious effects.’ People are still dying from this, I wouldn’t call that mild. People are still getting long COVID from EG.5 or HV.1. I wouldn’t call that mild. People are still ending up in the hospital with this. I wouldn’t call that mild. COVID-19 could kill them ... (or) they could get it, have a runny nose, and be fine. There’s a huge dynamic range there of symptoms and severity. Less is known about an even newer variant, JN.1, that’s so far shown up mostly in Iceland. It’s a mutation of the BA.2.86 variant, also called Pirola, that’s derived from the omicron variant that sent COVID-19 casessoaring to record levels in early 2022.Oakeson said there have been some 178 cases of JN.1 reported worldwide, including 118 in the past 10 days. Besides Iceland, which accounted for about half of the cases as of Oct. 23, countries where JN.1 has been seen include the U.K., France and Portugal, he said.The new version of Pirola was detected in the United States in September, but makes up less than 0.1% of the nation’s COVID-19 viruses, according to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.Oakeson, who initially called Pirola “alarming” because its high number of mutations was similar to what was seen with omicron, is taking a wait-and-see approach with JN.1“We’re definitely watching it. I’m not sure I’m at the same level of concern I was with BA.2.86 just because this one is a descendent of those and we didn’t see that take off in the U.S. like it did in other parts of the world,” the chief scientist said.

People 50 and older saw cognitive declines in the first 2 years of the pandemic During the COVID-19 pandemic, people 50 years and older in a UK cohort experienced significant cognitive decline—even if they were never infected, reveals a study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. University of Exeter researchers analyzed neuropsychologic data from 3,142 participants aged 50 and older before the pandemic (March 2019 to February 2020) and during the pandemic's first (March 2020 to February 2021) and second (March 2021 to February 2022) years. The average participant age was 67.5 years. In the first pandemic year, executive function and working memory were significantly worse across the cohort (effect size, 0.15 for executive function and 0.51 for working memory) and in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; effect size, 0.13 and 0.40) or a history of COVID-19 (effect size, 0.24 and 0.46). In the second year, impaired working memory persisted across the cohort (effect size, 0.47). Risk factors included less exercise (P = 0.0049; executive function) and increased alcohol use (P = 0.049; working memory) across the whole cohort, as well as depression (P = 0.011; working memory) in those who tested positive for COVID-19 and loneliness (P = 0.0038; working memory) in those with MCI. In the second year, less exercise continued to affect executive function across the cohort, and associations persisted between worsened working memory and increased alcohol use (P = 0.0040), loneliness (P = 0.042), and depression (P = 0.014) in those with MCI and reduced exercise (P = 0.0029), loneliness (P = 0.031) and depression (P = 0.036) in those who had COVID-19."It is now more important than ever to make sure we are supporting people with early cognitive decline, especially because there are things they can do to reduce their risk of dementia later on," lead author Anne Corbett, PhD, said in a University of Exeter press release.

Brain health of those 50 and above declined rapidly during the pandemic: Study - A new research, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, claimed to have found evidence which suggests a decline in brain health of those in or over 50s more rapidly during the pandemic. The major research has linked the pandemic to sustained cognitive decline as it claimed that such deterioration can be seen in those who even didn't have Covid. Researchers analysed the results they revived from computerised brain function tests from more than 3,000 participants of the online PROTECT study. All the respondents were based in the United Kingdom and were aged between 50 and 90. The Protect study was launched in 2014 to understand the details of brain function in the elderly for 25 years. The study suggests that during the first year of the Covid pandemic between March 2020 and February 2021, cognitive function and working memory in older adults declined faster. This happened even if they hadn't contracted the virus, and it continued in the next year as well, that is 2022. This trend suggests that the brain's health was impacted months after the initial lockdowns. The researchers wrote in the journal, "We found that people aged 50 years and older in the UK had accelerated decline in executive function and working memory during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the UK was subjected to three societal lockdowns for a total period of six months." "Notably, however, this worsening in working memory persisted in the second year of the pandemic, after the social restrictions had eased. The scale of change is also of note, with all groups – the whole cohort and the individual subgroups – showing more than a 50% greater decline in working memory and executive function," they added.

Unapproved stem-cell therapies marketed to people with long COVID -New research has identified 38 direct-to-consumer businesses marketing stem-cell treatments and exosome therapies for COVID-19 infections and, especially, long COVID, despite lacking approval by US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory body in the United States. Descriptions of the businesses and an analysis of their marketing strategies are published in Stem Cell Reports. The 38 businesses operated or facilitated access to 60 clinics, almost all in the United States and Mexico, the authors said. The businesses were identified via web-based searches including "stem cell COVID treatments," "stem cell clinic treating COVID-19," and "exosome therapy for COVID-19." Once businesses were identified, the researchers, from the University of California, Irvine, tracked how many clinics the companies operated, and they searched social media sites and platforms for the businesses. Twenty-four of the 60 clinics (40%) listed on websites of the identified businesses were in the United States, 22 (37%) were in Mexico, four (7%) were in Ukraine, and two (3%) were in the Cayman Islands. Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates had one clinic each (around 2% per country). Thirty-six of the 38 marketed their stem cell and exosome products as treatments for long COVID, six advertised them as "immune boosters," five claimed to treat patients in the acute infection phase, and two claimed their products were preventive. Twenty businesses (53%) sold umbilical cord blood or umbilical cord tissue–derived mesenchymal stem cells, and 16 (42%) marketed exosomes. Methods for treatment delivery varied, with 58% reportedly using intravenous infusions, and 21% claimed they nebulized their product. Eleven businesses (29%) did not specify how they administered their products, the authors said. Only nine of the businesses clearly advertised how much services cost, with the lowest treatment available at $2,950. The most expensive was $25,000, and the average listed cost for patients was $11,322.Almost all online and social media advertising was aimed toward relieving symptoms of long COVID, including brain fog and fatigue."The patients being targeted by such marketing claims are particularly vulnerable, " said Leigh Turner, PhD, lead author and a bioethics professor in the University of California, Irvine Department of Health, Society, and Behavior in a press release from Cell Press, the journal's publisher. "They're suffering, and in some cases, they've been suffering for a long time, making them highly susceptible to misleading marketing representations and persuasive marketing pitches.” In a conclusion on the study, the authors wrote that, until evidence of efficacy is studied and approved by regulatory bodies, vulnerable patients will be exploited by online businesses.

Did People Die from Covid Because of the Power of Populist Politics? --In the context of the Covid inquiry, I have had my attention drawn to a paper in the British Medical Journal entitled ‘How covid-19 spreads: narratives, counter narratives, and social dramas‘. I won’t summarise the whole paper. Instead, the discussion stood out. In this they summarised their hypotheses when trying to explain why the story that Covid was spread by droplets (meaning that the hand-washing agenda was encouraged) was promoted so hard when it was clear that it was actually aerosol spread – i.e. through the air, meaning that all that hand washing was a near complete waste of time and money.They put forward three ideas before reaching what, I am sure, is their over-arching conclusion. Those three ideas were that this bias was, firstly, psychological. Early on it was decided that droplet dissemination caused Covid and it was very hard to dislodge that idea once it was embedded in official thinking, at least without embarrassment to those who had promoted it.Second, there was scientific elitism. There was a lot of science on droplet spread of disease. Those promoting it did not want to hear alternatives. As the authors noted:The low status of aerosol science in policy circles was perhaps compounded by the relative youth of this scientific field and the inherent technical difficulties of isolating viable virus from the air (resulting in inconsistent findings in air sampling studies, especially when undertaken by non-experts). The science of indoor air quality (for example, how and when to open windows, what kinds of filters to use) might be (wrongly) viewed as unsophisticated compared with much of modern biomedicine.So, even though Covid was aerosol spread and the answer to its spread was to control the condition of the air that we breathe, that has not happened, even now.Third, the bias was practical. Something could be done about droplet spread: there was no preparedness for an aerosol spread virus so nothing could be done. The wrong thing was done instead with a false narrative supporting that wrong action. Finally, there was the fourth reason that I think trumps all the others without dismissing their significance. I will quote the authors:Our fourth hypothesis is political. Droplet precautions are, at least to some extent, under the control of individuals and hence resonate with neoliberal discourses about individual freedom, personal responsibility, and restraint of the state (although the “choice” to distance physically, for example, presupposes sufficient space in which to do so). Airborne precautions require a paradigm shift in policy making, with strategic actions from those responsible for public safety; this approach aligns with a more socialist leaning political discourse and requires considerable up-front investment in the built environment whose benefits may take years to accrue. The WHO’s tweet emphasises how to protect yourself rather than what to expect of your employer, your child’s school, or your government. Relatedly, we hypothesise a role for populism, the modus operandi of which is cherry picking evidence that supports the policy drive and validating anti-science sentiment under the guise of bringing power to people. Populism drew on public desires to return to normalcy and further marginalised aerosol science by depicting its recommended measures as obscure, unaffordable, and an enemy of the public interest.In other words, people died because of populist politics that denied the need for government action to tackle Covid because that did not fit the populist narrative that individual rather than collective action is always superior.I hope this evidence is heard at the Covid inquiry. Elongating the Fossil Fuel Era, One Trick at a Time

Prior COVID infection lowers risk of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in kids --A pair of studies sheds new light on the SARS-CoV-2–related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), with Dutch researchers finding that previous COVID-19 infection helps protect children against the condition, and a US study showing that low-dose corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) were tied to shorter hospital stays and less severe disease. Both studies were published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. For the first study, a team led by Leiden University researchers conducted an international study involving 564 hospitalized pediatric COVID-19 or MIS-C patients from March 2020 to December 2022. The children were from the Netherlands, Curacao, and Surinam. Most children hospitalized for COVID-19 (239/375; 64%) had a respiratory tract infection. About one third of admitted children (136/375; 36%) had primarily nonrespiratory COVID-19 symptoms (eg, fever, gastrointestinal symptoms). Of the 375 COVID-19 patients, 36% required supplemental oxygen, and 9.3% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Risk factors for severe disease were age older than 12 years, a history of neurocognitive developmental abnormalities, and underlying chronic lung conditions. Over one third (36%) of COVID-19 patients were severely ill. Of these patients, 26% were admitted to an ICU, 15 needed mechanical ventilation, 2 received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and 1 patient with severe underlying conditions died. Of the 189 MIS-C patients, 43% had severe illness. All severely ill patients were admitted to the ICU. Five patients required mechanical ventilation, and none died. The gastrointestinal (90%) and cardiac (75%) systems were most often involved. Most COVID-19 cases were from wild-type variant predominance (34%), followed by the Delta period (25%).The incidence of MIS-C was highest during Delta predominance (4.0 cases per 1 million people), with a steep fall-off when Omicron emerged (1.2 per million). No MIS-C cases were documented after July 2022. MIS-C patients younger than 5 years had milder illness than their older counterparts. In the second study, a team led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers obtained data on 233 MIS-C patients at four children's hospitals in Florida, Georgia, Arizona, and Missouri from March 2020 to March 2021. Median age at MIS-C onset was 9 years.The most commonly administered treatments were corticosteroids (88.4%), aspirin (81.1%), IVIG (77.7%), and anticoagulants (71.2%). Compared with patients without respiratory symptoms, those with respiratory involvement were less likely to be given IVIG and steroids on the same day (44.1%). After adjustment for confounding variables, patients given IVIG within 1 day of hospitalization were less likely to have a hospital stay of 8 days or longer (relative risk [RR], 0.53). Patients given low-dose steroids on their first day of hospitalization were less likely to develop ventricular dysfunction (RR, 0.45), have increasingly elevated troponin levels (an indication of heart damage; RR, 0.55), or remain hospitalized for at least 8 days (RR, 0.46). "Patients who received high-dose steroids and aspirin had increased rates of severe outcomes and longer duration of treatment, indicating that patients with severe illness may have been selected for these treatments," the researchers wrote. "Furthermore, treatment with IVIG and low-dose steroids within 1 day of hospitalization lowered the risk of severe outcomes, illustrating that prompt treatment is essential for better outcomes among patients with MIS-C."

Global childhood vaccination rates increase, but not to prepandemic levels --A review of global childhood vaccination coverage published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report shows that routine childhood immunization rates increased in 2022 compared to 2020, but they have yet to reach prepandemic levels in many countries.The new review is an assessment of the World Health Assembly's Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), the 2021 to 2030 global strategy. A central target of IA2030 is reducing the number of children who have not received the first dose of a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis–containing vaccine (DTP) (zero-dose children) 50% by 2030, the authors said.The initial IA2030 implementation was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and estimates show a 40% increase in the number of zero-dose children during 2019–2021, with fewer vaccinations administered in 2021 compared with 2020. In the current study, the authors used the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF's Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) at the national, regional, and global level to show immediate pre- and post-pandemic changes.Estimates of global DTP vaccine coverage increased from 86% in 2021 to 89% in 2022, but it remained below 2019 coverage (90%). Among the 194 WHO countries, 73 (38%) experienced at least a 5% decline in DTP coverage from 2019 to 2021, and only 15 (21%) achieved DTP coverage in 2022 that equaled or exceeded that in 2019.The number of zero-dose children (14.3 million) decreased 21%, from 18.1 million in 2021, but was still 11% higher than the 12.9 million in 2019.For measles-containing vaccines, coverage increased from 81% to 83% in 2021 and 2022, but it remained below the 2019 coverage level (86%). Currently only the Eastern Mediterranean region has returned to prepandemic levels of coverage."Global distribution of zero-dose and incompletely vaccinated children in 2022 highlights equity issues in immunization coverage and ongoing challenges faced by many low- and lower-middle–income countries," the authors wrote.

Children’s hospitals prepare for surge in admissions amid shortage of RSV drug -A supply shortage means a drug that can prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants won’t have a major immediate impact, children’s hospitals said, and they are preparing for a surge in admissions this respiratory disease season. “Widespread access [to the new antibody drug] will take time across many sectors of the pediatric population and won’t have as great an impact on volumes this immediate respiratory season,” the Children’s Hospital Association said in a statement. Nirsevimab, marketed as Beyfortus, was approved in August. It’s a single shot that can be given to infants up to 8 months old and high-risk babies up to 19 months old. The drug is a monoclonal antibody, rather than a traditional vaccine, meaning babies will be able to directly receive antibodies to prevent severe RSV disease, rather than prompting the immune system to develop them. It cuts the risk of hospitalizations in infants by about 80 percent and has been hailed as a game changer. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week urged pediatricians to ration the drug due to supply constraints and prioritize infants at the highest risk of complications. Those include American Indian and Alaska Native children younger than 8 months who live in remote areas, as well as infants born before 29 weeks of gestation and those who are severely immunocompromised. The agency’s Vaccines for Children program, which covers the cost of the shots for uninsured and underinsured kids, paused orders for the 100-milligram dose earlier this month. The 100 mg dose is recommended for babies 11 pounds and heavier until they’re 8 months old. The agency only recently resumed orders for the 50-milligram dose for babies who weigh less than 11 pounds. Sanofi said it was temporarily not accepting new orders for 100-milligram doses but is fulfilling current deliveries. According to Sanofi, which markets the drug, demand has been much higher than anticipated, and it is working with manufacturer AstraZeneca to deliver available doses quickly. A Sanofi spokesman told The Hill the company did not have any updates. Drug shortage experts said they’re puzzled. Unlike other generic drugs, there aren’t any known manufacturing disruptions or shortages of raw materials needed to make the drug. The manufacturer just underestimated demand. “I’m not sure what market research they did, but it’s fairly easy to look at statistics on how many births are a year and to know the timing. … I think it’d be reasonable to use those statistics to understand what the demand is,” said Mike Ganio, senior director of pharmacy practice and quality at the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists.

Study raises questions about efficacy of antibiotics for serious childhood infections A review and analysis of data from previously published studies found high levels of resistance to the antibiotics commonly used for empiric treatment of sepsis and meningitis in babies and children in the Asia-Pacific region, researchers reported today in The Lancet Regional Health–Southeast Asia. Applying a modeling tool to antibiotic susceptibility data from 86 studies, the researchers estimated that many of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) recommended first- and second-line antibiotics for neonatal and pediatric sepsis and meningitis in 11 countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific were less than 50% effective against the pathogens that most commonly cause these infections. Some were less than 30% effective. The findings suggest new regimens are needed to treat children with sepsis and meningitis, which are the leading cause of neonatal and childhood mortality globally. An estimated 3 million children under the age of 5, mostly newborns in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, died from sepsis in 2017. "Whilst we wish to emphasise that our approach is exploratory and amounts to a first approximation, these data call into urgent question the adequacy of coverage currently provided by WHO-recommended first- and second-line antibiotic regimens," the study authors wrote. The aim of the study was to help inform the empiric treatment of sepsis and meningitis in the LMICs of the Asia-Pacific region, where children and newborns are particularly vulnerable to serious bacterial infections and rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While children would ideally be treated with targeted antibiotic therapy based on the results of blood culture and susceptibility testing, such tests are rarely available in LMICs. “Consequently, most serious bacterial infections in neonates and children rely on empirical antibiotic therapy, guided by global policies that often fail to consider the local prevalence of causative pathogens, or increasing AMR,” the authors wrote. And they note that evidence is mounting that the antibiotics recommended by the WHO as first-line treatment for pediatric and neonatal sepsis and meningitis—ampicillin, gentamicin, and the third-generation cephalosporins ceftriaxone and cefotaxime—are becoming increasingly ineffective because of rising resistance. That evidence includes a 2021 analysis that found extremely high rates of resistance to ampicillin and gentamicin in newborns diagnosed with sepsis in seven LMICs across Africa and South Asia. A report published last year by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership found that hospitals in 11 LMICs were relying less on first- and second-line treatments for neonatal sepsis because of resistance, and more on last-resort antibiotics like carbapenems.

Doxycycline tied to lower risk of C diff in pneumonia patients - Treating some pneumonia patients with the antibiotic doxycycline instead of the more commonly prescribed azithromycin can reduce the risk of Clostridioides difficileinfection by up to 45%, according to a study yesterday in theAmerican Journal of Infection Control. Using broad spectrum antibiotics to treat pneumonia is standard practice in US hospitals, but it raises the risk of patients acquiring C diff infections (CDI), which cause roughly 30,000 US deaths each year. In the study, researchers looked at outcomes among 156,107 patients treated for pneumonia in Veterans Affairs Hospitals from January 2009 through August 2022. A pneumonia diagnosis was obtained within 48 hours of hospitalization to ensure that all cases were considered community-acquired pneumonia.Current clinical guidelines recommend azithromycin, as it can treat all types of pneumonia, including Legionella pneumonia. Doxycycline is not effective against Legionella bacteria.Overall, 87% of patients in the study were treated with azithromycin, and 13% received doxycycline. According to the authors, less than 1% of patients developed CDIs within 30 days of treatment, but among patients who had experienced a CDI in the year before their pneumonia diagnosis, 12% developed a newCDI. The authors noted a 17% decreased risk of CDI with doxycycline compared to azithromycin when used with ceftriaxone. But in patients who had a diagnosis of CDI in the year prior to pneumonia, the risk dropped by 45%.

River plastics found to carry pathogenic bacteria, resistance genes - New research conducted in the United Kingdom provides another reason to be concerned about the proliferation of plastic in the environment.In a study published today in Microbiome, a team led by researchers from the University of Warwick found that new and degraded plastics submerged for a week in a river harbored opportunistic "microbial hitchhikers" like Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, as well as a distinct set of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The study authors say the findings highlight concerns that the "riverine plastisphere" could serve as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance."The environmental impact that plastics pose if they act as a reservoir for either pathogenic bacteria or ARGs is aggravated by the persistence of plastics in the environment due to their recalcitrance and buoyancy," the study authors wrote.But the authors also note that the study highlights the potential for opportunistic pathogens and ARGs to flourish throughout the freshwater environment.To investigate the potential for river plastics to serve as vectors for pathogenic bacteria and reservoirs for ARGs, the researchers submerged strips of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)—the type of plastic used for plastic bags, shrink wrap, and thin container lids—for 7 days in the River Sowe, 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) downstream from a wastewater treatment plant. Some of the strips had been heated in an oven for 6 months to mimic the weathering processing that occurs in nature. Pieces of wood were used as a control surface.After a week in the water to establish biofilms on the plastic and wood samples, the researchers extracted DNA from the microbial communities and conducted a metagenomics analysis, comparing the diversity of the microbes that grew on the wood and plastic sample with that of the surrounding water (the planktonic environment).The microbial communities that developed on the plastic and wood were similar to one another but quite different from those in the water samples. On the wood and plastic samples, species like Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Aeromonas predominated, with Pseudomonas being more abundant on the weathered plastic—a finding the study authors suggest could be linked to the release of organic compounds that encourage the growth of specific bacteria.The water samples, on the other hand, were dominated by pathogenic species like Escherichia, Klebsiella, Salmonella, and Streptococcus, which were also found in wood and plastic biofilms but in much lower abundance. The wood and plastic samples also contained more ARGs, and different ARG subtypes, than the water samples. The relative abundance of ARGs was clearly higher in the weathered plastic biofilms than in the other biofilms or the water samples.In an additional experiment, the researchers found that exposing the plastic, wood, and water samples to sub-inhibitory but clinically relevant antibiotic concentrations—the kind that have been found in studies of wastewater and river sediment—increased the prevalence of their corresponding ARGs. But the different microbial communities in the samples were affected differently by each antibiotic.

Researcher: Amazon a time bomb for emergence of diseases with pandemic potential due to deforestation and climate change --Home to the greatest biodiversity on the planet, the Amazon is also a ticking time bomb for the emergence or resurgence of diseases with pandemic potential. This is because environmental degradation and altered landscapes are important factors in this process, which are exacerbated during periods of extreme drought, such as the one now affecting the region. In the Amazon in particular, the paving of the BR-319 highway, linking Porto Velho to Manaus, is a significant source of concern. Conservative estimates predict thatdeforestation around the road will triple in the next 25 years, mainly due to land speculation. This is made worse by the fact that 90% of the area directly affected consists of untouched forest.And deforestation is not a static situation, but dynamic and unpredictable, resulting in the fragmentation of forests, increasing the risk of fires and reducing the biodiversity of the affected areas. The association between human action in the Amazon, climate change, disorganized migration and precarious social development creates a favorable environment for theemergence and resurgence of diseases, it has been shown. The degradation of conserved areas and the diversion of rivers and extreme drought, can, for example, lead to water and food shortages. And this poses a direct threat of malnutrition, affecting the health of local populations and leaving them more vulnerable to known diseases.Lack of clean water and poor hygiene in drought conditions also increase the risk of diseases transmitted by contaminated water and food, such as cholera and hepatitis, and viruses that cause severe diarrhea, such as rotavirus. Making matters worse, the incidence of diseases associated with poor fish preservation, such as rhabdomyolysis (black urine disease)—which is not infectious—also rises during extreme droughts.Global warming is also a critical factor in this process, allowing an increased presence of mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. An increase of just a few degrees in the planet's average temperature can allow them to colonize areas that were previously inaccessible. In regions where they are present, environmental degradation can increase or decrease rainfall periods, favoring flooding and the maintenance of standing water, and facilitating their proliferation. Not surprisingly, vector-borne diseases are classic cases of outbreaks due toenvironmental imbalance. The recent humanitarian crisis of the Yanomami, a tragedy caused by illegal mining, land grabbing and lack of access to health services, is a case in point. In addition to the contamination of water and the environment by mercury, mining activity has created a favorable environment for the reproduction and spread of mosquito species of the genus Anopheles, the transmitter of the protozoan that causes malaria.This is because digging ravines to extract gold and minerals creates pools of water that act as artificial breeding sites. In addition, mining activity increases the human population in these remote regions, which facilitates the spread of malaria. In numerical terms, while between 2008-2012 around 20% of malaria cases occurred in Yanomami territory, between 2018-2022 almost 50% of cases affected this population.

The Other Group of Viruses That Could Cause the Next Pandemic - Whether it begins next week, next year, or next decade, another pandemic is on its way. Researchers can’t predict precisely when or how the outbreak might begin. Some 1.6 million viruses are estimated to lurk in the world’s mammalian and avian wildlife, up to half of which could spill into humans; an untold number are attempting exactly that, at this very moment, bumping up against the people hunting, eating, and encroaching on those creatures. (And that’s just viruses: Parasites, fungi, and bacteria represent major infectious dangers too.) The only true certainty in the pandemic forecast is that the next threat will be here sooner than anyone would like. But scientists can at least make an educated guess about what might catalyze the next Big One. Three main families of viruses, more than most others, keep scientists up at night: flu viruses, coronaviruses, and paramyxoviruses, in descending order of threat. Together, those groups make up “the trifecta of respiratory death,” Sara Cherry, a virologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told me. Flu and coronavirus have a recent track record of trouble: Since 1918, flu viruses have sparked four pandemics, all the while continuing to pester us on a seasonal basis; some scientists worry that another major human outbreak may be brewing now, as multiple H5 flu viruses continue to spread from birds to mammals. The past two decades have also featured three major and deadly coronavirus outbreaks: the original SARS epidemic that began in late 2002; MERS, which spilled into humans—likely from camels—in 2012; and SARS-CoV-2, the pandemic pathogen that’s been plaguing us since the end of 2019. Common-cold-causing coronaviruses, too, remain a fixture of daily living—likely relics of ancient animal-to-human spillovers that we kept transmitting amongst ourselves. Paramyxoviruses, meanwhile, have mostly been “simmering in the background,” says Raina Plowright, a disease ecologist at Cornell. Unlike flu viruses and coronaviruses, which have already clearly “proven themselves” as tier-one outbreak risks, paramyxoviruses haven’t yet been caught causing a bona fide pandemic. But they seem poised to do so, and they likely have managed the feat in the past. Like flu viruses and coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses can spread through the air, sometimes very rapidly. That’s certainly been the case with measles, a paramyxovirus that is “literally the most transmissible human virus on the planet,” says Paul Duprex, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh. And, like flu viruses and coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses are found in a wide range of animals; more are being discovered wherever researchers look. Consider canine distemper virus, which has been found in, yes, canines, but also in raccoons, skunks, ferrets, otters, badgers, tigers, and seals. Paramyxoviruses, like flu viruses and coronaviruses, have also repeatedly shown their potential to hopscotch from those wild creatures into us. Since 1994, Hendra virus has caused multiple highly lethal outbreaks in horses, killing four humans along the way; the closely related Nipah virus has, since 1998, spread repeatedly among both pigs and people, carrying fatality rates that can soar upwards of 50 percent. The human versions of those past few outbreaks have petered out. But that may not always be the case—for Nipah, or for another paramyxovirus that’s yet to emerge. It’s entirely possible, Plowright told me, that the world may soon encounter a new paramyxovirus that’s both highly transmissible andultra deadly—an “absolutely catastrophic” scenario, she said, that could dwarf the death toll of any epidemic in recent memory. (In the past four years, COVID-19, a disease with a fatality rate well below Nipah’s, has killed an estimated 7 million people.)

EPA to Ban Carcinogenic Chemical Found in Degreasers, Furniture Polish -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes to ban a cancer-causing chemical commonly used as a furniture cleaner and degreaser. The ban would prohibit most uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) within one year. Limited remaining commercial and industrial uses would be phased out over a longer period and would require stringent worker protections. “Today, EPA is taking a vital step in our efforts to advance President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot and protect people from cancer and other serious health risks,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “The science is loud and clear on TCE. It is a dangerous toxic chemical and proposing to ban it will protect families, workers, and communities,” McCabe said in an agency news release. In addition to liver and kidney cancer, health risks associated with the toxin include disruption of the nervous and reproductive systems, and damage to fetal development, the EPA said. TCE is used in cleaning and furniture care products, degreasers, brake cleaners, and tire repair sealants. The EPA says safer alternatives exist. The proposal was made under the Toxic Substances Control Act. It would ban manufacturing, processing and distributing TCE for any use. “TCE has left a toxic legacy in communities across America. Today, EPA is taking a major step to protect people from exposure to this cancer-causing chemical,” said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Today’s proposal to end these unsafe, unrestricted uses of TCE will prevent future contamination to land and drinking water and deliver the chemical safety protections this nation deserves,” Freedhoff added. A longer transition to phasing out TCE would be allowed for critical uses by federal agencies, in battery separators used to make electric vehicle batteries and for manufacturing certain refrigerants while the industry transitions to more climate-friendly refrigerants. The chemical is commonly found at Superfund sites as a contaminant in soil and groundwater. Health risks are present even at very small concentrations of TCE, according to the EPA. People who live near facilities where TCE is made and used are at higher risk for developing these health conditions. The EPA is also proposing to allow essential lab use and proper disposal of TCE wastewater to continue for 50 years, subject to workplace protections. The agency will take public comments on the proposed rule for 45 days after it’s published in the Federal Register. The EPA also plans to host a public webinar for employers and workers. Anyone can attend. The date, time and registration information will be announced soon.

EPA says Ann Arbor-area dioxane plume eligible to become Superfund site - Toxic groundwater pollution that has spread in the Ann Arbor area for decades is eligible to move forward toward joining a list of the nation’s most contaminated sites.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency believes the Gelman 1,4-dioxane plume should be included on the National Priorities List, becoming a Superfund site, after a yearslong evaluation of the contamination first discovered in the 1980s at the Gelman Sciences, Inc. medical filter manufacturing facility on Wagner Road in Scio Township, just west of Ann Arbor.Superfund status would open the site to federal oversight over its monitoring and cleanup. The EPA, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, made the announcement on Friday afternoon, Nov. 3, saying the plume would still have to be officially proposed for the list and go through a federal rule-making process to become a Superfund site. However, it is unclear when the Gelman site would be proposed for the National Priorities List, or when the rule-making process could happen. Cleanup advocates have long called for Superfund status for the Gelman plume, arguing federal oversight is the only way to force the polluter to fully contend with the contamination and halt its expansion.The state requested the EPA evaluate the site in 2021, after the urging of residents and officials with Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor and Scio Township, communities which have also litigated against the polluter in Washtenaw County Circuit Court in attempts to accelerate cleanup efforts. Also on Friday, the EPA released a 79-page inspection report on the Gelman plume, accompanied by nearly 450 pages of appendices. It combines analysis of historical data and sampling collected during the inspection, officials said.The report found that concentrations of dioxane originating from the site were more than three times what is typical levels found in the area. The now-defunct Gelman facility’s “unregulated waste handling” created the plume of the industrial solvent, the environmental agency officials said. The pollution has since since spread in groundwater, leaving it unfit for drinking in some areas, and seeped into drinking water wells. Recent sampling carried out independently from a state monitoring program by Ann Arbor and Scio townships has also identified low levels of dioxane, considered a likely carcinogen, in residential wells farther north of the current estimated boundaries of the plume, stoking worries about the pollution’s spread toward the Huron River, Ann Arbor’s main source of drinking water.

How can we avoid drinking forever chemicals and arsenic? - It is found in polar bears and virgin forests. It is in our shellfish, hot cocoa mixes, and kale.What is this omnipresent "it"? "It" is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or forever chemicals, which are used to protect clothing, cookware, cosmetics, and other products from water, grease, or oil. But those chemicals can leach out of those goods to haunt our food, air, plants, and drinking water. So far, scientists have found that PFAS exposure could lead to liver and immune system damage, increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer, birth defects, and other health and environmental problems.And one of the most common ways to ingest these chemicals is throughcontaminated water. "PFAS are typically present at really, really low concentrations," said Kurban Sitterley, a water treatment expert at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). "But they can be carcinogenic even at low concentrations." Luckily, we can extract PFAS and other unwanted contaminants, like arsenic or calcium, from our water using a process called ion exchange. And soon, removing PFAS will not be optional. In June 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its plan to require water utilities to reach near-zero levels of PFAS in drinking water. That means many water treatment facilities will need to upgrade their systems to target this insidious chemical. "And ion exchange technologies," Sitterley said, "are some of the only selective separation technologies we have that can get these forever chemicals out of water." With their new ion exchange model, which the team demonstrated in an NREL report published in September 2023, utilities and researchers can simulate and study different system designs. Utilities can, for example, identify which system might be the most economic option to remove a specific contaminant, like arsenic, calcium, or PFAS. And researchers can tweak the technologies to identify which designs might produce more purified water and less waste, consume less energy, and/or cost less.

Court tosses EPA ban on pesticide linked to brain damage in kids - A federal appeals court on Thursday is tossing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ban on a pesticide that has been linked to brain damage in children.The decision from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to send the rule back to the agency does not preclude the agency from reinstating the ban in the future.But it said the EPA needs to give greater consideration to whether there are cases where the pesticide, called chlorpyrifos, could be used safely. Chlorpyrifos has been used as an insecticide, protecting crops like soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower and fruit trees. The EPA banned chlorpyrifos for use in growing food in 2021. That came after a prior court ruling gave the agency just 60 days to either find a safe use for chlorpyrifos or ban it outright.The appeals court determined that this deadline contributed to a rushed decision from EPA that was ultimately “arbitrary and capricious.”The ruling comes from Judges Lavenski Smith, Raymond Gruender and ​​David Stras, two of whom were appointed by former President George W. Bush and one of whom was appointed by former President Trump.The chlorpyrifos issue has ping-ponged between administrations. The Obama administration had proposed to ban its use on food, but the Trump administration reversed course and hadproposed to allow some uses of the chemical. The court’s decision was met with some Republican cheers, including from Sen. Kevin Cramer(R-N.D.), who called it a “victory for our farmers” in a written statement.

EPA gives a face-to-face update about carcinogenic air pollution in Fort Myers-- Environmental Protection Agency officials met Wednesday with people concerned about a zone of carcinogenic air pollution in a Fort Myers neighborhood where some 3,000 children attend three schools and several day-cares.For more than two and a half hours, the experts showed slides, explained statistics and took questions about the increased risk of cancer around the American Contract Systems plant on Adelmo Lane in central Fort Myers, where medical equipment is sterilized with ethylene oxide.The facility released the cancer-causing gas, known as EtO, unchecked into the air for a dozen years until this summer. Those within about a two-mile fallout zone may have an elevated lifetime cancer risk, which "gradually increases as you get closer," according to the EPA.In July, the company installed three dry bed scrubber filters. "These controls are 99.9% effective in reducing EtO emissions vented from the facility," the agency wrote in a fact sheet distributed before the meeting.At Wednesday's meeting, officials discussed the risks, which are considerable, they said. Though the agency knew the substance is dangerous – it's used to kill pathogens, after all – in 2016 it reviewed the data and found it much worse than previously believed.Agency scientists concluded EtO "was actually 40 to 60 percent more toxic than we thought it was," said Aaryn Jones, emerging contaminants coordinator for the EPA's region 4, which includes Florida. "That was a big moment at EPA ... We're in the jobs we have because we care about communities (so) when that came out, I can tell you a lot of people at EPA became very alarmed."Since then, Jones said, the agency has worked to reduce emissions and educate the public. The agency is also formulating new rules about how the chemical should be handled. The process included a public comment period, which closed just days after Fort Myers was notified of its exposure. (U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds of Naples even asked for an extension, but it wasn't granted.) Chris Boring, whose kids go to Evangelical Christian School, which is squarely in the fallout zone, said the community has trouble trusting the process."Back in 2016, EPA found out about the cancer-causing effects of EtO, and (the Fort Myers plant) pulled the permits to put the scrubbers on, but did not follow through," he said. "Here we are seven years later, and as soon as The News-Press puts out a story, months later, everything is happening. So it shows us that they really didn't care until they were called out.""He also asked how the scrubber filters, their maintenance and effectiveness will be monitored: "Will there be a tracking log to see if these filters are being changed and will there be any testing to assure the scrubbers are still working?"

Study: Fine-Particle Air Pollution Linked To Breast Cancer Risk Women who work and live in places with high levels of fine-particle air pollution are more likely to develop breast cancer than women who live in less polluted areas. The research was presented on Oct. 24, 2023 at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023. Also called fine particulate matter air pollution, fine-particle air pollution is made up of tiny pieces of solids or liquids that are in the air. The particles often include pieces of: dust dirt soot smoke The particles in the air are grouped according to size: coarse, fine, and ultrafine. Coarse particles are 2.5 microns (or micrometers) to 10 microns in diameter – about one to four thousandths of an inch – and are called PM10. They include dust, pollen, and mold. Fine particles are 2.5 microns or smaller in diameter and are called PM2.5. They can be particles from burning things like liquid fuels, coal, or wood; organic compounds, like the compounds in paint that you smell; or tiny pieces of metal. Ultrafine particles are smaller than 0.1 microns in diameter and are small enough to pass through lung tissue and into the bloodstream. Most particles in cigarette smoke are ultrafine. The different-sized particles have different effects on people. In many cases, you can cough or sneeze out some coarse particles. But it’s very difficult for your body to get rid of fine and ultrafine particles. They can get trapped in the lungs and move into other parts of the body. A number of international organizations classify air pollution as a carcinogen. Still, there has not been much research to look for links between air pollution and breast cancer. This French study compared home and workplace exposure to air pollution from 1990 to 2011 in 2,419 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 2,984 women without breast cancer. The women were matched on a number of factors: where they lived where they worked age menopausal status the date when they joined the study, for women without breast cancer, or the date when they were diagnosed, for women with breast cancer. The researchers estimated annual pollution levels of fine- and coarse-particle air pollution levels from information on land use, including types of industry, agriculture, and housing in an area. They then calculated each woman’s average exposure level to air pollution during the 21-year study period. The results showed that the risk of breast cancer increased by 28% when women’s exposure to fine-particle air pollution increased by 10 µg/m3 (micrograms per square meter) or 0.01 ppm (parts per million). This increase in particle concentration is roughly equal to the difference in fine-particle air pollution between urban and rural areas in Europe. This difference was statistically significant, which means that it was likely due to the differences in air pollution exposure rather than just because of chance. Women who were exposed to high levels of coarse-particle air pollution had a 9% increase in breast cancer risk. This difference wasn’t statistically significant. “Our data showed a statistically significant association between long-term exposure to fine-particle air pollution, at home and at work, and risk of breast cancer,” Béatrice Fervers, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Prevention Cancer Environment at the Léon Bérard Comprehensive Cancer Centre, in Lyon, France, said in a statement. “This contrasts with previous research which looked only at fine-particle exposure where women were living, and showed small or no effects on breast cancer risk.”

S. Korea’s malaria cases reach highest level in 12 years - www.koreaherald.com - The number of malaria cases has been rising sharply in South Korea this year, reaching the highest level in 12 years, health authorities said.A total of 719 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were confirmed from January to the second week of October, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.It is the first time that the annual malaria cases have topped the 700 level in a single year since 2011, when the country reported 826 patients.Out of the total cases for this year, 657 were domestic transmissions and 62 were infected from overseas, the KDCA said. After being bitten by a malaria-infected mosquito, patients suffer from symptoms of fever, fatigue, chills, vomiting and headaches.

California confirms 2nd local dengue case -For the second time in 2 weeks, California has reported a local dengue case, this time involving a patient from Long Beach, city officials announced yesterday. The patient has recovered at home, and no other illnesses have been detected. The Long Beach health department is carefully monitoring the situation and has alerted health providers to be aware of dengue symptoms. In a statement, Mayor Rex Richardson urged people to remove standing water from their property and to help control mosquitoes in neighborhoods. Officials also urged the public to avoid bites from Aedesmosquitoes.Anissa Davis, MD, MPH, the city’s health officer, said outreach teams are visiting the neighborhood where the infection occurred. So far, the virus hasn't been found in testing of mosquito populations. The city is coordinating efforts with the California Department of Public Health, the Pasadena Health Department, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.On October 20, Pasadena’s public health department announced a local dengue case, the first in the state. People who contract the virus in locations abroad where the disease is endemic can introduce the virus to local mosquito populations. Earlier this year, Florida, Texas, Maryland, and Arkansas reported local cases. Florida is the only state that regularly reports sporadic cases and has reported 98 cases this year, mostly in Miami-Dade County.

Three states report more avian flu outbreaks, pushing total past 60 million bird mark - Highly pathogenic avian flu outbreaks struck poultry and commercial flocks in three more states, as the number of affected birds since the events began in early 2022 topped the 60 million mark, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said its latest updates.In Alabama, the virus was detected at a gamebird producer in Chilton County that has 296,500 birds, marking the first outbreak at a commercial farm in the state.Elsewhere, the virus struck two backyard flocks in Alaska’s Matanuska Susitna County and a poultry farm in Washington’s Kittitas County.The outbreaks are part of a rise in virus activity that began in early October and have pushed the number of affected birds to a record 60.03 million poultry or other commercial birds across 47 states since the Eurasian H5N1 clade first turned up in US poultry in early 2022.

CWD spreads to deer in 2 more Wisconsin counties -Chronic wasting disease (CWD) had been detected for the first time in two Wisconsin counties, Polk in the northwest and Trempealeau in the west central region, part of continuing spread in a state that is battling the disease in both wild and captive deer populations. In separate announcements yesterday, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed the first positive result from a wild deer in Polk County and a wild deer in Trempealeau County. The Polk County deer is a 3-year-old doe that was harvested by a hunter in the town of Apple River, which is 10 miles from the Barron County border. The Trempealeau County deer is also a 3-year-old doe, which was harvested in the town of Hale.The new positives lift the number of Wisconsin counties that have reported CWD to 62 of 72. During the 2022-23 testing season, four counties reported their first CWD detections, according to the MilwaukeeJournal Sentinel. During the same season, CWD turned up on deer farms in Dodge and Lincoln counties. Wisconsin has been monitoring for CWD since 1999 and confirmed its first case in 2002. The DNR said state law requires it to enact 3-year baiting and feeding bans in counties where CWD has been detected, as well as a 2-year ban in neighboring counties within 10 miles of a CWD detection. In Polk County, the DNR and the Polk County Deer Advisory Council will host a public meeting on November 9 to provide information on CWD in Wisconsin, local testing options, and disease surveillance options that officials are considering. And officials urged hunters in Trempealeau, Jackson, and Eau Claire counties to help officials determine where CWD is occurring by having their deer tested.CWD is a fatal prion disease, similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow" disease) that affects deer and other cervids. The disease can spread among animals through direct contact or from exposure to prion-infected saliva, blood, feces, or urine.Though the disease isn't known to have infected people, health officials urge people to avoid eating contaminated meat and to use precautions when field-dressing deer.

Michigan reports first CWD detection in Ogemaw County -The Michigan Department of Natural Resource (DNR) yesterday reported the first detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a deer in Ogemaw County, which is in the north central part of the lower peninsula. The deer was a 4-year-old doe that was skinny, drooled, and showed no fear of people. The University of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison confirmed the findings. CWD has now been found in 13 of Michigan’s 83 counties. Chad Stewart, MS, the DNR’s deer and elk specialist, said intensive surveillance had been done. "In light of this new detection, we are offering additional opportunities for those interested in getting their deer tested for CWD in Ogemaw County," he said. Officials said a drop box for CWD testing will be available in the area starting November 3. Stewart said CWD isn’t common in Michigan deer, and the hunting community continues to play a key role in helping with testing efforts. The DNR said it regularly tests around areas where CWD is detected as a way to detect the disease early. In 2021, it started a rotational approach, selecting a group of counties for testing each year with a longer-term goal of testing all Michigan counties.The focus this year is counties in the northwestern lower peninsula and a few counties where more herd information is needed. Michigan’s first CWD detection occurred in 2015, and, since then, more than 137,000 wild deer have been tested. The deer in Ogemaw County is the 251st to test positive.CWD is a prion disease that causes neurodegeneration, similar to "mad cow disease," in several cervid species, or members of the deer family. The disease hasn’t been shown to jump to people, but health officials urge people to avoid eating infected animals and to use precautions, such as wearing rubber gloves and minimizing contact with brain and spinal tissues, when processing deer.

Schools shut as toxic smog engulfs India's capital - Schools were shut across India's capital on Friday as a noxious gray smog engulfed the megacity and made life a misery for its 30 million inhabitants. Smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, vehicle exhaust and factory emissions combine every winter to blanket Delhi in a choking haze. The public health crisis has persisted for decades and researchers have blamed the smog for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths across India. Levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles—so tiny they can enter the bloodstream—were on Friday almost 35 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization, according to monitoring firm IQAir. "In light of the rising pollution levels, all govt and private primary schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 2 days," chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Delhi, one of the largest urban areas on the planet, is also regularly ranked as one of the world's most polluted cities. Visible smog is a burden for residents through much of the year, but the problem peaks at the start of winter around the Hindu festival of Diwali. The holy day coincides with the weeks when tens of thousands of farmers across north India set fire to their fields to clear crop stubble from recently harvested rice paddies. That practice is one of the key drivers of Delhi's annual smog problem, worsening the impact of vehicle and industrial emissions. It persists despite efforts to persuade farmers to use different clearing methods and threats of punitive action for those who defy burning bans. Eye-stinging and lung-burning smog peaks from October to February when colder air traps pollution, with residents advised to wear face masks outside at all times. "For the next two months it is going to be worst period," Delhi resident Pradeep Dund told AFP. "We cannot even breathe properly." Authorities regularly announce different plans to reduce pollution, for example by halting construction work, but to little effect. A Lancet study in 2020 attributed 1.67 million deaths to air pollution in India during the previous year, including almost 17,500 in the capital. And the average city resident could die nearly 12 years earlier than expected due to air pollution, according to an August report by the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute. India is heavily reliant on polluting coal for energy generation. Its per capita coal emissions have risen 29 percent in the past seven years and it has shied away from policies to phase down the dirty fossil fuel. The smog is also a major public health issue in neighboring Pakistan, where authorities in the city of Lahore ordered schoolchildren to wear masks during lessons from Thursday to help mitigate health problems.

Death toll mounts after Category 5 hurricane destroys Acapulco, Mexico - The once iconic seaport and resort town of Acapulco in southern Mexico has been devastated by a Category 5 hurricane, after forecasters and authorities failed to see it coming. “We have experienced the end of the world and still have some way to go,” one man told El País, whose reporter Pablo Ferri wrote Saturday, “Acapulco has collapsed. It is no more. We don’t know how many have died.” While the data still needs to be carefully studied, climate scientists and meteorologists cited by the media already point to the most likely culprit: global warming caused by rapidly increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The population center of 1 million looked like a war zone after the eye of Hurricane Otis made landfall in the middle of the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, tearing off roofs, downing power lines and telecommunication towers and leaving hotels, homes and other buildings near the shore as bare skeletons. Working class sections of the city closer to the hills and far from the resorts saw flash flooding and landslides, and the scenes are of utter chaos. Workers are reportedly having to remove the mountains of debris in their neighborhoods themselves, with countless families losing their furniture, appliances and cars. Schools, clinics and markets were destroyed. In a context of already rampant inequality, the socioeconomic impact will be felt for years and affect the poorest disproportionately, as hundreds of thousands of livelihoods have been erased overnight. The official death toll is 43, on top of 36 disappeared. However, Eyder Peralta and James Fredrick from NPR photographed security officials pulling bodies from the water on Friday. One of them said that they had recovered 50 bodies that day and warned they would likely keep finding bodies for weeks. Four days after landfall, much of the population has no water, electricity, gas, running water, food, diapers and other necessities. Small and larger businesses have all been wiped clean, and desperation is setting in. “We don’t even have tortillas to put in our mouths,” Ángel, from Radio Coco, told Animal Político on Saturday. “Many days have passed, and we have yet to receive any aid. We need water, lots of water, and also food. People are already going hungry and were left even without a single blanket at home.” Residents from the poorest neighborhoods wander for hours in search of water, food, fuel and cellphone signals. Lines of people with bottles for gasoline to leave the city run for kilometers and scuffles with police cutting the line have broken out. On the other hand, the government seeks to portray falsely that they have the situation under control. “We are moving very fast,” said Minister of Government Luisa Alcalde to reporters in Acapulco on Saturday, “We have deployed 15,000 troops and will reach all the neighborhoods.”

State of emergency declared in El Salvador due to Tropical Storm “Pilar” - Tropical Storm “Pilar” led to the death of two individuals and left one person missing in El Salvador on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. The storm unleashed torrential rains, strong winds, and caused widespread flooding, prompting a state of national emergency. According to Deputy Director of Civil Protection Fermin Perez, a 24-year-old male and a 57-year-old female were swept away by strong currents in La Union, 200 km (124 miles) east of the capital, San Salvador. Additionally, an 18-year-old male was reported missing at San Diego beach, 40 km (25 miles) south of San Salvador. Fermin Perez advised citizens to steer clear of rivers and streams generated by the storm, warning of the high likelihood of being washed away. A state of national emergency was declared, with the Legislative Assembly granting approval late on Sunday. In response, civil protection agencies established 120 shelters across the nation. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) released data indicating significant rainfall accumulations over the past couple of days. Perquín in Morazán recorded the highest at 2 500 mm (98.4 inches), followed by Concepción de Oriente in La Unión with 2 000 mm (78.7 inches), and other regions experiencing between 900 mm (35.4 inches) and 1 645 mm (64.7 inches). As of 12:00 UTC on November 1, the storm was nearly stationary, situated 175 km (109 miles) SSW of San Salvador and 390 km (242 miles) W of Managua, Nicaragua. It moved at a speed of 2 km/h (1.2 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 996 hPa. tropical storm pilar nhc forecast track 1200 utc on November 1 2023 On the forecast track, Pilar will remain in close proximity to the coast of Central America through this morning, but the core of the storm is expected to remain offshore. A Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect along the Pacific coast of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. According to forecasts, Pilar is expected to produce a additional 127 to 254 mm (5 to 10 inches) of rainfall, with local amounts up to 381 mm (15 inches), impacting regions from southern El Salvador to northern Costa Rica. This will likely exacerbate the already severe flooding and trigger additional mudslides. Swells generated by Pilar will likely result in life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the Pacific coast for the next couple of days.

Storm Ciarán is breaking records and research suggests more severe weather in future -- Storm Ciarán made landfall in south-west England and northern France overnight on November 1, with heavy rain and winds blowing up to 180 kilometers per hour (108 mph). Storm Ciarán prompted amber and yellow weather warnings from the UK Met office and red weather warnings from Metéo France. High winds have disrupted travel, blocked roads and drains with debris and damaged overhead lines, leaving over a million people without electricity in both countries. Given how early Ciarán arrived in the winter storm season, trees are still in leaf and anchored in soil that is waterlogged from recent wet weather, putting many trees at risk of being uprooted. Flood warnings were issued across the south of the UK and some parts of the east coast as heavy rain has met with sodden ground and already swollen rivers. Storm Ciarán is an extra-tropical cyclone (in other words, a rotating storm which forms outside the tropics) and unusual among North Atlantic storms, which rarely produce both heavy rain and high winds over large areas. Low pressure in the eye of the cyclone deepened rapidly as it moved over the UK, dropping by more than 24 millibars in 24 hours to a near-record low of 953 millibars. This is what meteorologists call a bomb cyclone. Only two events with similarly low pressure have been recorded this far south in the UK. Satellite images taken the day before the storm hit suggested a sting jet(a stream of air that can form within a storm and produce extremely intense winds over a very small area) was forming that could strike the north of France. Ciarán is the UK's third named storm in a winter storm season that is shaping up to be exceptionally turbulent. The first named storm was in September (Agnes), which is very early. And the UK also had a named storm in August 2023 (Antoni), which is highly unusual. Large parts of the UK saw twice the average amount of rainfall in October too, largely due to Storm Babet that flooded parts of the north of England and Scotland and left around 100,000 people without electricity. In the lead up to Storm Ciarán, severe flood damage was reported in Newry in Northern Ireland and Wexford in Ireland. The succession of storms since August 2023 has been driven by an unusually strong jet stream that has shifted further south than is typical for this time of year. A stronger jet stream can make storms more powerful, and a more southerly position means that storms are warmer and carry more moisture and energy, making rapid intensification more likely.Similar conditions were present for Storm Babet, though Babet became cut off from the jet stream instead, causing it to stall over the UK. Such slow-moving storms can produce more persistent rainfall over one region and cause flooding and are predicted to become more common in a warmer climate.The boundary between polar and tropical air masses is further south than normal for this time of year due to anomalously warm sea surface temperatures in the western Atlantic, coupled with anomalously cold conditions in the southeastern US. This has fueled successive storms over northern Europe.The unusual strength and position of the jet stream is probably a result of the positive phase of the El Niño southern oscillation, a natural cycle in Earth's climate which brings higher sea surface temperatures to the western Pacific. El Niño also contributed to the UK's extremely wet and windy 2013/14 winter season and often causes extremely low temperatures over North America and windy and wet conditions in Europe.

Storm Ciaran: Death toll rises to 16 after heavy rain and record winds batter Western Europe - The death toll from Storm Ciaran, which has led to heavy rains and record winds across Western Europe, rose to at least 16, on Friday (Nov 3). Meanwhile, large areas of Tuscany, Italy were also hit by flooding prompting officials to declare a state of emergency after weather specialists reported record rainfall. At least six people have been killed in the central Tuscany region, said the Italian officials, on Friday after heavy winds and rain hit central Italy. The extreme conditions were directly linked to Storm Ciaran. In Tuscany, cars were seen swept away after River Bisenzio flooded and people climbed on roofs to escape the deluge, reported BBC. Rescue services in Italy also received dozens of calls about incidents across the region to help motorists stranded in flooded tunnels or hemmed in due to fallen trees amid strong winds. Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani described the heavy rain as “unprecedented” and following a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for the worst-hit areas of the region. Among those dead was an 85-year-old man found drowned on the ground floor of his house in Montemurlo, northwest of Florence. Around 190 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in the historic city of Florence, reported Reuters. In Campi Bisenzio, ground floor properties were damaged, parked cars were half-submerged and rescue officials navigated flooded streets with rubber boats. Florence Mayor Dario Nardella described the situation as “critical” as the level of the Arno River continued to rise. In the Italian city, a man and his wife were found dead after their car overturned in Vinci, to the west of Florence.

2023 El Niño winter: New maps reveal who could see more snowfall | CNN — As the US gears up for a winter heavily influenced by the first strong El Niño in years, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have released maps that offer insight into where snow could pile up.El Niño – a natural ocean and weather pattern in the tropical Pacific – is forecast to reach the most significant level since a very strong El Niño in 2015-2016 fostered the warmest winter on record across the contiguous US, according to NOAA.While no two El Niño winters are the same, the pattern typically brings wetter and cooler weather to the southern US while the north becomes drier and warmer. And that’s exactly what’s expected this winter.However, wetter weather doesn’t necessarily mean more snow. And when it does snow, amounts can vary wildly from one location to the next.This is where the new maps come in. They show where snow is more or less likely during El Niño winters compared to average.There’s just one caveat: these maps are historical guidebooks, not forecasts, for how the season’s snow could play out. An actual snowfall forecast would account for a variety of atmospheric and climatological factors, not just El Niño.“El Niño nudges the odds in favor of certain climate outcomes, but never ensures them,” Michelle L’Heureux, one of the two scientists behind the new maps, explained in a NOAA blog post.The map above depicts how much snow differs from average across all El Niño winters, regardless of El Niño’s strength. The drier trend that’s typical across the northern US shows up well in the tan and brown shading, while the wetter, snowier trend across the southern US appears in the blue shading. This pattern comes from the jet stream’s shift south, pushing storms across the southern tier of the country at the expense of the north. And an increase in storms during the winter means snow is more likely. The stronger an El Niño is, the more amplified its impact becomes. The map below shows the same data for stronger El Niño winters. The pronounced darker hues represent more extreme shifts in snowfall during a strong El Niño compared to an average one. Snowfall during all stronger El Niño winters (January-March) compared to the 1991-2020 average (after the long-term trend has been removed). Blues indicate more snow than average; browns indicate less snow than average. Snowfall during all stronger El Niño winters (January-March) compared to the 1991-2020 average (after the long-term trend has been removed). Blues indicate more snow than average; browns indicate less snow than average. The big snow winners are the mid-Atlantic, the high elevations of the Southwest and California, and the South, albeit with an important caveat. El Niño’s jet stream effect is particularly noticeable in the highest terrain of the West, where cold and snow isn’t usually hard to come by. Mountains in the Southwest and California thrive while the Northwest misses out because of fewer storms. Storms that affect the mid-Atlantic’s snow chances typically take a track along the spine of the Appalachians or push off the coast and become nor’easters. These nor’easters can get “juiced up” by abundant tropical moisture during El Niño and deliver “two to three big snowstorms” on average, according to Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. This could bring above-average snowfall to places like Washington, DC, and Baltimore, where less than an inch fell last winter. Even though the Northeast typically misses out on snow during a strong El Niño winter, all it takes is one massive storm, like a “juiced up” nor’easter, to skew snow totals for the whole season. Snow lovers in the Northwest and Midwest will also have to join their Northeast counterparts in hoping for a big storm. Stronger El Niños have caused less snow than average in the past. Removing snowfall totals from the map and focusing on the number of stronger El Niños with below-average snowfall helps suss out outlier storms. On the map above, darker reds indicate areas that have experienced more years of below-average snowfall during moderate-to-strong El Niño winters. Parts of the typically snowy Midwest and Northeast which also suffer from snowfall deficits jump out clearly, a sign that this may be where El Niño steals the most snow, most often.

How El Niño will affect California Central Coast’s winter | San Luis Obispo Tribune - Most of California could see a wet winter this year — at least that’s what early forecasts are showing, as El Niño conditions push through the Northern Hemisphere. That could leave the Central Coast bracing for another onslaught of rain on the heels of this year’s epic winter, which was fueled by a stream of atmospheric river storms that poured through the middle of the state, one after another, over a three-month period. Weather experts officially declared El Niño in May, meaning a higher potential for another year of above-normal precipitation for the Golden State. “El Niño is active right now,” Jon Gottschalck, the chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at the Climate Prediction Center said. “It’s a strong event.” Since it was officially announced, the chance of El Niño developing from March to May next year decreased to 80%, as of Oct. 12, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. “A strong event doesn’t guarantee strong global impacts, but it does increase the odds that some level of impacts will occur in places with a history of being affected by ENSO,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website. ENSO refers to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Especially on the West Coast, Gottschalck said, precipitation forecasts are highly variable. According to the Water Education Foundation, an El Niño year often brings above-average precipitation, strong atmospheric rivers and wetter conditions to Northern California. As a result, this can cause floods and landslides.However, this can fluctuate.“There’s many cases of El Niño events where it’s actually been drier in California, even though the overall tendency should be for wetter conditions,” Gottschalck said. He added that the rain probability forecasts are modest due to the uncertainty of patterns scientists have seen over history. La Niña refers to the opposite effect when temperatures of the sea are below average. Typically, this causes drier conditions in most of California. But last winter, the state was confronting La Niña and Northern California was drenched from floods and atmospheric rivers, and the Sierra Nevada was blanketed with record snowfall. “That was an anomaly,” Gottschalck said. For other parts of the country, scientists may have more confidence in their forecasts and the weather patterns may be more consistent during El Niño and La Niña patterns, he said. For the West Coast, Gottschalck said, “It can be the opposite of what we expect.”

El Niño may be drying out the southern hemisphere: Here's how that affects the whole planet - It is a well-known fact that water is the key to life on Earth. But it is less well known that only about 1% of all water on the planet is fresh water available to humans, plants or land-based animals.The rest is in the oceans, or locked up in polar ice sheets and rocks. In a climate changing world, the global distribution of that 1% takes on a whole new significance. A new study published in Science has shown that the southern hemisphere has been drying out more than the northern hemisphere over the past two decades (2001–2020). The authors suggest the principle cause is the weather phenomenon known as El Niño, which occurs every few years when ocean water in the eastern Pacific is warmer than usual. The findings are based on data from satellites and measurements of river andstream flows, which enabled the authors to model and calculate changes in water availability. Water availability is the net difference between the amount of water supplied to the landscape, in the form of rainfall on land, and the water removed to the atmosphere by general evaporation or by plants through their leaves. Even though the southern hemisphere has only a quarter of the global land area (excluding Antarctica), it appears to have a substantially greater effect on global water availability than the northern hemisphere. The new analysis reveals a strong decrease in water availability in South America, most of Africa, and central and northwestern Australia. However, some regions such as the southern part of South America will have more water available. South America includes the Amazon rainforest, which is a key regulator for the climate, as well as a globally important habitat for species and home to many Indigenous communities.Drying of the rainforest would reduce vegetation and increase the risk of fire. This would be bad news for humans and animals that live in the forest, and has the potential to release billions of tons of carbon currently locked into forest vegetation and soils.South America is also a major agricultural exporter of soybeans, sugar, meat, coffee and fruits for the global market. Changes in water availability will increase stress on food systems globally.Drying across most of Africa is also a real challenge. This huge continent has many climatic zones and socio-economic contrasts, with often limited resources to mitigate and adapt.Pressures on food systems and habitats will create additional stresses across the continent which is already suffering from increases in global food prices linked to inflation and the war in Ukraine.Yields of the staple cassava have been declining due to droughts. And exports such as coffee and cocoa could also be reduced, leading to a spiral of loss of livelihoods, poverty and hunger.North-west Australia is one of the country's great wildernesses. But it would be a major error to consider the region "empty" and therefore unimportant in terms of drying. (Like most environmental issues and concerns, it is rarely advisable to isolate one aspect from another.) Drying will change vegetation patterns and further increase temperatures, which could be above 35°C for large parts of the year by 2100 if emission rates continue to be high. This would have severe effects on the health of humans and habitats.

Volcanic eruptions found to dampen Indian Ocean El Niño events for up to 8 years -- Volcanic eruptions occurring in tropical regions (23°N/S of the equator) have been linked to abrupt disruption of global-scale climate cycles in the Indian Ocean over the last 1 million years in new research published in Geophysical Research Letters. El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are ocean-atmosphere climate interactions that were found to be disrupted for almost a decade before returning to pre-eruption baseline levels, and the effect increases with greater eruption intensity.The IOD occurs due to an east-west contrast in sea surface temperatures, with cooler than normal temperatures in the eastern Indian Ocean and warmer to the west. During the positive phase, this results in considerable changes to temperature, precipitation and wind patterns in neighboring regions, with floods typically occurring in East Africa and drought in east Asia and Australia. These conditions reverse during a negative IOD phase.Benjamin Tiger, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Sciences and Engineering, USA, and Dr Caroline Ummenhofer, also from WHOI, modeled simulations using Community Earth System Model Last Millennium Ensemble (CESM-LME) and input data from some of the largest historical eruptions, including Samalas (1258), Kuwae (1452), Tambora (1815), Huaynaputina (1600) and Pinatubo (1991). They determined that strong volcanic eruptions in the tropics induce a negative IOD within the eruption year, following by a positive phase the next year and that the effect is significant enough to outweigh the general cooling trend observed in the tropics post-eruption. These positive and negative IOD anomalies last for 7–8 years after the eruption, before the signal returns to pre-eruption conditions. This pattern is further impacted by the phase of another co-occurring climate cycle, the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), which lasts for 20–30 years and occurs over a larger area spanning both hemispheres. During positive phases the tropical Pacific Ocean is warmer and northern regions cooler, with the reverse in negative phases.The researchers found that a negative IPO phase resulted in a stronger negative IOD and the same for a positive IPO/IOD, making tropical Pacific sea surface temperature during IPO a key influence on the strength of initial IOD response.

Violent paroxysms at Klyuchevskoy volcano, Aviation Color Code raised to Red, Russia - Activity at Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka, Russia increased significantly on October 31, 2023, prompting KVERT to raise the Aviation Color Code from Orange to Red. The ash column reached up to 9.8 km (32 152 feet) above sea level and extended for 365 km (226 miles) to the SSE of the volcano. Klyuchevskoy volcano underwent a significant increase in activity on October 31, according to a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) issued at 02:34 UTC by KVERT. The Aviation Color Code was raised from Orange to Red, signifying an increased risk to aviation. Satellite data indicated that the ash column ascended to an altitude ranging between 9.5 km and 9.8 km (31 200 – 32 150 feet) a.s.l., extending 192 km (119 miles) to the southwest. This increased activity was characterized by violent lava fountaining at the summit vent. Jets of lava soared above 500 m (1 640 feet) in height, contributing to the construction of a growing cinder cone within the main crater. In addition to the summit activity, emissions of fluid and incandescent lava from the southeastern Apakhonchich chute have notably increased. These emissions have formed a lava flow that has extended approximately 3.8 km (2.4 miles) from the summit, reaching an elevation of around 2 700 m (8 858 feet). Concurrently, another arm of active lava continues to erupt from a vent on the volcano’s northwestern flank. VOLKSTAT volcanologists visually confirmed two instances of debris avalanches on October 28, which were the result of a partial collapse of the unstable crater terrace. This collapse was due to intense summit eruptive activity and led to the formation of a minor pyroclastic flow along the southeastern flank of the volcano. Subsequent to the flow, dense grey ash plumes, termed phoenix clouds, rose several hundred meters above the volcanic structure. On October 30, 2023, at 20:40 UTC, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in Tokyo reported that ash and gas emissions from the summit crater had reached a height of 10 km (33 000 feet) a.s.l. By 05:10 UTC on October 31, the ash plume had extended 365 km (227 miles) to the SSE of the volcano. At 05:50 UTC on October 31, KVERT stated that ongoing explosive-effusive eruptions continue at the summit, with the potential for ash explosions to reach altitudes up to 12 km (39 400 feet) a.s.l. Such activity poses a significant risk to both international and low-flying aircraft in the region.

Ash cloud produced by eruption at Klyuchevskoy reaches 14 km (46 000 feet) a.s.l., Russia - Significant activity was reported at Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, on October 31, 2023. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red at 02:34 UTC, and satellite data indicated an ash column reaching up to 14 km (46 000 feet) above sea level at 23:10 UTC. Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, experienced significantly increased activity on October 31, 2023. As a result, KVERT raised the Aviation Color Code from Orange to Red. Satellite data revealed that the ash column ascended to altitudes ranging from 9.5 km to 9.8 km (31 200 – 32 150 feet) above sea level, stretching 192 km (119 miles) in a southwest direction. The activity was characterized by intense lava fountaining at the summit vent. Jets of lava were propelled to heights exceeding 500 m (1 640 feet), contributing to the construction of an enlarging cinder cone within the main crater. The Klyuchevskoy volcano located on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia has been constantly spewing sulfur dioxide and ash into the atmosphere over the last several days. pic.twitter.com/Rt95nJasxk Apart from the summit’s activity, emissions of fluid and glowing lava from the southeastern Apakhonchich chute have seen a noticeable uptick. These emissions have led to the formation of a lava flow that has stretched about 3.8 km (2.4 miles) from the summit, reaching an elevation of approximately 2 700 m (8 858 feet). Simultaneously, another arm of active lava continued to erupt from a vent on the volcano’s northwestern flank. The eruption continued through the day and further intensified. Satellite data acquired at 23:10 UTC revealed that the ash cloud rose to 14 km (46 000 feet) above sea level and was extending 1 500 km (932 miles) toward the southeast of the volcano.The summit explosive-effusive eruption of the volcano continues and the Aviation Color Code remains at a Red.

Mount St. Helens experiences largest seismic increase since last eruption ended in 2008, US - Elevated seismic activity has been observed at Mount St. Helens in the United States since July 15, 2023 — representing the largest short-term increase in earthquake rates since the last eruption ended in 2008. No significant changes have been observed in other monitoring parameters and there are no signs of an imminent eruption. Mount St. Helens has experienced a noticeable uptick in seismic activity over the past three months, with more than 400 earthquakes located by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network since July 15. The frequency peaked in late August to early September, recording 40 to 50 earthquakes per week. In recent times, this figure has stabilized at around 30 earthquakes per week. For comparison, the average number of monthly earthquakes since 2008 is approximately 11. The most substantial earthquake during this period registered at a magnitude of 2.4 on August 27. The depth of these seismic events ranged between 2 km and 6 km (1.2 and 3.7 miles) below sea level, translating to approximately 4 to 8 km (2.5 to 5 miles) below the crater floor. Despite the increased seismicity, no alterations have been observed in ground deformation, volcanic gas, or thermal emissions. This recent activity marks the most significant short-term increase in earthquake rates at Mount St. Helens since the last eruption ended in 2008. Yet, the volcano remains at a normal Alert Level, and the Aviation Color Code is still Green. Past seismic sequences with even higher event counts occurred in 1988 – 1992, 1995 – 1996, and 1997 – 1999. None of these sequences led to eruptions. The earthquakes are generally considered to be associated with the pressurization of the magma transport system. This pressurization can be caused by the arrival of additional magma, a process known as recharge. The volcano is fed by magma originating near the base of the crust at depths of about 25 km (~16 miles). This magma then ascends and accumulates in a reservoir situated 4 to 10 km (~2.5 to 6 miles) below sea level. Recharge events can trigger increased stresses that result in earthquakes. There have been no significant changes in hazards at Mount St. Helens as a result of this activity. Mount St. Helens has a complex geological history that spans tens of thousands of years. Prior to its devastating eruption in 1980 (VEI 5), the volcano exhibited a conical shape, earning it the nickname “Fujisan of America.” The 1980 event significantly altered the volcano’s topography by removing the upper 400 m (1 312 feet) of its summit through slope failure. This resulted in a 2 x 3.5 km (1.24 x 2.17 miles) breached crater, which has since been partially filled by a subsequent lava dome. The volcano has seen nine major eruptive periods, with the earliest starting approximately 40 to 50 000 years ago. Its activity during the Holocene epoch has made it the most active member of the Cascade Range, a mountain range that includes several other volcanoes. The older edifice of Mount St. Helens was primarily formed through the eruption of tephra, lava domes, and pyroclastic flows. These eruptions took place before 2 200 years ago and contributed to the mountain’s structure, although few lava flows extended beyond its base at that time. The modern edifice consists of a variety of geological materials, including basalt as well as andesitic and dacitic products, originating from both the summit and flank vents. Eruptions in the 19th century were notably different, originating from the Goat Rocks area on the northern flank of the volcano. These eruptions were among the first to be witnessed by early settlers in the region.

Asteroid 2023 UR10 flew past Earth at just 0.036 LD — 9th closest on record - A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2023 UR10 flew past Earth at just 0.036 LD / 0.00009 AU (13 951 km / 8 669 miles) from the center of our planet at 04:27 UTC on October 20, 2023. This is about 7 580 km (4 709 miles) from the surface. 2023 UR10 was first observed at Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala, Hawaii on October 21 — one day after it made its close approach to our planet. Its estimated diameter is between 2.7 and 6 m (8.8 – 19.7 feet) Since the beginning of the year, our space observatories have identified a total of 86 asteroids whose orbits come within 1 lunar distance from Earth’s center. 2023 UR10 is the 9th closest known asteroid flyby on record (since 1900) and the third asteroid discovered in 2023 to enter the list of the top 10 closest flybys on record. The closest known flyby was that of the asteroid 2020 VT4, which came within 0.00005 AU from the center of Earth on November 13, 2020. The asteroid had a relative velocity of 13.43 km/s and a diameter estimated between 5 and 11 m (16.4 – 36 feet). Another example is 2021 UA1, which ranks as the 2nd closest flyby, coming within 0.00006 AU on October 25, 2021, with a relative velocity of 15.84 km/s and a diameter between 1.1 and 2.5 m (3.6 – 8.2 feet). Alongside 2023 UR10, which is the 9th closest flyby, there are two other asteroids making the list in the same year — 2023 RS and 2023 BU. 2023 RS flew past us on September 7, 2023, at 14:26 UTC, with a nominal distance of 0.00007 AU and a relative velocity of 13.59 km/s. Its estimated diameter ranges from 0.91 to 2 m (2.9 – 6.6 feet), making it one of the smaller asteroids on the list. It ranks 4th in terms of closeness to Earth. 2023 BU flew past us on January 27 at 00:29 UTC. It had a nominal distance of ~0.00007 AU and a much slower relative velocity of 9.27 km/s. Its estimated diameter ranges between 3.1 and 6.9 m (10.2 – 22.6 feet). It ranks 5th on the list of closest flybys.

Climate crisis: carbon emissions budget is now tiny, scientists say --The carbon budget remaining to limit the climate crisis to 1.5C of global heating is now “tiny”, according to an analysis, sending a “dire” message about the adequacy of climate action.The carbon budget is the maximum amount of carbon emissions that can be released while restricting global temperature rise to the limits of the Paris agreement. The new figure is half the size of the budget estimated in 2020 and would be exhausted in six years at current levels of emissions. Temperature records have been obliterated in 2023, with extreme weather supercharged by global heating hitting lives and livelihoods across the world. At the imminent UN Cop28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates there are likely to be disputes over calls for a phaseout of fossil fuels. The analysis found the carbon budget remaining for a 50% chance of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C is about 250bn tonnes. Global emissions areexpected to reach a record high this year of about 40bn tonnes. To retain the 50% chance of a 1.5C limit, emissions would have to plunge to net zero by 2034, far faster than even the most radical scenarios.The current UN ambition is to cut emissions by half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, although existing policies are far from delivering this ambition. If it was achieved, however, it would mean only about a 40% chance of staying below 1.5C, the scientists said, so breaking the limit would be more likely than not.But, they warned, every 10th of a degree of extra heat caused more human suffering and therefore keeping as close as possible to 1.5C was crucial. The new carbon budget estimate is the most recent and comprehensive analysis to date. The main reasons the budget has shrunk so markedly since 2020 are the continued high emissions from human activities and a better understanding of how reducing air pollution increases heating by blocking less sunlight. Prof Joeri Rogelj, at Imperial College London, UK, and one the study’s authors, said: “The budget is so small, and the urgency of meaningful action for limiting warming is so high, [that] the message from [the carbon budget] is dire. “Having a 50% or higher likelihood that we limit warming to 1.5C is out of the window, irrespective of how much political action and policy action there is.” He said it was “remarkable” how much risk humanity appeared willing to take with global heating. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, used updated data and improved climate modelling compared with other recent estimates. It also used the latest figures showing that aerosol air pollution and the clouds it was helping to seed were better at blocking sunlight and limiting heating than previously thought. As a result, lower pollution in future would mean more global heating and therefore a smaller carbon emissions budget to remain under 1.5C.

Top climate scientist James Hansen's new climate warning --A new study warns the Earth's climate is on track to warm significantly more than shown by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) projections. The paper, published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Oxford Open Climate Change, is a synthesis of new and previous discoveries across multiple fields. It is peppered with policy prescriptions, unusual for a scientific paper. The stark warning comes from ex-NASA scientist James Hansen, who is the lead author of the report. In 1988, he famously and accurately warned that human-caused warming would soon emerge from the background noise of natural variability. Should the paper's authors be proven correct this time, the globe can expect more severe extreme weather events, species losses and sea level rise than currently projected.The paper lands as the planet endures its warmest year on record, with sizzling new benchmarks set on land and sea. Each month since May has set consecutive new milestones. Hansen has long straddled the line between scientist and activist. In the new paper, he recommends pursuing a range of policy options, from putting a price on carbon to geoengineering. In this study, he calls on climate scientists to embrace the responsibilities medical professionals have to their patients. He argues they have been too reticent and conservative to lay out the full ramifications of warming. "We are in the early phase of a climate emergency," Hansen writes. The study finds that the warming resulting from doubling carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, also known as equilibrium climate sensitivity, is higher than the current consensus view.The authors calculated a total warming of 4.8°C (8.6°F) for a doubling of CO2, above the IPCC's most recent estimate of 3°C (5.4°F), though not discordant with some previously published work. The paper finds that global warming has been accelerating since 2010 and that this will soon become clear in the data. Specifically, it notes that a warming rate of 0.18°C (0.32°F) per decade, recorded between 1970-2010, will spike to 0.27°C (0.48°F) per decade after 2010. It concludes the quickening pace of warming is not well-handled by computer models. Hansen's findings also put forward that the planet's energy imbalance is growing, with more and more heat trapped in Earth's atmosphere. Hansen and his coauthors argue that immediate and deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions alone won't be sufficient to forestall dangerous levels of climate change. The paper opens the door to endorsing geoengineering, referred to as "climate restoration" in the paper, for a short period of time. This involves deliberately trying to counter warming's effects by modifying the climate in other ways. Michael Mann, a climate researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, told Axios via email that he doesn't believe the authors "have made the case for any of the major claims...or that climate models are getting this wrong." He noted that ocean heat content, a key indicator of the planet's heat budget, "shows a very steady, rather than accelerating, increase." Yet Katharine Hayhoe, a climate researcher and chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy, told Axios the study is an effective communications tool, since it tells people not only how serious things are, but also some possible solutions. She noted reservations about his endorsement of solar radiation management, a geoengineering technique that could decrease the amount of solar radiation coming into the atmosphere. "The fact that he puts the solutions right there in the abstract is actually exactly what needs to be done psychologically in the way that we communicate about climate change," Hayhoe said in an interview.

Honolulu Climate Case Heads to Trial After Hawaii Supreme Court Rejects Big Oil Appeal -Hawaii's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected U.S. oil giants' effort to scrap a climate deception lawsuit brought by the City and County of Honolulu, allowing the case to head to trial. Filed in 2020, the lawsuit accuses ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Sunoco, and other major oil and gas companies of introducing and promoting fossil fuel products that they knew were a threat to the world's climate. The oil giants engaged in "public deception campaigns designed to obscure the connection between their products and global warming and the environmental, physical, social, and economic consequences flowing from it," the lawsuit alleges. In his majority opinion, Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald wrote that Big Oil's attempt to toss the lawsuit on the grounds that it is "another in a long line of lawsuits seeking to regulate interstate and international greenhouse gas emissions" fell short because the suit "does not seek to regulate emissions and does not seek damages for interstate emissions." "Rather, plaintiffs' complaint 'clearly seeks to challenge the promotion and sale of fossil-fuel products without warning and abetted by a sophisticated disinformation campaign,'" Recktenwald wrote. "This case concerns torts committed in Hawaii that caused alleged injuries in Hawaii. Thus, defendants' arguments on appeal fail." The Hawaii Supreme Court began hearing Big Oil's arguments for dismissing the Honolulu suit back in August, shortly after wildfires ravaged the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui, killing at least 97 people. Scientists argued the climate crisis helped create the dry conditions that allowed the fires to spread with catastrophic speed. Maui County is suing Big Oil along with Honolulu and dozens of other cities, counties, and states across the U.S. In September, the state of California became the largest economy in the world to take legal action against the fossil fuel industry, accusing it of an "ongoing campaign to seek endless profits at the expense of our planet."While oil and gas company profits have declined this year compared to last year's record-shattering windfalls, they began to trend upward again in the third quarter of 2023. Exxon and Chevron—both of which recently agreed to acquire two of their smaller competitors—posted profit increases of 15% and 8.5% respectively in the third quarter compared to the previous three months.

Fight over climate disaster fund jeopardizes Dubai UN summit - A historic agreement to support victims of climate disasters is at risk of coming apart — a development that could derail the upcoming United Nations climate summit in Dubai. Talks on setting up a fund to help poorer countries cope with the consequences of global warming have become mired in acrimony to the point where one lead negotiator is threatening to reopen the most explosive issue: whether big polluters such as the U.S. and the European Union should be held liable for their many decades of greenhouse gas pollution. That notion could cause the U.S. to walk away from talks on the fund altogether. The dispute is just the latest example of the struggles facing the global effort against climate change, as international rivalries, countries’ domestic politics and squabbles about money threaten to fracture the optimism thatgreeted the Paris Agreement just eight years ago. An inability to reach a deal on the climate fund — the much-hailed achievement of last year’s U.N. summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt — would raise questions about nations’ ability to resolve even tougher questions when the COP28 gathering begins Nov. 30. “We’re at a breaking point,” warned Avinash Persaud, the lead negotiator for Barbados, after negotiations on how to set up the fund broke down last weekend. If countries don’t find a compromise in the coming days, “it will break COP. I feel that not enough people are sufficiently worried about that.” Last year’s summit, known as COP27, yielded an agreement to set up a fund to pay for loss and damage, as the social and economic costs of climate change are known in U.N. jargon. That fragile consensus came after years of resistance led by the U.S., which has pumped more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other country and has been wary of opening any legal avenue to compensation claims.Yet as negotiations have started to drill down on the form the fund should take, and who should run it, what little progress has been achieved has been put on hold. Governments tasked a 24-member, multi-country committee with making recommendations before COP28 begins on how the system should work. But the committee has struggled to find consensus on fundamental matters, such as how the fund is structured, who pays and who benefits. Even the name remains in question: The U.S. is pushing to call it the “Resilient Futures Fund,” while developing countries want a reference to loss and damage.A series of meetings in Abu Dhabi this coming week may be the last chance to agree on key details before it risks complicating the main event in Dubai. But the mood among negotiators is glum.Mohamed Nasr, chief negotiator for the U.N. talks’ outgoing Egyptian presidency, is warning that governments like the United States and the European Union could face legal claims for compensation if they don’t pledge cash for the fund’s coffers.“If this fund ends up as an empty shell, this could revive the calls for liability, historical responsibility and compensation,” he told POLITICO.

Who Were the Worst of the Worst Climate Polluters in 2022? - Inside Climate News --Emissions from the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the U.S. were down slightly in 2022, but thousands of industrial facilities with substantial emissions remain, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently released Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data.Emissions from large industrial sources decreased by approximately 1 percent to 2.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, according to the annual update of emissions data released on Oct. 5. The data represents emissions from 7,586 industrial facilities across nearly all sectors of the economy and represents about half of all U.S. emissions.An Inside Climate News analysis of the data highlights the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters as well as the top emitter for each of six leading greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride, the world’s most potent greenhouse gas. The assessment also identified top emitters of CO2 and methane, the two leading drivers of climate change, from each of several significant sectors of the economy for greenhouse gas emissions—refineries, steel mills and liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals and underground gas storage facilities. Here are the top 10 climate polluters in the nation, with their greenhouse gas emissions stated in metric tons (MT) as carbon dioxide equivalents (C02e):

• 1.Alabama Power’s James H. Miller Jr. coal power plant, Quinton, Alabama. Emissions: 21.8 million MT CO2e
• 2.Ameren’s Labadie coal power plant, Labadie, Missouri. Emissions: 15.9 million MT CO2e
• 3.DTE Energy’s Monroe fuel-oil power plant, Monroe, Michigan. Emissions: 14.9 million MT of CO2e
• 4.Vistra’s Martin Lake fuel-oil and coal power plant, Tantum, Texas. Emissions: 13.3 million MT of CO2e
• 5.Vistra’s Oak Grove coal and natural gas power plant, Franklin, Texas. Emissions: 12.7 million MT of CO2e
• 6.ExxonMobil’s Baytown Complex refinery and petrochemical plant, Baytown, Texas. Emissions: 12.6 million MT of CO2e
• 7.NRG Energy’s W A Parish natural gas and coal power plant, Thompsons, Texas. Emissions: 12.4 million MT of CO2e
• 8.FirstEnergy’s Harrison Power Station coal power plant, Haywood, West Virginia. Emissions: 11.7 million MT of CO2e
• 9.Wyoming Municipal Power Agency’s Laramie River fuel-oil and coal power plant, Wheatland, Wyoming. Emissions: 11.5 million MT of CO2e
• 10. Lightstone Generation’s General James M. Gavin coal and fuel-oil power plant, Cheshire, Ohio. Emissions: 11.3 million MT of CO2e.

Summit Carbon CEO undeterred by folding of fellow CO2 pipeline project Summit Carbon Solutions LLC is not giving up on obtaining the permits for a five-state, 2,000-mile CO2 pipeline on which it has sunk hundreds of millions of dollars for easement agreements, despite a competitor's decision to quit over the permitting uncertainty. The possibility that Summit will run up against the same issues as Navigator CO2 Ventures LLC is a "fair question," CEO Lee Blank said in an interview. However, "I think the project has enough relevance and importance that I don't believe that will happen." Iowa-headquartered farm management company Summit Agricultural Group, the investor backing Summit Carbon Solutions, secured financing in 2021 to build a carbon capture network, transporting emissions from ethanol plants across the US Midwest to a permanent storage site in North Dakota. About the same time, asset manager BlackRock Inc. and petroleum producer Valero Energy Corp. launched a similar project under the name Navigator that would store CO2 in Illinois. The proposed pipeline networks had overlapping routes in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. On Oct. 20, Navigator scrapped its 1,300-mile project, dubbed Heartland Greenway, a few weeks after South Dakota regulators denied the developer a siting permit. Navigator said the cancellation came down to the "unpredictable nature" of state and local regulatory proceedings, particularly in South Dakota and Iowa. Summit has also had permit applications rejected by North Dakota and South Dakota regulators and is nearing the end of evidentiary hearings on its Iowa permit request. As had Heartland Greenway, the Summit project has run into opposition from landowners and advocacy groups over concerns that included the use of eminent domain to obtain rights-of-way and potential safety and environmental impacts of the pipeline project. Earlier in October, Summit postponed its expected startup date from 2024 to 2026. Unlike Navigator, Summit has secured voluntary easement agreements along 75% of its pipeline route and is continuing negotiations, Blank said, adding that a portion of the remaining landowners have said they will grant right-of-way once the project is permitted. According to Blank, Navigator had offered to pay landowners incrementally as their project reached certain milestones. Summit, meanwhile, has been paying landowners 100% upfront and has no way to recover those funds if the company does not exercise the easement. "That is all cash out the door, in the pockets of landowners," Summit spokesperson Sabrina Zenor said.

South Dakota could lose $1 billion project, Gevo CEO says — South Dakota could lose its largest proposed economic development project if the carbon dioxide sequestration landscape doesn’t change, Gevo’s chief executive officer said this week.“If we don’t have resolution, say, in six months, I think I better move to another state. That’s what I think. I need to have a line of sight that it’s gonna happen for real,” Dr. Patrick Gruber, the CEO of Gevo, said Monday in KELOLAND News interview. Gevo, based in Colorado, plans to build a sustainable aviation fuel facility near Lake Preston. Governor Kristi Noem has called the plan the largest economic investment in the state’s history. The project is called a Net-Zero 1 facility.Gruber said the investment as of Oct. 30, would be at least $1 billion.But it’s unlikely that investment will happen without a carbon dioxide pipeline that will transport captured CO2 for sequestration, Gruber said. Producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from carbohydrates, via ethanol, is the most cost effective way and it also has the lowest carbon footprint, Gruber said.The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has denied two permit applications for CO2 pipelines. Summit Carbon Solutions has said it would re-apply. Navigator announced in October it canceled its proposed CO2 project. Both projects would transport CO2 captured at ethanol plants and other sites for burial. Summit would bury CO2 in North Dakota. Navigator would have buried CO2 in Illinois.

Pennsylvania court rules former governor illegally joined carbon emissions trading alliance - A Pennsylvania court ruled Wednesday that former Gov. Tom Wolf (D) unlawfully joined an interstate carbon emissions payment program without legislative approval. In an opinion written by Judge Michael Wojcik, a five-judge panel of Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court found that membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) constitutes an illegal tax. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit included a coalition of energy companies and unions representing fossil fuel workers. States participating in RGGI set regional caps for carbon pollution from fossil fuel power plants, with plants purchasing allowances for each ton of carbon dioxide over the limit that they emit. While lawyers representing the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) argued the cost of the allowances is a fee, the court ruled that it is a tax and thus requires legislative approval. “Stated simply, to pass constitutional muster, the Commonwealth’s participation in RGGI may only be achieved through legislation duly enacted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly,” Wojcik wrote. In a dissent, Judge Ellen Ceisler wrote that it was ambiguous whether RGGI membership constitutes a tax or a fee. “Based upon the record before us, it does not seem that the emissions allowance auction process would impose what could be deemed fees in the traditional sense, but, by the same token, it is not entirely clear that the proceeds raised thereby would constitute a tax,” she wrote. Wolf, who left office in January, joined RGGI by executive order in 2019, and he vetoed a 2020 bill that would require legislative approval to join. Ongoing litigation, including the lawsuit ruled on Wednesday, has prevented the state from formally participating up to this point. The administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has 30 days to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court. “The Shapiro Administration is carefully reviewing the Commonwealth Court’s decision as we evaluate next steps,” Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro’s office, told The Hill in a statement. “This decision is solely focused on the narrow question of whether this policy put in place by the prior administration constitutes a tax or a fee. Governor Shapiro remains focused on addressing climate change, reducing emissions, and protecting public health while creating jobs and protecting consumers.” “This is not the final word on Pennsylvania’s participation in RGGI or the vast benefits it confers on the people of this state. For nearly 20 years, Governor Shapiro has been a champion for clean air, climate action and a prosperous Pennsylvania,” Natural Resources Defense Council President and CEO Manish Bapna said in a statement. “He should appeal this misguided decision at once and make the case before the state Supreme Court for a program that’s already proven itself across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.”

Warning signs loom over future of fossil fuel-powered Appalachian hydrogen hub | -Political and industrial leaders behind a proposed Appalachian hydrogen hub selected for up to $925 million in federal support this month say blue is green. There are warning signs that blue could leave the region in the red instead.Citing estimates that hydrogen produced by renewably generated electricity known as “green hydrogen” will be cheaper than blue by 2030, Institutional Shareholder Services, an international shareholder advisory firm, declared a “significant risk of stranded assets for blue hydrogen investments” in an analysis last year. The Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of leaders aiming to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, found in 2021 that green hydrogen production costs still above those of blue hydrogen could decrease drastically, while blue costs weren’t expected to fall significantly. In its own 2021 analysis, global energy research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance projected renewable hydrogen would be cheaper than blue by 2030, even in countries like the United States that had cheap gas at the time. The U.S. Department of Energy, which selected ARCH2 as one of seven hydrogen hubs nationwide for which $7 billion have been allocated, has projected a time frame of seven to 12.5 years for projects to ramp up to operations. That projected time frame would push ARCH2’s launch past the date when analysts have said green hydrogen will sink below blue hydrogen in price. Institutional Shareholder Services said in its analysis a case could be made that producing blue hydrogen serves to extend the lifetime of the gas industry rather than consistently reducing reliance on the industry. Scientists have said lessening that dependence on a much faster timeline is required to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. “All things considered, there is a significant risk that blue hydrogen assets become white elephants,” Institutional Shareholder Services’ analysis cautioned. There’s evidence that blue hydrogen is a liability rather than an asset in the fight to mitigate climate change. The report concluded that blue hydrogen is neither clean nor low-carbon. Funding of blue hydrogen projects by federal and state governments and investors could make global warming worse due to projects still emitting significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere for decades, the report said. Jim Kotcon, chair of the West Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, is among the many renewable energy proponents who predict the billions of taxpayer dollars being invested in hydrogen hubs will require billions more in follow-up support. “The [DOE’s] goal is a zero-greenhouse gas emissions economy, and fossil fuels, even with carbon capture, simply cannot get us there,” Kotcon said.

The Dirty Secret Behind the Hydrogen Hype - Technological fixes to climate change are tempting, and the Biden administration has not resisted the lure of hydrogen: The Department of Energy recently announced a massive $7 billion buildout of seven hydrogen hubs nationwide, the first of several such investments.Hydrogen is dangerous, partly because it distracts from the real climate solutions we so desperately need. The world’s best climate scientists have been clear that to maintain a livable planet, we must phase out fossil fuels and transition to truly renewable energy now. Hydrogen hubs take us in the opposite direction by further embedding us in the fossil fuel economy.A staggering 99% of hydrogen production relies on fossil fuels, primarily methane, or “natural,” gas. Notably, oil, gas, and petrochemical companies produce the lion’s share of the U.S. hydrogen supply: approximately 10 million metric tons. Once produced, more than two-thirds of hydrogen is used for petroleum refining.A cursory examination of the partners across all seven proposed hydrogen hubs reveals who actually stands to benefit from them. Key recipients of this first $7 billion of public money are oil, gas, and chemical corporations, including Exxon, Chevron, Dupont, and Air Products. Air Liquide, a French gas company, is a named partner in at least six of the seven hubs chosen for the next phase of public funding. Fossil fuel and petrochemical companies are pushing for this hydrogen buildout because it is their ticket to greenwash their products as ‘climate solutions’ on the public’s dime.Making hydrogen is highly energy intensive, whether using large quantities of renewable power to make ‘green hydrogen’ through electrolysis or pulling in large quantities of methane gas coupled with energy-intensive and unreliable carbon capture systems to produce “blue hydrogen.” At least two of the seven hydrogen hubs are associated with blue hydrogen production, which scientists say “may be worse than gas or coal.”Hydrogen production is not only very energy intensive, it also requires considerable amounts of water, a resource that is becoming increasingly more precarious due to the climate crisis. Louisiana this year faced never-before-seen wildfire threats, predicted to continue, largely due to drought. California has had some of the worst wildfire seasons on record. Both states are targeted for the proposed hydrogen buildout.Calls for “hydrogen-ready” infrastructure are code for doubling down on building new gas production and pipelines, with the vague hope that this infrastructure might one day carry hydrogen. This is the opposite of what we should do, which is to take urgent action to phase out fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy to avoid climate catastrophe.Hydrogen projects, especially blue hydrogen, put communities in harm’s way. To produce blue hydrogen, CO2 must be scrubbed and captured, a process whose effectiveness is questionable at best. This process requires the buildout of additional infrastructure, thousands of miles of new pipelines, and injection wells to store the CO2 underground. This means more hazardous air and water pollution in our communities. People living near this new infrastructure for hydrogen and CO2 stand to face additional risks like pipeline leaks and injection well failures, which can be catastrophic. Confusingly, funding for these hydrogen hubs is partially allocated under the “Justice40” initiative, which aims to address decades of underinvestment in disadvantaged communities. Yet many communities targeted for the hydrogen buildout—the same low-income and/or Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities supposed to benefit from the administration’s environmental justice promises—are organizing against proposed hydrogen projects, because of the dangers they present.

Offshore wind giant pulls New Jersey projects, a setback to Biden's green agenda - Orsted, the company that Democrats up and down the Eastern Seaboard have been counting on to build offshore wind farms, is pulling the plug on two of its largest projects, a setback for President Joe Biden’s clean energy goal.The Danish energy company said Tuesday night that it was killing plans to build a pair of wind farms in New Jersey.The decision dents Biden’s climate change plans and also dashes New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s hopes of his state being a clean energy leader before he leaves office in 2026. It also comes a week before legislative elections in New Jersey, where Democrats are trying to hold their majorities in the face of Republican attacks over wind power.For months, Orsted has been teasing financial problems for its two New Jersey projects, Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2. Now both are being scrapped. David Hardy, the head of the company’s American operations, blamed macroeconomic factors, like inflation and supply chain issues.“We are extremely disappointed to have to take this decision, particularly because New Jersey is poised to be a U.S. and global hub for offshore wind energy,” Hardy said in a statement.Ocean Wind 1 would have been New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm — a project 15 miles off the South Jersey coast big enough to generate power for a half-million homes. It was expected to help launch a multipart supply chain in the state and provide hundreds of new jobs.But now New Jersey has gone from the aspirational epicenter for offshore wind to a graveyard of Orsted projects.Murphy trashed Orsted and said the state would still become a “global leader” in offshore wind.“Today’s decision by Orsted to abandon its commitments to New Jersey is outrageous and calls into question the company’s credibility and competence,” the governor said in a statement. “As recently as several weeks ago, the company made public statements regarding the viability and progress of the Ocean Wind 1 project.”

Orsted scraps 2 offshore wind power projects in New Jersey, citing supply chain issues (AP) — Danish energy developer Orsted said Tuesday night it is scrapping two large offshore wind power projects off the coast of New Jersey, adding uncertainty to a nascent industry the Biden administration and many state governments are counting on to help transition away from the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels. The company said it is canceling its Ocean Wind I and II projects in southern New Jersey, citing supply chain issues and rising interest rates. Orsted CEO Mads Nipper said in a statement the company was disappointed to be halting the projects because it believes the United States needs wind power to reduce carbon emissions. “However, the significant adverse developments from supply chain challenges, leading to delays in the project schedule, and rising interest rates have led us to this decision,” Nipper said.Orsted stands to lose a $100 million guarantee it posted with New Jersey earlier this month that it would build Ocean Wind I by the end of 2025. That money could be returned to ratepayers. The company said it would move forward with its Revolution Wind project in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Orsted, the world’s largest wind energy developer, warned in August that it might walk away from one or both of its New Jersey projects, which it said needed more financial subsidies beyond a tax break approved by the state that would have let the company keep as much as $1 million in tax credits that otherwise would have had to be returned to electricity ratepayers. At the time, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who is pushing to make his state the East Coast hub of offshore wind, said the break was necessary to save the jobs and economic activity Orsted would have brought to the state.

Offshore wind is stumbling. Can Biden save the industry? - The Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to take action to bolster the offshore wind industry after a major project was canceled in New Jersey on Tuesday, although options appear limited to ease financial hurdles facing developers. So far, the administration is reiterating that the industry will continue to grow and that President Joe Biden’s goals for 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 will be achieved, even as many states and analysts say otherwise. “Biden’s offshore wind goals look impossible at this point of time,” said Chelsea Jean-Michel, a wind analyst with BloombergNEF, a research and analysis firm. Governors and lawmakers are urging the White House to ensure wind companies can take advantage of several tax benefits and to speed up permitting so projects are less at risk from sudden economic blows. Challenges for offshore wind have been building for months because of inflation and supply chain shortages. Developers are taking billion-dollar losses due to the industry’s exploding costs and the dropping value of assets. Two companies in Massachusetts walked away from deals that they said did not cover costs. New York regulators rebuffed attempts to renegotiate contracts with wind companies for higher prices, casting uncertainty over the future of several wind farms off the state’s coast. Meanwhile, the supply chain of businesses to support offshore wind construction has expanded too slowly to meet the needs of proposals. But the starkest sign of a troubled sector came Tuesday, when Ørsted, the largest offshore wind developer in the U.S. market, said it will abandon its Ocean Wind project. The two-phased wind array off the Jersey coast was one of just five major offshore wind projects approved in the U.S. — all by the Biden administration. Along with creating more uncertainty for the industry, the cancellation is raising speculation over whether other projects will follow. Defending the administration’s record, White House spokesperson Michael Kikukawa said Biden has “used every available tool to advance the growing American offshore wind industry.” “While macroeconomic headwinds are creating challenges for some projects, momentum remains on the side of an expanding U.S. offshore wind industry — creating good-paying union jobs in manufacturing, shipbuilding, and construction; strengthening the power grid; and providing new clean energy resources for American families and businesses,” Kikukawa said in an email. The White House and Interior officials did not respond to specific questions about the Ørsted cancellations, offshore wind permitting options or tax credits. Experts say the headwinds are likely to prevent Biden’s 30-GW goal from being reached, even as they are unlikely to completely derail the budding industry long term. “The latest cancellations shows that the offshore wind industry is currently in a state of flux,” said John Murray, senior research analyst for S&P Global Commodity Insights. Murray said that is not unusual considering the immaturity of the offshore wind sector. At the same time, analysts are lowering their expectations of how much the industry will grow by the end of the decade. S&P said it would be downgrading its outlook for 2030 offshore wind capacity from its current 22-GW expectation. The result could end up in line with the 16.4 GW of offshore wind capacity that BNEF anticipates being installed by 2030, a 29 percent drop from what it estimated in June. Taxes and permits

Biden approves nation’s largest offshore wind farm -The Interior Department approved the largest offshore wind project in the country Tuesday, marking the fifth massive wind array cleared for construction in U.S. oceans under President Joe Biden. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will include up to 176 turbines, located roughly 27 miles from Virginia Beach. The Dominion Energy-backed project will be the largest offshore wind project in the United States, able to zap enough electricity back to the grid once it’s constructed in 2026 to power roughly 660,000 homes. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the project’s progress adds to the “undeniable momentum” of the administration and the offshore wind industry in the United States. “We are aggressively working toward our clean energy goals,” she said. Biden has committed to helping 30 gigawatts of offshore wind come online by 2030, largely through a goal to approve 16 wind farms in the ocean by 2025. But the Virginia project approval comes amid an economic storm for offshore wind, due to inflationary costs that threaten the 30-gigawatt target. Rising prices to build offshore wind farms have threatened the viability of some of the first proposed projects in the country, off the coasts of New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Interior said Tuesday it remains “on track” to reach its targets. Still the Virginia project represents a big step forward for the nascent industry and secures a footprint for offshore economic activity in the central Atlantic. The first four offshore wind projects approved in the United States — two are under construction already off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island — are in New England. The Virginia project is expected to create roughly 900 jobs a year during construction and support 1,100 jobs annually during operations, particularly in Virginia’s Hampton Roads coastal region. Last week, Dominion celebrated delivery of the project’s first eight monopile foundations. “The Hampton Roads area is abuzz with offshore wind activity and the federal government’s advancement of the CVOW project will continue advancing the area as a hub for the whole industry,” said John Begala, vice president for federal and state policy at the Oceantic Network, formerly known as the Business Network for Offshore Wind. Previous projects approved under Biden are the Vineyard Wind 1, South Fork Wind, Ocean Wind 1 and Revolution Wind projects. Combined with the Virginia wind project, the wind arrays will bring 5 GW of power onto the grid, enough to support more than 1.75 million homes, according to Interior.

Four Areas Designated for Wind Projects in USA Gulf of Mexico - The USA Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalized the designation of four offshore wind energy areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico totaling over 760,000 acres. “Together, the WEAs could support offshore wind projects with the potential to produce enough clean, renewable energy to power more than three million homes”, the agency under the Interior Department said in a press release. The biggest of the areas, spanning 495,567 acres, sits about 47.2 miles off the coast of Texas state, “with the potential to support projects that could power 2.1 million homes”, the BOEM said. Located around 61.5 miles off the Texas coast, the second largest of the areas measures 119,635 acres. Another WEA straddling 91,157 acres is approximately 52.9 miles off Texas, while the smallest, spanning 56,978 acres, is located about 82 miles off Louisiana state. On August 29 the Interior Department said it had held the first-ever auction for wind energy development in the Gulf of Mexico. RWE Offshore US Gulf LLC has won the Lake Charles, Louisiana lease area with a high bid of $5.6 million, according to a department press release. The 102,480-acre lease "has the potential to generate approximately 1.24 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity and power nearly 435,400 homes with clean, renewable energy", the Interior Department said at the time. The two other lease areas offered in the auction, both located offshore Galveston, Texas, failed to attract any bid, according to the media release. BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said in the announcement of the four WEAs the bureau would hold another wind lease sale for acreage in the Gulf of Mexico “due to continued industry interest and feedback from our partners and key stakeholders”. “BOEM will continue to work with the Tribes, other government partners, coastal states, ocean users, and local communities as we advance our work in a manner that seeks to responsibly develop offshore areas while minimizing potential conflicts with other ocean uses and marine life in the Gulf of Mexico”, Klein added. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed August 2022 with provisions aiming at energy security while advancing climate goals, allows offshore leases for wind power development, as specified in Part 5 of the “Natural Resource” subtitle of the law. “Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, BOEM has approved the nation's first four commercial scale offshore wind projects, held four offshore wind lease auctions totaling almost $5.5 billion in high bids – including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, initiated environmental reviews of 10 offshore wind projects, and advanced the process to explore additional opportunities in Oregon, Gulf of Maine and Central Atlantic”, the BOEM said in the announcement of the new wind energy area designations.

Regional transmission needs greatest in ERCOT, MISO, SPP: DOE | Utility Dive - The United States — especially the middle of the country — needs significant amounts of new regional and interregional transmission to meet existing and future requirements, according to a report released Monday by the Department of Energy. An expanded transmission network can bolster grid reliability and resilience, provide congestion relief, offer access to new generation sources and accommodate load growth, DOE said in its triennial needs assessment. Capacity expansion studies show overall regional transmission capacity needs to increase 64% by 2035 to meet moderate load growth coupled with high clean energy growth, driven by existing state and federal legislation, DOE said. DOE examined other scenarios, including high load growth. Under the modeling, the largest relative growth of regional transmission by 2035 compared with the 2020 system will be needed in the the Electric Reliability Council of Texas area (140% median increase), followed by the Southwest Power Pool footprint (119%), the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s northern and central regions (112%), the Mountain states (90%) and the Southeast (77%) to meet moderate load and high clean energy growth scenarios. Interregional transfer capacity must grow by 114% to meet future moderate load and high clean energy growth, DOE analysts found. The areas that require the largest relative growth in interregional transfer capacity by 2035 to meet moderate load and high clean energy growth scenarios are between MISO’s southern region and SPP (414% median increase), New England and New York (255%), MISO’s northern and central regions and SPP (175%), and between the PJM Interconnection and MISO (156%), DOE’s analysis found. The results are similar to a draft study DOE released earlier this year, but based on an even more thorough review of existing studies, according to Rob Gramlich, president of Grid Strategies, a transmission-focused consulting firm. However, Gramlich said he expects a high clean energy and high load growth scenario is most likely given current trajectories in electricity use, which the report found would require a quadrupling of interregional delivery capacity. The transmission paths needing expansion identified by the report can guide industry and regulatory transmission initiatives, as well as DOE’s financing and other tools, he said.

BP's $100 million Tesla deal pushes Big Oil further into the EV space -For car buyers considering whether to go electric, one tradeoff they must weigh is whether to give up the convenience of finding a gas station almost anywhere and being able to refuel in minutes. Fast-charging an EV can take 20 to 30 minutes, and charging stations, for now, are not ubiquitous. The gap between the two experiences is narrowing, however, as charge times speed up and stations become more common. An unprecedented agreement between the nation’s leading EV company and one of the world’s oil giants may bring them even closer. British energy company BP announced Thursday that it willspend $100 million buying Tesla ultrafast chargers to build out its “BP pulse” network in the United States. It will begin installing the self-branded chargers next year at its BP and Amoco gas stations, AMPM and Thorntons convenience stores, and TravelCenters of America truck stops, as well as at large “Gigahub” charging sites in major cities. “Combined with our vast network of convenience and mobility sites on and off the highway, this collaboration with Tesla will bring fast and reliable charging to EV drivers when and where they need it,” Richard Bartlett, global CEO of BP pulse, said in a statement.The deal marks the first time Tesla will sell its chargers — further cementing its dominance of the EV charging space — and is one of the largest investments by an oil and gas company into the technology in the U.S. Coupled with a federal initiative to build charging infrastructure along highway corridors, BP’s move could help reshape where drivers access public charging. But it also raises questions about how much EV charging should mimic the experience of refueling a combustion car, and whether drivers will want to plug in at convenience stores and gas stations. BP may seem an unlikely candidate for such a big bet on EVs. It produces about 2.3 million barrels of oil daily, and its fossil fuel dealings earned it a record $28 billion in profits last year. In 2020, BP declared a change in direction. It committed to becoming net-zero by 2050, and said it would cut oil and gas production by 40 percent in 10 years. (It recently adjusted that goal to 25 percent.)

UAW deal eases just one obstacle for EVs - The deal between the United Auto Workers and Detroit automakers could ensure unionized workers play a large role in the transition to electric vehicles.But it’s still unclear whether Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (think Jeep, Dodge and Ram) will be able to successfully transition from gasoline cars to electric ones — and be profitable in the end, writes David Ferris.The traditional automakers are up against Tesla, which isn’t unionized and has cut the prices of its top selling models. The Detroit Three, meanwhile, have slowed their investments in the electric vehicle market, as they grapple with wavering buyer enthusiasm for still-pricey vehicles. “When you have higher labor costs, does it change your ability to invest? I would say yes,” Rob Handfield, a business management professor at North Carolina State University, told Power Switch.The labor deal comes as President Joe Biden faces a tough reelection campaign in must-win states like Michigan. Through his push to get more EVs on the road, Biden is making a case that an aggressive effort to combat global warming can yield secure jobs for Americans.But a careful balancing of policy priorities is required to get there.China dominates the global supply of materials and designs for electric car batteries. Biden’s Treasury Department is expected to set rules soon spelling out how strictly it will enforce a U.S. ban on car companies using battery parts and minerals from Chinese suppliers.That matters for both electric car makers and buyers. Embedded in Biden’s signature climate law are tax credits that add up to $7,500 in savings on cars built with domestically sourced supplies. That help from the federal government to bring down the cost of purchasing an EV has spurred billions of dollars in spending on EV and battery plants across America’s midsection, from Michigan to Tennessee.But access to critical minerals such as lithium and nickel is the hitch: North America has virtually no large-scale supply chain for the minerals needed for battery manufacturing. That accounts for half of the EV tax break.

Graphite: A new energy economy resource is suddenly harder to get -The substance that constitutes a pencil lead and an important component of electric vehicle batteries is suddenly less available. China, the world's top producer of graphite, will now require permits for shipments abroad. The country is the world's top producer and plays a special role by refining 90 percent of the graphite used in electric vehicle batteries.In what now seems like the ancient past, pencils were used to fill out bubble sheet forms and tests because the machines that read them did so by sensing the electrical conductivity of the graphite-filled ovals. (Today, optical scanners read such forms by sensing the reflectivity of the ovals.)It is the conductivity of graphite which makes its so useful for electric vehicle batteries. China's move would not be such a big deal if graphite were more evenly distributed around the world. But its production is overwhelming centered in China—which produces five times more than second-place Madagascar and 56 times more than either Canada or Russia which are tied for sixth place.However, the United States, a center for electric vehicle manufacture, has no domestic source of graphite. All of it must be imported.I have previously written about a rather small U.S. government initiative to increase domestic production of graphite and other critical new energy economy resources. But the effort seems woefully underfunded compared to the task at hand.I have also previously made the argument that a resource doesn't have to "run out" in order for it to become unavailable. It can simply become too costly for its intended purpose—either because it becomes too expensive to extract and refine and/or because those countries which produce it hold it back for their own use or to punish those they see as adversaries. As countries become increasingly worried about having enough of the resources they need to reach their own goals for their economy and their environment, the desire to keep critical materials from going abroad will grow. Earlier this year the Chinese reduced exports of gallium and germanium—two metals needed to make advanced microchips—after the United States banned the sale of advanced chips to China. As it turns out, the United States imports all of its gallium and more than 50 percent of its germanium. And, the lion's share of those imports comes from a country in Asia whose name begins with "C." Oh, what a tangled resource and logistics web we weave!There is no clear end to this competition for increasingly coveted critical resources. And yet, the success of the new energy economy seems premised on the uninterrupted availability and affordable price of such resources. The recent Chinese action is only the beginning of a trend that few people understand as long term.

Will China Controls on Graphite Exports Affect Energy Sector? - On October 20, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and the country’s General Administration of Customs issued an announcement on “optimizing and adjusting temporary export control measures for graphite items”, a statement on China’s MOC website, which was translated from Chinese, showed. “In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Export Control Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Customs Law of the People’s Republic of China, in order to safeguard national security and interests, and with the approval of the State Council, it was decided to impose restrictions on the Ministry of Commerce, the State Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and the Customs,” the translated statement noted. What does this mean for energy markets? Well, when Rigzone asked Carole Nakhle, the CEO of consultancy Crystol Energy, if China’s controls on graphite exports will affect renewable energy operations, Nakhle highlighted that “graphite is an important component for electric vehicles’ battery”. “A curb in the supply of the material originating from an important supplier that is China will increase its price and therefore the cost of production of batteries, particularly for non-Chinese producers,” Nakhle told Rigzone. “However, it is that same price signal and the concern of customers about security of supply that will also encourage the development of alternatives supplies, which is desperately needed to support security of supply for the energy transition,” Nakhle added. When asked if China’s controls on graphite exports will affect oil and gas operations, Nakhle highlighted that graphite is also used in oil and gas operations but noted that it is not as critical as for electric vehicles. “The curb risks slowing down the global expansion of electric vehicles production (by increasing the cost and disrupting production) … [and] electric vehicles are an existential threat to oil demand,” Nakhle told Rigzone. “But that would require the controls to remain in place for a long period and no alternative supplies are found,” the Crystol Energy CEO added. According to the Energy Institute’s first, and the overall 72nd, statistical review of world energy, China was the biggest natural graphite producer in 2022 with 850,000 tons. The second largest natural graphite producer last year was Mozambique, with 163,000 tons, and the third biggest was Brazil, with 95,000 tons, the review showed.

'Criminal': Major Banks Funneled $1.8 Trillion to Carbon Bombs Between 2016 and 2022 -Major banks funneled more than $150 billion in 2022 toward "carbon bomb" fossil fuel projects that would blow through the world's chances of limiting global heating to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The data, published by The Guardian Tuesday, shows that major banks in the U.S., Europe, and China funded the companies behind these projects with a total of $1.8 trillion between 2016 and 2022, with U.S. banks contributing more than half a trillion of that total. "Criminal," Nuclear Consulting Group chair Paul Dorfman tweeted in response to the news."We need to rapidly decline our production of fossil fuels and support for fossil fuels, whether that's regulatory or financial." The "carbon bombs" are 425 fossil fuel extraction projects identified by The Guardian and other nonprofit and media organizations and compiled in an online database in 2022. Each bomb has the potential to release more than a gigaton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. At first, it was calculated that igniting all 425 bombs would release emissions more than double the remaining carbon budget that scientists say humans can spend and still have a 50% chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C. However, research published Monday calculated that the remaining carbon budget is actually around 250 gigatons of carbon dioxide, not the 500 previously believed. The carbon bombs would release a combined total of more than 1,000 gigatons, or four times the revised number."The budget is so small, and the urgency of meaningful action for limiting warming is so high, [that] the message from [the carbon budget] is dire," study co-author Joeri Rogelj of Imperial College London told The Guardian Monday.That narrowing window makes it all the more urgent that banks stop financing fossil fuels, yet that is not what they are doing, according to the analysis of the carbon bomb data completed by French nonprofits Data for Good and Éclaircies, along with European media partners. The data includes a list of the top ten financial backers of companies operating carbon bombs. JPMorgan Chase led the pack with more than $141 billion invested between 2016 and 2022, followed by Citi with $119 billion, Bank of America with $92 billion, the Chinese ICBC with $92.2 billion, and BNP Paribas with $71.9 billion. Last year alone, the banks directly or indirectly funded the projects with around $161 billion. This comes despite greenwashing rhetoric from financial institutions pledging to act on climate.

New Report Calls Out Chemical Recycling as a ‘False Solution’ to the Plastics Crisis - The plastics and petrochemical industries’ latest purported solution to the plastic pollution crisis – chemical or “advanced” recycling – is essentially a public relations and marketing strategy designed to distract from the urgent need to curb plastic production, a new report contends. The report, released today by Beyond Plastics and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), exposes the failures and perils of chemical recycling as an approach to manage plastic waste. Only 11 chemical recycling facilities currently exist in the United States, and in total they are capable of processing less than 1.3 percent of all plastic waste generated annually, the report finds. The facilities do not operate at full capacity most of the time, however. Pervasive underperformance, hazardous working conditions, perpetuation of environmental racism, and financing challenges are among the many issues plaguing these operations, according to the report. “I think the [plastics] industry is relying on confusing people, starting with what is it, and what do you call it,” Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and a former EPA regional administrator, told DeSmog. There is no legal definition of chemical recycling. The term generally describes industrial technologies that chemically process plastic waste, melting or boiling it down into gasses, chemicals, or fuels. The process is extremely energy intensive and inevitably generates toxic byproducts. While industry associations like the American Chemistry Council and America’s Plastic Makers now refer to it as “advanced recycling,” Enck said it is neither advanced nor recycling. “What we’re finding is very little new plastic is actually created,” she said. Instead, many of the technologies use methods like gasification and pyrolysis to convert plastic into fuel. Pyrolysis is the process of heating a certain substance without oxygen, in this case to chemically break down plastics into their component parts so they can be made into other chemical substances or into fuels. Such a conversion is not recycling, according to internationally accepted definitions, the report notes.In addition to its longstanding failures, chemical recycling contributes to toxic air pollution, hazardous waste buildup, and climate change, all while threatening communities experiencing environmental injustice, the report finds.“The landscape of chemical recycling in the United States is littered with failure and pollution,” Beyond Plastics deputy director and report contributor Jennifer Congdon said in a press release. “Several of the U.S. facilities are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as large generators of hazardous waste, and the majority are located in communities of color, low-income communities, or both.” The report calls for a nationwide moratorium on all new chemical recycling facilities. It also urges much stricter regulation and scrutiny of these operations, including prohibiting their siting in environmental justice communities and ending government incentives for these facilities at all levels, among other recommendations. Under heavy lobbying pressure from the plastics and petrochemical industries, however, states are enacting laws to deregulate chemical recycling. Enck said 24 states have so far adopted policies promoting chemical recycling that classify it as manufacturing, which makes the operations eligible for even more generous subsidies while allowing them to be built under more lax environmental regulations.

Gas leak causes evacuation of 40 homes in East Palestine: Fire chief -(WKBN) — Residents of East Palestine were able to return home after a gas leak led to the evacuation of around 40 homes on Wednesday, officials confirm.According to East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick, crews were working on replacing water lines when they hit a gas line, causing the leak Wednesday afternoon. An evacuation was ordered for the homes spanning two blocks, from East Street to Thomas Street. The gas leak has been repaired, and the area has been reopened, according to Drabick.

Fracking, hunting don't mix — lease should be denied - The Herald Star - by Randi Pokladnik - Many hunters are entering wooded areas in Ohio in search of deer, turkey and pheasants. One of the most popular places to hunt are Ohio’s public lands, especially parks and wildlife areas in the Southeastern portion of the state.Among the top ten counties for deer harvests in the 2022-23 season were: Coshocton (7,590), Tuscarawas (7,028), Muskingum (5,982), Guernsey (5,073), and Carroll (4,251).The Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported that “hunters from all 50 U.S. states purchased deer permits in Ohio for use in the 2022-23 seasons with Pennsylvania hunters topping the list, buying 9,365 permits.”The hunting community adds significant amounts of money to Ohio’s economy each year, spending nearly $866 million on food, equipment, lodging, fuel, and other merchandise. A report by the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation estimates that close to half a million hunters participate in recreational hunting each year in Ohio, which translates to “15,500 jobs, $68 million in state and local taxes, and $753 million of the state’s GDP.”Why would Ohio’s Oil and Gas Land Management Commission want to jeopardize an activity that provides so much revenue for the state, and enjoyment for Ohio residents and out-of-state residents? Why would this commission even consider fracking excellent hunting areas like Guernsey County’s Salt Fork State Park or Carroll County’s Valley Run Wildlife Area?These areas located above Marcellus and Utica shale deposits provide habitat for hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. The most obvious effects of gas extraction are fragmentation and loss of habitat.Fracking requires the complete clearing of land for well pads, infrastructure, pipelines, and roads. This means acres of forested lands are lost as they become asphalted over, clear-cut, or covered in gravel. In order to restore areas to the original forests, they must be regraded, topsoil needs to be added, and native species should be replanted. But this type of reclamation is expensive and not regulated, and often the only reclamation that is done is reseeding areas with non-native grass species.Forest fragmentation from endless pipelines and access roads leads to the introduction of invasive species, the disruption of predator-prey relationships, drops in migratory bird species, and a reduction of core-forest habitat. We also know that fracking fluid and waste releases can be toxic to fish and wildlife, as noted by the spill that occurred in 2007 at Acorn Fork Creek in Kentucky which killed numerous fish species including the “protected” blackside dace.Additionally, surface waters, including local streams, are impacted by water withdraws that lower water volume, create temperature increases, change pH, and amplify water pollutants.A hunter described hunting this way: “it offers an understanding and appreciation of wildlife and their ecosystems like no other outdoor activity. Hunting affords the exploration of wild places, and provides delicious, nutritious protein for a meal at a time where much of our food is processed or modified.”How will hunters feel about hunting at Salt Fork State Park when fracking brings light pollution, noise pollution, water pollution, and air pollution to a place that was once wild?Tell the commission to deny the leases for Ohio Parks. Their email is commission.clerk@oglmc.ohio.gov.

DT Midstream 3Q: Ohio Utica Sys Almost Done, NEXUS Adds 50 MMcf/d - Marcellus Drilling News -DT Midstream (DTM), headquartered in Detroit, owns major assets in the Marcellus/Utica region and other regions (like the Haynesville). DTM issued its third quarter 2023 update yesterday. Items related to the M-U of note is that construction of the Ohio Utica System, a new greenfield gathering system in the Ohio Utica for EOG Resources, is progressing ahead of schedule with an expected in-service date of 1Q24. DTM also announced the NEXUS Pipeline added approximately 50 MMcf/d of additional leased capacity in 3Q.

Gulfport 3Q – Huge Profit, Focused on Utica, No SCOOP Drilling | Marcellus Drilling News - Gulfport Energy, the third-largest driller in the Ohio Utica Shale (by the number of wells drilled), emerged from bankruptcy in May 2021 with a new board and top management. In January of this year, the company appointed a new CEO, John Reinhart, the former President and CEO of M-U driller Montage Resources Corporation before Southwestern Energy gobbled up that company (see Marcellus Veteran John Reinhart Joins Gulfport Energy as CEO). Yesterday, Gulfport issued its third quarter 2023 update. The company made a whopping $608 million in net income during 3Q23 versus losing $18 million in 3Q22. Gulfport’s net income was orders of magnitude higher than Chesapeake Energy’s, which is a much larger company!

Pennsylvania to partner with natural gas driller on in-depth study of air and water monitoring amid new regulatory push– WFMJ - The state of Pennsylvania will work with a major natural gas producer to collect in-depth data on air emissions and water quality at well sites, enhance public disclosure of drilling chemicals and expand buffer zones, the governor announced Thursday, touting the collaboration as the first of its kind.CNX Resources Corp., based in Canonsburg, will partner with the state Department of Environmental Protection on intensive environmental monitoring at two future well sites throughout all stages of the drilling and fracking process — a data-collection exercise that could be used to drive future policy changes, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro.The announcement comes amid ongoing concerns about the potential environmental and health effects of fracking, and more than three years after a grand jury concluded that state regulators had failed to properly oversee the state's huge gas-drilling industry.“Pennsylvanians want us to do everything we can to help keep them and their families safe," Shapiro said Thursday at a news conference at a CNX well pad in Washington County, in the state’s southwest corner. "I believe to do that, we need to bring transparency to this process, collect more data so we can ensure that we have the necessary and appropriate protections in place."State officials say they expect the monitoring program to “definitively measure” emissions at well sites. Some environmental groups were skeptical. One, Food & Water Watch, criticized Shapiro for “striking bogus partnerships to give frackers a public relations victory" instead of taking action to “rein in corporate polluters.”Under its voluntary agreement with the state, CNX will report air quality data on a new website, beginning with one of its existing wells in Washington County and eventually expanding to its entire Pennsylvania operation. The company also agreed to disclose the chemicals it plans to use at a well site before the start of drilling and fracking.And it will expand setbacks from the state-required 500 feet (152 meters) to 600 feet (183 meters) at all drilling sites, and increase them to 2,500 feet (762 meters) for schools, hospitals and other sensitive sites during the data-collection period.The company has drilled more than 500 wells in the vast Marcellus Shale natural gas field. Pennsylvania is the nation’s No. 2 gas-producing state after Texas.Nick Deiuliis, CNX’s president and CEO, who joined Shapiro at the event, said the company is committed to “radical transparency” in an effort to enhance public trust and improve operations.“When we see something unexpected or atypical, we’re prepared and committed to acting in a way where we engineer and design our way to even better performance," said Deiuliis, calling on other companies to follow suit. He said he expected the data to “definitively confirm for all stakeholders that there are no adverse human health issues related to responsible natural gas development.”Shapiro, a Democrat in his first term as governor, was the state's attorney general in 2020 when a grand jury concluded after a two-year investigation that state regulators had failed to prevent Pennsylvania’s natural gas drilling industry from sickening people and poisoning air and water. The panel issued eight recommendations, none of which have been enacted legislatively.Shapiro announced Thursday that he's instructed regulators to use their existing authority to implement some of the recommendations, including new requirements for the public disclosure of drilling chemicals and stronger standards for drilling-waste disposal and pipeline corrosion control. Environmental groups were split on Thursday’s announcement. The head of the Pennsylvania Environment Council appeared at the news conference and spoke in support, and two other groups, PennEnvironment and the Clean Air Council, released statements praising Shapiro’s regulatory moves as a step in the right direction. But Megan McDonough, state director of Food & Water Watch Pennsylvania, said that “Shapiro’s toothless monitoring scheme is outrageous and embarrassing.”“We are well past the point of needing new studies to tell us what we already know: Fracking has sickened frontline communities, contaminated water supplies, and increased air and climate pollution,” she said.The Better Path Coalition, an alliance of Pennsylvania grassroots groups that oppose the fossil fuel industry, blasted Shapiro for taking what it called “half-measures” on drilling, and for having faith in CNX, which it called a “recidivist methane gas driller” that regulators have cited with more than 30 violations this year alone.

26 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 23 – 29 | Marcellus Drilling News -- New shale permits issued for Oct 23 – 29 in the Marcellus/Utica increased again. There were 26 new permits issued last week, versus 22 the week before. Last week’s permit tally included 18 new permits in Pennsylvania, 7 new permits in Ohio, and 1 new permit in West Virginia. Coterra Energy was the top permittee for the week, drawing 7 permits in Susquehanna County, PA. Chesapeake Energy was #2 with 5 permits issued in Sullivan County, PA. ASCENT RESOURCES | BUTLER COUNTY | CARROLL COUNTY | CHESAPEAKE ENERGY | COTERRA ENERGY (CABOT O&G) | EQT CORP | GULFPORT ENERGY | HARRISON COUNTY | INR | OHIO COUNTY | PENNENERGY RESOURCES | PEN RANGE RESOURCES CORP | SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY |SULLIVAN COUNTY | SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY | WASHINGTON COUNTY

Gulfport Energy's Entire M-U Operation Gets “A” on MiQ Report Card - Gulfport Energy, the third-largest driller in the Ohio Utica Shale (by the number of wells drilled), is the latest Marcellus/Utica driller to have its gas certified by MiQ. After a thorough review, MiQ gave Gulfport’s operations and the natural gas it produces its highest grade of “A.” Gulfport, which drills in both the Ohio Utica and Oklahoma SCOOP shale plays, has drilled some of (perhaps THE) longest shale wells in the world at over four miles long (seeGulfport’s 4-Mile Utica Wells Producing 2.5+ Bcfe per 1,000 Ft).

Antero Sees LNG, Power Burn and Muted Production Growth Boosting Natural Gas Prices - The management team of Antero Resources Corp. expects a slew of demand and supply side factors to align in a bullish pattern for U.S. natural gas prices over the next year. CEO Paul Rady outlined his reasoning upon announcing third quarter earnings for the Appalachian Basin pure-play. “On the macro front, we see natural gas storage levels normalizing on the back of record natural gas power burn, strong LNG exports and U.S. natural gas exported through pipelines to Mexico,” said Rady. “At the same time, we anticipate that U.S. production growth will be limited in the coming months following the dramatic decrease in drilling rigs.

Chesapeake Prepared to Expand Natural Gas Drilling in 2024 Ahead of LNG Export Growth - Chesapeake Energy Corp. has turned to another global commodity trader to help expose more of its U.S. natural gas production to international markets, inking a tentative deal with Vitol Inc. to sell up to 1 million metric tons/year (mmty) of LNG. The heads of agreement (HOA) follows one that Chesapeake signed earlier this year with commodity trader Gunvor Group Ltd. to sell up to 2 mmty of liquefied natural gas. “The participants in this market are very, very large,” said Chesapeake CEO Nick Dell’Osso in explaining why the company chose Vitol and Gunvor for the HOAs. “The majors participate in this market and the big commodities traders participate in this market on a daily basis. I think in order to be competitive there, you need to be part of a pool of volumes that can...

Mountain Valley Pipeline project growing as variance requests pile up - The Mountain Valley Pipeline has not developed according to plan. First announced in 2014, the gas pipeline once targeted an in-service date of 2018. Five years past that target, the pipeline is still under construction, beset by legal challenges rooted in environmental issues that project opponents say are far from resolved.But even with the 303.5-mile pipeline’s legal path cleared by an act of Congress, the now $7.2 billion project is coming up with change after change in plans.Federal regulators have approved 15 variance requests for the pipeline since Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. lifted a lower court’s hold on key federal approvals for the project in late July.Most of the requests approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission were for project plan changes in West Virginia, where the pipeline route travels through 11 counties before crossing into Virginia. The approved deviations cover over 19 acres, including requests to increase right-of-way access, withdraw water from streams in seven West Virginia counties, and add work space for equipment storage and parking.Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, the joint venture behind the 42-inch-diameter pipeline, filed three more variance requests on Monday alone.The requests come as pipeline opponents urge another federal agency, the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, to host public hearings on an agreement the agency struck with the project’s lead developer requiring corrective measures amid longstanding pipe safety concerns. Mountain Valley variance requests go back more than five years, as the project has been bogged down by legal and regulatory challenges rooted in the project’s water pollution and erosion issues. But Congress fast-tracked the project’s completion through a provision in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, legislation designed chiefly to avoid a national default by raising the country’s debt ceiling. law compelled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in June to issue all permits needed to finish construction of the pipeline within three weeks. Since Roberts lifted stays barring construction of the pipeline following Fiscal Responsibility Act passage, work on the pipeline has ramped up, resulting in the variance requests. One Mountain Valley variance request approved since then sought impacts to over 6 acres for a temporary access road and additional, temporary workspaces to increase constructability on steep slopes at Lick Creek in Summers County.Another approved request sought permission to place pumps needed for waterbody crossings outside limits of disturbance for stream crossings in Wetzel, Harrison, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Summers and Monroe counties. Other post-Fiscal Responsibility Act variance requests approved by the FERC for the pipeline have included relocating a Nicholas County access road due to two streams causing persistent flooding and lack of readily available power at the site; adding a spur of an access road to increase right-of-way access for a Greenbrier County stream crossing; and withdrawing water from the Little Kanawha, Elk and Greenbrier rivers and other waterways to reduce dust emissions and provide water for seeding and stabilization. In a Mountain Valley request filed Monday, the company sought approval for an “after the fact variance” for relocating a cathodic protection ground bed within an existing permanent easement and redesignating a temporary access road as permanent in Greenbrier County. Cathodic protection is an approach to preventing corrosion of buried metal pipelines that includes connecting metal to be protected to a more easily corroded metal.In a proposed safety order notice issued in August resolved by an agreement it struck this month with the pipeline’s lead developer, the PHMSA noted some buried pipeline was installed without effective cathodic protection for at least two years, requiring extensive documentation of efforts to prevent and address corrosion.The other two requests filed Monday are for sites in Virginia. One is a request to change the configuration of five cathodic protection ground beds in Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke and Franklin counties, affecting 1.28 net acres. Mountain Valley said the changes are needed to avoid karst voids.The pipeline is designed to cross over 75 miles of slopes greater than 30%, an unusually high amount of pipeline over slopes that steep. West Virginia and Virginia environmentalist and community groups signed onto a letter submitted to the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration last week calling for transparency measures regarding the agreement between the agency and the pipeline’s lead developer, Cecil Township, Pennsylvania-based Equitrans Midstream Corp. The groups asked the agency to host public hearings on the agreement, which critics say doesn’t adequately address corrosion issues that may come from pipe already installed in the ground. The groups asked for the hearings to have a virtual attendance option and post-event transcript, with outreach for the event including notification of directly impacted communities in advance of hearings. The National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators has recommended against aboveground storage of coated pipe for longer than six months without additional ultraviolet protection. But some of the pipe slated for use in constructing the Mountain Valley Pipeline has been lying uninstalled along the route for years.

MVP to Rank Among ‘Most Valuable Pipelines’ in U.S., Says Equitrans CEO - Equitrans Midstream Corp. management remains upbeat about the long-term fundamentals underpinning the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) despite recently postponing the project’s expected in-service date and upwardly revising its projected cost. Canonsburg, PA-based Equitrans has moved the targeted start-up date for the embattled 2 Bcf/d natural gas conduit to early 2024 from late 2023, and the project budget has risen to $7.2 billion from $6.6 billion. The pipeline would offer sorely needed takeaway from the Appalachian Basin, one of the world’s largest developed sources of natural gas. “Once in-service, there is little doubt MVP will be one of the most valuable pipelines in the U.S., directly connecting our country’s largest and lowest-cost natural gas resource and the... © 2023 Natural Gas Intelligence. All rights reserved.

Snapper Creek Fishing for Advantage with Natural Gas, NGL and Carbon Credits Brokerage - A veteran team of commodities traders is barely two weeks into the launch of brokerage Snapper Creek Energy, with executives already eyeing an expansion overseas early next year. Helmed by CEO Sid Perkins, the Miami-based commodities brokerage launched in mid-October to trade physical natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) and carbon credits. Perkins, a former executive with ION Energy Group, which he founded in 2008, recently shared his vision for Snapper Creek in a wide-ranging interview with NGI. In the simplest terms, Perkins saw a “critical need” for a brokerage that would help clients “navigate shifting market complexities with speed and certainty.” The broad energy transition to a zero-carbon economy may be more than a decade away, but it already is driving market...

US weekly LNG exports reach 27 cargoes - US liquefaction plants shipped 27 liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes in the week ending October 25, while natural gas deliveries to these terminals dropped by 4.1 percent compared to the week before.Last week, the US Energy Information Administration said that 29 LNG carriers departed the US plants between October 11 and October 18.The agency said that last week’s LNG vessel count included five vessels that departed US LNG terminals on Wednesday, October 11, but were not included in the vessel count for the previous report week.This means that US terminals shipped three more cargoes between October 19 and October 25 compared to the week of October 12 and October 18. The total capacity of these 27 LNG vessels is 97 Bcf, the EIA said, citing shipping data provided by Bloomberg Finance.Average natural gas deliveries to US LNG export terminals fell by 4.1 percent (0.6 Bcf/d) week over week, averaging 13.7 Bcf/d, according to data from S&P Global Commodity InsightsNatural gas deliveries to terminals in South Texas declined by 2.9 percent (0.1 Bcf/d) to 4.1 Bcf/d.The agency said that natural gas deliveries to terminals in South Louisiana declined by 4.4 percent (0.4 Bcf/d) to 8.5 Bcf/d, and natural gas deliveries to terminals outside the Gulf Coast decreased by 2.6 percent (less than 0.1 Bcf/d) to 1.1 Bcf/d.Cheniere’s Sabine Pass plant shipped nine cargoes and the company’s Corpus Christi facility sent four shipments during the period under review.The Freeport LNG terminal sent five cargoes and Sempra Infrastructure’s Cameron LNG terminal and Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass each shipped three cargoes during the week under review.Also, the Cove Point LNG terminal shipped two cargoes and the Elba Island LNG facility sent one cargo between October 19 and October 25. This report week, the Henry Hub spot price decreased 4 cents from $2.90 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last Wednesday to $2.86/MMBtu this Wednesday, the agency said.Moreover, the price of the November 2023 NYMEX contract decreased 4.6 cents, from $3.056/MMBtu last Wednesday to $3.010/MMBtu this Wednesday.According to the agency, the price of the 12-month strip averaging November 2023 through October 2024 futures contracts declined 6 cents to $3.315/MMBtu.Bloomberg Finance reported that weekly average front-month futures prices for LNG cargoes in East Asia increased $1.71 to a weekly average of $18.21/MMBtu.Natural gas futures for delivery at the Dutch TTF decreased 12 cents to a weekly average of $15.65/MMBtu.In the same week last year (week ending October 26, 2022), the prices were $31.52/MMBtu in East Asia and $31.61/MMBtu at TTF, the EIA said.

U.S. LNG Traffic Faces Further Pressure from Panama Canal Limits Amid Drought – The Offtake - The Panama Canal Authority said this week that it would reduce the number of vessels that can transit the waterway from 32 to 25 on Nov. 3. Daily transits would be further cut to 24 on Nov. 8, 22 on Dec. 1, 20 on Jan. 1 and 18 on Feb. 1. The reductions come amid a drought and what the authority said was the driest month since 1950. The cuts could limit the number of tankers moving LNG from U.S. export terminals to Asia and force cargoes to take longer, costlier routes. China-based Foran Energy Group Co. Ltd. has inked a heads of agreement with Cheniere Energy Inc. for 0.86 million metric tons/year (mmty) for 20 years. Deliveries on a free-on-board basis could start in 2028 and are expected to be linked to Henry Hub.

Natural Gas Said in ‘Supply Purgatory’ in 2024 Before Deficit, LNG Export Boom Take Hold - North American natural gas markets face the risk of oversupply in 2024 if winter comes in mild amid prodigious production gains. However, the gates are set to swing open for surging LNG exports in 2025 that could support prices out to 2030, analysts said. Lower 48 gas in storage is amply supplied ahead of winter, with a surplus of 183 Bcf to the five-year average after the latest injection for the week ended Oct. 20. Production notched a new record around 104 Bcf/d a week ago, keeping a leash on New York Mercantile Exchange futures from straying far from the $3.000/MMBtu level. “From a near-term perspective, we’re on a little bit of a rollercoaster ride where, provided a warm winter shows up, prices are going to have to get worse before they get better,” said East Daley...

Freeport LNG gets OK to start commissioning second jetty - Freeport LNG, the operator of the three-train 15 mtpa liquefaction plant in Texas, has secured approval from the US FERC to start commissioning its second jetty. In February this year, the LNG terminal operator shipped the first cargo from its LNG export plant in Texas since the shutdown in June 2022. Freeport LNG received approvals from both FERC and PHMSA during the first quarter to restart Phase I operations. These consist of three trains, two LNG storage tanks (tanks 1 and 2), and a single LNG jetty (dock 1). However, these approvals did not grant Freeport LNG to commission or place LNG tank 3, loop 2, and dock 2 back into service. In order to continue Freeport’s sequential plan to return the export facility to full commercial operations, Freeport recently requested approval from FERC for the nitrogen cooldown of the loop 2 LNG rundown piping system and the introduction of hydrocarbons to loop 2 to complete its cooldown and commissioning. FERC said in filling dated October 27 that it has granted Freeport LNG’s request to start “commissioning, including cooldown, of Loop 2 LNG transfer piping, Dock 2, and the 8-inch LNG recirculation piping.” The regulator said additional authorization to restart operations is necessary to reinstate service for loop 2 LNG circulation to enable ship loading to dock 2. “Authorization will only be granted following the review of filed responses, a determination that the facilities are fit for service, and documentation that acceptable measures have been put into place to safely return the facilities to operation,” it said.

China's Foran says to ink long-term LNG supply deal with Cheniere - Chinese gas firm Foran Energy said it plans to buy liquefied natural gas from US LNG exporter Cheniere under a new long-term deal.The firm said in a statement that its board of directors has approved the signing of a 20-year LNG SPA with Cheniere Marketing, a unit of Cheniere.According to Foran, the firm plans to purchase about 0.86 million tons of LNG per year on a FOB basis and the supply is expected to begin from 2028.Foran said the Henry Hub-linked LNG deal will also include a liquefaction fee.It did not say when the two firms will sign the SPA.Back in 2021, Cheniere signed a binding 20-year LNG supply deal with Foran.Under this deal, Foran has agreed to buy about 0.3 mtpa of LNG from Cheniere Marketing on a delivered ex-ship basis for a term of 20 years beginning in January 2023.Cheniere operates two LNG export terminals and is the largest LNG exporter in the US.The company’s Sabine Pass plant currently has a capacity of about 30 mtpa following the launch of the sixth train in February last year.In February this year, Cheniere initiated the pre-filing review process with the US FERC for the proposed Sabine Pass Stage 5 expansion project with a capacity of some 20 mtpa.On the other hand, Cheniere’s Corpus Christi liquefaction plant consists of three operational trains with each having a capacity of about 5 mtpa.In June last year, Cheniere took a final investment decision on the Corpus Christi Stage 3 expansion project worth about $8 billion and officially started construction on the project in October.The project includes building seven midscale trains, each with an expected liquefaction capacity of about 1.49 mtpa.Cheniere is expecting to complete the expansion phase at its Corpus Christi plant ahead of schedule.

Baker Hughes to book $9 billion of LNG equipment orders in 2022/2023 - US energy services firm Baker Hughes is on track to book almost $9 billion of LNG equipment orders across 2022 and 2023, the company’s executives said during the third-quarter earnings call. Following record LNG equipment orders of some $3.5 billion in 2022, Baker Hughes booked $1.4 billion in LNG equipment orders in the first quarter this year and $900 million in the second quarter. During the third quarter, Bake Hughes booked almost $2.5 billion of LNG equipment orders. “Major awards during the quarter included liquefaction equipment for an FLNG project in the Eastern Hemisphere and a major award to provide additional liquefaction equipment and a power island to Venture Global LNG”, Nancy Buese, Baker Hughes CFO, told analysts during the company’s earnings call on October 26. Baker Hughes recently secured a “major” contract from compatriot LNG exporter Venture Global to provide a modularized liquefied natural gas (LNG) system and power island. The contract was awarded under a master equipment supply agreement between Venture Global and Baker Hughes for more than 100 million tons per annum of production capacity, which was recently expanded from 70 mtpa. During the second quarter, Baker Hughes secured an order for three main refrigerant compressors for NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG project in Texas. Baker Hughes also recently booked a contract worth more than $400 million ford Adnoc’s planned LNG export terminal in Al Ruwais. Baker Hughes said it will book this contract in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Oneok Touts Natural Gas Volume Growth, Expansion Opportunities in Lower 48 - Natural gas gathering, processing and transportation remain a focal point for Oneok Inc.’s growth plans despite recently closing a major acquisition focused on crude oil and refined products. Oneok saw 12% year/year growth in natural gas processing volumes during the third quarter, CEO Pierce Norton said during a conference call to discuss the Tulsa-based midstreamer’s quarterly results. Oneok continues to see “robust producer activity across our operations with North Dakota natural gas production reaching a new all-time high in August,” Norton added. The company’s natural gas and natural gas liquids infrastructure serves a wide swath of the Lower 48 including the Williston, Powder River, Denver-Julesburg and Permian basins. Oneok also serves Oklahoma’s South Central region...

Another Utility Sheds its Gas Pipelines - The Wall Street Journal - Entergy shares are getting a jolt after the utility said it has agreed to sell its natural-gas distribution business serving New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La. to investment firm Bernhard Capital Partners for $484 million. It's the latest utility to part with its gas pipeline networks amid mounting efforts to phase out in-home use of the fossil fuel and fears that gas infrastructure could become stranded assets.Dominion Energy said last month that it would sell $9.4 billion of natural-gas assets in Ohio, North Carolina and several Western states to Canada's Enbridge in order to focus on renewable energy and improving its electrical grid. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that National Grid was also exploring a sale of its gas assets in the Northeast.

Advocates Question Biden Administration’s Promises to Address Environmental Injustices While Supporting Fossil Fuel Projects - —Environmental justice advocates sharply criticized the Biden administration during the Department of Energy’s Justice Week 2023 conference on Wednesday for approving new export terminals for liquified natural gas on the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, saying pollution from those fossil fuel facilities will further endanger disadvantaged communities. At the same time, across town at the White House, Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said on a conference call with community groups and reporters that nearly 470 federal programs with billions of dollars in annual investment were being “reimagined and transformed to meet the Justice40 goal and maximize benefits to disadvantaged communities.” Justice40 is President Biden’s policy, established by executive order, directing 40 percent of new environmental and energy investments to “disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment.” Mallory was joined on the call by Tony Reames, principal deputy director of DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs, who said from Detroit that the department is striving to decrease the energy burden, lessen environmental exposures, increase parity in clean energy technology access and adoption in environmental justice communities. But DOE officials got an earful at the department’s Justice Week conference from activists on its Community Voices from the Ground panel, who noted that the department was poised to grant a new export license to Energy Transfer’s Lake Charles LNG project in Southwest Louisiana after approving several new LNG export terminals in Texas. “The Biden administration is speaking out of both sides of their mouth,” said Roishetta Ozane, fossil fuel finance campaigner with the Texas Campaign for the Environment. “They say they care about frontline and environmental justice communities, but they have yet to address the fact that the air we breathe is making us sick, giving us asthma and skin conditions.” Ozane added that these LNG facilities disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income neighborhoods and contribute to climate change. “The DOE needs to reevaluate its approval process and show a real commitment to environmental justice. Enough is enough,” she said. John Beard, founder and director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, asked the agency to stop advancing mega-polluting projects in marginalized communities of color. “DOE says it is committed to promoting environmental justice in all its activities. And yet, the agency continues to grant export authorizations to methane gas export terminals, explosive carbon bombs, in low-income communities and communities of color,” he said. The advocates also asked DOE to stop investing in hydrogen hubs, carbon capture and sequestration technologies at refineries and utilities, and direct air carbon capture technology aimed at sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, calling them all “dangerous distractions.” Producing hydrogen requires large amounts of energy ”that will worsen the effects of climate change while allowing big oil and gas to reap more profits while our children get sick, our air is polluted, and our safety is compromised,” Beard said. “Biden and the DOE must immediately halt the further expansion of hydrogen and export facilities, end air pollution, and restore devastated communities. This is the only solution.”

Sale of federal oil and gas leases in Gulf of Mexico off again pending hearings on whale protections (AP) — An upcoming sale of federal Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases was officially postponed Thursday amid legal fights over protections for an endangered species of whale. A federal appellate panel last week paused a separate appeals panel’s order that the sale be held next Wednesday. Oil industry advocates had pressed President Joe Biden’s administration to go ahead with the sale anyway. But the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it was postponing the event because of the legal uncertainties heading into a Nov. 13 appeals court hearing. The lease sale, called for in 2022 climate legislation that was part of the Inflation Reduction Act, was announced earlier this year. The available tracts covered a broad area of Gulf waters off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. It was originally scheduled for Sept. 27. But BOEM announced in August that it was scaling back the amount of acreage oil companies would be allowed to bid on from 73 million acres (30 million hectares) to 67 million acres (27 million hectares). That followed a proposed legal settlement between the administration and environmentalists in a lawsuit over protections for an endangered whale species. Oil companies and the state of Louisiana objected to the reduction, setting off a still-brewing legal battle.A federal judge in southwest Louisiana ordered the sale to go on at its original scale, without the whale protections, which also included regulations involving vessel speed and personnel. That led to an appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.In late September, a panel of that court refused to block the federal judge’s order but amended it to push the sale back to Nov. 8, so the administration would have more time to prepare. But last week, a different panel stayed that order and set a hearing on the merits of the case for Nov. 13. Oil industry representatives and industry supporters in Congress pressed BOEM to hold the full-sized sale on Nov. 8 despite the lack of a court resolution. Senate energy committee Chairman Joe Manchin, the conservative West Virginia Democrat who has clashed with Biden and other fellow Democrats on energy policy, and the committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming both said the sale should go on. But the administration made the latest delay official in a Thursday statement.

Advanced nuclear technology has role in Permian --Think nuclear energy and Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima may quickly come to mind. But those involved in nuclear energy insist that the nuclear energy space has significantly evolved in terms of technology and safety.And proponents of nuclear energy are bringing their case to the Permian Basin, the heart of oil and natural gas production, to make their case.The discussion should not be about oil and natural gas but about energy – all energy, said Chris Wright, chief executive officer of Liberty Energy. He brought the founder of Oklo, which builds small modular reactors, along with Oklo’s head of business development, to Midland this week to discuss their reactor technology. His company has made a $10 million investment in Oklo.The reasons were twofold, Wright told the Reporter-Telegram. “This is the shale oil and gas capital of the world, with the people who are leaders in the industry,” he said. “(If) the energy dialogue is about improving lives, these are the people I want engaged in that dialogue.”The second reason is the growing electrification of the oilpatch – from drilling rigs to frac fleets – and the need to be able to access that electricity in the Permian Basin, he said.Jake DeWitte, Oklo founder, agreed, telling the Reporter-Telegram that as the Permian Basin oilpatch becomes increasingly electrified, the challenge to meet that demand will grow. The small modular reactors Oklo manufactures will help close that transmission gap and reduce stress on the grid, he said. And because these reactors require much less space and are less expensive to build, he said they can be deployed to areas where the population doesn’t have access to any electricity or to reliable, affordable, abundant electricity. The technology also utilizes recycled fuel, converting used nuclear fuel into clean energy. Oklo is preparing to deploy its first reactors, known as the Aurora Powerhouse, beginning in 2027, having received approval for its Quality Assurance Program Description from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The company has also submitted updated combined license application for its first reactor as well as subsequent applications for additional reactors, Brian Gitt, Oklo’s head of business development, said.“Nuclear is going to dominate electric generation,” Gitt predicted. “Oil and natural gas are the foundation of civilization. I see these as synergistic technologies.”

Oil and gas companies spill millions of gallons of wastewater in Texas - The prolific oil and gas wells of Texas also generate billions of gallons of salty liquid known as produced water. A lot of this toxic water, just like crude oil, tends to get spilled. Not just occasionally, but hundreds of times a year. From a large spill of 756,000 gallons into the Delaware River in West Texas that sent chloride levels soaring, to hundreds of small spills in one Permian Basin county, there’s hardly a corner of Texas not impacted. But messy record-keeping and ambiguous rules at the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas drilling, have long obscured the scope and severity of these spills from the public.The Railroad Commission has never formally adopted 2009 draft guidelines for reporting and cleaning up produced water spills. The agency delegated the authority to set different reporting thresholds to district offices, in a system that relies on self-reporting by offenders and includes little enforcement to assure accuracy and compliance.A commission spokesperson said that produced water spills must be reported and that the agency fully investigates and mitigates all spills. But the agency has never adopted official produced water spill guidelines and numerous companies are under the impression they are not required to report spills at all.Inside Climate News has conducted the first-ever public analysis of produced water spills in Texas, working from data provided in response to open records requests to the Railroad Commission.Over the decade from 2013 and 2022, the analysis found that oil and gas companies reported more than 10,000 individual spills totaling more than 148 million gallons of produced water. Where possible, companies use vacuum trucks to suck up as much spilled water as they can. But only about 40 percent of the water reported spilled from 2013 to 2022 was recovered.The spills ranged from small leaks of less than 10 gallons to massive incidents—19 of the reported spills exceeded 500,000 gallons. Although they represented a tiny minority of spills, with about 350 reported in the data, some of the most damaging incidents took place when produced water was spilled directly into streams, rivers or lakes.Both conventional oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, rely upon large quantities of water, sand and proprietary chemicals, some of which are toxic, to free the oil and gas from geologic formations deep underground. Produced water is the liquid waste that comes back to the surface and contains both the proprietary drilling fluids and naturally occurring hazardous compounds from the earth, including arsenic and organic compounds like benzene, a carcinogen.The highly saline water can render land barren for years. Residents have filed lawsuits detailing damages from contaminated well water to poisoned cattle.In East Texas’ Anderson County, cattle rancher Tate Willfong noticed a produced water spill on his property from Vista Energy Consulting’s pipeline in July that killed the grass his cattle graze on. He said he reported the spills to the Railroad Commission but only got help after he went to a local television reporter at KETK in Tyler. Vista Energy Consulting did not respond to a request for comment.In Lamesa, the county seat of Dawson County in the high plains where Permian Basin oil production borders cotton farms and towering wind turbines, Doty Huff and Saul Torres filed a lawsuit against an energy firm named Enhanced Midstream, alleging that two leaks from one of the company’s produced water pipelines contaminated their well water and caused a “total loss of fair market value” of their property. Enhanced Midstream did not respond to multiple requests for comment.In Knox County, North of Abilene, rancher Tim Foote sued after his cattle knocked down a fence around a Texcel Exploration tank where produced water and oil was stored. The livestock came into contact with spilled produced water and 132 cattle died. An appeals court recently upheld a trial court’s decision that the company cannot be held responsible. “There’s a reason why you salted your enemy’s land in the Bible,” said Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas lawyer in the Permian Basin, who has documented damages from produced water spills. “Nothing grows.”

Energy firms spill large quantities of wastewater in Texas over last decade: report- (Xinhua) -- Oil and gas companies have spilled nearly 150 million gallons of wastewater in U.S. energy state Texas over the last decade, the Texas Tribune reported on Tuesday. From 2013 to 2022, these companies reported more than 10,000 individual spills totaling more than 148 million gallons of produced water, and only about 40 percent of the water reported spilled during this period was recovered, said the report, citing the first-ever public analysis of this kind conducted by the nonprofit Inside Climate News. The spills ranged from small leaks of less than 10 gallons to massive incidents, said the report, noting that 19 of the reported spills exceeded 500,000 gallons. Some of the most damaging incidents occurred when produced water was spilled directly into streams, rivers, or lakes, said the report. "From a large spill of 756,000 gallons into the Delaware River in West Texas that sent chloride levels soaring, to hundreds of small spills in one Permian Basin county, there's hardly a corner of Texas not impacted," the report lamented. Both conventional oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, rely upon large quantities of water, sand and proprietary chemicals, some of which are toxic, to free the oil and gas from geologic formations deep underground, said the report. The highly saline water can render land barren for years. In parts of Texas, residents have filed lawsuits detailing damage from contaminated well water to poisoned cattle, the report added. A 2022 report calculated that the Permian Basin alone is generating 3.9 billion barrels, or over 168 billion gallons, of produced water a year. That means wastewater must be piped off well pads, stored in tanks, and trucked to disposal wells. As of July, Texas had more than 161,000 oil wells and 86,000 gas wells in production, according to the report. ■

Cleanup finished on big oil spill on the Keystone system — The operator of the Keystone pipeline system finished cleaning up a massive December 2022 oil spill, and the creek affected by it is flowing naturally again, the company and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said this week. Pipeline operator TC Energy promised to continue monitoring the site along Mill Creek in Washington County, about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City. The Canada-based company and the EPA's regional office announced Tuesday that berms that diverted the creek around the spill site were removed. The EPA said Kansas' environmental agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also will continue to inspect the area for the next five years or "until it is determined that monitoring is no longer needed." The spill dumped almost 13,000 barrels of crude oil — each one enough to fill a standard household bathtub — into the creek as it ran through a rural pasture. The company said that it started "demobilization" at the site and, "expect to complete these activities by year end." The pipeline carries oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. The company reported in February that a faulty weld in a pipe bend caused a crack that grew over time under stress. An engineering consultant firm's report for U.S. pipeline regulators that became public in May cited pipeline design issues, lapses by its operators and problems caused during pipeline construction as factors in the spill. The consultants' report said the bend was "overstressed" since its installation in December 2010, likely because construction activity itself altered the land around the pipe. It was the largest onshore spill in almost nine years.

Over 650,000 gallons of oil recovered while cleaning up Kansas Keystone Pipeline spill --More than 650,000 gallons of oil were recovered during a cleanup effort in Kansas that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared complete on Tuesday.The Keystone Pipeline rupture detected on Dec. 7, 2022, near Washington, about 175 miles northwest of Kansas City, dumped nearly 13,000 barrels of crude oil into Mill Creek. The massive spill prompted a nearly 24/7 oil recovery phase which ended Jan. 29.Crews continued working on areas with submerged oil until May when efforts turned to stream restoration.The cleanup required treating more than 54 million gallons of contaminated surface water, which was discharged back into Mill Creek. About 200,000 tons of soil, sediment and other debris were excavated and removed, the EPA said in a news release.During a visual inspection on Oct. 13, officials said the creek was flowing naturally after a diversion system and berms were removed.The federal agency said staff spent more than 6,000 hours on the cleanup.The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will continue to monitor the creek for the next five years or until they determine monitoring is no longer needed.A report released in May by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said the rupture was caused by a combination of faulty welding and extreme pressure causing the pipeline, owned by TC Energy, to deform.It was the largest spill in the Keystone pipeline’s history and larger than all its previous 22 spills combined.

Halliburton grows electric fracking fleets in Q3 - Houston Business Journal - Halliburton is gradually retiring its diesel-powered hydraulic fracturing fleets in favor of natural gas-powered electric fleets. The Houston-based oil field services company signed on more e-fleet contracts in the third quarter 2023, even seeing a repeat customer, after signing more multi-year contracts for its Zeus fleet than in any prior quarter during Q2. “[I’m] very pleased with the trajectory that we see around e-fleets and they're performing very, very well. So that continues to sort of build up the confidence of the market and that technology,” CEO Jeff Miller said during the company’s Q3 earnings call. Miller added that the technology has a lower total cost of ownership than existing equipment, making it more successful than diesel fleets, which are also higher-emitters. Miller confirmed that while it is not a one-to-one ratio of adding e-fleets and retiring diesel fleets, the company has had the opportunity to retire diesel fleets this year as well. Even as some expect demand for oil to decrease soon — a new report from the International Energy Agency says global demand for oil, natural gas, and coal could all peak by 2030 — Miller is confident there will still be some need for the fleets. “There is no scenario where a large operator will not be fracking. Then it becomes, 'Why wouldn't you want that one fleet at least to be your lowest cost operating fleet because it's burning natural gas, it's emitting less, and it's working at the highest performance?'" Miller said. "At that point, this becomes a much easier discussion because it is the lowest cost operating fleet. It is extremely high efficiency and it lowers their overall cost." Miller, who sees growth for decades based on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ estimate that oil demand will increase by 10 million barrels before the end of the decade and continue growing through 2045, said he sees demand growth for oilfield services to focus in offshore markets. Halliburton posted net income attributable to the company of $716 million for Q3, slightly beating analysts projections and increasing from 31.6% from the third quarter last year. Revenue also increased by 8% year-over-year to $5.8 billion. Revenue growth was led by a 17.4% growth in international revenue growth on the year, led by increased activity in Latin America. “This is a great market for Halliburton to execute its strategy for profitable international growth. I'm excited about our international business, and we are on track to deliver high teens year-on-year growth in 2023. Looking ahead, 2024 is coming into view and I expect to see international activity, again, directionally higher with market growth in the double-digit range,” Miller said. North America revenue remained flat on the year and decreased 3% from the previous quarter, driven by decreased pressure pumping services in U.S. land and lower well intervention services in the Gulf of Mexico.

Schumer leads 23 senators in demanding FTC probe of oil industry mergers - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 22 other Democratic senators sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan on Wednesday demanding an investigation of two major proposed oil industry mergers and warning that the consolidations could hurt consumers. Schumer and his colleagues want the FTC to investigate ExxonMobil’s proposed $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources, and Chevron’s proposed $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corporation. “By allowing Exxon and Chevron to further integrate their extensive operations into important oil-and-gas fields, these deals are likely to harm competition, risking increased consumer prices and reduced output throughout the United States,” they wrote. They called on the FTC to consider various anti-competitive harms and urged the agency to oppose them if they would violate antitrust law. They noted that more than 2,600 mergers occurred through the U.S. petroleum industry in the 1990s, and the number of major U.S. energy companies dropped from 19 to 9 due to consolidation. “After these huge mergers took place, the majors’ upstream operations were skewed to the detriment of consumers. Studies at the time demonstrated that spending on drilling for new oil supplies by the merged giants fell significantly compared to the drilling budgets before the mergers,” the senators wrote. The signatories include Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), among others. Schumer highlighted the letter on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. “I think people should pay attention to this, because this is a very serious issue,” he said, calling the ExxonMobil and Chevron deals “two of the largest oil acquisitions of the 21st century.” “Some of the largest mergers in the history, in the whole history of the United States — where are they occurring? In the heavily concentrated oil industry, where the consumer has almost no say whatsoever. These deals have all the hallmarks of harmful, anti-competitive effect,” he warned.

Chevron-Hess deal may lift Bakken oil output, but no return to boom days - (Reuters) - Chevron's (CVX.N) deal announced last week to buy Hess (HES.N), one of the largest operators in the Bakken shale play in North Dakota, could raise oil output there marginally but analysts do not expect a return to its peak pre-pandemic boom days. New drilling technologies during the so-called Bakken Boom turned North Dakota into the nation's second-largest crude oil-producing state from 2012 to 2020. That No. 2 spot was taken over by New Mexico after the COVID-19 pandemic crushed oil demand and drilling activity. The Bakken formation, located along the Canadian border, is a long way from export terminals and refineries, which means producers have higher transport fees and typically smaller profits than their competitors in the giant Texan and New Mexican shale area that are closer to the main refining and export hubs on the Gulf Coast. Production in the higher-cost Bakken region is around 1.27 million barrels per day (bpd), nearly 18% below the late 2019 peak, according to U.S. government data. Hess produced 190,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) there during the third quarter this year, the company said on Wednesday in its earnings statement. Chevron's acquisition gives it that production and 465,000 net acres (1,882 sq km) in the region, which Chevron described as "long-duration inventory" when it announced the deal. Chevron is expected to largely adhere to Hess's plans for the Bakken, which included growing its net production there to about 200,000 boepd in 2025, analysts said. Drilling with the same number of rigs that Hess has used would give Chevron around 15 years of inventory in the region, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said when the deal was announced. "This is a very attractive asset that can deliver kind of plateau production, strong cash flow for many, many years to come," Wirth said. Chevron hopes that new technology it is pioneering in the other shale regions where it operates would help squeeze more from the Bakken in the future, he added. Chevron's entry also marks a cultural change in the state's energy industry. Hess has been part of the energy industry in North Dakota since 1951, and helped establish the state as a top shale oil and gas producer. Chevron could take Bakken production higher than the output targeted by Hess in the future, said Matthew Bernstein, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy. Given the breadth of their operations, larger integrated companies such as Chevron are under less pressure than shale producers to stick to modest target increases in every region they operate - so long as they keep providing shareholders with returns, Bernstein said. The Bakken is more consolidated and mature than regions such as the top U.S. oilfield - the Permian - and much smaller, so there is less scope to increase activity, Energy Aspects' Jessie Jones said. Break-even prices in the Bakken have been on average higher than other shale regions since 2019. Bakken half-cycle break-even prices, which include costs for transportation, income taxes and price differentials, on average are expected to be $58.86 per barrel in 2023, much lower than the $50.69 per barrel in the Permian basin's Midland region, according to Rystad Energy data. The Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico has surpassed its previous peaks and hit a record high this year of nearly 6 million bpd, Energy Information Administration data showed. Jones expects Bakken output to hit 1.3 million bpd this year, still a long way from the 1.54 million bpd pre-pandemic peak. It remains to be seen if renewed investment or a breakthrough in technology can prevent a longer-term decline in Bakken output. Bakken oil production could drop to 1.15 million bpd from 2026 and be flat through 2030, before entering gradual decline as inventory exhaustion sets in, said Nathan Nemeth, a principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie.

Exxon scraps plan to replace pipeline from 2015 oil spill – LA Times -Central Coast environmentalists are celebrating ExxonMobil’s recent decision to scrap plans to replace miles of pipeline through Santa Barbara County, key to revitalizing a local network of petroleum energy production shuttered since the catastrophic 2015 Refugio oil spill. But at the same time, the oil giant has raised fresh concerns, saying it is instead exploring the possibility of repairing existing, damaged pipeline. The years-long effort by oil companies to replace two major segments of pipeline could have allowed the company to restart offshore oil platforms along Santa Barbara County’s coast and an onshore processing plant. These possibilities have been long reviled by local environmental groups and some residents, especially after the catastrophic 2015 spill, which continues to loom large in the region. “This [pipeline] replacement has been hanging over the community’s head for five years now,” said Jonathan Ullman, director of the Sierra Club’s Santa Barbara-Ventura chapter. “I was very happy to hear this news; it felt like their withdrawal signified that the writing was on the wall that they could not continue.”Ullman said the construction project — had it been approved — had major implications for the environment, wildlife and public health, with heightened risks of oil spills and increased fossil fuel emissions.The 2015 spill, caused by “extensive” corrosion on a section of pipeline, hemorrhaged more than 140,000 gallons of crude oil along the Gaviota Coast, much of which ended up in the ocean and along the region’s prized coastline, closing Refugio and El Capitan state beaches for weeks and affecting countless seabirds and marine life. Oil heavily coated a stretch of Santa Barbara County’s coast, with small tar balls reaching as far south as Redondo Beach in Los Angeles County.Officials for Pacific Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Texas-based ExxonMobil, wrote to Santa Barbara County leaders that it had found “the potential environmental impacts associated with the major construction of a second pipeline unnecessary and avoidable,” according to an Oct. 24 letter, withdrawing its proposal from the county’s permitting process.The letter, however, also opened the door for another complicated fight in Santa Barbara County, with Exxon officials announcing that the oil giant would change its focus from building replacement pipeline to trying to restore old, damaged pipeline.“Recent inspections and analysis affirms ... the existing pipeline can be responsibly restarted,” the letter said. It also mentioned that during the replacement pipeline’s environmental review, “staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicated that restart of the existing pipeline is likely the Least Environmentally Damaging Practical Alternative under the Federal Clean Water Act.”

Why Fossil Fuel Companies Can’t Leave Resources Stranded - Even as climate advocates call for eliminating fossil fuels, companies continue to launch major production plans. Earlier this year, for example, President Joe Biden’s administration approved the $8 billion Willow project on Alaska’s North Slope, which is expected to yield some 600 million barrels of oil over three decades. And last month, ExxonMobil announced a nearly $60 billion deal to acquire the oil producer Pioneer Natural Resources, which would allow it to more than double its production in the Permian Basin to 1.3 million barrels of oil and gas a day.Hundreds of fossil fuel extraction projects now planned or already in production constitute so-called carbon bombs that hold the potential to emit more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide over their lifetimes, one analysis found. If these projects go forward, the researchers concluded, their emissions would be twice the limit that would keep global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). The United Nations Paris Agreement, ratified in 2015, seeks to hold the average global temperature increase to well below 2 C above preindustrial levels to minimize climate impacts, and advocates a 1.5 C increase as a major goal to avoid the most severe impacts.Fossil fuel companies’ production levels render such temperature goals all but impossible to achieve. A report from the United Nations Environment Program and other groups concluded that in 2030, oil and gas production would total more than twice the amount projected to increase global temperatures by 1.5 C. By 2040, production would be almost three times that amount. Another study found that 40 percent of developed fossil fuel reserves must be left in the ground to give a 50-50 chance of staying below 1.5 C.A critical component of climate advocates’ plans to limit oil and gas production is leaving in the ground, or stranding, large percentages of existing fossil fuel reserves. In 2015, A University College London study found that limiting heating to 2 C would require stranding a third of oil reserves, almost half of gas reserves, and more than 80 percent of coal reserves. In a 2021 update, a similar analysis found that meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 C target would mean leaving in the ground nearly 60 percent of oil and gas and 90 percent of coal reserves by 2050.However, these scenarios minimize or ignore the profound legal, political, and economic obstacles to such stranding.For one thing, because such strandings would damage corporations, company directors who approved them would be left open to personal lawsuits for breaching their corporate fiduciary duty. Such duty legally requires directors to act in the best interest of the company.Stranding resources could also be thwarted by legal claims from investors seeking compensation under international treaties. Countries offer such treaties to encourage foreign investment, and if they are violated, those investors can demand arbitration. An analysis by researchers at Boston University estimated that such arbitration could lead to government liabilities of up to $340 billion for oil and gas projects worldwide. Risks would be even greater if coal mining and fossil fuel infrastructure were included.One group found that aggressive energy policies to limit warming to 2 C would mean that $1.4 trillion in existing projects would lose their value. The researchers traced the risk of ownership of more than 40,000 oil and gas assets. Private investors would suffer the most through their pension funds and investments, the study found. Resource stranding would be a political disaster for any government, given the potential skyrocketing energy prices and enormous investor losses that would result. Witness how quickly and dramatically the Biden administration responded to the recent rise in gasoline prices by selling oil from the U.S. oil reserve to keep the price low. Finally, advocates of resource stranding ignore the fact that fossil fuels are inseparably fundamental to the functioning of the world economy, and deep reductions in carbon emissions under current policies is not a realistic possibility. Certainly, fossil fuel companies have resorted to underhanded tactics to undermine climate solutions. And certainly, they have made very large profits. However, to make significant progress toward those solutions, climate advocates must stop simplistically demonizing those companies and develop realistic strategies to overcome the legal and economic hurdles discussed here.

Marathon Petroleum Remains Committed to Plans for Alaskan LNG Imports - Marathon Petroleum Corp. continues to evaluate converting its Kenai LNG export terminal in Alaska to import the super-chilled fuel, a project the company said ultimately could be larger than originally planned to help meet local natural gas demand. FERC approved a Marathon subsidiary’s request in 2020 to convert the Kenai terminal, which hasn’t exported any LNG since 2015. The company said it was evaluating strategic options for the facility, including the plan authorized by federal regulators, along with a larger second phase import and regasification terminal. The facility is located near Marathon’s Kenai refinery on the Cook Inlet, about 60 miles southwest of Anchorage, which also would utilize imported natural gas.

Canada’s First Major LNG Feed Gas Pipeline Finishes Construction - TC Energy Corp. has finished building the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline after five years of construction, marking the completion of the first system in Canada that will deliver feed gas to an export plant. CGL hosted a final assembly event for the 402-mile pipeline near where it will link up with the LNG Canada terminal destination in Kitimat, about 392 miles north of Vancouver on the Pacific coast. The Golden Weld event as it was called brings “mechanical completion” to a close for CGL, the company said. All 402 miles “of pipe has been welded, coated, lowered into the trench, rigorously tested and backfilled.”

Montreal Preparing to Ban Most New Natural Gas Hookups in Next Two Years - Following the example of some U.S. municipalities, Montreal plans to begin imposing restrictions in October 2024 on new natural gas, propane and oil-burning hookups in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The local government rules would ban fossil fuel cooking and heating as of next October from new residential buildings up to three floors tall. Bans expand in April 2025 to new industry sites, which are not part of current gas networks. Exemptions would be granted for professional cooking, barbecues using fuel tanks, temporary outdoor power generators and construction site heaters.

Mexico LNG Projects in Focus as Asia Set to Dominate Demand Growth - Mexico is poised to play an increasingly prominent role in the global natural gas market, driven by internal demand and the LNG export projects planned for the country’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts. During a joint webinar on Thursday, experts from NGI and the London Stock Exchange Group plc (LSEG) described the market dynamics that are boosting Mexico’s profile as a consumer and potential exporter of the fuel. Mexico already is the largest natural gas market in Latin America and the eighth-largest in the world, with demand currently averaging around 8.5 Bcf/d, said NGI’s Christopher Lenton, senior editor for Mexico and Latin America. “To put that into perspective the United States is the biggest natural gas market in the world and Canada is the fifth,

Latin America Among Global E&P Markets Outpacing North America, Say Oilfield Services Execs - International markets including Latin America are now showing more robust upstream activity growth than North America, according to the top oilfield services firms. The management teams of SLB, Halliburton Co., Baker Hughes Co. and Weatherford International plc said exploration and production (E&P) projects outside of North America, particularly in the offshore segment, drove incremental revenues during the third quarter. Latin America generated $1.68 billion of revenue for SLB during 3Q, versus $1.51 billion in the same period last year and $1.62 billion in 2Q2023. The 4% sequential increase was “due to higher sales of production systems offshore Brazil, partially offset by lower revenue in Guyana,” management said. “Year-on-year, revenue grew 11%, led by higher sales of...

Mexico's Pemex refines less in September, produces more polluting fuel oil - (Reuters) - Mexican state energy company Pemex refined less crude oil in September than the previous month, with production of highly polluting fuel oil again surpassing gasoline output, data on its website showed. The data indicate the company is struggling to meet a promise to achieve energy "sovereignty" made by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose term in office ends in less than a year. Pemex refined 767,994 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in September, down 3.6% from August, and off 1.5% from the same month last year, the latest figures showed. Pemex produced 226,100 bpd of gasoline and 99,700 bpd of diesel, down 6.5% and 35% respectively from August. Total output of refined petroleum products was 826,500 bpd. The company churned out large amounts of fuel oil, a sludge-like product with high sulfur content. Production in September was 281,200 bpd, up 22.5% from the previous month. Mexico's six domestic refineries have struggled to efficiently process the heavy crude Pemex pumps. Fuel oil is mostly used for electricity generation in the country. Pemex and its partners pumped 1.59 million bpd of crude oil in September, down from 1.6 million bpd a month earlier, the data showed. The number for condensate, similar to a very light crude, was 286,000 bpd - up from 277,000 bpd.

Brazilian government is bullish on fracking - Fracking does not currently occur in Brazil, but that could change as the Mines and Energy Ministry is currently accepting bids under the so-called Transparent Well project. Despite the name of the project, however, the government has been less than straightforward in its approach to it. Lawmakers challenged the willingness to use an oil and gas extraction technique that is highly polluting, associated with premature births and high-risk pregnancies, and banned in two Brazilian states. Fracking — shorthand for hydraulic fracturing — is a method to extract natural gas and oil from deep rock formations known as shale. In this method, drilling operators force water, sand, and a mix of chemicals into horizontally drilled wells, causing the shale to crack and release oil or gas. and release oil or gas. A 2016 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that fracking “can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances.” The language used by the EPA is very mild, and a news release on a previous report was edited to downplay the risks of fracking to water. Others have blunter assessments. A recent story by the New York Times found that fracking wells in the U.S. have increased their water usage sevenfold since 2011, and are threatening U.S. aquifers. Separate studies by researchers from the University of Calgary and Johns Hopkins University — in rural Alberta and Pennsylvania, respectively — have linked proximity to fracking wells to adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, lower weight for gestational age, major congenital anomalies, and mortality. Pennsylvania environmental regulators found a likely correlation between fracking operations and a series of minor earthquakes. Fracking rose in popularity as high gas prices caused energy Fracking rose in popularity as high gas prices caused energy companies to shift to drilling for natural gas wells. The practice helped to turn the U.S. into the world’s largest oil producer, surpassing Saudi Arabia in 2018 and remaining in the top spot since.

QatarEnergy delivers 1,000th LNG cargo to UK's South Hook terminal - LNG producer QatarEnergy LNG, previously known as Qatargas, has delivered the 1,000th LNG shipment to the South Hook LNG terminal at Milford Haven in the United Kingdom. State-owned QatarEnergy said that its unit QatarEnergy LNG delivered the milestone shipment with the Q-Max LNG carrier Mozah, which already has another landmark achievement to its name: the 10,000th LNG cargo from Ras Laffan Port in 2006. QatarEnergy LNG charters the 2008-built 266,253-cbm LNG carrier from Qatar’s Nakilat. The 345 metes long LNG carrier is currently the world’s largest LNG vessel, along other Nakilat’s Q-Max vessels. With the arrival of the 1,000th vessel, South Hook terminal has received and processed almost 100 million tonnes of LNG, which is the equivalent of supplying natural gas to every household in the UK for almost 5 years, according to QatarEnergy. Located on the Pembrokeshire coast near Milford Haven in Wales, the South Hook LNG terminal became commercially operational in 2009 with the arrival of its commissioning cargo on board the Q-Flex LNG carrier Tembek. The terminal has the capacity to process up to 20 percent of the UK’s needs of natural gas. QatarEnergy is the majority shareholder with a 67.5 percent share, ExxonMobil has a 24.15 percent stake, and TotalEnergies has an 8.35 percent stake in the LNG terminal.

QatarEnergy finalizes HD Hyundai LNG carrier deal as talks with other yards continue - State-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy has finalized its previously announced deal for 17 LNG carriers with South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries as it continues to hold talks with other yards over the second phase of its giant shipbuilding program. According to a statement by South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), HD Hyundai and QatarEnergy officially signed the shipbuilding deal worth about $3.9 billion in Doha on October 25 as part of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Qatar. MOTIE said this follows the framework agreement the two firms signed in September this year.Prior to this, QatarEnergy signed a deal with HHI in 2020 to reserve slots for its giant shipbuilding program.HHI’s parent HD KSOE also announced on Thursday that the shipbuilding contract was signed on October 25 and includes the construction of 17 174,000-cbm LNG carriers.This is the largest order ever received in the Korean shipbuilding industry based on a single contract, it said.KSOE said that HHI will deliver the 299 meters long and 46.4 meters wide vessels sequentially by September 2029.The contract marks the start of the second phase of QatarEnergy’s LNG ship acquisition program.Under the first phase, QatarEnergy contracted 60 LNG carriers at South Korea’s three shipbuilders HHI, Samsung Heavy, and Hanwha Ocean, and China’s Hudong-Zhonghua.The firm also signed multiple time charter parties with various shipowners during 2022 for the first phase of the program.This agreement brings the total number of confirmed new LNG vessels to be delivered to QatarEnergy and its affiliates to 77, with more to follow, QatarEnergy previously said.These “ultra-modern” vessels will support QatarEnergy’s expanding LNG production capacity from the North Field LNG expansion and Golden Pass LNG export projects as well as its long-term fleet replacement requirements, it said.

European Natural Gas Prices Gain as Egypt Says Pipeline Imports Stop – LNG Recap - Egypt’s government said Sunday that its natural gas imports have stopped as Israel intensified its fight against Hamas in Gaza. Natural gas prices in Asia and Europe stabilized Monday after declines last week. The market again braced for the possibility of a broader conflict in the Middle East. Egypt said Sunday that gas supplied from outside the country fell from 800 MMcf/d to zero, which exacerbated daily power outages that have been occurring there since mid-year. The country was forced to prolong the blackouts as hot weather, a lack of gas and stunted renewable output limited electricity supplies.

Russia Uses New Arctic LNG To Dodge Energy Sanctions -Vladimir Nekrasov, a prominent executive in Russia’s energy sector who criticized Putin, has had a tragic accident. These unavoidable twists of fate mean that up to 40 of the top managers in Russian energy have died since the war in Ukraine began. Coincidentally, they all commonly express skepticism towards Russia’s energy strategy, its funding streams, and its ability to fund the Kremlin’s war effort.Prior to exposés recently released by Le Mondeand Der Spiegel, it was assumed these deaths were Putin sweeping away the opposition and shaking down oligarchs for much-needed capital. While this remains true, the revelations that multiple French and German companies were cooperating with the Russian state in an “arctic pivot” for energy exports may have revealed another reason. Many of these Russian executives stood to lose significantly from Russia’s new energy strategy: pivot exports to the difficult-to-monitor Arctic to mitigate sanctions and may have resisted the transition. Following sanctions by the European Union on April 8th, 2022, targeting the energy sector, exports to Russia of products and technologies used in natural gas liquefaction were banned. Any technical, financial, or logistical assistance was also explicitly forbidden, with companies given a month to comply with the sanctions. Western energy corporations such as LindeLIN and Technip Energies minimized their financial losses in the mainstays of Russian gas production by pivoting to other areas of the Russian energy sector, before exiting the Russian market. Despite mostly complying and bringing a large number of components to Russia before the deadline, Western companies supplied machinery and other inputs for numerous arctic infrastructure projects after the sanctions came into force from August to October 2022. How were Western corporations able to support Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project despite the enforcement of sanctions? The French Economy Ministry, responsible for enforcing sanctions in France, explains that their application "depends on a case-by-case analysis." Sanctions have poor monitoring and enforcement, so while the law is enforced on a European level, there are disparities in implementation from one country to another. By stating that components sent to help Arctic LNG 2’s project weren’t important inputs or that the assistance was for infrastructure rather than energy exports, these energy corporations carefully concealed their actual involvement. Arctic LNG 2 is Russia’s largest gas export project yet. Located in northern Siberia’s Gyda peninsula, this location was previously inaccessible due to the Arctic ice – another example of climate change in action. It is meant to liquefy all natural gas from the many Siberian fields and plans to export 20 million tons of LNG per year – an equivalent of approximately 45 billion cubic meters a year. By building a new export terminal and directing the efforts of collaborators there, Russia is attempting to use the far less stringent sanctions regime relating to infrastructure, construction, and transportation to increase energy exports. The imports of dual-use technologies is often associated with military tech and civilian electronics, but it can be just as easily transposed into the energy sector. A litany of goods not exclusive to the energy sector can be directed in a way that either the energy industry can directly use, or the energy producers benefit from.

Spain and Belgium increased Russian LNG imports, study finds - Europe imported about the same amount of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) from January to September 2023 as it did during the same period last year — but some countries experienced notable increases. Spain and Belgium increased imports of LNG from Russia by 50 percent during this period, year-on-year, while France saw Russian LNG imports rise by 40 percent, a report revealed on Tuesday (31 October). Approximately 27 percent of Spain's imported LNG for this period came from Russia, and Belgium relied even more heavily on Russia for 37 percent of its LNG. France, for its part, had 15 percent of its LNG coming from Russia. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU vowed to cut reliance on Russian fossil-fuels but quickly bumped up against concerns it was substituting one form of pollution for another. New data from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis' (IEEFA) LNG tracker shows that European countries are still expanding LNG infrastructure, even as LNG and gas demand are expected to dwindle. Europe has increased its LNG capacity, with six new LNG terminals coming into operation since the beginning of 2022. And plans for new regasification LNG terminals are set to bring Europe's LNG capacity to 406bn cubic meters (bcm). However, LNG demand will not exceed 150bcm in 2030, revealing a potential surplus, according to the institute's forecasts. "The decline in gas demand is challenging the narrative that Europe needs more LNG infrastructure to reach its energy security goals. The data is showing that we don't," said Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, an energy analyst from the IEEFA. "Countries in Europe risk trading a reliance on Russian pipelines for a redundant LNG system that further exposes the continent to volatile prices," she also said. Meanwhile, the current proposed EU gas buildout of LNG infrastructure by 2030 is estimated to cost approximately €22.1bn, according to Global Energy Monitor. About €4.2bn is associated with terminals or pipelines already under construction.

Swedish authorities battle to stabilise stricken ferry leaking oil into Baltic Sea -A ferry that ran aground off south-eastern Sweden had “extensive damage” and was leaking oil into the Baltic Sea, a spokesman for the Swedish coast guard said.On 22 October the Marco Polo was running between two Swedish ports – Trelleborg and Karlshamn – when it ran aground near Horvik and started leaking. It continued under its own power before grounding a second time.The 75 people onboard, both passengers and crew, were evacuated. The ferry, operated by TT-Line of Germany, took on water but was not at risk of sinking. The groundings released a slick of fuel that reached the shores near Solvesborg, 110km (68 miles) north-east of Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city. Swedish media carried photos of birds partly covered in oil. Swedish prosecutors handed down fines to the captain and an officer who was in charge at the time of the grounding, saying they acted recklessly by relying on a faulty GPS.Initially the plan was to pump out the remaining oil from the ferry. That plan was thwarted on Sunday when the ferry slipped off its grounding ​because of severe weather, the Swedish coast guard and the TT-Line company said. It drifted further out, got stuck for a third time and leaked more oil.The latest movement “did not damage the previously unbreached oil tanks”, TT-Line said. “We are aware of the impact the incident has caused and we are taking the case very seriously.” Swedish authorities – including the civil protection agency – sent planes, drones, ships and people to the site. Two tugboats were sent to stabilise the ferry. On Monday, authorities said they were increasing the resources allocated, with several ships and more staff, after further oil spills were discovered.About 25 cubic metres of oil and oil waste had been removed by Monday. Authorities said the spill stretched over 5km (three miles) out to sea.

Spot LNG shipping rates rise for first time in five weeks, Spark says - Spot charter rates for the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier fleet increased this week for the first time in five weeks, exhibiting a 19 percent week-on-week increase in the Atlantic, according to Spark Commodities.Last week, the Atlantic rate fell to $132,500 per day, while the Pacific rate decreased to $129,500 per day.“The Spark30S Atlantic increased by $25,000 to $157,250 per day, and the Spark25S Pacific increased by $13,250 to $142,750 per day,” Qasim Afghan, Spark’s commercial analyst told LNG Prime on Friday.As per European LNG pricing, the SparkNWE DES LNG front month declined from the last week.Last week, the NWE DES LNG for November was assessed at at $14.975 per MMBtu, a $0.565 discount to the TTF price.“The SparkNWE DES LNG price for November deliveries fell $0.150 week-on-week to $14.824/MMBtu, partially driven by an increased discount to the TTF which widened by $0.31 to $0.875/MMBtu,” Afghan said. The TTF price for November settled at $15.718/MMBtu on Thursday.Platts assessed JKM, the price for LNG cargoes delivered to Northeast Asia, for December at $17.550/MMBtu on Thursday.The average for November was $14.475/MMBtu, it said.

Chevron: Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG workers back new labor deals - Chevron’s workers at the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG export terminals in Western Australia have voted in favor of new labor agreements. The workers voted during the weekend on all three enterprise agreements, including for the Wheatstone and Gorgon downstream facilities and the Wheatstone offshore platform. “Chevron Australia is pleased to confirm the proposed enterprise agreements for frontline field operations employees at our Gorgon and Wheatstone gas facilities have been supported by the majority of employees in a vote,” a Chevron spokesperson told LNG Prime on Monday. Moreover, the spokesperson said that the agreements “achieve sustainable, market competitive outcomes that are in the interests of our employees and the company.” “Following the vote, we will proceed to have the agreements approved by the Fair Work Commission,” the spokesperson said. Prior to these votes, Chevron’s workers agreed on October 18 to suspend industrial action planned for October 19. The Offshore Alliance, which includes the Maritime Union of Australia and Australian Workers’ Union, said that its members on the Chevron facilities voted 94 percent in support of an in-principle agreement to suspend protected industrial action. The Gorgon LNG plant on Barrow Island has a production capacity of some 15.5 mtpa while. The Wheatstone LNG plant near Onslow has a capacity of about 8.9 mtpa.

Surprise! CSIRO gas funded research lowballs emissions from Darwin's Middle Arm petro-port and Beetaloo fracking - Michael West -The Government’s science agency – the CSIRO – has been found to severely underestimate the CO2 emissions from the proposed petrochemicals port in Darwin, the so called Middle Arm Sustainable Development Project.Callum Foote reports.In February this year, government science agency CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA), produced a report on the potential emissions from the Beetaloo Basin project and associated infrastructure.The Federal and Northern Territory governments have used the report to justify the gas fracking in the Beetaloo Basin south of Darwin and the associated $1.5 billion Middle Arm LNG precinct in Darwin Harbour which is intended to use the Beetaloo gas.However, an independent analysis of the CSIRO’s Beetaloo Basin report has found that the government science agency drastically underestimated total emissions.The report found that the Beetaloo project would not increase Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions when accounting for offsets.This is an important finding for proponents of the project, as both the federal and NT governments have agreed to implement the recommendations of the 2018 Pepper Inquiry into fracking in the NT. A key recommendation states that there should be no net increase in the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions emitted in Australia from onshore shale gas produced in the NT.However, the new analysis has found that the Beetaloo fracking project alone would produce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to up to 11% of Australia’s total 2021 emissions, and would generate more emissions than the 2030 reduction goal under the new Safeguard Mechanism regulations. The Climate Analytics analyst and report author Thomas Houlie said: “Everywhere we looked, we found the GISERA report had significantly underestimated emissions factors, from the emissions intensity of fracked gas, to methane loss and leakage, LNG production, the availability of offsets and the capture rate for carbon capture: all of these add up to a rosy picture that simply doesn’t reflect reality.The producer of the report GISERA is actually an alliance agreement between the four biggest unconventional gas companies in Australia (Australia Pacific LNG, Origin Energy, QGC, and Santos) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). This means the CSIRO has been subject to claims of conflicts of interest, a government scientific organisation part funded by the gas lobby. Gas industry executives sit on all the committees overseeing GISERA research projects. The National Research Management Committee (NRMC) which oversees finance and research of all the regional committees, has five gas industry executives amongst its eight members. Australia Institute expert Mark Ogge has previously called out the apparent conflict of interest with having a gas lobby funded research wing of the CSIRO producing research which the government relies upon for policy outcomes. Ogge said that “there is a substantial body of literature that finds research outcomes are heavily influenced by the corporate funding.”

Deadly explosion off Nigeria points to threat posed by aging oil ships around the world (AP) — It was the dead of night when the ship caught fire, Patrick Aganyebi remembers, but the flames made it seem as bright as day. As the flames barreled toward him, he prepared to jump nearly 100 feet (30 meters) into the sea. Five workers were killed and two others presumed dead in the blast on the Trinity Spirit, a rusting converted oil tanker anchored 15 miles (24 km) off the coast of Nigeria that pulled crude oil from the ocean floor. It was by the grace of God, Aganyebi said, that he and two fellow crewmen escaped, rescued by a pair of fishermen as the burning vessel sank along with 40,000 barrels of oil. The Trinity Spirit’s explosion in February of last year stands among the deadliest tragedies on an oil ship or platform in recent years. The Associated Press’ review of court documents, ship databases, and interviews with crew members reveals that the 46-year-old ship was in a state of near-total disrepair, and the systems meant to ensure its safe and lawful operation — annual inspections, a flag registry, insurance — had gradually fallen away. The Trinity Spirit fits a pattern of old tankers put to work storing and extracting oil even while on the brink of mechanical breakdowns. At least eight have been shut down after a fire, a major safety hazard, or the death of a worker in the last decade, according to an AP review. More than 30 are older than the Trinity Spirit and still storing oil around the world. Jan-Erik Vinnem, who has spent his career studying the risks of offshore oil production, said he’s sometimes shocked when he sees pictures of oil ships in Africa. “I call them ‘floating bombs,’” he said. The Trinity Spirit was part of a class of vessels that extracts oil offshore and stores it at sea. They are known as floating production storage and offloading units — FPSOs — or as FSOs, floating storage and offloading units, when used only for storage. Since the 1970s, they’ve become increasingly popular for developing oil in deep waters and in places where no pipelines exist. According to the environmental group SkyTruth, there are some 240 in operation today. FPSOs are unlike most ships for one key reason: They stay in place. Once attached to the ocean floor, they can linger at the same oil field for years or even decades. They may be surveyed by in-country regulators or hired inspectors, but they operate outside the normal flow of shipping traffic and the added safety and legal inspections that take place in port. “If a vessel is sitting in a country’s domestic waters and is not going around trading … then you’re not going to have that same level of oversight,” said Meghan Mathieson, strategy director at the Canadian-based Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping. More than half the current fleet of FPSOs are recycled oil tankers, according to Oslo-based Rystad Energy, which keeps data on the ships. Senior analyst Edvard Christoffersen said that without a major repair, most oil ships have hulls built to last about 25 years. But some FPSOs are used far longer, sometimes to dangerous effect.

Oil prices slip even as Middle East tensions spike, as investors eye Fed meeting - - Oil prices dipped even after Israel sent ground forces into the Gaza Strip, raising tensions in the Middle East, as investors closely monitor the U.S. Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting later this week. Global benchmark Brent was down 2.8% at $87.89 per barrel. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures last declined 3.5% to $82.57 per barrel.“I think the market had priced in the incursion on Friday and tonight is more ‘sell the fact,’” Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, told CNBC via email. He said the ground operations were “limited so far” and noted other macroeconomic concerns.The Fed is expected to leave rates unchanged at the end of its two-day meeting on Wednesday, after the U.S. economy grew faster than expected at a 4.9% annual pace in the third quarter.“Recent U.S. economic data does not seem to provide much room for the Fed to back away from its high-for-longer rate stance, while China’s upcoming PMI read may still reveal downside risks to economic conditions,” said IG’s Market Strategist Yeap Jun Rong. He pointed out that both seem to cast some near-term reservations for oil prices to follow through with recent gains.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a Saturday press conference that Israel has entered its second phase of the war, in what he expects will be “long and difficult” as the country expands its ground operations in the strip.Oil prices surged late Friday, with Brent jumping above $90 per barrel as Israel said its troops were ‘increasing the ground operation’ in Gaza as it seeks to eradicate the militant group Hamas.“While a major oil supply disruption is not our base case, the oil market last week became a little too complacent about the likelihood of a major Israeli ground incursion in Gaza, and the risk of a wider regional war,” McNally continued.

U.S. Eyes Tighter Sanctions On Iran’s Oil And Gas Exports-- As the oil market grapples with the current and potential effects of the Gaza war, a new significant concern has emerged. U.S. sources indicate that the Biden Administration might soon impose stricter sanctions on Iran. Such a move would represent a marked shift from Washington’s recent rapprochement with Tehran. Over the past few months, an increasing number of commentators in Washington have criticized the Biden Administration’s decision to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets as part of a prisoner exchange with the Khamenei regime. While previous calls for action have yielded little response, events like the Hamas actions on October 7, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the widespread belief that Iran and its allies are fuelling instability in the Middle East have reinvigorated those advocating for sanctions on Iran. Given the evidence suggesting that senior officers of the IRGC back attacks by Iranian proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon against U.S. military personnel and civilians, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify releasing funds to Iran. Moreover, the unwavering support shown by Iran’s religious leader Khamenei and President Raisi for Hamas and threats of direct engagement if the conflict extends to Lebanon is compelling Washington to reassess its stance. Analysts expect that new sanctions could be slapped on Iran very soon, focusing on the country’s largely illegal oil and gas exports. The imposition of renewed or even more stringent sanctions on Iran’s hydrocarbon sectors and exports would have significant repercussions. The current supply-demand balance is tight, and both OPEC and other experts anticipate further demand growth. If all other factors remain constant, this would result in price surges, potentially pushing prices well above the $100-110 per barrel mark. Re-establishing a strict sanctions regime, which had been eased after Biden’s election, appears more feasible now than ever. A key reason for the lack of widespread panic is OPEC+’s decision to cut several million barrels of daily production. As a result, the global spare production capacity stands at around 5 million barrels, primarily held by countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the UAE. Rolling back the OPEC+ production cuts could benefit importers and stabilize oil prices in the desired range, as preferred by OPEC’s most influential member, Saudi Arabia. A renewed sanctions framework would significantly burden Iran’s fundamentalist regime by depriving it of its primary revenue source: hydrocarbon sales. Implementing strict sanctions globally would likely pressure Iran to meet other demands, particularly in refraining from intervening in the Israel-Hamas and Hezbollah conflict. Some might argue that placing financial constraints on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) could be a severe setback and shouldn’t be underestimated. Simultaneously, new sanctions might disrupt or even sever financial ties between Iran and its regional proxies, a move that many Arab nations would likely welcome.

How Houthi Attacks Affect Both the Israel-Hamas Conflict and Yemen’s Own Civil War – and Could Put Pressure on US, Saudi Arabia - Yemen’s Houthi movement launched missiles and drones at Israel on Oct. 31, 2023 – provoking fears of a dangerous escalation of the Middle East conflict.< With the militia – which controls part of the Arabian Peninsula state – vowing further attacks, Israel countered by sending missile boats to the Red Sea. They join U.S. warships already deployed in the area.The Conversation U.S. turned to Mahad Darar, a Yemeni politics expert at Colorado State University, to explain what is behind the Houthis’ involvement in the war – and how it could risk not only widening the conflict but reigniting hostilities in Yemen itself. The Houthi group, also known as Ansar Allah, is an armed militia of the Zaydi Shia sect in Yemen. They ousted Yemen’s transitional government led by Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in a 2014 coup and have since been engaged in a bloody civil war with the ousted administration, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. As such, the attack on Israel can be seen as showcasing both the Houthis’ – and Iran’s – military capabilities to both local and regional audiences. Indeed, some analysts argue that the reason Tehran supplied the Houthis with long-range missiles was so it could pose a threat to both Israel and also Tehran’s rival in the region: Saudi Arabia. However, although it may seem that the Houthis are acting as an Iranian proxy, the main reason the militia launched the attack could be to gain domestic support. Houthi leadership may be trying to present the group as the dominant force in Yemen willing to challenge Israel – a country that is generally unpopular in the Arab world. This approach helps the Houthis outmaneuver local rivals and unite the Yemeni public behind the cause of Palestinian liberation. In particular, the Houthis will want to present a different face to the Arab world than Saudi Arabia, which had been looking to normalize ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia, it should be added, is the main backer of the internationally recognized Yemeni government – one of the Houthis’ main opponents in the civil war. Some analysts have suggested that an attack by the Houthis heightens the chances of overwhelming Israel’s defense systems, if it forms part of a coordinated effort involving Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.But this idea falls short for two reasons:First, the Houthis likely have fewer ballistic missiles than Hezbollah and Hamas and realistically stand li ttle chance of inflicting much damage on Israel. Moreover, they will be mindful of keeping these missiles for their own use in the ongoing civil war in Yemen – which poses a more immediate threat to the group than Israel does. Second, the imprecision of the Houthi missiles means that any attack also poses a risk to countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, as these projectiles could land in their territories and cause damage. In fact, drones reportedly launched by the Houthis have already caused explosions after erroneously crashing in Egypt. Could the Attack Be Iran’s Bidding?Houthi actions primarily serve their own interests rather than those of Iran. And unlike Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Syria – which have recently attacked U.S. troops – the Houthis have not targeted U.S. forces in the region. If the Houthis were truly in the same basket as other Iranian proxies, I believe they would have targeted the nearest U.S. stationed base, which is Djibouti. But Houthi leadership will be mindful that such an attack would not only be unpopular among the Yemeni population but also would potentially come at a high cost to themselves. Unlike Hezbollah and Hamas, which are focused on resisting Israeli occupation, the Houthis are primarily concerned with local issues within Yemen. That said, the Houthis haven’t shied away from appearing aligned with Iran of late, mainly because they rely heavily on Iranian supplies of weapons. Negotiations between Houthis, Saudis and the Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemeni government forces are at a delicate point. Recently, it was reported that the Houthis killed four Saudi soldiers just days after Saudi Arabia shot down a missilefrom the Houthis that was headed for Israel. In the latest Houthi attack, the missiles passed through Saudi territory uninterrupted before being shot down by Israel. It is unclear whether this is an indication that the Saudis heeded the Houthis’ warning, which is potentially why they didn’t shoot down the latest missiles. To know more about the true state of Saudi-Houthi negotiations, there needs to be greater evidence, such as increased clashes between the Saudis and Houthis, or even a direct attack by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia. But if Houthi missile attacks escalate in the coming days, it could put Saudi Arabia in a difficult spot. At that point, the Saudis would face a difficult choice. They could allow the Houthis’ missiles to continue passing through their land or they could try to shoot them down. But that would risk jeopardizing diplomatic efforts with both the Houthis and Iran. And that, I feel, seems very unlikely.

Twenty-Six Journalists Killed in Gaza Since October 7 - At least 26 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since Israel unleashed its bombing campaign on the besieged enclave in response to the October 7 Hamas attack, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Monday.The majority of the Palestinian journalists were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, with three reported being shot dead on October 7. The CPJ said four Israeli journalists were killed in the Hamas attack. A Reuters journalist was killed by Israeli shelling in Lebanon on October 13.For comparison, the CPJ has reported that 15 journalists have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.The staggering journalist death toll in Gaza reflects the massive civilian casualties in Israeli airstrikes. Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Sunday that at least 8,306 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli onslaught, including 3,457 children.President Biden has accused the Palestinians of lying about the death toll, but Gaza’s Health Ministry is considered reliable, and the numbers reflect the massive number of bombs Israel has dropped on the enclave. UN officials told The Wall Street Journal that they believe the death toll is likely much higher since it doesn’t include people still under the rubble.

Israel Following US Advice in Its Gaza Ground Operation -Israel’s current ground operation in Gaza is in line with the advice the US has been giving, a US official told The Times of Israel.The official said Israel had launched a “limited” ground incursion, which is what the US recommended to avoid harming hostages, as opposed to a full-scale invasion. Hamas has claimed 50 hostages have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, but the number hasn’t been confirmed.The US official said Israel did not need pressure from the US to launch a limited incursion. The New York Times reported that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin advised a limited ground incursion in talks with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant. The Pentagon has also dispatched a three-star Marine Corps general and other officers to serve as military advisors, demonstrating how deeply involved the US is with the war planning. When Israeli ground forces entered Gaza on Friday, the enclave’s phone and internet services were cut, blacking out any media coverage on the ground and making rescue operations significantly more difficult. Services were restored on Sunday morning after 34 hours.A US official told The Wall Street Journal that the US had convinced Israel to restore Gaza’s phone and internet service after shutting it down so the UN and aid groups could communicate with their staff inside the enclave.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel’s war in Gaza had entered a “second stage” and told Israelis to prepare for a “long and hard” offensive. Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassams Brigade,said Sunday that its forces were engaged in “heavy fighting with the invading occupation forces in northwest Gaza.”While Israel’s ground incursion might be more limited than initially planned, its airstrikes have continued to pound Gaza relentlessly. According to Al Jazeera, Gaza residents described the weekend bombardment as the most intense yet. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported the death toll in the enclave since Israel unleashed its bombing campaign has surpassed 8,000,including over 3,000 children.

Israel launches expanded Gaza ground operation — but won’t use the I-word - It increasingly looks like Israel has launched its much-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza — but officials won’t use the I-word to describe the campaign. Speaking to his nation Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s fight against Hamas had entered “the second stage of the war” following a decision by the war cabinet to expand ground operations in Gaza. Standing alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and unity government partner Benny Gantz, Netanyahu acknowledged that what comes next will be a long, hard-fought battle. “This is our second independence war. We’re going to save our country,” he said. But Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson, later framed the operation more modestly to reporters, saying the Israel Defense Forces would be “gradually increasing its ground activity in the Gaza Strip and the scale of its forces.” The careful wording belies reports of heavy fighting by relatively small IDF units who have pushed into Gaza, supported by tanks, helicopters and air strikes. While intense, the runs are not the massive invasion the IDF has positioned itself to launch and indicate the war might be fought in smaller, targeted engagements rather than a massive push through the densely populated enclave. Israeli officials over the last 24 hours signaled that the incursion into northern Gaza will be the first step in a multi-part operation to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities. “The campaign will continue until further notice,” Gallant said.

UN Says Israeli Strikes on Jabalia Refugee Camp Could 'Amount to War Crimes' - The UN’s Human Rights Office said Wednesday that Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp could be a war crime due to the high number of civilian casualties.“Given the high number of civilian casualties & the scale of destruction following Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes,” the office wrote on X.Israel struck Jabalia for the second time within two days on Wednesday. The Israeli military said the strikes that hit the densely populated campkilled Muhammad A’sar, the head of Hamas’ anti-tank missile unit, but the Israeli claim is not confirmed.Gaza’s Health Ministry said scores of people were killed and wounded in the Wednesday airstrikes, but the death toll is not clear. A day earlier, Israeli warplanes hammered Jabalia, killing at least 50 people.Another phone and internet outage in Gaza on Wednesday made it difficult for media outlets to get a gauge of the death toll in the second Israeli attack on Jabalia.According to The New York Times, the second strike took place in the Falluja neighborhood of Jabaliya, about half a mile south of where Tuesday’s attack took place. The paper verified video footage of rescue workers and residents digging through the rubble and carrying what appears to be injured and dead people, including children.After the Tuesday attack, an Israeli military spokesman acknowledged that Jabalia was full of innocent civilians, including women and children. “This is the tragedy of war … we’ve been saying for days, move south,” the spokesman said.

'A Clear-Cut War Crime': Outrage Grows as Israel Again Bombs Gaza Refugee Camp - The Israeli military bombed Gaza's largest refugee camp for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as humanitarian groups and lawmakers called the series of attacks a blatant war crime and slammed the U.S. government for enabling such atrocities. Wednesday's attack reportedly killed and wounded "a number of" people at the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp, where hundreds were killed or injured roughly 24 hours earlier in bombings by the Israeli military. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that Tuesday's strikes were aimed at a "tunnel complex" where a senior Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari, was purportedly hiding. The IDF said the airstrikes killed Biari but denied intentionally bombing the camp's buildings, more than a dozen of which were leveled in the attack."I was waiting in line to buy bread when suddenly and without any prior warning seven to eight missiles fell," said one eyewitness. "There were seven to eight huge holes in the ground, full of killed people, body parts all over the place. It felt like the end of the world."A Doctors Without Borders nurse in Gaza said that after Tuesday's strikes, "young children arrived at the hospital with deep wounds and severe burns.""They came without their families," the nurse added. "Many were screaming and asking for their parents. I stayed with them until we could find a place, as the hospital was full with patients." Asked about the civilians who were killed in the Tuesday strikes, an IDF spokesperson toldCNN that "this is the tragedy of war" and that the Israeli military instructed people in the area to "move south." Hamas denied the claim that one of its commanders was in the area targeted by the Israeli military.Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International, argued Tuesday that Israel's assault on Gaza's largest refugee camp "is a clear-cut war crime.""It shows wanton disregard for the legal obligation to minimize civilian harm in targeting military objectives. It is the latest of many such attacks by the IDF," Konyndyk wrote. "This in turn underscores that Netanyahu is making a mockery of Biden's repeated pleas to follow the laws of war—without any acknowledgment of that reality by the U.S. This leaves a cease-fire as the only viable path to civilian protection."U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who is leading a congressional resolutioncalling for a cease-fire in Gaza, also denounced the refugee camp bombing as a war crime and said that "this unspeakable violence must end."

Some Foreign Nationals, Severely Wounded Palestinians Allowed to Leave Gaza -After weeks of enduring a vicious bombing campaign, some dual nationals and severely wounded Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.An Egyptian official told CNN that 361 foreign passport holders and 81 severely wounded Palestinians entered Egypt through the Rafah crossing on Wednesday. The official said among the foreign nationals are citizens of Austria, the United Kingdom, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Japan.The State Department has estimated that 400 American citizens are trapped in Gaza, but it’s not clear how many got out on Wednesday. According toAP, the White House only expected a “handful” of Americans to be among the people who got out. According to CNN, two American physicians entered Egypt on Wednesday.Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his State Department previously said the only thing preventing Americans from leaving Gaza was Hamas, but sources told CNN that a diplomatic agreement was worked out between Israel, Egypt, and Hamas to allow people to cross the border.According to messages reviewed by ABC News, US officials had told an American citizen stuck in Gaza that there was more than one issue preventing them from leaving despite Blinken’s claim. “There’s more than one sticking point. We need Egypt, Israel, and the DFA (De Facto Authorities) to all agree,”

Leaked Israeli Intelligence Ministry Document Proposes Complete Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza - A leaked document drafted by Israel’s Intelligence Ministry proposes the ethnic cleansing of the approximately 2.3 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip as a potential solution to Israel’s war against Hamas.The document, dated October 13, was published by the Hebrew language website Sicha Mekomit, and the Israeli government has confirmed its authenticity. According to The Times of Israel, Israeli government officials are downplaying the document, saying it only represents “initial thoughts” and that they are currently focused on the war effort.The proposed plan would involve pushing the Palestinians out of Gaza into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. They would first live in tent cities until permanent structures are built. The plan also includes a several-kilometer-wide “sterile” buffer zone inside Egypt so the Palestinians could not live on the border.The document proposes two other potential plans, including handing Gaza over to the Palestinian Authority once Hamas is defeated. Another proposal would involve Israel propping up a new Arab regime in Gaza. But the document says these two proposals would not sufficiently deter future attacks and that the preferred option is cleansing Gaza of Palestinians.The writers of the document said allowing the PA to administer Gaza is the “most dangerous alternative” of the three options because it could lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.While Israeli government officials are downplaying the document and its existence does not mean it’s a policy Israel will implement, some parts of the proposal are being carried out. The document says the first phase of the plan would be to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip, which Israel has ordered, and to focus airstrikes on the north before a ground invasion.The biggest impediment to Israel cleansing Gaza of Palestinians is opposition from Egypt and Arab and international pressure. The document says that part of the plan is for the US to exert “pressure on Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the [UAE] to contribute to the initiative either in resources or in accepting displaced persons.”

Israeli Officials' Plans to Ethnically Cleanse, Recolonize Gaza Stoke 'Second Nakba' Fears - The revelation in recent days of two separate Israeli plans for the permanent expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza has stoked fresh fears of ethnic cleansing in the besieged strip, while Jewish settlers in the illegally occupied West Bank are vowing to slaughter Palestinians there if they don't flee to Jordan.As Israeli forces continue to pulverize Gaza with air and artillery strikes ahead of an expected major ground invasion—killing more than 7,300 Palestinians, wounding nearly 19,000 others, and displacing over 1.4 million residents—some Israeli leaders are formulating plans for the recolonization of Gaza.The Israeli business daily Calcalistfirst reported a plan by Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel to forcibly expel Gazans into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which borders Gaza, after the war. Calcalist viewed a document bearing the Intelligence Ministry's logo that was obtained by the Settlement Headquarters movement, which seeks to recolonize Gaza 18 years after Israeli troops and settlers withdrew from the coastal strip.Gamliel envisions a course of action "that will yield positive and long-term strategic results" and involves the forced transfer of all Gazans into Egypt, a removal that would be carried out in three stages. First, tent cities would be built in the Sinai southwest of Gaza. This would be followed by the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" to aid evacuees. Finally, cities would be built in northern Sinai to permanently house Gazan refugees.The plan also calls for the creation of a "sterile zone" several kilometers wide to prevent Palestinians from returning to Gaza, as well as efforts to persuade countries to act as "absorption baskets" for displaced Gazans. European countries such as Spain and Greece, North African nations, and Canada are all mentioned as possible resettlement destinations.Referring to previous schemes to expel Palestinians from Gaza—most notably the mid-2000s Eiland Plan—the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights asserted Thursday that "Israel's plan to ethnically cleanse 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza is not a result of its current genocidal war. It is by design and must be stopped!"

Egypt Is Playing an Extremely High-Stakes Game in Gaza That Could End in Genocide --The situation is grim since there aren’t any reasons to expect Israel to voluntarily stop its ground operation, nor any indications as of yet that the Arab states are seriously considering another oil embargo against the West. The risk of a genocide in Gaza is therefore growing by the day, and with Egypt threatening to go to war if these refugees are pushed across its border and Israel likely abandoning this pressure campaign in response, over two million people face a very dire fate.Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly said earlier this week that his country was ready to “sacrifice millions of lives” in defense of its territory and to prevent regional conflicts from being resolved at its expense. This ominous remark was interpreted as signaling that Egypt is prepared to go to war as a last resort to stop a flood of Palestinian refugees from Gaza. Before proceeding, readers should review this analysis about “Egypt’s Dilemma: Facilitate Ethnic Cleansing Or Allow Possible Genocide” for background.In brief, Egypt can either open the floodgates and facilitate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza or keep its borders closed and therefore tacitly allow their possible genocide by Israel. The first option has obvious humanitarian arguments in its favor, while the counterarguments are that “Weapons of Mass Migration” could destabilize Egypt and Israel might never let those refugees return once they’re gone. As for the second option, the arguments and counterarguments are reversed, but the logic stands.Judging by Madbouly’s latest remark, Egypt has decided to play an extremely high-stakes game in Gaza after publicly signaling a desire to go to war as a last resort to stop a flood of Palestinian refugees, but this could end in genocide in the worst-case scenario that it fails to get Israel to stop its bombings. About that, while Russia supports Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks like Hamas’ infamous one in early October, it’s against the self-professed Jewish State’s collective punishment of the Palestinians. At the same time, Egypt is also the most populous Arab state too and tried leading this group of countries during the middle of the Old Cold War, plus many of its people sympathize with their co-religionists in Palestine. These factors worsen the dilemma that it’s been plunged into by the latest conflict since it would prefer to keep those refugees out of its borders, especially since some might be Hamas sleeper cells, but it’s also under some pressure to immediately relieve their suffering as well. President Sisi seemingly chose to prioritize Egypt’s national security and political interests over the Palestinians’ humanitarian ones, which explains why his Prime Minister just said what he did. It also deserves mentioning that Israel just confirmed the existence of a scandalous so-called “concept paper” that was previously reported on by The Grayzone. The influential think tank behind it proposed “resettling” all the Gazans in Egypt, or in other words, ethnically cleansing them. According to Israeli website Ynet, Israel proposed bailing Egypt out of its international debts in exchange for that country allowing Palestinian refugees to flood into the country. The abovementioned “concept paper” coupled with this latest Israeli report add context to Madbouly’s remark. They enable observers to reframe them as an indirect public response to Tel Aviv’s efforts to resolve the Palestinian conflict at Egypt’s expense, which could entail considerable national security and political costs as explained. With these factors in mind, particularly Egypt’s willingness to go to war to prevent a flood of Palestinian refugees, Israel will probably stop pressuring its neighbor to accept them since it’s not worth ruining ties with the largest Arab state. The self-professed Jewish State’s perception managers might then try to divide blame for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by their government’s collective punishment of its people by claiming that it’s partially Cairo’s fault for not opening its border to save them. If Israel’s ground operation continues as planned, then there’s a credible risk of genocide, which could only realistically be averted in the scenario that the Arab states agree on another oil embargo. This proposal was elaborated on here, but can be summarized as punishing Israel’s Western patrons with the intent of getting that bloc to coerce Tel Aviv into stopping its ground operation. It might still not succeed, and there might not be enough Arab unity to even try, but it’s the only realistic option available.Israel has proven itself impervious to global opinion so nobody should hope that any more pro-Palestinian protests will finally succeed in bringing an end to its ground operation. Instead, the case can be made that these demonstrations might have a better chance of getting the Arab states to seriously discuss another oil embargo or pressure Egypt to finally open its border in exchange for refugee aid. Once again, the primary dilemma is over facilitating ethnic cleansing or allowing genocide.

What Gives Israel the Right to Annihilate Gaza? - It has been three weeks since the Israeli army launched a full-scale assault on the Gaza Strip, popularly termed a war between Israel and Hamas. Following an assault by the military wing of Hamas on Israeli soldiers and civilians, the Israeli government declared its intention to eliminate the group. In its efforts to do so, Israel has pummelled the Palestinian population in Gaza with airstrikes. It has cut civilians’ access to water, food and power. And it has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops for a ground invasion, which has now begun. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza and the United Nations, over 8000 Palestinians have already been killed, some 40% of whom were children, and more than half of Gaza’s residents are now displaced. It has also disappeared thousands of Palestinians from Gaza, doubling the number of Palestinian prisoners in just two weeks. They are now believed to be held in inhumane detention conditions. And, in the West Bank, it has violently invaded Palestinian towns and refugee camps, killing more than 100 people. Meanwhile, another campaign is raging on the airwaves and across social media. Waged by both volunteers and professional pundits, Tiktok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook are all overflowing with content aimed at influencing public opinion on the crisis. Some posts make light of Palestinian death with memefied, casual cruelty. Others sex up the Israeli Defence Forces. Still others cheerlead genocide.Talking heads promising wisdom, hard truths or explanations for the conflict from across the political spectrum are also everywhere. As researchers both specialising on Palestine, we’ve taken a keen interest in what they’ve been saying. And on the side of Israel’s apologists, we’ve seen two main narratives at work. Both are deeply flawed. The first ignores all context to portray Israel as the undeniable victim of a brutish neighbour. The second draws selectively on context to portray Hamas and Israel as more or less equal adversaries tragically unable to come to an accord. This narrative, designed to appeal to moderates and confound pro-Palestinian messaging, argues that everyone has blood on their hands in this endless cycle of violence – meaning no easy condemnation of Israel is possible. While the glaring narrow-mindedness of the first narrative should be self-evident in the face of Israel’s crimes against humanity in Gaza, many American, British and European officials and pundits have openly embraced it. Prominent Christian evangelical media figures have also voiced their support, calling for unwavering solidarity with Israel. Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, put the 7 October attack in a vacuum at the recent peace summit in Cairo: “The reason for all the pain in the past weeks – the pain that has brought us here today – has a name. It was Hamas that brought horrible terror to Israel on 7 October and perpetrated abominable crimes.” Joe Biden, the US president, was equally one-sided in his speech in Tel Aviv: Hamas committed atrocities that recall the worst ravages of ISIS, unleashing pure unadulterated evil upon the world. There is no rationalizing it, no excusing it. Period. … The US has since voted against a UN security council resolution calling for humanitarian pauses to allow the delivery of life-saving aid to Gaza. As US Secretary of State Blinken put it, “We’re not in the business of second-guessing what [Israel] are doing.” This guiding thought has led some Western politicians to explicitly endorse Israel’s crimes against humanity. Keir Starmer, the head of the opposition in the UK, unequivocally endorsed collective punishment for the Palestinian people when he said that Israel had the right to cut off food, water and power from 2.4 million people in response to Hamas’ attack. This blatantly disregards Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which binds Israel to certain obligations under the law of occupation, notably ensuring that the population of Gaza has access to food, medicines, and other essential goods. Yet, for Starmer, a trained human right lawyer, and many others like him, it appears that threatening mass starvation and dehydration is deemed a valid tool of self-defense for Israel.

Bolivia cuts diplomatic ties with Israel over Hamas war -The Bolivian government announced Tuesday that it would be cutting diplomatic ties with Israel over the country’s war with Hamas, making it the first country to sever ties with Israel since the start of its conflict.María Nela Prada, a minister in President Luis Arce’s administration, announced the decision at a press conference.“We demand an end to the attacks on the Gaza Strip which have so far claimed thousands of civilian lives and caused the forced displacement of Palestinians,” she said.The decision represents a “condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and its threat to international peace and security,” Freddy Mamani, the country’s deputy foreign minister, said.Mamani also said they are calling for Israel to end its blockade preventing the entry of food, water and other “essential elements for life,” Reuters reported.Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales called for the country to sever ties with Israel because of the “horrific situation” Palestinian people are facing. In an Oct. 20 post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, he demanded that the Bolivian government breaks its ties with Israel and declare it a terrorist state. Bolivia previously broke ties with Israel in 2008 under Morales’s left-leaning leadership in protest of Israel’s actions in Gaza. In 2020, right-wing President Jeanine Áñez reestablished ties, Reuters reported.

WTO chief warns Israel-Hamas war could hurt global growth if it spills over - The World Trade Organization’s director-general warned that the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict will impact global growth if it spills over to the wider Middle East region. In an interview with CNBC aired on Monday, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “If it spreads beyond where it is now, to the rest of the Middle East, there will be an impact.” “Remember that this region is also the source of a lot of the world’s energy with respect to natural gas as well as oil, which is still very much in use and all over the world. So you will see an impact on global growth, on global trade,” she added. “We do hope it does not amount to that. We’re praying for de-escalation and peace,” she told CNBC’s Martin Soong on the sidelines of the Group of 7 meeting in Osaka, Japan. Economists have cautioned that any possible escalation of the Israel-Hamas war poses a major disruption to the global economy, and could drive up energy prices and disrupt key trade routes. Trade growth is already “quite grim” due to the “fall in aggregate demand across the board,” said Okonjo-Iweala. The WTO cut its trade growth forecast for 2023 amid a global manufacturing slowdown. In October, the organization scaled back on growth estimates in global merchandize trade for this year due to a continued slump that started in the fourth quarter of 2022. Global merchandize trade volume is now projected to grow by 0.8% this year, less than half of the 1.7% increase forecasted in April. The 3.3% growth projected for 2024 remains nearly unchanged from the previous estimate. “The rebound from China has not been as robust after the pandemic as we hoped. We have the real estate crisis in China. European Union growth is slower than we had also hoped,” said the WTO director-general. “The U.S. seems to be doing okay but still, there’s the issue of aggregate demand falling across the board in most regions and both sectors and persistent inflation with interest rates going up higher for long,” she added.

Zelensky 'Deludes' Himself Into Thinking Ukraine Can Win War: Aide - One of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest aides has toldTime Magazine that the Ukrainian leader has deluded himself into thinking Ukraine can win an ultimate victory against Russia after the failed counteroffensive and amid waning support for the conflict in the West.The report said that despite the setbacks, Zelensky “does not intend to give up fighting or to sue for any kind of peace. On the contrary, his belief in Ukraine’s ultimate victory over Russia has hardened into a form that worries some of his advisers. It is immovable, verging on the messianic.”The aide said Zelensky “deludes himself,” adding, “We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that.” The report said that the idea of negotiating peace or a temporary truce with Russia remains taboo to Zelensky.“For us it would mean leaving this wound open for future generations,” Zelensky told Time. “Maybe it will calm some people down inside our country, and outside, at least those who want to wrap things up at any price. But for me, that’s a problem, because we are left with this explosive force. We only delay its detonation.”A senior Ukrainian military officer told the magazine that the armed forces has had to second guess orders that came from Kyiv’s political leadership, including an order to capture the Donetsk city of Horlivka. “They don’t have the men or the weapons,” the officer said. “Where are the weapons? Where is the artillery? Where are the new recruits?”Ukraine is not just running low on weapons to fight the war but also manpower. One of Zelensky’s aides said even if Ukraine’s Western backers supplied all the arms they need, “we don’t have the men to use them.”

The future of warfare: A $400 drone killing a $2M tank – — Sergeant Yegor Firsov, deputy commander of a Ukrainian army strike drone unit, sounds exhausted in a voice message he sent to POLITICO from Avdiivka, an industrial city at the center of intense fighting on the eastern front. Russian troops have been storming Avdiivka relentlessly for more than two weeks in an all-out effort to encircle the Ukrainian forces there. “The situation is very difficult. We are fighting for the heights around the city," Firsov said. "If the enemy controls these heights, then all logistics and roads leading to the city will be under its control. This will make it much harder to resupply our forces.” Facing an enemy with superior numbers of troops and armor, the Ukrainian defenders are holding on with the help of tiny drones flown by operators like Firsov that, for a few hundred dollars, can deliver an explosive charge capable of destroying a Russian tank worth more than $2 million. The FPV — or "first-person view" — drones used in such strikes are equipped with an onboard camera that enables skilled operators like Firsov to direct them to their target with pinpoint accuracy. Before the war, a teenager might hope to get one for a New Year present. Now they are being used as agile weapons that can transform battlefield outcomes. Others are watching, and learning, from a technology that is giving early adopters an asymmetric advantage against established methods of warfare. “It's hard to handle the emotion when a drone pilot hits a tank. The whole group and the whole platoon are happy like babies. Infantry units are rejoicing nearby. Everyone is screaming, and hugging. Although they do not know the guy who gave them this happiness,” Firsov wrote in a Facebook post. A typical FPV weighs up to one kilogram, has four small engines, a battery, a frame and a camera connected wirelessly to goggles worn by a pilot operating it remotely. It can carry up to 2.5 kilograms of explosives and strike a target at a speed of up to 150 kilometers per hour, explains Pavlo Tsybenko, acting director of the Dronarium military academy outside Kyiv. “This drone costs up to $400 and can be made anywhere. We made ours using microchips imported from China and details we bought on AliExpress. We made the carbon frame ourselves. And, yeah, the batteries are from Tesla. One car has like 1,100 batteries that can be used to power these little guys,” Tsybenko told POLITICO on a recent visit, showing the custom-made FPV drones used by the academy to train future drone pilots. “It is almost impossible to shoot it down," he said. "Only a net can help. And I predict that soon we will have to put up such nets above our cities, or at least government buildings, all over Europe.”

China, Japan Coast Guard Vessels Face-Off Near Disputed Senkaku Islands --Chinese and Japanese coast guard vessels faced off near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Monday, The South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday. The Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, are uninhabited and controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan. The islands are a long-standing point of friction between Beijing and Tokyo, and confrontations in the area are common. According to the Japanese Coast Guard, its patrol boats repeatedly urged three Chinese vessels to leave the area on Monday. The Chinese side said that three Japanese ships and several patrol ships entered the territorial waters of the islands “illegally.” “We urge Japan to immediately stop all illegal activities in the waters and ensure that similar incidents do not happen again,” said Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu. According to the Post, a similar incident took place about three weeks ago. During that encounter, Japan’s Coast Guard said it maneuvered to prevent Chinese vessels from approaching Japanese fishing boats. The US has for years pledged to defend the Senkakus, saying the mutual defense portion of the US-Japan Security Treaty applies to the islands, meaning the dispute in the East China Sea is a potential flashpoint for a war between the US and China. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reaffirmed the pledge on October 4 when his Japanese counterpart was visiting Washington. “Now we face major shared challenges, including [China’s] coercive behavior and North Korea’s dangerous provocations, and Russia’s reckless war of choice against Ukraine, but America’s Article 5 treaty commitment to the defense of Japan remains ironclad and it covers all territories under Japan’s administration, including the Senkaku Islands,” Austin said.